#I am 36 years old and lived in Germany my entire life and I never knew about this

[thewriteside]

2002 (Anonymous Submission)

Growing up as a military brat was fun. We lived in Germany, traveled Europe and moved around. As a kid, Mom being in the Army meant “Mandatory Family Fun Days” and bike rides across Germany. Before 9/11/2001, no one talked about war. My dad had been in Desert Storm, but to 10 year old me that was “so far in history”. We moved to Texas in 1999, my dad drew the year in the concrete he poured for our front walk. We lived in the middle of nowhere. Cows were my neighbors. We didn’t mind because we still went for bike rides on Sundays and had family game nights. The only change was “Mandatory Family Fun Days” now took place at a lake with a water slide. What no one knew then was that my graduating class would have the longest in memoriam since Vietnam for our school.

On September 11, 2001 I was sitting in my 8th grade chorus class when our teacher made the announcement that a plane had hit the Twin Towers. Shortly after, the suspicion of a terrorist attack was announced, I was in history class. I remember Coach Jackson saying, “Ladies and Gentleman, pay attention, you are watching history unfold”, as we watched the news in class. That night my parents didn’t come home, the base had been locked down. At 14 I was in charge of myself and my 12 year old brother for the next 36 hours. We had no idea how much our lives were about to change.

In January of 2002 my mom’s company received their orders, they were shipping out. At first it was fun, helping mom pack her rucksacks. It was my job to stand on them to make sure everything fit. Five pairs of BCU pants, five jackets, ten shirts and as many pairs of socks as we could fit. The list was two pages long and the gear filled our entire living room. Once the last bag was locked with its small golden master lock they were set by the door. The orders had come, but no date was set.

I was 14 years old. Old enough to know how dangerous the desert would be for her, but too young to cherish the time we had before she left. Those rucksacks became a signal, if I came home from school and they were by the door, mom would be home by dinner. If they were gone, I wouldn’t see my mother for a year. Those huge green bags sat there by the door for over a month. I stopped worrying they would be gone when I came home. The rucksacks by the door became as much a piece of the decor as my dad’s ugly forest green recliner

It was a Tuesday, unusually warm even for a Texas February. They were gone. Over the next four years they stayed gone, more often than they were by the door. I felt a mix of relief and sadness. Finally, the anxiety of wondering when she would go was over, but now she was gone. My mother was in the signal battalion attached to the 4th Infantry Division. Her job was to go into the desert and rebuild the communications infrastructure that had been destroyed by the Taliban. She told us before she left that she wouldn’t be able to contact us as soon as she arrived and she didn’t know for how long we would go without talking. It was 3 months.

Over the course of my high school career I saw my mother only a handful of times. She was in Iraq for my first homecoming dance, in Egypt when I “fell in love” for the first time, in Germany when I felt my first heartbreak. Over time it became easier for me to ignore her calls than to answer. I knew she was a hero and I was and continue to be so proud of her service. But it was hard to not be angry. Being at the age a girl needs her mother most and not having her led to me feeling resentful of the career my mother was so proud of.

While my mother was across the globe, saving women and children from the terrorists, I felt alone. My mom was my hero,my best friend. Every time she said “Yes”, to Uncle Sam, it felt like she was saying “no” to me. How was I supposed to tell her I needed her more. More than whom? More than the Iraqis she was helping, more than the terrorists she was fighting? Living in a military town we were taught to be proud of our soldiers, be brave for them. If we complained we were only making their jobs more difficult. The problem with that sentiment, they never recognized, was that we didn’t ask for this. I wanted my mom but I never told her.

I can not tell you who my mother dreamed to be as a little girl, before she became a mother and a soldier. I can tell you she was the oldest of eight children, and that she is a twin. Veronica Lynn and Victoria Leigh, I only met mom’s twin once, she was nice but too quiet and she smelled like an ashtray. My mom, Veronica, worked in Westborough State Hospital when she met my father. We joke that they didn’t really work there but that’s definitely where they met. I can’t tell you how she felt the day she decided to enlist. I can tell you that she was the life of the party and we used to lay in her bed and eat junk food on rainy days watching some crime drama. I couldn’t begin to tell you what her greatest insecurities were. I can tell you that she was funny and she was always ready for the next adventure. I remember one night my mom came home, it was about 10 p.m., with an assortment of seafood. My brother and I didn’t eat seafood but when mom was in her “really good moods” there was no telling her no. That’s the night I tried shark steaks.

When I was in the 7th grade my mom was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, I used to help her with her medications and bring her cold waters. After her last tour overseas she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. When I found out so much of my childhood clicked into place, she would leave to go to Walmart and come home with a new car. Or she couldn’t get out of bed for days at a time. Even on those crazy up or down days, we still laid in bed on rainy days and laughed. We could sit quietly for hours or never stop talking depending on the day. Serving overseas only served to exacerbate her symptoms. She was never quite the same.

Twenty years later, and our relationship is still strained. It is not completely one sided and if you were to ask her, she would say it is because I am just like her. Stubborn to a fault. To be honest, I never asked her to come home. I can not say with any certainty that she knew how I felt as a teenager. I also can not say she wouldn’t have retired the moment I let her know how alone I felt. I am now 33 years old, I have 3 children of my own and have built a life with the man I love. My mother has only met each of my children once. The last time she re-enlisted, I left Texas before she came back. I was living in Massachusetts for four months before she knew I had left the state. The truth is, I gave up on her. -Anonymous

#writerslife #writerscreed #short story #submit #submission #real life #us army #troops #mom #daughter #writersociety #writers #creative writing #blog #samanthaleewrites #trashcanpoems #love #family #authors #authors of instagram #authors of tumblr #slam poem #slam poets on tumblr #mental illness #mental health #bipolar disorder

[borisbubbles]

ESC 2021 Preshow: 08. France

Barbara Pravi - “Voilà”

Autoqualifier

France going from 3rd last on my ranking / likely last place in the finale to 8th place in the ranking / probably top 3 in the Grand Final. 😍 WHAT A GLOW-UP.

So, “Voilà” is epic, obviously. Yeah I will skip the theatrics, each and every one of you know this song and we all know it’s probably the best French entry in ages. 

Funnily enough, I didn’t care for “Voilà” when I first heard it lmfao. It felt similar to the song Patricia Kaas went to Eurovision with and while “Et s’il faillait le faire” has its fans, I was never one of them. Worse, the internet immediately resorted to refering to “Voilà” as a “masterpiece” which is probably the pretentious statement you can make about Eurovision songs. Guys, it’s an Edith Piaf-inspired tribute act. Calm the eff down. Still, even at this early a stage I was instantly charmed by Barbara’s introspection and pluck even if I didn’t care for the music at first. After all, Barbara was the mastermind behind jesc HITS “Bim bam toi” and “J’imagine” and if she wants to bring a song that puts HER SELF at the forefront, she’s perfectly entitled to do so. About fucking time. On top of that, I thought the ending was sublime, even in studio version. “Why can’t the entire song be like that”, I thought. And then, E:CVQD arrived and Barbara SERVED, OUTSOLD, SLAYED, etc every superlative under the sun. 

So remember when I aired my critique regarding Gjon? “Tout l’Univers” is an “Objectively Strong” composition in that it employs music theory to conjure up a song that sounds impressive on first listen. But behind that academic skill lies virtually nothing of interest. I cannot connect with it beyond a base level because what does it tell me about Gjon or his story? Technique without a heart or a soul is merely pretense. But I suppose it can sound sophisticated to someone who doesn’t know what “sophistication” is. 

Barbara, however. Her personality just SPRINGS FORWARD on an approachable level from the first note. “Voilà”s’s technical expertise and Barbara’s own perfomance talents carry this vibe, this SERVE of personality, through the full three minutes without ever getting boring or tedious and they leave me craving for another listen. ALL OF THESE ARE AMAZING TRAITS IN A EUROVISION SONG. And this is just from the studio version, the live stage show makes it even better. 

So yeah, homeboy’s got his work cut out for him because if this is his competition he’ll have to graft hard for his victory.

NF Corner -  C’est Vous Qui Décidez

In what would become a running theme amidst countries this year, France led the charge in a personal project called #OperationForget2020, in which every trace of last year would be subsequently memory-holed. To acheive this, they revived their NF, gave it a new name and pretended it was ~The First NF of Its Format~ (so basically doing what Lithuania did last year when they rebranded Atranka into PiN).

INCIDENTALLY, this would also wind up the best NF of the year, pretty much by default because France had the most to win. Even though Barbara was the obvious winner from the instant the songs were revealed, the French had some excellent back-up options in their arsenal. Let’s rummage through them shall we?

LMK - “Magique”

R&B Trap wench <3 “Magique” starts off pretty and cute for fifteen seconds, before whiplashing hard into kick-ass tropical house territory. Her Slovene spirit mothers Raiven and Lea Sirk are so proud of her <3 She definitely deserved much better than the result she got (being NQ with the audience O_O), but lol it’s France, they ain’t NEVER crowning a sexually confident sassy woman, let’s not kid ourselves. 

Céphaz - “On a mangé le soleil”

This Hat God had me at that title. “We have eaten the sun” 😍😍😍😍. More songs should adopt a fatalistic environmental angle by using consumption-related metaphors à la “we’ve devoured out planet :burp:, MOAR”, and then set this suuuuper cynical and depressing text to an upbeat and optimistic soundtrack <3 The “Hey ya” tease of it all. 😍

Amui - “Maeva”

So cheerful it turns a surly cretin such as myself into a blundering mass of uwu. It’s like a nillies Eurovision semi NQ’er suddenly wandered into the set, so derivative and repetitive and tacky but SO fun and happy-go-lucky <3 The entire premise of “Maeva” is basically like: “VISIT FRENCH POLYNESIA, WE ARE THE MOST HOSPITABLE PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH” <333 using this message in the middle of a worldwide viral pandemic <33333333 Normally fun-trash like this would be murdered at first sight by any jury, but whoops “Maeva” turned out a massive televote hit HEHEE 😛 and finished third in the televote despite being last or second last with the jury. Those Tahitian diasporia votes coming through <3

Adriamad - “Allélujah”

TACKY EUROTRASH <3 Lol when I think of it, did I like this NF because it was good or because it was so fun-trash. Anyway, this display of diversity would normally be on my shitlist but it’s honestly SO OTT in its ~People Of The World Of All Colours Are Equal~ message it circles back into funny. The eye gimmick, the hammy choreography, the obnoxious fusion of several cultures into a nondescript ethnotrash hodgepodge, the fucking LYRICS everything is so funny and so entertaining it’s giving me LIFE. 😍 I’d say it deserved better but “Allélujah” stranding in the demifinal (not a typo) is honestly a much, much more satisfying result <3

Predicted Journey - France

Barbara is going on that Mahmood trajectory, I see. Early fave who gets near unanimous critical acclaim, rules solely on top until the other contenders show up and is then put on the backburner because she’s an autoqualifier and therefore isn’t a part of the “who will qualify?” discussions. Then, the rehearsals will happen and everyone will remember “hey, that French chick we almost forgot about is actually REALLY good” allowing her to pick up momentum again, catapulting her into the top five. So it is written, such it shall be.

The question is... Can she win? 

The answer is: yeah, possibly? At this point we have three potential contenders: Gjon for Switzerland and Destiny for Malta are the main rivals and I’d say Barbara has one big advantage over Gjon and Destiny: She already has a great live performance to back up her potential winner status. In fact, Barbara is a fave to win because we know what she’s going to bring in Rotterdam.  Gjon and Destiny could theoretically still bomb if their staging is off (and both are getting theirs done by Sasha Jean-Baptiste, soooooo) and their contenderness is based on things such as hype and expectation. Barbara meanwhile already had her baptism by fire when she competed in E:CQVD, which she handily won.

