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thedisneychef · 1 year

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Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Honey-Truffle Brown Butter Recipe

Sorry for the looooong abscence… I was certainly gone longer then I’d ever dreamed I would be. Unfortunately, illness, website problems, a new job, and yes, even a Disney trip kept me pretty occupied. Of course the illness and website problems were kind of miserable, but I wish I could say that new jobs and Disney trips were my legitimate excuses for falling behind in life. Usually it’s a combination of children, an inability to be on time, and sheer laziness that present special challenges for me… But that’s a different topic for a different blog! While I was at Disney, not only did I have an utterly awesome, amazing time (people, the new Fantasyland looks awesome. Seriously.), but I came back with a new cookbook focused on Disney holidays and seasons. Turned out that was a better-than-anticipated addition to my library, as I also brought back a monstrous cold that, 10 days later, is still making me miserable. As a result of my cold and my longing for Disney, I seem to crave a steady supply of Disney-related, seasonably appropriate comfort food that requires little-to-no effort to prepare on my part, something this cookbook has in abundance. Ironically, the first recipe I pulled from this cookbook actually wasn’t all that easy to prepare (or should I say, it was easy, but it was time consuming), but because it has it’s roots in one of the best places to eat at Disney, Artist Point, I had to make it. Sometimes nostalgia and an overwhelming desire to eat well trumps convenience. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve only had gnocchi once in my life, at Le Cellier actually, and while I liked it, I’m basically clueless on how to make it. I get the principle behind this potato-based dumpling, and I know it’s a favorite to prepare on shows like “Top Chef,” and I know it’s an “in” food right now, however, that food trend has yet to hit our area of New Hampshire. Such is the fate of those of us who live in an area where it’s Chilis, Applebees, Taco Bell, or bust. Seeing as I wanted to try something different (and I over-bought on sweet potatoes), this recipe was a great fit, though not without it’s challenges. First, I’ll say that roasting the potato as opposed to boiling it was genius, as it both brought out the sweet, caramel-sugar taste of the potato, and it got me out of actually peeling a potato, my least favorite kitchen job. By roasting it, the skin was easier to peel than an orange. Already, huge win in my book. While I’m sure it’d have gone faster to peel, boil, and mash the potato, the taste was noticeably better after roasting and if cooking it for an hour gets me out of peeling, then I’ll do it with a big smile on my face. However, like most people I suspect, I don’t have a potato ricer… But I did have a large strainer and a spoon which I used instead (and when that didn’t go fast enough, an over-sized glass tumbler to mash it through the strainer). While it gave me the desired effect, it did take forever to do and, unfortunately, I think that simply mashing the potato wouldn’t give you the consistency needed for the dough. Next time, I’m using my Salad Shooter (yes, I own one… Don’t judge) or a regular cheese grater since I realized that would be faster and as effective after it was too late for me to do anything about it. Second issue was that, after adding all of it together, I added either too much flour or used too little sweet potato. I added water to help get the dough to the right consistency, but in hindsight, I’ll probably go with more like 1.5 pounds of sweet potato as opposed to 1 pound. Sweet potato is easy to store and freeze and I think the flavor is only helped by adding more sweet potato instead of water. But that said, even with water added, the sweet potato flavor was very pronounced and utterly delicious. For those who don’t have truffle oil, simply use another infused oil that compliments sweet potatoes, olive oil, or just leave it out. While the truffle oil does give a nice hint of flavor, it’s not something you need. I’d probably make it without next time. I also have to plead guilty to the fact that by the time I got to the 4th or 5th portion of the dough, I was tired (did I mention I’m still sick?) so my cutting of the gnocchi wasn’t as uniform as it could have been… It certainly didn’t look like Artist Point and it won’t go down as the prettiest dish I’ve ever made (I thought it looked like little orange scallops), but holy cow, did it taste awesome. I love the buttery sweetness of the drizzle and the sweet potato flavor, which I was worried would be lost behind the butter, was perfect. Maybe I’d add less butter next time, and I’d certainly try harder to make it look nicer, but other then that, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m even tempted to add this to my Thanksgiving dinner… And, a special note for my sister (and anybody else who cares)… This freezes beautifully. Freeze it in a boil-safe bag and then, when it’s time to eat, drop the bag in boiling water, make and add the butter when you’re ready to serve, and you’re done. Read the full article

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a-froger-epic · 3 years

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Interview with a Queen “groupie”

Cross-posted to AO3. I encourage you to leave any comments you have there.

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I compiled this interview following a long email exchange with J, a very sweet lady who went to Ealing Art School between 1972 and 1974. She knew all four members of Queen personally and was part of their larger circle of friends.

First off, you may find this hard to believe. I don’t blame you. But I assure you I’m not pulling your leg. As well as the pictures I share in this post, I have seen current pictures of J (which I will not share to protect her privacy). There is no indication as far as I am aware that she isn’t who she says she is.

Nastally, hold up. How exactly did you find this lady?

She found me. It turns out that she has been following my story Dawn of Aquarius for quite some time. The story is set in 1969. A lot of research about the era went into it, because I wanted to portray that time period - and Freddie’s and Roger’s surroundings - as accurately and realistically as I possibly could. That was what drew J in. She tells me it brought back a lot of memories for her. One of the reasons I love DoA so much is the nostalgia, she says, which genuinely means the world to me. Eventually, she talked to me in the comment section. Of course, I freaked out!

And then, I asked her for an interview, to which she replied: I will give it a go, but you must remember that I am 65 and there were great drugs in the 70s, and at 16, away from home, I had a lot!

And so...

Here’s what is IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND when you read this interview.

These are one woman’s 50-year-old memories and subjective impressions. J has been incredibly kind to let me pick her brain, trying to recall everything as best as she can. In her own words:

Just remember that when I answer the questions, it is from a 16-year-old who is 9 years younger than Freddie and a little girl with no family and friends in a strange country trying to fit in. The only reason I was there, was because some hippie thought I had a unique art style.

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J as a teenager.

[I have edited the interview together from our long, and somewhat messy at times, email exchange. Typos have been fixed and some punctuation added for clarity, but I have not changed anything J has written to me. Again, bear in mind these are personal opinions and impressions.]

So, J, how did you end up at Ealing Art School in 1972 and what was it like?

This was the painting done for the Australian school-leaving certificate.

It placed first and gave me a scholarship. I could pick France, the USA or England. As a dual citizen of the UK, the choice was easy. The scholarship paid for board and fees, so had to be and sell whatever for spending money.

This picture is from the dorm. We all had a 10pm curfew and a very thick rule book that, I am proud to say, I broke every one of them, one by one. The rooms were on the 1st and 2nd floor. We were on the first floor, rooms one side and admin staff the other end. We had two bathrooms for 18 girls. One of them had two baths. The walls were your standard half wall, so it was a given that if you had a bath you run the risk of having a bucket of cold water dropped on you. Downstairs was the kitchen and lounge room.

I want to ask you a few things about life in London in the early 70s, to get a picture of what it was really like. For example, was there alcohol at the music gigs you went to?

If it was a school, church or community hall, no. If it was a pub, yes.

Did you and your friends drink as much then as young people tend to drink now when you all went out?

No, we didn't. I think it had a lot to do with money. We didn't have the disposable income, and it was unheard of to still be living at home with the parents after the age of 20.

Was weed and LSD as big and easily accessible as depictions of the 60s and 70s would have us believe?

The drugs! Got to have drugs. Pot (weed) was easy to grow, very cheap. Used to smoke it in bongs rather than joints, more bang for your buck. Trips [LSD] were cheap, I think. About 2 pounds and you were on the high for over 24 hours with no sleep. My drug of choice was hash. Either the oil or the block. It was a nice high, but you could not function well. But if you listen to the music of the time it really does reflect what it was like, to have a group of friends over for a session. Having said all that the most outlandish and shocking drug I ever saw anyone use was the birth control pill. Didn't you have to hide that stuff away?!

Can you tell us some 70s slang that isn’t really in use anymore? What in the world does “ultra-blagging” mean? (As written in a letter penned by Freddie to his friend Celine in 1969.)

Abso-bloody-lootely!

Man, I thought I was the bees knees to be on a scholarship in London. But that didn't stop me from jigging or having a skive day. They were the days that I blagged my way into a pub, had too many lagers and ended up chundering in the gutter. That was how you knew your night was ace. I would get a right bollocking if anyone found out. It would be a bugger when all that you could find at a car boot sale was chavtastic, but sometimes you could be Jammy Dodger and tickety-boo you find something brilliant. Bob's your uncle. Anyways, I need to see a man about a dog.

[It seems to me that J uses a bit of Australian slang here, like chundering, which makes sense because she is, after all, Australian. She also provided the translation:]

Cheers

It would be my honour.

I felt very privileged to be given a scholarship that let me study in England. But being so young and having no family to guide me, it was often tempting to not turn up or give a false excuse for being sick. (I had a lot of food poisoning). These would often happen if the night before I had been drinking beer and ended up vomiting outside the pub. But in my young mind that was a good night. If any of the teachers found me drinking I would be in a lot of trouble. Often I would have to say I was holding it for someone else. Not having much clothes with me, I would buy them second hand from church jumble sales or other students and, yes, Kensington market (the market). Some of the stuff would not be very tasteful or in good condition. But sometimes you would find something that was cheap and in good condition. I will stop this text now as I must go to the toilet.

PS: Ultrablagging sounds very Freddie. Blagging was used, but not ultra, meaning to persuade someone to do something or act better than you are. They were always rock stars.

Sincerely

[It was at this point that I realised I was talking to an absolute legend. She also told me then that the majority of her old photographs had sadly been lost when her house was flooded in 1988, including most of the photographs from her stay in London. Noooo! :(]

When you went out to dance, did you have only live music? Were there DJs yet?

You know, that is hard. We did not have a DJ. Sometimes there would be a band. Often we looked for places with a band or the jukebox. I think pubs closed at 10pm and some stayed open to 12 or 1, but public transport stopped at 9. So if you had not arranged a lift then you had to make the last bus. Most of the time we would be heading back to someone's place to get stoned and then crash there. In the morning you would have to work out where you were. When I got back to Australia, the discos were all the rage. They could have been in London too but it was not cool to like disco.

How many people would show up to Queen’s gigs when they played in pubs or at, for example, the Imperial College?

Depending on the location and the night: 10 to 1000!

So how did you first meet the Queen boys?

I was at the pub talking about a band we saw last week when Brian stuck his head into our booth telling us he knew a better one. Thinking about seeing them at the stall... Roger not often, Freddie quite a lot. Often on different stalls, I think that is why I can't remember the name. [The name of the stall. Other sources confirm that Freddie also worked at Alan Muir’s stall, for example, selling shoes.]

How well did you know them?

Just looking at your tumblr account. [she has had a look at my blog, where somebody asked if ‘groupie’ meant she had slept with the band] No, I never slept with the boys. I would not say I was a close friend, but I started at Ealing Art College in ‘72 and moved in the same circles. I loved the music and could be called one of the first groupies. I had to sneak into the pubs because I was 16. Roger always teased me for being so young. They all did seem to be one very large family, not just the band. It was a group of about twenty regulars, both male and female. Everyone knew that Fred was too gay to function. We were all at the gay rights march in London in 1972, had to run after the march. Lots of sharpies [Australian slang: youth gang, thugs] wanting to bash us. Back then I was in every protest that was going, student union rights, even the secretary protest. Just part of the times, stick it to Man or Woman. I left London in ‘74 for Australia, been here ever since and lost track of the boys but have never stopped being a fan.

What do you remember about them? How would you describe their personalities?

