#there is no way they afforded a house that big on a photographer and music-teacher's salary

[innytoes]

Between looking up houses in LA on zillow for a fanfic and researching how US medical debt works for that same fic, I have concluded that Ray Molina is a hit man.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #435

from yesterday, don’t feel like updating the answers. :^)

When you get married what do you think you’ll put most of your focus and money into? Uhhh. I really don't know... I mean maybe doing all I can do avoid debt? That's what my parents mostly argued about, and I know financial strain can really affect a couple. I never want that burden. Who in your life causes you the most stress or negative feelings? My damn self. Have you ever had a teacher that also taught your parents? No; my parents didn't grow up here. Wait! I THINK Mom had one of my college professors? I don't recall for sure, and I definitely don't remember who it was. Are you the type of person who seeks out revenge? Nah. Are there any songs that inspire you? Certainly, such as "Life Won't Wait" by Ozzy Osbourne, "Get Up" by Shinedown, and more. How do you feel about celebrities getting involved in politics? Do you think that the celebrity world and the political world should be kept apart? Not at all; everyone has the right to share their opinion and should not feel like it's necessary to censor it. Let them be people with morals and beliefs, too. I'm totally fine with them CHOOSING to be quiet about controversial subjects, but they're more than welcome to share their thoughts on any topic. What is one pro of living where you do, and what is one con? What is a pro and a con of living where you wished you lived? I guess the only real pro (and this is horrible to be the first thought) is that we're under the radar; like, not really a target for terrorism or anything, lol. I'd get kinda nervous if I lived in, like, Washington D.C. or something. We have A LOT of cons: there is NOTHING to do, we're essentially a hub for crime, the scenery is boring and bland as fuck... I could go on for a long time. I'd love to live in many areas in North America, but I'll go with Alaska, since that would absolute RULE. A strong pro would definitely be the cold climate and the sights, but it would definitely be a con to me when that relentless dark era lasts for months on end. I need the sun (from inside anyway, ha ha) sometimes, because it being dark for what, half a year?, would really damage my happiness. What is your favorite episode of your favorite TV show? Referring to Meerkat Manor, it's actually the one where Mozart dies, I think, even though it destroyed my heart. I just think the writer portrayed it as so beautifully tragic, and the clips shown were so pretty. Does having others watch you do things make you uncomfortable? What sorts of things make you extremely uncomfortable if you are watched while doing them? Are there any things that give you confidence to do if you have an audience? ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY. Do NOT watch me on the computer (especially when writing), I literally will not draw if someone's watching (inevitably besides in Art classes, I think Sara is legit the only person who's watched me draw a bit), I really don't like people watching me edit photography, I'm nooot a fan of others seeing me exercise (though I kinda have to suck that up with having a personal trainer), etc. etc. Just don't watch me do anything, lol. I don't know what actually boosts my confidence if I'm being observed. Does someone in your house speak a different language on a regular basis? No. Do you follow or care about any big sports events? Not at all. Are there any activities people normally do together that you prefer doing alone? Hm. I dunno. If you are going somewhere where you’ll have to wait for a while (i.e. a doctor’s office), do you bring something to occupy yourself? My phone, yeah. How long is your favorite song? I checked, and it's almost six minutes. Do you think you’d ever want to be “internet famous”? I'll admit I've somewhat thought about it, only because my career choices are running so dry, and I'd be able to do it alone. However, I've got noooo idea what I'd actually do, and I also don't think I could handle ridicule or anything like that for any reason. Having a spotlight on me would stress me out. Who was the main cook of your Thanksgiving meal last year? My older sister. What moment in your life have you been most scared? Probably this one occasion where Dad had to pick my sister and me up from school one day and make the 30-minute drive home. Well. He was clearly in a hellish mood because he was flying. He ran stop signs and red lights, passed people illegally... I was in the passenger's seat and absolutely convinced we were going to crash. I can barely believe we didn't. Who was the last person you slow danced with? -_- Do you prefer headphones or earbuds? Earbuds. I like how they block out external sound better, and they don't hurt my ears like headphones do. What person/people do you trust the most? My mom. Who in your life do you care about more than yourself? My parents, sisters, my nieces and nephew, Sara... A lot of people, if I'm being honest. I don't value my life as much as I should. Which wild animal would you most like to have as a pet? I am DESPERATE to rescue an opossum one day. :''''( What teacher did all the high school boys/girls have a crush on? I have no idea. Have you ever felt seriously violated? No. Do you watch American Horror Story? I adore(d) the first season; it was mine and Jason's "show." We watched most of season two as well, but I lost interest in the later half of it. I haven't really watched it since, save for the pilot episode of some season I forgot. Does your hometown have any urban legends/scary stories? Not to my knowledge. What’s the scariest nightmare you remember having? Something involving my dad that I won't speak about. Pancakes or French toast? Oh my god, French toast. That sounds delicious rn. Are there any apps you’re addicted to? Not addicted, nah. Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a child? Yes; it was a bunny holding a multicolor polka-dotted blanket. Do you still collect stuffed animals? Hell yeah. Have you ever had eggs cooked over a campfire? No. What colors of mascara have you worn on your lashes? Just black. What font do you usually use? I mean, it depends on what I'm doing. Is it supposed to appear professional? Aesthetically pleasing? It varies too much to answer this with one font. What about font colors? Usually just black, but again, it depends on what I'm writing. Are you good at making graphics or designing layouts? Ha, no. Do you put gel or mousse in your hair? No. Sleep with just one pillow? No, I use two. I am VERY uncomfortable with just one. Ever woke up crying? Yeah, from nightmares. Do you like big dogs or small dogs better? It depends on the breed and their energy level. I don't really prefer one over the other as a general judgment. Are you going to graduate high school on time? I did. Been to the zoo lately? No, but I'd love to go. :/ Now that I'd consider myself at least a pretty decent photographer, I'd love to see what shots I could take. I LOVE photographing animals with how unpredictable they are. It's like playing the lottery; you really don't know what you're going to get, but you have the chance for seriously priceless moments. Even if we could afford the trip, though, I know I wouldn't last long whatsoever with my legs being as weak as gelatine. I know especially that there's a notable incline in the path, and I'd never make it up it. I really, really look forward to the day where I can really start feeling a difference in my body thanks to the gym. Have you ever been to Mississippi? No. What did you do for your last birthday? We went to The Cheesecake Factory. Do you like to cook? No. What is the worst thing that has happened to you in your entire life? If I'm looking at the big picture and what truly damaged my pleasure in life the most, it'd be developing depression and such intense anxiety. I've given up so much and changed so negatively because of it. Do you know when your next family reunion will be? We've never had one. My family is too spread out. What is your favorite thing to do with your significant other? I'm single, but even in a relationship, I love playing video games together. I've got multiple memories of just having a great time doing that. Where is “home” for you? Wherever Mom is. Is there an animal that creeps you out? Whale sharks, maggots and other bug larvae, centipedes, many beetles, and some other bugs. What is the name of the last band you discovered? Uhhh.. good question. I admittedly don't listen to new music a lot. I tend to stick to the stuff I know. Do you prefer group projects, or would you prefer to work alone? I would rather kick my ankle against a Razer scooter than do a group project. Have you ever been to Hooters? No. Do you have a brother? What’s his name? Yeah, Robert, but everyone calls him "Bobby." Have you ever thought that your life was so bad you wanted to give up? About a billion times. I still do sometimes. Do you have a ceiling fan located in your bedroom? Yes. Have you ever been in a lighthouse? No, but I was supposed to visit one in the fourth grade. The water was way too aggressive that day, though, so we had a change of plans and went to a closer island. Hell, it might have been the better option, because it had horses. I remember collecting seashells, too, and just watching the power of the ocean hammer at the shores. It was really pretty. Have you ever been bitten by an animal? Only playfully, like by a cat. Well wait, I think my old baby iguana may have bitten me once (he sure tried to, ha ha), but I don't remember for sure. Did it rain today? Yes. It rains pretty much every afternoon here in the late summer. What was the name of the last dog you pet? Zeke, my sister's German shepherd. He's adorable. Has your luggage ever been lost at the airport? Did you get it back? No. Do you have certain friends that you hug every time you see them? I pretty much always hug my friends when I see them. I'm a big hugger. Have you ever witnessed a tornado? No, thank the fucking Lord. Who is your favorite person to talk to when you’re down? Sara. What are you listening to right now? "Blood For Blood" by Powerwolf. Can you get over people easy? Hell no. I do NOT handle loss well AT ALL. And not just romantically. What was the last thing you carried to your room? A drink. Do you drink water that comes from your sink? Only once it's been filtered. Have you ever prank called the police? That is fucking awful. No. What’s your LEAST favorite smiley? XD looks so stupid to me I'm sorry lmao xD reigns supreme. Do you like Italian food? Yeah, more than I used to. Have you ever put red lipstick on just to make lip marks on something? No. Do you watch Shane Dawson on YouTube? Isn't his career pretty much toast now? I DID used to love his videos, though. I still occasionally watch his fiance, though, and he pops up sometimes. Regardless of everything, I still think he's funny as fuck. Would you ever spend a day to see what it’s like to be homeless? NOOOOOOO NO NO NO NO. I am TERRIFIED of living on the streets someday. I want NO idea what it's like. Is the house you’re currently living in over 50 years old? I highly doubt that. Have you ever had a yard sale? Many. What is your favorite color? Baby pink. Did you have a good day or a bad day? Today was extreeeemely dull and felt like it lasted eons. Do you know anyone that has/had cancer? I sadly know maaaaany. Have you ever read somebody else’s diary? No, that is incredibly rude. Do you enjoy going to school? I hated it from start to end. Like I have good memories, but overall, I hated school. Were you a big jump roper back in the day? OHHHH YES. I almost learned how to double-dutch, even. I could jump with two ropes, but not jump in with two. Are you a local celebrity? Definitely not. Do you eat candy daily? No. I'm already fat dude, I don't need candy. I avoid candy as best as I can. Do you get nervous with public speaking? Like you would not believe. How old were you when you got your driver's license (if you have it)? I'm 25 and still don't have it. Has someone of the opposite sex ever told you they loved you? Yes. What memory are you most afraid of losing? Meh, I don't know. A lot of what I consider my "favorite" memories I'd honestly be better off losing, probably. Who accompanied you to your first concert? My mom, younger sister, and Jason. Would you rather have tickets to see your favorite band in concert, or $100 to go shopping? TAKE ME TO THE OZZY CONCERT. What do you usually eat for breakfast? It really varies. I'd say cereal most often, probably? Do you wish you were more outgoing? Yeah. Do you know anyone who wears a hearing aid? I don't think so?

[sareesinthewind]

Photo 1: Parasakthy and Sundha 1961 in Colombo Photo 2: Parasakthy and Sundha in the 80s in Chennai Photo 3: Sundha  as a BBC newsreader 1982 in London Photo 4: Sundha interviewing a young Mathematics prodigy from Tamil Nadu from Radio Ceylon studios 60s in Colombo Photo 5: Sundha was also a talented photographer, and this is one of the photos he took and cheekily edited on his film camera Photo 6: Sundha performing in one of the radio dramas, Radio Ceylon 1950s Photo 7&8: Front and back cover of ‘Mana Osai - Reminiscences of a Broadcaster’ a book about Sundha Paraskathy Sydney, Australia *note that uncle refers to Parasakthy’s husband, the late Sundharalingam. In 1948, uncle, as a young boy,  had listened to the running commentary of Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral procession. Back then in Jaffna nobody had a radio at home,  so the school principal hired one for the kids to be able to listen to Gandhi’s tributes. Uncle said that he and many of the children cried. Uncle was so amazed at how something happening in a distant land could move people in his village in Chavakacheri.  In his wonderment at how this was possible,  his dream to one day become a radio announcer was born.  Sri Lanka started broadcasting in 1923, three years after Europe started the BBC. The transmitter was built using equipment from a captured German submarine. Colombo Radio, later known as Radio Ceylon, started broadcasting in English first and later added Sinhhalese and Tamil . As the station’s popularity grew in India,  Hindi was introduced, which also catered  for the Hindi-speaking businessmen in Colombo. While uncle was studying at Jaffna Central college, he stayed in a hostel and would listen to the 9pm All India Radio news on the public radio installed in Subramanian Park while the other students would be engrossed in their studies. At the age of 21,  uncle started working in Colombo,  having skipped his university entrance exam to earn money. There he found himself working in the office next to Radio Ceylon.  One of his colleagues was a radio drama artist and invited uncle to join him. Uncle fell in love with the stage and soon became popular for his theatrical talents.  When a vacancy opened up for a news reader, he applied and was appointed to the job.  By the fifties, radio had become a big craze in Jaffna, but very few people could afford a radio and our parents also didn’t want us to get distracted by listening to film songs and dramas.   Even if we could afford a radio,  my family didn’t have electricity. We had a simple life and education was our main focus. Uncle’s family also didn’t have electricity and had to go to a neighbour's house to listen to his broadcasts.  While at Radio Ceylon, he was seconded for a ministerial post as press officer with the option of returning to his job as a news announcer when he wished to do so. 

His duties included reading the papers and giving the minister a summary of daily events as well as interpreting speeches from Sinhala to English or Tamil. He also accompanied different Sinhalese ministers on their trips, bearing witness to their acts incitement of discrimination against the Tamils. He would often come home and tell me how sad he felt. His next job was as a simultaneous interpreter in parliament, a service provided for the Members of Parliament . Most of the Members spoke only Sinhalese or English and uncle worked as the Tamil translator.  

Because parliament only sat for a few days a year, uncle had a lot of free time, which he filled by voicing jingles for advertising companies and performing in radio plays .

The stage was like a second home for him. He had so much confidence in all three languages. In 1969, he and another interpreter were selected to do the simultaneous interpreting for the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20.  These Sinhalese and Tamil interpretations, which were done non stop for three days,  were broadcast by Radio Ceylon all around the country and region, capturing that awe-inspiring moment in history.  The US Embassy in Colombo trained the team, which included Tamil and Sinhala scientists, for about a week, so that they were familiar with the technical terms. They also had to go through a simulated landing. Uncle found the American English difficult, but managed to successfully complete the task. Though Sinhala chauvinism escalated  well before the eighties, we never imagined  it would eventuate in the pogroms and violence that followed, culminating in the atrocities of 2009. 

When the Sinhala Only Bill was passed in 56, uncle had to read it out as news on Radio Ceylon and had to cover stories of its implementation. Uncle was also a news reader during the 58 ethnic riots and the 76 and 78 pogroms. 

Uncle's time at Radio Ceylon, his time in parliament and our years in India, the UK and Australia as a refugee during which time he yearned to return to our country of birth, had a profound effect on him. His resulting grief stayed with him right until his last days in Australia. In 1959, I graduated with a BA in Arts from Peradeniya University. My family never thought I would get a place in the university, as it was a difficult entrance exam. In those days, the  results were announced in the English newspapers. But in our home, we only read Tamil newspapers. My father's friend saw the results and sent the paper to our home, with my name underlined, through another friend. I also had the option of entering a Teachers Training College to study teacher training, which required a less competitive mark than university studies. My school principal, the late Miss Thambiah, however encouraged me to enrol in university and promised me that I would have a job back at our school, Vembadi Girls’ High School, when I had finished my degree.