The problem though is Gjon Muharremaj. For the average eurofan, France and Switzerland have similar entries and it will result in a tug-of-war between which of them has the better song. Either could win this televote bout, and whoever does could beat Malta.. .but that would require Malta to have a disappointing televote result and with each passing day this is starting to look less likely. (Jury results matter less because they’re probably the top 3).  Personally I don’t really have a preference between Barbara OR Destiny as a win for either would push Eurovision in a better direction (A Gjon win though... I am TERRIFIED that may result in a 2022 contest filled with Vincent Bueno’s and Vasils), but if these three are indeed the top three, Barbara’s position is the most secure although she’s probably also the least likely one to actually win. Pray that I’m wrong though and we can all meet at her flat in Montmartre for a covid-proof afterparty. 

Projected placements:

> Grandfinal: 1st-5th (predicted Runner-up)

THE RANKING: 

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. FRANCE - Barbara Pravi - “Voilà” 09. BULGARIA - Victoria - “Growing up is getting old” 10. LATVIA - Samanta Tina - “The moon is rising” 11. GREECE - Stefania - “Last dance” 12. SWEDEN - Tusse - “Voices” 13. IRELAND - Leslie Roy - “Maps” 14. CROATIA - Albina - “Tick Tock” 15. MOLDOVA - Natalia Gordienko - “Sugar” 16. ITALY - Måneskin - “Zitti e buoni” 17. ALBANIA - Anxhela Peristeri - “Karma” 18. UNITED KINGDOM - James Newman - “Embers” 19. LITHUANIA - The Roop - “Discoteque” 20. ESTONIA - Uku Suviste - “The lucky one” 21. FINLAND - Blind Channel - “Dark side” 22. AZERBAIJAN - Efendi - “Mata Hari” 23. the NETHERLANDS - Jeangu Macrooy - “Birth of a new age” 24. CZECH REPUBLIC - Benny Christo - “Omaga” 25. DENMARK - Fyr og Flamme - “Øve os på hinanden” 26. SLOVENIA - Ana Soklič - “Amen” 27. SWITZERLAND - Gjon’s Tears - “Tout l’Univers” 28. ROMANIA - Roxen - “Amnesia” 29. SERBIA - Huricane - “Loco loco” 30. POLAND - Rafał - “The ride” 31. ISRAEL - Eden Alene - “Set me free” 32. GEORGIA - Tornike Kipiani - “You” 33. PORTUGAL - The Black Mamba - “Love is on my side” 34. SPAIN - Blas Cantó - “Voy a quedarme” 35. NORWAY - Tix - “Fallen Angel” 36. CYPRUS - Elena Tsagrinou - “El Diablo” 37. AUSTRIA - Vincent Bueno - “Amen” 38. NORTH MACEDONIA - Vasil - “Here I stand” 39. GERMANY - Jendrik - “I don’t feel hate”

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Eurovision 2021 #ESC 2021 #ESC2021 #France #Barbara Pravi #Voilà

[entamewitchlulu]

so i did a reading challenge this year and i wanna talk about what i read

transcription under the cut

i did Popsugar 2019 and wanna talk about what i read:  Book Reccs and Anti-Reccs 

1.) Becoming a Movie in 2019: Umbrella Academy (vol 1) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

4/5. A fascinating take on superpowers, dysfunctional families, and the apocalypse. Can get pretty gory, confusing here and there and you have to pay close attention to panels for lore, but overall an entertaining romp.

2.) Makes you Feel Nostalgic: Circles in the Stream by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Middle grade novel about the magic of music, belief, and of course, friendship. Definitely written for kids, and has some unfortunately clumsy Native rep, but overall an absolute joy to dive into once again.

3.) Written by a Musician: Umbrella Academy (vol 2) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

4/5. Ramps up the confusion to ridiculous degrees with some absolutely bonkers, unexplained arcs, but still fun to watch this dysfunctional family do its dysfunctional thing.

4.) You Think Should be Turned into a movie: All That Glitters by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Continuation of Circles in the Stream, but with more unicorns, more rainbows, and more fae, which makes it automatically even better than the first.

5.) With At Least 1 Mil. Ratings on Goodreads: 1984 by George Orwell   

1/5. I understand why it's important and all but wasn't prepared for some of the more graphic scenes and the overall hopelessness of the message.  Would not recommend or read again.

6.) W/ a Plant in the title or cover: The secret of Dreadwillow carse by Brian farrey

5/5. A fantasy world where everyone is always happy, save for one girl and the princess, who set out to solve the mystery of their kingdom. Poignant and great for kids and adults.

7.) Reread of a favorite: Cry of the Wolf by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Yet another installment in the Avalon: Web of Magic series, which clearly I am obsessed with.  Please just read them.

8.) About a Hobby: Welcome to the Writer's Life by Paulette Perhach

5/5. A welcome kick in the pants, chock full of great advice told without condescension, and full of hope and inspiration for writers both new and old.

9.) Meant to read in 2018: The Poet x by Elizabeth Acevedo  

4/5. Absolutely beautiful coming of age novel told in verse.  Do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook version.

10.) w/ "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title: Black Sugar by Miguel Bonnefoy

2/5. I think maybe I just don't understand this genre.  Or maybe the translation was weird. I was confused.  

11.) w/ An Item of Clothing or Accessory on the cover: Our dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

4/5. It had a lot more slurs/homophobia than I was prepared for, but otherwise is a very touching, relatable collection of queer characters living in a heteronormative world.

12.) Inspired by Mythology or Folklore: Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly

3/5. A girl goes on an impossible quest to save her brother from a child-eating witch. Really wanted to like it more because I loved the first one, Monstrous, but it dragged a little.

13.) Published Posthumously: The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones

3/5. I adore Diana Wynne Jones, but this one was missing some of the magic of her other books. Not sure if it was because it had to be finished by someone else, or if I just grew out of her stories.

14.) Set in Space: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

4/5. Powerfully written story of a girl straddling tradition and innovation, who wields power through mathematical magic, surviving on a spaceship alone with a dangerous alien occupation after everyone else has been killed.

15.) By 2 Female Authors: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

2/5. Ostensibly a story about a revenge pact in a small island town, but leaves far too many dangling threads to attempt alluring you to the sequel.

16.) W/ A Title containing "salty," "bitter," "Sweet," or "Spicy": The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith  

3/5. It's okay but I literally just never know what anyone means at any time. Are they being reticent on purpose or do i just not understand communication

17.) Set in scandinavia: Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura

2/5. Technically and historically accurate and well made, but the story itself is not my cup of tea.  Very gory.

18.) Takes Place in a Single Day: Long WAy Down by Jason Reynolds

4/5. A boy goes to avenge his murdered brother, but ghostly passengers join him on the elevator ride down. Stunning and powerful character-driven analysis.

19.) Debut Novel: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

4/5. Charming and then surprisingly heart-breaking comic about Nimona, a shapeshifter who wants to become a villain's minion. Really love the villain/hero dynamic going on in the background, along with the dysfunctional found family.

20.) Published in 2019: The Book of Pride by Mason Funk  

4/5. A collection of interviews with the movers, shakers, and pioneers of the queer and LGBTQ+ community.  An absolutely essential work for community members and allies alike.

21.) Featuring an extinct/imaginary creature: Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson

4/5. Incredibly charming, Calvin and Hobbes-esque collection of comics featuring the adventures of Phoebe and her unicorn best friend.

22.) Recced by a celebrity you admire: The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen

2/5. Recced by my fave author Brandon Sanderson. An unfortunately disappointing anthology proving that any story can be made uninteresting by telling the wrong section of it.

23.) With "Love" in the Title: Book Love by Debbie Tung

4/5. One of those relatable webcomics, only this one I felt super hard almost the entire time.  Books are awesome and libraries rule.

24.) Featuring an amateur detective: Nancy Drew: Palace of Wisdom by Kelly Thompson

4/5. REALLY love this modern take on Nancy Drew, coming back home to her roots to solve a brand new mystery. Diverse cast and lovely artwork, though definitely more adult.

25.) About a family: Amulet by Kabu Kibuishi

4/5. Excellent, top tier graphic novel about a sister and brother who have to go rescue their mother with a mysterious magic stone. LOVE that the mom gets to be involved in the adventure for once.

26.) by an author from asia, Africa, or s. America: Girls' Last tour by Tsukumizu

4/5. Somehow both light-hearted and melancholy. Two girls travel about an empty, post-apocalyptic world, and muse about life and their next meal.

27.) w/ a Zodiac or astrology term in title: Drawing down the moon by margot adler

3/5. A good starting place for anyone interested in the Neo Pagan movement, but didn't really give me what I was personally looking for.

28.) you see someone reading in a tv show or movie: The Promised NEverland by Kaiu Shirai

4/5. I don't watch TV or movies where people read books so i think reading an adaptation of a TV series after watching the series counts. Anyway it was good but beware racist caricatures

29.) A retelling of a classic: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero

5/5. We can stop the Little Women reboots and retellings now, this is the only one we need. In fact, we can toss out the original too, this is the only one necessary.

30.) w/ a question in the title: So I'm a spider, so what? by Asahiro Kakashi

4/5. Cute art despite the subject matter, and a surprisingly enthralling take on the isekai genre. Love the doubling down on the video game skills.

31.) Set in a college or university campus: Moonstruck (vol 2) by Grace Ellis

2/5. An incredibly cute, beautiful, and fascinating world of modern magic and creatures, but unfortunately falls apart at the plot and pacing.

32.) About someone with a superpower: Moonstruck (vol 1) by Grace Ellis

4/5. Though nearly as messy plot-wise as its sequel, the first volume is overwhelmingly charming in a way that overpowers the more confusing plot elements.

33.) told from multiple povs: The Long way to a Small, Angry Planet by becky Chambers

4/5. Told almost in a serial format, like watching a miniseries, a group of found-family spaceship crew members make the long journey to their biggest job ever.

34.) Includes a wedding: We Set the dark on fire by Tehlor kay mejia

4/5. Timely and poignant, a girl tumbles into both love and resistance after becoming one of two wives to one of the most powerful men in the country.

35.) by an author w/ alliterative name: The only harmless great Thing by brooke bolander

3/5. Much deeper than I can currently comprehend.  Beautifully written, but difficult to parse.

36.) A ghost story: Her body and other parties by Carmen Maria Machado

4/5.  It counts because one of the stories in it has ghosts. A sometimes difficult collection of surrealist, feminist, queer short stories.

37.) W/ a 2 word title: Good omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

4/5. Charming, touching, and comical, probably the best take on the apocalypse to date. Also excellent ruminations on religion and purpose.

38.) based on a true story: The faithful Spy by John Hendrix

4/5. Brilliantly crafted graphic biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his assistance in fighting back against Nazi Germany.

39.) Revolving around a puzzle or game: the Crossover by Kwame alexander

4/5. The verse didn't always hit right with me, but the story is a sweet, melancholy one about family, loss, and moving on.

40.) previous popsugar prompt (animal in title): The last unicorn by peter s. Beagle

5/5. Absolutely one of my all-time favorite books, it manages to perfectly combine anachronism and comedy with lyricism, melancholy, and ethereal beauty.

41.) Cli-fi: Tokyo Mew Mew by Mia ikumi and Reiko Yoshida

4/5. Shut up it counts

42.) Choose-your-own-adventure: My Lady's choosing by Kitty curran

3/5. Cute in concept, a bit underwhelming in execution. Honestly, just play an otome.

