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francoiserenaldt · 4 years ago

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This is my playlist for day 2 of @it-lives-week :) This was so much fun to make and I hope you all like it!

Song explanations under the cut.

a.m. one direction

all my favorite conversations / always made in the a.m. / ‘cause we don’t know what we’re saying + And talking out of our asses / like we’re all gonna make it, yeah yeah

The way I can just see them spending a whole night together talking about nothing and doing fuck all but they’re having a good time because they’re together? I can’t even.

disturbia rihanna

it’s a thief in the night to come and grab you / it can creep up inside you and consume you + it’s too close for comfort

This is them coping with Redfield and everything going on.

loyalty kendrick lamar ft. rihanna

you actin’ shifty, you don’t ride / with me no more, i need / loyalty, loyalty, loyalty

The obvious answer is that this is Noah’s betrayal song, but I actually think it represents the dynamics of the group in that everyone has a different motivation and wants Redfield gone for their own reasons. When that aspect of tension comes into play, we kinda see them turn on each other in small ways.

weird people little mix

we’re just doing what we came to do / ‘cause we’re all weird people / and we love it + don’t let those other suckers hate on you

The sprinkler scene during homecoming made this song a necessity in the playlist. This also just fits their vibe in general, in my opinion.

mad world riverdale cast

and i find it kinda funny / i find it kinda sad / the dreams in which i’m dying are the best i’ve ever had

I’m hilarious, I know. Mad World is in here because I wanted to give the playlist a song about their darker thoughts, but I put the Riverdale version instead of the OG because this playlist is sad enough as it is and I wanted to laugh.

sign of the times harry styles

we never learn, we’ve been here before / why are we always stuck and running from the bullets + we don’t talk enough / we should open up / before it’s all too much

Self-explanatory.

all my friends are dead turbonegro

all my friends are dead / all my friends are dead / got dragged outta bed / now they’re buried and they’re dead

The ILITW writers themselves gave the gang this song because they have a sick and twisted sense of humor and, honestly, I do too. I just imagine the maniacal laugh at the beginning to be the survivor of a “everyone dies” ending trying to stay sane and failing miserably.

1-800-273-8255 logic

i been on the low / i’ve been taking my time / i feel like i’m out of my mind / it feel like my life ain’t mine

I included this song because it reminded me of how they comforted each other when each person hit their lowest point. It also felt like a good turning point for the playlist because we’re departing from sad hours here.

8teen khalid

because i’m eighteen / and i still live with my parents / and then a lie goes / “well, yours are more understanding” + so let’s do all the stupid shit that young kids do

This song just captures the vibe of being a teenager so well and being carefree for the last moments of your life.

cups kurt hugo schneider

when i’m gone / when i’m gone / you’re gonna miss me when i’m gone

The Cup Song is just so nostalgic and I wanted that childhood friends feel for this playlist.

good enough little mix

sorry for the way my life turned out / sorry for the smile i’m wearing now / am i still not good enough?

Did I say that sad hours were over? Oops. I don’t feel like this needs any further explanation, so I’ll just leave this here.

oath cher lloyd

wherever you go, just always remember / that you got a home, for now and forever + this is my oath to you

Please accept this feel good friendship song to make up for my last choice :)

be alright ariana grande

baby don’t you know / all of them tears gon’ come and go / baby you just gotta make up your mind / that every little thing is gonna be alright

Self explanatory.

victorious panic! at the disco

oh we gotta turn up the crazy / livin’ like a washed up celebrity + shooting fireworks like it’s the fourth of july / until we feel alright

I see them ironically yell-singing this at/on the way to a party or school dance.

handclap fitz and the tantrums

need to believe you could hold me down / ‘cause i’m in need of something good right now + and i could make your hands clap

They’re all so talented and unique in their own way.

dynasty miia

all i gave you is gone / thought we built a dynasty that heaven couldn’t shake +

thought we built a dynasty, like nothing ever made / thought we built a dynasty forever couldn’t break up

One last sad bop. For real this time, I promise. This is Noah’s betrayal song. The dynasty in this is like their friendship.

get well soon ariana grande

here’s one thing you can trust / it take you and me to make us +

one of those days you had enough / i’ll be there

This song reminded me of their promise to never split off at the end of the book. Their support system at the end of everything is just >>> and it deserved a spot on the playlist.

kids mgmt

you pick insects off of plants / no time to think of consequences

This felt like a good note to end on. When everything first started, and even as it winded down, they were really just a bunch of feral children trying to figure their lives out. Also, you can’t listen to this song and stay in a bad mood. It’s not possible.

If you read this far, I love you. Hope you enjoyed <3.

#ilaweek #ilitw #it lives in the woods #i'm not sure i should put this in each of their tags so i'm just not going to lol #day 2 #my tunes

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rabbitcruiser · 4 years ago

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World Snake Day

Snakes have gotten something of a bad rap over the past few thousand years. What with that one snake tricking that nice lady into eating an apple way back when, thus condemning the entire human race to mortality, snakes have been mistrusted if not flat-out feared.

And while it is understandable that people may fear an animal that can easily kill them, we think these fascinating, diverse creatures that range from several inches to 30 feet long, and from friendly and docile to aggressive and deadly, deserve for people to find out more about them.

Learn about World Snake Day

World Snake Day is an important day when it comes to increasing awareness about the different species of snake all around the world. Snakes tend to have a negative connotation. A lot of people are scared of snakes, and of course, we can definitely understand the reasons why! No one likes the thought of being gobbled up by a snake, do they? Plus, when someone is two-faced or a bad person, they are often referred to as snakes. However, snakes are great creatures and they are so important to the world that we live in.

Did you know that there are more than 3,5000 species of a snake around the world? Because of this, it is not going to be a challenge for you to find a snake that fascinates you and interests you that you may not have heard of before, even if you are someone who is interested in snakes and you have a pet snake of your own! So, this is one of the good reasons why to research snakes and learn more about them on this date. After all, there is so much that you can learn!

Of the 3,500 species of a snake around the world, there are only around 600 that are venomous. This is less than 25 percent of snakes! There are only 200 species of snake that pose a considerable risk to human life as well. Therefore, snakes are nowhere near as worrying or scary as we think they are. Of course, this does not mean that you should go up and start petting any snake that you come across! However, it is definitely something to think about. Perhaps we give these animals a much harder time than they deserve?

History of World Snake Day

The snake is one of the oldest mythological characters and has been revered by civilizations the world over. There are about 3,458 species of snakes known so far, ranging from the semi-frozen tundra of northern Canada to the steamy jungles of the equator and most of the world’s oceans. Snakes are highly effective predators and play a vital role in maintaining the balance of nature in each of these realms. Snakes are also fascinating in that they have a prehistoric lineage, thus giving us a glimpse back to a prehistoric time when the earth was ruled by reptiles—many people have no idea that modern reptiles are literally the living, breathing cousins of dinosaurs.

The species that seem to fascinate people the most are the King Cobra, the largest venomous snake in the world most people have seen in movies being coaxed out of a basket by a snake charmer; the Rattlesnake, that has forced countless people to suck its poison out of the bite before it’s too late; and the Reticulated Python, the world’s longest snake that kills its prey by strangling it.

World Snake Day was created to help people learn more about these animals and how much they contribute to the world as we know it.

How to celebrate World Snake Day

Have you ever thought about having a pet snake? Snakes may not be the right pet for everyone, but if you have it in you to take on the challenge it is to own and care for a pet snake, World Snake Day may be the time to make that decision. If not, however, you can take advantage of this day to learn some more about these incredible animals. Here are some interesting facts to help you do that:

Where do snakes live?

Snakes are found in every continent except Antarctica in the sea, forests, deserts, prairies, and even your backyard or garage.

What do snakes eat?

Snakes consume many different animals including insects small rodents and frogs. Snakes eat their prey whole because their lower jaw can separate from the upper jaw. Very large snakes can even eat small deer, pigs, monkeys, and even primates.

How do snakes behave?

Snakes rely on the environment to regulate their body temperature. They spend as long in the warm sun as they need to in order to get warm, and when they become too warm, they find shade to cool off. They are generally not aggressive unless they are hunting or feel like they need to defend themselves. They shed their skin three to six times a year.

How do they defend themselves?

Snakes use a variety of techniques defend themselves, including camouflage, biting and envenoming those they feel are threatening them. Sometimes they simply curl up in a tight ball to hopefully avoid being seen.

Why are some snakes endangered?

Fortunately, snakes are not widely hunted, but their numbers are still declining due to deforestation and climate change causing the deterioration of their habitats and a declining amount of available prey.

As mentioned earlier, there are many different species of snakes, and so you can spend some time learning about them and their various qualities and features. For example, the Barbados thread snake is the smallest snake in the world. This serpent is actually smaller than a nightcrawler, coming in at only approximately four inches. In terms of the heaviest snake, this honor goes to the green anaconda. The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world. If you spend some time doing a bit of reading, we are sure that you will be fascinated with the results.

You could also spend some time watching films that are based on snakes. There are a lot of different films whereby snakes play a big role. This includes Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Snakes on a Plane, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Of course, the most famous snake film is Anaconda. There are a lot of great deaths that have occurred in cinema at the hand of snakes, but this is definitely the greatest. If you have not seen this film before, now is the perfect time for you to watch it!

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betterthedevilyouknowuk · 5 years ago

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Mythology Monday - Man eating trees

A Man-eating Tree is a vicious predator, usually found deep within jungle territory. Although these trees might look harmless, power courses from their roots to their wild branches. They pose a mortal threat to any warm-blooded creature who mistakes their open arms for shelter, instead of a trap.

Characteristics

Physical Description

Explorers have described several species of Man-eating Trees, each of them taking on an appearance of its own. Sometimes they have rich fruit and flowers; sometimes they stand naked and ominous. Sometimes, they are the tallest tree for miles around, and other times, they grow like short, stocky bushes.

The hallmarks of the Man-eating tree are its snakelike branches, which may be weaving around in the air even when there is no wind blowing, and an absence of life around the tree. Other plants are usually repelled by the tree, so a small clearing may have formed around its base. Animals who approach the tree rarely live to tell the tale, so there are no bird nests, squirrels, monkeys, or other tree-creatures making a playground of its branches.

Special Abilities

Although deadly, Man-eating trees are not particularly refined in their predatory technique. Since their roots keep them firmly planted in the ground, hunting is out of the question. Instead, they wait, like spiders in a monstrous web, for their prey to stumble upon them. They are incredibly sensitive, able to detect a creature as light as a bird perching on one of their branches, and they may be able to detect vibrations in the air and earth even before their prey touches them.

When it’s time to attack, the monsters lash out with their tentacle-like branches, seizing their prey and breaking bones or strangling them by the neck. Some trees are also equipped with suction-cup mouths or leaves, which can tear flesh from their victims. It’s not clear how the carnivorous trees digest their prey. Some explores have suggested that they only drain the blood from their victims, then toss away the body’s shell, while grislier accounts describe victims being incorporated into the body of the tree itself.

Famous Man-eating Trees

Madagascar Tree

In 1874, a German explorer named Carl Liche traveled to Madagascar where, among other terrifying jungle creatures, he encountered a carnivorous tree that was revered by native tribes. Liche wrote a gruesome report of a woman being sacrificed to the tree, a tall monster with serpentine branches that moved lightning fast and strangled victims, in the same fashion as an anaconda. In 1914, another explorer, Chase Osborne, corroborated Liche’s story. Although he himself couldn’t find the tree, tribal people and local missionaries confirmed its existence.

Nubian Tree

In 1881, Phil Robinson pieced together a book of his uncle’s experiences in Nubia, a region of northern Africa, near the Nile River. One of the most horrific monsters in this book was the Nubian Tree, which lured animals into its branches with aromatic flowers and golden fruit that look like large drops of honey. Dew dropped from the tree’s leaves continuously, feeding a screen of rich green grass, which grew as tall and sharp as swords. The tree seized prey with its branches and was impervious to attack by guns and knives.

