#mark s. joffe

[francesminos-tt]

Prompt: Soulmate AU where your born with, or get, some kind of identifying marking(s). When you touch your soulmate, there is a bond. You are able to feel any strong emotions that your soulmate feels. If a person gets sick, feels pain or dies, the same thing happens to their soulmate. Joffrey and Daeron are soulmates, but that doesn't mean they love each other. They are forced to get married (and touch each other - the bond for some is a gift and for others it is a punishment- because the bond makes them desperate to touch their other half, Denial of touching your soulmate causes pain in both, for one year the linked souls cannot be separated by long distances, there is a discussion of doubtful consent because they both feel sexual desires and sex is more of an unhealthy necessity of the first year of soul bonding than real pleasure. Joffrey and Daeron try to deal with this in their lives. It's painful and distressing, everyone around them celebrates and celebrates, but they both feel unhappy. Joffrey hates knowing that all his life he will depend on Daeron - someone he doesn't know, someone he doesn't love - He hates the prison that bonding is. Daeron also feels like a prisoner, he doesn't understand how this is considered a blessing from the seven. Joffrey and Daeron constantly wonder how cruel the bond can be to those who don't love each other.

some scenes I thought you might write about them; -if you wish and I hope so-

1 - They are young boys between 19-14 years old, meaning they are sometimes stupid and immature. At some point they may have had a fight and forced themselves to stay away from each other more than is "acceptable" It's a fight to see who is the most stubborn and can stay away the longest, but it goes wrong because one of them faints (I thought of Joffrey) quickly they are placed on the bed next to each other and are forced to touch each other to calm the pain and we have a CRYING Joffrey because he really hates being so helpless about this.

2 - Or we can have a scene of how their nightly routine works, the embarrassment and the longing to touch someone you have no real feelings for. I can imagine Joffrey being unashamed of his nakedness (it's not like Daeron hasn't already seen every part of Joffrey's body)

3 - They've been married for a while and are slowly learning to love each other like Daeron accompanying Joffrey to the training camp silently and just admiring his husband

Of course, you can feel free to write whatever you want or change anything (like their age or how the bond works) I don't care, I just want to read these sad puppies who can't stay away from each other and maybe add sad sex if you want too lol

Joffrey’s mark was half of a dragon wing behind his ear, on the small patch of sensitive skin. His mother found it when she was washing his hair. At first Rhaenyra thought it was just a rash, maybe an irritation, but she soon realized she couldn’t be more wrong.

It was a soulmate mark. Her little boy was blessed with a soulmate, a rare gift given by gods. She burst into tears after the family doctor had confirmed that Joffrey was indeed blessed, that his mark would soon lead him to his soulmate.

He found his soulmate during the Christmas gathering. Joffrey had always been a healthy child, but somehow, he was struck by a nasty cold three times that winter. His throat was still sore when he arrived at Grandpa Viserys’s house. Rhaenyra told her boys to play with their uncles and aunt Helaena in the garden, except for Joffrey, who was still recovering from his cold. Joff, an energetic child, had to stay inside and play with toys that he didn’t even like.

“You are sitting on my comic book.” A boy’s voice came from above, making Joffrey drop the little robot in his hands.

“What?” Joffrey frowned at the blonde boy, who was about his big brother Jacaerys’s age.

“Get off the couch.” The boy shoved Joffrey, sending him to the carpeted floor.

Joffrey felt a shock of electricity running from where the boy touched him to the back of his head. Though the boy’s action was rude and rough, Joffrey was too shocked to care. The electricity had become a warmth, spreading through his body and miraculously making him feel better. Even his throat seemed to be less sore immediately.

The boy seemed to share Joffrey’s surprise. He had forgotten about the comic book, and was staring at Joffrey as if he had seen a ghost.

“What did you do to me?” The boy asked roughly and rubbed the hand that he touched Joffrey with, “You are hot like a boiling kettle.”

Joffrey wanted to ask the boy the same question, but he was only three, he wasn’t that eloquent yet. Before Joffrey could open his mouth, his brothers and their uncles and aunt rushed into the living room, all red faced and laughing.

“What game are you guys playing?” Aegon, the oldest of them all, raised an eyebrow at the bizarre picture in front him, “Why is Joffrey on the floor?”

It turned out that blonde boy was Joffrey’s youngest uncle Daeron. He had been in Old Town last year for Christmas, so Joffrey didn’t know him. He didn’t come out to the garden because of the reason as Joffrey; he was recovering from a cold.

Joffrey learned that his soulmate was Daeron Targaryen, his youngest uncle, a boy who shoved him to the floor at first sight.

Joffrey was three, and Daeron was six that year.

Joffrey and Daeron had been inseparable since the day their fated had been sealed. They went to the same school, lived in the same neighborhood (Joffrey had to throw a tantrum to prevent his mother from asking Daeron to live with them), and had to sleep in each other’s room every other day. At first, it was fine. Kind of funny, Joffrey would say. They would stay late in the night and read Daeron’s comic books, or play with the dragon toy Joffrey’s father got him.

But after the initial novelty had faded, Joffrey found himself trapped. He was only a little boy and he wanted to meet new people and make new friends. No one would come to him at parks because Daeron would always be there, older, taller and more handsome. He felt like a sailor stranded on an isolate island with Daeron. Forever.

The soul bond made it impossible from them to stay apart for more than a few days. The longest time they had stayed apart was that summer when Daeron went to scout camp while Joffrey stayed at home because he was still too young. Daeron had to be sent back five days later because he had been struck down by a bad fever. As soon as Joffrey touched him, Daeron’s labored breath calmed down immediately. Joffrey slept in the same bed with Daeron, and the next day, the blonde boy returned to his healthy self again. Everyone swooned at them. Aegon even wolf whistled at Joffrey the next time he came to visit. Everyone seemed to be happy, except for Daeron.

“You cost me my scout badge.” Daeron said to Joffrey angrily, “I hate you.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Joffrey pouted, a habit he had developed since he could talk.

“Don’t play cute on me. I hate you and your stupid mark.”

“You have your mark too,” Joffrey pointed to Daeron’s wrist, the other half of the dragon wing, “I never asked for this.”

“Well, neither did I. Wait until they decide to marry us. I will be stuck with you forever.”

“Marry?” Joffrey’s eyebrow raised in confusion, “But we are both boys! We can’t marry each other!”

“Then will your future wife be comfortable to have me in your house?” Daeron scoffed and walked away, leaving Joffrey alone in the living room to panic.

That was the day Joffrey learned that he was truly screwed.

“Hey, Joff, your boyfriend is here!” Joffrey’s teammate shouted from the locker room door.

Joffrey rolled his eyes. He had long given up trying to convince his teammates that Daeron was not his boyfriend.

Consider this whole soulmate thing as a medical condition. I just need to spend time with him to stay alive, you know? It’s not like I have feelings for him or anything.

Unfortunately, no one bought his story. Perhaps Joffrey was not very good at convincing people. The locker room burst out a string of laughter, and Joffrey had to punch the goalkeeper who was laughing the hardest. Joffrey took his time to shower, change, put on deodorant and brush his hair. His teammates always laughed at him for caring his appearance too much. Like a chick, they would say, but they had no idea why Joffrey tried to linger in the locker-room. This was the only place he could get away from Daeron.

No matter how hard Joffrey tried to drag the time, eventually he had to leave the locker-room and face his soulmate.

“What took you so long?” Daeron asked impatiently, arms crossed at his chest, “I’ve been standing here for like forever.”

“I told you, you don’t have to pick me up.” Joffrey flipped the duffle bag on his shoulder, “Don’t you have work to do in college?”

Daeron unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, exposing his neck and collar bone that was covered in red rashes.

“I need a recharge.” Daeron said simply, taking Joffrey’s hand, “Thank God it’s only the rashes now. I can’t afford to faint in front of everyone.”

They walked outside to the football field hand in hand. As the years passed, their ‘separation syndrome’ gradually changed as well. Now they would not faint or go into a seizure if they had been separated for too long. Daeron would have red rashes all over his body while Joffrey would suffer from extreme fatigue. They welcomed this change, for it could be easily explained as allergy or lack of sleep. They called their forced proximity recharge, a word suitable for their situation. Just a way to keep going, nothing to do with feelings.

“Looking pretty for your boyfriend, Velaryon?” A tall boy sneered at Joffrey as Joffrey and Daeron approached the field exit.

“Fuck off.” Joffrey said, rolling his eyes for hundredth time today, “I don’t have time for this.”

“Ohhh, pretty Joff doesn’t have time for us! He wants to shag his boyfriend!” the boy and his fellow idiot friends laughed among themselves.

Joffrey had been chosen as the main forward in his high school football team despite being a freshman. The boy and his gang had been picking on Joffrey ever since he scored his first goal. Joffrey had gotten so tired of the boy’s childish provocation.

“Come,” Joffrey nudged Daeron to walk on, “don’t mind them. They are idiots.”

“They called you a bad name, Joffrey.” Daeron frowned, throwing nasty glares at the gang.

“They called me worse,” Joffrey shrugged, apparently no intention to share the details, “They are not worth your time. Let them be. They will get bored and leave.”

Daeron, a 19-year-old who went to college on a fencing scholarship, disagreed.

“Leave him alone,” Daeron snarled at the boy, “I am not his boyfriend, but I don’t like others bullying my nephew.”

“Get lost, faggot.” The boy clearly didn't take this polite and handsome blonde seriously, “You are just as pathetic as little Joff here. What do you say, Velaryon? Admit that you sucked the coach’s cock to get your position.”

