#j and r fine landscaping

[landscaping125]

Transform Your Outdoor Oasis with J&R Fine Landscaping: Expert Backyard Design Services to Elevate Your Space

Introduction:

Your backyard is more than just a patch of grass or a collection of plants. It has the potential to become a captivating outdoor oasis, a tranquil retreat where you can relax, entertain, and connect with nature. If you're looking to elevate your outdoor space and create a backyard that truly reflects your style and enhances your lifestyle, look no further than J&R Fine Landscaping. With their expert backyard design services, they can transform your ordinary yard into an extraordinary outdoor oasis.

Captivating Backyard Designs:

At J&R Fine Landscaping, they understand that every homeowner has unique preferences and visions for their outdoor space. Their team of skilled designers takes the time to listen to your ideas, assess your needs, and collaborate with you to create captivating backyard designs that exceed your expectations. Whether you desire a serene garden retreat, a vibrant entertainment area, or a combination of both, their expertise ensures that your backyard becomes a personalized haven. Kindly follow us on Facebook for updates.

Quality Craftsmanship:

Backyard transformations are not just about aesthetics; they also require impeccable craftsmanship to bring the designs to life. J&R Fine Landscaping prides itself on its commitment to quality, using only the finest materials and employing skilled professionals who pay meticulous attention to detail. From the initial planning stages to the final installation, their team works diligently to ensure that every aspect of your backyard design is executed with precision and excellence. To receive future updates, please follow us on LinkedIn.

Enhancing Your Lifestyle:

A well-designed backyard can greatly enhance your lifestyle, providing you with a space to unwind, entertain, and connect with nature. J&R Fine Landscaping understands the importance of creating functional outdoor areas that cater to your specific needs. Whether you desire a cozy fire pit for chilly evenings, a luxurious poolside retreat for hot summer days, or a serene Zen garden for meditation and relaxation, they have the expertise to bring your vision to life.

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Conclusion:

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[la-pheacienne]

The nightmare core of this treacherous landscape poses not only an obvious mortal peril (accidental drowning) but also a very particular spiritual temptation for the hero at this moment in his quest. As Shippey has noted in J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, that temptation is despair. In his view, Frodo and Sam's passage of the Dead Marshes is an episode that "lean[s] towards despair". (...) Tolkien fashioned his unique mesmerizing corpse lights in the Marshes to symbolize the temptation of suicide for the Ringbearer (...) With both a hypnotic and partially paralyzing power, these lights disorient the living, and above all, exercise a compulsion over them, luring them to an apparently restful, watery death. To drown here is to sleep, an equation the text repeatedly stresses. With a horrific and repellant immediacy, the Marshes and the corpses they conceal reify the danger of turning aside from the quest, of falling off the path to rest at last. (Source)

Obsessed with the fact that Frodo is repeatedly faced with two main challenges of a different nature, one from the outside world (the many materialized perils) and one from within (his despair). This scene in the Dead Marshes strongly mirrors the one in the stairs of Cirith Ungol. There Frodo sees the atrocious Minas Morgul, whose light is described as paler than the moon, "a corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing". From Minas Morgul Frodo sees the host of the Black Rider marching towards the West and repeats "all is lost, all is lost, I am too late" because even if he manages to destroy the Ring it will be too late since there will be no one left alive by then. What is left for Frodo to do? All he can do is follow the tricksy lights, both literally and metaphorically. In the Dead Marshes he almost falls inside the water, he almost becomes one of the dead faces. In Minas Morgul he blindly follows the corpse-light to his doom, as if he was possessed by some sinister power. Deep down both situations materialize his state of mind, his lack of hope, his despair, his need to just end it all and sleep aka cease to exist. It is his only confort. In both occasions it is Sam that brings him back, it is Sam that literally has to verbally and physically tear him away from this moral peril, despair, because this is actually the biggest threat to their quest. No matter what is happening in the outside world, no matter the dangers and the horrors, if one's spirit is intact and resilient there is still hope. If one's spirit cracks, it is truly over. Everything comes from within. We must not look at the tricksy lights, they are beautiful and they are stimulating and mesmerizing but they are just a facade for despair and death. We must go on straight ahead and it helps if we have someone on our side that can tear us away from this mental dread. Kinda insane if you think about the fact that the person who wrote this grew up without a mother or a father and was raised in an orphanage and lived two wars. That is why Frodo's despair, his hopelessness, his need to end it all feel so real and palpable to me, it is basically the author's effort to exorcise his own demons. It just feels so deeply personal, and that's why Frodo's resilience moves me so deeply. And when he cracks, because even someone as determined and resilient as Frodo is bound to crack eventally, he has Sam by his side. And together they move on, but they could have never made it without one another. I am fine.

[rosekillerismylife]

A few things about Lord of the Rings (the books, obviously):

It took me ages to finish all three of them because J. R. R. Tolkien is a genius and imagined a whole new world with many different landscapes and unfortunately, the characters needed to travel very far and very long to get to the final destination.

I HATE GANDALF! Like, what do you mean he just comes and goes as he pleases, dumps metaphorical shit on you that is meant to be wise and thoughtful and then disappears all of a sudden and trusts you to make the right decision and if you make a wrong turn, he appears again and scolds you. What the fuck, man! You are not the center of the earth, fuck of!

Oh my God, Legolas and Gimli are so gay for each other. They are literal soulmates. And you can't disagree with me because have you noticed that they trust each other more than they trust the rest of the travel group? Have you noticed how they always think about each other and always have the urge to tell each other important news like how many creatures they killed during a fight? Have you noticed the conversation they had about Gimli wanting to show Legolas the Caves in 'Helms Klamm' and Legolas wantinf to show Gimli the Fangorn forest and they are going to go there even though Gimli doesn't like the forest and Legolas isn't comfortable with the caves? THAT IS LOVE, MY FRIEND. (even if it's just platonic)

I think Frodo was the inspiration to Harry Potter as a character because he has the same hero complex and the same 'oh no, I should've left my friends and should've taken care of the problem myself. Oh wait, now I have an opportunity, I might just go alone' behaviour. It annoys me! Also, both (Frodo and Harry) had the same situation: If Harry had killed Peter, the second war could have been avoided. If Frodo had killed Gollum, he wouldn't have been captured by the Orks.

Sam is so dear to me. He is a little like Ron (because he doesn't trust Gollum etc.) but the more I think about it, he is like Hira in My Beautiful Man which means (drumroll please) Frodo is Kiyoi and they are in love with each other! If you have watched the series, you know that Hira thinks of Kiyoi as a king and also treats him as one and doesn't think that he deserves someone like Hira. Basically, Sam is the same: He follows Frodo wherever he goes, he protects him, he cares for him, he cooks for him, he abandons his sleep to watch out for him and so on. I love him.

The Hobbits are so funny. I can't with them. They are so unbothered by everything, like little children or even teenagers. As long as they can eat and sing, everythings fine. Like, what do you mean there's no food in this dark tower during a war that may cost us our life?

Éowyn is slaying! She's mostly the only woman and she is so cool! I mean, she disguises herself as a man and fights even though she's not supposed to. Tolkien wrote the series in 1954 and the things Éowyn did were really progressive for that time, I guess. He was ahead of his time.

I love the language Tolkien uses, just because all of it sounds so fancy and special and the way he describes things, gives me chills. There's a reason why he's the father of High Fantasy.

Has anyone of you watched the movies? Do you recommend them?

