#it’s the first time since the pandemic we’ll be able to have guests over

[frodo-with-glasses]

[itsallyscorner]

Baby Mix → Baby Holland

The sequel to Baby Mix

Pairing: Little Mix member!reader x Tom Holland

Summary: The youngest member of Little Mix has something to reveal after not seeing the girls for months.

A/n: Set in Corona times, I know London lifted their lockdown restrictions for a while then initiated them again after. But anyway, this is set around that time when lockdown rules were lifted. I had so much fun writing this! I hope you all enjoy it🥰

You felt a rush of excitement and nervousness through your veins as you walked around your home, making sure every corner was clean. You entered the dining room and double checked each plate, checking to see if they all had the essential utensils, a napkin, and a wine glass. You trusted Tom to set up the table, but today was a big day and you wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

“Darling, you don’t need to triple check everything in the house. Nothing’s moved since the last you’ve looked at it.” Tom teases you as he enters the dining room from the kitchen. He wore a tight black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with dark blue jeans. During the time in lockdown, his hair has grown out and he’s been working on his facial hair. You smiled at the 5 o’clock shadow that graced his face; it’s been known that he took forever to grow out facial hair, so to see that there was some light stubble on his face made him really happy. He was very proud of it.

“You look extremely hot right now.” You comment, meeting him in the middle of the room. His hands instantly place themselves at your waist, before one hand moves to rest on your growing stomach and the other on the small of your back.

“Is that the hormones talking?” He squints his eyes playfully at you. You gently shove him, only for him to pull you back closer into his chest. “No? I mean you always look good in whatever you wear. But it could possibly be the hormones?” You ramble.

Tom chuckles, his eyes gazing at you like you’re the only woman in the world. Well technically, you are the only woman in his world; besides his mum and grandma of course. But you were it for him, he wanted nobody else but you. Sure, you guys weren’t married, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t committed to you. The baby might’ve came before the wedding, but he will marry you one day.

“How are you feeling?” He asks you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. Ever since the two of you have discovered you were pregnant, the morning sicknesses have gotten worse and worse. You were really hoping you’d be one of those lucky mothers who wouldn’t experience morning sickness, but with your luck it never happened. This morning you stumbled out the bed and into the toilet; today’s puke was probably the most horrible one this week, as gross as that sounds. Tom was behind you in an instant, tying your hair into a ponytail and rubbing soothing circles onto your back. It pained him to see you like this, he couldn’t do anything but hold your hair back, help you get your puke out, and whisper comforting things into your ear. He considered on canceling today’s event after you cleaned yourself up in the bathroom and snuggled back into the sheets, eyes red and puffy. Though when he mentioned on canceling, you declined immediately. You had both been anticipating today and you weren’t going to let some morning sickness postpone such a special event.

He looked at you concerned, scanning your face for any discomfort. Your lips quirk up to a fond smile as you kiss the worry away from him, “I’m doing much better than this morning, we’re both doing good.”

“That’s great, that’s all that matters to me right now.” He responds, pulling you into a hug. One thing you’ve noticed about Tom and your pregnancy was that he was very touchy and protective. Though he was already like that, it seemed like the pregnancy intensified his protectiveness, or just him in general. He was very alert of his surroundings, making sure everything was clean, that you were always comfortable, and that you weren’t experiencing any pain from the pregnancy. He was dedicated to making sure you were treated like a princess, you and your baby.

“You’ve got everything handled just in case they all come early right? I’m gonna head up and get dressed.” You pull away to look at him.

He nods at you, ensuring that he had everything under control, “Yeah, I’ve got it.” He pecks your lips before you pull away and head for the stairs. He watches your figure go up the stairs, just in case you trip or something, he would be there to catch you. When he sees you round the corner safely he yells, “Just give me a shout when you need something!”

He hears a faint “I know!” from upstairs and the sound of a door closing. He took that as his sign to get back in the kitchen and continue cooking. With the help from Sam, over FaceTime, Tom was able to get around the kitchen and make some proper food for your guests

~⏰~

You take one last look at yourself in the mirror. You wore leggings and an oversized knitted sweater that hid your small bump. You had light make up on, not bothering to put much since it was just the girls and you were all just having a casual lunch. You could already hear the commotion downstairs, Jesy’s contagious laughter, hints of Perrie and Jade’s voices, and Leigh-Anne gushing over some decorative piece in your house. You take a deep breath, preparing yourself to give them all the good news. In fact, they’re one of the first ones that will get to know about your and Tom’s secret. Your family and Tom’s being the first to find out the moment you both left the doctor’s office. The girls deserved to be part of the group who found out first, they were like your older sisters and have always been there for you since you’ve known them. They’re basically family.

You giddily head down the stairs with delight as the girls finally come onto view. Perrie screams, throwing herself off the couch and pulling you into a hug. You were stunned by the sudden force, though you tightly wrapped your arms around her, careful to not press your stomach against her.

“Oh! I’ve missed you so so much! It’s been so long, I hate being away from you all for months.” Perrie cried, pressing kisses onto your face. You laughed trying to dodger her.

“Let me smother you with love, I haven’t seen you in so long!” Perrie objected, hugging you one more time. “I miss you too, Pez.” You giggled kissing her cheek.

Jesy comes from behind Perrie and detaches her from you, “Babe, you look beautiful! You’re glowing, look at you!” Jesy cupped your cheeks then wrapped her arms around you.

“Oh my goodness, let me tell you, I didn’t even realize that was Tom.” She said when you both broke the hug. You burst out laughing, placing a hand on her arm.

“No seriously! I didn’t even know he can grow facial hair? I was expecting to see a boy answer the door not a man!” Jesy admits making you laugh even more at her genuinely shocked face.

“Are you still on about Tom and his beard?” Jade asks as she approaches you, Leigh-Anne right behind her.

“Isn’t it a shocker? I live with a man now.” You joke, wrapping your arms around Jade. She squeals, swaying the two of you side to side.

“Babe, your house is stunning!” Leigh-Anne compliments, hugging you and kissing your cheek. You wave her off, “You literally have a whole mansion. I still don’t understand how we have the same paycheck.”

You all settle in the living room for now, waiting for Tom to call for lunch. You could smell the delicious aroma of whatever Tom was cooking in the kitchen and your stomach couldn’t help but growl. Jesy eyes your stomach, “What’ve you got in your stomach? That sounded like an animal.” For a moment you were caught off guard at the mention of your stomach. You eyes widen for a second as you glance down at where your sweater was bunched up.

“Uh—I’m just really hungry.” You brush off her comment, face getting flustered. Jade playfully shakes her head glancing at the kitchen, “Has Thomas not been feeding you right?”

“No—he’s been absolutely amazing! Spending lockdown with him was a dream.” You answer chuckling. Perrie crosses her arms, “Lucky, I had lockdown with a football player. Do you know how difficult it is to live with one?”

“It couldn’t have been that bad?” Leigh-Anne chimed in, sipping on a glass of wine. Perrie huffs leaning forward in her seat, “I felt like a bloody housewife the whole time. I had to keep restocking my fridge every week because he eats everything—like seriously, our food never lasted till the weekend. Alex kept on eating my snacks that I had to start hiding them from him.”

“Are we not going to talk about how Jade found love during a worldwide pandemic?” Jesy mentions pointing at Jade, who has a teasing smile on her face.

She waves her finger at Jesy, “Nuh uh, we aren’t talking about that yet.” You gasp, “And why not?”

“We’re still getting to know each other, I don’t want to rush into things, ya know?” Jade’s face contorts in thought. “Like we’ve done a virtual date on Zoom and have been texting each other back and forth, we’ll see where it goes.”

“You’ll be fine and you’re taking things slow, you should be familiar with each other first before fully committing.” Leigh-Anne assured her. All eyes fell on Leigh-Anne then down to her left hand.

“HOLD ON—LET ME SEE THE RING IN PERSON!” You yell jumping off the couch to where Leigh-Anne was sitting. You sit beside her and take her left hand admiring the giant diamond on her ring finger.

“I can’t believe you’re engaged, I’m so happy for you Lee.” You gush pulling her into a side hug. She nudges your shoulder, gesturing to Tom, “You might be next.” She winked.

“You know, I think Perrie’s gonna be the next one actually.” You smirk at the blonde who rolls her eyes. “Like what Jade said, we’ll see.” She hums shrugging. Your stomach growls again making Leigh-Anne glance at your stomach.

“Oh my goodness” she laughs, moving to look for Tom. “Tom, is lunch ready yet? Your girlfriend’s stomach keeps growling!” You hear something clang in the kitchen before Tom pops his head out, “Lunch’s ready, I was just waiting for you ladies to wrap up the chit chat.”

You all move to the dining room where Tom had laid out the food. He’s made pasta, with some steak, Caprese salad, and garlic bread. Jesy makes a content sound as she scans the food on the table before taking a seat.

“I must say Tom, I’m quite impressed with the food.” Jesy compliments Tom. A proud smile forms on Tom’s face, his eyes switching between you and Jesy. “You heard that darling? Jesy just complimented me.”

“I know, I heard her Tom.” You laugh patting his chest. He pulls your seat out for you, then sits in the chair on your right side while Jesy was on your left. Across from you three were Perrie, Jade, and Leigh-Anne.

“We could eat now right?” Jade asks while reaching out for the pasta’s serving fork.

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.” Tom nods his head at the food. You hear a whine behind you distracting you from the delicious food Tom made. Behind your chair was Tessa who tried to nuzzle herself between your and Tom’s chairs. Not only had Tom grown even more protective of you, but so has Tessa. The sweetheart trailed after you everywhere you go, she stayed in the same room you were in and would lay beside your feet. Though Tom was her rightful owner, she would bark at him whenever he got a little too close to you or your stomach. Tom wasn’t going to lie, he did feel upset and envious that his precious princess barely paid him any mind anymore. But to know that she was only doing it to protect you and her future sibling warmed his heart, so he got over it in an instant.

“Tess, no.” Tom softly scolded the dog trying to shoo her away from the table. She only let out more whines making your heart break. You placed a hand on Tom’s, “Just let her stay, she won’t bother anyone.” Tom nods and pats Tessa’s head.

Lunch goes by splendidly, it was full of laughs and catching up with each other’s lives. It was nice to finally be surrounded by your favorite people in the world after months being apart. Everyone enjoyed the food, complimenting Tom on his excellent work and not burning the kitchen down. Wine and drinks were passed around except for you, who stuck with a water and a small amount of soda. Usually you would also be drinking, clinking glasses with Jade as you down your drinks, but thankfully no one had caught on yet.

“Sorry, we’ve all been rambling about our experiences during the lockdown, what about you two? (Y/n)? Tom? You’ve both been quiet about your experience together.” Leigh-Anne apologized shifting the conversation to you and Tom.

“You could leave the shagging parts out, we already know what went down in this poor house.” Jade poked at you, sending an over exaggerated wink your way. You shake your head and turn back to Tom. The two of you share a look, the look, and make a silent agreement that it was time to announce the big news.

“Well we’ve been busy. You know, we’ve both been doing lots of promo. I’ve been promoting my new film and (y/n)‘s promoting the album with you guys.” Tom started, making normal conversation.

“Most of the time was spent resting, we took advantage of the free time before we have to go on tour and he has to go away for filming.” You continue. The girls nod understanding the situation.

“What did you guys do on the daily though?”

“Lots of puzzles!” Tom answers. “We had the typical move nights and shit.”

“We did lots of baking too!” You add glancing at Tom, who nods along with you. “We’ve actually got a bun in the oven right now!” You say, emphasizing your words. Leigh-Anne and Jesy share a look instantly catching on. Jade’s mouth gapes, her hand holding the wine glass going limp.

“After all this time! Thomas, it’s probably burning by now, shouldn’t you go and check on it?” Perrie scolds, turning back to the kitchen to catch a peek at the oven. She looks excitedly at you two, “What kind of bun have you guys made?”

Jesy’s eyes pan over to Perrie in disbelief, it was like the salad in the box situation all over again. Leigh-Anne holds her palm up to her mouth as the news sinks in. Jade swats Perrie’s arm, “A human one!”

Perrie’s eyes widen in fear, “A human bun? Like cannibalism?” Tom made a sound of confusion, his brows furrowing at her. You stifle a laugh behind your hand as you wait for Perrie to realize.

“They’re having a baby, Pez!” Jesy yelled making Perrie’s eyes grow in shock. The gears move in her head, “OH! Bun in the oven—BUN IN THE OVEN? You’re pregnant?” She screams shooting out of her chair.

You laugh hiding behind your hands. Jesy grabs onto your wrist, pulling it down, and holding your hand. “Wait, are you actually pregnant? You’re not tricking us?”

You shake you head, a giant smile gracing your lips, eyes getting glossy. “I wouldn’t lie to you guys, you guys are gonna be aunts.” You confirm squeezing Jesy’s hand. She gasps pulling you into a hug. Behind you she reaches a hand and playfully shoves Tom, “As if turning her into you wasn’t enough, you just had to insert yourself into her and make another one of you?”

Tom shrugs, though a smile was also on his face, “Hey, to be fair, you might like this one more than me.” Jesy gets up from her seat and approaches Tom.

“Give me a hug, you div.” She ruffles his hair like an older sister would and wraps her arms around him. Tom chuckles hugging her back.

“I know I give you a lot of shit, but I’m so happy that she ended up with you and not some dickhead. Congrats Tom.” She mutters into his ear, before pulling away from the hug and patting his back. Tom looks at her teary eyed, “Thank you Jes.”

“Wait—no! You’re our baby, you can’t have a baby yet. Stop growing!” Perrie cries coming around the table to engulf you in her arms. This time she was actually crying, tears of joy streaming down her face.

“But Pez, I’m already growing.” You giggle, pulling away from her to lift you knitted sweater up to reveal your small baby bump. The girls gasp, while you and Tom stare proudly at your stomach. Jade and Leigh-Anne join Perrie to hover over your stomach. Jesy looks from over your shoulder, staring at the top of your stomach.

“Can we please touch it?” Leigh-Anne asks quietly, looking up at you and Tom for permission.

“Go ahead.” You assure them. Jesy squeezes your arms, resting her chin on your shoulder. Leigh-Anne, Perrie, and Jade’s hands delicately come into contact with your stretched skin, fascinated by your little bump. Jade pouts as she strokes your belly with her thumb, “Oh, you’re so precious.” She coos.

Perrie rests her palm against your belly, “How far along are you?” You look at Tom over your shoulder, who’s been watching the special moment unfold between you and the girls.

“Four months.” Tom answers, the grin on his face feeling permanent as he talked about his little bean.

“Four months?” Jesy shrieked whipping her head to look at you and Tom.

“Yup, we wanted to tell you guys as soon as we found out but we decided to keep it a little secret for as long as we can.” You explain. “But then my stomach began growing and it’d be obvious, so we decided to tell you guys now since it’s still early.”

“Does anyone else know?” Leigh-Anne asks, hand still resting on your belly.

“Our families know, along with his best mates. But you guys are part of the first few people who know about it.” You reply. Perrie hums softly, cupping your cheek and pressing a kiss onto it.

“You’re the first people I’ve told who aren’t my immediate family.” You laugh. The girls began tearing up again.

“I can’t believe you guys told us.” Jade wipes her eye with the pads of her fingers.

“Why wouldn’t I? You guys are important to me and I love you all so much! You all deserve to know about it before everyone else.” The girls “aww” at you and pull you into a group hug, one of their hands still resting on you belly.

“I can’t believe you’re pregnant, oh my god.” Leigh-Anne expressed, her hand still on your bump.

“It’s hilarious how we were saying you were gonna be the first one to start a family. All of a sudden little missy over here gets knocked up.” Jesy points at Leigh-Anne before giving Tom the stink eye.

“Did they not teach you how to use protection in school?” She playfully teases Tom, back to her usual picking on him. “Or is your pull out game just that weak?” Perrie gasps, covering your belly with both her hands, “Jes! There’s a baby!”