Ya-Te-Veo

In 1887, JW Buel’s recounted a carnivorous tree that he had encountered in Central and South America. The tree had a short trunk and long branches with saw-like edges. The trees branches lay across the ground until prey approached. Then, they seized the prey and lifted it into the air. Once the poor creature had been drained of blood, its body was cast away.

Cultural Representation

Origin

Throughout history, a number of trees have cropped up to menace innocent men. In Homer’s Odyssey, a lotus tree casts an enchantment over an isolated island. Its delicious fruit caused men to lose their memories and sink into a pleasant drowsiness. Again, in the Bible, the Tree of Knowledge spelled disaster for Adam and Eve when they were tempted to eat its luscious fruit.

Still, the first tree to launch an outright attack on man was the Madagascar Tree, described by an explorer in 1874. The story of the Madagascar tree was followed up with a flurry of other Man-eating Trees, but they fell out of popularity, along with explorer narratives, around the 1920s.

Modern Usage

Today, when explorer narratives are long gone, Man-Eating Trees have experienced a revival in fantasy novels. In Harry Potter, the heroes are attacked by two deadly plants: the Whomping Willow and Devil’s Snare, which was named after a plant described by an explorer in Nicarauga. In The Life of Pi, Pi lands on an island full of carnivorous plants, and in the horror film Little Shop of Horrors a talking, carnivorous plant is tended to by the shopkeeper.

Explanation

Most historical accounts of Man-eating trees have been spectacularly debunked. For example, the Madagascar Tree and the Nubian Tree were not only fake, the “explorers” who discovered them were fake as well!

If Man-eating Trees do exist, hidden in some dark jungle pocket, science has yet to sniff them out. Humans, with their chainsaws and greed, pose a much greater threat to the gentle giants who make up a forest.

Still, carnivorous plants are not just the stuff of sci-fi. They consume hundreds of insects, frogs, and rodents every year! The largest carnivorous plant is the Giant Montane Pitcher Plant, which grows, with its mouth open to the sky, in the mountains of the Phillipines . These pitcher plants are capable of eating rodents as large as rats, but they resemble flowers more than trees, and they use slow-working acids instead of lightning-quick branches to devour their prey. The Venus Fly Trap, a North American cousin of the pitcher plant, has more star power, with its toothy mouth that can be watched as it closes on unlucky insects. These little stars are completely harmless to humans, but their grip on our imagination might have spurred on the “explorers” who dreamed up Man-eating trees.

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rollercoasterwords · 2 years ago

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procrastinating + using this as an excuse to post some of the most bone-rattling lines i have ever read in fics:

"She's taken life by its honeysuckle core, she intends to weep it dry before this war is over; she will not die unfed."

hackery, by orphan_account (would honestly just quote this entire fic if i could begging everyone to go read it once again. truly my favorite thing i have ever read on ao3).

"He doesn't care, because he just wants his Harry to love him, and to tell him how to love him back in a way that doesn't make things worse, the way that his love always has done."

Notes on a resurrection, by newleaves (i have like. 4 god-tier fics that i worship and this is one of them. begging everyone to read it as well).

"Marlene keeps love locked tight in her mouth, doesn't let words spill over. She loves and loves and loves and cleaves it out of her chest and her throat and her knuckles, but saying it is loss. Loving is grief, sometimes. Maybe it's all the wanting."

seasons in desire, by dykesiriusblack (@dykesiriusblack)

"She lives right there on the cusp of her chest like her own self is a breath she's been trying to hold and how does that work?"

"Marlene has killed three people and for each she feels an ache in the body, in nowhere in particular, in the blue blood of her veins, as a writhing, coursing, consuming ache. It gnaws at her, small insects of grief; she wonders daily what will be left of her in a few years' time, what with the biting, the eating away. She wonders who she is now. Marlene has fully fled and this being, with her name, she rots on the hour and who holds her but Dorcas? Who can touch a corpse in the making."

"That night they will part as if they want to, and when midnight comes they'll sleep with ghosts between ribs, moans battering lungs until breath is shallow as tides and far distant moons, claws and shadows of bodies turning hearts to caves in which bad memories dwell. But at least one of those ghosts will be the hands and smiles of each other. And that at least will keep grief from taking bone from bone, until tomorrow."

let the ghosts sleep tonight, by outlaw_baby

"This was a version of Sirius that could ruin his life in the most normal way possible; by breaking his heart metaphorically, not physically."

"...the way that they needed each other was, in actuality, rather simple. Lungs and air. Sun and moon. He could live a million lifetimes and in every single one Sirius would come back to him. And while he didn't understand the flow of consciousness that they somehow shared, it still seemed to him all of a sudden quite obvious that, no, Sirius couldn't have craved him for anything more than the skin and bones that he already was. Because Sirius had needed the simplicity of his hate as much as Remus had needed the complication of his."

disintegration, by moonymoment (@blurryayse)

"It belongs to the cavity in Regulus' chest where his festering heart rots. Boys with desecrated hearts don't deserve stories like this one, but Regulus is claiming this one anyway, and no one can take it from him."

heaven is here if you want it, by lesbianregulusblack (@lesbiansiriusblack)

"fanfiction isn't real writing" shut the fuck up i have read singular lines in fanfics that have hit me harder and stuck with me for far longer than any 'real' book ever has

#i need to get better at saving my favorite quotes from fics #there are sooooooo many good ones #fic recs #i love all of these so dearly everyone should go read them

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warburtonstoryaddict · 6 years ago

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Adapting to Adaptations

Some people say this is the golden age of television. Netflix Hulu and Amazon are developing their own original series to much critical acclaim and much of what spring-boarded them into success was adapting pre-existing works from other formats. House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Hemlock Grove, some of Netflix’s earlier and more successful series were all based on books, and more and more cable networks are optioning scripted series to compete with streaming services and the likes of HBO and Showtime. Others say that we’re in an endless age of recycling the same thing over and over. That the lack of originality is killing more creative works by sucking all the oxygen out of the room. When Disney, a company already astute at milking series for all they were worth, acquired the mega-franchises of Marvel Comics and Star-Wars, they guaranteed that both creative universes would live forever. This is great news for the fans, who can now look forward to reboot after reboot of their favorite stories, but when theaters have to compete for every hard-earned dollar an increasingly selective audience will spend at the box office, rehashing the same blockbusters repeatedly means that other, more esoteric movies will not even be shown. Despite the challenges these trends present for new writers, I feel that overall, the proliferation of adaptations and the fragmentation of the media market are good for creators.

Let me explain why.

When I was growing up, three media franchises had a profound effect on me. Looking back on them now, I realize they each had their own unique gifts to give me, not only as a consumer of stories but as a student of storytelling.

FRANCHISE 1: Pokémon - Video Games and World Building serve as a springboard for fiction.

Featuring a video game world of lavish detail and intricate mechanics for its time, the Pokémon franchise was created by a game journalist named Satoshi Tajiri as a passion project. Pokémon has turned into one of the most successful video game and media franchises in the world.

The concept of the games is simple, Tajiri wanted to capture the spirit of insect collecting that he had enjoyed as a child, but with a fantasy angle. In the game, children go on quests to capture and train “pocket monsters.” Elemental beasts that inhabit the world instead of wild animals. Pokémon trainers can trade their Pokémon with each other or pit them against one another in (kid friendly) gladiatorial battles. The battles are turn-based and much of the strategy, like in other RPGs requires you to play to the monsters’ strength or weakness types and stats. For example, Fire beats Grass, etc.

My first experience with Pokémon though was not the video games, but with the Trading Card Game, which brought the idea of strategic collecting and battling to the real world. I became interested in the show and games shortly after that, but if it weren’t for adaptation of the Pokémon games into other media, my experience would have been different.

The exploration of the created system inspires the player to imbue the tasks they undertake with added meaning or drama. Building on the fundamental plot of the video games, the player enhances the addictive gameplay with personal meaning. Fans of the series, loving the world, creatures and concepts Tajiri created, went on to adapt the world of Pokemon into Manga (comics), Anime (animated TV series), Feature Animated Films, a Wildly popular Trading Card Game. The scaffolding provided by Tajiri provides the basis for players, myself included, to attach their own epic quests to the repetitive strategic tasks of the gameplay. The video game mechanics lend themselves to replay value and inspire storytelling through other media, in the same fictional world.

FRANCHISE 2: Harry Potter - Addictively good fiction leads to empire building franchises; If you tell a good story, they will come.

I don’t need to tell you what Harry Potter is, or how huge a phenomenon it is. Really, Harry Potter and Pokémon need little to no introduction. Still, the fictional world of Harry Potter is compelling on multiple levels. It’s compelling because it follows the typical hero’s journey in a unique and more modern way, drawing on other classic fantasy works already in the collective cultural deposits and making them accessible to everyone. It’s compelling because author J.K. Rowling’s world-building is as in-depth as Tajiri's, allowing fans to immerse themselves in her created space and stake out their own nooks to explore through fanfiction, and cross-media adaptation. Third, the story of Harry Potter is compelling because, in many ways, it mirrors the journey of its creator. Harry Potter is a rags-to-riches, coming-of-age story about a young boy who rises out of a lowly situation to become famous and beloved. Similar to the eponymous hero, J.K. Rowling brought the story of Harry Potter to life as a struggling single mother who was rejected by multiple publishing houses, only to turn it into one of, if not THE most successful book series in the world. The smash success of the books spawned adaptations to film, video games and various additional merchandise, such as board games, clothes and toys inspired by the “Wizarding World.”

Rowling’s modern-fantasy reimagining of the Hero’s Journey has captured the imaginations of millions. Like Pokémon, Harry Potter is an excellent example of world building. Unlike Pokémon, the mechanical structure of media like video games was not the main driver of its success but contributed to that success and was further built upon as created works proliferated, inspired by the excellent fiction writing skills of J.K. Rowling.

FRANCHISE 3: Middle Earth – World building at an unparalleled level, coupled with excellent fiction writing and adaptation skills, leads to the creation of a classic.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s story-universe Middle Earth, the setting of famous The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings tales as well as many other stories is one of my most beloved worlds to explore. I first encountered Middle-Earth because of adaptation. I was first introduced to The Hobbit through a radio dramatization of the book. After that, I read the novel and later, The Lord of the Rings. I listened to the audiobooks, watched and own all of the movies, and have played several of the video games. The video games that I felt were the worthiest contributions to the franchise were the ones that were either direct adaptations of the source material or entirely new works based on the same world. In recent news, Amazon will be creating a new series based on the world of Middle Earth.

Tolkien’s world-building has inspired many. Aside from the various adaptations mentioned already, it is also credited as the inspiration of the popular tabletop RPG Dungeons & Dragons, not to mention the countless “high-fantasy” or “sword and sorcery” titles that have followed and owe it a debt. Tolkien did not create The Lord of the Rings in a vacuum, however; he borrowed heavily from Anglo-Saxon mythology, Norse Mythology, and Judeo-Christian Mythology. Interpreting and compiling them with his love of languages, Tolkien labored to create his own languages and build the world and peoples that would have created them. The point is, that Tolkien himself was an “adapter,” in fact, he translated one of the versions of Beowulf that we have today. Tolkien’s adaptations spawned other adaptations of his work and inspired many others. The reason his works are so beloved and of such high quality is because of his fantastic world-building abilities, his ability to spin a tale, and his own skills at riffing on the cultural heritage available to him. This combination ensures stories that a wide audience can engage and explore.

