#starting 2021 off fabulous!!

[lizaluvsthis]

PART 2 HYPERFIXATION FOR SMG4: Mario looks at SMG4's browser history

Okay last one...(f-cking photos has a limit)

Previous hyperfixation (read first)

So it is true that SMG3 does torture SMG4's life by ruining his day(come back from the episode you used to be cool where smg3 said "usual")

Since the word "usual" is used from SMG3's statement after we learned from that episode where he "considered killing" him. Directly to smg4.

SPOILER...

Seems like SMG3 DOES love to put out a good show where he still makes smg4 suffer the most mildest things with apparent reasons of constant teasing for the man and Three just enjoys it.

(If SMG4 did things to ruin his life so badly, by smg4 doing so in purpose, then so should SMG3 WILL and would ruin his day back.)

Worst thing SMG3 would think of, is forgiving SMG4. Because why in hell would he do that after everything?

Not only... SMG3 hides behind his secret, and mentioning WOTFI 2021 where SMG3 said something along the lines with "try and make him cry" is and definitely puts on that SMG3 still concealed himself from his inner shell as his emotional break down to cover up the sensitive emotion he has.

And that it'd be so out of character and sudden to forgive smg4 just like that, he'd be in the usual doings of "Hell no f-cking way I'd do that just now, why would I forgive this assh-le for ruining my life?"

Because thats an emotional baggage for SMG3 to cope on, he livestreams himself on twitch to play random ass games for his stress relief because of him. SMG4 has been stuck with him for like- a decade now and this is sh-t ass ruining him

if you all shouldve noticed just now, smg4 hasnt apologized EVERYTHING to SMG3 yet. Because he wasn't sure how "emotions" and "actions" could play out from his character after he did those "assumable" things to break SMG3's dreams.

Thats simple. He's a very difficult man to comprehend with his own self thoughts, he's overwhelmed at himself to where it breaks him. If SMG3 is socially awkward to talking or making new friends, then so SMG4 is the one whos difficult to solve the problem with his causes (like saying sorry wasnt very easy for him to put out)

Cause all smg4 did was focus on his meme contents from doing what he loves, he broke three for being famous, and his cafe, with also his dreams on starting his own production, not to ALSO mention his damage to SMG3.

If smg3 would even still forgave him for doing all of that om purpose without even realizing. But to smg3, he didn't want to say he'll forgive SMG4 instead. He still recovers from each and everything from that.

Because he'd seen how fragile SMG4 is at this part. SMG4 could only rely with making his contents to get money off from youtube, to THEN paying the expenses for whatever waterbills, electricbills, his loans from the property he's paying for, foods from groceries.

Literally EVERYTHING.... he's been trying to provide and same this goes on with SMG3 where he started his coffee shop, the one who works two jobs as a twitch streamer and a cafe owner. (The reason why SMG3 gets money from thats how he could afford everything just by double timing his job)

Since smg4 doesnt know sh-t with jobs, SMG3 is up ahead him, smart enough to think. While SMG4's knowledge is a bit too unstable without any of his college experience since he didn't like school then he hates studying.

Studying helps you learn countless of things even tho its a hard challenge to try, you still need to learn either way to know bits of facts. SMG4 dropped out and didn't graduate from college, but did SMG3 continued college?

That remains unknown, but we do know for a fact he is twice as smarter than SMG4 and Mario. (God what a fabulous b-tch.)

The reason why college is important is that you can set a course of what you'd want to get a job you'd be capable of loving from. And knowing that SMG3 pays atleast too many stuff by marketing and selling or trading or who knows what from the internet to make him get that much of advantage to get enough money.

SMG3 improvised his skills to survive

And so if SMG4 could do the same he'd probably have the same braincells as his boyfriend/j

- (whoops I just realized that I moved the topic to college but eh-)

Anyway following on with our focused topic.

If SMG4 couldnt admit that he'd say sorry to SMG3, then there would be a constant loop of the friends not understanding each other.

I still have a feeling that SMG3 could almost understand, like he could see through what SMG4 has been feeling. But he couldnt show that emotion to four- it'd look WEIRD. for him. Better yet is that- SMG4 would most likely be the optimisstic one to show symapthy, but still- SMG3 is an empathetic man for SMG4.

Just so is SMG4 when he cant understand how his actions can cause consequences like smg3 for example, SMG3 didn't even do much damage to SMG4 after everything. Because what SMG3 thinks is that he- deserved it. Everything to him from what he had done to smg4- willl be always pointed at him as he only sees himself as the bad guy.

Like oh man- how assumable can smg4 be when smg3 gets something that he finally wishes to have for? Attention. And he's been the one saying "thats what we do for each other right?" When SMG4 did it his way while SMG3 has finally moved on. Like SMG4... I see you as the person who've been causing a lot by i mean ALOT. Of problems.

Four suffers because of this cause he never understands how relationships or just by general actions work, because he never had someone close to him to guide his way for understanding.

They both were literally born from a USB and then came down there to explore their new selves.

Not even once SMG4 thought about- "why did I do that to him? I should say sorry... If only I didnt destroy his cafe nor even his productions"

Its because FOUR WAS SO AFRAID. In repeat. Lets repeat this again.

Three cant forgive SMG4 because he's been having alot of thoughts from his head that would lead to the death of him.

And SMG4 cant apologize cause he's unaware of what would happen if he did. He would overthink about this... and better yet- Three's motions are unrecognizable so Four would keep on missing his chances if he'd want to say it. He wondered that if he told sorry to smg3, he'd be the one to blamed more and three would be more pissed. Because they both wanted to forget the past.

But the past is already apart of them, a memory they both went through together...

So... well- theres my fixating- :)))))

@b-r-i-n-g-x .

#smg4 #smg34 #smg3 #smg4 smg3 #lizafixates

[ghoulnextdoor]

Full Circle Lady Vampire – Unquiet Things

In September of 2017, I posted a fancy lady vampire painting to my various social medias. opining that surely my friends had it in their hearts to pool their resources and purchase it for me to hang in my boudoir for all eternity, to the tune of a cool 14K. As it happened, no one loved me enough for that! Regardless, I never forgot her lovely, spoiled little face, and I continued the tradition of posting the painting every now and again over the ensuing years. I loved her so much that I wanted to include her in The Art of Darkness, but alas, Richard Bober, the artist, never answered even one of my approximate 90 billion emails. it was not to be.

Sometime in the year 2021, Handsome Devils Puppets and I started plotting and scheming on the idea of coaxing her off the canvas and transferring her soul into the floopy-limbed, fabulously attired vessel of a custom marionette, as a sister puppet for Sei Shōnagon and Maria Germaova.

The project began in earnest in June of 2023, a month after I had written a blog post that blew up everywhere and got a lot of attention, inquiring about the mysteriously unknown artist of an iconic book cover for a certain edition of a much-beloved book. I was privy to a lot of speculation and chatted quite frequently with the podcaster who was eventually to report on it; I’d pass along more guesses and suggestions that I was receiving from blog commenters and emails, and she’d share industry tidbits and whispers that she was amassing in her detective work. A name eventually emerged that one or two people seemed quite certain about, and though it was a bit of a wild ride getting there–it was eventually revealed that those eagle-eyed individuals were correct. Y’ALL. Richard freaking Bober –the artist responsible for my favorite gorgeous goldilocked vampire mean girl– was the artist who created THAT cover art for Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time!!

That cover was something I wanted to include in The Art of Fantasy, but I thought, “Why bother? no one knows who the artist is; who would I even ask for permission?” But isn’t it funny that both these pieces of art caught my eye for various reasons, and without even realizing they were the same artist, I was hoping to have them in the pages of separate books?

I later learned through interviews with Richard Bober’s family and nephews that he was a bit of a recluse, and I don’t think he emailed much, so chances are, I was never going to receive a response to my inquiries anyway! And sadly, he died in late 2022, so he never lived to get proper credit for that book cover. From everything I’ve heard, though, I’m not sure he would have even cared!

So in a very roundabout way, this feels like it has come round full circle. Or looped around several times and tangled confusingly because I do tell a rambling story.

Anyway, isn’t she beautiful? She’s totally gonna steal my soul tonight. Worth it.

[youaresimplylovely]

“Fast and Fabulous: A Driven Love” 

---- A love story between a Formula 1 Driver and a Supermodel

Chapter 2 (Prev. Chapter) Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Pairing: Carlos Sainz!Formula 1 Driver x Famous Supermodel!Reader

Words: 727 words

Warnings: Fluff, major plot twist at the end hahaha, mentions of F1, timeline in the story starts at 2021, translated filipino :>

Proofread!!

Summary: An Evening with The Dela Cruz Family

Pots, pans, and utensils clatter around the kitchen of the Dela Cruz house. Your mother groaned, putting down the knife she used to chop the potatoes. You could see the anger in her eyes when your father came home to work as he entered the house. 

"Hi, honey."

 Your father grins nervously as he smiles at your mother. You and your brother turn your heads from the TV as you look at your father, holding your laughs. You could hear the nervousness from your father's voice.

“Ano ba yan Jean! Ilang beses na ah! No shoes diyos ko! (What is that Jean! How many times already! No shoes my God!)” 

Your mother loudly scoffed, approaching your father and glaring at him.

 "I know, mon amour, and I'm so sorry, and I am also sorry for being late."

 Your father chuckles nervously, approaching your mother. He hugs her, rubbing her back, trying to calm her down. 

"Now, mon amour, care to tell me why you're so mad? Other than me?.” Your father flashed a bright smile. 

"Pretty sure all you, Dad."

 Mark laughed, sitting up from the couch as he patted his father's shoulder. 

"Mark!" Your mother glared at him, making him laugh even more. 

"Ay, I'm sorry, ma.; here, let me help you cook." Mark smiled softly, heading to the kitchen to continue his mother's left-off cooking. 

"Sometimes I forget mama is half Filipino and half Spanish."

 Pao snickered, watching you and your Kuya James (older brother) play F1 21'. 

