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fatehbaz · 10 months

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Travel back [...] a few hundred years to before the industrial revolution, and the wildlife of Britain and Ireland looks very different indeed.

Take orcas: while there are now less than ten left in Britain’s only permanent (and non-breeding) resident population, around 250 years ago the English [...] naturalist John Wallis gave this extraordinary account of a mass stranding of orcas on the north Northumberland coast [...]. If this record is reliable, then more orcas were stranded on this beach south of the Farne Islands on one day in 1734 than are probably ever present in British and Irish waters today. [...]

Other careful naturalists from this period observed orcas around the coasts of Cornwall, Norfolk and Suffolk. I have spent the last five years tracking down more than 10,000 records of wildlife recorded between 1529 and 1772 by naturalists, travellers, historians and antiquarians throughout Britain and Ireland, in order to reevaluate the prevalence and habits of more than 150 species [...].

In the early modern period, wolves, beavers and probably some lynxes still survived in regions of Scotland and Ireland. By this point, wolves in particular seem to have become re-imagined as monsters [...].

Elsewhere in Scotland, the now globally extinct great auk could still be found on islands in the Outer Hebrides. Looking a bit like a penguin but most closely related to the razorbill, the great auk’s vulnerability is highlighted by writer Martin Martin while mapping St Kilda in 1697 [...].

[A]nd pine martens and “Scottish” wildcats were also found in England and Wales. Fishers caught burbot and sturgeon in both rivers and at sea, [...] as well as now-scarce fishes such as the angelshark, halibut and common skate. Threatened molluscs like the freshwater pearl mussel and oyster were also far more widespread. [...]

Predators such as wolves that interfered with human happiness were ruthlessly hunted. Authors such as Robert Sibbald, in his natural history of Scotland (1684), are aware and indeed pleased that several species of wolf have gone extinct:

There must be a divine kindness directed towards our homeland, because most of our animals have a use for human life. We also lack those wild and savage ones of other regions. Wolves were common once upon a time, and even bears are spoken of among the Scottish, but time extinguished the genera and they are extirpated from the island.

The wolf was of no use for food and medicine and did no service for humans, so its extinction could be celebrated as an achievement towards the creation of a more civilised world. Around 30 natural history sources written between the 16th and 18th centuries remark on the absence of the wolf from England, Wales and much of Scotland. [...]

In Pococke’s 1760 Tour of Scotland, he describes being told about a wild species of cat – which seems, incredibly, to be a lynx – still living in the old county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the south-west of Scotland. Much of Pococke’s description of this cat is tied up with its persecution, apparently including an extra cost that the fox-hunter charges for killing lynxes:

They have also a wild cat three times as big as the common cat. [...] It is said they will attack a man who would attempt to take their young one [...]. The country pays about £20 a year to a person who is obliged to come and destroy the foxes when they send to him. [...]

The capercaillie is another example of a species whose decline was correctly recognised by early modern writers. Today, this large turkey-like bird [...] is found only rarely in the north of Scotland, but 250–500 years ago it was recorded in the west of Ireland as well as a swathe of Scotland north of the central belt. [...] Charles Smith, the prolific Dublin-based author who had theorised about the decline of herring on the coast of County Down, also recorded the capercaillie in County Cork in the south of Ireland, but noted: This bird is not found in England and now rarely in Ireland, since our woods have been destroyed. [...] Despite being protected by law in Scotland from 1621 and in Ireland 90 years later, the capercaillie went extinct in both countries in the 18th century [...].

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Images, captions, and text by: Lee Raye. “Wildlife wonders of Britain and Ireland before the industrial revolution – my research reveals all the biodiversity we’ve lost.” The Conversation. 17 July 2023. [Map by Lee Raye. Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

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engeorged · 6 months

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Please Feed the Bears

Words and concept by @fillthattank and @engeorged

Artwork by @badoobers

Having spent four years in teacher training college and 8 years working in shitty schools, Dan was done being a teacher. Like most of his colleagues, he loved the kids and teaching, but the red tape was killing him. He was still spending hours and hours every evening lesson planning, marking and setting goals. Even just engaging with parents through the new app the school had imposed took an hour a night now. He was done.

The job had taken his whole life. He didn’t have a social life any more, he didn’t have time for friends, let alone dating. He used to be hot! Six pack abs and thick biceps left over from his rugby days, but late night pizza orders and rushed meals whilst sat in his sofa marking had put an end to that. He wasn’t unfit as such, (he still cycled to work!) but he had a definite little pot belly now with a jiggle when he walked and his ass was forcing him to buy jeans two sizes too big.

He’d begun to put aside a little money each month to go travelling and it was now time to cash in. He gleefully handed in his resignation and booked his tickets. He was going to fulfil a life long dream and tour America. His money wouldn’t last long but he’d be able to get a little cash in hand job every few months and settle down for a bit and that should last him. All his mates did it when he was training and he was beginning to feel like he had missed out, so now was his chance. The morning of the flight came and he felt so free and so excited! He’d sold everything he had accumulated in his shitty flat, gotten rid of his bike and the keys to the flat. All he had in the world was shoved into his backpack. The world was his oyster.

Three months later

The bubble burst two weeks into the adventure when he was robbed on a metro in New York. All his cash and bank cards were gone. When he had phoned his insurance company, they had gone bust overnight and so there was no payout. He refused to phone his parents. He was 30, that would be so humiliating. And they wouldn’t be gracious about it, they had already told him this was a childish idea to go travelling on a whim like a teenager. They’d probably give him money to come home, where he’d end up living in their house for a few years whilst he did supply teaching jobs in horrific schools. No thank you, he’d sort this out himself. He got a job for a few months, cash in hand with no questions asked, doing deliveries for a pizza place in New York which gave him enough money to travel west and a constant supply of free pizza. Sure it was on the bus, and sure he’d put on a few more pounds but at least he’d done it himself. He arrived in what the bus driver called ‘Butt Fuck Nowhere’ ready to work.

