#felicity columbia

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #350 - Miles Davis Quintet, Relaxin' With The Miles Davis Quintet, 1958

Per essere stata una piccola casa editrice musicale, la Prestige di Bob Weinstock è infarcita di leggende, come ho un po' raccontato in queste belle (per me, e spero pure per chi le ha lette) storie musicali novembrine. Che oggi toccano l'impressionante traguardo dei 350 dischi, e come tradizione vuole tocca a Miles Davis. Weinstock capì agli inizi degli anni '50 che Davis aveva un talento gigantesco sia come musicista ma forse ancora di più come band leader, tanto che fu uno dei suoi più grandi sostenitori ad intraprendere la costruzione di un suo gruppo. E Davis alla prima occasione dimostrerà il suo fiuto per la genialità musicale e nello scegliersi i musicisti, formando quello che è uno dei grandi gruppi di sempre, e apice dell'hard bop. Davis sceglie un giovane sassofonista della scuderia Prestige, John Coltrane, che in pochi anni diventerà uno dei giganti della musica del '900 e quella che è la sezione ritmica per eccellenza del genere: Red Garland al pianoforte, Paul Chambers al basso e contrabasso e Philly Joe Jones alla batteria. Siamo nel 1955: come accennato, Weinstock era uno che metteva la praticità davanti all'estetica, e spinge il quintetto a registrare. I musicisti la prendono come un'occasione per provare come suoneranno il repertorio dal vivo. Davis ha già registrato con la Prestige il suo primo disco da 12 pollici, The Musings Of Miles, nel 1955 con Oscar Pettiford al basso, e vedendo l'aura del personaggio crescere enormemente come seguito, Weinstock pubblicò in vari Lp tutte le registrazioni su disco da 10 pollici che Davis, con varie formazioni, aveva fatto agli inizi degli anni '50. Ai leggendari studi Van Gelder, Davis e il suo quintetto registrano in due date, passate alla storia del jazz: l'11 maggio e il 16 ottobre del 1956. Sono già così affiatati e coesi, la magia e la bravura a livelli così alti, che registrano moltissimo materiale, che il buon Weinstock è ben felice di avere, dato che ha notizie sicure che la Columbia vuole mettersi Davis sotto contratto, cosa che avverrà alla fine dello stessio anno, il 1956. Per questo motivo, e per la bellezza della musica, le intere quattro registrazioni vengono pubblicate come 4 dischi: Cookin' With The Miles Davis Quintet nel 1957, Relaxin' nel 1958, Workin' nel 1960 e Steamin' nel 1961. Sebbene Davis sia già passato ad altre magie stilistiche già nel 1958, quando pubblica quel capolavoro che è Milestones, i 4 dischi sono considerati insieme non solo uno dei gioielli del catalogo Prestige, ma come lo stato dell'arte del bop nella seconda parte degli anni '50.

Scelgo Relaxin' With The Miles Davis Quintet nella tetralogia perchè è unanimemente considerato il lavoro più palpitante e musicalmente ineccepibile, sebbene il repertorio scelto fosse, e da questo il titolo, il lato più intimo e dolce dei brani registrati. In questo disco la tromba di Davis, con i suoi interventi delicati e strutturati sulla ripresa di poche note caratteristiche del brano, diventerà iconica, tanto che chiunque pensi solo di avvicinarsi al suo stile verrà etichettato come "davisiano". Tra l'altro persino nelle versioni rimasterizzate più recenti, quelle del 2005 nientemeno che da Van Gelder in persona, rimangono ancora gli intermezzi di dialoghi all'inizio di ogni brano, dove Davis discute con i musicisti sul da farsi. In scaletta 6 brani, tutti standard, che in questa registrazione troveranno la loro forma definitiva: If I Were A Bell è un brano scritto da Frank Loesser per il famosissimo musical Guys And Dolls (uno dei grandi successi di Broadway, che ispirò il film Bulli E Pupe con Marlon Brando e Jean Simmons), qui è nella sua versione decisiva con gli assoli di Garlad e Coltrane e la tromba di Davis, che qui usa una sordina Harmon che diventerà una sorta di feticcio tra i trombettisti. You're My Everything è una canzone del 1931, altra canzone da un musical epocale è I Could Write A Book di Rodgers e Hart, cantata nella versione originale da Gene Kelly nel musical Pal Joey come It Could Happen To You, tratta dal film della Paramount And The Angels Sing del 1940. Due invece sono i brani scritti da jazzisti: Oleo è un brano di Sonny Rollins, il quale era molto stimato da Davis: i due spesso hanno suonato insieme, ma mai con assiduità, avendo un grande rispetto reciproco. L'altro brano è Woody 'n' You di Dizzy Gillespie, uno dei tre arrangiamenti realizzati da Gillespie per la big band di Woody Herman, anche se all'epoca non venne utilizzato; gli altri due erano Swing Shift e Down Under.

Nasce in questo disco la sintonia musicale quasi sincronica di Davis e Coltrane, che nel 1959 porteranno ai picchi inarrivabili di Kind Of Blue: la sezione ritmica diventerà lo standard, tanto è che Coltrane, che inizierà i suoi lavori solisti proprio con la Prestige, se li porterà appresso.

Il quintetto lavorerà fino al 1960, non senza dissidi e pause, primo fra tutti il fatto che Red Garland porterà Coltrane alla dipendenza dall'eroina, cosa che Davis non gli perdonerà mai (tanto è vero che Garland non suona in Kind Of Blue). Chambers, un genio, anche lui attraverserà una devastante dipendenza dalla droga e addirittura morirà per complicazioni da tubercolosi nel 1963, a 33 anni.

Nel 2006 la Concorde Records, che detiene il catalogo Prestige, pubblicherà in una scintillante confezione box da 4 cd The Legendary Quintet Sessions, che ai 4 capolavori aggiunge 'Round Midnight, presente in Miles Davis And The Modern Jazz Giants e una serie di registrazioni inedite in jazz club e show in televisione. Un tesoro per gli appassionati più accaniti, ma per un approccio genuino e affascinante al jazz basta ascoltare la bellezza del disco di oggi, una delle innumerevoli magie di Miles Davis.

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By Isabel Vincent

The cash from Soros and his acolytes has been critical to the Columbia protests that set off the national copycat demonstrations.

Three groups set up the tent city on Columbia’s lawn last Wednesday: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Within Our Lifetime.

At the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” students sleep in tents apparently ordered from Amazon and enjoy delivery pizza, coffee from Dunkin’, free sandwiches worth $12.50 from Pret a Manger, organic tortilla chips and $10 rotisserie chickens.

An analysis by The Post shows that all three got cash from groups linked to Soros. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund also gave cash to JVP.

The fund is chaired by Joseph Pierson, and includes David Rockefeller Jr, a fourth-generation member of the oil dynasty, on its board of directors. The non-profit gives money to “sustainable development” and “peace-building.”

And a former Wall Street banker, Felice Gelman, a retired investment banker who has dedicated her Wall Street fortune to pro-Palestinian causes, funded all three groups.

17Free sandwiches from upscale takeout joint Pret a Manger are on offer at the encampment, worth up to $12, and $10 rotisserie chickens. Cash for the encampment has come from billionaire investor George Soros.NYPJ

Both SJP and JVP were expelled from Columbia University in November for “threatening rhetoric and intimidation.” JVP blamed Israel for the Oct 7 Hamas terrorist attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead.

“Israeli apartheid and occupation — and United States complicity in that oppression — are the source of all this violence,” JVP said in a statement on its website.  

SJP called the terrorist strike on Israel “a historic win.”

17Also on offer for the thirsty anti-Israeli protesters camped out at Columbia is free coffee from Dunkin’. Behind the scenes, the groups organizing the encampment have received cash from Soros and another former Wall Street banker.NYPJ

An analysis by The Post shows how Soros and Gelman’s cash made its way to the students through a network of nonprofits that help obscure their contributions.

Soros has given billions to the Open Society Foundations which his son Alexander — whose partner is Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s top aide and the estranged wife of pervert Anthony Weiner — now controls.

In turn, Open Society has given more than $20 million to the Tides Foundation, a progressive nonprofit “fiscal sponsor” that then sends the cash to smaller groups.

Those groups include A Jewish Voice for Peace, which between 2017 and 2022 has received $650,000 from Soros’ Open Society. Its advisers include the academic Noam Chomsky and the left-wing feminist author Naomi Klein.

JVP has been a prominent part of the protests at Columbia and one of its student members was among a group expelled from the university for inviting the leader of a proscribed terrorist group, Khaled, to the “Resistance 101” Zoom meeting.

Soros has also donated $132,000 to WESPAC, called in full the Westchester People’s Action Coalition Foundation.

[sorella-di-icaro]

Marilyn Monroe

Nasce a Los Angeles il 1° giugno 1926 ma, a causa dei problemi di salute mentale della madre, viene data a una famiglia affidataria.

Il 19 giugno 1942 si sposa con un vicino, Jim Dougherty.

Nel 1945 viene notata da un fotografo mentre lavora in fabbrica e inizia a lavorare come fotomodella, l'anno successivo divorzia dal marito.

Nel 1946 ottiene il primo contratto di sei mesi con la Fox, le chiedono di assumere un nome d'arte, alla fine la scelta è Marilyn Monroe.

Ottiene un secondo contratto temporaneo con la Columbia, recita in film di serie B e continua a posare per le pubblicità.

Nel 1953 i ruoli in Niagara e Gli uomini preferiscono le bionde fanno di lei una star.

Sposa il campione di baseball Joe Di Maggio il 14 gennaio 1954; nel 1955 spopola con l'interpretazione in Quando la moglie è in vacanza e divorzia.