Don’t let the trolls hate me, but I did not like Brian. I found him to be rather full of himself. Space was a subject you never brought up around Brian or you would die of old age before he stopped talking. He was always the first to speak and start a conversation and then quickly passed you off to John, who was always tired and shy. Roger was also quite shy at times. He was very self-conscious of his looks, as he felt being pretty, nobody would take him seriously. Fred, well, he was not yet the big star, so I think he was working on his stage persona. When talking to groups at parties, he had the best stories of things that had happened to him or close friends. They were very funny and very descriptive. He was the life of the party. When he had a few to drink or was the centre of attention, he would take a cigarette out of the closest person’s hand and start smoking. Now remember this is the point of view of a 16-year-old girl that was a fish out of water, trying to fit in and not having much worldly experience.

It is said that Freddie and Roger were very stylish. How did they dress in everyday life?

Fred would do his hair and makeup to check the mail. Yes, he was always turned out, but so were a lot of people. Freddie did go over the top with hats, scarfs and jewellery. With Roger, it is a surprise he was able to have kids his jeans were that tight. And his shirts were always open unless he was in a jumper. I think it could have been so that you knew he was male, as it was the start of the unisex clothing. When I travelled out of London I realised it was a London thing. When I got back to Australia everyone thought I was a show-off.

There are some disagreements about how tall especially Freddie was. I know this is a difficult thing to try and remember accurately. But do you remember?

Freddie was taller than me but everyone was. Roger was shorter than Fred, but I never saw Roger in platform shoes. I did meet up with the band by chance at Sydney airport in 1984, said ‘hello’ but they did not remember me, or if they did then they did not say anything and I did not want to be a dork. At that time Fred was the same height as me (5ft 8in/1.72m), Roger was taller than me. It made me think at the time that he had a growth spurt! John was shorter than me and Brian has always been tall. [I have a feeling the platform shoes - or lack thereof - played a vital role here! Although 172cm for Freddie seems likely.]

You said everyone knew Freddie was “too gay to function”. Attitudes towards homosexuality have changed so much that it can be hard for us, now, to fathom what exactly people must have thought of him. Was it more of a joke that he was so camp? Was it something he would have been teased for? Also, he had a girlfriend. Did you ever meet Mary or the other girlfriends?

In 1972 a whole group of us - and I am pretty sure that Fred, Roger, Brian and Tim were there - were in a gay pride march. [Since then, J has found and showed me a picture of a boy she thought was Tim Staffel, and it wasn't, so Tim was most definitely not there. Whether Freddie, Roger and Brian really were there or if J is misremembering, who knows?] Us youth believed you could not choose who you fell in love with and if it was same sex, so what? However, if it was two girls then it was every guy’s duty to change her!

It was also a time that the gayer the guy was, the more the girls were interested. Also, if a guy was gay then you did not have to worry about him and he was a good person to take with you if you were going out drinking. However, the police, parents, teachers and anyone of authority were horrified and treated them badly. I did meet Mary a couple of times at pubs and once after a gig. This is just my opinion, but I found her a bitch. It could be that I was so young. It could be that I was very Australian. It could be that she felt threatened as my accent was a magnet to people around. And the boys (Queen) were no exception. Brian had a cousin in OZ and was always asking questions. I remember that my close group of friends thought that Mary made the perfect girlfriend for Fred as they were as fake as each other. Having said that about them, I often wonder if I would think the same now and if my perceptions were just because she would not give me the time of Day. Chrissy and Jo were a lot of fun.

This was before your time, but I read that Freddie's nickname at Ealing Art School was ‘Freddie Baby’. Any ideas how this came about? His showmanship or maybe personality traits?

I don't think so. There were an older crowd that would talk like that. I think the slang ‘baby’ was a 60’s thing, like groovy baby.

How long, roughly, did Roger and Freddie have their stall? I can't find anywhere when it closed down. What did it actually look like? Was it a sort of wooden stall type of thing? Or an actual room? What were some of the other things people sold at Kensington Market? Mostly clothes or all sorts?

The markets were little divided shops. The back was brick and the walls wood. I have been trying all day to remember the name. [Of the stall.] I think it was something hard to say. More often than not it would be Freddie's dad in the store. It was still open when I left. Roger and Freddie were both in the store on Saturdays and some Sundays. There was a girl, I think Jill, who was in the store more. And during the week it could be anyone. You name it and you could get it at the markets. Second hand or designer clothes, shoes, jewellery, pot and assortments. Hair cuts, food, bric-a-brac.

Wait, wait. What? Freddie’s dad? Really now?

Yeah, it was an older Indian man. so we just assumed it was his father. It was my understanding that he started the stall then the boys would work it as the whole markets were set up for younger people, but if needed he would work there. I don't think the boys would be able to pay the rent on their own. [I have since found out that the stall closed in late 1971, and Freddie continued to work at the Market until '74, for Alan Mair and possibly others. So the stall J witnessed wasn't their original stall - explaining all the different people she saw there - but she had no way of knowing that it wasn't.] They always had incense burning that was very big in the 70s. I still occasionally bring out the sticks, but it does not last like the candles and diffusers of today. If you could get in touch with Robert Daniels, he ran ChaChaDumDum it was the stall across from Freddie. He would know the dates.

[J says it’s this look, in a picture she happened across while looking at my tumblr] Yep, that is the one. It usually means that he does not believe or agree with something that was said and is working out how to respond, or he has lost the plot.

You mentioned Roger seemed shy to you at times. Was he also quite charming? We read a lot about what a chick magnet he was. Was this the impression you had?

My favorite subject! I had a thing for Roger. Everyone has a type and mine is the blue-eyed blond. Now, before you ask, was he brunet? No, he was a mouse/dirty blond. If it was summer he would have blond streaks mostly at the ends. He knew he was pretty and was always dressed in the latest fashion and had the current hairstyle. So, being my type I was constantly watching him. Everyone slept around during that time. I did not notice Roger doing it more or less. 80% of the time he was with Jo. Yes, he was a chick magnet, but he did not do the chasing. He was always very polite to everyone. If it ever looked like there would be any conflict he would be the first to leave it. It was not that he was a coward, just not into conflict. If he saw anyone that needed help he was right there, and often had to have Freddie's back. I never saw him in a fight. He could always talk his way out of things. He was also very patient and would listen for hours to other people talk. However, he would get this vacant look in his eyes at times.

And Freddie would either click his fingers, change the subject or just give up. I don’t think that Brian noticed, and it would be fair game for John, he would see how far he could push it. Roger liked to drink a fair bit and when drunk he would be hanging all over Jo. If she was not there then he missed Jo. If, however, he thought that he or his friends were not being respected, then look out! It was a verbal volcano heading your way. That is what happened to me one time. I was trying to talk with my friends close to where a drunken Roger was and I yelled at him to shut the hell up, you wannabe blond. We/I coped a mouthful back, all in the same sentence, that finished with: Sorry, I didn't realise you were on your rags (period)! I have to have the last word, so I told him the truth: I don’t get them yet! (I was a late starter.) He went so red in the face and called me JB [jail bait] from then.

You also mentioned Roger’s cat Ziggy having kittens. I read about this but never when exactly it was. Do you remember?

I think it was winter ‘73. I remember being cold when he was asking around the pub. [To find homes for the kittens, I gather.]

Is it quite strange reading fictional interpretations of real people you knew? When did you first find out there was Queen fanfic?

No, we used to make up stories about people all the time, a verbal fanfic. Was looking up Adam Lambert and came across the fanfics. Some had me in stitches! Others, like DoA, had me hooked.

Please, allow me to be a little self-indulgent at the end. What's one thing I got totally RIGHT in DoA?

All the Ibex stuff.

What's one thing I got totally WRONG in DoA?

Roger did not have a temper, and I don’t know what the go with his father was, but he would talk about him quite a bit and was always visiting his mum. [Absolutely fair, not only did I change the timeline of Roger’s parents divorce in DoA - for lack of information at the time - but also created a completely fictional narrative around it for the sake of storytelling.]

J, thank you so much for all this, sincerely. Can you tell me a little more about yourself? Are you still an artist?

I don't paint or draw any more. At the age of a 50 the doctors operated on an aneurysm or three, and now my eyesight is very bad, I have no fine motor skills and a tremor. I was married in January 1984 and have just celebrated our 37 year anniversary. I have one daughter who is 30 and two great, although tiring grandkids. A girl, 11, and one boy, 5. I have lived my life as the average middle class Australian with great memories. Talking with you has helped me a lot to remember a time when the world was mine for the taking. When I returned to OZ I started nursing, met my best friend, and we planned that once we graduated we would go back to London to study midwifery. But I fell in love instead.

J's wedding in 1984. As you can see, she found her own blue-eyed blond.

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Upon request, J has shared some of her past and present artwork with me.

These are from her time at Ealing Art School:

These were done later, back in Australia:

J: Did this just before Christmas as you had inspired me. It did not require fine motor skills!

So there you have it! I hope you found this little glimpse through a 16-year-old girl’s eyes as much of a fascinating read as I did. I urge everybody one more time to remember that J did not have to share any of this, and I think we all owe her a big thank you for delving into her memories. She is likely to see the responses on AO3, so I have comment moderation enabled there as I will not let anybody harass this lovely lady. The tumblr she created is @since72, but she isn’t really an active user and also very new to it all. Again, I can only urge everybody to be respectful.

If you have other burning question for J, feel free to leave them in the comments on AO3. I will either pass them on, or she may want to reply to them herself directly.

#Queen band #Freddie Mercury #Roger Taylor #John Deacon #Brian May #interview #i am so excited about this #so much into #information #JB

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admiringlove · 3 years

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scent, coffee and turtlenecks.

+synopsis: hq boys and their scent, their coffee order and the turtlenecks they wear.

+genre: fluff lol; headcanons.

+characters: akaashi keiji, miya atsumu, kuroo tetsurō, sugawara kōshi.

+warnings: literally just fluff man, unless you cry because of cute stuff.

+author’s notes: inspired by @neonghxst on tumblr!! go check them out, they have a great blog and i love their writing <3

— AKAASHI KEIJI.

he smells like the first rain of the monsoon. the petrichor, the atmosphere, the sole comfort it brings you by being in his arms. it reminds you of being in the rain for the first time. his arms are firm when he embraces you, yet somehow he holds you as if you’re the most fragile thing in the universe. his scent is addicting; sometimes you never want to let go of him, and you fall asleep in his arms as he’s typing up an essay for literature. he’d smile down at you, pressing a loving peck to your forehead and carry you to bed. you’d sleepily mumble against him, “keiji you smell nice. cuddle me please” of course he doesn’t resist against it, because how can he? you look adorable. being in his arms are like being an elysian—pure heaven for your mortal heart.

definitely addicted to caffeine. but he’s one of those people that calculates up a schedule so he’s making sure the caffeine is working hundred-per-cent. he orders something strong in the mornings—like a hot vienna coffee in medium size and that’s it. no sugar, because this man likes his coffee bitter. and if he’s pulling all-nighters, then cold brew all the way. everyone at the café likes him a lot; his aesthetic and his orders match up perfectly(too bad he’s yours though).

man has a lot of turtlenecks. he’s the type of person that collects them in different colors. but not something too flashy, because he is simple and elegant. he has a range of grey’s and a few beiges, some pumpkin and whites and blacks. he even has blue(his closet is basically a color wheel of turtlenecks). to be honest, you don’t know how he fits so many clothes into his wardrobe. he basically is a autumn/fall wear model in making. it’s the season he gets the most compliments from strangers(because this man wears turtlenecks even in summer).