He booked himself into a cheap and sleazy hotel. He had enough money for one night which meant he needed to find himself a job fast. After making a few enquiries he found the only real place to work for foreigners was in a massive theme park just on the edges of the town. He hiked his way there and found the employment office and made his case. In lieu of a formal interview, the guy looked him up and down and made his assessment. Dan was 6’5 and so being tall, tall, he would be the park's main mascot, Buster. Buster was a big bear and the costume was huge, with loads of room inside. The only upside was that his face wouldn’t be entirely covered by the costume. Instead there was a little hat with bear ears he would have to wear.

He would have to do a trial before he was offered the job for real, and the eventual pay would be $15 an hour, which didn't seem like a lot. Whilst Dan signed the contract, the boss called for his helper who was a short burly guy in his late twenties called Mitch, with a gravely voice that made it sound like he smoked 40 a day. Mitch’s eyes perked up when he saw Dan.

‘He’ll do!’ Said Mitch, his eyes hungrily taking in Dan’s face and height.

‘Hey!’ Said Dan, holding out his hand. Mitch shook it enthusiastically.

‘Hope you’re hungry!’ Said Mitch

‘What?’ Said Dan, a little confused but he began taking off his clothes ready to get into the costume. He was about to pull it on when Mitch stopped him and pushed him over to a pair of scales. ‘Step on’ Mitch encouraged him.

‘I’m a little husky at the moment!’ Dan replied nervously

‘That’s not a bad thing.’ Mitch replied as he took the reading from the digital scales.

‘Hang on? Why did you need that?’ Dan asked, realising that that was weird.

Instead of replying, Mitch just held out the costume. Dan slid it on, pulling his arms through the holes. It wasn’t as heavy as it looked and was a little baggy round his middle but it seemed to fit ok.

‘Why did you need my weight?’ He tried again as he did the zip up, but he was bundled out of the office and into the park without an answer

It was early, but already, Dan could see people walking around. He wasn't entirely sure if they were fellow employees or visitors. They weren't wearing any uniform, but they looked like adult men. Way more adult men than he'd expect at a theme park.

Years of teaching had killed most inhibitions and fear of embarrassment within Dan, so he jumped up and down, danced a bit, acted like he thought a man in a bear-suit was expected to act.

"Hey, it's Buster Bear!" he heard someone say.

Dan turned round, and waved. It was a group of guys, six he counted, looking around 30. A big variety of heights and builds, though they all looked pretty hairy.

One of the guys came running towards him.

"C'mon guys, let's bust the bear!' he said, to the others.

When the guy arrived, Dan didn't even have time to talk. The guy shoved a hot dog right into his mouth. Dan was a bit shocked, but started chewing. It wasn't a bad hot dog.

No sooner had Dan swallowed that another guy shoved a hot dog into his mouth. Dan was even more surprised, but hey, the customer is king, and he was kinda hungry anyway, so he chewed and swallowed.

The six guys proceeded to shove a hot dog each into his mouth. He wasn’t expecting that at all but as he was on probation he didn’t want to challenge it. His minder stood to the side happily watching and not saying a word. Was this a thing here? It didn’t take long but he ended up eating six hot dogs in a short space of time.

This first guy moved to feed a second one but Mitch stepped in. ‘You know the rules, big guy. Let someone else have a go. Move along now!’

Admitting defeat the six guys moved on laughing and patting each other on the back. When they were at a safe distance he turned to Mitch ‘What the hell was that?’

‘Did no one tell you?’ He laughed. ‘It’s just a cute thing we have here. When you see Buster bear you have to feed him something. It’s just for fun! You’ll get used to it!’

Dan was so confused. It was one thing giving the bear a small thing but he’d just eaten six whole hot dogs and he’d been on the job for 15 minutes! Also why were they grown ass men? Theme parks are for kids right? He wasn’t even sure what question to ask first. He opened his mouth to ask something and found a churro in it. Two young bearded guys had snuck up behind him. They happily began feeding him a big churro each. Dan was starting to feel pretty full already but he really needed this job. He’d have time to ask questions in a moment. So he played along. Rubbing his furry tummy and chewing he ate a churro from each of them.

As they walked away, clearly happy he heard one of them comment about how hot he was which gave him a little rush of pleasure, followed by a touch of embarrassment.

Turning to Mitch he formulated his question ‘Where are the kids?’

Mitch looked at him like he’d said something crazy inappropriate and just shook his head. ‘Dude this place is for adults only! Now look lively. Here comes another group of customers.

Totally confused, Dan turned and saw four guys coming towards him with huge bellies and carrying buckets of loaded fries. Before he could say anything, a chubby hand stuffed a fist full of fries into his mouth. They were hot and salty and covered in bacon and cheese and so good. He could ignore the full feeling with fries as tasty as this. A few fistfuls in, and the dudes started fighting over who got to feed him the next lot.

‘Bro wait your turn?’ The lead guy said in a thick southern accent.

‘This is my turn dick face?’ Replied a guy who looked like he could be his brother, shoving him out of the way with his fat ass.

Dan found himself amidst four angry fat guys who’d clearly had a few too many beers and his teaching skills suddenly kicked in.

‘Boys, there’s plenty of room in my tank, now just keep the fries coming!’