Si trasferisce nel 1956 a New York per studiare recitazione, conosce e sposa il commediografo Arthur Miller il 29 giugno 1956.

Subisce una serie di aborti e il rapporto con il terzo marito si deteriora: divorziano il 21 gennaio 1961.

Nel 1959 e nel 1962 vince il Golden Globe come migliore attrice.

Viene trovata morta il 5 agosto 1962.

Arrivata a Hollywood grazie al lavoro di fotomodella, Marilyn Monroe diventa una delle attrici più conosciute al mondo.

Lavora con i migliori registi di Hollywood e interpreta la protagonista di film che hanno fatto la storia del cinema.

Al successo professionale non corrisponde una felice vita privata: oltre a tre matrimoni falliti e l'impossibilità di avere figli, riesce a gestire la fama solo con alcol e tranquillanti, in un mix che la porta alla morte (forse accidentale) a soli 36 anni.

Fonte: studenti.it

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Summer 2024 recommended reading from MIT

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/summer-2024-recommended-reading-from-mit/

Summer 2024 recommended reading from MIT

MIT faculty and staff authors have published a plethora of books, chapters, and other literary contributions in the past year. The following titles represent some of their works published in the past 12 months. 

Looking for more literary works from the MIT community? Enjoy our book lists from 2023, 2022, and 2021.

Happy reading!

Novel, memoir, and poetry

“Seizing Control: Managing Epilepsy and Others’ Reactions to It — A Memoir” (Haley’s, 2023) By Laura Beretsky, grant writer in the MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science (MITES) program

Beretsky’s memoir, “Seizing Control,” details her journey with epilepsy, discrimination, and a major surgical procedure to reduce her seizures. After two surgical interventions, she has been seizure-free for eight years, though she notes she will always live with epilepsy.

“Sky. Pond. Mouth.” (Yas Press, 2024) By Kevin McLellan, staff member in MIT’s Program in Art, Culture, and Technology

In this book of poetry, physical and emotional qualities free-range between the animate and inanimate as though the world is written with dotted lines. With chiseled line breaks, intriguing meta-poetic levels, and punctuation like seed pods, McLellan’s poems, if we look twice, might flourish outside the book’s margin, past the grow light of the screen, even (especially) other borderlines we haven’t begun to imagine.

Science and engineering

“The Visual Elements: Handbooks for Communicating Science and Engineering” (University of Chicago Press, 2023 and 2024) By Felice Frankel, research scientist in chemical engineering

Each of the two books in the “Visual Elements” series focuses on a different aspect of scientific visual communication: photography on one hand and design on the other. Their unifying goal is to provide guidance for scientists and engineers who must communicate their work with the public, for grant applications, journal submissions, conference or poster presentations, and funding agencies. The books show researchers the importance of presenting their work in clear, concise, and appealing ways that also maintain scientific integrity.

“A Book of Waves” (Duke University Press, 2023) By Stefan Helmreich, professor of anthropology

In this book, Helmreich examines ocean waves as forms of media that carry ecological, geopolitical, and climatological news about our planet. Drawing on ethnographic work with oceanographers and coastal engineers in the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, Japan, and Bangladesh, he details how scientists at sea and in the lab apprehend waves’ materiality through abstractions, seeking to capture in technical language these avatars of nature at once periodic and irreversible, wild and pacific, ephemeral and eternal.

“An Introduction to System Safety Engineering” (MIT Press, 2023) By Nancy G. Leveson, professor of aeronautics and astronautics

Preventing accidents and losses in complex systems requires a holistic perspective that can accommodate unprecedented types of technology and design. Leveson’s book covers the history of safety engineering; explores risk, ethics, legal frameworks, and policy implications; and explains why accidents happen and how to mitigate risks in modern, software-intensive systems. It includes accounts of well-known accidents like the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents, examining their causes and how to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again” (University of Chicago Press, 2024) By Susan Solomon, the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies and Chemistry

We solved planet-threatening problems before, Solomon argues, and we can do it again. She knows firsthand what those solutions entail, as she gained international fame as the leader of a 1986 expedition to Antarctica, making discoveries that were key to healing the damaged ozone layer. She saw a path from scientific and public awareness to political engagement, international agreement, industry involvement, and effective action. Solomon connects this triumph to the stories of other past environmental victories — against ozone depletion, smog, pesticides, and lead — to extract the essential elements of what makes change possible.

Culture, humanities, and social sciences

“Political Rumors: Why We Accept Misinformation and How to Fight It” (Princeton University Press, 2023) By Adam Berinsky, professor of political science

Political rumors pollute the political landscape. But if misinformation crowds out the truth, how can democracy survive? Berinsky examines why political rumors exist and persist despite their unsubstantiated and refuted claims, who is most likely to believe them, and how to combat them. He shows that a tendency toward conspiratorial thinking and vehement partisan attachment fuel belief in rumors. Moreover, in fighting misinformation, it is as important to target the undecided and the uncertain as it is the true believers.

“Laws of the Land: Fengshui and the State in Qing Dynasty China,” (Princeton University Press, 2023) By Tristan Brown, assistant professor of history

In “Laws of the Land,” Brown tells the story of the important roles — especially legal ones — played by fengshui in Chinese society during China’s last imperial dynasty, the Manchu Qing (1644–1912). Employing archives from Mainland China and Taiwan that have only recently become available, this is the first book to document fengshui’s invocations in Chinese law during the Qing dynasty.

“Trouble with Gender: Sex Facts, Gender Fictions” (Polity, 2024) By Alex Byrne, professor of philosophy

MIT philosopher Alex Byrne knows that within his field, he’s very much in the minority when it comes to his views on sex and gender. In “Trouble with Gender,” Byrne suggests that some ideas regarding sex and gender have not been properly examined by philosophers, and he argues for a reasoned and civil conversation on the topic.

“Life at the Center: Haitians and Corporate Catholicism in Boston” (University of California Press, 2024) By Erica Caple James, professor of medical anthropology and urban studies

In “Life at the Center,” James traces how faith-based and secular institutions in Boston have helped Haitian refugees and immigrants attain economic independence, health, security, and citizenship in the United States. The culmination of more than a decade of advocacy and research on behalf of the Haitians in Boston, this groundbreaking work exposes how Catholic corporations have strengthened — but also eroded — Haitians’ civic power.

“Portable Postsocialisms: New Cuban Mediascapes after the End of History” (University of Texas Press, 2024) By Paloma Duong, associate professor of media studies/writing

Why does Cuban socialism endure as an object of international political desire, while images of capitalist markets consume Cuba’s national imagination? “Portable Postsocialisms” calls on a vast multimedia archive to offer a groundbreaking cultural interpretation of Cuban postsocialism. Duong examines songs, artworks, advertisements, memes, literature, jokes, and networks that refuse exceptionalist and exoticizing visions of Cuba.

“They All Made Peace — What Is Peace?” (University of Chicago Press, 2023) Chapter by Lerna Ekmekcioglu, professor of history and director of the Program in Women’s and Gender Studies

In her chapter, Ekmekcioglu contends that the Treaty of Lausanne, which followed the first world war, is an often-overlooked event of great historical significance for Armenians. The treaty became the “birth certificate” of modern Turkey, but there was no redress for Armenians. The chapter uses new research to reconstruct the dynamics of the treaty negotiations, illuminating both Armenians’ struggles as well as the international community’s struggles to deliver consistent support for multiethnic, multireligious states.

“We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care” (Portfolio, 2023) By Amy Finkelstein, professor of economics, and Liran Einav

Few of us need convincing that the American health insurance system needs reform. But many existing proposals miss the point, focusing on expanding one relatively successful piece of the system or building in piecemeal additions. As Finkelstein and Einav point out, our health care system was never deliberately designed, but rather pieced together to deal with issues as they became politically relevant. The result is a sprawling, arbitrary, and inadequate mess that has left 30 million Americans without formal insurance. It’s time, the authors argue, to tear it all down and rebuild, sensibly and deliberately.

“At the Pivot of East and West: Ethnographic, Literary and Filmic Arts” (Duke University Press, 2023) By Michael M.J. Fischer, professor of anthropology and of science and technology studies

In his latest book, Fischer examines documentary filmmaking and literature from Southeast Asia and Singapore for their para-ethnographic insights into politics, culture, and aesthetics. Continuing his project of applying anthropological thinking to the creative arts, Fischer exemplifies how art and fiction trace the ways in which taken-for-granted common sense changes over time speak to the transnational present and track signals of the future before they surface in public awareness.

“Lines Drawn across the Globe” (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2023) By Mary Fuller, professor of literature and chair of the faculty

Around 1600, English geographer and cleric Richard Hakluyt published a 2,000-page collection of travel narratives, royal letters, ships’ logs, maps, and more from over 200 voyages. In “Lines Drawn across the Globe,” Fuller traces the history of the book’s compilation and gives order and meaning to its diverse contents. From Sierra Leone to Iceland, from Spanish narratives of New Mexico to French accounts of the Saint Lawrence and Portuguese accounts of China, Hakluyt’s shaping of the book provides a conceptual map of the world’s regions and of England’s real and imagined relations to them.

“The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline” (Yale University Press, 2023) By Yasheng Huang, the Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management and professor of global economics and management

According to Huang, the world is seeing a repeat of Chinese history during which restrictions on economic and political freedom created economic stagnation. The bottom line: “Without academic collaboration, without business collaboration, without technological collaborations, the pace of Chinese technological progress is going to slow down dramatically.”