"Isa ka pa Paolo! (You are another one, Paolo!)."

Your mother pulled away from the hug with your father as she glared at Pao.

"AH! Ma! You are the most beautiful woman, and I love you very much."

Pao's eyes widened at his mother's yelling; he sat up, approached her, and hugged her.    Your mom snickered, wrapping his arms around Pao and hugging him. 

"You know I don't like you coming home late." Your mother pouted at your father, still hugging Pao. 

"I know, mon amour, and I'm sorry, we just had so many meetings." 

Your father apologized, kissing your mother's cheek and making your mother smile. 

"Oh hey there, honey." Your father smiled, seeing you, sitting next to you.

"Hi there, father." You giggle, smiling, putting the PS4 controller down. 

"Ah, playing F1 21'?" Your father smiled at you and James. 

"Our little girl is excited to finally attend her first F1 race." James chuckled, pinching your cheek.

"Well, it's good honey that the race we're attending is at Monza; I picked it out for you cause I know you're such a Ferrari fan."

 Your father smiled, opening his arms. Smiling happily, you bury your face in his chest, sighing contentedly. 

"Thank you, Dad." you smile, looking up at your father. 

You couldn't be happier; you've been an F1 fan for many years, yet you've never attended a race. The reason you always gave was that you were busy, especially as a supermodel, which is true, but you were scared. More than worried, you never knew why. This was how you always felt, but that didn't matter anymore; attending your first race is great, and now you're excited. Your brothers attended races except for Pao; it was both your first. 

The Dela Cruz family is a complete sports fan, except when picking teams to support, especially in Formula 1. Your father and three older brothers supported Mercedes. They always have and always will. While you were a Ferrari fan, solid, as in, and then Pao, who is the complete polar opposite of you. He was a Red Bull fan, which is crazy, and you keep saying that to him. 

Soon, Your thoughts were disturbed by a long, loud flush of the toilet coming from the bathroom, causing everyone to look at the door. Laughing as they saw your other older brother, Kuya Dan (older brother), come out of the bathroom, chuckling nervously. 

"What's up? Oh hey, dad,"  He laughs, noticing your father as he smiles, sitting beside him.  

“Tagal mo tumae boi (you took so long to poop boi)” 

“Aba sino ka dyan, tagal mo din mag cr (Ah who are you there, you take long in the cr too) Dan rolled his eyes, sticking his tongue out at Pao. 

“O sya tama na yan, let’s eat! (Oh that’s enough, let’s eat!) Your mother laughs.

#f1 #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #f1 blurb #carlos sainz fanfic #carlos sainz x female reader #formula 1 au

[peetapiepita]

I usually don't rant on Tumblr about this but man, does Josh have the worst timing ever ALL THE TIME.

First he didn't book a single project in 2020 and pissed off his fandom in early 2021, leaving the entire fanbase in shambles, only to start working like a maniac right after. He then filmed 7 projects with only a handful of fans still following what tf he's up to.

Then Blumhouse and Lionsgate collectively hyped him up on social media because FNaF and TBoSaS are both coming later this year. He finally had people editing his most entertaining and underrated work, aka, Future Man, and it was gaining traction on Tik Tok. And boom, Disney decided to pull old shows off of Hulu because they wanted a tax write-off and didn't want to pay the creators residuals anymore! This means Josh, a producer of Future Man, lost a substantial income that was just coming his way.

Now he has several movies set to come out later this year and early next year, starting from October. And guess what? The SAG might be striking! So he won't be able to do ANY promo work for any of them. This not only means we won't see much of him at all, it also means the box office figures for these projects are going to be affected negatively. He had an effing 3-year break, only to come back in the middle of a strike season. Perfect. Fabulous. He'll just go back to holing up in Madrid soon as if he didn't film 7 movies in 2.5 years.

#josh hutcherson #fnaf movie #five nights at freddy's movie #five nights at freddy’s #future man #futureman

[professionalowl]

Actually, while we're shaming people for their 452 unread books, here's a list of unread books of mine of which I own physical copies, attached to the year I obtained them, so that you can all shame me into reading more:

2024: Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence (James Bridle; just started)

2021: Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape (Cal Flyn)

2024: Extreme Fabulations: Science Fictions of Life (Steven Shaviro)

2021: The Unreal & The Real Vol. 1: Where on Earth (Ursula K. Le Guin)

2023: A Study in Scarlet (Arthur Conan Doyle)

2023: Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living (Dmitri Xygalatas)

2023: Vibrant Matter: A political ecology of things (Jane Bennett)

2023: The History of Magic: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present (Chris Gosden)

2018: Ways of Seeing (John Berger)

2022: An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us (Ed Yong)

2020: Owls of the Eastern Ice: The Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl (Jonathan C. Slaught)

2023: My Life in Sea Creatures (Sabrina Imbler)

2020: The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think (Jennifer Ackerman)

2023: Birds and Us: A 12,000-Year History, from Cave Art to Conservation (Tim Birkhead)

2020: Rebirding: Restoring Britain's Wildlife (Benedict Macdonald)

2022: The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human (Siddhartha Mukherjee)

2022: An Anthropologist on Mars (Oliver Sacks)

2021: Sex, Botany & Empire: The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks (Patricia Fara)

2023: At The Mountains of Madness (H.P. Lovecraft)

2019: Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino; I have been trying to finish this forever and am so, so close)

2023: Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf (Sean Duffy)

2021: What is History, Now? How the past and present speak to each other (Helen Carr and Suzannah Lipscomb; essay collection, half-read)

2020: Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England (Thomas Penn)

2022: Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body, and Primitive Accumulation (Silvia Federici)

2020: Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Touissant Louverture (Sudhir Hazareesingh; half-read)

2019: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper (Hallie Rubenhold; 3/4 read)

2022: Lenin on the Train (Catherine Merridale)

2020: October: The Story of the Russian Revolution (China Miéville)

2019: The Villa, the Lake, the Meeting: Wannsee and the Final Solution (Mark Roseman)

2019: Heimat: A German Family Album (Nora Krug)

2018: Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (Art Spiegelman)

2020: Running in the Family (Michael Ondaatje)

2022: Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys; also never technically "finished" Jane Eyre, but I did my time, damn you)

2023: Time Shelter (Georgi Gospodinov)

2019: Our Man in Havana (Graham Greene; started, left unfinished)

2019: The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (John le Carré)

2021: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race (Reni Eddo-Lodge; half-read)

2017: Rebel Without Applause (Lemn Sissay)

2022: The Metamorphosis, and Other Stories (Franz Kafka)

2011?: The Complete Cosmicomics (Italo Calvino; vaguely remember reading these when I was maybe 7 and liking them, but I have forgotten their content)

2022: Free: Coming of Age at the End of History (Lea Ypi)

2021: Fairy and Folk Tales of Ireland (W.B. Yates)

Some of these are degree-related, some not; some harken back to bygone areas of interest and some persist yet; some were obtained willingly and some thrust upon me without fanfare. I think there are also some I've left at college, but I'm not sure I was actually intending to read any of them - I know one is an old copy of Structural Anthropology by Claude Levi-Strauss that Dad picked up for me secondhand, which I...don't intend to torment myself with. Reading about Tom Huffman's cognitive-structural theory of Great Zimbabwe almost finished me off and remains to date the only overdue essay I intend to never finish, mostly because the professor let me get away with abandoning it.

There are also library books, mostly dissertation-oriented, from which you can tell that the cognitive archaeologists who live in my walls finally fucking Got me:

The Rise of Homo sapiens: The Evolution of Modern Thinking (Thomas Wynn & Fred Coolidge)

The Material Origin of Numbers: Insights from the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Karenleigh A. Overmann)

Archaeological Situations: Archaeological Theory from the Inside-Out (Gavin Lucas)

And, finally, some I've actually finished recently ("recently" being "within the past year"):

The Body Fantastic (Frank Gonzalo-Crussi, solid 6/10 essay collection about a selection of body parts, just finished earlier)

An Entertainment for Angels: Electricity in the Enlightenment (Patricia Fara, also a solid 6/10, fun read but nothing special)

Babel: An Arcane History (R.F. Kuang, 8/10, didactic (sometimes necessary) but effective; magic system was cool and a clever metaphor)

The Sign of Four (A.C. Doyle, 2/10 really racist and for what)

Dr. Space Junk vs. the Universe: Archaeology and the Future (Alice Gorman, 8/10, I love you Dr. Space Junk)

In Search of Us: Adventures in Anthropology (Lucy Moore, 8/10, I respect some of these people slightly more now)

The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin, 9/10 got my ass)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (A.C. Doyle, 7/10 themez 👍)

#if you see a book on this list that you gave me years ago. well. just know that i failed. #genuinely so much worse than i thought it was but i'm making my best effort to get through them #this is honestly just for fun because i love to list things. user professionalowl bookshelf reveal. please offer reviews if you have them #hooting

[realmadridfamily]

Mishel Gerzig says that if she had the power to stop time, she would do it on her wedding day because she didn't want it to end. And no one can be surprised. The model became the wife of Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid's goalkeeper, at the beginning of July last year in a fabulous wedding worthy of a fairy tale.

In fact, it took place at the Château de la Croix des Gardes in Cannes. Their wedding was full of emotions and magical moments, after the romantic proposal they made last year in Positano. While on vacation on the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Belgian athlete got down on one knee and gave his girlfriend a gorgeous engagement ring. But the real diamond in Courtois' life is Mishel, a stunning blonde beauty.

Fight for your dreams.

The model has been traveling around the world since the age of thirteen, appearing in campaigns and on the covers of prestigious fashion magazines. Intelligent and determined, at the age of 26, she knows what it means to fight to realize her dreams, because everything was not always rosy. “My mother received many offers to pose for me, but she was afraid to introduce me to this world, especially at such a young age. Finally, we decided together that we would try," Mishel recalls her beginnings in fashion, when, as a teenager, her parents took her to castings and photo sessions that lasted up to five hours.