Joffrey clenched his fist, but he knew now was not the time to lash out. He could have lost his place on the team if he was found engaging in street fights. Unfortunately, Daeron didn't share his thoughts. The blonde let go of Joffrey’s hand and punched the boy straight in the face in the blink of an eye. Years of fencing training made him strong and swift, so he easily knocked down three boys of the gang before the fourth kicked him on the shin. Daeron hissed and lost his balance, kneeing down on the ground while the attacker was about to launch another punch.

That was when Joffrey kicked the boy from Daeron’s sight, grabbed his soulmate’s hand again, and ran.

“We can take them all, Joffrey!” Daeron yelled, “Teach them a good lesson so they won’t bother you again!”

“Shut up!” Joffrey yelled back, “You might have just cost me my football career!”

It turned out that Joffrey was half right. He was banned from the field for the next three games, but the boy who mocked him first was kicked out of the team. Daeron thought this was a win, but Joffrey couldn't be more furious. He didn't need Daeron to make his decision for him. If he wanted to continue playing football while still having Daeron as his soulmate, soon or later there would be another bully. Joffrey could never shake off the allegations of being a faggot, even though he didn't see himself as one. Sure, he slept in the same bed with Daeron sometimes and shared a few morning kisses, but that was only for health purposes.

Joffrey was sick of this. He didn't want to be called Daeron’s little boyfriend. He wanted an identity of his own, not as Daeron’s attachment.

So he called in sick, turned off his cell, and locked himself in his room. His mother would be so worried about him but luckily, Rhaenyra was on a trip to Pentos. His brothers, Jace and Luke, stayed in their respective college dorms. Joffrey was alone in the house, and he fucking liked it.

Joffrey was curious about how long he could stay away from Daeron before his body shut down. He knew all the symptoms and signs, but he was just curious whether or not he could live on his own without Daeron.

A day passed, then another, and another, soon Joffrey lost count of the days he kept himself in the room. He still ate, frozen pizzas and or beans on toast, but he hadn't been able to leave the bed since the day before yesterday. The extreme fatigue hit him like a drowning wave, making his every limb heavy as lead, unable to even lift his finger. He might have a fever, Joffrey thought, for he was sweaty at one moment and shivering at the next. He began to slip in and out of consciousness, like he was living in a continuous dream.

Would he die? What would mother think if she returned home to his corpse? Why hadn't Jace and Luke called? Did they trust Daeron so much to take care of their brother so they didn't have to? Why hadn’t Daeron come? Soulmates could sense each other’s feelings to some extent. There was no way Daeron didn’t notice Joffrey’s frustration and despair. Why hadn't he come?

“Open the door, Joffrey Velaryon, you crazy little fuck! Or I will break it down!”

Joffrey must have gone mad to hear things. Even if this was real, he was too weak to open the door now.

Five seconds later, with a loud bang, Joffrey’s bedroom door was kicked open, revealing a furious Daeron with disheveled hair and wrinkled shirt. Daeron threw a death glare with blood-shot eyes at Joffrey as soon as he saw the brunette teenager on the bed.

“Are you fucking mad? Going off grid for a week? Jace almost strangled me because he thought somehow, I was at fault. I can't even start to talk about my fucking rashes. Do you know they form on my balls too?”

Joffrey chuckled. For some reason, he chuckled.

“Move your ass, brat.” Daeron spat, shoving Joffrey to the side before lying down on the bed with his shoes on.

“What are you doing?” Joffrey asked, too weak to struggle.

“RECHARGE.” Daeron said with gritted teeth, “Someone decided to turn off his phone and dwell on his teen angst. I will let you know I have given you enough time to dwell on your misery. Now I want my normal life back.”

“I thought normal life meant without each other,” Joffrey said as Daeron took him into the blonde’s arms, “that’s what I have been trying to do in the past week.”

“Well, it didn't work.” Daeron brushed a strand of damp curls from Joffrey’s face, “Are you still so naive as to think we can stay apart, ever?”

Joffrey closed his eyes, and let the tears fall. Daeron was right. They could never get rid of each other in this life. They were cursed by the damn soul marks forever and ever.

Joffrey and Daeron married each other as soon as Joffrey finished college. He had made his first professional debut at Harrenhal FC this past summer, and now he and his husband officially moved to the Riverlands. Rhaenyra was reluctant to let Joffrey go, but she knew she had to let her little boy fly. Fortunately, Daeron was willing to accompany him. Despite being a fencing star in most of his school days, Daeron decided to pursue the career of a lawyer after graduation. He resigned his job at King’s Landing and found a new one as an attorney assistant in Maidenpool due to him and Joffrey’s condition.

Today marked the one-year anniversary of them moving to a nice lake house near God’s Eye.

They had a nice dinner with wine, chatted about their lives, argued about which team had better chance at winning the Champions Cup (Daeron rooted for Old Town, which Joffrey scoffed and rolled his eyes), and watched a movie on the couch.

Joffrey still had one week to go before he went back to the training field, so he was determined to make good use of it. He ate half a carton of ice cream and drank three glasses of wine before lying contentedly on top of Daeron, tipsy and in a food coma. As he grew older, Joffrey had learned to make peace with his fate. He tried to accommodate Daeron’s schedule as much as possible, and Daeron did the same for him. They had found a comfortable balance now, so his life turned out not to be as intolerable as he had expected. After they got married, they found another thing about the soul bond that could benefit them both. They found out that sex could allow them to stay apart for longer. One round of sex and they were able to stay apart for about 10 days. It came in handy when Joffrey was on an away game or when Daeron had to go on business trip.

Daeron played with Joffrey’s curls absently as the movie went on. They were both warm from the alcohol, satisfied and ready to drift to sleep at any moment.

“How’s your relationship with the new girl going?” Joffrey asked before yawning, “What’s her name? Betty? She looks nice.”

They both agreed that they could seek other lovers as long as they let each other know.

“Bethany.” Daeron said, still playing with Joffrey’s hair, “We went to the pub for a few times.”

“And?” Joffrey lifted his head, placing his jaw on Daeron’s shoulder, “Nothing happened?”

“No.” Daeron shook his head, “I didn’t…We think it’s better to stay as friends.”

“Oh,” Joffrey planted a wet kiss on Daeron’s cheek, “you poor boy.”

“Stop. You have wine breath.” Daeron frowned and pretended to be offended, but his smile betrayed his feelings.

“That makes two of us.” Joffrey kissed Daeron again. He was too drunk to think straight. He kept kissing Daeron while grinding his hips again the blonde. Daeron’s arms were around him in an instant, and soon Joffrey found himself straddling Daeron with his pajama rolled up to his chest.

“Don’t leave a mark.” Joffrey warned, but it was too late. Daeron had already bitten down on his nipple hard enough to draw blood.

“Why? You have somewhere to be?”

Joffrey couldn't answer, because he was busy moaning and cursing Daeron for the blonde’s talented tongue on his body. Joffrey had lost count how many times they spent their night like this, cuddled on the couch, watching a movie they picked at random. But all those nights ended up in passionate sex. They were merciless towards each other. They were too familiar with each other’s body to know exactly how to cause the most reaction.

Daeron slid a hand into Joffrey’s pants and cupped the brunette’s butt, kneading, grabbing and slapping, making Joffrey jolt every time his palm hit Joffrey’s skin.

Joffrey kissed Daeron aggressively on the lips, biting the tip of Daeron’s tongue. Being intimate with your soulmate was a euphoric thing, skin against skin, tongue against tongue and cock against cock. Joffrey remembered the first time Daeron fucked him. The blonde’s cock was only half in when Joffrey came messily on Daeron’s stomach. It hurt like hell but the intimacy, and the adrenaline rush was unlike anything he had experienced before.

“Let me grab the condoms.” Daeron said against Joffrey’s lips before trying to push the brunette off his lap, but Joffrey wouldn't barge.

“No,” Joffrey said, too drunk to care, “do it bareback. I don't care.”

Daeron’s eyes narrowed, the light violet becoming so dark that it almost mirrored Joffrey’s own obsidian ones. He pulled off Joffrey’s pants and pushed one finger in the brunette’s hole without warning, earning a surprised shriek from Joffrey.

The sex was violently good. Joffrey knew it was a strange thing to say, but he couldn’t find better words to describe it. Daeron kept the condoms and the lube in their bedroom drawer, and since Joffrey refused to let him go, Daeron had to spread his spit on his cock before thrusting in. Even though Joffrey had gotten used to a cock inside his butt, lack of lubrication still made him wince with pain. He would have lost his interest if he was with anyone else, but not with Daeron.

“Are you okay, Joff? Did I hurt you?”

“Yes,” Joffrey hissed, “you almost split my butt in half. But don't you dare stop.”

Daeron chuckled and began to thrust. Joffrey didn’t know how it ended, because he passed out during round three. He just remembered waking up on the bed, wrapped in sheets and fresh like a newborn baby, and Daeron greeted him with a kiss and coffee in bed.

Joffrey could get used to this.

“Are you sure you are ok with this?” Joffrey asked anxiously, “My teammates’ wives will all be there. They will call you a football wife too.”

“At least I am prettier than most of them.” Daeron joked, eyes on the road as he drove to the stadium, “Relax. I won’t embarrass you.”

“That’s not what I am talking about.” Joffrey sighed. He thought his meaning was clear. If Daeron showed up in his booth today, there would be no going back. Daeron would be forever associated with Joffrey. He would forever be known as Joffrey’s lawyer husband, instead of a successful criminal attorney. Was Daeron willing to make such sacrifice?

“I know, Joff.” Daeron glanced at Joffrey and smiled, “I want to show my support in your booth.”

“Even when I am playing against Old Town?”

“Hmm, maybe not Old Town.”