“The Long First Millennium: Affluence, Architecture, and Its Dark Matter Economy” (Routledge, 2023) By Mark Jarzombek, professor of the history and theory of architecture

Jarzombek’s book argues that long-distance trade in luxury items — such as diamonds, gold, cinnamon, scented woods, ivory, and pearls, all of which require little overhead in their acquisition and were relatively easy to transport — played a foundational role in the creation of what we would call “global trade” in the first millennium CE. The book coins the term “dark matter economy” to better describe this complex — though mostly invisible — relationship to normative realities. “The Long Millennium” will appeal to students, scholars, and anyone interested in the effect of trade on medieval society.

“World Literature in the Soviet Union” (Academic Studies Press, 2023) Chapter by Maria Khotimsky, senior lecturer in Russian

Khotimsky’s chapter, “The Treasure Trove of World Literature: Shaping the Concept of World Literature in Post-Revolutionary Russia,” examines Vsemirnaia Literatura (World Literature), an early Soviet publishing house founded in 1919 in Petersburg that advanced an innovative canon of world literature beyond the European tradition. It analyzes the publishing house’s views on translation, focusing on book prefaces that reveal a search for a new evaluative system, adaptation to changing socio-cultural norms and reassessing the roles of readers, critics, and the very endeavor of translation.

“Dare to Invent the Future: Knowledge in the Service of and Through Problem-Solving” (MIT Press, 2023) By Clapperton Chakanetsa Mavhunga, professor of science, technology, and society

In this provocative book — the first in a trilogy — Chakanetsa Mavhunga argues that our critical thinkers must become actual thinker-doers. Taking its title from one of Thomas Sankara’s most inspirational speeches, “Dare to Invent the Future” looks for moments in Africa’s story where precedents of critical thought and knowledge in service of problem-solving are evident to inspire readers to dare to invent such a knowledge system.

“Death, Dominance, and State-Building: The US in Iraq and the Future of American Military Intervention” (Oxford University Press, 2024) By Roger Petersen, the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science

“Death, Dominance, and State-Building” provides the first comprehensive analytic history of post-invasion Iraq. Although the war is almost universally derided as one of the biggest foreign policy blunders of the post-Cold War era, Petersen argues that the course and conduct of the conflict is poorly understood. The book applies an accessible framework to a variety of case studies across time and region. It concludes by drawing lessons relevant to future American military interventions.

Technology, systems, and society

“Code Work: Hacking Across the U.S./México Techno-Borderlands” (Princeton University Press, 2023) By Héctor Beltrán, assistant professor of anthropology

In this book, Beltrán examines Mexican and Latinx coders’ personal strategies of self-making as they navigate a transnational economy of tech work. Beltrán shows how these hackers apply concepts from the coding world to their lived experiences, deploying batches, loose coupling, iterative processing (looping), hacking, prototyping, and full-stack development in their daily social interactions — at home, in the workplace, on the dating scene, and in their understanding of the economy, culture, and geopolitics.

“Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines” (Penguin Random House, 2023) By Joy Buolamwini SM ’17, PhD ’22, member of the Media Lab Director’s Circle

To many it may seem like recent developments in artificial intelligence emerged out of nowhere to pose unprecedented threats to humankind. But to Buolamwini, this moment has been a long time in the making. “Unmasking AI” is the remarkable story of how Buolamwini uncovered what she calls “the coded gaze” — evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products. She shows how racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism can overlap and render broad swaths of humanity “excoded” and therefore vulnerable in a world rapidly adopting AI tools.

“Counting Feminicide: Data Feminism in Action” (MIT Press, 2024) By Catherine D’Ignazio, associate professor of urban science and planning

“Counting Feminicide” brings to the fore the work of data activists across the Americas who are documenting feminicide, and challenging the reigning logic of data science by centering care, memory, and justice in their work. D’Ignazio describes the creative, intellectual, and emotional labor of feminicide data activists who are at the forefront of a data ethics that rigorously and consistently takes power and people into account.

“Rethinking Cyber Warfare: The International Relations of Digital Disruption” (Oxford University Press, 2024) By R. David Edelman, research fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies

Fifteen years into the era of “cyber warfare,” are we any closer to understanding the role a major cyberattack would play in international relations — or to preventing one? Uniquely spanning disciplines and enriched by the insights of a leading practitioner, Edelman provides a fresh understanding of the role that digital disruption plays in contemporary international security.

“Model Thinking for Everyday Life: How to Make Smarter Decisions” (INFORMS, 2023) By Richard Larson, professor post-tenure in the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

Decisions are a part of everyday life, whether simple or complex. It’s all too easy to jump to Google for the answers, but where does that take us? We’re losing the ability to think critically and decide for ourselves. In this book, Larson asks readers to undertake a major mind shift in our everyday thought processes. Model thinking develops our critical thinking skills, using a framework of conceptual and mathematical tools to help guide us to full comprehension, and better decisions.

“Future[tectonics]: Exploring the intersection between technology, architecture and urbanism” (Parametric Architecture, 2024) Chapter by Jacob Lehrer, project coordinator in the Department of Mathematics

In his chapter, “Garbage In, Garbage Out: How Language Models Can Reinforce Biases,” Lehrer discusses how inherent bias is baked into large data sets, like those used to train massive AI algorithms, and how society will need to reconcile with the inherent biases built into systems of power. He also attempts to reconcile with it himself, delving into the mathematics behind these systems.

“Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness” (Penguin Random House, 2024) Chapter by Tod Machover, the Muriel R. Cooper Professor of Music and Media; Rébecca Kleinberger SM ’14, PhD ’20; and Alexandra Rieger SM ’18, doctoral candidate in media arts and sciences

In their chapter, “Composing the Future of Health,” the co-authors discuss their approach to combining scientific research, technology innovation, and new composing strategies to create evidence-based, emotionally potent music that can delight and heal.

“The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots” (W. W. Norton and Company, 2024) By Daniela Rus, the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory; and Gregory Mone

In “The Heart and the Chip,” Rus and Mone provide an overview of the interconnected fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, and reframe the way we think about intelligent machines while weighing the moral and ethical consequences of their role in society. Robots aren’t going to steal our jobs, they argue; they’re going to make us more capable, productive, and precise.

Education, business, finance, and social impact

“Disciplined Entrepreneurship Startup Tactics: 15 Tactics to Turn Your Business Plan Into a Business” (Wiley, 2024) By Paul Cheek, executive director and entrepreneur in residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and senior lecturer in the MIT Sloan School of Management, with foreword by Bill Aulet, professor of the practice of entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan and managing director of the Martin Trust Center

Cheek provides a hands-on, practical roadmap to get from great idea to successful company with his actionable field guide to transforming your one great idea into a functional, funded, and staffed startup. Readers will find ground-level, down-and-dirty entrepreneurial tactics — like how to conduct advanced primary market research, market and sell to your first customers, and take a scrappy approach to building your first products — that keep young firms growing. These tactics maximize impact with limited resources.

“From Intention to Impact: A Practical Guide to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (MIT Press, 2024) By Malia Lazu, lecturer in the MIT Sloan School of Management

In her new book, Lazu draws on her background as a community organizer, her corporate career as a bank president, and now her experience as a leading consultant to explain what has been holding organizations back and what they can do to become more inclusive and equitable. “From Intention to Impact” goes beyond “feel good” PR-centric actions to showcase the real work that must be done to create true and lasting change.

“The AFIRE Guide to U.S. Real Estate Investing” (Afire and McGraw Hill, 2024) Chapter by Jacques Gordon, lecturer in the MIT Center for Real Estate

In his chapter, “The Broker and the Investment Advisor: A wide range of options,” Gordon discusses important financial topics including information for lenders and borrowers, joint ventures, loans and debt, comingled funds, bankruptcy, and Islamic finance.

“The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset That Drives Extraordinary Results” (Hachette Book Group, 2023) By Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist and co-director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy

The geek way of management delivers excellent performance while offering employees a work environment that features high levels of autonomy and empowerment. In what Eric Schmidt calls a “handbook for disruptors,” “The Geek Way” reveals a new way to get big things done. It will change the way readers think about work, teams, projects, and culture, and give them the insight and tools to harness our human superpowers of learning and cooperation.

“Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools” (Teaching Systems Lab, 2023) By Justin Reich, associate professor in comparative media studies/writing

In “Iterate,” Reich delivers an insightful bridge between contemporary educational research and classroom teaching, showing readers how to leverage the cycle of experiment and experience to create a compelling and engaging learning environment. Readers learn how to employ a process of continuous improvement and tinkering to develop exciting new programs, activities, processes, and designs.

“red helicopter — a parable for our times: lead change with kindness (plus a little math)” (HarperCollins, 2024) By James Rhee, senior lecturer in the MIT Sloan School of Management

Is it possible to be successful and kind? To lead a company or organization with precision and compassion? To honor who we are in all areas of our lives? While eloquently sharing a story of personal and professional success, Rhee presents a comforting yet bold solution to the dissatisfaction and worry we all feel in a chaotic and sometimes terrifying world.

“Routes to Reform: Education Politics in Latin America” (Oxford University Press, 2024) By Ben Ross Schneider, the Ford International Professor of Political Science and faculty director of the MIT-Chile Program and MISTI Chile

In “Routes to Reform,” Ben Ross Schneider examines education policy throughout Latin America to show that reforms to improve learning — especially making teacher careers more meritocratic and less political — are possible. He demonstrates that contrary to much established theory, reform outcomes in Latin America depended less on institutions and broad coalitions, and more on micro-level factors like civil society organizations, teacher unions, policy networks, and technocrats.