“When I turned 16, I signed with modeling agencies in Miami and Milan, and my mother decided to quit her job to accompany me. My parents supported me very much and I will always be grateful to them," said Mishel, who realizes that, especially at this age, it is difficult to combine studies with her developing modeling career: "It was not easy at all. But my friends and teachers helped me so that I could continue my studies. I missed a lot of school trips and a lot of events, but I knew it was a necessary sacrifice to progress in my career, and I don't regret it.”

When she reached adulthood, she had to fight the monster of anxiety: “I wanted to give back to my parents everything they had given me. I started working hard, flying around the world, and something was wrong. One day, on the plane going to work, I started to feel short of breath, my vision was blurry, my heart was beating very fast and I couldn't feel my body. I thought I was having a heart attack, but actually I was having a panic attack. It was a very dark year in my life. With the support of family and friends, I was able to fight it and work on my mental health. I read and studied about panic attacks and learned to practice breathing and meditation. So every time I get one, I know how to recognize it, how to breathe deeply, and how to talk to myself: I remind myself that I am strong, that I am healthy, and that it will pass in time”.

"Physically and emotionally"

The strength and temperance she gained after seeing all things black served her well, especially in supporting her husband. Thibaut Courtois, considered one of the pillars of Real Madrid and one of the best athletes in the world - last year at the Ballon d'Or gala he was awarded the Yashin Trophy as the best goalkeeper of the 2021-22 season - was injured in training a few days before the start of La Liga. After the surgery, he is back in full shape, but his return to the pitch is still a long way off.

HOLA: Mishel, it will be difficult for Thibaut to be unable to play for so long. How are you supporting him emotionally?

MISHEL: The first month was very difficult, but I stayed positive and supported Thibaut physically and emotionally.

H: Four months have passed since your wedding, what is the most special memory you have from that day?

M: The ceremony and the “Yes, I Do” with Thibaut.

H: What funny or unforgettable anecdote would you share with our readers from your wedding?

M: The harmony that existed between everyone, between friends and family, and how much fun everyone was having. Happiness on this special day.

H: How is married life treating you? Have you noticed any changes since you became Courtois' wife?

M: In general, we feel the same. But we are both very happy and excited about this new chapter.

H: In this reportage you pose with Cartier pieces. Do you like to wear jewelry regularly?

M: Yes, I like to wear jewelry, but minimalist.

“An unforgettable look”

H: What are your favorites, the ones you usually wear the most?

M: Two necklaces I have, my wedding ring and sometimes a bracelet.

H: And when it comes to dazzling at a party, what are your favorite elements?

M: I think jewelry is very important to complete a memorable and iconic look. So I choose jewelry that matches my dress. But overall, I love special earrings and wearing multiple rings.

H: What is the most special piece of jewelry in your jewelry box that has the most sentimental value to you?

M: First of all, my wedding ring and engagement ring, as well as earrings and a bracelet that my mother gave me a few years ago.

H: What would you say is the jewel of your life?

M: The people in my life. My family and friends. The most valuable things in life are not the ones you can buy with money.

“My family lives far away”

H: Which of you, Thibaut or you, is more romantic?

M: I would say it's me. But Thibaut also has very romantic moments and loves to surprise me.

H: How do you surprise him?

M: With small things, daily, some romantic, others fun.

H: If you could stop time, at what point would you like to stop it?

M: On my wedding day, because we didn't want that day to ever end.

H: What if you had more time, how would you use it?

M: Seeing my friends and family more, because they live far away.

#Mishel Gerzig #Thibaut Courtois #Interview #Model

[the-traffic-report]

General disclaimer/ Rules for blog!!!

So quick introduction first, Hi!

My name is Raven or the name for the blog Mx. corvid (mx. is pronounced like "mix" it's just a gender neutral alternative to mr or miss) my pronouns are they/ae/it/haunt and this is a side blog i'm making for the danger days universe and Americas suitehearts.

A little background for me, I am a dyslexic and autistic teenager who's been hyperfixating on my chemical romance since 2018 and been listening to it for even long, i've been listening to fall out boy for about the same amount of time, but I got really into danger days specifically in 2021, I've seen every music video and extra along with read every comic book

This blog will mostly be for headcannons or small au's about danger days and America's suitehearts mostly with the suitehearts in the danger days universe. I think for now I'll be starting with the fabulous four and the suitehearts but eventually branching out into other characters one thing I want to make explicitly clear I DO NOT CONDONE SHIPPING REAL PEOPLE, the killjoys are not mcr and the suitehearts are not fob!!

Ok so getting into the actual rules for this blog,

I do not condone any sort of gatekeeping, period. just leave it at the door.

again, I do not condone shipping real people or celebrities.

My pronouns are both in my bio and in this post so please just don't misgender me

If I post a headcannon you don't agree with, that's fine. we can have differing opinions without the need for harassment of any sort

As I mentioned I am dyslexic, so there will most likely be spelling mistakes and if there are all I ask is that if you do point them out to me please do it in a respectful manner

Under absolutely no means am I okay with being sexualized in any way, there will be no reason to based off of what i have posted on here.

#fall out boy #americas suitehearts #danger days #ddttlotfk #the true lives of the fabulous killjoys #my chemical romance #nonbinary #queer #folie a deux #blog rules

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Social relevance: Sussexes vs Windsors by u/Mickleborough

Social relevance: Sussexes vs Windsors Went down a rabbit hole which referred to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, which made me wonder who were the greater social outcasts: Sussexes or Windsors? for my impression of the Windsors was that they lived off what friends, acquaintances, and social climbers would have them.The exit dates are:- Edward VIII abdicated on 10 December 1936, aged 42;- Megxit took place on 31 March 2020.One Moment in TimeOnce the dust from World War II had settled, some truly extravagant balls - seemingly all (justifiably, from all accounts) called the party of the century - were thrown by the very rich for the elite: other rich people, actors, intellectuals, royalty.The Windsors were invited to all of the parties of the century, apart from one:- Le Bal Oriental, the first great ball after WW2 and dubbed The Party of the Century, thrown in 1951 by Count Carlos de Beistegui at his home in Venice, the Palazzo Labia (Windsors were no show)- The Black and White Ball, a masquerade (men in black tie and black mask, women in black or white, white mask), given by the writer Truman Capote at the Plaza Hotel in New York, in 1966 (Windsors again were a no show) - see Vanity Fair article for some idea of the fuss: archived / unarchived- The Proust Ball, held by Baron and Baroness Guy de Rothschild in 1971, at their hunting estate outside Paris, the Château de Ferrières - so the Windsors were relevant even after 35 years.(The Rothschilds topped the Proust Ball with their Surrealist Ball in 1972, to which the Windsors seemingly hadn’t been invited - then again, the Duke of Windsor had died about 7 months earlier.)When You BelieveWorking royalty’s always at the top of the society tree, even in these republican (ie anti-monarchist) days - there simply aren’t that many of them, so they have curiosity value.So Harry’s position is clear. Meghan probably believes that she belongs to the upper echelons because she’s (cough) beautiful, (cough) intelligent, (cough) charming, and can dispense platitudes, I mean sage advice, that’ll revolutionise society.So to what equivalent function have they been invited? All I can think of is the Salute to Freedom Gala in November 2021.Best leg forward, Meghan! Fabulous A Chorus Line legwork precision with Harry.Every other function’s been a bought awards ceremony or connected with Invictus (requiring no evening wear).Didn’t We Almost Have It AllThe Sussexes believed that, following Megxit, they’d be courted and fêted. Because people would be clamouring to have them, they felt compelled to make it clear with whom they’d mingle: Express archived / unarchived.To be fair, times have changed, and grand private balls no longer are given. The equivalent, I suppose, would be fundraisers, the ones where you dress up and fling on jewels. But the Sussexes have neither bought tables, nor been invited. Before every first Monday in May, we’re entertained by the reasons why Meghan won’t be attending the invitation-only fundraiser Met Gala - it started off with them having no time for such frivolity, and now revolves around concerns for their security (Mirror archived / unarchived).I Have NothingThat’s going to be the case if American River Orchil doesn’t produce anything. And by ‘nothing’, I mean reputation.EDIT: It was a Truman Capote vs The Swans rabbit hole. I can recommend the non-fiction Swan Song by Kelleigh Jephcott-Greenberg. post link: https://ift.tt/a4Dk8Lc author: Mickleborough submitted: April 01, 2024 at 10:23PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

#SaintMeghanMarkle #harry and meghan #meghan markle #prince harry #fucking grifters #Worldwide Privacy Tour #Instagram loving bitch wife #Backgrid #voetsek meghan #walmart wallis #markled #archewell #archewell foundation #megxit #duke and duchess of sussex #duke of sussex #duchess of sussex #doria ragland #rent a royal #clevr #clevr blends #lemonada media #archetypes with meghan #invictus #invictus games #Sussex #WAAAGH #american riviera orchard #Mickleborough

[the-rewatch-rewind]

New episode!

Script below the break.

Hello and welcome back to the Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane, and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today I will be discussing number 12 on my list: RKO and Vanguard Films’ 1947 comedy The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, directed by Irving Reis, written by Sidney Sheldon, and starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple.

This movie is kind of like the Major and the Minor in that it has an incredibly bizarre premise and absolutely would not be made today but is somehow way better than it has any right to be. There is so much going on that I don’t even know how to summarize the plot concisely in a way that will make sense to people who haven’t seen it, but I’ll try.

Judge Margaret Turner (Myrna Loy) is the guardian of her 17-year-old sister Susan (Shirley Temple), who thinks she sentences people too harshly. Perhaps slightly influenced by this, when artist Richard Nugent (Cary Grant) comes before her charged with starting a brawl, she lets him off with a warning, against the urging of assistant district attorney Tommy Chamberlain (Rudy Vallee). That same afternoon, Richard is the guest lecturer at Susan’s school, and she immediately develops a crush on him. After interviewing him for the school paper, Susan decides she needs to model for him, so that evening she gets into his apartment when he’s not there. As soon as he discovers her, Margaret and Tommy show up, assuming Richard was trying to seduce Susan. Richard ends up in jail after punching Tommy. When it becomes clear how deeply Susan has fallen for Richard, the court psychiatrist, Dr. Matt Beemish (Ray Collins), who also happens to be Margaret and Susan’s uncle, convinces the ADA to drop the charges if Richard agrees to date Susan until her infatuation wears off. And then of course, Richard and Margaret start to develop feelings for each other.