“Jerk.” Joffrey slapped Daeron’s arm, but not unkindly.

They had been married for seven years now. For most couples, it would mean the lack of passion, increasing life stress, kids, financial difficulties, etc. Joffrey had heard that the seventh year recorded the highest divorce rate. Not for him, though. If anything, he and Daeron seemed to be more comfortable around each other. They had stopped talking about other love interest for almost five years now. Neither of them mentioned the change, as if talking about it would make it real. They had also developed a comfortable routine splitting house chores and making time for each other like a real married couple.

Joffrey had played for Harrenhal FC for two years before transferring to KL United. They didn’t move back to the city, choosing to stay at a house near Maidenpool where Daeron had opened his own office. Despite the new stage of their relationship, Daeron had never showed up at the stadium to watch Joffrey play. Again, the reason was the same. Acknowledging it would make it real.

“Are you sure?” Joffrey grabbed Daeron’s wrist before the blonde could open the car door, “It’s your last chance. You can still drive off and nobody will know you have been here.”

“I am sure.” Daeron flipped his wrist, taking Joffrey’s hand and intertwining their fingers together, “Are you?”

Joffrey swallowed. Was he? Was he ready to remind the public that Daeron, this handsome man, was truly his husband and soulmate?

Daeron waited patiently for Joffrey’s answer. Joffrey couldn’t help but remember their first meeting. Both of them were silly kids back then, recovering from a bad cold because they had been weakened without their soulmate. Daeron had pushed Joffrey to the floor because Joffrey was sitting on his comic book. Their first impression was the worst.

See how far they had come.

“Joffrey?”

“I am sure.” Joffrey said, determination clear in his eyes, “I want you in the crowd to support me.”

“Let’s go then.” Daeron smiled, and to Joffrey’s great surprise, the blonde leaned in and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was tender and chaste, like a promise.

They never kissed unless absolutely necessary. Certainly not in a public parking lot.

“Right.” Joffrey smiled back, his heart swelled, “Let’s go.”

FIN

#house of the dragon #hotd #joffron #joffrey velaryon #my asks #daeron x joffrey #daeron the daring #soulmates

[allthecanadianpolitics]

On Tuesday, December 20 both the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) and the Alberta Medical Association (AMA)’s Section of Emergency Medicine sent letters to Chief Medical Officer of Health Mark Joffe urging him to implement temporary mask mandates and take other measures to reduce the wave respiratory infections battering children’s hospitals in Alberta.

On Wednesday, December 21 at a news conference, the actual decider about public health matters, Premier Danielle Smith, delivered her response: forget about it. 

The letter from UNA President Heather Smith, which was also addressed to Premier Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping, implored the government “for the sake of Alberta’s children, and all Albertans” to “cease treating this situation as if it were a political inconvenience and address it immediately as the public health crisis that it is.”

“The simplest and most effective policy change that could be implemented immediately would be an indoor mask mandate to reduce the spread of influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus,” Heather Smith wrote. “However, even a strong statement acknowledging that wearing masks in indoor public spaces and limiting the size and number of public gatherings attended this holiday season could have a beneficial effect.” [...]

“There is a very real cost to not acting immediately,” they warned. “The cost will be paid by the increased suffering of many Albertans, including our vulnerable children …” Not to mention health care workers, they added.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada, @abpoli

#cdnpoli #Alberta #Healthcare #coronavirus pandemic #canadian politics

[the-firebird69]

Before I Go to Sleep (2014) - IMDb

It's one of these addresses he knows which one it is he thought it was a weird name and he remembered it from somewhere and we do too and it's supposed to be him who did it and it's not it's not Mac either even though they were smacking her around and it is people in the hospital and you will see who they are when you look at it and you recognize him and one of them is Garth then there's BGA and Trump the whole Mary band of retard sitting around bothering her son and they hope to death and they're all dying so we have a time limit we have to get rid of these idiots

Thor Freya

You thank you for the information about the end and he asked who's saying this backwards s*** and it's me Trump so we end up in a movie fighting them so what they all die anyways it says so it's two steps and you can't figure anything out and I'm laughing cuz he says it all the time and I can't figure it out what are you saying is get off my back stop threatening me I'm one person let me say no and he says that you will die and I guess I'm going to die a horrible death I turned to my own too everyone says it I turned my own by doing nothing about the matrix and it's true and I guess I'm a coward and I let it happen and that's what's going on

Trump

So you see how the useless idiot reacts now son says I didn't take a look who's in the hospital and he bets is clones and it is they're very loud outspoken want to start a war on the surface to kill everybody

Thor Freya

Olympus

[araekniarchive]

ahh!! ok can we have a web weave on violins and gifted kid pressure?? or a violin as a symbol of childhood greatness or something?? thank you sm ily <3

‘Yehudi Menuhin: The thrilling boy violinist who plays with confident brilliance’, The Guardian, first published 21st November 1932

Marianne Boruch, Rare Old Violins

Mark S. Joffe, Yehudi Menuhin

The Umbrella Academy (2019–), 1x10: The White Violin

Camilla Wicks, child prodigy and violin virtuoso, aged 6 (via) / Sarah Chang, child prodigy and violin virtuoso, photographed by Charles Abbott

Louisa May Alcott, Jo's Boys, and How They Turned Out

Nikki Wallschlaeger, Violin

#webs #web weaving #theme: music #theme: children #theme: childhood #requests #mine #yehudi menuhin #marianne boruch #mark s. joffe #the umbrella academy #camilla wicks #sarah chang #louisa may alcott #nikki wallschlaeger

[a-libra-writes]

Congratulations on 800!

24. “You’re my favourite.”

For Sandor Clegane from his s/o mayhaps? 🪐

Enjoy 👀

The hooves hit the ground so hard, she could swear the horse's legs would break. But the beasts stayed true to course, carrying the weight of the riders that were determined to run straight into each other.

Both knights missed their mark completely, and the men around them groaned in annoyance. The riders lined up to try the list again, and Y/N found her patience running thin. Only a man would think up the idea to mount a horse in full armor, carry a stick and think to knock someone off a horse with it.

Y/N sat restlessly, not able to use the excuse of her 'delicate constitution' disagreeing with the heat because the weather was perfectly agreeable. She glanced at Joffrey, a boy too small to sit in his seat properly, yet allowed to watch the practices. His seat had to be stacked with cushions, and he was yelling princely directions at the knights. In Y/N’s opinion, he was far too young for this, but her opinion was rarely considered by her queenly cousin.

Ignoring the boy’s shouting, she scanned the armored knights, looking for the only reason she was here. It was always worth enduring Cersei’s brat to see him.

Finally, he rode up, wearing that distinctive dog helm she found ridiculous but the boy insisted on. She hated how Sandor was in Joff’s service, even if that’s what brought them together. He hadn’t closed the snarling visor yet, so she could look at him, brief as it was. Of course, Sandor wouldn’t look back at her. He was careful about these things. Paranoid, and rightfully so. Still, it wouldn’t kill him to slightly glance in her direction…

Y/N was so focused on watching him, she hadn’t noticed how the other men were deciding who would ride next. No one wanted to risk broken limbs for a practice run. They whispered hastily amongst themselves, and then a mounted knight stepped forward dramatically, ending their conversations. Y/N only vaguely recognized his shield. He turned and bowed to the prince, and then bowed to her. That was surprising; she was used to being ignored when in the presence of the crown prince. The young knight’s helmet was off, giving her a proper view of his bright smile and a flourish he made with his hand.

She was sure if he had flowers, he’d be offering them to her. Y/N didn’t even know who this knight was, but he ought to keep the dramatics for the tourneys. A bold man, but a foolish one. She simply pursed her lips in a smile, then dropped it. An indication that she noticed the flattery, and no more.

The sound of metal hitting metal resounded through the field. The snarling dog helmet snapped shut with a swift motion. Y/N dismayed at losing sight of Sandor’s face. If that knight hadn’t distracted her, she may have had a few more moments, pathetic as that sounded. He was always busying guarding her cousin’s royal terror. Now that her focus was back on him, Y/N noted how tightly Sandor’s fingers curled around the lance. The other knight was not holding his near so tightly, and why should he? This was practice.

Little Joffrey stood on stop of his cushions and bellowed, “FIGHT!” There was no point in telling the boy it wasn’t a real fight, because gods knew he wanted blood.

Y/N hadn’t expected it to actually come, though. Stranger hit the ground running hard. He was a brutal mount, and Sandor had a strong, rigid poster. Y/N tensed, then gasped as Sandor knocked the knight straight off his horse with a single blow. The man went flying, hitting the ground with a cacophony of metal clanging. His horse bucked and ran off from the shock, causing several squires to shout and jump out of the way.

Joffrey laughed in delight. “Get him! Get him!” He said, though his cries were drowned out by the voices of men. They all stayed far away from Stranger, whose nostrils were still flaring, and a few squires ran for the dismounted knight. Y/N winced as they lifted his battered body. At least he was able to shamble to his feet.

That dog helmet turned sharply toward her, and Y/N realized she was holding her hand to her mouth. She lowered it, making sure the disapproval was clear on her face. Joffrey shouted and pointed some more, demanding someone else go against “his dog”, but Jaime stepped forward. His patience always ran thin with Joff.

“That’s enough, your highness,” The Kingsguard said airily. “It’s time you head back for your lessons.”

“I don’t want lessons! Uncle, go down there and fight the Hound!” The young prince jumped out of his seat in agitation. “You're the only one who will, and mother said he'll fight whoever I say!"

Jaime and Y/N shared expressions of exhaustion. She didn’t envy him in his duty. She put on her sweetest voice and said, “Dear prince, the more lessons you do, the more your mother will let you watch the knights. You don’t want to miss their melee training, do you?”