[hinatastinygiant]

70 | Opal

Pairing: Tokyo Revengers x Fem!Reader

Wasteland Masterlist

You sit outside the health center with Chifuyu on the front steps, staring off into the distance. Despite how he said he wanted to talk, neither of you has said a word yet. The sun begins to set, casting a warm glow over the landscape. Somehow, you find peace in the silence out here, away from all the chaos and confusion that's been happening lately, despite how fleeting it may be. Especially when Chifuyu breaks the silence.

"So what do you think is gonna happen?" he hums.

You shake your head still in disbelief that any of this is happening. "I can hardly believe it's real," you say. "I thought it was all in my head at first like it'd go away when I got here."

Chifuyu nods along, attempting to understand. "Do you think this is the first time that something like this has happened to somebody?"

You furrow your brow, thinking back to the other times you've had similar encounters. "I could've sworn I'd seen eyes like his before. Unhuman, cold eyes. But, shit, I don't know what any of it means."

Just then, you see a cat approaching the steps. "Is that Peke J?" Chifuyu whispers to you as he looks straight ahead. You smile at the sight of the cat, happy to see that he's made it home safe despite how you lost him over a week ago.

Right as Peke J nuzzles up against Chifuyu's leg, you notice him gag like he's going to throw up. Chifuyu attempts to soothe the cat, but he ends up spitting up an eyeball- a human eye. Chifuyu grimaces, finding it to be a rather grotesque sight.

You pick up the eye instead and wipe it on the side of your pants before studying it closely. "I've got to show Mikey," you whisper at first, though the determination grows in your tone. "He's still in the operating room with Emma."

Chifuyu looks at you worriedly. "You actually want to go back in there after what we just saw?"

"You don't have to come," you tell him. "I know it's gross but I need to find out what's going on, if this has anything to do with what's happening in this fucked up world."

Chifuyu sighs, knowing he won't be able to change your mind. Yet he doesn't want to be left behind either. "Fine, I'll come with you," he nods firmly. "C'mon Peke."

Together, you make your way into the health center. As you approach the operating room, you can hear Mikey and Emma talking from the other side of the wall. You then take a deep breath and push open the door.

Mikey looks up, his gloved and bloody hands following him. "What're you doing back? I'll call you if there's any news."

"Yeah, well, there's news," you tell him, holding out the eyeball. Mikey's eyes widen in shock.

"Where did you find that?" he asks, taking the eyeball from you and examining it closely.

"Peke J brought it to us," Chifuyu answers rather proudly.

Mikey nods, already deep in thought. "Well this confirms our suspicions," he says, turning to Emma. "The eyes we saw earlier are definitely not human."

Emma looks horrified. "Do you think that's his?" she asks.

"I have no idea," Mikey says with a sigh, "But we've got to keep investigating."

You nod in agreement. You may not know what's going on yet, but you're not going to give up until you find out.

Mikey then hesitates for a moment, unsure about what to do next. Emma notices and asks while wrinkling her nose in disgust, "What're you going to do with it?"

"Cut it open," you shrug. "I mean, what else could we do with it?"

"And what good would that do?" she grumbles.

"Better good than just staring at it and doing nothing," you scoff.

Mikey then interjects, holding out his hand toward Emma. "Emma, pass me the scalpel," he hums.

With furrowed brows, she does as he's asked. Carefully, he then places down the eyes and slices it in half. Everybody hovers around, watching as the eye is cut into two, and inside contains a small glass vial.

"What the fuck is that?" Emma hums in shock. "One of those 'drink me' potions from Alice in Wonderland?"

"Guess there's only one way to find out," you reply as you look up at Mikey.

"No," he shakes his head. "Don't even think about it. The potential risks there could be from-"

"So what do you want to do just do nothing? Seriously, it was just sitting there waiting for us to find it," you shrug.

"Y/N, I agree with Mikey," Chifuyu then speaks up, "You can't."

"I can," you answer. "I don't have to drink it but maybe I could inject it-"

"No. You shouldn't," he then interrupts.

"Are you sure about this, Y/N?" Mikey finally answers after thinking about the potential risks of injecting an unknown substance into your body.

You take a deep breath and nod, determined to get to the bottom of whatever is going on with this mystery surrounding Baji. "I have to know what's going on with him. It's worth the risk," you answer with resolve.

Mikey nods in agreement and prepares the injection. As he inserts the needle into your arm, you feel a sharp pain shoot through your body. The room starts to spin and immediately you realize that something is seriously wrong.

Suddenly, you collapse onto the ground, gasping for breath. Your vision blurs and you struggle to keep yourself conscious. You feel like you are being dragged into a dark, bottomless pit.

Chifuyu rushes to your side, his eyes filled with fear and worry. "Y/N, are you okay? Can you hear me?" he asks, his voice trembling.

Emma's eyes dart between you and Mikey. "What do we do? Mikey, what the hell are we going to do?!"

Mikey's expression is grim as he bends down beside you and checks your pulse. "She's in cardiac arrest. We have to act fast," he says, his voice calm and controlled despite the urgency of the situation.

Quickly, Mikey starts to perform CPR on you, his hands moving in a steady rhythm. Emma rips a defibrillator from off the wall and hands it to him, and he steadies himself to shock your heart back into action.

Wasteland Masterlist

Taglist: @pikagirl2001330 @romaka344

[jandrfinelandscaping]

Discover the captivating beauty of our water pond design in Andover, MA, offered by J and R Fine Landscaping. With meticulous attention to detail, our team creates stunning water features that enhance the tranquility and aesthetics of any outdoor space. From serene koi ponds to elegant waterfalls, our designs are tailored to your preferences and seamlessly blend with the surrounding landscape. For expert craftsmanship and exceptional customer service, contact us at (978) 475-1193.

[packaginginsight]

Fortified Wine Market 2023 Global Business Insights Report

Fortified Wine MarketScope & Overview

The supply chain structure, major players, and distributors on the market are examined in the most recent market analysis. It also takes into account the elements and traits that might affect the expansion of the market's sales. The global Fortified Wine Market research report offers a thorough examination of the present and projected state of the market. The study offers all crucial market data because it was founded on extensive primary and secondary research. Data on type, industry, channel, and other categories, as well as market volume and value for each segment, are all included in the report.

The coronavirus outbreak is seriously affecting the international economy in a number of regions. This study report contains an analysis of the most recent COVID-19 scenario. According to the Fortified Wine  study report, the market is always changing, and the impact is being looked into for both the present and the future. The analysis contains data on the market size, share, production capability, demand, and growth forecasts for the industry for the following year.

Get a Sample Report  https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/1986

Market Key Players:

& J. Gallo Winery, Constellation Brands, Inc., Treasury Wine Estates, Trinchero Family Estates, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, The Wine Group, Liberty Wines Limited, Precept Wine, LLC, Michelle Wine Estate, Backsberg, Sogevinus Fine Wines SL (Kopke), Taylor's Port, Albina & Hanna

Market Segmentation

The market segmentation based on product type, application, end-user, and geography is examined in the  Fortified Wine  research study. The study examines the industry's objectives and strategies for growth, as well as cost awareness and production processes. The study report also includes a high-level evaluation of the core industry, which includes classification, definition, and, as a result, the supply and demand chain structure. Global research covers a wide range of topics, including information on international marketing, competitive environments, growth rates, and crucial development status data.

