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saturniandevil · 3 years

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January 2021 & The Year Ahead

AKA my notes from The Astrology Podcast because I really appreciate these regular forecasts, supplemented with this big ephemeris.

WRAPPING UP

Going into this, Saturn & Jupiter will be conjunct in Aquarius on the solstice, December 21. (I’ve scheduled a reminder post so you can go out and see it--just after sunset!) I’ve also done a quick peek ahead and we’ve got a lot of Aquarian themes for us in January and 2021 in general--change in major cycles. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions take place every 20 years, and this one in Aquarius shifts us to a ~200-year period where Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions will now take place in air signs, after having had them in earth signs for the past ~150 years. Air can represent information and data, and Kelly and Austin also talk about how air can also represent dispersion; you don’t see a breeze but you see the leaves or sand moving with it. We may move towards digital communication and decentralization/deconstruction of social & political institutions.

(Image of Archetypal Explorer software showing how December is the nexus of some major outer planet interactions)

HIGHLIGHTS

Saturn Square Uranus // ♄ □ ♅

Saturn has been contacting Pluto, who intensifies his structures, but this year Uranus will be challenging him. Worldwide we may see more large-scale pushes for larger change--the struggle for liberation against structures that are no longer working. Exact on: February 17 (♄♒ □ ♅♉ at 7° of each respective sign) June 14 (♄♒ □ ♅♉ at 13°) December 24 (♄♒ □ ♅♉ at 11°)

Jupiter square Uranus // ♃ □ ♅

This aspect has a shorter-term effect, but Jupiter may lend his benefic influence to this struggle and make the change easier or more constructive. Exact on: January 17 (♃♒ □ ♅♉ at 6°)

General shift from Cardinal signs to Fixed & Mutable signs

Jupiter’s and Saturn’s trips into Aquarius this week mean that 2021 will start out with a strong emphasis on early degrees of fixed signs right off the bat, and Mars will be entering Taurus soon as well. Look to the planets and houses where Aquarius and the other fixed signs fall for you to get a glimpse of where this shift may affect you on a personal level. Saturn will slowly trek through Aquarius over the next 2 years, and the nodes/eclipse axis will also shift into fixed signs in 2022.

The eclipse axis (N. and S. node) has already moved from Cancer-Capricorn to Gemini-Sagittarius, moving some personal & emotional focus to the mutable signs. (Eclipses occur when a new or full moon lines up with the nodes.) Dates: May 26 - total lunar eclipse (🌞♊ ☍ 🌙♐ at 5°) June 10 - annular solar eclipse (🌞 ☌ 🌙 at 19°♊) November 19 - partial lunar eclipse (🌞 ♏ ☍ 🌙 ♉ at 27°) December 4 - total solar eclipse (🌞 ☌ 🌙 at 12°♐)

Generally, the problems that cardinal signs have brought to attention or projects they have started will be changing for awhile--fixed signs are slow to get started but long-lasting.

Mercury retrogrades will also be taking place in air signs this year! More in-depth information below the cut (after January).

JANUARY 2021

January 6: Mars enters Taurus // ♂ ➡♉ This means he’ll be squaring Jupiter, Saturn, and conjunct Uranus--possibly igniting some of the issues they have brought forth? Mars and Uranus may prove combustible against critical Saturn, but Jupiter may be more receptive to change.

January 8: Mercury enters Aquarius, Venus enters Capricorn // ♄ ➡♒ ; ♀ ➡♑ This will put Mercury in a square to Mars--watch what you say! Our messenger will also be squaring Uranus in Taurus, which may indicate disruptive difficulties in the communication or distribution of basic material necessities, or changes in currency.

January 13: New Moon at 23° Capricorn // 🌞 ☌ 🌙 23♑

January 14: Uranus goes direct at 6° Taurus // ♅(d) 6♉

January 19: Sun enters Aquarius // 🌞➡♒

January 28: Full Moon at 9° Leo // 🌞9♒ ☍ 🌙9♌ The moon will be opposite a close Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius, as well as squaring that Mars-Uranus conjunction, forming T-square in Leo, Aquarius, and Taurus. Expect tension and outbursts--perhaps channeled unexpectedly through that empty point in Scorpio.

January 30: Mercury Retrograde at 26° Aquarius // ☿(rx) 26♒

Rest of 2021 below the cut!

QUARTERLY BREAKDOWN

Similar to January, here are some highlights for the months ahead. (Sorry but I’m ditching the emojis now or I’d go insane trying to cut and paste them. They’ll be back in other posts announcing sign ingresses, monthly forecasts, etc.)

Aquarius Stellium By the 10th we will have the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn all in Aquarius---that’s every visible planet except Mars! Last time this happened was in 1961-2. Look to your chart to see where this will affect you; Feburary will show you how Aquarius is going to manifest for you.

These planets will be hidden by the sun’s light (cazimi), considered a behind-the-scenes “cycle reset” for each. As the sun moves forward, these planets will become visible again in the sky just before sunrise, literally re-emerging into our view.

Saturn Square Uranus, Jupiter Square Uranus

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius From January 30 (26 degrees) to February 20 (11 degrees). This means he’ll be slowly moving towards a conjunction with Jupiter (visible in the morning sky).

March

March 3: Mars enters Gemini This will relieve some of the pressure on the fixed squares; things may get a little more flexible. Lots of energy, possible all over the Internet.

March 4: Jupiter conjunct Mercury in Aquarius Some ease of communications here.

March 20-26: Venus conjunct Sun in Pisces & Aries The Sun enters Pisces on the 20th with Venus following on the 21st. She’s exalted in Pisces, but hidden under the Sun’s rays. Mercury has entered Pisces just a few days earlier as well.

Mars conjunct North Node in Gemini Squaring the Sun and Venus throughout the month. Mars may indicate rashness and the North Node confusion (eclipses)--check where Gemini falls in your chart to see where things may fall off a good path.

SECOND QUARTER OF 2021

April

Venus-Sun conjunction continues She’s not to happy being burnt by the Sun or in fiery Aries, though she does enter her domicile in Taurus.

Stellium in Taurus Mercury, Venus, Sun, and Uranus will be hanging out in early-mid Taurus by the 20th, loosely squaring Saturn in Aquarius while they’re close to each other. We may find ourselves “going outside like we never have before.” We’ll be reintegrating into the physical world as an act of rebellion, or rediscovering older knowledge as something new and revolutionary.

April 23: Mars moves into Cancer Slower, more subtle and emotional than Mars in Gemini

April 26: Full Moon at 7° Scorpio Really emphasizing the Taurus Stellium & Saturn-Uranus square. In mutual reception (in each others’ domicile-similar to a conjunction) with Mars in Cancer

April 27: Pluto retrograde at 26° Capricorn Pluto is the last of those big planets to hang around here. May affect the United States’ chart (having a Pluto return.)

May

May 13: Jupiter enters Pisces At last, the major benefic in his domicile! He’s moved away from his fall this year, but was still co-present with negating Saturn up at this point--but now he’s out on his own. Aggressive hugs, chicken soup for the soul, possibly a return of travel in some places (“spring break”). In a mutable sign he can show us the new opportunities in events that have occurred. However he’ll go back to Aquarius this year--rooming with his landlord Saturn. It’s a bit of a sneak peak for 2022.

May 23: Saturn Retrograde at 13° Aquarius

May 26: Total Lunar Eclipse at 5° Sagittarius Picking up some of the themes from the eclipse we just had in December 2020 and turning them in a new direction. This eclipse’s ruler is Jupiter in Pisces, and the Sun’s ruler Mercury is also in domicile in Gemini (the Sun is opposite the Moon at all full moons, this time he’s in Gemini.)

It’s an eclipse, though--what are we not seeing, what are we missing? Our podcast hosts are predicting that perhaps travel agencies will rush forward and miss some things. December 14, the last eclipse, the US had the electoral college officially vote for Biden and the first patient to receive the vaccine--the US chart has Sag rising and Jupiter in Cancer (in the most common chart).

May 29: Mercury Retrograde at 24° Gemini Squaring Neptune in Pisces--perhaps the increased travel will be due to some illusions. He’ll be STRONG during this retrograde, so there may be some disastrous overload in travel or other Mercurian areas, such as communication.

June

June 5: Mars in Cancer opposite Pluto in Capricorn 26° cardinal signs are especially sensitive to this shift in power dynamics. This has been building since the last eclipse and precedes another one.

June 10: Solar eclipse at 19° Gemini Triple conjunction with Sun/Moon/Mercury, squaring Neptune in Pisces. A time for fantasy and illusions, not so great on the logistics.

June 11: Mars enters Leo Once again, fixed sign emphasis--this time Mars is approaching the Saturn♒-Uranus♉ square, which has been building and will go exact on the 14th. We may be headed for more social turmoil and a fire Mars will make this all louder.

June 20: Jupiter Retrograde at 21° Pisces He has unfinished business in Saturn in Aquarius. He’ll go back into Pisces when Mars, Uranus, and Saturn allow us some more optimism.

THIRD QUARTER

July

July 1: Mars opposite Saturn

July 3: Mars square Uranus This further emphasizes the stubborn tension that’s been plaguing us all year--intensifying in midsummer.

July 28: Jupiter re-enters Aquarius He may be playing a bit of peacemaker between Saturn and Uranus in the fixed signs.

July 22: Sun enters Leo The Sun generally has a stabilizing influence, especially in a fixed signs, but he’ll have to contend with Saturn (as will all planets in Leo for the next couple years.) Both planets are in their domicile for this opposition, perhaps bringing a more moderate, measured negotiation to the conflicts of Mars ☍ Saturn at the beginning of the month.

July 29: Mars enters Virgo He’ll be exiting an opposition with Jupiter, meaning he’ll no longer be aggravating the fixed outer planet struggles. Venus precedes him a week earlier; at a personal level we may be a little more calculating and flexible.

August

First week: Sun square Uranus Is over within the first seven days. A little more positive for us.

August 16: Venus enters Libra Finally, she can enjoy her domicile without Saturn squaring her in Capricorn! The benefics are more free to help us in 2021 than they were in 2020. We start reaching fair agreements, whether personally, politically or financially.

August 18: Mercury conjunct Mars at 12° Virgo Fast & Furious! An earth Mercury may push is towards a tangible solution. Mars is in fall, but is being received by Mercury (Mars is in Mercury’s domicile), and may really listen to the messenger. This also trines Uranus in Taurus, adding a distinct flavor of technological innovation here.

August 22: Venus (♎) trine Saturn (♒) Venus is in Saturn’s sign of exaltation as well--she’s got the power to make some deals with structured Saturn. Coincides with a Full Moon in Aquarius and the Sun entering Virgo.

August 30: Mercury enters Libra He’s joining Venus, and Mars is coming soon

September

September 10: Venus enters Scorpio

September 14: Mars enters Libra The accords reached during Venus in Libra may come crashing down as Mercury and Mars join her--some may stay, but some deals are OFF!

September 27: Mercury Retrograde at 25° Libra We’ll really be rethinking some of the agreements that were just made. He’ll trine Jupiter before and during this retrograde--things will feel good. But with Mars there we’ll have to face the issues.

FOURTH QUARTER

Things will really get spicy towards the end of the year.

October

October 6: Pluto goes Direct at 24° Capricorn fjdhada

October 6: New Moon in Libra Conjunct Mercury and Mars, with the planets making trines to Jupiter and Saturn as they approach and leave this lunation. May see a challenge to agreement and accord in the realms under the outer planets’ rule.

October 10: Saturn stations direct at 6°♒

October 18: Mercury stations Direct at 10 Libra, Jupiter stations Direct at 22 Aquarius

October 19: Full Moon at 27 Aries Opposite Sun-Mars conjunction in Libra. This highlights a growing square between Mars (23°♎) and Pluto (24°♑). Jupiter (22°♒) is trine the Sun & Mars, though, so he may relieve some of the pressure.

October 30: Mars enters Scorpio Once again he’ll activate that Saturn-Uranus square and add pressure to the fixed signs.

November

Mars, Sun, Mercury enter Scorpio They will each activate that outer planet square. The accords that weren’t working in October will be really apparent now.

November 19: Lunar eclipse in Taurus This is the first eclipse on the axis we’ll be seeing in 2022--a foreshadowing for the following year. And this will further aggravate some of the fixed sign tension we’ve been experiencing. It’s also squaring Jupiter at 24 Aquarius, who may ease the aspects a liiittle bit.

December

December 1: Neptune stations direct at 20° Pisces

December 4: Total solar eclipse at 12° Sagittarius The completion of the eclipse series on the Gemini-Sag axis. The nodes will change early 2022, and the themes of the eclipse cycle that started a year previous (last week at time of writing) will wrap up. Mars is still in Scorpio, and the “martial” fixed star Antares is close by to this eclipse--strong chance some of the previous contention will ignite or stay aflame.

December 19: Venus Retrograde at 26° Capricorn She’ll be leading us into 2022 with this motion. She’s conjunct Pluto during this station, slowing down almost to his pace as she prepares to change directions. Venus & Pluto may represent more obsessive love, and in Capricorn things may be melancholic and bound/restrained.

December 24: Uranus♉-Saturn♒ square exact to the minute (5°11″) This is the final, most intense culmination of the aspect that has overshadowed the year (although it will come back in ‘22 as well.)

December 28: Jupiter re-enters Pisces He’ll travel all the way through it this time! ;) From this watery domicile he may put out some of the fires that Mars started. We welcome an empowered benefic as we move on to the new year--good news for the mutable signs!

#astrology #forecast #transits #2021 #january 2021

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deco-devolution · 4 years

Note

I have a Bioshock lore question for you. How many big daddies, big sisters and little sisters do you think there were in total? In the book it says Rapture has just over 18,000 people in 1959 if that helps.

Hey! Sorry for sitting on this question for so long, but I knew it was gonna be a doozy.

Population in Rapture

Firstly, we need to get the timeline right here. When you talk about how many of those NPC types there are in Rapture, we have to separate which Rapture we’re talking about- The Rapture of the first game has different numbers then the Rapture of BioShock 2.

Now, I couldn’t find any confirmation that the population of pre-war Rapture is 18,000 (Which would put it in the large town category anyway) but instead was told by other users that it was actually 50,000- which I couldn’t verify either, despite combing through the novel for almost an hour. The number I could confirm though was 500,000, though even that was tentative; it was mentioned on the wikia but without a solid source. Still, it’s the best I have, so it’ll have to do!

Starting with the BioShock Rapture, there were obviously no Big Sisters (yet) so let’s move forward without them and get to the total of Big Daddies, Little Sisters, and Big Sisters last.

Starting population: ~500,000 (approx. 1955)

In order to get a better grasp on the adult & child populations in Rapture, I’ll do some crude math to be realistic- according to the *CDC, the crude birthrate for the U.S was 24.1%, but bearing in mind the smaller size of Rapture and the radical views towards self-advancement, we’ll have to calculate this on our own. The formula for crude birth rate is as follows:

With that in mind, I’ll walk you through my logic regarding the numbers I use to create the Rapture birthrate. Keep in mind there aren’t many canon resources to use here, but rather I’ll be walking you through my personal understanding of the lore and what I consider canonically acceptable.

Rapture, 1955

Total population: ~500,000

Total births (single year): 400 (The births are low because Rapture is such a self-absorbed city- many who can bear children are uninterested or struggling enough to make ends meet, and children can complicate things. Because of this, children are a fairly small part of the populace. I also have a headcanon Andrew Ryan put contraceptive in the air cyclers of the poorer neighborhoods, so that’s factored in)

So, (400 ÷ 500,000) 1000 = 0.8 Rapture CBR.

So, there was less than one birth for every 1,000 people in the city. A very low rate I know, but we barely see three toy stores, five orphanages (midsized at best), and a single school for huge portions of the city so it’s not impossible even IF we factor in the amount of unexplored areas.

That puts us at roughly 3,600 children born since the opening of the city.

*The US Census Bureau reported in 1950 that the gender ratio was 49.3% male to 50.7% female, approximately, so we’ll use that to split the genders of the children; that’s 1,825 girls and 1,775 boys respectively. The wikipedia page says that after the civil war began (early 1959), leaving “much” of Rapture’s population dead. Because “much“ isn’t a number, lets assume the city suffered massive loss of life here; I’d put it at about 60% total, with a majority of boys dying while most girls were used as bargaining chips, converted, or being hidden by family (At the end of 1958, there were about 300 little sisters- but these were the prototypes, the masked girls seen in Burial At Sea. After war had begun their numbers increased with the inclusion of both kidnapped girls and actual orphans alike.

Even after factoring in the few lost to transplant rejection, starvation, etc there were about 1,525 Little Sisters at their peak, following the introduction of Big Daddies around the same time. Because of their incomplete bond, scientists struggled to utilize them properly, and there were only a 100 Big Daddies made initially until midway thru the war, when Gilbert Alexander created the pairbond Alpha series, and Augustus Sinclair volunteered his prison population to mass-produce Big Daddies, with the end goal of making one per sister). In addition, even if the armed and spliced conflict didn’t get the regular citizens, starvation from lack of resources, being fatally experimented on, fleeing or drowning from collapsing infrastructure was a very real danger we saw plenty of in-game. (In terms of the lack of corpses, food supplies were low enough to make cannibalism a very real possibility, and before the city was totally collapsed I’d argue unclaimed corpses were flushed out to sea). In addition, the rate of Sisters’ being harvested rapidly exploded as the more ruthless splicers outlived the general public.

With that in mind, I’d put the general population after the majority of fighting as:

Post-war population: ~300,000 (1,325 Little Sisters remain, 1,000 Big Daddies from flawed bond experiment, approx. late 1959)

Note this amount isn’t the final count- this is just the number of those who escaped the war itself, simply outlasting the fighting by running and hiding. With that in mind, I’d say that the post-war population was further whittled down by mass starvation, suicides, smaller skirmishes as well as escapes, successful or otherwise, by another 35% of the original populace, leaving the total survivors at 25,000. After this, the parts of the city began sealing themselves off, like Arcadia and Fort Frolic, and resulting chaos lead conflict, leading to the deaths of hundreds as desperate survivors attempted to fight their way in or out of the sealed areas, going to far as to deliberately destroy entire areas of buildings in their madness. This lead to rioting amongst the remaining citizens, and without a functional city to hold them together, there’s another purge, this one entirely politically unmotivated, decimating the remaining masses. In addition, the rate of Sisters’ being harvested rapidly grew as the more ruthless splicers outlived the casual users. As a result the Alphas and their fragile bond were dropped after losing too many girls and Daddies, and the classic Big Daddies were made to combat aggressive splicers making them with the use of Augustus Sinclair’s prison population. This entire new series’ of Big Daddies were created in to be utilized for not only their original maintenance, but also guardianship of Little Sisters without a single-sister bond. Roughly speaking, this translated to 4,000 Big Daddies- Rosies and Bouncers, specifically.

By the beginning of 1960, before Jack arrives, the city is halved yet again with whole buildings destroyed, to just 12,500 citizens fighting and scavenging to survive.