The boy considered this. For once, the storm in his green eyes lessened, though no doubt it would return when he was allowed to return. “Let’s hurry, uncle,” He ordered his Kingsguard. “I’ll do whatever stupid lesson mother and that old man want, then we can come back for the real fighting. I'll make sure they do it."

Charming. Y/N sighed. She watched Joffrey practically pull Jaime away, forgetting all about the bodyguard he was just shouting at. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the opportunity the brat gave her. Y/N waited a few minutes, watching the knights disperse and talk. Sandor was already gone, but she still took her time in making sure the servants were occupied before slipping away from the pavilion.

Lifting her crimson dress high above her ankles, Y/N walked through winding servant’s paths along the Red Keep’s gardens. She ducked behind a pillar or tall bush anytime someone passed. As she edged closer to the barracks and quartermaster’s keep, she watched squires and soldiers file in and out. As soon as backs were turned, she scampered down the wide hall.

Despite being an official bodyguard of the Prince, Sandor kept his own small quarters. He had little patience for any squires and servants attempting to enter, the only reason she was so bold to come here. That, and no one would ever assume the good-natured cousin of the Queen would ever associate with a scarred, angry dog. Y/N stepped close to the wooden door, pressed her ear to it, and smiled as she heard the movement of armor.

She didn’t knock as she came in, and closed the door quietly behind her. Sandor flinched as though she slammed it. As usual, he was more on edge when she entered his room than vice versa.

“What in the seven hells are you doing here?” He grimaced.

“Lovely to see you, too,” Y/N said. She dropped her skirts down, ignoring the dirty rushes that scattered the floor.

“I told you not to bloody come in here, didn’t I? You’ll be seen.”

“I won’t be. You’re determined to scare off any servant whose trying to do their job."

Sandor scoffed, but said nothing to that. He turned away from her, his shoulders tense, returning to cleaning his helmet. Y/N was familiar with this. She stepped forward slowly, reaching her hand out. Even with the armor on his shoulders, he flinched again when she touched him.

“You needn’t be so rough on the training grounds.” She said, leaning in. She wished he’d look at her. Sandor was lowering his face, the scarred side covered by some of his stringy black hair. “You could have killed that man.”

Instantly, he looked up. “What does that matter to you?” He sneered. “Do you know him?”

“An hour ago was our first meeting.” Y/N said. A smile tugged at her painted lips. “Were you jealous, Sandor? Are you still?”

He scoffed, the harsh noise coming hard from his throat, but he didn’t refute it.

“You needn’t be. You’re my favorite.”

The lady gasped at the feeling of cold, hard metal on her wrist. With little grace, Y/N was yanked onto the man’s large lap. She felt his other metal gauntlet wrap around her waist, digging into the silk and skin, keeping her in place. Finally, finally, they were close. There was no looking away or hiding now.

Sometimes she wondered if he wanted her to recoil and turn away. She never did. Y/N pressed herself closer, all armor and propriety be damned. That raspy voice rumbled through his chest as he said, “You won’t say sweet things when I stop being nice, Lady Lannister.”

He sneered that title as two large hands squeezed her even more, keeping her stuck in place. Y/N was fine with that. She glanced at the modest bed just a few feet from them, one of the few furnishings in this small room. She wanted those gloved hands to squeeze and rip whatever they pleased, wanting to surrender to all of it.

So, she challenged him. “I prefer when you aren’t nice, ser knight.”

She expected the usual retort — the gruff “I’m no knight” line that he was so fond of. A rough kiss was the response, and she gladly accepted it.

#breaking news: libra actually did something #this was fun tho :) horsies! #sandor clegane x reader #libra minis #i feel my sandor is rlly weak but hope u enjoy nontheless

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#masterpost

[goodqueenaly]

In a wedding, does the father always "give away" the bride and take the cloak away? What if the head of the house is a woman, like Lady Anya Waynwood's daughter marrying a Royce (or whatever)? Doesn't it make more sense for Anya to give away the girl since the dad is a non-Waynwood and not the head of the house?

Well, there is some precedent for a non-father figure, and indeed a non-relation, to stand in the father’s place during a Westerosi wedding (albeit in unusual circumstances):

In what seemed no time at all, they came to the changing of the cloaks.

As father of the realm, Joffrey took the place of Lord Eddard Stark. Sansa stood stiff as a lance as his hands came over her shoulders to fumble with the clasp of her cloak. One of them brushed her breast and lingered to give it a little squeeze. Then the clasp opened, and Joff swept her maiden’s cloak away with a kingly flourish and a grin.

Ramsay Bolton stood beneath them, clad in high boots of soft grey leather and a black velvet doublet slashed with pink silk and glittering with garnet teardrops. A smile danced across his face. “Who comes?” His lips were moist, his neck red above his collar. “Who comes before the god?”

Theon answered. “Arya of House Stark comes here to be wed. A woman grown and flowered, trueborn and noble, she comes to beg the blessings of the gods. Who comes to claim her?”

“Me,” said Ramsay. "Ramsay of House Bolton, Lord of the Hornwood, heir to the Dreadfort. I claim her. Who gives her?”

“Theon of House Greyjoy, who was her father’s ward.” He turned to the bride. “Lady Arya, will you take this man?”

...

After a moment of silent prayer, the man and woman rose again. Ramsay undid the cloak that Theon had slipped about his bride’s shoulders moments before, the heavy white wool cloak bordered in grey fur, emblazoned with the direwolf of House Stark. 

However, what I think has to be kept in mind is just how sexist and paternalistic Westeros as a socio-political entity is. It’s not that women are completely barred from ever holding power - but the base assumption is that power will flow from males, through males, to males (save in Dorne). If a woman holds power (again, not in Dorne), it is because there are no more obvious, close males to hold it for her: Anya Waynwood, to go to that example, rules because she has no living father or brothers (and even there, I suspect Jasper Arryn may have had doubts as to her ability to hold onto Ironoaks). This is very firmly a realm where women are by general rule treated as weaker than men, secondary to men, and lesser than men; any exception to that is, well, an exception, and not the rule. 

That point of view extends to the wedding ceremony in Westeros. The symbolic point of the cloaking ceremony during a Westerosi wedding is to mark the point where, as Tyrion notes during Margaery’s wedding to Joffrey, the bride “passe[s] from her father’s protection to her husband’s”. This is a moment of reinforcing Westerosi gender norms - the man as the powerful protector, the woman as the grateful recipient of his protection. Even in the examples above, it’s men (or a male teenager, in Joffrey’s case) who are “giving” the brides to their respective husbands (though of course, in Theon’s case there was little in the way of other choice: as Arya’s “father is dead and all her brothers”, “[h]er mother perished at the Twins” and “[h]er uncles are lost or dead or captive”, Theon is “the nearest thing she has to living kin”). 

So I would suspect that in the vast majority of Westerosi weddings, a male relative, even one not in power and/or without the family name, would be found to “give” the bride to her husband. If one of Anya’s daughters were being married, for example, I could see where eldest brother Morton, as heir apparent to Ironoaks, would play the role of his father and cloak his sister in her Waynwood cloak. If there were no male relatives could be found anywhere, then perhaps a woman - especially the mother of the bride - could play the role, but I would guess that it would be made explicit that the lady was doing this only because the bride’s actual father was dead/gone and she was the closest approximation to the bride’s father - in other words, that she was clearly standing in what should normally be a male role.

Of course, it’s worth pointing out that how necessary a cloaking ceremony is to a Westerosi wedding is at best speculative. There are some weddings where we don’t know who played the father part in the cloaking (Gyldayn doesn’t mention it in the context of the Golden Wedding, for instance, when Alyssa’s father Aethan was dead - though I wouldn’t be surprised if it were brother Daemon who played the role), and some weddings where I doubt a formal cloaking ceremony happened at all, and certainly not a father’s cloaking (the secret marriages of Baela Targaryen and Alyn Velaryon and the future Jaehaerys II and Shaera Targaryen, for example). 

#asoiaf meta #laws and customs #ruling ladies #anya waynwood #marriage in asoiaf

[si-national-portrait-gallery]

Yehudi Menuhin, Mark S. Joffe, 1932, Smithsonian: National Portrait Gallery

Size: 66.1cm x 81.3cm (26" x 32"), Image Medium: Oil on canvas

https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.88.TC141

#npg #nationalportraitgallery #museumarchive #marksjoffe #openaccess

[winterfellchild]

Sansa Stark is a trueborn Stark

I read many haters comments yesterday in the Sansa’s tag, sadly I didn’t have time to reply but I was really annoyed that some people liked to talk about bookSansa and showSansa to point out how showSansa ruined everything in Westeros because she is too different from bookSansa and too powerful and she shouldn’t rule WInterfell.

Before anything else, I'll like to point out that I agree to some extent that bookSansa is not the same of showSansa, but even if the same applies to bookJon, bookDanielle, bookArya, bookBran, bookJamie, bookCersei and so on only the nonsense that are written in the Sansa’s tag are so out of control that I must say I find it alarming… there is so much hate for a fictional character and a collective ignorance of the books ( I have no problem with this if someone has not read the books but I’m annoyed by people who read them and still ignored GRRM words).

Anyway this is gonna be very very long ( even boring for someone) and biased for sure on some levels but nevertheless I’ll share my opinion about some nonsense I read in no particular order under the cut because really saying that Sansa is an unfit Stark or that there is no textual explanations for Sansa becoming Lady of Winterfell is too annoying for me.

First of all imho, like I was saying, it’s sad that the fandom could be so much better if only people read everything in the books before talking about what GRRM wrote and blabbering about FACTS while ignoring/denying what they don't like just because Sansa is “the bane” of Westeros.