By Product type:

Port wine

Sherry

Vermouth

Others

By Distribution Channel:

Pub, Bars & Restaurants

Liquor Stores

Internet Retailing

Supermarkets

Others

Russia-Ukraine War Impact on  Fortified Wine  Market

Important details regarding how the war between Russia and Ukraine has affected the world market are contained in the research paper. The article goes into great detail about a variety of global regions and how violence has affected those regions' economies.

Regional Analysis

Research spans a wide range of topics, including production and consumption ratios, market size and share, import and export ratios, supply and demand ratios, consumer demand ratios, technological advancements, R&D, infrastructure development, economic growth, and a strong market presence in every region. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, as well as the Middle East and Africa, make up the five geographic divisions of the  Fortified Wine  market.

Competitive Outlook

The most important product launches, alliances, and acquisitions in the market for  Fortified Wine  are examined. To provide deeper insights into key players, the study report incorporates contemporary research methods like SWOT and Porter's Five Forces analysis. The study provides a thorough analysis of the worldwide competitive landscape as well as significant information on the biggest rivals and their future expansion plans. The study report covers financial conditions, global positioning, product portfolios, sales and gross profit margins, as well as technological and research advancements.

About Us:

SNS Insider is one of the leading market research and consulting agencies that dominates the market research industry globally. Our company’s aim is to give clients the knowledge they require in order to function in changing circumstances. In order to give you current, accurate market data, consumer insights, and opinions so that you can make decisions with confidence, we employ a variety of techniques, including surveys, video talks, and focus groups around the world.

Read More Related Report:

Plant-based meat market

Modified Starch Market

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Ready Meals Market

[dumuzithemessiah]

The letter J is only 500 years old so quit worshipping Jesus’s fake hateful ass as he ain’t nothing but fake! Me being real in general makes me the superior one...

Dumuzi is my name and life is what my name means! Truth is what I speak and I don’t care how mad religious nutjobs are as I’m the real deal here! The real thing is always better than the wannabe fake! Dreizehn means 13 aka my number! Plus it starts with a D like my name!

Earth means “Ea’s Kingdom” and was meant to be pronounced with a silent r! Ea is King Enkai’s alternate name! The planet is named after him not your false hateful genocide screaming false god!

There are many gods and goddesses! And the truth is something that was never written down correctly!

Many deities had their gender stated incorrectly! Queen Ninsun, Ninsar, and Nergael are fine examples of misgendering!

Also gods and goddesses are all gay or rarely bi meaning heterosexual people f’d up big time! Homophobes are screwed!

No one is heterosexual on Nibiru as we can same sexually breed! Child comes out in a light before anyone asks about that..

I’m the real Messiah and Messiah means “Hero of Rainbows” and I love Marduk[[pronounced Mar-duke]] not my worst enemy Ishtayr!

Ishtayr and I hate each other! She’s my worst enemy! So anyone who ships me with her deserves to be punched in the face and have the shit beat out of them as if you humans knew exactly what she did to me…

I know you humans wouldn’t tolerate her either… she’s done the worst.. the absolute worst of worst of things.. she’s the number one worst criminal in the Multiverse.. she isn’t immortal long lived unlike true deities.. because she is The Great Evil from the First Universe means she isn’t a true deity but referred to as Fell Goddess because she was reborn from my kind…

We don’t know how she did it either… all we know is she did and she’s the biggest threat to the Kosmos which has regenerated a few times as we’re in The 8th Universe…

Why the Multiverse exists is because I sacrificed myself in the First Universe and cast a spell to defeat her back then.. a spell which shattered me and created the Multiverse..

Like I said I am the real deal and me being here on Earth means humanity’s time is short as J-Day is more near then any of you humans think…

Kohora means “Below/Underworld” and is what is under this universe... Yumera means “Dreamworld” and is above this universe. No human for ages if any has gotten into Yumera..

Kohora isn’t grim like yeah there is a cavern area but it’s landscape is like Nibiru - A surreal like fantasy landscape with some places that you would think could only exist in a child’s imagination…

Like we grow meat, we grow sweets, we grow a lot of things with majic.. yes it’s spelled majic not magic or magick as weirdos think it’s spelled… anyone who thinks it ever had a k is a fool… same fools who think warlocks are bad which they aren’t as they are just male witches…

Majic users aren’t evil and never were as the only evil ones are the ones who falsely claim they are!

My main three typings are Ice/Dark/Plant while Ishtayr’s is Rock/Light/Fire so you can imagine the battle between us is gonna be violent….

My typing oddly mirrors my birthday and that is December 25 but I was put back together over 500,000+ years ago so that is a major climate time period difference! Mesopotamia was a jungle like marshland back then so animals did graze in the Winter!

I was born at night[[dark]] in Winter[[ice]] while plant I guess fits Kosmos Day’s celebrations as Kosmos Day predates Yule and Xmas… although a Kosmos Day tree is orange not green!

[ashintheairlikesnow]

We Keep Going, That’s All

@whimpers-and-whumpers , this is for you. Hope your surgery goes well today!

CW: Aftermath of near-death, hospital whump, recovery whump, survivor's guilt, alcohol use, referenced drug use

Ryan shows up to the hospital with Coke bottles full of liquid that absolutely is not Coke - or not much of it, anyway - and Nate doesn't refuse the gift.

He twists off the plastic cap and takes a drink, wincing at the burn down his throat. "Jesus, Ryan, this is m-m-more Jack than Coke."

"Yeah, well. Figured we could use some relaxing." Ryan gives him a slight smile, and the bruising that's been along his jaw - the obvious press of fingers - is finally starting to fade. Off-white bandages ring his neck, hiding from direct view the deep, slowly healing gashes rubbed in by the iron collar he'd worn for a year.

There are other wounds, Nate knows, underneath the lightly-draped black t-shirt Ryan wears, under his effortlessly casual, perfectly-on-trend jeans.

There are deeper wounds still entirely underneath his skin, inside his head. Nate knows those even better. He doesn't begrudge Ryan the need to find some way to fuzz out the edges of what must be written in stark, bright blood in his memory.

Nate spent a year and a half doing the same, after all, before Bram came back for Danny again.

"How is he?" Ryan asks, settling into a hard wooden chair with plastic back and cushion in a dull pastel mauve. "Any different?”

"Then y-yesterday?" Nate exhales, slowly, rubbing at his unshaven jaw. The stubble prickles his fingertips, itches a little as it grows in. There's a razor in the private room's little bathroom, but he doesn't have the energy to use it. All of Nate's energy now is focused entirely around staying right here, being right here, for the rare moments that Danny is both awake and himself.

"Yesterday wasn't... great.”

"No, it wasn't." Nate sighs, leaning over in the chair he sits in, next to Ryan, reaching out with his good left hand to gently nudge a bit of wavy red away from over Danny's face.

The love of his life - the man he's killed for, twice, and would kill for again - lays on his stomach with his head turned to one side. The hospital blanket is pulled up nearly to his chin, hiding from view the fact that nearly all of Danny seems made of bandages these days, bandages and tubes and wires. He breathes slowly, a drugged deep sleep to let his body rest and try desperately to heal itself around the nearly-fatal place the knife went into his back.

He sleeps, more than he's awake. But Nate makes sure that when his eyes open, someone is here for him, every single time.

"Today has been a little b-better, I think," Nate says after a moment's though. He brushes a crumb from the corner of Danny's mouth. "He ate a l-little, this morning. Just Jell-O and a little bit of cereal, but...”