In Jaffna, education was mainly segregated into male and female schools. In certain schools, at the higher levels there was mixed education. So university was where I first met men, outside my immediate family. It was also the first time I met Sinhalese students. There were about fifty Tamil students and two or three hundred Sinhalese students. We enjoyed  our single rooms and ate in a dining hall with fork and spoon. We were served a lot of beef and so I became a vegetarian. University is where I tasted cheese for the first time. Our education was free, and our living expenses were minimal. Those of us who remember the days of no ethnic divide,  will remember university as a wonderful experience. Those days we had the best of everything in Sri Lanka - free education and free medical services. Everything was good, till the politicians  of the majority community poisoned the minds of the  people against the minorities living in the country. I think that now it's too late for change. The poison has sunk in too deep.   After my studies, I returned to Jaffna and started teaching at my high school. I was so happy and I had many dreams of helping my siblings, who were excelling in their studies. But a marriage proposal to uncle came my way in 1961 and though I had a lot of ambitions and wasn’t keen on it, it was my parents wish and so I obliged.  After our wedding, I joined uncle in Colombo where we had a comfortable life, like most middle class families. I got a job at the Muslim Ladies College in  Bambalapitya Colombo. Teaching in a multicultural environment was another unforgettable experience.  Our move to Chennai in 1980 was not my decision and nor was I in favour of it. Our only daughter Subhadra had just sat for her OL exam and was keen to continue her bharathanatyam studies, while we wanted her to attend university. It came as a rude shock when one morning in January 1980  uncle asked me to sign my retirement papers. He explained there was an option for lady teachers to retire after twenty years of service, which i had just completed, and I could avail myself of that facility. He said I could go to Chennai to educate  Subhadra in the Fine Arts (music and dance), while at the same time help her to get a degree in Arts/Science. My school principal refused to endorse the papers as  I was in the process of  being appointed as  principal of the newly built  Colombo Hindu Ladies College. I was appalled!  Who would throw away everything so good? I was in a dilemma but my husband solved it for me. He said “a decision has been made, let us not go back on it”. He said that Tamils couldn’t live in Sri Lanka in peace anymore and that political unrest was  simmering.  He said that he no longer wanted to live like a fugitive in his country of birth ‘his தாய் நாடு’ and that after translating the venomous speeches of the Sinhalese Members in parliament, he had spent many years of sleepless nights. He said that at least in Tamil Nadu we would feel a sense of familiarity and could continue to be part of the Tamil culture and language.  He reminded me that we had to seek refuge in a Muslim friend’s house during the 1977 pogrom and that our daughter had no chance of entering university with the government’s standardisation policy which penalised Tamil students. So in Jan 1980 I retired and we left for Madras, our home for the next twenty years. There were only three other Tamil families from Sri Lanka who had settled down in Chennai after the first pogrom in 1958 and they all welcomed us graciously. Mr and Mrs Sivapathasundaram had made Adyar their home, the suburb which would become our home too.  Mr Sivapathasundaram  was a  renowned  broadcaster at Radio Ceylon and a popular Tamil writer on par with Indian writers.  He was the one who gave the name Thamilosai to BBC Tamil Radio. We realised theirs was a life of struggle even after spending nearly three decades in Tamil Nadu. Our years in Chennai were also tough, and those who came to visit us were shocked to see how we were living in a single room annex. In 1982, we received a surprise phone call from the BBC asking uncle if he would come and work as the Tamil radio producer for one year, while  Mr Shankaramoorthy, the then producer, took one year of medical leave.  In uncle’s previous trips to the UK he had acted in some of the BCC Thamilosai’s radio dramas and so they were familiar with his talents.  Subha had entered Stella Marie’s College, so we put her in the college hostel and set off on our year long UK adventure.   We could have stayed on after our contract was over by taking part in radio programmes, however uncle said that he wanted to listen to carnatic music and hear Tamil in his ears - காதிலே தமிழும் பாட்டும் கேட்கவேணும் ! So after our stay in the UK was over, we flew straight to Colombo, with the hope of settling back there.  After about 10 days of visiting our families  in Jaffna, uncle, again said that he felt something bad was going to happen and he wanted to get back to Chennai.  I again didn’t want to leave. I missed our family and they missed us.  We had nobody in Chennai.  Uncle however insisted that we had to return to see our daughter Subha and once again said “I don’t want to be a second class citizen in my own country”. We arrived back in Chennai in May 1983. In July when the pogrom against the Tamils started in Colombo, those who had money, got on planes and arrived at our doorstep. Over the following six months, at least a hundred Tamils made their way to our home straight from the airport.  We helped them find temporary accommodation to begin with, then a  home and a school for their children. We became local guardians to hundreds of children, as this was a government requirement. There were number of challenges we faced as guardians - illness - exam failures - two missing students - but we were thankful we could help them.  Those who could afford to sent their children to other foreign countries. Thanks to the BBC, we had a telephone, which became so useful for the many Eelam Tamils who would line up outside and inside our home to use it. One night, we had more than 20 people sleep in our tiny annex. Those nights were tough, but what were we to do? Uncle, who looked to life’s positives, would often tell us that he was grateful that we got out in time and didn’t have to go through the trauma of watching our people being massacred. He was even more thankful that we were in a position to be able to help those that did escape.  After hearing of the massacres and the burnings of the 83 pogrom, the people of Tamll Nadu became sympathetic to our cause and opened up their homes for rent. MGR, was the Chief Minister at the time, and said all Eelam Tamils could be accepted into schools in Tamil Nadu. For those who didn’t have money and escaped the island by boat, they were kept in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, and their plight was and still is an incredibly sad one. Many are still there with very little protection or hope for a better future. We were the lucky few and though we never returned to live in our country, we have a lot to be thankful for.  In the years that followed, uncle became BCC’s Thamilosai correspondent for Tamilnadu, which allowed us to continue living in the India and provided us with a permanent income. Thanks To BBC, we were also able to get a visa to visit our daughter in Australia.  After uncle passed away in Australia after a tragic accident in 2001, I did not want to go back to India and all my family members had left Sri Lanka by then. I stayed on with my daughter's family as a refugee for 12 long years. It was a period of struggle and great uncertainty, thanks to the Australian government.  I was finally granted Australian Citizenship in 2017.  END In 1999 Dr Maunaguru, a close friend, turned audio recordings by uncle about his life into a book titled ‘Mana Osai -Reminiscences of a Broadcaster‘.  Uncle was not keen on the book idea, but he agreed on one condition that the book when published  would be distributed free - he said everyone has a story to tell so it's not fair to make money off it.  Aunty’s grandson Senthan is now also a radio broadcaster and co-hosts the popular podcast Stuck in Between.  

[coppicefics]

Masked Omens: Week Four

[Image Description: Image 1 - A simple rendition of the Masked Singer UK logo, a golden mask with colourful fragments flying off of it. The mask has a golden halo and a golden devil tail protruding from either side. Below, gold text reads ‘Masked Omens’.

Image 2 - A page from the Opinion section of the Capital Herald, dated Saturday, 16th January, 2021. Full image description and transcript below the cut. End ID.]

Read the fic here!

(Falling records template from Pixeden)

The Capital Herald, Saturday 16th January 2021 Opinion, page 20

Main Story: TOFFLEY GATE: FIFTEEN YEARS ON, IT’S NO HOME Where is the affordable housing that was promised? And why can’t local people get access to it? The Toffley Gate development once seemed like that most elusive of rarities; a politician's campaign promise made real. When Lawrence Richmond, a distinguished barrister, was elected as MP for Toffley South in 2005, it was partly on the strength of his pledge to build a brand new block of affordable accommodation for the people of Toffley. In fact, if you ask most local voters why the future Transport Secretary won his seat, they'll point in the direction of Toffley Gate. The development, it was claimed, would create jobs in the area, boost property values, and allow more buyers and renters on low incomes to invest wisely in their future. Fifteen years on, how are those claims holding up? Well, the development did indeed bring in construction jobs, as well as long-term positions in the shops and services on Toffley Gate's street level. As construction continued, however, some concerns were raised – even as early as February of 2006, seven months before the grand opening – that changes to the specification meant almost all the flats in the towering buildings would be described as luxury apartments, rather than affordable housing. But as long as they were still rented out at low rates, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. When the development's 312 flats were put on the market, however, 276 of them were priced at luxury rates. The remaining thirty-six were a single block of small studio apartments, suitable for a single occupant or two, a far cry from the family homes Richmond had promised to provide. Protests followed, in 2009 and 2010, but it was too late. Now, fifteen years on, only 194 Toffley Gate units are occupied. The rest remain empty and useless, far beyond the means of most local residents and workers. The Capital Herald popped into the local coffee shop to canvas opinions. “Oh, they're lovely, aren't they?” said Gladys Jones, retired, who'd stopped in with her grandson, Chris, a student. “I'd love one of those balconies, but not on my pension.” And Chris? “They're going for what, two or three grand a month? I could work for years and never save up enough to live there.” What would he like to see done with the place? “Drop the prices, maybe set them up as student accommodation, the uni's always oversubscribed. Or just... make sure normal people can afford them, you know?” “I put my name on the waiting list for the cheap flats when the place opened, when I was about twenty-five,” Jenny Tyler, a teacher, told me. I asked her what changed her mind. “No, I'm still on the list. Fifteen years, I'm still on the list.” Has she considered applying for one of the more expensive unused units? “No. On a teacher's pay? No, in fact, I'm moving back in with my dad. It's cheaper to commute in from Tadfield than to keep paying rent in Toffley.” And what of those behind the counter? Of the three employees on shift, two had joined the waiting list for the affordable housing at Toffley Gate. All three agreed that they'd love to live in one of the fancier units, if it were possible. One, Tom, has a second job as a cleaner on the development. “I have to clean all the luxury homes, even the empty ones,” he said. “And there are a lot of empty ones. Even the ones where you can tell someone's moved in, there's hardly any sign of life. It almost seems like an investment property type thing, but I don't know how they can be making money without sub-letting it.” When approached for comment, Lawrence Richmond – an Eton graduate who lives in a large historic house with his wife and son – argued that he is not responsible for market rates, nor for setting the level of affordable housing provision within the development. Why, then, did he make such grandiose promises during his election campaign in 2005? And why, sixteen years on and after several protests, is he still in office? If Richmond is as keen on affordable housing as he claimed to be in 2005 – as he has continued to claim, during the run-up to every local election since then – there must be something he can do, in his capacity as Toffley's MP, to encourage the building's owners, Selectan Homes Plc, to lower rents and allow lower-income families to access the many unoccupied units in the building. Surely it would be a win-win situation; Selectan would reap the rewards of a fully-let building, existing Toffley Gate residents would benefit from an invigorated community, and local people could live in the area where they actually worked. The businesses established at the base of the Toffley Gate tower blocks would have as many customers as they could want. In short, Lawrence Richmond, what are you waiting for? TINA MOON

[Image Description: A colour photograph of a gleaming block of flats. End ID] [Caption] Toffley Gate gleams in the sunshine. But are its units overpriced? (Photo: Daniel Brubaker on Unsplash)

Right hand column: OLD TUNES ARE BEST How wonderful to hear some music from the good old days on ITV’s The Masked Singer. When I sat down to watch it - under duress, I’ll admit, and largely to keep my wife and daughters happy - I expected nothing but noise of the variety that makes up the modern singles chart. Imagine my surprise and delight, then, when several of the songs reminded me of the heady days of my youth. Some, of course, were older still, overshooting the perfect era of my teenage years to land in the tragically uncool Jazz Age, but for the most part over the last few weeks I have been able to sing along with abandon, embarrassing my daughters no end and infuriating my wife, who is desperately trying to ascertain the identities of all of the disguised celebrities inside the ludicrous costumes. I doubt we’ve ever heard any of those voices before, given that the really big names in entertainment no doubt have better things to do than make such fools of themselves on a Saturday night, so I won’t be participating in the silly guessing game. Instead, I’m picking my favourites based on the songs they sang in the first few weeks. Snake is my favourite, by virtue of singing a Whitesnake song in the first live show, and it was a good enough performance that I will, for now, dismiss last week’s show as merely a momentary lapse in skill and judgement. Bonfire got everyone in my house smiling with ‘Disco Inferno’, and it’s rare that my children and I agree on anything, so they have to be the house favourite. Axolotl chose wisely in channelling Kermit the Frog, a universally beloved entertainer, and Pony’s tribute to America with ‘Horse With No Name’ was very enjoyable, too. So, I don’t know who Snake is but I’m rooting for them anyway, it seems. Who knows what tonight will bring? READER’S LETTER FROM DEREK METTE

Coupon, bottom third of page: [Image Description: Graphic of two falling record sleeves, with corresponding vinyl records also falling beside them. The first album sleeve shows two silhouettes of a face, looking towards each other in the style of the face/vase optical illusion, and is labelled “talking about it - Anathema”. The second shows a closeup of hands holding a book, and is labelled “Anathema - Narrative Devices”. At the bottom of the graphic are track listings. “Talking About It: Talking About it, Here I Go, Talking in Circles, The Magic Word, Seventh Sense, Pour My Heart Out, Nobody’s Fault, For A Spell, Living In The Past, Parting Words. Narrative Devices: Narrative Devices, Stab In The Dark, Look Before You Leap, Out Of The Crowd, Daisy Chains, I Hate To Leave, Ashes, Eagle Eyes, End of Days, Parting Ways.” End ID.] EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT FOR CAPITAL HERALD READERS Exclusive to the Capital Herald, this voucher entitles you to 50% off the listed price of Anathema's first album, Talking About It, when you buy her new album, Narrative Devices. Featuring hit singles 'Daisy Chains' and 'End of Days', Narrative Devices has been described as 'a breath of fresh air for folk music' and 'a powerful meditation on the stories we tell ourselves every day'. 'Talking About It' contains the gorgeous ballad 'For A Spell', which has already sold over half a million units as a single in the two years since its release. Don't miss out on this amazing deal! Just take this coupon to your nearest participating retailer, or enter code CAP50 when ordering online. [Image Description: A barcode marked ‘FOR RETAILER USE’, from barcode.tec-it.com, and a QR code, from qr-code-generator.com. End ID.] Voucher expires 12AM 23/01/21. At participating retailers only. While stocks last. Not valid outside of fanfiction. For full terms and conditions, see page 28.

[nxghtfalls]

✧·ﾟ(  nyx + sean teale + cis male   ) 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒂 !!  have you seen (  nicolas vogal  ) around ? (  he  ) has been in kaos for (   three weeks   ). the (  twenty-six year old  ) is a/an (  photographer  ) from (  london, england  ). people say they can be (  morose  ) but maybe that’s not too bad ‘cause they can also be (  steadfast  ). whenever i think of them, i can’t help but think of ( film photography developing in the darkroom, nights with a new moon, a worn out black jean jacket  ).  ·ﾟ✧

meet my sad son. he’s got that ~angsty~ backstory 

                                                     full bio | pinterest | playlist

TLDR; BIO — (tw: mentions of death, fire, burns, failed pregnancy, illness)

his father was an up-and-coming british politician and his mother was a grade school teacher. they’d had issues getting pregnant in the past, and once they started looking into adoption nicolas was born. they lived a happy life, and eventually adopted nicolas’ younger brother cassian a few years later. picnics in the park, “photo walks” where his father nurtured young nicolas’ love of photography, movie nights with popcorn, family dinners — they were the perfect picture of a family. 

it all came crashing down around them when their house caught fire in the middle of the night, trapping nicolas and cassian on the second story of the home. they were rescued, but nicolas’ mother died in the fire and his father died a few weeks later. nicolas sustained serious burns on his back, and his right shoulder and arm. 

nicolas and cassian went into the foster care system, where they stayed with an older couple in their home for 3 years. and then the wife fell ill and they couldn’t afford to care for nic and cas. unfortunately after that they were separated, they still text and message each other though. 

nicolas closed off completely after that, and only finds passion and joy in his career as a photographer. he stayed with another foster family for a while, went to community college and got his BFA in photography with a minor in photo journalism. 

he’s had a few jobs as a photographer (one for a news outlet, one for a travel agency) and has travelled all around the world for the latter. a year ago he visited kaos, greece and felt called to the island. he saved up money for the remainder of the year, and three weeks ago he moved to the island permanently. 

HEADCANONS —

he has such a Big personal bubble

and yet he’s touch-starved? try and figure that one out

he’s a cancer (they’re ruled by the moon i thought that was a nice homage to nyx)

very rarely goes by nic or nico, but likes when people do call him a nickname

insecure about his burns, mostly wears long sleeves and jeans

both because he doesn’t want other people to see them and because he doesn’t want to have to look at them

he often has headphones on — sometimes they’re playing music, sometimes he just uses them so people don’t talk to him

talk to him anyway he craves affection and attention he’s just Scared

absolutely oblivious, never knows when anyone is flirting with him

Can Not flirt. Disaster™

actually gets crushes really easily??

just…be vaguely nice to him and give him attention and he’s like “omg they’re cute–“ internally

wouldn’t ever do anything about it tho

his biggest way of “flirting”? asking for them to be in a photoshoot…

probably drinks too much

his brother is trying to get him to work on it

is so loyal once he lets you into his heart

…hasn’t let anyone in since he was a teenager

can you say self-isolation

absolutely has pity parties

sometimes they’re warranted, he went through something traumatic

but other times it’s because he’s lonely and it’s like

….duh, you did this to yourself

very intelligent!

pretty cultured, knows a lot about art and photography

doesn’t dress like it tho

would do Anything for his brother

they skype a lot

doesn’t make an effort to keep in touch with anyone else

calls the families that fostered him on holidays, that’s it

feels most at home at night

is that weirdo that likes to go for a midnight stroll

probably looks terrifying, wandering the streets at night taking pictures

WANTED CONNECTIONS —

A MODEL: occasionally, to pay the bills, he gets commissioned by a company to do a remote shoot with the greek island scenery. sometimes he may need a model or two (maybe even more!) they’d have a working relationship, but it’d be a great jumping off point for another type of connection! 

(EVENTUAL) BEST FRIEND: nicolas is a tough nut to crack... he’s stoic, broody, sarcastic, and prone to self-isolation. however, he’d thrive with a friend. especially one that kind of...forces their way into his heart?? sometimes introverts just have to be adopted by an extrovert. 

NEW NEIGHBOR: kind of generic, but he just moved to the island. he’s still getting the hang of everything. maybe they offered to show him around, or maybe they immediately got off on the wrong foot when he unpacked all of his stuff in the middle of the fucking night. regardless, there’s a chance for their relationship to grow from there. 

CRUSH: it’s silly, and he’d never admit to it, but he’s so starved for affection that it doesn’t take much for him to immediately develop a crush on someone who shows him the bare minimum of kindness/attention. it’s a fleeting thing, usually goes away quickly (usually) and mostly consists of nicolas having a harmless, wholesome daydream of having essentially a meet cute?? he’s v pure. 

DOG WALKER(S): nicolas can often be found taking his dog on walks throughout the day (and night, because he’s a weirdo) this could be a “hey we always see each other while walking out dogs” type of connection or a “hey i can walk your dog for you if you ever get busy” type of connection. 

[readyplayerhobi]

Little Drummer Boy

; Metal Band!Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Smut, fluff

; Word Count: 6.8k

; Warnings: Sub!Hoseok, Dom!Reader, blowjob, face sitting oral (receiving), light biting, restraints, unprotected sex, creampie,

; Synopsis: Entrusting the task of building a bed to your new husband should have been easier, but there’s a reason he’s a professional drummer and not a carpenter. Maybe a little fun will encourage him to remember to follow instructions in the future.

; Behind the Mask Masterpost

; A/N: This was my way of getting over writer’s block. It’s fluffy smut that I just needed to cheer me up, and hopefully cheer everyone else up too!

-

Placing your hands on your hips, you looked over the wooden bookcase that you’d finally finished building. DIY was not your forte but you’d been determined to not be defeated by a damned bookcase, which was why you’d spent the last hour carefully studying the instructions and putting it together slowly.

It may have taken you a while, but it looked good and it was sturdy. Smiling to yourself in pleasure at having completed it, you dragged over the box marked ‘BOOKS’ and began to place them on the shelves carefully. You had no particular system of ordering, just making sure that books by the same author were placed together. The only thing you required was that the sizing looked okay.