43.) "Own Voices": Home by Nnedi Okorafor

3/5. The storytelling style was definitely not my style; while the first book was slow, too, it felt more purposeful. I found my attention wandering during this installment.

44.) During the season it's set in: Pumpkinheads by rainbow rowell

3/5. Cute art, but precious little substance.  The concept simply wasn't for me in the first place.

45.) LITRPG: My next life as a villainess: All routes lead to doom! by Hidaka nami

5/5. An absolute insta-fave! Charming art, endearing characters, an incredible premise, and so much sweet wholesome fluff it'll give you cavities.

46.) No chapters: The field guide to dumb birds of north america by matt kracht

3/5. It started out super strong, but the joke started to wear thin at a little past the halfway point.

47.) 2 books with the same title: Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roger

4/5. A brave and enduring personal story of growing up in and eventually leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. Really called to me to act with grace and kindness even more in the future.

48.) 2 books with the same title: unfollow by rob williams and michael dowling

1/5. How many times do you think we can make Battle Royale again before someone notices

49.) That has inspired a common phrase or idiom: THe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

4/5. Definitely good and deserves it's praise as something that pretty much revolutionized and created an entire demographic of literature.

50.) Set in an abbey, cloister, Monastery, convent, or vicarage: Murder at the vicarage by agatha christie

3/5. I just cannot. physically keep up with all of these characters or find the energy to read between the lines.

ok that's all i got, what did y'all read and like this year?  (oh god it’s gonna be 2020)

#book reccs #lulu booktalks

[ask-bohemian-ilse]

1-63

1. how are you?• i don’t feel well, to be honest. pretty nauseous. i’m not at school, but i also haven’t moved from the floor in…an hour.

2. post a picture of yourself.• when i’m not sick!

3. do you ever wish you were someone else?• you know what? i used to. but now, most of time, i don’t think i could imagine myself as anyone else. even when there are times i wish i wasn’t me.

4. what is your entire name? • ilse adelheid neumann

5. how old are you?* i’m almoooost sixteen — i have a late birthday!

6. age you get mistaken for: • people were once very willing to believe i was a lot older then fourteen. now, people look at me and confuse me for being at least seventeen…it’s weird.

7. your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality: • taurus! yes i do, for the most part.

8. what did you do on your last birthday? • my fifteenth…it was the first chance i got to celebrate with my friends in a very long time. wendla threw me a surprise party! it was amazing!

9. what is one thing you’d like to accomplish before your next birthday? • i’d like to actually finish an art project for once! and get an a on an assignment…

10. what is your hair color? • red!

11. have you ever dyed your hair? • when i first went on the run, i dyed it blonde. it faded fast, though, and i never touched it up.

12. what is your eye color? • hazel.

13. if you could change your eye color, would you? • nope!

14. do you wear contacts/glasses? • no.

15. your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it: • i don’t love my body. there are countless thing i’d change and make better about it. i’m not personally very comfortable with it all, but in a commune, you sacrifice comfort. so i guess i’m used to it, just…not comfortable, anyways.

16. have you ever considered plastic surgery? what would you alter about your body? • no, i haven’t. but i think i’d make my nose smaller.

17. say eight facts about your body: • seriously…? 1. i have birthmark right underneath my thumb that’s shaped like nothing really. just a weird blob. wendla likes to say it looks like the crescent moon, but i disagree.2. i have really prominent bones, said karl when i live with him. it’s true. they’re…poky?3. i bruise really easily.4. i have a scar on my stomach from when melchior accidentally got my playing pirates. his “sword” was sharper then we knew. 5. according to nohl, i look “malnourished, but not in a good way.”6. el greco told me i have pointy ears. this is also true. think elf-like. 7. i have long fingers.8. once, i broke my wrist when i fell climbing a tree. it’s still shaped kind of weird.

18. do you have any tattoos? • no.

19. do you have any piercings? • five! one in each ear, one in my naval, and one in my collarbone but it’s closing because i don’t wear it enough.

20. left or right handed? • left

21. what’s your sexual orientation? • bisexual

22. do you drink? • more often then i should be!

23. do you smoke? • yes.

24. do you have any pets? • georg has two dogs, and since i live with him, they’re technically mine too.

25. where do you work? • i don’t have a job

26. something you are working on right now: • a painting! it’s a surprise, though ;)

27. do you have any “rules” about food? • yes.

28. where are you from? • germany!

29. what would you say is your best quality? • i’m generous, i think.

30. what do you think you’re really good at? • uh…i think i’m good at being creative. i have a big imagination.

31. what do you think you’re really bad at? • i’m really bad at a lot of things, but i’m the worst at connecting with other people.

32. what talent do you wish you’d been born with? • oh geez…i wish i’d been born a better musician. more musically inclined, i guess.

33. are you a bad person? • depends on what your idea of a bad person is. i think i was. i think i’ve gotten better. i don’t know for sure.

34. are you nice to everyone? • no, but i try to be.

35. say three facts about your personality: • i think i’m an optimist, although a lot of people would argue that.* i’m very stubborn* i’m an extrovert

36. has someone ever spread a nasty rumor about you? • everyone at school does, yeah. i don’t think they understand what priapia was really like.

37. what is your ideal bed? why? • super soft! because it’s the comfiest.

38. did you wake up cranky? • yes

39. do you sleep with a stuffed toy? • no

40. what do you think about the most? • summer coming soon!

41. share two habits: • i chew the inside of my cheek • smoking, i guess

42. what do you want to be when you “get older?” • alive, healthy, and happy! that’s about it.

43. what are your career goals? • i think i’d like to sell some of my art sometime.

44. what is your ideal career? • i’d like to design. painting sets, designing homes, designing clothes, doing art…whatever.

45. is your life anything like it was two years ago? • absolutely not. and that makes me ridiculously happy.

46. do you replay things that have happened in your head? • yes

47. have you ever had an imaginary friend? • yes! a pirate captain! i miss him.

48. say ten facts about your room: 1. it’s a total mess 2. i keep flowers everywhere at all times 3. there’s a lot of purple involved 4. my side table is covered in books. mostly fairytales. 5. i have a space in it just for…relaxing? my record player is over there, and all my records, and a beanbag. 6. my bed is never made 7. it kinda smells like smoke but mostly like this vanilla candle i have 8. there’s a lot spilled stuff on the floor. paint, makeup, hair products… 9. there’s also dog hair everywhere 10. i have a disco ball on my ceiling. for science

49: do you have any phobias?* i wouldn’t say so…but i am scared of a lot of things.

50. have you ever been to a therapist? • once or twice. i should probably go more.

51. are you allergic to anything? • to bananas!

52. ever broken any bones? • my wrist. maybe my rib, once, but it was a vague blur.

53. ever come close to death? • too close for comfort

54. things you like and dislike about yourself: • i like my sense of humor and my hair. i hate my smile and how selfish i am.

55. a random fact about yourself: • i love psychoanalysis! even if melchior says it’s a pseudoscience

56. what are three things most people don’t know about you? • half of the clothing i wear is stuff i’ve stolen from georg • i’m a secret lover of duran duran. • i used to check the website that updated about my case when i was a missing person. nobody really knew that one.

57. an unknown fact about your life: • i wasn’t born in germany! i was born in switzerland, but we moved back almost immediately.

58. share something about yourself that others might think is weird: • i do a lot of weird stuff. sometimes i go through my daily routine pretending to be a celebrity, so i talk to my invisible audience the whole time. georg walked in once and it was embarrassing.

59. five weird things you like: • duran duran!!! • creature features (especially the b-ones from the fifties) • mixing cherry coke with lemonade and drinking it • pretending to be a pirate sometimes (still) • the smell of gasoline

60. do you have a facebook? • no. too public!

61. NOT APPLICABLE

62. describe yourself in one word/sentence: • “off”

63. a quote you try to live by: • “live each moment like it’s your last!”

#ilse neumann #answered memes #anon

[happylittlestranger]

52 questions (why)

Tagged by: @butwewereanempire, some of whose answers were so accurate that I just left them there.

Rules: answer all the questions, add one of your own and tag people

1. coke or pepsi? Coke if there’s no water available.

2. disney or dreamworks?  Disney, but Shrek and El Dorado deserve a special mention.

3. coffee or tea? Tea unless I seriously need to stay awake longer than I want to.

4. books or movies? Books.

5. windows or mac? Windows, to this day I haven’t figured out how macs even work.

6. dc or marvel? DC, especially the animated movies.

7. xbox or playstation? Wii. Cause I’m basically ten years old.

8. dragon age or mass effect? Never played those.

9. night owl or early riser? Early grumpy riser. I really like sleeping ok?

10. cards or chess? Cards, cause when my dad tried to teach me how to play chess I couldn’t stand losing, and being 7 years old felt like no excuse for my lack of strategic abilities, so I quit forever.

11. chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate, which by the ways doesn’t deserve to even be compared to vanilla.

12. vans or converse? Converse, they look good with everything.

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash or Adaar? No clue what those are, but Adaar sounds like a cool name for a planet.

14. fluff or angst? I will read nothing that can be reduced to either of those words.

15. beach or forest? Forest. There’s sun at the beach. Ugh.

16. dogs or cats? I used to be so sure that cats was the only acceptable answer, but honestly, dogs are way more fun. What is happening to me.

17. clear skies or rain? Rain. Never enough rain in this godforsaken country.

18. cooking or eating out? Eating out cause I don’t wanna risk burning down the kitchen.

19. spicy food or mild food? Mild, usually.

20. halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas? I love both, but I’d say Christmas because there’s presents and you get to be festive for longer.

21. would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot? I’d live forever on the verge of freezing if it meant I don’t have to be even slightly hot ever again.

22. if you could have a superpower, what would it be? I know there are smarter answers but fuck it, I just want to fly.

23. animation or live action? Animation.

24. paragon or renegade? I hope you know that I’m not gonna google those up.

25. baths or showers? Showers, there’s very little point on takig baths when you’re as unable to calm down as I am.

26. team cap or team ironman? Captain, because I’m very pissed off at Iron Man being the main character of Spiderman now. I want a proper Civil War where he gets sent to a distant planet and leaves other cooler Marvel characters alone to star in their own fucking movies.

27. fantasy or sci-fi? Increasingly sci-fi.

28. do you have three or four favourite quotes and if so, what are they?

This is the part where my answers are ridiculous compared to the wonderful quotes of @butwewereanempire, who somehow even made me want to read Ulysses. “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. “A child of five could understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five”. - Groucho Marx “Dying is easy, young man; living is harder”. - Hamilton 29. youtube or netflix? Netflix, if I could afford it.

30. harry potter or percy jackson? Harry Potter.

31. when do you feel accomplished? when i get good grades because my self-esteem is fatally linked to my academic success lol

32. star wars or star trek? Star Trek. You get all the cool spaceship stuff plus long debates over philosphical issues.

33. paperback or hardback books? Paperback. Books are meant to be carried around.

34. horror or rom-com? Rom-coms, but on small doses.

35. tv shows or movies? TV shows.

36. favourite animal? How do I not know what my favoruite animal is. How did this happen. Owl?

37. favourite genre of music?  Please don’t make me choose.

38. least favourite book? The Sorrows of Young Werther. Jesus Christ man, just kill yourself on page 2 and spare me and your friend Wilhelm the suffering.

39. favourite season? Winter.

40. song that’s currently stuck in your head? The Room Where It Happens.

41. what kind of pajama’s do you wear? pants that look as pajamasy as possible (striped or similar) and whatever comfy loose t-shirt I can find.

