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lewkwoodnco · 7 months

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Say Don't Go - Lockwood x Reader

A/N: So I think it's kind of clear that this is going to be a fairly angsty series hhehe I've tried to lighten a little at some parts and varying the type of angst (e.g. anger vs sadness) thank you to @mischivana for giving me the idea to turn this into a series! <3 wc 3.8k

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 3.5 | Ch 4 | Ch 5

They never spoke of that night ever again, or even acknowledged it. She had woken up the next morning, preparing herself for a pounding headache, but it never came. She spent the rest of the day driving herself crazy, waiting for snide remarks or to see the offending picture glaring at her at the newspaper stand down the street. From the looks of it, Lockwood seemed a little thrown off too, but maybe something about the situation shook some sense into him because he seemed more formal around her, and his smile never quite reached his eyes like before. She convinced herself that his aloofness didn't bother her. Why should it?

It's towards the end of a mildly harrowing case that she sees Lockwood again for the first time in two weeks. One of her teammates had dropped a magnesium flare which had disintegrated one of the load-bearing walls of the buiilding, causing a mini avalanche of wood and plaster which blocked them from the exit. After a few minutes of locating everyone and making sure no one was severely hurt, there was a crackle on her walkie talkie from Kipps, who was sending in backup.

Soon enough, insistent fingers were scrabbling at one of the largest planks of wood wedged in the door, and with some pushing on her side it eventually came free, allowing a thin strip of light to spill into the dark. Her breath hitched when she met Lockwood's eyes, which widened ever so slightly as he took in what he could of the dusty, bruised sight of her. It must have been a long night for them too, since George didn't have enough patience to wait for Lockwood to finish gaping and shoved him to the side.

With the additional help, they managed to clear a sliver of a path, just enough for her team to extract themselves from the rubble. Once the worst of the injured had been sent to the paramedics and it had been sufficiently determined that she was still in the right state of mind, Barnes became a lot more interested in what, or who, had caused the collapse. She wanted to point out how Lockwood didn't need to be there, and that his relentless staring was starting to irk her a little, but she was too exhausted to.

"It was an honest mistake, Inspector. Any of us could - will you relax? You're giving me a headache."

He had the decency to look a little apologetic, but he's Lockwood, so it wasn't much. "Are you sure you're completely - ?"

"Lockwood, if I start foaming at the mouth, you'll be the first to know."

She ignored his sulky mutterings and turned back to Barnes. "Can I go now?"

He sighs and awkwardly clears his throat in a way that makes her stomach sink. She's so tired and this day feels like it's never ending. "There is, er, one last issue. Your apartment's been flooded by a water pipe burst. DEPRAC can put up you up for about a week but it's looking to take up to a month."

She lets out a strangled wail, the closest she's been to tears all day, too upset to be even mildly amused by the look of alarm on Barnes' face as he tries to offer some words of comfort.

"At least you had insurance?"

"Not for water damage!"

She didn't want to drift around, trying to find a solid place to say. She wanted to go home to her warm, dry, bed. She vaguely registers some muffled conversation between Lockwood and Barnes, only gaining some clarity once Lockwood shakes her a little.

"You can stay at Portland Row, it's no trouble at all. We have a spare bed in the attic and everything."

"I remember," she murmurs, and the look on his face becomes a little awkward. She resists a little, mumbling something incoherent, but his arm feels too wonderfully solid and reassuring on her back for her to put up much of a fight. In her haze of exhaustion, she found herself thinking how much she'd like to dissolve into his arms. She'd be thinking much more sensibly after a good night's sleep.

Morning came, along with the clarity of thought she had anticipated, but so did the insistent forces that were George and Lucy. At one point, Lucy threatened to set her apartment on fire, and George said that, if controlled, it might be the most effective way to dry it out, which made Lockwood choke on his tea. As he coughed with watering eyes, she narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if this had been his plan all along.

And so began her stay at Portland Row. It made for a much more vibrant life, even though she had never considered herself to be social by any means. Somehow, the press had caught wind of her new living arrangements, even though she never even dared to share a cab with them, and slowly but surely started to set up camp outside 35 Portland Row. Eventually, Lockwood had had enough and after a chat with Barnes, the street outside their front door was once again miraculously empty.

It was little gestures like these which helped chip away at the ice between them, each glance and brush of the hand a little longer and a little more meaningful than the last. But every time he started to get close enough that his warmth started to pull her back to distracting memories of tangerine light reflecting off aquamarine waters, something in him would shrink away and his eyes would glaze over with cordial apathy.

On days when she didn't have any cases, she would sit by the window, watching life stir sleepily till the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes that would be until Lockwood reached home from his solo cases, and even through the frosted glass she could feel the weariness in his blurred silhouette. He would walk in and give her a hesitant smile, and she didn't understand him any better than from the other side of the window. There was this secretive air about him, like he was playing a hand that she could never see, yet one she lost to every time. Something in him was making him hold her at arm's length, and she couldn't figure out what it was, and as much as she tried to deny it, it was beginning to wear her down.

This is the unfortunate realisation she makes as she hears Lockwood trying to get her attention on a case - a realisation part of her had guessed from the very start. They're stuck in a basement together because the door won't give, and the others are too far away to hear them, though that doesn't stop Lockwood from trying to yell through the door. The quiet gives them time to ruminate in their thoughts, of which she has no shortage of.

"Y/N? You alright?"

"Yeah. You?"

There's a hint of a smile on his face. "Scared."

She scoffs. "Like you've ever been scared a day in your life."

He clenches his jaw like she's said something unpleasant, but she doesn't care enough to backtrack. "I get scared all the time."

"Like when?"

"Like when you go on cases with incompetent amateurs who blow up the roof over your head."

It might have been more touching if he didn't sound so petulant. She laughs, and he looks only slightly miffed.

"I'm serious, Y/N. I wish you didn't have to take the brunt for your teammates shortcomings. You could have died in there." A silence falls again. "What are you afraid of?"

Looking into your eyes and not finding what I'm looking for, she wants to say. "Nothing."

She looks at him, watching her concernedly, his body pulsing with adrenaline and action the way hers should have been. It was hardly the time to mope around when the imminent threat of being ghost-touched hung in the air. There was something reminiscent of her own propensity to shoulder pain or discomfort on her own in Lockwood's pleasant yet achingly impersonal attitude. Someone had to bend before they both broke, and her melancholy had softened her rigid nature into something more pliant.

"Lockwood," she says, as if she hadn't heard a single word of their conversation. "I'm cold."

It's difficult to say, and it makes her feel weak, but Lockwood and his understanding eyes had that kind of effect on her. But when he chivalrously drapes his coat around her, a vacancy fills her where warmth should have rushed in. She closes her eyes and wonders how she'll ever look him in the eye again.

When their friends pry them out, they're unnaturally quiet, and a few shifty glances tells her that they've picked up on something being off. While the paramedics take a look at their scrapes, her unseeing gaze drifts until it lands on Lockwood, and her thoughts center on him like a compass to a magnet. She watches him talk to Barnes with his forearm bandaged up, and she lets those feelings of frustration and yearning that she had been keeping at bay wash over her.

Later in the attic, when Lucy goes down to bring some tea up for them, she weeps over the futility of it all.

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Lockwood & Co. and her team from Fittes were in an abandoned cinema which once belonged to their client's father, which they had to clear of more than a few unsightly visitors. George gives the rundown of his research and her team disperses. George hesitates before splitting up the four of them, peering at them over the top of his glasses, uncharacteristically apprehensive. She knows they're all thinking about the fight from last night, or what was more accurately this morning, and she wished they wouldn't.

"Both of you have your emotions in check?"

She doesn't give Lockwood the chance to reply. "Yes. Can we start now?"

George doesn't look happy, but he rarely is, so he lets it slide. She starts setting up her iron chains in the theater she's been assigned to, and as she lays down the last one, she feels rather than hears him.

"Are you okay?"

"George told you to stay near the popcorn machine."

Even in the dim light, she can make out Lockwood's peeved expression. Or maybe she was just imagining it. She wasn't sure anymore. "Yeah, well, George says a lot of things. He also told you to chase me out if you saw me, and I don't see you doing that."

She stays silent. He repeats his question. She ignores him again.

"Why'd you come?"

She had just come back from a case, and it was late, but there was still light peeking through the crack under the library door. She was thinking about Kipps and his knowing smirk as she irritably rifled through the kitchen drawers. Before leaving, he had asked her if she planned on staying on with Fittes, and then was annoyingly evasive when she didn't know what he was talking about. He asked her if she had checked her mail recently, and she realised she hadn't, even though Lucy had popped down to the post office to have her mail forwarded to Portland Row. It had to be somewhere in the house. She just about gives up when her knuckles knock against the back of the last drawer, producing a dull hollow sound.

“What are these?”

Lockwood glanced at the letters she’s holding carelessly and went unnaturally still. George had a resigned look of understanding in his eyes. Lockwood closed the case file slowly, as if any sudden movements would set her off, and she had to admire him for his gallant effort to keep his tone light.

“Where did you find them?”

“In your kitchen drawer. What are letters from out-of-town agencies addressed to me doing in your kitchen drawer? How long have they been there?”

He adjusted his stronger-than-necessary grip on the case file. “A while.”

She wanted to laugh incredulously. What was he playing at, acting so unnervingly stoic? “And you didn’t think to tell me about them?”

He lets out a huff of irritation, but there's a nervous twitch to his muscles. He opens his mouth to respond but she cuts him off with her hand. She turns around slowly, trying to keep track of the faint movie she hears playing in the background and the audience's laughter, but the screen behind her is blank. She hears Lockwood draw his rapier and she realises he feels it too: the visitor.

It all happens so fast. She feels a pulse of energy that sends her skittering to the side, knocking out her electrical lantern. She bumps into Lockwood who drops his torch, which also immediately goes out. She hears him frantically slamming it against his palm, trying to get it to work again as she fumbles for salt bombs. She's worked without light before, but something about this pitch-black darkness was viscous. She swears and before she realises what's happening, she fumbles for Lockwood's wrist. It only takes him a quick, if clumsy, rifling through her belt to realise what's wrong: she'd forgotten to restock her supplies.

"Wha - you always check your belt before a case!" He's cross, but he still pulls her out of the way, lobbing a salt bomb which makes the visitor shriek and hide. She’s still twisting wildly, trying to deal with the palpable fear threatening to burst her aorta, but he somehow manages to drop his lips to her ear. His whisper consumes her in the darkness.

“Don’t worry, I’m here.”

And for a minute, she listens, and her headache dies down a little. But Lockwood flinches, and she’s on high alert again, only now it’s getting harder to distinguish the visitor from reality.

"Most of my supplies are at the popcorn machine. We need to get out of here. Find George - or Luce - anyone."

“Y/N, you’ve had a lot on your plate recently.”

She thought about the false backing of the drawer. “So when were you going to tell me about them? Were you planning on ever showing them to me? Or only when it was too late?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He was mildly frowning now. “Besides, you’re holding them right now. Tell me you’re even remotely interested in any of them.”