Tom’s mouth drops, his face feigning shock, “You know, I really thought we were having a great moment here, Jes.”

Jesy scoffs, “Moment’s over—have you never heard of ‘Don’t be silly, protect your Willie’?” Everyone pauses before bursting out laughing at Jesy’s comment.

The night ended with the girls making plans of who would be the fun aunt and who would spoil Baby Holland the most. Jesy and Jade debated over being the fun aunt while Perrie and Leigh-Anne tried to outdo each other on who would spoil the baby with the most toys and clothes. Your belly was the main star of the night; the girls occasionally stroking your belly or pressing light little kisses onto it. As you both listened to the girls argue about who would be the baby’s favorite, you and Tom knew that your little baby would be in good hands with four amazing aunts to watch over them.

🦋tags:

*tags with a cross don’t work*

@waxingmoonwrites @slutforsebstan @starslazyandcosy @xkonpinkx @dummiesshort @gypsystuf @kielemarie @wroetospidey @thatgirlangelb @have-aheart @adayasgeorgia @xeniarocks @sarcasticallywitty15 @agustdowney

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Evanescence’s Amy Lee shares her thoughts on working with Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale

“We love each other, and we get along”

Front-women Amy Lee and Lzzy Hale are no strangers to collaborating with each other, Amy Lee having guested on Halestorm’s ‘Reimagined’ EP on the emotional piano ballad ‘Break In.’

This time however, the duo are set to share the stage with one another on an autumn tour that’ll see two of the most hard-working and hard-rocking women in the metal industry perform alongside their respective bands.

Whilst being interviewed by Matt Pinfield on the last instalment of the “New and Approved” music series on 95.5 KLOS, Amy Lee delved into her friendship with the Pennsylvanian-based Lzzy Hale:

"It started with music. It worked out for us to go do some shows together. We hadn't met in person before signing up to do a tour together in 2012. And I remember we had some kind of joint press or meet-and-greet to do on that first day. And I went in there like, 'Hey,' before the fans came in. And we just clicked immediately. She's really humble and really down to earth. She doesn't take all the glory too seriously. She takes herself seriously and respects herself. She's just a really cool person.”

"We love each other, and we get along," Amy added. "We play hard and we work hard. So I'm very much looking forward to playing live music in general; but to be able to go back out for our first tour out with a whole group of people that we're friends with — the crew, the band, we love each other, all of us. So it's gonna be a really good time.”

Evanescence and Halestorm will be hitting the road on 5th November in the US, starting with a date in Portland, Oregon before making their way throughout the country.

Evanescence's career throughout the years:

1998: The band's inception

Singer and pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody formed Evanescence in Arkansas back in 1995, after the pair met at a Christian youth camp. They chose the name Evanescence due to its meaning: "disappearance" or "fading away". The duo released their debut self-titled EP in 1998 and were later joined by friends John LeCompt, Rocky Gray and Will Boyd.

2003: Debut album 'Fallen'

After being signed by Wind-up Records in 2002, the band released their debut album 'Fallen' in 2003. To promote the album, Evanescence headlined the Nintendo Fusion tour in 2003. 'Fallen' spent a whopping 43 weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and was certified 7× Platinum in the US after selling more than 17 million copies worldwide. The album included hit singles 'Bring Me to Life', 'My Immortal', 'Going Under' and 'Everybody's Fool'. Mega hit 'Bring Me to Life', featuring guest vocals from Paul McCoy from the band 12 Stones, was an international success, reaching Number 5 on the American Billboard Hot 100 and hitting the top spot in the UK Chart.

2004: Grammy Award wins

The phenomenal success of 'Fallen' saw Evanescence win not one but two Grammy Awards in 2004. Their hit single 'Bring Me To Life' won Best Hard Rock Performance and the band won the award for Best New Artist.

2006: Line-up change and follow-up record

After parting ways with both Will Boyd and Ben Moody, Evanescence and the success of their Grammy wins, Evanescence went back into the studio to record their follow-up album. After 18 months of writing and producing, the band released 'Open Door' in 2006. The album featured singles 'Call Me When Your Sober', 'Lithium', 'Weight Of The World' and 'Sweet Sacrifice' and debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200. The album and single 'Call Me When You're Sober' have since achieve 2x Platinum and Platinum status in the US respectively.

2007-2009: Another line-up change

In 2007, The band announced that guitarist John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray had left. The duo went on to join founding Evanescence member Ben Moody to create the band We Are the Fallen. Evanescence brought in two members of Dark New Day, drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn to act as their replacements. Two years, later frontwoman Amy Lee announced that the band were going back into the studio to start writing their third, self-titled album.

2011: Third album release and worldwide tour

Due to delays with their record label, Evanescence weren't able to release their third album until 2011, five years after 'Open Door'. Not that it mattered, because 'Evanescence' debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and Number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and took the band on a year-long worldwide tour to promote the album.

2012: Hiatus and Amy Lee's solo project

Evanescence announced that they would be going on a hiatus in 2012, with Amy announcing in NME: "I haven't been sitting down to write. I'm thinking we'll take a break first. I'm really not sure what I'll do next. At the end of any really long tour you need to get your head in order. I think at the end of the run we'll go on a break for a while and figure things out. "Taking long breaks is seen as a bad thing, but I don't think it's a bad thing. People have the idea that you have to keep putting stuff out while people remember you. But I'd rather make something that's awesome and then make people remember again. I hope it doesn't take five years, but I don't want to put a timeline on it either. We'll all be doing our own thing for a while. They're (my bandmates) very talented and they'll all be fine." Amy Lee went on to release solo album 'Aftermath' in 2014, a soundtrack for Mark Jackson's film War Story. She said of the project: "It's not what you'd expect; there's a lot of blending of sounds, a lot of ominous tones. I play a lot of keyboard, and a lot of Taurus pedal. There's a lot of low drones."

2015: Reunion with intimate shows

Three years after going on a break, Evanescence ended their hiatus by hosting a three-night show at intimate venues in Nashville, Dallas and LA in November 2015. This was just before the band hopped on a plane to Japan to perform at Ozzy Osbourne's iconic festival Ozzfest, alongside Korn and Ozzy himself.

2015-2016: Another line-up change

In 2015, Evanescence underwent yet another line-up change after long-time guitarist Terry Balsamo, who originally replaced Ben Moody, decided to leave the band. His replacement was the German singer and guitarist, Jen Majura from the band, Equilibrium. Evanescense continued to tour throughout 2016, but focused on playing hits from their previous albums like 'My Immortal' and 'Going Under'.

2017: 'Synthesis'

Fourth record 'Synthesis' was released in November 2017. As well as featuring new material such as 'Imperfection', the album included reworked versions of the band's older works such as 'My Heart Is Broken', 'Lacrymosa' and 'Bring Me To Life'. 'Synthesis' peaked at Number 1 on four of the Billboard charts, including US Top Alternative Albums, US Top Classical Albums, US Top Rock Albums and US Independent Albums.

2018: 'Synthesis Tour' features a live orchestra

To promote the album, the band embarked on the 'Synthesis Live Tour' in October 2017. This 60-date worldwide tour was different from any other tour they had done before because it featured a live orchestra. The tour was co-headlined by violinist Lindsay Stirling who also featured on the band's single 'Hi-Lo'.

2020: Brand new music

In 2020, Evanescence released four new singles, 'Wasted On You', 'The Game Is Over', 'Yeah Right' and 'Use My Voice', which all appear on the band's fifth album, 'The Bitter Truth'. First announced in 2018, it was meant to be released in 2020, but had to be delayed due to the pandemic. 'The Bitter Truth' is not only the band's first album in three years, but also their first album with all-new material since 'Evanescence'.

2021: 'The Bitter Truth' is finally released

Evanescence released the fifth single, 'Better Without You', in early March ahead of the release of 'The Bitter Truth', which finally saw the light of day on 26th March 2021. The band is also set to be joining fellow rockers, Within Temptation this autumn for the 'Worlds Collide' European tour, which was postponed due to the pandemic.

[sixmapleleafs]

father material // frederik andersen (part 4)

Warning (?): Mentions of the coronavirus (idk if that’s a warning but just in case it makes anyone anxious or anything I just thought I’d let you know that it’s mentioned in this chapter)

The next few weeks flew by, Amelie was changing everyday, becoming more and more attentive and as for you and Freddie, you’d grown closer, but how could you not? Freddie spent more time at your apartment than his own, if he wasn’t at the rink or on the road then he was with you, even spending a few nights on your couch when he couldn’t be bothered to go home. Freddie had been on a small road trip over the weekend and by the time he got back your parents had already made themselves at home in your apartment. He’d been messaging you all weekend, asking how you and Amelie were which then turned into late night conversations about anything and everything. Eventually he’d just called you from his hotel room claiming he couldn’t be bothered to type but he later admitted he just liked to hear your voice which had you blushing like an idiot, and had earned you a knowing look from your mother the next morning.

The few days with your parents went really well, your dad and Freddie got off to a bit of a rocky start but you were able to smooth over the situation and eventually they ended up getting on quite well. Your parents adored Amelie and you barely had her in your arms for two seconds before your mom was claiming she needed another cuddle with her granddaughter. The visit was cut short however, when your parents were told that unless they wanted to be stuck in Toronto then they’d need to be back home before the borders closed. You never expected a global pandemic to be something you had to deal with during your first year as a mother yet here you were, cradling your sleeping baby in your arms whilst you watched the news anchor state different statistics about the virus.

“Are you sure you’re going to be ok here alone? I can always call Auston and tell him I can’t go to Arizona with him” Y/f/n said as she wheeled her packed suitcase through your apartment.

“We’ll be fine, go spend time with your boyfriend” you offered her a reassuring smile and she gave you a quick hug as best she could before pressing a quick kiss to Amelies head and heading for the door. You followed her to the door of the apartment so you could open it for her, you jumped slightly not expecting to see Freddie’s large frame on your doorstep. “Fred? What are you doing here? I thought I was dropping her off later” you said, quickly checking that Amelie was still asleep.

“Uh-I um need to talk to you” he said rubbing the back of his neck, you gave him a confused look before Y/f/n reminded you of her presence.

“Ah Freddie nice to see you, I trust you will take good care of my best friend whilst I’m gone” she said pushing her bags out the door, almost hitting Freddie on her way. She waved as she made her way down the hall towards the elevator.

“Come in” you pushed the door open so he could follow you through the apartment. It was kind of freaking you out how different Freddie seemed today, his usual welcoming smile was nowhere to be found instead he seemed almost anxious and that scared you. “So what’s up?” You asked once you placed Amelie in the bassinet in your living room.

“I need to ask you something and I need you to just listen to me before you say no” he said, taking a seat on your couch before gesturing to the space beside him. You sat down hesitantly, your mind immediately going to the worst possible outcome.

“With the season being cut short and the stay at home order, I’ve been thinking that maybe it would be best for us to rethink how everything is going to work with us” you gulped at his words, not really seeing where he was going with this yet. “If we’re going to be stuck at home for weeks then I was thinking maybe we should stay together, whether that’s at my place or here. It would mean that I can spend time with Amelie and I can help you as much as possible, also maybe we’ll be able to focus a little more on...um...us”. You were pretty sure your jaw had hit the floor, you didn’t know how to respond. Of course you’d thought about it, especially after that kiss, but you never thought he’d be this forward.

“I guess that would make sense” your voice came out more unsure than you would’ve liked, but by the way his shoulders relaxed you knew that was the answer he was hoping for. “Where would we stay though?” It wasn’t that you didn’t love your apartment but you’d been pretty much stuck here since Amelie was born except for when you went out with Freddie a few times and for your appointments and mommy group.

“It makes more sense to stay here but I remember you said it felt like you were stuck here sometimes so maybe we should consider my place” you nodded as he spoke, blushing slightly at how he had remembered what you’d told him weeks ago, “and I’ve actually been working on something over there that I want to show you” he pulled his phone out of his pocket, quickly scrolling before handing it to you. Your eyes filled with tears as you looked at the pictures on his phone. What you assumed was his guest bedroom had been painted a light shade of yellow and a white wooden crib was standing in the middle of the back wall, along with a matching changing table against the floor to ceiling window and a dresser opposite that. There was a rocking chair in the corner of the room and you could see the little flower decorations all over the room.

“Freddie...I don’t know what to say” you managed to get out, choking slightly on your tears at the end.

“Do you like it? I wasn’t sure about the shade of yellow but my mom liked it so I went with that one and if you want different furniture we can return-”

“It’s amazing, I love it” you cut him off, placing a kiss to his lips before you could even register what you were doing. You felt your face immediately heat up and your eyes widen slightly. A huge grin broke out on Freddie face. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that” you said quickly getting up so you wouldn’t have to deal with the embarrassment. Freddie’s hands immediately found your waist and you were pulled back into his lap, he reconnected your lips and you fell into an easy kiss for a few seconds before you pulled back.

“I take it we’re both on the same page about us then” he said with what could only be described as a cheeky grin. You rolled your eyes playfully but your expression matched his.

“There might be just a little bit more talking we have to do first” you said playing with the strings of his hoodie so you wouldn’t have to look him in the eye.

“We’ve got all the time in the world, so lay it all on me” his voice was soothing and with the small circles he was rubbing on your thigh you relaxed a little in his lap.

“I don’t want us to do this just because we have a baby. I like you and not just because you’re Amelies father and if we are going to do this then we need to make sure Amelie always comes first. She needs to be our priority and no matter what happens between us that can’t change” you managed to keep your voice strong throughout hoping that it would show Freddie how serious this really was.

“No matter what happens Amelie will always be the most important thing, and even if things don’t work out between us, we’re both adults and I’ll still be in her life regardless.” You nodded, smiling at him before pressing a quick kiss to his lips again. “But just think about if it does work. Imagine how happy we could be, as a family. And I don’t want to put pressure on us but that’s all I’ve been able to think about over the past month, I want to come home to you after games and road trips and I want to wake up in the morning next to you and watch our daughter grow up together”.

“I’d love that” you admitted and the smiles on your faces were so big your cheeks started to hurt, “but for now we should probably just decide who’s place we’re going to stay at” Freddie nodded and you let out a sigh as you looked around your apartment.

“What do you want to do? I can always go home and grab some clothes if you want to stay here”.

“You know what? I think I want to stay at your place, I’ve been stuck in this apartment for weeks already and I’ll probably go insane if I have to keep staring at these walls any longer” Freddies chuckle brought butterflies to your stomach and he quickly sat up and pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“My place it is then”.

[zootopiathingz]

Thanksgiving in Quarantine

(A/N: more Pixar AU!! no there's not really a plot I just wanted to write something for thanksgiving. Also friendly reminder I've never cooked a day in my life so Imma just be vague on those details)

"Alright Pixars, listen up!" Mike called to get everyone's attention. After their conversations died down, he stepped forward towards the front of the room so all eyes would be on him. As the group leader, it was his job to host the monthly meetings and inform them of recent events or decisions made by him or their creator, Luxo Sr.

Once he was sure they were listening, he proceeded to explain, "So as you all know, even though we aren't affected by Covid, we still have to stay in quarantine for the sake of others. So that means that this year, we won't be spending Thanksgiving with the Disneys—"

"YES!!" Everyone cheered ecstatically, some standing up to pump their fists or high-five each other.

Mike was taken aback by their joyous reaction. Not just because it was a response to what he said, but he couldn't remember the last time all of them were that excited about anything. "—like we usually do.." He finished.

"Oh don't act like you're not relieved about it, Mike." McQueen said, "You hate the Disneys just as much as we do."

"Excuse me, but we do not 'hate' here." He said, "We just strongly dislike. Anyway, I'm not that relieved like you guys are. I was actually looking forward to our tradition."

"Well, I'm just glad we won't have to be greeted by them singing 'Be Our Guest' for the millionth fucking time." Woody scoffed, earning some murmurs of agreement from the rest.