1960 Pre-Jack population: ~12,500 (1,125 Little Sisters remain & 3,000 Big Daddies)

After Jack essentially reawakens the city, there’s a second wave of Rapture escapees, and a lucky few manage to reach the surface, as well as those put down or saved by Jack moving through the city.

1960 Post-Jack population: ~10,300 (1,104 Little Sisters & 2,980 Big Daddies. The numbers are specific because there are only 21 little sisters available to save or harvest in-game & about 20 Big Daddies)

During the near-decade between the games, most of the original BioShock 1 Little Sisters and Big Daddies died, as did a large portion of the remaining humans (almost all Splicers by now) as they succumbed to starvation, dehydration, structural collapse, or during one of the many violent confrontations over dwindling resources. In addition, as Sofia Lamb strengthened her hold on the city, nonbelievers and opposing factions were wiped out, further bringing down the population.

1968 Pre-Delta population: ~2,000 (32 new Little Sisters, 15 Big Sisters, & 400 Big Daddies. Again, the number is so specific because I’m basing the number on the pattern of girls stolen from the surface in the four months reported on during the Something In The Sea campaign: it was two girls per month, and as collection of girls started in 1967 it makes sense that in the year up to Delta’s arrival they acquired more girls at an increasing rate. While this obviously didn’t affect Big Daddies or Big Sisters, the number of Daddies is so low due to the Family’s inability to repair them or create many more- while Gilbert Alexander had the resources, (enough to make the Rumbler variant anyway) supplies were scant and many “volunteers” didn’t survive the conversion, as malnourished and addicted as they were. The same goes for the Big Sisters- only a fraction of the original girls lived long enough to get old enough to be feral, so there aren’t many left to make this new Protector species.

1968 Post-Delta population: ~1,300 (11 Little Sisters, 4 Big Sisters, & 200 Big Daddies. Note Delta isn’t responsible for the dip in the gen. pop., but rather the destruction of three areas of the city (The Atlantic Express station, Siren Alley, and the Persephone Penal Colony)

(BONUS: 1968 Post-Sigma population: 1,000 (5 Little Sisters, 2 Big Sisters & 150 Big Daddies, counting the including the Big and Little Sisters spawned in-game))

In conclusion:

#heavy-weapons-spy #mine #bioshock #BioShock 2 #biotalk

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icthumilityg3-blog · 5 years

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FAMOUS and SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE **TOP 5 RICHEST PEOPLE **

#5 Mark Zuckerberg

REAL TIME NET WORTH : $62.3B as of February 2019

Source of Wealth: Facebook

LINK: https://www.quora.com/How-does-Mark-Zuckerberg-make-his-wealth-from-Facebook

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has had a difficult 2018; the social network has been criticized for enabling the spread of hate speech and fake news.

In April 2018, he testified before Congress after it was revealed that Facebook shared users' data with political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg started Facebook at Harvard in 2004 at the age of 19 for students to match names with faces in class.

He took Facebook public in May 2012 and still owns nearly 17% of the stock.

In December 2015, Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, pledged to give away 99% of their Facebook stake over their lifetimes.

Age: 34

EDUCATION: Drop Out, Harvard University

DID YOU KNOW: Mark Zuckerberg was not the real co-founder of Facebook .He had the idea of facebook but didn't implement but hired someone who can implement it perfectly. So, Divya Narendra is the founder of idea not the implementation and mark implemented this idea with his skills which he named the Facebook.

Mark 5 secret passion to success:

LINK: https://maxmyprofit.com.au/blog/mark-zuckerbergs-5-secrets-to-success/

#4 Bernard Arnault

REAL TIME NET WORTH: $70B

LINK: https://wealthygorilla.com/bernard-arnault-net-worth/

SOURCE OF WEALTH: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton

One of the world's ultimate taste-makers, Bernard Arnault oversees an empire of 70 brands including Louis Vuitton and Sephora.

His luxury company, which owns leading fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Givenchy enjoyed one of its best years to date last year and saw Arnault blaze past fellow fashion billionaire.

Record results at LVMH and a megadeal to buy out nearly all of Christian Dior helped boost Arnault's fortune by $30.5 billion in one year.

Age: 69

EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts/Science, Ecole Polytechnique de Paris

#3 WARREN BUFFETT

REAL TIME NET WORTH $84.6B as of 2/18/19 ( Forbes)

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Berkshire Hathaway, Self Made

Known as the "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time.

Buffett runs Berkshire Hathaway, which owns more than 60 companies, including insurer Geico, battery maker Duracell and restaurant chain Dairy Queen.

The son of a U.S. congressman, he first bought stock at age 11 and first filed taxes at age 13.

He's promised to give away over 99% of his fortune. So far he's donated $35 billion, much of it to the foundation of friends Bill and Melinda Gates.

In 2010, he and Gates launched the Giving Pledge, asking billionaires to commit to donating half their wealth to charitable causes.

Age: 88

EDUCATION :Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Nebraska Lincoln; Master of Science, Columbia University .

#2 BILL GATES

REAL TIME NET WORTH $97B as of 2/18/19 (Forbes)

SOURCE OF WEALTH :Microsoft, Self Made

As the principal founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates is one of the most influential and richest people on the planet.

To date, Gates has donated $35.8 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the Gates Foundation.

Gates has sold or given away much of his stake in Microsoft -- he owns just over 1% of shares --and invested in a mix of stocks and other asset

Besides his plane, one of Gates' biggest splurges was the Codex Leicester, a collection of writings by Leonardo da Vinci. He acquired it at a 1994 auction for $30.8 million.

Age:63

EDUCATION:Drop Out, Harvard University

Gates scored a near-perfect 1590 out of 1600 on his SATs.

Did you know: As a teen at Lakeside Prep School, Bill Gates wrote his first computer program on a General Electric computer. It was a version of tic-tac-toe where you could play against the machine.

#1 JEFF BEZOS

REAL TIME NET WORTH $133B as of 2/18/19 (Forbes)

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Amazon, Self Made

Amazon's chief Jeff Bezos is the first person with a net worth surpassing $150 billion in the 3 decades that Forbes has tracked the richest Americans.

He owns 16% of e-commerce colossus Amazon, which he founded in a garage in Seattle in 1994.

Bezos attended Princeton and worked at a hedge fund before quitting to sell books online.

His other passion is space travel: His aerospace company, Blue Origin, is developing a reusable rocket that Bezos says will carry passengers.

Bezos purchased The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million.

Age: 55

Jeff Bezos :Yep, that’s me. I was lucky to be exposed to tech and coding at a young age. Inspired a lifelong love of invention. I hope the new Amazon Future Engineer program does the same for some kids today. https://www.amazonfutureengineer.com

DID YOU KNOW: In 1995, Jackie and Mike Bezos plowed $245,573 into their son's fledgling e-commerce website. It's worth almost $30 billion today.

LINK:https://www.livemint.com/Companies/EsJXaSlwLDV0Jtdy1d1MnI/A-hidden-Amazon-fortune-Jeff-Bezos-parents-could-be-worth.html

by: Aaliyah L.

*******************

** 5 FAMOUS CELEBRITIES **

Taylor Swift

American singer

Full name: Taylor Alison Swift

Born: December 13, 1989 (age 29)

Place of birth: Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Description:

Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. As one of the world’s leading contemporary recording artists, she is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which has received widespread media coverage. She signed with the label Big Machine Records and became the youngest artist ever signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. Her 2006 self-titled debut album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and spent the most weeks on the chart in the 2000s.

Music Video: Sugarland- Babe

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l25AL0BdD6w

Ariana Grande

American singer

Full name: Ariana Grande-Butera

Born: June 26, 1993 (age 25)

Place of birth: Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. Description: Ariana Grande-Butera is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Florida to a family of New York-Italian origin, she began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13, before playing the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious from 2010 to 2013, and in the spinoff Sam & Cat from 2013 to 2014. Grande made her first musical appearance on the soundtrack for Victorious and was signed to Republic Records in 2011 after music executive Monte Lipman came across one of her YouTube videos covering songs. Her accolades include three American Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and six Grammy Award nominations. She has supported a range of charities and has a large following on social media. In 2016, Time named Grande one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list. In 2018, Billboard named her Woman of the Year. Ariana Video Music: Thank U, next

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl1aHhXnN1k

Justin Bieber

Canadian singer-songwriter

Full name: Justin Drew Bieber

Born: March 1, 1994 (age 24)

Place of birth: London, Ontario, Canada

Description:

Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After talent manager Scooter Braun discovered his YouTube videos covering songs, he was signed to RBMG in 2008. Bieber then released his debut EP, My World, in late 2009. It was certified platinum in the US; he became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Bieber released his first studio album, My World 2.0, in 2010. It debuted at number one in several countries, was certified triple platinum in the US, and contained his single “Baby”, which debuted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold 12 million units.

Bieber Award List:

LINK: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3595501/awards

Ed Sheeran Singer-songwriter

Full name: Edward Christopher Sheeran

Born: 17 February 1991 (age 27)

Place of birth: Halifax, West Yorkshire, England

Description:

Edward Christopher Sheeran, is an English singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actor. He has sold more than 45 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling music artists. Two of his albums are in the list of the best-selling albums in UK chart history: x at number 20, and ÷ at number 34.

Ed upcoming tour:

LINK: https://www.edsheeran.com/tour

Justin Randall Timberlake

Born: January 31, 1981 (age 38)

Place of birth: Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Description:

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer-songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Timberlake began to adopt a more mature image as an artist with the release of his debut solo album, the R&B-focused Justified (2002), which yielded the successful singles “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body”, and earned his first two Grammy Awards.

Justin Music Video:

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA-NDZb29I4

by: ROCKSUPRINCE

*****************************

*****5 FAMOUS ACTORS *****

Brad Pitt

Full Name: William Bradley Pitt

Occupation: Film Actor, Producer

Birth Date: December 18, 1963

Age: 55

Place of Birth: Shanwee, Oklahoma

Description:

William Bradley Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has received multiple awards and nominations including an Academy Award as producer under his own company Plan B Entertainment. Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma & Louise (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with the drama films A River Runs Through It (1992) and Legends of the Fall (1994), and horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994). He gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller Seven and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys (both 1995), the latter earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination.

Tom Hanks

Full Name: Thomas Jeffrey Hanks

Occupation: Director, Television, Actor, Film Actor

Birth Date: July 9, 1956

Age: 62

Place of Birth: Concord, California

Description:

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker. Hanks is known for his comedic and dramatic roles in such films. Hanks has collaborated with film director Steven Spielberg on five films to date: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), Bridge of Spies(2015), and The Post (2017), as well as the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers, which launched Hanks as a successful director, producer, and screenwriter. Hanks’ films have grossed more than $4.6 billion at U.S. and Canadian box offices and more than $9.2 billion worldwide, making him the fourth highest-grossing actor in North America. Hanks has been nominated for numerous awards during his career.

Tom Cruise

Occupation: Film Actor, Producer

Birth Date; July 3, 1962

Age: 56

Place of Birth: Syracuse, New York

Description:

Thomas Cruise is an American actor and producer. He started his career at age 19, in the film Endless Love (1981), before making his breakthrough in the comedy Risky Business (1983), and receiving widespread attention for starring in the action drama Top Gun (1986). After starring in The Color of Money (1986) and Cocktail (1988), Cruise starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in the Academy Award for Best Picture-winning drama Rain Man. For his role as anti-war activist Ron Kovic in the drama Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Cruise received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Harrison Ford

Occupation: Film Actor

Birth Date: July 13, 1942

Age: 76

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois

Description:

Harrison Ford is an American actor. He gained worldwide fame for his starring roles as Han Solo in the Star Wars film series and as the title character of Indiana Jones. Five of his movies are within the 30 top-grossing movies of all time at the US box office. Ford is also known for playing Rick Deckard in the neo-noir dystopian science fiction film Blade Runner (1982) and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017); John Book in the thriller Witness (1985), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor; and Jack Ryan in the action films Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). His career spans six decades and includes roles in several Hollywood blockbusters.

Morgan Freeman

Occupation: Film Actor, Producer, Television Actor, Theater Actor

Birth Date: June 1, 1937

Age: 81

Place of Birth: Memphis, Tennessee

Description:

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, producer, and narrator. Freeman won an Academy Award in 2005 for Best Supporting Actor with Million Dollar Baby (2004), and he has received Oscar nominations for his performances in Street Smart (1987), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Invictus (2009). He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Noted for his deep voice, Freeman has served as a narrator, commentator, and voice actor for numerous programs, series and television shows. He is ranked as the fifth-highest box office star with $4.31 billion in total box office grosses, an average of $74.4 million per film.

by: Reinard P.

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falsehoodsanders · 6 years

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Slipping

A/N: this is the first fic I wrote for the Sanders Sides fandom. Originally it was a prompt for @@something-sanders for the ts fic exchange organized by @the-prince-and-the-emo , however, I’m being re-assigned on my main so I thought I’d post it here!

Ship: Romantic LAMP/CALM

TW: ANGSTY, eating disorders, self harm, suicidal thoughts, self hatred. You asked for angst so I brought angst. I’m sorry...

WC: 2236 (whoops)

validate me ok bye

~River xx

Slipping

That was the only word that came to mind when he thought of himself. His entire existence at present was a metaphorical landslide, and he was slipping into the valley below with no way to make his way back up to the peak of the mountain. He knew he was needed, physically. He knew he was valued by the others and the Fanders. If he ducked out, there was no way Thomas could function without him. But what was there for him to help with aside from being necessary to his host’s physical well-being? He didn’t offer anything of value, not like the others did. The others gave thoughtful input into things Thomas should do. They helped him attain the goals he set for himself. They helped him see the good in the world, despite all of the negative things happening just outside his door. He couldn’t do any of that. Aside from being a “main side”, he wasn’t helpful. Wasn’t necessary. Wasn’t worth it.

He loved the other three with his entire being. He didn’t know he could love another as much as he loved them. When they first started their relationship, he fell hard and fast. It was bumpy but they managed to ride the storm until they found calmer waters. He could tell you a million different things he loved about each of them, but he didn’t know what they saw in him. There was something awe-spiring in the way their eyes sparkled when they spoke of something that they took pride in, or the way each of them had their own way of being intimate with one another, or the way they could communicate with each other with a simple gesture, like leaving sticky notes around the Mindscape, or having made a thoughtful breakfast to make the others feel loved. Loved. He felt loved. He was constantly reminded that he was, in fact, loved. But did he deserve it?

He knew what depression was. He saw the warning signs long ago. He knew he was just getting worse… but were the voices in his head really that wrong? They pointed out the flaws in his reflection, offering a not so gentle suggestion that he add a bit more makeup to his routine than before. He listened, but it wasn’t enough. They pointed out the weight he had gained and how overweight his attire made him appear. He had cut down his eating habits, tracking his calorie and carb intake as to not make the situation worse. He had lost a few pounds, but it still wasn’t enough. They whispered threats when he was forced to eat something with too many calories, saying he wasn’t trying hard enough to make himself perfect for his loves. He then ate what he was given by his beloved boyfriends, and once it was acceptable to leave the table, he rushed off to his bathroom and forced it all back up. He focused on the numbers, limiting himself to 500 calories a day, but it still just wasn’t enough. Soon the excess fat was gone, but the voices found more to critique. They pointed out that he needed to be more toned, to have a slimmer waist and more muscle to ensure that the others saw him as an appealing partner. So he went on long runs and took to the gym, weighing himself every morning and every evening to see the progress he had made, but it wasn’t enough. The voices wore him down, made him tired and weak, which then only fuelled them to keep pushing him to be stronger, more toned, skinnier, prettier… better.

He knew what an eating disorder was… he wasn’t stupid. But as he fell deeper into the hole he a dug himself, it soon became a routine. Wake up at 5am sharp. Go for a run around the Imagination until breakfast at 8. Eat breakfast with his boyfriends. Help with clearing the table and washing the dishes. Make it to his bathroom and force up the meal he just ate. Brush his teeth, drink some water and then eat a healthy snack of under 150 calories to replace the food that he brought back up. Spend time with his boyfriends in the commons until 11:30 where he would excuse himself to go workout, saying he had packed a lunch (a lie) and promised to stay hydrated (another lie) so he didn’t have to join them for lunch. Finish working out at 2:30, pushing himself to his absolute limits to make sure he burned more calories than he consumed. He would then shower for about 30 minutes and then stand in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection in disgust and making note of where he still needed to improve. Repeat breakfast scenario at dinner, which was at 6:30 on the dot, but allowing himself 200 calories for his replacement meal to hopefully keep his energy up to avoid suspicion from the others. Spend an hour with his boyfriends for “family bonding time” until retiring to his room at 8, claiming he was tired from his day and needed some sleep. He would stay awake until around 2am, trying to find new ways to make himself better for the loves of his life. They deserved the universe and more, and he would try his damnest to give them just that.

The voices never quieted down, always repeating harsh remarks towards him, until one struck a chord with him. He was reading a post about how to make his progress matter when he stumbled on a blog on tumblr. It soon became his favourite site to visit. He created his own account, followed this blog religiously and even put on notifications to see when they’d post their next thinspo picture. The more he scrolled, the more he found different ways of taking out his hatred on himself. The voices still weren’t happy with him, so he took to self harming. He knew it was dangerous. He knew it was an addiction. He knew that once he started it would be near impossible to stop, but the second the cool metal blade hit his inner wrist, he craved the sensation. So one cut became two, and two became four, and soon enough, he moved to his thighs and stomach because both arms were littered with scars; new ones that still stung, old ones that had faded to white until he reopened them again to see the crimson bubble on his skin before rolling down to hit the tile beneath him. He no longer wore sleeveless tops or shorts. He couldn’t risk his secret being found by the others.

“Roman?” a soft voice came from his door. Patton. Of course it was. Sweet, wonderful, compassionate Patton.

“Yes my love?” Roman replied, mustering all of his energy to sound as he should: regal, proper, confident… worthy.

“Can we come in?” Patton asked, “We need to talk to you.”

Of course. They were here to break up with him. They must have finally come to their senses.

Unlocking the door, he braced himself for what was to come with a solemn “Yes.”

Patton came in first, followed by Logan and Virgil, who all had a hesitant and almost sad look on their face. Their eyes scanned the royal side’s room, finding paper scattered across the floor, each with red X through whatever idea he had written down and words such as “stupid” or “insufficient” or “failure.” His sword lay on the seat of the vanity, completely covered in blood stains that weren’t even attempted to be cleaned. The ever-growing collection of makeup and photos of the flawless, photoshopped models from the internet covered the vanity itself, along with notes on scraps of paper stuck to the mirror with more red coloured words like “worthless” and “ugly.” His Disney posters had been ripped off the walls and his curtains were shredded from the times he had taken his sword to them in a fit of rage. The scale placed in front of the mirror was surrounded by shattered glass, obviously from a previous mirror that Roman had punched in fear of his own reflection. And Roman himself. He sat on the floor in front of his bed. His eyes were red and puffy, his hair was sticking up in all different directions, he sat in his boxers, leaving his scars visible and a clear view of his ribs poking out from under his skin.