She wanted to. She wanted to say it firmly with her whole chest, to watch the tension in his face dissolve, to go back to the quiet evening they were all having. Instead, she clutches the letters tighter and hesitates. Lockwood’s face darkens.

“Y/N. All these agencies are outside of London.”

She stays quiet. The silence infuriates him.

“Leave London? Your home is here.”

“Is it?”

He shoves her towards the door with little grace, but with enough force to have her wobbly legs somewhat cooperate. She doesn't remember where she stumbles to, her head is too dizzy, only the image of Lucy's stunned face swimming in front of her eyes as she clutched at her forearm.

When she somewhat comes to her senses, she hears footsteps running around, pausing only with the squeak of a door hinge. She pulls herself up from the floor, standing on shaky knees, leaning against the cool stone wall. She hears a door open much closer to her now, and she opens her eyes to see Lockwood, white as a sheet. His lips tremble but words fail him, and he closes the distance between them, cradling her face with slippery fingers.

There's blood on his face, but he isn't bleeding. She doesn't get much further than that because he's leaning down and kissing her hard and she's suddenly debilitatingly aware of the impermanence of his touch, the same touch that's knitted into every crease of her face. She was on the brink of making a decision, and now his lips sealed her fate. She feels the world hold its breath. She hates him for it. First he pushes her away and then he looks at her like a man starved and it's not fair.

She thought about her flooded house, and the upstairs attic where she still felt like a guest. She thought she might never feel like she belonged in a house that wasn’t her own. She answers her own question with unfocused eyes. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” But it’s not enough for Lockwood.

“Think, Y/N. Do you honestly believe you’d survive a day without - “ he unsuccessfully grapples with his emotions. “Without us?”

A pressure builds in her ears as if all sound had been sucked into a vacuum. Lockwood was standing just a few metres in front of her, but now he felt miles away from her, as if she was screaming through water which threatened to asphyxiate her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

There was a hard set to his jaw that she didn’t like. “You know what it means.”

Memories ran through her mind like hot flashes. Lockwood’s careful eyes, ready smile, his gentle hands and the scarlet apple they held, tabloids spilling over the library floor, his fingers in her lap, the dizzying warmth of his coat, the relief over the salvation his kiss bestowed on her…she felt flayed in a way only the media had made her feel; grotesquely vulnerable and hopelessly defenceless. Of all the demons she took arms against, she never thought Lockwood would be one of them.

“Take it back. Take it back.”

He breaks the kiss but their foreheads rest against each other, and there's something deeply destabilising in the way's he's breathing. But even with this proximity she only feels a void where his heat should have been. He drags her eyes into his, searching for something with an urgent fever, and she feels his disappointment resonate in her bones. His fingers grip her wrists with an unfamiliar desperation she only distantly registers, somehow numb to the frantic energy that has possessed Lockwood. She hears a swish of fabric and feels a warmth settling over her shoulders, and she hears his shallow breathing slow down imperceptibly. But it is no use: she is not cold.

The rest of the case is relatively uneventful. The blood was from one of her teammates who had had a nasty fall. She sits by the side while the paramedic bandages her up, Lockwood sitting next to her. He doesn't need to be there. She still lets him hold her hand.

"Listen...Barnes still owes me a favour or two, so if you'd like me to ask him to put in a good word for you at any of those agencies..." In the eerie light of the ghost lamps, his face looks so much more smooth and uncomplicated. "Just say the word."

"It's alright. There's no need."

"Haven't decided which one yet?"

"I have."

She doesn't understand why her reply hits him like a ton of bricks when he was ready to send her on her way just a few minutes back. He was giving her whiplash.

"So...that's it? You're leaving?"

There was a flicker of something in his eyes, and for a moment she thought he might regret ripping her open by the maw, but the deadened look in his eyes told her he wasn’t going to budge.

“I won’t.”

She was gasping for air for sobs that wouldn’t come. She wanted to screech something ugly. “That’s a lie. It’s a lie and you know it. What does my life have to do with you? The world just has to revolve around Anthony fucking Lockwood -"

"That is enough - "

"You’re a selfish man and a lying traitor - "

“I only want what’s best for you!”

“And who the hell are you to decide what’s best for me?”

The ringing silence that followed made her painfully aware of his agitated breathing. If she didn’t know any better, she wouldn’t have been able to tell if he was panic-stricken or furious. The look on his face was wretched in a way that made her feel disfigured.

“I don’t know...I don’t know.”

Something in him had dared her to dream again, to dream of loving someone to have and to hold. And that had been fine. But then he started looking at her in ways that stole her breath and kissing her like the world was ending, and now she didn't want to have or hold anyone other than Anthony J Lockwood. The same Anthony J Lockwood who couldn't care less about her.

The dream was coming apart in her hands like snow.

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No one is happy while she packs her things at Portland Row, and they all have their different ways of showing it. Lucy's too quiet and sits blankly at her vanity, not helping, and she broods enough to make her feel bad for leaving, but not bad enough to stay. George is making sniping remarks towards Lockwood who only manages terse, bad-tempered replies that only further aggravate an irate George.

Lucy gives her a fleeting hug once she's done, and walks with her down to the kitchen where George is having a cup of tea. She feels a twinge of regret when she sees how exhausted he looks, but maybe it's that same exhaustion that makes him pull her into a hug, though significantly less sentimental than Lucy's. She hears the two of them begin to murmur as soon as she steps out of the kitchen.

She sees him sitting in the living room in her peripheral vision. She thinks about his whisper in the dark, a dark not much unlike what she was stepping out into. It was all such a sham. Her hand is on the doorknob of the front door when a ragged part of her aches. She wasn't going to give up on him, not like this. She marches back to the kitchen and throws her bag down.

"Tell me to stay, Lockwood. Go on. Say the word," her voice takes on a strain, "and I'll stay. We don't have to talk about - about whatever this is. Just tell me to stay...and I will."

He stares at the case report in his lap, his eyes fixed at the top of the page, not even pretending to read it.

"I love you."

He looks up, and she sees his cruelly impassive expression. The silence stretches painfully in front of them. She feels like a child, begging for his affections when he won't even give her the time of day.

"Why won't you SAY anything?"

The scream barely makes him flinch. Lucy and George fall quiet. She waits, and waits, and waits, and waits. She wonders why she ever expected anything from him.

She walks to the front door again, and this time there's no stuttering lapse of cynicism to stop her. But once she's outside, she's momentarily paralysed and oh so alone. She hears George's muffled voice, and a resounding thud that makes the rapier stand fall over, followed by George's scolding voice.

With a heavy heart, she walks away from the only home she'd ever known.

#fanfiction #lockwood & co #lockwood and co #anthony lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x you #anthony lockwood imagine #fanfic #lockwood and co netflix #lockwood x y/n #taylor swift #taylor swift 1989 #1989 tv #1989 #1989 taylor's version #say don't go #from the vault #vault tracks #1989 vault

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givemea-dam-break · 1 year

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that funny feeling (locklyle)

a/n: this is my first locklyle fic please by kind lmfao. convinced to write this by the amazing @neewtmas and @waitingforthesunrise, so i hope you all enjoy this - it was inspired by the locklyle angst playlist a bunch of us have going so be warned :) this also brings holly munro into the story, but don't worry if you haven't read the books because i don't mention her too much. it isn't too long since i'm just testing the waters for my locklyle stuff lol

warnings: big sad taglist: @wellgoslowly @galactidiot

part 2

The days were beginning to melt together.

How long had he been lying here, hoping, praying, for Lucy to come back? For her to walk through the front door, bags in hand, declaring that she was coming back? That she never meant to leave? A few weeks, maybe. Or was it months? He had lost track of time.

Her absence was a tangible thing, something that he could reach out and feel so acutely that its sharp, jagged edges sliced his fingertips and cut deep into his heart. But, even still, sometimes he'd forget. He'd make her a cup of tea in the morning, just how she liked it - more milk than he or George would take, sometimes with a spoonful of honey if she wanted a little sweetness - only for it to sit atop the counter, growing cold. Neither he nor George had the heart to empty it into the sink. Holly would arrive, expecting it, and dump it out, but Lockwood knew that it pained her to do so too.

Waiting was useless. There were things that needed to get done. Cases for Lockwood and Co were piling up after the antics of last November, and they were steadily gaining a reputation. He needed to focus on that. On the thing he had always wanted.

But what was it worth when the one person he wanted most wasn't there, right by his side?

Part of him hoped that Lucy would see his pictures in the newspaper. Maybe she'd miss him as much as he did her, maybe it would be the thing that made her realise that she didn't need to leave. That she could come back.

He still couldn't make sense of her sudden resignation. She was worried that she couldn't control her Talents well enough, that she'd put them all in danger. But how could she? When she was the very thing that had saved Lockwood time and time again?

So, there he lay, sprawled on the attic's bed. The bed she once lay in night after night for years now. It still smelled like her; of lavender and some nice soap he couldn't distinguish. His excuse? This room was once his, and he was feeling reminiscent. He missed looking out of the window onto the street behind Portland Row, down into the back garden where the apple trees stood tall. He missed the warmth that flooded the room during the day, and the calm, soothing cool at night.

Everyone knew better, and he knew that, too.

Sometimes he'd just lie there, thoughtless and quiet. Other times, he would talk as if Lucy was there in the room with him. He'd practice his speech, the one he'd use to finally get her back, gazing at the picture he kept on her nightstand - one of the two of them and George she'd taken on an old camera she'd found stuffed in the wardrobe. She'd run down the stairs excitedly, demanding a picture, and George was forced into it, which his half-smiling expression showed. If Lockwood looked close enough, he could see the faint green glow on the lower right side of all of their faces from Skull, who had been pulling horrid faces at them.

He loved that picture with his whole heart. Her smile, so radiant, was completely and entirely entrancing, and she just seemed so, so happy with her face pressed up against his. So what went wrong?

Heaving a sigh, he released the pillow he so often clung to desperately like a child, and sat up. There were things that needed to be done. Research for a case. Make some new salt bombs. Have a shower. Had he already had one? He couldn't very well remember.

He could hear George clattering around downstairs doing God knows what - he wasn't too fond of the idea of finding out, petrified at the thought of finding his best friend half-naked doing some sort of yoga again - and there was Holly just down the stairs, muttering something or other. She did that often now. He could never tell what it was she was saying, but he recognised the lost look in her eyes. She and Lucy may not have been on the best of terms, but she missed her. Badly.

This was always the worst part. Starting the day.

Without Lucy, the whole routine felt empty. Where was her smile, or her snarky comments directed at Skull, the same ones he often worried were actually for him? Where were those bright eyes that would look at him with such happiness when he paid her a - supposedly - mindless compliment? Or the moments where she'd put him in his place with just a few words? Oh, how he missed those dearly.