"But something." Ryan nods, takes another drink, looks out the window. Outside, the day is bright and sunny, with a cloudless blue sky. The courtyard below is full of visiting families and patients taking walks through the landscaped flowers, all of them in brilliant bloom. "Have you even left this room since we got here?”

"No." Nate doesn't bother to lie.

Ryan looks over at him, and smiles very slightly. "Remind me to bring you by some multivitamins do you don't die of Vitamin D deficiency.”

"I'm f-fine." Nate takes another drink, feels the warmth slowly spreading through his shoulders, relaxing the knots and tension that have been slowly building day by day. The 'bed' he has here is just a visitor's couch built into the wall, lumpy and hard, with exactly one flat pillow with a scratchy pillowcase. But he'd rather be here than anywhere else. He'll be here for every single second Danny needs him. "I eat oranges for breakfast every d-d-day. No sc-... sc-... scurvy for me.”

"Didn't we joke about scurvy once?" Ryan asks, slightly faintly, looking up at the ceiling. "After Danny came home the first time?”

"M-Maybe. Don't remember. Why do you c-care if I feel good, anyway?”

“My brother can’t fuss over you right now,” Ryan says with a casual shrug. “So someone has to. He’ll never let me live it down if anything happened to you while he’s here. I’ll get chewed out if you get so much as a headcold and we both know it.”

“I d-doubt-”

Danny shifts a little and both men go silent, watching him move in the bed - just an inch or so to the right, his eyes tightly closed, body tensing as even the slightest movement brings a wash of pain.

"It's okay," Nate whispers, and Danny's eyelids flicker, slowly open. The blue in them is hazy and clouded, but not empty. This time, at least, it's Danny who is looking at him, and not the other one, the one that Nate knows only as someone else. The one who runs Danny's body when Danny can't do it any longer.

"Hey," Danny says, in a hoarse whisper. He tries for a smile, and it's faded and wobbly, but it's there. Then he lifts his head a little, looking over to see Ryan. "Oh, you're both... here. How long was I asleep?”

"Four hours or s-s-so," Nate says, standing up - ignoring the twinge of pain in his bad knee - and moving the pillow under Danny's head to still support him even as he moves. A hint of freckled shoulder shows, with its swirling trace of scars from Bram's knife. There's a star carved into the back of his left shoulder that Nate did, at Bram's command, once.

Ryan's gaze be damned, Nate leans over to kiss it, and to kiss one by one the carved letters that are still there, faded, in the back of Danny's neck. A. D. N.

He tries not to feel the guilt that twists in him at the ownership Bram had meant to make obvious, there. His own first initial with Bram's initials, his own... his own culpability.

“How do you feel?” Ryan asks, leaning over close to Danny. 

Danny’s nose wrinkles. “You smell like a liquor store.”

“Yeah, well. When your big brother scares the shit out of you by getting himself stabbed almost to death because of you, maybe you need a little pick-me-up now and then.” Ryan manages a half-cocked smile, but it’s fragile, and they both know it.

With a hiss of pain, Danny moves his hand up the bed, offering it to Ryan, who takes it without hesitation, leaning over so his forehead rests gently against Danny’s. 

“I’m okay,” Danny whispers.

“No, you’re not,” Ryan whispers back. 

Nate moves to sit back in his chair, then stands again, restless. He doesn’t want to sit there but he doesn’t know where he does want to be... until he looks at Danny, thin and dwarfed even by a small hospital bed. He sets down the mostly-jack-and-a-little-coke and climbs into the bed without hesitating, laying down behind Danny on his side, letting his good hand rest just next to a swirl of Danny’s hair on the pillow. 

Danny’s smile widens - not that Nate can see that, from his vantage point. Although Ryan can. “I’ll be okay,” He corrects himself, watching his brother. “They said there’s no sign of paralysis. I’ll walk, I’ll probably even run after a while.” He tries moving and hisses again. “A long while. It’s going to be okay, Ryan.”

“You always were way more optimistic when you were high as balls,” Ryan whispers, and he and Danny laugh, until the action makes Danny whimper at a new spike of pain. “What do we do now, Dan, huh?”

“Keep going,” Danny says, voice low, barely audible even to the two men on either side of him. “That’s all. We keep going.”

“I keep thinking I should’ve died back there, ten times over,” Ryan murmurs. “But every single time, you took the pain for me. I should’ve died-”

“Nah. You’re my little brother. I need you here.” Danny manages to keep the smile, then, and his blue eyes are warm. “If you feel so bad about it, sneak me some of that booze next time, yeah?”

"Dan, I am not going to help you mix IV drugs and alcohol-”

“Just leave it in a really easy-to-reach place and I’ll help myself.”

“Danny. No.”

“Danny yes.”

“Daniel Michaelson-”

“Ryan Niall Michaelson-”

Nate’s rumbling laughter interrupts them. It’s such a rare sound that both of them go immediately silent when they hear it, and Danny even tries to look over his shoulder, gritting his teeth through the ache to see the smile on Nate’s face. It’s slight, nearly private - a smile barely noticeable by anyone who isn’t looking for it.

But Danny is, and through the fog of the painkillers still coursing through his system, he sees it. 

“What?” Ryan says. “What’re you laughing at?”

Nate lays a hand over the star he once carved into Danny’s skin, and moves to rest his nose, just lightly, against the warmth of Danny’s neck, breathing in the scent of him under the hospital-smell that surrounds them. “Nothing,” He says, and Danny shivers a little as his lips move against the curve of the D at the back of his neck. “I’m j-j-just... realizing I’m g-going to listen to you two do this for the r-rest of my life.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Ryan’s voice is dry. 

“No,” Nate says, eyes closed. He can almost feel them in the cabin, like this, just the two of them on days Bram was gone. Lying in the bed wasting the whole morning being warm, just them together. Warm and safe. It feels like being in Danny’s apartment during their year and a half of freedom, the way sometimes when Nate couldn’t get out of bed Danny would just stay with him, holding him, until the pain inside of Nate had lessened enough to let him stand. 

Now it’s his turn to hold Danny. 

-

@tiddiroki @whump-it @bleeding-demon-teeth @finder-of-rings @whumpywhumper @endless-whump @18-toe-beans @pumpkinthefangirl @goneuntil @swordkallya @astrobly @evermetnotforgotten @whumpiary @card-games-and-pain @raigash @whump-tr0pes @orchidscript @wildfaewhump @doveotions @eatyourdamnpears 

[landscaping125]

Water Fountain Design | J And R Fine Landscaping

Water fountain design is an art that requires careful consideration of aesthetics, functionality, and harmony with the surrounding environment. J & R Fine Landscaping excels in creating custom water fountain designs that seamlessly blend with your landscape, reflecting your style and enhancing the overall ambiance of your outdoor space. For more details, please visit us at https://www.jandrfinelandscaping.com/ponds-water-features/

[aureolusfirewrites]

Ugh due to some realization being crammed down my throat by minecraftninjerkid I've decided to write something that doesn't end in Ben being beaten to a pulp or dead it's still angsty as fuck though don't kid yourself.

Waking Nightmares

'No. Not this dream again.' He thought as he realized what was happening.

Unbeknownst to the general public Ben Tennyson, savior of the universe, was someone who generally suffered from night terrors. And those night terrors were something that he could only imagined being concocted from a hellscape.