I don’t really remember my first impressions of this movie. I think the rest of my family watched it without me before I’d seen it, but I can’t remember if I was busy doing something else or just wasn’t interested. But it didn’t take long for me to start loving it, and that love has never really faded. I watched it twice in 2003, three times in 2004, once in 2005, once in 2006, once in 2009, twice in 2010, three times in 2011, once in 2012, 2013, and each year from 2015 through 2021, and three times in 2022. I’m pretty sure I had also seen it in 2002, because I remember being very into it in 7th grade, which was the 2002-2003 school year. I was in a writing class with one of my best friends, in which we got to write a play together. I must have shown this movie to her by then because we would quote the “You remind me of a man.” “What man?” “The man with the power.” “What power?” “The power of hoodoo.” “Hoodoo?” “You do.” “Do what?” “Remind me of a man.” “What man?” “The man with the power…” etc circular routine so frequently that we had to put it in our play. Now I know that that has also been referenced in other media, but as far as I can tell, it originated in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.

In addition to inventing that silly routine, this script also invented fake slang that I love. Susan likes to say that she’s feeling “sklonklish,” which seems to mean too tired to do anything, which is very much a mood. And then there’s the iconic “Mellow Greetings, Ukie-Dukie” that Susan’s former (and future) boyfriend Jerry White (played by Johnny Sands) teaches Richard, which has been the header on my main Tumblr blog since I started it in 2012. In fact, if you can get past the whole “a court would never order a middle-aged man to date a teenaged girl, wtf” of it all, this movie’s script is surprisingly fabulous, full of great one-line zingers and thoroughly engaging conversations between well-developed characters and several iconic scenes. Sidney Sheldon won an Oscar for the screenplay, which I still kind of can’t believe because goofy movies like this don’t tend to win Academy Awards, but it was definitely deserved. The writing is so excellent that it not only pulls off the ridiculous premise, but it almost makes you forget that the premise was ridiculous in the first place. The characters are written so believably that you don’t want to question them. There are so many great scenes throughout, and the part in the restaurant where it seems like Richard and Margaret might finally get on the same page but keep getting interrupted by more and more characters showing up and the waiters singing “Happy Birthday” and “Happy Anniversary” to a bunch of different people, is still one of the best comedic drama scenes I’ve ever seen.

The script was already incredible on the page, and then it was brought to life by the perfect cast. I’ve already talked about one Cary Grant/Myrna Loy pairing, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, which was made the year after The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, and they are equally delightful together in both, although their characters’ dynamic could not have been more different. In Mr. Blandings, while their relationship has some ups and downs, they’re married to each other the whole time, whereas in Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer they embark on a mutual-contempt-to-mutual-admiration journey. And they both play every stage of their relationship flawlessly. They have incredible chemistry, both romantic and comedic, so their scenes together are beautifully entertaining. And then there’s Shirley Temple. This was toward the end of her film career, and you can kind of tell that the studios didn’t really know what to do with her now that she wasn’t a little girl anymore. In many of her earlier films, she played an orphan who managed to charm grumpy older men, and again in this movie she plays an orphan, but now that she’s a teenager, enchanting adults isn’t cute anymore. The older man needs to find it annoying that she’s trying to charm him, otherwise it would be creepy. I’m sure it must have been frustrating for 19-year-old Temple to be essentially typecast in the same kind of role she’d been playing since she was a toddler, except now she’s the obstacle to the main love story rather than the star. But by golly, she sells the heck out of it anyway. She gives Susan the exact blend of silliness and earnestness required to make the character and the story work. She has a very believable sisterly dynamic with Myrna Loy, even though Loy was definitely old enough to be her mother. It’s unclear what their characters’ age gap is supposed to be – we know that Margaret is an established judge while Susan is still in high school, so they have to be pretty far apart, which is kind of odd because Margaret tells Richard that their parents didn’t get married until they were both out of law school, so they must have been rather old when Susan was born, but let’s not overthink it too much. Margaret is clearly torn between trying to be a sister and parent figure to Susan, who doesn’t seem at all interested in making that easier on Margaret, and I love the way Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple play within that tension.

And then there’s the way Susan interacts with Richard. She thinks he’s the most wonderful person she’s ever seen and is initially awestruck. There’s this great moment when they first meet and she dares to lightly touch his arm, and then looks like that’s the most fantastic thing she’s ever done. And then she decides she’s deeply in love with him, and when they start going out, she’s convinced they’re going to end up together. Richard never really knows what to make of Susan, but he tries to keep up with her as best he can. One of my favorite scenes is when Susan is interviewing Richard, and he starts out just giving her vague, bland answers, but when she keeps insisting that he must have had a very interesting life, he starts making up a super dramatic backstory. She hangs on his every word, absolutely eating it up. At one point, he tells her that he used to steal, and she breathlessly asks, “What did you steal?” Richard’s line is “crusts of bread and things,” but Cary Grant gives one of my favorite line deliveries of all time. He starts with saying “crusts of bread” kind of normally, but then he pauses dramatically, leans forward, and puts a lot of emphasis on “and THINGS” and then does this amazing little nod and I love it so much. “Crusts of bread… and THINGS” is one of those random movie lines I quote a lot and nobody knows what I’m talking about. Anyway, there are a bunch of other very entertaining moments between Richard and Susan, like when they’re watching the high school basketball game and Susan’s really getting into the cheers, and at the end of one, she looks at Richard expectantly, so he just goes, “Rah!” with mock enthusiasm, which seems to satisfy her. And of course there’s the “mellow greetings, ukie-dukie” scene when they’re both just saying nonsense fake slang but making it sound like a real conversation. They absolutely should not be dating, but I really enjoy the aspects of their relationship that don’t involve Susan trying to make something romantic happen. I can definitely see them having a fun sibling-in-law dynamic in the future.

It’s funny because I feel like this movie is one of the main things that made me think that I did have a crush on Cary Grant, and it was also one of the main things that convinced me that I didn’t. In my teens and early 20s, I claimed that I loved this movie because I related to Susan having a hopeless crush on Cary Grant. But eventually I realized that I was relating more to the part toward the end when Susan finally realizes that she actually doesn’t like Richard that way. In Susan’s case, it’s because she’s better suited for Jerry, who is literally perfect for her – they talk the same way and have the exact same attitude toward life, and he cares about her so much that he even organizes a group of friends to make Richard win an obstacle race because he knows it will make Susan happy. In my case, it meant facing the fact that I was probably never going to like anyone that way, despite society’s myths about soulmates and amatonormativity and such, which is perhaps why it took me decades to figure out what Susan learned in a few days. This movie, like most, is very amatonormative, but I think it does a pretty good job of demonstrating that being in awe of someone is not the same thing as being in love with them. The first time Susan sees Richard, she imagines him in shining armor, and immediately puts him on a pedestal. Even if there hadn’t been an inappropriate age difference between them, that kind of relationship is not sustainable. Margaret, too, imagines Richard in armor, but that’s after she’s gotten to know him. She initially saw him as a common criminal, then saw him briefly as a gallant knight, and is mature enough to conclude that he’s just a normal person in between those two, and that’s part of why I feel like their relationship has a future.

While I love most of the characters in this movie, there are two that bother me. One is Dr. Beemish, aka Uncle Matt, and the other is Tommy Chamberlain, aka the assistant district attorney. Dr. Beemish does play an important role in getting Richard and Margaret together, but I don’t know why he has to be so slimy about it. Part of what I don’t like about him is he’s way too focused on Margaret getting married. Before Richard even enters the story, Matt responds to Margaret putting on her judge’s robes with, “Exit woman, enter judge. More’s the pity.” And it’s just like, excuse me, she can be a judge and a woman! It feels like the movie was trying to say, “We’re progressive, but not that progressive” and I hate it. Although Matt does add at the end of that scene that he’s more interested in making sure she marries the right man than making sure she gets married at all, which I guess is nice, though I’m not sure why he’s appointed himself in charge of that. Margaret can find the right man for herself. But to be fair, he did say that in response to Tommy giving her a present, which, like, I’m sorry, but it seems very weird to me that Tommy and Margaret are kind of sort of dating at the beginning of the movie. Like, I’m not an expert on judiciary ethics, but an assistant district attorney dating a judge feels like a major conflict of interest. I guess the idea was that if they got married, she would just… quit? I don’t know, but I don’t like it, which is why I forgive Uncle Matt for trying to steer Margaret away from Tommy and toward Richard. I do think Dr. Beemish should lose his job, and possibly his medical license, for telling the police that Tommy’s a mental patient of his who thinks he’s an assistant district attorney, even though that scene is very funny and Tommy does kind of deserve it. What I’m trying to say is, this movie is far from perfect, but none of its flaws make me love it any less.

I do think it’s a little ironic that this movie made such a big deal about how inappropriate it would be for Cary Grant to date someone as much younger than him as Shirley Temple was, and then in Father Goose he played opposite Leslie Caron, who was born three years after Shirley Temple was. I mean, that movie was made 17 years after Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, and as I mentioned in that episode, age gaps are significantly less disturbing when the younger partner is over 30. But still. Given that Cary Grant would now be 119 years old, it’s kind of wild to me that some of his costars are still alive. (Shirley Temple is sadly not one of them, rest in peace, but Leslie Caron is.) But at least in this movie, Grant’s main leading lady was only a year younger than him. I also think it’s kind of funny that the movie establishes that Richard is 18 years older than Susan, when Grant was actually 24 years older than Temple, especially because Susan was two years younger than Temple. It just goes to show that Hollywood has been messing with people’s perceptions of age for a very long time. I’ve always been more interested in age from a numerical perspective than an existential perspective, and I often forget that most people in this society view aging past adulthood as inherently negative, at least until one reaches a particularly impressive old age. As of this week, I am over a third of the way to 100 years old, which realistically probably means I’m more than a third of the way through my life, but my brain is far more interested in going, “Ooh, 33.33333…infinite threes!” than pondering my mortality. But I’ve learned that that is unusual, and a lot of people get offended if you bring up their age, which is part of why I tend to focus my interest in people’s ages on past movie stars who are either deceased or beyond the point where age becomes a badge of honor again.