— MIYA ATSUMU.

smells like pine and sandalwood. his scent feels like home. whenever he finishes a game and wins, he’ll run to you(who’s in the stands) and he’ll engulf you first. the scent will overcome you, the crowd behind fading away as you feel like you’ve arrived home after a long trip and simply want to rest for a bit in the comfort of your own bed. the blond will throw you the dashiest smile in front of the public, but the softest one in private. nights with atsumu are filled with his homey scent on the couch, as you read to him and he falls asleep in your arms or your lap. you’d peck him, and he’d say, “yer sniffin’ me again, aren’t ya?” only to get poked in the eye by you after. “i don’t sniff you!” you’d yell at him as he falls onto the floor after you harshly get up and go to the bedroom, but he’d follow you and lay in bed with you and embrace you, the aroma coming over you again as he says “i know ya like my cologne, dummy. i like your scent too. c’mere so i can hug ya.”

his orders are neither too bitter nor too sweet. he probably is one of those people that tries everything on the menu first before deciding what he likes. he’ll later decide on a mocha latte with the slightest chocolate drizzle on top. he likes the small bitterness and the twist the chocolate brings to the drink. it’s steamy, and it makes his throat clear up. his heart rate slows down a smidge and he just sits there and sips on the drink till he’s calm, cool and collected. it’s a drink that makes his day better for sure. and for cold drinks, atsumu would go for an iced caramel macchiato. it just clicks with him for some reason.

he has a good collection. by this, i mean that he’s a king of knowing what looks good on him and what doesn’t. he knows what exactly to pick —whether it be a sleeveless olive green turtleneck, or a beige one with an overcoat. he’s cocky, and he knows he looks good. man is definitely a king of accessories and wears the proper amount of necklaces, rings, or whatever he thinks will go with his outfit. definitely winks at you when he catches you stare at him for too long and tells you to take a picture.

— KUROO TETSURŌ.

he smells like mahogany teakwood. it’s captivating and comforting at the same time. he wakes up before you in the mornings, so when you wake up, you’re immediately engulfed by this strong yet soothing scent. he’s holding you in his arms and stroking your hair ever-so-softly, and you let out a small whine which let him know that you’re about to wake up. and when you open your eyes, he throws you a softened smile that screams, “good morning” or “i love you” and a thousand diiferent affirmations at the same time. you run your fingers through his hair, looking up with one eye closed as he mumbles, “we have to get up for class”, and your nose scrunches at those words as you pull him closer and letting out a muffled, “i’d rather stay in bed with you for eternity”.

his order isn’t too bitter, but it’s enough to keep him awake. if he’s going for something cold, it’s going to be a dark roast cold brew with sweet-salted caramel cream. it’s a little bitter—but it manages to make him stay awake through the night to finish up an assignment or two. and if it’s a hot drink he prefers, then he definitely goes for an espresso macchiato. it makes him feel at home when you’re not there by his side.

he’s definitely the type of person that tries everything for fun. you’re laughing in the background as he pulls on a neon yellow turtleneck, the only problem is that he’s actually rocking it. he looks amazing even in the most craziest choice of clothing. although you always buy him many different shades of red(he has a lot of red in his closet—maroons, scarlets, pumpkins, you name it), he looks good in almost anything. he always makes you laugh by buying abnormal things then putting them on in front of you to check if it looks good or not—and most of the times, it does.

— SUGAWARA KŌSHI.

he smells like a mixture of vanilla and cinnamon. it reminds you of winter mornings, when the two of you used to go to high-school hand-in-hand with small to-go coffees that you’d have. suga is definitely the type to snuggle into you every chance he gets after getting to know that you like his scent. it’s cute to him, and he makes you feel comfortable. every time the two of you are alone, he will inch closer and closer to you, finding solace in the fact that just his presence makes your mood lighten up. he’ll hold his hand out in front of your mouth so you can press a kiss to his knuckles, he’ll kiss your forehead and get dangerously close to you(so close that you’re practically a tomato), and he’ll mutter, “hey, come here. i wanna hug you” as you stand there with a really big blush. you’ll mumble, “you smell nice, ko” and his confidence level just rises up by fifty percent.

he’s bougie. he gets a hazelnut bianco latte, just something about it reminds him of the same winter mornings he shared with you. the way you prayed at the temple for his well-being when he was sick, or the way he stayed in his bed for days and you were sitting next to him for most of that time. it’s an over the top and extra drink, but it makes him comfortable and gives him a sense of nostalgia. for a colder preference, he gets a pistachio frappuccino. it’s soft and delicate, and the taste is really elegant.

he prefers sweaters, but his go-to color is grey. suga would look good in almost anything, but he likes sweaters and woolen vests more than turtlenecks. although, if he has to choose a color to wear, then he’d choose grey(you name it, whether it be steel grey or a nice shade of pewter). he looks amazing in an abundance of shades of greys and even black—pair it with a scarf and dickies, and he looks like an angel on earth. you always compliment him, and he always ends up looking away while blushing like a high-school kid in love(well, you can’t blame him. he was one at some point).

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madmensideblog · 3 years

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MAD MEN BOOK RECS

Happy pride/Don Draper’s fake birthday ❤️ Below the cut, I’ve listed info on my favorite Mad Men related books and a couple I haven’t read yet but I’m really looking forward to. Let me know if you check any of these out, or if you have any other recommendations! ❤️

Mad Men Carousel: The Complete Critical Companion by Matt Zoller Seitz

“Mad Men Carousel is an episode-by-episode guide to all seven seasons of AMC's Mad Men. This book collects TV and movie critic Matt Zoller Seitz’s celebrated Mad Men recaps—as featured on New York magazine's Vulture blog—for the first time, including never-before-published essays on the show’s first three seasons. Seitz’s writing digs deep into the show’s themes, performances, and filmmaking, examining complex and sometimes confounding aspects of the series. The complete series—all seven seasons and ninety-two episodes—is covered.

Each episode review also includes brief explanations of locations, events, consumer products, and scientific advancements that are important to the characters, such as P.J. Clarke’s restaurant and the old Penn Station; the inventions of the birth control pill, the Xerox machine, and the Apollo Lunar Module; the release of the Beatles’ Revolver and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds; and all the wars, protests, assassinations, and murders that cast a bloody pall over a chaotic decade.

Mad Men Carousel is named after an iconic moment from the show’s first-season finale, “The Wheel,” wherein Don delivers an unforgettable pitch for a new slide projector that’s centered on the idea of nostalgia: “the pain from an old wound.” This book will soothe the most ardent Mad Men fan’s nostalgia for the show. New viewers, who will want to binge-watch their way through one of the most popular TV shows in recent memory, will discover a spoiler-friendly companion to one of the most multilayered and mercurial TV shows of all time.”

A classic episode-by-episode look at the series from reviewer Matt Zoller Seitz.

The Legacy of Mad Men — Cultural History, Intermediality and American Television (Edited by Karen McNally, Jane Marcellus, Teresa Forde, and Kirsty Fairclough)

“For seven seasons, viewers worldwide watched as ad man Don Draper moved from adultery to self-discovery, secretary Peggy Olson became a take-no-prisoners businesswoman, object-of-the-gaze Joan Holloway developed a feminist consciousness, executive Roger Sterling tripped on LSD, and smarmy Pete Campbell became a surprisingly nice guy. Mad Men defined a pivotal moment for television, earning an enduring place in the medium’s history.

This edited collection examines the enduringly popular television series as Mad Men still captivates audiences and scholars in its nuanced depiction of a complex decade. This is the first book to offer an analysis of Mad Men in its entirety, exploring the cyclical and episodic structure of the long form series and investigating issues of representation, power and social change. The collection establishes the show’s legacy in televisual terms, and brings it up to date through an examination of its cultural importance in the Trump era. Aimed at scholars and interested general readers, the book illustrates the ways in which Mad Men has become a cultural marker for reflecting upon contemporary television and politics.”

This is a really beautiful collection. It was published in 2019. It’s rather expensive. (I found a used copy for much cheaper.) If you can afford it, I really, really recommend buying it. There is a pdf floating around if you know where to look though. But like I said, it’s really amazing work and the women who curated it deserve high praise and compensation.

A few favorite essays of mine include “Don Draper and the Enduring Appeal of Antonioni’s La Notte” by Emily Hoffman, “Mad Men’s Mid-Century Modern Times” by Zak Roman, “Mad Men and the Staging of Literature via Ken Cosgrove and His Problems” by Aaron Shapiro, and “What Jungian Psychology Can Tell Us About Don Draper’s Unexpected Embrace of Leonard in Mad Men’s Finale” by Marisa Carroll.

Mad Men and Philosophy: Nothing Is as It Seems (Edited by William Irwin, James B. South, and Rod Carveth)

“With its swirling cigarette smoke, martini lunches, skinny ties, and tight pencil skirts, Mad Men is unquestionably one of the most stylish, sexy, and irresistible shows on television. But the series becomes even more absorbing once you dig deeper into its portrayal of the changing social and political mores of 1960s America and explore the philosophical complexities of its key characters and themes. From Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to John Kenneth Galbraith, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand, Mad Men and Philosophy brings the thinking of some of history's most powerful minds to bear on the world of Don Draper and the Sterling Cooper ad agency. You'll gain insights into a host of compelling Mad Men questions and issues, including happiness, freedom, authenticity, feminism, Don Draper's identity, and more.”

This collection was published just a month before the start of season 4, so it only concerns the first three seasons of the show. As such, it includes some assumptions that are proven false and a few strange misreadings that I’m sure would’ve been cleared up had they had the rest of the show at their disposal. But there are some great philosophical insights and analysis.

I haven’t yet read the whole collection, but my favorite essay of what I’ve read so far was “Pete, Peggy, Don, and the Dialectic of Remembering and Forgetting” by John Fritz.

The Fashion File: Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men (by costume designer Janie Bryant)

From Joanie's Marilyn Monroe-esque pencil skirts to Betty's classic Grace Kelly cupcake dresses, the clothes worn by the characters of the phenomenal Mad Men have captivated fans everywhere. Now, women are trading in their khakis for couture and their pumas for pumps. Finally, it's hip to dress well again. Emmy-Award winning costume designer Janie Bryant offers readers a peek into the dressing room of Mad Men, revealing the design process behind the various characters' looks and showing every woman how to find her own leading lady style--whether it's vintage, modern, or bohemian. Bryant's book will peek into the dressing room of Mad Men and reveal the design process behind the various characters' looks. But it will also help women learn how fashion can help convey their personality. She will help them cultivate their style, including all the details that make a big difference. Bryant offers advice to ensure that a woman's clothes convey her personality. She covers everything from where to find incredible vintage clothing and accessories to how to pair those authentic pieces with modern shoes and jeans. Readers will learn how to find their perfect bra size, use color to convey a mood, and invest in the ten essentials every woman should own. And just so the ladies don't leave their men behind, there's even a section on making them look a little more Don Draper-dashing.

I recently ordered a used copy of this book and haven’t yet received it, but I’m very much looking forward to it. Like Mad Men and Philosophy listed above, it was published between season 3 and 4, so unfortunately does not cover the whole show. It sounds like it might just cover the women’s costume design, though I’m not sure. Janie Bryant is such a meticulous, genius costume designer that I can’t wait to read it. Relatedly, you should follow her incredible costume design instagram where she posts lots of her work from Mad Men and other shows with fascinating insight into her process.

The Universe is Indifferent: Theology, Philosophy, and Mad Men (Edited by Ann W. Duncan and Jacob L. Goodson)

Centered on the lives of the employees at a Manhattan advertising firm, the television series Mad Men touches on the advertising world's unique interests in consumerist culture, materialistic desire, and the role of deception in Western capitalism. While this essay collection has a decidedly socio-historical focus, the authors use this as the starting point for philosophical, religious, and theological reflection, showing how Mad Men reveals deep truths concerning the social trends of the 1960s and deserves a significant amount of scholarly consideration. Going beyond mere reflection, the authors make deeper inquiries into what these trends say about American cultural habits, the business world within Western capitalism, and the rapid social changes that occurred during this period. From the staid and conventional early seasons to the war, assassinations, riots, and counterculture of later seasons, The Universe is Indifferent shows how social change underpins the interpersonal dramas of the characters in Mad Men.