Their relationship with the Disneys was complicated, to say the least. Luxo Sr. started the alliance with Mickey Mouse himself several years ago, and thus they joined the Disney family. But the Pixars were never given a say in the deal, and while they did admire the Disneys and were grateful for the success they brought them, that didn't mean they were tolerable to be around. The Pixars didn't hate them (despite constantly joking that they did), they just despised their arrogance and their random outbursts of songs every ten minutes.

"Wait so if we're not going to the Disneys, we're gonna have Thanksgiving at our house?" Marlin asked, "You do realize we haven't done that in like, 14 years? And obviously the family's grown since then."

Mike nodded, "I understand that, but if we're able to somehow survive Halloween, Easter, Christmas, and New Years on our own, then how hard can Thanksgiving be?"

"Your optimism is appreciated." EVE said, "But from past experience, this feels like yet another disaster waiting to happen."

"Yeah, I mean, who's even gonna cook dinner?" Remy asked.

"You are." Mike shrugged.

The rat man widened his eyes, "Say what now?"

Remy was a great cook, and honestly he was the only one who actually knew how to use an oven. But cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal for the whole group was asking a bit much.

"I can't cook that much in one day by myself!"

"You won't, some of us will help you. Right, guys?" Mike asked. But he got no responses, instead everyone just awkwardly looked away.

Remy sighed, "Come on, guys. Do you really want to eat burnt turkey for Thanksgiving? Imelda?"

She put her hands up in defense, "Don't look at me. I don't know how to make white people food."

"Okay, relax. We'll have WALL-E help you." Mike said, gesturing to the robot man—who gave an enthusiastic wave.

But this offer didn't make Remy feel any better. Out of all the Pixars Mike could've suggested, it just had to be WALL-E. "Seriously?" He asked, "You know he burns toast, right?"

"He'll be fine." Mike waved a dismissive hand. "..probably. Okay, does anyone else want to help with Thanksgiving dinner?"

Once again there was nothing but silence and awkward glances. Remy looked around with a pleading face, trying to get anyone to agree, but no such luck. Well, until Atta got tired of the lack of responses and and decided it was best to take one for the team. "Alright fine. I'll help you." She said to Remy.

"Thank Luxo." He sighed with relief, "You are a saint, Atta."

She shrugged, "I try."

"Then it's settled." Mike said, "Thanksgiving will be hosted by Remy, Atta, and WALL-E. Let's pray they don't screw it up."

The three gave him a cold look, while the others nodded in agreement.

—

Thursday came sooner than they realized, and unfortunately due to the pandemic, buying groceries was a pain in the ass and getting what they needed for dinner took longer than they would've hoped. Luckily they were able to have it all in their kitchen and (hopefully) would have enough time to make it. And even though they were spending the holiday by themselves, the Pixars still got dressed up and decorated for the occasion.

Since the kids would be joining them at the table as well, that meant having to cook for even more people. Remy, WALL-E, and Atta were hard at work in the kitchen making gravy, deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, etc. And of course, turkey. At first it didn't seem like cooking was going to be so bad. They got an early start before most of the Pixars even woke up. If all went well, they would have dinner done by the afternoon.

"Okay guys, we've got a full house of hungry Pixars so we gotta get this done quick." Remy reminded them, "Atta, you're on pie detail, and you're gonna help me with the turkey. WALL-E, you focus on the casserole, eggs, and making sure Atta stays away from the marshmallows."

Atta slowly looked over at him while he pointed at her, "Yeah, I see you."

She narrowed her eyes at him before slowly reaching her hand toward the bag of marshmallows. He scolded her as she popped another one into her mouth, smirking at him and holding back a laugh. But then the two quickly moved on, since they couldn't waste much time on banter and jokes.

"I don't see how the Disneys do this every year." WALL-E commented, taking a bite of bread.

"Well, they don't actually make it. They have a whole cooking staff that serves them every meal. Which is kinda why they invite us in the first place." Atta explained to him, helping Remy baste the turkey.

Remy scoffed, "And yet there's only one chef in this house. Man, I'd love it if I could get more help around here. Hopefully the new Pixars will know how to cook."

"That's what you say every time." Atta chuckled.

"Maybe if I keep saying it, it'll happen." He shrugged.

After a few minutes, the turkey was ready to cook. They placed it in the oven and set the correct amount of degrees and time. Now all they had to do was wait and finish the rest of the meal.

Violet walked into the kitchen, inhaling the strong scent of half-cooked food. "Mmm, smells great in here." She commented, opening the fridge to grab a water bottle. "So how's slaving away for the others going?"

"We're not 'slaving away', Violet." Remy rolled his eyes. Although now that he said it out loud, it kinda seemed like they were, considering not a single other Pixar was offering to help. Instead they were all hanging out around the house doing who knows what. "Regardless, we're doing just fine."

"You wanna help us?" Atta asked with a mouthful of marshmallows—which earned a scowl from Remy.

Violet sighed, shutting the fridge. "I'd love to, but Joy's taking me out shopping for Christmas presents.

"But stores aren't even open today." WALL-E said.

"That's what I told her." The teen shrugged her shoulders, "But she insisted on taking me and a couple others. I honestly think they're just trying to get out of the house so they have an excuse not to help out."

The three exchanged an annoyed glance. While they expected that sort of behavior from their friends, it was still irritating to know they didn't care enough to even stay home for Thanksgiving. But then again, ditching her friends when they need her didn't sound like something Joy would do.

Before they could question it, they heard Violet's name being called from the other room, signaling her to walk away. "Well, good luck with dinner, guys." She said.

"Okay, have fun today." Atta said to her right before she left. The three then gave each other the same confused expression, all thinking the same thing. But it was a short-lived moment, as they quickly got back to work.

"Alright, making conversation is nice and all, but we can't spend much time having social interactions." Remy reminded them, "From now on, no more distractions, okay? Focus is key."

He turned around, seeing a certain someone once again stuffing three marshmallows in her mouth. "Atta!"

"Leave me alone!" She retorted.

—

Several hours passed since the three started cooking, and they were getting close to being finished. It was hard keeping the kids out of the kitchen to stop them from sneaking bites of the food, since they always did that even when eating at the Disneys' place. But in a display of irony, Remy always shooed them away or chased them out with a broom.

A little after noon the meal was finally ready to be gorged. Everyone had a little bit of everything on their plate and had to pull up a few chairs and small tables so they could all sit together in one spot (one of the tables was actually just an old nightstand). Usually when eating meals, the Pixars would just sit in different areas around the house since the table wasn't big enough for all of them to sit at. But since this was Thanksgiving, they wanted to be together.

"Alright everyone, before we eat, we should go around and say what we're thankful for." Woody said, "And I'll start if that makes it easier."

"It would." They all agreed.

They all joined hands as Woody began, "Well, I'm thankful for all of you. You're not just my friends or people I'm forced to live with, you're my family. Which is kinda the same thing but has better meaning. I'm also thankful for our success, and I'm thankful we're doing this here and not at Disney hell."

A few of them laughed and nodded, although they never thought they'd hear the words "Disney" and "hell" in the same sentence.

"I'll go next." Sulley said, "Let's see, I'm thankful for the food on my plate, and the hard-working people who made it for me."

Remy, Atta, and WALL-E smiled at him.

"And I'm thankful to have the privilege to celebrate this holiday with the people I love."

"Awww!!" They cooed.

Barley leaned towards Sadness to whisper, "Wait, are we supposed to say meaningful shit like that every time?" The girl merely shrugged in response.

Once everyone had a turn saying what they were thankful for, they were finally able to dig in. The turkey was even better than they were used to. The whole meal tasted far better than what they would've received at the Disneys' Thanksgiving. Except the sweet potato casserole appeared to be missing quite a few marshmallows.

"I'm so glad it's Thanksgiving." Joy said, a little out-of-the blue.

"Why's that, Joy?" Bob asked her curiously.

"So I can finally get in the Christmas spirit without people telling me to 'wait until Thanksgiving'." She rolled her eyes.

Out of all of them, Joy was definitely the Christmas fanatic, so much that all other holidays around the end of the year were irrelevant to her. The Pixars didn't mind it, though. They loved Christmas, and they were glad she was always the one to go all out on decorations so they didn't have to.

"Can't argue with that." Jessie said, stuffing a piece of pie in her mouth. "But sadly it's not gonna be the same this year."

"No kidding." Merida scoffed. "If people had just done what they were told back in March, this wouldn't have happened."

McQueen raised a brow, "Dude, we had a whole ass celebration for the Swearing-In in March—"

"That was before quarantine, shut up." She was quick to defend.

"When's quarantine gonna be over?" Dash asked, "I'm tired of staying inside all day."

Mike sighed, as he dreaded this topic every time it came up in conversation. But as the leader, he had to be the voice of reason. "Look guys, I know it's tough, okay? We can't even die from Covid but we're being forced to stay at home, and I know it's frustrating. Heck, there's probably not even gonna be a Swearing-In ceremony for 'Soul'."

"There's not??" Dory asked with a frown.

"If things stay this way, then no." He said, even though it hurt to admit. Swearing-Ins were a big deal for the Pixars. It was what made them apart of the family. "But there's nothing we've been through that we've faced alone, right? We've always had each other, and we always will."

Even though they were still sad about the situation, and even if what he said was a little cheesy, they knew he was right. They were the Pixars for crying out loud, they could handle any challenge as long as they stuck together.

Mike raised his glass, signaling everyone else to do the same. "I propose a toast. To our Pixar family."

"To our family!" They cheered, sipping their drinks afterward.

[theratopia]

Start over

Hi, friends,

How are you doing? Somebody should ask.

I feel like I’m contractually obligated to send at least one question per year, and it’s already June. I started writing this update in April, but you’ll understand why it took me so long to finish this in a few moments.

I have been inside my house for over a year now, since April 2020. To be precise, I went to the doctor once in July, then across the street twice in November to vote, then out once more this month for another doctor’s appointment. Between those, I spent stretches of 4 to 7 months inside my house. Do I feel like I’m losing contact with reality? A little bit. Another reason to reach out and tell you how life is in Groundhog Day-land, and thank you for all the support.

The reason why it’s taking me over a month to write this is twofold: I started a room renovation in late March, and when I got close to the end of it, I got Covid-19 again. “Again?”, you would ask me. Ah, yes, again. Because apparently staying inside for a whole year is not enough. We are not sure what caused the first contamination, but the most recent was caused by a birthday party. The neighbors downstairs invited half of their family to drink and yell during a Saturday afternoon. A few days later all inhabitants of all four houses in our complex begin presenting symptoms. For my sister and me, it was the second episode; first for my parents.

Many times in my life I have dealt with the fear of dying or losing a family member. There is no getting used to it. We were in a constant state of panic for two weeks. Even though I recovered well, I am now dealing with post-Covid syndrome, which is a thing and it’s as fun as it sounds. So, not only I have to kick this disease in the balls twice and tell death “not today”, but I also have to tell the lasting effects to fuck off already.

Oh, and the neighbor who started all this? By my estimations, he contaminated between 14 and 20 people. And then he died. But don’t worry, he was a piece of shit. His family is acting like nothing happened, receiving guests almost daily.

Pandemic? Who’s she?

But please, when does it end?

Vaccination is a desire for the future, but it should be coming sooner rather than later since some mayors have decided to compete which town finishes immunization faster. Thankfully, all my grandparents are fully vaccinated and my immediate family got at least their first shot. In my household, I’m the only one still waiting. Best case scenario, I get the first shot next month and the second one a month later. Or it could be postponed to September, with a three month waiting period for the second shot. Until then, continuous isolation is the safest bet.

So here I am to tell you how have I been surviving inside.

Most of my life during these 14 months has been confined to a desk, a chair, and the lower bunk bed. I don’t even have the entire room for myself. The majority of my day happens within an area of 16 sq. ft. I measured. Don’t get me wrong, I am still able to recognize my privilege of being able to not go out for as long as I have. However, as much as I enjoy staying inside, feeling trapped I do not. I am unable to physically move anywhere, which translates into feeling like I can’t move forward with my life. Barstow is still Barstow, but now smaller and more dangerous.

So, to escape and to exercise my stubbornness of not giving up I had to come up with strategies to grow inwards.

I tell you all this because I know that the PodTherapy community was and is a great source of inspiration to better myself even when everything feels hopeless. This show keeps me grounded and motivated. I started working out of Nick, I have been journaling more because of Jim, I have been trying to keep myself busy with projects around the house because of Jacob. I listen to you every week and I feel less alone. The therapod community and the scoop community are the only reasons why I look at Twitter, which I had to abandon for weeks because I realized it was making me so hopeless that I started to shut down mentally and have physical effects of anxiety. I have been avoiding the news too because it literally raises my blood pressure.

To forge some type of normalcy into my hermetic life, I have been focusing on keeping a schedule that separates the days with different tasks. Time has a bit of meaning again and things get slowly done. I need to move my body and my mind, otherwise, the dread makes me numb.

I have realized how strong I am, which is a weird one. I am also once again grateful to have a supportive and loving family that is still happy to be together after all this. I’m tired, but I’m fine. Oh, and the “focus on the now” advice is not the best one when the present is this. I have to cling to a future. I have to tell myself that whatever I’m doing now is because it will improve tomorrow. And, sometimes, to remind me of how much I have conquered so far, I find refuge in the good memories.

I guess it’s all of this and The Sims, that’s how I’ve been keeping myself sane.

If I could I would write much more because I love to add a bit of a South American, LGBT+, female flavor to this American white dude conversation. I threatened you that I was going to write in every week, so we’ll see how long this bit lasts.

I understand that in the US the pandemic seems to be over and you guys are all happy about it, but that’s just not real. The pandemic is not over. And remember that if your country has an abundance of vaccines to reach the majority of your population it’s because the rest of the world was left with the scarcity.

Now, I have simple questions. Am I doing it right? What else do I do? Is there anything else I can do living this mandatory recluse life?

Miss you all very much,

Triple hug,

The Mayor

[flowerfan2]

All Vows

A/N:  Given that this is the second year in a row I’ve been inspired (compelled?) to write a Good Omens fic on Yom Kippur, I’m inclined to think there’s something to it.  But who knows.

See below for more info and author’s notes.  L’shana tova, everyone.

All Vows, A03

It's Yom Kippur again, and Crowley can't stop watching you tube videos of the Kol Nidrei service.  It's hard to know where he fits, but Aziraphale is there to help.

Crowley hit pause on the video he was watching and shifted on the couch, pulling out his earbuds when it became clear that Aziraphale was talking to him (he could hear him either way, of course, but Aziraphale said it was rude to keep them in during a conversation).

“Are you still listening to Kol Nidrei services?”  Aziraphale asked.  “I don’t think you’re actually required to do it multiple times.”  There was a soft smile tugging at his face, but Crowley didn’t mind the gentle teasing.  He knew he was being a little, well, obsessive.

“I’m not required to do it at all,” he reminded Aziraphale.  Demons didn’t need to go to temple.  Crowley was aiming for a casual tone, but he kind of ruined it by swiping at his eyes, which were leaking rather annoyingly. Traitors.

“Being able to remotely watch Yom Kippur services from all over the world is a silver-”

“Do not say that again, Aziraphale,” Crowley grumbled, returning to more familiar territory. Aziraphale continued to find the “silver lining” in the COVID disaster in everything from less crowded roads to the months and months he’d had to try out different variations on his macaron recipe (Crowley had drawn the line at lobster maracons with buttercream and crabmeat filling), and every time, it grated on his nerves.  No “rain bow” was going to make up for this disaster.

 “I’m sorry, dear,” Aziraphale said, sliding over and taking Crowley’s hand.  “I don’t mean to downplay your concern.  But it is long past sundown here, and presumably in…”  Aziraphale craned his neck to see what Crowley had been watching on his tablet, “New York City, and I think you can take a break now.”

 Crowley let out a long breath, and laid his head on Aziraphale’s shoulder.  “Kol Nidrei means ‘all vows’ in Aramaic,” he said.

 “Hmm, yes,” Aziraphale agreed.