Anyway, thank you for spending some of your limited time on earth listening to me discuss another of my most frequently rewatched movies. Next week I’ll be talking about the other Cary Grant movie I watched 25 times while I was keeping track, which is one in which he starred opposite an actress who was significantly younger than him, although she was born a few years before Shirley Temple, and who is, knock on wood, as far as I know at the time of recording, currently the oldest living Oscar winner. So stay tuned, and as always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “Seven parking tickets.”

#the bachelor and the bobby-soxer #cary grant #myrna loy #shirley temple #the rewatch rewind

[bacchicly]

Muchness is Essential

AKA Chapter 2 - Mountain Air originally posted to fanfic.net in 2021

OR read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54640615/chapters/138507502

Summary: Luke Alvez gives an out of this world gift to Sergio and Penny has some sexy time alone.

This one is from Penelope's point of view - mostly fluff but with some sexy solo stuff at the end. Set around 13x06 The Bunker.

Penelope knows she is pretty much the definition of muchness and frankly, while at times it rubs everyone she's ever met the wrong way - including herself - gosh dang it - the truth is that a lot (and she means "a lot a lot"!) depends on her muchness! Her BAU fam certainly has no qualms demanding her to tap into her considerable talents whenever it suits them - and even more frankly - while the whole muchness thing can be exhausting - that doesn't mean it's not essential. So she needs a few more things than other mere mortals - she also gives a helluva of a lot back - so there is balance in the universe. Gaia's gotta be happy with that right? Right? She is a vegetarian after all! Although..note to self...more ecofriendly cute knicknacks should probably be in her future... if she's gonna be keeping Gaia happy...as well as herself...maybe some kittens made of bamboo? Soft ones...

Penelope, having just set some search parameters to finish up her deep dive into the victims online lives, so that she'll be ready for her usual "on the jet" call - grabs her empty (not to mention fabulous) coffee cup, pushes back her chair from her desk, swivels then stands and strides off, heels clicking furiously, to the kitchen with her brain rambling a mile a minute:

...I mean I got those nice bamboo socks last week...someone must be using bamboo fabric to make squishy kittens and unicorns and probably adorable pandas! ..but I'd better do some research first - maybe bamboo isn't as eco-friendly as is popularly assumed at the mo'... maybe the shipping of the stuff and the energy and products used to make the bamboo into fabric somehow turns the whole thing into some sort of eco-net-zero-sum-game-thing...or maybe the factories use child labour...or or locks women in for hours with... with...NO...no no... bathroom breaks...la la la not thinking about that or all the other ick which I fully know is part of this dismal dystopia we call Earth...Maybe I should make a poster or...or... start a go fund me for those poor bamboo fabric factory workers...or or a march! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait Garcia! You're getting ahead of yourself as per usual - after all, do I ever know what they say about those who assume stuff - so research! then action! why do I not have a team for that part of my life? I mean the whole divide an conquer thing works so well at work... after all, the BAU is the best team ever because many DIFFERENT minds and talents combine to make the perfect cocktail of crime fighting genius...don't they say many hands make light work... I mean if we were all the same would we ever catch an unsub? I think not! I mean that's what Descartes said and poof he disappeared! At least I crack myself up... "I think not? Poof? I think therefore I am? Oh where is Spencer when I need him? He'd laugh! Although maybe he was the one who told me that one... Still why is there so regularly noone here to hear my wit?

Penelope re-enters her office - sits on her roll-y chair that she had stood up from a good halfway across the office when heading off to get herself the coffee - then, like a glam good-fairy Davros (Man! Spencer should be here today - philosophy jokes AND Doctor Who jokes!), she pivots and pushes off at light speed - zooming straight to her desk - not spilling a drop of precious coffee. Her eyes settle on her personal menagerie of cute and cheerful...

Oh wait a gosh darn minute! Look my unicorn pens! And my mermaid in her snow-globe! And my extra special adorable stress cat that Luke got me - NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT - the point is THEY are here (unlike some Pesky Profilers I could name!) and THEY are deeply amused by my wit and style! I don't even need to say my jokes out loud. We have a connection! See? They are ESSENTIAL members of our team. That's right! I'm talking to you..you...you... Supercilious Special Agents!

One of the alarms from her searches goes off - letting her know they are ready for her human eyeballs and superb fingering techniques.

Wait - what was I doing? Gah. See? Muchness?! My brain is a very busy place. It's a lot to keep track of! So what if I need a few homey touches? Profilers. Like they have things to worry about.. well they do...but so does SHE! SO THERE! It's not my fault that FBI regulations do not allow dashboard bobbleheads to cheer them up a bit on chases. Ok - Onwards and Upwards! There are things to do! Common Garcia - the team and the human race needs your brain and your magic fingers! HERE WE GO!

All this happens at light speed in Penelope's brain, but now she's back on track and ready to pull her swivel chair to attention and get cracking on her job.

The case is finally over and her family is finally on their way home. It was another one that shook her deeply - so much of this case's particular brand of ick made her feel claustrophobic and also deeply, sadly, irrevocably lonely. She starts thinking that maybe she and Sergio really need at least a three bedroom and maybe even bigger...

...after all we do need more room for our things, Mr. Luke Who Thinks He Is So Smart! Like your sweet Roxy doesn't have things - I know she does! I got her an embarrassingly high number of those things! If anything cats need more things...after all cat furniture is a total thing...whereas dog furniture is much more of a niche market! I have done the Google search to prove that! Oh I can't wait to hug every single one of them! Minus Alvez of course - that would go against my mission statement!

At that thought Penelope ignores that she's starting to feel more and more guilty about that one...but look - even if she is not a mere mortal - she is still only human - she needs to preserve some boundaries - besides she's not convinced he'd even want to hug her...she really has been mean...and no number of homemade dog biscuits or sparkly chew toys seem to be able to get her to shake the feeling that she truly hasn't been fair to Alvez - Luke. But that swooping feeling she gets whenever he is in the room is definitely "Capitol D" dangerous to her composure. And composure is something she needs more of - not less.

She had thought for a moment at the party at her place ... caught Luke - Alvez. - looking at her a few times with what she almost wanted to believe were what any right thinking person would describe as heart-eyes...in fact it had been happening more and more lately ever since that whole embarrassing "Cool-hand Luke" slip-up...but no that couldn't be it. I mean he had thanked her the next time they saw each other at work for the chew toy and biscuits...but it's not like he knocked down her door - something she was very aware was part of his skillset - to thank her privately or as an excuse to connect outside of work...

In fact, she might be reading too much into non-happenings - but he seemed more reserved since that night.

So hands off Pen.

Let's see... how will she avoid the hug tonight? She's used almost every trick in the book that she can think of... to the point where she's actually ended up quickly hugging him a few times...which is just too too too much for today...

hmmmm...how about...

Leave Spencer for second to last and then get the brilliant and totally spontaneous idea to drag him away to her office to show him her glam Davros routine?

Perfect! It will make Spencer laugh and not look like she's avoiding hugging any one particular team member. Besides...the whole doomsday clock / Dalek thing is clearly thematically appropriate for tying the bow on this case and will let Spencer blow off some steam and do some beloved sharing of interesting points. And again due to her wide interests and nimble brain...she is the perfect audience for that banter!

See? Muchness does come in handy!

Once home, Penelope feeds Sergio then snuggles up on the couch in a comfy yet silky p.j. set. Despite being severely less cutesy than her typical jammies - which tend towards the fuzzy and the rainbow uni-sloths ends of the spectrum - this was still one of her favourites. These jammies are a rich coppery colour with teal lace trim and it fits perfectly. Three-piece perfection: little shorts, a camisole type top, and a short but flowy matching robe for over top which belts at the perfect spot on her waist.

She has complimented the ensemble with teal velvet slippers she found at a cool little second hand place a few weeks ago. They had ridiculously large pompoms on the toes like Tinkerbell and made her smile super wide whenever she peeks down at her toes.

Basically the outfit was the definition of perfect lounge wear - and she felt beautiful and swishy in it - but it was also modest enough to open the door and tip when the dinner she had ordered was delivered.

Penelope sighs as she thinks how too bad it is that she found this outfit after she and Sam had broken up - so no one but delivery people had seen it yet...and it really was designed to be appreciated...

At that thought, her traitorous mind jumped to wondering what Luke was up to tonight...

Banishing the thought, Penelope switches on the T.V. to stop her brain in it's tracks. She flips through the channels as she waits for her food. Penelope is going to relax and not think.

Despite herself, she smiles as she scratches Sergio ears the way that made him close his eyes and grin. The Davros plan had come off without a hitch of course! And - bonus! - she now knew that:

1. Davros has been compared to the infamous dictator Adolf Hitler several times, including by the actor Terry Molloy who played him from 1984 to 1988 - and Julian Bleach who played him in the 90s defined him as a cross between Hitler and the renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.

2. Some clearly dim people think he was The Doctor's greatest enemy.

The second fact had led to a rousing debate which did a very nice job of putting some much needed sparkle into her Good Doctor's eyes.

Muchness to the rescue again.

But then there had been that - that - conversation as they all left about where and how they would spend their last day on earth. Was that really necessary? She was supposed to be divesting herself of the ick as she made her way out of the building. She was not supposing to be prepping - whoops bad word choice. - not...not... gearing herself to obsess over the ick of the world all night...