True some were less horrifying than others but there were seldom ones that didn't cause him to wake up in a cold sweat screaming. And this one, this nightmare, was one of his worst.

He kept getting plagued by it and personally it terrified Ben what his mind might be trying to get him to do.

His dream started out just as viscously as the rest of it. He was standing with nothing but black surrounding him. No horizon, no escape, nothing but black until... The crowds, people so many people, everyone they were surrounding him. They yelled he couldn't actually hear them there was no sound in this awful place. But still he knew they were yelling and fear from it gripped at him.

Then the crowd parted and made way for someone special. For a moment he felt relief as his now grey colored cousin walked towards him. He smiled and reached out for her rushing forward. Trying to hug her something to tell him he'd be okay because Gwen would help... Right?

When he got to her though he stumbled when his body passed through hers like she was a ghost. Ben turned to look at his cousin, a horrid cruel smile plastered over her face. She pointed behind Ben and be turned around. The people who had been shouting were slowly one by one turning to dust. All of them silent as if to tell him it was his fault. Terrified he turned back to Gwen in time to watch her disintegrate before his eyes.

"n- no! Stop please! No no no" he begged in shock.

He fell back hitting the ground trying to scramble away. Loud crackling split the landscape and white cracks spread across the floor under him. Within seconds it had broken and plunged him down.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

He plunged down into freezing cold water. The water was grey turning to black and white air bubbles went up around him. He tried to swim. Get closer to the surface. But he only went down further.

His lungs were screaming in pain it felt like he was burning from the inside out.

His sight was dimming not that it was much different than what he would see if he was focused but a key difference made his eyes snap awake again.

Kevin. The taller teen was covered in metal but wasn't sinking any faster than Ben was as he carefully glided over to him. Ben looked at his friend expectantly.

Kevin reached over and gripped his shoulders. For a second Ben relaxed as he grabbed ahold of Kevin hugging him, but then there was a new sensation. It was slow at first as he felt something else curling around his midsection. He looked up to Kevin. The metal had his body and wrapped in a tight binding around his chest. Surprised he let go of Kevin who just waved before sinking back into the dead black water.

For a second Ben just stared looking at where Kevin had dissapeared to but then he saw something else. Fast as a whip a metal cuff snapped over his left hand and a chain connected to it. Fear jolted through his body as slowly it made him sink faster then another chain snapped around his right hand. He struggled pulling against them but more chains wrapped around him dragging him deeper.

His lungs couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take it anymore. Ben let out a howled scream but the sound was lost as bubbles burst from his mouth and water filled his lungs.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Suddenly the water released him and he fell hard to the ground. He laid there spluttering and panting for more air as he coughed up more water.

He shuddered and fell to his side. The pain, the shouting from all those people, everything, it was all getting to be to much. It just hurt to bad.

For what felt like a long time he just stayed there curling in on himself shaking. Then he heard footsteps.

Soft thudding drawing closer to him. When he looked up relief washed over his entire body. "Rook!" He stumbled running over to his partner and fell down in front of him. Ben stayed sitting down on the floor not wanting to look up so Rook wouldn't see him breaking. "R- Rook I- I- I can't it hurts, and it's loud, it's so loud I- I can't-" he stuttered. Then Rook knelt down in front of him and lifted a hand under Ben's chin turning his face towards him to make eye contact. Ben searched his eyes for something but all that was there was a dead condescending smug look that radiated 'I'll make it better' but in the worst way.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment then Rook reached behind his back. There was a soft click when the object was set in his arms.

'So it's the prototool this time huh?' Ben thought outside of his dream.

He looked at the weapon for a moment understanding what this part meant. He slightly shook his head not looking up from his fixed spot on the floor. He felt something brush against him as Rook got closer to him. Then the alien whispered something right into his ear and whatever he said must've broken him because silent tears formed and fell down his face.

Ben gulped and numbly picked up the prototool, in gun form, and turned the barrel to his chest. He made a hiccuping noise clenched his eyes shut and pulled.

He bolted upright. He was panting, gasping, his body trying to force air into itself to make sure it was still alive.

He was still sitting there rigid when he felt something warm wrap around him. He flinched for a moment but soon recognized his boyfriend's arms around his waist and chin resting on top of his head.

"Nightmare again?" Rook asked quietly not releasing Ben from his grip.

"Y- yeah it's nothing Rook j- just go back to sleep sorry I woke you up."

There was a discontent sigh as Rook pulled him closer.

"Ben."

"Yeah?"

This is the fifth time this weak you have woken up in tears. I highly doubt that it is nothing."

Ben flinched at the words. "You heard those to?" He tried to dodge the subject.

"Ben despite what you may believe it is hard to not be woken up when the person sleeping with you suddenly jumps and begins crying, much less the two nights of screaming."

"sorry" he mumbled.

"You will be forgiven when you tell me what is wrong."

Ben let out an exasperated sigh and leaned further back against Rook.

"Please tell me?"

"Alright alright fine. It's one nightmare, it keeps repeating. Everything is loud and it hurts and then everythin- it's to much. I- I feel trapped and then..."

"Then...?" Rook prompted trying to get Ben to continue knowing that at any chance he would shut down the conversation and act as if it had never happened.

"and then you show up and for a second I think it'll be okay but- but then you just tell me that I'm right and there isn't any fixing it, that there's only one way that it'll all go away. Then I get- I get a choice. And- and I always choose the easier way."

Rook had frozen at the description starting to get a good picture of what Ben was describing. It certainly explained why he had been screaming if nothing else. He was staring to really regret having asked but still felt the conversation was necessary. Ben needed him right now, he needed a listener.

He could tell there would be no stopping now until Ben had finished getting all of it of his chest.

"s- sometimes it's just a normal human weapon, sometimes it's something Ive seen some bad guys use when we fight in undertown, tonight it was the prototool, and then sometimes..."

Another shudder ran through his body and Ben shook his head. Heaving out deep breaths while His boyfriend ran long fingers through his messy hair.

"And sometimes it's the omnitrix. It- it zaps me and electrocutes me and it burns. It feels like I'm burning from the inside out and all I can see is green. And it just- It just hurts Rook. I- I don't know maybe something's wrong with me."

"You are right." Rook simply said catching Ben off guard.

"huh? W-What you- you do think there's something wrong with me?"

Rook nodded.

"Ben, there is something wrong with all of us. With everything you have been through I am not surprised at all of your flaws but the good in you is still much greater than all of those "problems" combined."

Ben sniffed and stayed quiet for a long time taking in what his boyfriend told him.

"Hey Rook?"

"Mmhmm" the cat like alien responded sleepily.

"Thank you"

A small chuckle came from his partner and he gave his last words before they fell asleep in each other's embrace.

"Trust me Ben If there is one thing I know about it is that Ben Tennyson never takes the easy way out."

[that-yandere-life]

Hello! I saw your post about your birthday, and I was just going to submit this so I don't forget! I would love a yandere NSFW alphabet for Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds, please. I absolutely love that boy. If you're not able to do that, it's totally fine! By the way, how are you doing right now? Just thought I should check in as well with everything going on right now. Thank you so much, and Happy Birthday!! 🖤🖤🖤

[Thank you so much for helping me celebrate! I hope this is everything you were looking for darling!]

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Spencer isn’t exactly experienced in the bedroom, but he is a genius who would want to make sure that he does everything right by you. So that means plenty of research on how to properly pleasure you and take care of you. 