It took everything in the three to not freak out over what they saw. It would make the situation worse.

“I suppose you’ve come to your senses, then?” Roman asked, no longer trying to keep up his facade. His voice croaked from crying for days on end, never knowing when, or if, they’d stop.

“I’m not sure what you mean, my prince.” Logan spoke softly, almost as if not to upset Roman. It would have been endearing if Roman didn’t know what was going on.

“You’re here to break up with me, right? To tell me I’m useless, worthless? That all I do is drag you down and make your lives miserable? I’ve been expecting it for a while so you might as well just get it over with.”

Shock was evident on the other’s faces. They had no idea that this was how their Prince was feeling.

“Roman… we’re not here to do any of that.” Virgil whispered, worried that he would end up scaring him away.

Roman scoffed, “Well then what are you here for? I don’t know what else it could be. I don’t see why you care.”

Patton took Roman’s hand and squeezed lightly, “Roman, we’re here because we’ve been worried about you.”

“What for? I’m not worth the hassle.” Roman muttered, looking down at the ground to avoid the disgust he’d see on their faces.

The three looked at each other, making silent decisions on what to do next. Virgil made his way to the bathroom to get a soft cloth to clean his cuts.

“Roman, you are worth so much. You are irreplaceable. We are nothing without you.” Logan murmured, kneeling down to Roman’s height. He gently tilted his lover’s head up to look at him. All Roman saw was the tears in Logan’s eyes and the sadness that was evident across his face.

“You’re lying.”

Virgil returned with a damp cloth, carefully placing it on the thigh with blood dripping on the floor, “Ro, love. Why would we be lying?”

“I’m not good enough for you! That’s why!” Roman exclaimed, “You’re all perfect and wonderful and I don’t deserve you. You all have a purpose. Logan contributes his knowledge and passion for learning new things. Patton gives him emotions and helps him make strong bonds between him and his friends and family. Virge, babe… you keep Thomas cautious in the world we live in. You might work overtime a lot, but you’ve only tried to protect him. All I’m here for is to come up with ideas and I can’t even do that right. Plus, I hurt you without intending to and I can never forgive myself. Vee, I treated you like a villain for a long time and I hurt you in the process. I constantly patronize Pat without realizing it and I see the hurt in your eyes long after it happens. I fight with Logan all the time and make fun of him when he has a difficult time processing emotions. You’re all breathtaking too, and here I am; a fat, ugly, good for nothing side that has now hurt the three most important things in his life because he’s pathetic.”

There was a pause while they took in what Roman had just said, until Virgil broke the silence, “Roman. Look at me please.”

He does so, and he immediately regrets it. There are obvious tears streaking down his cheeks, messing up the eyeshadow beneath his eyes. Yet he still offers a small smile, comforting and warm.

“Roman. You have always been beautiful. Inside and out. You are… well… were so full of life. You cheer us up when we’re down, singing silly songs or making us waltz around the living room. When you sing Disney at the top of your lungs, it comforts us, knowing that you’re feeling happy, and sometimes we sing along. You may have done some not so nice things in the past, yes, but you’ve grown. We have seen you trying so hard to accept us and love us as we are.”

Tears threatened to fall down Roman’s face, but he wouldn’t let them. He couldn’t show them how weak he was.

“It’s okay to cry, Ro.” Patton spoke, “You encourage me to express all of my emotions, not just the happy ones. It’s time I repay you for that. Let it go.”

And so Roman did. He let all of his fears and worries and insecurities go as he sobbed in their arms. They all held him, whispering sweet nothings in his ear. It wasn’t perfect. It was far from perfect, but this was the beginning. The beginning of learning to love himself again, of recovering. It was a long road ahead, but the voices of his boyfriends drowned out the ones in his head. He felt safe. He felt wanted. He felt loved. And yes, he did deserve it.

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crimsonsairina · 6 years

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Flissa’s Skyhold Boar Pies

When I fangirl over something, I fangirl hard. This is something @aurianavaloria got to witness as I read her wonderful fanfiction, From the Beyond. I ploughed through it in a matter of days, and not only did I start my own fanfiction spin-off, but I also spammed her with comments and signed up as a beta reader.

It didn't stop there, though. As a lover of cooking and good food in general, I found one scene in particular really peaked my curiosity. Namely in chapter 33, when Lea brings boar mini pies to Tamsyn. I immediately decided that I had to replicate them.

Anyone who's read the fic probably knows that while Flissa's cooking is described as delicious, it's also rather limited due to the general lack of ingredients. After they relocated to Skyhold, however, new ingredients started to pour in and Flissa was able to try out new things.

Mind, the boar meat is still quite prevalent, but in this case it was accompanied by spices and vegetables, which helped the taste considerably. In the story the vegetables were specifically mentioned to be carrots and onions, so that's what I went with, too.

Below follows a series of photos of my fan-pie baking adventure, an explanation for my choice of ingredients and the recipe itself. Unfortunately I was unable to make a perfect replica of what Skyhold's boar pies were probably like – no cast-iron muffin tin or hard butter – but ingredient-wise I like to think I got it right.

The Dough

While new ingredients had poured in, the Inquisition was still on a tight budget. Full-fat, all-purpose flour pie doughs are indeed quite tasty, but not only did Flissa have to use cheap ingredients, she also had to feed a lot of people. She also needed ingredients that would take longer to digest, in order to keep people full longer. Therefore, in my headcanon, she probably turned to more coarse grain – if not outright whole wheat – flour and quark.

As such, I used a mix of coarse grain and whole wheat flour, along with quark, ice water and salt. The consistency of the dough was the same and it firmed up nicely in the fridge.

The Filling

The first and obvious choice here is, of course, boar meat. It would be easy to pick regular pork instead, but after speaking to several people who had eaten boar before, I learned quickly that there was a distinct difference in flavour. Authenticity aside, I simply couldn't let such an opportunity pass me by.

However, boar meat isn't easy to get a hold of in my country. After asking at the local grocery store, I learned of a place that's about an hour's bus trip from where I live. I contacted them on facebook and they confirmed they were able to get a hold of what I needed. I'd asked for 350 grams (12 oz), but ended up getting almost an entire kilo (35 oz) more. Not that I was deterred, mind you. The cut of meat that I got was neck meat, with the fat on, as I imagine Flissa would want to use it as well. I didn't use all of the meat in the filling, however, as it was simply too much.

Next were the vegetables. Onion and carrot were much easier to get a hold of. I also decided to add garlic as that probably came with the shipments into Skyhold, as well as some grated apple to help tenderise the meat and add some sweetness to the mix. In my headcanon the apples could have either found their way to Skyhold with the rest of the food or been winter apples picked from mountain trees.

Herbs and spices would be the last, but most important ingredient. Salt would be accessible from salt mines in the mountains, and strong, hardy herbs could be harvested. Sage, rosemary and thyme, to be specific. I also threw in some bay leaves that might have come in through spice trade with Antiva. Pepper, on the other hand, I headcanon would be extremely rare and expensive, if known to Fereldans at all.

Since Ferelden is modelled after England, however, I came up with a little headcanon about the town of Wichford that can be found here. The idea is that they produce a sauce similar to the Worcestershire sauce, except it's called Wichford(shire) sauce. This is probably not very accurate, but it gave me an excuse to use it.

The muffin tin that I used was a regular, non-stick type that I sprayed with some non-stick cooking spray just for good measure. I used liquid butter to sauté the vegetables and cooked the meat in the slow cooker. For the lids on the pies I used eggwash to make sure they stuck together and on top to make sure they got nice and golden.

In total, the pie dough that I used was good for six mini pies, though it's possible to make even more if you have the proper rolling pin skills or a tortilla press. The muffin tin that I used had a total of six muffin slots available, and rather large ones at that.

Even then, however, I was left with a lot of leftover filling, as well as extra meat and broth. I found it works well in tortillas, and in mixtures with boiled potatoes and fresh green onion. You can even put it on bread if you want to.

Now, without further ado, let me bring to you the recipe:

Ingredients:

The dough:

2 dl (0,8 cup) coarse grain flour

1,5 dl (0,6 cup) whole wheat flour

150 grams (5,3 oz) quark

1/2 teaspoon salt

Ice water

The filling:

350 grams (12 oz) slow-cooked boar meat

2 large yellow onions

3 medium-sized carrots

3 large cloves of garlic

A splash of Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tablespoon chopped, fresh rosemary

1/2 tablespoon chopped, fresh sage

2 – 3 bay leaves, depending on the size

1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme, rosemary and sage (you can always add some more fresh herbs if you're not lazy like me)

1 teaspoon salt

2 – 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

Boar broth (from the slow cooker, make sure you strain it well first)

2 apples, grated

The broth:

3,5 dl (1,5 cup) water

A splash of Worcestershire sauce

5 whole cloves of garlic

3 – 4 bay leaves, depending on the size

The boar meat, seared

The process:

First make the pie dough in a food processor. Add the flour, salt and quark and whirl away until it has the consistency of wet sand. Add water little by little until the dough comes together. I needed only 3 – 4 teaspoons. Once you've got the right consistency, take it out of the processor and work it together. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator so it can firm up.

Next, prepare the meat. Depending on the size of your slow cooker and the size of your meat pieces, you may have to cut it into smaller pieces first. Season it generously with salt and dust it with some flour (whole wheat flour for Skyhold budget-friendliness) and sear it in a frying pan on both sides. Put it in your slow cooker and add all the ingredients for the broth. Put on a lid and check package instructions for your slow cooker for how much time you need. I put mine on high for 3 hours.

Tip: It's better to sear and slow cook all the meat than to leave raw meat in the fridge.

Chop the onion and garlic and cut the carrots into small cubes (you don't need to peel the carrots if you want to go full Flissa/Skyhold tradition, unless you're finicky about carrot peel). Sauté the onion and carrot in some butter and add a generous amount of the salt. Add the fresh herbs, bay leaves and Worcestershire (Wichford) sauce and sauté for a while. The onion should be translucent and the carrots begin to soften. Add the garlic and leave the mixture be for about 30 seconds or until the garlic smell dominates the kitchen. Stir it in and put the mixture aside until you're ready to add the meat. It's okay if it cools down, you're going to re-heat it later anyway.

Once the slow cooker is done, take the meat out and leave it to the side to cool. Strain the broth – preferably with a mesh strainer – and then strain it again through a strainer lined with a paper towel to get rid of the fat and dirt. Set it aside until you're ready to use it.

Set your oven to 200°C (390°F). Spray your muffin tin with some non-stick cooking spray. Remove the bay leaves from the vegetable mixture and heat it back up. Trim off the fat from the boar meat and tear it apart. Add it to the pot and give it a good mix. Add the dried herbs, the remaining salt and the flour. Stir until you no longer see any raw bits of flour. Add about 2 – 3 ladles full of the broth. The mixture should be thick and not runny. Add the grated apples and stir them in. Taste for seasoning – if it needs more salt, herbs or Worcestershire sauce, then add it. Once the flavour is to your liking, set it aside to cool a bit.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and either roll it out with a rolling pin or press it flat with a tortilla press. Use either a ramekin or cups to cut out the pieces. I used two cups of different sizes – a bigger one for the bottom piece and a smaller one for the lids. Place the bigger rounds in the muffin tins and add the filling. Make sure the filling doesn't tower above the dough. Brush some eggwash on the edge of the dough to help the lids stick. Place the lids on top and make sure they're pressed tightly together with the bottoms. Brush more eggwash on top and cut little x-shaped incisions into the lids.

Once the oven is hot enough, place the pies inside and let them bake until the dough is golden and flaky. The total time depends on how thick the dough is. In my case it took about 22 – 25 minutes.

When the pies are ready, take them out of the oven and set them aside to cool for a bit. They'll cool faster if you take them out of the tins, but be careful as it's hot!

Serve alongside your choice of iced tea (ginger and lemon mixed with apple juice is my favourite) and enjoy!

#long post #fan pies #from the beyond #skyhold #dragon age inquisition #aurianavaloria #boar pies #mini pies #recipe #recipe post #fangirling

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blackkudos · 6 years

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Will Smith

Willard Carroll "Will" Smith Jr. (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, producer, rapper, comedian, and songwriter. In April 2007, Newsweek called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood". Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards.

In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular NBC television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran for six seasons until 1996. After the series ended, Smith transitioned from television to film, and has gone on to star in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office, eleven consecutive films gross over $150 million internationally, and eight consecutive films in which he starred, open at the number one spot in the domestic box office tally.

Smith has been ranked as the most bankable star worldwide by Forbes. As of 2014, 17 of the 21 films in which he has had leading roles have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million each, five taking in over $500 million each in global box office receipts. As of 2016, his films have grossed $7.5 billion at the global box office. For his performances as boxer Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) and stockbroker Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Smith received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Family and early life

Willard Carroll Smith Jr. was born on September 25, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Caroline (Bright), a Philadelphia school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith, Sr. (died 2016), a refrigeration engineer. He grew up in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood, and was raised Baptist. He has three siblings, sister Pamela, who is four years older, and twins Harry and Ellen, who are three years younger. Smith attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia. His parents separated when he was 13, but did not actually divorce until around 2000.

Smith attended Overbrook High School. Though widely reported, it is untrue that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he never applied to college because he "wanted to rap." Smith says he was admitted to a "pre-engineering [summer] program" at MIT for high school students, but he did not attend. According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."

Recording and acting career

1985–1992: The Fresh Prince

Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as turntablist and producer. Jeff Townes and Will Smith were introduced to each other by chance in 1985. One night, Townes was performing at a house party only a few doors down from Smith's residence, and he was missing his hype man. Smith decided to fill in. They both felt strong chemistry, and Townes was upset when his hype man finally made it to the party.

Soon after, the two decided to join forces. Smith enlisted a friend to join as the beatboxer of the group, Clarence Holmes (Ready Rock C), making them a trio. Philadelphia-based Word Up Records released their first single in late 1985 to 1986 when A&R man Paul Oakenfold introduced them to Word Up with their single "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble," a tale of funny misadventures that landed Smith and his former DJ and rap partner Mark Forrest (Lord Supreme) in trouble. The song sampled the theme song of "I Dream of Jeannie." Smith became known for light-hearted story-telling raps and capable, though profanity-free, "battle" rhymes. The single became a hit a month before Smith graduated from high school.

Based on this success, the duo were brought to the attention of Jive Records and Russell Simmons. The duo's first album, Rock the House, which was first released on Word Up in 1986 debuted on Jive in March of 1987. The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988), though their most successful single was "Summertime" (1991), which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Will Smith and Jeff Townes are still friends and claim that they never split up, having made songs under Smith's solo performer credit.

Smith spent money freely around 1988 and 1989 and underpaid his income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, took many of his possessions, and garnished his income. Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990, when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him. The show was successful and began his acting career. Will Smith set for himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world", studying box office successes' common characteristics.

1993–2002: Solo music and film beginnings

Smith's first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995) in which he starred opposite Martin Lawrence. The latter film was commercially successful, grossing $141,407,024 worldwide — $65,807,024 in North America and $75,600,000 overseas. However, critical reception was generally mixed. In 1996, Smith starred as part of an ensemble cast in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. The film was a massive blockbuster, becoming the second highest-grossing film in history at the time and establishing Smith as a prime box office draw.

In the summer of 1997 he starred alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the summer hit Men in Black playing Agent J. The film was released on July 2, 1997, by Columbia Pictures, and grossed over $589.3 million worldwide against a $90 million budget, becoming the year's third highest-grossing film, with an estimated 54,616,700 tickets sold in the US. It received worldwide acclaim, with critics highly praising its witty, sophisticated humor, Jones and Smith's performances.

During the summer of 1997, Smith also began his solo career with the release of "Men in Black", the theme song for the film of the same name, which topped singles charts in several regions across the world, including the UK. "Men in Black" (and second single "Just Cruisin'") was later included on Smith's debut solo album Big Willie Style, which reached the top ten of the US Billboard 200 and was certified nine times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The third single from the album, "Gettin' Jiggy wit It", became Smith's first Billboard Hot 100 number one when it was released in 1998.

In 1998, Smith starred with Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State. The following year he turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West (1999). Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith has said that he harbors no regrets about his decision, asserting that Keanu Reeves's performance as Neo was superior to what Smith himself would have achieved, although in interviews subsequent to the release of Wild Wild West he stated that he "made a mistake on Wild Wild West. That could have been better."

Smith's second album was again supported by the release of a film theme song as the lead single: "Wild Wild West", featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album in question, Willennium, reached number five on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. "Will 2K", the second single from the album, reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Before the end of 1999, a video album was released featuring Smith's seven music videos released to date, which reached number 25 on the UK Music Video Chart. The same year, the rapper was also featured on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star Tatyana Ali's single "Boy You Knock Me Out", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and topped the UK R&B Singles Chart.

Smith portrayed heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 biopic Ali. For his performance he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. In 2002, following a four year musical hiatus, Smith returned with his third album Born to Reign, which reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album's lead single was Men in Black II theme song "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. Later in the year, Smith's first compilation album Greatest Hits was released, featuring songs from his three solo albums as well as those produced with DJ Jazzy Jeff. Smith's latest album Lost and Found was released in 2005, peaking at number six on the Billboard200. Lead single "Switch" reached the top ten of both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.

Career successes and acting

2005 saw Smith return for Bad Boys II, the sequel to the 1995 film Bad Boys and the second installment in the Bad Boys series, the film follows detectives Burnett and Lowrey investigating the flow of ecstasy into Miami. Despite receiving generally negative reviews, the film was a box office success, grossing $270 million worldwide. In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending three premieres in a 24-hour time span.

Smith and his son Jaden played father and son in two productions: the 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness, and the science fiction film After Earth, which was released on May 31, 2013. In The Pursuit of Happyness, Smith portrayed Chris Gardner. Smith said he first became interested in making a film about Gardner after seeing him on 20/20 and connected with him during production. The film, along with Smith's performance, received praise.

On December 10, 2007, Smith was honored at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world-renowned theater in front of many fans. Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released December 14, 2007. Despite marginally positive reviews, its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique". A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood." On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith was selected as one of America's top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.

In 2008 Smith was reported to be developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he would be starring as Taharqa. It was in 2008 that Smith starred in the superhero movie Hancock. Hancock has grossed $227,946,274 in the United States and Canada and $396,440,472 in other territories for a worldwide total of $624,386,746.

On August 19, 2011, it was announced that Smith had returned to the studio with producer La Mar Edwards to work on his fifth studio album.

Men in Black III opened on May 25, 2012 with Smith again reprising his role as Agent J. This was his first major starring role in four years. Smith worked with Barry Sonnenfeld during the film's helming who commented that Smith was an exception in being an actor who was successful not for the size of his head, but that his "ego" compensated for it. After the release of Men in Black III, Smith was content with ending his work with the franchise: "I think three is enough for me. Three of anything is enough for me. We'll look at it and we'll consider it, but it feels like that it might be time to let someone else do that." Men in Black 3 was released ten years after release of Men in Black II (2002), and grossed over $624 million worldwide. Unadjusted for inflation, it is the highest-grossing film in the series.