But I know asking people to read before blabbering is an utopian dream.

That said let’s talk about the fact that bookSansa was always the least Northern and most Southern of all her siblings and for this reason she is an unfit Stark or not a true Stark or a second-rate Stark or some other nonsense like these so she won’t be Lady of Winterfell in the books.

I don't even know where to begin with this ridiculousness because really saying that Sansa was the most Southern of the Stark is stating the obvious.

Is this a surprise to anyone that read the books that she was a lot like her mother, a Southern lady, in AGOT?

GRRM made no secret of this and in the first book one way how he highlighted this is the fact that he made perfectly clear that Sansa wanted to go to King's Landing, it’s something really important for her character arc.

What I don’t get it’s the fact that this is a bad thing that made Sansa unfit to be Lady of Winterfell after 4 books given that it’s also clear from the first book that Sansa regretted her wish to go South/being a Southern lady and wanted to go back to her home in the North by the end of AGOT.

Sansa backed away from them. "I did as the queen asked, I wrote the letters, I wrote what she told me. You promised you'd be merciful. Please, let me go home. I won't do any treason, I'll be good, I swear it, I don't have traitor's blood, I don't. I only want to go home."

In that quote GRRM is telling us readers that Sansa didn't want to stay in King's Landing after she understood what kind of place that really was and the true nature of the people there, she wanted to go home.

And he said it again in ACOK

Home, she thought, home, he is going to take me home, he'll keep me safe, my Florian.

and here

"They tell me you visit the godswood every day. What do you pray for, Sansa?"

I pray for Robb's victory and Joffrey's death . . . and for home. For Winterfell.

It's also rather noteworthy to mention that Sansa dreamed to be back in Winterfell more than once in the books.

Since I talked about Sansa and King’s Landing it’s also worth pointing out that I always read some haters like to point out that it was somehow Sansa's just punishment that she became a prisoner in King's Landing because she wanted to be like a Southern lady.

That has nothing to do with her initial wish to be like a Southern lady, it was the unfortunate series of events that made Sansa a prisoner.

Of course haters that like to judge and to condemn her saying things like "she should have known Joffrey and Cersei were bad" or " she shouldn't have dreamed to be a Southern lady" because it was clear are so hypocritical.

Well, it was not clear from her POV and the readers better understanding of some characters is based on the knowledge that reading other characters POV gave them so saying Sansa shouldn’t have do this or that without even trying to understand her POV isn't really a good argument to justify stupid accusations.

In other words it’s really easy to say that Sansa was wrong when you're a reader and know a lot more than her because it’s always easy to recognise mistakes in hindsight and in this case what the readers know from the start about Joffrey and Cersei is what Sansa know in hindsight.

As a matter of fact it’s easier because she had a kicka*s cool younger sister that seemed to be smarter than her because she was a better judge of characters. But let's be honest, being a good judge of characters is not easy and most of us aren't.

What a beautiful world it would be if everyone was able to judge people from the start.

For example let's just think about the women who wouldn't be victims of their partners if only they knew from the start that they were bad people.

Sansa's misjudgement of the Lannisters is realistic and even understandable when we consider that she was only a child that had everything she ever wanted growing up and didn't know how cruel the world can really be at that time.

How it’s alright and fair to blame a child with so much hate for having sweet dreams or for misjudging  people I'll never get it... we all made mistake.

The world is full of people who made wrong decisions because no one is perfect…  it’s a FACT

GRRM wrote Sansa as a child that dreamed of the South and that made mistakes in the first book not because she is an undeserving Stark, blood is thicker than water and he did gave her a direwolf to prove that she is a real and deserving Stark but he had a plan for her and he started to work on it from the very start... it’s something that is commonly referred to as character development (x):

Character Development is, by definition, the change in characterization of a dynamic character, who changes over the course of a narrative. At its core, it shows a character changing.

And this change for Sansa started the moment her dream prince said

Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!

In Sansa's narrative that was her cruel and horrible wake-up call when everything she knew and loved was destroyed, her dreams became nightmares.

It’s for this reason that this declaration of love and trust for Joffrey

Her gallant prince would never hurt her father, no matter what he might have done. 

If she went to him and pleaded for mercy, she was certain he'd listen. He had to listen, he loved her, even the queen said so. 

Joff would need to punish Father, the lords would expect it, but perhaps he could send him back to Winterfell, or exile him to one of the Free Cities across the narrow sea. It would only have to be for a few years. 

By then she and Joffrey would be married. Once she was queen, she could persuade Joff to bring Father back and grant him a pardon.

turned into this declaration of hate at the end of AGOT.

"I don't want to marry you," Sansa wailed. "You chopped off my father's head!"

"He was a traitor. I never promised to spare him, only that I'd be merciful, and I was. If he hadn't been your father, I would have had him torn or flayed, but I gave him a clean death."

Sansa stared at him, seeing him for the first time. He was wearing a padded crimson doublet patterned with lions and a cloth-of-gold cape with a high collar that framed his face. She wondered how she could ever have thought him handsome. His lips were as soft and red as the worms you found after a rain, and his eyes were vain and cruel. "I hate you," she whispered.

Moving on from the first book to the second one it's clear that what GRRM started at the end of AGOT continued in ACOK when he wrote this in Sansa first chapter of ACOK

Once she had loved Prince Joffrey with all her heart, and admired and trusted his mother, the queen. They had repaid that love and trust with her father's head. Sansa would never make that mistake again.

That said and going back to Sansa the “undeserving” Stark another reason why some people think Sansa is ill-suited as a Stark it’s because she learned to rule from Southerns.

Learning so much from not Northerners is not a black mark against Sansa when every book reader knows that this is a parallel with her father, the most Northern person in this story, that was sent to be fostered at the Eyrie when he was eight years old.

Just like Sansa, her father learned another style of life outside of Winterfell but that never changed the fact that he was a Stark and it's the same for Sansa, she always treasured her being a Stark.

She never considered herself not the daughter of Lord Eddard and Lady Catelyn Stark even if she dreamed about castles and knights in the South at the beginning of the story and even if she is hiding to save her life in the last book published so far.

The Stark lineage is something essential for her, it’s not just a way to be that can be easily forgotten it’s in her blood and in her moments of need she gains strength from it:

 "Do as you're told, sweetling, it won't be so bad. Wolves are supposed to be brave, aren't they?"

Brave. Sansa took a deep breath. I am a Stark, yes, I can be brave.

 She threw back the coverlets. I must be brave. Her torments would soon be ended, one way or the other.

 I must be brave, like Robb, she told herself, as she took her lord husband stiffly by the arm

 And this is a very important sentence in AFFC

I am Sansa Stark, Lord Eddard's daughter and Lady Catelyn's, the blood of Winterfell.

    Another supposed thing that made Sansa less Stark is the fact that she believed in the new Gods just like her mother.

Let's look at this from every angle before we jump to conclusion that Sansa didn't believe in her father’s Old Gods. 

GRRM wrote in the very first book:

Sometimes she prayed in the godswood as well, since the Starks kept the old gods.

 And in ACOK he specifically told us that Sansa didn't just dismiss her father's Gods, she believed in them too even when she was more fascinated by the new Gods:

 There was something wild about a godswood; even here, in the heart of the castle at the heart of the city, you could feel the old gods watching with a thousand unseen eyes.

Sansa had favored her mother's gods over her father's. She loved the statues, the pictures in leaded glass, the fragrance of burning incense, the septons with their robes and crystals, the magical play of the rainbows over altars inlaid with mother-of-pearl and onyx and lapis lazuli. Yet she could not deny that the godswood had a certain power too. Especially by night. Help me, she prayed, send me a friend, a true knight to champion me . . .

  He told us the same thing in one of Sansa’s memory when he said that “when she was just a little girl” Sansa prayed to the New and Old Gods. It was a childish desire but she prayed both:

Sansa had prayed to the Seven in their sept and old gods of the heart tree, asking them to bring the old man back.

 And talking more about the Old Gods it's not a coincidence that in King's Landing the Godswood became the only place where Sansa felt somehow safe and where she was free to talk about going home.

 After her escape from King's Landing she searched the peace and protection in the old Gods even in the Vale.

 It was the old days she hungered for. Prayed for. But who could she pray to? The garden had been meant for a godswood once, she knew, but the soil was too thin and stony for a weirwood to take root. A godswood without gods, as empty as me.

 So, that’s why I think it’s unfair to say that Sansa has no links with the Old Gods and the godswood because she visited the godswood a lot and prayed to the Old Gods too.

I’m sorry that this became so long and I’m not even started to talk about how Sansa doesn't deserve to be in Winterfell and be the Lady of Winterfell because there isn’t textual explanation that her character arc will go there in the books too.

In the books Sansa is the key to the North and the first time someone acknowledged it was before Robb died.

So, here a quick list of characters who acknowledged she is very important and linked to Winterfell just to show a little textual explanations about why Winterfell is in her near future even in the books :

Lord Tywin

Tyrion

Cersei

Lord Varys

Lady Olenna

Margaery

Littlefinger

Robb.

 Last thing I want to talk briefly about is how Sansa being Lady of WInterfell is an offense to Arya and Bran.

According to some people Bran’s storyline will end with him rebuilding Winterfell.

I have only one thing to say about this:  IT IS NOT HIS DESTINY

Hate Sansa but why should you bring Bran down too?

How can anyone miss the fact that he was Lord of Winterfell but that his destiny was not to be the Lord in Winterfell, he is a magic being now… and  imho he will be so until his dying day ( for the record I think he will survive by the end of the story).