 “Do you remember, then – when it got started… medieval times, all those persecuted Jews, forced to convert to other religions, wanted to return to their own community.”  …”

 “But they were worried that the oath they had sworn to God to follow another religion would get in the way. So the congregations developed the Kol Nidrei prayer to absolve them of the oaths they had made.”

 Crowley digs his chin into Aziraphale’s warm shoulder, and Aziraphale gives his hand a squeeze.  Of course Aziraphale knows all about it, they were both there, bearing witness to the many ways humans have wronged each other year after year in the name of religion.  But something about this particular religious ritual, a legal formula recited every fall to address each person’s own relationship with their god, has hit him hard tonight.

 “D’ya think it worksss for me?” Crowley asked quietly, his voice rebelling against him as surely as his eyes had earlier.  “Can I be forgiven, for the vows I sssshouldn’t have made? Or does it not work, since She threw me out in the first place?”  Was it still a vow against God if God pretty much forced him into it?

 “Oh, Crowley,” Aziraphale said, unclasping his hand from Crowley’s and enveloping him in a tight hug instead.  “It works for everyone.  Vah-yoe-mare Adonai, sah-lach-tee kid’vorecha.”

 “And Adonai said, ‘I have pardoned them as you have asked,’” Crowley repeated, roughly translating the end of the prayer he had heard so many times.

 They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Aziraphale adjusting his hold on Crowley to something more comfortable. Crowley snuggled against Aziraphale’s chest, rubbing his cheek along the worn velvet of Aziraphale’s waistcoat, a feeling of safety and warmth spreading through his body.

 “So, which one was your favorite?” Aziraphale asked after a while, shifting so that he could reclaim his tea from where he had abandoned it at the other end of the couch.  It was still at the perfect temperature, of course, despite the fact that he hadn’t taken a sip of it for quite a while.

 “My favorite…?”

 “Your favorite service.  You must have watched a dozen of them tonight.”

 It had been more than that, actually, if you counted all of the ones Crowley just checked out on you tube for a few minutes and then noped out of if it wasn’t particularly interesting.

 “I always found that fancy congregation in Manhattan a bit too stuffy,” Aziraphale said, referring to the last one Crowley had viewed, and Crowley huffed out a laugh.  Anything too stuffy for Aziraphale was, let’s say, more than a bit behind the times.

 “Newt and Anathema had a good service in their backyard, actually,” Crowley said, grabbing his phone and swiping around until he found what he was looking for, then playing a snippet of the recording for Aziraphale.  There were less traditional instruments playing along with the traditional prayers, and Aziraphale smiled as they heard what sounded like a ukulele.

 “Anathema will really do anything for Newt, won’t she?” Aziraphale murmured approvingly.  Anathema wasn’t Jewish, at least not by birth.

 “Well, she thinks the cantor might be under some sort of spell, given how long she can hold out those high notes without breathing, so she’s taking a professional interest.”

 Crowley showed Aziraphale a few pictures Anathema had sent him that afternoon, of Newt and Anathema’s yard, set up for a small group of neighbors with chairs spread out at least six feet apart.  Their guests were all bringing their own prayer books, or using their phones to access the texts.  Even some communities who usually wouldn’t allow the use of technology on the holidays had made exceptions for a variety of practices given the need to stay safe during the pandemic, although Crowley was pretty sure Newt and Anathema weren’t so conservative in their observance anyway.  

 “Things really are different this year,” Aziraphale said.

 Crowley nodded.  “Yup.  Tomorrow someone is coming by to play the shofar for them.  Apparently the guy is just going to go from house to house, if you want him to come play it for you, you just have to let him know and he’ll stop by.  Home-delivery shofar blowing.  But,” Crowley broke off, swiping until he found another photograph, and then turning his phone so Aziraphale could see the image of the long, curved ram’s horn with a mask somehow attached to the end,  “it has to wear a mask too.  It could be a super-spreader.”

 Aziraphale stared at the photo of the shofar with a mask on it and started to giggle.  Crowley harrumphed, but then Aziraphale did that little wiggle that meant he was truly endeared, and Crowley started giggling too.

 “Humans are endlessly creative,” Aziraphale said into Crowley’s neck, when the giggles had subsided and they were once more curled up around each other.  “They will rise to this challenge, as they have before.”

 “Do you really think so, angel?” Crowley asked.  

 “I do, Crowley. I really do. And we’ll be here to watch them.”

 “Together,” Crowley said shyly, hiding his blush in the soft fluff of Aziraphale’s hair.  Because no matter what vows Crowley had made, no matter what heaven or hell had required of him, somehow, Aziraphale was still here.

 “Yes, of course, dear boy,” Aziraphale replied, nuzzling a delicate kiss into the spot just behind Crowley’s ear, fond and steady and true.  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

_____

Note:  Here I am again, for some crazy reason, writing another Yom Kippur fic.  Yom Kippur is the traditional Jewish day of atonement, and the Kol Nidrei prayer is thought to have originated as a result of Jews being forced to convert to Christianity or Islam upon pain of death.  Afterwards, many of the forced converts wanted to return to Judaism, but this was complicated by the fact that they had been forced to swear vows to another religion.  The Kol Nidrei legal formula was developed to enable them to return, and is recited each year at the beginning of Yom Kippur to absolve them of their vows to God made under duress.  The melody of the Kol Nidrei prayer, which became standardized in the 1800’s, is particularly haunting.  To hear and see the Kol Nidrei sung by Cantor Angela Buchdahl, the first Asian-American to be ordained as a rabbi and cantor and an amazing person, go here.

 Jewish communities around the world, large and small, have been conducting remotely accessible services this year, and finding numerous ways to allow people to come together for high holiday observance in one form or another while still following social distancing guidelines and keeping each other safe.  As just one of many examples, Temple Emanu-El of New York has made its high holiday services available online to everyone; you can find the Kol Nidrei service here.  (As described on Wikipedia,Temple Emanu-El is the first Reform Jewish congregation in New York City and, because of its size and prominence, has served as a flagship congregation in the Reform branch of Judaism since its founding in 1845. Its landmark Romanesque Revival building on Fifth Avenue is one of the largest synagogues in the world. I was there once for a wedding - it blew me away, and honestly, most Jewish synagogues don’t look anything like it, but it is a very lovely place to have visited).

[gstqaobc]

CBC THE ROYAL FASCINATOR

Friday, October 23, 2020

Hello, royal watchers and all those intrigued by what’s going on inside the House of Windsor. This is your biweekly dose of royal news and analysis. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this delivered to your inbox.

Janet DavisonRoyal Expert

The lessons of becoming Diana in The Crown

(Ollie Upton/Netflix)

For Emma Corrin, preparing to take on the role of Diana, Princess of Wales, in The Crown was something of a psychology lesson. The 24-year-old actor assumed the part knowing full well those watching her arrival next month in Season 4 of the Netflix drama will already have well-established impressions of a member of the Royal Family who grew from "Shy Di" to one of the most photographed celebrities and fashion icons of recent times. Those existing impressions made assuming the role “incredibly daunting,” Corrin said in an interview from London. It helped once she got the script and saw the story. But there was also considerable work with a coach on “understanding the psychology behind a lot of what was happening.” And a lot of what was happening to Diana was “incredibly unnatural and quite intense,” Corrin said. At the age of 19, Diana Spencer moved from an apartment she shared with friends in West London into Buckingham Palace after her engagement to Prince Charles, the heir to the throne and a man 13 years her senior. Diana thought “it was going to be the best event of her life and that they were going to live happily ever after, but then [she discovered] he was with another woman,” Corrin said. Along with that, there was the pressure that comes from being a royal in the public eye.   “All of these are very extraordinary circumstances, really, for someone to be operating in,” said Corrin. “These things that she was exposed to come with a whole lot of pressures that affect someone’s mentality, and that was really interesting.” Even so, there are still all those impressions viewers will have before they catch their first glimpse of Diana when the new season of The Crown starts streaming on Nov. 15. And what if Corrin’s portrayal doesn’t match those impressions? Does that matter in trying to create a successful portrayal of such a well-known person? Not necessarily. “If you talk to actors who have to play a real person ... especially somebody that is so world famous and familiar as Diana — [the challenge comes] because audiences are expecting that actress to look and sound just like the real thing,” said Bill Brioux, a longtime television columnist and commentator. He looks no further than the actor holding the central role on The Crown for Seasons 3 and 4 as an example of overcoming that challenge. “I think Olivia Colman [as Queen Elizabeth] has shown that you don’t have to be a carbon copy, that you might capture a nuance or an essence of someone,” Brioux said. “Certainly, Colman spent a lot of The Crown looking surprised and perplexed, you know, aghast at times.” And we certainly aren’t used to seeing the Queen looking that way in public. “So I think it will be interesting to see how Diana is received,” Brioux said. As she prepared for the role, Corrin said she became overwhelmed “by the amount of factual information out there about her and also … the thought that I would be portraying someone so well-known." Corrin said she “started work on her mannerisms and her behaviour and figuring out why she did the things she did or what she would feel about certain situations that I was going to be acting. “ Corrin also spoke to Patrick Jephson, Diana’s private secretary. “He knew her very well and was able to provide a lot of insight, which was wonderful.” With Diana, Brioux suggested, there may be more pressure on an actor than if the portrayal was of a person not so well-known. “People all have their own expectations of Diana in their minds,” he said. “You’re going to disappoint a lot of people no matter what you do, so hat’s off to this actress for taking it on. “I think that there’s potential, though, if you come close, to get a lot of rave reviews because everyone knows the subject and that’s how they’ll judge it."

For more on Corrin’s experiences preparing for the role, click here.

A rare day out for the Queen — and no mask

(Ben Stansall/Reuters)

Royal visits can typically give the royal guest the opportunity to see some cutting-edge technology or to meet individuals being recognized for their work or volunteer efforts in helping others in their community. But Queen Elizabeth’s first major public engagement since the coronavirus pandemic struck in March offered more than a chance for her to visit a new defence research centre west of London and check out the latest in explosives detection. The visit to Porton Down, where scientists are also helping in the response to the pandemic, seemed designed to offer a larger symbolism. “I think it was a really important message for her to send that even though … we’ve been in lockdown and we’re facing new restrictions, the Queen was still able to meet people involved in the COVID response,” Roya Nikkhah, a royal correspondent for the Sunday Times newspaper, told the CBC’s Renee Filippone. Still, the visit, which the 94-year-old carried out alongside her grandson, Prince William, sparked questions — and criticism — because neither of them was wearing a mask at a time when Britons must wear face coverings in stores and other indoor spaces. Those involved in the visit were physically distanced, and Buckingham Palace said safety protocols were followed. Reuters reported that staff at the research centre had been tested for COVID-19 before the visit. “Every precaution that could be taken was taken,” said Nikkhah. “That’s why the Queen didn’t have to wear a mask.” Royal author Robert Jobson told the Daily Mail that Elizabeth was sending a “message of confidence to the people.” “She’s going back to work, she'll go about her business in the usual way, but without taking chances. She is reassuring the public that things must go on as normal, wherever it is safe to do so.” The Queen has spent much of the time since the pandemic struck in isolation at Windsor Castle, considered to be her favourite residence. She has returned there recently after spending a few weeks with Prince Philip at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and a shorter period on her Sandringham estate northeast of London. Throughout the pandemic, Elizabeth has conducted official duties via video or over the phone, and made two appearances within the walls of Windsor Castle — one for a considerably scaled-down recognition of her official birthday in June, and one to bestow a knighthood on Capt. Tom Moore, a 100-year-old honoured for his charity fundraising. Still, it’s unlikely there will be many other outings like her trip to Porton Down anytime soon. “I think [it] was probably a bit of a one-off,” Nikkhah said. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing a lot more of her on public engagements.”

A new portrait for Canada

(Chris Jackson/Getty Images/Government of Canada)

There is also considerable symbolism on display in Queen Elizabeth’s new official Canadian portrait. While the portrait is new to the public, the photo itself was taken more than a year ago, in March 2019 at Windsor Castle, by royal photographer Chris Jackson. He shared it on social media late last week. In the portrait, the Queen is wearing her Canadian insignia as sovereign of the Order of Canada, Jackson said, along with the Order of Military Merit. The diamond and blue sapphire necklace and earrings she is wearing were a wedding day gift from her father, King George VI, in November 1947, and were worn during her five-day trip to Canada in 1990. Jackson said on Instagram that it was an “incredible honour” to have the opportunity to photograph the Queen for the portrait. “I’ve been lucky enough to have visited Canada many times now with members of the Royal Family and have the fondest memories of the people I’ve met.”

Royally quotable

"My family and I knew nothing about it and were at a loss to know how we could help alleviate the terrible pain she suffered."

— Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall,

reflects on her mother’s death from osteoporosis

26 years ago, and went on this week to note the “huge strides” made since then in treatment and research into the disease.

Royals in Canada

(Hans Deryk/The Canadian Press)

When Charles and Diana came to Canada in late October 1991, it was the last trip they made to the country together. And in ways it was two visits in one for the couple, whose collapsing marriage was under intense media scrutiny at the time, as they went their separate ways for much of the seven-day sojourn.

One stop for Diana in Toronto took her to Casey House, a hospice for people who have AIDS.

“Diana had just begun to venture into the issue of AIDS, then repellent to much of society, but it was still surprising that she chose to see a hospice full of very ill people rather than some less harrowing AIDS setting,” Casey House founder June Callwood

wrote in Maclean’s magazine

after Diana’s death in 1997.

Callwood had a mixed view of Diana, but that visit to Casey House, where she sat and visited with hospice residents, left a lasting impression.

Diana “wanted nothing less than to change the world for the better,” Callwood wrote. “And perhaps she did. On that lovely afternoon … she made everyone at a small AIDS hospice in Toronto feel worthwhile. That’s quite a gift.”

Our friends at CBC Archives have taken a closer look at the 1991 visit, which was also the first time both William and Harry went with their parents on a foreign trip.

Royal reads

1. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, says she

avoids speaking about controversial topics

in an attempt to ensure she doesn’t put her family at risk. She also says she’s been told that in 2019, she was the

“most trolled person in the entire world.”

[BBC, The Guardian]

2. More than 60 years after Queen Elizabeth gave a pair of swans to a city in Florida,

it has sold off three dozen of their descendants

in a bid to ease a crisis in overpopulation of the birds. [The Independent]

3. Thirty years after Diana laid a ceremonial foundation stone for a cancer hospital, her son William

did the same

. [The Daily Mail]

4. Dutch King Willem-Alexander says he

regrets going to Greece for a holiday

after he and his family were criticized for taking a trip during the pandemic. [BBC]

Cheers!

I’m always happy to hear from you. Send your ideas, comments, feedback and notes to

royalfascinator@cbc.ca

. Problems with the newsletter? Please let me know about any typos, errors or glitches.

[giftofshewbread]

It’s Over!  ( Biblical Update )

By Daymond Duck     Published  on: August 15, 2021

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (II Tim. 3:1).

Be aware that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (II Tim. 3:13).

The right of U.S. citizens to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to buy and sell, etc., is being challenged by the shadow government’s desire to restrict and/or control American’s freedom of religion, speech, right to buy and sell, etc.

Covid is a global medical crisis that the godless shadow government created to justify the establishment of a world government, world religion, and worldwide tracking system to enslave everyone on earth.

The public is being told that proof of vaccination (passports, I.D. cards, or whatever) is needed to bring Covid-19 under control when the truth of the matter is that Covid-19 and the variants are a tool that the rich and powerful are using to bring all people under their control.

It is possible and perhaps likely that this proof of vaccination will eventually be followed by the lockdown and persecution of Christian groups and institutions based on their support for Bible teaching and lack of support for the globalist agenda (the godless world government, godless world religion, abortion, gay rights, etc.).

Before the persecution reaches its peak, Christians will be removed (Raptured) from this earth, and the door will be thrown wide open for the godless shadow government to select a leader to take dictatorial power on earth.

Following his appearance, their so-called proof of vaccination will probably evolve into a data system that will be used to determine who can buy and sell, who can live or die, etc. (Don’t overlook the fact that some of the leaders that want to force everyone to be vaccinated are the same people that want to reduce the population of the earth from almost 8 billion to about half a billion; many support abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, etc.).