Recent work

Smith starred opposite Margot Robbie in the romance drama Focus. He played Nicky Spurgeon, a veteran con artist who takes a young, attractive woman under his wing. Focus was released on February 27, 2015. Smith was set to star in the sci-fi thriller Brilliance, an adaptation of Marcus Sakey's novel of the same name scripted by Jurassic Park writer David Koepp, but later left the project.

Smith played Dr. Bennet Omalu of the Brain Injury Research Institute in the sports-drama Concussion, who became the first person to discover chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Smith's involvement was due to his departure from the science fiction film Brilliance. He had doubts about the film early in production, saying, "Some of my happiest memories are of watching my son catch and throw a football. I didn’t want to be the guy who did a movie saying football could be dangerous." These views subsided upon his meeting with Omalu, whose words about American ideals resonated with Smith.

In 2016, Smith played Deadshot in the supervillain team-up action film Suicide Squad. Smith's inclusion in Suicide Squad meant choosing it over Independence Day: Resurgence, which he turned down due to seeing his involvement in the sequel as "clinging and clawing backwards." Later that year, Smith starred in director David Frankel's drama Collateral Beauty, playing a New York advertising executive who succumbs to a deep depression after a personal tragedy. Weeks after signing Smith onto the film, his father was diagnosed with cancer, from which he died in 2016. As part of his role required him to read about religion and the afterlife, he was brought closer to the elder Smith, calling the experience "a beautiful way to prepare for a movie and an even more majestic way to say goodbye to my father."

Upcoming projects

Smith will portray The Genie (originally played by Robin Williams in the 1992 animated film) in a live-action film adaptation of Disney's Aladdin directed by Guy Ritchie which is scheduled to be released on May 24, 2019.

Personal life

Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had one son, Trey Smith, born on November 11, 1992, and divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us". He also acted in two episodes of the sitcom All of Us, and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and on the David Blaine: Real or Magic TV special.

Smith married actress Jada Koren Pinkett in 1997. Together they have two children: Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth, and Willow Camille Reign Smith (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend. Smith and his brother Harry own Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after Trey. Smith and his family reside in Los Angeles, California.

Public image

Smith was raised in a Baptist household and went to a Catholic school, but he no longer identifies himself as religious. Though he is not a Scientologist and has denied rumors claiming him as a member of the Church of Scientology, he has spoken favorably about it, saying "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious."

Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and [.....] the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel." Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy. Federal tax filing showed that Will Smith donated $1.2 million to the school in 2010.

Smith donated $4,600 to the 2008 presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. On December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway to celebrate Obama's winning of the prize. In 2012, Smith stated he supports legalizing same-sex marriage.

http://wikipedia.thetimetube.com/?q=Will+Smith&lang=en

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prettyyyboyluke · 6 years

Text

Locker Room

~ (don’t worry if you don’t get swim context it’s v confusing)

300 swim

200 pull no paddles

100 kick

6 x 50’s @ :45

10 x 25 @ :15

5 x 100 @ 1:45

4 x 100 @ 1:35

3 x 100 @ 1:25

2 x 100 @ 1:15

1 start from the blocks race pace

———

500 breathing every 3

2 x 200 @ 2:25

150 cool down

today our set was a latter, and everyone hates it. we haven’t had a pool since monday and we finally found one, and today our coach is hitting it hard with our sets. we were on our 100 from the blocks and there was nothing more i’d love to do than just drown. i knew i should’ve made a bullshit excuse to skip practice for the holidays.

as soon as coach blew that whistle i was racing my best to try to get to the 500 sooner than later. i sprinted my last 50, finishing first thank god. “good y/n, 1:07:03! best time,” coach called out. my chest was rising as i caught my breath to prepare for this 500.

once i was ready i was off to my death. all i was thinking was how much i wanted to see luke. i haven’t seen him in a week since we had a huge invite in Chicago and he wasn’t able to come because of the album and other band priorities. time flew because i was on my last 100. i was practically sprinting to get it over with. once i hit the wall, i knew i could make this last chunk of the set.

“good practice tonight guys! i’ll see you wednesday, merry christmas!” our coach called before leaving. i took off my cap, letting my hair fall into the chlorine infested water behind me. i packed up my equipment before hopping out of the pool. i stood for a minute realizing how many yards we just did. “y/n you coming?” chloe called, heading to the locker rooms. “i’ll be there in a sec!” i yelled back. i grabbed my equipment bag before grabbing a towel. i felt a pair of hands on me and i quickly turned around.

“luke!” i was shocked and hugged him. “hi pretty girl,” he chuckled hugging me tightly. “i thought you were still busy, i was gonna come by tonight,” i smiled happy to see him. “i wanted to surprise you,” he smirked. i pulled him down for a kiss, “definitely a surprise.”

“ew you taste like chlorine!” luke laughed pulling away. “i did just have practice,” i said motioning to the vicinity we were in. “mmm i missed not have my biggest fan cheer for me at our invite,” i pouted, running hands through his hair. “i know baby, i’ll be at the next one. ash and i just wanted to finish this one song we couldn’t figure out.” luke explained. i know how much pressure they have on them. everywhere they go people are asking how their album is going, fans are getting impatient, everything was crazy.

“okay, let me go rinse off and i’m all yours,” i smiled grabbing my bag. “i bet no one is in the locker rooms sweetheart.” luke said. this was probably true, i’m always the last one out, it became a routine ever since i was in high school with my best friend. we would take the longest showers while gossiping about whatever the latest drama was. “only one way to find out,” i winked and headed right to the locker room.

“hello?” i called out, no answer. i stepped in peaking around, seeing everyone left. i motioned for luke to come in. i set my bag on my bench and grabbed a towel. “welcome to my hell away from home,” i said putting my arms up like i was cheering. “oh c’mon it’s not that bad, i’ve seen you race.” luke said, unamused by my joke. “you try waking up at 5:30 and practicing then having class and coming back to this,” i challenged crossing my arms. “watch the attitude little girl,” luke said sternly. “sorry sir,” i submitted.

i headed to the familiar shower i saw every morning and evening. i turned the water to hot, letting it trickle down my body as i sighed letting all the stress leave my body. “sometimes when i’m alone, i imagine you sitting right there, guiding me to touch myself just like you would. edging me until i’m begging you to come over here and take care of me.” i said raising an eyebrow to luke. luke stood, removing his shirt letting it fall to the floor. he began to undo his jeans slowly, taunting me. i followed his every movement, my eyes not leaving his body. as soon as he stripped down, i reached for him. “ah ah, not so fast. your suit needs to come off,” he tisked.

i can tell you i slipped right out of the suit like a glove. “much better,” luke smirked. he pulled me into him, his clear hard on resting on the insides of my thighs. luke grabbed the small bottle of body wash i had. “hold out your hands.” he said holding the bottle above me. i reached forward, palms open as he squeezed a decent glob into my hands.

“wash me.” he breathed out, setting the bottle down. luke was so open to the opportunity, i couldn’t help but feel nerves pulsing through my veins. i lathered the soap in my hands and pressed them to luke’s chest. i made sure to cover every inch on his upper extremities before making my way down. i glided my hands gently over the tops of his thighs, covering him with soap, before dropping down onto my knees to finish the rest of him.

i looked up at him through my lashes and i wasn’t surprised to see him watching my movements. i bit my lip to suppress a giggle, loving the power i had over him. finally i grasped his length in my hands and began to stroke him up and down. my hands easily glided over him, enough to make his head spin.

“shit,” luke breathes. “so fuckin’ good princess.”

he was putty in my hands and right there in that moment he was completely succumbed to me. luke was moaning and panting in my ear as i cupped his balls in my other hand, massaging them gently.

“oh baby don’t stop.” he moaned.

my movements suddenly stopped as i rose to my feet again and taking over the hot water. luke whined, watching me smile to myself as i let my body drink up the excitement. i rolled my head back, exposing my neck to luke. he took it as the perfect opportunity to decorate my neck with bruises i knew i’d regret later. he dipped his head down and took a nipple into his mouth before grabbing my neck. “i never knew why you got your nipples pierced if you can see them through your little thing called a suit,” luke said. “one it was a dare from chloe and two i never would’ve gone through with it.” i justified.

luke’s free hand slid down to cup my sex, slowly rubbing my clit sloppily. i threw my head back moaning in satisfaction as i twisted his wet hair in my hands. “lu, please.” i begged but i didn’t know what for. “what pretty girl, use your words,” he mumbled in my ear. luke loved to hear me say it. he loved when i was merciless. he loved being in control. “please luke i want you…” i paused. i hated the word more than anything, but luke loved making me say it. “where pretty girl, say it.” luke encouraged, squeezing my bum.

“say the words baby girl.”

“i want you in my pussy.”

i felt my cheeks redden. luke loves dirty talk, and boy so do i, but i can say dirty things without using dirty words. i was pressed up against the wall as luke slowly made his way into me. i whimpered at the feeling, never adjusting to his size. luke found the perfect rhythm, thrusting harder each time. “god you’re tight.” he gasped. he began to thrust harder, the sound of skin slapping against each other echoed throughout the locker room.

“luke, fuck.” i moaned.

“i know, baby.” he replied. luke reached his arm around me again as his fingers found my clit. luke began rubbing, harder than he had the first time, pushing my body to release. my mind clouded with pleasure as my high came closer and closer. my moans grew louder along with his before i released. my breath hitched in my throat as i opened my eyes to see luke already moving south. luke held my stomach back, making my lower back press against the tile more. “c’mere,” he groaned, pulling my hips towards his lips. i looked down at him, attempting to close my legs, i felt so vulnerable with him gawking at me.

“keep those legs open for me before i punish you.”

i did as told, and spread my legs a little wider. he looked up at me with a devilish stare before sticking his tongue out, hovering above my clit. i grew impatient waiting for him to devour me, so i pushed my hips towards him only to be slammed back into the wall. “wait princess, i’ll get there.” luke hummed. he soon flicked the tip of his tongue against my clit making me suck in a breath. luke repeated his motions, making sure his whole tongue covered my heat. his tongue swiped over me, licking down between my folds, poking inside, before gliding up back to my clit which he sucked into his mouth. he sucked hungrily like it was the last thing that he’d ever eat. my hands flew to his hair as he repeated his actions.

“fuck, luke!” i cried out. “don’t fucking stop baby oh my god.” but i didn’t know how much pleasure i could actually take.

i could feel the water and my juices run down my thighs. the only sounds in the room was the sound of luke’s lips and tongues smacking against me while he licked and sucked up everything i had. i couldn’t help but squirm and shake above him, my thighs clamping around his head as i tried to pull away as much as possible. luke looked up at me with hunger and disappointment in his eyes.

“i told you, don’t fucking move.”

i whined, hoping for some mercy. “i can’t help it!”

“actions have consequences baby girl.”

i was pulled down onto the shower floor, my legs up in the air and feet parallel to the ceiling. i was spread perfectly for him before him. i gasped when i felt him flick his tongue, referring back to when he started, i was practically grinding myself on luke’s face as he lapped up whatever was coming out of me. my legs began to shake again, as i cried out.

“luke!” i gasped, feeling sensitivity run all through my body. “luke, i can’t!”

but my cry wasn’t enough to stop him. rather he held me down harder and buried his tongue inside me, flicking it and pushing as deep into me as he could. i whimpered and cried beneath him, another orgasm as my hands raked down my body while my back arched off the wet floor. i was helpless against the amount of strength the blonde boy held underneath me. his tongue fucked me until i was panting and screaming, pleading with him to stop. i was over sensitive i was practically quaking. luke finally pulled away with a gasp, mouth soaked with my come, and smirked at me. he licked his lips clean before moving to shove his tongue into my mouth. he flicked it quickly against mine, letting me taste what he was just buried in, before pulling away leaving me panting.

“jesus luke,” i panted, trying to catch my breath. i laid back on the floor for a minute, trying to regain all energy. “think you can take one more princess?” luke asked, stroking my cheek. i nodded, holding his hand that was on my cheek. i sucked on his thumb as he tapped the head of his cock against my clit. “ready?” luke asked before entering me. i nodded again, preparing myself for another orgasm in about two seconds. i gasped at the sudden thrust and felt my eyes roll back into my head as luke moved without warning, not even giving me time to adjust. “you’re so naughty y/n, being fucked on your little locker room floor, such a naughty girl” luke groaned in my ear.

luke tilted my head and pressed our lips together as he continued to fuck me, i could feel his balls slap against my bum. i was so caught up in the pleasure, anything luke was saying was flying over my head. i let out a small cry as luke pulled most of the way out before slamming back into me again, my g-spot being prodded and pushed against. luke snaked his hand around my waist and rubbed circles on my clit, his actions anything but gentle.

he was going at it rough and it was because of the joy he got watching me struggle underneath him. “lu I’m close” i cried, slamming my hand against the wall as the feeling intensified the more i got closer to my orgasm. he rubbed my clit faster and soon enough i felt my self coming for the third time tonight. i felt my orgasm flow over me as i clenched around luke, letting pleasure roam through my veins. luke followed soon after me, gripping my body tight, pulling my hips towards his as he slammed in and out of me.

“god i should visit you way more often if this is the reward i get.” luke chuckled.

#luke hemmings smut #luke hemmings preference #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings 5seconds of summer #luke hemmings 5sos #luke 5sos #luke smut #luke #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer smut #5 seconds of summer imagine #5 seconds of summer preference #luke hemmings 5 seconds of summer #5sos smut #5sos #smut #5sos imagine #mine #writing

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clwalcott · 6 years

Text

Best Since Bradman?

I think we can all agree that 2018 will be another big year for Test cricket.

Joe Root will be trying to put the pieces together of his once promising team, blown apart by Australia, humbled at home by the juvenile West Indies, punch drunk and stumbling into New Zealand (who have lost just one of their last nine Tests at home). Star all-rounder Ben Stokes will somehow have to mend this most crucial of relationships of English cricket after his unscheduled leave of absence during these fledging, dark days of Root’s captaincy.

The great Dale Steyn – who has played just 9 Test matches since Jan 1 2015 and will not be featuring in the rest of the Indian series – must prove he has any sort of future left in the game. Nathan Lyon must back up a magnificent 2017 ([email protected]). He certainly wasn’t magnificent in the previous seven ([email protected]) and his career numbers remain ambivalent at best ([email protected], 3.07 econ). He still has much to prove.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan, combatants in a late 2017 series will look to put a disaster year behind them with a surge of youth. The Windies will look to build on a year when they won not just one, but two Test matches away from home against relevant opposition – 2017 was the brightest year for them in perhaps twenty. Bangladesh take their first confident steps into a new “Big Nine”. India look to silence the doubters by embarking on their now familiar round the world expedition (which began brightly enough at Newlands).

But there’s one man who, presumably, has no pressure entering 2018. One man who can kick his feet up and enjoy the fact that even if his hands were amputated tomorrow, would comfortably find himself enshrined in cricket’s hall of fame at just 28.

Of course I’m talking about Steve Smith.

But this image is wrong, Steve Smith is poised in front of a gargantuan 2018. Smith has a chance to do what no cricketer in my lifetime has done – this could be the year Steve Smith leaves orbit. And it’s remarkable enough for me to post for the first time in two years – this is truly historic stuff.

Cricket has always featured virtuoso, attention grabbing batsmen. Batsmen with cult like followings of the faithful. I’ve seen them come and go, Lara, Tendulkar, Dravid, Sangakkara, Ponting, Steve Waugh, Hayden – the list goes on and on. And we love to discuss them, advocate our favourites, cherry pick the most dazzling stats, downplay the weaknesses, provide apologies for that down year or that particular bowling attack or country which they just couldn’t solve. In the final analysis, we have to (perhaps silently) conclude that these discussions just don’t amount to much. All of the above players average above fifty and a half. None average fifty seven and a half or higher. Sure, there is better and worse, but we’re all in roughly the same postcode here.

Those looking to downplay the Smith phenomenon might point to the fact that what we’re talking about here amounts to essentially four years – 2014 to the present day. Forty five Test matches. In those Test matches (deep breath) Smith has scored over five thousand runs. Such a pace has him poised to approach 10,500 runs by his hundredth Test. By his 150th Test, becoming a routine landmark for great contemporary batsmen (Ponting, Tendulkar, Kallis, Sangakkara, Dravid, Cook, Chanderpaul, Waugh and Border have all hop, skipped and jumped over it), he will have scored over sixteen thousand runs and left Tendulkar in his dust.

Consider, Tendulkar played 200 Tests.

And that’s not even getting to the rate numbers. Smith hasn’t averaged below 71.93 in a year (including the infant 2018) since 2013. He averages 75.92 over this period. He’s knocked 21 centuries in these four years, coming at better than once every four innings (3.8). He averages 50+ in every continent except Asia, where he averages 49.47 and has centuries in four of his last five matches. He averages 94.00 in 22 home Test matches. Ninety four. Even in the humiliating 3-0 loss in Sri Lanka, he averaged north of 41. Smith has not averaged less than 40 in a series of at least three Test matches since the 2013 tour of England.

And everything seems to be speeding up – in no year did he pile up the centuries as quickly as last year, slamming six in just twenty innings. He has fourteen single figure scores against twenty one centuries, but only one single figure score in his last ten innings and three centuries. He’s been dismissed in single figures five times since Jan 1 2016 (against eleven centuries).

The undefeated century is becoming a feature of Smith’s resume (and taking his average to ever more dizzying heights). Four of his last seven centuries have been undefeated and his not out rate of 14.4% is unusually high historically (the king of this trick, Chanderpaul, averaged 17.5% for comparison). During the four year Reign of Terror, Smith is being dismissed less than 84% of the time – we’re approaching a point where one in five times, you don’t get Smith at all, for any price.

But it’s still just four years. Let’s take a tour around Smith’s peers and see if we can find similar patterns over four years. Our yardstick is Smith’s 2014-present day – 5,087 [email protected], 48.8% score percentage and 3.8 century rate.

Brian Lara finished his career with a wet sail, and even accounting for a down 2002, his best five year period went 5,134 [email protected]/37.6%/5.3 between 2001-2005. Alternatively, his early career burst from 1992-1995 went 2,999 [email protected]/46.0%/7.1. Whichever you choose, both are manifestly weaker than Smith’s record.

But Lara famously played in weak teams (even when he debuted the West Indies had begun declining and by mid-career were in crisis). What about Ricky Ponting? Surely with Ponting’s notorious late career train derailment, there must have been some juicy years there in the middle? And there was. From 2002-2006 (split by a middling 2004) Ponting piled on 6,141 [email protected]/45.4%/4.1 and this is indeed close to Smith.

Close, but no cigar. All metrics remain weaker than Smith (albeit over an extra year and 12 Tests) and it’s worth noting these were the 28-33 years in Ponting’s career – the peak years of a batting career. Smith, on the other hand, has performed this in his 25-28 years, usually good, but developing years of a batsman’s career.