It calmed the situation a bit but still was a little tense. A few of the guys were squaring up to each other and getting riled up. Guided by Dan the fries were soon put away turn by turn into his filling tank. Pacified and pleased with themselves the men staggered away punching one another on the arms as they went.

The four buckets of fries on top of the hotdogs and churros suddenly weighed heavy on Dan's stomach. He belched loudly and gave his belly a rub. ‘How come you didn’t intervene man?’ He asked Mitch

‘You seemed to be handling those dumb asses pretty well yourself?’ Mitch laughed back

‘I thought it was one thing per person? You said that was the rule?’

‘Yeah but they had the golden buckets. They paid extra. They can feed you the whole lot if they want!’ Mitch explained. ‘Let’s keep going, bud!’

Dan uncomfortably followed on behind Mitch, feeling the heavy food settling as his stomach set about the task of digesting. Over the next hour or so they encountered several more guys, all keen to feed something to Buster. Dan played the part, eating up the burgers, candy apples and handfuls of popcorn. All the food they seemed to serve at this place was full-on junk food. It didn’t hurt that it all tasted so good. The pace was fast but not too bad. He felt like he was keeping up. He’d always had a big appetite and would often find himself eating his feelings when he was back in school. And he needed this job. He couldn’t bring himself to contact his parents. There were just two more hours of the trial left, he could do this. He was beginning to notice that the costume was feeling a little claustrophobic. It felt super roomy when he put it on but he was feeling the material clinging to his skin a bit now. It was super hot inside too. He could really do with something to drink. He would look for some dudes with beers or something if that was allowed.

The next encounter he had was two good looking college bros with backwards caps and muscle tees. Unfortunately they didn’t have beers but they fed Dan a funnel cake each. He’d never seen one of these before but the sweet dough tasted amazing. Afterwards though he began to feel a little uncomfortably full. The last few bites were a little hard work. He could feel grease and the pressure of food in his packed stomach reaching a slightly more painful place. When they had gone he asked Mitch if he could take a ten minute break. Mitch reluctantly agreed but said he couldn’t take the suit off. He took him behind one of the rides where they found a little bench. Dan eased himself down and instantly regretted sitting. The pressure reached a peak which made him wince and stand back up. Tentatively, he sat back down and leant back on his arms. Under the suit, he arched his back to give his belly space to expand. Mitch grinned. ‘Ready to give up yet?’

‘No man, I’m good’ Dan lied.

‘There’s pockets!’ Mitch offered smiling still

‘What?’ Dan was feeling a little light headed with how full he was feeling and he didn’t really know what Mitch was talking about.

Mitch leant over and pulled a small zip down on the side by Dan's hip. ‘If you need to give your belly a rub, there’s a small pocket. Trust me on this. You need all the help you can get before the lunch rush!’

The prospect of a lunch rush was something Dan would need to deal with in a few minutes but for now he eased his hand into the side of his costume and felt the warm flesh of his distended furry belly. He couldn’t trust himself to think back over how much food was in him, it would just make him queasy. For now he just closed his eyes and gave his tight belly a good rub.

‘Come on buster!’ Mitch said after a too short amount of time. ‘You need to be back on the tarmac!’

Begrudgingly Dan stood, admittedly feeling a little better after the rub. He could almost feel the food redistributing itself as he moved.

‘Hang on, What did you mean lunch rush?’ He asked his guide as they walked.

Mitch just smiled. ‘Happy hour!’ He repeated cryptically.

Leading the way, Mitch took Dan back into the park where they made their way to an area set up next to a steep roller coaster. A little food hut decorated to look like a large picnic basket was serving food to a long queue of guys, all who started cheering as they saw Buster Bear approaching. This made Dan's stomach lurch a little. That was a lot of guys buying food. ‘Should we keep moving?’ He asked Mitch nervously.

‘Why would we do that? This is your chance to prove you deserve the job.’ He pointed at a large wooden throne just next to the clearing. ‘Take a seat’

Reluctantly Dan shuffled towards the chair and sat down. It was surprisingly comfy and the position of the seat meant that he was nearly stood up which put no extra pressure on his already packed belly. He gulped as he realised that the design was probably on purpose.

One by one the men left the queue and joined a new one in front of Dan. They all had their fast food clutched in their hands ready to feed Buster. Mitch leant in and whispered into Dan's ear. ‘If you can survive this, the job's yours. And did you read the small print?’

Dan shook his head nervously. ‘No?’ He admitted, looking to find a way out of this. There was no way this was worth $15 an hour.

‘At the end of the day we weigh you and you get $50 per pound you put on. You get a bonus for the more food you eat!’

That changed things for Dan. He really needed that cash. He’d nearly used up the last of his money staying at the motel in town and without this job, he’d not have enough for the next few days. A few hundred dollars could really come in handy right now. He could eat a lot? What’s 10 lbs of food look like? That’s $500 dollars. Surely that could be doable? He set his jaw and nodded to Mitch ‘let’s go’

The stream of food that followed was unreal. Each guy shoved one thing into Dan's open mouth and he chewed and swallowed like his life depended on it. Corn dogs, tacos, hamburgers, onion rings and fries all disappeared down under the fur of the costume into his hidden but rapidly expanding belly. He didn’t allow himself time to consider how much food there was or how he was going to feel afterwards, he just kept the thought of the dollars ringing in his ears. Ice cream and donuts, beers and sodas all sucked down into his filling tank. The guys queuing were loving it and Dan was fully playing the part of a greedy bear. Growling and snarling as their sweaty palms pushed the calorific food into his mouth. Mitch’s face slowly turned from a smiling sneer, laughing at Dan's fate, to one of admiration. He’d been with a lot of Busters and Dan was eating like one of the best. He’d spent many an afternoon with a sorry dude in a bear costume throwing up into a bin after a shift but this guy seemed to be an absolute eating unit. Towards the end of the happy hour though he started being a little worried. This guy had eaten a lot. Like, too much. Even with the bear costume on he could see that his gut was beginning to push against the fabric.