The idea that this increase in rebooting or adapting of existing works is a new problem, or even a problem at all, is a fallacy. There is “nothing new under the sun,” as the saying goes. The increased reimagining of work is to be welcomed. It provides an opportunity for new creators to flex their muscles while paying tribute to the works they admire. It could be a problem if, as stated previously, adaptations were all that was being created at the expense of all other content. Fortunately, though, the media market is shifting, and there are now more ways than ever to produce and publish content. So, let the major production companies rehash the stories that we already know and love. They have money to do it right and to do them justice. The rise of new streaming services and original television or web-series programming empowers creators to produce their own original works and expose them to the public eye in due time. I, for one, am glad to be along for the ride.

#full sail university #creative writing mfa #adaptation #transmedia #mediaconvergence

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elletromil · 7 years ago

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The Offering - Part 1 of ?

So I saw this post yesterday, and no chill that I am, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking what if Eggsy was such a spirit and that Merlin and Harry, with their busy lives, kept feeding him unknowingly? And Eggsy would get caught on in their lives and relationship that way? I shared the thought with @insanereddragon and then had to write it just because.

So yeah, here’s the first part, hope you enjoy :)

The offering - Part 1

Wandering the mortals planes aren't dangerous to Eggsy's kind, but it can take its toll if he's not careful.

Not that he's been reckless, but when his body wanders, so does his mind, and he lost all sense of time and space for a too long moment and now he feels wary to his core. It's nothing that cannot be easily remedied, but first he would have to cross back to his own dimension, and that takes more energy than he feels like expending.

Instead, he finally stops his directionless travelling, taking in his surrounding with curiosity. He's in a human den for what he can see, the colors of its walls warm to his eyes, comforting even. What holds his interest however is the decoration, a myriad of lifeless butterflies encased in transparent glass. He hadn't known humans were prone to the same impulse as his kind had, to make trophies out of lesser forms? The thought is fleeting, wavering in his mind like the steam slowly rising from the cup of tea abandoned on the table. In an instant he is besides it, both much bigger than the porcelain recipient and much smaller. With effort, he makes himself the perfect size to simply wrap himself around the warmth, letting it seep into his body with something that could have been contentment. Emotions on the human plane are weird and plentiful. Eggsy isn't used to them yet, at least not enough to recognize them within seconds of feeling them. Still, it is pleasant and he curls up a bit tighter around the offering left to his intention, feasting on the smell of jasmine and hurry. The stars are shining bright for him if he wandered in a place where humans still remember respect of the Elder kind. Crossing back to his dimension is easy after he's taken everything that he can from the offering and he swears on the great void to come back and pay his debt to his host as soon as possible.

Eggsy comes back to the human den to pay off his debt as soon as he can. He’s unsure how long it has been on the mortal planes, as he know that mortals have a different relation to time than his kind does. They try to tame it to their purpose, to render it to a countable measure. As if time had any other master than itself.

But no matter that, as he wanders through the rooms in the bright darkness of the mortals’ night, the atmosphere around him is practically the same as when he left. For once, his guess seems to have been good.

Though there is a notable difference this time, as he can feel two mortal presences above him and he follows their energy curiously up the stairs.

Before he can find them however, he stops in front of an open door. Instead of satisfying his curiosity, he accepts the silent invitation and steps into safety eagerly, taking in the memories hung onto the wall, fluttering between them lazily.

He finds it strange that swirls of worry, pain, horror and anger would be kept inside what is an even safer haven than the rest of the den, but then again, humans are strange. Though he doesn’t think they will mind if he disperses the swirls, waving them away, disrupting the lines of conflict and resentment until only tranquility and understanding is left drifting through the den.

There, his debt is paid in full. The humans here are going to be free from Nightmares for many of their planet’s rotations, the little terrors having nothing left to feed on. Eggsy is now free to wander again, completely unbond.

As he leaves the memories, he spots a cup of tea left for his attention on the edge of the desk. It’s… Unexpected. In the mortals’ current age, he’s never heard of an offering being left for the Elder kind more than once.

He doesn’t have to accept it of course, doesn’t even need it this time.

But he cannot stop himself, doesn’t really want to.

He curls around the porcelain like he did the last time, soaking up the warmth, savouring the taste of lemongrass and caring. That last is a first for him and he lets it rolls inside of him, finding that he quite like the way it settles softly into his core.

This time, he doesn’t swear on anything that he will be back. Nothing could keep him away from a third visit.

The mortal planes always have attracted Eggsy, and even if he continues to wander them aimlessly more often than any of his kind, he always stops by the human den before going back to his dimension now.

He thought the offerings would stop, but there is a new one waiting for him each and every time. At first, they seemed to have no rhyme nor reason, but now that he’s lost count of all the time he’s lounged inside the protective walls, he’s figured a vague sense to the mortals’ logic.

Early sunlight means jasmine and hurry and porcelain so hot it would be scalding to any other kind of being.

Starless nights means lemongrass and caring and porcelain that has lost nearly all its warmth.

Cloudy days means ginger and laziness and a lingering warmth that seems to engulf all of his being.

Lightning means roses and closeness and a sharp heat that stings pleasantly.

Snow means peppermint and wonder and a warmth he can carry to his own dimension.

There are a few more, but those are the ones that comes back the most often, the ones he truly favors.

In exchange, he untangles any lingering emotions and keep the Nightmares at bay. Chases any other beings of mischief, even when they only threaten the integrity of the den. He cannot really understand his humans attachment to it, but he knows that to them, it is safety, protection, caring, tranquility and joy. It’s for the last one he fiercely defends the den, because he likes how it bubbles inside of him until it threatens to spill out.

He helps with smaller things too. He directs the vegetation his humans keep inside into pleasing designs and urges them to grow greener and bigger. Cajoles them into blooming at every turn. He makes sure the insects in the house keep in order, that they do not try to overthrow their hierarchy. He insures his humans’ sustenance will keep good until they are ready to consume it.

Sometimes, he wants to do more, but for that he would need physicality in the mortal planes and while it isn’t beyond his reach, he simply cannot be bothered by it.

Anyway, if the offerings are to be trusted, his humans must believe his little services more than adequate. And so for now, he contents himself with filling the den with his presence whenever he can and watching over his humans at their weakest when the moon is high in their planet’s sky.

There’s more than the cup of tea waiting for him today and for a worrying moment, Eggsy feels like he’s outside of time and space, unbound from the only constant of his kind. Fortunately, the fear knocks him back into alignment, but that leaves him looking at the second offering even more warily.

He knows what it is, for having scene his humans nimble on them with contentment on cloudy days, while they drink their own cup of ginger and laziness, but he’s never known mortals to offer scones to the Elder kind. Or any kind of food for that matter.

Not that it would be hard for Eggsy to feast on its essence like he does the tea, but he cannot help but wonder how it would feel if he were to consume it in a physical form like the mortals do. To eat it. To let the physical components break down into energy that would sustain him.

Without even really thinking about it, he molds his body so that it resembles a human and takes a few steps nearer the table, until only his mind is connected to the great void. He stares at his reaching hand for a time, his physical hand, before he grabs the warm offering. The scones is hot in his palm, but in a physical form, he cannot soak up its warmth in quite the same way as usual. His hand gets warmer yes, but that’s the extent of it.

It’s… weird, but not unpleasant.

Carefully, he brings it to his mouth and takes his first bite ever.

The flavor of bergamot explodes on his taste buds, nearly overwhelming him and it’s a good thing he took such a small bite. Awkwardly, he chew on it like he’s seen his humans do, try to recognize all the other flavors he now realises are entwined with the bergamot, but it’s a bit hard to do it while keeping control of a form he’s not used to.

So he cheats a little and he can feel his lips stretch in what he thinks is called a smile when he tastes bergamot, patience and, more importantly, love.

He has to sit down on the ground as he relishes in the last one, feeling it expand in his chest, tingle in his fingertips, warm him to his core.

How the mortals can feel such powerful emotions all the time without losing their grip on their plane of existence he doesn’t know, but he won’t ever make the mistake of thinking them lesser ever again.

Different, yes, but that’s not a bad thing.

#merlahad #merhartwin #eggsy unwin #merlin #harry hart #fantasy #eldritch #domestic #elder kind au #kingsman #fanfic #me

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1stnewslink · 3 years ago

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Massive Houston hemp facility has its eyes on a cannabis-infused future

A distinct aroma wafts through the offices of Bayou City Hemp, where the skunky smell of cannabis mixes with the sweet smell of optimism.

As one of the first and largest hemp processors in Texas, the two-year-old company is planting the seeds for a legal cannabis industry that the founders say will come. Until then, Bayou City will focus on clean forms of extracting cannabidiol – CBD – oils from the hemp plant and processing them into products such as edible gums, drinkable mixers and inhalable vape pens. Products it makes can help you fall asleep, relieve your pain, and even get you high.

Ben Meggs and Jeromy Sherman were friends and colleagues who worked in the oil and gas industry before founding Bayou City Hemp in 2019. The company aims to fill a void in the emerging Texan market – regulators legalized the industry in 2019 to help farmers squeezed by the U.S. trade war with China. When they started planting and harvesting, the farmers needed a place to process the raw hemp.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Hemp or marijuana? After a year in the dark, Harris County attorneys will finally know.

“We saw that the industry bottleneck would be on the processing side,” said Sherman. “We started the company that we couldn’t find.”

House Bill 1325, enacted two years ago, made it legal to manufacture, distribute, and sell consumable hemp products in Texas in an emerging industry that is now regulated by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The legislation followed the passage of the Federal Farming Act in December 2018, which redefined hemp as a low-THC cannabis product (0.3 percent or less THC) and removed it from the definition of marijuana in the Control Substances Act.

While hemp is legally different from its cousin marijuana in terms of its THC content – it’s the same type of cannabis plant – nature often doesn’t draw a clear line. If hemp has too high a THC content, federal agencies require that it be destroyed.

The legalization of hemp ushered in a new wave of production and ended a gray area in which trade had previously been active. Hemp is now used as an ingredient in everything from drink mixers to shampoos. Hemp Industry Daily magazine predicts US retail hemp sales will reach $ 3.9 billion this year, up from $ 1.6 billion last year. Retail sales are expected to reach nearly $ 6.3 billion in 2022.

But farmers have struggled to start harvesting in Texas, where the climate differs from that of the northern states from which they plant seeds.

Last summer’s harvest was the first in Texas, and since then Bayou City has processed hemp from half a dozen farmers and expected to add to that list to find better seed sourcing and growing in Texan conditions.

Bayou City hemp worker Cameron Gonzales uses the CO2 extractor to pull oil from the hemp plant in Houston on Thursday, June 24, 2021, exiting the oil and gas industry after the law passed and stepping into the growing CBD industry a.

Godofredo A. Vásquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

Lift off the ground

Self-funded and with investments from friends and family (they didn’t want to say how much), Sherman and Meggs brought in Karen Trotter, who had previously worked as the company’s chief financial officer, financing oil and gas startups to make sure they if they had the capital they had to hit the ground under their feet. Today the company employs more than two dozen people, from chemists and plant operators to marketing and accounting professionals.

Partners started equipping their Park Row lab last summer and started seeing products in September. “We’re still in start mode,” said Trotter.

To this end, Bayou City is helping Texan farmers to source more successful seeds, advising them on cultivation, and helping them with tests, as well as with any extraction and processing.

“There’s no playbook for that,” said Sherman.

“It’s an industry that didn’t exist before,” said Meggs.

Texas hemp farmers have struggled to achieve full harvests as they cite poor seed genetics and problems with insects and mold. Hemp prices also collapsed in 2019 as farmers loudly demanded to plant the newly legal market crop and overproduction prevailed.

Texas Inc .: Get the best business news delivered to your inbox

“The floor fell out when we were ready to hit the market,” said Scott Meiers, co-owner and president of Texas Premium Hemp Producers in Brenham.

Meiers, a rancher, said he almost gave up on hemp last year because it was so difficult to grow and make a profit. His mind changed when he saw how CBD gums were helping his nephew, who was autistic and up to this point non-verbal.