“Wiring the Winning Organization: Liberating Our Collective Greatness through Slowification, Simplification, and Amplification” (IT Revolution, 2023) By Steven J. Spear, senior lecturer in system dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Gene Kim

Organizations succeed when they design their processes, routines, and procedures to encourage employees to problem-solve and contribute to a common purpose. DevOps, Lean, and Agile got us part of the way. Now with “Wiring the Winning Organization,” Spear and Kim introduce a new theory of organizational management: Organizations win by using three mechanisms to slowify, simplify, and amplify, which systematically moves problem-solving from high-risk danger zones to low-risk winning zones.

“Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance” (Oxford University Press, 2024) Chapter by Annie Thompson, lecturer in the MIT Center for Real Estate; Walter Torous, senior lecturer at the MIT Center for Real Estate; and William Torous

In their chapter, “What Causes Residential Mortgage Defaults?” the authors assess the voluminous research investigating why households default on their residential mortgages. A particular focus is oriented towards critically evaluating the recent application of causal statistical inference to residential defaults on mortgages.

“Data Is Everybody’s Business: The Fundamentals of Data Monetization” (MIT Press, 2023) By Barbara H. Wixom, principal research scientist at the MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (MIT CISR); Leslie Owens, senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and former executive director of MIT CISR; and Cynthia M. Beath

In “Data Is Everybody’s Business,” the authors offer a clear and engaging way for people across the entire organization to understand data monetization and make it happen. The authors identify three viable ways to convert data into money — improving work with data, wrapping products with data, and selling information offerings — and explain when to pursue each and how to succeed.

Arts, architecture, planning, and design

“The Routledge Handbook of Museums, Heritage, and Death” (Routledge, 2023) Chapter by Laura Anderson Barbata, lecturer in MIT’s Program in Art, Culture, and Technology

This book provides an examination of death, dying, and human remains in museums and heritage sites around the world. In her chapter, “Julia Pastrana’s Long Journey Home,” Barbata describes the case of Julia Pastrana (1834-1860), an indigenous Mexican opera singer who suffered from hypertrichosis terminalis and hyperplasia gingival. Due to her appearance, Pastrana was exploited and exhibited for over 150 years, during her lifetime and after her early death in an embalmed state. Barbata sheds light on the ways in which the systems that justified Pastrana’s exploitation continue to operate today.

“Emergency INDEX: An Annual Document of Performance Practice, vol. 10” (Ugly Duckling Press, 2023) Chapter by Gearoid Dolan, staff member in MIT’s Program in Art, Culture, and Technology

This “bible of performance art activity” documents performance projects from around the world. Dolan’s chapter describes “Protest ReEmbodied,” a performance that took place online during Covid-19 lockdown. The performance was a live version of the ongoing “Protest ReEmbodied” project, an app that individuals can download and run on their computer to be able to perform on camera, inserted into protest footage.

“Land Air Sea: Architecture and Environment in the Early Modern Era” (Brill, 2023) Chapter by Caroline Murphy, the Clarence H. Blackall Career Development Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture

“Land Air Sea” positions the long Renaissance and 18th century as being vital for understanding how many of the concerns present in contemporary debates on climate change and sustainability originated in earlier centuries. Murphy’s chapter examines how Girolamo di Pace da Prato, a state engineer in the Duchy of Florence, understood and sought to mitigate the problems of alluvial flooding in the mid-sixteenth century, an era of exceptional aquatic and environmental volatility.

Miscellaneous

“Made Here: Recipes and Reflections From NYC’s Asian Communities” (Send Chinatown Love, 2023) Chapter by Robin Zhang, postdoc in mathematics, and Diana Le

In their chapter, “Flushing: The Melting Pot’s Melting Pot,” the authors explore how Flushing, New York — whose Chinatown is the largest and fastest growing in the world — earned the title of the “melting pot’s melting pot” through its cultural history. Readers will walk down its streets past its snack stalls, fabric stores, language schools, hair salons, churches, and shrines, and you will hear English interspersed with Korean, several dialects of Chinese, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, and hundreds of other fibers that make up Flushing’s complex ethnolinguistic fabric.

[inevitablemoment]

MARIE SPENGLER - OC INFO

FULL NAME: Marie Rae Spengler

NICKNAMES: Sisi (by Callie), Mimi (by Cathleen), Brown Eyes (by Julian), Dear Friend (by Ariadne), Sweet Child (by Ariadne), Brainiac Junior (by Peter), Freak (by Summerville citizens), Dirt Farmer's Daughter (by Summerville citizens)

FACECLAIM: Kara Lindsay

FANDOM: Ghostbusters (1984-1989; 2021)

BIRTHDAY: January 1st, 1990

ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn

SEXUALITY: Demisexual

GENDER: Female (she/her/hers)

OCCUPATION: Assistant professor of psychology at USC (2018-2020, lost job due to COVID), virtual lab researcher at Cornell University (2020-2021), Adjunct professor at Columbia University (2022-currently), Ghostbuster (2021-currently)

BIRTHPLACE: Manhattan, New York City, New York

LIVES IN: Manhattan, New York City, New York (birth-age 3, age 28-31, age 32-currently) || Summerville, Oklahoma (age 3-16, age 31-32) || Stanford, California (age 16-19) || Chicago, Illinois (age 19-23) || Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (age 23-28)

NATIONALITY: American

FAMILY:

Julian Matthews (lover/partner/significant other)

Egon Julian "E.J." Spengler (son)

Hazel Spengler (daughter)

Elijah Spengler (son)

Egon Spengler (father, died 2021)

Cathleen Paige Spengler (mother)

Callie Spengler (older sister)

Unnamed ex-brother-in-law

Trevor Spengler (nephew)

Phoebe Spengler (niece)

Edison Spengler, Sr. (paternal grandfather), deceased 1983)

Ruth Spengler [nee Westelman] (paternal grandmother, deceased 2001)

Elon Spengler (paternal uncle, deceased 2014)

Noelle Spengler [nee Rosenfeld] (paternal aunt)

Edison Spengler, Jr. (paternal cousin)

Cyrus Spengler (great uncle, deceased 2002)

Benjamin Paige (maternal grandfather, died 1988)

Colleen Paige [nee Tillens] (maternal grandmother, died 2008)

David Paige (maternal uncle)

Joanne Paige [nee Vogel] (maternal aunt)

Jill Paige (maternal cousin)

Mark Paige (maternal cousin)

Mitchell Paige (maternal cousin)

Lucinda “Cindy” Paige (maternal cousin)

Christopher Paige (maternal cousin)

Theresa Paige (maternal cousin)

Sharon Paige (maternal cousin)

Caroline Tiffin [nee Paige] (maternal aunt)

Glenn Tiffin (maternal uncle)

Ronald Tiffin (maternal cousin)

Anthony Tiffin (maternal cousin)

Jackson “Sonny” Tiffin (maternal cousin)

Abel Paige (maternal uncle)

Rebecca Paige [nee O'Connor] (maternal aunt)

Loretta Paige (maternal cousin)

Erika Paige (maternal cousin)

Dominic Paige (maternal cousin)

Eleanor Paige (maternal cousin)

Melanie Paige (maternal cousin)

Katrina Paige (maternal cousin)

Constance “Connie” Whelan [nee Paige] (maternal aunt)

Douglas Whelan (maternal uncle)

Monty Whelan (maternal cousin)

Timothy Whelan (maternal cousin)

Gina Whelan (maternal cousin)

Felicity Whelan (maternal cousin)

Adam Paige (maternal uncle)

Helen Paige [nee Rafferty] (maternal aunt)

Olivia Paige (maternal cousin)

Holly Paige (maternal cousin)

Cynthia Paige (maternal aunt)

Peter Venkman (honorary uncle)

Dana Barrett (honorary aunt)

Oscar Venkman [born Wallance, formerly Barrett] (honorary cousin)

Eliana “Elly” Venkman (honorary cousin)

Andrew Venkman (honorary cousin)

Kelly Venkman (honorary cousin)

Ray Stantz (honorary uncle)

Willow Olson (honorary aunt)

Addison Stantz (honorary cousin)

Natalie Stantz (honorary cousin)

Grace Stantz (honorary cousin)

Janine Melnitz (honorary aunt)

Louis Tully (honorary uncle)

Lily Tully (honorary cousin)

MOODBOARD

CHARACTERISTICS: Intelligent, academic, plucky, organized, reserved, brilliant, bright, tortured, stoic, self-sacrificial, cocky, poised

LIKES: Science, occult, classic literature, spending time with her father, playing the piano, playing the violin, baking, libraries, theater, working in the lab with her father and with Phoebe, atmospheric music, Julian's voice

DISLIKES: Being bullied, Summerville, Gozer the Gozerian, the Peck family, Callie's ex-husband, how clingy Lily can be, being touched when she's feeling overstimulated

WEAPON OF CHOICE:

PKE Meter

Proton Pack

Ghost Trap

Gigameter

Tobin's Spirit Guide

Occult Reference Net

OTHER PERSONAL INFO:

Was diagnosed as autistic around her second birthday.

Graduated from high school as valedictorian at age 16, completed her bachelor's degree in theoretical physics at Stanford in just one year, completed her master's degree in both criminology and psychology from Stanford at age 19, completed her first PhD in psychology from Northwestern University at 23, completed her second PhD in parapsychology from Drexel University at age 27, and received her third PhD in nuclear engineering through an accelerated doctorate program at age 28.

Was born in the early hours of 1990 following the defeat of Vigo the Carpathian.

During her time at Northwestern, she saw Callie in a grocery store with five-year-old Trevor and two-year-old Phoebe. The sisters were estranged at the time, so Marie did not approach them, and left before Callie could see her.