I only just found out about this collection, but I’m very interested in finding a copy. This was published in 2016. You can see the table of contents here. EDIT: This book is available to read on Scribd. They offer a 30 day free trial.

#mad men #books

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partiallyobscure · 3 years

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otp questions from this post <3 I just went ahead and did them with David and Michael lmao. it’s mostly my usual headcanons with my fic as the backstory but you don’t necessarily need to read it to understand. cw for light nsfw but it’s mostly tame.

Who is the most affectionate?

David is disgustingly affectionate. he lives to make people uncomfortable so he would be the absolute worst perpetrator of PDA. he and Michael have gotten kicked out of too many establishments all because David is constantly letting his hands wander. I don’t even think he’s aware of it at this point lmao

Big spoon/Little spoon?

they bicker about it a lot, but usually in bed, David ends up being the little spoon. he tries to start off being the big spoon but he always wakes up with Michael’s arms around his chest, specifically covering where the holes from the antlers were, even though the scars are long gone by now.

Most common argument?

usually comes down to who/what/where to eat.

Favorite non-sexual activity?

they love doing tons of stuff together, but they really like racing, watching bad sci-fi movies, and going on haunted tours around the country. they’ll really go the extra mile for the ghost tours and get huge cameras to hang around their neck and everything and act all tourist-y. it’s a great time.

Who is most likely to carry the other?

David fusses but Michael carries him around when he can or requests it. he doesn’t like to do it too often though because it always reminds him of that first time he did so, thinking he was carrying David’s dead body in his arms.

What is their favorite feature of their partner's?

Michael’s favorite feature is David’s mouth, especially when it quirks up into his signature smirk, but he can also tell a lot about what David’s feeling from what he’s doing with his mouth. David hates that Michael can read him so easily (even with their shared mental connection) and asks how the fuck he’s able to do that, and Michael always gives an enigmatic smile and swipes his thumb across David’s lips.

David’s favorite is Michael’s eyes. he could lose a whole night just staring into them. he can’t quite place the color, but they remind him of how the sky would look at noon and he gets a rush of nostalgia every time Michael looks at him. whenever they light up like when they’re with Michael’s family or when he’s talking about the coolest bike that he saw in town that day is David’s absolute favorite. and when only his eyes turn amber, before the rest of his face follows to match David’s, David falls a little bit more in love every time.

What's the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other?

not much changed on David’s end since he was attracted to Michael at first sight. he couldn’t let it show though so he just found excuses to touch Michael whenever he could, passing him the joint and their fingers brushing when Michael took the bottle and catching him when they fell off the bridge.

when Michael realized he started to share those feelings, he was confused at first considering everything that happened between them. he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hit David or hit on David when they first met, so those feelings simmered a bit until he could get to know David beyond their history. he doesn’t fully admit it until he realizes he’s the one David is pursuing and he has the ego boost from this combined with knowing there’s more to David than what he allows people to see.

Nicknames? & if so, how did they originate?

David likes how Michael’s name sounds too much to give him a nickname, but will sometimes hit him with a ‘babe’ just to see him flustered. Michael calls him Davey just to make him mad but especially in public.

Who worries the most?

Michael since he still can’t seem to shake the fact that he doesn’t need to worry anymore about human dangers. he still flinches and looks twice before pulling onto the highway and all. but mostly he still worries about his family and their perception of him and whether or not they see him as a bad person, despite their love and support. and of course, he worries about how he’ll be when the day comes that he gets older than them.

Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

David knows Michael’s order all too well and specifically chooses restaurants that have at least fifteen kinds of burgers to choose from.

Michael swears David is making stuff up at this point whenever they go to a sushi place or a Thai place and he chooses something new to try every time. he knows David’s bubble tea order by heart, though.

Who tops?

Michael, but they’ll switch whenever David has had enough of Michael being too gentle with him.

Who initiates kisses?

David, but he’ll usually give Michael a look when he wants a kiss and Michael is happy to oblige. otherwise, since David likes gross PDA, he usually steals a kiss whenever he can.

Who reaches for the other's hand first?

David and it’s usually because he has to pull Michael along after he gets lost in his thoughts, more often than not after they feed.

Who kisses the hardest?

Michael. David nipped at his bottom lip once and that’s all it took for his fangs to come out and sometimes, it gets a little bloody.

Who wakes up first?

Michael. he has to practically drag David out of bed most nights because he’s too comfortable.

Who wants to stay in bed just a little longer?

David as stated above lmao. who knows how long dude was batting it up before he could sleep in a bed again.

Who says I love you first?

Michael and it was out of frustration.

Who tells their family/friends about their relationship first?

there’s no one to tell at first since they were keeping it secret, but Star finds out first and is initially upset, mostly about being lied to. grandpa eventually finds out next and then Sam stumbled across them by accident, so...both of them technically spill the beans together each time lmao

What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

Lucy is supportive and likes David a lot. she knows she should probably resent him for turning Michael, but he really seems like a boy who was in a bad scenario and is making due with what happened to him. she also knows Michael has been a good influence on him and trusts the two of them are doing what they need to to survive. her and David bond over shit talking Max and the best kind of wines.

Sam was understandably skeptical at first, but he and David came to an understanding and they’re cool now. they bond over music and David eventually comes around to really enjoying board games because of Sam, mostly because he wins every single game. Sam even refers to him as his brother-in-law.

Star took longer to come around but she mostly listens whenever Sam tells her what they’re up to. she’s also mostly relieved that she dodged both of those bullets and can live her own life how she wants to now, grateful that the boys gave her an escape and that Michael helped get her human life back.

Who is more likely to start dancing with the other?

both of them suck at dancing, but Michael will spin David every now and then when a cheesy slow song comes on, or Careless Whispers and they both crack up.

Who cooks more/who is better at cooking?

when they’re back spending time with Michael’s family, David is usually the one helping Lucy in the kitchen. he’s chided Michael before about joining in, especially with the big holiday dinners but Michael is always there to lick whatever spoons and bowls clean when they make dessert.

they vow to take a cooking class or two while they’re out on the road but never do.

Who comes up with cheesy pick up lines?

Michael. he usually gets them from Sam.

Who whispers inappropriate things in the other's ear during inappropriate times?

David, 100%. inappropriate times being at all times because of the whole telepathy thing.

Who needs more assurance?

David, that Michael still wants to be with him and doesn’t resent him for turning him. but also Michael that he isn’t a monster and that he’s only doing what he needs to to survive.

What would be their theme song?

SOOOO MANY but just from my drive to work today: Possum Kingdom by the Toadies fits TOO well. Michael by Franz Ferdinand too obviously. I’m curating a playlist for them here at the moment if anyone’s interested lmao

Who would sing to their child back to sleep?

please don’t give these two a child

What do they do when they're away from each other?

they’re not usually too far from each other but David gets a little mopey until he can see Michael again. he’s protective so he doesn’t let Michael too far out of his sight. Michael feels a little part of himself missing when David’s not with him, so he’ll do whatever he needs to do quickly or just take David along with him.

one headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart:

despite all the time David has had to mourn and grieve, he still misses the other boys every day and sometimes it gets really painful. his only regret in life is not easing Michael into the vampire thing more before turning him, but he was under a time constraint from Max so he didn’t have much of a choice. they still get into shouting matches very rarely about whether or not Michael was the catalyst for the other three’s deaths and David’s very deep, hidden fear is that he’ll never learn how to accept it and one day, his emotions will take him too far and Michael will get sick of his guilt trips.

one headcanon about this OTP that mends it:

Michael does blame himself for David’s grief, because how could he not. he feels like the constant source of David’s sorrow when it comes to the boys but also his ecstatic love and it pulls him in two directions. he listens intently whenever David tells him about his past and his time with the boys and asks what they’d say or do if they were there with them right now, and it continues into the modern era. Michael asks what kind of blog Paul would have (music reviews and fashion), what Marko would name his Instagram account for bird photography (vampigeons), and how many followers Dwayne would get on tiktok for posting thirst traps. David knows Michael cares and is trying to keep the spirit of the lost boys alive.

#i miss my fic ok i wanted to expand on it a little 🥺#the fluff overload tag comes in handy here #my fics #the lost boys #david/michael emerson

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whywishesarehorses · 3 years

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Limitless - 2021 Pacific Crest Trail Ride Through

3 days ago, on April 7th, Jess Goodlett started the ride of her dreams - a 2,650 mile ride of the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail, border to border. She is attempting this ride alone, with two BLM mustangs she has trained herself. Jess is part of the Limitless team, a group of women going on various adventures to prove that the things women can accomplish in pursuit of their dreams are Limitless. This ride is fantastic, and Jess is still sourcing financial support. She has venmo, PayPal, and merch set up if you are interested in helping out!

This is similar in spirit to the idea of Unbranded, and Jess has been in contact with some of that team for advice.

Below I've shared a blog post she wrote discussing the trip and her plans! Under a readmore because it's LONG.

Time to Make this Official.

Yes, the ride is on.

I am planning a thru-ride on the Pacific Crest Trail for 2021.

My name is Jess Goodlett. I am 25 years old, and I have been a part of Limitless since the beginning.

📷Photo of the Limitless group from 2017

People seem to say that I am pretty outgoing and adventurous. When I set my mind on a goal, I definitely become very determined to make it happen. Most of my family and friends were not too surprised when I dropped the news that I was going to continue the plan to attempt a thru-ride on the Pacific Crest Trail. This trail has been on my mind for years, and it was actually how Limitless got its start.

My trail name is Raindance (this is how I got my trail name), and these are my BLM Mustangs, Makani (10-year-old bay roan mare) and Malana (7-year-old chestnut mare).

Also, here is little Zendaya. She is too young to join in on the fun next year, but maybe she will get the chance to tag along in the near future.

📷Zendaya (Daya for short) is my youngest mustang. I hope that she will be able to join in our an adventure in a few years. She is only 3 right now, so she still has some growing to do.

Here [is a photo] of me from a few years back, when I was able to set foot on a small section of the Pacific Crest Trail. This is the moment that sparked up the passion for the trail again after dealing with nostalgia from the group’s ride on the Colorado Trail in 2017.

I had convinced my dad and uncle to drive a rental car up some narrow mountain roads just to be able to set foot on part of the Pacific Crest Trail near Big Bear Lake. It felt magical getting the chance to hike a very small section of the trail. It was like getting a small taste of a big dream. My time on the trail may have only lasted 30 minutes, but it made me realize that I was still very passionate about this trail even after my experience on the Colorado Trail.

📷Repping Limitless while dreaming of a thru-ride on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Making Plans

The plans have gone back and forth a few times, but the goal is to set out on trail in the Spring of 2021. For me, there are a lot of emotions tied in with this thu-ride. I am sure there will be a lot of time for reflection on the days leading up to the trail, including each and every day spent out there with my horses.

This is a big trek. Every time I look at the maps, I feel excited. Maybe a little nervous. But I am focused on what is ahead. The days are flying by fast, and I know the day that I head out to California will be here sooner than I can even imagine. A lot of my time right now is being spent with the horses, and any additional free time goes toward researching the trail.

Let’s talk about the trail.

📷Hike at Kendall Katwalk (part of the PCT) near Seattle, Washington near Snowqualmie Pass

What is the Pacific Crest Trail?

📷Map of the Pacific Crest Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail is a border to border trail that starts at the Mexican border and travels through California, Oregon, and Washington to the Canadian border. The trail is 2,650 miles long, and it is open to both hikers and equestrians.

There are only a handful of completed equestrian thru-rides that are documented. I am sure there are a few more that have gone unmentioned online, but to be honest, it is much more likely for people to plan a thru-hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Us thru-riders are very few.