Nothing was more annoying than having a really tall book in the middle of everything, ruining the image. Once the books were in place, you contemplate for a few moments what kind of decorations you can add to make it look a little bit more homely. One of Hoseok’s bandmates had bought you both a light box that had been made to look like a traditional cinema sign.

Though packed away, you knew that it said both of your names and you figured it would look pretty cute on here. You’d add it, but you weren’t entirely sure what box it was in yet. Eyes glancing around the room, you let out a deep sigh as you noted all the full boxes that still remained around your new house.

Your rigid and unforgiving family had meant that you’d lived alone for the four years that you’d dated Hoseok. Secretly dated. Though he’d basically lived at your apartment by the time he’d proposed, but the two of you had decided that you’d buy a new house together. A house that was big enough to raise a family in.

Opening up the box that was simply titled ‘MEMORIES’, you pulled out the large, black picture frame that was made up of lots of smaller frames. Each one was filled with a photograph of Hoseok and you, from selfies that included big smiles to candid photos taken by your friends of intimate moments.

Scanning the main room with a firm eye, you note the perfect place for it and rest it against the wall on the floor. You’d need to buy hooks to start putting up the picture frames but for now, you’d just put them in places that you think might work. Hoseok might have a different opinion but he was free to give his thoughts.

Pulling out a single photo frame, you stare down at it before chewing your lip slowly. It’s of you and your brother, Jimin, on the night of your engagement party. His black hair is parted just off centre and styled away from his forehead while a black and white letterman style jacket adorns his torso, a plain black shirt underneath matching the skinny black jeans he’d worn.

The entire image he gave off was casual but unattainable. His jacket looked like something anyone could wear, but it’s only when you looked closer that you would notice the Louis Vuitton logo that immediately put it far above what most people could afford. Your brother made style effortless and it made him popular with the ladies.

He looked every inch the playboy businessman he was, but it still made your throat thicken when you looked at the image. Your brother had supported your relationship with Hoseok 100%, keeping your parents attention firmly away from you and coming up with a million excuses as to why you weren’t at a dinner, or why you didn’t want to go on holiday. He’d been the number one supporter of Hoseok proposing and had apparently been the one to convince him to finally pop the question.

Poor Hoseok had wanted to for a year, but he’d never even bought a ring as he’d thought it was a pointless and futile endeavour. There was no way your parents would ever approve of marriage to him; they wouldn’t have even approved of you dating. The terror of your parents had manifested itself in Hoseok to the point that every time you went to tell them about your relationship, he’d panicked and stopped you. A secret relationship was better than no relationship, he’d argued.

It had broken your heart to know that your sweet and kind husband had been content with the idea of remaining a secret from his other half’s family, possibly forever. He must have let it slip to Jimin though, which had resulted in Jimin convincing Hoseok to give it a chance. You had no idea what he’d said, but you suspected it was something along the lines of ‘you love my sister, not my family. We don’t even love our family’, or at least that’s what you imagined.

Unsurprisingly, your parents had gone nuclear when they’d been introduced to Hoseok. You still cried today about the things they’d said to him, finding everything possible to pick apart about him. His piercings and tattoos had produced a physical reaction of disgust, despite the fact he’d dressed nice for the occasion.

The fact that he was rich, very rich, and successful with his band didn’t even register to them. They’d focused on his poor upbringing, the poverty he’d grown up in and the dangerous school he’d been educated in. They’d sneered at the fact he’d dropped out of high school to join the band, drums being his one escape from his life that a kindly music teacher had encouraged him in.

Everything that they could have skewered Hoseok with, they did until eventually you had a full on screaming match with them. Your father and mother were used to being obeyed though and they’d thought that you would eventually back down, as you always had. But they’d underestimated just how much you loved the man who had sat there and taken their verbal abuse without so much as a flinch, all because he loved you.

And so you’d refused to break the proposal and refused point blank to leave him either. That had enraged them and led to you becoming disowned from the family, cut off from any funding and banned from any family events. They’d tried their hardest to enforce it on Jimin, but he’d quite plainly told them they either let him continue his relationship with you, or they could disown him as well. And he was more important than you to the family.

The harsh severing of your family ties had upset Hoseok intensely, leading to him suggesting that perhaps you might want to leave him. Family was important to him, with his band members being his adopted family that he relied and depended on intensely. But you’d simply noted that he was your family now, and one day you’d have a family that you would both love without reservations. It just so happened the people who had given you life didn’t want to be part of that.

Running a finger along Jimin’s face, you give a soft smile that wobbles ever so slightly. Jimin was the only blood family you would claim now, and you wished him to have the happiest life possible. He was the one who had walked you down the aisle and the one who had cried like a baby giving his speech at your reception.

And he was the one who had given Hoseok courage to do things he’d been terrified of, becoming your husband’s brother just as much as your own. Placing the frame on the bookcase you’d built earlier, you vowed to call him over to show him your new home as soon as possible.

Realising that you’d been putting the frames out in complete silence, you frown slightly before heading over to the bedroom. The door was shut, but you open it quietly before leaning against the frame, tongue in your cheek as you watch the spectacle in front of you.

Your new husband is sat on the floor, his ripped black jeans stretching over his muscular thighs while his plain white shirt makes the colourful tattoos rippling along his arms and neck stand out even further. His black hair is a complete mess on his head, and his hand running through it once more lets you know why.

Watching in silence, you smirk slightly as he sucks on of his lip rings into his mouth idly, the soft clinking of the metal ring against his teeth the only noise in the otherwise silent room. His brow is creased as he reads the instructions on the sheet in front of him, mouth twisting into a confused expression before he looks back at the bed he’d said he’d build.

You’d both opted to fill the large master bedroom with a queen sized bed, allowing the two of you plenty of space to sprawl without interrupting the other. As great as relationships were, sometimes sleep just required you to have your own space without getting tangled in someone else.

He’d taken charge of building the bed while you had opted for the bookcase, though maybe you should have let him build the bookcase instead. Or maybe nothing at all as you look over what is apparently supposed to be a bed. It was a four poster bed which required piecing together carefully, and it was with lots of bemusement and a little frustration that you note that your husband has managed to put half the bed together one way and the other half the other way.

How he’d managed that, you’ll never know.

The shifting of your feet catches his attention and he looks over suddenly, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Said eyes flicker back to the deformed bed before he looks back over, a sweet and innocent smile causing his cute dimples to appear.

“Hi.” He says simply, fingers tightening slightly around the instructions while a dusky rose brushes his cheeks. Stepping into the room, you let the door close behind you before crouching down next to him and simply observing the bed.

“I thought you said that you could put it together?” You ask, tone carefully neutral. He reluctantly looks at the bed too and gives a tiny shrug, his shoulders rising slightly in embarrassment. Lifting the instructions he waves them and the crackling of paper takes over.

“I totally could. It’s just...these instructions make no sense.” He mumbles towards the end, sucking a lip ring in again as he nervously chews it. Pressing your lips together to try and stop the smile that wants to spread, you reach forward and gently tug the lip ring back out.

“You always eat that ring when you lie baby. You didn’t read the instructions did you?” Hoseok’s mouth opens to refute your statement before he realises that you obviously know. Letting out a deep sigh, his shoulders lower as he nods, pretty pink lips puckering into a pout.

Laughing quietly, you lean forward and press the quickest kiss to those lips before leaning back. “I told you to read them. I read my instructions and the bookcase is done.” He fumbles for a moment, trying to figure out what to say before giving you a dejected look.

“I thought it would be easy.” The corners of his lips turn down before he suddenly brightens up, his expression getting light and happy as he points at the queen sized mattress taking up the corner, covered in the duvet and pillows you’d bought to combat the cool nights of autumn.

“I put the covers on the duvet though! They’re pretty…” He trails off, gaze looking down before he looks up at you through his lashes. “Like you.” You laugh out loud at that, noting the neutral flower pattern that you’d both chosen at the home decoration store.

“You’re such a charmer. That mouth will get you anything won’t it?” You grin, dropping to your knees and pressing another kiss to his forehead. When you pull back, you note that his eyes have closed in contentment while a tiny smile graces his face.

“You’ve never complained about this mouth before.” He whispers, voice low and raspy as he opens his eyes to reveal them slightly glazed. A tiny smirk raises the corner of his mouth before he’s tugging you into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist and rocking slightly as you squeal and laugh.

Stopping, you simply admire his face for a few moments while he does the same in turn to you. The septum piercing that had sent your mother into fits combines with the two lip rings to always give the impression that this is a man who likes the wilder side of life. A few of your friends wonder why on earth he would choose to interrupt such an arresting face, but you liked his piercings.

They turned a sculpture perfect face into something more realistic, intentionally interrupting the model worthy lines that swoop and swerve to produce the face you’d fallen for years ago. Running your fingers through his soft hair, you let your nails gently drag along his scalp and take enjoyment out of the soft shudder of pleasure that runs through his body.

Your other hand comes up to play with his earrings, the black plugs that take up space in his ear lobes, the industrial piercing in his left ear and the countless rings that scatter across his right ear. You’d teased him plenty of times for being addicted to piercings as well as tattoos, particularly when he decided to get his lip rings but he’d simply shrugged.

“I thought you wanted me to build the bed.” A gravel like tone makes your insides quiver and the heady look in his eyes has you squirming slightly. Despite his words, his hands are slowly running the length of your waist in slow and calculated movements.

Looking back at the bed you’d have to dismantle, you shrug before looking over to the mattress on the floor. “We don’t need a bed, just a mattress.” Tugging your lip into your mouth, his eyes watch the movement intently and you feel his hands tighten ever so slightly. Reaching down, you take his left hand and slowly bring it to your lips, pressing feather soft kisses on the pad of his fingers.

When you kiss his ring finger, you go one step further by slowly sucking it into your mouth, pressing your tongue firmly against him until your lips meet his new wedding ring. He watches with an open mouth, the softest groan leaving him at the sight while his eyes go hooded as you swirl your tongue around his ring.

Pulling his finger out slowly, you press the final kiss to his pinkie finger before leaning forward to meet his lips. He’s eager and you feel more than a few wisps of neediness as his tongue meets yours, fighting for dominance until you’re both gasping for breath. Normally you’d give him it, preferring to let him control the sex and rule over you.

But today you feel like turning the tables and it takes so little effort to tug at the silky strands of his hair. He lets out a quiet noise of annoyance at not getting way until your tugging becomes firmer, gripping tight and pulling until his head slowly rolls backwards.

You don’t move though and the seal of your lips breaks, leaving you both panting at each other as he looks up at you with defiance and lust. The thick column of his throat moves as he swallows, the angle causing it to be more defined than normal and you let out a muted moan at the sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing.

The vibrant splashes of colour that line his throat are even more visible at this angle, easily seen from above the low cut of his collar. Vivid red roses clash with yellow sunflowers, tiny little skulls visible in the gaps inbetween and without a thought you’re mouthing along them. His body stiffens and you feel him trying to pull his head back, but the firm grip you have on him stops him.

The tattoos provide the perfect canvas to trail and you slowly run your tongue along the bold black outlines. He shudders and a deep groan vibrates through his throat onto your tongue, the vibrations acting like a direct line to your pussy as you clench around nothing.

“Baby, we don’t have any of our toys.” He manages to get out and you pull away, looking down at his flushed face. Smirking, you close in on him and watch his wide pupils blow out at the look in your face. Your tongue lazily plays with his lip ring, causing him to open his mouth slightly and let you see a glimpse the tongue piercing he’d gotten a few months before your wedding.

“I don’t want to be your little bitch today. You messed up the bed, so I think it’s time for my little drummer boy to shut up and let Mistress have some fun, yeah?” He fights it for a moment, a whole myriad of emotions fleeting across his face quickly from annoyance to craving.

Your sexual relationship with Hoseok had nearly always been with him in the driving seat. Under his caring and experienced hands, you’d reached new heights of pleasure that you’d only read about in books or seen in films. It had taken you over a year before you finally realised that Hoseok was not, in fact, a sole dom but that he also enjoyed switching into submissive on occasion.

It was usually when he felt like it though and you rarely engaged in it, preferring to have your Master take care of you. But sometimes, like today, the Mistress just came right out with a need to bring him under control.

You watch with eager eyes as his expression finally flattens out, deep brown eyes watching you carefully as every muscle in his body relaxes under you. His next words have your body shuddering with excitement and pleasure, hearing something you never thought you’d be interested in but had learnt to love. “Yes Mistress. I’ll be a good boy.”

A caring smile paints itself on your face and you let go of his hair lightly, gently running your hand along his jaw while your thumb strokes his cheek. Pushing off him, you stand and point to the mattress. “Strip and lay down. And do it slowly, I want to enjoy it.”

He stays still for a moment before his pink tongue flicks out, licking his lips quickly. Moving over to the mattress with long, confident strides, he turns around and gives a slight smirk. Gripping the hem of his shirt, he slowly lifts it before tugging it over his head, leaving him standing in just ripped black jeans.

There’s absolutely no sound between the two of you as he watches, his eyes daring you to do something and you note that he has no intention of being a good boy. He never did when you took control. His fingers slowly move down his torso before reaching the button of his jeans and he moves achingly slow as he undoes them.

Keeping his eyes firmly on you, he lets the jeans slowly drop down his legs, revealing incredibly toned thighs and calves, the golden skin occasionally broken by the odd smattering of colour. With a casual movement, he throws both items of clothing to the side and stands before you naked, his semi-hard cock bobbing slightly in the air.

“I get the feeling you’re not being a good boy,” You murmur, tugging your clothes off quickly to make sure he doesn’t get the pleasure of seeing you strip for him. It doesn’t stop the flare of desire that lights up in his eyes though but he stays quiet.

Once you’re naked, you click your fingers and point to the mattress and he slowly lays down, watching you out of the corner of his eyes. Moving over to him, you smirk at the look of defiance that he gives you before leaning over and biting gently on his side. He hisses immediately, body shifting slightly to get away from you but you simply lave the sore spot with your tongue slowly.

His chest is taken up with a huge tattoo of a phoenix, golds and reds exploding across his chest in a vision of fire which slowly transform into dragons, fighting over his stomach. You take your time to repaint the pictures with your tongue, making sure to keep the touch light so as to drive his senses crazy.

“Baby…” He moans out as you hit a particularly sensitive spot, his twitching erection catching your attention out of the corner of your eye. You curse the fact that your toys are all gone, desperately wanting to put his cock ring on him, but when his hand twines in your hair, you decide to improvise.

Reaching back over, you grab your shirt and take his hands, pressing them together before tying the fabric firmly around them. He scowls at you but stays quiet, being good for once though the lip rings ruin the image completely.

“I don’t have much to make you be good little drummer boy, but you will be good otherwise you won’t cum. Got that? I’ll leave you hard and aching, and if you get yourself off then you’re not having sex for a while.” He gapes at you slightly and goes to complain before snapping his jaw shut with an audible click.

“Yes Mistress.” Hoseok mutters and you laugh, dragging your fingernails along his stomach and enjoying the way his muscles convulse immediately. Leaning down, you let your tongue circle one nipple, peaked from the cool temperature, and he’s letting out a restrained grunt.

You move down his stomach, enjoying the way his toned muscles flex underneath your mouth before you reach the patch of hair that surrounds the base of his cock. Nosing along the soft skin, you smile slightly when you feel the tip of him brush against your cheek, leaving a wet trail behind.

Looking up at him, you smirk as his face scrunches up at the sight of his precum that streaks your cheek. You decide to leave it there, knowing how much he loves it when your face gets messy from him but abandon that area of his body completely. Even though he’s trying to follow your orders, he can’t stop the ghost of a whine that leaves his throat as you move away from the area he wants you in most.

Throwing a leg over his waist, you look down on him from your lofty position and smile brightly. His face shifts into a look of confusion before his eyes narrow in suspicion. You say nothing for a moment, simply lowering yourself and slowly grinding against his stomach, letting out a quiet moan as he unwittingly stimulates your clit.

Immediately he’s lifting his head and looking at the spot, letting out a breathy sigh at the sight of you leaving behind wetness on him. Pushing at his shoulder, you make him lay back down and continue to rotate your hips slowly, eyes fluttering closed as you use his body to give you pleasure.

You carry on like this for a few minutes, your pants slowly growing louder while his face looks more pained the longer you go on. Stopping your movement suddenly, you look down at the wet mess you’re making on his stomach and grin broadly, shifting further down his body in slow and sensual movements.

His cock brushes against your clit as you move, causing him to choke on a breath at the oversensitivity he’s suffering from not being touched. “Watch me little drummer boy.” You whisper low, voice gruff and immediately his bringing his head up to watch you.

Keeping firm eye contact with Hoseok, you lazily lap up the wet patch of your juices on his stomach and hum contently, causing a whistling whine to leave his throat at the sight. “Do you want to taste me too?” You ask innocently, making your eyes go big and wide as you pout your lips ever so slightly.

His head is moving in a nod before you’ve even finished your sentence and your lips tug into a smile. “Yes Mistress, please Mistress.” You sit back on his thigh, finger tapping your lips as you consider for a few moments just to prolong his need before giving a cute nod.

“Okay, you can taste Mistress.” He’s about to move, muscles rippling across his body as he expects you to lay down and for him to nestle between your legs. But instead, you press a hand firmly onto his stomach, leading him to frown in confusion.

Without a word, you crawl up his body slowly, a predatory gaze of seduction in your eyes that has him swallowing thickly. You keep going until your positioned directly above his face, giving him the perfect view up your body, but most importantly of the achingly empty and wet place between your thighs that’s just begging for his tongue.

“Eat.” You order, grinning as you lower yourself enough so that he can reach you without getting neck ache. There’s a moment of nothing as he simply watches you with blown out eyes before he opens his mouth and slowly extends his tongue. The sight has you shivering, but it’s the gentle touch of his tongue to your soaking entrance that has you moaning out loudly.