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Favorite part of his: His hands, the way they feel touching you sensually, to using his long fingers to bring you to orgasm over and over again. Also the sensation of gripping your hips as he thrusts into you with all of his might. 

Favorite part of yours: Your hips, especially with remnants of a bruise from the tight grip he keeps on them while plunging into you as deep as he can. Or light nail marks left behind during a rougher session. 

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Inside of you is his clear favorite choice, while you might not exactly expect that from him. If you are uncomfortable with that he will compromise and cum on your stomach or chest. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Lowkey has a breeding kink, even though he is worried about passing on any mental illness to your potential children. Being with you makes that risk worth the price to him. 

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Not very experienced, but is very good at reading people due to his job so he knows how to pleasure you better than anyone you have ever been with before. Not to mention is an exceptionally fast learner, listening to your feedback and taking it to heart every single time. 

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Missionary because he loves holding you down and taking you, while being able to watch you fall apart. This is also because it helps him read your body language so he can adjust his technique if need be.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Spencer will likely be more serious most of the time, but that doesn’t mean that situations don’t happen where neither of you can help but laugh. It’s never perfect or easy to engage in the act of lovemaking. 

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Spencer keeps it trimmed, although sometimes he let’s it go for too long as it’s not something he constantly gives attention to. If it bothers you however he will make a conscious effort to maintain his landscaping for you.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Spencer is very romantic in the moment, kissing you, complimenting you, and telling you how much he loves you. It’s never just about pleasure to him, it’s about that connection that you get during and after.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

When he was single he didn’t really think about it much, especially with his high pace job that kept him on the go most of the time. Now if he has to be away from you he can’t help himself, might even ask for nude photographs to be securely sent to him. (There is no way he will let that kind of thing get out)

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

I mentioned a breeding kink but that isn’t the only kink our seemingly sweet innocent lad enjoys participating in. Another one he engages in is spanking, and possibly even a daddy kink underlying. Try calling him Daddy, see what happens. ;)

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Mostly in the privacy of your bedroom, or hotel rooms depending on where he is that week. (If he keeps working, he will bring you with him everywhere. It would be a requirement, even if it breaks policy.)

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Honestly, the most sensual moment to him is any time you touch his shoulder, even if it was absentmindedly. The soft gesture really gets him in the mood to worship your body, not to mention the ground you walk on. ;)

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Nothing with intense pain, he has gone through enough in his life that he doesn’t want to cause harm to anyone else. Would try a little wax play, or the like if you wanted though, as long as it doesn’t really harm you in the end.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

At first he felt a little awkward when you would get down on your knees for him, or offer to give him a blowjob. However after reassuring him that you don’t mind doing it, he gets really into it when you do it for him. Ultimately he is a giver, so he will truly enjoy returning the favor, or just offering whenever the two of you have down time. SIT ON HIS FACE!

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Mostly slow and sensual, but after a really bad or rough day he will plow you into the mattress until you can’t go anymore. It’s a very therapeutic way for him to relieve the stress that his life is filled with on a daily basis.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Spencer usually wants to take his time with you, not being one for rushing. That’s not to say that he won’t be able to hold back from the thrill of taking you someplace while others around you have no idea what is about to happen. 

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

For the most part he would try most anything you asked him, unless it had a chance of affecting his job or reputation too negatively.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Definitely can go for a few rounds, but can’t exactly go all night like some can. That is not to say that you won’t finish multiple times before he is finished with you.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Spencer will buy all the toys you want, knowing how they can seriously stimulate intimacy in the bedroom. Only the best however, and trust that he has looked up everything about what is on the market.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Doesn’t really do the teasing, but responses VERY well to being teased, or challenged in anyway.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Usual grunts and groans, will likely tell you multiple times how lucky he is to have you. Praising you intermittently, the words just falling from his tongue in the moment.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Wants to watch you masturbate with the toys he buys you, demanding a demonstration whenever a new one is purchased. Watching you use what he gets you really gets him off, and will even sometimes help you use it.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

I would say a bit above average on length, and average thickness. 

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Average sex drive, especially when he starts dating you. Before he didn’t really think about it all that much so it didn’t affect him as much.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Absolutely would not fall asleep until you are taken care of, even if he is exhausted beyond belief. You are his number one priority.

[einsteinsugly]

My T9S/As The World Burns universe is better (and it doesn't take much, honestly). My second-gen character descriptions.

"I spent a year+ on my second-gen characters, mixing the first-gen characters in a blender and making a bunch of unique characteristics, only for this abject laziness to make it on the screen. Gah." As the World Burns is my first-gen/second-gen combo fic in the works, taking place in the early 2000s. Will I post it? Someday. I have so many interconnected plot threads to work out... Summary: 2001. New York, New York. A perfectly sunny day in September changes the political landscape, forever. 2001. Chicago, Illinois. The gang’s getting older, and their kids are growing up. In a rapidly changing world, can they all keep up? And fight against the madness, or will they fail to catch up with the times? J/H, E/D, R/K, K/B, F/R. A combo first-gen/second-gen fic. Main: Katherine "Kate" Erin Forman (born February 28, 1986) (played by a younger Lacey Hannan): I guess, broadly, she's the Jackie of the group. Stereotypically feminine (but a staunch feminist) and incredibly ambitious, the world is her oyster. But really, she's a combination of Kitty and Donna, for the most part. She's wicked smart, a creative perfectionist to her core, a melodramatic extrovert to a fault, has the heart and the guts to make the world a better place, and wants to be a journalist like her mother. And change the world, one pen stroke at a time. Leah Margaret Forman (born January 1, 1990) (played by a younger Katie LeClerc): She's a mix of her parents, and her Aunt Laurie. Some apt descriptors, according to me: -A nerdy tomboy, who fails to fit in with the crowd.

-A loud and proud Gryffindor.

-Stubborn as a mule, but as physically strong as a lion. As curious as a wild cat.

-Manipulative pot-stirrer (but she's not evil like her aunt, don't worry...usually).

-Awkwardly temperamental. Doesn't get along with Jackie, at all, but gets along swimmingly with James (to Jackie's utter dismay). He's her soulmate, he feels the same way, and Aunt Jackie's getting in the way of that, okay?