For those who may not know, a thru-hike or thru-ride is a long distance trail that is completed in one go (typically one season) – from one end of the trail to other end. This differs from section hiking where one may just complete small sections of the trail instead of the entire length. Though, what a thru-hike or thru-ride is for one person may differ slightly for another. Sometimes trail conditions during a certain year results in hikers or riders having to alter the original path on the trail to detour things like a fire or trail closure. But this does not take away from the fact that the trail was completed if they reach the end. As they say, hike your own hike, or in this situation – ride your own ride.

On the note of section hiking and riding, the Pacific Crest Trail is also a very popular option for those looking to just complete certain sections. According to the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA), there are a total of 29 sections: 18 sections in California, 6 sections in Oregon, and 5 in Washington.

Elevation ranges greatly throughout the entire trail, along with a vast variety of terrain. The Pacific Crest Trail travels over many mountain passes and through many wilderness areas, national forests and parks.

More information can be found on the PCTA official website.

The Difficulties of Planning a Thru-Ride

Taking on a thru ride comes with a lot of its own types of challenges that hikers will not have to face. Adding in one or two horses on trail adds its own difficulty especially when it comes to the logistics.

As I am researching the trail, I am trying to answer questions such as: How are the water sources in this section? Where can I camp? Are there any grazing restrictions? Any trail concerns?

How will I resupply? Where are some places I may be able to pull the horses off trail to rest them? Who will be my emergency contacts? And the list goes on.

I cannot really plan too far ahead with any set plans, but one of my biggest obstacles will be the snow. Trail conditions can change daily, and I have no idea how the winter is going to look at this moment. Because of the length of the trail, some decisions will not be made until I am on trail. I expect many unplanned things to happen. That is just the way it is, and that is why the focus right now is to study and learn the trail as much as I can.

📷Photo of Makani from our 2017 ride on the Colorado Trail.

Why the Pacific Crest Trail?

It was 2013 when I first heard about the Pacific Crest Trail. I was actually scrolling through Facebook when I came across a post in an equestrian Facebook group where a few people were talking about long distance trails. The main topic was riding horses from coast to coast ,but then the Pacific Crest Trail was brought up in the discussion. It was the first time I had heard of an established border to border trail. I was very interested and after a few quick searches online, I quickly became obsessed with this trail and the idea of completing a border to border trail horseback.

Though, I knew I was not ready at that time to take on such a big adventure. I kept the idea stored away in my mind. It would sneak back into my thoughts every so often. When it did, I would spend hours researching this trail and looking for any information I could find for equestrians. I told myself that one day… one day, I would ride the Pacific Crest Trail.

It wasn’t until 2015, when I decided to reach out to some people about the trail. I talked with Gillian Larson, who had completed the trail horseback in 2014. She has been a big inspiration to me and to many others. Over the years, she has now completed the Pacific Crest Trail two times horseback. She has also completed the 800 mile Arizona Trail, the 500 mile Colorado Trail, and the 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail, which is another border to border trail. (Seriously, check out her Instagram. Her photos and videos of the trails are absolutely breathtaking!)

I also spoke with Ben Masters of Unbranded who encouraged me to get out and “just do it.”

This is when I started to think about friends who may be interested in riding with me. Initially, I reached out to Devan Horn about riding a border to border trail. Devan was the first person I ever thought of to even contact about a thru-ride. She is adventurous and possibly the only person I knew at the time who would have been up for such a challenge. I mentioned to her that I was interested specifically in riding the Pacific Crest Trail. We talked briefly about a long distance trek, and we told each other that we would keep in touch.

A few months passed, when Ragan Kelly reached out to me about a long distance trail. She had spoken with Devan who had mentioned my name to her. Ragan knew a few more people interested in a thru-ride, and that is how Limitless began.

Now, the Pacific Crest Trail is a much longer trail than what my friends and I rode in 2017 with the Colorado Trail. But as I mentioned, the Limitless team originally started with the goal of riding a border to border trail together.

Our exact plans were to ride a shorter trail, the Colorado Trail, in 2017. Then, we wanted to ride a border to border trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, in 2020. But since the start of Limitless in 2015, a lot of things have changed.

When we completed the Colorado Trail, we could all agree it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Out of the group, I was honestly one who did not see myself fully committing to another thru-ride anytime soon. My end of the ride on the Colorado Trail was not what I wanted. Also, what they do not warn you much about long distance trails is that life continues on in the “real world.”

Life. Work. School. Other hobbies and interests. New goals and new opportunities.

There was nothing negative that happened within the team. We are all really good friends and forever will be. I love each and every one of them wholeheartedly. Though, we do not get the chance to see each other often, we will forever hold onto the memories that we created together on the Colorado Trail.

So wait… you are doing this trek solo?

Yes, that is correct. Solo. I am riding the trail alone with my two horses.

I will be honest. This was never my plan. Originally, I was unsure of a solo trek. I did not want to ride this trail alone.

When plans for a 2021 trek started, this thru-ride was going to be made for two riders. But plans changed yet again, and I had to make a decision to either hold off riding the trail or to just go after my dreams.

I know the pros and cons of going by myself, and I know the pros and cons with riding with others. I have heard the recommendations. I have heard the concerns. And with that said, I will continue on with planning this trek solo. This will allow me to put all of my focus on my horses’ needs to get them safely through the trail.

Though, I do hope to have a few friends join in here and there for sections.

How long will this trail take?

This trail will approximately take five to six months to complete. The horses and I will average 20-25 miles per day. I am also factoring in plenty of rest days for the horses. We are starting early enough to get through the hotter, dryer Southern California sections, but we will very likely have to skip around and circle back to some parts of the trail because of snow. In order to complete the full trail in one season, we need to be done sometime in September before the snow starts back up in Washington.

So What is Next?

I have a little over half a year left to get ready for this trek. I am looking forward to sharing our progress leading up to the trail and sharing the adventures that are to come.

#poc equestrian #limitless #pacific crest trail #pct #blm mustang #mustang horse #endurance riding #trail riding #equestrian #horse #hiking #jess goodlett

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anchoviesinthenightsky · 3 years

Note

Okay real talk for a sec, loving the little mermaid au. Honestly anything I see of fandom Luca just…isn’t fun, they just flanderized him, he ends up not knowing anything and is empty headed. Idk I can’t explain it, but I’m just loving these Luca aus cause he actually feels like Luca.

First of all, thank you. I'm so glad you're enjoying the aus. I have so much fun talking with people about them. I feel like a lot of the credit goes to the anons, who come up with such interesting ideas, and who have so much passion and enthusiasm and joy for those ideas. And I'm so grateful that get to respond to that with my own thoughts.

In terms of the rest of what you mentioned, I have to say that I haven't actually noticed that from the blogs I follow. But I definitely think Luca definitely suffers from main character syndrome, where it's very easy to overlook his character and insert whatever you feel like into him.

To some degree, that makes him a really flexible character to put into aus, and you can do a lot of different things with him. But that also means it's easy to make him kind of bland.

And to be fair, sometimes Luca being empty headed can be really funny, right? Like, for a joke or a head cannon! Even thinking about the movie, there's that one scene where Giulia and Alberto are fighting. and Luca is just like o_o and it's really funny!

I could also see how that could get frustrating if that's all you're seeing out of Luca (that could also mean you might need to follow some new blogs to get some more variety!)

Switching gears a little bit here, to talk more about writing and writing Luca specifically --

to be honest with you, from the writer perspective, I found Luca to be incredibly difficult character to write. I know he doesn't really seem that way, but I had a lot of conversations with friends while I was working on my longfic, where we just talked about Luca as a character for hours, and I did several rewatches of the film where I just sort of focused in on him. How he reacts to things, what he tends to talk about, his body language etc. And it just took a while to get his character down to a place that I liked

And I also want to acknowledge that like.. I'm an older fandom person, who's taken professional writing workshops and who has writing published. I've spent the better part of the last ten years studying and thinking about writing craft. And Luca was hard to figure out!! I can totally see how other writers could look at Luca and feel like he's kind of bland and just want to use him as an audience projection kind of character, because that was how I felt for a good while too. I was really resistant in trying to understand Luca, because I just wanted to focus in on Alberto, who has some very obvious and interesting conflicts to play with.

That said, I really love writing Luca now. I feel like he's a fun, complex character to write. And, in the off chance that another writer/ creator sees this post and have felt a similar frustration with writing Luca--

These are some things that I try to keep in mind while writing him:

- Luca is incredibly curious. And he's willing to put himself at risk to pursue his curiosity (think about his first trips to the surface!)

- he's willing to do a lot for his friends, including risking his life and safety for them. He does it when he grabs Alberto from the net, and he also does it when he goes back for Giulia.

- related to that, I also feel like he's someone who's more willing to stand up for his friends than to stand up for himself.

- he's kind of impulsive (going to the surface, deciding to race alone)

- he's got a complicated relationship with his parents. They clearly love and care for him a lot, but sometimes go too far in trying to protect him. For Luca, he still loves them obviously. but I'm sure he deals with some trust issues, he might be slow to share important information with them, he might think about their reactions to something before he tells them, but also he enjoys spending time with them. their home is a place where he probably feels comfort/love/nostalgia for the most part. it's... complicated

- he experiences anxious thoughts. sometimes when I write him I give him an anxiety disorder (bc i have anxiety), but either way. Luca deals with thoughts that make him overly cautious and less confident. When I'm writing Luca, I'm also often thinking about what his inner monologue looks like. Where is he holding himself back? What incorrect assumptions has he made about others or himself? (In my fic one of those thoughts is "I don't deserve to prioritize my needs/ I can push aside my needs for others/ others needs are more important than my own." Even if I don't voice that thought out loud, you can see it in a lot of Luca's actions, like accepting to fake date two people at once even though both fake relationships put him in an awkward position)

- He gained confidence by the end of the movie, but that's likely something that fluctuates after the events of the movie

- He's someone caught between two worlds. That can cause of feeling of disconnect or like he doesn't truly belong anywhere.

Soooo yeah! I hope that list is a useful resource to some of you, and a decent answer to your ask. I know it was probably a longer response than you were expecting, but I have a lot of thoughts about Luca and writing and writing Luca lol. And I'm also really glad that you've been enjoying the aus! :)

#ask box #long post #i tried to keep this conversation more on the writing of Luca rather than on people who write Luca & hopefully that distinction came across #i think it's fair to talk about different depictions of a character and the pros/cons to them #and i tried to keep this pretty tight to my experiences writing Lcua #and also the last thing i want to do is make any fan creator feel bad so #i also want to say that if you /do/ write luca as sort of an audience fill in-- that's totally fine. write what who enjoy! /genuine #and you will (and likely already do) have an audience who loves it!#:)

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sharksandothernonsense · 3 years

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The Sound of a Bell

Written for @melly1 as part of the Redwall Midwinter Gift Exchange. I ended up combining all three of your requests - I hope you like the results!

(I’m also autobotscoutriella - just posting this on my fic blog instead of the Transformers RP one.)

AO3 Link

The bells mark out important moments in the lives of Matthias and Cornflower, across the seasons.

Listen and my voice you’ll hear, throughout the changing seasons

While Matthias knew he hadn’t been born at the Abbey – he had occasionally been told the story of his arrival at the Abbey as a tiny orphan – he had no memory of a time when he had not been surrounded by dusty red sandstone, jewel-toned orchards and gardens, and woodland-green habits. For as long as he could remember, the gentle tolling of the Joseph Bell had marked out the events of his life, from mornings and mealtimes to seasons-day celebrations and the appointments of new Brothers and Sisters to the order.

That bell had also marked what would, in hindsight, become the most important meeting of his life – though Matthias didn’t know it at the time.