God will allow these godless globalists to select a leader to rule for seven years, but God will ultimately cause them to regret what they have done for all eternity.

A reader recently sent an e-mail to this writer containing part of a message that Dr. Franklin Graham delivered at a Baptist Church in Florida.

Dr. Graham said, “The American Dream has ended.”

Readers need to understand that the one who said “The American Dream has ended” is one of the most highly respected preachers in the world, not a fanatic and not a prophecy teacher, but America must decline if the globalists are going to meet their goal of a world government and a world religion by 2030 or before.

Here is a repeat from the article I wrote last week: On July 27, 2021, former Sec. of State Mike Pompeo said, “Collapse from within is possible… Immigration without assimilation, illicit drugs, human trafficking, disputed elections, inflationary risks have become the tools to disassemble our republic in what must surely be an attempt at national suicide.”

I want to close my opening remarks this way: We are not seeing the Mark of the Beast yet (people are not being jabbed in their right hand or forehead; people are not taking the name, number, or Mark of the Beast; unvaccinated people can still buy and sell in most places; etc.).

On the other hand, we are seeing the global development and advancement of technology and policies that many excellent Bible prophecy teachers believe will lead to the Mark of the Beast (forced compliance, loss of one’s job, development of passports or passes, a demand for government databases to track people, a demand to prevent the unvaccinated from entering stores to buy or sell, the spread of anti-Christian rhetoric, etc.).

Also, keep in mind the fact that the Church will be Raptured a minimum of 3 ½ years (and perhaps more) before the global development and advancement of the technology and policies goes into effect as the Mark of the Beast (the Gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church).

Here are other reasons to believe that history is approaching end of the age Bible predictions and the American Dream is over.

One, when Jesus was asked about the signs of His coming, He listed famines, pestilences, earthquakes, etc. (notice that the words are plural as in more than one famine, more than one pestilence, etc.; Matt. 24:7).

Today, the world is trying to deal with Covid-19, the Delta (India variant), Lambda (Peru variant), and Epsilon variant (pestilences plural).

Two, on Aug. 6, 2021, California announced that a low water level caused by drought has forced the shutdown of the state’s second largest hydroelectric plant for the first time since the dam was completed in 1977.

The state will be able to get electricity from other systems.

More: On Aug. 4, 2021, the Dixie wildfire destroyed Greenville, Cal., a gold rush town of about 1,200 people (5 days later, Fox News reported that about 600 buildings have burned and about 13,000 are in danger).

More: On Aug. 6, 2021, it was reported that Lake Powell on the Utah-Arizona border, the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and Lake Mead in Nevada have hit record lows this summer.

FYI: Drought is having a devastating impact on crops, cattle, hog, and sheep production in the U.S. (a very large part of America’s food supply).

FYI: Unprecedented wildfires are also taking place in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, and Russia.

Three, during the Tribulation Period, the world will be divided into two groups: those that take the Mark of the Beast and those that refuse to take the Mark of the Beast.

Today, the world is being divided into two groups: those that have been vaccinated and those that have not been vaccinated.

Four, on Aug. 9, 2021, World Net Daily posted an article by Wayne Allen Root that said:

Republicans asked for “papers” from migrants who had broken into our country. Criminals. Democrats said, “No, that’s racism.”

Republicans asked for “papers” once every two years for federal elections to prove you have a right to vote. Democrats said, “No, that’s racism.”

Now Democrats want American citizens, not illegal aliens, not criminals, but patriots born in this country to produce papers 24/7. We’ll need papers to enter restaurants, bars, nightclubs, concerts, casinos, conventions, and hotels and to board a train, plane, or bus. We’ll need papers to enter a supermarket, or we’ll starve to death—all for the crime of being unvaccinated.

Note: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said the U.S. is at a crossroads, and he is urging U.S. citizens to “resist the mandates, lockdowns, and the harmful policies of the petty tyrants and bureaucrats.”

Five, on Aug. 6, 2021, Natural News reported that the U.K. has admitted that it is building storage areas for bodies in the 32 boroughs of London and the city itself.

These storage areas are being built because the government expects an increase in deaths over the next five years due to their attempts to force people to be vaccinated (some people that are not allowed to buy and sell will go hungry, get sick, etc.).

Writer’s Comment: It is common for some people to ask how bad will God let it get before He Raptures His Church. No one knows the answer to this, but the situation is worsening, and Christians everywhere need to pray about it.

Six, on July 31, 2021, the Carnival Cruise Ship Vista left Galveston, TX with everyone or board vaccinated (every guest, every crew member, every staff member, everyone vaccinated; no unvaccinated people on board).

On Aug. 8, 2021, it was reported that a small number of people on the ship have tested positive for Covid.

Seven, God promised to bless those that bless Israel and to curse those that curse Israel (Gen. 12:3).

On Aug. 4, 2021, the Iranian-backed terrorist group that controls Lebanon, Hezbollah, fired three rockets into Israel.

On Aug. 5, 2021, Israeli jets struck terrorist targets in Lebanon for the first time in 15 years, and Pres. Biden announced that he will give the terrorist government $100 million dollars in economic aid (borrowed money that will add to inflation in the U.S.).

On Aug. 6, 2021, Hezbollah forces fired 19 rockets from Lebanon into Israel, and Israel responded with artillery fire.

On Aug. 8, 2021, new hardline Iranian Pres. Raisi met with leaders of the terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Houthis, and promised to support their terrorist activities until Israel is defeated.

Writer’s Comment: This could easily get out of hand and lead to the fulfillment of several prophecies (Psa. 83 if that is a war; the Destruction of Damascus as prophesied in Isa. 17; the Battle of Gog and Magog as prophesied in Ezek. 38-39; time will tell.).

Eight, violence is on the increase, and some politicians want to defund the police and take the guns away from law-abiding citizens, but the globalist goal is only partly to prevent citizens from defending themselves against criminals.

The globalist goal is primarily to prevent citizens from defending the U.S. against the shadow government’s takeover of the U.S.

For whatever it is worth, thousands of people have marched in Paris and other French cities four weeks in a row to protest the loss of their freedoms.

On Aug. 6, protests erupted in Turin, Italy.

Nine, on Aug. 6, 2021, a guest on Fox & Friends said the strongest outbreak of the Covid Delta Variant is in Texas and Florida, and those two states are where the Biden administration has taken the largest number of Covid-infected migrants.

Ten, concerning global pandemics and the Mark of the Beast, on July 25, 2021, The Times of Israel reported on a study that found that people vaccinated before Feb. 2021 are twice as likely to get Covid as those vaccinated in June 2021 for two reasons: 1) Their vaccine effectiveness decreases over time and is becoming less effective every day; and 2) The Delta Variant is more contagious than the original Covid-19, and therefore more able to overcome the resistance of their declining vaccination.

The doctor that headed up the study said, “We definitely need to think about a third vaccine.”

It is the opinion of this writer that the globalists will want people to take a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. vaccination until they bring in the Mark of the Beast.

Update: On Aug. 5, 2021, Moderna said data shows a noticeable drop in antibody levels 6-8 months after a vaccinated person’s second jab, so vaccinated people will need to get a booster shot this fall.

Writer’s Comment: Just a reminder to U.S. citizens that Pres. Biden said, “You’re not going to get Covid if you have these vaccines.”

Eleven, concerning world government: it is widely known that the World Economic Forum (WEF) wants to establish a world government and eliminate private property ownership by 2030 or before.

The WEF even produced a video saying, “You will own nothing, and you will be happy.”

My article “Developing Now,” posted two weeks ago, quoted Tony Koretz who said, “A global medical dictatorship is rising.”

I added that “It is hard to deny that the shadow government is using unelected individuals to dictate policies to nations all over the world.”

On Aug. 3, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended the U.S. government’s eviction moratorium, a document that allows renters in areas that have a high level of Covid to not pay their rent.

Put another way, property owners that have rented their house, apartment, etc., to someone else must make the mortgage payments (if the property owner has a mortgage payment), pay to keep the house, apartment, etc., repaired, and the property owner cannot evict the renter for not paying their rent (the renter can live in the house free, and the property owner must pay the bills).

The fact that the CDC (a medical group) can force private property owners to make the property payments and let renters live in the property free sure looks like a global medical dictatorship has taken over.

The real owners of the property are not happy with making the payments and receiving no rent.

Twelve, on Aug. 4, 2021, concerning a Mark on the forehead to buy and sell, it was reported that Amazon is now using palm scanners at 53 Amazon-owned stores, and it plans to expand the program to other stores in the U.S.

Customers can use a simple hand scan to pay, enter or I.D. themselves, and Amazon will give them a $10 promotional credit to sign up.

Before my final word, pastor Keith Watts asked me to include this paragraph in my article (something I can’t start doing for ministries all over the world): “I am asking all prayer warriors from around the world to join with us for a day of prayer, fasting, and repentance on August 16, 2021, for the sake of the Philippines and on behalf of over 110,950,213 precious souls. We will be fasting from the time we wake up until we go to bed, interceding on behalf of the lost souls in the Philippines.”

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

[aion-rsa]

MobMovieCon and SopranosCon to Have a Sit-Down in Atlantic City

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

It’s time for the punks to meet the godfathers. The creators of SopranosCon merged with MobMovieCon for a family celebration. From July 23 to July 25, Harrah’s Resort & Casino in Atlantic City will house the boardwalk’s biggest gangster gathering since Nucky Johnson hosted the mob’s Atlantic City Conference in 1929.

“Al Capone will not be coming though,” VirtualCons CEO Michael Mota tells Den of Geek. “Those were the mobsters. I would say this would be the biggest gathering of mobster wannabes.” The Sopranos fan convention has come a long way since it was dreamed up by three gangster movie aficionados from New York, Maryland, and Rhode Island. The 2019 SopranosCon drew thousands of fans from as far as The Netherlands and the United Kingdom to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus. A planned expansion to MobMovieCon had to be pushed back because of the pandemic, but the organizers introduced VirtualCons’ free downloadable app to host fan “experiences,” like a trip to Tony Soprano’s house in Caldwell, N.J.

“It’s grown unbelievably well,” Mota tells us. “We started with SopranosCon of 2019 and got 15,000 people over two days. We decided to open it up to be both SopranosCon and MobMovieCon, but the global reach we have, because of the virtual apps we built during the pandemic, has been unbelievable. Not only will we have thousands of people in Atlantic City, we’ll also have hundreds of thousands of people that will stream it through our app. It’s a great way to connect people to this genre.”

The opening shot for the weekend is a one-night event showcasing the 1996 HBO film Gotti. “It kicks off the weekend, ‘The Gotti Reunion,’” Mota says. “We’ll have Armand Assante, William Forsythe, Dominic Chianese, who was Junior in The Sopranos, but played in The Godfather, and Gotti, and in a tremendous amount of movies.” William Forsythe, and Robert Miranda will also join in the live reunion, which will culminate in the event’s big, as-yet secret announcement.

In Atlantic City, crime pays off. This year will premiere the convention’s Mob Movie Awards, which takes place 8 p.m. Saturday. “It’ll be just like watching the Academy Awards and the Emmys,” Mota says. “There will be a dinner served, people will be dressed up, there’ll be a red-carpet event. We’ll have live music. It’s going to be a really nice night of just appreciating the art of mob movies.”

The Mob Movie Awards will be hosted by a bona fide O.G. One of the premiere gangsta rappers who also wailed in heavy metal, and a Newark native. “Ice T became a partner of ours on the app that we came up with during the epidemic,” Mota says. “He crosses over from the music genre to the movies. He’s been on Law & Order for over 20 years, so we just thought that he would be the greatest addition to it.”

According to advance press, awards will be given in categories like favorite depiction of real-life gangster in a film or TV series, and a James Gandolfini Humanitarian Award. “There will be 10 awards,” Mota says. “One is going to be given to someone that’s no longer with us and there’ll be a tribute. Some of the categories are greatest hits. We have the greatest mob wives. I don’t want to give too many away.”

This year’s guests include Paul Sorvino, who played Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas; Lorraine Bracco who played Dr. Melfi on The Sopranos and Karen Hill in Goodfellas; Aida Turturro (Janice Soprano); Vincent Curatola (Johnny Sack); Kathrine Narducci (Charmaine Bucco); Federico Castelluccio (Furio Giunta), Dan Grimaldi (Philly and Patsy Parisi), David Proval (Richie Aprile) and Jerry Adler (Hesh Rabkin). Also on deck are Michael Madsen, Kathrine Narducci, Tom Sizemore, Tony Darrow, Sofia Milos, Jerry Adler, Jeff Marchetti, Taral Hicks, Eric Roberts, Ray Abruzzo, Matt Servitto, Dan Grimaldi, Jason Cerbone, Oksana Lada, John Bianco, Johnny Martino, John Fiore, Frank Santorelli, Garry Pastore, and Artie Pasquale.

The first event hosted 54 actors from the series, but didn’t stop there. There was a “Pine Barrens” tribute maze, an escape room designed like Dr. Melfi’s office, Bada Bing dancers, costume contests and cannoli-eating tournaments.

“The convention is very different than most,” Mota explains. “We have the traditional, celebrity autographs, but we try to really think outside the box. We have Tony Soprano’s truck, the white Escalade. We have the vehicle that Silvio and Patsy Parisi got shot up in. We purchased that from HBO. We have a motorcycle with all the autographs, so we have a little bit for everybody. It’s very experiential. There is a feast-like atmosphere.” So far, the organizers haven’t told the caterers to use Martin Scorsese’s mother’s famed recipe for tomato sauce. “Not this time,” he says. “We will consider it for next time.

Mota hopes upcoming MobMovieCon gatherings will mix in some of the older classic mob movies as well as gangster with gangsta movies. One day we may see New Jack City playing along with Once Upon a Time in America. “Yes, exactly, Mota says. “We want to make sure that it’s very diverse and hits on everything. We actually are working right now on the west coast and December doing one in Las Vegas,” he says. “We would like to do one on the east coast and one on the west coast. And each time we do it, we’ll theme it out. This one is mostly focused on the Gotti movie and then obviously it brings in The Godfather, and Goodfellas. But we’ll pick one or two classics that everybody loves.”

There are a lot of reasons to appreciate the genre which go beyond crime and punishment. “I think people love the connection with family,” Mota says. “I think that people do like to root for the villain. It’s got that constant idea of the government against these folks that came over to this country. They had it tough. They had to come up with a new way of life. And then there’s a balance of glamorizing that type of life, but it is just so it’s just so exciting to see. The diversity of people who were able to come out and come up with their own way of living.”

As a fan of both the series and the genre, Mota doesn’t quite see the upcoming The Many Saints of Newark becoming a gangster classic on the level of its source material. “I was just having this conversation yesterday,” he grins. “I don’t think anything can touch The Sopranos. As much as I want to watch it. I’m afraid that nothing will be able to live up to that standard, for me personally, to be even close to what The Sopranos was able to achieve, but we’ll certainly see.”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

MobMovieCon will happen in Atlantic City on July 23 through the 25th at Harrah’s Resort. Tickets start at $50 for general admission and $75 for a two-day pass. VIP tickets cost up to $1,000.

The post MobMovieCon and SopranosCon to Have a Sit-Down in Atlantic City appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3rr6MRR

[thetricktoholdingon]

cartermatt NCIS interview: EPs on McGee’s marriage; will Ziva return in season 18?

CarterMatt – I know that there were some episodes that you were ready to film last spring, but weren’t able to when filming shut down. Was this premiere, ‘Sturgeon Season,’ set to be one of those final episodes that didn’t get to film?

Steven D. Binder – Not at all. When we left in the spring, we realized that we would have to write a new premiere and ease back into whatever the world was. As we started thinking about the great unknowns and the idea of characters living in a coronavirus world, we toyed with the idea of an alternate reality where the virus doesn’t exist. We abandoned that.