But she could not stop running over and over what he had said...

Mountains? Really?

She supposes they are the opposite of claustrophobic...

...although if you were anywhere with Luke would a little claustrophobia necessarily be a bad thing?

Her cellphone rings with the tone signalling that someone needs to be buzzed up and that her food is probably here. Penelope answers quickly...

"Hello!"

"Hey Pene - Wait just a sec this guy needs a hand with the door - sorry I'm back - hey Penelope! I'm here with your dins! Buzz me in?"

"Yeppers My Favourite Bringer of all things yummy! See you in a tick!"

Penelope keys the cell code that opens the vestibule door. Then she stands up - much to Sergio's intense displeasure - and sashays her way to the door by way of the kitchen to set out a plate and a some cutlery and a pink shimmery cloth napkin. When she hears the knock - she grabs the twenty that she'd left on the counter for the tip. She knows it's excessive but Sutida is awesome and is delivering food to pay her way through college. She's taking welding - which is totally bad-ass and Penelope is aware that she always keeps her a few extra minutes than she should to chat.

Penelope swings the door open but instead of Sutida - Luke Alvez is standing there clutching a cat tree that appears to be about his height and covered in midnight blue and purple iridescent faux fur - it kind of looks like a galaxy was folded up into a perfect piece of cat furniture. A paper bag - definitely holding her Veggie Fusion Feast - is precariously balanced on one of the ledges of the cat tree.

"Uh Hi - I hope you don't mind - I was the one who Sutida helped with the door. I overheard her talking to you - so I offered to carry up your food along with this thing - since I was heading up anyways. Don't worry I tipped - I had a twenty in my wallet."

Penelope can't move. Her mouth is hanging open. She is completely discombobulated by this turn of events.

It feels like a full minute of them just staring at each other...when finally he gives himself shake and smiles...

"Um...can I come in? This is not super heavy - but it is - um - awkward. Maybe you could grab the bag? Balancing it on this thing might not have been my best idea this week."

"uh...yeah..I'm...sure...of course...of course.."

Penelope grabs the bag on her heel and takes it to her kitchen counter. She starts to open it - mostly for something to keep her occupied - then realises she's still clutching the twenty.

"what? wait! first here's the twenty I was going to give to Sutida..I know it's a bit of a big tip..."

"Nah keep your money - you can get me back sometime at the bar... Plus no need to explain...I figured it was the welder-delivery woman you were telling Emily about last week...and I remembered you'd said you always give her twenty to make up for the time you steal for a quick chat. I think it's just another sign of you being the Queen of Ice - I mean - Nice"

As he talks, Luke strides over to the window which is the offending portal to the nude kung fu guy and thumps down the cat tree in front of it. It fits perfectly and totally helps promote privacy. Sergio blinks at it from his spot on the back of the couch, stretches, then jumps down and makes his way over to sniff the base of his new throne. Luke turns and smiles at Penelope.

Penelope is speechless again. She just stares. So does he. Until he does that shake thing again and launches back into his stream of talk...

"Look - I won't stay long...you look...you look...ready for a nice relaxing evening in and I'm hoping to catch up with a friend a bit later...but..but..."

"Yes...?"

"Look I got home and wanted to apologise...for the other morning. I mean of course Sergio has things...I mean Roxie has things...and in fact when I got home tonight I totally couldn't believe how - i mean that her bed was looking a bit um rough..um threadbare...not really good enough for um my girl...

..and...so...and...anyways...I...um...saw this at the pet store tonight when I dropped in to see if I could find something for Roxy...and well...I'm pretty sure it would be a crime against all things good and...and...beautiful had I not...um...immediately gotten it for Sergio. I mean...um ..it kinda goes with you decor...so i hope you...and um Sergio of course...um like it."

"Totally. I can't believe...i mean... Thank you. Yeah...um just...um... Thank you. Yeah...um Thank you so much...um.. yeah. Thank you Luke."

They stare at each other again.

Penelope is blushing and Luke is rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

This time it's Penelope who gives herself a shake and restarts the conversation.

"So - um - as usual I ordered enough food for the whole army... want some?"

"No...uh...no thanks...like I said I'm trying to get a hold of a friend of mine who's having a bit of a rough time. Maybe some other time? K? Maybe? I mean I would never want to impose...anyway um...I hope you have a good night...Penelope...um... Garcia!"

At this point he's .back to the door.

"Night Sergio! Hope you enjoy...See you at work Garcia."

The door closes behind him as he talks. He spins as he closes it. Unknowingly doing a fine impression of Levitt from Barney Miller leaving the squad room.

Click.

The door closes behind him and Penelope just stares as she realises the gorgeous man who for once just out babbled her is gone and she is now - well Sergio is now - the proud owner - of the most fabulous cat tree she. has ever. seen.

She walks over and runs her hand over the sparkly soft tower that he set by the window...as she realises not only is this giant gift is literally making her beam with crazy joy...

...her naked kung fu problem seems to be at least slightly taken care of...

Huh . I guess I am not the only one who indulges in random acts of pet kindness.

Penelope has now finished her dinner and is watching a nature documentary about Wildlife in the Canadian Rockies. If anyone were to ever ask, she would say that she's not exactly sure why she settled on it for tonight's viewing. Stamped it.

...although she has some suspicions that she is trying to smother.

It's turned into a two screen evening...and for more reasons she does not want to examine too closely...she has spent the evening researching hotels and cabins and something called glamping - which she can't decide is something that sounds fun or horrible - primarily at sites located in the Canadian Rockies...apparently there are hotsprings with pool and spa services... in Banff and Jasper...who knew! So far she's downloaded four trail guides and even done a poke around airfare sites...just to get an idea of what a flight would cost...

The nature show transitions to a part about grizzlies...specifically grizzly mating. So far she's watched goats, moose, elk, and some special snails get it on in the mountains. The producers of this show are clearly sex obsessed perverts. The bears are strangely a lot less violent then some of the other less fierce animals she's watched tonight...so far there has been a lot of bear making out - ear licking - neck nuzzling - general sensuous furry snuggling. Apparently grizzly couples are seriously keen on foreplay.

Penelope swallows a groan as her tricky brain replaces the bear couple with herself and a certain cat tree delivery guy. She has zero doubts that he would be an amazing kisser - she just doesn't think that he and she should ever kiss. The silky pj's are now starting to feel a bit too sensuous against her body. She also is a bit hot - so naturally she sets down her tablet and un-knots the belt on the robe so she can shimmy out of it.

The bears on the screen are still sniffing and snuggling and licking each other. She knows grizzlies are some of the most dangerous bears out there...but they are just so gorgeous yet strangely magnificently adorable. Kinda the look she rocks the best...

As the robe comes off and the cool air hits her shoulders - her nipples do that stand-at-attention thing and her breasts feel extra full and tingly. She tips her head back and brings her hands up to cup and lift her breasts - stroking her nipples through the silky copper fabric. The friction is pretty damn fantastic. She tilts her head as if there is a lover who wants access to her neck for kisses and licking and nuzzling. Of course, the face she pictures and is almost feeling against the crook of her neck is his - covered in his not too long but not too rough beard...of course it is his lips she imagines pressing against her skin - mouthing her pulse point - licking down her collar bone towards the swell of her breast...

"And now the male will mount the female..."

Penelope looks up at the tv - dropping her hands from her breasts - she watches as they show the lumbering male bear hug the female from being and begin to pulse into her - still licking and nuzzling her her neck - maybe biting a bit at her scruff - and her damn pussy tingles like mad at the sight.

Penelope flips off the tv.

Enough. Time for bed...I mean sleep.

But her brain and body think that is a very very silly idea - so she doesn't get up from the couch - instead she leans back against the arm and swings her legs up onto the sofa - her hands finding their way back to her breasts - one caressing up the side of her neck to tangle in her hair...and the other rolling its way down and around and over her tummy (which is crazy sensitive and reserved to be touched only by very very very few) - and then dipping down under the elastic of her pyjama shorts...

Penelope lets out a long moan and gives in. She teases the skin of the lowest part of her belly - stroking back and forth with an open. palm - letting her fingers dance and dip and run through her curls between her legs. She gives her curls a few sharp little tugs which she mirrors with the hand that is tangled in her hair by her face...she moans again but this time her lips form his name as part of it all...

Oh Luke...

She is perfectly able to please herself for hours...her body has always been magically responsive and her imagination is no slouch and she loves the feeling of being in her own skin...especially when she's alone - but slow is not what she's feeling a need for right now. She wants this to be quick and satisfying and now.

She starts to rub her clit in hard tight little circles - dipping down sometimes into the opening for her vagina to slicken her fingers and tease more skin. She doesn't resist letting herself imagine Luke with her - afterall nothing from this moment will make real life with the man more awkward and complicated. So she pictures - feels - what it would be to have Luke - above her - on the couch kissing her her - all lips and tongues and hands and skin and teeth... the drowning swooping feeling intensifies.

She is close. And she knows how to push herself over the edge - she deliberately changes the cadence of her breath - she actually can make herself cum just by changing her breath and making her brain swirl into a narrative of all things sexy - she briefly remembers doing it once as teenager sitting in the back of an almost empty city bus - then drags herself back into this moment. She brings both hands down - using one to shove fingers into herself as deep as she can reach - as the first two fingers on her other hand jills her clit for all she is worth.

She is hunched over herself now - red faced - rocking and gasping - she knows she would not be a pretty sight if anyone were to walk in right now but she is almost there so she doesn't care...quickly she weaves a belief that Luke's cock is deep inside her and that he is making the most incredibly sexy noises as he makes love to her...that he is momentarily holding back but then is cumming...cumming...cumming inside her which makes her release crash over her.

She shudders through the end of her orgasm and then unfolds herself from the couch and stumbled her way to bed. Ready to sleep away the rest of the night.

She opens her bedroom window to let in some fresh air and then falls onto the bed pulling the comforter up over herself.

She is asleep in minutes.