“He came up to me, patted my shoulder and said, ‘Good job,’ while I was barbecuing,” recalls Meiers. “I cried. It really, really changed his life. “

When Meiers decided to try again, Bayou City Hemp helped him source his seeds better and provided him with hemp products that he could sell on the farm to make ends meet until he could sell his own hemp. Meiers said he expected to have his first harvest next month.

Calvin Trostle, an agronomist at Texas A&M, said in a recent university paper that the Texas hemp industry will take time to research and perfect. And costs have to fall so that it can take off as a yielding plant.

“As an alternative crop, the hemp industry in Texas is still in its infancy,” said Trostle. “There’s a lot of education going on, but we’re still trying to figure out which strains are adaptable so we can help producers avoid headaches.”

Karen Trotter, CFO of Bayou City Hemp, opens the rotary evaporator that makes winterized hemp extract extract during a tour of its facilities in Houston on Thursday, June 24, 2021. Bayou City Hemp is one of the largest hemp manufacturing outposts since Texas legalized hemp in 2019. After the law was passed, the founders left the oil and gas industry and entered the growing CBD industry.

Godofredo A. Vásquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

The elevated road

When it came to building the lab, Sherman and Meggs said they went out of their way, equipped it to medical industry standards of good manufacturing practice, and created an internal system that scans and scans each batch of CBD oil tracked.

“We wanted to plan for FDA regulation,” said Sherman, who was recruiting an extraction specialist with 40 years experience at Dow Chemical as chief operating officer and a general manager with more than a decade of experience in cannabis extraction in other states.

Bayou City also decided to use a carbon dioxide process to make hemp oil cleaner from the plant. Less expensive ethanol-based methods used in industry result in hazardous waste, while carbon dioxide extraction leaves plant material with a high protein content that – yet to be investigated – could be used as fodder.

“Our COO uses it in his garden and he says his broccoli has never been bigger,” said Trotter.

Growing pains

The extraction of CBD oils from the hemp plant is a multi-step process. The first is to remove the stems from the hemp flower and put them through a grinder, which gives a fine powder. Then Bayou City staff heat it to activate the cannabinoids inside and prepare them for extraction.

Fats and waxes are separated in the laboratory, resulting in an oil that they then distill three times to increase potency and remove impurities, achieving a purity of around 80 percent. They prepare an isolate that is 99 percent pure in a reactor room.

For those who prefer some THC in their CBD, leave it in and refer to it as a full spectrum oil. For others, they remove it and label it as broad spectrum oil. Some want the cannabis-like effects, so they convert it into something called Delta-8-THC, an intoxicating molecule similar to the THC in marijuana, but with a different atomic structure.

On HoustonChronicle.com: The largest expansion of the medical marijuana program in Texas to date is advancing in the legislature

Kristen Nichols, editor of Hemp Industry Daily, said that Delta-8 appears to bind less easily to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, producing milder results than the type of THC that is federally illegal and only regulated by state cannabis laws.

Nichols said she initially viewed Delta-8 as “a cheap knock-off, a loophole that people are taking advantage of”.

“I’ve changed my mind since then,” she said. “There are people who want something in between.”

A full cannabis extraction would be a welcome hub for the business, Meggs said, since the product is cheaper to work with and they can sell it for about three times the amount of CBD. But first, Texas has to go its neighbors’ route and legalize it.

“We’re looking forward to this day,” said Meggs. “But at the moment we live in the CBD world.”

[email protected]

Twitter.com/amandadrane

The post Massive Houston hemp facility has its eyes on a cannabis-infused future first appeared on 1st News Link.

source https://1stnewslink.com/massive-houston-hemp-facility-has-its-eyes-on-a-cannabis-infused-future/

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frontiervolunteering · 7 years ago

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Children's Books About Nature

The Little Prince or Harry Potter series prove that children books conquer the hearts of little readers as well as the grown up ones. The books we’ve listed in this article carry important messages for any age groups. They discuss important and complex environmental issues in the simple way which can be understandable to children and still enjoyable for adults.

Tidy by Emily Gravett

City parks and gardens are often too neat. Although it can be pleasing for our eyes, it’s not always good for the ecosystems. Fallen leaves, overgrown grass and broken branches are essential to wilderness. However, it is not always understood by the public. The funny book Tidy uses a warm humour to explain it. It tells a story about Pete the badger, who is over-zealous about tidiness and cleans all the leaves from trees and flowers from the ground without realizing that his actions are actually destroying the forest. Fortunately, other animals help him to set things right again.

Hörst du wie die Bäume sprechen? by Peter Wohlleben

This book invites children to an incredible journey in the forest and shows them how exciting and magical this place can be. It follows Wohlleben’s previous books The Hidden Life of Trees and The Inner Life of Animals, however, this time the ideas are presented in the children-friendly format. With catchy titles like Do trees use the Internet? or Can trees feel the fear?, Wohlleben explains the biological wanders of forests and presents his view on trees as incredible creatures with exciting life full of emotions that are similar to human beings. Moreover, he adds small challenges to every chapter to make the next walk in the forest even more adventurous. Unfortunately, the book wasn’t published in English yet but you can read it in German or French.

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Allen Young and Melissa Stewart

The book No Monkeys, No Chocolate reveals the connections between various elements in ecosystems and reacts on a common lamenting that current generations don’t know where their food comes from. Also, it teaches children about global problems that the world is currently struggling with. The book is based on an example so familiar to children. Chocolate is an essential ingredient in most of the sweets and it is always easily accessible in supermarkets. However, the authors remind us how much energy and resources are needed to produce the chocolate bar. The process involves beans, trees, insects and of course, the monkeys. When we learn on how many creatures we depend, we might appreciate the nature and value the chocolate much more.

Seed Savers by S. Smith

This is another book that can teach us about the origins of our food but it is targeting older children from 8 to 12 years old. Seed Savers is an unusual dystopian trilogy about the life in 2077 when growing own fruits or vegetable is banned by the government and people can consume only food that is processed and packaged. In this age, three children decide to risk their safety and learn about the importance of seeds. Who would say that illegal gardening could be that adventurous?

That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things by Ruby Roth

Although there are already some art works that teaches us to love farm animals (Babe - 1995, Ferdinand - 2017), this is the first book that aims to explain children what vegetarianism and veganism mean. Through beautiful illustrations, it shows the differences between the natural behaviour of chickens or turkeys and how it is affected and limited by the conditions of factory farms. It also points out the differences in treatment of pets and farm animals. Jane Goodall said about That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals that it is “a powerful and important book. It will not lead to nightmares, rather respect and compassion for the creatures whose well-being is in our hands.”

By Eliška Olšáková - Online Journalism Intern

Frontier runs conservation, development, teaching and adventure travel projects in over 50 countries worldwide - so join us and explore the world!

#nature #environment #children #book #literature #education #blog #blogger #intothewild #gapyear

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eating-rocks · 7 years ago

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Long Meme

Tagged by @clockwork-laine and @tameholly

Rules: Bold your answers! Tag whoever you like <3

I am under 18.

I am a cuddler.

I am a morning person. (does being up till’ 6 am count?)

I am an only child.

I am currently in my pyjamas.

I am currently pregnant.

I am left-handed.

l am right handed.

I am ambidextrous.

I bite my nails.

I can be paranoid at times.

I enjoy folk music.

I enjoy smoothies.

I enjoy talking on the phone.

I have a car.

I have/had a hard time paying attention at school.

I have a hidden talent. (Idk, probably)

I have a pet.

I have a tendency to fall for the “wrong” guy/girl.

I have all my grandparents.

I have been to another country.

I have been told that I have an unusual sense of humour.

I have or had broken a bone. (fucking miracle)

I have bathed someone.

I have changed a diaper.

I have changed a lot over the past year.

I have friends who have never seen my natural hair colour.

I have had major/minor surgery. (ish)

I have killed another person.

I have had my hair cut within the last week.

I have mood swings.

I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.

I have rejected someone before.

I like the taste of blood.

I like Michael Jackson.

I love sleeping.

I love to shop.

I own 100 CDs or more.

I own and use a library card.

I read books for pleasure in my spare time.

I sleep a lot during the day. (lol, it’s 4pm and I just had breakfast)

I watch soap operas on a regular basis.

I work at a job that I enjoy.

I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar-free.

I am wearing socks.

I am tired.

I love to paint/draw/sketch/sculpt.

I consume at least one alcoholic drink every month.

I have/had:

Finished college.

Smoked cigarettes.

Ridden every ride at an amusement park.

Collected something really stupid.

Gone to a concert.

Helped someone.

Spun turn tables.

Watched four movies in one night.

Been broken up with.

Taken a college level course.

Been in a car accident.

Been in a tornado.

Been in a hurricane.

Been in a cyclone

Watched someone die.

Been to a funeral.

Ran a marathon.

Your parents got divorced.

Cried yourself to sleep.

Spent over $200 in one day.

Cheated on someone.

Been cheated on.

Written a 10 page letter.

Had a best friend.

Lost someone you loved.

Skipped school.

Gotten in trouble for something you didn’t do.

Stolen books from the library. (accidentally, I’m returning it next week)

Been in a mental hospital.

Watched the “Harry Potter” movies.

Fired a gun.

Been in a school play.

Been fired from a job.

Taken a lie detector test.

Swam with dolphins.

Written poetry.

Read more than 20 books a year.

Gone to Europe. I live here

Loved someone you shouldn’t have.

Used a colouring book over age 12.

Had surgery.

Had stitches.

Taken a taxi.

Had more than 5 online conversations going at once.

Had a hamster.

Dyed your hair.

Had something pierced.

Gotten straight A’s.

Been handcuffed.

My hair is naturally the colour:

Light brown

Medium brown

Dark brown

Blond

Black

Dirty blonde

Strawberry blond

Multicolored

Red

My eyes are:

Brown

Dark Brown

Blue

Green

Hazel

Light brown

Grey

People sometimes label me as:

Slut.

Boyish.

Colorful.

Ugly.

Nerd.

Some of my biggest fears are:

Spiders/other insects.

Slimy things.

Dying/Afterlife

Doctor/dentist appointments.

Hospitals.

Needles.

Disease.

Being alone in the dark.

Heights/Falling

Small Spaces.

Oceans/large bodies of water.

Large animals.

Small animals.

Open Spaces.

Lightning/Fire.

Tornadoes.

Clustered holes.

Bodily fluids

Corpses.

Thunder/loud noises

I have:

A friend with benefits.

A laptop in my room.

A television in my room.

Good grades.

My own car.

Parents who are still married.

A dog.

A cat.

A game console.

I tag: @quizzikemen @pupperbee @womblemonkey @ameliahinwonderland @dreadhobo @spookyscaryenigma @awkward-screeching @fadedforyou @rottencanines no pressure <3

#tag meme #tagged #about me

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amigoingbananas · 8 years ago

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11 questions (sort of)

Okay, this is like 11 questions x 10 and w o w thank you to everyone who tagged me in this. I’m so lucky to have met such wonderful people here on Tumblr (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

This post is terribly TL;DR, but I made the usernames large and bolded, just in case the people who tagged me want to read my answers??

P.S. I had fun answering all the questions :3

@shige-haru

1. Have you ever had an experience people might think of as supernatural, like seeing something you couldn’t explain? Noooooope. Call me lame, but I always try to find a way to explain something creepy. But that's probably because I'm a scaredy cat and I don't want to believe that I saw something ~supernatural~

2. Do you think you could figure out how to get your bae’s fundoshi off or would you need to borrow his sword IF THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

3. What was the last dream you had? OK, as of this writing, I had the straaangest dream just this morning! It involved me deliberately killing my cat and setting my house on fire. Wtf.