He doesn’t bother with your clit for the moment, instead sinking his tongue as far as he can into you before slowly pulling it back out. Hoseok repeats the action for the next minute, going as slowly as he can until your hips are pushing down on him desperately, body tightening around the thick, wet muscle.

“Speed it up, drummer boy,” You curse quietly, voice demanding and sharp as you reach down and grip at his hair. He grunts in response before acknowledging your order, his tongue beginning to simulate his cock as he fucks you faster. Each curl of his tongue inside your pussy has you gasping out, face creasing in concentration as your thighs tremble.

It’s made even more pleasurable by the ball of his tongue piercing pressing against your inner walls, each stroke pressing the metal against you firmly and sparking tiny wildfires of pleasure in your body. He pulls his tongue out of you and slowly licks up to your clit, playing with the engorged bundle of nerves lazily with the tip before pressing firmly against you.

His piercing hits your clit perfectly and he can tell by the way your body jerks forward slightly, an animalistic groan leaving your throat as your hand tightens in his hair, other hand falling forward onto the mattress. Tiny movements of his tongue stimulates your clit, which when combined with the overwhelming wetness of his tongue has you letting out noises that would have embarrassed you years ago.

“Make me cum little drummer boy, make me cum on all over your face yeah?” You whisper out, voice haggard from your moans. Wrapping his lips around your clit, he hums in acknowledgement before his tongue goes to work. The flexing of his hands underneath the shirt restraint lets you know that he’d be fingering you right now he could get his hands into position and the knowledge makes you clench.

It’s a heady combination that tips you over the edge, sparks of pleasure erupting from your stomach outwards as your husband’s talented tongue makes you orgasm for what feels like a whole minute. He doesn’t stop either, continue to kitten lick at your overly sensitive clit until your hissing, lifting yourself just enough that his tongue can’t reach you anymore.

Moving a jelly like thigh over his body, you slump against the wall and pant as you watch him. He eyes you with a smug look, licking his lips slowly and you’re clenching around nothing at all at the sight of his wet cheeks and chin. Leaning forward, you ignore the complaints of your thigh muscles as you ever so slowly tongue yourself off his face, enjoying the hissing sigh he lets out as you do.

“You were a good boy. I think I should reward you.” You murmur, pressing an open kiss to his mouth and moving away before he can react. Before he can say anything else, you grab a tight hold of his cock which has his hips jerking up automatically.

Eyeing the thick member with hunger, you squeeze tightly while stroking upwards, the skin hot and silk soft underneath your hand and encasing what feels like steel underneath. Whiny pants leave his throat at your touch, morphing into a low groan when you reach his tip and swipe a thumb over the slit there, wiping at the pre-cum currently leaking from him.

“So hard, I think someone likes being dominated by his wife right?” You ask, voice pleasant and smile sweet as you look back at him. He twitches in your hand at the word ‘wife’ and you have to bite your lip to stop yourself from saying something. Even in the midst of being dominated, he gets turned on you calling yourself his wife. Cute.

Twisting your hand around his shaft, you stroke in a consistent manner that has him writhing on the bed. His precum isn’t providing enough lubrication for you and so you engulf him in your mouth, his frustrated red tip being swallowed whole as you move him even further till he hits the back of your throat.

Staying there for a moment, you continue to stroke him from his base to your lips before you swallow around his tip, causing him to cry out. You keep him firmly in place by pressing your other hand to his hips hard before you slowly pull your head up, tongue leaving a slick trail up the underside of his cock as you do so.

Shifting your hand, you cup his balls gently, playing with them while you lick at him with tiny, almost non-existent licks. It amuses you slightly how you push his cock away with your tongue and how it comes back immediately, desperate for your touch.

Looking back at him momentarily, you note his closed eyes and the look of pleasure and frustration that has his face creasing. His colourful arms are tensed, the muscles gained from drumming prominent, yet you note with pleasure that he’s following orders and hasn’t moved them.

Turning back to his dick, currently swaying as if trying to get your attention, you smirk before making your next move. Squeezing his balls just enough to be pleasurable, you lick along his frenulum at the same and enjoy the explosive curse words he’s shouting out.

Grinning, you take him fully into your mouth once more and begin to hum along to one of his songs that is in your head. You know the vibrations are driving him wild from the tiny thrusts his hips are making before he’s suddenly letting out a strained laugh. “Good one Mistress, singing my song to me.”

You pull off him with a wet pop before grinning back at him, giving him a slow wink before licking along the thick vein of his cock like a lollipop, all the while maintaining eye contact. He grits his teeth at the sight, letting his head fall back with a frustrated cry.

Getting bored of blowing him for a few minutes, you let his cock fall to his stomach before sitting back and looking at him. He lifts his head up to gaze at you again, expression fucked out and hair even more all over the place than when you’d first come in here.

Smiling at him, you straddle his waist before taking a firm grip of him, rocking your hips lazily so that he’s slipping between your lower lips, pressing against your clit and getting covered in a delicious wetness. Hoseok bites his lip at the sight and you enjoy watching your husband, tattooed, pierced and normally so dominant, being so pliant and submissive between your legs.

“Do you want to be inside me?” You ask charmingly, a coy smile on your lips. He reverts his focus from between your thighs to your eyes, nodding before he even realises what he’s doing apparently.

“Okay, you’ve been a good little drummer boy today haven’t you?” You say, slipping the tip of him inside you and letting out a soft moan as your slickness makes his entrance easy. He lets out a responding groan, the sound elongating as you slowly sink down his length.

Your eyes rolls back into your head as he bottoms out, your thighs releasing any tension as you rest on top of him for a moment. It fascinates you how he always feels so damn good inside you, cock filling every empty space and pressing against all the spots that make you cry out in bliss.

Squeezing around him experimentally, you can’t help but beam at the ceiling as you feel your husband jerk underneath you. Letting your head fall back down, you clench your thighs to lift yourself up, almost to the point he’s in danger of slipping out of you before slowly sliding back down him.

The next few minutes are just filled of that, the heady sounds of both of your pants and along with the slick sounds of his dick moving in you. Pressing a hand to his stomach and letting the other rest on the mattress, you use the position to speed up your movements, hips rotating on each rock and causing him to press against the extra special spongy bundle of nerves inside you.

“Hoseok…” You whisper, your willingness to continue on the dominant role disappearing with each thrust. This was why he was the better dom, as he had an iron control over his desire and could keep it up for ages. You on the other hand put up a reasonable start before dissolving into fits of need.

It’s hard to care though when you open your eyes and see him watching you, mouth open as he gulps for breath while sweat is already causing his tanned skin to glow even more. Any control you have vanishes as you lean forward, catching his lips with your own and whining at the feel of the cool lip rings pressing against you.

He can tell that the game is up, resulting in his arms flexing for a few moments before there’s a quiet ripping sound and his hands are free. If you weren’t so completely gone on the pleasure his cock is providing, his own hips moving up to meet yours, you’d have complained at him ruining yet another shirt.

Instead, you simply open your mouth when he swipes his tongue along it, the taste of yourself still strong, and let him take over. Growling slightly, you feel his body tense momentarily before he’s suddenly pushing you over, rolling on top of you without even leaving your body.

“What happened to Mistress?” He asks, low and strained with effort as he begins to lazily thrust into you, hips snapping forward. You let your head roll back onto the mattress with a sigh as your legs wrap around his lean waist, pressing your feet into the small of his back to encourage him deeper.

“She went away, I want to make love to my husband for the first time in our house.” You whisper, cheeks flushing at your words. You’d worry that he’d find it sappy, or be annoyed that you’d stopped the dominance game with him but instead he just gives you the sweetest smile, his face brightening up as it takes over.

“I can do that.” He murmurs, lowering his head to recapture your lips as his hips continue to move, each thrust of his hips building the ball of pleasure inside of you. One hand leaves your hair to slowly trail down your body, his fingertips igniting fires of pleasure along your sensitive skin until he finally reaches your engorged clit.

Pressing down, he uses two fingers to make tiny circles on the nerve bundle, pressing down until your body twitches in pleasure and letting him know he’s got it right. He makes a circle in time to his movements, angling himself until his penis is pressing firmly against your g-spot with every thrust and you’re letting out quiet whimpers into his mouth.

Each touch of his fingers, combined with his relentless assault on your pussy, eventually has you writhing around on the mattress. “Hoseok please.” You beg, pulling away from his kiss to let your pleading breaths brush against his lip lightly.

“That’s it, come on baby. Cum for me.” He encourages quietly, fingers circling even faster as his hips move even faster. The feeling becomes too overwhelming and suddenly your head is pressing back against the mattress, face contorting into pleasure as a long, low moan is ripped from your throat.

Your inner muscles are convulsing around him continuously, causing him to grunt out in a combination of pain and pleasure, while your hips swivel wildly from the force of your orgasm. Only when you let out a sob of oversensitivity is when he removes his fingers, instead resting his elbow next to you while his head buries itself into your neck while he soon begins to chase his own high.

As you pant desperately, whimpers of pleasure being pulled at the feeling of him fucking into you in your post-orgasm bliss, he begins to let out low grunts and moans. The unbelievably wet sound of him thrusting into you stops suddenly as he presses himself fully inside, body shuddering as he lets out a long sigh that’s filled with satisfaction, cock twitching inside you as he empties himself.

Neither of you move afterwards for a minute, both simply enjoying the quiet moment between the two of you as the sweat on your skin begins to dry, causing your skin to goosebump in the cool air. Lifting his head, he looks at you with a tired grin which ignites a reciprocal smile from you.

Running your fingers through his sweat soaked hair, you tug his head down for another kiss. It’s sweet and chaste compared to what you’d done, but filled with so much love and happiness that you can’t help but sigh as your chest swells with emotion.

Rolling off you, Hoseok lays to your side and simply watches you, chest heaving as he works to regulate his breathing. Wrapping a tattooed arm around your waist, he tugs you closer before resting his head on your shoulder. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed, and you can’t help but bury your nose into his hair, inhaling the enhanced sweaty scent of him and the strawberry shampoo he’d used this morning.

“Are you happy?” Hoseok asks softly, his warm breath tickling your throat. Today was the first day you’d come into your new home, with the last two weeks spent in Greece on your honeymoon. Despite how content you’d both been, you could hear the slight anxiety and worry in his voice and it caused your heart to clench.

He was still worried that you’d realise one day that you’d made a mistake by marrying him. By choosing him.

Rolling onto your side to face him, you trail your fingers over his cheek gently before giving him a reassuring smile. “I’m happy with you.” You say firmly, trying hard to put your love and belief in him into your voice.

He stays quiet for a moment, chewing on his lip in a desperate effort to try and prevent a smile. It’s futile though and you see it creep along slowly, the tiny mole on his upper lip prominent. In an attempt to create a distraction, he nods over to the monstrosity he’d created earlier. “Even though I can’t even build a bed?”

You laugh softly and kiss his chin. “Beds are overrated. But I believe with my whole heart that you’ll definitely be better at building a life with me.”

“Is your name Mozzarella? As apparently I married a giant cheeseball.” He snorts, but he can’t stop the tinge of rose that spreads across his cheeks, or the content smile that makes its way across his face. You feel relief to see that.

Pushing at his bare chest lightly, you whine softly before cuddling back up to the warmth he offers in the cold and empty room. “You love it.” You whisper against the phoenix that adorns him.

He quietens before hugging you tighter, his hands stroking up your back. “I love you.”

“Hi Mr Cheddar, my names Mozzarella and it’s nice to meet you.” You say cheekily, grinning at his exasperated sigh.

“I love you only sometimes.”

[roselleparknews]

For the last time, this is a review of the events and people in Roselle Park who helped shape the borough’s 117th year of existence in 2018. Both the well-known and perhaps unknown, here we go:

  10. Take The Stage & Play Yer Guitar On the summer solstice this year, Roselle Park for the first time took to the stage as part of the worldwide event Make Music Day. With years – sometimes decades – of practice dedication mastering their instruments and playing in front of live audiences, musicians gathered and shared their love of music with passersby and residents in the borough.

A few weeks earlier the call had gone out for musicians of all skill levels to sign up. Professional bands, accomplished songwriters, and up-and-coming artists all submitted their musical resumes. An impressive list of applicants took to the stage.

Among them was Rob Domanski. He loves music.

In the age of technology where a lot is available through a computer or tablet or phone screen, Rob taught himself the age-old craftsmanship of playing the guitar solely through YouTube videos. Day after day he watched and practiced.

Then came the opportunity to play in front of people when he heard about Make Music Day. He saw a chance to play in front of an audience. Frightening? A bit, but he still went on and played.

He went and did it.

He did not tell himself ‘I can do it next year’ or wait till he got it perfect. He got it done.

Just like Roselle Park’s Make Music Day. The small town in New Jersey saw the chance to join a worldwide event and took it. Get the word out, get people involved, and do it.

And that is really what matters – to just do something, see the opportunity and take it.

Keep practicing, keep playing, and keep doing it.

  9. Finally, Enough With The Crap (Hopefully) In May of this year, Resolution 156-18 put an end to a very little known secret among members of the governing body – a big paycheck for attending anything from none to ten (10) meetings a year. Up until then, any member of mayor & council who would be appointed as the borough’s representative to the Joint Meeting of Essex & Union Counties (JMEUC) was paid over $6,000 a year even if they did not attend any of the sewage authority’s once-a-month meetings. As one of an 11-member board, the JMEUC met to vote on how to spend taxpayers’ dollars on municipalities’ sewer systems – basically crap. This was no different than what is done on other boards the councilmembers take part in, but this one got paid more than half a councilmember’s annual salary. And for a number of years during then-Mayor Joseph DeIorio’s administration, those councilmembers appointed just happened to be running for election. The talk was that the money was basically a campaign slush fund.

Third Ward Councilman William Fahoury, this year’s appointee, donated his JMEUC salary to Roselle Park charities.

Then came Resolution 156-18. It permanently removed the salary from the appointee and instead applied the salary amount equivalent to 11 months as a credit to Roselle Park’s assessment, which it pays to the JMEUC.So, starting this year, instead of having around $6,400 go towards an election campaign fund or other personal use by an elected official, it went back to the residents of the borough.

The only way it can go back to the way things were would require a rescinding of that resolution.

Roselle Park taxpayers should keep aware that such a thing never happens because that would mean that a governing body decided that it cared more about themselves more than the people they represent.

  8. The Sound Of Silence The First Amendment: the right of the people peaceably to assemble.

On the morning of March 14th, a group of around 100 high school students along with teachers and administrators did just that. They took part in a nationwide walkout to remember the 17 students and faculty members who were shot and killed a month earlier at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

At 10 o’clock in the morning, the group stood quietly as the names of the 17 victims were read every 60 seconds by the six female student organizers of the event.

After 17 moments of silence, the students quietly returned to the building and their classes.

Among the accolades and criticism, members of the student body took time to not only exercise their First Amendment rights but to pay their respects to other high school students, who were killed in yet another mass shooting.

  7. Victory M Although it happened during the first month of 2018, this entry into stories of the years was over 80 years in the making. The Roselle Park High School wrestling team achieved its 1,000 dual meet win.

To put how significant an accomplishment that is in context, only three other high schools have ever been recognized for having done that in American history. That averages one win a month since 1936 when RPHS included wrestling in its sports program. Eight coaches throughout the program’s history trained and led RPHS grapplers.

On January 19th, the Roselle Park Panthers faced the Scotch Plains Raiders in a meet that was originally supposed to take place at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. In an honorable show of sportsmanship, the Raiders accommodated the Panthers to allow for an at-the-time possible 1,000th win at home.

Major Decisions, 3-point Decisions, Fall wins, and one pin were part of that evening’s victory.

After the meet was over, the stands emptied as well-wishers, friends, family members, former coaches, former wrestlers, among others congratulated the team. There were photographs, pats on the back, hugs, a banner, a plaque, and even balloons that graced the gymnasium floor with the Roselle Park Panthers at the center of it all.

Still, the team knew it was just a moment, knowing that the most important win is the next one.

  6. Call Number 025 ROT In a small town, a library is more important than one in a huge metropolitan city.

This year, one resident in her will, showed how important she held the Roselle Park Veterans Memorial Library (RPVML) by giving an original amount of $352,848.59 to the Athenaeum. That was later increased to more than half-a-million dollars; $524,862.27 to be exact.Ms. Roth passed away in 2016 at the age of 90. The original bequeathing was announced early this year and increased after a court portioned funds that were supposed to be donated to the Roselle Park First Aid Squad to the RPVML.

But since the Roselle Park First Aid Squad was removed as Roselle Park’s first responder in August of last year, it was deemed a non-operational organization. So 65% of that amount was given to the library.

Where that money is spent is not yet decided but the library board did pass a resolution that funds would be used for a capital improvement project and not for operating costs. That will be decided on next year and will include a survey to ask for input from the residents.

In Roselle Park, the library has become one of the jewels of the borough. Its grounds were renovated to be transformed from what used to be an unremarkable lawn to a beautiful memorial and path that include stanchions to commemorate the armed forces, a Purple Heart Monument, and the Doughboy statue. Now a resident has shown financially how much the library is valued for the benefit of everyone

  5. The Dollars & Cents & Sense & Politics Of Government At the start of this year, a proposal made by former-Mayor and current Council-At-Large Joseph DeIorio to have a more informed governing body when it came to mayoral appointments that required council approval was put into place.Interviewing.Past practice, including when Councilman DeIorio was Mayor for 16 years, was to have the mayor provide the borough clerk with a list of names to put on the agenda for the reorganization meeting. It was during this first meeting that many members of council would see the name of a firm or individual or company that would be appointed for a professional service. These names would be voted on by council to perform duties of affordable housing attorney, auditor, bond counsel, borough attorney, engineer, labor attorney, licensed site remediation professional (LSRP), municipal prosecutor, public defender, redevelopment counsel, and risk manager/insurance broker.

