#old town toronto

[uglyandtraveling]

In this walking tour, I will show you Corktown which is one of Toronto's older residential neighborhoods, nestled in the heart of downtown Ontario, Canada. It’s situated south of Shuter Street, north of the Gardiner Expressway, and flanked by Parliament Street to the west and the Don River to the east.

[we-re-always-alright]

I’ve been watching the Shining Girls on and off because a) takes place in Chicago and b) do enjoy an Elizabeth Moss performance but. you can tell they got like some parts of Chicago right. but then other parts…. oof. painful for a local

[3416]

went thru the five stages of grief scrolling down you blog seeing all these mitch and auston posts today

every day lately i'm going through the same stages............. seeing ppl who would be okay with getting rid of one or both of them like these aren't THE leafs franchise players rn... breaking records together......... coming into this league together and having the most fun playing together specifically............. COME ON. these are THE guys and each others guys in every way :(

[msbarrows]

While handing out candy tonight (to the entire dozen kids who showed up) I found myself thinking about how long it has been since I was last doing so.

Last year I was, iirc, down at my sister’s place in Toronto, and between her being immunocompromised and COVID still running rampant, candy was not handed out.

Year before that? COVID. Also no Halloween.

Year before that? Dad was still alive. I think we had maybe 6-8 kids total show up (it had been very low numbers for years - this town had aged out of having much of a population of kids).

[mostlysignssomeportents]

That means that for a work to be eligible for copyright in the USA, it must satisfy three criteria:

1. It must be creative. Copyright does not apply to non-creative works (say, a phone book listing everyone in a town in alphabetical order), even if the work required a lot of labor. Copyright does not protect effort, it protects creativity. You can spend your whole life making a phone book and get no copyright, but the haiku you toss off in ten seconds while drunk gets copyright’s full protection. 2. It must be tangible. Copyright only applies to creative works that are “fixed in a tangible medium.” A dance isn’t copyrightable, but a video of someone dancing is, as is a written description of the dance in choreographers’ notation. A singer can’t copyright the act of singing, but they can copyright the recording of the song. 3. It must be of human authorship. Only humans are eligible for copyright. A beehive’s combs may be beautiful, but they can’t be copyrighted. An elephant’s paintings may be creative, but they can’t be copyrighted. A monkey’s selfie may be iconic, but it can’t be copyrighted.

The works an algorithm generates —be they still images, audio recordings, text, or videos — cannot be copyrighted.

For creative workers, this is huge. Our bosses, like all bosses, relish the thought of firing us all and making us homeless. You will never love anything as much as your boss hates paying you. That’s why the most rampant form of theft in America is wage theft. Just the thought of firing workers and replacing them with chatbots is enough to invoke dangerous, persistent priapism in the boardrooms of corporate America.

- Everything Made By an AI Is In the Public Domain: The US Copyright Office offers creative workers a powerful labor protective

THIS IS THE LAST DAY FOR MY KICKSTARTER for the audiobook for "The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation," a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and make a new, good internet to succeed the old, good internet. It's a DRM-free book, which means Audible won't carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

Going to Burning Man? Catch me on Tuesday at 2:40pm on the Center Camp Stage for a talk about enshittification and how to reverse it; on Wednesday at noon, I'm hosting Dr Patrick Ball at Liminal Labs (6:15/F) for a talk on using statistics to prove high-level culpability in the recruitment of child soldiers.

On September 6 at 7pm, I'll be hosting Naomi Klein at the LA Public Library for the launch of Doppelganger.

On September 12 at 7pm, I'll be at Toronto's Another Story Bookshop with my new book The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.

[medlilove]

(Edited to add headshots because tumblr hates detail) I've etched away at this is a lovely few weeks, so click for full res and all the little details, okay? It's my love letter to the journey I've found myself on

This is long-ish, so its under the cut (but worth reading...)

I had been thinking a lot recently about that double feature episode, you know the one? I half remembered it then, when they chased a bunch of alien spies so fast through the solar system they all got thrown back in time. Half the crew went on a little undercover adventure in Toronto in 2024. It was great because they got completely cut off from the Enterprise, so half of them, well mostly Uhura and Spock if I recall correctly, spent their time collecting as many radios as possible and worked on building their own communications. Uhura and Spock were basically taking turns constantly tweaking radios by the window with wires everywhere. Oh yeah, their base of operations was the whole top floor of a worn out old building looking over a big square. They ended up in the really arty/queer part of town full of art galleries and thrift stores.....??

Chapel and Chekov were sent out to those shops to find disguises for everyone. I loved the joke that Chekov was puzzled and slightly alarmed that Christine just knew everyone's clothes sizes and measurements with no explanation. Later on, they ended up getting separated from the rest of the group and getting held up by B story shenanigans, mostly getting lost and running into culture shocks. It was fun to see them having their own adventures and made for a pretty interesting combo. Spock and Uhura spent most of their time with the tech, accidentally listening to the times most popular music while changing frequencies. Jim and Sulu paired off to search for clues, and getting supplies and spent a lot of time talking to the locals setting up for a Pride parade. McCoy, feeling paranoid and irritable that he had practically no equipment, wandered around with Dr Alfred Nahdi, the Botanist, who kept picking random weeds and talking about how extraordinary the little dandelions were. Oh and together they stole a whole medical bag out of an ambulance?? It was pretty funny.  Anyway, the main issue was they couldn’t risk leaving the area because all these alien spies had assimilated into the population and they had to track them all down and bring them back with them so as not to disrupt the timeline or something. They had to track down the aliens while making sure the aliens didn't pick up on who they were or that they were also out of place. They ended up being there for around two whole ass months, I think. The spies were spread out all over and there were about 30 of them, but it ended up being the Botanist, Alfred (Alfie) Nahdi who found the enemy base of operations by complete accident. Alfred, who had spent most of the time studying all the common flowers and weeds that were so ordinary at that time but were extinct in their time, figured out where the aliens' base of operations was because the big plant shop at the end of the square had a few succulents that could not have existed in 2024. It was a big "woah" moment. And there was this whole thing where he had to act like he hadn’t just figured it out because the florist, who was almost certainly a spy, was watching him and McCoy. But soon after, it all went to hell anyway when a fight broke out and Sulu was straight up shot with the aliens' weapon that had bullets made from alien metal. So then Bones had to perform old school surgery on him in their HQ, with only 2024 equipment. Jim, Spock, and Uhura were out fighting and ran into Chapel and Chekov and were able to finish them off, but it got really crazy because there was a Pride parade in the square at the same time so they had to make sure no one noticed them. While Bones was pulling bullets out of Sulu, with the botanist assisting him until Chapel (who had been sent by Jim) appeared and took over. McCoy said something like, “Christine, I’ve never been so glad to see you in my life,” and they sewed him up all old school. And it worked out! But Bones was a mess because he had to do messy surgery with none of his kit, and so much pressure, and more blood than he was used to... Chapel stayed with Sulu, and Bones and Nahdi went to sit on the fire escape stairwell and had a sweet scene of Bones just full of adrenaline, his hands couldn't stop shaking. They sat hand in hand for a while listening to all the people on the streets below. Then Spock, Jim, Uhura, and Chekov appeared at the stairwell and they all had a happy, albeit exhausted reunion. After a day of everyone recovering from all the excitement, Uhura and Spock used some extra tech they got from the aliens and finally made contact with poor Scotty who was up on the Enterprise losing the will to live. Anyway, their outfits were iconic tbh.

I invented this whole thing to draw Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in a sweater. I lost control of the situation. I spent a lovely two weeks etching away at this with the support of my lovely ST server, I love you guys. This ones for you.

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Faye Schulman

Faye Schulman was a young Jewish photographer in Poland who became a resistance fighter after her family was slaughtered by the Germans. For the next two years, she took pictures of what she witnessed, leaving an extensive photographic record for posterity.

Born Faigel Lazebnik in 1919, she was one of seven children in an Orthodox Jewish family in Lenin, a small village in Poland. Known as Faye, she learned four languages: Yiddish at home, Polish at school, Hebrew in religious school, and Russian among the non-Jewish townspeople. Her brother Moshe was a professional photographer and she worked as his assistant, developing a keen eye and a talent for photography. When Moshe moved to another town, Faigel took over his business.

After the Germans invaded Lenin in 1941, they forced the town’s Jews into a squalid ghetto. On August 14, 1942, the Nazis “liquidated” the Lenin ghetto by brutally murdering 1,850 Jews, including Faye’s parents, sisters, and brother. Only 26 Jews were spared because the Nazis could make use of their skills. Faye was ordered to develop photographs of the massacre that claimed the lives of her family as well as almost everyone she knew. She secretly made extra copies of the pictures and kept them to bear testimony to Nazi crimes against humanity.

Soon after, Faye escaped from the Nazis and joined the Molotava Brigade, a group of Russian resistance fighters in the forest of Belarus. She said, “This was the only way I could fight back and avenge my family.” They were known as “partisans” – an insurgent militia group opposing an occupation army. Despite rampant antisemitism in the group, she was allowed to join because she had some basic medical skills learned from her late brother-in-law, who had been a doctor in Lenin. Faye became the group’s nurse, serving alongside the resident doctor, a veterinarian. For almost two years, Faye dressed fighters’ wounds and did whatever she could for sick and injured fighters, despite a lack of medical equipment. She participated in armed raids, later remembering “When it was time to be hugging a boyfriend, I was hugging a rifle. Now I said to myself, my life is changed. I learned how to look after the wounded, I even learned how to make operations.”