As Dan was being fed a large chicken tender the bell went to signal the end of happy hour. Dan looked a little confused as he snapped out of his feeding frenzy. The rest of the guys in the queue all shared a collective groan as Mitch told them that the bear needed to head back to his cave for his nap whilst Dan looked on, totally dazed. As Mitch shooed away the queue, the volume of food inside Dan’s belly suddenly made itself very known. He felt the skin over his belly stretched and tight and the pressure that had built up inside him became very apparent. He had never in his whole life felt as full as he did right now. In the distance he heard Mitch talking to him. He wasn’t sure what he was saying but he nodded and allowed Mitch to help him to his feet. The new weight in front of him made him stagger a little at first as he felt the food lurch inside his belly balloon. A large belch escaped and he found himself laughing. Mitch led him through the park round the back, fortunately not encountering any more punters eager to offload some more food into his aching gut.

Coming round a little bit he found himself back in the offices, just him and Mitch, who was looking at him in a concerned way. ‘I said are you ok bud?’

Dan belched again in response. ‘I think I’m ok? I ate a lot.’

‘Yeah. You did.’ Mitch nodded in agreement. ‘You wanna take off the costume?’

Dan nodded. He went to undo the zip but found the fabric was restricting his movement. Mitch fished around under his neck and pulled the zip down to the bottom of his ribs. The rush of cool air was like heaven as he peeled his arms out of the costume. He went to pull the zipper down but his bloated midsection was now an obstacle. Pulling it out, he managed to get the zip to slide down to the underneath of his belly which pushed itself through. Dan looked up into the mirror on the wall opposite. Shocked, he saw the full extent of his four hours of being stuffed by random strangers. His belly was enormous. The furry skin stretched tight over the mass of food contained inside. Round and expansive, his belly looked like it had been photoshopped. His gut had completely filled the baggy costume.

‘Holy fucking Mac and cheese balls’ Mitch exclaimed reaching over to give his belly a poke. Even his heavy handed push hardly made a dent in it.

‘It feels like I’ve swallowed quick drying cement!’ Dan complained. ‘Help me out of this fucking thing!’

Mitch pulled the costume down round his ankles, headbutting his engorged stomach by accident. ‘Shit man, sorry!’ He said rubbing his head

Standing there in just his pants Dan couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. He was enormous. His furry belly and body made him look like he was still wearing the fat bear costume.

Mitch nodded at the scales. ‘Wanna see how much we owe you?’ He asked

‘I’m gonna bankrupt you!’ Dan managed to joke as he stepped on.

Mitch whistled, clearly impressed. ‘Fuck me man. You’ve done well there today! I’d have to check but I’m pretty sure that’s a company record!’

‘Tell me man!’ Dan pleaded.

"We owe you $850 man! You’ve eaten 17 lbs of food!!’

Dan nearly passed out with shock. Taking another look in the mirror his distended belly looked like he was pregnant. Sticking out from under his ribs it rolled down in a wide curve till it tapered in where the ghost of his Adonis belt framed the underside.. All he wanted to do right now was sleep this off

‘You’ve definitely got the job!’ Mitch reassured him. ‘See you again tomorrow?’

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If you want to continue Dans story yourself you can head here where you will find a chat bot programmed to be Dan at the end of this story!

#belly expansion #gainer fiction #gay gainer #stuffing #belly fiction #gainer stories #male gaining #stuffing art #gainer story #gainer artwork #big bear

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ghostboneswrites2 · 2 months

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Doe Eyes || CH4 - Worth Being Sore Over

See CH1 for warnings! || Chapter list || Masterlist

Thirty days had passed. You marked each day in a little notebook, and wrote down a song title for each day. Aside from Beth's occasional singing, you hadn't heard real music in a long time. Music was the thing you missed most from the world before, and you thought it would be a good method to keep music alive. Even if you couldn't hear it, you could remember it. The songs weren't even necessarily songs you likes, just the ones you remembered.

Day 28 - Don't Fear the Reaper ~ Blue Oyster Cult

Day 29 - Nights in White Satin ~ The Moody Blues

Day 30 - 21 Guns ~ Green Day

You guys had a run to make, so you scribbled your entry quickly and got dressed, grabbed a bite, chugged some water, and did a few stretches. You had learned the hard way how sore you could get doing so much labor with no warm up. So, every day you stretched.

The council was wary of you at first. Michonne recognized you from the time the Governor sent you after her with Merle, who you learned some time ago was dead, and she made her concerns known. Brandy stuck up for you, though, reminding them that it was you who hadn't gone after her when you could have. You also reminded them that you were on guard when they broke in to rescue Glenn and Maggie, and you didn't go after them. You asked to prove yourself and you did, taking down seven or eight walkers outside the fence on your own with just a crowbar. It worked, and you got to earn your place. So, when you were called upon to make a run with the group, you didn't protest.

Brandy hated it, though.

"You're really gonna go?" She asked you as you made sure your bag was empty to ensure plenty of space for loot.

"We've been over it." You shrugged. "Every single time, might I add. This is my job. It's how I earn my keep."

"There are so many jobs that need done around here." She argued. "I mean, I'm up to my ears in laundry. Why the hell are there only three of us on laundry duty? There are like a thousand people here!"

"A thousand?" You laughed. "Try again."