To be clear, bids for the professional services were available to all members of the governing body before the reorganization meeting and it was – and still remains – their responsibility to review all bids. But Councilman DeIorio thought individual sessions with those who bid to work for the municipality would benefit everyone involved. It would allow for an open exchange of questions, concerns, and ideas among the governing body.

At first, then-Mayor Carl Hokanson was against the idea but postponed the appointments until the sessions took place. During those interviews which also served as negotiation sessions, Mayor Hokanson saw their benefit. Instead of coming to the table at the first meeting of the year when the recommendations were on the agenda, the closed session meetings (which are allowed by law) had members of the governing body ask questions that engaged all elected officials so everyone could become informed. In the end, the mayor made his appointments and council approved them – each knowing the decision they made collectively was the most informed.

At the end of this year, the interview/negotiation sessions happened once again. Mayor-elect Joseph Signorello notified members of council that “to be clear there will be no negotiations on my appointments”. He reiterated that council has the power to accept or reject any of his recommendations allowed by law and that members would be “more than welcome to vote no”.Mayor-elect Signorello added that he did not “want to set false expectations that council will have appointment power outside of what already lies with them (President, Class III MLUB, Diversity, and Rec Comm)”. He was reminded that the interview/negotiations were not an attempt to remove mayoral power in making recommendations but to simply allow council as well as the mayor to be better informed on those who asked to represent the municipality in 2019.

The practice is a good one and should make a more informed governing body who can, at any time, fully explain why a certain person or law firm or company was working on behalf of the borough.

  4. For The Love Of The Palette & The Staff A really important issue that impacts elementary school students’ instruction time has, at this time, the possibility of a beneficial outcome for elementary school students. In 2017, there was a lessening of classroom instruction for art and music due to a clause of the 2015-2018 Collection Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Roselle Park Education Association (RPEA) and the Roselle Park Board Of Education (BOE) that had not been adhered to/noticed until the start of the 2017-18 school year. Enforcing this clause of seven preparation periods from five had an impact on time for art and music.

This year during negotiations for the 2018-2021 CBA, prep periods were part of the talks. In the end, neither of the parties could reach an agreement on the number of prep periods and the total time to be allotted for them.

Just recently, this morning, as a matter of fact, the RPEA president stated that the teachers’ union would be open to discussing the matter as a sidebar agreement which would not open up the CBA again for negotiation but allow for the possibility of changing prep periods.

This positive development will require input and attention from elementary school parents to give their children as well-rounded an education as possible next year.

  3. The Development Of Development Development was a major highlight of Mayor Carl Hokanson’s administration. For good or bad, Mayor Hokanson in his four years in office has created more discussion on and opportunities for residential development than any mayor in the last 50 years – including Joseph DeIorio.This year saw Mimi’s Pizzeria & Italian Ice get approved for development and closed up to return in the near future as a 14-condominium development. The pizzeria will return as part of the development.

Hunter property along West Webster Avenue at Locust Street started the process of having a hearing before the Municipal Land Use Board (MLUB) to have a redevelopment plan approved for its site. But the cogs of government bureaucracy slowed development on the Hunter property to a stop at the end of this year. As part of the process, the MLUB reviews the redevelopment plan and sends its recommendations to the governing body who then reviews them and votes on approving the redevelopment plan. This important step for the Hunter property – which was scheduled to be completed by the end of this year – will possibly have to start all over again in 2019 due to the fact that mayor & council was not clear about the recommendations of the MLUB. The reason this happened was due to Council-At-Large Joseph DeIorio, who was the council liaison for the land use board, not being present at that crucial meeting because it was the Monday before election day.

Not having him present created a vacuum in having someone being able to explain what the MLUB’s concerns were. This delayed the approval of the plan till December and this delay pushed the redevelopment plan to next year since an ordinance is required to formally adopt the redevelopment plan.

Now, a developer who thought they had an administration friendly to development now will have to go before a new administration – that of Mayor Joseph Signorello III – who ran a campaign opposing and cautious of the current state of residential development in Roselle Park.

And then there is the Ryan property along West Lincoln Avenue between Chestnut Street and Locust Street next to the NJ Transit train station. This long-talked-about area is stalled to even be designated as an area in need of redevelopment until, at least, February. This is due to one property – the only property not owned by the Ryan family – which is in the middle of the area. The homeowners of that property do not want to be considered as part of the area in need of redevelopment. The MLUB adjourned the matter until February to have the hearing so the homeowners in opposition of the designation can provide testimony as to why they should not be included in the area. It also serves as a time in which perhaps both parties can negotiate among themselves to reach a mutually beneficial resolution.

Finally, there is Fernmoor Homes, a developer whose amendment to an existing redeveloper’s agreement was approved unanimously by council for the property locally known as the Romerovski property. Originally, Roselle Park VP LLC was a partnership between AvalonBay Communities and Israel Braunstein, the owner of the property at 430 West Westfield Avenue by the train overpass. The amended redeveloper’s agreement officially removed AvalonBay Communities as a member of the limited liability company and was replaced by Fernmoor Homes. In 2009 after the municipality reached a settlement with the developer to stop a builder’s remedy lawsuit brought by Roselle Park VP LLC. The new amendment agreement proposed a 218-residential unit apartment complex with 33 of them being affordable housing units. This is down from the original AvalonBay Communities proposal of 249 apartments. The absence of commercial space is still part of the project; it will only be apartments. The amended redeveloper’s agreement extends the deadline for construction to begin by two years – from December 31, 2018, to December 31, 2020.

All these developments are something that residents should keep informing themselves on because it will shape development throughout the borough.

  2. Meridia Meridia the one word that could represent development as a whole in Roselle Park. Meridia is the name of one approved and another proposed project managed by parent company Capodagli Property Company (CPC).

Currently, there is one site at 610 West Westfield Avenue in the area of the old Domani’s/Yesterdays restaurant and surrounding lots that is being constructed. It is a 212-apartment complex two-building residential complex. There is 5,000 sq. ft. of commercial space on the ground floor; although unnamed the developer has stated they would want one or more restaurants, as of yet, none has been publicly named. That project will have PILOT, or Payment In Lieu of Taxes.

The other proposed project named Meridia Park Square is in the midst of negotiations for a 370 to 380 residential unit complex at the former site of Sullivan Chevrolet located right in the middle of Roselle Park on Westfield Avenue at the intersection of Chestnut Street.

It was hoped by CPC to have the redeveloper’s agreement, which details the specifics of what will be built on the location, approved this year.

The election of Mayor Joseph Signorello III has those in favor of the Sullivan Meridia project concerned. During the campaign, then-mayoral candidate Signorello stated, “I don’t think the first Meridia development was a good deal and I don’t think the proposed second Meridia is a good deal either. I’ve told Mike Lapolla this, and I’ve stated it on record numerous times. It’s too many apartments.”

But there is uneasiness from some that instead of putting a pause to the development at the Sullivan property, the new mayor might approve it. In his comment, incoming Mayor Signorello referred to Michael Lapolla, who was a consultant – some would say a lobbyist – for the first Meridia project. Mayor Signorello accepted a campaign contribution during the election. In addition to that, Mayor Signorello, as of December 31, 2018, has recommended Kevin Kolbeck to be appointed to the Municipal Land Use Board (MLUB), a board that would deal with developers, including Meridia.

During the groundbreaking for the first Meridia project, Michael Lapolla told a story of how Meridia came to Roselle Park. He knew George Capodagli, the owner and CEO of CPC, who was looking for a town that would welcome development. Mr. Lapolla remarked, “It all started with a leaky sink.”He then went on to say he called his friend, Kevin Kolbeck, who was also his plumber to fix the sink. Mr. Lapolla clarified, “My friend first and my plumber second.”He talked with Kevin about CPC and Mr. Kolbeck introduced Michael to then-Mayor Carl Hokanson, who turned out to be a strong supporter of Meridia development.

Now, the new mayor who said he that he did not think he did not think the proposed Sullivan Meridia project was a good deal accepted a campaign contribution from a consultant for the parent company of Meridia and looks to appoint the person who introduced the developer to Roselle Park.

There are those who support the current proposed development at the Sullivan property of up to 380 apartments and those who do not. The majority of the current governing body wants to address affordable housing as part of the project while there are those who have said they do not want it, even going so far as saying they do not want ‘those kinds of people’ in the borough. Based on the average income for people who can qualify for affordable housing, a large number of Roselle Park residents could easily fall under the economic level of ‘those kinds of people’.

Either way, how the development at Sullivan will be the most important impact on how Roselle Park will look and be perceived as for decades to come. If the new administration keeps to its platform of being against the currently proposed project it will allow residents to help shape what should go there by basically going back to the beginning. If the incoming mayor and councilman approve or push for the development in its current form, they will have to explain why they contradicted one of the reasons people elected them into office.

  1. Niah Travers The 18-year-old has had a notable year of being involved and being part of a community without wanting the spotlight or kudos. Niah, (pronounced NEE-uh) was one of the leaders of the student walkout (#8) earlier this year. In helping organize and take part, she helped students know that they had a voice – even if it was one communicated through silence.

She took part as a panelist for the mayoral debate this year. In asking questions of those vying to become the head of the borough, Niah showed that the youth of Roselle Park have a voice that should be heard.

She signed up to join the United States Army to serve her country. She is back from boot camp but will return on January 3, 2019. She will be working on moving into her job in the legal field in Virginia for about seven months. From there, she plans to attend Rowan University in September of 2019.

Niah, along with her family, moved to the borough about six years ago. Since that time she has become involved little by little in the place that she calls home. This year was a milestone with student activism, graduation, taking part in a debate, and joining the Army. In fact, she left for boot camp a couple of days right after she took part in the debate.

Niah is much like the numerous other residents who I have had the absolute pleasure of knowing throughout the years. They selflessly give of themselves without wanting fanfare or accolades. Niah and many other residents do things because they understand it is a privilege to help others, not a self-serving entitlement.

Niah is the person of the year. She is a person who displays the qualities that show the best of what residents of a one-square-mile town can do.

Niah standing to the right of her mother Shante (click to view full-size photograph)

                              In The Year Of Our Lord 2018: Year In Review For the last time, this is a review of the events and people in Roselle Park who helped shape the borough's 117th year of existence in 2018.

[muni-is-never-ready]

day6 mv trilogy au: brian x dowoon x kim jieun

warning: this is very self indulgent

but listen to me: every day6 aug/sep/oct au brian x dowoon x jieun (the girl in the mvs)

imagine three cuties: kang younghyun, yoon dowoon and kim jieun

according to the school population: kang younghyun (calls himself young k) is the cocky rebellious bad boy, yoon dowoon is the quiet, mysterious a++ student, and kim jieun is the confident student body president

according to their friends: younghyun (read: brian) is the ridiculously funny and sweet bassist + singer, dowoon is the adorable  drummer, and jieun is the kind hearted photographer (she can sing a little to)

They had mutual friends but they didn’t really talk at first

In many cases, extenuating circumstances made them interact

They were lowkey intrigued by each other tho

They ended up meeting each other in pairs before they all hung out as 3

for brian and dowoon: their science teacher had assigned seat partners for the semester, and seat partners work together on labs as well

jieun and dowoon were also assigned to work on a project for math class

brian and jieun met when jieun helped him out at the convenience store brian worked at (the manager was blaming him for something he didn't do)

It took a bit, but they became more comfortable with each other and hanging out without outside situations making them, and starting to hang out all together

They hang out at dowoon’s house a lot

it’s heartwarming for dowoon, because before brian and jieun, his house would be empty (his mom isn’t home very often)

brian and dowoon play music together, because some of brian and jieun’s friends formed a band

when they practice, jieun listens and tells them what she thinks

and sings along occasionally

she’s confident about her abilities in many things, but not her singing

dowoon is the same, so he usually sticks to drumming

brian tries his best to convince jieun and dowoon that they can sing goddammit

jieun shows brian and dowoon her photos and takes pictures of them

one of her pictures ended up motivating them to confess (explained later)

they also go to the arcade and park often (and occasionally, jieun’s house)

they hang out in pairs sometimes but they’re usually together

(rest under read more because I don’t want to ruin your dash)

Of course, due to their reputations, people started talking once the trio started hanging out at school, eating lunch together and the like

even though the three of them hang out with their own friends, they still did things together

which made the rest of their grade go ???

because to them, the president of student council hanging out with the school’s bad boy? and the mysterious guy opening up to them too? what?

the trio tries their best to ignore that and live their lives, but it seems like no one wants them to forget

one day, the student council had to finalize the budgets of the different extracurricular departments and send it to the administration to approve

the council was divided on whether some of the extra funding from their fundraiser should go to the athletics department or arts department

the sports clubs needed new equipment and the music classes and bands needed money to cover instrument repairs

they couldn’t split the funding to both either, it wouldn’t be enough to cover anything

pretty soon, it was up to jieun

she couldn’t possibly pick a side, both sides needed the money and she couldn’t afford to be biased

she decided that the council would send out a survey and the student body would decide

however, when they called the meeting to a close, her class rep kyungjin came to her

he was one of the main representatives of the sports side of the debate

he accused her of catering to the other side, as she participated in arts events more than sports

she could only say that she couldn't afford to be biased to any side

it was the last straw when kyungjin said ‘don’t sell yourself out to those bastards you seem to pity’

both kyungjin and jieun were lucky he left after saying that

it wouldn’t be good for the president to be found kicking the ass of a rep

dowoon also has a crazy fanclub

At first it was kinda ok

No one did anything invasive or uncomfortable

But then they followed him everywhere and he couldn’t catch a break

it doesn’t help that the fanclub highkey hates both jieun and brian

whenever brian is anywhere near dowoon, they give him dirty looks and push him aside

with jieun, they threaten her when she’s with dowoon and glare daggers at her

keep in mind, this was before the trio started dating

despite this, they stay close as ever

though if it affects any of them, they make sure to remind each other that they are wonderful and no one can tell them they aren’t

It took a bit for each of them to realize their feelings for each other

jieun already knew that her heart could love more than one person, but she was kinda afraid of that

at her previous school, she had a crush on two of her friends who were dating

word spread around and jieun was shunned and her crushes distanced themselves from her

after this, jieun was afraid that her feelings would distance her from brian and dowoon

dowoon didn’t really know what his feelings were

he always suppressed feelings until they barely existed

he had to do an extensive search on the internet about what was going on

“why do i feel weird around these two people” “i kinda want to kiss them idk”

after an unsuccessful try, he later tried again and found out about both bi/pan people, and polyamorous relationships

even when he knew his feelings, he resolved to repress feelings until further notice

brian already knew that he was bi, he had crushes before

but polyamory? he didn't know that

but after confusing himself with ‘you like dowoon, but don't you like jieun? who do you really?’ thoughts, he finally came to terms with himself

he’s kinda relieved that he doesn't have to choose, like in all those love triangles in every drama and book series he hears about

but anyways they all came to terms about their own feelings, but believed that it was impossible that the others felt the same way

they all really want to keep their relationship the way it is, but they also want the romantic aspect

but yeah now they’re in Relationship Limbo™

“are they dating? they’re practically dating”-park jaehyung

remember how a photo helped jieun confess? it makes an appearance now

not exactly in the way you may think

jieun has a project for photography class

they must take a candid photo following the theme of emotion

she was trying to come up with ideas one day when brian and dowoon were jamming in the music room

she asked them if she could use pictures of them for her project, and that she would take more (and not to pose for any) and they said ok

later on, dowoon and brian were jamming to one of Day6 (their band)’s songs

say wow to be exact

at some point, the two boys met eyes and jieun found the opportunity to take a photo

after she took it, her heart did a weird mix of fluttering and sinking

the photo did display emotion, she knew she’d ace the project

but brian and dowoon, they had so much love in their eyes

and jieun believed that that was it; they already are so happy with each other and she doesn’t know where she fits in this

(oh jieun how can you not see how they look at you?)

she decided to distance herself, she believed it would hurt less

she still handed in the photo, and sure enough, the teacher thought it was excellent

but for the two boys, they felt that a part of them was fading away

they also didn't know if they were doing anything wrong

many others noticed how they both just look... sad

and how jieun looks like she’s hurting

others did ask her what was wrong

but jieun’s too good at faking smiles and pretending nothing’s wrong

evidently (as advised by friends) the boys had to intervene and figure out what's going on

well, they had to try to convince themselves that it won’t go as horribly they fear it would be (especially dowoon)

surprisingly, the same day they planned to talk to jieun, she invited them (indirectly) to the rooftop

but sadly, it started raining during class

the trio met again in the top area of the stairwell, just barely lit

there was about a minute of silence before anyone had the confidence to say anything

and jieun started first

she apologized for avoiding them and she started talking about why

neither of the boys could reply, she just addressed their points

jieun continued; she started to talk about the photo incident and how she saw the love in their eyes and believed that her love would not be returned like that

and then brian replied with an “are you crazy? why would we not love you?”

dowoon and brian ended up talking about their feelings when planning how to talk to jieun

they ended up confessing to each other and then talked about their feelings for jieun

dowoon also added that they wanted to ask her why she was avoiding them because the thought of jieun disliking them was just so painful

this ended in a bit of tears and a bit of a group cuddle in a staircase

the trio finally are dating!!!!!!!!!!!!!