Of course he won’t be that robo-Bran that we saw in season 7 but he won’t go back to being just a “normal” human being after such a difficult journey.

And to tell the truth to say that he should be the Lord of Winterfell again is going back to the start and erasing his journey.

To conclude this topic about Bran, I should like to open a short parenthesis: rebuilding Winterfell means that the Stark dynasty should not die and this is something Bran can’t do since he can’t have children.

According to the same people Sansa being Lady of Winterfell is a disservice to Arya too.

Now that was just too stupid to even talk about it because it was something related to Danielle having more rights to rule over Winterfell than Sansa and Arya being Danielle’s Hand was the icing on the cake.

So the bottom line was that Sansa being Lady of Winterfell was also a serious offense to Danielle.

First of all Danielle HAS NO RIGHT OVER WINTERFELL AND THE NORTH and the Vale of Arryn that pledged for House Stark and the Riverlands that I’m sure will go back to House Tully and therefore will pledge to House Stark.

I’m not being an hater but it’s true that right now Danielle doesn’t even have right to rule over the other Kingdoms since Jon is the true heir to the Iron Throne.

So before starting to claim the North for her, some even claim Ghost will connect with her,  haters can worry about the other Kingdoms because her situation is not as rosy as you might think.

Also since Winterfell is Sansa’s birthright ( only Bran comes before her in the Stark line of succession but his destiny removed him from it) everyone who don’t want Sansa as Lady of Winterfell should just shut up no matter what because GRRM will bring Sansa home and she will be Lady of Winterfell in the books too.

She is the KEY TO THE NORTH and as Jon said by right Winterfell should go to her.

It’s in her destiny, it’s her character arc and it was forshadowed so much with the prophecies of slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow and of the girl in grey on a dying horse reaching Jon at the Wall and also Sansa actually rebuilding Winterfell in the snow.

We cannot ignore the fact that Sansa is the more suited Stark to continuing the Stark dynasty, motherhood is in her character arc too.

And in conclusion, Sansa is the most likely candidate to be the “younger and more beautiful queen” to cast Cersei down, but I really can’t start talking about that too because this is toooo long and I already said what I think about it here (x).

Haters will hate but the reason why Sansa is so powerful is the same reason why in the books GRRM gave her so many POV chapters... because she is important for the North and for the Starks.

#the hate is real #and it's so annoying #Sansa is important deal with it #she is the key to the North #she is the Stark that will rebuilt Winterfell in the books as she is doing in the show #Sansa is a Stark #it's in her blood #Sansa Stark

[jasonlawson0]

Virtual signing ceremony marks B.C.'s Wet'suwet'en rights and title agreement

VICTORIA — A virtual ceremony, where everyone involved pointed the freshly signed document at their cameras, marked the start of a new relationship between the hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en Nation and the federal and B.C. governments.

Government representatives and the hereditary chiefs who oppose Coastal GasLink's pipeline going across their traditional territories signed a memorandum of understanding that was negotiated amid countrywide blockades, marches and encampments earlier this year.

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"One by one we signed as it was being recorded and everyone could see it," Scott Fraser, B.C.'s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, said in an interview on Thursday.

"Essentially, it was signed all today on the Zoom call," said Fraser, who was in his ministerial office in Victoria during the event.

The traditional in-person signing ceremony was shelved to respect guidelines from public health officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The memorandum does not address Wet'suwet'en opposition to the pipeline, which is part of a $40-billion liquefied natural gas export terminal project in Kitimat, on B.C.'s northern coast. But it states that the federal and B.C. governments recognize Wet'suwet'en rights and title are held under their system of governance.

It also places timelines over a 12-month period on negotiations affecting jurisdiction over land-use planning, resources, water, wildlife, fish, and child and family wellness, among other things.

Hereditary Chief Dini'ze Woos said in a statement the agreement starts work towards building better understanding and stronger relationships between the Wet'suwet'en, Canada and B.C.

"Wet'suwet'en people, regardless of political views and opinions can now visualize certainty," said Woos.

Our priorities are to mobilize safety measures for all Wet'suwet'en people, promote the nation's existence and protect its traditions, the chief said.

The Wet'suwet'en are governed by both a traditional hereditary chief system and elected band councils.

Five elected Wet'suwet'en councils signed agreements with Coastal GasLink, allowing the 670-kilometre natural gas pipeline to be built through their territory in northern B.C. to Kitimat.

The elected chiefs said they were shut out of the negotiating process and issued a statement Thursday that said the agreement was not valid because it wasn't approved by the Wet'suwet'en people. The chiefs called for the resignation of Carolyn Bennett, federal Indigenous-Crown relations minister.

"We must express our complete lack of confidence in all parties in this fast-tracked negotiation process," said the statement signed by four elected chiefs. "They have no mandate from the people and the simple logistics of trying to carry out complex negotiations during a pandemic are formidable."

Bennett said in a statement that the agreement is an important step toward rebuilding the relationship with the Wet'suwet'en.

"As negotiations begin, a comprehensive, inclusive and transparent engagement process will support the parties so they can work together towards a final agreement on the affirmation and implementation of Wet'suwet'en rights and title," she said.

Fraser said negotiations with the hereditary chiefs will include talks with elected Wet'suwet'en leaders, neighbouring Indigenous nations, local governments and others with an interest in what happens. He said the agreement allows for concerns about Wet'suwet'en governance issues to be addressed.

"That's an internal Wet'suwet'en issue," he said. "It's about self-determination."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2020.

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[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

One Mann's Movies Film Review: Before I Go To Sleep (2014)

One Mann’s Movies Film Review: Before I Go To Sleep (2014)

“Before I Go To Sleep” is an effective psychological thriller.

Nicole Kidman plays Christine Lucas, someone who if she saw “50 First Dates” wouldn’t remember it the morning afterwards!  She wakes as a forty-something ‘housewife’ in her suburban home every morning with Ben (Colin Firth) in bed next to her.  However, she can remember little to nothing of the last twenty years. 

She is being…

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#Anne-Marie Duff #Before I Go To Sleep #Ben Davis #bob-the-movie-man #Colin Firth #Ed Shearmur #film review #Mark Strong #Melanie Oliver #Nicole Kidman #One Mann&039;s Movies #Review #Ridley Scott #Rowan Joffe

[allbestnet]

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#books

[putlocker-tv]

Working Class Boy

With nine albums to his name Jimmy Barnes is one of Australia s greatest rock icons But his success masked a life of hardship and abuse where the music that once saved him from oblivion almost came back to destroy him Before Jimmy Barnes was Jimmy Barnes he was James Dixon Swan a troubled kid from the mean streets of Glasgow and the even meaner streets of North Adelaide trying to survive against a backdrop of addiction alcoholism poverty and abuse For Jimmy escape was the only option and he found it with a band called Cold Chisel But the rock n roll lifestyle has its own temptations and the scars of childhood are always waiting to take you home Based on the bestselling memoir and directed by veteran Australian filmmaker Mark Joffe Working Class Boy is both an inspiring story of rock and redemption told in Barnes own words and an unflinchingly honest reflection on fame creativity and depression source http://PutlockerTV.onl/movie/working-class-boy

#New Movies

[emerygoat26-blog]

Type 2 Diabetes and Endotoxemia

by Maelán Fontes

Currently there’s an epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D) worldwide, especially in Westernized countries. T2D is characterized by persistent elevated glucose levels due to disrupted insulin action or an alteration in pancreatic insulin production1.

It was estimated that 171 million people were suffering from T2D in 2001, with a total overall population prevalence of 6%. More alarming is the fact that in Caucasian adolescents 4% suffer from T2D and 25% are glucose intolerant1. However, T2D prevalence in hunter-gatherer societies is low2-6, and even nonexistent in the island of Kitava in Trobiand Islands in Papua New Guinea3.

Genetics does not seem to explain the difference, because when these populations are Westernized they suffer even more from diseases of civilization such as T2D, obesity, myocardial infarction and stroke among others7-10 than original Western populations. Furthermore, there’s evidence showing that hunter-gatherer populations can reverse T2D when they are resettled in their ancient habitat8, a fact that has been demonstrated in two recent clinical trials conducted on Western populations11, 12.

Insulin resistance seems to be one of the factors involved in T2D which is caused, by low-grade chronic inflammation13-15 among other factors. Interestingly, low-grade chronic inflammation is a hallmark16-19 in T2D patients.

Considering these factors, it seems plausible that the nutrition introduced with the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago played an important role in the current diabetes epidemic in Westernized populations. Western foods are overload with antinutrients, namely lectins, saponins and gliadin, which may explain the great disparity between paleolithic and modern Western food when it comes to metabolic syndrome (a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes). There is evidence showing that antinutrients act as endocrine disrupting substances, promoting metabolic syndrome20. On the other hand, antinutrients may elicit their negative health effects through increased intestinal permeability21. However, scant evidence exists regarding the role of antinutrients in the aetiology of Western diseases.

Gliadin and increased intestinal permeability

One of the most studied foods in the recent years is wheat, which contains a protein called gliadin, and is part of the gluten protein family22. Gliadin increases gut permeability by means of Zonulin production (a protein that regulates in tight junctions between cells in the wall of the digestive tract) in the gut enterocytes (epithelial cells found in the small intestines and colon). Zonulin binds the CXCR3 chemokine receptor leading to intracellular signalling cascades, mediated by protein kinase C (PKC), which ultimately causes disruption of the tight junction proteins which maintain the gut barrier function, and lead to increased gut permeability23, 24.

In addition, when intestinal permeability is increased, gliadin - which is resistant to heat and digestive enzymes - is able to interact with gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) stimulating the innate immune system, leading to low-grade chronic inflammation22, 24. Several studies have demonstrated that gliadin induces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (a small protein released by cells that has a specific effect on the interactions between cells, communications between cells or the behavior of cells), independent of one’s genetic predisposition to celiac disease – which is virtually everyone23, 25, 26.