"Details aren't the point! Just stay and do a normal job!" She pleaded.

"This is a normal job, Brandy." You told her, stepping past her and exiting your cell.

"No it's not. It's like, betting with your life or something every time you go."

"Come on, stop being such a drama queen. We haven't had a single incident the entire time we've been here." You sighed. When her glare was unrelenting you decided to lay a hand on her arm and offer her a half smile. "Chillax, cowgirl. We're professionals and shit."

She laughed at that and shook her head.

"You better come back in one piece." She scolded.

"Always do!" You chirped as you skipped away before she could protest any further.

----

"Just give it a second." Daryl said after banging on the glass outside the grocery store to lure out some walkers.

"Okay, I think I got it." Zach announced.

"Got what?" Michonne asked, walking up behind him. You raised your eyebrows at him, awaiting his response.

"I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn." He said.

"He's been tryin' to guess for like six weeks." Daryl complained.

"Yeah, I'm pacing myself." Zach defended. "One shot a day."

"Alright, shoot." Daryl sighed.

"Well, the way you are at the prison," Zach began. "You being on the council, you're able to track.. You're helping people but you're still being kind of.." He trailed off for a second, gathering his thoughts. "Surly." He nodded. "Big swing here... Homicide cop."

Michonne started laughing, and you couldn't help but stifle a laugh yourself.

"What's so funny?" Daryl asked defensively.

"Nothing." Michonne shook her head, still smirking. "It makes perfect sense."

"Actually, the man's right." Daryl nodded. "Under cover."

"Come on, really?" Zach asked.

"Yup. I mean, I don't like to talk about it, 'cause it's a lot of heavy shit, you know?"

"Dude, c'mon. Really?" Zach scoffed as Daryl turned his head away and smirked a little. He turned his head back to Zach and gave him a look. One of those 'be fucking for real' type looks. "Okay. I'll just keep guessing, I guess."

"Yeah, you keep doin' that." Daryl nodded.

A walker slammed up against the glass, snarling. You scrunched your nose in disgust at its bloated neck and flaky rotten skin.

"We gonna do this, detective?" Michonne asked sarcastically.

"Let's do it!" Daryl said, strutting toward the entrance.

The group of you cleared the walkers that crowded up inside, hungry for your flesh.

"Alright." Sasha breathed. "We go in, stay in formation for the sweep. After that, you all know what you're supposed to look for. Any questions?"

"Was there any time that you weren't the boss of me?" Tyreese asked.

"You had a few years before I was born." She teased.

You shook your head and smiled at the siblings bantering as you guys filed inside. You pulled your bag off your shoulder and began searching the aisles for hygienic things, like soap, first aid, pads and tampons, diapers, lotions, just whatever. It wasn't long before a loud crash erupted, and you all rushed to find Bob stuck under a shelf of wine. As soon as you all went to help him, walkers started falling through the roof.

"Uh, we should get out of here." Glenn said.

A walker fell down on Glenn but he fought it off and shot it. They just kept coming. You looked around frantically, unsure what the next move was. A walker came up on your side and you whacked it once, then twice, and down it went. Thanks, crowbar, you thought to yourself.

You decided to just keep taking them down, until someone shouted some order into the chaos. You definitely couldn't leave anyone behind. You noticed Daryl and Zach working to get Bob out from under the shelf, so you hurried over to help. When the weight was lifted just enough, Bob slithered out from under it. Unfortunately, so did a walker, and it took a big chunk out of Zach's leg.

You all froze, stunned. Thirty days of good luck, and of course you had to witness the first tragedy in a month. The walkers swarmed him, taking bites from anywhere they could reach, including his face. You gagged at the grotesqueness, but ultimately you all had to go and preserve your own lives. You were teary eyed as you all made your escape.

The ride back was a solemn one. Nobody spoke, and you personally were filled with dread. Who was gonna tell Beth about her boyfriend?

"What about Beth?" You asked, clearing your throat first to break the silence.

"What about her?" Michonne asked.

"Who's gonna tell her? About Zach?"

"Me." Daryl grunted.

----

"His face?" Brandy asked in horror. She shook her head as she passed the wine you snagged back to you after taking a sizeable gulp. You nodded and tilted the bottle back, chugging a few mouthfuls for yourself. You and Brandy shared a cell, partially for space conservation but mostly because Brandy said it would be just like sharing a dorm in college. You wouldn't know, you never made good enough grades for a college.

"Yeah, man. It was sick. I can't get the image out of my head, you know? He was just screaming in agony and we couldn't do anything but run."

"Well, get some rest. We both need it." She sighed. You agreed as you closed the wine and climbed up to your bunk. You didn't get much sleep, though. Your thoughts ran rampant, and you weren't drunk enough to quiet them. You tossed and turned for a while, earning a few complaints from Brandy, but your eyes eventually fluttered shut.

The next morning you woke with a headache. Brandy was still asleep, so you went and found some instant coffee and made yourself some with room temperature water. No sugar, no cream, exactly how you didn't like your coffee, but at least it was caffeine. You were always more of an energy drink person, anyways.

You yawned and took a sip, rubbing your eyes. D Block was always quiet in the mornings. You heard shuffling walking toward you but you didn't look up. You assumed whoever it was, they were just as groggy as you. No need for chitchat. That was, until you heard that familiar guttural hissing. Your head snapped up and your heart dropped.

"Shit!" You shouted. "Fuck! What the fuck!"

You jumped up, dropping your coffee. Quick thinking wasn't always your strong suit. Your first idea was to throw a chair at them -- the two walkers that were headed straight for you, that is -- but of course in a prison they were all bolted to the ground. Your next closest option was a coffee mug, which did no damage when you chucked it at it's head. That was when you realized it was a familiar head, the kid with the glasses that always followed Carl around.