Faye’s partisan brigade raided her hometown of Lenin, during which the resistance fighters acquired food, weapons and supplies. As they passed her childhood home, Faye urged her fellow partisans to burn it to the ground, which they did. “I won’t be living here. The family’s killed. To leave it for the enemy? I said right away: Burn it!”

Faye found her old photographic equipment, and brought it back to their forest encampment. For the next two years, Faye documented the dangerous existence of anti-Nazi partisans. It was vitally important to her because as she later said, “I want people to know that there was resistance. Jews did not go like sheep to the slaughter. I was a photographer. I have pictures. I have proof.”

Faye’s resistance group was liberated by the Soviets in July 1944. After the war ended, she was overjoyed to find that her brother Moshe had also survived and had been part of another resistance group. Faye and Moshe were the only survivors of their family of nine. Soon after Faye married Morris Schulman, who’d fought alongside Moshe. They decided to make a new life in Palestine, then occupied by the British, who made it difficult if not impossible for war-scarred Holocaust survivors to enter the land. For two years the Schulmans were stuck in a displaced persons camp in Germany, waiting for the opportunity to immigrate. They helped smuggle arms into Palestine to support the Jews fighting for independence. In 1947 Faye became pregnant, and they needed someplace safe to live. They were able to get visas to Canada, and settled in Toronto, where they ran a family business and raised two children. In 1995, Faye published a book about her experience as an anti-Nazi resistance fighter: “A Partisan’s Memoir: Woman of the Holocaust.”

Faye died on April 24, 2021, surrounded by her family, at age 101. Sadly, the last few years of her life saw an upsurge of antisemitism worldwide. Faye left an inspiring message for young people today: “To Jewish kids I would like to say – be proud to be Jewish. To non-Jewish kids I would like to say – if there is a war and you have to fight, fight for freedom and don’t be ashamed to be in the army.”

For saving lives, battling Nazis, and leaving a photographic record so the horrors of the Holocaust would not be forgotten, we honor Faye Lazebnik Schulman as this week’s Thursday Hero.

[chukys-mouthguard]

Birds of a Feather

2.3k words

Featuring: wyatt johnston x female reader

Genre: fluff, slight angst

Summary: you never wanted summers with wyatt to end

Note: this has been in my drafts for i think 2 months, i figured I’d finally post it 🙈

Summers in Toronto were always something to look forward to. But even more so when they meant that Wyatt would be home.

Despite that also meaning his team had been eliminated from the playoffs, you always looked forward to summers with Wyatt. Whether it was taking the boat out on the water, relaxing by the pool, joining him for offseason workouts; your summers revolved around one another.

Having been friends since you were 13, you’d grown up around one another. Went through your awkward phases of puberty around each other, shared your first kiss due to a horrid game of spin the bottle that was played at one of Wyatt’s teammates while his parents were out of town.

And now, the two of you both 21 years old, were in that weird friend-situationship as you liked to refer to it. You weren’t dating, but weren’t not dating. It was beyond complicated.

Though neither of you had ever fully confessed your feelings, you both knew they were there. And everyone around you could see it too. But the risk of potentially losing one another should things go south scared either of you from ever taking things a step further. So instead, every summer was yet another opportunity to see how things would play out should you to take that step. Only to decide at the end of summer that you two weren’t ready, or Wyatt needed to focus on the upcoming season.

You never argued or tried to push Wyatt in the direction of taking your relationship to a new level, not wanting to ruin what you two had. But you often wondered what he was scared of, or why he felt you two wouldn’t work out.

Letting out a sigh as you wiped your brow, you’d finished rinsing off your car after giving it a much needed wash. The birds having a field day leaving you surprises all over it at the beach.

As you’d turned off the hose, you heard the blare of country music coming from the down the street. Smiling to yourself you knew that could only mean one thing.

“Wyatt Johnston!”

Running to meet him at the bottom of your driveway, he couldn’t climb out of his car fast enough. Spinning you in his arms as he held you tight. Lingering there for what felt like forever.

“Oh, you’re washing cars? Care to do mine?” He playfully handed you his keys as he pulled up a chair from the garage, resting his hands behind his head with a smile. “Really Wy? You’re here for 30 seconds and you’re already being a pain in my side?”

“Oh come onnn, I’ll take you out on the boat tonight?”

He knew you could never resist a boat day, the idea of relaxing on the water with a cold drink in your hand. Plus Wyatt in nothing but his swim trunks, you couldn’t turn that down.

“Fine! But you better be supplying the drinks too!”

Returning to the hose, you turned it on before lugging it down the driveway. Rinsing off Wyatt’s car before turning to look at him. Eyes closed, resting his head back as he relaxed in the shade. He really made it too easy for you to mess with him.

As you came around the backside of the car, you pointed the hose in his direction, spraying the boy from head to toe earning a yell from him.

“Y/n! Oh you’re dead now!”

Sprinting from the chair he chased you around his car, stealing the hose from your hand as he drenched you as payback. “Okay, okay, okay! I think you got me back Wy!”

He retreated up the driveway to shut off the hose, laughing hysterically at you standing there dripping wet with a grumpy look on your face. He grabbed a towel for you from inside the garage before discarding his shirt and laying it on the driveway to dry.

You wrapped yourself in the towel as he pulled up a chair for you to join him. His hair now slightly damp, a few water droplets falling to his chest and slowly trailing down to his abs. You tried your best not to stare, but you couldn’t help it. He’d definitely been working out during the season, and it showed. Compared to last summer he was definitely in the best shape you’d ever seen him in.

“You know if you were trying to get me shirtless, you could’ve just asked?” Wyatt laughing as you quickly averted your gaze, looking anywhere but him, embarrassed that he’d caught you.

“Yeah I was staring at your patchy chest hair, guess it’s a good thing you’re playoff beard didn’t look that rough.”

He shook his head at your attempt to deflect from what you were truly looking at. The two of you catching up before Wyatt bid you farewell.

“Okay, give me like 2 hours to get some things together and then it’s boat time baby!!”

You simply laughed at him as he danced down your driveway before climbing back into his car. Peeling off down the street with his music blaring once again.

-

“Wyatt, toss me another beer!”

You laid back, propped up on your elbows catching sun as you watched Wyatt toss Tucker a can from the cooler. He laughed as Tucker missed and the can fell into the water.

“Maybe that’s a sign he doesn’t need another beer.” Wyatt shook his head with a smile as he sat next to you, then laid his head on your thigh as he closed his eyes. Your fingers playing with the wisps of wet hair on his forehead, a slight smile on his lips as he felt your touch.

The two of you could lay in each other's company for hours without a word. Being close to one another was enough for the two of you, though you’d preferred to have your hands on one another. Wyatt was a big physical touch guy, giving or receiving. It was his way of showing you how much he cared, that he was paying attention, that he was comfortable around you.

“I can’t believe I get the whole summer to do this with you.” Wyatt spoke as he relaxed further into your touch.

“I know, maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll never end.”

He softly chuckled at your words, but you weren’t joking. Deep down you truly didn’t want this summer to end, despite it only just beginning. And not the boat days, or laying in the sun. You meant your time with Wyatt. To be close with him like this. To feel like you two were finally more than just friends, and have that last more than just the few summer months. You wanted this feeling year round.

The day had come to an end, Wyatt bringing the boat in while you cleaned up from the day’s festivities. He smiled in his seat as he watched you tucking a stray hair behind your ear, picking up empty beer cans Tucker had left scattered about.

This was what Wyatt adored about you, always so selfless and caring. Being the first person to volunteer to help with something, even if that was cleaning up beer cans you’d never touched.

As you made your way around the deck, checking to make sure you didn’t miss a thing, you felt Wyatt’s arms snake around your waist. Pulling you into his lap as you playfully protested.

“Wy! I’m almost done, you can’t have these cans sitting out here all night they will get gross in the sun tomorrow.” He groaned against your skin, his grip not letting up as you finally surrendered. Dropping the trash bag next to you, you turned around and straddled his waist, making yourself more comfortable as he smiled up at you.

“Thank you.”

Scrunching your face in confusion, you left out a soft laugh, “for what?”

His smile only growing bigger at your innocence, “for being so amazing, for being you. I don’t think my summers would ever be the same without you.”

Trying to hide the blush on your cheeks you dropped your gaze, his words sending a wave of warmth throughout your body. Though you couldn’t help but wonder if this was all it would ever be for you two, just summers of fun and nothing more.

“Too bad you only have me for the summer.”

Playfully you joked as you ruffled his hair, still damp from his time in the water. His smile fading slightly as he watched you resume cleaning up the deck. Once finished he hosed it down, before the two of you headed to Wyatt’s car, then home.

The drive home was quiet. On one hand you were exhausted from the baiting excursion, but on the other you were still thinking of your words to Wyatt. How they’d gotten no response from him. Surely you thought he might make some smart ass remark, or say you weren’t just his for the summer. But nothing.