Fluent in Hebrew, Yiddish, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, European and Latin Spanish, Flemish, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Latin, and Sumerian

INSPIRATION: Katherine Plumber Pulitzer (Newsies), Amy Santiago (Brooklyn Nine Nine), Jemilla (Firebringer), Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Bones), Nina Rosario (In The Heights), Will Graham (Hannibal), Marian Paroo (The Music Man), Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Stargate: Atlantis)

NAME ANALYSIS:

Playlist available here

[calledeitaca]

Cien años de soledad pudo haber sido un fracaso. Una ruina. En los tiempos que corren, seguramente lo hubiese sido. Pero, de haber sido así, lo más probable es que este hombre y su mujer, aun subsistiendo en el anonimato y lejos del Nobel, hubiesen sido razonable y dignamente felices con esas setecientas páginas de un sueño incumplido guardadas en algún armario. De eso va, a mi ver, la elegancia, la honestidad y el amor verdadero.

«El autor está confinado. Sale poco de la oficina de su casa, apenas tiene ingresos, fuma a diario sesenta cigarrillos y bebe infusiones de pasiflora para templar sus nervios. En esos meses, su mujer Mercedes pide ayuda a vecinos, comerciantes del barrio y amistades para llegar a fin de mes, mientras que, de los nervios, una úlcera le crece en el estómago».

(Álvaro Santana Acuña, autor de Ascent to Glory: How One Hundred Years of Solitude Was Written and Became a Global Classic, Columbia University Press, 2020).

-@luismartinpress

[tallyspaiva]

Sinopse: "O famoso simbologista Robert Langdon segue uma trilha de pistas ligadas a Dante, o grande poeta medieval. Quando Langdon acorda em um hospital italiano com amnésia, ele se junta a Sienna Brooks, uma médica que ele espera que o ajude a recuperar suas memórias. Juntos, eles correm pela Europa e contra o relógio para impedir que um louco libere um vírus que pode acabar com metade da população mundial." Dirigido por Ron Howard Roteiro de David Koepp Produzido por Brian Grazer, Ron Howard Estrelando: Tom Hanks Felicity Jones Irrfan Khan Omar Sy Ben Foster Sidse Babett Knudsen Gênero: Mistério / Thriller / Ação / Aventura Baseado em Inferno de Dan Brown País: Estados Unidos Linguagem: Inglês 🎥 Companhias Produtoras: Columbia Pictures / Imagine Entertainment / LSG Productions / LStar Capital Film Corporation / Mid Atlantic Films 🎬 Distribuído por Sony Pictures Releasing 🎞 Tempo de execução do Filme: 1h 56m ⏳️ ��� Data de lançamento: 13 de outubro de 2016 (Brasil) ⚠️ Classificação Indicativa: 🚫 14 Anos 🚫 Avaliação:PG-13 (Imagens Perturbadoras|Breve Sensualidade|Violência|Sequências de Ação|Alguma Linguagem|Elementos Temáticos) 🟡IMDb: 6,2 / 10 🧑🏻‍💻Eu: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ( 3/5 | 6.5 ) 🍅Rotten Tomatoes: 23% de Aprovação 🍅 📝 Consenso dos Críticos 📝 "O melhor que posso oferecer é condenar um leve elogio: Inferno é uma diversão modestamente divertida." #inferno #infernodanbrown #infernomovie #infernofilme #tomhanks #ronhoward #columbiapictures #sonypicturesreleasing #imagineentertainment #actionmovies #Ação #aventura #suspense #Mistério #thriller #adventure #recomendaciones #recomendado (em Brazil) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpj1cJVOp8K/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[halloweennut]

Confessions (The Kiss Redux) (Part 4)

back at it again kids! the last part of Folie a Deux. We get that good good ending y’all! 

Felicity and Don Karnage have a last dance. 

It slowly dawned on Felicity that she had moved on from the initial infatuation and actually fell in love with her former rival(?) after a few months of them seeing one another. The realization happened so casually that it took her a minute to react in shock. The feeling was a long time coming though - it grew and grew with every dance, and kiss, and late night talks that were never planned on.

She never said it aloud. What would be mean then? How would everything change with three words? What would people say if they went out in public about it? What would her grandfather do? But more importantly, what would Karnage say in response?

Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to ask.

Don Karnage had snuck into a charity gala she was performing at, hair and ears slicked back and dressed in a probably pilfered but high-quality tuxedo. No one seemed to recognize him a first - not even Felicity, at least not until he got close to the stage where she was standing. Felicity nearly missed a cue from the band behind her when she realized who it was, but continued singing, watching him for the rest of her set. It was partially because she just wanted to watch him, part to make sure he wasn’t stealing anything.

But no, he just meandered through the crowd, sipping champagne but not talking to anyone. Felicity had told him about the event weeks ago, but she hadn’t expected him to show up to it - it was a pleasant surprise, but she was more surprised he hadn’t picked anyone’s pockets. Once her set had finished for the hour, Felicity made her way through the crowd to him, gently saying no thank you to asks for a dance and sharing only a few words of conversations until she was at his side.

Don Karnage slipped an arm around hers wordlessly as she gently began to lead him to a quieter section of the room. The band slipped into a slow dance that the two just as easily slipped into, smoothly gliding across the floor.

“I didn’t expect you to come tonight,” she said, leaning close. “You surprised me.”

“I like watching you perform, songbird,” he laughed, leaning her back into a dip. “And I didn’t have to break into this. They really let anyone in who looks the part. No one recognized me.”

“We should have a chat with security then,” Felicity smirked. “But seriously, with the Beagle Boys in Duckburg?”

“Good point, but they’re nothing compared to me,” Karnage replied smugly, bringing her back to standing. “But maybe next time you can bring me here yourself.”

“Perhaps��,” she murmured. Felicity pressed her forehead into his shoulder. “I would like to, really, but someone will recognize you eventually. What happens then? What would we do? There could be fall-out.”

“Who cares? I usually get away,” Karnage replied.

“But what about me? I couldn’t get away with you,” she snipped. “Imagine what everyone would say? ‘She’s the starlet who was seduced by a pirate’, or they’ll think I helped orchestrate robberies in Duckburg...I hate to sound selfish but my career would be over.”

“Is your career more important than a relationship?” he asked, staring at her incredulously.

“Don, we haven’t even discussed what this is!” Felicity exclaimed as quietly as she could. “What even are we then?”

“We’re - I don’t know. This isn’t exactly the best time to break that down, Felicity,” Karnage replied.

“We keep pushing this off and off, and by all means, we should have ended the infatuation months ago,” she hissed, looking away from him. Before it became something else. “We need to end this before one of us gets hurt.”

Karnage’s grip on her tightened, and she looked back at him. He was scowling, visibly as angry and upset as she was. “Fine then! If that’s what you want so badly.”

“It is,” Felicity choked out, hoping he didn’t see her blinked away tears. Karnage’s lip curled up, angry as he turned away to look at the band on stage. The slow dance was dying down.

“Before this ends, one last dance with infatuation.” He demanded, turning his head back to her. “Then we can go back to fighting like before. You can at least let us have this.”

Felicity’s mouth was dry, unable to speak, but she nodded. It wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them and kiss him, make him know that she wanted them together and that his mouth was hers and hers alone to kiss, to apologize and say a thousand things that she wanted to but she convinced herself that this was the best thing. The band struck up again, and she recognized the song - it was the one she used to escape the airship and the one that started everything. She managed a ghost of laugh, distant and faint, as they moved to position again.

The dance was different this time. It bordered on anger, regret, a goodbye and the last attempt at romance. Felicity didn’t begin a chase, content to stay in his arms as they moved across the dance floor, wanting to communicate what she verbally couldn’t. Karnage kept his eyes on her only, just like the day they kissed for the first time, and conflict was visible on his face. The dance seemed to last only a few brief minutes this time, and it ended with a low, drawn-out dip, his hands steady on her back and hand.

“I love you.”

The words slipped out of his mouth in a whisper only she could hear above the quieting din of the band and the murmur of the crowd. Felicity stared into his eyes in surprise and felt her heart leap in her chest and the world fell away for a moment as she moved her hand from his shoulder to his cheek. Like normal, he pressed into the touch, but never broke eye contact, waiting for a response, for anything.  Her mind went blank and only one move entered her mind.

In one swift motion, she pressed her hand to the back of his head closed the distance between them, desperately kissing him like it was the end of the world. This is what she wanted - full surrender and claim of everything she could hold onto. It was an apology, an acknowledgement of everything and anything that had happened between them. When she pulled away, she moved her hand back to his cheek, admiring the look of surprise on his face.

“I love you too, pirate.”

The was a round of clapping around them, snapping them from their moment. They scrambled to stand, looking at the crowd who had been watching them dance and their kiss. Don Karnage, ever one for praise, preened under it while Felicity blushed, hiding her head in his chest. His heartbeat was racing, but so was her’s. When the crowd died down, she pulled him outside onto a little window balcony.

“I take everything I said before back,” Felicity admitted. “Not the ‘I love you,’ that’s true, and I’ve wanted to say it for weeks. but god I was so...freaked out and paranoid, and I thought-”

She pressed her head on his shoulder. “I was worried about what would happen in the fallout. With people, with you...I thought if I put an end to it, the less we’d both get hurt. But what I felt after I said everything-”

“Forget the world. Let yourself have something you want, I usually do,” Karnage suggested. “How much do you give? How much do you take?”

“I don’t want to be selfish, even when it comes to you,” Felicity laughed pitifully. He pressed his nose to her head.

“If I can be selfish, so can you,” he replied. Karnage pecked her forehead and pulled back. “You said that you wanted to know what we are. I think that’s a good thing to start being selfish with.”

“Dating. We’re dating,” Felicity stated. “Boyfriend, girlfriend, lovers, songbird and pirate - I don’t care what we call it. Just as long as I have you.”