It always left a funny feeling in his chest, thinking about those times. A mixture of a strange grief, a mourning for someone who had not died but rather had left of their own volition, and of horrible loss, almost like losing a limb. Like losing a crucial part of himself. Because, really, that's what Lucy was to him. She was everything.

Even still, he dragged himself from her bed, lingering for a moment in the doorway of the bedroom like he always did, before trudging down, down, down to the kitchen.

Relieved to find George not in the midst of a horrific yoga demonstration, but rather shoving pots and pans into the cupboards, he brewed himself some tea.

He tried to ignore the way his hand hovered in front of Lucy's mug, which was stained from the tea they never seemed to be able to fully scrub away, and sat at the table, staring into the murky brown of his brew. Lucy always made it look so much more appealing.

No matter how hard he tried to disregard the little things, she seemed to be everywhere he looked. There was a sketch on the thinking cloth of Inspector Barnes as an elephant, tooting his trunk. And, there, the vase of flowers she'd set during their last meal together, a bundle of long-since-wilted lilacs she'd picked from the back garden. Over on the counter, there was a large circular ring where Skull would often reside, covered by a teatowel, and it was as if his evil had seeped from the silverglass and into the countertop, never to be removed.

Lockwood wondered if Skull, as crude as he was, was at least keeping Lucy company. He'd hate for her to be on her own.

"I don't know how Holly does this," George grumbled. He shoved another pan into the cupboard haphazardly. "It's impossible."

As if on cue, the pans toppled, crashing down around George and onto the floor. Holly appeared seconds later, scolding him as she easily slotted them in and shut the door.

Like every other day, there was a certain tension in the air that none of them seemed to be able to shake, no matter how hard they tried. Holly could bring all the almond-iced doughnuts she could carry; George could make the most absurd comments to ever have graced this earth to make them laugh; hell, Lockwood could smile and charm all he wanted, but it never amounted to anything. Not without Lucy.

He had been searching for a reason to get her back since the day he'd left her at that café, too frustrated and dejected to even try and continue the conversation. Were there any cases he could hire her for now that she was an independent agent? That seemed like the only logically sound way to get her to be with them again. To be with him. He couldn't just turn up to her new flat, so far away from Portland Row, and beg her to come home. No matter how badly he wished he could.

So, he picked up his newspaper and flicked through it, hoping to forget about her for just a moment.

But it was impossible. How could one simply forget about Lucy Carlyle? Lucy Carlyle and her jibes; Lucy Carlyle and her beautiful smile and eyes; Lucy Carlyle and the warmth she provided Lockwood with. Especially when her adverts were in the paper.

Lockwood could not forget about her for even a moment, something he had come to realise every single day since she'd left. Not after she'd allowed him to feel. To feel pure joy and humour and wonderful frustration and love.

That's perhaps what hurt the most about it all. Not her reasoning. Not the suddenness of it. Rather, the things she'd arisen inside of him, feelings he hadn't truly allowed since the deaths of his family. Letting people in was far too real, and he didn't want to permit them to the same fates as the other people he had loved and lost. But Lucy, oh, Lucy. She was supposed to be different. She was supposed to stay.

But she left, and he missed her more than should ever be possible. He knew he should've expected it, but he had allowed himself to hope. Lucy had sparked that hope inside of him, and even now it still lingered, waiting for her to return.

He was stupid for it, he knew. It was the only thing that kept him going - the notion that she may decide that she was wrong and come back to him. But it was unlikely to happen. So he had to come to terms with it, as would Holly and George.

And, so, her seat would stay vacant. Her mug would remain stained. Lockwood would creep into her room at night, falling asleep under the watchful eye of her photograph. All the while, she would sleep beneath a different roof, under the same sky, so, so far from him.

#locklyle #anthony lockwwood x lucy carlyle #lockwood x lucy #lockwood and co fanfiction #locklyle fanfiction #lockwood and co #lockwood and co netflix #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #george karim #george cubbins #holly munro #fanfiction #givemea-dam-break

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delicatebluebirdruins · 5 months

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the Hollow Boy book 3 reactions reading it for the first time

book 1 and 2

finally ready to type this up here we go page numbers are my copies

page 3 "I think it was only at the very end of the Lavender Lodge job, when we were fighting for our lives in that unholy guest house, that I glimpsed Lockwood and Co working together perfectly for the first time" Lmao

page 8 the owners of the Lodge description "If they resembled anything, it was a pair of elderly owls roosting on a branch"

16 we know who you are Lucy

19 "That's real bad. If I were you Lucy I would find a window and jump out." that is not a good thing is it

page 20 "however as the weeks passed and we'd got to know it properly, we'd learned to really despise it too" heartwarming really

Page 27 that is a lot of ghosts (example whatever I'm on this would be great to see this on screen the practicality of it though? nope)

38 "you chucked that bottle like a girl"/ "I am a girl" no comments let it speak for itself

49 "Outside the window a gale was blowing. Portland Row seemed formed of liquid. Trees flexed; rain pattered on the panes. Inside, it was warm; we had the heating on full blast." this is so cosy

57 "so Lockwood's proximity made me happy" 63 Skull being annoying and I love the background on the night taxis

66 insight into the past and the sorry fate of Jessica Lockwood.

72 Poor Lockwood standing there as Lucy and George bickered

74 I love this quote "It was a place of absence, we were in the presence of something that had gone. It was like coming to a valley where someone had once shouted, loud and joyously, and the echo of that shout had resounded between the hills and lasted a long time. But now it had vanished, and you stood on the spot, and it was not the same"

also Lucy thinking about Lockwood opening up to her more is so cute

82 Hi Kipps (lmao this is so funny when you consider how worried Lockwood was at the thought of Lucy leaving for Fittes "Bloody cheek. Lockwood said. He's talking nonsense as usual. Even so, he said little in the taxi, and it was left to me to give renewed directions"

85 "I smiled at him. There was a horror behind that door. I would see it in seconds. Yet my heart sang in my breast, to be standing beside Lockwood in that house. All was as it should be" aw the horrors but united front

86 I wonder why i was thinking of the Woman in Black

91 "My Talent could bypass such anxieties" can it? 100% of the time?

92 the skull is funny but also an jackass

96 testing Lucy's talent time... the skull is so funny

101 "it wasn't the easiest of homecomings" (typing this up I did not notice the Fittes ghost hunting board game which is basically surgery" 105 "I couldn't believe it. They'd actually done it. They'd tidied! they'd tidied up for me" and "Lockwood's favourites - the ones with almond icing that he rarely allowed himself- were on top" and "Portland Row was my home. My real family was here." I need a minute for that last one honestly

118 "her skin looked as smooth and delectable as coffee- coloured marble". interesting word choice (bisexual Lucy)

125 "I'd never thought to sit so close behind Lockwood that I could lean foreward and speak quietly in his ear, or, by virtue of my proximty to the leader, tactily became the second most important person in the room"

133 the tale is so eerie the casual callouseness of Mrs Wintergarden (thought she doesn't mean to be) and the haunting itself 136 "I gulped mine down like an antisocial seabird" also hello lyre brooch

142 Lucy talking and getting cut off by Lockwood.

153 time sickness

162 Ned Shaw dies and it is just go on as usual there'll be time to mourn later. I am really glad we got to see Ned and Lockwood fight together in the show

165 Neighbourhood Protection Leagues. I was hoping for something like this in the world at large

176 Holly wearing Lockwood's old jumper on the one hand makes sense because cold but also was it necessary for Holly to say it still smells like him? like it is really intimate wearing someone else's clothing and smelling them on it and of course the possibilty of her wearing Lucy's spare gloves is so *flails*

186 "there were bloodstained footprints all around my circle" how about? no 188 "or mimicking the sound of breathing" again no

192 "the ghost opened it's mouth. "I need YOU" it said" creepy. three steps at a time is huge (i want a Lockwood POV)

200 "were you feeling particulary abandoned or needy up there?" and Lucy not answering or looking at George. 205 Lockwood and Lucy arguing about Holly (not arguing per say but rumbles of thunder off in the distance)

209 I love this chat with the Skull. 211 "head wounds clearly suit you" the way i sputtered at this

216 I love the vastness of the Chelsea outbreak

219 Bad things happening? let's throw a party! well carnival you get the picture

224 FLO! we're going to see Flo... 228 "Don't worry about Locky. He must like you really. It's been eighteen months and you're still alive" lmao

233 Love Mrs Wintergarden inviting them to the carnival

236 George is protective of Lucy aw

241 hi sir Rupert... 244 they're tossing sources!

247 deadly hair piece NICE ("the band was a crescent- moon- sharp, made of silver. She held it like a knife")

253 "we [Locklyle] were in step together perfectly in sync"

259 I love the pictures of Lockwood in the newspaper

264 "[Luce] You're a star" a bit out of context but who cares? and then she goes into Jessica's room and finds out what she can

266 Lucy finds a necklace "a golden necklace with a dark green stone lay on a sheet of cotton wool" 269 poor little Lockwood

278 world building! finding where things are located! this is cool

281 smarty pants George but also teamwork with Flo

284 "Another point to Lucy. She's good at playing atrocities" now thing of the scene in the show where she and Lockwood roleplay relic men

287 misplaced trust in Barnes

292 Lucy telling Lockwood to join forces with Kipps and I really like the scene

Lucy: "I think we should take Kipps up on his offer. There are people dying out there, Lockwood, and we can't stand back from it. We need to act. We need to engage, even if that does mean making compromises. That department store is massive: even if we're just doing a reconnaissance, we need a proper team. And Kipps's team is good- we know that. If we have faith in George, in all the work he's done, we should do this. We owe it to him. More than that, we owe it to ourselves.

and Lockwood just gazes at her (Lockwood POV) and she gets flustered "I just don't think we have any choice" and I love it so much

and I love the reactions of everyone else

297 FLO! I feel so safe. 299 Flo is plesant to Holly Lucy is annoyed

303 haunting descriptions time "Mornings are all right' the attendant in Meswear said. 'And late afternoons, funnily enough when you get the sunlight streaming through the windows. It's noon I don't like, when the streets outside are bright, and in here it's full of shadow. The air goes thick. Not hot, exactly. Just stuffy."

312 Lucy paired with Holly and neither being very happy about it the skull being funny

317 i like this description from the skull "Because you're [Lucy] unique. You shine like a beacon, attracting the attention of all dark things" 319 "i missed him [Lockwood] at my side"

323 "And i watched that notch of darkness. I watched as something moved into it" how about nope

328 "with a fetch a ghost that makes a psychic bond with the onlooker and takes on the guise on the guise of someone closely connected to them" this would be horrible yeah (I would love to see it in the show)

338 Lucy telling Holly she should have told Lockwood no and Holly goes "like you do?" Lucy yelling at Holly and poor Bobby is injured and having to deal with these two

351 "truth is, it's everywhere. it's right on top of us. It coils around us like a snake. We're all inside it. It's already swallowed us whole." I LOVE THIS LINE

359 why is Lockwood's eyes sparkling at Lucy and then it all goes to shit the chapter ending with "both my mind and body were lost"

365 "rule seven (b), obviously, is to keep your matchbox well stocked."