I have profiled Tendulkar and Sangakkara previously. For Tendulkar, the closest comparison is either 2,694 [email protected]/55.6%/3.8 (1997-1999, three years) or 3,658 [email protected]/39.4%/6.0 (2008-2011, four years). Sangakkara had a much flatter career and his “peak” (such as it was) was 2009-2012; 3,520 [email protected]/40.0%/5.2. He actually had an eleven year period averaging north of sixty, but still, we’re looking at 75 for Smith here with no idea how high it might conceivably go.

And that makes 2018 a huge year for Steve Smith. As the above demonstrates, what Smith is doing so far is not quite unprecidented and while it’s tempting to say that it is to open a career, we must remember that Smith actually has been playing for eight years now, debuting in 2010 (as you have probably heard ad-nauseum by self satisfied commentators – as an all-rounder).

But another year averaging above seventy and this really will be unprecidented. The greats strain to keep up with this four year run of Smith savagery, but they can – just barely. Add another year and this not only will be a horrifying new normal for fielding teams against Australia, it will put Smith truly in a class with Bradman alone. Australia are scheduled to play ten Tests this coming year (ominously, one in Zimbabwe and two against Bangladesh in Australia). Averaging his last four years, we can expect a year something like 1,130 [email protected]. If Smith continues at this pace, this time next year we will look at a player averaging not 63.75, but 65.33 after 71 Test matches.

Even the short career novelties of Voges, Graeme Pollock, Headley and Eddie Paynter will be firmly in the rear view mirror at that point (the nearest, Voges, averaged 61.87 in his West Indian fueled batting career). Sutcliffe, generally considered the most legitimate claim (54 Tests) for historical second place, will be nearly five runs adrift (60.73). Smith’s career will then be nearly 50% longer than Bradman’s when measured in Test matches and approaching the level of the pre-1980 greats entire careers. He would need to score nine ducks in a row to be reduced to the level of Sutcliffe. There will be no dismissing him then: he will have a completely unrivalled case as the second greatest batsman of all time.

The only argument remaining will be the Bradman argument, for those who wish to make it. This will require the opening of a dusty old book thought closed seventy years ago, Smith will remain an eccentric choice in such an argument but then, who’s to say what the future holds?

2018 will decide whether that argument will be possible at all. The stakes for cricket history could not possibly be higher.

#Steve Smith #don bradman #Kumar Sangkkara #Sachin tendulkar #Brian Lara #Ricky Ponting #Test Cricket

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golfwi52 · 6 years

Text

Round 52 – Clay Mathews Round End

Oakwood Park Golf Course, Franklin, WI 53132 Par 36 Front, Blue Tees, 3,373 yards, 71.9 rating / 122 slope, $0 Friday, December 29th, 2017, 12:45pm, 15 degrees, 7-10 mph winds, light snow

I ducked back into Milwaukee from Portland late last night after spending a great Xmas week with all 3 of my kids and their families. After enduring flight delays in Portland and the connecting Minneapolis, I didn’t get back to my cozy Port Washington condo until around 1:30am. Ok so that’s early THIS morning. My car was in the outside long term airport parking lot for the bitterly cold week and it barely started on my return. On my 45 minute ride home from the airport, my radio suddenly stopped. My battery warning light, which I have never seen before on my 2008 Lexus, popped up along with a few other bright red lights. I quickly turned off my radio and heat and anything else outside of my lights that could be draining the battery. I made it home ok but was worried that my drive to my final golf round later this day would be in jeopardy.

Define “Closed”

The weather forecast for today (Friday) was mid teens and light winds compared to a -25 wind chill and high winds forecasted for tomorrow. So I was all in on getting my final round of the year done on this day without chancing it tomorrow, the final day of my official golf week. I had chosen the premium Oakwood Park county course, back south of the airport, as my final course in my 52 WI course in 52 weeks quest. I headed back that way around noon and played it very safe with leaving the car radio off during my long ride. I really didn’t want a stalled car stopping this final round. I had scouted the course on Google Maps earlier in the day and figured I’d park right outside the locked gates at the park entrance. From there I’d jump to the 2nd tee box and then play number 1 after finishing the 9th around the clubhouse. The course also looked fairly remote, nestled up against farmland, commercial warehouses, and a major medical complex. Scouting course layouts is certainly a unique aspect of winter golf.

Snowy Par 5 second. No driving over the creek on this day.

While the snow blanketed the course, it wasn’t quite as deep as what I ran into with Riverdale. More like an inch of snow and a bit harder to lose balls. But I soon found out on the long par 5 second that the gray sky made it very difficult to follow my shots in the air. I sent a soft opening drive in front of the daunting creek and then I lofted a decent second shot over the creek but into the trees to the right. After my third shot brought me back up another 100 yards to the fairway, I proceeded to hit my fourth and fifth shots for a combination of about 10 inches. After taking a big swing on my fourth shot, I saw my stringed tees fly a few feet in front of me and I struggled to find my ball in the gray sky. I figured that my rubber tee distance meant that I got way under my ball and popped it up 10-20 yards in front of me. As I started walking forward I noticed that my ball was still at my feet. Too funny. I teed my ball up again with my tall tee and swung hard again. I hit it farther this time, but only about 10 inches. I decided to bench my tall tee and use my short tee to make it much easier to cleanly hit a long shot. A very smart decision that I should have made back during my snowy Riverdale round. I ended up settling for a monster 10 on my first hole. Exhausting start. And at this pace I’d be spending 3 hours to “play” just nine.

On the par 4 third, I lost my bright yellow ball near the green on my third shot. I scrambled for a 7, finishing up with a new orange ball in honor of my Fighting Illini alma mater. But so much for not losing a ball this round. I was still having issues picking up my ball in the air but at least the short tee strategy was proving very effective. And I was using the tall tee for little pitch shots with my driver, again the only club I’d be carrying today. On the par 3 fourth, I hit a nice 150 yard drive just right of the green and into the bunker. So close to a par. On the way to the green I checked for my lost yellow ball from the previous, adjoining fairway and was able to find it after just a few minutes. The “no ball left behind” mission for this round was back on.

Huge snowy sand trap on the second fairway.

On the long par 5 sixth, I hit a solid drive which I quickly tracked in the gray sky. But it turned out to be a bird that suddenly turned 90 degrees and I was left wondering where my drive had actually gone. First time all year that I had tracked a bird off the tee. I was very lucky to find my drive actually went a nice 200 yards down the center of the fairway and was propped up nicely on top of the snow. Better to be lucky than good my friend. I musty have swung a bit too hard on my third shot as my winter hat flew off my head and covered my eyes on the way down. I had no idea where my shot went around to the green some 180 yards away. After looking for my orange ball for 10 minutes, I brought back my yellow ball to finish up a double bogey. Not too bad of a score considering the lost ball penalty shot, but I was down a ball again. Dang.

Not one to give up on a winter golf ball, I peaked around for my orange ball at the start of the seventh and low and behold I found it after just a few minutes. Back to my Illini orange. I double bogeyed the seventh with a poor “chip” but my drives and long fairway shots were doing much better with the short tee strategy. Interesting. The 175 yard par 3 eight was fronted by a huge pond and I hit a low flying drive just over the pond, landing it before the green and possibly resting on the green for a par. When I reached the green I saw that the ball had skipped on the green 9 times before dumping off the back edge. Another inch of snow on the green would have caused it to stop on the dance floor for a cool par. Much of the unique winter golf challenge is gauging how much the ball will roll/bounce on a snow covered green.

Just in the green side bunker on the fourth

I doubled the ninth and then headed to the clubhouse area for a picture with my Clay Matthews Packer jersey sporting the “52” number which would magnificently commemorate my golfing journey. I quickly stripped off a couple of layers of sweatshirts to expose my jersey, lit up a nice Cohiba cigar, and then struggled to get a few more seconds of power from either my work or personal iPhone. Both phones went dead around the 5th hole, but there’s always a chance to get them to repower up for a few seconds to get one more picture. I was looking to get the ultimate money shot with my “52” jersey and the clubhouse in the background. I had just upgraded my personal iPhone to IOS 11.2 a week ago to support Apple Cash for a work project and it looked like I was suffering from faster battery drain now and the infamous Apple slowdown on the older iPhones that Apple was just now being sued for. I was just giving up on freakin’ Apple when a county park ranger drove up in his truck and rolled down his window. I’m sure he was wondering what the hell I was doing out on the snowy practice green trying to take a picture with my cigar and Packer jersey. I’d certainly be wondering. Anyways he simply said that he’s fine with me being out on the course but to just stay off the greens to avoid packing down the snow on them. Nice. Off with just a warning. I acknowledged his request and threw my sweatshirts back on and headed to play the first hole on my way back to my parked car at the park entrance.

Not your familiar golf course sign

I doubled the final hole with my usual weak play of taking four shots to get to the green and I ended up with a reasonable 55 for the round. I did walk lightly on the final green to retrieve my last shot of the year. Back at the car I warmed up my iPhone 6’s and I was finally able to get a money shot of my jersey, cigar, golf club, tees, etc. I can imagine the folks driving by me on the remote country road wondering what the heck I was doing. The only thing I forgot to do for the pic was to put my U of Wisconsin baseball cap on to further emphasize the Wisconsin angle. Dang memory chip malfunction. Must be the cold. I’d try for a personal upgrade but it would probably just slow me down further – like my phone.

Final Score: 55, 0 pars, 0 lost balls. Wow, 52 WI golf courses in 5 weeks. I made it. And no lost balls for the second winter round in a row. Whee! Oakwood looks like a very nice course to play, maybe just a tiny notch below the premium Brown Deer county course. I loved the woodsy remote setting, the friendly clubhouse and beer garden buildings, and the challenging hole layouts. Definitely a place to return to next year for a regular round with the golfing buds. I still have a final year summary post where I’ll thank my friends and golfing buddies for supporting me and I’ll offer more suggestions about winter rules golf and the possibilities for expanding play while not trampling on the greens. Ok, maybe I’ll just close out the final post with the tank you stuff. I think I’ve said enough about the golf stuff over the past year…

52 WI courses in 52 weeks money shot

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sepdet · 7 years

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My visit to Mount St. Helens, August 22, 2017

Johnston Ridge Visitor Center | Mount St. Helens north face, runoff from snow cutting through 1980s pumice plain

Close-up: melting snow rising as steamclouds from the still-cooling lava dome of 2004-2008 eruption that’s partly filled 1980 crater

Blown-down trees on surrounding hills show direction of blast | Spirit Lake in distance (human figures on trail for scale) | More blowdown trees in background

Blowdown tree, possibly flew 5 miles from Mount St. Helens, with “Indian paintbrush” flowers and pearly everylasting

Bees in fireweed | Bees in pearly everlasting

Johnston Ridge Memorial to those who died

Let me tell you a story.

When I was a little girl, there was a beautiful mountain.

Mount St. Helens behind Spirit Lake: U.S. Army Core of Engineers, 1978

The explorer George Vancouver had named her after some British diplomat. But native peoples called her Louwala-Clough, “smoking mountain,” or Loowitlatkla, “Lady of Fire,” or just Loowit.

(cont’d with more photos below)

Loowit taught people fire; she guarded the Bridge of the Gods. She had been an old woman, but the Great Spirit transformed her into a beautiful maiden for her good deeds. Then two brothers, Pahto and Wyeast, fought over her, throwing flaming rocks and laying waste to whole forests. At last the Great Spirit turned all three of them into the mountains westerners call Mount St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood.

Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest knew volcanoes were shapechangers. Geologists knew. But by 1980, most people living nearby were barely aware of the sleeping giants looming over them. They didn’t realize just how dramatically they could change.

Most Americans’ notion of a volcano was shaped by TV images of Kilauea spewing red-hot lava. Fluid when it first erupts, lava cools rapidly in open air, so that its leading edge creeps rather than runs. Even I can outwalk it. Like millions of tourists, I’ve safely watched Kilauea’s lava fountains and flows from a few miles away.

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(Sorry, Hollywood. Lava is usually not that scary, unless you’re a house.)

But stratovolcanoes like Krakatoa and Vesuvius are different. Their magma (lava before it erupts) is sticky and stiff. It piles into rugged peaks, clogs their pipes and caps old craters with heavy domes. Stratovolcanoes can sleep for centuries, sometimes thousands of years. When they erupt, they explode.

Large chunks of the old summit get blasted out, some pieces as big as houses.

Frothy, gassy magma flies out as blobs of pumice: hole-pocked volcanic rock that isn’t very dense but can bury a town (see: Pompeii).

Powerful explosions pulverize magma into volcanic ash, which is actually tiny jagged grains of glass. Fine ash can fill lungs, scratch eyes, clog machinery, or fuse into a glass coating if sucked into a jet engine.

Water seeping into hot rocks may flash to steam. Steam explosions are dangerous because there’s no warning.

Glaciers and snow and rivers mix with ash to form mudflows the consistency of wet concrete, able to flow as fast as water. Geologists use the Indonesian name for them, lahars. Some lahars are boiling hot.

Scariest of all are pyroclastic flows, hurricane-force avalanches of superheated ash, pumice, boulders, semi-molten rock, and hot gasses (including sulfuric acid), about 1000°C (nearly 2000°F). They travel at speeds up to 700kph (450mph). They flow over ridges and hills, and can even cross water on a cushion of steam, as the islands closest to Krakatau learned the hard way.

Here’s lahars (Japan has remote cameras to watch for them):

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Pyroclastic flow in Indonesia (truly terrifying):

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That was what geologists were worried about, when Mount St. Helens stirred to life with a flurry of moderate earthquakes on March 19, 1980.

Trouble is, geologists didn’t yet have many active stratovolcanoes under their belt. They could reconstruct what St. Helens was capable of from the remains of ancient eruptions, but what would she do this time? More importantly, when?

Drawing on experience from Kilauea, United States Geological Survey scientists planted instruments around St. Helens to monitor her vital signs. They measured thousands of moderate-sized earthquakes with seismometers. They installed tiltmeters on her flanks to monitor the groundswell as magma rose underneath. (With one bizarre exception, there was no movement.) They measured escaping gasses, since other volcanoes’ SO2 emissions spiked before erupting. (Hers didn’t). They scanned with infrared cameras, searching for major heat sources near the surface (not much).

A week after the first earthquake swarm began, St. Helens cleared her throat and opened a small summit crater, belching steam and ash that dirtied her snow. Spirit Lake near her feet was evacuated, and local officials set up roadblocks around a no-entry zone.

Same view as my photos. Note “bulge” in front of original summit, 1 day before eruption. Harry Glicken, USGS. (Also notice 150-200 foot fir trees on slopes.)

Loowit was living up to her “smoking mountain” name. Local vendors made a brisk trade in t-shirts and souvenirs. But after a few weeks, media and public interest began to wane.

Weyerhaeuser logging, the main employer and property owner in the region, couldn’t let a few earthquakes get in the way of million-dollar profits, not when the logging season was so short. Nor was the state’s fishing and game department happy about the closure of popular lakes and recreation areas. Their main source of income was permits, and it was the start of the hunting and fishing season.

So Governor Dixy Lee Ray shrank the boundaries of the “Red Zone,” the mandatory evacuation area that USGS scientists had advised. She drew in the exclusion zone to just three miles from the summit on the northwest side, along the Weyerhaeuser property line. Hundreds of miles of logging roads now offered public access outside the roadblocks.

Geologists warned about pyroclastic flow and mudflow, but most people still imagined lava like Hawaii’s. Besides, the geologists couldn’t tell when or even if these things would happen. All they knew was that St. Helens had done it before.

Except this time, she was doing something new:

“Bulge” from the side a few days before eruption, photo by Peter Lipman.

That bulge distorting Forsythe Glacier was swelling 3-4 feet towards the north each day, an unheard-of ground movement. Geologists guessed it would come down in an avalanche/landslide that could reach as far as Spirit Lake. Dr. David Johnston was one of the most outspoken on the danger, communicating eloquently to state officials and news media.

But the earthquakes and ash explosions had died down. Residents of Spirit Lake kicked up a fuss, and were grudgingly given permission to retrieve belongings from their cabins on Saturday, May 17. They were planning to return Sunday.

At 8:31 Sunday morning, David Johnston was on duty at the monitoring post the USGS had established on Coldwater Ridge, five miles north of the mountain. (Above, photo of David from the day before, snapped by a colleague saying goodbye).

At 8:32, one more earthquake, not much bigger than those before, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It triggered the biggest landslide in human history (frames 1-4):

[Animation stitched together from still photos by Gary Rosenquist, 11 miles NE]

Ham radio operators heard David Johnston’s last words as he shouted a warning: Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!

Within minutes, Mount St. Helens was 1300 feet shorter, with a huge crater over a mile across cutting deeply into its north face. The landslide ran out seventeen miles.

Another view, AP, from The Atlantic’s St. Helens photo gallery.

That landslide had popped the cork. An explosion more powerful than an atom bomb blasted out: an absolutely colossal pyroclastic flow. Every living thing on and near the mountain was blown away or incinerated, topsoil scoured right down to bedrock. No one ever found a trace of Johnston’s trailer. Beyond the zone of total destruction, trees up to 10 feet across were blown down pointing away from the mountain for dozens of square miles. Beyond the blowdown zone, standing trees were stripped and scorched.

Lakes were dashed out of their basins and sloshed back in miniature tsunamis, dragging debris down with them. Spirit Lake’s bed was raised 100 feet by landslide fill. More pyroclastic surges followed, devastating over 200 square miles of forest. Charred branches, needles and cones fell on awestruck climbers on Mt Adams and Mt Hood, watching from 30 and 60 miles away.

That was how geologists learned that, every now and then, volcanoes don’t blow up. They blow sideways.

USGS photo of blowdown zone (see scientists at lower right for scale).

St. Helens did it all: lahars that flooded river valleys and bulldozed houses and bridges, ash fall, pumice fall, mudball fall, and more. Immense clouds of ash caused white-out (or rather, black-out) conditions, blanketing and shutting down most of Washington State for days. The Columbia River’s shipping channel had to be closed for dredging after its 40-foot depth was filled in to 17 feet. Intermittent eruptions continued for months.

Ash cloud reaches Ephrata airport, Washington. Mike Cash/AP.

In her press conference, Governor Dixy Lee Ray said that those killed in the eruption had deliberately bypassed roadblocks and violated the “Red Zone.” President Jimmy Carter took her at her word and repeated the claim. That’s the story I remember from The Big Blast, a Scholastic book about the eruption that came out later that year.

Eruption seen from Toledo, WA, taken by Rocky Kolberg

In fact, only four of the 57 victims were inside the “Red Zone”, and three had permission: USGS official David Johnston and two scientists staying at Spirit Lake for field research. The only person who had defied evacuation orders was an old codger, Harry Truman (no relation of the president), who refused to leave his lakeside lodge. Governor Ray had sent him a letter congratulating him on sticking to his principles.