The Joseph Bell chimed out the dinner hour, and Matthias scrambled to cross Great Hall and reach Cavern Hole before someone noticed he was late. His sandals, far too big for tiny paws, flopped about and threatened to trip him, and he kept stumbling on the hem of his habit, even after Sister Rose had specially cut it down. He was so focused on trying not to trip that he didn’t see the other little figure in the middle of Great Hall until it was too late, and the two collided with near-simultaneous startled yelps.

Matthias was up first, scrambling to help the stranger up and apologizing so quickly he stumbled over the words. “Sorry, sorry – so sorry - tripped on my, er, sandals, and I didn’t see…”

He looked up mid-sentence, holding a sandal in one paw and the other young one’s paw in the other, and found himself staring into a pair of warm brown eyes. His voice suddenly stuck in his throat, and though he tried to say I thought I was the only one late for tea, it came out as “thoughtwaslatefor…uh, tea?”

The little mousemaid giggled shyly, and Matthias promptly lost his entire heart.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I was lookin’ at the pictures.” She pointed up at the tapestry, where Martin the Warrior smiled down at them. “I’m Cornflower Fieldmouse. What’s your name?”

Matthias had to clear his throat before he could tell her. “I’m – I’m Matthias. And that’s Martin the Warrior.” It felt important, somehow, to make sure she knew that as well. “He founded our Abbey.”

The Joseph Bell tolled again before either of them could speak, and Cornflower’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right, tea! My mum’n’dad’ll be wondering where -”

Matthias tugged at her paw. “C’mon! It’s just down in Cavern Hole.”

The two little ones ran off, paw in paw. Matthias would not remember that he’d forgotten his sandal in Great Hall until almost nightfall, when Brother Dan asked him why he only had one.

I will ring for wedding times, when two hearts unite

On a crisp, late-fall dawn, the sun rose slowly over Mossflower Wood, gradually tinting the crisp shadows of night with the soft reds and golds of sunlit autumn leaves. The light had barely begun to touch the walls of Redwall Abbey, but it promised to be a cool, cloudless day.

Cornflower, wife of Matthias the Warrior, stood on the walltop over the Abbey threshold, watching Mossflower and the Abbey slowly come to life. She drew her shawl closer around her shoulders and gazed down at the silent, shadowed gardens, thinking back over that summer. Something about early mornings sent her mind back to times before – the Summer of the Late Rose really hadn’t been that long ago, but somehow it already felt like a lifetime.

Cornflower regretted very little when she looked back at her wedding day. The ceremony had been simple and solemn, a joyous moment that still acknowledged the tragedy that had come immediately before. It had been the most beautiful moment of her life, and two seasons on, she looked back on it with fondness.

But if she could have changed one thing, it would have been the bells.

The Joseph Bell had always rung for weddings, singing out the joy of the ceremony across the woodlands until Mossflower itself echoed with it. Even as a tiny mouselet with no idea what a wedding was or why anyone would want one, Cornflower had loved to listen to the sound of the bell, and when she had finally understood what it meant, she had sometimes daydreamed of the day the bell would ring for her own wedding.

It was no one’s fault that there hadn’t been a bell to ring for her wedding, of course, except maybe Cluny’s. The Methuselah and Matthias bells – and it still made her smile to think of how shy and flustered her husband had been when Abbot Mordalfus announced that one of the bells would be named for him – had not been completed until almost a full season after the war had ended. Redwall’s bellringers would happily have rung the bells for them, given the opportunity.

Now, Cornflower thought with a touch of wonder as she ran a paw gently over her apron, they would have another happy reason to ring the bells.

A shadow fell over the battlement next to Cornflower, and she looked up to see Matthias approaching. “You always come up here when you need to think,” he said, answering her question before she even asked it. He placed a paw around her shoulders as soon as he reached her side. “Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes.” Cornflower leaned into Matthias’s side, watching the sun’s rays gradually turn the Abbey building from deep red to dusty pink. “Everything is more than all right.” She folded her paw over his and tilted her face up until she could look at him. “When spring arrives, our little family will be three.”

It took him a moment to understand, but when he did, his face lit up even brighter than the rising sun. “You mean we’re – you’re – ”

“Going to have a child,” Cornflower confirmed. Matthias fumbled over his words visibly for a moment before sweeping her up in a hug, struck speechless with happiness.

As the two of them held each other close, the sun rose fully into the sky, and Redwall’s twin bells tolled out a new day. Leaning against Matthias’s chest, Cornflower thought that the bells sounded just that much more joyful this morning, as if the bells themselves knew that there was a reason to celebrate.

I will boom a sad farewell, when they must leave this life

The evening bells tolled out slowly, solemnly, over the quiet Abbey grounds. Matthias gazed up at a deep blue-purple sky through eyes that no longer saw as clearly as they once did, watching the sun begin to set over the west wall of the Abbey. Midsummer’s Day was almost over, but there was one more celebration to hold before the day ended.

Cornflower, I wish you were here to see this, Matthias thought. You would have been so proud.

He had hoped that she would see it. Planning had begun in spring, and even though Cornflower had been quite frail then, she had taken part in the early preparations. But to his sorrow, at the beginning of summer, Cornflower had quietly passed on. It had been peaceful, surrounded by friends and family, and she had gently told him that she was ready, but ever since, Matthias had felt that most of the light had gone out of the world.

The last note of the bells hung on the still air, sweet and melancholy. Even on this joyous occasion, there was a touch of sadness to their sound, as if the bells themselves knew that the celebration was marked by the absence of long-gone loved ones. Constance and Orlando, old Abbot Mordalfus, the Churchmice, Cornflower…Each season, the Abbey felt just a bit older, and the bells a bit more mournful.

Or perhaps, Matthias thought wryly, those were just the thoughts of an old mouse, drifting off into nostalgia as he watched the sun set and thought about his beloved wife.

“Grandfather? Are you all right?”

Matthias looked up to see his grandson, Martin, standing beside him. Martin was still a young mouse, but he had grown up tall and strong, much as his father had. Smiling, Matthias patted the broad paw that rested on his shoulder. “Yes, I’m all right. I was thinking of your grandmother, and how much she would have loved to be here today.”

Martin nodded, a hint of sadness creeping into his expression. “I miss her too.”

“She was proud of you, you know.” Matthias accepted the support of his grandson’s arm as they made their way back toward the Abbey. “Just as proud as I am. And even though she didn’t live to see this day, she knew that it would come, and she was so happy for you.”

Martin held his grandfather’s paw carefully. “Do you think she’s watching us?”

“I’m sure that she is.” Matthias patted Martin’s paw gently. “Her grandson is becoming the Warrior of Redwall today. This is a joyous moment for us all, and I am sure that her spirit is here today to watch over us.”

As Matthias the Warrior and his grandson entered Great Hall together, Matthias thought that he could still hear the echo of the bells, marking out the seasons and celebrations of Redwall Abbey for many seasons past, and for many more to come.

#redwall #My writing #redwall midwinter gift exchange 2021

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random-mha-thoughts · 4 years

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Teddy (Shinsou x Reader)

Pairing: Shinsou x Reader

Genre: Fluff!!! Periodt!!

Summary: You’re walking back to Shinsou’s place to help him pack after a party with the Heroes, but he doesn’t seem to want to.

Word count: 1,542

Tags: @yuki-osaki @liviitehe @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog @bunnythepipsqueak

a/n: Help I think I just devastated myself into wanting Shinsou as my boyfriend hhhhh you have been warned

This might be my favorite of the 3 so far. Some of you might think Shinsou as ooc here, but this is my note that you’ve been dating for a loooong time and (as it says in the story) he wasn’t always like that, he needed to work at it. He’s just a giant who loves lazing around and cuddling okay shut up

Shinsou is my 2nd fave boy in MHA so I hope I did him justice. I agree he deserves so much more love and attention because he’s secretly soft babe. Not much spice here, but 12 cavities worth of fluff uwu.

I’m finally done with everyone I wanted to do this scenario for! (If this is your first time here, I’ve also done Bakugou and Todoroki) I have a huge list of ideas and no clue what order to write them in, plus Icy Hot’s birthday is in 2 days, so I’m obligated to do something special for him.

Okay I’m done talking now, enjoy!

"Did you have a good time?"

My purple haired boyfriend shrugs. "You know I don't really care about parties. I only went because you were going."

I frown at his avoidance of the question. "Okay, but were you miserable being there?"

"Miserable isn't the word I'd use."

"Hitoshi!" I groan. It's like pulling teeth with him sometimes.

He chuckles at my frustration before wrapping an arm around my waist and placing a kiss on my temple. "Just messin' with you. Of course I had fun, I was with you."

"Is that why you were practically glued to my side the whole night?" I poke his firm stomach teasingly.

"Not the whole time. I talked to Midoriya, Todoroki, had a drink with Kaminari-"

"-While you were still within 10 feet of me."

He huffs a stubborn breath and plops his large hand on top of my head to ruffle my hair. "You're my favorite person there, why would I stray from you?"

I lean into his touch, almost like a pet cat. "To make friends? Socialize? Mingle? Something to that effect maybe?" Not that I'm the most extroverted person either, but at least I try to make an effort for friends.

"Yea- No, I'd rather be home sleeping next to you," he dismisses lazily, rejoining our hands together.

I chuckle at his predictable answer. "Can't say I don't agr-EEH!"

Shinsou suddenly hoists me into his arms bridal style and continues walking down the dimly lit road as if it's the most natural thing. "Now that I have the thought in my head, I wanna hurry and get home to cuddle with you, kitty."

My arms instinctively cling around his neck. "Don't you have to pack first?"

He groans in annoyance and picks up his pace. "Then we really need to hurry."

His overt display of need is amusing. As I lean against his chest, I'm reminded of when we first started dating. Shinsou barely even wanted to hold hands in the beginning because he would get flustered, and now here he is carrying me down the street in public. Even the first time we cuddled, as soon as I leaned on him, his body was stiffer than a board in confusion. After a while, he's grown into an oversized teddy bear hungry for cuddles. If that isn't growth, I don't know what is.

"What did you and Todoroki talk about?" I draw circles on his chest absentmindedly, the steady rhythm of his steps rocking my body back and forth.

"Nothing really. Just hero stuff."

"I always thought you guys would've been good friends, since you're both alike," I think out loud.

"You don't say?" I can tell I've piqued his interest.

"Yeah, both of you took a while to come out of your shell, you both took a while to trust and befriend people even though both you claimed you didn't come to UA to make friends, you both had your walls broken down by Broccoli boy." He snorts at my stupid nickname for Midoriya. "Both of you are touch-starved babies-"

"Hold on," he stops dead in his tracks and eyes me warily. "How do you know Todoroki's touch-starved?"

"Because every Sunday I go to his place to pet him and rub his tummy," I retort sarcastically. When Shinsou continues glaring at me, I kiss his nose cheekily. "Obviously, Midoriya talks about it all the time. Not to mention Todoroki clings to Midoriya the same way you cling to me."

"I don't appreciate the attitude, Tiny." A smirk spreads across his face, and I know I'm dead. Before I can protest, he flings my body over his shoulder. "You deserve this!"

I smack his back defiantly, my face heating up in embarrassment. "Hitoshi!"

Shinsou makes a point to skip the elevator and climb all 3 flights of stairs up to his floor with me still slung over his back. When we reach his apartment, he flings me down onto his couch and looks down at me like a disappointed parent. "Did you learn your lesson now?"

I nod in earnest. "I won't tickle Todoroki's tummy without your permission again."

His face turns red and he growls out loud before attacking me in a frenzy of tickles. "What did you say, kitty?!"

"Stop!" I struggle against him, but he's too giant for me to push him off through my laughing fits. "You know...I'm sensitive!"

"Try again!"

"O-Okay! I won't...taunt you...again!"