367 "I looked at it. 'Hello,' I said. 'Sorry' The skeleton said nothing. It couldn't help it's bad manners"

379 Lucy recognising the voice being that of Lockwood. But it not being Lockwood

385 "you know I'd die for you" so Lucy see's the fetch ghost take on Lockwood's form and telling her Lockwod dies for her. Then she hears this from real Lockwood. If it were me the moment i was able i'd sit in the corner and rock. Also this is a crime that we don't get to see this scene and the lead up to it on the screen because Lockwood's actor is great and would knock it out of the park. (also Lockwood pov again)

390 "it's happened to me before. Losing someone dear to me. I can't let it happen again" see above Cameron and Ruby would be stunning.

394 Lockwood's first ghosts were his parents? yikes

413 creepy thought indeed missing mysterious people doing a ritual

417 "take your boyfriend Lockwood" lmao skull

419 and everyone is in shock and the book end.

#the hollow boy #lockwood and co #lockwood & co #lockwood and lucy #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #george cubbins #holly munro #quill kipps #quotes #ellie reads #you know as i was typing this 9th Jan 2024 the skull is a little bit like calcifer the fire demon

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anotherghoul666 · 1 year

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Under Our Black Cult tour primer

@battiestbelfry as promised my dear! Now, I don’t have info on Gaerea yet because I don’t know them yet, Imma deep dive in the next few days. But the other 3 bands on the bill I know well, so here we go!

Under the read more: primers and my personal opinions on the bands Uada, Carach Angren and Rotting Christ. Song and album recommendations to start off. And the mask kink thing, with pics. 3/4 of the bands on this bill are or can be confidered masked bands, you know I gotta touch on the mask kink in there!

UADA

Uada, which means “haunted”, are a melodic black metal band from the United States. They are based in Portland, Oregon and have been active since 2014. They are currently signed to Eisenwald records, an independent music label from Germany. In this house we love and support independent labels! They are specialized in black metal and have a very fun roster.

Uada have 3 releases out so far, all full length albums. They don’t do singles, they don’t do demos, they don’t do splits, they don’t do EPs. They make full albums and drop them on a roughly 2 years cycle, though with the pandemic we are at 3 years since the last record, so these mysterious hooded figures are ripe for new material! Their debut album Devoid of Light in 2016 was well received by the metal world as a promising debut, albeit very classic black metal that didn’t surprise much. 2018’s Cult of a Dying Sun seems to be their album with the most acclaim. The sound quality difference between these two is astounding. The tracks tend to be longer, which helps some songs and doesn’t help others. 2020’s Djinn is their latest release and the reception’s been this: Djinn is way more niche, as in, you have to be down for 14 minutes atmospheric black metal songs to like it, but if that’s your vibe? It’s fucking good. Quality up, marketability down. They still don’t do anything super different, but it’s good black metal. It feels like European black metal despite being American, which is what I love, because I’m intensely biased towards the EU scene. US bands have to be either 1)extremely fucking special or 2) European-sounding to get in my good graces XD

The guys are “masked”, in the sense that they play with hoods over their faces with the aim of not being seen, for atmospheric purposes:

They also do “the hand thing” when taking pictures.

But they’re ok being approached in public by fans, as long as you don't pressure them to take a pic with their faces showing. They are not anonymous, their names are out there if you wanna know.

As far as recs go, I would rec all of the albums honestly cause it’s less than 3 hours of music and there’s nothing truly bad in there. My favorite album personally is Djinn but that’s because I fucking love atmospheric albums that make me lose track of time. I’m aware that’s not everyone’s cup of tea xD So, to my previous recs of Devoid of Light, Black Autumn White Spring and Cult of a Dying Sun, I’d add all of Djinn, but specifically the title track and In The Absence of Matter as a first contact.

CARACH ANGREN

Carach Angren are a symphonic black metal band from the Limburg province of the Netherlands. They’ve been active since 2003 and they’re currently signed to French label Seasons of Mist, one of the few major metal labels I feel positively about! The Seasons of Mist roster is INSANE. They specialize in the darker genres of metal, black, death, gothic, doom and some prog. Many of my favorite bands have been on them through the years.

So. Listen. Carach are one of my absolute darlings in the black metal world. When I began my exploration into black metal in the early 2010s, their first three records have been instrumental in making this genre my favorite. I would not be where I am today without them. I will forever have a very special in my heart for these guys. I hung out with them several times, I’m attached, ok? But. And there’s a huge But. Dear fucking god did these guys fall off. I’m still reeling from how perfect their music used to be, and how fucking atrocious the output has been since 2015. In my opinion. These primers are only my personal opinions and ramblings ok XD They’re doing fine, their latest albums did get decent reviews which I? Don’t understand? But you do you, boo? XD They’re one of the big names in black metal right now, they’re headlining tours, they’re doing good on the new material ok. But I can’t fucking stand it hahaha.

The main problem for me was the vibe shift. Carach Angren’s themes are horror stories. They recount fantastic tales of horror, fright and gore, psychological horror, body horror, historical horror, the like. The storytelling in their first three albums is stunning. There was always a sense of realism there, of horror being grounded in reality. It’s classy, it’s tasteful, it’s striking and horrifying but it’s never cheap and nothing is played for shock. 2008’s Lammendam is about “true stories” in a 1700s an 1800s backdrop, a historical version of our “I heard from a friend of a friend that…”, tales from the crypt and all that. Ghost stories that we’ve heard before, la Dame Blanche for example, but set to music. 2010’s Death Came Through a Phantom Ship is about nautical horror. Historical stories of phantom ships, captain-less ships, mutinies and their disastrous bloody consequences. It’s so grounded. Their masterpiece, 2012’s Where the Corpses Sink Forever, is about the horrors of war. We follow soldiers in trenches, feel their desperation, their fear of death yet longing for it. The heart-wrenching beauty to be found on battlefields because they are so human, yet the absolute bone-chilling reality of it. It’s so fucking real. This album, no joke, is one of the best albums I have ever heard in my life. It’s a 10/10 record for me, and I do not give out 10/10 easily. I’m rather critical. I have less than 20 albums that I’ve ever rated as perfect in my life, and this album is unanimously recognized as the pillar of this band, and one of the pillars of symphonic black metal altogether. This is one of the albums that made black metal click for me. It changed everything.

And then, there was a tonal shift. I suspect, coming off from such a resounding success, the band didn’t know how the fuck they could live up to it, and they crumbled under the pressure. 2015’s This is no Fairytale is, as the title suggests, bases in the Grimm fairytales. It’s a weird modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel and like. Yeah. It started to get cheap. The language used in the lyrics shifted. There’s a ton of unnecessary cursing all over this album, graphic depictions of SA, p*dophilia, incest, drugs abuse and overdose, and like, yes, Hansel and Gretel is a tale about child abuse, of course, but there’s a way to approach those topics you know? With feeling, with emotion, with realness, and here it just feels cheap. Ghastly “twists” are constantly played out for shock value, it’s surface, it’s plastic-y. The stage show changed from refined hustorical costumes and atmospheres to, like, female-bodied mannequins being dragged around and getting their throats cut on stage with copious amounts of fake blood, and for what? It’s just, tasteless now. The band lost its delicacy. That’s where it started to feel cheap, and it only went downhill from there. 2017’s Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten is a joke. Legit, this album sounds like a joke. The songs are boring, uninspired, structure-less. The lyrics are so cheap. It’s like we went from a museum quality horror painting that moves and inspires, to a cheap clown trying to be scary at a kid’s birthday party. 2020’s Franckensteina Strataemontanus was very “meh” to me. Less offensive than the previous two, and the story is inspired by classic horror literature like Mary Shelley and the strange scientists that inspired her Frankenstein. There’s potential, but the magic is dead for me. Bad taste in my mouth. I can’t do it anymore, but maybe a fresh pair of ear that doesn’t have the baggage I have with this band will like it? You let me know.

In this context, you’ll understand why my recommendations will only be from the first three albums. If you want to go for it, just listen to all three. There are no duds in any of them. But for specific songs, from Lammendam: Haunting Echoes from the Seventeenth Century, The Carriage Wheel Murder, Heretic Poltergeist Phenomena and my absolute favorite La Malédiction de la Dame Blanche. From Phantom Ship: The Sighting Is a Portent of Doom and Bloodstains on the Captain's Log. From Corpses? Listen to the whole thing man. For real. It’s a concept album, so grab the whole thing, sit down, close the lights, get the lyrics out, and follow along. Prepare to be sobbing by the end. I could recommend every single song, but they hit so much more powerfully within the context of the story.

In terms of aesthetic, there guys are “masked” in the way that they have a very unique look of corpse paint (the face paint typical to black metal).

They coined this look, not corpse paint as a whole, but their style of it. It’s been copied a million times since (like by Cradle of Filth notably, though they'll argue to the ends of the world it wasn't copied. It looks the exact same, it's a bit ridiculous), but it was Carach who did it like this first. The band members have character names, though they are not anonymous. Their real names are out there, but on stage, they’re not themselves, they are Seregor and Ardek (Namtar used to be their drummer. He quit in 2020. I have no clue how the band will record anything else in the future without him because he was the CORE of the band for me. Absolute drummer crush. I digress.) Seregor is a hobbyist mask maker and he makes masks for his different characters from his stories, like these:

Imo they still hit on the mask kink somewhat. The guys on and off stage feel like they are radically different people, and to have met them masked at the end of a show and unmasked at more proper events, there’s a world of difference in the vibe. I love it.

Oh also they have spawn a good few big metal memes like this one XD :

Which they found funny enough they turned it into a shirt XD :

(and yes of course I have one hahaha)

ROTTING CHRIST

Rotting Christ are a seminal band in black metal’s history. They have been at it for 36 years under the Rotting Christ banner, 39 years if we count the first iteration of the band under a different name. Dare I say it? I’ll say it. They’re the black metal daddies. I’m so sorry, I said it, it’s out there now XD They are daddy and I don’t make the rules. Anyway! They’ve been active since 1987, as I said, and they are signed to, yep, Seasons of Mist. I wasn’t kidding when I said this label’s roster is nuts. They are from Athens, Greece and they’re more towards the melodic / gothic side of black metal. They influen ced black meal heavily because this early in the 80s (black metal as a genre really kicked off in the 90s), there were no other bands who did what they did, and especially not in Greek. Rotting Christ have a lot of songs in Greek, in Latin, later in their career they made songs based on Hindu mysticism, their lack of fear when it comes to singing in everything but English at the time was genre defining. They made many songs in English since, but man the ones in Greek just hit different you know? They changed the game before the black metal game was even a thing.