Unsigned on the governor’s desk lay a proposal for a revised hazard map devised by sheriffs and geologists in consultation with Weyerhaeuser, moving the restricted zone’s boundaries back out by several miles.

Day after eruption; vast pumice plain still steaming with melting fragments of the mountain’s glacier embedded in debris. AP.

Mount St. Helens was made an official national monument. It’s become an enormous laboratory for geologists to study deposits left by a well-documented eruption, and for biologists to study how life recolonizes an area sterilized by a catastrophe.

(My photo, Aug 22, 2017, Toppled stump embedded in slope; Johnston Ridge Visitor Center behind.)

A visitor center was built on barren Coldwater Ridge, renamed Johnston Ridge. There, 37 years later, I stood listening to a ranger who wasn’t born in 1980, telling tourists about mountain goats and hummingbirds returning to the crater. I watched bees buzzing among a profusion of flowers, ground squirrels chasing each other in burrows under the stumps of dead giants, fir saplings growing where a 200-foot-tall mature forest once stood.

Sightseers posed for selfies in front of Loowit, still lovely even with her scars. They gazed out at the spectacular, alien landscape, softened now by greenery creeping back. It’s a miraculous transformation, considering the bleak moonscape of just a dozen or so years ago.

The visitor center doesn’t dwell on those who died. Far better to focus on creation than destruction.

(My photo, Aug 22, 2017. Flowers on Johnston Ridge)

But some stories you learn as a child stay with you.

So while I spent three hours exploring a flower-tufted ridge below that massive, strangely beautiful mountain, I also paid my respects to 57 names carved in stone, many of whose stories I know. I brushed fingers against the name of David A. Johnston. I looked out at that huge scooped-out crater on the mountainside and whispered, Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!

#my photos #my trip to oregon/washington #mount st helens #storytime #long post #geology

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lostsummerdayz · 4 years

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The Pokemon Expansion Pass Is Not As Bad As You Think

Pokemon Sword and Shield’s New Expansion Packs Leave Fanbase Polarized But Has History Always Been Kind?

By: Nay Holland

First thing’s first. Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a crazy and eventful year for Lost Summer Dayz and 2020 is about to get even more insane. I know I’m currently doing the equivalent of walking on hot Lego bricks while barefoot, but I felt like I needed at least a week to really gather my thoughts.

But no! No I do not think that the Expansion Pass is Game Freak’s way of robbing us fans! I also think that it is necessary for this to happen so we can fully appreciate a developer who has learned so much from their mistakes in the past!

To catch those unaware up to speed, Nintendo released a Pokemon Direct on the 9th of January. Those who woke up to catch the news were met with a bevy of information, highlighting the game plan for Game Freak’s famed IP for the course of 2020. If you missed out on the broadcast, the Direct can be viewed here for all the information you would need.

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One of the first thing to notice is that the like to dislike ratio is sitting pretty right now.

Another elephant I’ll shoo out of the room real fast is the surprise and highly welcome announcement of an HD remaster for the first two Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX!

The game releases in March but the demo is currently available at the time of writing. Considering I’ve always wanted to try to Mystery Dungeon games, this was news I both was not expecting and news I will embrace with open arms. Definitely look for coverage in the future as I give my own thoughts from a PMD greenhorn!

Now that the Phanpy has left the room, it’s time to take on the Gigantimax Copperajah that has made his home in the building lobby.

The focus of the Pokemon Direct was to showcase the two new additions to the Galar region. There’s the Isle of Armor which looks like it would take place right at home in Alola and Hoenn with its coastal environments. There’s also the second area, The Crown Tundra, which looks more akin to the harsh hailstorm and mountainous peaks of Northern Galar. Both of these new locations house their own unique Pokemon, both new and old, rounding out to over 200 Pokemon.

The catch? Each expansion area costs $15. This makes for a total of $30 for both areas and their respective Pokemon.

Although obtaining access to these Pokemon are free, via trading with other trainers or transporting them from other Pokemon games via Pokemon Home, reactions to this news have been mixed. A common complaint I’ve seen on social media is the cost of the game plus the expansion pass and how it correlates to previous Pokemon games. Their argument is that in the past, the base game for Pokemon were $30 USD and the third version which was more “complete” was also $30, which made it $60 altogether.

With the new expansion, the base game for Sword and Shield is $60 and the expansion, being $30, makes the game $90. Some even go so far as to compare Game Freak to EA with this business decision.

I’m sure we’ve seen this lovely image floating around...

I’m here to counter these points with my own opinion as to why I feel this is a perfect decision for Game Freak to embrace the DLC/Expansion model rather than rely on an archaic method of Pokemon distribution.

Our story starts as early as Generation 1 with versions Red and Blue. Since the very beginning, each game had version exclusives depending on what version you owned. As would be tradition moving forward, Red and Blue was followed with a third game, Yellow.

While the “third game” in the series would serve as a way to acquire some of the version exclusives, the selling point of Yellow was meant to capitalize on the success of the Pokemon anime. This can be attributed by the Pikachu who follows behind you and the name of the anime protagonist as a possible selection when you name your character. There’s also the inclusion of Jessie and James as the rivals for this version.

Generation 2 was when the “Third version following the two main versions” formula was cemented. With Gold and Silver having their version exclusives once again, Crystal provided quality of life adjustments yet again.

It made it easier to catch both of the cover legendaries, Ho-Oh and Lugia, by making them available in Crystal albeit as optional legendaries. The cover legendary, which was previously an optional legendary in Gold and Silver, could also be seen as quality of life as you could catch Suicune in a traditional Pokemon battle rather than chase it, alongside Entei and Raikou, all over Johto. The largest addition which would go on to be a staple for future Pokemon games, including remakes, was the option to play as a girl.

Pokemon Yellow and Crystal were both meant to provide quality of life changes that cartridge based games needed. Before there was an option to simply update an existing game with patches, these third versions were vital to add features into already existing generations. The third generation posed the first problem that Game Freak faced when it came to transferring Pokemon from different generations.

Up until this point, the transfer of Pokemon between all six games were made possible with link cables. Pokemon can be traded to and from Generation 1 and Generation 2 so long as the Pokemon existed in Generation 1 and didn’t learn any moves that existed in Generation 2 easily enough.

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire introduced Generation 3 and it was called the Advanced Generation for a reason. It was on entirely new hardware, so the data used to transfer Pokemon from the Game Boy and Game Boy Color era was incompatible with the Game Boy Advance Pokemon games.

This is where we hit our first instance of “All Pokemon from existing games are not available in a Pokemon game.” Outside of special Pokemon events that distributed Pokemon, there was no legal way to attain all of the beloved Pokemon from Generation 1 and 2.

Savvy Pokemon Trainers at the time who had access to cheating devices like a Gameshark, quickly realized, however, that hidden in the game were all of the Pokemon from previous games. Data for all 386 Pokemon up to that point were included yet at the time only 200 Pokemon could be attained between both Ruby and Sapphire. That meant almost half of the Pokedex was lost in the void and this complete dex would be dubbed the National Dex.

Where are the 186 Pokemon that was missing from this game!? Why did Game Freak lie and not include all the Pokemon in Ruby and Sapphire??? Where’s my <insert favorite> HERE!?!?

Some, not all, of these questions were answered in a game that not many people expected back then.

A year after the release of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Colosseum was released for the Nintendo Gamecube in 2004. While praised for it being a full-fledged Pokemon adventure in 3D, some of the selling points for this game was the ability to catch Johto Pokemon. From the very beginning you have access to an Espeon and Umbreon. Shortly afterward you have the chance to catch the Gen 2 starters albeit its secondary evolution with Quilava, Bayleef, and Croconaw. Throughout the game you also have chances to catch a rogues’ gallery of various exclusive Pokemon, which leads to the chance to acquire Ho-Oh at the tail end of the journey.

After completing Colosseum, only then were you able to transfer your Pokemon from the game to Ruby and Sapphire. This was only possible with the usage of a special link cable that was meant to connect your Game Boy Advance to your Gamecube. Not only did you need to own a full priced Pokemon game and play it to completion, but to reap your rewards you needed an extra peripheral device. Even at this point, you were missing a sizable chunk of the Pokemon needed to complete the National Dex at the time.

However, later on that year, a blessing would be granted to patient Pokemon Trainers. The release of the first ever Pokemon remakes, Fire Red and Leaf Green, were released in September. Finally, all 150 Generation 1 Pokemon were able to be captured and transferred to and from Generation 3.

The Johto or Generation 2 Pokemon were a different type of beast however.

Combined with the obtainable Pokemon in Colosseum and FRLG, there were still a sizable amount of Pokemon missing from Gen 2. While you could catch the three legendary dogs from Generation 2, it was still far easier to do so in Colosseum. The only way to acquire Lugia and Ho-Oh in Fire Red and Leaf Green, outside of hacking the event in-game, was through a special event. This meant Colosseum was still an important piece to the puzzle as Ho-Oh was a guaranteed encounter in that game.

Okay, so Ho-Oh was at least accessible in one other game, thus just about rounding out the obtainable legendaries. But what of Lugia and the others?

Enter Pokemon Emerald, a full two years after the release of Ruby and Sapphire!

The coveted “third version” of Gen 3 provided some changes to the story. Rather than Team Magma or Team Aqua being the hero and villain depending on the version, both teams were the major villains and Rayquaza, who was an optional legendary prior, is now a central legendary in Emerald. Sounds familiar to Crystal?

On top of both Kyogre and Groudon being accessible in this game, it was also possible to catch a sizable missing chunk of the Gen 2 Pokemon as well as making it easier to catch the Lati twins (As Latios and Latias were only available, in the wild, depending on which version you had)

That’s great! But can you catch Lugia?

Nope, because the final piece to this puzzle, the final corner of the Generation 3 Labyrinth, was just around the corner. Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness was released at the end of 2005 as the sequel to Pokemon Colosseum.

Now, at this point in Generation 3, there have been two main versions, two remade versions, and a console game. This is not even mentioning the Pokemon Box which was the only way you could store Pokemon outside of the handheld games, which would serve as the catalyst for Bank and Home many years later. With the release of XD, this rounded the list of games up to six and this isn’t counting buying both versions of RS and FRLG.

Hey, at least you were finally able to claim Lugia alongside any remaining Hoenn exclusives and Johto Pokemon!

Needless to say, Game Freak needed to think of something for Generation 4 onward so that nothing this convoluted could exist again. Utilizing the new hardware of the Nintendo DS and its ability to access the GBA cartridge slot, transferring Pokemon from Gen 3 to 4 was made possible with very little headache. Pokemon transferred this way couldn’t make their way back to Gen 3. After various games and spinoffs throughout Generation 3, however, this was an acceptable drawback.

Throughout the years, the line between generations and game systems was blurred to the point where upon the release of Pokemon Bank, transferring Pokemon between generations as early as 4 to as late as 6 was clockwork. It was even easy to trade with others due to the usage of GTS, then Wonder Trade, and finally Surprise Trade.

If you really want to see how intricate this transfer system works, look no further than this IGN article detailing this process from as far back as Gen 3.

So why am I saying all of this? Well, let’s look back at Generation 3 one last time so we can see how we got to this point of easy transferring.

Consider the price of GBA games ranged around the price of $30. That’s Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, Fire Red/Leaf Green, and Emerald, so, three games equating to roughly $90. The price of Gamecube games were around the $50 range at that time so there’s Pokemon Colosseum and XD Gale of Darkness. That’s about $100. With the games alone, it checked out to around $200 over the span of two video game systems! Spending $90 in 2020 seems like a bargain steal in comparison.

It was a time of a lot of firsts for Game Freak. It was their first time developing a system that allowed all Pokemon from older generations to become accessible in modern times. It was their first time trying out various Nintendo peripherals to explore various means of transferring. It was also their first time in perfecting a way to transfer Pokemon without the need to buy an entirely new game.

This is the major point of the new Pokemon Sword and Shield update. Much like the generations past, you do not need the expansion to obtain the Pokemon from previous games. As not all of the Pokemon are still made available even if over 200 Pokemon are being added, I have a hunch that we are not done with Pokemon news as of yet. Perhaps we shall look forward to a Sinnoh remake to obtain the unobtainable Pokemon?

In conclusion, before one goes to protest Game Freak or harass the game developer on his birthday about existing Pokemon, think about how far we have come to get to where we are at now. Be grateful that we no longer have to go through such dark ages of Pokemon transferring ever again.

#Pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #bring back national dex #gaming journalism #video game

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parchment-and-petrichor · 7 years

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Look, publishing community. We need to talk.

About ten years ago, you let the Twilight series take over the world, and with it, naive young girls’ belief that overly protective stalker boyfriends were something to strive for. Since the series’ completion, readers and moviegoers alike have vowed to do better. We hoped to put these toxic ideals behind us with every conversation we had about the problematic nature of Stephenie Meyer’s books. We hoped in doing so, we could finally move forward to read and support more wholesome, meaningful content.

Yet somehow, you chose to invest your money in Sarah J. Maas, and unleashed a whole new, far worse beast upon the world.

Why are we still letting toxic romances dominate the YA genre? Have we learned nothing from the likes of Meyer at all?

Let’s take a step back for a moment. As with her first series, Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas set out to write another fairy tale retelling in her latest A Court of Thorns and Roses series. By the time Mist and Fury begins, we’ve all but cast the Beauty and the Beast pretence to the wind. In perhaps the most dull first third of any novel, Feyre is suffering extreme depression and PTSD following the trauma incurred at Amarantha’s wrath. I am wholeheartedly here for portrayals of PTSD in YA. In fact, I encourage it. And given how much of a non-entity it is in Throne of Glass following Celaena’s pre-series traumas, this almost seems like an improvement on Maas’ part. But not when it goes on and on and on for 200 pages. Reading about any protagonist moping in self-pity is a 50-page deal at most. I get we’re supposed to see Feyre’s lack of self-worth at the start of this novel. I get that her trajectory is clearly one of her realising her value and gaining empowerment. Fine. But you can tell that story in 150 less pages. Believe me, as someone who has opened a novel with significant scenes of abuse and trauma, I know what it means to cut back. It pays to trust your reader and rein it in sometimes.

Which comes to one of the most blatant transgressions Maas commits: her lack of editing. Sure, at this point, she’s kind of well-known for her signature long sequels. But larger word counts do not good writing make. This novel could have easily been a solid 400 pages without the faffing about she does in the beginning.

There are some books that really excel in being split into distinct acts. Separating segments via setting or plot shifts can really solidify the narrative, but Maas’ acts can be separated out according to isolated moments sliding along a scale of boring, great, horrifying, and dire. Which is not what you want out of a narrative arc.

I actually thoroughly enjoyed the middle of this novel. For 200 pages, it seems like Maas has begun to atone for all her grievous harm done in her previous works. She introduces some interesting female characters for Feyre to befriend. The friend dynamic of Rhysand’s council is easily one of the strengths of the series and I wish she could have introduced them by the end of the first book. Amren in particular is a fascinating character, who, for a hot second, seems like she might kick some ass in a dark, ruthless, gory kind of way. She and Feyre have a great scene where they’re given permission to go out on a mission and be badass. I was excited to see where this would go and I looked forward to seeing these new battle sisters doing some serious damage together. Unfortunately, there are once more, long interludes where Amren keeps herself locked up, decoding things while the others go out and do the exciting stuff. Until the climax of the novel, the best, most dynamic addition to the cast has been shafted. As are all of the female characters in this series.

Here’s the thing.

For the most part, I like the girls in this book. At face value, they’re great. Nesta, Amren, Mor, and Feyre could all hold their own in battle as easily as they could all have a slumber-party style ki-ki over wine together. But the patriarchal world they’re placed in does no favours for them. Maas’ faerie world is build up by patriarchal traditions, where the men are led by their territorial, violent animal instincts:

“What’s normal?” I said.

… “The … frenzy … When a couple accepts the mating bond, it’s … overwhelming. Again, harkening back to the beasts we once were. Probably something about ensuring the female is impregnated. … Some couples don’t leave the house for a week. Males get so volatile that it can be dangerous for them to be in public, anyway. I’ve seen males of reason and education shatter a room because another male looked too long in their mate’s direction too soon after they’ve been mated.”

This hyper-masculine tradition also happens to heavily feature treating women like commodities they can use and throw away whenever they like. Rhysand, a character Maas tries so hard to pass off as a celebrated feminist, even tells Feyre in the heat of passion that, “I want you splayed out on the table like my own personal feast”. Every single one of Maas’ male characters, including, and especially Rhys, is a product of this tradition. But instead of engaging with commentary about how toxic such a worldview is, Maas just lets her characters carry on in this reality without consequence, self-awareness, or rebellion against it, as can be seen by Rhys’ explanation of women’s place in the kitchen, and Feyre’s subsequent acquiescence to that role as Rhys' partner:

“It’s an … important moment when a female offers her mate food. It goes back to whatever beasts we were a long, long time ago. But it still matters. The first time matters. Some mated pairs will make an occasion of it– throwing a party just so the female can formally offer her mate food … But it means that the female … accepts the bond.”

This old-fashioned, dare I say, archaic misogynistic ideal is just treated as the norm, effectively cementing every other male fantasy writer’s depiction of patriarchal societies as the ultimate world-building feature of the genre.

I don’t know what Maas is thinking, but whatever it is, it’s not cute.

Why are we still putting fantasies set in patriarchal worlds on such a high pedestal? It’s fantasy! What’s more, it’s 2017! You can’t tell me it’s more realistic to write a patriarchal society than literally any other kind in a fantasy world. When Maas, a woman writer creating her own world from scratch, has the chance to do whatever she wants, this is what she gives us?

One of the most horrifying scenes in A Court of Thorns and Roses (which is also shockingly overlooked) is Rhysand drugging Feyre and turning her into his slave whore without her consent. Maas sweeps this under the rug with a quick explanation that is all justified to a.) save Rhys’ fearsome reputation among the other realms, and b.) protect Feyre from the horrors of Amarantha’s kingdom. Just when I thought this particular plot was given its much needed closure (shut it down, Sarah. Shut it down right now!), the slave whore plot rears its ugly head again:

“I had heard the rumours, and I didn’t quite believe him.” [Keir’s] gaze settled on me, on my breasts, peaked through the folds of my dress, of my legs, spread wider than they’d been minutes before, and Rhys’ hand in dangerous territory. “But it seems true: Tamlin’s pet is now owned by another master.”

“You should see how I make her beg,” Rhys murmured, nudging my neck with his nose.

Keir clasped his hands behind his back. “I assume you brought her to make a statement.”

“You know everything I do is a statement.”

The only difference is, Feyre’s aware and consenting this time. Still, the skimpy dress and incredibly graphic touching on Rhys’ part all in the name of creating a diversion isn’t good enough to justify his actions. Rhysand’s created a thinly-veiled excuse to once again, objectify Feyre, touch her inappropriately in front of everyone, and lay claim to her when she’s not his to claim:

“Try not to let it go to your head.”

…I … said with midnight smoothness, “What?”