"Shit, man." You breathed. "How'd you die?"

Gunfire and screams followed shortly after. People filed in with guns as chaos ensued, gunning down walkers and being taken down by them. Rick and Daryl rushed in, so did Carol and Glenn, and eventually with their joint efforts the walkers were taken down. Lizzie and Mica's dad was bit, and Carol tended to him. You searched around for Brandy and found her crying on her cot.

"The hell was that?" You asked in disbelief as you plopped down beside her.

"How did they get in?" She cried.

"No clue." You sighed. "If it's not one thing, it's another."

At least I'm awake now, you thought.

----

Patrick died from some kind of flu, that was what started it. Now you were all quarantined to D Block, just in case it spread. How funny was it that a common flu could end a life so quickly. Patrick was fine yesterday, and so was Charlie. It killed fast. You and Brandy decided if you were confined to a cell, you'd finish off the wine and play the uno cards you took from the library.

"Draw four." Brandy gloated triumphantly.

"Asshole." You grumbled, pulling four cards from the deck.

"You know, if I survived all this, just to get taken out by a fucking flu, I'm havin' a personal conference with the big man upstairs when I get there." Brandy said.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that's where you're going?" You wondered.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" She inquired.

"Didn't you know? All rich people go to hell." You joked. She rolled her eyes.

"You're a real sore loser, you know that?" She said. You glared at her. "Uno." She smirked.

"I'm just sad." You admitted, throwing your cards down. "Thirty good days, and then like ten tragedies within twenty four hours."

"Yeah." She nodded. "That's a loss worth being sore over."

#daryl x reader #twd daryl #daryl dixon #daryl x female reader #the walking dead daryl #daryl fanfiction #daryl twd #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl x y/n #daryl x you

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veritable-trash · 1 year

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You Know The Rules

look at that stupid slutty mustache... god please answer my prayers just this once

Pairing: Finnegan(Everybody Wants Some!!) x Fem!Reader

Summary: God you hate him.

Word Count: 2K

Rating: M - mainly for drugs babayyyyy, weed, that good, otherwise it's pretty clean in these sheets(this time around)

A/N: haha. no one asked for this. but listen! all my glen powell sloots we need to remember the original. sweet daddy finnegan. mustached, shaggy haired, 80s baseball player i mean i couldn't have written a sluttier man if i tried. this movie isn't the greatest, but the music is dope, the outfits are cute, and it serves as a public service announcement that men need to start wearing crop tops IMMEDIATELY. this is a petition for men to start dressing like sluts again so i can finally be at peace. anyways this is completely and utterly self serving but the glen powell top gun resurgence just kept reminding me that this is peak glen to me. give me mustaches or give me death!

sorry that i haven't written... or literally done anything of value in an eon. my brain has given up and also i moved and am currently unemployed and am about to go travel for three months and want to write but have zero inspiration and tumblr makes me sad because everyone is so good at writing and i am a troll under a bridge. this is me trying to release the need to produce things of "value" because does that even mean anymore? i hope someone finds this a little fun because honestly i kinda did :) hugs and kisses <;33333

tell me what you think! i'm literally begging! on my hands and knees! the desperation is palpable yeesh