“I like songbird and pirate,” he replied, nuzzling her cheek. “Let’s go with that.”

“Pirate,” she laughed, kissing the corner of his mouth. “Let’s head back inside. I have to sing soon, and I want you there.”

“Wouldn’t dream of missing it, songbird.”

[philippaulkelly]

Had a great time yesterday Columbia University in the City of New York with Producer/Director Omer Ben-David performing a scene with Erin Felicity Noll from Birdman for Professor Adrienne Weiss' class.

[halloweennut]

Aaaah!!! This is so good! And Felicity is spot on! I love Ignus and honestly? Can't wait to see more of him lmao. Thank you so much!!!

maybe some ignus and felicity interactions? since both are musically inclined (she's not aware that he's a robot, but she does comment he plays a little robotically sometimes?) anything you would like to see from my end prompt wise?

I hope I kept Felicity in character.

Keep reading

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Rachel Eliot ✤ Ghost Town

Rachel Eliot had a plan. She would continue to date Grizz until he graduated, just a few weeks away. She would spend her senior year as the heartbroken ex, thereby eliminating any questions about her refusal to date. Then, she would get into Columbia, live in New York with Grizz and study visual arts and creative writing, and then she would finally be able to come out. She would continue to talk to Sam, continuing to pine over Becca from afar, but West Ham would be left in the past. That was her plan.

But then the smell came, and left, and came back again, and then the busses came.  The busses took them away, and brought them back, and everyone was gone.  West Ham was empty, shut off from whatever outside world might have still existed, just a couple hundred teenagers with no way of calling for help.  And suddenly, Rachel needed a new plan.  Adapt. Survive. Keep everyone alive. Protect them, no matter the cost.

Rachel Eliot had a plan. The busses came and left and too that plan with them. But Rachel was an artist, a writer, a survivor. And most importantly, she would do whatever it took to protect the people she loved.

Forever Tag List: @themildestofwriters @gottaenjoythelittlethingzz @perhapspearl @seaweedhufflepuffocs @bravelittleflower @the-october-reviewer @foxesandmagic @perfectlystiles @papergirlverse @anotherunreadblog @peacheydelanhoes @darkwolf76 @felicitys-smoaking @ocfairygodmother @itsjustgracy @witchofinterest @villanele @ultraocfury @guardiansofheroes @malice1329 @mystic-scripture @ochub @xmelia-pxnd @zoeliemyers @butcherofblackwater @fragilestorm @eddysocs @reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle @ocappreciationtag @ocmerunning @fiercefray @stareyedplanet @farfallasunicas @skleetheirken — want to be added? shoot me an ask!

Rachel Tag: @aceyanaheim

[joealwyndaily]

Home is…

North London. I grew up in Tufnell Park and have always lived near there. I love it.

What was the last play you saw?

I recently went to see Fleabag, right before it closed. I’d seen the TV series, which is hilarious, brilliant and clever.

Favourite Hotel?

The Covent Garden Hotel. I like that it’s small and tucked away, and nothing feels too revamped or modern. 

Bus, taxi or Tube?

I try to walk everywhere. But if I have to, bus or Tube.

Where would you most like to be buried?

Morbid! Can’t say I’ve given this much thought, but… Highgate Cemetery is really beautiful. Or I’d be cremated and have my ashes scattered on Hampstead Heath, for all the dog walkers.

Where would you recommend for a first date?

I’d say a walk along the Thames, or maybe along the canal towards Broadway Market. There’s a fun cocktail bar called Off Broadway by London Fields.

If you could buy any building and live there, which would it be?

I don’t know if I’d live there, but I’d like to buy a really old London pub, with a nice garden and plenty of fireplaces.

What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?

I’d ban a lot of cars and have people walk more. And I’d also enforce a penalty for people who walk slowly on the Tube. It drives me mad. It’s an assault course!

Favourite pub?

For a Sunday roast I like the Royal Oak on Columbia Road.

What makes someone a Londoner?

An intrinsic sense of liberality and tolerance. It’s a city that’s celebrated for its differences, which makes us unique and strong and who we are.

What do you collect?

Little trinkets from holidays or film sets, and matchboxes from hotels.

Which shops do you rely on?

I like the Muswell Hill Bookshop, which always has a good selection, and the shops, cafés and pubs on Redchurch Street. Also the BFI, Kipferl in Camden Passage, and Toff’s in Muswell Hill for fish and chips.

Have you ever had a run-in with a police officer?

None that we are going to talk about.

Who do you call when you want to have fun?

I’ve got a core group of around six friends who I’ve known since I was about 12. We all live in London and speak pretty much every day. We have a WhatsApp group, but the name is far too embarrassing to share!

Where do you work out?

I played a lot of tennis growing up and I’m trying to start again. I’ve also got some mates who go rock climbing, so I’ve been getting into that.

What are you up to at the moment for work?

I have A Christmas Carol coming out with the BBC. I’ve just started work on Last Letter From Your Lover, with Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley. And I also popped in for a few days on Joanna Hogg’s new film, The Souvenir 2.

‘Harriet’ is out now

[gossipnewsrp]

¡HOMECOMING!

¿Que sería la universidad sin un baile de Bienvenida? A sacar los vestidos, pulir los zapatos y desempolvar esos movimientos de baile que Columbia University te ofrecera muchísimo en este famoso evento. 

Columbia University ademas de ser el lugar indicado para cumplir tus sueños profesionalmente, también es muy conocido por los eventos que ofrecen. ¡Te invitamos a que seas parte de este Homecoming! que sin duda disfrutaras junto con tus nuevos compañeros y alumnos. 

¿De que trata el Homecoming?

Es nuestra primera actividad y estamos muy felices de que puedan participar todos. Básicamente es un baile de bienvenida para todos los alumnos y maestros que inician las clases durante este semestre. Existen muchísimas situaciones en las cuales tu personaje puede estar involucrado. Adicional a ello tenemos varias áreas en las cuales puedes abrir starter y no olvides que es libre en su totalidad: 

Pista de Baile

Bar

Buffet de Bocadillos.

Juegos en Maquinas

Juegos de Juguetes.

Jardines

Lugar para Selfies

¡Y muchos mas!

Código de vestimenta

Si bien, en un baile de bienvenida siempre hay un código de vestimenta. Y si no lo hay pues aqui si lo habrá. ¿Te gusta el Arcoiris? pues ahora puedes venir de cualquier color que pertenezca al arcoiris. Deberás de subir una foto de tu personaje con el siguiente HT. #HomeComingGC Recuerda que puedes usar los siguientes colores:

Rojo. 

Naranja. 

Amarillo

Verde.

Azul.

Índigo.

Violeta.

¡Ya quiero que empiece!

¡Alto ahi pequeño saltamontes! Nuestra actividad empezara desde este fin de semana:  Inicio Viernes 22 Mayo 2020 y culminará el día Viernes 29 de Mayo 2020.  ( En cuanto abras Tumblr por la mañana, el evento comienza, nada de esperar por que alguna Admin aparezca)

¿Es obligatorio que mi personaje participe?

¿Como te explico? ¡Si, es obligatorio! es nuestro primer evento y deseamos que todos sus personajes participen para que el rol no muera a mitad de la actividad. Adicional a ello se pide que en esta actividad cada uno de ustedes pueda abrir un self-para ( Un selfpara consten al menos de dos párrafos.) describiendo su gran experiencia sobre el baile. 

Datos Extras

¡Atencion! estos son algunas de las cosas que son importantes aclarar:

Pueden abrir convos privados.

No se pueden contestar los convos anteriores hasta pasar la actividad. Esta semana es unicamente para la actividad.

No te enfoques solo en los convos privados. ¡Rolea con todos! No ignores a nadie.

[popsixsquishcicerolipschitz]

(via rainbow360-blog)

RainboW

HIFANA :: TEJIME

HifanaTube

https://ssm.lnk.to/tejime

--------

HIFANA are happy to announce the release of new music.

With a track inspired by Tejime, a Japanese custom of ceremonial rhythmic hand clapping, they say thanks and bid farewell to the Heisei era (1989-2019), a time when the transition from analog to digital gave rise to so many new and innovative means of expression.

Today, we've uploaded "TEJIME" on YouTube ; their first new song in 9 years & started renewing our web-site (www.hifana.com).

Stay tuned for up-coming releases!!!

-------

元号が変わり新たな時代の幕を開ける2019年春。

アナログからデジタルに大きな変革を遂げたくさんの革新的で素晴らしい表現が産まれてきた平成の時代。

これまでに感謝を込めて日本の風習のひとつである”手締め”に着想した9年振り待望の新曲「TEJIME」をデジタルシングルでリリースします。

またMVのフルバージョンもYouTubeにUPされました。 遂に目を覚ましたHIFANAの本格的な再始動にご期待ください。

-------

HIFANA - 「TEJIME」 (full version)

Produced by HIFANA

Character Design by MAHARO

Music Video Direction & All CG works by Ken Imai (VIDEOHAZE)

Mastered by Austin Leeds

Directed by Yuichiro "YUYA" Ozawa (GROUNDRIDDIM)

感謝 : TKO, Yoshifumi Tanaka, Kei Sakuragi (felicity), Hiroyasu Hirakawa (felicity), Tsuyoshi Yamagishi (SSNW), Yuria Shio (Nippon Columbia), Daito Manabe, Seiichi Saito & Rhizomatiks crew

- www.hifana.com

[smkkbert]

Time for a story - Confessions

Felicity could almost feel William’s gaze trying to get under her skin as she was reading his essay. Watching him from the corner of her eyes, Felicity could see how nervous her oldest son was about her reaction. He seemed to have trouble biting back the questions that were burning on his tongue.