Currently there are only two original members left in the band, brothers Sakis and Themis Tolis, vocals/guitar and drums respectively. Everyone else right now are tour musicians or session studio musicians. As their band name suggests, their themes are of anti-christianity, satanism, occultism of many different cultures, mysticism, it’s all good shit. One more band we traumatized christian kids can heal our religious trauma through, weeeee!! They have 13 full length records out, their latest one being The Heretics from 2019 (we are starving from new material, please feed us) though they haven’t paused during the pandemic, re-recording older material and releasing compilations instead. There was a new single in 2022 called Holy Mountain, and I hope and pray that means new album soon. Sakis Tolis also released a solo project in 2022, Amongst the Fires of Hell, which was fucking DELICIOUS my dude. More laid back, but so fucking crunchy. Highly recommend if you feel their sound.

In terms of recommendations, you’re in luck because they released a massive best of for their 30th anniversary called Their Greatest Spells: 30 Years of Rotting Christ. That’s the must-listen. If you want into this band, start here. You’ll get a taste of the sound of every single full lenght that came befoee. It’s 2 albums, 33 songs: find your favorites, check which album they're from, and go from there! Non Serviam, Grandis Spiritus Diavolos, In Yumen-Xibalba, Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy, everything’s on here, besides my personal favorite song of theirs, Apage Satanas. It’s a weird chanty, trance-y song but it’s the one that made me fall in love with the band. It scratches at something deep inside my brain idk.

Rotting Christ are not masked, nor is there an aesthetic to latch onto, really. They’re just cool dude doing cool things and doing their part spreading the message. They’re honest and raw. No frills. What you see is what you get. They’re the OG.

And that's the bill! Lemme know if you listen to anything and if the bands catch your interest :D

#asks #band primers #metal band primer #uada #carach angren #rotting christ

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random-things-2023 · 5 months

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Rewatching Grimm and I’m sorry but Juliette was always kind of meh. Watching it as an adult vs a teenager in high school and I feel a lot different about her. I used to like her but now that I’m older she kind of just okay. I’m only on season two but she’s kind of just there.

I know that season 1 she’s just a normal human so that’s not really her fault that she’s just there because she’s just Nick’s girlfriend she’s not meant to be anything more.

In season 2 again not her fault for being useless so to speak but Nick should have just listened to his aunt and break up with her. Like Juliette was attacked and put into a coma and forgot him that should have been a HUGE clue that being near him is a bad idea. Nick should have used that as an opportunity to protect Juliette and let her leave Portland and be safe.

If Nicks enemies don’t know her name and she’s not around then she’s not in any danger and can’t be used as a bargaining chip against him. And more importantly can’t be hurt or killed because of him.

Also her telling I can’t see you anymore and leave her alone, should have also been a clue to stay away.

I can’t remember her in season 3 so once I watch it, I will post my thoughts later.

Jan 7th update:

Season 3! Juliette is just ok, she’s got her memories back but she’s just okay. Like I don’t feel any which way about her buuuut I kind of feel like without her around the season would relatively the same? Idk if that makes sense

Will update once I finish season 4, Five episodes deep but she’s just a little annoying. Like I understand her apprehension about Nick being a Grimm but he likes being a Grimm and it’s his family legacy and his choice and I feel like he was forcing him to choose what SHE wanted.

Anyway will update once season 4 is over

Season 4 episode 15 update

Again don’t feel too strongly about her either way, I mean I guess her hexenbiest transformation thing has been interesting but I feel like the writers didn’t know what to do with her and they just threw whatever stuck to the wall or whatever? Like I think WU’s transition from human to monster was more interestingly done than her stuff

#Grimm #rewatch #anti juliette silverton #I don’t hate her #but I just don’t like her in the way I used as a teen #like I thought she was cool and fine or whatever #but now I’m just yeah she’s alright #I guess

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dumbestthingiveeverheard · 10 months

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Dumbest Thing I've Ever Heard: 8/2/2023

Fifth Place: Bret Stephens

Yesterday, Bret Stephens published a New York Times piece with the headline "The Hard-Drug Decriminalization Disaster." Highlights include him attempting to tie drug decriminalization in Oregon with anecdotes of crimes that have happened in that state--including somebody doing an inappropriate act in public which the author does not even attempt to tie to drug use and a person shooting up on a playground--which also happens in every other state in this country. This is not even mentioning Stephens attempting to draw a correlation between this measure and the increase in violent shootings in Portland from 2019 to 2022--even though violent crime increased as a whole from 2019 to 2022.

Of course, the article does nothing to argue the point that it is not the right of the government to determine if an adult decides to do drugs or not, and its attempts to discredit Portugal's drug experiment sees him admitting the problems Portugal is having now only exist because of funding cuts--only to then talk about how evil drug addicts are:

Here, too, defenders of the system point to funding shortfalls, especially for treatment. But the sticky fact that proponents of decriminalization rarely confront is that addicts are not merely sick people trying to get well, like cancer sufferers in need of chemotherapy. They are people who often will do just about anything to get high, however irrational, self-destructive or, in some cases, criminal their behavior becomes. Addiction may be a disease, but it’s also a lifestyle — one that decriminalization does a lot to facilitate. It’s easier to get high wherever and however you want when the cops are powerless to stop you.

Mind you, although I am not going to say that no addict is like this, I will say that the generalization is--at best--rather misleading. Even in our current system, people acknowledge that addicts are not "often" irrational people who need to be thrown in prison to deal with their issues--hence why we have things like rehab clinics in the world already.

Fourth Place: Allysia Finley

This is one I'm a tad late on, but the fact that one writer for The Wall Street Journal felt the need to publish an article with the headline "Climate Change Obsession Is a Real Mental Disorder" says everything you need to know about the newspaper.

If heat waves were as deadly as the press proclaims, Homo sapiens couldn’t have survived thousands of years without air conditioning. Yet here were are. Humans have shown remarkable resilience and adaptation—at least until modern times, when half of society lost its cool over climate change.

So the fact that people have died of intense heat all throughout history is--what exactly?

“Extreme Temperatures Are Hurting Our Mental Health,” a recent Bloomberg headline warns. Apparently every social problem under the sun is now attributable to climate change. But it’s alarmist stories about bad weather that are fueling mental derangements worthy of the DSM-5—not the warm summer air itself.

For the record, the article in question used--you know, actual science to explain how environmental factors can impact mental health. Of course, one could criticize this conclusion but the evidence for it appeared to be rather solid. However, why even bother to attempt an actual response when you could make fun of the headline? Even her response to this quotes a section from the study Bloomberg cited which said that further adaption could mitigate this effect--but in order for an effect to be mitigated, it has to exist in the first place.

Third Place: Rudy Giuliani

I don't even know what to add to this, Media Matters published an article today with the headline "Rudy Giuliani: “'If I'm a conspirator, I was a conspirator in performing completely legal acts.'” The problem is that doesn't make any sense, a conspiracy is a plot by two or more people to do something illegal, charging somebody of engaging in conspiracy means you are already charging them of being a conspirator in a crime.

Second Place: Ron DeSantis

Both sides went after him for this one, yesterday he tweeted:

As President, I will end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans. While I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment. I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, DC to their home districts.

So Ron is basically saying that he's using an inditement as a jumping off a point to push for his policies--despite never having read it.

Winner: Michael Tracey

This man has the greatest defense for Donald Trump ever thought up, the law they indicted him on is really old:

This latest indictment is completely insane. They have literally charged Trump under the Civil Rights Act of 1866

Wait until he hears about this even older document called The Constitution, which we still have as law to this day.

Michael Tracey you've said the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

#bret stephens #allysia finley #rudy giuliani #ron desantis #michael tracey

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defensefilms · 7 months

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The Top Storylines Of The 2023/24 NBA Season

With the NBA regular season set to begin on October 24th, I thought I'd break down which teams and storylines I will be monitoring most closely this season.

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1. Milwaukee Is On Dame Time

Now while, things on the court are looking as good as Bucks fans could possibly ask for, there has already been some scuttlebutt amongst the coaches.

The Bucks gave Adrian Payne the head coaching job mere weeks in to the 2023 offseason but Terry Stotts, who is reportedly very close to Damian Lillard having worked with him in Portland, has since left the Milwaukee coaching staff after a verbal dispute with Adrian Payne.

That change in the coaching department is something that Giannis and Dame's collective talent can overcome, unless holes start to emerge in Adrian Payne's game management, like use of timeouts, adjustments or end of quarter offensive or defensive issues.

Dame looked incredible against my Sixers. 39 points, 4 assists and 8 rebounds, is as good as it get, and when you consider that that was the first time they had all 3 of Giannis, Dame and Khris Middleton, you get the sense they are gonna be a problem in the East.

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2. Lakers VS Nuggets

It appears there may be some residual feelings between the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets after the Nuggets swept the LA team in last year's conference finals.

Anthony Davis in particular appears to have taken exception to the Nuggets slick comments during their championship parade.

Look, this is an interesting storyline and one that'll be easier to follow because the teams will play 4 times in the regular season, but more importantly, it'll force the media to talk about the Nuggets more.

All in all, the Western Conference needs this type of rivalry just for the sheer entertainment value of things.

The media are already piling it all on Anthony Davis after a toungh opening night, but the Lakers are very much a team that are still fine tuning line-ups and personnel.

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3. Boston Celtics

The Celtcis took what could have been a very complicated off season, and turned into lemonade by making notable additions.

Adding Kristapz Porzingiz was a head scratcher given the presence of Al Horford, but the addition of Jrue Holiday is by far thier biggest and best addition after trading Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies.

There were questions when the Celtics opted to pay Jalyen Brown and give him the richest contract in the NBA today, but the way they've followed it up indicates a change in mindset. Former Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Lamar Stevens.

I am not happy at all that they got Jrue Holiday but The Celtics appear ready, and fears behind paying Jaylen Brown causing the team to have less depth, appear to have been assuaged for now.

They've opened the with wins over the Knicks and the Heat, and you gotta feel they have enough to be in the conversation this year.

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4. Toronto Crossroads

The Toronto Raptors had hit a wall since 2019.

They had stockpiled a bunch of good young players, but the pieces had not quite fit together and the 2nd round appeared to be as far as the team could go wit that group.

Course correction has already begun, and once Fred Vanvleet was out the door and on his way to Houston, word started to trickle out as far as how some of the other Raptors felt about his game.

Masai Ujiri addressed this on media week, emphasizing how no egos would be tolerated and many have since connected the dots and realized who he was talking about.

The reality is that, the Raptors have got OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes as the cornerstones of thier team. Adding veterans like Jakob Poetl last season, and then Dennis Schroder thiss offseason, signals that they are all about the grown of their 3 allstar quality wing players.

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5. CP3 And The New Look Warriors

This is not the first time CP3 has been in a situation where he is paired with another elite guard, but this should hopefully be a better fit for his own skill set.

He was an absolute nightmare hunting the mismatch against Jusuf Nurkic in a loss during season opener against the Phoenix Suns, the question is, whther having him and Steph on the court at all times is sustainable given how the Suns and the Nuggets in particular have 1-on-1 players to give him and Steph problems.

Along with the obligatory problems with size on the interrior, that the Warriors just seem to live with at this point, is whether they are still going to get the same Klay Thompson, he did pitch in with 15 points and 3 assists, but time will tell.