4. What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen? I’m picky when it comes to movies, so I usually don’t watch a movie with bad ratings/reviews haha. Besides, I find movies with terrible acting and/or script hilarious.

5. What’s your weirdest fear? Hmmm, it's not really a fear, but more like, something I avoid?? I usually don't call people by their names unless I'm sure we've become friends, so I end up just poking them to get their attention. I am awkward like that ; u ;

6. What, as specifically as possible, were you afraid of as a child? I was afraid of bald people. My older brother shaved his head once, and I think I cried when I saw him.

7. You can join the world of any franchise you like (no need to be super realistic about your own abilities). Which one do you choose? Harry Potter!!! I wanna be a wizard :(

8. What’s the most delicious food you’ve ever eaten? I had this reaaaaally good leche flan (it’s a custard of some sort) that my boyfriend gave me. I teared up a little while eating it.

9. You have to become an animal. What do you choose? Cat!

10. Do you like walking in gravel? I don't think I've walked in gravel enough times for me to tell if I like it or not. Haha.

11. Have you ever ridden a horse? Yes, when I was younger!

@singokumaiden

1. Fuck Marry Kill - your top 3 bias in slbp Fuck - Hideyoshi Marry - Masamune Kill - Mitsunari (he's recently in my top3 because I just finished both his endings eeeeee)

2. If you could live the life of one famous person, who would it be? why? I don't like attention, so I probably won't enjoy being a famous person.

3. what subject did you least like in school? Math... but compared to my subjects in uni, math doesn't seem all that bad anymore.

4. if you used a weapon what would it be? why? Bow and arrow. I always thought it was cool.

5. your fave headcanon about youxyour lord We’re in bed, I’ve had a bad day, and I’d just cuddle up to Hide and he’d comfort me~ (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

6. avatar items or castle items? I actually really like castle items. Reminds me of The Sims. :)

7. are you afraid of an animal/ bitten by an animal? Hmmm, I'm more afraid of insects than animals.

8. if you could live in SLBP universe, but on the condition that your fave lord will never fall for you, would you do it? YES. I don't mind if Hide doesn't fall for me, I'm sure he'd still flirt with me either way. LOL. Plus, there are a lot of other lords anyway. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

9. which one- mountain, sea, desert, volcano, forest and castle. Castle~

10. your fave romantic trope? Popular, flirty guy falls in love with a simple girl and stays faithful to her despite all the ladies pining for him. *cough* Hide *cough*

11a. do you love me? Of course I dooo~

11b. if you were in slbp universe, what would your profession be? ( be realistic about your abilities :9 ) Probably a doctor???? (But then I’d have to disguise myself as a man...) Or a maid. Lmao.

@minminami

1. Imagine you’re a ninja and were ordered to kill one of the lords, who would it be? and why?? Does Lord Juami count? Hoho. Nah but really, I might give up being a ninja if I'd have to kill a lord ; u ;

2. What is your favorite flower? *I love flowers so I had to add this question* Hmm, Idk if I have a favorite! But I find the Hibiscus really pretty~ I also like purple flowers. (Care to tell me about nice purple flowers? :3 )

3. Which one do you value more, trust or honesty? Honesty! Honesty comes before trust, IMO.

4. Would you prefer to to go out on a date with your lord or stay and cuddle at home? Go out :3 We could cuddle afterwards. Ahem.

5. Have you ever fallen for a character you hate? Hmm, well I wasn't a big fan of Ieyasu before I read his MS. I love him now~

6. If you were to pick one subject to study for the rest of your life, what would it be? This is pretty broad, but... science!

7. Which one do you prefer more, snow or rain? I've never experienced snow, so rain!

8. What song do you think your lord would like? Versace on the floooor~ LOLJK. Wow, I’ve never really thought about it! For some reason, I feel like he’d be into Bruno Mars? X’D

9. What’s you’re favorite song? It's a song by a local band – Wala Nang Hihilingin by Sugarfree. I also really like Imagine by John Lennon.

10. Fuck Marry Kill - your top 3 bias in slbp *repeating this question* Evil question ; u ;

F - Hideyoshi M - Masamune K – Mitsunari :(((

11. Have you ever ridden a ride that made you scream with fear? Yes, this huge rollercoaster at an amusement park. It got better, though!

@eyes-lay-lost-in-the-city-lights

1. What’s your favorite book? I don't really have one! I read all seven Harry Potter books in like a week, though. I also got into A Song of Ice and Fire, but only read up to the 5th book.

2. Dogs or cats? Puppies > kittens Cats > Dogs

3. Going out or staying at home? Staying home!

4. What do you think about love? Love is easy (but relationships are hard!!)

5. What is the fictional universe you most want to live in? Harry Potter! I'm still waiting for my Hogwarts letter... ; u ;

6. What would you want to be remembered for in your life? Being a nice person, I guess? Haha.

7. Where do you want to travel? Japan!! And the UK. :)

8. What is you favorite type of dessert? Ice cream!!!

9. What are your top five OTPs? Me x Hideyoshi (ehehe) @shioune x Hideyoshi @shigetsugu x Hideyoshi @toyotomi-hideyoshi x Hideyoshi @kellaray x Hideyoshi (´ ε ` )♡

10. What’s your favorite song? Wala Nang Hihilingin by Sugarfree (local band) I also like Imagine by John Lennon. :)

11. What’s your favorite flower? Previously answered... Hmm, Idk if I have a favorite! But I find the Hibiscus really pretty~ I also like purple flowers. (Care to tell me about nice purple flowers? :3 )

@dreamsinparadise

1. When was the last time you cried, and why? Last week. It was almost ~that time of the month~ lol.

2. Do you prefer staying at home or hanging out at your friends’s place? Staying at home!

3. If you were in a situation where your fav SLBP character and your 10 yrs old child with him are at the brink of death. You are given the chance to save only one of them. Who would you choose? ...the situation wouldn’t happen because I don’t want kids ; u ;

4. Its your first night with your SLBP bae, who’s gonna be dom and who’s gonna be sub? I'm probs gonna be sub. Hide can be dom and then we'll decide later what I like. Huehue.

5. What would you give to your SLBP bae as a memento if they are going to war? A locket??? Or a charm with a banana. HAHA.

6. Your bae had struck a faustian contract with (demon!au) you for the price of his soul and you finished your services after some time. If you chose not to consume him after the contract, it would cost you your life but he would live, while if you consume him his soul would be with you forever in your body (but you can never touch him or hear him again). Which would you prefer? Why? I’m sorry for being lame but I’m not too familiar with demon au D: From the question, though, I think I’d let him live instead???

7. What kind of wedding would you like with your bae? Just a simple wedding with our close family and friends~

8. If you were to adopt one of the SLBP guys as your children, who would it be? MITSUNARI! Let me give him all the love he deserves huhu.

9. What do you think of me; @dreamsinparadise? You're sweet, friendly, and easy to talk to! You also have great ideas for your fics ( ´ ▽ ` )

10. Give 3 words to describe your 2D man Thoughtful, hardworking, handsome :3

11. Are these questions fun, heartbreaking or humoring for you? Did you enjoy them?? They're fun, and I enjoyed them! Thank you~

@nekopri

1. What’s your favourite time of day? Any time as long as I get to sleep. X'D

2. Milk based ice-cream or a fruit based one? Milk!

3. 3 things you think of when you wake up? “Morning already??” “5 more minutes...” “Ugh.”

4. Latest shower thought? Should I sleep, or should I study? Should I eat before sleeping? X’D

5. Would you rather the temperature be 40 °C or -20 °C ? -20 °C with lotsa blankets/sweaters (but the coldest I've experienced is like 20 °C and I was already weak. Lmao.)

6. The weirdest thing you have ever eaten on a whim? Instant noodles with rice. Carbs on carbs is just... too much. (I did it because I was broke ahaha college is gr8.)

7. Are you more comfortable showing affection verbally or physically? Neither. I'm awkward when it comes to showing affection D:

8. What’s your default sleeping pose? Lying on my belly! But recently I've been sleeping on my side, because I usually end up drooling if I sleep lying ventrally lmao.

9. What’s your ideal pet? C-A-T.

10. Favourite scene from a book/movie/tv show? Here's the thing. I don't really have favorites since I'm usually ~in the moment~ whenever I read or watch something. Then after some time, the feelings kind of fade and I forget about the scene. Lmao. So I guess I have favorites for a certain moment of time but not like, a favorite in general. (Ok I am rambling now ; u ; )

11. Prettiest cow bread? I am serious

So I looked up “cow bread” on Google, and this seems to be a decent candidate for prettiest cow bread:

If you meant cow bread, then I'd have to say Holstein-Friesian! I haven't seen a lot of cows in person, and most of them are just the native cows which are brown, so when I first saw Holstein-Friesians, I was all “omg they're so pretty, they're just like the cows on milk cartons!”

@i-dont-look-good-i-look-great

1. Fuck, Marry, Kill; top 3 least favorite Lords

(I hope nobody hates me for my choice of least favorite lords HUHU. It's only because I haven't done their MS yet!!!) Fuck – Saizo ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Marry – Yukimura Kill – Kojuro huhuhu

2. Why are you attracted to your favorite lord/lords? BECAUSE HIDEYOSHI IS PERFECT. Lmao. Kidding aside, he's just so likeable, you know?? Not to mention he's so cute????

3. Between your two favorite lord, who would you save (only one)? I'd save Hideyoshi. (Sorry, Masa!)

4. If you can meet all 12 lords, how will you spend your day with them? I kind of want them to just pamper me. HAHA. Like, it's not everyday that I get to experience a reverse harem lmao might as well make the most out of it.

5. If you only have 24 hours left to live, how will you spend it and why? I'd go sky diving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing, etc. with my friends/family because YOLO.

6. When was the last time you’ve ever embarrassed yourself? I embarrass myself all day, err'day. X’D

7. What inspired you to become who you are today? My father. :')

8. Places you dream of visiting one day Japan and the UK!

9. Which character in SLBP do you mostly want an MS of? HANBEI! #BringBackHanbei2k17

10. What would you give your lord on his birthday? or what would you like your lord to give you on your birthday? For his birthday, I'd give him myself :>

11. Recommended routes? Definitely Ieyasu's! It has the best character development, IMO. And the MC is just wonderful. I give his route a 10/10.

@shioune

1. Do you ship yourself with any of the voltage men? Or do you have any favorite, who? HIDEYOSHI. You already know why. Hahaha.

2. Would you really date them if they exist in your life and is interested in you? YES!!! But tbh, I think I'd be more attracted to guys like Mitsuhide IRL.

3. Your top three SLBP lords. Or any game from your choosing. But you can only choose three guys from one title. Hideyoshi Masamune Mitsunari (because I recently finished both endings~)

4. Now, fuck marry kill from those choices : ) I’m satan incarnate, y’know. EYYYY. Fuck – Hideyoshi :3 Marry – Masamune Kill ??? nuuuu – Mitsunari

5. What’s the last thing you daydream about? I’m gonna be shameless here and admit that I often find myself daydreaming about the SLBP lords ; u ; On a less otome trash note, I also daydream about food. X’DD

6. Do you prefer hugs or kisses and are you the kind of person who would initiate them? I'm too awkward for either of them ha ha. I almost never initiate them ; u ;

7. A song you’re really into these days and a song you associate to your fav lord/prince/character (idk, i mean what if slbp isnt ur fav game, im giving you options here bc im a sainttan) I watched La La Land a few weeks back but I still can't get “City of Stars” out of my head. The song I associate with my favorite lord(s) is by a local band (I've already mentioned it, but lemme just say it again because this post is too TL;DR) - “Wala Nang Hihilingin” by Sugarfree. The chorus roughly translates to, “If every night you sleep by my side, you don't know how much happiness you’d bring. If you can hear the beating of my heart, it is saying that while you are in my arms, there's nothing more that I could ask for.” HUEHUE cheesy, right??? Another song – and equally cheesy – is “I Will” by The Beatles :3

8. Do you love Oyamada Nobushige? Well, I wouldn't say /love/, but he has aged pretty well. *cough*

9. What’s your favorite food and to what length will you go to get it? I'd kill for ice cream. Especially when I'm PMS-ing. Mehehe.