Wyatt picked up on your silence, assuming you were just tired. He rested a hand on your thigh, brushing his thumb over your now sunkissed skin as he stole a quick glance at you. No reaction.

“Everything okay?”

Humming a response you continued looking out the window, your own thoughts distracting you from Wyatt as you tried to not get worked up over something that in his eyes was probably so small.

He didn’t want to push you to talk, instead taking back his hand as he turned his attention fully to the road. Wyatt hated seeing you upset, especially if it was his fault. He hated even more when you wouldn’t talk to him, and he was forced to wrack his brain for a possible explanation.

Not wanting the night to end with anything left unsaid, he took a quick left, before pulling into the parking lot of an ice cream shop the two of you practically kept in business the last 4 summers with how often you’d frequent the place.

Before you could question anything, Wyatt was out of the car and headed to the counter, placing an order for your usual treats. While he waited for the ice cream, you hopped out of the truck, flipping down the hatch for the bed as you climbed up, kicking your feet as you waited for him.

Smiling proudly he walked across the parking lot with ice cream in hand. Handing you yours before he climbed up to join you.

“Why the sudden pit stop?”

Playfully smiling, you swiped your tongue to catch the ice cream that was dripping down the edge of the cone. Wyatt shrugged as he copied your action. “I mean, can you be mad at me after I buy you ice cream?”

Letting out a sigh you immediately protested. “Wyatt, I’m not mad at you.”

“Y/n…you act like I haven’t known you since we were 13. You’ve been upset with me since we got off the boat. So, I’m sweetening you up to get some answers out of you.”

Wyatt flashing a smile at you, making you melt like putty in his hands. The two of you sat in silence, eating your ice cream as you tried to figure out where to begin with answering him.

“I just…is this only gonna ever be a summer thing? With us?”

He hummed a confused tone of a response as he wiped some of his ice cream from the corner of his mouth.

“No, I don’t know. It doesn’t have to be, I just. I feel like its safe to keep this to just the summers.”

“Safe? What does that mean?”

Wyatt tosses his last bit of his cone to the ground as he sighs. “I don’t know, I mean, you don’t think I want this to last longer than summer? Of course I do! But, is long distance fair to you? What if things aren’t the same? The last thing I want to do is ruin our friendship by us trying and I end up hurting you.”

Now tossing your ice cream to the side you reached for his hand, trying to stop his babbling. “Why would you end up hurting me?”

“Because during the season I might not be the same guy. I’ll be focusing on games, and traveling. I just feel like in the summer it’s easy to commit to you and I…I want to try. Believe me I do. But I’m scared that I’ll fuck things up, that I can’t be the same guy for you. And I’d rather have summers with you than nothing at all.”

His hands now holding your face as he rested his forehead on yours. The two of you sitting in silence as you tried to reassure him that he was wrong.

“Wy, you can’t be scared of something that hasn’t even happened yet. All we know is summers together, and while I absolutely love summers with you. I hate when they have to end.”

He smiled as your hands entangled with his, “Me too.”

“So then let’s try Wyatt! I mean, I know this summer just started, but let’s make a promise to each other to not let summer end. And when you leave me to go back to Dallas, we will keep things going.”

You could see a nervous look in his eyes, despite his smile.

“And, if I fuck things up? You promise not to hate me?”

“Wyatt, I don’t think I could ever hate you. And I reallyyyy don’t think you’ll fuck things up.”

A mischievous look coming across his face as he looked down at you, “you say that now, but I hate to say that you have too much faith in me. I’m bound to fuck something up along the way.”

“Well thankfully, it’s only the first day of summer so we’ve got plenty of time until that happens.”

Wyatt picked you up from the bed of his truck, spinning you around before setting you down on solid ground, stealing a kiss from you in the process.

“You promise this will be okay? And even if I mess things up, cause I’m sure I will, you’ll work through it with me? Because, I don’t think I could stand to lose you.”

Holding out your pinky, you smiled up at him.

“I promise.”

[aliaology]

THE BEST DAY

summary: older hughes sister and her mama ellen hughes ⭐️

pairings: ellen hughes x daughter!hughes!reader

fluff fluff fluff its also lowkey so bad n short

five years old

it was getting cold in toronto. your big coat fell to your knees as you looked up at your mom with a big grin on your face. she held your seven month old brother as your father held quinn’s hands, helping him skate.

you carefully moved around on the ice, scared to fall. you do well for a solid few seconds before falling straight on your butt, causing your mom to laugh.

instead of crying, you look up smiling at her, immediately getting up from the ice. you quickly skate past her before slipping again. another laugh erupts from your mothers throat.

the sky is slowly turning gold as it sets, signaling it was time to go home. you whine as your mom takes your skates off.

your dad holds baby jack now. quinn is sitting beside you, legs kicking back and forth as he waits for help. your mom slides your boots on and immediately you get off the bench, hugging her legs with a whine.

“i dont want to leave yet.” you groaned. your words muffled due to her pants. she just chuckled and helped quinn.

then, on the ride home, you were fast asleep.

when you woke up, you still had five minutes left until you got home, and both quinn and jack were asleep.

you wondered why the trees changed colors over time, watching them as you passed by each and every one.

you also wondered how your mom wasnt scared that your dad was driving, he speeds!

you rub your eyes.

“i had the best day today” you yawned.

thirteen years old

your friends were mean. really mean. they kicked you from the lunch table, stopped inviting you to hangouts. every class you had with them, they’d ignore you or leave you alone during partner projects.

it came to the point where you were crying as you got home. you opened the door, tears falling down your cheeks as you threw your bag to the floor.

upon hearing the sound, your mother rushed towards you. “hey, hey, honey whats wrong?” she asked.

she immediately pulled you into an embrace. you cried on her shoulder, “why are they all so mean mama? im nothing but nice!” you cried.

she sighed and held you tight. when she pulled away, her hands stayed on your shoulders. “lets go for a drive, okay?” she spoke.

you nodded and wiped your tears as she grabbed the keys.

you both drove and drove until you were a few towns away, where no one would know you guys. you talked, and talked, and talked.

you told her everything that had been going on. everything that they were saying and doing to you. after ranting, she took you window shopping until you forgot all of their names.

when you made it home, you got scared. who were you gonna talk to at school? but then you remembered, you still have the laughter when you’re with your mom.

it may take awhile to feel better but,

“i had the best day with you.” you told.

you have an excellent father. one whos strength makes you stronger. one whos smarts may not always be at its peak but hits it every now and then. one whos cared for you to his very core.

you have perfect younger brothers, who you believe are better than you, inside and out. but altogether you guys are a perfect family.

you grew up in a pretty home, one where you had space to run and hide, and call yours. one where you were able to paint your room a bright pink.

and that place, was where you had the best days of your life.

twenty five years old

you were searching through your old stuff. there you found a camera and immediately you got to charging it. you were three, your mother was still pregnant with quinn.

she set up your paint set in the kitchen, knowing it’d be easier to pick up. in the video, she talked to you. asked what you were painting. to which you responded, “a princess!”

it was a bad painting of a princess on a pirate ship, a really bad painting. so bad, you laughed through your tears as you watched it in your lonesome apartment.

the camera zoomed in to your mother, your father obviously being the one to take the video. shes the prettiest lady in the whole wide world.

now you know why the trees change colors. you know your mother was on your side, even when you were wrong, like when you pushed a kid for calling a teacher ‘stupid’ in the fourth grade.

you were grateful for her, for her watching you shine and become who you were today. you dont know if she knows, but, you always had the best days with her.

ynhughes

liked by elblue_06, jackhughes and others

ynhughes you always know how to make me laugh. miss u mama, better visit more

comments have been disabled.

is this like.,, good..,

tags; @slaythehousebootsdown13 , @outrunangelss , @um-mads , @bqbylon , @whoreforthehughesbrothers , @p3nislawd , @queenmendes , @absolutelyhugh3s , @hockeyboysarehot ,

[hugheses]

Preds' Schenn, Canucks' Hughes remain connected, even on opposing blue lines

Until the Nashville Predators began targeting Quinn Hughes like bulls target matadors, the only time the defenceman was on the floor in Music City was at Luke Schenn’s house last October.

With the Vancouver Canucks in town early for their game against the Predators, the ex-Canuck Schenn invited Hughes and Tyler Myers over for dinner. As the “kid” of the group, Hughes played mini-sticks hockey in the evening with Schenn’s young sons, Kingston and Weston.

“They both cried when they had to go to bed,” Hughes, 24, said Saturday, smiling at the recollection. “They wanted to keep playing. That's the cool thing for a young guy like me; I get to see what it's like having young kids growing up watching their father play.”

Hughes grew up watching Schenn.

[…]

In the fall of 2008, Schenn — now the Predators’ senior defenceman at age 34 — was an 18-year-old rookie with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their player development coach was Jim Hughes, whose eldest sons, Quinn and Jack, were rink rats and got to know many of the Toronto players.

[…]

They speak regularly but not, Quinn emphasized, during this series. What began as a kind of mentorship has turned into something more.