#sports #basketball #nba #nba 2024 #top storylines #damian lillard #nikola jokic #lebron james #anthony davis #jrus holiday #jayson tatum #pascal siakam #chris paul #cp3

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redsnacky · 8 months

Text

Bedlam

“Trains, like time and tide, stop for no one.” — Jules Verne

“I won’t say goodbye” by Orfeu

Whenever I’m at the train station, I feel a constant sense of paranoia.

I watch different people walk down the long staircase censored by the ceiling. Each step down reveals a part of themselves and it is

with both horror and desire

of a deciphering game if it’s truly you walking down those steps.

I look up from my book from time to time leaning against the silver filthy column. I’m near the staircase but placed far enough to seem like another nameless soul in the crowd.

My mind relates to the argument of Jake and Amy (Brooklyn 99) debating of pros and cons of having kids together but with the replaced argument of Him and I of the pros and cons of our “true connection”.

If it did make sense, then Why did I feel uncomfortable? Why was there a sense of urgency to be on the same wavelength if one of us was still questioning if I deserved this?

Running into you would be chaos in disguise.

Over analyzing each sentence, each target chase, and each electrified kiss has manifested in the shape of a red button. Did you press it or did I?

Keeping my bathing suit might be on purpose. To keep a conversation steady, to keep memories from erasing or from multiplying.

I have racked my head with questions of purposeful moments.

The jacuzzi, eating non-stop at the market, taking pictures of our adventures, and seemingly enjoying each paradise surprise in Portland.

As if the ending credits of your journey have fulfilled the purpose of finding your happily ever after.

It makes me wonder if I was just an added piece to your life. I was crying and feeling agonized guilt from the love I had lost with Matt but I was supposed to be mature enough and ready for this new feeling in a matter of 2 days.

I feel frustrated with “we would have to wait for your cat to die for us to move in together” (allergies) or “my long-term goal is to have a polyamorous relationship, and I know that you are still new to these types of things so we are starting with open relationships” or “when I finish my studies I’m going back to portland and you are coming with me”.

An added keychain.

I’m happy that you figured out the life that you wanted, but I can’t help but feel like a ditto for your needs.

A filler of the role you desire.

To share long-lost memories and interesting conversations.

Time and time again we were confronted with pain and riddles, but it seemed like I chased you every single time.

It was as if I wasn’t good enough for the right now.

Or how dare I question your love?

“I dated 27 women”, I wonder if they also had similar doubts.

“her voices are so childish”, expressing myself has limitations in your eyes.

I dream about your voice but I never see your face. I’m grateful for the things I learned from you but I had questions and at times I felt dismissed.

Dealing with a mourned love and a new one at the same time felt distorted.

I promised Matt that I wouldn’t fall in love with anybody the way I felt about him and I betrayed that promise in 24 hours.

I betrayed Matt because I didn’t know how to communicate with someone who wasn’t there anymore.

I became that someone to you.

Screaming into the abyss of the silhouette of your shadow.

Do you know how hard I tried to process it faster than what you wanted? so we can enjoy our moment, so I can feel like I deserve to feel human once more?!

“Arriving in 8 mins… YLW Line… Arriving in 3 mins … BLU Line …”

My eyes are exhausted.

I pack my book back into the green bag. Scurry through the front pocket. Grab my AirPods. I drown my thoughts with Mariposa Traicionera by Maná.

Lowering the volume by 2 taps.

My head and anxiety are contented with the lyrics.

A deep breath follows Rap God by Eminem. My shakes and paranoia follow the rhythm and tempo which helps the adhd fall into a paced energy that calms my parkinsons into place.

There’s an echoed rumble from the far left.

#original writing #writing #love #lost myself #spilling thoughts

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rockinmyownboat · 1 year

Text

Vindieziel Wooksvagen:

The Nazi Pinata

There's a phrase i use all the time to encapsulate those insane moments when life spirals out of control like a freebasing pimp on the freeway. When life is on its way to smack me, fuck me and steal my money, i just bend over, smile and say,

"It is what it is."

I love it. You literally can't say anything more. Complain all you want, but what good will it do?

It is. What it is.

Heres an example of a great use of this timeless classic.

I bought a used car. Its A jetta TDI. Its a great drive. Fast as hell. Powerful. Handles like a fucking dream, the way that fine German cars are designed to. You could take this thing on the autobahn and it would cling to every curve like silk on a supermodel.

The car has been running great, mechanically, which is EXACTLY what i wanted. I prayed for that. I asked God for it.

I said, "God, give me A mechanically sound car that hauls ass. And please give me a ripped guardian angel who can keep up. I can install my own stereo deck. Amen"

And i left it at that.

God answers prayers.

With a sense of humor.

This spunky little German is my Nazi pinata. Just one bad surprise after another.

Here's the conversation that's been going through my head every day for the last 4 days since Snowmageddon '23 besieged the citizens of Portland.

I preface this with the fact that ive owned this car less than 2 months.

Me: Gosh...Driving around on a tire steadily leaking is bad enough. Now i have to do it on ice, like... what the fuck am i? a German figure skater with a burst breast implant?

wait .... i can pump it up ....i have a portable air compressor. Im good there....

There we go. Tires pumped. Im as pumped as my tire. Pump up the jams, and Lets go. Driving a diesel on ice makes me feel like im on Ice Road Truckers.

BRING IT ONNNN....

>a few minutes later, staring at the low tire air indicator on the dash, while slipping and sliding down thick sheets of ice that were streets yesterday<

Inner voice : Change the bloody tire...?

Me: Well... i can't.... there's........ no tire places open ... everything's Frozen ... gotta let it go...

IV: You have a bloody spare, you idiot! You could change your own tire, right??? You're as worthless as pig shit on an oil pan aren't you??

Me: Well no ... I'm not .... i could change my own tire...

>lightbulb< I have a spare! SAVED!!!

... wait ....

oh no ....

IV: Where in the bloody hell is the sodding tire jack???

Me: ummm ......

Damn.

IV: Well shit to that idea. Good thing you thought to check for that at the dealership when you bought the car, you fuckin muppet!

Me, somewhat frazzled: Okay, but i got roadside assistance? ATT? Farmers? AAA???? They could come out to put the spare on for me... yes! Ill call them! One of them HAS to be able to make this happen ....

IV: Ha!! Guess what? They have the EXACT BLOODY SAME service provider pool. No responses to level 2 requests. Emergencies only. Blizzard trumps all like its trying to make Oregon less than great again. Foiled again!

>this is where i start slowly breaking down as my inner Chef Ramsay lets loose with a tirade<

Oh hey, don't forget the check engine lights still on, and it will beep incessantly like a digital chinese water torture device.

>anxiety reaching critical levels<

And the driver side handle is still busted from the LAST ice storm, so good luck on those contortionist skills. Every day, you'll open up the driver side door through the back door, from the inside...

Get creative and think thin, you chunky monkey.

Lets add 14 inches of ice and snow to add a degree of coordination challenges as you're trying to get on the road for work, Slippy mcLegstretchy

>anxiety at maximum capacity<

As you settle in with broken seat warmers, take some more snow and smile as you choke on it.

Mother Natures on the rag and you're her bloody tampon.

>critical point reached. Its time to scream<

As i slide down an icy urban Slip'n'Slide, im minnowing back behind a city bus doing a fishtail -- wait no ... i guess its a whale-tail....

...lets be accurate....

...I think to myself .... it is what it is.

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trustacu · 2 years

Text

Upgrade suitcase fusion 2 to 4

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This is extremely helpful and minimizes downtime on the designers end. I've mentioned this my customer and they've gotten used to the idea of being able to "reset" their font vault via SelfService.

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I've tried to strip out everything that makes sense to me, but I can't make it a "universal" install like before. Ask the user to log-in as the user which was signed in Suitcase Font Fusion 7. So SF can read this new font vault (like I said before tried and tested). The DMG pushed out to the target machine along with a script that we run. However here is where the issue starts yet again. Button everything up and create a DMG to deploy out. So now I'm trying to create a new Font Vault. Then going through the setup, yadda, yadda, yadda. So I'm just pushing the pkg and then having the user activate the software. Yes I can push some plist later, but it's more of a pain now. So creating a highly customized package like before has been troublesome. It worked great and users loved that they had the ability to reset their font vault.Īpparently SF7 not needs a "cloud-like" activation. All of this has been tried and test without any issue. I've been able to capture SF plug-in prefs as well.Įven if some ones font vault is acting funny, I've create a SelfService install to "reset" their vault and plug-in prefs. This works out great since we can ensure that ever user has the valid font vault library. I've even created a based font vault (licensed and seats accounted for) to be deployed out as needed. with headquarters in Seattle.Okay so I've been able to create serialized packages for deployment in the past, not a problem. Established in 1996, Celartem is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and has a wholly owned subsidiary, Celartem Inc. Celartem is listed on the Osaka Securities Exchange, Hercules:4330. Celartem has developed technology in the areas of digital image compression, scalable image viewing and secure content distribution and management. develops and sells innovative technologies for storage, access and distribution of rich media content. For additional information, visit call 1-80.Ĭelartem Technology Inc. Extensis is a division of Celartem Inc., which is wholly owned by Celartem Technology Inc., (Hercules: 4330). Extensis was founded in 1993 and is based in Portland, Oregon, and the United Kingdom. Extensis’ award-winning client/server and desktop products are used by hundreds of Fortune 5000 companies and include Universal Type Server for server-based font management, Suitcase for single-user font management and the Portfolio suite for digital asset management.

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Users on Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.11 will now be able to enjoy the many new benefits of Extensis latest professional font manager:Īmazing font previews (floating previews, zoom slider, glyph view)įaster-than-ever font previewing and activationĮxact font matching with plug-in based auto-activation for Adobe InDesign® & Illustrator® CS4/CS3 and QuarkXPress® 8/7Īll-new backend for superior performance and stabilityĬurrent Suitcase Fusion 2 users on Mac OS X Leopard v 10.5 or higher will receive this maintenance update at no cost, which includes a variety of desktop, plug-in manager and other enhancements.Īll current users of Suitcase Fusion 1 (v12) are eligible for upgrade pricing. Suitcase Fusion 2 was built with the same advanced technology utilized in Extensis Universal Type Server Client. “By adding Tiger compatibility, users can benefit from the outstanding previews and performance of Suitcase Fusion 2 without upgrading their Mac OS.” “We understand that times are tough for our customers right now,” says Brian Berson, General Manager at Extensis.

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larrylimericks · 2 years

Text

13Mar22

Odds are after working with Lou, You love him enough for tattoos. (Just ask Harry, he knows.) Leg one’s drawn to a close, So Tommo matched ink with his crew.