42. how many existential crises do you have on an average day? Two sounds like a reasonable guess.

43. if you can only choose one song to be played at your funeral, what would it be? Mr. Tambourine Man, because I find it weirdly healing.

44. favourite theme song to a TV show? I’m just gonna be cliché as fuck, but Friends. That opening is just perfect.

45. harry potter movies or books? Books, because I actually enjoyed the plot after Goblet of Fire and the movies apparently decided that half of it could go fuck itself.

46. you can make your OTP become canon but you’ll forget that tumblr exists. will you do it? I honestly don’t care about things being canon. Or OTPs for that matter. Forgetting that tumblr exists doesn’t sound like such a tragedy either, but I still would rather not.

47. do you play an instrument and if so, what is it? I struggled to play piano for a while and now I don’t have the time or patience anymore. Which is very sad because I would love to be able to play.

48. what is the worst way to die? Being excited about the rest of your life.

49. if you could be entirely invisible for a day, what would you do? Spend it in the cinema, probably.

50. if you could have personally witnessed anything in history what would it be? Probably the nation-building process of the US. I would have happily sat through hours and hours of men debating about the Constitution because so much interesting stuff must have been said, but also so much utter bullshit, and I want to see it all.

51. What is your coziest memory? Sitting in the couch in the coziest little wooden house in a wood in Germany with some friends last Christmas, happily reading Huckleberry Finn in front of the fireplace.

52. (My question) What is the one thing you wish you could change about your country?

Tagging: @consultingzoologist @grosstadtkind13 @a-lex-ithymia @sailors-in-the-night @liebster-laurens

#well that was a fun bit of procrastination #I guess I'll go back to trying to be productive now #someone please tag me in something so I don't have to

[nuclearmu5hroom]

Thanks for the tag @kittenbloodcoffee (boy this is a long one....)

THE LAST: 
1. Drink:   Grapefruit soda 
2. Phone call:   My sister and I was trying to give her directions to the Pagan Pride Fest I was at yesterday 
3. Text message:   Veggie Lo Mein and Gen Tso's Chicken (its whats for dinner) 
4. Song you listened to:   Right now at this very moment I'm listening to I'm Your Boogeyman by Rob Zombie 
5. Time you cried:   Like cry cry? or tear up and get moopy? cause I tear up several times a day over stupid stuff but I last genuinely cried when it was brought to my attention that my ex wanted to talk about our son living with him full time.

HAVE YOU: 
6. Dated someone twice: I'm not entirely sure about what this means? Are you asking if I dated someone, broke up, then went back to them? Then yes, I've done that. 
7. Kissed someone and regretted it:   Yes 
8. Been cheated on:   Yes 
9. Lost someone special:   2 friends to suicide and another who I cant talk to because....reasons. 
10. Been depressed: Yup, that bitch runs in my family 
11. Gotten drunk and thrown up:   Yes in my younger years. I'm too old for that shit now 

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 
12-14: Blue, Purple and Red

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 
15. Made new friends:   All my pockets frands on Tombler dot gov 
16. Fallen out of love:   Yes sadly. 
17. Laughed until you cried:   Have you ever considered using a penis as an exotic weapon in D&D? I died when we made the rules for this. 
18. Found out someone was talking about you:  Probably but I don't remember or actively blocked it out 
19. Met someone who changed you:   Yes. Its a tendency of mine to absorb characteristics of the people I meet in order for them to like me more. 
20. Found out who your friends are: Secret friends? That sounds neat..if there is anyone who is my friend and they'd like to tell me come on down!! 
21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list:  Yes. Several people.

GENERAL: 
22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life:   99.9% of them. 
23. Do you have any pets:   I haz 1 itty bitty kitteh 
24. Do you want to change your name: Nope I like mine just fine. I was named after a friend of my Mom's who joined the Circus. 
25. What did you do for your last Birthday: Got a PipBoy and the PC version of Fallout 4, my husband made me breakfast and we went out to dinner. It was a good day, tater. 
26. What time did you wake up:   7:30, like most days 
27. What were you doing at midnight last night:   Came home from the movies. I got to see Pee Wee's Big Adventure in the theater! 
28. Name something you can’t wait for:  To hear back if Danny Shorago's gonna be at TooManyGames next year. That and my gaming PC and also my BodyKun/Chan mannikins 
29. When was the last time you saw your mom:   2 1/2 years ago. I don't talk to her and don't wish to. 
30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life:  My level of education. I really want to go to school for animation and illustration 
31. What are you listening right now:   Short Change Hero - The Heavy. (I am always listening to music. ALWAYS) 
32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom:   Yup, he's one of our managers at my work. Good guy, I like him. 
33. Something that is getting on your nerves:   American Politics and corruption (getting on my nerves is a bit of an understatement) 
34. Most visited Website:   Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter

LOST QUESTIONS. (I mean I just wrote about myself lol) 
35. Mole/s: Molemolemolemolemolemolemolemolemole  (yes I have a few <.<) 
36. Mark/s:   Stretch marks from mah bebbes, scars from self injury from years and years ago. 
37. Childhood dream:   I always wanted to be a Marine Biologist

38. Haircolor: At the moment its electric blue, but naturally its shit brown

39. Long or short hair: Short and shaved on the side and back 
40. Do you have a crush on someone:   Don't tell my husband but yes I do ^-^ (don't worry, its on a celebrity so nothing will ever happen lol) 
41. What do you like about yourself:   I got awesome legs and I'm kinda funny sometimes. 
42. Piercings:   I used to have SO MANY PIERCINGS! I had my right eyebrow, tongue, I had an industrial in my right ear, both nipples, navel, clitoral hood, aaannnnd labia. 
43. Bloodtype: A+ and I always donate 
44. Nickname: Mush (like Mush-chelle) 
45. Relationship status: Married 
46. Zodiac:   Pisces 
47. Pronouns:   She/Her and I'm perfectly ok with they/them too

48. Favorite TV Show:   Stranger Things   
49. Tattoos:   I have Princess Zelda covering my left bicep, the burning eye from Tool on my neck and a really shitty biker tattoo of a fairy that I got for free when I was 16. I plan on getting it covered up.......whenever. 
50. Right or left hand:   Righty 
51. Surgery: Nope 
52. Hair dyed in different color:   See above - Its BLOOOOO 
53. Sport:   Hockey (Go Flyers!) 
55. Vacation: My favorite vacation I ever went to was Disneyworld when I was 10. My dream vacation would be to see my Uncle Klaus and Omi in Germany  
56. Pair of trainers:   Converse. I have a black pair and a maroon pair

MORE GENERAL: 
57. Eating:  OMNOMNOMNOM (I love food) 
58. Drinking:   Til I PEEEE! 
59. I’m about to:   Drop the hottest mix tape this side of my 30s 
61. Waiting for:   a sense of the miraculous in everyday life (pfffffft HA!) 
62. Want:   A house 
63. Get married:  Already did. Wouldn't do it again. 
64. Career: At the moment I am in QA for a small cable company. I like it a lot here, been doing it for 3 years now. The company is good and its loyal to its employees and I could see myself sticking through here as my day job until I retire. What I really want to do though is make my own cartoons.

WHICH IS BETTER 
65. Hugs or kisses:   Depends on the situation 
66. Lips or eyes:   Eyes yes 
67. Shorter or taller:   I want either pocket sized or so tall I cant see where you end. There is no in between 
68. Older or younger: For what? I will be friends with anyone between the ages of 0-150 
70. Nice arms or nice stomach:   Nice stomach arms

71. Sensitive or loud:   Sensitive. Come at me with loud noises and I will yell at you (which defeats the purpose of being quiet) 
72. Hook up or relationship:   Relationships are nice cause they're stable but something about a hook up is hot af  
73. Troublemaker or hesitant:   I will see how much trouble can be tolerated without getting caught. I don't cross boundaries

HAVE YOU EVER: 
74. Kissed a stranger:   Yes. 28th birthday I did 
75. Drank hard liquor:  I plan to tonight 
76. Lost glasses/contact lenses:   Heaven help me if I ever lose my glasses. I am legally blind without them. 
77. Turned someone down:   Yarp. 
78. Sex in the first date:   Yeah. It was whatever 
79. Broken someone’s heart:  More than I care to admit 
80. Had your heart broken:   In a way that can never truly be mended (unrequited is the fucking worst) 
81. Been arrested: Thankfully no

82. Cried when someone died:  I cry when people across the planet die.   
83. Fallen for a friend:   Absolutely  

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 
84. Yourself:   Yeah I'm pretty cool sometimes. 
85. Miracles: I'm in the middle of questioning this. Try again later. 
86. Love at first sight:   That's silly. I believe in lust at first sight but love requires time 
87. Santa Claus:   I'm a Mom so yes. Its written in the parenting rule book you have to.   
88. Kiss in the first date: I kissed my husband on our first date. (and I tried to take him home but he said NO) 
89. Angels:   I believe in extradimentional contacts that have before been described as 'Angels'

OTHER: 
90. Current best friends name: Emma (my sister), Toni, (my other sister who I wish was my sister) 
91. Eye color:   Blue! and I was happy to have passed my mutation to my kids too (both their dads have brown eyes throughout their entire families) 
92. Favorite movie: MST3K: The Movie, Hot Fuzz, Pulp Fiction, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Three Amigos, I Heart Huckabees.

 And now for the fun part!: I tag @ashleyanthrax, @slickmedici, @midnight14, @time4teabeesknees and @sonderingtrashcompactor

 This is a long one so don't go out of your way if you dun wanna.

#stuff im tagged in #personal #tags

[underabr0kensky]

BIGGEST GODDAMN SURVEY EVER HOLY SHIT

1- How are you? Content I suppose.

2- Post a picture of yourself. I did yesterday you fuck, go look.

3- Do you ever wish you were someone else? Nah, I’d probably still be messed up as anyone else.

4- What is your entire name? Conner Wade Garcia.

5- How old are you? 24.

6- Age you get mistaken for: I’ve been mistaken for like 19.

7- Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality: Libra, and yeah, the stuff I see is usually fairly accurate.

8- What did you do on your last birthday? Worked, and then slept.

9- What is one thing you would like to accomplish before your next birthday? Uhh...maybe quit drinking?

10- What is your hair color? Dark brown.

11- Have you ever dyed your hair? I had a rat tail when I was like 12 that I dyed blonde.

12- What is your eye color? Hazel, sometimes gray.

13- If you could change your eye color, would you? I’d make them perma-gray.

14- Do you wear contacts/glasses? Yep, I’m fucking blind without my contacts.

15- Your opinion about your body and how confortable you are with it: Meh. It needs work. Fucking pudgy belly.

16- Have you ever considered plastic surgery? What would you alter about your body? Nope.

17- Say 8 facts about your body: That’s a lot, so I’ll say one: I have two scars on my right hand in almost the same place.

18- Do you have any tattoos? Not yet.

19- Do you have any piercings? Nope.

20- Left or right handed? I am a righty, not a subhuman Morlock freak witch person.

21- What’s your sexual orientation? Straight.

22- Do you drink? Yeah, more than I should.

23- Do you smoke? No.

24- Do you have any pets? I wish. I want a kitteh.

25- Where do you work? I don’t right now. I worked at Walmart til like a month ago.

26- Something you are working on right now: Cutting back on my drinking.

27- Do you have any “rules” about food? Nah, but there are some foods I just can’t stand.

28- Where are you from? Tennessee. Ew.

29- What would you say is your best quality? Uhh. I’m good at listening.

30- What do you think you’re really good at? Guitar.