Lectins and increased gut permeability

Lectins are a family of glycoproteins (a complex protein containing a carbohydrate combined with a simple protein) found in the plant kingdom, including grains, legumes and solanacous plants (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers)21, 27. Lectins also have the ability to bind sugar containing molecules. They were first studied for their ability to agglutinate (cause to adhere) red blood cells by binding to their cell membranes. Many lectins present in other foods are harmless, but some lectins found in grains, legumes and solanaceous plants have been shown to be harmful to human physiology28. Lectins are resistant to heat (unless cooked by pressure cooking)29 and digestive enzymes38, and therefore arrive intact when they reach the intestinal epithelium, passing through the intestinal barrier into peripheral circulation. Lectins are able to bind peripheral tissues, producing many deleterious health effects21. Furthermore, lectins disrupt intestinal barrier and immunological function when they bind surface glycans (a carbohydrate polymer containing simple sugars) on gut epithelial cells, causing cellular disruption and increasing gut permeability. Lectins also facilitate the growth of certain bacteria strains, stimulate T-cell proliferation, increase intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM), stimulate production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, TNF-alpha, etc.), and amplify HLA class II molecules expression, among other effects21.

Saponins and increased gut permeability

Saponins are glycoalkaloids (a family of poisons commonly found in the plant species Solanum dulcamara - nightshades) produced by plants, technically known as steroid glycosides or triterpenoids, are formed by a sugar compound (glucuronic acid, glucose or galactose, among others) and aglycone (non-sugar molecule) portion30-32. The aglycone portion binds the cholesterol molecule on gut cell membranes. When certain amounts of saponins bind cell membrane cholesterol molecules of the intestinal epithelial cells at a 1:1 ratio, the sugar portion of the saponins bind together, resulting in a complex molecule consisting of cholesterol and saponins. This new molecule disrupts the gut barrier and increases intestinal permeability. This has been shown in humans who consume a diet rich in alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine - two of the saponins found in potatoes31.

On the other hand, saponins have adjuvant-like activity, which means that they are able to affect the immune system leading to pro-inflammatory cytokine production33, 34, ultimately inducing insulin resistance.

Intestinal permeability and endotoxemia

Intestinal epithelia act as a physical barrier between the outside and the inside of the body, meaning that the intestinal lumen is technically outside the organism. When the intestinal barrier is disrupted, it allows increased passage of gut luminal antigens derived from food, bacteria and viruses into the organism21. In case of bacteria derived antigens, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the most commonly studied and utilized antigen to induce acute immune stimulation, this is known as endotoxemia (the presence of endotoxins - a toxin that forms an integral part of the cell wall of certain bacteria - in the blood which may cause hemorrhages, necrosis of the kidneys, and shock)35. In addition, endotoxemia is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and T2D13, 18, 36. In a recent human study it was demonstrated that LPS induced low-grade chronic inflammation in adipose tissue in T2D36 humans.

LPS-TLR4 interaction and low-grade chronic inflammation

The innate immune system is localised in the GALT. When luminal antigens pass through the intestinal barrier, they are phagocited (consumed) by dendritic cells or macrophagues, key components of the innate immune system. Dendritic cells or macrophagues recognize antigens through a family of receptors known as Toll-like receptors (TLR). The best studied and known antigens from gram negative bacteria are LPS which interact with toll-like receptors-4 (TLR4), inducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and ultimately insulin resistance and T2D35. Interestingly, a recently published study demonstrated increased TLR4 expression in T2D humans, contributing to an increased inflammatory state37.

In summary, antinutrients introduced with the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago may be one of the causal factors in the epidemic of obesity, (as well as T2D) in Western countries. Lectins, saponins and gliadin increase intestinal permeability and allow increased passage of gut bacteria from intestinal lumen to peripheral circulation. LPS - an antigen found in gram-negative bacteria cell membranes - interacts with TLR-4, leading to inflammatory cytokine production and low-grade chronic inflammation, which is at the root of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is recognised to induce the metabolic syndrome, including T2D. Endotoxemia-induced insulin resistance in T2D patients may be exacerbated, in part, by antinutrients.

References:

Stumvoll M, Goldstein BJ, van Haeften TW. Type 2 diabetes: principles of pathogenesis and therapy. Lancet 2005;365(9467):1333-46.

Joffe BI, Jackson WP, Thomas ME, Toyer MG, Keller P, Pimstone BL. Metabolic responses to oral glucose in the Kalahari Bushmen. British medical journal 1971;4(5781):206-8.

Lindeberg S, Eliasson M, Lindahl B, Ahren B. Low serum insulin in traditional Pacific Islanders--the Kitava Study. Metabolism: clinical and experimental 1999;48(10):1216-9.

Merimee TJ, Rimoin DL, Cavalli-Sforza LL. Metabolic studies in the African pygmy. The Journal of clinical investigation 1972;51(2):395-401.

Spielman RS, Fajans SS, Neel JV, Pek S, Floyd JC, Oliver WJ. Glucose tolerance in two unacculturated Indian tribes of Brazil. Diabetologia 1982;23(2):90-3.

Zimmet P. Epidemiology of diabetes and its macrovascular manifestations in Pacific populations: the medical effects of social progress. Diabetes care 1979;2(2):144-53.

Cruickshank JK, Mbanya JC, Wilks R, Balkau B, McFarlane-Anderson N, Forrester T. Sick genes, sick individuals or sick populations with chronic disease? The emergence of diabetes and high blood pressure in African-origin populations. International journal of epidemiology 2001;30(1):111-7.

O'Dea K. Marked improvement in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in diabetic Australian aborigines after temporary reversion to traditional lifestyle. Diabetes 1984;33(6):596-603.

O'Dea K, Spargo RM, Akerman K. The effect of transition from traditional to urban life-style on the insulin secretory response in Australian Aborigines. Diabetes care 1980;3(1):31-7.

O'Dea K, Spargo RM, Nestel PJ. Impact of Westernization on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in Australian Aborigines. Diabetologia 1982;22(3):148-53.

Jonsson T, Granfeldt Y, Ahren B, et al. Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study. Cardiovascular diabetology 2009;8:35.

Lindeberg S, Jonsson T, Granfeldt Y, et al. A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease. Diabetologia 2007;50(9):1795-807.

Fernandez-Real JM, Pickup JC. Innate immunity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM 2008;19(1):10-6.

Reyna SM, Ghosh S, Tantiwong P, et al. Elevated toll-like receptor 4 expression and signaling in muscle from insulin-resistant subjects. Diabetes 2008;57(10):2595-602.

Song MJ, Kim KH, Yoon JM, Kim JB. Activation of Toll-like receptor 4 is associated with insulin resistance in adipocytes. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2006;346(3):739-45.

Duncan BB, Schmidt MI. The epidemiology of low-grade chronic systemic inflammation and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes technology & therapeutics 2006;8(1):7-17.

Kimberly MM, Cooper GR, Myers GL. An overview of inflammatory markers in type 2 diabetes from the perspective of the clinical chemist. Diabetes technology & therapeutics 2006;8(1):37-44.

Pickup JC. Inflammation and activated innate immunity in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes care 2004;27(3):813-23.

Spranger J, Kroke A, Mohlig M, et al. Inflammatory cytokines and the risk to develop type 2 diabetes: results of the prospective population-based European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam Study. Diabetes 2003;52(3):812-7.

Jonsson T, Olsson S, Ahren B, Bog-Hansen TC, Dole A, Lindeberg S. Agrarian diet and diseases of affluence--do evolutionary novel dietary lectins cause leptin resistance? BMC endocrine disorders 2005;5:10.

Cordain L, Toohey L, Smith MJ, Hickey MS. Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. The British journal of nutrition 2000;83(3):207-17.

Fasano A. Surprises from celiac disease. Scientific American 2009;301(2):54-61.

Drago S, El Asmar R, Di Pierro M, et al. Gliadin, zonulin and gut permeability: Effects on celiac and non-celiac intestinal mucosa and intestinal cell lines. Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology 2006;41(4):408-19.

Visser J, Rozing J, Sapone A, Lammers K, Fasano A. Tight junctions, intestinal permeability, and autoimmunity: celiac disease and type 1 diabetes paradigms. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2009;1165:195-205.

Bernardo D, Garrote JA, Fernandez-Salazar L, Riestra S, Arranz E. Is gliadin really safe for non-coeliac individuals? Production of interleukin 15 in biopsy culture from non-coeliac individuals challenged with gliadin peptides. Gut 2007;56(6):889-90.

Rakhimova M, Esslinger B, Schulze-Krebs A, Hahn EG, Schuppan D, Dieterich W. In vitro differentiation of human monocytes into dendritic cells by peptic-tryptic digest of gliadin is independent of genetic predisposition and the presence of celiac disease. Journal of clinical immunology 2009;29(1):29-37.

Kilpatrick DC, Pusztai A, Grant G, Graham C, Ewen SW. Tomato lectin resists digestion in the mammalian alimentary canal and binds to intestinal villi without deleterious effects. FEBS letters 1985;185(2):299-305.

Cordain L. Cereal grains: humanity's double-edged sword. World review of nutrition and dietetics 1999;84:19-73.

Grant G, More LJ, McKenzie NH, Pusztai A. The effect of heating on the haemagglutinating activity and nutritional properties of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) seeds. Journal of the science of food and agriculture 1982;33(12):1324-6.

Francis G, Kerem Z, Makkar HP, Becker K. The biological action of saponins in animal systems: a review. The British journal of nutrition 2002;88(6):587-605.