-Looks older than her age, and she tries to act like it, too. With catastrophic results. Rebecca "Becca" Leona Hyde (born December 5, 1985) (played by a young Jessica Brown-Findlay): I guess, broadly, she's a female Hyde. But she's more than that. She loves alternative fashion, thrifting, cooking and sewing, drawing, skateboarding, fixing up cars, South Park, Daria, Mean Girls, watching America's Next Top Model with her mother...yeah, music is her life, she loves the color black (and red), and struggles in school. Like her father. She likes to live under the bleachers, smoking weed awkwardly with her lot of loser friends, but she lives a life between a rock and a hard place. Between a world that won't accept her for being her, for being weird, grungy, and bi, and an underworld she doesn't want to be swallowed into. She has to walk that fine line, between being boring and mainstream and being a total outcast. James Reginald Hyde (born October 22, 1987) (played by a young Nicholas Hoult): A dangerous mix of Jackie and Hyde. He's badass and rebellious like Hyde, but he's ambitious, more socially adept, and business savvy like Jackie. He's always finding a way to game the system, for the greater good. And maybe sometimes, for the sake of his wallet. But that's beyond the point! Adrian Reginald Forman (born July 18, 1984) (played by a young Dylan O'Brien): I guess he's the Eric of the group, kind of. But really, he's an Eric, Hyde, and Red combo. He's Fez and Laurie's son, and his mother abandoned him when he was two. And he rarely sees eye to eye with his feminine, bisexual father. Instead, he's closer to Red and Kitty, Uncle Hyde, and Uncle Eric. And in regards to the kids, he's closest to James and Leah. He's socially awkward and usually, stereotypically masculine (but without his grandfather's staunchly conservative views). He loves video games (especially Fallout), building and modding PCs, peanut butter, calculators, Alien Ant Farm, soccer, baseball, and the girl next door. Next to his grandparents' formidable abode. Hallie Anna Rivera (born December 24, 1988) (played by a young Daisy Ridley): Leah's new best friend. She's the least developed of the main characters, I'm willing to admit. She's highly mechanical, a physical force to be reckoned with, manipulative and rebellious, and firmly lives on the wrong side of the tracks. Her mother abandoned her as an infant, and she's an emotional wreck over it. She's been raised by her car mechanic father, and several of his girlfriends. He's been a good father to her, but sometimes, he doesn't understand. At all. He can accept her for being a lesbian all he wants, but he'll never truly understand. Minor: Elizabeth "Betsy" Victoria Kelso (born January 15, 1979; yes, she exists!) (I can't think of a faceclaim for her to save my life): Kelso and Brooke's daughter. She's studying to become a doctor. Hannah Michaela Kelso (born November 23, 1984) (played by a younger Lyndsy Fonesca): Kelso and Brooke's daughter. Kind of a modern-day Kitty, with her Red firmly by her side (it's not Adrian, to Kelso and Fez's dismay, though). She's an absolute sweetheart, with a solid head on her shoulders. She loves helping others, and is a staunch animal lover. She wants to work with animals or kids, or stay at home with her future kids. Ashley Maria Tate (born May 4, 1989) (played by a younger Josie Loren): Fez and Rhonda's daughter. She's a sweet, popular cheerleader, with a talent for dancing and acting. And, she thinks, singing.

[jandrfinelandscaping]

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[radramblog]

Rating the letters of the alphabet

I feel like part of my style of comedy is just rambling about shit and making loose connections between things as part of an overall bit. I think. I’m no expert on myself, unfortunately.

The inspiration for the following absolute load of shite is trying to search Tiermaker for nothing. Like, no characters in the search bar. Didn’t come up with anything. Did a search for just a space. No dice. What about just a? Surely that’ll bring up everything with an A in the title. But it didn’t, and I was somewhat disappointed.

Then my head started writing bits about letters and that’s how we got here. This is probably really stupid, but maybe it’ll at least be fun. Wordplay is cool, though maybe not my strong suit? Anyway.

A: A is one of the two letters that’s also just a word, as you’ve just seen, giving it a necessary promotion in rank. Not a lot of things get to double up like that, though with the “an” ligature maybe it’s actually a double or nothing. But because of the confusing common connection crossing contexts for the character, it gets somewhat awkward to talk about the letter in conversation. An A, in my opinion, A does not get. 4/5.

B: B is also just a word letter but unlike A when you write it out you have to stick a few extra letters on to make it work, making it not as good. But B’s association with bees isn’t enough, because in the year of our lord, like, 2019 or something, it would become inextrixably linked with shite memes as the B emoji became king. And I just don’t respect that. It’s otherwise a fine letter, dragged down by its company. 2/5.

C: Oh come on now, the word doesn’t even have a C in it anymore! You can sea the see without any of our tertiary letter’s involvement whatsoever. Not to mention how its two main sounds are just copies from other letters wholesale. C must be confusing to non-english speakers, I’d imagine. C as a grade gets what C as a grade typically entails for many a schoolchild. 3/5.

D: It would be remiss of me not to give a sterling grade to the D. Why, none of us would be here without it. While many a youth may find the D to be quite a humourous subject, I assure you I’m taking it with the gravest of sincerity when I say the D has got to be one of the best letters of all.

And by D I mean deity, of course. Wait, what did you think I meant? 5/5.

E: The absolute absurdity that is the E meme elevates E efficiently enough to excel beyond many another vowel. However, it is also the single most common letter in the English language, going so far as to open the damn name. It’s to the point where someone made a point of writing an entire book without using it, and I think Gadsby is cool but mayhaps avoiding fifth uncial was a bit showy. I can’t help but mark it down for the sake of hipster cred. 3/5.

F: F is for Fuck. I like the word Fuck. F is for paying respects. I think the military-industrial complex has poisoned our cultural landscape to the point that a reference to one of its most prized productions’ awkward moments has become one of the most colloquially used meme letters in existence, And That’s Terrible. 3/5, I’m conflicted.

G: Man literally who the fuck cares about G. What is it even good for. Just an absolute waste of a letter, total shithouse. It’s NATO equivalent is Golf, the Worst Sport, too. Who asked for any of this? Just use a J instead, it’s cooler. 1/5.

H: I’ve seen “Hhh” used enough times in written forms of pornography to not consider it a Horny Letter. That and it, being short for Hentai, is often used to denote adult material in Japan. Basically what im saying is, I think this gets worse the less sex-positive you are. 6/9.

I: I think I’ve said enough about letter words already, but I is another high-tier one because like A I is just it’s own thing. It can also, however, be a bit confusing, looking just like an l a lot of the time, and having to constantly capitalise it is a pain in the ass. I also don’t have a particularly high opinion of myself, so a high opinion of I seems disingenuous. 3/5.

J: Clearly the best letter, hands down. I’m definitely not biased. There are so few letters as underappreciated by J- a fact many a person who’s had to do that “assign yourself an alliterative adjective” icebreaker game has had to reckon with. Because it appears to be a lot more popular with names than with words, and that just kind of sucks. 6/5.

K: K has in some circles managed to bump off its partner to become yet another letter word, though in a very informal abbreviated sense. However, when you’re looking into scientific fields, eventually said partner returns, having lost some weight on the trip down to absolute zero. This all makes complete sense in my head, and I’m sure is a lot less funny to anyone who doesn’t live there. 4/5.

L: I’d argue that L doesn’t cop its namesake. It’s a really useful letter, loads of words use it, especially in pairs, and my ADHD-brain thought it was fun to just say LLLLLLLLLLL for a bit while I was thinking about this so I guess that’s staying in now. Put me down as an L Lobbyist. 4/5.

M: Mmmmmm. M&Ms. But also it’s kind of a pain to write. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. 3/5.

N: I’d like to fight whoever decided we should have two letters that sound so similar right bloody next to each other in the alphabet. Actually, who the fuck even decided the alphabet’s order to begin with? Maybe it should go M to N, that’ll bloody show you. 2/5.

O: Our fourth vowel, and perhaps one of the underappreciated ones. O is similarly a letter word, but a much more common one considering its use as an interjection. It’s also one half of a very powerful letter combo, as we’ll see. 4/5.

P: There’s the other half. Many a joke involves OP as a phrase, whether it mean overpowered or original poster, and the letters’ adjacency is a lovely bit of serendipity. Whenever I say P out loud, on its own, I have to resist the urge to do some incredibly shitty beatboxing, which may or may not be a good sign. 4/5.

Q: I was going to write some very harsh words about Q, and its dependency on U, but then I realised that that is probably hate speech against the disabled. It still sucks, though. 0/5.