Rhys’ breath caressed my ear, the twin to the breath he’d brushed against it merely an hour ago in the skies. “That every male in here is contemplating what they’d be willing to give up in order to get that pretty, red mouth of yours on them.”

…His hand slid higher up my thigh, the proprietary touch of a male who knew he owned someone body and soul.

His eyes on the Steward, Rhys made vague nods every now and then. While his fingers continued their slow, steady stroking on my thighs, rising higher with every pass.

People were watching. Even as they drank and ate, even as some danced in small circles, people were watching. I was sitting in his lap, his own personal plaything, his every touch visible to them.

This isn’t romantic, this isn’t sexy, and it’s straight up not okay!

At what point did this series just turn into a horrific Princes Leia/Jabba the Hut smutfic? I know the only ones imagining what it might’ve been like had Leia been chained to Sexy McSexMachine instead of a giant blob are usually the pervy weirdos. Meaning no one in their right minds would want that mental image. Absolutely no one. In fact, the moment that image popped into my head, the final implosion of Rhys and Feyre’s sexual tension was made all the more cringe-worthy. There’s a reason Carrie Fisher spoke so strongly against Jabba and the gold bikini. She knew what it meant to be objectified, something Maas does not succeed in exploiting with Rhys’ choice to put Feyre in these skimpy outfits not once, but twice in this series. While yes, putting her in these outfits is ultimately a con-game, why should he be lauded for still playing by patriarchal rules in the first place? Shouldn’t the correct course of action be to break down those gender barriers?

All I have left to say about that is, I’m sorry, Sarah. You wrote that Leia/Jabba fanfiction. You made your bed. Now lie in it.

I suppose it’s about time to address the elephant in the room: Rhys. Oh boy… I don’t know how someone can pull together a character’s development so offensively, but Maas somehow wins the prize. He spends the entire first book as a lackey to the villain, doing the best he can to humiliate and emotionally manipulate Feyre. Now, we’re expected to believe he’s not only Feyre’s true love (oh, sorry… mate), but a feminist icon? I’m sorry. No. Did we already forget that he drugged her and made her dance for him in Leia’s gold bikini? It happened. I’m not about to let people forget it…

Readers fall all over themselves over him for coming to Feyre’s rescue when she begs to be saved from her wedding to Tamlin. On the surface, he’s set up to directly juxtapose Tamlin’s controlling over-protectiveness by letting Feyre do whatever she likes. Yet there’s still an unhealthy amount of Rhys manipulating situations in order to do what he feels is best for her. Not what Feyre thinks is best for herself, but what he thinks is best. Every single decision Feyre makes is based on Rhys’ influence. Nothing she does is for herself. By making Rhysand’s word law, Maas effectively strips Feyre of her agency, ironically, the one thing Rhys has attempted to help her regain in the first place.

What’s more, I don’t know who any of these characters are outside of their relation to Rhysand. They all revolve around him, because in Maas’ paraphrased words, he’s the most beautiful, powerful, strongest male in the kingdom. I honestly don’t need this overcompensation to make up for how toxic he is as a person. Not to mention, his male friends are nothing but carbon copies of him. Cassian and Azriel share his colouring and Ilyrian wings. I’ve seen plenty of fanart out there depicting the full cast of characters and I can never tell one male character from the another, nor one female character from another. The men (Azriel, Cassian, and Rhysand) are handsome and dark haired, the women (Feyre, Nesta, Elain, and Mor), beautiful and blonde. Again, the only stand-out is Amren, who is woefully underrepresented and poorly used in the novel. When you have a white cookie cutter template for every character in your patriarchal world, you’ve gotta step outside your box to deliver some diversity at some point. Otherwise, everything’s just vanilla with a side of racism.

If you think Rhys is the only male character abusing women in this novel, you would be dead wrong. Every single female character in this series has an honestly triggering backstory involving rape, whether emotional or physical. This novel is undoubtedly the sort of thing that should come with a warning. I’ve seen copies with warnings that the series is not suitable for young readers on the back cover, but it’s both irresponsible to then market it as YA, and not discuss rape and abuse responsibly. In fact, given how frequently Maas uses the rape card and how non-existent any discourse concerning the consequences is, I’d say this is a dire case of romanticising rape. And I’m tired of seeing readers obsessing over series like these en masse. It's doing nothing but perpetuating rape culture.

Mor in particular has a brutal rape backstory. This is made all the more upsetting by how eager her father is to sell her off to the highest bidder, and her desperation to lose her virginity on her own terms:

“I wanted Cassian to be the one who did it. I wanted to choose … Rhys came back the next morning, and when he learned what had happened … He and Cassian … I’ve never seen them fight like that. Hopefully I never will again.I know Rhys wasn’t pissed about my virginity, but rather the danger that losing it had put me in. Azriel was even angrier about it–though he let Rhys do the walloping. They knew what my family would do for debasing myself.”

“I wanted my first time to be with one of the legendary Illyrian warriors. I wanted to lie with the greatest of Illyrian warriors, actually. And I’d taken one look at Cassian and known. … He just wants what he can’t have, and it’s irritated him for centuries that I walked away and never looked back.”

“Oh, it drives him insane,” Rhys said from behind me.

What’s worrying here is that while the men are praised for playing the patriarchal system to protect their women, female characters like Mor aren’t shown the same respect for protecting themselves. Mor’s entire character arc is punishment for her female sexuality, kept completely out of her control. Not once does a female character speak out against her sexual abuse, nor do they seek justice for it.

In a recent interview, Maas has stated that she only writes sex scenes if they further the plot. When literally everyone’s backstory hinges on sex, whether consensual or otherwise, I find that doubtful. If there’s one positive thing i’ll say about Maas, it’s that i’m glad she’s leading the charge for sex-positive female characters. But empowering are these characters really, when they’re defined by their desirability to men and their past sexual traumas? Sure, Feyre has sexual agency, but what else does she have? Especially in a patriarchal world where this is expected of her, and she doesn’t even use this “power” to her advantage…

Look, I’m glad Feyre’s getting pleasured the way she wants it, when she wants it, and the detailed depiction of her sexual stimulation might help girls become more aware of their own bodies and sexuality. But when this is the highest profile series featuring female sexuality in the YA market right now, what kind of example are we really setting here?

Feminism doesn’t begin and end with sexual expression. It’s more than that and Maas’ characters have to join that fight. Especially given it’s one of the highest selling fantasy series in the market right now. Sarah J. Maas is not the feminist role model we need for this generation of girls.

We need more than this.

In short, I’m absolutely shocked and appalled that so many people blindly gave this book 4 and 5 stars. Even those who acknowledge how problematic Maas’ writing is. Is it really worth overlooking blatant normalised rape culture to call something your favourite series? As I said from the outset, we’ve already been there with Twilight. An entire generation of girls fell head over heels for Edward Cullen, a 100+ year old stalker who dictated Bella Swan’s ever action and motivation. Now, here we are again, encouraging a new generation of teens to swoon over this sexy, emotionally manipulative product of rape culture, without any acknowledgement of the consequences.

We need to do better. Starting with readers. Starting with authors. Starting with publishers.

It’s time to hold ourselves accountable for the content we praise and allow kids to read. Because toxic masculinity and rape culture are not values to uphold. We live in a world where the President of the United States can brag about grabbing women by the pussy without recourse. Where old, white men are constantly dictating women’s reproductive rights. Where women are catcalled in the streets and victim blamed for the clothes they wear. Where girls can’t even go out at night on their own without the threat of sexual assault.

Is this really what we want to teach our daughters, sisters, students, friends? That it’s okay, to allow passing men to objectify us, just because they have power over us?

Listen, girls. This is the thing: men have power over us so long as we give it to them. So long as we keep laying down and accepting that we’re weak and in need of defending, they’ll keep doing it. And people like Sarah J. Maas will keep holding to those gender expectations. They’ll keep defining romantic ideals based on hyper-masculine overprotective, possessive men.

It’s up to us to redefine romantic ideals. To tear down toxic masculinity and uplift healthy, equal relationships based on mutual respect.

Because you’re worth so much more than that. You deserve better than Rhysand. Align yourself with people who value you for who you are and not just your body. Listen to them when they praise you for your talents. Accept their recommendations when they stumble across media showcasing aspirational women rising above the status quo. You are more than just an object holding a man’s attention. You are yourself and you deserve the world.

Look beyond the smokescreen of Sarah J. Maas’ works and aspire to be something more.

#sarah j. maas #acotar #acomaf #anti-acotar #anti-maas #fantasy #feminism #YA #young adult #toxic masculinity #female sexuality #rape culture

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wanderingfadz · 7 years

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Hong Kong is one of the major cities in Asia and the world. Landing at the airport, the immigration does not stamp your passport. Instead, I was given a piece of paper that looks like a bus ticket which has the date you arrived. It’s up to you to figure out when your visa expires which is normally 90 days after entry. The first thing to figure out was how to get to the city. I took bus number A21 that passes through the city centre.

Before you exit the arrival hall, there will be a counter selling express train tickets and the Hong Kong rechargeable transport card called “Octopus”. First time purchase includes the deposit and top up totalling HKD150. The journey takes around 45 minutes to an hour. I would recommend sitting at the front seat on the upper deck of the bus so that you can admire the view especially when the bus passes through the Tsing Ma bridge. The express train was expensive for me.

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First time payment of HK$150

Tsing Ma Bridge :Spans a few kilometres as seen from the upper deck of the bus heading towards the city centre

I stayed at YHA Mei Ho hostel in Sham Shui Po which is a few kilometres outside of the main tourist area. There were other choices especially at Chungking mansion smack in the middle of Kowloon, the centre of all the action in Hong Kong. After reading the reviews of the hostels there, I decided to pay a bit more. Check in was at 3pm though so I had loads of time to wander around the area.

View from the top of the hill behind the hostel

The hostel used to be part of a public housing scheme but now converted into a hostel. At the ground floor of the building, there’s a small museum detailing the background of the area.

The public housing in the area started due to the need to house fire victims after one of the largest fires to happen in Hong Kong ( which was back then a British colony ). Behind the hostel building is a hill that you walk up by stairs and admire the landscape. There will be lots of people here during sunset either to exercise or to take photographs. There’s also a market that spans across a few streets nearby the area such as Un Chau, Fuk Wing, Fuk Wa streets and Cheung Sha Wan Road.

I would say the city centre is full of markets both day and night. The livelier spots were in Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon. Just walk along Nathan road and you will stumble upon all the famous markets. You can also stroll through Kowloon Park that also contains the Kowloon Mosque. Apart from the Kowloon Park , there are a few small parks along the road where you can see the residents hang out playing chinese chess, basketball or even sing karaoke.

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While you wait for the sunset, perhaps you can walk along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade which has an almost similar view as the Star Ferry Pier. Unfortunately, when I came there were major construction works going on and some attractions such as the Avenue of Stars along the promenade were closed. However, the Garden of the Stars was still opened. the garden contains the statues of some of Hong Kong’s famous artists. Nearby is the Hong Kong Museum of History ( HKD 5 for students ) and Science Museum.

Viewed from Kowloon towards Central on the island

By sunset, the buildings on both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon turn bright with light displays. I preferred the view from the Kowloon pier near the Star Ferry Terminal looking towards Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong island. A lot of the bus lines will stop or pass through here.

Trams in Central, HK Island

To get to Central district on Hong Kong Island, you can either take the metro ( cost a bit more) or the more scenic but slower route via the ferry from Star Ferry Pier ( HKD 2-2.80 one way depending on weekday or weekend ). Ferries are frequent throughout the day. The ferry stops at Victoria Harbour next to the International Finance Centre Building ( containing a mall and offices ) and takes around 20 minutes.

The area around Central and Wan Chai is where a lot of the sky high buildings housing international financial companies are located. All these buildings are crammed on a tiny strip of flat land served by the Island line and a few tram networks. Have a ride on the trams if you don’t feel like walking. Trams rides are simple to use as it operates from East to West of Hong Kong Island on both directions. Enter from the back and exit from the front. There’s also shopping malls and the bar area called Soho where people unwind at the end of the working day.

Another attraction on the island is the Central – Mid level escalators and walkway system. Most parts are one way so depending on the time of the day, the escalators might head upwards or downwards. Tough luck if you are headed the opposite direction of the escalators as it means you’ll have to use the stairs. Along the way up, are high rise residential buildings ( I can only imagine how much it would cost to rent or buy ), mosques, supermarkets etc. It’s like a community of it’s own. It’s pretty amazing how on weekends it feels like it’s far away from the hustle and bustle of the city below because it’s so tranquil and quiet up there.

If you don’t fancy taking the stairs back down, you can also use the community buses. They are small buses for up to around 15 people though. I didn’t get a seat so I decided to walk back down along the roads. The roads are narrow and steep hence the reason why the big buses can’t make the journey up. On the way down, I stumbled upon the Botanical Gardens. It is not very big but who would’ve expected there to be space for a Botanical Garden in the midst of the concrete jungle. Entrance is free. Sweet!

One more major Hong Kong attraction is Victoria Peak which can be reached via tram. Queues are horrendous ( I waited for 1.5 – 2 hours on a weekend and missed the sunset). My tip would be to go up the peak early in the day by taking the double decker buses from Victoria Harbour / Central. Sit on the upper deck as the bus will terminate at the peak anyway. This is assuming you don’t mind missing the sunset. Even if you want to see it, I would still prefer the bus up than the tram. Not sure how the queues are on weekdays though.

Night view from Victoria Peak

The view from the bus is wonderful as it snakes it’s way along the hair raising and narrow roads up the hills. Other reasons why you take the bus up is because it’s cheaper and the traffic will be headed downwards towards the city in the daytime so you would be going at the opposite direction.

You can take the tram on the way down and the queue would not be too bad. I was disappointed with the view from the tram as it was covered by trees. There were a few glimpses of downtown area here and there but the tram is usually packed so you won’t be able to enjoy the scenery anyway. The journey is also very short hence an anti climax after waiting so long for the ride.

At Victoria Peak , the tram stops in a mall and you will have to go up a few floors to get to the observatory at the top of the building. There’s an entrance fee. The view is amazing and you’ll start to wonder how they managed to fit in more than 7 million people in such a small mountainous area.

Another tip is to go outside to another building ( that is closer to the main bus stop ) next to the observatory building. Go up to the viewing platform and you’ll have an almost similar view as the observatory. The drawback is some of western side of the city is blocked by the structure that houses the mall / observatory I referred to earlier. If it’s any consolation, the free viewing platform has free wifi.

So the highlights of my HK trip were :

1. The day and night markets as well as the shopping areas along Nathan Road passing through Mong Kok, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon.

2. Watching the sunset from Kowloon Public Pier next to Star Ferry Terminal

3. Taking the public ferry to cross to Hong Kong Island and the Central- Mid Levels Escalators.

4. Bus and tram ride to Victoria Peak

EXPENSES

Accommodation @ YHA Mei Ho (3 nights) = HK$ 570

Transport ( Octopus card ) = HK$ 250

Food ( mostly junk food 🙂 ) = HK$200

Other personal expenses = HK$110 ( including the HK$5 student entry to the Museum of History )

TOTAL = HK$1130

You can follow me on :

Instagram : wanderingfadz

Facebook page : wanderingfadz

Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of the major cities in Asia and the world. Landing at the airport, the immigration does not stamp your passport.

#2016 #asia #cost #hk #hong kong #itinerary #kowloon

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bullsandbourbon · 5 years

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Little Victories: The Power of Trading Small

My love for the market began when I was quite young, and can be credited to my Grandad, who was -- and still is -- one of my heroes. Ironically, he was a conservative man when it came to his finances, but he was gifted in handling money and was always able to provide a comfortable life for his family. He helped me get the first shares of stock I ever owned, which were in General Electric. This was long before the sad state in which the company now finds itself. It was a company people trusted, one they believed in. I still own those few shares, and I will never part with them. They’re not worth anything, but that’s not really the point.

Like many, I come from pretty humble beginnings. We certainly weren’t dirt poor, but my mom worked several jobs when I was growing up to make sure we had everything we needed. She is, without question, the most humble, noble, & caring woman God ever created. And you guys will appreciate that she really roots for us as traders, too. Between my Grandad’s fiscally conservative way and my mother’s relentless efforts to take care of us, I understand the value of a solid work ethic. And, I appreciate how hard it is to dream of trading while trying to accept the reality of limited capital.

If you have read my other work or followed me for a while, you know that I took my first steps on this journey less than one year ago. I am far from an expert; I am a newer trader just like many of you, cutting my teeth and trying to grind it out the best I can. Because that’s who I am, I can relate to almost all of the problems other newer traders face, including a limited account size. And I am telling you, it can be done.

I also have experience with the emotional turmoil many face in this profession, from a floundering self-confidence to the fear of having to let my dream die. It is incredibly difficult to struggle with those feelings, and I struggle with them often.

The single most important piece of advice I can offer you is this: Learn to trade. Once you develop skill and experience in the setups you are comfortable with, you can gradually increase your position size. But every great trader I have ever spoken with would tell all of us that the key word in that sentence is “gradually”. Focus on learning. Full stop.

Developing skill, experience, and self-awareness is not dependent upon the size of your account. And I am going to prove it to you. What follows are three examples of trades I’ve made in the past week or so, and I hope it will bring this story together. Each one cost me less than $ 50.00 to enter. And yes, I will be the first to admit the “real dollar” profits can be -- and I’m sure by most, will be -- considered laughable. But, take a moment to consider them in percentage terms (i.e., return on investment). And because these trades were small, I had absolutely no fears or worries about losing the money I put on the line. Instead, I was able to focus solely on our craft and really pay attention to the trade and how the setup unfolded, without regard for P&L. To me, that is the power of trading small. Again, it is not about the capital; it’s about taking the time and making the effort to learn to trade.

General Electric ($GE)

My Grandad was born in February. In his honor, I decided to take a trade on GE on their earnings, a trade certainly not without its risks. There were many factors I needed to consider, including the seemingly endless bad news that may or may not have already been priced in, the run-up that took place since Christmas, and the fact that GE is a heavily-traded stock with a limited intraday range. I took a look at the chart and the options chain, and made the call. On 30 January 2019, I purchased four contracts for just $ 40 including commissions. My mildly bullish thesis was: The company had taken so many hits, even “less bad” news may serve as a positive catalyst. And, I was very comfortable with a sub-50 dollar risk on the trade. If I was wrong, I’d eat the forty dollars or simply stop out at a level I determined was reasonable -- a recent daily low, for example.

To my delight, the reporting was better than many expected. And, CEO Larry Culp seemed far more realistic about the position the company was in and what it would take to get back on track. I learned early in life -- and with regular reminders from a good friend of mine named Scott -- not to be greedy. So, I sold half of my position the next morning, which ensured nothing about the trade could ever turn it into a loss. I sold the other half a few days later when it looked like a temporary top was in. I’m nothing if not a piker.

So, let’s do the math.