Patel B, Schutte R, Sporns P, Doyle J, Jewel L, Fedorak RN. Potato glycoalkaloids adversely affect intestinal permeability and aggravate inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory bowel diseases 2002;8(5):340-6.

Keukens EA, de Vrije T, van den Boom C, et al. Molecular basis of glycoalkaloid induced membrane disruption. Biochimica et biophysica acta 1995;1240(2):216-28.

Oda K, Matsuda H, Murakami T, Katayama S, Ohgitani T, Yoshikawa M. Adjuvant and haemolytic activities of 47 saponins derived from medicinal and food plants. Biological chemistry 2000;381(1):67-74.

Pickering RJ, Smith SD, Strugnell RA, Wesselingh SL, Webster DE. Crude saponins improve the immune response to an oral plant-made measles vaccine. Vaccine 2006;24(2):144-50.

Cani PD, Bibiloni R, Knauf C, et al. Changes in gut microbiota control metabolic endotoxemia-induced inflammation in high-fat diet-induced obesity and diabetes in mice. Diabetes 2008;57(6):1470-81.

Creely SJ, McTernan PG, Kusminski CM, et al. Lipopolysaccharide activates an innate immune system response in human adipose tissue in obesity and type 2 diabetes. American journal of physiology 2007;292(3):E740-7.

Dasu MR, Devaraj S, Park S, Jialal I. Increased toll-like receptor (TLR) activation and TLR ligands in recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic subjects. Diabetes care;33(4):861-8.

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Source: http://thepaleodiet.blogspot.com/2010/07/type-2-diabetes-and-endotoxemia.html

[wearemmauk-blog]

Cage Warriors 101: Aspinall vs Boukichou Results

Cage Warriors 101: Aspinall vs Boukichou Results - http://mmauk.net/2019/02/17/cage-warriors-101-aspinall-vs-boukichou-live-results/

Cage Warriors 101: Aspinall vs Boukichou Results

  The iconic fighting city of Liverpool lived up to it’s name tonight, with all but one of the city’s pro fighters bringing home wins for a packed-out crowd at the Exhibition Centre.

Despite an incredible night of fight action that left most fans leaving on a high, an unfortunate ending to CW101’s heavyweight main event saw Sofiane Boukichou suffer a broken leg after his kick was expertly checked by Tom Aspinall in the first round. A stark reminder of the immense power that professional athletes possess, and their willingness to put it all on the line for their sport.

In the co-main event, Tim Barnett weathered Adam Ventre’s early grappling onslaught to finish the fight with a devastating knockout, positioning himself as a top welterweight contender once again.

Elsewhere on the main card, Mick Stanton was victorious in a hard-fought battle with Jenaid Ebanks to avenge his loss in their last meeting in the amateur ranks, and Manuel Bilić upset the crowd with a very impressive submission win over Bryan Creighton.

Highlights from the pro prelims included an incredible back-and-forth war – undoubtedly the CW101 fight of the night – between Irish prospects Ian Garry and James Sheehan, with both young men being offered Cage Warriors contracts by company President Graham Boylan after the fight.

Also on the pro prelims, Liverpool names Anthony O’Connor and Adam Wilson picked up unanimous decision wins with their teammate and former lightweight champion Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett in their corner.

Next up for Cage Warriors is a return to London for CW102 on March 2nd, followed by  CW103 in Copenhagen on March 9th and CW104 in Cardiff on April 27th. Stay tuned for a huge announcement revealing more Cage Warriors 2019 dates in the coming week.

  Full Cage Warriors 101 results

  Main Card

  Tom Aspinall def. Sofiane Boukichou via TKO (Injury)

Tim Barnett def. Adam Ventre via KO (knee)

Manuel Bilić def. Bryan Creighton via technical submission (rear-naked choke)

Madars Fleminas def. Matthew Bonner via spilt decision

Mick Stanton def. Jenaid Ebanks via unanimous decision

  Pro Prelims

  Anthony O’Connor def. Steven Hooper via unanimous decision

Mark Kinsella def. Tomasz Wojtyna via unanimous decision

Adam Wilson def. Harry Ettridge via unanimous decision

Ian Garry def. James Sheehan via unanimous decision

Gavin Kelly def. Andrew Lofthouse via unanimous decision

    CWA North West Amateur Card 

  Adam Shelley (new CW Academy North West Lightweight Champion) def. Marcus Lewis via TKO (strikes)

Joffe Houlton def. Carl Dilks via submission (kimura)

Jamie Hayes def. Oskar Stachura via TKO (ground and pound – punches)

Tom Somerset def. Harrison Teare via TKO (ground and pound – punches)

Mariusz Mikolajewski def. Danny Dixon via Submission (rear-naked choke)

Ben Petches-Kelly def. Adam Caldwell via unanimous decision

Teddy Stringer def. Richie Lunt via TKO (ground and pound – punches)

#Cage Warriors 101 #CW 101

[thiswillbereportedtomanagement]

Top 10 Retailers 2017 This year was an exceptional one for independent luxury stores and the biggest names were at the top of their game, creatively outdoing one another each step of the way. Most notably, with streetwear strongly part of the high-fashion vernacular nowadays, it’s no longer a surprise to see shops place astronomically-priced brands next to mid-range streetwear labels. It all comes down to a careful curation and not only did some of our favorite spots refine their stock list but they also went a step above by delivering exciting activations and must-have collaborations. Whether it was a pop-up shop partnership with a music artist, an in-store art installation or a well-aligned product collab, it was evident that the most focused boutiques had the goal in mind to bring hordes of customers through their doors. While selling out product was a plus side to it all, the more important factor was continuing to bolster their reputation as elite purveyors of quality goods. And for some, especially the names we’ve listed below, they continued to make their mark with class and an undying commitment to their customer base. These are the top 10 retailers of 2017, in no particular order. 1. Maxfield LA Los Angeles’s Maxfield and Maxfield Gallery crushed the competition in terms of pop-up installations. They were already a cut above the rest when they partnered up with Vetements in January for a Dry Cleaning-themed space, then Fear of God followed suit as well as a team-up with music acts such as Daft Punk and Guns N’ Roses. Needless to say, Maxfield was the king of pop-ups in 2017. 2. colette It will be hard to see colette go as it closes its doors this December. Despite this, the iconic French retailer continued to show love for indie labels possessing great potential. Considered as “the trendiest store in the world,” colette brought us a slew of special activations and collabs this year including a Balenciaga takeover, a Chanel partnership that produced one of the most coveted Pharrell adidas Hu NMDs ever made and a Saint Laurent pop-up for its grand and final opus. 3. KM20 Olga Karput is a true visionary and her newly-opened mega store, KM20 in Moscow, has without a doubt cemented the city and the country of Russia as a true force in fashion. It’s an outpost for the coolest of the cool with the likes of Gosha, Virgil and Heron having had a helping hand in putting it on the map. But with Olga’s continued focus, KM20 is poised to make some even bigger waves this upcoming year. 4. Dover Street Market London No other retailer in the world can add whimsy and wonder to a shopping experience quite like Dover Street Market. Its London flagship had a monumental 2017 spearheading a number of collabs ahead of its competitors. The brand forges on as a formidable name in fashion and this year was just another impressive milestone for its creators Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe. 5. KITH Manhattan Ronnie Fieg had another big year with the grand opening of the new Manhattan KITH store in Soho. In addition to his long list of collaborations in 2017, Fieg also brought something new to his shop's latest outpost -- an art gallery in partnership with friend and collaborator Daniel Arsham. KITH’s name continues to expand globally but Fieg’s quest for domination will always be rooted in this particular New York location. 6. HAVEN HAVEN was another store that relocated and reopened -- it’s now a bigger and brighter space located at 190 Richmond Street East in Toronto. HAVEN’s rep has always preceded itself as a first-rate curator of fine Japanese streetwear and sneakers. Now, it has an even better outpost to house these hard-to-find gems. In addition to celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, HAVEN also debuted an in-house line of garments and accessories. 7. SSENSE SSENSE has firmly established itself as a top online shopping destination. The retailer does have an outpost in Montreal but most of its efforts are dedicated towards its web presence. With that said, much praise should be given to how SSENSE has transformed itself to become a triple threat in 2017, as a quality online shop, a cutting edge brick and mortar space and a must-read editorial site, all this thanks to founder Rami Atallah and 032c’s Joerg Koch. 8. END. Online and offline shoppers will always be lucky to have END. The U.K. shop, which also has a newly-opened Glasgow outpost, had a massive 2017 with its unforgettable sneaker and fashion collaborations. END.’s brand list continues to grow and more careful consideration is being taken to assure customers not only get the best products but the finest service, whether that’s fast shipping times or the not-to-be-missed discount codes and sales. 9. Slam Jam Socialism Globally, Slam Jam has defined the cool allure of streetwear for decades. 2017 brought the brand plenty of collaborations with some of the industry’s most respected brands, like 032c, NEIGHBORHOOD and Carhartt WIP. It also upped its editorial game through behind-the-scene stories and interviews alongside important street culture figures. SJS's stock lineup remains healthy and its special events continue to give strength to the surrounding community. 10. GR8 Tokyo Japan has always been at the forefront of streetwear and GR8 is one of the retailers in Tokyo making some groundbreaking moves. For one, its brand list is made up of all the who’s who in streetwear today. There’s a progressive mindset to the curation and it trickles down to the shop’s ultra-hip brand identity and special store activations. 2017 was a breakout year for GR8 and it's an establishment worth paying attention to in 2018. Read more at HYPEBEAST

https://hypebeast.com/?post=4024653

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