31- What do you think you’re really bad at? Staying sober.

32- What talent do you wish you’d been born with? I’d be happy with not having been born with depression.

33- Are you a bad person? Well I mean I think I kind of suck, but everyone says I’m awesome.

34- Are you nice to everyone? I try to be.

35- Say 3 facts about your personality: I have a temper, I like to listen, and I doubt myself a lot.

36- Has someone ever spread a nasty rumor about you? Yeah lol.

37- What is your ideal bed? Why? A king bed with a curtain around it, because fuck anyone staring at me sleeping. Unless it’s my girlfriend.

38- Did you wake up cranky? Depends on how early I get up.

39- Do you sleep with a stuffed toy? Sometimes.

40- What do you think about the most? My mind is too all over the place for that.

41- Share 2 habits: Drinking and nail-biting.

42- What you want to be when you “get older”? Financially stable bruh.

43- What are your career goals? To not live paycheck to paycheck. And maybe to not hate my job.

44- What is your ideal career? Musician.

45- Is your life anything like it was two years ago? Fucking fuck no.

46- Do you replay things that have happened in your head? Oh yeah, that’s like 98% of my day.

47- Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Yeah, I have.

48- Say 10 facts about your room: I’m not gonna listen ten, but I have a bunch of band/music posters, there’s an electric drum kit in the corner, there are lots of dragon statues, there’s an Arcueid figure (Tsukihime for anyone who gets that), uhh...Borderlands 2 is paused on my TV right now. And there are many guitars.

49- Do you have any phobias? Spiders, needles, and fucking tornadoes.

50- Have you ever been to a psychiatrist/therapist? Yeah, both of them. The therapist stopped practicing which sucked and the psychiatrist was a Godfagging quack.

51- Are you allergic to anything? If so, what? Pollen, rabbits, pork, artificial green apple, cat dandruff, and goldenrod. And amoxicillin.

52- Ever broken any bones? Nope, and I have no idea how.

53- Ever come close to death? Yeah, a couple of times.

54- Things you like and dislike about yourself: Uhh. I like my looks for the most part and my musical talent. Hate pretty much everything else lol.

55- A random fact about yourself: I can curl my tongue. Helps me play the harmonica.

56- What are three things most people don’t know about you? I’ve kissed a guy before, I cry a lot for a guy (or for a person, probably), and I like anime a lot. Specifically stupid slice of life shit and shonen.

57- An unknown fact about your life: Uhh. My stupid fucking taskbar can’t be right clicked. I hate Windows 10.

58- Share something about yourself others might think is weird: I like being choked and slapped in bed.

59- Five weird things that you like: Fried calimari, pineapple on pizza, Wendy’s fries dipped in their chocolate shake (thanks Jess), classical music, and getting drunk outside.

60- Do you have a facebook? If so, would you add the person who sent you this? Yes. And nobody sent me this, I just fill these out as surveys because nobody fucking responds if I just reblog it.

61- Do you have any pictures on your Facebook? Yeah, but they’re not recent. I’m not really active on there anymore.

62- Describe yourself in one word/sentence: Fucked up.

63- A quote you try to live by: “I choose to live rather than just exist” comes the closest, but I’m doing a terrible job of that lol.

64- Leave me a compliment: Uhh. Anyone who reads this, you’re pretty.

Favorites

65- What is your favorite thing to do? Play guitar or listen to music. Or, lately, play Borderlands 2. The DLC is poppin’, yo.

66- What’s your favorite color? Black.

67- What’s your favorite band/singer? Favorite band is Children of Bodom. Favorite singers are James Hetfield, Marc Hudson, Howard Jones, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley, Anders Fridén, Matt Heafy, Warrel Dane, Amy Lee, probably others I’ve forgotten.

68- What’s your favorite movie? That’s hard. Goodfellas, the Godfather Part I and II, 300, both Avengers movies, Captain America: Civil War, Titanic, Hesher, and Good Will Hunting are some of my favorites.

69- What are your favorite books? The Wheel of Time series, Bag of Bones, the Harry Potter series, The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Penpal, Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation, A Painted House, Jurassic Park, Black Lightning, shit I have a lot more.

70- What is your favorite quote and why? The above quote, because it represents what I wish I could actually do. But ya know. Money.

71- What is your favorite word? Fuck.

72- What is your least favorite word? Money.

73- What is your favorite type of food? Italian food motherfucker. Specifically lasagna.

74- Your favorite ice cream? Heath bar.

75- What’s your favorite animal? KITTEH.

76- Dogs or cats? KITTEHS.

77- Describe your favourite texture: Uhh. Those really soft silky-feeling blankets.

78- What is your favorite flower? A BLACK ROSE EHHHH SO EDGY. Probably daffodils.

79- What’s your favourite scent? And on the opposite sex? The smell right before or after it rains. And on the opposite sex, whatever perfume they like.

80- What is your favorite season? Spring.

81- What are the top five places you wish you could go before you die? Venice, Berlin, Scotland, Norway, and that weird island with the dragon fruit and flat freaky trees that I’ve forgotten the name of and am too lazy to Google.

82- What are four things you can’t live without and why? Internet, phone, music, and cute animals. Because they keep me from fucking murdering myself.

83- Which mythological creature are you most like? Why? I have no idea but I’m gonna take a quiz right now, brb. Apparently I’m a goddamn unicorn, fuck.

84- What’s your favorite television show? House M.D.

85- Favorite place to shop at? Walmart. Fuck shopping bruh.

86- Say 2 facts about your favorite things: Uhh. One has strings and one lives in Germany.

Family, childhood and places

87- Say 4 facts about your parents: My dad is Spanish, my mom has depression, they divorced when I was like 11, and my dad is a medical professional.

88- Are you more like your mom or your dad? I think I’m like. Exactly equal to both of them. It’s frustrating.

89- Do you have any siblings? An older half brother, two younger step siblings, and two younger half brothers.

90- Say 9 facts about your family: That’s too many facts, die. My family is really big though and my dad’s side can speak Spanish.

91- What’s your relationship like with your family? Meh. Not great with my dad, my mom and I are fine though.

92- Say 7 facts about your childhood: There was a lot of stress and emotional abuse and shit. But it was also a better childhood than most people I think.

93- The best and the worst childhood memories: one of my favorites was when I got a PS1 for my birthday. Worst, I have no idea. Whenever my parents fought, which was a lot.

94- Say 6 facts about your home town: It’s tiny, it’s full of rednecks with fucking F10000 penis substitutes, it has a pretty chill as county fair. I know that’s only 4, fuck off.

95- Are you going out of town soon? Nah, I doubt it.

96- Where would you like to live? If I had to stay in America, California. If I could leave, I dunno, probably Norway or Sweden. Somewhere in Europe definitely.

97- What would your dream house be like? Victorian style please.

98- Where would you go on your dream vacation? Italy. I’d get banned from the country for eating all their food.

99- Where you want to be right now? With my girlfriend, or at a beach somewhere.

100- Top three places to visit: Venice, Berlin, Spain.

Friends

101- Would you ever smile at a stranger? Yeah, I do sometimes.

102- Do you prefer to be friends with girls or boys? Girls. Most of the guys around here act like douches and only ever talk about sports or fucking girls.

103- Who is someone you never tire of? My girlfriend.

104- Do you have someone you can be your complete self around? There are a couple of people.

105- Who is your most loyal friend? Phil.

106- Is there anyone you can tell EVERYTHING to? Mhmm. Three people.

107- If your best friend died, what would you do? Get horrendously drunk for days on end and snap at everyone.

108- A reason you’ve lied to a friend: No idea. Probably because I didn’t want to leave my house or something, lol.

109- Have you ever felt replaced? Yeah, sometimes.

110- Say 5 facts about your bestfriend(s): Too many facts. But he is a drummer and he likes roleplaying games.

Relationships

111- The last person you hugged? Not a fucking clue. Sasha I think.

112- Who was your first kiss with? Girl named Jessica. It was in the garden section at Walmart lol.

113- Do you like kissing in public? I fucking love it.

114- Have you ever kissed someone older than you? Yeah, plenty of times.

115- You have a preference for boys or girls? Girls pls.

116- Is the male or female body closest to perfection? I don’t think anything or anyone is perfect, but I prefer the female body.

117- Do you believe in love at first sight? Nah.

118- Do you believe in soul mates? Maybe. I didn’t used to but now I kinda do.

119- What is your idea of the perfect date? I don’t really care honestly. Just something cute and romantic.

120- Based on past relationships or crushes, describe your perfect boyfriend/girlfriend: I like someone who I can talk to and not get bored of, someone who can keep up with my weird thought processes, and someone who doesn’t mind me being a kinky fuck.

121- What is the first thing you noticed in someone? Eyes or face in general, usually. Unless they’re wearing a crazy outfit or something.

122- Are looks important in a relationship? Yeah. They’re not the most important thing but I have to be attracted to someone.

123- What’s the most superficial characteristic you look for? There’s not really an external characteristic someone needs to have for me to like them, but I love red hair.

124- What’s your opinion on age differences in relationships? No biggie as long as it’s not like a 26 year old dating a 13 year old or something. My ex and I were five years apart.

125- Would you ever date someone off of the Internet? Hahaha. The only two serious relationships I’ve had were on the Internet.

126- Five guys/girls whom you find attractive: The girlfriend, the ex girlfriend, Emma Watson, Olivia Wilde, Mila Kunis.

127- Do you have a crush on anyone? It’s a bit more than a crush.

128- A description of the girl/boy you like: She’s hot as fuck yo. Hotter than you. :D

129- Say 1 fact about the person your like: She has facial piercings and she always loses :P

130- If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say? “Can I meet the body I mean person?”

131- When was the last time you told someone you loved them? Whenever I sent the girlfriend the last message lol.

132- Do you think someone has feelings for you? I know she does.

133- Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? Probably. Ew.

134- Have you ever cried over a guy/girl? You could say I make a habit of it.

135- Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have? Who hasn’t?

136- Anyone you’re giving up on? Nah. Probably should be, but nah.

137- Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to? Yup.

138- Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated? Yeah, the girl I dated throughout high school was kind of a cunt to my friends.

139- Have you ever liked one of your best friends? Yup.

140- Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you? Mhmm. Scary thought haha.

141- Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for? Yes.

142- Is there someone you will never forget? Absolutely.

143- Say five ways to win your heart: Babble at me in a foreign language, cook me Italian food, introduce me to your cat, leave big ass scratches down my back, or act like a sappy romantic fuck.

144- What turns you on? Slapping, choking, hair pulling, biting, scratching, moaning, hard tongue on tongue kissing, girl on girl. I’m a guy. Eat me.

145- What turns you off? Bitchy people and close-minded bigoted fucks.

146- What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you? Jerk me while you whisper about fucking a girl into my ear and don’t let me cum until you say so. It has been done to me and it was fucking awesome.

147- What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you? Probably when I found out Jess had started a separate bank account and was funneling parts of her paychecks into it to help me financially when I moved up there. Nice job fucking that one up, Conner.

148- What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you? Honestly I don’t care at this point. Just love me lol.

149- Have you ever written a song or poem for someone? Have you had one written for you? Yes, and no actually.

150- What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for someone? Woke Jess up while she was clearly having a nightmare and held her hand until she calmed down.

151- Are you in love? Yes.

152- Are you in a relationship? Yes.

153- If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her? She’s a fucking dork and I love it.

154- Are relationships ever worth it? Yeah, they’re just hard.

155- Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are? I don’t think so.

156- Can you commit to one person? Mhmm.

157- Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat? Yeah, I’ve done it plenty of times lol.