#larry #louis #louis tomlinson #LT tour #ltwt la2 #the first leg of the tour is over!#27 shows!#congratulations louis and everyone who makes it happen!#louis and 22 members of his crew got tattoos between night 1 and 2 #louis has a new tattoo that says ‘odds’#which now makes portland 2 make more sense #love that he found a band and a crew he vibes with #and a while back several band members tweeted along the lines of:#odds is odds #love how his supportive husband has timed his imminent release to not overshadow the end of lou’s first leg #even the pleasing release is waiting respectfully #i hate that lou had to stunt at all #but I’m glad he got the last night to himself #in actual larry coincidences …#the wristband for la 1 was green with a guitar #and the wristband for la 2 was blue with a speaker #louis had nothing to do with that #but even the music venue gods are larries #limerick-lt #march 13 #2022

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for-yoongi0309 · 2 years

Text

‘Minstradamus’ SUGA, whimsical and refreshing . .

“ The Portland Trail Blazers. I prefer the underdogs to the big teams,” says SUGA when asked about his current interests. This is so like him. During our lively conversation, he reveals, for the first time, both his favorite team and his favorite player (Damian Lillard). “It’s the NBA season. This is what I live for these days,” he says with a laugh. SUGA’s face has never looked brighter. He looks relaxed and composed, exuding a sense of calm confidence, which has replaced a dark cloud of tension. I am reminded of the prevailing sense of resignation and transcendence in D-2, a mixtape he released in May 2020.

“Resignation,” he echoes. “That’s right, I feel I’ve let it all go. Covid-19 is not something I can change through willpower. Now, I have a better idea of how much energy it takes to swim against the tide. And all this time, I’d lived my life trying so hard.” I couldn’t have put it better myself. SUGA looks relaxed and natural, not bored. I ask him what thoughts are occupying him these days. “Actually, I have no thoughts these days,” he says with a laugh. “It’s true. I’m too busy, and I try not to think about identity. If you obsess about it, you end up worrying too much. I think it’s perfectly fine to go with the flow, rather than constantly striving and struggling all the time.”

The last few years have been intense for him. “It’s not that I don’t try hard or that I work less hard. I think I’ve learned to come to terms with it more than when I was younger,” he reflects. Indeed, he has clearly gone through a change. The rapper Agust D, with his highly contagious pessimism and melancholy, is nowhere to be found. “My first mixtape was all about anger, but then everything was sorted out, right?” SUGA explains with a laugh. “I realized that I didn’t know who to be angry with anymore. Finally, I was able to look at myself. I’d been making a weapon out of anger and a sense of inferiority, but around 2018, my self-destructive rage slowly started to subside. I realized that I couldn’t channel creative energy through only those sorts of emotions any longer.”

It was around 2018 when SUGA’s second mixtape began to take shape. It was a musically mature album that was quite different from the first mixtape. “The recording was done on a tight schedule, in the last two or three months of 2020, but I’d started working on the beats and the basic groundwork right after the first mixtape came out, in 2016,” he explains. “After completing the track “People” around October 2016, I thought, ‘Oh! I’ve reached the stage where I can write a song like this.’”

When SUGA mentions “People,” my favorite song, I let out an involuntary sigh of joy. “People” is an insightful masterpiece that reveals how Yoongi Min (SUGA’s birth name) has developed as an individual. It reflects the most mature version of SUGA since his BTS debut. “People” feels all the more heart-wrenching as he narrates nonchalantly in a calm voice, “that’s how people are.” “‘People’ is my favorite song as well,” SUGA says. “Because it’s a record of four years of my life. I set aside most songs after they’re done, but I find myself relistening to ‘People’ all the time, and I experience different emotions each time I hear it. It’s a song I put on mostly when I’m feeling lonely and sentimental.”

If the main appeal of BTS is raw honesty, there is no doubt that SUGA contributes the lion’s share. It is the fate of the artist to have to use grief and gloom as grist for creativity, and that can’t always be easy, I tell him. SUGA’s response is whimsical and refreshing: “People seem to like my music.” The confidence in his small smile and his forthrightness, which is free of arrogance, is endearing. I ask if he has any songwriting routines or habits. “It depends on the song,” he replies. “Some songs flow right out, and some songs are such a struggle that I’ve wanted to throw in the towel. “Over the Horizon” is one song that flowed straight out. I finished the guitar and string parts in 20 minutes. When I get a request for a new song and they specify the theme and message, I can quickly draw the outline of a three-minute song. I can figure out the gist of it in a short time, and I build it from there. So, it’s like a sketch. I usually finish my sketches very quickly.”

The word “genius” comes to mind while listening to him, and I am certainly not the first person to think this. However, it can’t be easy for him to keep finding musical inspiration while being forced to live within the confines imposed on him as a superstar music idol. “Inspiration strikes at random times — even in apparently absurd circumstances,” he says. One of the common misconceptions about artists is that their inspiration comes from outstanding or special circumstances. “There are times when I’m just sitting in a studio and suddenly feel, ‘I can do this,’” SUGA asserts. “Sometimes, I get my inspiration even when I’m least expecting it. It’s never like I’m consciously going to use this or that emotion at a certain time.” SUGA’s eyes sparkle, and his voice grows animated as he continues, “When good ideas come to me, I always write them down. Then I review them later, and occasionally find great inspiration. Looking at notes written who knows when and sometimes even wondering if they were written by me, I sometimes find something that makes me think, ‘Oh? This could be very interesting.’”

For artists, inspiration often comes from interaction. Take, for example, the Coldplay collaboration, which was surely BTS’ most important experience of late. The collab ended up being much more organic and congenial than most people had expected. “I was amazed when they offered to come to Korea,” SUGA recounts. “They said that when Coldplay does a collaboration, Chris Martin always comes in person to record. I was surprised that he was so keen.”

All this has been revealed in a behind-the-scenes documentary. Despite it being a meeting of two legendary groups, the hype was at a minimum, and the pure passion for music was evident. “All of them were humble, good-hearted, passionate and so very kind to us,” says SUGA. “I realized that our experience and what Coldplay has been through for nearly 25 years were not so very different. The conversation took off as we compared our struggles.” A flicker of emotion crosses SUGA’s face as he describes the moment he realized that the struggles of a rock band and a boy band are the same.

“When I meet a star, I can tell whether they’re being sincere or not, and Coldplay were so sincere that we were deeply moved by them,” SUGA gushes. In the world of top-level achievers, learning often occurs through interacting with other people, noticing their personalities or attitudes, rather than hands-on learning of new technical skills. I ask SUGA if he got any insights or tips from the veterans. With a laugh, he says, “We did a lot of melody dubbing while recording the rap sections, and their reactions were fantastic. You could feel it in the recording booth. When having a vocal directing session, I tend to be fairly straight-faced, without showing my reactions, as if I were missing half my soul. But it made me think that taking Coldplay’s approach might be a better way to bring out an artist’s potential.”

What has SUGA, who seems to have done it all, gained and lost in the past eight years? “I think I’m happier now,” he confides. “I’ve realized that happiness doesn’t require much, and it can be quite simple. I used to think material things would give me happiness, and I worked hard to achieve them. But when I succeeded, I wasn’t so sure anymore. I don’t have many earthly desires anyway,” he says with a laugh. “Perhaps it’s because I now know that material things no longer give me great satisfaction. So now, I try to find happiness in simple things, such as getting up early in the morning and having decaf coffee. I’m glad I’ve finally got to experience this kind of joy. What I lost would be being ordinary. Your ordinary is my extraordinary, right? But I think time will solve this issue.” I am not sure why exactly, but I am pleased to hear this.

I ask what his next move will be now that he has learned the value of being ordinary. I am half expecting him to say that he will go on to become a full-fledged producer, but he gives an answer that is both unexpected and obvious: “I’ll always be a member of BTS. People have suggested I should become a full-time producer, but I don’t think I will. I’m not responsible enough to take responsibility for anyone. I like being part of BTS.”

SUGA adds that this is the longest he has been in Korea since his debut, and that he is enjoying the perks of a daily routine rather than the excitement of globe-trotting. When the time comes to say goodbye to Yoongi Min, I ask something I have been holding back. “A Grammy?” he replies. “I have both a humble and a confident reply. Which one would you like? I honestly don’t expect we’ll win, but I think we will!” Yes, “Minstradamus” has never been wrong.

#ultkpopnetwork #idolsincedits #suga #min yoongi #yoongi #bangtan #bts #mg. vogue kor21 #i. interviews

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alenkorra · 2 years

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Thoughts on World Beyond finale

The last 2 episodes of World Beyond broke my heart but the ending was also super satisfying. I feel like they did every character justice. I feel like Silas’ ending was bittersweet though. He has friends to fight for and a purpose now but he’s stuck in the CRM with Jadis. I really hope this isn’t the last we see of these characters.

As for the characters who died, I was immediately drawn to Percy because I love the con-artist type of characters who have a good heart deep down. I loved his chemistry with Iris and they really grew on me in season 2. I feel like Iris grounded him and he brought out the more badass side of her. I’m sad that they’ll never get to visit the Getty museum like they wanted to.

Huck and Dennis completely broke me. I was not expecting to love them so much, both individually and as a couple. Huck was my least favorite character at the beginning of season 1 (she actually annoyed me quite a bit) but in the last 4 episodes she became so interesting and complex. Season 2 made me absolutely love and root for her to the point where I think she was the best character in the show and easily one of the best TWDU characters. She’s just so layered, well-written and I’m so sad we’ll never get to see her interact with other characters from this universe.

And Dennis was another pleasant surprise. I absolutely loved his bond with Silas and his dynamic with Huck. He was just a great guy and Maximilian Osinski is so charismatic. I was already crying because of Huck and his last scene with Silas made me cry even more. At least they were able to stop the CRM and go warn Portland so none of these characters died in vain.

On a more positive note, the endings they gave the Bennett sisters, Elton and Willix (is that the ship name?) were so perfect for them. Just seeing where they were at the beginning of the show and where they are now is so cool. Hope found a purpose and she now has hope (lol) in the future and humanity. She’s also at peace with herself after sparing Mason, I say that’s my baby and I’m proud. Iris’ evolution was so great to see too. She’s such a good fighter and leader now (she honestly gave me a bit of a Michonne vibe in these last couple of episodes). And what she said to Hope confused me at first but it’s so true. They’re still who they were at their core, just in a different way now. Hope is now putting her genius skills to good use and Iris still fights for humanity, but she lives for herself and her principles too. I thought Elton was gonna stay with Hope and the scientists but after thinking about it, he was always such an explorer so it makes sense that he went with Iris to Portland.

Lastly, Felix marrying Will and getting a dog with him was the cutest thing ever and I am once again saying they are in fact the best LGBT representation in the TWD universe. They were both main characters, badass fighters and they both lived (also both played by queer actors which is always a plus). But Felix is more than just that and him marrying Will and letting Iris go shows that he accepts he doesn’t have to be the one to protect everyone all the time and he can settle down if he wants to.

Anyway, if anyone read all this let me know your thoughts on the ending. I was pleasantly surprised. Lately I’ve watched so many shows with disappointing or nonsensical endings and there’s maybe a couple of little things I’m not sure about but overall I’m very happy with how everything ended.