10. If you can time travel to any period and any country, where would you go? Why that period/country? Sengoku period in Japan because Hideyoshi???

11. And lastly would you consider donating pearls to me? LOL NO IM JOKING last question is, late at night and you’ve been feeling out of it for a while and your bae (your 2D bae ofc) text messages you. Who’s your bae and what does the message say? OF COURSE I WOULD, BB. Except I'm broke rn huhuhu. Hideyoshi~ I think a simple “I love you. :)” message would do the trick ahuehuehue. I am trash ; u ;

@wizardesslover

1. What’s your favorite voltage app right now and why? SLBP! It's the only Voltage app I play. Heh.

2. Who’s your favorite character? Hideyoshiiii~

3. What is your least favorite voltage app? N/A

4. Who’s your least favorite character? Probs Lord Juami. But Yasumasa's face annoys me. Lol.

5. Who’s your ultimate voltage OTP? ME x HIDEYOSHI. Also, MC x Masamune because they're so sweet ; u ;

6. Who’s the hottest voltage character? HIDEYOSHI. HAVE YOU SEEN HIS ABS? (Bias aside, I think Inuchiyo's the hottest because he's a ~typical~ samurai i.e., tall, lean, long-haired. Mmm.)

7. Who’s your funniest voltage character and why? Tadatsugu when he’s being all “No, don’t pull out my hair, milord!” Kenshin when Kanetsugu is being a mom.

8. Who is your favorite MC? The MC in Ieyasu's route!

9. What is your favorite moment with your bae? :3 Tbh, every moment. Mehehe.

10. Kiss, Marry, Avoid. Kiss – Hideyoshi Marry – Masamune Avoid – Mitsunari in a foul mood

11. Who’s route took you by surprise? Ieyasu's. I didn't expect it to be so g r e a t.

@moonlight-nightingale

1.How did you get into fandom? What was your catalyst to finding the Tumblr community? I was on break from uni, and I got bored so I downloaded the Tumblr app. At first, I looked at Haikyuu! posts, but then found out that SLBP posts exist... then, ta-da!

2. Favourite quotes from slbp ? Oooh, I have a lot!

3.Which lords route do you like the most, and which one you dislike the most? Why? I liked Ieyasu's the most. Character development was on point, and the MC was likeable! I guess I liked Mitsuhide's the least, but mainly because there was so much potential and it turned out flat??? It's a shame too, because Mitsuhide's story events are wonderful!

4.Other than slbp, what are you addicted to recently? SLEEP. Hahaha.

5. If you are living in the slbp universe, and you had been granted to have a power or special ability (ex: invisible), what is your special ability? And what will you do with it? The ability to fly? (Me to Hideyoshi: I could show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendiiiid~)

6.If you and your fav lord are chosen as tribute for your district to enter the Hunger Games, what will you do? I'd probs pull the same stunt that Katniss did and be all “let's die together~!”

7.Imagine you are a demigod, Whom daughter you think you are? (Ex: Poseidon, Zeus, Hades) why ? I’d probs be the daughter of Zeus... because lbr, he has so many children and it’s hard to keep count lmao. (Sorry I can’t answer this question more seriously because my background on Greek mythology is poor ; u ; )

8.If you are a voice actor, which lords do you prefer/want to cast as ? (Don’t need to be realistic ) Mitsuhide??

9.If you are granted 3 wishes, what will you wish for? 1. To graduate from vet school ; u ; 2. For Hide to be real??? More money. Lmao. 3. Sensible national leaders???

10.If you can meet your 10 yrs past self what will you tell to your past self? Take a 4-year course in uni so you can graduate sooner. Lol.

11.What do u think of me? You are wonderful~ (o˘◡˘o)

#long post #personal #tagged #11 questions #not really 11 #thank you to everyone who tagged me

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trolling-since-chernobyl · 8 years ago

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Tagged by my salty sisters @malialeiaoswald and @itwillbekillian and @menyc1ty. Damn, I feel loved!

I am a cuddler.

I am a morning person and night person.

I am an only child.

I am currently in my pajamas.

I am currently pregnant.

I am left handed.

I am right handed.

I am ambidextrous.

I am a little shy around another gender.

I bite my nails.

I can be paranoid at times.

I enjoy country music.

I enjoy smoothies.

I enjoy talking on the phone.

I have a car.

I have/had a hard time paying attention at school.

I have a hidden talent.

I have a pet.

I have a tendency to fall for the “wrong” person.

I have all my grandparents.

I have been to another country.

I have been told that I have an unusual sense of humour.

I have caller I.D. on my phone.

I have bathed someone.

I have changed a diaper

I have changed a lot over the past year.

I have friends who have never seen my natural hair colour.

I have had major/minor surgery.

I have had my hair cut within the last week.

I have mood swings.

I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.

I have rejected someone before.

I like the taste of blood.

I love Michael Jackson.

I love sleeping.

I love to shop.

I own 100 CDs or more.

I own and use a library card.

I read books for pleasure in my spare time.

I sleep a lot during the day.

I watch soap operas on a regular basis.

I work at a job that I enjoy.

I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar-free.

I am wearing socks.

I am tired.

I consume at least one alcoholic drink every month. One, lol

I have/had:

Finished college.

Smoked cigarettes.

Ridden every ride at an amusement park.

Collected something really stupid.

Gone to a concert.

Helped someone.

Spun turn tables.

Watched four movies in one night.

Been broken up with.

Taken a college level course.

Been in a car accident.

Been in a tornado.

Watched someone die.

Been to a funeral.

Burned yourself.

Ran a marathon.

Your parents got divorced.

Cried yourself to sleep.

Spent over $200 in one day.

Cheated on someone.

Been cheated on.

Written a 10 page letter.

Had a best friend. Still has

Lost someone you loved.

Skipped school.

Gotten in trouble for something you didn’t do.

Stolen books from the library.

Watched the “Harry Potter” movies.

Fired a gun

Been in a school play. That sucked.

Been fired from a job.

Taken a lie detector test.

Swam with dolphins.

Attempted suicide.

Written poetry.

Read more than 20 books a year. More than 100 one year.

Gone to Europe. I mean, I fucking live here, but gone to other countries too.

Loved someone you couldn’t have.

Used a coloring book over age 12.

Had surgery.

Had stitches.

Taken a taxi.

Had more than 5 online conversations going at

Had a hamster.

Dyed your hair.

Had something pierced.

Gotten straight A’s.

Been handcuffed.

My hair is naturally the color:

Light brown

Medium brown

Dark brown

Blonde

Black

Dirty blonde

Strawberry blonde

Multicoloured

Red

My eyes are:

Brown

Dark Brown

Blue

Green

Hazel

Light brown

A combination of things

Ice Blue

Grey

People sometimes label me as:

Slut

Girly

Ugly

Nerd

Fat

Some of my biggest fears are:

Spiders/other insects

Slimy things

Dying

Doctor/Dentist appointments

Hospitals

Needles

Diseases

Being alone in the dark

Heights

Small spaces

Oceans/large bodies of water

Holes

Large animals

Small animals

Open spaces

Lightning

Tornadoes

I have:

A friend with benefits

A laptop in my room

A television in my room

Good grades

My own car

Married parents

#tagged #malialeiaoswald #itwillbekillian #my fam #my shit #not tw #menyc1ty

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scifihorroradventure · 8 years ago

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THE BLOB (1958)

As teenage couple Steve (Steve McQueen) and Jane (Aneta Corsaut) enjoy an evening alone, they witness a shooting star fall from the sky. Noticing how close it was, they decide to see if they can find it. They are beaten to the scene by an old man (Olin Howland), who discovers a meteor. When he tries to inspect it with a stick, it cracks open, revealing a strange, goo-like substance within. When the old man touches it with the stick, it quickly latches onto his hand. Steve and Jane take him to Dr. Hallen (Stephen Chase), then return to the old man's cabin to search for clues. Unfortunately, while they're gone, the mysterious blob consumes the old man, Dr. Hallen, and his nurse Kate (Lee Payton), growing noticeably larger in the process. As the blob continues to devour the townsfolk one by one, Steve, Jane, and their friends try to convince the police, led by Lt. Dave (Earl Rowe), that something is wrong. Though the police don't believe them at first, the blob finally makes its presence known as it descends upon the town's movie theater...

Though The Blob appears to be nothing more than a random 1950s B-movie at first glance, it's actually one of the most iconic and influential monster movies of all time. The trope of young people trying unsuccessfully to convince their elders and the authorities of the monster's existence would go on to become a staple of countless horror movies to come, imitated just as many times as the corrupt politician ignoring the threat from Jaws, or the monster being attracted to the heroine from King Kong. It also features one of the silver screen's most memorable monsters: The Blob, an amorphous glob of translucent goo that soon becomes stained red with the blood of its victims. Whereas most movie monsters of the era were simply oversized insects or other ordinary animals mutated by radiation, the Blob was an entirely new type of beast, a shapeless mass able to slide and squeeze into even the tiniest of places, making escape from it all but impossible. Sure, it's slow (though it can manage the occasional burst of speed), but if it corners you, you're done for. The effects used to bring it to life are surprisingly effective as well. Created out of colored silicone, the Blob's creepy rolling and sliding was achieved with simple gravity. For such a simplistic concept, it's surprisingly frightening. The movie also featured a rather memorable title theme: "Beware of the Blob." Written by a young Burt Bacharach and performed by The Five Blobs, the song is a fun, catchy number that would become a staple of Halloween for decades to come.

This film is also notable for being the leading man debut of screen legend Steve McQueen, but unfortunately his casting can't help but incite a few chuckles right off the bat. Steve's character (named, uh, Steve) is supposed to be about seventeen years old. However, McQueen was twenty seven at the time of filming, and he looks roughly forty, resulting in one of the oldest looking teenagers in cinema history. Steve is a good character, refreshingly not represented as a stupid, irresponsible teenager (though he does have a brief bout with irresponsibility when he races against his friends near the start of the film). For about the first third or so of the movie, Steve has a tendency to pause and stammer a lot during his dialogue. It's a nice little natural tic at first, but it becomes a little annoying as he continues to do so even as things start getting bad. Thankfully, though, he drops this once he and Jane sneak out to hunt the Blob down. Aneta Corsaut (later known for her role on The Andy Griffith Show) as Jane turns in a decent performance, but like Steve, for roughly the first half of the movie she's honestly a bit of a drag. Any time Steve starts showing any personality, Jane simply hangs her head and gives him a disapproving look. It's never really said why, either, which is odd. Like her boyfriend though, her quirks end once they sneak out for the third act.

The supporting characters range from good to annoying. Earl Rowe does a solid job as the sensible Lieutenant Dave, who doesn't immediately tell Steve and Jane off when they come to him with trouble, and in fact supports them the instant there are some serious signs of danger. John Benson is amusing as Sergeant Bert, the paranoid cop who essentially distrusts all teenagers. He'd rather believe that every teenager in town is 'bugged' by his war record and are testing his patience than that there might be an inhuman threat roaming the streets. Stephen Chase does a good job as Dr. Hallen, as does Lee Payton as his short-lived nurse Kate, both perishing in one of the film's more memorable sequences. Elinor Hammer plays the effectively annoying neighbor Mrs. Porter, who Dr. Hallen had previously asked to watch over his house during the night. Mrs. Porter enters the scene as Steve, Jane, Dave, and Bert examine Dr. Hallen's home for clues and serves no other purpose than coming up with a seemingly unending series of reasons as to why nothing has happened to Dr. Hallen, how he left on a business trip hours ago, and how Steve and Jane are wrong. It's an annoying scene that really accomplishes nothing but delaying the plot. Another such scene takes place near the start of the film, where Dave catches Steve street racing his friends and gives him a stern talking to. While not a bad scene (it helps develop Dave as a kind, reasonable person), it still feels like padding of the highest order. Such scenes feel unnecessary considering the rest of the town doesn't become aware of the Blob until essentially the end of the movie. Finally, we have Jane's little brother Danny, played by Keith Almoney. While not a terrible child character (except for the very end where he nearly gets our heroes killed), Danny is clearly written as if he was five or six years old. Unfortunately, Almoney appears to be roughly ten or eleven, which can be fairly laughter inducing as he spends the entire movie in footie pajamas clutching a teddy bear.