158- Do you ever want to get married? Yes.

159- Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years? Maybe. Hopefully.

160- Future names of your children: I do not want kids.

161- Do you get jealous easily? Yeah. Not like possessive jealous, but it’s pretty easy to make me jealous.

162- The last time you felt jealous, and why? I have no idea. Probably when my girlfriend hung out with her shit ex lol.

163- What is your definition of cheating? Anything you wouldn’t want your partner finding out about I suppose. I guess anything past hugging/holding hands.

164- Have you ever been cheated on? Yes.

165- Do you forgive betrayal? Eh. I probably would even though I shouldn’t.

166- Have you ever cheated on someone? Not my proudest moment, but yes, I cheated to get back at her for cheating on me. It did not help.

167- Why did your last relationship fail? Because I was an asshole and I fucked it up.

168- Things you want to say to an ex: I am so sorry, it was entirely my fault, you did nothing wrong and I hope you forgive me.

169- A description of the person you dislike the most: Anyone who has dated my girlfriend. :P

170- If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept? I would have no idea wtf she’s apologizing for, but yeah of course.

171- How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had? Not a clue honestly. A good many, but most of them haven’t been serious.

172- How long was your longest relationship? Almost 5 years.

173- You’ll love me if… You like musicians I guess?

174- Share a relationship story: Lol okay. So when I went to visit Jess, we went out for dinner with her roommate and her roommate’s boyfriend. And they all went to a super Christian private college. We were trying to keep our relationship sort of on the DL because the school was very gossip-y and Jess grew up in a town of like 700 people and her parents were ridiculous about her dating, much less dating a dude five years older that she met online. But anyway. We finished eating and we were all shooting the shit, and when we got up to take the dishes over to the little conveyor belt thing Jess and I kinda play-wrestled and I knocked a plate on her arm. And she was like “Look you made a mess on my hand” and without even thinking I said “Yeah, that’s what I do” without troubling to keep my voice down and winked like a dumbass. And she turned redder than a tomato and her roommate got this “OMFG” look on her face and Jess punched the shit out of my shoulder hahaha. Ahh. Good memories.

Music, movies and books

175- How often do you listen to music? Pretty much whenever I’m not watching a movie or playing a game.

176- What kind of music you like? I am a metalhead but I like everything.

177- Do you like to dance? I like to mosh.

178- What was the first concert/show you attended? Killswitch Engage with Parkway Drive, Escape Plan and Every Time I Die.

179- Have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today? Yeah.

180- Share a song that takes you to a certain memory in the past: “Hello” by Adele. Shit was always on the pop station that my ex and I listened to in SD.

181- A song that’s been stuck in your head: “Hoshi no Furumachi” by The Fallen Moon.

182- Put your music player on shuffle and write the first ten songs that play: Oh fuck off, fine. 1. Your Love Kills Me--The Veer Union 2. Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby--The Beatles 3. Baptism -strings ver.-: Fate/Stay Night OST 4. Bang Bang--Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj 5. What is Eternal--Trans-Siberian Orchestra 6. Big Girls Don’t Cry--Fergie 7. Space Room--Bruce Faulconer 8. The Gun Show--In This Moment 9. Shit Out of Luck--Foamy the Squirrel 10. Blaze Heatnix--Megaman X6 OST

183- A book you want to read/have recently read: I wanna finish reading Bazaar of Bad Dreams.

184- Describe your dream library: Just fucking packed with horror and fantasy and drama books. And biographies.

185- Last movie you just watched: Uhh...Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings.

186- Do you like watching what type of movies? I love horror.

Situations and crazy things

187- You’re in a tattoo parlor about to get inked. What are you getting done? 7-star Dragon Ball on my shoulder.

189- What’s something you can see yourself going to jail for? Pirating too much shit. :P

190- If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be? I wouldn’t. Becoming someone else would be shitty.

191- You’re given $10,000…under one condition:you cannot keep the money for yourself. Who would you give it to? My girlfriend probably. Then she could afford a plane ticket :P

192- If you had to go back in time and change one thing, what would it be? Don’t ask me that, I’ll get sad.

193- If you were an element on the Periodic Table, which would you be and why? Polonium. Because it sounds cool.

194- If you had to delete one year of your life completely, which would it be? 2016. It was shit.

195- You’re an Action Movie Hero. What’s your weapon of choice and the line you scream when defeating your arch enemy? Give me a badass sword. And I dunno, probably “I’ve got balls of steel”

196- If you could design an amusement park ride, what would it be like? Some bullshit crazy roller coaster that has a 1 in 10 chance of killing you.

197- What is the first curse word that comes to mind? FUCK.

198- What the last party you went to was… and when the next will be… Fuck parties.

199- Halloween costume idea? I was gonna be a Kroger bag for Halloween when I worked at Walmart.

200- What are you supposed to be doing right now? Nothing. I am ethereal.

201- Currently wanting to see anyone? Yes, always.

202- Why you follow me? I can’t, you’re a survey.

203- If you met me what would you do? Wonder how a survey was walking around.

204- Leave me a ridiculous question: Why are you so interested in me?

205- Leave me a cute message: Fluffy cats.

Opinions and beliefs

206- Is the cup half full or half empty for you right now? There is no cup. I smashed it.

207- Do you believe in fate/destiny? Nah.

208- What you wish for on 11:11? Happiness.

209- Do you consider yourself lucky? What’s your good luck charm? Fuck no lol.

210- Do you believe in aliens or life on other planets? Yeah, there’s no way we’re alone in this fuck huge universe.

211- What is your religion, if any? I am not religious.

212- Would you go against your moral code for money? Depends on which part of the moral code and the amount of money.

213- What’s more important to you:strength of the body or strength of the mind? Gimme dem moosels.

214- How important you think education is? If it’s a good education, very important, but the shit that passes for education in America is less important than deciding what kind of toilet paper to buy.

215- If you were the president, what would you do? Die of the anxiety and stress during my inauguration.

216- If you could change one thing in the world, what would you change? Money wouldn’t have turned everyone into a greedy cunt.

217- Is it the thought that counts? Or is that phrase circumstantial? Eh. Depends on the situation. Somebody with no medical training trying to save somebody who was injured and instead ends up accidentally killing them should have just kept their thoughts to themselves.

218- If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do? Buy a plane ticket to Berlin.

219- Which movie character do you most identify with and why? Greg House. Because depression and alcoholism suck.

Feelings and Others

220- Are you a procrastinator or do you get things done early? I procrastinate procrastination.

221- Post a photo/draw a picture/write a poem (pick one) of a moment of personal significance: That is not happening, I am lazy.

222- Say 5 things you love unconditionally: The girlfriend, music, food, the Internet, and kittehs.

223- What motivates you in life? My girlfriend. Seriously if I hadn’t found her I’d be a puddle of vaguely human-shaped sadness on the ground.

224- Something that you’re proud of: I can play guitar.

225- Five words/phrases that make you laugh: “Look at this fucking bird making pasta. Just look at it for fuck’s sake”

226- Share the story of something that makes you smile: Watching all of the “Will it [insert food here]?” videos from GoodMythicalMorning with Jess. Fun nights.

227- Something you always think “what if…” about: You probably know the answer lol.

228- What was something you used to enjoy, but was ruined for you? What’s the story behind that? LotR. Because I watched them with Jess and now they just make me sad, stop making me think about this shit.

229- Describe one of the most awkward experiences of your life: When I tried to dance with my crush in like 3rd grade and had no idea wtf I was doing lmao.

230- Something/someone that you miss: THE GIRLFRIEND. WAKE YO ASS UP.

231- Are you over your past? Not entirely.

232- What is your saddest memory? When she broke up with me, what the fuck did I JUST say.

233- One of the hardest moments in your life: Holy fuck you’re doing this on purpose.

234- Is there something that happened in your past that you hate talking about? YEAH. AS A MATTER OF FUCKING FACT THERE IS.

235- What’s something you want to do that you’d be embarrassed to tell other people about? I wanna go to a vocaloid concert.

236- What was your most embarrassing moment? Fuck if I know. I embarrass myself a lot.

237- Share one of your fears/insecurities: I hate my nasty pudgy belly.

238- Something you’re currently worrying about: Getting a fucking job.

239- Have you done something you regret very much? Yes.

240- If you could take something back that you said or did, what would it be? I would take back what an asshole I was.

241- Does anyone hate you? Probably.

#personal #survey #about me #this fucking thing was huge #i did it over the course of like 3 days

[katharkness]

Magic on the High Seas Notes

This story draws on background material from both JK Rowling’s Wizarding World and events in real life history. This post gives some of the details and sources I used. Beneath the cut is the general trigger/squick warning for the story, which is also a spoiler. Please use your own judgement in proceeding.

 This story is set between the 12th and 19th April 1912, largely aboard the RMS Titanic. The ship struck an iceberg, foundered and sunk at approximately 02:20 am on the 15th April. Due to the speed of the sinking, an insufficient number of lifeboats, a lack of understanding of the urgency of the situation and poor emergency management and training, approximately fifteen hundred people died, including some of my minor characters.

 Note 1: Newt travels Second Class for privacy and has a single room. Titanic didn’t sell any Second Class rooms as single, but she was under capacity for her first and only voyage. According to one surviving second class passenger, he got a room to himself due to this.

Note 2: Newt’s case has a rope ladder here. In the film Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, it is a staircase formed from horizontal slats with a diagonal in the centre.

Note 3: According to the film FBAWTFT, Pickett started travelling in Newt’s pocket due to needing body heat to get over a cold.

Note 4: According to the textbook of Fantastic Beasts, nifflers live in lairs up to twenty feet below the surface. The film shows the niffler in a treasure-filled nest at ground level.

Note 5: I’ve borrowed the niffler’s backstory from another story and author, but I can’t remember who. If it’s you, kudos.

Note 6: The Titanic almost crashed into the SS City of New York on her way out of Southampton and was delayed leaving by an hour. Luckily, Newt is antisocial.

Note 7: It was common for men and women to separate to their own pursuits after dinner. For that reason, there were different social rooms offered to different genders.

Note 8: According to the FB textbook, kelpies are a kind of British and Irish water demon. Lobalugs are a venomous creature found on the bottom of the North Sea. Shrake are fish covered in spines that live in the Atlantic Ocean. Sea serpents are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean, and hippocampuses are a fish-horse hybrid creature usually found in the Mediterranean, although one was caught by merpeople off the shores of Scotland in 1949.

Note 9: Titanic had four promenades on each side of the Boat Deck, for Second Class, the engineers, First Class and the officers. All except the First Class promenade were lined with lifeboats. Social walking, or “promenading”, was very popular, especially for getting to know people.

Note 10: A fwooper is a brightly coloured African bird whose song is initially pleasurable but will eventually drive the listener to insanity.

Note 11: I made up the ICW universal beast permit, and any and all permits used by MACUSA previous to the outlawing of private beast ownership.

Note 12: Newt’s case has a switch labelled “Muggle Worthy”. If he made it himself, why would he have a switch like that labelled so blatantly? This suggests to me that he bought and adapted it.

Note 13: According to the Fantastic Beasts textbook, crup tails are removed with a painless severing charm at between six and eight weeks of age.

Note 14: I borrowed AWLs. Again, I can’t remember who from. Considering Newt’s complaining about wizards’ lack of appreciation for beasts, it seems reasonable that Care might not be offered to NEWT level.

Note 15: We still don’t know exactly what happened to end Newt’s Hogwarts career, so I get to play with it.

Note 16: Is there a Beast Division at MACUSA? There’s regulations regarding beast control in the Statute, so there’s probably something.