What we ended up settling on, and you’ll know immediately when you watch the premiere, is that it will open in a coronavirus world — though coronavirus isn’t important to what is being talked about. Then, we jump back in time to the episode ‘Musical Chairs,’ where Gibbs lied in the squad room about going sturgeon fishing and was gone the whole episode. We splice off in this episode and we see what Gibbs was doing related to Emily Fornell.

We spend a good portion of the beginning of the season in a pre-pandemic timeframe, which enabled us to get a better handle on what the future was going to look like. That way, when we land in the present-day time, we have a sense of what it is going to be.

Frank Cardea – The first five episodes take place in the period of [‘Musical Chairs’]. Episode 6 wraps that up, and episode 7 will bring us up to a post-COVID world.

I am really glad to be seeing Fornell again in the premiere, given that the season 16 finale ‘Daughters’ was so important for him and for Gibbs. How does this ‘Sturgeon Season’ story affect Gibbs? It’s weird to think about, given that whatever happened in that past, he’s been keeping a secret from everyone in the present.

Binder – And that’s going to have to come to an end at some point…

Cardea – It affects him greatly. It develops over the first five episodes and even beyond that — through six, seven, eight, and nine. It will still be affecting his life. We’re going to see a slightly different Gibbs as a result of what he went through.

The news is out there that Maria Bello is leaving at some point this season, but how long can we expect to see her stick around? Will all of her episodes be at once, or sort of spread out throughout the year?

Binder – She’s a part of the team, and we’re going to delve in to some specific things for her.

Cardea – She’s doing eight episodes, and it will be wrapped up in the beginning part of the year.

You guys have managed to get back Fornell, and guest stars I know in some ways are more challenging in this pandemic climate. Have you faced any limitations because of that?

Cardea – We have a very rigorous COVID protocol, but we haven’t let it impact our storytelling. Joe Spano, who plays Fornell, has always been an integral part of the show. He went through the same testing protocol as all of our stars and guest stars. We haven’t shied away from bringing in new people because of COVID; we’ve just put them through our rigorous testing program.

Binder – Maybe there’s a few less in the background. Do we really need 20 people in the background? Can we do it with 9?

Cardea – Crowd scenes are pretty hard to shoot nowadays, because everyone who comes into contact with our cast and crew has to be tested.

I know there will be a lot of people wondering, but is there any specific plan to bring Ziva back after the arc last season?

Binder – That was always a story-driven appearance; it was never a “we got Ziva, let’s throw story at her.” I’d just say that now, we’ve got a lot of other fish to fry before we go back and even think about another story at this time. We’ve got a fairly complex narrative structure, we’ve got Sloane and making sure that she gets a send-off that is fitting and surprising and exciting, and we’ve got the coronavirus. To throw Ziva on top of all of it would be like throwing a hat on top of a hat.

Cardea – We also have a compressed season this year. CBS is cutting back on their episode orders because we got such a late start. We’re doing a third fewer episodes than we normally would in a non-COVID year.

That dovetails perfectly into what I wanted to ask next. With fewer episodes, will there be a change at all in format? Is it possible that the story may feel a little more continuous, even if it’s not necessarily serialized?

Binder – We had some plans in play that are going to be compressed because of the fewer episodes. I don’t know when it’s all said and done if there will be a different ratio between serialized and non-serialized episodes.

Cardea – It will stay pretty similar to what we’ve done in the past. It just means that there are some things we wanted to do that will have to wait until future years.

Binder – Even these first five episodes where there is this long-term thing happening, we’ve tried to also design it where it’s also its own non-serialized episode, where you can just tune in and watch that episode. You don’t really have to see anything before or after it. If we feel a “Previously On…” will help, we may throw that in. The one exception is the wrap-up episode. It will be helpful if you’ve seen all the things leading up to that episode, but it’s one episode out of the first seven. You could have just tuned in and watched the other shows without knowing anything else. It’s still the same lovable characters, solving crimes.

I want to make sure we talk about the 400th episode, which is going to be about tracing through Gibbs and Ducky’s past. What was the feeling like exploring this relationship, especially since I have to imagine this idea had been rolling in your head for years?

Binder – I don’t know that the specific idea of the 400th was rolling around, but when I sat down to do the 400th, I asked ‘what was deserving enough? What was epic enough?’. It was how these people became these people. We’ve seen so much before that — we’ve seen Young Gibbs before he joined the Marines, and Young Ducky when he was a doctor before he went to Afghanistan. This was sort of the missing link between then and now, and I thought it’d be interesting — that final link. 400 seemed like a good time to do it.

I’ve seen on Sean Murray’s Instagram an image of he and Margo Harshman on set. I’m assuming with that we’ll be seeing Delilah back early on. Is there anything you can say about that?

Cardea – One of the first five episodes Margo will be featured really prominently in. It was good to have the Delilah character back with McGee. There are different layers to explore.

Binder – We haven’t really dug into it too much. Everyone’s relationships are generally pretty happy, but at some point every marriage has a rough patch. We dip our toe into that water a little bit.

Finally, I believe Wilmer Valderrama has said we could hear a little bit about Torres’ past and maybe his family. What can we expect to see there?

Binder – We do bring up some family — we do mention a sister, who I don’t think we’ve mentioned since he started on the show. I think he’s going to have a personal experience with someone who’s served some time — he’s always putting people away, and he never really thinks about the other side of the coin. I think there’s a good chance we’ll see something along those lines [of family]; nothing has been written yet.

Cardea – With most of the regulars, we get a good idea as to where they live and how they live. We’re going to get a sense of his home life a little bit.

[alchemabotana]

Hindsight is 2020

Walk with us through our medicine wheel:

The Eastern Direction:

No one could have been less surprised by the announcement of the Corona virus pandemic than my medicine hoop. 

In 2018 a local paper, Yes! Weekly interviewed me on my predictions for 2019, in which I detailed many of the struggles we’d see that year as a sneak-peak on what to expect for 2020: Whaples said 2019 is the preparation and intention-setting year, “for the real show;” she said [2019] is the “dress rehearsal for 2020.”“It is an important year to set up positive energy for what you want to come in the future,” she said.

We saw this come to fruition in the work we do with Kindred Spirits, my shamanic healing store and art gallery located in Winston Salem, NC. 

In early 2020, we celebrated my most dedicated Shamanic apprentice, RJ Walker as the Winston Salem Ambassadors awarded him the Everyday Hero Award - an exceptional and much-needed recognition of BIPOC work in the spiritual community.

Having dealt with the emotional and financial hits taken by the closing of the major highway through downtown Winston Salem, we were more than excited to celebrate the re-opening of our roadways and a new lease on business and life. I worked with a local news station to bring awareness to our continued existence in the downtown community, and our work to support and bring together that community. I hope any readers will take the time to watch the linked newsclips in order to gain a deeper understanding of the situation.

Not long after this, one of our hoop members came onto our fb livefeed to announce the pandemic and warn others to be aware of the upcoming energy. You can watch this on facebook!

As soon as the national news hit, our store promptly closed its doors prior to the statewide shutdown. We continued to provide shamanic services and wares through our online portal, and distance work.

The Southern Direction:

RJ and I answered a spiritual call close to our hearts in early June with spiritual warfare and ceremonial ritual work on behalf of national and local protesters in the Black Lives Matter movement. I created a ritual crucifix for our hoop member Camille to carry in the protests. One such protest was held on the very street where our store resides, bringing awareness to the issues of racism on our street. A local business owner who had posted racist material was ousted from our block. We celebrated in solidarity with song, drumming, and our ceremonially summoning. We walked, carried the painting of St. Maya Angelou, and wore our traditional regalia with pride:

Antonina Whaples is a shamanic artist and co-owner of Kindred Spirits, a store and healing arts center on Trade Street. She has been marching in the protests while beating a Siberian goat-skin and birch wood drum.

She made a crucifix for her student Camille Adair to carry in the marches. Instead of the traditional Christ figure, the cross bears an image of a black madonna with a sacred heart.

“I said to her, ‘You are like a daughter to me, and I have no other way to express how I feel,’” Whaples said. “It is a layered piece. It is very personal and emotional to me. I felt like Camille would be protected by it.”

Her friend, Elyse Bottomly, carried another one of Whaples’ art works in the marches, “Her Majesty St. Maya Angelou,” which Whaples had made for Rosa Johnson, Angelou’s niece.

Whaples is doing what artists do: responding to the moment and finding ways to express feelings for which there are no words.

We were able to re-open in early July, seeing a completely new client and customer base supporting the work like never before. Just before re-opening, I was able to completely finish drawing the Minor arcana for the Piczanka Tarot, now available for first edition pre-order on the website.  We celebrated this victory by partnering up with an amazing team of entrepreneurs in Winston Salem: PinkTalk Podcast. We truly enjoyed being the guests for Episode 14, hosted by Bobbi Bugatti and produced by Mizz Faith. You can access it on youtube, facebook, instagram, and iHeart Radio! 

The Western Direction:

As a traumatic brain injury survivor still in the depths of my healing journey, I have been a high-risk individual for the entirety of the COVID pandemic. Going further inwards, I focused my sorrow, grief, and understanding on the transformative power of art throughout this year. Creating and displaying hundred of pieces of sacred shamanic artwork at my store, Kindred Spirits, became my purpose and grounding act of revolution daily. In a time of destruction there is nothing more revolutionary than to create.

From late September through August I focused my attention solely on my work for Winston Salem Fashion Week’s 6th show, presented at the Southeast Center for Contemporary Art. Although I had participated last year for the 5th anniversary as a model & guest designer with Melissa Coleman from Hanesbrands; this year I designed jewelry and headpieces for Melissa while also designing my own line of jewelry and clothing for Kindred Spirits.

 This year we presented the fashion week virtually, filming the showcase at SECCA in late August, and launching the showcase in October. Filming was exciting and different, with our models being able to walk through the open and empty gallery during the shutdown. It was a a beautiful presentation. I worked double-time, modeling for Melissa’s bridal line, and coordinating and preparing my own models at the same time. In fact, I walked with one of my own models for Melissa just prior to my own line’s presentation that day. Talk about being in two places at one time! 

My line was sponsored by Goodwill Industries as part of the sustainable fashion initiative of WSFW. I enjoyed painting shoes, purses, and hats - as well as upcycling clothing that represented the designs and colors of our culture lineage systems.

We were happily surprised when Yes! Weekly did a feature-story about WSFW, with our 2019 designs on the front cover, and beautiful large format photographs of additional designs in the inside story. I was especially proud of the front cover, as the make-up design feather, head-pieces, and jewelry thoroughly represented the medicine work we intentionally worked last year. The pre-runway experience was true ceremony. 

But that’s not all 2020 had to offer us! 

RJ and I also worked on finishing many of our long-term projects already far into the completion phase. We announced many of these upcoming releases with Yes! Weekly when it was announced that I had been voted the “Best Visual Artist in the Triad” by the paper’s readers:

“As an artist, to be named something like that in your hometown feels more special than some of these international awards that I have gotten,” she said. “Especially since people voted for it, it has made me feel more affirmed.”

In addition to being a visual artist, Whaples is the owner of Kindred Spirits on Trade Street, a Shaman, a published author, and a fashion designer. Last year, she gave half of her business to her shamanic apprentice, so that she could focus on creating art to sell at Kindred. The new book she just published is called Stone People: An Introduction to Stone Medicine, which she said is a descriptive book about “all the healing stones organized by the chakra system, and how to use them to heal yourself.” Whaples also finished drawing her own 78-card tarot deck she calls the Piczanka Tarot Deck, which is set to be released this month.

“[Piczanka] was the name of the holocaust camp that my grandmother was interned in,” she said. “So this deck is like a reflection and a message from those of us who have already conquered and lived through tragedy to others who are experiencing displacement in order to help them through their journey spiritually.”

Stone People: An Introduction to Stone Medicine has been a big hit at the store, with only 12 copies currently available of the first edition. 

The Piczanka Tarot first edition major/minor arcana has just become available for pre-order this month, and can be purchased on our website. 

The North Direction:

As we close the year, we celebrated the Winter Solstice and great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius (my natal sun & moon!). Along with this celebration of the dawn of a new age, we at Kindred Spirits were congratulated by the Innovation Quarter, Chronicle, and Triad Minority and Women’s Business Expo, the Urban League, and more as we were named the “Business of the Month” 

I became an official artist with Saatchi Gallery, an international fine arts organization with an online gallery. You can now purchase the originals or prints of many pieces of shamanic fine artwork created exclusively for Kindred Spirits through their gallery online. 

RJ and I are still hard at work completing the final touches of a project over 6 years in the making: the launch of the online Introduction to Herbal Medicine program through Piedmont Herb School. Although we had hoped to launch before the new year hit, it looks like the first thing we’ll be doing in 2021 is making sure that this very important information can be accessed ASAP.

We hope our local and extended hoops continue to be blessed by the important recognition of the medicine work we’ve been deeply involved with this year, and in the years leading up to this massive event. I truly believe that the more recognition and normalcy granted to shamans and medicine people practicing in the open, generational and cultural healing will move further and deeper in our shared experience of community and personal well-being, regardless of your place on a chess board of life. 

We’ll be in ceremony, of course, celebrating the new year and the beginning of our 27th year in business in Winston Salem, NC in the heart of the downtown arts district.

[leoamber66]

What would the bidders do in the COVID-19 Pandemic or a Pandemic in general?

I did this based on S5 and S6 and some substories~  :)

Sorry, some vary in length and sorry if it’s not good anon and there is some suggestive content in here! Trigger Warning ahead about pandemics so please turn away if you are uncomfortable with it! 

As always feedback is much appreciated!

A special thanks to @voltage-vixen @the-voltage-diaries for giving me feedback and tips on this!

Eisuke:

-“MC, you’re taking time off until this situation settles down.”

-“What!? I can’t take that much time off Eisuke!”

-“Just do as I say. You don’t have a choice in the matter.”

-“Eisuke, I want to work at the hotel and take care of the guests! They’re all panicking at a time like this, so I want to do my best to help everyone! Please!”

-MC would beg him for a bit and he’d finally give in to her puppy dog eyes.

-“...Not a step outside the hotel and you come back to the penthouse the instant your shift ends.”

-MC thinks he’s being hella extra and holds back an exasperated smile.

-“Yes, sir.”

-Eisuke always gives her a kiss before leaving. A very steamy kiss ;)

-He’d probably either force and try to force MC to wear a mask at work.

-And he really doesn’t let MC leave their penthouse other than for work. And he gets everything delivered to the penthouse.

-He works in the penthouse mostly on his laptop at this time but will go out if absolutely necessary for business meetings or to sign a contract.

-He’d do his best and be extra af to make sure MC is entertained ~~and satisfied wink wonk ;)~~ and not panicking from the current crisis.

-You can also expect him to be stocked up on toilet paper and paper towels.

Soryu:

-“MC, I’m heading out now. Be careful at work.”

-Soryu knows it's probably impossible to convince MC to not go to work for the whole pandemic so he tells her to be careful and urges her to come home quickly as soon as her shift ends. MC agrees but she’s much more worried about him

-“I promise Soryu, but I want you to be careful. Tell the Dragons too for me okay?”

-“We will MC, but you don’t need to worry about me or the Dragons, we’ll be just fine.” 

-MC hesitates to tell him how she’s really feeling worrying that she might annoy him but she goes ahead anyway.

-“I know but you and the Dragons are my family too, so of course I’m worried! And...I want you to come home to me quickly.”

-Soryu tries to fight off the smile spreading on his face and fails lol. He gives her a kiss on her forehead then one on her lips before leaving.

-“Okay, I promise.”

-He lets MC go grocery shopping but tries to come with her as much as possible.

 -Although Soryu has the best poker face on the inside he’s really worried about the Dragons and MC, so he tries to make sure the Dragons don’t have to go out too much for “work”.

-Instead of buying tons of toilet paper and paper towels, he stocks up on eggs.

-OMELETS FTW

Bonus:

Baba:

-Honestly, it’ll make Baba’s “job” a lot easier since it’s very secluded in most places making it easier for him to infiltrate and steal whatever he needs to.