In the darkness of living room Sergio jumps to the top perch of his new cat tree, and surveys his domain.

He is totally pleased with his new status as ruler of the galaxy.

#penelope garcia #criminal minds #luke alvez #garvez #garvez smut

[taintedmantis]

2023 Wrap Up! What I Achieved (and What I Didn't) Plus 2024 Goals

We're at that time of the year again! What a blast this year has been for me as a Gaming Content Creator to look back on. For this, I'll be referring to these Tumblr blog entries:

1. 2023: Reevaluating My Content and Developer Goals For This Year

2. End of 2023 Content Creator and Developer Goals (Updated as at August)

Let's start with what I didn't manage to achieve this year.

Indie Game Dev:

Achievements

The hobby dev team I'm in managed to recruit a graphic artist, and we were able to create something out of a game jam back in April. As mentioned in the August blog entry, the game still needs polishing and honoring the team's agreement to not showcase it yet until it's ready, it was still a fun dating sim project that involves mycelium! However, we're at the point where we aren't quite able to do this on a more regular basis due to new job schedules for a few of our team members. So...looks like my time as a game developer is currently on hold for a while.

Having gotten that out of the way, let's continue with what I did manage to achieve and where I'm headed in 2024.

YouTube:

Achievements

As at now (December 31, 2023), I'm sitting at 690 subscribers, just 10 subs shy of hitting 700 at time of writing. It doesn't sound like a big number, but at this time last year, I was only over 300 subscribers, with me hitting close to 400 on January 18 this year.

Specific tweet here.

This means almost doubling the number of subscribers on my channel, which I am grateful for, and already a fabulous achievement for a small creator like me. ❤️

Targets for 2024

Will the upcoming year be the year I'll finally hit 1000 subs? I'm absolutely positive it will be! With the trend of my best videos being the Get Better At Mahjong series that constantly receive views daily, I can see it coming. Despite only producing possibly 1 mahjong video annually at this point, it's the tabletop game that will always be in demand no matter what, especially during the Lunar New Year period when the entire community that celebrates the festival plays this game to entertain the rest of the family. The better question is exactly when this will happen! Let's see if this will happen by the Year of the Dragon!🐉

Content Creation:

Achievements

1. Festivals and Why You Should Play series: Having covered several Steam festivals, ranging from Next Fest to LudoNarraCon, I have come across many games that would have otherwise flown under my radar. With so many amazing games released in 2023 in particular, I had to start a new series that goes a little more in-depth on individual games. This is when I decided to start the Why You Should Play series. The playlist is still a little too short to have it appear on the landing page, but I hope I'm able to give the games a little more justice and attention to some of the details that I wasn't able to cover in the more generic festival videos that usually only offer demo coverage. There are still many games that I have planned videos for, but with my ability as a one-man-band doing everything while also honoring other commitments, many of these have to be on hold. Hopefully less so in 2024, but let's see!🤣

2. Let's Plays: Noticeably, I have done a lot less Let's Play style videos in the past year. This is not to say I don't want to keep doing them, but due to lack of views and my inability to be amusing enough to be entertaining, I've decreased the frequency of this video style in favor of more structured videos. It also means putting more effort into increasing the production value for the other videos, which means my video releases are less frequent compared to 2021 days. However, seeing the improved quality of videos I've released in 2023 is a great reason to continue that trend. I will see if I can finish off some of the Let's Play titles that are in progress at a later time, but with upcoming new schedules, I cannot make any promises on that. I will try to squeeze something interesting in once in a while where possible (such as the Two Point Campus Christmas Challenge video).

3. Convention series: As Covid-19 started to ease off in January and Hong Kong finally opening up to the world after nearly 3 years of being in constant lockdown, I began to consider heading back out there and put gaming travel as part of my channel branding as it was my original plan pre-Covid to start travel vlogging. It was one of the best decisions I've made this year with meeting many gaming industry peers at conventions, plus putting faces to Twitter mutuals. This is where I decided to begin some form of gaming related travel series, though I admit I am a little slow in the turnover as the time commitment to editing has been quite challenging on my end. I only have 2 videos related to conventions so far, but more videos are coming!

Targets for 2024

With dates set and churning out travel plans in advance, my convention attendance and coverage will overall increase as with continuing coverage for Steam festivals (Next Fest in particular). The only thing I'm afraid of right now is creator burn out, but by far I'm managing this reasonably well, despite may sometimes requiring me to take a week or two off from video editing on occasions due to sudden mandatory commitments. As long as this trend continues, we're good to go!

Last Words for 2023

Best year yet! Thank you everybody who has been supportive of my journey and am absolutely grateful for the opportunities presented to meet new (and finally non-virtual) faces from the gaming industry. I'll leave a photo of my cosplay of FFVII's Tifa (that I wore to gamescom asia 2023) as a reminder of this year's achievements as I continue my Gaming Content Creator journey through to 2024. Here's to a fabulous 2024!🎉

#2023 #gaming channel #content creator #indie games

[sitp-recs]

Hidden Gems by @vukovich

I was rereading holemate the other day and it occurred to me that one could consider Vuk’s works an “acquired taste” - in the literal sense of an “appreciation for something unlikely to be enjoyed by a person who’s not had substantial exposure to it”, in other words the more we get, the more we’ll want 😔🙌 Vuk’s works are bold and fresh, engaging, intriguing and with such a distinct feel - it lures me enough to go check anything they decide to write, and I love the thrill of never knowing what to expect when I’m starting a new fic.

It’s not every day you find an author in whom you’re willing to trust to take you out of your comfort zone, and I do it consciously, knowing I’m gonna thank them for the experience no matter how the journey goes. Vuk’s writing is sexy, confident, unapologetic. I love the grasp they have of the characters, and that precise understanding of where they want to go with a story. Their Draco and Harry are deeply flawed, complex and adventurous - what’s not to love? They feel very human and I love that for them and for us! Whenever I’m looking for something outside the box, clever and full of personality but also edgy, hilarious, fucked up, devastating or haunting, I know where to go. I listed below my faves that I revisit often and I think they’re a great showcase of Vuk’s genius and range. Vuk also has a fabulous collection of short stories for peculiar prompts that you can find here. Go ahead and feast!

Manna (2021, E, 814 words) - brilliant sexy short feat. public sex, this got me at the edge of my seat!

Harry developed a taste for hiding in the Slytherin train car. And maybe for getting caught.

"I'll Figure It Out." (2021, E, 2.6k) - brilliant idea perfectly executed with hot af & hung lawyer!Draco putting Harry’s mouth to good use. One of my favorite PWPs 🔥

For the prompt: "Don't let your mouth get you into something that your ass can't handle." Harry's mouth repeatedly gets him into situations his arse can't handle. Then, he finds himself in a situation his arse can handle better than his mouth.

Epitaphs in Autographs (2021, E, 7k) - deliciously angsty and devastating, only Vuk would lure me with tags I usually make sure to avoid. Prepare the tissues. Cw: MCD, infidelity, implied domestic violence, sad ending

A series of works surrounding death, imperfect relationships, flawed coping, and humanity. Also a firing range of writing style.

Harry Potter: DILF Hunter (2021, E, 11k) - hilarious Himbo Harry shenanigans, this will make you laugh non-stop, major kudos to Luna & Neville (they’re both so great!) and that hot hot ending with dilf Draco and dad Harry finally doing the dirty together 😌

Auror Potter doesn't know what a DILF is, but if Malfoy's one, then Harry's gonna be the Ministry's best DILF Hunter ever! Or, five times Harry heard Draco was a DILF, and one time he found it to be pleasantly true.

holemate (2021, E, 19k) - it’s about the yearning!!!! Devastating soulmate AU with Draco whump and oblivious Harry, we love to see it! Smut & angst as per, but don’t worry it’s a happy ending :) Cw for recreational drug use, wasting condition and some police brutality

Most people never get a soulmate. Harry has buried three. When the mark appears again, this time alongside an American Auror, perhaps a diversion can keep everyone alive. A diversion that looks a whole lot like a chaotic, fuckable Malfoy.

The Foxing Ring (2021, E, 24k) - my first Vuk fic is probably the fluffiest story she’s ever written and one of my all-time faves. Playful and clever, with an unusual plot, witty humor, and unexpected fur kink! Love the squib Harry + powerful Draco combo, they’re a perfect match and white fox Draco is everything we need in life 🙌

What. The. Fluff.* Harry's got no magic, one good ear, no great dating prospects, and a nice little wand workshop. Draco's got too much magic, a history of biting off ears, no great dating prospects, and a growing fondness for wandmakers. And a very fetching tail. Read my rec here and check perfect fox Draco art by @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm here.

Fearful Trill (2021, E, 29k) - the most romantic dark fic you’ll find! An intriguing and brilliant angst with a happy ending with unredeemed prisoner Draco, inexperienced Head Auror Harry, BAMF Hermione public sex, lots of angst and smut. Cw: terminal illness (cancer)

Harry should have come out and met someone when he was younger. He should have seen a doctor about the pain in his hip while youth was still on his side. Now, he's made his peace with dying young, but maybe not with dying alone. Draco should have got the Kiss. He should have died in Azkaban decades ago. Instead, guards throw him in a Ministry lift with a dying man who could stand to live a little.

#hidden gems #day 38

[berenwrites]

🎃Haunting Horror for Halloween!🎃

Free book for Halloween.

Happy Halloween one and all.

As has become a tradition for me and Soph at Wittegen Press, we like to give away a free book for Halloween (link and instructions at the bottom). It started when we heard about @neil-gaiman's All Hallows Read way back in 2012, where the idea is to give books as a Halloween treat.

Soph and I created eBooks to give away from 2012 to 2021. We took a little break in 2022 for family reasons, but now I am back to continue the tradition!👻 (Soph's been too busy at work this year to join in, poor thing - hopefully she'll have more time next Halloween).

This year the book is called Mirror Mirror: A Haunting Tale of Horror, which is the first story, and it also contains The Crosses We Bear.