When The Blob comes to a close, it ends on an iconic "The End... ?" as the amorphous beast is air-dropped into the Arctic, never to be thawed again. However, the film was a surprising hit, earning a whopping $4,000,000 at the box office. And so, even though it would take nearly twenty years, we had not seen the last of the Blob, as one tiny piece would eventually find its way back to civilization...

Rating: ★★★★

Cast: Steve McQueen ... Steve Andrews Aneta Corsaut ... Jane Martin Earl Rowe ... Lt. Dave John Benson ... Sgt. Jim Bert Robert Fields ... Tony Gressette James Bonnet ... 'Mooch' Miller Anthony Franke ... Al Keith Almoney ... Danny Martin Stephen Chase ... Dr. T. Hallen Lee Payton ... Kate the Nurse Elinor Hammer ... Mrs. Porter Olin Howland ... Old Man George Karas ... Officer Ritchie Elbert Smith ... Henry Martin Hugh Graham ... Mr. Andrews Tom Ogden ... Phil the Fire Chief Vincent Barbi ... George - Cafe Owner

Director: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. and Russell S. Doughten Jr. (uncredited). Producer: Russell S. Doughten Jr. (associate producer) and Jack H. Harris. Writer: Theodore Simonson and Kay Linaker (screenplay); Irvine H. Millgate (original idea). Music: Ralph Carmichael; Burt Bacharach, Mack David, and The Five Blobs ("Beware of the Blob"). Special Effects: Bart Sloane.

#sci fi horror adventure #the blob 1958 #the blob #monsters #1950s

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williamfripp-blog · 5 years ago

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The Darkness

The darkness had become, if not a friend to, then at the very least familiar to Maurice De Valle. He had been sent here to this moldering, dank, rat infested cell at the bottom of the Bastille’s bottomless pits to rot, and rot he had done, by his own reckoning, for seven long years, but it could have been longer. He occupied his mind during the first months and years with the injustice done him, with plotting and planning for his revenge, savoring the imagined and oh so slow death of Christophe Laurent. Even now, his fingers clutched spasmodically into clawing talons as he imagined the throat of his enemy beneath his gnarled hands, groveling as he had groveled, begging for his pitiful life as he had begged for his, and then as Laurent’s lips turned blue and his eyes bulged from their sallow sockets he would cackle and laugh and then Laurent would die, die like the cheating, lying swine he was, die for casting him into this Hell on earth. But his vengeance would be denied him, he knew. He would continue to live to spite Christophe in this filthy hole, but vengeance would be denied at the last, for he could no longer stand or walk; his eyes would never see the light of day again. Year after year of the profound, pitch blackness of the pit had stolen his sight and he imagined that if he could once more gaze into a mirror and recognize his own visage, he would see only sunken sockets with eyes that had gone milky white, the eyes of a ghost in the face of a ghoul long dead in mind and spirit, a homunculus animated only by hate and malice and despair. These were his attributes, now. These were his reasons for living. Christophe Laurent had been his rival from childhood. For his entire life De Valle had been jealous of Laurent’s lofty station by way of his birth into the Aristocracy, his infuriating manner, his aloof condescension of De Valle and his family, commoners who had risen from peasantry to find a place in what passed for a middle class in a society where the poor and the rich were as divided as they could possibly be; by birth, by custom and by the basic necessities of life. De Valle’s father had worked himself to death by the age of forty, working the land, growing the finest grapes in the dark, loamy soil of the Parisian countryside, providing for his family and earning Maurice, the only child of four that lived into adulthood, an education and a relatively comfortable position in a world he hated, a place where he was just worthy enough in Laurent’s eyes to be low bred trash. There were other Aristos to hate, that much was sure, plenty of them, perfumed fops dressed in finery expensive enough to provide food for countless families and children, children who were spurned and spat upon by these same so-called gentlemen and women who would rather have them kicked to death than give them the scraps from their gilded tables. De Valle had sworn as a young man never to become one of them, to never allow himself to degenerate into a sneering, fat self-appointed Lord over his fellow man, to never become what he hated with every fiber of his being, to never turn into Christophe Laurent. His aversion to Laurent and to people like him turned De Valle, instead, into a bitter, hateful man whose loathing for his perceived nemesis expressed itself in his bearing, his speech and his language. He goaded Laurent at every opportunity, stalked him from theater to restaurant, to parties and gatherings and even to his home, making himself a visible and vocal irritant at every occasion, intent on making Laurent’s every waking hour impossible to enjoy as befitted an Aristocrat, harrying him, berating him in front of his Aristo friends and colleagues until, at last, Laurent could stand no more and hauled De Valle before the dock. Laurent, for his part, had no real hatred for De Valle, regarded him as merely a ne’re-do-well and a nuisance, and simply wanted a respite from the constant hounding De Valle seemed intent on heaping upon him and his acquaintances. He sued De Valle and had him publicly humiliated, forced into silence through the threat of imprisonment and broken financially. De Valle became insane with hate and using the last of his meager holdings began drinking heavily. His fevered mind was full of spite and he prayed to gods and devils alike to deliver him from the indignity of his sorry state, to restore to him his rightful station and property and to rid the world of Christophe Laurent, indeed, of all the Christophe Laurents and those like him. This became his singular purpose, his only ambition in life; destroy Laurent as Laurent had so easily and utterly destroyed him. His drunken ruminations had led him down the dark back alleys of his imagination; every sort of torture and humiliation occurred to him and in all of them Laurent suffered, oh how he suffered, until at last he cried out and his breath left him and he died. But how to accomplish it? Hire an assassin? Stage an accident? Poison his family well? Eventually, the devils and the wine made the decision for him. One chill winter evening he went and retrieved his rifle and in a blind, fogged rage, began the hunt for Christophe Laurent. Not finding Laurent out, he went to his home, hid in a grove of trees bounding the property and waited for Laurent to show himself. Finally, just when it seemed that De Valle might sober up and go home, he saw the door open, a rectangle of candle light shining like a signal through the gloom, and in that glow was silhouetted the figure of Christophe Laurent. De Valle aimed his flintlock, bleary with wine and fatigue, and squeezed the trigger. The touchhole flared as the powder ignited and the report knocked De Valle backward to fall unceremoniously on his backside, the rifle flung from his grasp. His shot went wide; he heard the sound of glass breaking. From the house he could hear a woman screaming through his drunken buzz and it occurred to him that he had done it! He had killed Laurent! He struggled to wobbly knees then staggered to his feet and half ran, half stumbled in the direction of the screams and upon arriving was thunderstruck to find Laurent not only alive and unharmed, but in fact quite animated, shaking him by the shirt front and screaming at him. De Valle’s bullet had indeed struck a member of the Laurent household. It had struck their house servant, a slave girl, in the temple and killed her instantly. The trial was a short affair. Had De Valle actually killed Laurent or his wife or children, he would have surely faced the guillotine, but since the victim was a slave, he was instead sentenced to imprisonment in the Bastille, where many entered but very few ever returned intact. Laurent, being an influential man, saw to it that De Valle’s living quarters were as mean and base as possible, and so De Valle was dragged howling to the pits, beaten and left to die. That was seven years ago. Seven years of abject solitude, the only human contact being the delivery of what passed for food through a foot wide slot in the bottom of his cell door and always, even when the slot was opened, there was the darkness, the cruel, unrelenting darkness pressing in on him, crushing him as surely as if the ceiling had collapsed and made this cell his eternal resting place. Seven years of the creeping, scuttling denizens of the earth, crawling over and around him, biting and scratching him, until he found that by consuming them in between servings of the thin gruel that was his breakfast, dinner and supper, he could in turn sustain his meager life, keeping alive his hate, hoarding it, saving it for that unimagined day when at last he would be vomited out from the bowels of the prison. So he ate as many of the many legged things as he could catch, not knowing what exactly he put into his toothless maw, simply crushing them with his gums and swallowing. The rats had long ago learned not go too near the wretched figure in the corner, had lost too many of their cousins to it, watched it eat them screaming and raw and so they waited as well, waited for the day when the thing in the dark finally stopped shrieking and lay still so they could, in turn, repay it the favor. And so Maurice De Valle rotted, body and soul, for those seven years in hell and now he choked on the bile in his soul as he realized he would die here, his revenge never realized, only fantasized, and that Christophe Laurent would live on without punishment, would die an old man with his family around him, in luxury and comfort and peace. It ate at his humanity, as the insects ate at his flesh, and he cried aloud, now, in his extremity. “Laurent! Laurent! You who are my bane, my mortal foe! Oh what would I give to see you suffer!” “Ah, but you have nothing left to give, De Valle.” De Valle shrieked at the unexpected voice in the darkness and shrank back into his corner, hugging his knees to his body. He fairly quaked with fear as he strained his ears to catch some sound, some evidence that he was indeed not alone in the darkness, or that finally his last shred of sanity had fled him. “Who…who is there?” he whispered tensely. “The instrument of your release, my friend,” came the reply, the voice low and gravelly, unmistakable in its malevolence. “I…I don’t understand! Who are you?” “You know who I am.” “I do not! I do not know you!” cried De Valle. “WHO ARE YOU?” “All who dwell in this place know me, De Valle, all whose souls are forfeit, all for whom the light is void. I am he whom you call Death.” “Death!” moaned De Valle, “Death! But it is not my time! Not Yet! Not while Laurent yet lives!” “Fear not for Laurent. At the last, his breath will fail him as you have envisaged, as it will with all men and I will come for him, as I come now for you, Maurice De Valle.” De Valle’s flesh crawled on his bones as he heard the unmistakable sound of movement and suddenly into his blinded sight stepped the figure of a man, tall and stooped, covered from head to toe in a shadowy glow somehow blacker than the all-encompassing darkness around them and as it reached for him, his final terrified shrieks were cut short as it’s bony grasp closed on his throat. And so Maurice De Valle died. He was discovered five days later when it was noticed his gruel had gone uneaten, and the story that passed around the fires in the cold Parisian winter told of a prisoner found dead in the pits of the Bastille, his arms in rigor outstretched as if fending off an unseen attacker, his blind eyes open, his face contorted in a rictus of dread that stayed with him even as finally, along with his hate, his body was interred into the frozen earth.

#horror #writing #fiction #author #fripp #bastille

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infolibrary · 5 years ago

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100 Delicious Facts About Chocolate

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100 Delicious Facts About Chocolate

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Ah chocolate, the first love of every man, woman and child, it’s a solution (however temporary) to every problem from upset and anger to happiness and adoration.

Chocolate truly is one of the wonders of the world, in the past it has been that valued it’s actually been used as currency and in 2014 U.S. chocolate sales were $21.1 billion, that alone shows the significance and the demand for the product.

Whether it be white, milk, dark or other more rare varieties (all will be revealed later on), everyone loves to sit down and have a square or 10.

Here we’re going to look at 100 delicious facts about chocolate.

Winston Churchill at one point was in danger of a Nazi assassination by an exploding bar of chocolate.

Aztecs used cacao seeds were a form of currency.