-“Be careful Baba.”

-“I will, can’t be worrying my Princess ;)”

-“...Come home quickly.”

-“Hmmm? Does my Princess miss me that much when I’m not home?”

-Baba teases MC hoping to ease her worry but she surprises him by saying

-“...Yeah, I do. Whenever your not with me, I miss you so much I can’t stand it. So please hurry home to me.”

-MC says that while looking at him with puppy dog eyes and blushing slightly.

-Baba would be surprised at MC’s honesty and start blushing.

-“That’s against the rules... Ah, you’re too cute!”

-“B-Baba?!”

-Baba can’t hold back from kissing MC and...WINK WONK ;)

-You know what happens ;) * ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

-MC will be VERY worried since he goes around to a lot of places and has contact with a lot of people, and always has a bath and dinner ready for him every day. If Baba comes home earlier then MC, then he would cook for her, and definitely pamper MC I mean he always does lol

-Baba would be home a lot more often and will probably only go out to steal if absolutely necessary and he’d donate a lot of money to those who are having an especially hard time with the pandemic.

-At first, he’s really worried about letting MC go to work but doesn’t say anything and just tells her to be careful. But MC knows and assures him she’ll be careful and why she wants to keep working.

-He’d go get their essentials or get delivery to their suite in case MC gets worried. And in a sense, he’s kinda glad to be home more often so he can spend more time with MC.

-“Now I can devote most of my time to my Princess ;) <3”

Ota:

-“Now I can play with you and Thumper more, Koro!”

-“I’m not a dog, Ota…”

-He’d tease MC more because he knows that she’s probably worried and doesn’t want her or the baby being stressed.

-Man, if you thought he was a protective dad before WRONG.

-He’s extremely overprotective this time around. 

-He’d definitely stay home more often so he can keep an eye on MC and works at home.

-He’ll actually probably force MC to stop working and because he’s extremely worried about the health of her and the baby.

-If she’s feeling down about not working, he’d let her do some light cleaning in their suite and MAYBE the penthouse lounge as long as-

-“As long as those old dudes aren’t there, you can clean there. But don’t you dare lift anything heavy or bend down too much.”

-“I won’t! I promise Ota.”

-MC finally perks up at this and reassures him with a smile that she’ll be careful.

-Dammit, why is she so cute?! 

-He’d give her a kiss and Thumper a kiss (Kiss on the belly).

-“Good girl.”

Mamoru:

-MC would be SUPER worried because nowadays Mamoru doesn’t slack off as much but with the current situation…

-She would send him off with a kiss, and lunch packed and tells him over and over again to be careful.

-“Mamo, be careful today, make sure you-”

-He’d just listen to her with a smile and wait for her to finish.

-“Alright. You be careful at work too, kid.”

-He’d mess up MC’s hair and give her another quick kiss before leaving.

-MC would usually get home before him and have dinner and a bath ready for him.

-When he comes home:

-“Welcome back, Mamoru!”

-“Mmm, damn that smells good!”

-MC closes her eyes in expectation for a kiss, but Mamoru quickly walks right past her into the bathroom to take a bath.

-MC is shocked and kinda irked that he didn’t kiss her before going and pouts.

-“Mamo, you forgot my kiss!”

-Mamoru pretends to not hear her and starts taking a bath.

-MC pouts on the sofa and waits for Mamoru to come out.

-“What are you poutin for?”

-She feels a poke on her cheek and looks up to see Mamoru fresh from the bath looking down at her curiously.

-“Hmph! You forgot my welcome home kiss!”

-“Oh, that?”

-She looks up at him and sees a slightly exasperated smile on his face.

-“Well, I was around a lot of places today and in case I did catch somethin, didn’t wanna pass it to ya sweetheart.”

-He blushes and little and MC smiles at him after hearing his reasons.

-“Hehe, you’re so cute.”

-She pulls his face closer to hers and gives him a kiss.

-He pats her head and pulls her closer to kiss her deeper.

Shuichi:

-Supplies wise, Shuichi would be prepared for the pandemic. He always stocks up on supplies in general and in case of situations like this happening. 

-What he would be worried about is the panic amongst citizens and MC.

-He’d try to get her to take some time off of work, but MC would refuse saying she wants to help and keep working, so he’d relent reluctantly.

-He’d make sure every corner of their suite is clean.

-He’d make sure both himself, MC and his cactuses stay healthy.

-MC and him would take turns cooking.

-And according to their rules, MC takes a bath first but he’d probably hop in with her sometimes and wink wonk ;)

-He’d jump into the bath as soon as he comes home and avoids touching MC before he’s taken his bath.

-He’d probably be home less often since he’s dealing with the pandemic uproar.

-He’d make sure MC takes a bath right away after coming home from work.

-Both MC and Shuichi would be extra careful when going out or when coming back home, but aside from that their usual routine would be the same.

-MC would definitely wait up for him if he comes home later than usual, and vice versa.

-“I’m home.”

“Welcome home Shuichi!”

“W-wait! Don’t start stripping out of nowhere!!”

As you may know, Shuichi doesn’t like wearing clothes at home and is a nudist.

“I’m gonna take them off later anyway, so why does it matter?”

“Huh?”

He smirks as he pulls MC closer to him and kisses her.

“Today is Friday after all.”

Luke:

-Luke would hardly be home because he would have so many patients at this time.

-MC would be worried since he doesn’t eat without her telling him to and doesn’t sleep without her.

-They both take a bath right away after coming home before going to sleep because they won’t want the other getting sick in any case, but Luke comes home at really late hours.

-MC cooks dinner for him and leaves it aside, and tries to wait up for him.

-But MC is tired from work and has work to do the next day so she can’t wait up too long for him even though she tries every day and ends up falling asleep on the sofa.

-Luke would sometimes not be able come home, but when he comes home and sees MC who was waiting up for him knocked out on the sofa his heart melts :’) 

-He notices the food set aside but decides to take MC to bed first and princess carries her to bed.

-He goes back to put the food away, but thinks about how MC made this for him to eat and decides to eat it.

-When they DO catch each other while awake, MC practically runs over to him.

-They both hug each other tightly and Luke gives her a passionate kiss ;)

-But she notices the dark circles under his eyes and pulls away.

-“Luke honey, I think you should get some sleep, you look pretty tired.”

-He’d just pull her closer and lean down closer towards her.

-“Your heart is racing...”

-He’d place his hand on her heart and hear it thundering beneath his palm.

-“I-It’s because you're touching me…” 

-Hearing this he can’t hold back anymore and he sweeps MC off her feet.

-“Waaah!”

-He’d lean down and kiss her collarbones, leaving red marks here and there.

-“You're the only recharge I need, Sexy Bones.”         

Hikaru:

-They’d both be swamped with work so they’d hardly see each other. 

-Their shifts would probably be at different times so they can’t really see each other at work either.         

-MC is worried about him so she leaves food for him in the fridge and puts post-it notes on the fridge so that he’ll see it.

-Hikaru would come home dead tired and go to the fridge to get an energy drink when he sees MC’s post-it.

-I made you some dinner in case you get hungry! Be careful and try not to work too hard! I love you.        

 -MC

“That idiot…”

-He’d mumble that under his breath but he’d be smiling on the outside and a blushing mess on the inside.

-Ahhhh! Why’s she so cute!?

-He’d eat whatever MC left him and scribble down a post-it note of his own and leave it on the fridge.

-MC would come home and get ready for bed and notice the post-it on the fridge and read it.

-Thanks for the food. Be careful too and I love you too. 

-Hikaru

-MC smiles at the slightly crumpled post-it note and his sloppy handwriting.

-Ahhhh! Why’s he so cute!?

-When the two finally do get a break that aligns with each other they’d both cuddle together in bed and watch Netflix on Hikaru’s laptop.

-They’d both fall asleep leaned against each other with his laptop still open :) <3

Rhion:

-Social Distancing? No problem, he’s done that for years.

-MC going out more often and not coming home till very late? Big problem.

-Rhion already doesn’t like MC going out for too long since he gets really lonely without her, and to hear that she'd be gone for a lot longer? He’s gonna be a hot mess.

-Over the years of their relationship together, Rhion’s kinda learned to mask his loneliness in front of MC so she doesn’t know.

-Or so he thinks.

-MC does know that Rhion gets sad and lonely when she leaves. 

-She doesn’t miss that slight pout that crosses his face when she says she’s leaving for work or the sigh that escapes from him before she opens the door to leave, so she does her best to hurry him as soon as her shift ends.

-“I’ll be home as soon as I can, Rhion!”

-“Okay! Be careful MC.”

-Rhion would say that with a huge smile on his face.

-The moment the door closes behind MC, his face falls and he looks longingly at the door waiting for his beloved Alice to return to his arms.

-He’d dress up in his Mad Hatter costume and have a tea party with Cheshire to try and ease his anxiety.

-“Do you think Alice is okay, Cheshire? I hope she comes home soon…”

-Rhion would try to pass time by reading or playing with Cheshire but would glance at the clock every 5 minutes.

-Soon hours and hours pass, and Rhion just sits there hugging his knees anxiously waiting for MC to return not even bothering to eat.

-The moment the door opens, Rhion would come running towards the door with his arms open and the biggest smile on his face.

-You’d honestly think he won the lottery :’)

-However…

-“Wait Rhion! Stop!”

-Rhion would abruptly freeze in place before he could throw his arms around MC and MC would slip past him and go into the bathroom.

-“Sorry Rhion! I wanna take a bath first before we cuddle.”

-“Oh, okay!”

-Rhion would pretend to act nonchalant about it but the moment the bathroom door closes he would stomp his foot and pout. 

-He’d would sit on the ground with his arms crossed, waiting in frustration for MC to come out.

-After MC’s done with her bath she’d come out and see him pouting and smile. Then she’d sneak up behind him and hug him tightly from behind.

-“Sorry I’m so late, forgive me?”

-Rhion wouldn’t say anything but would turn around and hug MC back tightly, letting her know that all is forgiven :)

Fin~

[sciencespies]

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Maintaining Tourist Sites During COVID-19

https://sciencespies.com/nature/a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-maintaining-tourist-sites-during-covid-19/

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Maintaining Tourist Sites During COVID-19

Under normal circumstances, spring is the time when the country’s many zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens come alive with activity after a long, cold winter. However, this year has been anything but ordinary. Over the course of the last couple of months, the nation has watched as these popular travel destinations as well as museums and historical sites have closed to visitors in an attempt to help curb the spread of COVID-19. But while these attractions may have been (or in many states, still are) off limits to the general public, essential workers have been showing up daily to take care of animals, plants and artifacts amidst their closures.

However, it’s not just the workers who are feeling the affects of the pandemic, but the animals, too. Zoos worldwide report that there have been noticeable shifts in the animals’ behavior. In some cases, the animals are craving more human interaction, which they normally receive when these facilities are bustling with visitors. Giraffes at the Houston Zoo, for instance, are used to visitors feeding them lettuce, and the chimpanzees at the Maryland Zoo are normally hand fed but due to social distancing procedures are receiving scatter feedings instead.

Zookeepers, animal trainers, horticulturalist and other essential employees across the United States have had to maintain a sense of normalcy to keep things running smoothly behind-the-scenes. Whether that means working longer, more sporadic hours or taking on new duties, these caretakers’ roles have shifted in the wake of COVID-19, sometimes in interesting and creative ways.

These staff members have had the unique opportunity to witness changes at their places of work that are the immediate result of closures. Colleen Kinzley has been living onsite at the Oakland Zoo in California for nearly 25 years, but it’s only been in the past few weeks that she’s witnessed a shift in animal activity at what has been her home for much of her career. As vice president of animal care conservation and research, she’s responsible for leading a team of zookeepers in caring for the animals, particularly the zoo’s resident herd of three African elephants, whose quarters are within close proximity to her own. If one of the animals should need immediate assistance at night, either she or the other onsite manager springs to action. But because there haven’t been large crowds of people visiting the zoo, she’s noticed animals from the adjacent Joseph Knowland State Arboretum and Park, a nearly 500-acre green space, starting to roam the zoo.

Colleen Kinzley (left), vice president of animal care conservation and research at the Oakland Zoo, works with a mountain lion rescued from the wild.

(Courtesy Oakland Zoo)

“I walk to and from work each day, and lately I’ve been seeing more deer and turkey during that time,” Kinzley says. “I’ve seen a couple of deer strolling through the elephant exhibit. We also have some frogs living in the [Wayne and Gladys Valley Children’s Zoo] that are usually silent, but now they’re deafening. It’s been interesting seeing wildlife take over where people have left off.”

While Kinzley’s animal encounters are something that the public will not likely get to experience once the zoo reopens and the crowds return, at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, animal care staff have lifted the veil of what goes on behind-the-scenes by putting some of their resident animals in the limelight. In March, trainers filmed the aquarium’s colony of Rockhopper penguins as they went on a “field trip” through the building’s beluga whale exhibit. The video quickly went viral. However, one thing a lot of people may not realize is that these roughly 30-minute jaunts are a regular occurrence for the penguins once the crowds have left the building.

“Sometimes we’ll walk them into the offices upstairs, or during slower times we’ll take them through the exhibits when the building is less crowded,” says Steven Aibel, senior director of animal behavior and training. “We want our animals to be flexible and used to closed and open buildings. In the wild, animals are meant to be flexible and adaptive, so we’re parlaying that into their current environment by making things variable and each day new.”

Aibel says that the viral video’s international acclaim was a fluke and the result of one of the trainers who wanted to capture the moment to share with family, friends and colleagues.

“Little did we know that the world would be interested,” he says. “We thought it was cool and fun, and the experience shows the positive affect animals can have, especially right now when people are looking for hope these days.”

This hope is proving especially important as these essential employees are not only trying to keep operations running smoothly, but also striving to educate the public, which during normal times is a crucial part of their day-to-day work.

“The biggest change for us while we’re closed is that we’re not doing any public-facing programs,” Aibel says. “Normally, each morning we come in and prepare for ways to engage with guests by doing presentations, meet and greets, and animal encounters. These things are very purposeful to the welfare of the animals, since it gives them activities and stretches their brains. Because these exercises are no longer supplied through daily programming, we’ve had to figure out ways to still do these elements, such as taking them on walks through the aquarium.”

In institutions where there are no animals to care for, essential workers have had a little more leeway in how creative they can get while still engaging with audiences. At the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Tim Tiller, the museum’s head of security and resident cowboy, has become the unofficial social media spokesman for the museum. For the past couple of months, Tiller has been working with the marketing team by hijacking the museum’s Twitter feed (@ncwhm) with his viral #HashtagTheCowboy posts. In his tweets, Tiller highlights some of the high jinks he’s gotten into as one of the sole staff members on site, like modeling items sold in the gift shop and interacting with the exhibits, including a stint in the museum’s jail. He’s also been answering fans’ questions like, “How often did cowboys take a bath?” and “What’s the proper way to tie a wild rag or bandana?”

Thanks for the mug tips, folks. Checked the Brodkin gallery. Nothing. Whoever is behind this is very sneaky! You can telegraph me any more tips to Prosperity Junction. Or use our hashtag. Whichever is easier for you. #HashtagTheCowboy Thanks, Tim pic.twitter.com/W6RrI5hF72

— Nat’l Cowboy Museum (@ncwhm) May 22, 2020

“We were hoping to gain a few new audience members, but had no expectations that they would be from all over the world,” Tiller says. “People are telling us that the posts have helped them through their day, and thank us for the positivity during this tough time.”

Seth Spillman, the museum’s chief marketing officer, and his team are the ones responsible for recruiting Tiller in the first place.

“Tim is an authentic voice for our institution and has been a real sport with all of this,” he says. “We’re getting feedback from people from all over the world who have said that they’ve never been to our state and museum, but now they can’t wait to come and visit us when we reopen.”