“He's like a little brother almost,” Schenn said during an off-day in the series. “You always check in. Obviously, I've known Jimmy Hughes since I was in Toronto. Even when I play New Jersey, I'll text Jimmy and say, ‘Lukey and Jack looked good tonight’ or whatever.”

[misshoneyimhome]

250 FOLLOWERS FESTIVAL

“Please don’t leave me…” I William Nylander

Summary; Navigating a friendship with William Nylander has its highs and lows. However, as one challenging moment propels your relationship to a deeper level, it reveals that perhaps it was exactly what you both needed.

Tropes & warnings; close friendship, semi-angry!Willy, friends to lovers, mild-smut;

Other notes; Needless to say, I'm a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope, and imagining William slightly upset is quite a turn-on, coupled with the soft sex… what can I say, a girl can dream, right? 🤍

Word count; 2.8K

➼｡ﾟ

Moving to Toronto had been a whirlwind of excitement and nerves, a journey into the unknown that filled you with both anticipation and trepidation. The bustling city held promises of new adventures and opportunities, but it also meant leaving behind the familiarity of your old life.

But fortunately, you had your trusty roommate to show you around the maze of streets and introduce you to the lively community she belonged to. And it wasn't long before you discovered how deeply connected her life was with the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team.

From the lively match nights to the cosy get-togethers with the players and their partners, it felt like hockey was more than just a sport - it was a way of life. And amidst the crowd of many new faces, one individual caught your attention right from the start: William Nylander.

With his relaxed grin and contagious chuckle, he immediately had you under a spell. Nothing sexual or romantic, just simply an energy that pulled you in like a magnet. Perhaps it was his cheesy jokes, but regardless, he just ever so casually embraced you into the group with warmth, easing your adjustment to a city that was still unfamiliar. And despite the initial jitters of being the "newbie," you swiftly connected with William.

Whether it was bonding over your mutual affection for dogs or debating the finest pizza toppings and spots in town, you shared a bond that surpassed mere acquaintanceship. And as days turned into weeks and weeks into months, your camaraderie with William soon evolved into something truly meaningful.

Without much deliberation, you found yourself confiding in him, sharing your dreams, concerns, and vulnerabilities, secure in the knowledge that he would always listen without judgment. And in return, William revealed aspects of himself to you that even he hadn't anticipated.

Beneath his outward confidence, there lay a vulnerability he only revealed to those he deeply trusted. And you felt privileged to be counted among them. Together, you navigated the highs and lows of life in Toronto, relying on each other for support through thick and thin.

Whether it was uncovering hidden treasures in the city or simply enjoying each other's company in peaceful silence, you treasured every moment spent in his presence, grateful for the friendship that had flourished between you.

_

However, despite the natural bond between you and William, there were certain aspects of his life that caught your attention - a hint of concern lurking beneath the surface of your friendship.

William's charm and charisma were undeniable, drawing attention from admirers wherever he went. And though his flirtatious nature didn't necessarily bother you, it did raise a flag of concern in the back of your mind, particularly when it came to his relationships.

In recent months, William had been seeing someone—a fact he didn't shy away from sharing during your late-night chats over snacks and hockey match. And he spoke of new flirt with nothing but a fondness that was evident in his voice, regaling you with tales of their adventures together – mostly sexual.

However, as time passed, you couldn't help but notice a change in William's demeanour. The effortless charm that once defined him seemed to fade, replaced by an underlying sense of discomfort and dissatisfaction.

And s his friend, you watched with a mix of pride and concern as William poured himself into his hockey career with unmatched determination. While his dedication was admirable, it seemed to come at the cost of neglecting other important aspects of his life, including his relationship. 

You witnessed firsthand the strain that William's intense focus on hockey was placing on his personal life. His once vibrant relationship with his girlfriend appeared to be fading, overshadowed by the demands of his career. Despite your attempts to broach the subject with him, William remained stubborn, refusing to acknowledge the cracks in his relationship or the toll that his career was taking on his personal life. 

Instead, he threw himself even deeper into his work, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion in pursuit of his goals. While you admired his dedication, you couldn't shake the feeling of concern that gnawed at the edges of your mind, fearing the toll it was taking on his well-being.

_

Late January brought biting cold and bitter defeats for the Toronto Maple Leafs. And as the team grappled through a particularly challenging match, frustration hung heavily in the air, burdening every player, especially William Nylander.

The game had been a rollercoaster of emotions, with every missed shot and failed pass adding to the mounting tension on the ice. And as the final buzzer sounded, signalling yet another defeat for the Leafs, William's frustration boiled over, his normally cool exterior cracking under the weight of disappointment.

From the stands, you watched with a heavy heart as your friend grappled with the agony of defeat. And determined to offer whatever comfort you could, you followed the players to the locker room, ready to lend a supportive ear.

Inside, you spotted William sitting alone on the bench, his spirits crushed. But without hesitation, you approached him, feeling a pang of sorrow at his dejected state.

"Hey," you murmured gently, settling beside him on the bench. "Tough game, huh?"

William glanced up; weariness evident in his expression. "Yeah," he sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Just one of those nights, I suppose."

You nodded in understanding, offering a sympathetic smile. "Willy, if you want to talk about it-"

But before you could finish your sentence, William's frustration bubbled over, his tone sharp and cutting. "Can you just leave me alone, y/n?" he exclaimed, his words laced with frustration and fatigue.

The sudden outburst caught you off guard, a pang of hurt stabbing at your heart. Never had he snapped at you like this before, and the sting of his words lingered in the air between you.

“What?” 

“Just leave…”

Feeling the weight of his rejection, you swallowed back the lump in your throat, forcing a small, strained smile. "Oh, okay," you replied softly, your voice trembling slightly. "I guess I'll see you around then."

And with a heavy heart, you rose from the bench and made your way out of the locker room, the sound of William's words echoing in your mind long after you had left his side.

_

William felt the weight of his frustration bearing down on him, a heavy burden he couldn't seem to shake. The turmoil of the Leafs' losses weighed heavily on his mind, compounded by the frustrations of his casual dating life, which just always seemed to end in unnecessary drama.

Though it was obvious to everyone that his career was his life's focus, and had always been, navigating relationships alongside his demanding schedule proved to be a constant struggle. Despite always making it clear from the beginning that his relationships would be casual, and he’d be taking things slow, his partners often wanted more, leaving him feeling trapped and suffocated. As soon as they realised, they’d be coming second for a while, they started pushing his limits, demanding unrealistic terms for the relationship, and eventually it’d always end. 

And on the following evening, as the Leafs faced yet another challenging game, William's annoyance yet again simmered beneath the surface. Despite his efforts, he couldn't seem to find his rhythm on the ice, racking up penalties and failing to score any points.

The match had kicked off with promise, but as the opposing team mounted a comeback, the pressure intensified. However, just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Tyler Bettuzzi's goal in overtime secured a victory for the team.

And with smiles on their faces, the players retreated to the locker room to celebrate, accompanied by their partners, and you as well. Despite knowing William most like wasn't feeling his best about the game, you still wanted to show your support. At least to know he was okay. 

Approaching him gently in the locker room again, repeating the scene from a few days ago, you offered a soft greeting. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied, his voice subdued.

"Everything alright?" you inquired, concern evident in your tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he reassured, though his expression hinted at weariness.

A moment of silence fell between you, hanging in the air if your close relationship had already slowly evaporated. Yet, you did your best to show him that it wasn’t the case. 

"Okay. Well, you know where to find me if you need ever feel talking or anything," you offered, hoping to provide some comfort.

And this time, instead of dismissing your offer, William surprised you by reaching out, his hand coming to rest on yours. "Could you stay, please?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Caught off guard by his vulnerability, you nodded, squeezing his hand in silent reassurance, before you slowly took a seat next to him. In that moment, you both understood that no matter the challenges you faced, you would always be there for each other.

The moment lingered between you, a silent exchange of support and understanding. But then William broke the silence. "She ended it…"

Feeling a slightly strange sense of relief, maybe just on his behalf, you nodded in understanding. "Maybe it's for the best… then you can just focus on your career," you offered, giving a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I guess… but in a way, I also just think that she wasn't really what I was looking for anyway…" he admitted softly.

"What do you mean?" you inquired; curiosity piqued.

And in a soft moment of vulnerability, William gentle wrapped an arm around you, looking at your lips as he bit down his own, slowly leaned in, and pressed his lips to yours in a tender kiss. Time seemed to stand still as you lost yourself in the warmth of his embrace, the unspoken tension between you finally surfacing.

It was delicate and almost too gentle. But it held a comfort. 

And as the kiss ended, uncertainty hung in the air, the weight of William's confession lingering between you. "Shit, I'm sorry," he chuckled softly, a small hint of regret in his eyes, as concern flooded his mind, about your thoughts about his action. 

But you gently shook your head, your heart pounding with newfound courage. "It's alright," you whispered, reaching out to caress his cheek. "I liked it, Willy."

Relief washed over William's expression, his tentative smile reflecting the hope that blossomed between you. "Me too," he confessed, his voice filled with a newfound sense of clarity.

_

With smiles playing at the corners of your lips, you and William exited the locker room hand in hand, the weight of the evening's events still palpable in the air. Despite the uncertainty lingering over your friendship, there was a comforting familiarity as you slipped back into your usual routine.