after the staircase confessions, they talked out how they want their relationship to be

they’re in a closed triad for now, but if anyone catches feelings for anyone else, they’ll open it

their friends rejoice

the trio are happy and not dancing around each other

it takes a bit before they can start being affectionate during school

it was already hectic when they weren’t dating

when they do, people still raise eyebrows at them

at a council meeting, jieun is asked why she was seen with two different guys and she had to explain her relationship to them

the council still supports her even though they may not fully understand

even if there are some that try to attack jieun for it

because no one else lets it slide

especially jieun

because no one can attack her boys and get away with it

another big fear was dowoon’s fanclub

and sure enough, they were rude at first

but dowoon finally had the courage to speak to the leader to stop

and that if they did support him so much, they wouldn’t attack the two people he cared about the most

after a bit, they did calm down and support dowoon nicely

they also realized that brian and jieun weren’t as bad as they thought

a couple of them became good friends with brian and jieun

the trio got what they wanted: their closeness and trust from their friendship along with the affection of a romantic relationship

they still hang out together, come over to each others’ houses and have fun together

they just added a lot more kisses and cuddles and general romantic affection

oh yeah! I almost forgot to talk about family

as mentioned earlier, dowoon’s mom isn’t home very often due to work

ever since his parents divorced, his mom became more of a workaholic to support him, which worried dowoon alot

but recently, his mom is making more of an effort to connect with him

and they recently started having weekly long phone calls talking about any worries

she also recently got to talk to jieun and brian and she approves!

jieun has a single father and a younger brother

she does take care of her family really well and she loves them alot

her brother is in middle school

he’s very energetic and is the definition of a happy virus

he’s also learning the bass guitar

so he really looks up to brian! He thinks that brian’s so cool and plays so well!

and he also thinks dowoon is very cool because he can drum well and he likes the same manga he does!

when he found out his big sister was dating them he got so excited!!!!!!

her father originally took some time to understand jieun being poly

but now he is super understanding

with brian and dowoon, he knew that they would treat jieun nicely

fun fact: jieun’s dad originally wary of brian but after a bit (and brian helping him out and generally being a sweetheart) he absolutely adores him

brian stays with his aunt and uncle

they are actual sweeties

he only started living with them recently because his parents threw him out for his sexuality

but his aunt and uncle are very open minded and let him in

they live close to the school as well

for a while, brian couldn't really talk about himself because of how he had to live with his parents

but after figuring out that his new guardians genuinely want to know about him he started to open up

and once jieun and dowoon started to visit more often, he got more comfortable telling about his relationship

his aunt and uncle really appreciate having them around

so yeah! happy brian!

when it comes to dates, they just do whatever they feel

they usually go to places like restaurants, the movies, and theme parks

occasionally they do things as pairs

like brian+dowoon going out to that cnblue concert they wanted to go to, dowoon+jieun going to art galleries, and brian+jieun going to parks and taking long walks and picnics

they sometimes do things like visiting the Han river

but generally, they don’t focus on extravagant dates, but whatever makes them happy

so yeah! the trio are in a very happy and healthy relationship where they support and love each other and talk out any conflicts

I hope you enjoyed reading this! If you have any headcanons about this or anything else related, please tell me!!!!!

[momazvz]

Doodle maker

Tried of braking your piggy banks and emptying your pockets to pay all your profit away to some stranger? just so they can take up to a month to come up with a 60 second advertisement video that most likely wasent anything like you imagine your dream business being advertised? and then sell it to you for an outrageous price.

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you worked hard to build and create your business form the bottom up you shouldn't half to put yourself through all that frustration just for a 90 second video that mostly dident completely capture the gist of what you wanted to say.

so STOP WAISTING TIME AND MONEY.

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because in this review i will tell you.

in this review i will provide you information on.

•what doodle maker dose.

•how it could help you

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•how to use doodle maker

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• what is doodle maker and what dose it do?

doodle maker is a futuristic artificial intelligence technology software program that can convert any text or text-to-speech into a customized cartoon doodle video . Intelligently programmed to be quick and easy to use. this doodle maker video software makes it easy to make trendy doodle videos that will cetch the eye of your specific targeted audience and keep them glued to the screen.

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Doodle maker provides you with detailed directions on thare simple to use doodle video maker 3 step software program.

doodle videos are 3 times more likely to be shared and can increase you referral rates for your offers by 32%.

with doodle maker you can cose from a blackboard background, a whiteboard background and a clear background.

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you can even create and use your own voice over, with your own voice.

They have finally made it easier to get in touch with the future of video creation.

doodle video maker software program also provides you with

▪colour doodle video's

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▪300 ready-made templates

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▪ photo to sketch converter

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•how doodle MAKER can help you?

Doodle maker will help you bring in passive income by helping you promote your product or service with a creative doodle cartoon video, doodle videos are whats in style with everything being online doodle videos are easily shared and posited to all kinds of different social media sites, Google , YouTube or you can even record it and show it for a presentation or send it in an email, or txt and instead of putting your vewiers through a long boring slide show or makeing them half to read through a written advertisement. Intrigue thare interest with an entertaining doodle video.

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•Who would this tool benefit and how?

Doodle video's can be used for more then just advertisement.

Teachers you could use doodle videos to get your students engaged in what ever subject you are teaching them with a creative entertaining cartoon that you can customize to your students specific needs. You can create a cartoon of the Revolutionary War to teach your students history or send them a doodle video of you teaching math class...times have changed, also everything is online including school and some students are having trouble adjusting to not being in a classroom. Help them visualize the class room with doodle videos. They will have fun shareing your doodle videos with thare class mates .

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Add a since of humor and make a funny educational cartoon that will catch thare attention and keep them interested.

This would be a great way to improve your test results and hopefully get yourself closer to that raise, and closer to your students.

Become the fun teacher everyone loves to learn from despite the fact that you can't be thare in the classroom doing fun activities to help them learn.

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Alot of big corporations and franchise companies and businesses use doodle maker to create thare advertisements and they love it mostly because of thare free deals on commercial rights.

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Even counselors like crisis counselors therapists and skill builders could find this tool useful, because of this pandemic counselors and therapist have not been able to be there for thare clients that have mental disabilities thats making it difficult to get them selves up in the morning and do what they need to do in fear that everything will go wrong because to them everything always go's wrong, so here's a therapeutic idea to help motivate them to get up and go through with their to do list with out having to go out and risk catching covid. You could use doodle maker to make a doodle video of them getting out of bed and doing what ever it is they do to wake up and get things done that they need to do. You can personlize it to make the doodle star of your video look like them and show them a cartoon of them selves getting stuff done and feeling accomplished at the end of the doodle video when they did what they where supposed to do and everything went well in the video, this would encourage them to wake up and go through out the day like in the video. You can show them the good out come of getting out of bed and getting stuff done.

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• How can this tool help you through this pandemic?

Sadly this pandemic has knocked alot of us down, also alot of people have lost thare jobs or business. You need new creative ways to bring in new costumers to replace the ones that you lost do to the rath of covid fight back with doodle videos. You will be able to create doodle videos for an advertisement in any language that way you can communicate your ideas or thoughts too the hole world. You will be able to post your doodle video anywhere online, and patent it with your personal logo.

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•how to use doodle maker?

Unlike other expensive equipment you dont need any tech skills to create your own personalized affordable doodle video. Now to bring your career to life online from home in a matter of minutes. You can create a creative doodle video on doodle maker in 3 simple steps simply Click, Doodle, and Profit.

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Doodle maker provides you with 300+ different templates you can customize and add too. You could even add your own background from your photo gallery and create your own voice over with your own voice, or choice from 1 of the 160 different voice overs and accents that doodle maker provides you with. Then you can easily sell your customized cartoon doodle video on doodle maker for 300$ to 500$ each.

After you click on this link and get your package all you have to do is start making videos.

• First you will want to click on NEW PRODUCT FROM TEMPLATE.

Then you will be able to choose from a whiteboard, blackboard or glassboard. ( I would recommend the Whiteboard or glassboard).

At this point you will also be asked to chose from several different female and male doodle hands. Now (These are the hands that will be drawing your doodle videos, icons, and text that you add to your video). You will be given the opportunity to change these features at anytime if you change your mind.

You will also be given the opportunity to search different templates in the search bar at the top of the page, after you type in some kind of keyword of your business service you proved, the subject you are teaching, or the products you are advertising with doodle maker, it will find all the best templates for your specific needs. You can even use your own if you already have one. Also (you may be able to find a tutorial video on youtube on how to go about that)...

• The next step you will need to do is create and organize your "slides" or " scenes" that will combined together to make your doodle video.

You will be allowed to add scenes to make your video longer or you can even remove scenes to make your video shorter.

You can do this by simply clicking the plus + symbol in the corner, infront of the numbers of available slides. This will add aother scene to your video. Now if you click the little red trash can icon in the right hand corner this will delete the sence from your video. You can add up to 20 different scenes to combine them together and make your own personalized doodle video in any language of your choice.

• The next step is to add your script. You can add words you want to be written somewhere in one of your slides or you can use doodle audio to create a voice over, and have a cartoon doodle character of your choosing narrate your doodle video in up to 160 different voices and accents and over 60 different languages, or you can even use your own voice.

Under your template you will see a box where you can type what ever you want your video to say.

If you click on the edit text button above the box where you will text your skript in the right hand corner you will be able to edit and add to your text at anytime.

You can customize your doodle video by taking keywords and finding images and icons to add to your doodle video that will express your niche.

Once you have made your changes simply click rebuild scene and your changes will be automatically interpreted into your scene, also you can do this with each individual scene.

• Next you will want to check out doodle makers voice over options. You have 3 options. You can use a TTS voice over (witch would be 1 out of 160 different voice and accents doodle maker provides you with).

The other option is to upload a voice over from your media, ( witch means you could upload a song to play in the background of your doodle video or you could use a voice over from an existing video that you have downloaded).

You could even record your own voice, and create your own voice over to make it more personal . I would suggest this mostly to teachers using this tool.

Now to do this just simply go to the voice options on the far right hand side of the screen. Now if you choice to use a doodle voice over you will select the TTS voice over option.

Then you will be asked to choice from doodle makers wide selection of different voices and accents for example English/ Australian, English/British.... and over 160 more different ascents. You can also try out what doodle maker calls there premium voices. These voices are the more professional voices. Now (i would recommend this to the people trying to put together a strong advertisement or presentation for the conference room.)

You will also be able to choice between several different male and female voices.

This voice will be the narrator of your doodle maker video. Meaning whatever voice and accents you chose is how it will sound when the voice of your choosing narrator reads the text you put in your script box, also you can edit at any time.

You will also be able to take advantage of one of doodle makers unique qualities and choose the speed of the voice that is speaking, this makes it vary easy to get your video to be perfectly insync with your voice over or music you have playing in the background.

To do this simply click on TTS speed and you will be allowed to choose how fast you would like your voice over to speak.

Doodle maker also makes it easy to upload voice overs you have saved onto your computer with thare simple 1-click and drag system. Simply go to the upload option under voice over options, click and drag your download into the upload box provided.

You will also so have the option to record your own voice over. To do this you will need to select the record option under voice over options. Once you are ready to record your voice just simply hit the record button (the microphone icon).

This will flash with a red outline, this is to indicate when you are recording.

• Next you will want to customize your video further. If you scroll down directly under the voice options box you will see a box with all the different tools doodle maker offers you to assist you in creating and personalizing the perfect doodle video.

If you click on the language icon you will be provided with over 30+ languages you can choose from, now this tool will translate anything you text into your script box, in to any language of your choosing. This will be the language that your voiceover voice you chose earlier, will be speaking in your video. However ( I would mostly recommend this particulate tool to the teachers out they're teaching foreign languages).

Be sure to click the auto translate option located directly under where you selected your language for your text to be automatically translated into the language of your choosing. This will insure that any changes you make from this point on will be automatically translated in your script and interpreted into your video correctly.

To make changes to your skript simply go to the box below that specific slide and click edit text to make what ever changes you would like to make and click the save text button on the left hand corner.

Under your script box thair will be another box (if you chose to use a foreign language in your video), that will have your script rewritten in what ever language you chose your video to be narrated in. Then you simply click update video and your text will be automatically translated and interpreted in to your voice over, so that you can easily speak to your vewiers in what ever language you want.

•The next unique tool doodle maker provides you with is there advanced technology library, right besides the language tool you will see a folder icon labeled library.

This tool will assist you in finding icons and images for your particular niche. This is also where you will be able to upload and add your own images.

If you click on the icon finder you will be given the option to search keywords in your niche and doodle maker will doodle you several different icons images or scenes you can interpret into each individual "slide" or "scene ". To create and complete your own personalized doodle video. You can even upload your own images, and doodlemaker will make it easy to resize and crop any icons or images as needed and you will be able to click and drag them to anywhere you want them on the screen.

To upload your own image simply click upload image and select an image of your choosing from your gallery or upload one from Google. You will be able to freely move, place, and resize this image or icon with just a simple click of the mousse.

The next tool you will find good use for is the T icon this is the text tool. Here you will be allowed to interpret any kind of text you want to appear on the screen in that scene. You will also be allowed to change the font and font size with this tool.

To see an example of what your text will look like in the font and size you choses simply hit the preview button.

Then just hit insert scene button, and just like that it will be inserted into a scene in your doodle video. You will be allowed to click and drag it to ware ever you want it to appear on the screen.

• The next tool on doodle maker is the hand icon labeled hands.

This is ware you will choose from several different male and female hands. This will be the hand that will appear in your video drawing and wrighting your doodle video.

• Under that you will find a music icon labeled soundtracks. This is where doodle maker provides several different soundtracks that you can choose from to play in the background of your doodle video.

After you review and update your soundtrack doodle maker will automatically update to play the music of your choosing in the background of your doodle video.

• The next tool doodle maker provides you with is the background tool. With this tool you will be allowed to change the background of your video, also you can chose your own image uploaded from your computer or you can choose from a blackboard, whiteboard, or glassboard background . However the glassboard background will effect the direction the doodle hand is facing.

▪Blackboard is where the hole background on your canvase is black. keep in mind when you chose this option all of your text icons and images will be automatically switched from black to white this is so that they can be seen agents the black background.

▪Whiteboard background is ware the background is completely white. this makes it easier to see any text or images in your doodle video.

▪Glassboard background is basically when everything is drawn in the opposite direction.

▪Customized color background is where doodle maker will allow you to chose and customise your own background color chosen from various different shades and colors from doodle makers color wheel.

▪Image background unlike most softwares doodle maker provides you with the unique opportunity to add an uploaded image to the background of your doodle video, ( I personally cant wait to try this out).

• The next tool is vary important, (your logo). Brand your video with your logo. This is a faded or darkened icon usely hidden in the bottom corner of alot of professional advertisment videos. Now with doodle maker you can do the same thing with your doodle video brand it with your personalized icon, image, signature brand name, or the name of your business....

To do this you will need to go to the watermark tool. Where you will be allowed to upload your own personal logo, with just a simple click and drag. You will be able to show this logo in the corner of every slide you will also be able to resize it and move it to where ever you want it to appear on the screen in your doodle video. You can even customize it to fade in and out of whatever scenes you want it to appear in through out your customized and now branded with your personal logo, doodle video.

You will be able to use this tool to control the opacity of your logo this will make it easy to control the darkness and boldness of your logo in each slide, or you can also make it more transparent by simply lessening the opacity .

This watermark will automatically appear in the corner of every slide with the same transparency you selected.

• And the final tool doodle maker provides you with is settings. This is where you will be able to change the name of your doodle video. This will help you in keeping all your different videos and projects organized, when you end up having so much fun making your first video you will find that you love doodle maker and want to make more and more doodle videos to add to your collection. You even possibly use your videos to create passive income for your family.

You will want to use the settings tool to rename your projects so that you can keep all your amazing ideas organized. This will also make it easier to sell videos on doodle maker.

Dont quit your job and just give up because life throws us a pandemic that has us trapped at home. Fight back, find a way to work from home, online, with doodle maker . Keep your vewiers glued to the screen with your doodle video's and keep that passive income coming in!

https://jvz1.com/c/1772767/357045

[trendingnewsb]

Five years after Sandy Hook: families keep the memory of lost children alive

In the years since the mass shooting that killed 20 children and six educators, families have memorialized their loved ones in many different ways

School safety campaigns. An animal sanctuary. A childrens book. Support for mental health reform. A lawsuit against the manufacturer of a military-style rifle.

In the five years since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, the families of the 20 children and six educators killed have taken very different paths to honor the lives of their loved ones.

Some family members have chosen to remain intensely private. Others have become prominent advocates for gun violence prevention.

No single campaign represents all 26 families. The continuing lawsuit against the manufacturer, distributor and dealer of the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting, for example, was brought by the families of only nine Sandy Hook victims and one survivor.

Here, drawn from the joint website for the Sandy Hook victims families, is a brief look at how each family has asked to remember and honor those who died.

Charlotte Helen Bacon, age six

Charlotte Helen Bacon.

Smart, funny, curious, messy, in-intimidated, and adventurous, her family wrote, describing six-year-old Charlotte. We like to use the word BOLD.

A foundation in Charlottes honor supports a therapy dog program, a scholarship for students studying to become veterinarians, and a grant to help couples grieving the death of a child.

Together with an award-winning childrens book author, her parents co-wrote a picture book, Good Dogs, Great Listeners, which tells the story of Charlotte and her dog, Lily. Charlottes brother also wrote a book about his experience with therapy dogs after his sisters death, called The Dogs of Newtown.

Daniel Barden, age seven

Mark Barden holds up a picture of his son Daniel during a vigil. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Seven-year-old Daniel was unusually compassionate, always concerned that the people around him were happy and safe. He used to sit next to a special needs girl in his class to make sure she was OK, and when she would lose her glasses, Daniel would find them.

The What Would Daniel Do? campaign encourages other people to follow Daniels legacy of kindness. His parents have been outspoken about participating in a lawsuit against a gun manufacturer, focused on the irresponsible militaristic advertising for AR-15-style guns sold to civilians. Mark Barden, his father, is one of the founders of Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit that advocates for mental health reform, certain gun laws, and a violence prevention program that trains students and adults to Know the Signs of someone at-risk of violence.