Note 17: MACUSA in particular keeps tabs on their resident magicals, so they probably keep an eye on immigration, and assist where necessary. Magic evens out quality of life worldwide, I should think, so I doubt there are too many economic migrants. Therefore, there shouldn’t be the same fear of migrants, and the governments would be more friendly.

Note 18: What do diagnostic charms look like? Who knows.

Note 19: Salamanders seem like a nice little pet for Newt, but open fires near trees are dodgy. The containment barriers and holding cells? Mine. The textbook doesn’t say much about the origin of salamanders, but ashwinders spontaneously generate in magical fires so I didn’t want to do that and adopted the technique for birthing a basilisk instead.

Note 20: According to Pottermore’s article on wand woods, bowtruckles are a useful indicator of whether or not a tree is of wand quality, but can also pose a danger when collecting wood. This was what led me to the tree-theft story, which I have not borrowed from anyone.

Note 21: The crup and the puffskeins? All mine.

Note 22: Why not bring in Goldsteins, Kowalskis and Bareboneses? The ages aren’t too bad compared to the film, which is set fourteen years later. The only one whose age really doesn’t fit is Modesty.

Note 23: You never actually hear about non-magical children of mixed blood marriages, but really it should happen. And that kind of problem seems like a reasonable reason to emigrate.

Note 24: Considering Mary Lou’s behaviour in the film, it seems probable that she’d be very conflicted about her own children being magical.

Note 25: It’s suspected that Hermione Granger’s cat Crookshanks is a kneazle/cat crossbreed.

Note 26: History of Magical America and Scourer descendants all from Pottermore. MACUSA initially being called MACA is mine.

Note 27: What does MACUSA do with no-maj-born’s families? I can’t remember who came up with double-cross contracts, but kudos.

Note 28: RL animal conservation wasn’t really a thing in 1912.

Note 29: The diet of nifflers had never actually been revealed.

Note 30: Puppy love between Jacob and Queenie. Why not?

Note 31: What we know of Theseus Scamander is that he is a war hero. Super-attentive auror is fanon, but awesome.

Note 32: Young adults being drunk in charge of wands is a recipe for disaster. All incidents of my own creation. In the incident where the Queen is thrown from her throne, that would be Queen Victoria.

Note 33: Mrs Scamander the hippogriff breeder is established in the “About the Author” of the textbook Fantastic Beasts.

Note 34: Modifying potions to work on creatures is something Newt would love. As mentioned earlier, the presence of bowtruckles is useful for wand makers, although this method of utilising them would clearly prove more trouble than it was worth. All my own creation.

Note 35: Newt is so Pickett’s home tree, so why not play with that?

Note 36: Women’s lib is a very new concept historically speaking, so Mary Lou Barebone quite naturally has what we would term “old-fashioned views”. However, there was a female Chief of the Wizard’s Council (which preceded the Ministry of Magic) as far back as the fourteenth or fifteenth century (See “What is a Beast?” in the textbook Fantastic Beasts.)

Note 37: Why did Newt never place a tracker on his niffler?

Note 38: Anti-Semitism was very common and largely socially acceptable until the 1940s. But trying to argue against Jews for biblical reasons is stupid.

Note 39: In Catholic society, which was virtually all of Europe until the Reformation in the 1500s, being excommunicated was and still is a Big Thing. It would basically exclude you from society. But if you’re not Catholic, and aren’t living in a Catholic society, it’s probably meaningless. The Statute of Secrecy was first signed in 1689, so I’ve improvised on the Wizarding relationship with the Church.

Note 40: Ruler of France in 1942? Reference to Hitler.

Note 41: The Entente Cordiale was an agreement between Britain and France that was expanded to include Russia in the Triple Entente. The Entente forced Germany to back off during two Moroccan Crises in the build-up to the First World War, and the formation of opposing power blocks directly caused the war. The Kaiser was the Emperor of Germany until he was ousted in 1918. France and Germany had a deep enmity.

Note 42: Jervis the jarvey is a creation of mine to help explain the expelling incident. I can see no way that he wouldn’t be put down for injuring a pureblood.

Note 43: Titanic struck the iceberg at 23:39 on Sunday night. Most of those aboard felt it as a jolt to one degree or another. Only those in close proximity registered anything more. It twenty-five minutes before the captain ordered the passengers mustered.

Note 44: The passengers weren’t told that the ship was sinking in order to avoid panic. The First Class stewards were able to give a lot of aid to their charges, having fewer charges per steward than Second or Third Class stewards.

Note 45: Some passengers played football (soccer) with ice chunks on deck. I say again, the passengers weren’t told the severity of the situation.

Note 46: The ship listed due to the water coming in on one side.

Note 47: The engines roared due to venting steam as the engineers tried to pump out water and keep the electricity generators going.

Note 48: The first boat, Boat 7, was lowered at 00:40, from the starboard side. The starboard boats were under the supervision of First Officer William Murdoch. Murdoch operated a “women and children first” policy, but had problems finding people willing to get into the boats. There was also a fear among the crew that the boats couldn’t be safely lowered while fully loaded, and the crew did not know how quick the ship would sink. According to Second Officer Charles Lightoller, who was the highest ranking surviving officer, if they’d known the danger, he “would have taken more risks”. Lifeboats were not expected to keep the entire ship’s complement afloat at once, so the crew did not think to try.

Note 49: Third Class passengers were largely kept segregated from the other passengers due to immigration procedures. There were some gates that got locked and impeded passenger progress. For this reason, there were proportionally fewer Third Class survivors than first or second. However, there was no intentional delaying of these passengers, and one steward in particular led several groups of passengers through the ship’s corridors to the Boat Deck. But many Third Class passengers were also stymied by a lack of English, meaning they didn’t understand what the stewards were telling them.

Note 50: Titanic had a ship’s cat named Jenny, who gave birth to four kittens a week before leaving Southampton. According to stewardess Violet Jessop, she kept the kittens in the galley and was fed scraps. One cabin boy claimed he’d seen Jenny and her kittens leave the ship before starting the mid-Atlantic leg of the voyage, but that seems more like wishful thinking.

Note 51: According to JK Rowling, Grindelwald prevented Queenie and other legilimens revealing him via Occlumency. Suddenly not being able to read someone would be suspicious, so I think it likely Percival also had some skill in the mental arts.

Note 52: The latest theory on the exact sinking of the Titanic is that she broke prematurely and only began her final plunge after breaking. This is backed up by both an examination of a portion of the wreck’s keel and by various documents shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff produced in an attempt to work out how she sank. These two sources reached their conclusions independently; Harland and Wolff did not have access to the wreck and the naval architect who examined the wreck did not know of the existence of the Harland and Wolff documents. Harland and Wolff also knew of structural damage to Titanic’s earlier sister ship Olympic which had pointed to some disturbing weaknesses in the ship’s superstructure. Titanic was given some modifications to try to counter the weakness, but the other sister ship Britannic, launched 1914 and sunk by a mine in 1916, shows signs of a major redesign. There were probably no more than two or three people aboard Titanic at the time of her sinking who knew of her weaknesses: Thomas Andrews the ship designer; Edward Smith the Captain (who appears to have been paralysed by the magnitude of the disaster and as a result gave completely inadequate direction); and J. Bruce Ismay, the ship’s owner (who, judging by his testimony at the Senate’s Inquiry and reported behaviour after the sinking, appears to have been in emotional shock). Of these three, Bruce Ismay was the only one to survive. The rest of the crew claimed they did not think the ship would go down before the rescue ship arrived and appear to have acted accordingly.

Note 53: Those who were below deck when the ship sank would have been killed by the increasing pressure underwater fairly quickly. Those in the water mostly died slowly of hypothermia, although some would have died of the resultant cardiac shock within minutes. Very few are thought to have drowned due to the wide availability of life belts.

Note 54: Mary Lou Barebone has great faith in the Bible, and is also being torn between religious conviction and duty to her children. It’s not unknown to put a life-or-death situation in God’s hands.

Note 55: Why did both Goldsteins stay behind? Partly for plot reasons, but also because people can be irrational, especially when faced with death.

Note 56: A mother committing murder-suicide is usually caused by or related to post-partum depression, but it happens.

Note 57: Is it more morally correct to prevent someone from committing suicide, or to let them? I’m not a philosopher.

Note 58: This boat is Boat 14. It’s loading was supervised by Chief Mate Henry Wilde and Charles Lightoller. Lightoller was in charge of loading the lifeboats on the port side and operated a “women and children only” policy. Captain Smith’s exact order was to “put the women and children in the boats and lower away” and as said earlier, he offered very little leadership, which resulted in Lightoller and Murdoch interpreting the order differently. He also had to be asked by Lightoller if they should put people in the life boats. Wilde and Lightoller were assisted in loading Boat 14 by Fifth Officer Lowe, who finished loading and took charge of the boat after Wilde and Lightoller moved on to another boat. It is reasonably well reported that Lightoller allowed Canadian yachtsman Major Arthur Peuchen to board a boat to assist the quartermaster and single crewman in handling the boat (Lightoller later testified that he operated a policy of one man in charge and two assisting). This was the only example of Lightoller allowing a man into a boat; however, after the departure of Wilde and Lightoller, Lowe took a racket champion from England called C. Williams to help handle the boat. I let Percival take Mr Williams’ place for the sake of the story. It’s also reported that the first signs of panic were as Boat 14 was lowered. Lowe was forced to fire several shots and evicted a young man who jumped into the boat as it was being lowered. However, all three details were absent from Lowe’s testimony at the Senate Inquiry and therefore may well be false or have been committed by someone else.

Note 59: The boats had rowing positions for both facing towards the destination and facing away. Notably, Bruce Ismay rowed with his back to the sinking ship and couldn’t bear to see her final demise.

Note 60: Lowe gathered together five boats: his own 14, 10, 12, another boat he never got that number of, and a collapsible I believe to be Collapsible C due to Lowe meeting up with D and A later, and B being upside down.

Note 61: Lowe defended his decision to wait for the cries to thin out on the basis that if he went into a mass of sixteen hundred people his boat would be overturned. While the men on the Inquiry board weren’t impressed, Boat 14 was the only one that returned to the site to rescue survivors. All the other boats had either passengers or crew refusing to go back.

Note 62: Lowe found an Italian man in his boat wearing a woman’s shawl and, he presumed, skirts. He “caught hold of him and pitched him in” to “the fore part of the boat in which I transferred my passengers”, “because he was not worthy of being handled better”, as Lowe described in his testimony.

Note 63: The four men Lowe pulled from the water were the steward Harold Phillimore, the first class passenger William Fisher Hoyt, the third class passenger Fang Lang and a fourth unknown person, possibly the second class passenger Emilio Ilario Giuseppe Portaluppi. I have substituted Portaluppi with Newt.

Note 64: Captain Arthur Rostron, captain of the Carpathis who came to Titanic’s rescue, order rockets fired from his ship at 02:45 and every quarter hour afterwards. Carpathia arrived at about 04:00, around an hour and forty minutes after Titanic went under.

Note 65: According to Lowe’s testimony, he was sailing and 4 or 5, maybe 6 knots. He thought Collapsible D looked rather sorry and took her in tow. He considered cutting D loose to get to Collapsible A faster as she was in a worse plight than D. When Lowe said he picked up passengers from a sinking collapsible, he was specifically asked if it was upturned, as Collapsible B had floated off upside down. This one was occupied by a number of people, and Officer Lightoller directed the occupants to keep it afloat until another boat rescued them.