Writing your application essay for college was a big thing. It held quite some meaning as it was a major factor in the decision of whether or not you were accepted into the college you wanted. It also held quite some information about yourself, deep thoughts that maybe you only realized you had once you started writing.

Although it had been quite some years by now, Felicity still remembered writing her application essay. She had sat down and written it down in one go, because she had known forever what her deepest passion was. She had always wanted to work with computer, developing idea to use technology for even more useful reasons. Once she had written everything down, she had read it and just tore it apart. She had needed a second attempt to make it better. It had continued with the same cycle a couple of times before she had eventually been satisfied. Nobody had ever been allowed to read this though.

Once Felicity had read the last line, she put the essay down onto the kitchen table and smiled at William.

“This is great,” she told him, putting her hand to his essay almost protectively, “I really, really love it.”

“But?” William asked, looking at her intensely. “There is a but coming, right? Because it’s not yet perfect. There are things that can be done better.”

Felicity smiled softly, shaking her head. She knew that William wasn’t her biological son, and yet she found so much of herself in him. If anyone ever doubted that a person was more than their genetics, William was the perfect example. He was taking after her, at least a little bit, and it was so beautiful.

“I have been the same when I wrote my application essay,” Felicity said, still smiling softly, “I mean I was just as nervous as you. When I started writing it, I knew exactly where I wanted it to go. I had a good feeling while writing. The moment I read it, I felt like it was terrible though and like it didn’t match up what I really felt. That is why I trashed it and wrote a new one. I spent like a week in that cycle because I always wanted to reach higher.”

“Did it get better with every version?”

Felicity sighed. It was a good question since it would have been worth the effort of writing it new again and again if it had actually turned out better.

“The truth is that I don’t know,” Felicity replied, shrugging her shoulders, “because every new version of writing this essay just confused me more until I had no idea what was good and what wasn’t at the end.”

“So what did you do?”

Felicity chuckled. “I fished that first version out of the trash and handed it in as my essay.”

“And you have been accepted.”

“I have,” Felicity confirmed with a smile, “and so will you.”

William took the essay and looked at it briefly. He nodded his head slowly, trying to figure out if Felicity was saying the truth. Of course, giving her advice was much easier than accepting it. After all, Felicity had already made her experience and was now at the head of a company that carried her name. William on the other hand still had to make his own experience.

Looking at Felicity, he put the essay into the envelope where he gathered all the papers that he needed to finalize his applications at the end. He trusted Felicity’s judgement, and it meant the world to her.

“What else should we take a look at?”

“Well, I have to fill in these papers, but I actually only understand half of them, so-“

Felicity chuckled. “Bless the bureaucracy!”

“I have no idea how I am supposed to work an office job – or any job really – if I can’t even fill in these papers.”

“Don’t worry,” Felicity replied, taking the papers from him to take first look at them, “you will get used to them eventually. And if you are really good, you will have an EA to have those fill in for you which is even better.”

“Thank you, Felicity.”

Surprised, Felicity lifted her gaze to look at William. He looked honestly relieved and amazed that she helped him like that. Applying for college was a big step, and there was a lot of work today. He was certainly happy to have a helping hand.

Felicity made a mental note to figure out if there were enough charity projects in Starling City that supported college applicants with their applications. When William had trouble with it already, Felicity guessed it was worse for others. After all, William had the full support of his family, while other kids were all on themselves with the applications. The Queen Family Foundation could certainly help with that.

“It’s nothing,” Felicity replied just as honestly, “I would do it anytime. Besides, Oliver would have certainly loved to help too.”

William furrowed his brows, looking at Felicity with skepsis. There was even a little bit of amusement playing around his lips.

“Really?” he asked. “I love dad, and he’s a great mayor and really smart. He never graduated from college though.”

“No, I didn’t,” Oliver confirmed casually as he stepped into the kitchen, “but I did get accepted in four Ivy League schools. That should count for something.”

Stepping more into the room, Oliver winked at Felicity and William. He would have loved to be asked to help with the applications, but he wasn’t mad that William had preferred to ask Felicity. He didn’t even mind that William had doubted that Oliver was capable of this. After all, Oliver was always the first person to make jokes about how he had dropped out of four colleges and how Felicity was a million times smarter than him.

Truth was that Oliver was quite smart. He could have easily graduated college if he hadn’t been that lazy and distracted. He had just set the wrong priorities.

“I never really had to apply to them though when I think about it,” Oliver said and shrugged his shoulders, “I think my parents took care of that.”

While Oliver still seemed like he was trying to remember how exactly he had been accepted into those four ivy league schools, William leaned closer to Felicity.

“Do you think that his parents committed fraud to get him in there?”

Probably, Felicity thought to herself because she couldn’t see Oliver sitting down and putting much effort into his application. At least from what she knew about Oliver during his last years in high school, Felicity doubted it.

“It would be one of their minor misdemeanors,” Felicity mumbled so quietly that not even William could hear her before she looked at Oliver and asked, “Can we help you with something?”

“I thought I’d start cooking,” Oliver replied, “so maybe you want to continue this upstairs. Is there still a lot of work ahead of you or is-“

Oliver stopped. He had taken a couple of steps towards them, shooting a look over William’s shoulder to see what papers they had been working on. The moment he had seen the flyers of the universities William was interested in, his facial expression had fallen though. Felicity could almost see that his heart breaking a little bit.

Deep down, Oliver had already known that William was applying to colleges that were on the East Coast. Around here, he was always connected to the Queen Family. Most people here knew that Robert and Oliver had been shipwrecked and that Oliver had been missing for five years after his father had shot himself to make sure Oliver could survive. Most people around here also knew that Oliver had been accused of being the vigilante – whatever was said to be his name – several times through the years. They also knew that Oliver was coming from a rich family and billions of dollars saved on his bank account that he loved to spend on his five children.

Admittedly, parts of this were certainly known at the other side of the country true, probably even all around the world. At least around here, it might feel like it wasn’t written on his forehead though. Since he was carrying his mother’s last name, there were certainly people that wouldn’t make that connection and see him as a usual student like all the others. For William, that was certainly a nice change.

“Columbia,” Oliver said and cleared his voice quickly as it sounded terribly hoarse, “that’s quite far away.”

“Yes.” William shot Felicity a quick glance before he turned to look at his father. “It has a good program for business school and for engineering school, so it would be a great fit.”

Oliver nodded his head slowly. “Sounds great.”

Although he sounded honest, it was impossible to miss that little sadness that was sounding through his words. Not even his smile could hide it.

“Well, I also applied to MIT, Dartmouth and Harvard,” William said carefully as he noticed his father’s reaction, “but I also took some near-by colleges into consideration. I mean… I…”

Looking at Felicity for help, William stopped and swallowed down hard. The decision to move a little farer away for college was one he hadn’t made easily. William loved being here. He loved his siblings. He loved to be close to both of his parents as Samantha was barely a few hours away, so he visited her like every other week if it worked.

“William, why don’t you go upstairs into my office already?” Felicity suggested with a warm smile. “I will follow in a minute.”

William shot another brief glance at his father before he nodded his head. He grabbed his stuff as quickly as possible and left the room, fleeing the gloomy atmosphere.

Felicity waited until his footsteps were at the stairs before she got up and walked towards Oliver. As he crossed his arms in front of his chest, Felicity put her hands to his forearms and leaned her weight against him. He head was cocked slightly, her lips spread into a soft and comforting smile.

“I am trying.”

Oliver’s words were honest. He was trying his best to not make it harder for William. Despite his own issues with William’s plan, he didn’t want William to change his plans because of that. He wanted William to be free of the Queen Family’s legacy to explore what other options he had in life.

If one person got that, it was Oliver. Looking back, he wished that he had had the same opportunity. His entire life had revolved around being part of the Queen Family. He had always known that he didn’t have to take responsibility. He didn’t have to study. He didn’t have to do anything. The name Queen solved all problems anyway.

“I know you are trying,” Felicity told him honestly, squeezing his arm gently, “and William knows that too.”

“It’s still not good enough.” Oliver sighed. “I should let go. William is an adult. He knows what he does. He has good reasons to leave here. If I were in his situation, I would probably do the same. College is about to be fun and it offers so many possibilities. Those can be used best if you are not in your usual environment and not around your parents.”

Felicity wondered if he had asked the ladies in the mom blog he had often be active in when Emmy and Tommy had been younger. Maybe he had just surfed the web for information on this this though. Oliver was very eager when it came to research about things happening in their family and how to react to it.

“I will miss him too,” Felicity said, knowing it was the one thing that made it so incredibly hard for Oliver to accept that William might move away, “because it’s unthinkable that he is not here everyday anymore.”

Oliver nodded his head, and Felicity could almost see how relieved he was that she got what he was feeling although he didn’t say it. A lot of times, understanding each other blindly like that just made things so much easier.

Uncrossing his arms, Oliver put his hands to her hips and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her as close as possible towards him, already angling his head to lean in. Felicity straightened up onto the tips of her toes at the same time. Her lips met his halfway.

Felicity sighed, wrapping her arms around Oliver’s neck and snuggling closer to him. She loved kissing Oliver. It gave her comfort that she hadn’t really known she had needed until now. Talking about William just hurt her a little more than she had believed it hurt her. Just like Oliver, she knew that it was best for him to move to the East Coast. Just like Oliver, she knew that she’d miss him like crazy. Maybe she was just better at hiding it.

The ringing of the door made them pull apart. Felicity scrunched up her nose and groaned. She hated being interrupted while kissing Oliver. For some reason, people just loved to interrupt them.