Olivia Rose Engel, age six

Olivia Rose Engel.

Olivia loved swimming and soccer and dancing in a pink tutu, singing and art projects and math. At dinner, she led her family in saying grace, and she was proud of her role as a big sister and her participation in an educational program at her parish church. To honor Olivias zest for life, her family has raised money for Newtown Park & Bark, a group that supports a local off-leash dog park. The organization has a page that honors Olivias joy, with photographs of happy dogs and messages about them. Olivias family also created a web site in her honor.

Josephine Gay, age seven

Josephine Gay.

Seven-year-old Josephine, known as Joey, was the girly-est of her sisters, and she adored her older siblings, the family wrote in a recent article in the Newtown Bee. Fun-loving and affectionate, Joey had worked hard to meet the milestones that came so easily to her older sisters, after being diagnosed with autism, global apraxia and apraxia of speech. Her family wrote that she had found love and support in Newtown: Her classmates eagerly learned sign language and encouraged and included her whenever they could.

Her family has raised money for Joeys Fund, which supports families in New England who need resources to help family members with autism. Her mother, Michele Gay, is also one of the founders of Safe and Sound Schools, an organization that promotes improved school security.

Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, age six

Ana Marquez-Greene.

A budding musician, six-year-old Ana Grace had a gift for melody, pitch and rhythm that stood out even in a musical family, as her father put it. She never walked anywhere – her mode of transportation was dance. She dance from room to room and place to place.

The Ana Grace Project supports arts education and has worked with schools to implement a Love Wins curriculum, which supports a stronger social and emotional environment for students and staff. Recognizing that the counseling resources available to Newtown residents after the shooting are not available to every community dealing with violence, the organization has also worked to bring professional development in counseling and trauma-informed care to other communities that need them.

Her father, prominent Jazz saxophonist Jimmy Greene, released a tribute album, Beautiful Life, in 2014. Her mother, Nelba Marquez-Greene, writes frequently on social media about grief, activism, and how political developments affect survivors of violence.

Dylan Hockley, age six

A photograph of British-born Dylan in a Superman t-shirt has become one of the icons of the fight to pass tougher gun laws in America. Dylan, his family wrote, adored chocolate and cuddling and bouncing on trampolines. He was sensitive to loud noises and loved routine. He wanted to play with other kids so much, they wrote, even though he didnt always know how.

The Dylans Wings of Change Foundation benefits children with autism and other special needs. His mother, Nicole Hockley, is one of the founders and managing directors of Sandy Hook Promise. His parents have been outspoken about their participation in a lawsuit against the manufacturer, distributor and dealer of the military-style weapon used in the Sandy Hook shooting.

Madeleine F Hsu, age six

Her family described Madeleine as a a petite princess with a big personality, always ready to jump into surf at the beach, plunge into the pool, or ride her bike without training wheels as soon as they had been taken off.

Once you set your mind to do something, her family wrote of her, it was as good as done.

Catherine Violet Hubbard, age six

Catherine Hubbard.

Catherine, with her red hair and freckles, loved animals so much she made her own business cards for Catherines Animal Shelter, her family wrote. Her title: Care Taker. Tell your friends I am kind, she would whisper to animals when she played with them.

Catherines family is building an animal sanctuary in her honor on 34 acres of Connecticut farmland. The sanctuary already hosts events, and individuals and groups can donate to support the sanctuary or volunteer their time for instance, building garden beds or clearing out invasive plants.

Chase Kowalski, age seven

Chase had already been an enthusiastic athlete and competitor for years. He began running competitively at age two, his family wrote. At age 6, Chase asked to be entered into his first triathlon in his first ever competition, he took on the field and won his age group!

The CMAK Foundation supports programs for physical and emotional well-being for kids and their families, including Race4Chase, a kids triathlon program.

break the cycle

Jesse Lewis, age six

The quintessential image of Jesse, his family wrote, is him in boots with no socks, ripped jeans, an army helmet on his head, and dirt smudged on his cheek as he marched through a field from one adventure to another.

When he and his classmates were targeted on December 14, his family wrote, Jesse used his last few minutes on earth yelling to his friends to run, saving many lives.

The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement supports a social and emotional learning program for teachers and students. Jesses mother Scarlett Lewis has spoken publicly about the importance of this kind of learning in childrens lives as well as the importance of forgiveness.

James Radley Mattioli, age six

James was all boy, his family wrote, always wrestling with his father, jumping off tall objects, and moving through the world with boundless energy. He loved his sister and learning from her. He had also developed a keen interest in math.

His family asked that donations to support the programs that brought him joy should be sent to: The James R Mattioli Memorial Fund C/O Newtown Savings Bank; 39 Main Street Newtown, CT 06470.

Grace McDonnell, age seven

Grace had been taking art classes since she was three years old, and showed early talent. She saw beauty in everything and was fortunate to have found her passion early in life, her family wrote.

Through the Grace McDonnell Memorial Fund, her family wrote, they hoped to support young artists and youth art programs.

A memorial for the victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Photograph: Robert F. Bukaty/AP

Emilie Parker, age six

Emilie loved visiting the craft store, and her family constantly found beads, bits of paper, colored cotton balls or anything else Emilie thought she could use to create art all over the house. Her family shared a photograph of her next to a canvas with a palette of paints, wearing an enormous t-shirt as an artists smock.

The Emilie Parker Art Connection supports art programs. Alissa Parker, her mother, has written a book, An Unseen Angel, about a faith-filled, spiritual path to coping, healing and forgiving in the wake of tragedy. She is also one of the founders of Safe and Sound Schools.

Jack Pinto, age six

Jack had a huge smile and a love for mischief. He loved playing sports and, most of all, being with his big brother.

To honor his memory, his family has supported Kids in the Game, an organization that provides funds for athletic programs for kids and schools that could not otherwise afford them.

Noah Pozner, age six

Noah loved playing deep imaginative games with his Legos and superhero toys. He went to school in a Batman shirt and Spider-Man shoes, listening to Gangnam Style, one of Noahs favorite songs, on the way. His twin sister, Arielle, survived the shooting.

In the wake of the shooting, Noahs father, Lenny Pozner, founded the Honr Network, a group that works to combat the conspiracy theorists who claim the Sandy Hook shooting is a hoax and that grieving family members are crisis actors. The Honr Network coordinates volunteers to monitor and take down hoaxer posts and videos. Working with tech companies like Google on this effort has been an uphill battle, one that has made Pozner himself the target of intense harassment. A Florida woman was sentenced to five months in prison earlier this year for making threats against him.

Caroline Previdi, age six

Caroline was joyful, a lover of art and dance. Before Christmas one year, she brought her piggy bank to her parents and asked to donate all of her savings to their church to make sure the every kid would have a present under their Christmas trees. At her funeral, some mourners wore pink, her favorite color, to honor her, the New Haven Register reported.

The Caroline Previdi Foundation provides support for kids without financial resources to engage in extracurricular activities.

Jessica Rekos, age six

As well as horseback riding, Jessica spent hours watching the Free Willy movies and taking notes on orcas, her family wrote. Mom, I just want to be friends with an Orca, she once said.

Her family wrote, she was always planning, asking questions, and figuring out the details. They called her our little CEO.

The Jessica Rekos Foundation supports horseback riding scholarships and research and internships on orca and whale conservation.

Avielle Richman, age six

Avielle Richman.

Avielle had a spitfire personality, her family wrote. She was often barefoot. Asked what she wanted to be, she replied that she would like to be an artist … and a spy … and a fairy princess … and a writer. She loved to name things: the maple trees next to her house were Efford and Maeve.

The Avielle Foundation supports neuroscience research aimed at understanding the brains chemistry, structure, and circuits that lead to violence and compassion, as well as community education and outreach about neuroscience research and its findings, and how to promote brain health.

Benjamin Wheeler, age six

Ben was full of urgent questions that he wanted answered at once. He demanded attention. He loved lighthouses and dreamed of being an architect, a paleontologist and a lighthouse keeper all at once.

Bens Lighthouse, a community organization in Newtown, was founded to support Newtown youth over the long term as they dealt with the aftermath of the violence at Sandy Hook.

Allison N Wyatt, age six

Allison lined the walls of her home with rows of pictures she had drawn, and she loved drawing for people she cared about, from friends and relatives to her school bus driver. Her family wrote that they had found a final picture Allie had drawn for her first grade teacher, Victoria Soto, who was also killed in the shooting. It had a message: I love you, Love Allie.

The Allison Wyatt Memorial Fund has donated to St Jude Childrens Research Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House Charities and International Child Art Foundation.

Rachel Davino, age 29

A behavioral specialist, Rachel had a clear focus on helping adults and children with autism, her family wrote, and she had just completed the requirements to become a board certified behavioral analyst. Her soon-to be-fiance Tony Cerritelli had just asked her family for permission to marry her, and they were planning to become engaged on Christmas Eve.

Rachel was working on a family collection of Italian recipes for a family cookbook, and she loved karate, photography, cooking and baking. At a celebration honoring her life, she was compared to The Giving Tree, a Shel Silverstein book about selflessness.

Her friends and family made plans to walk and raise money for Autism Speaks to honor her life.

Dawn Hochsprung, age 47

Elementary school principal Dawn Hochsprung. Photograph: Reuters

Sandy Hooks school principal was strong, confident, inspiring and compassionate, her family wrote. She balanced raising her two daughters with her own continuing education, always keeping in touch with her children as she moved from one meeting to another.

Dawn died as she lived: always in control, handling whatever came her way, her family wrote.

Erica Lafferty, one of her daughters, spoke about her mother at the Democratic National Convention in 2016 in support of Hillary Clinton and her commitment to gun violence prevention. She is now a program manager at Everytown for Gun Safety, major a gun violence prevention advocacy group.

Anne Marie Murphy, age 52

When the shooting happened, Anne Marie Murphy, a classroom aide, wrapped a child in her arms, protecting him. Both she and the child were killed.

Thank you for respecting our privacy, her family wrote.

Lauren Rousseau, age 30

Lauren Rousseau. Photograph: AP

Sensitive and focused, Lauren had worked multiple jobs, including as a substitute, on her way to getting a job as a teacher.

Her family set up two scholarships in her name to support future educators: The Lauren Rousseau Memorial Scholarship, Danbury High School Scholarship Fund, 43 Clapboard Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811; and the Lauren Rousseau Memorial Scholarship/University of Bridgeport Graduate School of Education, 126 Park Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604.

Members of her family traveled to Washington last week to press for tougher gun laws.

Mary Sherlach, age 56

School psychologist Mary Sherlach and her husband Mark Sherlach. Photograph: uncredited/AP

Marys Fund honors her work as the Sandy Hook school psychologist. It provides access to mental healthcare for Connecticut residents who might not otherwise be able to get it. Her husband, Bill Sherlach, is also part of Sandy Hook Promise, and has spoken out about the importance of the lawsuit he joined against an AR-15 manufacturer.

Victoria Soto, age 27

Victoria Soto. Photograph: Reuters

Victoria, a teacher, was living her dream teaching first grade, her family wrote. She lived at home with her siblings and her dog, Roxie.

The Victoria Soto Memorial supports scholarships for future teachers and other educational endeavors.

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[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #284

“mama, we’re all full of lies / mama, we’re meant for the flies”

When was the last time you changed a lightbulb? About a month or so back I had to change Venus’ heat lamp. Who was the last person you sent an e-mail to? I emailed my older sister the OneDrive link to her holiday pictures I did. When was the last time you visited the dentist? What about the optician? It’s been quite a few months since I went to the dentist for a normal cleaning. I haven’t seen an eye doctor in around a year or so because it’s a less pressing matter, and we can’t afford to buy me new glasses anyway. I desperately need them. Do you sleep on your side, your back or your front? My side, stomach, or like a contortion of both. Would you rather drive or be the passenger? Let me be shotgun controlling the music and I’m set for a long ride. When was the last time you received a handwritten letter? Sara sent me one I think two years ago for my birthday. If you have pets, do you buy them gifts for Christmas or their birthdays? Ha, yes. We don’t know either’s exact birthday though, so we don’t really “celebrate” those. Do you know how to ride a bike? How about ride a skateboard? A bike, yeah. I don’t know how to skateboard, though. Did you get enough sleep last night? How much sleep is enough sleep for you? No. I don’t even know what “enough sleep” is. I’m always tired. What are your favourite condiments? Do you use those often? Ketchup and honey mustard probably top the list, considering they’re the ones I use most. Peanut butter: crunchy or smooth? Do you have a favorite brand? I trust no one who can enjoy crunchy peanut butter. I like Skippy quite a bit. Do you have any life-threatening allergies? No. Have you had to take a COVID test yet? Was it positive or negative? I haven’t needed to take one. Do you think it’s okay to keep cats indoors for their entire lives? They SHOULD be. Cats are very destructive and disruptive predators of once-stable environments. They fuck up the food chain and have done a lot of damage to native populations. This is coming from a person whose house was an absolute NEST for cats to the point they were taken away. They lived outside, and I can only imagine the harm they really caused. Of course, as a kid, I didn’t understand this, but as an educated and experienced adult when it comes to this subject, it’s saddening to look back on. Please, keep your cats inside. AND FIXED. Hence our cat empire lmao. Do you think people should need a license in order to keep animals, just to make sure they knew how to properly take care of them? That would actually be LOVELY. If only. Not that it would entirely prevent illegal ownership, but I like to think most people are law-abiding citizens… Which meal of the day is your favorite? What’s your favorite thing to eat for that meal? BREAKFAST! Cinnamon rolls just gotta top the list. When was the last time you bounced on a trampoline? Would you ever want to go to one of those indoor trampoline parks? It has to have been so, so many years. My knees could NEVER take that now. I’m not interested in that. What’s your favorite thing to put on a baked potato? Butter, American cheese, and bacon bits… yum. Have you ever made money selling stuff online? What was it you were selling? I don’t think so, at least not successfully. Do you have a valid passport? When was the last time you used it? No. What was the last song you sung along to? I’m unsure. I rarely sing along to songs. What was the last piece of fruit you ate? What about the last vegetable? Fruit: apple. Vegetable: ummm I’m actually unsure. Probably broccoli. Have you ever lied to the police or a customs official? Were you ever found out? No. Are you much of a procrastinator, or would you rather get things out of the way so you can relax? I am a HEAVY procrastinator. When was the last time you took an exam of any kind? I don’t know. Probably not since I was in school. What snacks/drinks from your childhood do you wish they still made? Ah man, I know there’s some… just too many to dig through to try and remember. Are you a fan of techno? Yeah, sometimes. Who's your favorite horror movie villain/monster? I don’t particularly like one over the other. What's an 'obsession' of yours that most people would find odd or amusing? Probably how much I love Mark, given that being a “fangirl” is usually seen as juvenile. What's the sweetest thing another person has said or done for you? Probably Colleen letting me live with her while I was homeless for a month or two. Said to me, actually from Colleen’s sister; I was having a crying episode over Jason and she just grabbed my head and told me with such passion that I was so beautiful, strong, and deserved the world. Safe to say I started crying more lmao but at least it wasn’t from sadness. What's the absolute best feeling in the world? Being in love. Does the person you have feelings for know you feel that way? Yeah. Do you like Tim Burton? Um, duh. How do you feel about hypnotism? I don’t believe it works. It’s just the power of suggestion. How do you feel about Pink Floyd? I’m not a big fan, but I like some songs. What’s your preferred way of keeping fit? Is it something you make time to do on a regular basis? You assume I AM fit… but I really am trying to change that with WiiFit again, once the living room is cleaned up. I plan to insert it into my morning routine. Have you ever raised a puppy? Would you want to or would you prefer to adopt an adult rescued dog? Yes, Teddy. Right now I don’t want another dog, but hypothetically, I’d absolutely go for an adult rescue. Who was the last person to come to your house? Were they an expected visitor? My younger sister. Yes. If you work, is your job the same everyday, or does it vary depending on what you have on? N/A Would you ever be interested in owning your own business? Why or why not? Well, I want to be a freelance photographer, so… It’s not off the ground enough for me to *officially* call it a business, but while it’s absolutely so exciting to picture, it’s also very anxiety-inducing, the idea of it (hopefully) getting to that point since I’m dumb as fuck in regards to business stuff. Do you have your driver’s license? If so, did you find it easy or difficult to learn and pass your test? Ugh, I don’t. I need it so badly, I know, but right now, I couldn’t even if I wanted to because my vision is too bad to possibly pass that part, and I can’t afford to see an eye doctor + get a new prescription. If you have pets, how often do you buy them new treats and toys? Venus is a snake, so… yeah, lol. She needs a bigger terrarium, though, but a 40 gallon is expensive. Roman gets a new toy every now and then, but he doesn’t play with them as much anymore. If you had to work a job that required you to do shifts, would you rather work the early, late or night shift? Early. Get it over with. Do you have a favorite type of survey to take? Yeah; I like the ones that make me think or are just questions I definitely haven’t seen before but are also interesting. Some random questions are way too specific to apply to most people. On a typical day, how long do you spend out of the house? Even before the pandemic, usually zero time. Do you live in a close-kit community? Well we’re the new family on the block, so it’s hard to tell quite yet. People were welcoming, though. Do you have a vlog? NOOOOOOOOOO. If not, have you ever considered starting a vlog? No, I would feel WAY too fuckin awkward. Did you go to AM or PM kindergarten? AM. What are your favorite YouTube channels to watch? The whole world knows Markiplier is my true favorite channel, but lately I’ve really been digging pet (particularly reptile or tarantula) channels, Snake Discovery in specific. I’ve been bingeing the fuck outta them. I’ve officially become the “I know more than you” Petco meme lmao. Which relative(s) do you look the most like? Idk. Have you ever watched a live birth video? FUCK no. I never would. That could be so fucking scarring to middle school kids, for Christ’s sake. I’ve never understood why they show them in a lot of health classes. Have you ever given birth? Fuck to the no; never plan to, either. Have you ever wished you were born the opposite gender? Nah. Have you ever worn overalls? Ugh, as a kid. They’re so hideous to me now. If you’re a girl, how old were you when you started your period? I was in the 6th grade, so 11-12. Is your mom mentally stable? I mean she has depression, but otherwise, yeah. What color hair did your first crush have? I can’t really remember who my first crush was with certainty… but I think I might. If I’m right, blond. What was the name of your first crush? ^ in minds, I think Aaron. Did you ever play on Mamamedia.com? Doesn’t ring a bell. Do you remember your first email address? Haha, yeah, it’s still my current one… Did you name your Lego characters? I was more of a Lincoln Logs kid. Do you take medication for anxiety or depression? Both. If so, does it work? Does it help you? Or does it make you feel worse? I’d probably be dead without at least my mood stabilizers. Have you ever had a bag stolen? I don’t believe so. Who was your best friend in high school? Hannia. What book or movie gave you nightmares as a child? Ha, no books or movies, I think, but remember King Ramses from that episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog? Oh, trust me, I HAD NIGHTMARES. What song makes you cry? The most, probably “Eternally Yours” by Motionless In White. I physically cannot listen to it. Does anyone know who your first crush was besides you? Maybe Mom? Idk. How many teachers have you had crushes on? None. Did you make your Barbie dolls get crushes on each other? I actually don’t remember? I don’t think we had any male Barbies, and of course as a little kid raised in the South especially, I didn’t even realize homosexuality was a thing, so we never considered the girls dating. Did your Barbie dolls go on dates? ^ How old were you when you had your first kiss? 16. Do you have scars from self-harm? No, they’re long faded and were thankfully never very severe. Did your hair change at all when you went through puberty? Yep, it gradually turned brown. Are you taller, shorter, or the same height as your mom? We’re the same height. Would you ever consider adopting a child? I don’t want kids, period. The only possible case I see is being a stepmom, but even then I can’t visualize me being one to an actual kid-kid. Just like, maybe a mid-teen and above. Do you trim your own hair? No. What are all the things you remember being for Halloween? I’m very surprised that I don’t remember many at all. I know I was a witch multiple times. What was the name of the first pet that you loved? I adored almost every pet my family has ever had. Our first was a stray cat named Chance we took in. INCREDIBLE animal. What color was your nursery? I have zero clue. Do you exercise regularly? Ugh, no, but I genuinely plan on changing that once the living room is cleaned up and Mom moves into her room. I’m very serious about starting Wii Fit again. I WAS gonna start walking once we moved here, but I found I was too scared to alone. I’m way too paranoid. Do you have a healthy BMI? lol What photo editing software do you use? Lightroom, Photoshop, and very rarely PhotoScape if I’m being lazy with watermarking my photography. Do you live somewhere with lots of livestock or wild animals? Livestock, yeah. You pass cows all the time around here. If you’re in a more wooded area, you’ll find roadkill kinda frequently, sadly. Would you rather live somewhere rural or urban? Rural. It’s the only thing that sucks about our new home – we’re in the suburbs. Is there anything (a hobby, for example) that’s guaranteed to always make you feel better when you’ve had a bad day? Not 100%, really. If the day was truly awful, sometimes nothing helps. If you’re struggling with your mental health, who are you most likely to open up to, or would you bottle it up instead? I vent to my mom the most. What room of your house do you spend the most time in? Is this through choice or necessity? My room, and it’s by choice. The second room that I wanna make my “office” is still LOADED with stuff from moving. If you could design your own garden, what would you have in it? Do you think that dream is ever going to be achievable for you? I don’t want a garden. Does it take you a long time to fall asleep at night? What do you if you’re really struggling to get to sleep? It can take me very, very long. I dread lying down some nights just because I know I’ll be tossing and turning for a good while. If I’ve tried to sleep for a long time to no avail, I do what you shouldn’t do and get back on the laptop. Do you think it’s cruel when people keep exotic animals as pets? Or do you think it’s okay as long as they have the space, time and money to dedicate to them? This depends on the animal and situation. I do believe some rescue cases are justified for the animal’s survival, but as the question mentions, you need to be able to provide adequately for it to be moral imo. I do NOT support exotic pet ownership for the average person. If you eat meat, is there a particular animal you’d never eat? If you don’t eat meat, what’s the reason for it? I could never eat a “pet” animal, nor an animal hunted mostly for sport. Even in survival cases, I’d have a hard time eating a wild animal.