Entry

4 contracts purchased @ $ 9.00 per contract = $ 36.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract x 4 contracts = $ 4.00

Total Cost of Entry: $ 40.00

Exit

2 contracts sold at $ 28.00 per contract = $ 56.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract x 2 contracts = $ 2.00

Proceeds from sale of first ½ position = $ 54.00

2 contracts sold at $ 20.00 per contract = $ 40.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract x 2 contracts = $ 2.00

Proceeds from sale of second ½ position = $ 38.00

Total Net Proceeds = $ 92.00

Profit

$ 92.00 Net Proceeds - $ 40.00 Cost of Entry = $ 52.00 Net Profit

$ 52.00 Net Profit / $ 40.00 Cost of Entry = 130 % Return on Investment (ROI)

Square ($SQ)

As you probably know, Square is also a heavily traded stock, but far more volatile and with a significant range. Volatility is a good thing, at least for intraday or very short-term swing trading. The thesis here was that SQ had broken above its 200-day moving average, it was holding & consolidating, and it hadn’t broken the previous day’s low. The market had been in a relatively good mood, so I made a decision to go long.

There is no way to know for certain when or at what level a stock is going to peak. Anyone who says otherwise either has insider information or is selling something. Square ripped hard and fast that Tuesday morning, and I needed to balance giving it room to run with locking in the significant profit I’d made on the trade. So, in this case, I placed a trailing stop at a level I was comfortable with.

I often try to ballpark the amount of the trailing stop on the fly based on the Delta of the option and how much room I need to give the underlying to pull back (or run up if I’m in a short position). So, for example, if I know I’m at a $ 0.50 Delta and the stock likely needs about a dollar of wiggle room, I can set my trailing stop at 50 cents. In this case, I was much tighter with it. The rip was significant, and I simply didn’t trust it to hold. Good thing, because it didn’t. A bird in the hand, as they say.

Entry

1 contract purchased @ $ 36.00 per contract = $ 36.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract x 1 contract = $ 1.00

Total Cost of Entry: $ 37.00

Exit

1 contract sold at $ 104.00 per contract = $ 104.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract x 1 contract = $ 1.00

Total Net Proceeds = $ 103.00

Profit

$ 103.00 Net Proceeds - $ 37.00 Cost of Entry = $ 66.00 Net Profit

$ 66.00 Net Profit / $ 37.00 Cost of Entry = 178 % ROI

Apple ($AAPL)

Apple has been a bumpy ride. There is no doubt about that. Between the company’s decision to no longer provide unit sales numbers in its earnings reports and the media’s constant rambling and schizophrenia about the company, it was easy to second-guess any trading decision.

This trade was a simple intraday decision based on a pull back to the low of day (LOD). In other words, there was a very clearly defined risk level, which I prefer. The strike price I selected was based on the Delta of the option and what I was willing to risk on the trade. I often choose strike prices based on an underlying’s average range (ATR) and the Delta. For example, if I need to give a stock 3 points of flexibility based on the setup, but I only want to risk 100 dollars on the trade, I won’t buy an option with a Delta above ~ 33 cents. (I know I’m not taking Gamma into account, but sometimes I have to do the math in my head in seconds, and I’m honestly not that smart.)

Entry

5 contracts purchased @ $ 9.00 per contract = $ 45.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract x 5 contracts = $ 5.00

Total Cost of Entry: $ 50.00

Exit

2 contracts sold at $ 25.00 per contract = $ 50.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract x 2 contracts = $ 2.00

Proceeds from the first sale = $ 48.00

At this point, I was basically already at break even on the trade, but still had three contracts remaining.

1 contract sold at $ 33.00 per contract = $ 33.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract x 1 contract = $ 1.00

Proceeds from the second sale = $ 32.00

1 contract sold at $ 28.00 = $ 28.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract = $ 1.00

Proceeds from the third sale = $ 27.00

1 contract sold at $ 19.00 = $ 19.00

Commission of $ 1.00 per contract = $ 1.00

Proceeds from the fourth sale = $ 18.00

Total Net Proceeds = $ 125.00

Profit

$ 125.00 Net Proceeds - $ 50.00 Cost of Entry = $ 75.00 Net Profit

$ 75.00 Net Profit / $ 50.00 Cost of Entry = 150 % ROI

So, in this example, in three trades, you would have made $ 193.00 in profit while only ever putting $ 127.00 (including commissions) of your hard-earned capital on the line. This is an approximately 150% return, and you traded small and kept your sanity while learning and experimenting.

The opportunity to size up will always be there. Unless the market truly doesn’t have the shares or the options available, when your time comes, it isn’t going to tell you no. Instead, I hope you will focus on learning the craft, and on amassing those little victories.

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mermaid-with-ms · 7 years

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How I saved thousands on my Long Island Dream Wedding

Weddings cost a small fortune, especially on Long Island. I have been planning my wedding for as long as I can remember, and “pinning” long before I was even engaged. A wedding is one amazing night of your life, but you have the future to plan for as well. We wanted to have our dream wedding but do it at a cost that was more comfortable for us. Do you want to know how I managed to SAVE MORE THAN $20,000 dollars?

1. Reception Venue (Saved $8,000+) The most popular months for a wedding on Long Island are May-October. Venues adjust their prices according to the busy seasons. I knew that I did not want a summer wedding, because the heat can be unbearable for me with my MS. There were a few venues that I already knew had fair prices, so I made appointments there. The other venues, I messaged ahead of time to ask for a general price per person. If it was out of my price range, I didn’t bother to look. I would hate to fall in love with something that I couldn’t afford. Another thing I learned was to watch out for the “plus plus”. (For those who don’t know... “plus plus” means Price per person PLUS 20% “administrative fee” PLUS sales tax. So, if a venue says that their price per person is $100 plus plus, you are really looking at close to $130 per person).

A Friday night is much less expensive than a Saturday night, so we chose to book a Friday. Most of our friends and family will have off for a weekend before having to go back to work, so we thought this worked out nicely. We fell in love with a venue on the water, Chateau La Mer. I first met with a coordinator from the venue at an expo. Being an “expo bride”, I was given some bonus items: Extra tier on wedding cake, Chocolate Fountain, Ice Cream Bar, and Zeppole Station ($1,000+ savings).

We loved the idea of getting married outside on the water, but we loved the idea of saving as much money as possible for our future even more. Brandon’s grandparents had some health issues, and we wanted to get married sooner rather than later.

We chose Friday, March 3, 2017. This night cost us $40 less per person than a wedding at our venue during peak season. With a guest list of 125, this saved us a total of $5,000.

The venue we chose was on the lower end of cost compared to other Long Island venues. I can’t really come up with an exact number for savings here, but I would say I saved at least $2,500 by choosing the venue that I did compared to the average venue cost per person.

2. Venue “Extras” (Saved $1,000+)

Ask your venue what kind of on site “extras” that they have. AND THEN GET THEM TO THROW THEM IN BEFORE YOU BOOK. My venue included the use of up lighting (this truly makes a difference on the look of your reception space), virtual dance floor, and use of television screens. The venue has a price sheet where these items add up to $1,000. Sometimes venues do not have up lighting or televisions available. Outside vendors could charge over $1,000 for the lighting alone.

Luckily, my venue had these items on site and included them for me. I made sure that they put these extras on my contract as included.

I also got charger plates included. I don’t think that most venues do this but it’s worth asking before you spend $2+ per plate.

Make sure you get everything in writing!

3. Photography & Videography (Saved $2,500+)

Hiring a private photographer & videographer can save you a lot of money because there is no one in the middle. I looked into so many photography and videography packages from various companies and the prices truly vary. Based on the average that I was seeing for a photography and videography package from a larger company, I saved $2,500+ by using a private photographer and videographer. I had complete confidence in the product that I would receive from these ROCKSTARS. A lot of their business comes from word of mouth and recommendations, so they will do their best every time.

We are so happy with the result. The day of the wedding was a breeze thanks to the amazing team we hired. I have to give them a shout out here because they are so unbelievably talented. My photographer was Kaitlin Cremmins and my video team was Koleda Productions. They are true artists and I would recommend them to anyone. They put so much effort into making everything perfect and captured exactly what we wanted.

Photo and video were so important to us! I know that we will be watching our wedding video constantly and reliving the night as much as we can.

4. DIY Centerpieces ($900+ Savings)

I might be the minority here, but flowers were not important to us. I couldn’t fathom spending thousands on something that would die the following day. We chose not to use real flowers in our centerpieces. Using Pinterest and with a lot of help from our family and bridal party, we made our own centerpieces and I thought that they turned out perfect! I’m unsure of the exact savings here, because I never priced out real flowers. I believe on average, a floral centerpiece is at least $100, probably higher... sometimes lower. I will use $100 for a base. We had 13 guest tables which would cost $1,300+ from a florist. Instead, I spend about $25 on each centerpiece. I am a huge Disney fan, and I wanted a simple carriage for the centerpiece. We purchased the carriages in bulk online in white and sprayed them gold. We bought a large pack of candle holders, some “real” looking fake tea lights for the center, some fake flowers from Michaels (with a coupon.. of course) and glued the flowers to a burlap ribbon around each candle holder. Real tea lights aren’t expensive, so we purchased enough to form a circle around each carriage. After the wedding, I was able to give them to family and friends and I have one on my coffee table.

5. Bridal Party Bouquets ($200+ Savings)

For my bridesmaids, I wanted something simple for the girls that would still look classy and beautiful. Either a babys breath or a simple white rose bouquet. Even something like this was getting quoted for $30 or more each from a florist. I had 10 girls, so this was adding up to about $300 from a florist. I decided to try our local grocery store, Stop & Shop, to get a quote. My husband used to work there and always brought me home the most beautiful bouquets. I was able to get all 10 bouquets for a total of $80! I only needed to purchase my own ribbon and bring it in, since I wanted something specific. I think that the flowers looked amazing and I am so happy with the results.

6. My Bridal Bouquet ($100 Savings)

I was watching Shark Tank and learned about a company called Ecoflower. The flowers are all made from recycled and sustainable materials. The bouquets are completely custom. I was able to pick the colors, what I wanted the stems to look like, what I wanted to base to be wrapped with. You can even choose a scent! I took a leap of faith and designed my bouquet online. Not long after, I received the most beautiful bouquet in the mail that smelled like fresh roses. The best part? I can keep it forever. The average bridal bouquet that I was getting quotes for was somewhere between $150 and $200. My Ecoflower bouquet cost only $75 shipped.

7. DIY Photo Booth ($1,000 Savings)

The photo booth at my wedding was one of my favorite parts. Photo booth rentals cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500. I knew I wanted one, but couldn’t really find a spot in our budget for it. Luckily, my boss’s dad (91 years old by the way!) is very handy. I showed him a picture that I found online. It was basically one large center panel, 4x8, and two side panels (2x8 each), held on with hinges. He built it, and then my bridesmaid and I painted it. I am so proud of how it turned out. We used a chalkboard paint and chalk paint pens and painted quotes that we love. I purchased props from the dollar store and on clearance after New Years Eve. I put out a selfie stick and I think that our guests had a lot of fun with it!

8. Invitations

Invitations are another thing that I didn’t want to spend a lot on. I was able to get a design from Miss Design Berry on Etsy. I loved our invitations because they were so fun and non-traditional. We printed them on Vistaprint during a 60% off sale. My suggestion to anyone would be to get a design that you love, and print yourself. I don’t even know how much we saved by doing this, because I know that the prices of invitations can range a lot. My total cost for invitations was about $125.

(Come on... how freaking cute were these!)

9. Honeymoon Travel Agent ($700 Savings)

If you can’t tell, Disney is my thing. I always book my trips through a travel agent because it doesn’t cost any extra to use them. Their commissions come directly from the place you are traveling to. I think that this is a fact that is unknown to many people. When planning a Disney vacation, I have always and will always use a travel agency. I used Kristin from Magic Carpet Destinations. She specializes in Disney, but she can help plan any trip. What’s really great about using a travel agent, is that whenever a new deal or discount comes out, they will help reflect that onto your trip. I know that I don’t feel like sitting on hold with Disney reservations for 4+ hours trying to amend a reservation.... Kristin took care of this for us. Kristin helped us save over $700 on our dream Disneymoon! Other benefits of using a travel agent, especially for a Disney vacation, is that she will help you book your dining, fast passes, and more. We had an issue with one of our dining reservations and she was on the phone right away to fix it. Visit her website and reach out to her if you need help planning your vacation or honeymoon.

10. Wedding Rings ($1,800 Savings)

His Band: For Brandon’s band we used JVL Jewelry. I was able to find a coupon code online for a FREE wedding band (Originally $300). At first I thought, could this be real? Well... it was. We love his tungsten wedding band and I know that it has a lifetime warranty. We only needed to pay $25 for shipping & handling. Take it from me, this deal was not “too good to be true”.

My Band: My engagement ring is from Kohls, Simply Vera by Vera Wang. I get so many compliments on it! While I’m not sure what exactly Brandon spent, I do know that he took a page from my book and used coupons, went when there was a sale, and got lots of Kohls cash back. I wanted to get a wedding band that complimented my beautiful engagement ring. I went on Black Friday, where I was able to get 70% off plus $15 for every $50 spent. When all was said and done, I saved $1,500 on my wedding band AND I got lots of Kohls cash back... which we used to buy some of the pieces for Brandon’s wedding attire.

(HIDDEN MICKEY... Thank you Katie!)

11. Transportation (Saved $1,550+)

We had a large bridal party: 10 Bridesmaids + 11 Groomsmen. I needed to find transportation for everyone from the ceremony venue to the reception venue, and back to the hotel afterwards. For the amount of people that we had, we needed a party bus or a large vehicle that could accommodate everyone. The average quote that I received was $1,000 each way. I couldn’t get myself to spend that much on a 20 minute ride. Through recommendations, I found a shuttle service on Long Island called Cardinal Car Service. We were able to transport everyone there and back for a total of $450. Awesome customer service, a clean vehicle, and enough space for all of our friends. We were even able to fit the “plus ones” on the ride back to the hotel with us. The bus was not fancy.. didn’t have any crazy lights or features, but when you have the best bridal party in the world starting our own bus ride sing-a-longs... it was absolutely perfect.

12. Our Band ($3,000 Savings)

Honestly... no matter what they charged... I was booking Peat Moss & The Fertilizers as my wedding band. This was quite possibly the best decision I ever made (okay... besides marrying my best friend). I always loved watching these guys perform at local bars and they have been booking more and more weddings. We knew that we had to have them perform... no matter what the cost. A Friday in March is probably a less busy time for them... so I’m not sure if their rates vary. But the rate that I got was still thousands LESS than other Long Island wedding bands. The dance floor was never empty. We had the best time of our lives and I know that all of our guests had a blast. This band is so talented and the guys are so nice.

*A DJ will probably cost less than a band, if you are looking for the least expensive option. But for us, this was something we really wanted.

13. Decorations & DIY Projects (Savings - Hundreds!)

I don’t have a total here... but I know we saved hundreds by doing things ourselves and waiting for SALES! I am a deal chaser. A lot of my decorations were on clearance after Christmas, New Years, and Valentines Day.

Our Card Box: I purchased a blank, white card box on Amazon for $16. Brandon’s aunts transformed it using all kinds of materials from Michaels. This would’ve cost us so much more if we purchased something like this. Best part about it is - it’s custom and made with love.

My “must have” Enchanted Rose from Beauty & The Beast:

I bought all of the materials for this on clearance. We kept it on our table and I’m happy that I can keep it as another memory from our big day.

Our Cinderella’s Carriage Decoration

This piece was gorgeous. It was a indoor/outdoor Christmas decoration from Home Depot. Originally $140. And it was huge! We placed it in the entry way into the reception so it was one of the first things that our guests saw when they entered the ballroom. I knew I had to have it... so I waited until December 26th, when all of the Christmas decorations went on clearance. Saved 50% on this beauty & I had a gift card.

Savings on my Bridal Accessories: I saved money on my veil & headpiece because I simply asked for a discount. My dress and all alterations were from the same place, and some of my bridesmaids ordered their dresses from this store as well. I explained this to the salesperson and asked if there was any discount available since were were purchasing so many items. They agreed to take 25% off of my veil and headpiece.

I found some glass-slipper-esque Michael Kors shoes from Macy’s. I saved $40 on these by waiting for a sale.

(Sparkles are important)

14. Savings For Our Bridal Party

We tried to save our bridal party as much as possible. We know how expensive it is to be in a wedding, and we were so grateful for all of the amazing friends that we have. For our groomsmen, we chose to have them purchase separate pieces in lieu of renting a tuxedo. Renting costs hundreds of dollars, and the outfit needs to be returned the following day. We had them purchase shoes, pants, and shirts through Kohls. I tried to set them up with sales whenever they came along. They got their vests from Mens Warehouse. We waited until they had their “Buy One, Get One Free” sale. This cut the cost of each vest in half. I believe that overall, the outfits cost around $175. BUT they get to KEEP their entire outfit so I think that it worked out really well. AND they looked so handsome.

For my girls, I wanted them to pick their own dresses. My colors were “Blush & Champagne”. This was a little risky, because I wasn’t super sure if the dresses would go together. But they were absolutely stunning. Every girl had a different body type and different budget. Some girls were able to get their dresses for $69. Others spent more. I just wanted them to be comfortable financially and feel great in the dress that they chose.

Pieces of Advice:

NEGOTIATE. I was almost always able to discuss a price with all of my vendors that I was comfortable with.

DO YOUR RESEARCH. Know what other venues and vendors are charging.

UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA. I was very fortunate to be a member of a fantastic Facebook group called “Long Island Brides & Beyond”. It’s a group of hundreds of women who live on Long Island, asking each other questions and giving each other wedding related advice. Any time that I had a question or needed a referral, I reached out to these women without hesitation. Social Media and wedding sites are great ways to find vendors that are within your price range and you can read reviews from other brides.

SPEND THE MONEY ON THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU. I can’t stress this enough. For us, a fancy car or flowers were not important. But if they are to you, find something else that might not be so important and cut there instead. For us, Music, Food, & Photo/Video were the most important aspects.

TRY TO REMEMBER that this is only ONE DAY of your life. What will you remember about this day? What will your guests remember? “Oh wow did you see those charger plates!?!” ... I don’t think so.

YOU WILL HAVE EXPENSES YOU NEVER THOUGHT OF. You will never be prepared for this no matter how hard you try.

OKAY so we SAVED more than $20,000 and still had the best night of our lives. Granted, we still spent more than I will ever accept. There is no way to avoid it. I know that some of the things that I discussed might not work for you, and that’s okay. I know that some people must get married on a busy day or peak time of year due to their jobs or other factors. I know that some of the things that weren’t important to us might be important to other people.

I would not change one thing about our wedding.

Remember to just enjoy it. The months leading up to my wedding were extremely stressful. I had a full on break down over the seating chart. Now that it’s all over, I can breathe. It all goes by so fast so make sure that on the day of your wedding you just sit back and appreciate all of your hard work. You deserve a drink from that open bar. You deserve to dance so much that your feet hurt for a week after.

Happy planning!

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