He finally stops his attack, pinning me under his massive body, my wrists next to my head as I gasp for air. Shinsou bursts out into a fit of his own laughter. "You should see how red your face is."

"Shut up."

He collapses on top of me, his head nuzzling into the crook of my neck and his arms caging me against him. "You're mine, kitty. I love you."

I smile to myself, playing with his hair. "I love you too, you giant bear." He's come such a long way. I wouldn't have imagined him to anything like this almost a year ago. It sobering that all this time, we've grown and changed together. I bask in the nostalgia, hearing his steady breathing against my skin.

And then I start running out of air. "Babe, I can't breathe anymore, get off."

"Hmm."

"Babe, you're smothering me." I attempt prying his arms from his tight grasp.

"Five more minutes."

"Hitoshi, you still need to pack!" I finally kick him off the couch, sending him tumbling onto the floor. "Come on you big lug, we can cuddle later. Let's go."

After a few minutes of struggling to get him off the floor, Shinsou finally trudges into his room and pulls out his bag, lazily surveying the clothes in his closet and drawers. He messily throws his them into his duffel, not caring where everything ends up, leaving me the responsibility of folding them up and neatly packing them away.

I pick up a printed black hoodie he threw into the pile to pack. "Can I keep this for the week, babe?"

He looks over his shoulder and chuckles. "If you go out in public with that, send me a photo. You'll look like a tiny child."

While he goes back to throwing stuff in the pile, I strip off my top and replace it with his hoodie, letting his natural musk envelop me in a hug. I snort when I see myself in his mirror. Shinsou's hoodie comes halfway down my thigh, swallowing up my entire frame in black. Moments like this remind me how much larger he is than me, not just his hands.

My boyfriend snickers when he sees me. "I told you you're tiny." His arms slither around my torso and he rests his chin on top of my head.

I play with the shoelace strings dangling from the hood. "It smells just like you," I admit softly, staring at him through the reflection.

His head descends to place a chaste kiss at the base of my jaw, sending warm tingles down my spine. "I'll be back for you, I won't be gone too long. And I'll be thinking of you the whole time."

"You better," I pout, not even trying to sound threatening from my tiny appearance. I hold his chin to place a kiss on his cheek. "I'll send you a morning text every day."

His cheeks blush faint rose. "I look forward to it," he mutters before collapsing his head into my neck.

"Hey hey, go finish packing." I try pushing his giant weight off me to no avail.

He wraps his arms tighter around me. "I can finish in the morning, my flight isn't until the afternoon," he drawls his breath into my skin, picking me up easily. "Let's go to bed, kitty."

I have no choice except to obey as he lays me down on one side. "Someone's very needy today."

Shinsou jumps onto the other side of the bed, removing his shirt in the process. "I need to store up for all the cuddles I'll miss when I'm away." He reaches over to pull his purple and black comforter over us, engulfing me in his warmth once again.

My head rests against his bare chest, the gentle thump of his heart in my ear. "Stay safe on your trip. I want you back here in one piece."

He hums in response, the noise reverberating against my face.

"And don't skip your meals. And get enough sleep for once."

Fingers tilt my chin up to face, dark purple eyes boring into mine. "How will I sleep well when my kitty's not with me?"

I plant a kiss on his lips. "Think of me next to you. Or call me."

His smile warms my heart as he clings closer to me and presses his lips against mine in a lazy, slow kiss. "You always know just what to say."

I move myself up so I can play with his hair, entwining my fingers in his hand at my waist. We lay there peacefully, hearing each other breathe, feeling each other's warmth, smelling each other's scent.

"You'll miss me, right?" he pokes open an eye to stare at me.

I squeeze him harder. "Yes teddy bear, I'll miss you."

#Shinsou x reader #shinsou fluff #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #shinsou imagine #shinsou scenario #gender neutral reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #shinsou hitoshi #hitoshi shinsou #mha fanfiction #bnha fanfiction

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amoveablejake · 3 years

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Finally, The Review

Six weeks on, the verdict on the Spite II is in.

For a brand new camera the Ilford Sprite II certainly feels as if it has a lot of history to it. Well, I suppose it does as it follows in the footsteps of the original Sprite as being pitched as a simple point and shoot companion that could fill the space occupied by disposable cameras. On the face of it, the Sprite seems like a simple, no nonsense little companion and it absolutely is those things but its also a great deal more. It has a charm to it that I wasn’t expecting and well, I won’t give away the ultimate verdict but the Sprite has definitely earned its place at the table.

In a piece posted in early April, I gave my initial impressions of the Sprite II however, all of these impressions were based on the camera itself rather than the photographs it was producing as i hadn’t gotten any developed at that time. That has not changed, for frequent readers of the blog you would have noticed that a photograph from the inaugural roll of film has now been shared. When I first looked through the batch of photographs from that first roll I was very impressed, I am always a bit nervous when shooting with a new camera and especially in this instance because there weren’t any photographs out there for me to reference to see how the Sprite II performs. As I wrote about when I shared that first photograph from it, the Sprite II passed all of the little tests that I set it and did especially well when taking photographs when on the road which is one of the main things I’ll be using it for. The little black camera from Ilford did very well when suddenly taking a quick shot and definitely calmed my nerves that perhaps I would have missed certain moments if it wasn’t quite up to scratch. At the same time, it also does very well when shooting landscapes and brings a great deal of detail to its shots which I’ll admit I was not expecting. The photographs themselves also have a slight warping in the corners which for me is a real delight as it only adds to the feeling of age with the shots. The Sprite II makes the photographs feel like they’ve come from a long ol time ago and that is a big plus in my book. I haven’t done too many portraits with it yet so I can’t say how well it will perform in that regard however, I do have faith in it and besides its not the camera that I would reach for first when taking those shots. No, this is a camera to always have with you for those quick fire moments and it blew past my expectations for it.

Now, up top I mentioned that the Sprite II feels like it has a great deal of history in it as you use it. And yes, it does have that with Ilford but I am talking about something slightly different here. The Ilford Sprite II was made to replicate a disposable camera in both its feel and ease of use. Throughout my childhood until I got my actual film cameras I used disposable point and shoots, now with the Sprite II that same joy has come back. I should say that I do have other point and shoot cameras but all of the others are a step up from the disposable type and with the Sprite II sitting on sort of the same level it feels like a direct hit powered by nostalgia from holidays from my childhood. And with those disposable cameras the same joy of snapping away and anticipating the arrival of those shots is here. With the Sprite II I’m not aiming for the finest photographs I’ve taken but because of the happiness involved when using it, they sometimes feel like the best shots when they’re developed. That childlike joy coming back to them.

So, the verdict. Well to assess that we should ask the question of whether I will be using the Sprite II again and the answer to that is yes. Absolutely. Its simplicity and the joy of using it has really hit home and it has funnily enough filled a void in the roster I didn’t even know was there. As I said a moment ago, I do have other point and shoots, for instance one of my favorites the Olympus AF10 Super. But, the Sprite is in its own lane here. The AF10 Super is a truly wonderful camera capable of taking truly remarkable shots that you may not be expecting when you look at its humble plastic body. It is a camera that I took to Denmark when it was sub zero and despite my more frozen than usual hands being constantly numb, it still managed to perform and gift me with one of my favourite sets of photographs. I’m saying all of this here to illustrate that I thought I had the point and shoot corner covered, more than covered, but no a Sprite II hole was waiting to be filled. The Sprite II differs from the AF10 because its the camera you would always have in your bag. Now, I do always have my AF10 with me or the Olympus Trip 35 but I mean more that if I was going somewhere where I didn’t want to worry about the camera, I would taken the Sprite II. Its cheap, I know I could easily pick up another but it will perform brilliantly and in doing so I’ll fall in love with it and fear taking it with me to these covert operations apparently I’m going on meaning I’ll have to find yet another camera to fill this position which I’ll then fall in love with and the cycle goes on and on.

Ultimately, I do really like the Sprite II. I’m not in love with it and it doesn’t quite have the same connection as the Olympus AF10 Super and the Trip 35 (of the same manufacturer) but then again, the Sprite II hasn’t been on a true adventure with me yet. For the time being, it is in the roster and I honestly think its going to stay there for quite some time. All it needs now is a voyage with me, to oh I don’t know, Norway, where it is always in my pocket and captures an oh so special photograph that leapfrogs it up the rankings and in doing so completely nullifies the point of it always being in my pocket. So, my verdict, I like it. I like it a hell of a lot. So much so, I’m scared I’m going to love it.

- Jake, a man who could bore you about Robert Lewandowski scoring 41 goals in a single season all night, 23/05/2021

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thedisneychef · 1 year

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Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Honey-Truffle Brown Butter Recipe

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yawnjunie · 4 years

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extra long tag game (seriously, it’s very long)

tagged by: @soobindipity (ty eri!)

tagging: @acethetiques, @bloomingjun, @txtdream, @bulgo-gyu...(i’m honestly so lazy so if you want to do this, go ahead! feel free to ignore if you were tagged)

ONE

tell me the first song that made you stan your current fave group and why did your faves attract you so much?

side effects! (oops this is a txt blog) but i’m pretty sure this is what made me want to stan skz! the song is very experimental, as it’s psychedelic edm (i believe), but i liked it a lot after a few listens. i was totally obsessed with the choreography as well, because the whole thing is just...art. they attracted me because their style of music was different than what i had seen before, and on top of being extremely talented and creative people, they were also super funny and caring.

another group that comes really close to being my favs is day6 (and i cannot even begin to describe my infatuation with this group). i listened to “shoot me” and “sweet chaos” and BAM that’s all it took to drag me into stanning this group. i’m not familiar with the inside jokes and all that, but i just love listening to their music! there is not a single bad song in their entire discography! i also have the largest heart eyes for young k’s “young one” project covers and eaJ’s original songs.

—

TWO

rule: answer the ten questions and write your own!

what’s your unrealistic goal for life?

going to an ivy league or just any amazing school in general (lol is this really gonna happen tho 🤪)

if you had known that we would be in a global pandemic, what’s one thing that you would’ve done before things shut down (if they have for you)?

gone out with my friends, probably (going for a boba run, going to the mall, etc.)

what’s an unconventional thing that you carry around with you when you go out?

a tiny book called “be active” by charles m. schulz, filled with motivation quotes. i also bring around a book, in case i get bored.

favourite type of plushies and why?

the extra fluffy kind that i can hug or use as a pillow, but i like the bear plushies a lot too (from daiso/miniso).

favourite song right now?

darn i don’t have one 😳 but i like listening to “ribs” by lorde

something that you’ve always wanted to learn?

how to make macarons, how to make/compose music, the korean language

tell a funny story about yourself (or just something that you’ve witnessed)

i can’t think of something off the top of my head :( (i promise my life isn’t that boring but my brain isn’t conjuring up anything helpful)

headphones or speakers? why?

headphones when i want to listen to music by myself/with a friend, speakers when i want to share music openly

craving any food right now? what are you craving?

banh mi and 🍅 (even though i just had a bowl of them...sorry beomgyu)

+ also this coconut that i’m trying to open? but it’s not cooperating with me 😔

which music streaming platform do you prefer? why?

spotify, it’s unproblematic for the most part

ten questions (by eri, answered)

1. what’s the best trip/vacation you’ve ever had?

when i went on a tour of china (i went to a bunch of places, from the city to the mountains). it was fun exploring places i’ve never been to!