[trendingnewsb]

Five years after Sandy Hook: families keep the memory of lost children alive

In the years since the mass shooting that killed 20 children and six educators, families have memorialized their loved ones in many different ways

School safety campaigns. An animal sanctuary. A childrens book. Support for mental health reform. A lawsuit against the manufacturer of a military-style rifle.

In the five years since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, the families of the 20 children and six educators killed have taken very different paths to honor the lives of their loved ones.

Some family members have chosen to remain intensely private. Others have become prominent advocates for gun violence prevention.

No single campaign represents all 26 families. The continuing lawsuit against the manufacturer, distributor and dealer of the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting, for example, was brought by the families of only nine Sandy Hook victims and one survivor.

Here, drawn from the joint website for the Sandy Hook victims families, is a brief look at how each family has asked to remember and honor those who died.

Charlotte Helen Bacon, age six

Charlotte Helen Bacon.

Smart, funny, curious, messy, in-intimidated, and adventurous, her family wrote, describing six-year-old Charlotte. We like to use the word BOLD.

A foundation in Charlottes honor supports a therapy dog program, a scholarship for students studying to become veterinarians, and a grant to help couples grieving the death of a child.

Together with an award-winning childrens book author, her parents co-wrote a picture book, Good Dogs, Great Listeners, which tells the story of Charlotte and her dog, Lily. Charlottes brother also wrote a book about his experience with therapy dogs after his sisters death, called The Dogs of Newtown.

Daniel Barden, age seven

Mark Barden holds up a picture of his son Daniel during a vigil. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Seven-year-old Daniel was unusually compassionate, always concerned that the people around him were happy and safe. He used to sit next to a special needs girl in his class to make sure she was OK, and when she would lose her glasses, Daniel would find them.

The What Would Daniel Do? campaign encourages other people to follow Daniels legacy of kindness. His parents have been outspoken about participating in a lawsuit against a gun manufacturer, focused on the irresponsible militaristic advertising for AR-15-style guns sold to civilians. Mark Barden, his father, is one of the founders of Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit that advocates for mental health reform, certain gun laws, and a violence prevention program that trains students and adults to Know the Signs of someone at-risk of violence.

Olivia Rose Engel, age six

Olivia Rose Engel.

Olivia loved swimming and soccer and dancing in a pink tutu, singing and art projects and math. At dinner, she led her family in saying grace, and she was proud of her role as a big sister and her participation in an educational program at her parish church. To honor Olivias zest for life, her family has raised money for Newtown Park & Bark, a group that supports a local off-leash dog park. The organization has a page that honors Olivias joy, with photographs of happy dogs and messages about them. Olivias family also created a web site in her honor.

Josephine Gay, age seven

Josephine Gay.

Seven-year-old Josephine, known as Joey, was the girly-est of her sisters, and she adored her older siblings, the family wrote in a recent article in the Newtown Bee. Fun-loving and affectionate, Joey had worked hard to meet the milestones that came so easily to her older sisters, after being diagnosed with autism, global apraxia and apraxia of speech. Her family wrote that she had found love and support in Newtown: Her classmates eagerly learned sign language and encouraged and included her whenever they could.

Her family has raised money for Joeys Fund, which supports families in New England who need resources to help family members with autism. Her mother, Michele Gay, is also one of the founders of Safe and Sound Schools, an organization that promotes improved school security.

Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, age six

Ana Marquez-Greene.

A budding musician, six-year-old Ana Grace had a gift for melody, pitch and rhythm that stood out even in a musical family, as her father put it. She never walked anywhere – her mode of transportation was dance. She dance from room to room and place to place.

The Ana Grace Project supports arts education and has worked with schools to implement a Love Wins curriculum, which supports a stronger social and emotional environment for students and staff. Recognizing that the counseling resources available to Newtown residents after the shooting are not available to every community dealing with violence, the organization has also worked to bring professional development in counseling and trauma-informed care to other communities that need them.

Her father, prominent Jazz saxophonist Jimmy Greene, released a tribute album, Beautiful Life, in 2014. Her mother, Nelba Marquez-Greene, writes frequently on social media about grief, activism, and how political developments affect survivors of violence.

Dylan Hockley, age six

A photograph of British-born Dylan in a Superman t-shirt has become one of the icons of the fight to pass tougher gun laws in America. Dylan, his family wrote, adored chocolate and cuddling and bouncing on trampolines. He was sensitive to loud noises and loved routine. He wanted to play with other kids so much, they wrote, even though he didnt always know how.

The Dylans Wings of Change Foundation benefits children with autism and other special needs. His mother, Nicole Hockley, is one of the founders and managing directors of Sandy Hook Promise. His parents have been outspoken about their participation in a lawsuit against the manufacturer, distributor and dealer of the military-style weapon used in the Sandy Hook shooting.

Madeleine F Hsu, age six

Her family described Madeleine as a a petite princess with a big personality, always ready to jump into surf at the beach, plunge into the pool, or ride her bike without training wheels as soon as they had been taken off.

Once you set your mind to do something, her family wrote of her, it was as good as done.

Catherine Violet Hubbard, age six

Catherine Hubbard.

Catherine, with her red hair and freckles, loved animals so much she made her own business cards for Catherines Animal Shelter, her family wrote. Her title: Care Taker. Tell your friends I am kind, she would whisper to animals when she played with them.

Catherines family is building an animal sanctuary in her honor on 34 acres of Connecticut farmland. The sanctuary already hosts events, and individuals and groups can donate to support the sanctuary or volunteer their time for instance, building garden beds or clearing out invasive plants.

Chase Kowalski, age seven

Chase had already been an enthusiastic athlete and competitor for years. He began running competitively at age two, his family wrote. At age 6, Chase asked to be entered into his first triathlon in his first ever competition, he took on the field and won his age group!

The CMAK Foundation supports programs for physical and emotional well-being for kids and their families, including Race4Chase, a kids triathlon program.

break the cycle

Jesse Lewis, age six

The quintessential image of Jesse, his family wrote, is him in boots with no socks, ripped jeans, an army helmet on his head, and dirt smudged on his cheek as he marched through a field from one adventure to another.

When he and his classmates were targeted on December 14, his family wrote, Jesse used his last few minutes on earth yelling to his friends to run, saving many lives.

The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement supports a social and emotional learning program for teachers and students. Jesses mother Scarlett Lewis has spoken publicly about the importance of this kind of learning in childrens lives as well as the importance of forgiveness.

James Radley Mattioli, age six

James was all boy, his family wrote, always wrestling with his father, jumping off tall objects, and moving through the world with boundless energy. He loved his sister and learning from her. He had also developed a keen interest in math.

His family asked that donations to support the programs that brought him joy should be sent to: The James R Mattioli Memorial Fund C/O Newtown Savings Bank; 39 Main Street Newtown, CT 06470.

Grace McDonnell, age seven

Grace had been taking art classes since she was three years old, and showed early talent. She saw beauty in everything and was fortunate to have found her passion early in life, her family wrote.

Through the Grace McDonnell Memorial Fund, her family wrote, they hoped to support young artists and youth art programs.

A memorial for the victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Photograph: Robert F. Bukaty/AP

Emilie Parker, age six

Emilie loved visiting the craft store, and her family constantly found beads, bits of paper, colored cotton balls or anything else Emilie thought she could use to create art all over the house. Her family shared a photograph of her next to a canvas with a palette of paints, wearing an enormous t-shirt as an artists smock.

The Emilie Parker Art Connection supports art programs. Alissa Parker, her mother, has written a book, An Unseen Angel, about a faith-filled, spiritual path to coping, healing and forgiving in the wake of tragedy. She is also one of the founders of Safe and Sound Schools.

Jack Pinto, age six

Jack had a huge smile and a love for mischief. He loved playing sports and, most of all, being with his big brother.

To honor his memory, his family has supported Kids in the Game, an organization that provides funds for athletic programs for kids and schools that could not otherwise afford them.

Noah Pozner, age six

Noah loved playing deep imaginative games with his Legos and superhero toys. He went to school in a Batman shirt and Spider-Man shoes, listening to Gangnam Style, one of Noahs favorite songs, on the way. His twin sister, Arielle, survived the shooting.

In the wake of the shooting, Noahs father, Lenny Pozner, founded the Honr Network, a group that works to combat the conspiracy theorists who claim the Sandy Hook shooting is a hoax and that grieving family members are crisis actors. The Honr Network coordinates volunteers to monitor and take down hoaxer posts and videos. Working with tech companies like Google on this effort has been an uphill battle, one that has made Pozner himself the target of intense harassment. A Florida woman was sentenced to five months in prison earlier this year for making threats against him.

Caroline Previdi, age six

Caroline was joyful, a lover of art and dance. Before Christmas one year, she brought her piggy bank to her parents and asked to donate all of her savings to their church to make sure the every kid would have a present under their Christmas trees. At her funeral, some mourners wore pink, her favorite color, to honor her, the New Haven Register reported.

The Caroline Previdi Foundation provides support for kids without financial resources to engage in extracurricular activities.

Jessica Rekos, age six

As well as horseback riding, Jessica spent hours watching the Free Willy movies and taking notes on orcas, her family wrote. Mom, I just want to be friends with an Orca, she once said.

Her family wrote, she was always planning, asking questions, and figuring out the details. They called her our little CEO.

The Jessica Rekos Foundation supports horseback riding scholarships and research and internships on orca and whale conservation.

Avielle Richman, age six

Avielle Richman.

Avielle had a spitfire personality, her family wrote. She was often barefoot. Asked what she wanted to be, she replied that she would like to be an artist … and a spy … and a fairy princess … and a writer. She loved to name things: the maple trees next to her house were Efford and Maeve.

The Avielle Foundation supports neuroscience research aimed at understanding the brains chemistry, structure, and circuits that lead to violence and compassion, as well as community education and outreach about neuroscience research and its findings, and how to promote brain health.

Benjamin Wheeler, age six

Ben was full of urgent questions that he wanted answered at once. He demanded attention. He loved lighthouses and dreamed of being an architect, a paleontologist and a lighthouse keeper all at once.

Bens Lighthouse, a community organization in Newtown, was founded to support Newtown youth over the long term as they dealt with the aftermath of the violence at Sandy Hook.

Allison N Wyatt, age six

Allison lined the walls of her home with rows of pictures she had drawn, and she loved drawing for people she cared about, from friends and relatives to her school bus driver. Her family wrote that they had found a final picture Allie had drawn for her first grade teacher, Victoria Soto, who was also killed in the shooting. It had a message: I love you, Love Allie.

The Allison Wyatt Memorial Fund has donated to St Jude Childrens Research Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House Charities and International Child Art Foundation.

Rachel Davino, age 29

A behavioral specialist, Rachel had a clear focus on helping adults and children with autism, her family wrote, and she had just completed the requirements to become a board certified behavioral analyst. Her soon-to be-fiance Tony Cerritelli had just asked her family for permission to marry her, and they were planning to become engaged on Christmas Eve.

Rachel was working on a family collection of Italian recipes for a family cookbook, and she loved karate, photography, cooking and baking. At a celebration honoring her life, she was compared to The Giving Tree, a Shel Silverstein book about selflessness.

Her friends and family made plans to walk and raise money for Autism Speaks to honor her life.

Dawn Hochsprung, age 47

Elementary school principal Dawn Hochsprung. Photograph: Reuters

Sandy Hooks school principal was strong, confident, inspiring and compassionate, her family wrote. She balanced raising her two daughters with her own continuing education, always keeping in touch with her children as she moved from one meeting to another.

Dawn died as she lived: always in control, handling whatever came her way, her family wrote.

Erica Lafferty, one of her daughters, spoke about her mother at the Democratic National Convention in 2016 in support of Hillary Clinton and her commitment to gun violence prevention. She is now a program manager at Everytown for Gun Safety, major a gun violence prevention advocacy group.

Anne Marie Murphy, age 52

When the shooting happened, Anne Marie Murphy, a classroom aide, wrapped a child in her arms, protecting him. Both she and the child were killed.

Thank you for respecting our privacy, her family wrote.

Lauren Rousseau, age 30

Lauren Rousseau. Photograph: AP

Sensitive and focused, Lauren had worked multiple jobs, including as a substitute, on her way to getting a job as a teacher.

Her family set up two scholarships in her name to support future educators: The Lauren Rousseau Memorial Scholarship, Danbury High School Scholarship Fund, 43 Clapboard Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811; and the Lauren Rousseau Memorial Scholarship/University of Bridgeport Graduate School of Education, 126 Park Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604.

Members of her family traveled to Washington last week to press for tougher gun laws.

Mary Sherlach, age 56

School psychologist Mary Sherlach and her husband Mark Sherlach. Photograph: uncredited/AP

Marys Fund honors her work as the Sandy Hook school psychologist. It provides access to mental healthcare for Connecticut residents who might not otherwise be able to get it. Her husband, Bill Sherlach, is also part of Sandy Hook Promise, and has spoken out about the importance of the lawsuit he joined against an AR-15 manufacturer.

Victoria Soto, age 27

Victoria Soto. Photograph: Reuters

Victoria, a teacher, was living her dream teaching first grade, her family wrote. She lived at home with her siblings and her dog, Roxie.

The Victoria Soto Memorial supports scholarships for future teachers and other educational endeavors.

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