"Feel like grabbing a late-night snack?" William suggested casually, though his eyes betrayed a tiny hint of nervousness. It was a typical invitation between the two of you, and you naturally agreed without hesitation.

So, after gathering some of Sugo's finest snack packages, you headed to William's condo, the warmth of the cosy apartment a welcome contrast to the chilly January night. Settling onto the sofa, laughter and light-hearted banter filled the space between you, bringing a sense of contentment, as if your relationship had never been on the verge of breaking.

Yet, amidst the easy camaraderie, an unspoken question lingered in the air. What did the kiss you shared mean for your friendship? Was it merely a moment of vulnerability, or did it hold deeper meaning?

However, your pondering was soon interrupted as William, in a moment of quiet, leaned in once more, his lips meeting yours in a gentle kiss. Yet this time, there was an urgency in his embrace, a desire that mirrored your own.

And as the kiss slowly deepened, the world behind you faded away, leaving only the two of you and the unspoken promise of something new and uncharted on the horizon.

Though you knew William had his way with women, confident as ever, you felt him taking his time with you. His mouth was connected gently with yours, and only carefully, he tried to let his tongues pass your lips. 

And you welcomed him with nothing but lust and passion. Hands began to slowly roam one another, and as all lines between friends and more blurred and slowly vanished, you couldn’t help but sink into his touch. 

The way he took his him making you feel at ease and comfortable under his touch was heavenly like. His lips slowly moving form yours, to trail down to the sensitive skin on your neck, and place soft kisses and lightly nipping.

It was nothing rushed nor eager. His motions were graceful and slow, yet both could sense a developing hunger for more. And with a calm and satisfied expression, William slowly rose and guided you to his bedroom. A place you’d never had a reason to explore before now. 

And still, as if in slow motions, you delicately undressed each other, a piece of clothing at the time, in between deep shared kisses. The way he gently held you close by the palms of his large hands every time your lips were connected, while he slowly guided you to rest on your back, before he again took his time to let you calm and feel at ease. 

It was the first time you’d ever been this intimate with William. And when you felt his naked body against yours, you felt a new level of warmth and love that only he could offer. Furthermore, it didn’t feel strange at all. It was as if this was what was supposed to happen as if your connection was meant to lead to this moment.

It was soft and almost romantic as you’d welcomed his body to connect with yours. The way his member was almost perfectly shaped to provide you an intense sense of pleasure, as you moved your hips while straddling him. 

Your palms found his chest for support, yet he moved to sit closer to you, still letting you control to speed of your intimacy. His moans were soft and deep, perfectly harmonising with yours, as you both slowly grew closer to a pending climax. 

But as the desire grew deeper for you both, William again flipped the position, taking charge as he let his member stimulate your walls. Still, he remained his lips attached to yours, whenever possible between moans. But as it grew harder to contain the sounds of pleasure, both had to retreat and let out the clear signals of reaching a peak. 

And as he brought you to climax along with him, you felt a new sense of high, a euphoria that surpassed anything you had ever experienced before.

_

As the soft light of morning filtered through the curtains, you stirred from sleep, feeling William's arms wrapped around you in a gentle embrace. A sense of contentment washed over you, the warmth of his touch a comforting reminder of the night you had shared together.

The memories of your lovemaking lingered in the air, filling the room with a sense of intimacy that left you breathless. It had been beyond amazing, a culmination of desire and longing that had been building between you for far too long.

And yet, despite the passion that had ignited between you, a lingering doubt nagged at the back of your mind. Was this just a fleeting moment of solace for William, a way to escape the pressures of his career and the pain of his broken relationship?

So, as you carefully tried to extricate yourself from his embrace, a part of you couldn't help but wonder if you were just a temporary fix for his broken heart. But before you could make your escape, William's voice, soft and pleading, stopped you in your tracks.

"Please, don't leave me..." he whispered; his words barely audible above the gentle rustle of the sheets.

The vulnerability in his voice tugged at your heartstrings, pulling you back into his embrace with a sense of urgency. In that moment, you thought that whatever doubts or fears lingered in the back of your mind, they paled in comparison to the overwhelming need to be there for William, to offer him the comfort and support he so desperately craved.

So instead of slipping away, you settled back into his embrace, letting the warmth of his touch wash over you like a soothing balm. And as you lay there together, entangled in each other's arms, you knew that no matter what the future held, you would face it, bound by a love in the making.

[opencommunion]

please go to a protest for Land Day tomorrow (March 30th) if you can

AUSTRALIA – Hobart / Nipaluna. 1PM Every Saturday @ Davey St. (Grand Chancellor).

CANADA – Antigonish, NS. 1PM Every Saturday @ Antigonish Town Hall. Antigonish 4 Gaza.

CANADA – Montreal. 2PM Land Day Tatreez Workshop @ Refugee Center. PYM Montreal.

CANADA – Ottawa. 2PM Land Day @ Human Rights Monument.

CANADA – Toronto. 2PM Land Day @ Yonge & Dundas. PYM Toronto.

ENGLAND – Halifax. 1PM Every Saturday @ Wilkos on Southgate.

ENGLAND – Hebden Bridge. 3PM Every Saturday @ Holme Street. 4PM @ St George’s Square. West Yorkshire for Palestine.

ENGLAND – London. 11AM @ 7 Tavistock Square. PYM Britain.

ENGLAND – London. 12PM @ Central London. STW UK.

NETHERLANDS – Amsterdam. 7PM Every Night @ Dam Square.

PORTUGAL – Porto. 10PM Every Night Vigil @ Camara Municipal.

SCOTLAND – Orkney. 1PM Every Saturday @ St Magnus Cathedral Steps. Amnesty Orkney.

AZ – Phoenix. 1MP Land Day @ Civic Space Park. PSL Phoenix AZ.

CA – Los Angeles. 1PM Land Day March @ LA City Hall. PYM LA/OC/IE.

CA – Petaluma. 12:30PM Every Saturday @ Petaluma & E Washington. Occupy Pelatuma.

CA – Ventura. 12:30PM @ 181 E Santa Clara St. ANSWER Coalition.

CO – Fort Collins. 3PM Every Saturday @ Old Town Square. NOCO Liberation Coalition.

DC – Washington DC. 4PM @ DuPont Circle. ANSWER Coalition.

FL – Gainesville. 11AM @ Depot Park. ANSWER Coalition.

FL – Orlando. City Hall. TBA. ANSWER Coalition.

FL – Pensacola. PM @ Main & Reus (Blue Wahoos). PSL CGC. 

GA – Atlanta. 2PM @ Consulate of Israel. PYM.

ID – Pocatello. 12PM Every Saturday @ Bannock County Courthouse. Pocatello for Palestine.

IL – Chicago. 1PM @ TBA. USPCN + Chicago SJP.

LA – New Orleans. 3:30PM @ 701 N Rampart St.

MA – Springfield. 2PM @ 36 Court St. ANSWER Coalition.

ME – Portland. 1PM @ Monument Square. PSL Maine.

MI – Detroit. 1:30PM @ Beacon Park. USPCN.

MI – Detroit. 10AM Land Day @ Rouge Park. PYM.

MN – Minneapolis. 2PM @ 2707 West Lake St. ANSWER Coalition.

MT – Kalispell. 12PM Every Saturday @ Main & Center. MT 4 Palestine.

NC – Asheville. 4PM @ 1 N Pack Square. ANSWER Coalition.

NC – Charlotte. 4PM @ Wilmore Centennial Park. CLT 4 Palestine + PSL Carolinas.

NC – Raleigh. 3PM Land Day @ Moore Square. PSL Carolinas.

NC, Charlotte. 4PM @ Wilmore Centennial Park. Land Day. CLT 4 Pali + PSL Carolinas.

NM – Albuquerque. 4PM @ UNM Book Store. ANSWER Coalition.

NY – New York. 12PM @ City Hall Park. Within Our Lifetime.

NY – New York. 12PM Vigil Every Saturday @ 5th & 44th in Brooklyn. Sunset Park Elders.

NY – New York. 5PM @ Times Square. PYM.

NY – Rochester. 1:30PM @ MLK Park. End Apartheid ROC + SJP UR.

OH – Cincinnati. 3PM @ 801 Plum St. ANSWER Coalition.

OH – Cleveland. 2PM Land Day @ Edgewater Upper Pavillion. USCPN.

OH – Columbus. 4PM @ 120 W Goodale St. ANSWER Coalition.

OH – Dayton. 5PM @ 2680 Ridge Ave. ANSWER Coalition.

OH – Wooster. 11AM @ 538 N Market St. ANSWER Coalition.

OR – Bend. 12PM Saturdays @ Peace Corner. Central Oregon 4 Socialism.

OR – Portland. 12PM @ Desert Island Studios. Letters for Palestine PDX.

PA – Philadelphia. 5PM @ 7th & Walnut. ANSWER Coalition.

PA – Pittsburgh. 3:30PM @ 4100 Forbes Ave. ANSWER Coalition.

RI – Providence. 5PM @ Prospect Terr. ANSWER Coalition.

TX – Houston. 1PM @ Waterwall Park. PYM Houston.