Montezuma II, an Aztec emperor, drank over 50 cups of chocolate per day.

As well as milk, dark, and white varieties, there is a rare fourth type known as blond chocolate.

The film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was financed by Quaker Oats to promote its new Wonka Bar candy. That’s why it’s named that instead of the book’s title of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

Joseph Fry invented the first chocolate bar in 1847.

The chocolate industry is worth approximately $110 billion per year.

Milky Way bars aren’t named after the galaxy; they’re named after the malted milkshakes the bars were supposed to taste like.

Three Musketeers bars were originally three pieces; chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. They switched to just the one bar after strawberry prices increased.

In 1947, hundreds of Canadian kids went on strike and boycotted chocolate after the price of a chocolate bar jumped from 5 to 8 cents.

Andes Candies were called “Andy’s Candy’s,” after creator George Andrew Kanelos but it was changed after men didn’t want to buy their partners chocolates with another man’s name.

A 2013 study found that the smell of chocolate in a bookstore made customers 22% more likely to buy books of any genre and a whopping 40% more likely to buy cookbooks or romance novels.

The largest chocolate bar ever weighed over 12,770 lbs (5,792 kg), created in the UK in celebration of Thornton’s 100th birthday.

The world’s most valuable chocolate bar is a 100-year-old Cadbury’s bar, it sold for $687 at auction in 2001. It was taken on Captain Robert Scott’s first expedition to the Antarctic.

Chocolate milk was invented in Jamaica. Irish botanist Sir Hans Sloane is said to have first mixed chocolate with milk in Jamaica in the early 1700s.

Chocolate milk is an effective post-workout recovery drink.

German chocolate cake has history with Germany. It’s named after its inventor, Sam German.

Darker chocolates can have as much caffeine as a can of Coca-Cola.

A 2004 London study found that 70% of people would give their passwords for a chocolate bar.

Americans buy 58 million+ lbs (26 million+ kg) of chocolate on Valentine’s Day, that’s 5% of yearly sales.

Brussels Airport is the world’s biggest chocolate seller, selling over 800 tons of chocolate a year.

More than two-thirds of the world’s cocoa is grown in Africa, and Côte d’Ivoire alone produces 33% of the world’s supply.

A chocolate river existed in 1971. The famous chocolate river from the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory film was made with 15,000 gallons of water mixed with chocolate and cream. The river spoiled fairly quickly due to the cream and the cast said it stank.

The International Cocoa Organization say the average Brit, Swiss, or German eat 24lbs (11kg) of chocolate a year.

In 1930, Ruth Wakefield mixed Nestle chocolate pieces into her cookie dough after running out of baker’s chocolate whilst making chocolate cookies. Instead she created chocolate chip cookies, and later sold the idea to Nestle for a lifetime supply of chocolate.

Lays sold limited edition crisps covered in milk chocolate said to have a “salty-sweet combination, along with the texture contrast of warm melted chocolate and a crunchy chip”.

The average chocolate bar contains insect fragments. The U.S Food and Drug Administration say “Anything more than 60 insect pieces per 100 grams of chocolate is rejected.”

A thief took $28 million worth of gems in 2007 after gaining the guards trust at an Antwerp Bank by repeatedly offering them chocolate.

1 in every 200 workers, or around 17,000 people in Belgium work in the production and promotion of chocolate.

One chocolate chip gives an adult enough food energy to walk 150 feet. Around 35 chocolate chips is enough for a mile or 875,000 chips would take them around the world.

It takes the whole of one year’s crop from one tree to make half a kilo of cocoa.

The man who created the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup was a farmer, by the name of Harry Burnett Reese, who was a former shipping foreman and dairy farmer for Milton S. Hershey, the founder of Hershey’s chocolate.

Terry’s produce over 350 million chocolate orange segments per year.

During the Aztec reign, a slave could be bought for 100 cocoa beans.

1 in 7 15-24 year olds claim life without chocolate is not worth living.

The biggest chocolate sculpture ever made was a 10 foot high Easter egg weighing 4,484 lbs (2,034 kg) in Melbourne, Australia.

Blue packaged chocolate doesn’t sell in Shanghai or Hong Kong, as the Chinese relate blue with death.

The first cacao trees were found in the Amazon River basin and the Venezuelan and Colombian Andes.

In 1991, a chocolate model ship was made in Barcelona measuring approximately 42.5ft long, 28ft tall and 8ft wide.

Japanese women give chocolate hearts to their loved ones on 14th February. The men a month later return the gesture on “Howaito” white day.

In the original Psycho film, the blood in the famous shower scene was actually chocolate syrup.

Chocolate sales in 2014 were $21.1 billion.

On 6th December during the feast of St. Nicholas, children in Holland put their clogs outside at night so Santa can fill them with chocolate money.

7th July is National Chocolate Day in the UK, the day marks when chocolate was first brought to Europe on 7th July 1550. Some credit Christopher Columbus with this feat in 1504.

International Chocolate Day is on 13th September, and some celebrate National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day on 7th November.

Milton Hershey the creator of The Hershey Chocolate Company started his empire in candy. He founded his first company, The Lancaster Caramel Company at 30 years old.

5 tons of chocolate is enough to make 28,000 Terry’s Chocolate Oranges.

Daniel Peter created milk chocolate in Switzerland in 1875 after mixing chocolate with condensed milk following eight years of trial and error.

Making chocolate takes about 400 beans to make a single pound of chocolate.

Cacao trees can live up to 200 years old but they only make viable cacao beans for just 25 years of their life.

The world’s largest box of chocolates weighed in at 2,002 lbs (908 kg). It was made in Chicago, USA, and contained Frango mints.

There are 2 types of cacao tree. Most chocolate comes from Forastero beans, which are said to be easier to grow but the Crillo bean makes much tastier chocolate.

To’Ak chocolate is one of the most expensive chocolates in the world, Each 50 gram (1.7 oz) bar is in a handcrafted Spanish Elm wood box individually engraved with the bar number.

Chocolate is the only edible substance to melt around 93° F, just below body temperature causing it to melt easily on your tongue.

More than twice as many women than men eat and crave chocolate.

Chocolate cravings have been proven to be unable to be satisfied by anything other than chocolate itself.

Chocolate produces the effects of a mild anti-depressant by increasing serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain.

Although not scientifically proven, chocolate is believed by many, to be an aphrodisiac.

Dan’s chocolate factory offers a chocolate covered bacon burger – and apparently it’s not too bad!

Cocoa butter is a by-product made from crushing roasted cacao beans. As well as in chocolate it’s also used in cosmetic products including massage oils and skin cosmetics. It’s one of the most stable, highly concentrated natural fats and as it melts at just below average body temperature it’s easily dissolved into the skin, perfect for moisturizing creams and other products.

Despite being high in fat content, chocolate doesn’t seem to raise blood cholesterol.

America consumes almost 50% of the world’s chocolate.

If all the Toblerone bars sold each year were to be laid end to end they would stretch 62,000km (38,525 miles), this is longer than the Earth’s circumference.

The amount of chocolate a country eats on average is linked to the number of Nobel Laureates that country has produced.

In 2009, 7.2 million tons of chocolate was consumed worldwide.

In the pre-Columbia era, possible dinosaur fossils were ground and mixed with chocolate.

Red M&M’s are among the most popular today, but in the 1970’s, they were replaced with orange pieces for almost ten years. This was the result of a study which stated that red food dye was linked to cancers.

Chocolate gives you a more intense mental high and gets your heart pounding more than kissing.

Hershey’s Kisses are named that after the kissing sound the deposited chocolate makes as it falls from the machine on the conveyor belt.

Hershey’s produce 70 million Kisses a day, and enough a year to make a 300,000 mile (around 483,000 km) line of Kisses.

When chocolate is covered in a white speckled layer, it has “bloomed”. This is caused by the fat (cocoa butter) molecules inside the chocolate over time rising to the surface and recrystallizing. Bloomed chocolate is still edible but will be dry and less flavorful.

Ben & Jerry’s made the first cookie dough ice cream after a suggestion on their shop’s flavor suggestion board.

Chocolate and chili is a well-known combination, but Firebox took it a step further producing the “instant regret chili chocolate” infused with 6.4 million Scoville chili extract.

Napoleon always had chocolate with him; he ate it as whenever he needed an energy boost.

One cacao pod will contain about 42 beans.

More than 7 billion chocolate chips are eaten annually.

American author Robert Cormier wrote a novel called The Chocolate War, due to its nature the book appeared in the American Library Associations “Top 100 banned/challenged books in 2000-2009”.

Global production of cocoa is currently forecast to decrease for the third year in a row, 2015/16 production is expected at 4.1 million tons vs. 2014/15 production of 4.2 million tons. 2013/14 production was 4.3 million tons.

A cocoa tree takes almost a year to produce enough pods to make 10 normal-sized Hershey bars.

Chocolate has 3 times more flavor compounds than red wine; red wine has just 200 whereas chocolate has 600.

The tree that chocolate is produced from is called Theobroma cacao which means “food of the gods.”

To die from Theobromine, a poisonous compound found in chocolate, an 12.5 stone (80 kg) human would have to eat around 12.5 lbs (5.7 kg) of unsweetened dark chocolate or 6.2 stone (40 kg) of milk chocolate.

The ancient Maya are said to be the first to commonly grow cacao trees and drink chocolate. The Aztecs had to trade for cacao as they couldn’t grow the trees.

The word “chocolate” derives from the Aztec “xocoatl,” the bitter, spicy cacao bean based drink.

Chocolate was consumed not as a solid but as a liquid for 90% of its history.

The largest chocolate ever made was in the Netherlands; the chocolate marzipan took 3 days and weighed 4,078 lbs (1,850 kg).

Ninety percent of the world’s cacao is grown on small family run farms under 12 acres (4,047 sq. meters).

In 2006, worldwide over 6.5 million tons of chocolate was traded.

Recipes exist for chocolate and calamari soup, the combination surprisingly seems to only have 1 person brave enough to try it, they gave it 4 stars.

In 17th century Mexico someone suffered death by chocolate. Poison was injected into chocolate, killing a Spanish Bishop who banned the consumption of chocolate during church services.

Chocolate contains tryptophan which makes us very happy. Tryptophan (also found in turkeys) affects endorphin levels in the brain and increases serotonin causing euphoria.

Pure cocoa can help prevent tooth decay. Naturally occurring chemicals in cocoa beans fight harmful bacteria in the mouth.

Europeans consume about 40% of the planet’s chocolate.

Chocolate producers worldwide use around 20% of the world’s peanut crops and 40% of all almonds grown.

Chocolate actually inspired the Microwave. Percy Spence, a scientist working on WWII radar was loved chocolate. When near a magnetron, he noticed a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. He realized magnetrons could be used to heat food quickly and discovered the microwave oven.

Gorging on sugar-free chocolate acts a severe laxative. At one producers factory there are buckets of defective chocolates. Each bucket has a sign warning employees of the ramifications of over-consumption.

Cadbury World is on the site of the Cadbury factory established by Richard and George Cadbury in 1879.

In 1929 chocolate became Nestlé’s second biggest product.

Richard Cadbury, the son of Cadbury founder John Cadbury, made the first heart-shaped box of chocolates in 1861 for Valentine’s Day.

William Cadbury (Grandson of Richard Cadbury, the founder of Cadbury) commissioned the design of the Cadbury logo in Paris 1905 by French designer George Auriol.

So there we have it, as I said earlier chocolate really is one of the wonders of the world, driving people to do all sorts of things in search of the alluring substance.

Chocolate is an instant source of desire and happiness, and yet it’s even been used to kill!

Whether it be one of the major chocolate powerhouses, a smaller artisan chocolatier or a high-end high-quality purveyor supplying you your fix, just remember how much work goes into each piece of the melt-in-your-mouth goodness.