Note 66: According to Rostron, boatswains’ chairs, pilot ladders and canvas ask bags were used to get survivors onto Carpathia. He also gave instructions for his stewards to assist Titanic survivors in various ways, such as providing hot tea, coffee and soup, having doctors ready, and preparing to get the names of survivors.

Note 67: We don’t know what Seraphina Piquery did before she became President of MACUSA. I’ve seen her portrayed as Director of Magical Security a few times, and decided to do something different. She has the same job in America as Barty Crouch did in Britain at the time of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Note 68: The records usually used for immigration purposes were the passenger manifests, which went down with Titanic. Carpathia’s purser did his best to recreate the records, but by-and-large the immigration inspectors were unusually lenient. Ellis Island immigration centre was closed for the night by the time Carpathia arrived, so procedures were undertaken over several days. Carpathia would, technically, have been liable for the lack of documents as she was the ship bringing in the immigrants. As she was owned by Cunard while Titanic was owned by White Star, there were issues of who should pay any and all charges owed. Due to the exceptional circumstances, there was leniency, and Cunard was never charged for the lack of documents. (Carpathia had actually left New York for the Mediterranean a few days before going to Titanic’s rescue, and had to do a U-turn to deliver the survivors to New York.)

Note 69: I imagine non-Caucasian witches and wizards would have used glamours to disguise their ethnicity in large parts of America, especially when going about official or semi-official business in places with a large concentration of Caucasians.

Note 70: I made up a load of officials.

Note 71: Hippogriff OC. It’s widely believed that Artemis and Theseus were hippogriffs that Newt and Theseus were named after (Newt’s full name is Newton Artemis Fido Scamander). Laertes is the name of Odysseus’ father, who was one of Jason’s Argonauts.

 I did gather a lot more information on the Titanic, but I didn’t use more. My main sources were Wikipedia, the transcripts of the US Senate Inquiry and the book Titanic’s Last Secrets: The Further Adventures of the Shadow Divers by Brad Matsen (which is actually non-fiction, no matter what it sounds like). I was also, to a degree, inspired by the film A Night To Remember, which is considered the most historically accurate film of the sinking. It’s available on YouTube, and I heartily recommend it. Just don’t be put off by it being in black and white.

#Fanfiction #Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them #Magic on the High Seas

[minhyukie]

hello it’s ur Local Mess here to talk about herself and do a lot of tag games im sorry for being the worst these are literally from within the past like two months and you all probably don’t even remember tagging me or care about my answers but than k you to @ki-hyunie​ @haehoney​ @honeyvevo​ @94wons​ @ckyun​ for tagging me in these i’m putting them all together so that you can all have the ultimate compilation of useless information about me!! please enjoy!!

im not tagging anyone because i don’t want to subject anyone to this but if u too love talking about yourself please tag me because i love hearing people talk about themselves

Name - amy

Age - 20

Height - 5′3 (160 cm?)

Ult Bias - seohyun + minhyuk the two loves of my life :(

Nicknames - i don’t really get many nicknames?? my roommate calls me amu though

Zodiac sign - aries

Favorite fruit - mmm kiwi? raspberries? strawberries? mangos!!! i fucking love fruits i don’t know i love them all

Favorite season - probably summer!

Favorite color - pink!! pink pink pink!

Coffee, Tea or Hot Cocoa - hot chocolate!!!

Favorite animal(s) - GOATS (if ur reading this @ me in goats)

Dream trip - i’ve been there very very briefly but i’d love to live in germany for a little?? i guess that’s not a trip but idk i’d be happy going on a trip anywhere tbh :’)

Number of blankets you sleep with - one!

Dogs or cats - i love my cats!! even though i’ve recently discovered that i’m probably allergic fjdkslf

Side blog - this... used to be a sideblog until i became too involved with mx and snsd :// so i guess my old main is a sideblog? idk @morningcomes​ <<<

Follower count - a little over 700!!! i love u all thanks for putting up w me

When did you start this blog - this particular blog was the beginning of 2017! but ive been on tumblr since like 2010 i think ://

relationship status: it’s... um.... it’s complicated fdkslfjsd let’s just say im in a relationship even though im not sure if we’re actually dating or what we’re doing.... let’s just say that

favorite color: pink!!!!!!!!!!!!

lipstick or chapstick: chapstick

last song i listened to: i really like humble and dna by kendrick lamar so i’ve had those on repeat the last few days!

last movie i watched: ... moana?? god it’s really been a long time since i’ve watched a movie

top three tv shows: friends!!! fullmetal alchemist brotherhood if that counts? avatar the last airbender.. a forever favorite

top three characters: look im the worst at coming up w these things so i’ll just give my favorites from the above shows: rachel!! or monica or chandler i don’t know i love them all :( envy!! winry!!! zuko and toph!

top three ships: ok i just want to clarify like.. pairings and not ships but joohyuk!! hyohyun :’’) and.... wow how am i supposed to limit this to a third one i guess i’ll say kihyuk because im in love with them the past few days

Bold the statements that are true for you!

APPEARANCE:

I am 5′7″ or taller I wear glasses I have at least one tattoo I have at least one piercing I have blonde hair I have brown eyes I have short hair My abs are at least somewhat defined I have had braces There is something i would change about the way I look

PERSONALITY:

My Hogwarts house is: Gryffindor Hufflepuff Ravenclaw Slytherin I am an introvert I like meeting new people People tell me that I’m funny Helping others with their problems is a big priority for me I enjoy physical challenges I enjoy mental challenges I’m playfully rude with people I know well I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it There is something I would change about my personality

ABILITY:

I can sing well I can play an instrument I can do over 30 pushups without stopping I’m a fast runner I can draw well I have a good memory I’m good at doing math in my head I can hold my breath underwater for over a minute I have beaten at least 2 people in arm wrestling I know how to cook at least 3 meals from scratch I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES:

I enjoy playing sports I’ve been on a sports team at my school or somewhere else I’m in a orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else I have learned a new song in the past week I work out at least once a week I’ve gone for runs at least once a week in the warmer months I have drawn something in the past month I enjoy writing Fandoms are my #1 passion I do or have done martial arts

EXPERIENCES:

I have had my first kiss I have had alcohol I have scored the winning goal in a sports game I have watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting I have been at an overnight event (i honestly don’t know what this means but imma say yes) I have been in a taxi I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year I have beaten a video game in one day I have visited another country I have been to one of my favorite band’s concerts

RELATIONSHIP:

I’m in a relationship I have a celebrity crush I have a crush on someone I know I have been in at least 3 relationships I have never been in a relationship I have asked someone out or admitted my feelings to them I get crushes easily I have had a crush on someone for over a year I have been in a relationship for at least a year I have had feelings for a friend

(ok listen... lemme just reiterate... not sure if what im in is considered a relationship fdjkslfds)

MY LIFE:

I have at least one person I consider a “best friend” I live close to my school My parents are still together I have at least one sibling I live in the United States There is snow right now where I live I have hung out with a friend outside of school in the past month I have a smartphone I have at least 15 CDs I share my room with someone

RANDOM SHIT:

I have breakdanced I know a person named Jamie I have had a teacher with a last name that’s hard to pronounce I have dyed my hair I’m listening to one song on repeat right now I have punched someone in the past week I know someone who has gone to jail I have broken a bone I have eaten a waffle today I know what I want to do with my life I speak at least 2 languages fluently I have made a new friend in the past year

1. do you have a good relationship with your parents? yes!!! im so grateful

2. who did you last say “i love you” to? i honestly have no clue i say it all the time through messages but im like... emotionally stunted in real life lmao

3. do you regret anything? yea mostly just opportunities that i should’ve taken that i don’t because i don’t have the will to put in the effort ://

4. are you insecure? not usually!

5. what’s your relationship status? listen.... complicated....

6. how do you want to die? this is 2 morbid for me next please

7. what did you last eat? bugles!!! i love bugles

8. played any sports? i ran cross country in high school for 3 years and did track for one!!

9. do you bite your nails? nope

10. when was your last physical fight? ha h ah haha i don’t think i’ve ever been in a physical fight

11. do you like someone? yea!

12. have you ever stayed up 48 hours? yes... too many times

13. do you hate anyone at the moment? no, not really!

14. do you miss someone? yea i miss a few of my high school friends that i wish i got to see more often and i miss us all hanging out as a group

15. have any pets?
 my family has 4 cats!

16. how exactly are you feeling at the moment?
 A+!

17. ever made out in the bathroom? damn i was ready to say no but.... i actually have.... im shocked at myself

18. are you scared of spiders?
 in certain situations?? who am i kidding lfjdkslfd yes

19. would you go back in time if you were given the chance? nah

20. where was the last place you snogged someone? ummmmmm my bed

21. what are your plans for this weekend? sleep and study :(

22. do you want to have kids? how many? idk?? i’m not very passionate about it tbh i’d be happy with anywhere between 0-3 kids

23. do you have piercings? how many? both my ears are double pierced!

24. what is/are/were your best subject(s)? i fuckin love math!! i would die for math also im pretty good at chemistry physics and computer science idk most things math/science related :)

25. do you miss anyone from your past?
 mostly just the same as before?? miss some of my hs friends

26. what are you craving right now?
 ..sleep

27. have you ever broken someone’s heart?
 i don’t think so??

28. have you ever been cheated on?
 nope!

29. have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry?
 yea :(

30. what’s irritating you right now? too much to do too little time

31. does somebody love you? ..yes? i hope

32. what is your favourite color? pink!!!!!!!

33. do you have trust issues? not really trust issues but like i said before i think im like.. emotionally stunted or smth

34. who/what was your last dream about? i hoenstly can’t remember any recent dreams

35. who was the last person you cried in front of? my ?boyfriend? lmao i cry all the time

36. do you give out second chances too easily? mmm idk? i’ve honestly never really thought about it

37. is it easier to forgive or forget? forget ://

38. is this year the best year of your life?
 noooo

39. how old were you when you had your first kiss? 18!

40. have you ever walked outside completely naked? fdjskflds no

51. favourite food?
 yo this just jumped from 40 to 51 fjdklsfdjsk anyway um! chicken

52. do you believe everything happens for a reason? lmao no that’s some wishful thinking :(

53. what is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night?
 i did most of my computer science lab :/

54. is cheating ever okay?
 no

55. are you mean? sometimes i can be really bad about impulsively saying things and... yea it can be mean :( but like in general? i don’t think im a mean person

56. how many people have you fist fought? i would cry if someone tried to fight me

57. do you believe in true love?
 yea!

58. favourite weather? gimme that sunshine, no humidity with a breeze

59. do you like the snow? yea!! but not excessively

60. do you wanna get married? yeah? but also it’s not like one of my overlying life goals ya know but if it happens that would be nice

61. is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? honestly whenever i hear people say baby in real life i cringe fjdsklfds idk i mean i say it in the tags on here but in real life... nah and i call some of my friends babe but i do it jokingly it just seems weird to do that like.. romantically

62. what makes you happy? getting time to myself!!! to do the things i want to do and relax! to spend time with my friends just relaxing as well! in particular getting to paint and getting to play piano make me really happy and relaxed

63. would you change your name? nope!

64. would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?
 nope!

65. your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? ummm did u mean... my current situation jfkdlsfs

66. do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? yes mostly?? he definitely thinks im a lil weird when im like 100% myself but he still loves me anyway so :’)

67. who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to?
 ^^^ said above best friend

68. who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? my high school best friend?? i think

69. do you believe in soulmates? not really it’s a nice idea though

70. is there anyone you would die for? probably a few of my closest friends

fdskfdlsfjdks hope none of u read all that!!! this deserves to be my about page tbh