TX – San Antonio. 12PM @ 301 E Travis ST. ANSWER Coalition.

VT – Burlington. 1PM @ City Hall. ANSWER Coalition.

WA – Seattle. 2PM Land Day @ Lake Union Park. PYM.

WI – Milwaukee. 1:30PM @ Sijan Park. PSL Milwaukee.

WI – Viroqua. 11AM Vigil Every Saturday @ Main & Decker. Driftless Solidarity / Wolves PSC.

WV – Martinsburg. 12PM Land Day @ Martinsburg Town Square. PSL WV.

DISCLAIMER: I didn't make this list and it's not comprehensive. If you don't see a protest near you, look up what your local orgs are doing, and if you still can't find anything, take autonomous action

[starbabyg]

Swiss Pastries and Friendship Renewals | Nico Hischier

For Demi from your Hockey girlies discord fic exchange bb 💞💞 @wyattjohnston I’m actually making you a mini series bc I love this idea so muchhh and I have this whole plot in place I hope you don’t mind!!

Plus as a bonus here’s a whole playlist for youuu!! 💗💗

₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ ₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ ₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ ₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ ₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ ₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ ₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ ₊✮⸜ ༘⋆ ₊✮⸜ ༘

2019

It was autumn in New Jersey, the weather had gone cold and the leaves were starting to turn auburn. Nico watched people through the shop windows as he walked home. Families shopping for the holidays. Couples laughing as they bonded over fondue and pumpkin spiced cocktails. He thought it was sweet seeing people happily living their lives. He came upon a small coffee shop, looking through the window and seeing someone he knew looked familiar. He could only see her side profile, but in his bones he knew he had seen the girl before. The oh so familiar girl leaned a bit over to grab something out of a bag perched on her shoulder, and Nico knew that it was who he thought it was. Nico made his way into the shop, a new sense of excitement flurrying through him.

“No freakin’ way, Demi?” He came up behind her, a large smile plastered on his face. It had been a while since he had seen anybody from up north, he had only spent a short while there but the memories were still fresh in his mind.

“Oh my god, Nico!” Demi immediately brought him in for a hug, remembering that soft face of his, that smile that he had always adorned. “I haven’t seen you since you left for the states!”

“It’s been a couple years now huh, this is the first time I’m seeing anybody from Halifax. God that group was wild. How is everybody?” Memories of that small Canadian town started to flood his senses. The little bits of nostalgia giving him a sense of glee.

“Yeah, our little group really was something, huh. Everybody is doing their own thing. Stacy and Jonah have a kid now. Yeah, they’re still together. Miles moved to Toronto. You know, everyone just in different places doing different things. I haven’t been that in touch with them either. The old times were good though,” she smiled as she reminisced.

Nico saw the look on Demi’s face, a tad bit somber as she was deep in thought. He felt a bit bad. “How bout we catch up over some coffee and pastries? It’s been a while and you were always my favorite.” Smelling the scent of coffee and what smelled of sweetly burnt sugar, Nico could not resist the temptation of a warm drink on that chilly day. The pastries encased in the display window were no help either.

“That is such a lie Hischier, we were not as close as you were with Evan. Or even Julia. Which, by the way, was that all about? I never got the full story,” she joked, scanning the menu although she already knew what she was going to order.

“Oh? Julia? She was a nice girl, she just used to come off very strong. I didn’t really know how to let her down easy,” Nico scratched the back of his neck as he thought about each awkward encounter after the other.

“That’s Julia, always going after what she wants. I’m a little surprised you didn’t date her though, she was one of the prettiest girls in town.”

“I just liked another girl, that’s all. Julia wasn’t my type,” he shrugged as he walked up to the front counter, “what do you get from here? I’m not much of a coffee guy.”

“I got you,” Demi placed her hand on Nico’s shoulder as she turned towards the barista, “Can I get two caramel brûlée macchiato’s and two apple caramel strudels?” Demi began shuffling through her bag again, pulling out her card, as she attempted to hand it to the barista Nico swiftly snatched it out of her hand. Instead placing his card in the barista’s hand.

“Still fast as ever, huh Hischier,” Demi shook her head as she led Nico to a table in the corner. The coffee shop was tranquil, a good handful of customers murmers living up the joint as some soft holiday music played in the background. The lights were warm and cozy, a bright shade of copper that lit the couple’s faces up. Overall just a nice and homely vibe that Nico could get used to.

“You know me,” he chuckled, pulling her seat out for her to sit, “So what brought you to Jersey out of every state?”

Demi shrugged, “Just more opportunities. Close to New York City. Close to my folks who never left Halifax. I really don’t know if I’m going to be honest.” The question came as a bit of a shocker. Demi herself had never really asked herself why she came to Jersey. It had just happened.

“And how’s it going for you out here?”

Demi thought for a second. Career wise, it wasn’t where she wanted to be. She wanted to fib just a bit, just to make the situation sound a bit better for her, but it was Nico and she felt no reason to lie. “Honestly less than satisfactory. I’ve been doing freelance gigs for this company but I’m not passionate about my work. It’s just being an errand girl for people who aren’t the nicest. The pay is measly compared to cost of living. Lately it’s just work, eat, like thirty minutes of actually doing what I want to do, then sleep.”

“So what do you really want to do?”

Demi was taken aback just a bit, “It’s been a while since I’ve been asked that. I’ve always liked writing. Something in journalism perhaps. Maybe write a book or two. I just want the freedom to be creative with my work.”

“Makes sense, I remember you used to work on the school paper! I used to read your little opinion column!” Nico remembered and pointed his finger excitedly. He could still remember the little pieces, always marked by the ‘written by senior editor Demi’ in little letters under the title.

“No way you used to read my writing Hischier,” Demi felt a bit bashful, covering up her blushing cheeks. “I used to try to hide the paper from the group because I was too embarrassed for them to read it. You know how they got with teasing.”

“Don’t know why you were embarrassed. Your writing was really good, funny too.” Nico was a bit surprised by her reaction. Demi had never been one to be shy or even embarrassed. Always holding up a headstrong attitude even when the group was in major trouble.

“Awe, why thank you Hischier. I appreciate that. I wish I could write more now, but juggling these gigs and trying to solidify an actual career out here, it’s just impossible I wish there was something—”

“Order for Demi,” interrupted by the barista, Demi got up for their order. Nico watched as she got up and interacted with the barista, the two of them having a small conversation that ended with laughter. Somehow she was glowing underneath the tungsten lighting. Turning around with tray in her hand, Demi carefully made her way back, cautious as to not spill the two piping hot drinks.

“Okay, this spot has the best fall drinks and the most authentic Swiss pastries in Jersey. I remember you always came to school with a homemade apple strudel, so I had to see you try this one. It’s like fall in a pastry. Apple, caramel, with powdered sugar on top. It’s to dieeee for.”

Nico smiled as he listened to Demi describe the order. It was very thoughtful of her to remember his old favorite school snack all these years later. Watching her place the order down, an idea sparked in his head.

“So first you gotta try the strudel, savor it. Then after try it again and take a sip of your macchiato after.” Demi rested her chin in her hands, just a little too excited to see how her old friend would like the goods from her favorite coffee shop.

Nico did exactly as he was told, lifting the strudel up and taking an ample bite. His senses were then filled with the sweet tang of baked apples, his tongue coated with the spice of cinnamon. Demi nodded, gauging his reaction that she knew he would most definitely have. Nico couldn’t believe that a strudel this good could actually come from a small shop in Jersey. It had tasted just like home. He then grabbed his Macchiato, about to sip it before Demi’s hand jerked it away.

“Oh my gosh, be careful. That thing is piping hot,” she chuckled as she saw Nico’s eyes bulge up. He set the coffee cup down and leaned over to blow it gently. “I know it smells good but you gotta wait a couple minutes so it doesn’t leave your tongue burnt for the rest of the day.”

“You just saved me. I was being a bit hasty huh,” Nico shook his head as he felt a bit bashful. He watched as the cream swirled in the coffee every time he blew into it.

“I’m literally your savior Hischier,” Demi gave him a cheeky wink.

“That means you haven’t changed much from school. You saved everyone’s asses. Always got us out of trouble. Always saved us right before we coulda died. That’s why you were my favorite, you were always the coolest of the group,” he laughed. Now thinking of all the high school shenanigans, all of the times they were yelled at by adults. Caught trespassing. With every time Demi having to mediate and bargain with authority.

“Mmm, makes one of you,” Demi pursed her lips. Her mood shifted a bit as she took a long sip of her macchiato.

“Huh, what d’you mean?” Nico sat there clueless.

“You know everyone else in the group had their closer bonds. Everyone grew up with each other. And I had just moved from Australia the year before you came. They liked me cause I was different and it was a small town, but they didn’t bother to get close to me like they were with each other. And they were all kind of assholes if I’m being real,” Demi shrugged. “Which is why I’m working my ass off out here cause I refuse to go back. I don’t even care if I have to work all day as long as I don’t have to go back there.”

Nico got quiet, only murmuring a little ‘oh’ under his breath. He truly did not know what to say. Just watching Nico sit there in his thoughts, Demi placed her hands on the table. She hated an awkward moment. Couldn’t stand them.