2. do you have any random fears/phobias? if yes, what are they?

spiders and bugs :(

3. weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?

either mangostine (i hated it, sorry soobin) or frog legs

4. do you have any hidden talents? what can you do?

uhhhhhhhhhhh i can memorize things quickly? i mean i don’t think it’s that big of a talent but i can remember trivial history facts really well

5. what is an activity you’d like to try out someday?

swimming underneath a waterfall or just living in the wilderness

6. when did you get your first phone and what type of phone was it?

a very long time ago when i was in 2nd grade, when i first got an ancient flip-phone...i pretty much never touched it because i never really needed to use it

7. what is a movie you never get tired of watching?

kimi no nawa! i’ve watched that movie 3 times already and it’s a great movie so i wouldn’t mind watching it again :)

8. biggest pet peeve?

dirt encrusted fingernails >:(

9. earliest childhood memory?

i’m not sure :( my memory is just a jumble of things from my childhood

10. as a child, what did you want to be? what about now?

i wanted to be anything and everything...one day i would be like “i’m going to be a doctor” and the next i would be like “nvm i want to be a magician” and as for now, i’m actually not sure because i’m interesting in many fields, including areas in both sciences and humanities.

—

THREE

rule: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people.

AIR ༉⋆͙̈

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see the dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE ༉⋆͙̈

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER ༉⋆͙̈

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love simply lit dinners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH ༉⋆͙̈

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love this chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER ༉⋆͙̈

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

—

FOUR

PERSONAL

name: blu

nickname: blu

birthday: sometime when the flowers bloom

zodiac: aries

nationality: american

languages: english, chinese, spanish, (a bit of) japanese

gender: female

sexuality: straight

height: [redacted]

BLOG STUFF

inspiration for muse: txt and other groups i stan! i also like to take inspiration from my life experiences, books i’ve read, songs, movies. shows, and so on.

meaning behind my url: there weren’t any canon urls for yeonjun so my brain somehow went hmm? yawnjunie? sounds good (i’ve been asked this before and honestly there isn’t much logic behind my url lol)

blog established: June 5th, 2020

followers: 153 (it’s a small-ish community but thank you all for the support!)

FAVORITES

favourite animals: dogs, cats, wolves, foxes (i just love animals in general)

favourite books: asoue, the miraculous journey of edward tulane, the joy luck club, the giver series (there are more but i can’t think of them)

favourite colour: blue (i love all the colors)

favourite fictional characters: alyssa and james (teotfw), the baudelaires (asoue), and other people i can’t think of atm

favourite flower: i don’t think i have a specific favorite flower, but i like orchids!

favourite scent: the scent of pu’er tea (or the scent of dried flowers)

favourite season: i don’t have one, but i’m leaning towards autumn

RANDOM

average hours of sleep: 6-9

cats or dogs: dogs (i’m serious)

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: tea all the way

current time: 01:05

dream trip: south america, europe, japan

dream job: tbd :’) (but i want to be in a profession in which i’m helping people)

hobbies: eating, playing piano, being a tubbs™

hogwarts house: ravenclaw (i think)

last movie watched: can’t remember, but it was probably a film about a mermaid who tried to find true love on land but ended up dying

last song listened to: i’m in love with you by kina

no. of blankets you sleep with: 1-2

random fact(s): i love mint chocolate ice cream, i like my milk tea with a bunch of toppings (pudding, aloe vera, boba pearls, etc.)

—

FIVE

10 things I can’t stop listening to

if i could ride a bike - chevy

pinocchio - eaJ

fly me to the moon - young k

holo - lee hi

lmm - hwasa

man in a movie - day6

laughing on the outside - bernadette carroll

remember (from natsume’s book of friends) - uru

sparkle - radwimps

i loved you - day6

#the comprehensive profile of blu #this is more info about me than is on my actual about page whoops #about #tag game

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btxtreads · 4 years

Text

ANOTHER TAG ASHJHJASD

extra long tag game (aka a tmi that no one particularly cares for)

tagged by @txthearteu

tagging @markhyucknorenminchenji @qtsoobin @beomberry @txtdiaries and other people who wanna do it idk

ONE

tell me the first song that made you stan your current fave group and why did your faves attract you so much?

of course, none other than king943 hSJADJSAJHAS. He’s a little secret I’ll let you all in on: the first person I actually noticed in TXT was,,,,,,, Kang Taehyun hSDHJAHJSDAHSA but he wasn’t my bias. I just thought he was cute (also amused me bc my BTS bias was Taehyung and I found a guy named Taehyun cute), but I didn’t stan them then. I started stanning when I saw ONE DREAM.TXT where they talked to BTS and found them really cute and endearing. Looking into them, they were wild, and chaotic and so fun and also i got rEAAAALLY attached to Soobin. So here I am. There u go, my stanning story.

TWO

rule: answer the ten questions and write your own!

what’s your unrealistic goal for life?

becoming a famous actress or singer hJSHADJSA

if you had known that we would be in a global pandemic, what’s one thing that you would’ve done before things shut down (if they have for you)?

Went to a theme park. I miss going to theme parks 🥺

what’s an unconventional thing that you carry around with you when you go out?

hmmm most of the time i just go out with just my phone and money unless I need to bring a bag due to safety concerns/more items needed. So I’d say nothing unconventional.

favourite type of plushies and why?

God do I seem boring hsahsajjsa but i wasn’t too big on plushies. I had a gigantic teddy bear named Justin when I was a kid (it’s a bear with shades that my brother gave me) and I used to buy plushies whenever I’m in disneyland, it’s all in my sister’s reading lounge. The only plushie in my room now is a Mollang doll wearing like a blue shirt/dress, it’s my favorite rn It’s squishyyyy

favourite song right now?

right now, it’s Work It by Sabrina Carpenter.

something that you’ve always wanted to learn?

Dancing (i literally suck. i have no idea how. no joke), Vocal Lessons (had some lessons briefly for like a year but i stopped and want to take some again), music production, acting, hosting

tell a funny story about yourself (or just something that you’ve witnessed)

ok okok so one time in our class groupchat we were talking about class elections for officers. There were muse votes and some people were saying they want me to be the muse but i didnt want to bc i was busy with work. Then they started saying that they want me to be the muse and this guy that i rejected be the escort. while this is happening, i was simping hard for soobin in another chat. anyways, i got everything mixed up and accidentally sent the soobin simp stuff to the class chat and everyone thought i was simping for the classmate i rejected i was so asHAMED.

headphones or speakers? why?

speakers! idk i just like blastic the music loud.

craving any food right now? what are you craving?

anything with cheese

which music streaming platform do you prefer? why?

spotify since its free for me askjjksad someone pays for my subscription lmaooo

😌✌️

questions from cj to me:

android or apple? why?

APPLE because im loyal 😌 and i guess im just used to it so its easier to use for me + all my gadgets at home are mac

words of affirmation or physical affection? why?

I think there should be a good balance of both. The words will have the ability to give you this sense of comfort and satisfaction and you know just overall a peace of mind when you hear the right words??? and physical affection bc sometimes it’s just better to get a hug or a kiss isntead of talking yk? actions speak louder than words sometimes

bean bag or rocking chair? why?

Honestly, this would depend. If I’m reading a book and feeling very vintage with a hot cup of coffee, definitely a rocking chair. If I’m watching TV and basically just chilling I’d go for Bean Bag. I like maintaining the atmosphere.

do you view a half-filled glass as half-full or half-empty or an in-between? why? (go as deep as you can)

I view it as in-between, because there’s always room for improvement. There’s always things to change, and consider, and make better. There’s no such thing as perfect.

If someone were to grant your wish right now, what would it be and why?

Please stop corona right now and let everyone go back to their daily lives and please let me attend a TXT concert bls im begging on my kNEES

if someone were to give you anything you want right now, what would it be and why? (something that can be held)

Give me Soobin I just want to give him a hug. this is valid i can hold him

favorite season and why

Winter! Even if I’ve never experienced snow or winter before, the whole idea of snow is just really fun and endearing to me. One of my bucketlists is to see snow in real life. I think it has to do with the fact that I’ve always been this person to prefer the cold over heat.

what made you enter tumblr?

I’ve always been here! Just not in kpop tumblr. I’ve since deleted my old accounts and shame but i came back to write. It’s always been so stress-relieving to me, to write without any expectations on my back because I’m thinking about grades or a competition. Also Soobin simping is a daily thing and I gotta release it somewhere man

are you happy with where you are in life right now? why or why not?

Yes. I may not be the richest or the prettiest, or smartest or whatever, but I have a good family that loves me. I have good friends that support me and I have TXT and BTS to help me cope when things get overwhelming. I have a job that gives me a little bit of income (it’s not too common for college students here to get jobs like in the US, most of them just focus on acads) and all the means to continue my education amidst the pandemic. So really, I’m grateful for where I am now.

to see the boys in real life but for it to happen only once in your lifetime, or to meet the boys via online fan meeting as many times as you can in your lifetime? why?

Why do you have to do me dirty cj,,,,, prolly online. I may not get to hug them or anything but I get to talk to them still. As may times as I want to. And as a girl whose sanity literally just depends on Soobin giggles rn it’ll be very therapeutic to me to see them and talk to them as much as I could, even just through a screen.

QUESTIONS FROM ME TO YOU:

Cinema or Netflix? Why?

Fire or Rain? Why?

What’s the worst experience you’ve had as a KPOP stan?

How do you handle stress?

Favorite Disney Princess and why?

Which fictional character do you say you relate the most to?

How did you get into KPOP?

What kind of merch you got 👀

Would you date a KPOP idol? What would you do if you do date one? (doesnt have to be your bias, just wanna see what y’all would do)

Would you rather be with someone you love but doesn’t love you back or be with someone that loves yu but you don’t love them back? (Or, as the Filipinos would say, Mahal ko o Mahal Ako)

THREE

rule: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people.

AIR ༉⋆͙̈

FIRE ༉⋆͙̈

WATER ༉⋆͙̈

EARTH ༉⋆͙̈

AETHER ༉⋆͙̈

FOUR

PERSONAL

name: -

nickname: rina

birthday: -

zodiac: gemini

nationality: filipino

languages: english, filipino

gender: female

sexuality: straight

height: 5′2 like 2 years ago, i probably grew like an inch or two

BLOG STUFF

inspiration for muse: --

meaning behind my url: bts and txt fanfics to read hasjhsahj

blog established: ,,,,, i cant remember askjjksdjkdsa but the blog is only a few months old!

followers: 384!!! love yall

FAVORITES

favourite animals: b u n n y y y y y

favourite books: CAMP HALF BLOOD SERIES BY RICK RIORDAN IM ZEUS’ DAUGHTER YALL

favourite colour: black, blue, purple

favourite fictional characters: Percy Jackson, Jaron from Ascendance Trilogy, Chimmy!!! hihi

favourite flower: white roses

favourite scent: coffee

favourite season: winter

RANDOM

average hours of sleep: 3-5 or 8-10.

cats or dogs: dogs because cats scare me

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: coffee!!! especially if it’s iced and sweet

current time: 12:21 AM

dream trip: California. Look I have the visa, pls miss rona. just leave so cali can just let me IN

dream job: actress or singer

hobbies: writing, reading, watching crackvids

hogwarts house: gryffindor

last movie watched: Work It (bc it has sabrina carpenter ahshsahsa i have low standards when we talk about Sabrina)

last song listened to: Helpless - Hamilton OBC

no. of blankets you sleep with: 1

random fact(s): if given the chance again, I would go on a date in high school. Also try to exert more effort in my appearance back then i looked like an honest to god M E S S (tbh i still do but now i have eyebrow liner on) hsajhsajhh

FIVE

10 things I can’t stop listening to (at the moment)

Run Away - TXT

Work It - Sabrina Carpenter

Euphoria - BTS

Song Cry - Yeonjun

Helpless - Hamilton OBC

Satisfied - Hamilton OBC

Journey to the past - Anastasia OBC

Lost in the Woods - Frozen OST

Perfect Song - Sabrina Carpenter

Friends - BTS

#tags #tagging #tagged yet again #sadjkjksdajad #what a mess #im so basic wtf

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