“I will go and-“

Before Oliver could go to open the room as he planned, Hawk ran from the living room past the kitchen and towards the front door. Felicity could hear him jumping against the handle of the front door to open it. They had tried to teach him not to do that anymore, and it worked most of the time. If he saw who was at the other side of the door it was someone he loved, it was unable to stop him though.

“I think we have the craziest doorman around.”

“Crazy,” Felicity agreed, “but very loveable.”

Oliver nodded his head. Smiling, he leaned in for another kiss. Felicity was about to meet him halfway once more when-

“Uuhhh, you are kissing!”

Chuckling at their oldest daughter’s weird way to say good morning, Oliver and Felicity pulled apart. Emmy was standing in the kitchen door, looking at them with a smile of amazement. In a couple of years, she would probably think that it was disgusting to see them kiss. For now, she was still a fan of her parents showing affection to one another.

“Hey, Sweetie,” Felicity said, staying leaned against Oliver’s chest, “how was the birthday pajama party?”

“So much fun!”

If the dark shadows under Emmy’s eyes were any indication, she probably hadn’t gotten much sleep. The huge smile on her lips told Felicity that her daughter didn’t mind though. A pajama party that offered a lot of sleep didn’t fulfill its use anyway. Pajama parties were there for little sleep and lots of fun.

“So, Jacob was there too?”

“Yes, he was.”

Felicity could feel Oliver’s eyes snapping towards her. She hadn’t told him that Jacob, Emmy’s crush from elementary school that she was basically dating as far as dating was a thing for kids at their age, had been invited to the pajama party too. Oliver’s heart already suffered knowing William might leave their home soon. Knowing that Emmy was spending a night with her boyfriend, even when they were surrounded by like a dozen of other kids, was too much for him to take right now.

“So, Jacob was there too.”

Oliver’s voice left no doubt that he wanted Felicity to tell him why she hadn’t informed him about that. Felicity didn’t even look at him though. They could still discuss that once Emmy had disappeared into the living room o upstairs. When they were alone, she could wrap Oliver around her little finger anyway.

“Yes,” Emmy replied casually and shrugged her shoulders, “he broke up with me.”

Felicity could feel Oliver’s muscles tensing. He hadn’t been too fond that Emmy had a boyfriend although he had needed to admit that Jacob was a nice boy. The only thing worse than Emmy having a boyfriend was that boyfriend breaking up with her and breaking her heart with it.

“Oh, Sweetie,” Felicity said, leaving Oliver’s side to go to Emmy and hug her, “I am so sorry.”

Emmy let herself be held by Felicity for a moment. Soon, she pulled away though. Looking at her mother, she shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t have time for someone who doesn’t do what I say anyway.”

Felicity perked up her eyebrows, surprised by how easily Emmy accepted this break-up and almost a little surprised by how strong-willed she was. What could sound like Emmy was a little tyrant when it came to being in a relationship, actually calmed Felicity down a little. Too many people lost themselves in a relationship. As long as Emmy knew what she wanted and putting that over her relationship, Felicity guessed she would find her way to happiness eventually.

Chuckling, Felicity looked at Oliver and slapped his chest playfully.

“That’s like it is with us.”

Oliver narrowed his eyes at her half-heartedly. He tried to be angry with her, at least a little bit. Years of experience told him that he wouldn’t succeed even if he tried his best. Oliver was just incapable of even pretending to be angry with Felicity.

“I want to graduate high school and college early like mom,” Emmy added eventually, “so I don’t have time for stupid boys anyway.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. In Emmy’s mind, all boys would probably be stupid for a while. It would take he some time to realize that it wasn’t true. Boys could behave stupidly from time to time and some boys even were stupid, but that wasn’t the case for all boys.

“I will go upstairs,” Emmy said after a moment, shrugging her shoulders, “to unpack my bag and maybe take a nap.”

“Aw, look at that, Felicity,” Oliver said, putting his hand to his heart, “our daughter is napping just because she wants to.”

Emmy rolled her eyes and groaned dramatically. With that, she turned around and went upstairs. Oliver and Felicity stayed in the kitchen, chuckling about their daughter’s behavior. Since she had been a toddler and able to speak, she had denied that she ever needed a nap. She had hated naptime as much as most toddler. Now, she hated being teased about the things she had said and done when she had been a toddler like most children at her age.

Still chuckling, Felicity turned around to Oliver. Leaning against his chest like she loved to do so much, she wrapped her arms around his middle. She angled her head back as far as possible, so she could look right at Oliver’s face. Seeing that he was looking at her with slightly narrowed eyes and pursed lips, Felicity perked up her eyebrows.

“What?” she asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You knew that Jacob was on that party?”

“Of course I did,” Felicity replied matter-of-factly, “because I am a good mother. Good mothers know what other kids are on a slumber party that their kid is invited to.”

“So, if you knew, why didn’t you tell me?”

Felicity chuckled, stroking her hands up and down Oliver’s chest. She was pretty sure that Oliver already knew why she hadn’t told him. Parenting was just so incredibly hard, and it was good to always take one step at a time.

“I didn’t tell you because I know exactly what kind of thoughts would have been going on in your mind,” Felicity told him, patting cheek playfully, “and I really wanted all your pervert thoughts to be focused all on me last night.”

“I wouldn’t have had any pervert thoughts when I had known that Jacob and Emmy were spending the night together.”

Felicity could almost watch Oliver progressing his own choice of words. He scrunched up his nose, realizing the implications behind these words in a different context. He shook his head quickly.

“They are kids,” Oliver said eventually, “so the idea of anything happening there is just ridiculous.”

“And still you cannot help imagining what will be in a couple of years when Emmy is a little older.”

Oliver moved his hand through his short hair. His fingernails scratched over his scalp lightly. The breath he was taking in trembled slightly.

“It’s a good thing that it will take another few years,” Oliver said with a sigh, “because I am really not ready yet.”

Felicity chuckled and kissed the edge of his jaw. She knew how hard it was on Oliver to admit that there were fatherly duties or whatever to call it that he couldn’t handle yet. He just wanted to be a really great father, and it was the same for Felicity. She wanted them to rock at parents because they were already putting a lot on their children with the life they had been born into.

“Neither am I,” Felicity admitted with a sigh, “but we will be once the time comes.”

Oliver smiled, nodding his head. “Yes, we will be.”

They sealed that agreement with a kiss, knowing that they would always be ready when the kids needed them to be ready. At the end, that was all that mattered anyway.

* * *

@fannaz @promiseyoullbepatientwithme @bytemegeekette @felicity-said-just-in-case @phanseptiic @orangeisorange @mspotatohead14 @whentheheavenfades @emmaamelia95 @smoakingskye @seaolicity @ourwritinginvein @1022bridgetp @felicityqueenforever @leagueofolicity17 @yryssss @myhauntedblacksoul @sherlock44 @sinceriouslybea @olivyflavescentdeer @olicitys-castle @ofnothingcharming @vaelisamaza @smoakedandcharmed @alexisa1206 @mysaudadespt2 @florence-bubbles @addictiontelly @queens-of-arrows @memcjo @hysterical-for-joshifer-blog @oswinelevenforever @olicitylovemaking @bandanab310 @mymusiclove101 @lynslogic @scarletqueen23 @olicityshipper19 @alex-wesley @arrows-4ever @unabashedlynerdypatrol @louehmysoul @ligiapimenta @chattyyana @charlie-leau @coal000 @samcrowleys @ishippolivia @julianegomesqueen @malafle @miriam1779 @charlinert @melaux @ontheolicityship @myshipperlife @wrightainsley @lexi9515 @ladygreenwood @multi-fandom-crazy-fangirl @morinamel @mje-thomas @kebarry @canadianheartgirl @nannett2307 @almondblossomme @kathrynelizabeth89 @imdfabulous @mrt2501 @arsipaci14 @salasvia @brandis91 @cainc3 @morganmiguess @pr0fessi0nal-fangurl @iamisalima @nessafrancis-blog @jonhdiggle @niki-is-amazing @universed-posts @hopeful-warrior @senoritaswiftie @bellemmie @green-arrows-of-karamel @iheartarrow @olicityovereverything @oliverfel4 @olicity-in-the-heart @fullychippedcreation @geemarie @everything-but-normal-cat @myarroworld @tjmartinez @pleasantfanandstudent @j69confessional2 @scentedcolorpirate @icanica74 @tjmartinez98 @certainmentalityface​ @tatianadamaceno @ryelew​ @wildwillowzepplin @missafairy​ @letsplaymurde-r​ @lipizette​ @positivepiper​ @nuttymilkshakehologram​ @laksagirl​ @turnupthemusicandscream​ @pumpernickle93​ @onceuponanolicity​ @1106angel​ @jaspertown​ @fadinglands​ @morganashimi83​ @mochababychristy​ @omglovechrissie​ @mariejr88-blog​ @thetaufactor​ @onceuponanolicity​ @speakandseethetruth​ @bri206​ @aglasgo​ @geemarie​ @pineprincess​ @nerdgirljen​ @eternal-olicity14​ @allyouhadtodowas-stay-stay-stay​ @lovelycssefan​ @tsseract​ @flowerandsunshine​ @dcnmarvelgamergeek​ @blondeeoneexox​ @monetsmark​ @bb-olicity​ @mashamarty​ @rulerofsilence​ @erika-amber​ @nothingmorethanmyotps​ @kayleenyc​ @tonto16​ @olicityfluv​ @olicitea1990​ @haahaaa2408​ @pattid1​ @faegal04​ @24karatgem​ @wrldtravler​ @readerkas​ @olicity-beliver​ @greencoffeecups​ @snorlaxishere​

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