“So how ‘bout some Brunsli cookies? They actually import chocolate from Switzerland and they taste sooo decadent. Just like the chocolate your mother brought you to school that one day. Speaking of your mother, how is she?”

“Oh, she’s fine. Moved back home so I don’t get to see her much except for the off season. She sends me stuff from back home all the time. Especially those chocolates. I can bring you some if you’d like.”

Demi’s eyes lit up, “Really? Those are literally the best chocolates I have ever tasted. You would be a godsend giving me some.” Her mouth started to water at the thought of those chocolates, how they just melt in your mouth. The rich flavor that was better than any American chocolate.

“Of course. You don’t know how many boxes I have in my apartment. My kitchen counter is covered with them. I barely have time to eat them let alone put them away,” Nico jokingly sighed as he pictured his kitchen counter that was literally covered in Läderach and mom- and - pop shop made chocolates.

“Ohhh let me come over to your place and those chocolates will be goneeee. But really, I can help you organize those chocolates and put them away— if you need some assistance.”

“I could use a lotttt of assistance. My life has been hectic for a while now and having those stacks of chocolates out of sight is one less thing to worry about. I’ll even give you all the chocolate from my stockpile that you want.” Nico just

“I mean, I’ll take the chocolates. But I would have done it anyway. You’re my friend. Why wouldn’t I help you out any way I can?” She smiled and took a bite of her pastry, crumbs falling down the sides of her mouth which Nico thought was adorable.

Nico couldn’t help but look at Demi with the admiration he used to look at her back when they were in secondary school. “Honestly people like you are very hard to come across. You surely are a rare breed out here Demi. Nobody is selfless like that anymore. Always asking what’s in it for them.” Demi was like a breath of fresh air to Nico.

“Well duh. It’s Jersey. Everybody out here has a bad attitude,” she rolled her eyes in a joking manner. Although she hoped no native New Jersians heard that because they would surely give her an earful.

“You aren’t wrong,” Nico chuckled and shook his head. He couldn’t help but think about the endless encounters he had faced with rude fans, people in public, and especially people in the industry. It had honestly started to take a toll on him.

“Well you sure are lucky to have found me again huh. The sweetest, kindest, most nicest person in the world,” Demi teased in a sing songy manner. She batted her eyes in the most obvious way. Nico thought she looked like a Disney princess.

Nico just looked at her with admiration, “Why don’t you be my assistant,” he absentmindedly said. “Er— only if you want to. It’s not like you need to—”

“Hischier, Hischier. Calm down. Let me hear you out before you get all anxious on me,” she placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“I’m just saying. It could be beneficial for the both of us. My last assistant was crap. Didn’t help me out in any way but was getting paid handsomely by the Devils. You need a better job. And more time to do what you actually want to. We can help each other out!”

Demi just sat there thinking. ‘It would be a better job than my shithole job. I don’t know about the pay yet but more time to do what I actually want to will help out with my career moves. And it’s just Nico. He’s not that bad. He’d be a better boss than my current one.’

“Okay. I’ll take the job.” She took the leap. Maybe this would be good for her. The change in pace might be just what she needed to get to the next step in her life. Any change in scenery would be better than Demi’s current situation.

“I knew it. It’s fine. I was just suggesting–” Again Nico started with his anxious rambling. If Demi didn’t stop him he would have went on until the coffee shop closed.

“Um, Hischier. Did you not just hear me? I said I’ll take it,” Demi knew Nico wasn’t the best listener but sheesh. How much in his head was he at the moment?

Nico formed a smile, “Oh? I made an offer you couldn’t refuse huh,” he poked at her, speaking in his best east coast accent. It was terrible, but Demi could never tell him that.

“Honestly I could’ve heard a better job pitch from a child. But you’re my friend and you’re cooler than my current boss so why not. I think we could benefit from each other as well. As friends.” But she could tease him still.

“Friends with benefits??”

“Ew, gross. Don’t be gross like that Hischier.”

[sgiandubh]

If someone wanted to make a gay comment they might have said something about a single 45 yo man with his mom at an art museum, dont you think? Bored Sam nothing to do while his costar is selling a movie in Canada with her husband. If they only know why he was in Glasgow, visiting his university coed girlfriend would have been better dirt.

Dear Better Dirt Anon,

Oh, but you, bumblebee... you seem to have plenty of that 'better dirt', don't you? Even unsubstantiated 'better dirt', because what the fuck, why even bother, when your only reason to be here is to troll around, forever and ever, with that very bad English of yours ('if they only knew', punk!).

So how about you'd take your epsteinesque insinuations of borderline paedophilia and stick them up where I think?

I see no harm and nothing obscene or abnormal in a 44 year old man going at the museum with his mum, who happened to be in town. How can you even think it could define anyone's sexual orientation, in 2024? And yes, you ventilating that old cliché of the gay man doing things with mum places you straight in the Parochial Fascists' cohort.

I just remembered a very bold and daring song written and performed by Charles Aznavour from 1971 and until his farewell tour. I should know: I had the privilege of seeing him live twice, with Shipper Mom, in 1998 and 2011 (does that make me a lesbian, too, Anon? I should hope you're not that stupid). He was very proud to include it in almost each and every one of his concerts:

Now, Aznavour was not gay, despite his very convincing acting on stage, as far as this song goes. And he did more towards normalizing the French public attitude towards LGBTQIA+ persons, during the Seventies, than perhaps a half dozen journalists.

But maybe that's too complicated for you, Anon? Maybe you got the wrong gay (a purse holder up in Toronto immediately might or might not come to mind), instead?

And yup, as I said: whatever, Anon. Whatever. I am so sick and tired of that stupid, little waiting game, I could cry.

In the meanwhile, leave Chrissie Heughan alone, punk. I am dead serious.

[batrachised]

"I first read Anne of Green Gables to my grade 3 class in Vernon River. When we got to the chapter in which Matthew dies, we all sat still and quiet until one student said, “I didn’t know a teacher could cry.”'

-Deirdre Kessler, a former Poet Laureate of P.E.I. 

"I recall reading Montgomery at specific times and in particular places. I remember reading Anne of Avonlea with my best friend in her back yard after our grade 5 teacher had read Anne of Green Gables aloud to the class. We were hooked. I reread Anne of Green Gables and Anne’s House of Dreams in a residence room at Carleton University when I was preparing to go to Nigeria as a CUSO teacher. I read Volume I of The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery while watching my young daughter play at a park. In more recent years I have gone directly to those passages that sustain me. I marvel at how deeply the words on the page connect writer and reader."

-Margaret Steffler, Professor Emerita at Trent University

"I grew up 27 kilometres and 98 years from Lucy Maud Montgomery: nearer in space than in time to her life and her creations. Growing up a writer within that circumference, it was hard to say if Maud cast a shadow or a gleam across the literary landscape and Island imagination. In the shadow of saccharine oversimplifications and commercialization, the writer was tempted always to challenge, to write against her legacy. But on an August day by a brook or on a December evening meeting a sharp-tongued character with a sharp eye on Island cultural characteristics, the writer is required to recalibrate: to recognize that we write, here, in her gleam. Happy 150 years since that first glimmer."

-Jane Ledwell, PEI writer

"For the past ten years I have lived in a small town in central Pennsylvania. (You can’t buy twenty pounds of brown sugar at the hardware store, but it’s that kind of place.) It’s nice enough, but it isn’t home. As someone who grew up in Toronto – attended a girls’ school – and then went east, I was probably fated to identify with Jane Stuart, Jane of Lantern Hill. I wasn’t born on the Island; I can’t make jam; and I was born decades too late to take the train from Union Station across on the Tormentine ferry. But I thrill to mornings on the Island and long for its sea winds, and just like Jane, I live through being away by never really being away: “Because in a very real sense Jane was still living on the Island.” I may live here, but I am there.

I’m glad that L.M. Montgomery understood how that feels."

-Claire Campbell is a double expatriate, a Canadian living in the United States and an Upper Canadian-born who misses the Maritimes.

"To me, teaching Anne of Green Gables in Iran was an unexpected journey that brought profound inspiration and hope. Little did I know that this classic tale of Anne Shirley’s resilience and feisty spirit would become a beacon of empowerment for my predominantly female students. Their connection with Anne's unwavering determination and her strong character ignited a spark within them that eventually helped spark an uprising against a relentless dictatorship. Witnessing these remarkable young women, who had once found solace in Anne's story, rise up against four decades of draconian rule in Iran has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. The Iranian women have taken the lessons of Anne’s perseverance to heart and channeled that spirit into a courageous struggle for justice and freedom. This is a testament to the enduring power of literature and the indomitable spirit of those who dare to dream of a better world."

-Sam Roodi, professor of Global Citizenship at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, Canada

"Recollections of childhood reading experiences tend to blur repetitively, but, for me, one memory is categorically singular. I was nine years old, home from school sick. My dad, on his way to work, stuck his head inside my bedroom door and said, “Here, try this.” He handed me a blue hardback of Anne of Green Gables. When he returned that night, I had finished it. For that whole day, I lived inside the skin of a different person. In a blur of astonishment and devastation, I learned that it was possible for a beloved fictional character to die. And I explicitly knew I was a different Margaret from the one who had woken up that morning. I remember my startled recognition, in so many words, that Thornton Burgess’s animal stories – hitherto completely satisfying – would never be quite the same again.  My life as a reader had suddenly and irrevocably expanded."