#twd wb spoilers #the walking dead world beyond spoilers #2x10 the last light #hope bennett #iris bennett #silas plaskett #jennifer malick #huck #elton ortiz #world beyond percy #felix carlucci #will campbell

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hardtchill · 3 years

Note

It’s not that Alex forced her way onto teams, anon. It’s the fact that she ALWAYS seems to get her way. She wanted Portland, she got Portland. She wanted Orlando, she got Orlando. She’ll want LA + she’ll somehow get LA.

I mean when Chicago was done with Christen they told her to pick three teams + they’ll send her to one of them. She chose: 1) Portland, 2) Seattle (now OL), + 3) Utah. She then got stuck in a three team trade bc Carli Lloyd wanted to go home to New Jersey, causing her to be sent to Houston. She then refused to play + had to go overseas to Sweden for a few months before finally getting her third option in the Royals.

It shouldn’t have been that hard for her

It’s great that Alex speaking up, but the timing makes no sense. It’s the same problem it’s always been, so why now? Especially when you’ve seemed to benefit from the system more than anyone

Exactly and don’t forget how much shit Christen got for refusing to play for Houston. For anons questioning Alex’s privilege just imagine what would have happened if Alex had been done dirty like that (hard to imagine i know but just try) and she refused to go. She would have been praised and understood, not be called entitled and ungrateful.

I’m glad she is speaking up but the system isn’t more brutal than it was 5 years ago (with the exception of the college thing but she isn’t talking about that) so why now? I have gotten anons saying she is speaking up now because of the LA situation which i can see.

More so though i think she saw something that is now widely carried and jumped on it. It’s popular to be against the system so she is against the system that she is one of the very few victors of. Alex isn’t more influential now than 2 years ago so why wasn’t she speaking up then?

#ask #nwsl #uswnt #christen press #alex morgan

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newstfionline · 9 months

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Saturday, August 19, 2023

Hurricane Hilary Approaches (1440) Tropical Storm Hilary, which formed in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico and is moving northwest, has strengthened into a hurricane and is expected to bring heavy rain and flash flooding to the southwestern US into next week. California, Nevada, and Arizona are forecast to receive 2 to 10 inches of rain, including in drought-stricken areas. It is rare for a tropical storm system to make landfall in California due to typically cool waters; however, the El Niño weather pattern is fueling higher tropical activity this year. The last tropical storm system to make landfall in California was in 1939.

Sleeping in cars and tents, Maui fire survivors are unsure what to do next (Washington Post) Every day, they swim in the ocean. Every night, they sleep on the beach. In between, Peter Friedgen and Dan Reardon face whatever the day offers for two men cast away by the wildfire that wiped out the Lahaina pawnshop where they lived and worked. The sign at Hanakaoʻo Park says “no camping,” but nobody is hassling them. They are both 66 years old. And you can tell they have weathered other storms. Their spot in the world now is a gray tarp on the sand held down by stones. Behind them, there is a cemetery, and beyond that the highway—where soldiers and ambulances drive past—and the neighborhoods where workers in protective gear search for the dead. In front of them is open water and the island of Molokai rising in the distance. The effort to house and feed the thousands of people displaced from Lahaina has consumed Maui over the past week, and many have found refuge in shelters and hotels or been taken in by friends and relatives. There are also those who are still marooned, sleeping in cars and tents along the coast. Others are living in churches and golf clubs as they begin to think about what will come next. They have little information to help them make plans for what’s next.

Serve a drink, then save a life (NYT) As public fentanyl overdoses rise around the U.S., restaurant and bar workers are being trained to administer the overdose-reversing drug Narcan. Some bars view stocking the medication as common sense, like having a first-aid kit or a fire extinguisher, though others worry that keeping it on hand will invite drug use. Ellen Wirshup, a Portland bartender who started a nonprofit that distributes Narcan, said treating overdoses should be considered part of the job.

Out-of-control wildfire scorches Spain’s Tenerife island (AP) An out-of-control wildfire on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife has burned thousands of acres and affected nearly 8,000 people who are either evacuated or confined, authorities said Thursday. Regional President Fernando Clavijo said some 250 firefighters and members of the Spanish army are tackling the blaze, located in the north of the island, a key tourist destination. Clavijo said the fire had a nearly 30-kilometer-long (19-mile) perimeter. “This is probably the most complicated blaze we have had on the Canary Islands, if not ever, in at least the last 40 years,” Clavijo told reporters. The blaze, which started Tuesday night, is centered on a craggy, mountainous area, which is difficult for emergency brigades to access. Spanish authorities said their main goal is to contain the fire and prevent it from reaching more populated areas. The island’s main town, Santa Cruz, is 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the flames.

Troop Deaths and Injuries in Ukraine War Near 500,000, U.S. Officials Say (NYT) The total number of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed or wounded since the war in Ukraine began 18 months ago is nearing 500,000, U.S. officials said, a staggering toll as Russia assaults its next-door neighbor and tries to seize more territory. The officials cautioned that casualty figures remained difficult to estimate because Moscow is believed to routinely undercount its war dead and injured, and Kyiv does not disclose official figures. But they said the slaughter intensified this year in eastern Ukraine and has continued at a steady clip as a nearly three-month-old counteroffensive drags on. Russia’s military casualties, the officials said, are approaching 300,000. The number includes as many as 120,000 deaths and 170,000 to 180,000 injured troops. The Russian numbers dwarf the Ukrainian figures, which the officials put at close to 70,000 killed and 100,000 to 120,000 wounded. But Russians outnumber Ukrainians on the battlefield almost three to one, and Russia has a larger population from which to replenish its ranks. Ukraine has around 500,000 troops, including active-duty, reserve and paramilitary troops, according to analysts. By contrast, Russia has almost triple that number, with 1,330,000 active-duty, reserve and paramilitary troops.

The Russian effort to build 6,000 attack drones with Iran’s help (Washington Post) The engineers at a once-bustling industrial hub deep inside Russia were busy planning. The team had been secretly tasked with building a production line that would operate around-the-clock churning out self-detonating drones. This was Russia’s billion-dollar weapons deal with Iran coming to life in November, 500 miles east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. Its aim is to domestically build 6,000 drones by summer 2025—enough to reverse the Russian army’s chronic shortages of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, on the front line. If it succeeds, the sprawling new drone factory could help Russia preserve its dwindling supply of precision munitions, thwart Ukraine’s effort to retake occupied territory and dramatically advance Moscow’s position in the drone arms race that is remaking modern warfare. Although Western officials have revealed the existence of the facility and Moscow’s partnership with Tehran, documents leaked from the program and obtained by The Washington Post provide new information about the effort by two self-proclaimed enemies of the United States—under some of the world’s heaviest sanctions—to expand the Kremlin’s drone program. Altogether, the documents indicate that, despite delays and a production process that is deeply reliant on foreign-produced electronic components, Moscow has made steady progress toward its goal of manufacturing a variant of the Iranian Shahed-136, an attack drone capable of traveling more than 1,000 miles. David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector who helped lead the research team that studied the documents, said: “Alabuga looks to be seeking a drone developmental capability that exceeds Iran’s.”

‘We Pray’: Frontline Villagers in Ukraine Hunker Down as Shells Rain (NYT) When the shelling starts, Alla Viktorivna usually hides in her cellar in a village in southern Ukraine. “But sometimes in the night, you don’t have time,” she said. “You just roll under your sofa. You hear it whistling and smashing.” Ms. Viktorivna lives in Stepnohirsk, part of a buffer area between Ukrainian and Russian positions on the Zaporizhzhia front. But despite the barrage of Russian strikes, she has no intention of leaving. “I never thought to leave,” she said. “How can you leave your house, your garden, cats, dogs? I have a big dog.” Months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, small villages like hers along the front have come under increasingly heavy bombardment. In Kamianske, Svitlana, Lesya and Natasha live off produce from their gardens and care for their dogs. And when the shelling starts, they hunker down in cellars, which they have converted into living spaces. “We are used to it,” Natasha said. “We sit in the cellars, which already look like hotels. We wait for victory. We pray.”

Why are China’s young people so disillusioned? (Economist) A dark cloud hangs over Chinese born in the 1990s and 2000s. Since Xi Jinping won power in 2012, the government has grown more repressive and society less vibrant. Censors have turned the internet into a drearier place, while letting nationalist trolls drum in the state’s talking-points. At university students must grapple with Mr Xi’s forbidding personal ideology. Worst of all for some, China’s economy is stagnating. The unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 in cities is over 21%—a number so disheartening that earlier this month the government stopped publishing the data. Many young people are suffering a deep sense of angst. University graduates are finding that the skills they spent years learning are not the ones employers want. Scarce jobs and punishing property prices have dashed their hopes of buying a home and starting a family. We scraped social media and found that the mood is growing darker. Disillusioned youth talk of tangping (lying flat) and bailan (letting it rot), synonyms for giving up. The ladder to a better life is being lifted away. In response, many are choosing to abandon the rat race and turn inwards. Mr Xi needs the young to get married, have children and reverse the country’s demographic decline. In order to refocus the economy on manufacturing and away from consumer-internet technology, he’d like them to study hard sciences, not dream of designing video games. And he wants more youngsters to work in factories, including the type that might produce weapons for China’s growing armed forces. “Endure hardships” and “eat bitterness”, Mr Xi tells the young. Many cannot see why they should.

Palestinian police struggle in West Bank (AP) Last month, after the biggest Israeli military raid on a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank in years, Palestinians turned their wrath on their own security forces. They unleashed gunfire, firebombs and pipe bombs at Palestinian security buildings in an outpouring of rage against the Palestinian Authority’s failure to protect them from the devastating July 3 raid and a long-running, deeply unpopular security alliance with Israel. Scarred by the Hamas militant group’s violent takeover of Gaza from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ forces in 2007, the Palestinian Authority has cooperated with Israel to suppress the Islamist movement and keep the secular nationalist Fatah party in power in the West Bank. The July unrest exposed Palestinians’ seething resentment toward their semi-autonomous government and forced a reckoning for their beaten-down security forces, who in their blue camouflage uniforms have come to embody the tensions tearing at Palestinian society.

The Spiraling Situation In Sudan (CNN) Four months ago, a civil war broke out in Sudan. As of Tuesday, the U.N. estimates the fighting has displaced 3.4 million people within the country, with over a million people fleeing Sudan entirely to seek refuge in neighboring countries like Egypt, Libya, Chad, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. Both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of crimes against humanity, including attacking civilians and ethnic cleansing. The U.N. also claims that the Sudanese civil war has also caused a 50% spike in gender-based violence, including sexual assault. About 260,000 women in the country are currently pregnant, 100,000 of whom are expected to give birth in the next three months, adding enormous strain to the country’s already-struggling healthcare system. “Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbors. Medical supplies are scarce,” said the U.N. on Tuesday. “The situation is spiraling out of control … It is time for a reset. We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.”

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