Another popular tourist destination that has been finding new ways to engage with the public is the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. When it closed on March 15, the organization was quick to keep the garden’s many fans actively involved by posting photos and videos of its popular Orchid Show, which was already in full bloom and, during normal circumstances, one of the first signs of spring for many New Yorkers. Over the years, the NYBG has served as a beacon of hope and popular respite for city dwellers.

“After 9/11, people enjoyed having access to the garden, since they saw it as a place that’s fundamentally peaceful and where they could bask in the benevolence of peace and beauty,” says Todd Forrest, the Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections at the NYBG. “People need that now more than ever, and it’s frustrating that we’re not able to provide that since we’re closed. We’re anxious for people to come back.”

Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections, spoke during a media preview of an exhibition in June 2019 at the New York Botanical Garden.

(Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images)

However, there is some hope that, slowly but surely, things are beginning to go back to (more or less) normal at the gardens. Forrest says that during the first few weeks of its closure, only a small number of horticulturists were onsite, but every week more employees are returning to work to help out by watering and planting flowers, mowing the expansive lawns and transplanting plants in anticipation of summer’s first visitors.

“Right now the cherry trees, gardenias, and daffodils are all in bloom,” he says. “It’s stunningly beautiful, but haunting because the crowds aren’t here to enjoy it.”

Some day, perhaps sooner rather than later, these popular attractions will once again be alive with activity. But until then, at least we can find solace in knowing that these important destinations are right there, waiting for us to return.

#Nature

[ahnsael]

On Going Back to Work, and Other Things

Tomorrow night when I wake up, I’ll know more about my future. Our tentative June 4th reopening date for the casino is contingent on a meeting that the Gaming Commission is holding tomorrow. After this, I ramble, so here’s a Read More break.

I know our casino owner well enough, after almost four years of working with him, to know that he’s going to want to reopen at the first opportunity (he was ticked when we were ordered to shut down, while I was relieved, even having tweeted Governor Sisolak to beg him to shut us down since I knew our owner wouldn’t do it unless he was ordered to, so I went over the owner’s head).

I mean, having a guest literally cough in my face while she was exchanging coins for bills to put into a machine spooked me big-time as I was realizing what a big deal this pandemic was. Then Disney shut down their theme parks, which really made it hit home that this was a HUGE deal.

So the thought of reopening, when the curve still hasn’t even begun to flatten, scares me.

I live in an area full of conservative types. It’s a VERY red county (if it wasn’t for Washoe and Clark counties, Nevada would be a red state -- fortunately there are enough liberals in Reno and Vegas to counteract that). But my county? VERY red. These are the people who are going to refuse to wear masks (it’s VERY rare, when I need supplies, to see other people in masks; I’m usually the only non-employee wearing one). These are the people who will intentionally cough in my face if I ask them to follow whatever regulations the state requires me to enforce. These are the people who are going to take it as a personal affront that they cannot play their favorite machine because someone else is playing the machine next to it (we already know that every other machine will have to be placed out of service to promote social distancing).

I don’t know how drinks are going to work. As of now, bars are not open (except for to-go orders, which is usually illegal but these are interesting times). We have a self-service beverage bar, but as of now those are not allowed. But people are going to try, even if we turn them off. So am I going to have to carry a key to turn it on so I can get drinks for guests, and then remember to turn it off? Will I need to get a new glass every time someone gets a refill (probably a good idea)? Will we be allowed to serve alcohol?

Will we require facemasks, and if so, does that mean we are now a non-smoking facility? One manager, the one who told me about the June 4th potential reopening date (he once gave me a late April reopening date so I didn’t believe him until I saw the governor’s tweets confirming it; the rest of the info I didn’t see from the governor so I’m taking it with a large grain of salt) mentioned temperature checks, all employees being tested for the virus, and other major restrictions, but I’m waiting for the results of tomorrow’s Gaming Commission meeting and the announcement that follows.

And of course, whenever we DO reopen, we’re going to have to get together, be it in person or online, to discuss things. Because we’re in uncharted territory (I know other businesses already have charts now, but casinos haven’t reopened yet and are a different kind of business, so we’ll be learning as we go.

We’re going to have to train staff -- well, those who we haven’t lost; not sure whether everybody’s going to come back. I’ve been told that one of my graveyard security guards and one other manager both took jobs with Walmart rather than be unemployed, and I can pretty much guarantee that they’re making more money there than they will at the casino when we reopen (with the extra $600 weekly unemployment payment passed by Congress, I actually make more money being unemployed than I do working, but I’ll be back when I get the call, scared as I may be).

It could be that we won’t be a 24/7 operation anymore. Most nights, there are only two of us working. So how can two of us screen every guest, enforce social distancing, get drinks for people, and continually sanitize/disinfect machines after someone uses them? When I first got word that we could reopen soon, I started adjusting my sleep schedule from “meh, whatever” to try and get on more of a graveyard schedule, but I’m realizing that may not be the best idea. Because I don’t know if graveyard is even going to be a thing at the casino.

I have so many questions, and so far no word from the company (understandable, since the company doesn’t know any more than I do at this point). I imagine that I’ll hear from the company within the next week.

If we are going to be scaled back in operation, I do remember hearing our area manager (who I’ve heard through the grapevine is no longer with the company) telling my boss to create a “ranking” of employees on the night we closed, so that they could prioritize who to bring back. When I picked up my last check after my “babysitting the empty casino” duties were cancelled, my boss asked how I was doing and emphasized that he didn’t want to lose me, so I imagine I would have made such a list, so I’m not worried about whether I have a job when we reopen. But I don’t know how many of my co-workers will still be there. There are a couple who told me about being immuno-compromised as we started realizing what a big deal this pandemic was. So they may not be confident coming back.

I had to have an awkward conversation with my security guard when he called and asked me to move in with him (he recently lost his mom and has been staying with an aunt and uncle but needs to find a place and while I’m touched that he likes me enough to want me to be his roommate after knowing me for as long as he’s known me...I mean, even if I was looking for a place, it would be weird for a manager to live with a subordinate. This is one of the people who took a job at Walmart rather than take unemployment (and I have respect for the two I know have done so; I needed a break anyway, so I’ve accepted the unemployment.

My week of paid time off that I had approved before this all happened, which was cancelled when we closed, expires soon (I had put in for a week off at the end of April, but once I was furloughed the paid time off was also cancelled) and while we have a “use it or lose it” policy, as it doesn’t carry over to the next year, and I’m nearing my 4-year anniversary with the company so I’m about to lose it). I may have to chat with HR about maybe getting an exception (they DID say, when they announced that we were officially furloughed, that paid time off could be requested again once we reopen). But I don’t think they’ll be able to afford to lose me for a week of paid time off between now and mid-June (or July -- I often forget which of those months I was hired in and usually I can pull up my gaming card at work if I need to know, but I don’t have access to that right now), but I also don’t want to lose that week. So hopefully they will be willing to carry it over even though that’s not the policy, or just give me those 40 hours of pay without me taking the time off. I’d be good with either one of those, but would be a little bitter if I just lost that pay.

Not TOO bitter, though. As I mentioned, I make more now than I did when I was working. Nevada issues BofA MasterCard debit cards for unemployment, and load benefits onto that. And I have more in that account now, even after paying for my ambulance ride in April, than I’ve ever had in any account before. Like, even the first time I left Disney, and they paid out my unused vacation pay on my last check, it was around $1,000. I’ve got almost $2,000 on this card right now. Like,  if I get turned down for my financial assistance from the hospital, I may actually be able to pay it (and I was shocked that I was able to pay the $1,200 ambulance bill; the hospital bill for those three hours looks like it’s going to run around $2,000 and I can actually cover that if I have to -- it beats the $21,000 bill I had a couple years ago).

[the-coconut-asado]

NUT MILK CITY LIMITS

This should have been my Boston blog. And I will write one, someday soon. 

But limited as we are to four walls, dodging pavement cyclists and the kindness of delivery folk, let’s settle for a tale of lockdown invention. 

That said, my story does start in Boston - or rather, leaving it. It was the real start of The Weird, around early-mid March, when I still took the tube into work and was looking forward to a visit to the hairdresser (lockdown was announced the day before my appointment in case you were wondering. So there will be no selfies here).  We managed to head off to the US the day that Trump banned the rest of Europe from flying and I won’t lie, we felt lucky. I sat next to a Canadian student on the flight who explained, as she coughed, that she had traded her study trip around  Europe for a £2,000 ticket-chance of getting home. 

We got to our faintly Psycho- throwback hotel that night, where we seemed to be the only guests. And for three days we toured the (mostly shut)  sites of Boston with the streets all but empty. 

At one stage, as we strolled past a CVS store, two young women emerged, insanely juggling 4x16 pack toilet roll bags. How we laughed. The way those pesky kids laugh as the Scooby-ghoul looms behind them. On the Sunday, any holiday vibe had been replaced with low level anxiety, counting down the hours to our flight leaving the US on time and as planned.

And since we landed back in London, that’s been it. Travel now means taking the car for a weekly local drive to keep the battery ticking over, and let’s not dwell on the cancelled trip to Vietnam. The Supermarket Sweep race as you grab random packs off shelves before the personal space invader twats sneak up behind you  is now replaced by the delivery time lotto of Amazon Fresh. Got a formula for that, Dale Winton? 

But there have been new things to smile about: neighbourhoods coming together every Thursday evening to Clap for Carers; the bravery of NHS workers and a whole army of people I hope we’ll never take for granted again; friends and family checking in on each other much more than ever usual. And the travel buzz achieved by changing our backgrounds on Zoom. Don’t knock it,  the endorphin kick is real. 

And dare I say there have been pleasures too: delicious meat, fish and vegetables delivered from local suppliers, and weekends full of invention possibilities. “ Are we all fucking bakers now??” Twitter ranted in week 2 of lockdown  as flour and eggs became the New Disappeared. Cashew milk, the one nut milk I enjoy, became similarly scarce for a short while, but I discovered the eye-wateringly expensive delights of Milkadamia until sanity returned. 

Faced with the random nature of vegetable boxes, half used packs of speciality flours otherwise doomed to outlive their sell by date and the excitement of what you can achieve with a carton of buttermilk and bicarb of soda - life in the kitchen is nothing short of a blast right now. Just like wartime? We have no rationing and plenty of Chipotle paste so, er, no. 

Breaking my veg box virginity has been liberating. There are the highs of high-sheen aubergines and those creamy new potatoes of the season, and the occasional low of celery on three consecutive weeks. But the thrill of anticipation when we open the door to a new box is palpable. And finding specialist suppliers for everything from sumac to burrata has made me realise that up until the pandemic I’d been shopping all wrong and wasting far too much money. With the simple elimination of impulse purchase I have hit my notional monthly food budget for the first time ever. 

So here are a bunch of recipes for what I consider my best lockdown experiments. Stock up on your store cupboard essentials and you can use whatever basics are available that week. And by store cupboard essentials I mean: Olive and coconut oils, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, chilli flakes, soy sauce, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (you don’t need yeast for soda bread or flat breads). And whatever flour you can find, you’ll be able to do something with it. 

Bolli-cauli biryani with camargue rice

Forget boiling cauliflower ever again. Chop florets, toss them in spice and oil and roast to crispy, caramelised deliciousness every time. Serves 2-3. 

Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets, then cut each floret in half to create bite size pieces

The cauliflower leaves, pulled from the fibrous stalks

2 medium red onions, quartered

1-2 large red chillies, split from top to bottom but kept intact

2 tsp. Sumac

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

Generous grind of black pepper

1 tsp chilli flakes

3 tbsp. Olive oil

300g camargue red rice (1 small mug)

25g salted butter

Plan yoghurt to serve

How to make:

Heat the oven to 190C. 

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower, cauliflower leaves, chillies and onion (and any other chunky vegetable you hav in the fridge eg.squash, aubergine or courgettes) with the spices and olive oil. Spread out onto a large roasting pan and pop into the oven for 40-45 mins, turning everything half way through. The edges of the vegetables will caramelise and the leaves will crisp up. 

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan until it bubbles then add the rice and toss until you get a toasty aroma. If you used a small cup, then now add a small cup and an extra quarter cup (or if you measured 300g then add 400ml water) and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, stirring once and then simmer on a medium heat until the water is all but absorbed (about 15-20  mins). At this point, cover with a lid, turn the heat to low and cook for a further 10-15 mins. Turn off the heat and leave covered for a further 10 minutes before fluffing the rice up. 

When the bolli-cauli is ready, remove from the oven and serve over a generous scoop of the toasty, chewy buttery camargue rice. Add a dollop of yoghurt on the side and some mango chutney to serve. And treat yourself to some poppadoms for the crunch factor. 

Beer and Buttermilk Soda Bread

My favourite bread of the lockdown - and no yeast required.  Based on a Paul Hollywood recipe, mine replaces stout with any old beer or lager you may have  in the fridge, and a range of ‘bin end flours: Wholemeal, basic brown, spelt and strong white. 

Ingredients: 

500g wholemeal flour (or a mix of any brown or grain flours you have)

250g strong white flour

280ml buttermilk

300ml bottle of beer or lager

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp. bicarbonate of soda

How to make:

Mix the flours, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl. 

Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk and beer. 

Mix until everything comes together then knead gently until you have a cohesive ball. 

Pop into a 2lb loaf tin and press slightly into the corners.

Leave to rest for 30 mins. 

Heat the oven to 210C. Bake the loaf for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180C and bake for a further 25-30 minutes. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. The base should sound hollow when you tap it. 

Cool then slice and slather with butter. This bread is also excellent toasted. 

Spinach,  Ricotta and Feta  Pie

The superstar look of this pie as it emerges from the oven belies a super-easy method. If you can’t get hold of ricotta, just use cream cheese. Serves 4. 

Ingredients

7 sheets filo pastry

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 medium onion, finely chopped

250g spinach

1 large egg

1 tsp. Grated nutmeg

250g ricotta, mascarpone or cream cheese. 

125g feta cheese, crumbled

Handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped finely. 

100ml olive oil. 

1 tsp. Nigella seeds

How to make:

Heat the oven to 200C. 

Heat 1 tbsp. Olive oil in a frying pan then saute the onion and garlic on a low heat until soft. Add the spinach and cook gently until wilted - about 5 minutes. Turn into a sieve or colander and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and put to one side. 

Beat the egg with the ricotta and nutmeg then season. Crumble in the feta, then add the spinach and onion mixture. 

Brush a 22cm loose bottomed cake tin with olive oil and lay a sheet of filo pastry along the bottom and the sides. Brush again with oil, then add a second sheet at an angle to the first. Keep brushing each sheet with oil, then adding the next layers at an angle until you have used six sheets and they are lining the tin in a flower petal formation. 

Tip the spinach and cheese mix into the tin then fold each ‘petal’ of filo on top to form a lid to the tart. Brush with more oil then scrunch up the seventh sheet of filo, perch it on top of the pie and brush with the remaining oil. Scatter over the nigella seeds. 

Pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes (watch the top so it doesn’t turn from golden to burnt). 

Remove from the oven, cool slightly, before releasing the sides of the tin and transferring the pie to a plate to serve. 

Carrot cake muffins with mandarin frosting

Not really the season for carrot-eating, but grated three carrots into this cake mix and you have a winner. And the frosting is a great way to use up mandarins. Makes 6 Large muffins. 

Ingredients

1.5 cups plain flour

1.5 tsp. Bicarb of soda

¾ cup demarara sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. Cinnamon

1 cup cashew nut milk

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup sunflower oil

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3 carrots, shredded

50g pecan nuts, roughly chopped. 

For the frosting: 

Juice of 1 mandarin

1.5 cups icing sugar

How to make

Heat the oven to 180C. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, bicarb. Of soda, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and cashew nut milk and mix again until a smooth batter. Fold in the carrots and the pecans. 

In a muffin tin with 6 cases (or double the recipe and use 12). Fill each paper cup with the muffin batter until ¾ full then pop into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are fully risen. 

Remove from the oven and cool in the tin before removing each muffin and placing on a cooling rack to cool completely. 

When the muffins are cool, mix the mandarin juice with the icing sugar until you have a smooth and sluggish paste. Ice each muffin and serve.