-Margaret Mackey is Professor Emerita in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta

"You inspired my mother to be a writer, when she was a little girl in Texas; you inspired my father, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, to see beauty all around. My little sister is named for your Anne. Every day I think about or read your work and try to imagine who you were within and between the lines. Thank you, thank you for giving me so many reasons and ways to read, to write, to connect with others, and to be."

-Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

"Maud’s writing first spoke to me when my own world had gone very quiet. I dwelt in a small town in regional Australia and was rarely able to leave my home due to chronic illness. Instead, I lived vicariously through her tales of girls and young women on an equally small island, about as far away from my own as it was possible to be. She showed me that life lived on a domestic scale could be just as vivid as that on the wider horizon. Unable to travel elsewhere, I gained strength from Pat’s decision to remain in a home to which she was so powerfully attached. Later, as a young teacher in a rural boarding school, I found comfort in my isolated state from Emily’s example of writing through her difficult feelings. Later still, when I reached Oxford, it was Anne’s experiences at university and her rich relationships with the kindred spirits she found there that resonated with special force. Maud’s words have been inscribed on each stage of my life, a tapestry of experiences that I have shared with her remarkable heroines, and which I will continue to weave in the decades yet to come."

-Chelsea Wallis

"My Maud testimonial begins with Brenda K Weber's testimonial. At an LMMI conference decades ago, she recalled a stuffy academic party during which a graduate student had approached her to make small talk. The student had a shaved head and a well-known enthusiasm for science fiction, and he wore black sneakers to this department party. When she told him she was about to attend a conference on Montgomery, his eyes lit up. "I love Emily of New Moon!" he exclaimed, and went on to babble about it for the next ten minutes. I love Weber's story as a reminder that we will find kindred spirits in the most unexpected places. I also love it because the graduate student in that story...was me. I discovered Weber's paper years later, and I think it captures me perfectly: a little too extraverted, a little fashion-ignorant, and still completely in love with Emily."

-Joe Sutliff Sanders is a specialist in children’s media in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge

"I open the cocoa-splattered, tatty book. Hand-written – hand-scrawled – memories of sensory pleasure: spicy, sugary, crunchy, hearty, homey. I open my mother’s falling-apart recipe book. In it are generations of recipes, passed on from great-grandmothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, friends, daughters, and daughters-in-law. A whole museum of feminine companionship.

You, too, held such a collection – a testimony to your own experiences of motherhood, of sisterhood, of friendship, of love. And when I open Anne of Green Gables, The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook, and then also Aunt Maud's Recipe Book, I share in these experiences. I find recipes to add to my own cocoa-splattered, tatty, hand-written recipe book. Liniment cake (with vanilla this time) made for birthdays, raspberry tarts for Sunday afternoon fun, ice cream that tastes of clouds … I open these books and I find comfort; I find love; I find motherhood."

-Daniella Dedekind is currently completing her MA at the University of Pretoria, South Africa

"On a recent spring day, I glanced out the window of my fourth-floor apartment and saw a flurry of white crab apple blossoms fluttering gracefully through the air, dancing upward on the wind. The whole urban landscape was transformed, and in that moment, I felt so thankful, not only for this glimpse of the wild nature of my city, but also for Montgomery and her nature-loving heroines, who taught me about Snow Queens and Wind Women and Flashes and how to live each day with eyes and heart and mind open to the beautiful surprises of the world around me. "

-Tara Parmiter is a Clinical Professor of Expository Writing at New York University.

"When I was in the third grade, my mother bought me Anne of Green Gables as a birthday present. I kept asking for sequels every year, and when I was in junior high, I learned that Prince Edward Island was a real place. During my university years, I visited the Island for the first time and stayed for three weeks. After several trips and working with a travel agency, I landed a job as a tour guide on PEI.

At first, I just liked to see the various seasons described in Montgomery’s books; then I wanted to feel the joy of spring after a long winter. Before I knew it, it had been 28 years in PEI.  Again, this spring, I'll go into the woods looking for mayflowers. Gilbert's love, expressed through gathering these small flowers for Anne, still touches my heart after all these years."

-Katsue Masuda 

"Like so many of us, my introduction to L.M. Montgomery came in childhood, at a time when I read voraciously, so hungry for departure. Back then, I had no clear sense of myself as a lesbian, but I knew intuitively that something about me was strange and “different” – or, as Montgomery herself might have put it, “queer.”

Because, at the time, there were so few novels for young readers with LGBTQ+ characters, I learned to find myself in other, less overt mirrors. It was in Montgomery’s books that I saw the clearest echoes of my own unarticulated desires. Emily Byrd Starr’s world is populated by older, unmarried female characters who show no interest in finding male partners. Valancy Stirling casts off the constraints of her disapproving family to pursue the existence she wants for herself. And Montgomery gave me Katherine Brooke in Anne of Windy Poplars, arguably her most overtly queer character.

I know, of course, that Montgomery wasn’t writing for readers who were gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender – and I know her opinions on lesbianism, expressed with such vehemence in her diaries – but she was writing for those of us who were “queer,” in the broader sense of the term. I’d like to think that she’d be able to understand my deep gratitude for the ways her work has always made me feel seen."

-Katharine Slater is an associate professor of children’s and young adult literature at Rowan University

"When my fifth-grade teacher read Anne of Green Gables to my class in the sixties, it was the comedic episodes of Anne dying her hair green and getting Diana drunk that made the book enticing. Throughout the decades since, as I aged and my interests changed, there was something new that appealed to me with each reading: a description of a beautiful garden as I planted one of my own, a reference to a special type of needlework as I learned to quilt, a humorous episode about Anne’s attempts in the kitchen as I also struggled in this regard, the love and bond between Anne and Marilla as I experienced those same emotions with my children and grandchild."

-Joanne Lebold

"L.M. Montgomery has not just inspired my family; she has shaped it. My great-grandma Cora first read the books aloud to her students in a one-room schoolhouse. Her daughter, my grandma Penny, and her daughter, my mother Christy, spent countless family vacations tracking down old copies of Montgomery’s books. It is pretty easy to figure out where my name and my sister’s came from (Emily and Anne, naturally). Montgomery has inspired our travel, showed us the joy in unraveling historical puzzles, supplied countless treasured memories, and connected us to friends all over the world. We have studied, collected, honoured, researched, discussed, savoured and loved Montgomery’s works. And we’ve done it all together. We have learned that Montgomery’s legacy is not just literary; it is intergenerational and personal."

-Emily Woster

#maud150 is a collection of tributes for Maud's 150th birthday. the above are a handful of my favorites.

[sophsicle]

hello! so recently i've been wanting to get into nhl and i want to find a team to follow but i have NO idea which teams i should look at so if you have any recommendations it would be greatly appreciated <3

i feel like this is such an individual thing, like usually the first thing that determines your NHL team is regional bias

so idk where you live but if it's in North America that'll probably help you

for example, no American team is ever gonna be my team

the only sort of exception I'll make is for the Colorado Avalanche because i simply feel they are Canadian, due to Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and also their logo is like snow so *canada*

also while we are here, the Avs are a good choice, they try so hard, and are so serious and are such good, good lil boys, Nate MacKinnon's greatest fear is letting everyone down (and by everyone I mean Sidney Crosby)

The HABs or the Montreal Canadians are my favourite team, they statistically play better the more frenchie they are, which is not really relevant to anything but i personally think it is funny.

are they a good team? no. but are they precious? yes. just a bunch of bumbling lil bbs trying to find their way. and Nick Suzuki has been left in charge and he is like a very tired older brother, trying to keep track of his leash kid Cole and his bad boy younger brother slafkovsky

(leash kid)

(bad boi)

(exhausted older brother, he is like 24 but has the soul of a 45 year old, these hooligans have aged him)

I ALSO, must confess, i do like the Toronto Maple Leafs, yeah they are obnoxious, but also, the team has good vibes, and plus, they are CURSED! and who doesn't love a good curse?! the Leafs haven't won the playoffs in 56 years, which i believe is the longest any team in any professional sport has gone without winning a championship. but the REAL kicker, is that they are objectively a good team. a great team even. yet they simply did something to offend the gods and therefore the odds are never in their favour.

You have the slutty swede aka William Nylander, has sex 3 hours before the game, catches the subway down to the rink, is always in some state of undress, a true man of the people

You have Auston Matthews, scores so many goals (69 to be precise, which is funny and also tragic), also has been known to be a snarky boi with the press and the refs

ANd then you have the most tragic member of the most tragic team, Mitch Marner, who is just a lil guy, playing for his home town team, with a controlling father and a very high salary that makes the press and the fans HATE him, this boy can do no right, it doesn't matter how hard he tries

(also him and auston are best friends and soulmates SO)

BUT YEAH, honestly, choosing a hockey team is something so personal and mostly you just have to start picking ones based on random feelings and then getting deep into their lore

(honourable mentions: The canucks cause Quinn Hughes is a gem)