masterlist yay yay!!!

~~~~~

College.

What a fucking heinous place. Filled with suffocating expectations, the constant need to pretend you’re someone you’re not because of everyone else’s supposed opinions of you.

It made you want to vomit.

And yet here you were, cowering in the corner of the kitchen at this stupid, lame, awful college party. A baseball party no less. Those absolute heathens. Probably the worst category of men on this campus by about 20 miles and you were definitely counting.

The joint you haphazardly rolled in the absolutely disgusting bathroom crackles between your lips as you try to tune out every single person here and catch the steady baseline of the song playing hoping that that will somehow lull you into a state of calm.

This new weed sucked shit. All stems, all seeds, and got you high for about 30 seconds. You were going to kill Willoughby when you saw him. Honestly the only baseball player in this house you liked and even he was about to get moved right onto the shit list with the rest of the men of this house.

Your friends had badgered you endlessly all week to ask Willoughby for the invite, not that you really need to even ask him. Girls? More than one? The baseball boys were already salivating like it was their last meal on death row.

The standards in this place were in the fucking basement.

Some would call you a pessimist. Angry, bitchy, snippy, negative, the whole gambit and they might be right. But college was a fucking weird ass place that made your skin crawl and your anxiety spike and all you wanted to do was smoke your green, pass your classes, and watch your cartoons in peace, please and thank you.

And then his voice cut through your slow building haze like a serrated knife on a chalkboard. Made of sandpaper.

“Sweetheart! I thought Willoughby mentioned you’d be here, and why am I not surprised you’re toking it up alone in our kitchen, my favorite little stoner weirdo.”

Finnegan.

The absolute ultimate fuck.

Mustached, wide shoulders, shaggy blonde, crisp baby blues, he was everything your vagina yearned for until he opened his stupid mouth. And of course that was just as pretty as the rest of him too.

You’d met him for the first time freshman year. Fresh faced and thinking the world was truly your oyster, he’d popped into your life in intro to philosophy and swept you away with his silky, fancy words and the fact that he looked like that.

He’d invited you to the first baseball party you’d ever gone to and made you a special promise that he would be your knight in shining armor for the night. That he’d be waiting for your arrival, was counting down the minutes till you showed up at his door and he could dance the night away with you.

That was until you saw him sucking face with Tracy. Who was also in your intro to philosophy class.

Obviously, you’d hated him to his core ever since.

But for some reason he’d stuck around. Always kept tabs on you, always had a class with you, always found you at any party, bar, disco, literally fucking anywhere and it made you want to tear your hair out.

He was your pretty boy kryptonite and you needed him to leave you the fuck alone.

“Oh Finny. Finny, Finnegan, fuckhead. You know I thought I’d somehow be able to avoid you tonight but it seems like my stalker persists no matter the obstacles.”

Smoke trickles from between your clenched teeth and he has the audacity to stare at your lips and grin.

Fucking grin!!!

“You wound me princess. Ain’t even gonna share that little pinner of yours, I mean the absolute cruelty of it all.”

The grins still blazing on his lips but in Finn fashion he has to play up his part.

Clutching at his pearls, leaning against the kitchen counter like you’d just stabbed him straight through. Your eyes roll so far back in your head they almost launch themselves out of your skull.

“No Finn, I’m not gonna share with the likes of you. Go find Will and get him to roll you one, he’s the one I got the weed from anyways. Or maybe go find some other poor unsuspecting girl to do the deed for you, but you ain’t getting shit from me. You know the rules sweet Finny: ass, cash, or grass and god only knows I ain’t taking any of those three from you.”

You regret those last few words the second they enter the air between you.

Because Finnegan’s eyes drop straight to your mouth again and now he’s crowding you into the corner of the counter.

“Oh sweetheart if you just let me show you what this ass can do I think you would be singing quite a different tune. You think I’m all bravado and show but you and I both know the two of us could be quite a duo. I just know you’re absolutely unreal beneath that veneer of hatred you slap on.”

He’s still staring at your lips, the joint hanging limply between them as you try and control your breath and not cough up a lung.

Two can play this fucking game.

You take a thick drag, the tip burning bright orange and crackling like cinders and his eyes only deepen in shade. The smoke curls out and up into your nose and he stares at you his jaw dropping a little slack as you play him like the fucking fiddle he is.

“Finn.” Your index finger trails up his arm as you ash the joint in the sink, and you can feel the muscles of his bicep twitch with the contact. “If you think I’m gonna let you touch me you’ve lost your god damn mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go find some peace and quiet. Away from you.”

Your voice is sticky sweet and he barely registers that you’re telling him off for the millionth time tonight until you’re traipsing out of the kitchen at lightning speed before you do something else you’ll regret.

He got too fucking close this time around. You let him get too fucking close.

Your feet stomp quick up the stairs to the only safe place you’d ever been able to find in this house.

The roof. That blissful open space, like the crispest breath of fresh air it tasted almost minty. Your hands dig into your pockets looking for your weed, your lighter, and your rolling papers-

Fuck.

Of course you’d forgotten papers, predicable as always and fucking annoying as hell and you’re about to turn back down the stairs when your eyes land on something sitting on the windowsill.

Finn’s wood pipe.

You loved to hate it but it was his calling card. Stupid and quirky and so perfectly him that the sight of it made you heart twist just a little.

Not that you would ever fucking admit that.

Well beggars can’t be chooser as they say.

It’s deceptively crisp out on the roof as you shuffle around other groups till you get to your super secret corner on the far side of the house. No one ever seems to want to venture this far and you could smoke in peace and tranquility as the rest of the party raged somewhere far, far away.

The bowls packed, green just catching a smolder and you have to admit the stupid Sherlock Holmes pipe is kinda fun. Maybe you’d leave a fresh bowl packed for sweet Finn as a secret thank you gift.

Maybe this weed was stronger than you thought.

“Alrighty first you don’t share your joint, then you verbally assault me in my own house, and now you’re smoking out of my pipe? You really are trying to start a fight with me this evening now aren’t ya?”

Your eyes are red rimmed and your brain has that pleasant haze coating every synapse and you can’t find it in you anymore to really fight Finn right now. The stars look too damn good and the tree has hit too damn deep to let your hackles rise.

“You know maybe I’ve been giving you a bit of a hard time, but you damn well deserve it.” You smile around the pipe as you take another drag, but this time you pass it to Finn as he sits down just a little closer than usual.

His fingers snag against yours as you pass it and you both flinch a bit at the contact, sparkles zipping up your arms.

He stays quiet this time around, pulling puffs as you both watch people flit around the grass below you, the party continuing into this seemingly never ending night.

Friday’s, they really were something.

Your knees knock, fingers catching again as he passes the pipe back to you. Another pull fills your lungs and you lean back, back, back until your back presses down on the cool paneling of the roof and you let the smoke drift up and away among those pretty little stars.

“Finn you can just be so fucking annoying sometimes, I just wanna shut you up for like five seconds so we can all take a fucking breather.”

He laughs at that. Real and deep, curling around the base of your spine as he turns to stare down at you and the feeling spreads all the way to your fingertips. All the way to your toes.

“I’m well aware, but it’s sorta a part of my charm. I’m just waiting for it to final start charming you.”

Your eyes click to his, haze lifting for a split moment, and his eyes twinkle almost brighter than the stars.

“That’s such a fucking line and you know that shit doesn’t work on me. Fool me once and all of that jazz.” But you can’t stop staring at him and now his eyes color puzzled, a little hazy as he tries to decipher your words. “Oh come on, freshman year? You invited me to the party with all your fancy little words that you love to spin for me to only find you eating Tracy’s lips straight off her face? Honestly she still talks about that night to this day so I guess in a weird way kudos to you but man that did sting a bit.”

You chuckle around another pull and you go to pass it back but he’s clearly no longer interested in that. He seems very intent on memorizing every detail of your face under the stars and you can’t help but wiggle a little under his hyper focused gaze.

“I-I didn’t know that you were there that night. McReynolds told me you’d left with some dude and Tracy was more than willing to fill in that blank.”

Oh fuck.

You’re both just staring at each other as moment after moment click like puzzles pieces. Every snippy comment, every lingering glance, every class, every time you just happened to run into each other all no longer strange coincidences and some secret hatred. Every little moment stitching itself together till it left just you and Finn.

And there’s that fucking grin again.

But it’s softer this time, a little less sleazy and a little more lovely and now you’re sure his eyes are brighter than any star.

Your own lips tick up with a soft, nervous smile.

His fingers card between yours and he brings your knuckles up to his lips, stupid mustache tickling your skin in ways that make you shiver.

“I feel like nows the time to return to my earlier question since you finally shared some of that green with me, so what do I owe ya? Ass, cash, or more grass?”

You snort into the air between you and his grin splits into a megawatt smile and you finally let yourself tumble head first into kissing stupid, idiot, fuckhead Finnegan.

“Ass, 100%.”