R: R is the one I am most struggling to think of things to say about. R is another letter that’s just kinda there. I’m sure the Roberts and Rachels of the world would disagree with me, though. It’s also the name of a program that I know has traumatised a lot of young biologist wannabes, slapping us with a whole pile of maths and statistics when we just wanted to look at cool plants and shit. Or in my case, cool cells and shit. 2/5.

S: The most overrated consonant, but also the thing that makes plurals not a pain in the ass. However I’m going to lean towards giving S a positive rating, if only because it’s associated with snakesssss (and serpentine characters who can talk) and I like those. 3/5.

T: I don’t think T gets enough credit as one of the pillars of the English language. A lot of very common words feature it, and yet it feels like it never gets the same level of credit as big shots like S or half of the vowels. T is like the character actor of the alphabet, is basically what I’m saying. 4/5.

U: Ah, the letter Americans hate for some reason. I think this is actually commentary on the history of American politics. Because throughout history, America has been extremely selfish and self-centered, while attempting to present a positive image that people are finally seeing past. They only entered WWI and WWII when it was convenient for them, they started wars and initiated coups in even their allies for petty ideological reasons, and they’ve gone to war with several countries and funded wars with several others seeming just for shits and giggles. Because apparently if you’re not an American, then you’re not one of them, and that means they hate U. 4/5.

V: I actually think V is underrated. It’s a fun sound. That’s it, no joke here. It’s neat, I like it. 4/5.

W: This may come as a shock to you, but double-u over here is actually two Vs! unless you’re writing in cursive, but fuck cursive. The French actually have it right on this one, naming it double-v (pronounced doobleh-vay). Add in the fact that it’s literally just M upside down, and you’ve got a pretty shite letter. 1/5.

X: There’s a reason literally every “A is for Apple” thing you see made for kids uses Xylophone for X, and that’s because there are no commonly used words that start with it. Seriously, it’s all just scientific terms- I’d argue X-Ray is more common than Xylophone in common parlance, but also, who wants to explain imaging to a kid. It doesn’t even get a second page of words on Dictionary.com. X also has implications as a letter word, that I’d rather avoid at the moment. 2/5.

Y: Ah, Ygreck, everyone’s favourite “what the fuck, France?” moment. Between that and being sorta kinda not really a vowel, Y prompts its own question more often than I’d care to admit. 2/5.

Z: As a (technical) member of the generation associated with this letter- on the one hand, I’m sorry, on the other, y’all have it coming. The final letter of the alphabet, one of the other ones worth 10 in scrabble (and yet X isn’t???), and one we probably got pretty sick of in the early 00s when it was everywhere- ironically, when most of the generation was getting born. 2/5.

And that’s the lot of them. I hope this didn’t alienate any non-English speakers too hard. It’s probably fine.

Join me for more bullshit next time I have another stupid idea. I mean, tomorrow.

[logicgunn]

Hi! After you posted another part of The Long Dark I'm doing a reread :) I have a couple of questions. If you can't/won't answer that is of course fine! When I really get into a story's setting I tend to look at maps, google stuff and just try to learn more. I looked a bit at the game itself and the forum boards said it was inspired by the landscape/nature around Vancouver. Is that were you see your story or do you see it further north/east? Can they forage in summer? :)

Hi!

Oh my gosh, I am always so excited to get a Q about my fics! It’d have to be a very big spoiler to a plot twist that I was very proud of for me not to answer something.

So the game is inspired by Vancouver but I actually set the fic on the north-eastern side of Canada in Nunavut instead. If you look up Craig Harbour in Nunavut on Google Maps and draw an imaginary line between that and Thule Airbase in Greenland, I place Great Bear Island somewhere in the middle of that line but offset a little bit north for the course corrections that John makes to avoid the weather in chapter 1 of TLD.

Climate wise, it doesn’t really go above zero, even in the summer (because the game, no matter how many days you survive, never actually gets out of winter!) so there’s year-round snow and while there are a few things they can forage for - fungi and berries and lichen - there’s not much bang for buck in terms of energy spent foraging versus calories gained.

I deliberately set it in a pretty inhospitable environment to make it more of a challenge to feed them. The island’s pretty big, and there’s some really good hunting, but for the people that lived there before the great event, they relied heavily on imports for a rounded out diet. J and R don’t have that luxury, and though they’ve mitigated the issue somewhat in Quonset, that’s still only a temporary band-aid for a larger issue.

Hope that answer is what you were looking for. Feel free to drop me a message any time! Also, I’m incredibly chuffed that you are going back for a re-read. Having my work read once is an absolute joy, having it re-read is just incredible to me.

LG xxx

[urbanforesterpgh]

Pittsburgh’s Mass Migration

Since moving to Pittsburgh, I have also become fascinated with the city’s industrial past and how the city continues to recover from the collapse of the steel industry and subsequent mass migration of residents out of the area in search of new employment opportunities.  In their haste to leave, many residents simply abandoned their homes and these properties fell into disrepair (Kozak, 2014). As I walked around my own steeply sloped neighborhood, it was hard to miss the orange “condemned” signs affixed to many of the homes adjacent to some precarious hillsides.  Its not clear if these properties were abandoned in the mass exodus of residents following the collapse of the steel industry, or if homeowners had recognized the risks of landslides and where unable or unwilling to make the repeated repairs to walls and foundations caused by the constantly shifting earth below and beside them.  While the risks to human life have been reduced because people no longer live in these houses, these abandoned properties can actually exacerbate land and soil conditions that perpetuate land sliding, impacting the roadways and housing below them (Mantero et al., 2020). Urban soils are considered to be compacted, preventing the regrowth of native vegetation and creating favorable conditions for invasive plant species to take over that provide far less soil stabilization potential than native trees and shrubs. The establishment of dense forest cover following urban land abandonment can provide some protection from the risks of mass land movements including rockfalls, avalanches, and landslides (Mantero et al., 2020).

Several foundations remain on the top of this hillside near my house.  Despite “No Dumping” signs nearby, these abandoned hillsides are often used as illegal dumping sites for lazy contractors and even the neighboring property owners, who take advantage of these open spaces to dispose of their yard waste.  Residents may not even realize that piling their grass clippings and other lawn debris on these hillsides is contributing to the destabilization of these slopes. This debris blocks out the light to potential soil-stabilizing plant growth and the additional weight to the hillside also increases the risk of landslides (Pomeroy, 1982).

I actually witnessed a neighbor dumping his grass clippings just a few feet from this “No Dumping” sign.  Even the potential for a fine of up to $10,000 was not enough to discourage this resident from improperly disposing of his yard waste.  Upon closer inspection of the sign, there is also apparently a $500 reward for providing evidence that leads to prosecution of illegal dumping.  Considering the neighbor’s relaxed attitude towards adhering to no dumping ordinances, this could be an opportunity for some easy money! I would much prefer to go the public education route though to prevent future dumping.

Kozak, S.L., 2014. From section 8 to Starbucks: the effects of gentrification on affordable housing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Thesis (PhD). University of Kansas.

Mantero, G., Morresi, D., Marzano, R., Motta, R., Mladenoff, D. J., & Garbarino, M. (2020). The influence of land abandonment on forest disturbance regimes: a global review. Landscape Ecology, 35(12), 2723–2744. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-020-01147-w

Pomeroy, J. S. (1982). Landslides in the Greater Pittsburgh Region, Pennsylvania. United States Government Printing Office.