A chill runs down your spine as you enter your refurbished home in Mirror Mirror. Little do you know that glancing in a mirror will spell doom for you. In The Crosses We Bear, meet Lyle and Susan, two ad executives who are about to discover that a remote Scottish hotel is only the beginning of their terrifying journey. Follow their story of facing terrible things in the dark as they confront the horror they find.

I also decided it would be fun to read Mirror Mirror over on my YouTube channel. I hope I come off as sufficiently spine tingling 😱 - although not too creepy or YouTube will bury my vid 😉.

The book is available from all the usual eBook sites, but to get it FREE you need to pop to Smashwords - and use this coupon code on checkout: HA85H

The offer is valid until 01 Dec 2023 - so grab your copy before it runs out.

🎃Please be aware the stories this year are not kid friendly - they are for older trick or treaters who enjoy a bit of horror.🎃

I do love writing a bit of dark horror from time to time. It balances out my usual desperate need for a happy ending I suppose 😉. Hope you enjoy the stories and have a fabulous Halloween.

If you are looking for more spooky horror, all the previous years books can be found here.

#horror stories #free horror fiction #monsters #haunting horror #demons #free book #chilling fiction #vampire #mirror monster

[sometimes-men-need-help-too]

Movember

As Movember returns, the team hope that its iconic moustache will continue to serve as a “powerful catalyst for change” and conversations about men’s mental health.

Movember, which is synonymous with people either donning or shaving off a moustache, takes places in November annually and seeks to raise awareness of men’s mental health issues.

“The moustache starts a conversation, it’s a really powerful catalyst for change”, Sarah Coghlan, the global director of men’s health promotion at Movember, told the PA news agency.

“That conversation and awareness is so important, and it continues to prove itself in its effectiveness.

“Men might come to us because they think it would be fun to grow a moustache, but actually along the way they learn a little bit more about the health risks, they might ask their dad about prostate cancer in the family, they might notice a friend whose behaviour has changed and have the skills and confidence to reach out and be there for them.”

The 48-year-old who lives in Bromley, in London, added that as “silly and ironic as it is, it is a symbol of change for men”.

“It really does put men in that vulnerable position of looking in the mirror every day and grooming their moustache and asking themselves what they can do to improve their health and the health of those around them.”

Some moustached specimens have even used their tash to try and gain favour in job interviews.

“We hear fabulous stories of people going into job interviews with a moustache and it kinds of breaks the ice and sets them apart as a candidate, and has that lovely bonding ability”, she added.

Aside from the glorious facial hair, Ms Coghlan said that if she were to sum up the cause in three words, she would say: “Walking, talking, billboard” to highlight that any challenges can be taken on to raise awareness for the cause.

Ms Coghlan, who has been with the charity for 15 years, said she wanted to bring the “hairy moustache to the northern hemisphere” from Queensland, Australia, and has been pleased to see the campaign go from “strength to strength”.

“The UK is leading the world today in our registrations, in participation and fundraising, which is always wonderful to see”, she added.

Data from Movember revealed that in the UK, the 2021-22 campaign, which ran until April 2022, raised 26.1 million Australian dollars, which equates to over £14 million, with 88,650 registered participants.

Since 2003, the charity has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects globally.

She added that Movember creates a sense of community among participants.

“I feel constantly connected to the community because of the stories that we hear, what Movember means to the people who grow and find other like-minded people who want to do something about the state of men’s health,” she said.

“Frankly, it’s still the case that men are dying younger than women for largely preventable reasons, and we can all play a role in ensuring that the men in our lives live a long and happy life.”

Many members of the public have taken on a variety of different challenges from climbing mountains and crossing oceans to making pizzas shaped like moustaches this year.

“It doesn’t have to be huge – it just has to be that visual symbol or that gesture that says I know there’s something going on here for men and I want to be part of that conversation and that movement for change,” she added.

Here's the website for it:

#mens rights #mens mental health #mens health #movember #mental heath support

[emeraldgreaves]

6, 7, 12, 13, 20 for bookbinding asks! (Literally would ask all of them but that feels like too much lol)

20 questions about bookbinding

6. What is a binding by another binder you really love?

celestial-sphere-press’s gorgeous cover for sanren. look at the cutout. look at the BRUSHWORK.

i love this binding of the hobbit that uses a clever cover cutout to incorporate bag end’s green door

also queercore-curriculum has done some absolutely gorgeous sewn spines

and finally, the absolute delight that is the crowd-produced my immortal. look at this thing. it should be in a museum. i love it.

7. What’s your favourite type of binding? (coptic, stab, fine, Bradel, etc.)

i’m in a committed relationship with sew-only bindings, so i’m a big fan of english longstitch, japanese stab bindings, and the secret belgian binding! examples below, left to right.

the first two are from the projects i did for a bookbinding class in college (so far the only class where i’ve put the knowledge to practical use); then when i got into full-size books i taught myself secret belgian binding because I couldn’t shake the feeling that it’s not a proper book unless it has a spine.

12. What is your workspace like? I have a desk! Though lately i’ve been putting everything on it in front of the tv so i can work and watch something at the same time. (I was binding a book when we did the void gang watch of And Then There Were None.) (the hello kitty tin contains sewing needles!)

13. Do you have a favourite cover material? i’ve only recently let myself level up from michael’s normal patterned scrapbook paper to michael’s fancy gilded scrapbook paper and am otherwise just making grabby envious hands in the general direction of bookcloth. @thenightdayblogger also sent me some absolutely gorgeous, actually art-worthy paper for my birthday, so hopefully by the time i find a fic worthy of it i’ll have finally worked up the courage to use it.

20. If you had to give past!you one advice about bookbinding what would it be, and is it the same advice you give newbies? this is wrt typesetting but microsoft word’s margins on the booklet setting are awful horrible liesssssssssssss they don’t flip “inside” and “outside” to account for the first page of a booklet being outward-facing on the right-hand side, and therefore the outer margin and spine gutter are reversed for the entire book. and that is why the centerfolds will seem narrow and the margins bizarrely generous. definitely made noises of incoherent rage when i figured that one out, as i’d already bound (and sent off!) several volumes at that point and could have saved some pages. learn from the sins of my carefree youth.

#emerald speaks #fanbinding #fanbinding asks

[dansnaturepictures]

Six of my favourite photos I took in June 2023 and month summary 

The photos are of: Red Squirrel at Newborough Forest, Anglesey, Stonechat at RSPB Valley Wetlands in Anglesey, evening view at Cemaes on Anglesey, Lulworth Skipper at Durlston in Dorset, evening view at Lakeside Country Park, Hampshire and pyramidal orchids at Durlston. 

I often say things about June being the or a key month of the year as since I left education we’ve had a wildlife holiday in all but two Junes (one of them was 2020 when we had to postpone a holiday until 2021 due to the pandemic and still had a week off of day trips) which often contains some of our best experiences of a year and everything wildlife wise at home is packed and in terms of insects and flowers especially going at quite a pace into summer. This June was no exception, and was a phenomenal month. Starting with birds where I had a fantastic birdwatching month, with a few more species seen for the first time this year putting my year list into an unbelievable position with Sunday’s Pig Bush Spotted Flycatcher sighting taking my year list to 207 to make it my highest ever. There were some incredible species seen this month, from Arctic Tern, Manx Shearwater, Chough, Black Guillemot and Little Ringed Plover key birds of the amazing holiday on Anglesey and wider north Wales, to Peregrine at Winchester Cathedral and Durlston and Great Crested Grebes at Lakeside excitedly seeing chicks for both this month. Jay, Common Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin and Marsh and Hen Harrier were other key birds this month. It was a brilliant month of mammals, headlined by the exquisite experiences seeing the Red Squirrel to ensure I’ve seen them in England, Scotland and Wales this year and also Grey Seals amazingly on a boat trip around Puffin Island on Anglesey. 

It was a blissful month of butterflies as we sailed into summer, I was amazed to see species such as Meadow Brown and Large Skipper firstly at Lakeside, Silver-studded Blue, Common Grayling, Dark Green Fritillary and Ringlet firstly in the amazing set we saw in North Wales, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, the Lulworth Skippers, Gatekeeper, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary with Small Copper and lots of Red Admiral other highlights. I am in a strong place in my butterfly year compared to my other years. Silver Y, enigmatic Hummingbird hawk-moths, the emergence of both Five-spot Burnet and Six-spot Burnet into my year and new ones for me like Brown Silver-line, Rosy Wave, Large Yellow Underwing and Garden Grass Veneer as well as Straw Dot seen were key species of a strong moth month.

It was a dazzling month of dragonflies and damselflies with so many seen. Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Emperor, Southern Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer and Broad-bodied Chaser were strong dragonflies to observe, with Azure Damselfly which I’m having a great year for, Beautiful Demoiselle, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly fascinating and stunning damsels to enjoy. It was a great month for other insects with Swollen-thighed beetle dominating the month with loads seen probably more than I have before this year. Great Green Bush-cricket, Rose Chafer beetle, Chrysomela populi beetle and Black-spotted Longhorn beetle were other creatures I was so fascinated and thrilled to see and for many learn.

June was a fabulous month of flowers too of course as I was captivated by orchids seeing the pyramidals, bee orchids a flower I love so much, and marsh orchids including early marsh orchid. Marsh helleborine, self-heal, argimony, English stonecrop, sheep’s-bit, marsh cinquefoil, yellow-horned poppy, meadow crane’s-bill, bird’s-foot trefoil, red campion, foxgloves, yellow rattle, chamomile, pineappleweed, yellow iris, thrift, knapweed, thistle, mallow and oxeye daisy were other key flowers seen with the flowers seen at Lakeside regularly and big times in the year for flowers in Anglesey and Durlston sticking in the mind. Finally it was a great month for just enjoying being outdoors and seeing the outdoors in so much bright sunshine, I took in many breathtaking views at many wonderful places enjoying summery sunsets, sun going down scenes and the moon. Have a nice July all. 

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