~~~~~

tell me what you think if anyone is actually reading this because i'm bored and this site is lonely and i just want some weirdo friends who also think mustaches are peak sexiness. alright i need to go to sleep the psychosis is taking over :P

#finnegan x reader #finnegan #glen powell #glen powell fanfiction #everybody wants some #walt finnegan #walt finn finnegan #everybody wants some!!#finnegan x you #walt finnegan x reader #walt finnegan x you #jake seresin x you #and yes i am faking you top gun bitches out because you need to convert #to the church of glen powell with a stache and scruffy hair #this is the way #everybody wants some fanfiction #i don't even know what else to tag nobody is looking for this shit this is literally just for me

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homomenhommes · 5 months

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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 23

1876 – Manuel De Falla, Spanish composer, born (d.1946); Pablo Picasso is quoted as saying that he considered de Falla the shyest man he had ever met, "even smaller than myself, and as modest and withdrawn as an oyster shell ..." He was said to have been involved in a ménage á trois with composer Maurice Ravel and pianist Ricardo Viñes.

De Falla became close friends with Diaghalev and Massine, with whom he collaborated on The Three-Cornered Hat. It was, incidentally, immediately after the first performance of this ballet, that Massine announced his engagement to Lydia Sokolova, who had just performed the leading role, and was then dismissed from the Ballet Russes by the enraged Diaghelev.

1924 – The famed British-American anthropologist Colin Turnbull was born on this date (d.1994). Best known for this groundbreaking books The Forest People & The Mountain People, Turnbull was also one of the first anthropologists to work in the field of ethnomusicology.

Turnbull was an unconventional scholar who rejected neutrality. He idealized the BaMbuti and reviled the Ik, and described the latter as lacking any sense of altruism, in that they force their children out of their homes at the age of three, and gorge on whatever occasional excesses of food they might find until they became sick, rather than save or share. However, several anthropologists have since argued that a particularly serious famine suffered by the Ik during the period of Turnbull's visit may have distorted their normal behavior and customs, and some passages in his book make it clear that the behavior and customs of the Ik during the period he describes were drastically different from what was normal for them before they were uprooted from their original way of life.

Turnbull with MButi children.

In the US, he lived with his professional collaborator and partner of 30 years, the African American Dr. Joseph Towles, as an openly gay, interracial couple in one of the most conservative areas of the 1960s - rural Virginia.

During this time he also took up the political cause of death row inmates. After his partner's death in 1988, Turnbull, strongly affected, gave all his belongings to the United Negro College Fund. In 1989, he moved to Bloomington, Indiana to participate to the building of Tibetan Cultural Center with his friend Thupten Jigme Norbu, elder brother of the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1991 - 1992, he moved to Dharamsala, India where he took the monks' vow of Tibetan Buddhism, given to him by the Dalai Lama. He was then given a buddhist name.

He died in Virginia in 1994, aged 69. Both Towles and Turnbull died from complications of AIDS.

1933 – The New York tabloid Broadway Brevities, under the headline "Fags Tickle Nudes," published an article warning that "Pansy men of the nation" were invading steam baths and turning them into replicas of the orgy houses in Rome at the time of Nero.

Joe Zee (R) and husband Rob Younkers

1968 – Joe Zee is a Hong Kong-born Canadian fashion stylist, journalist, and producer, known for Entertainment Tonight (1981), FABLife (2015) and Celebrity Style Story (2012). Zee served as creative director of Elle for seven years. He became editor-in-chief and executive creative officer of Yahoo! Style in April 2014. He resigned from Yahoo in June 2017.

Zee was born in Hong Kong and at the age of one, moved to Toronto where he grew up. He began working in fashion in 1990, at age 22, and ultimately moved to New York City enrolling at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

In the mid-1990s, Zee met stylist Lori Goldstein at an Allure party, and soon became her assistant.

He was described in a New York Times profile as a leader in the mass market and digital transformation of fashion: "a chatty and approachable ambassador of fashion who has aggressively thrust himself in front of hoi polloi using Twitter, blogs, v-logs and—most visibly—television."

Zee was a recurring character as boss of the reality series The City. He has also appeared on episodes of Ugly Betty, Mistresses, and General Hospital as himself. He was one of the co-hosts of the ABC daytime talk show The Fab Life.

In 2010, he made an appearance on Gossip Girl as himself.In 2015, he released his book That's What Fashion Is: Lessons and Stories from My Nonstop, Mostly Glamorous Life in Style. Zee is married to Rob Younkers, host of Logo TV's Secret Guide to Fabulous

1989 – On this date the Natural Bears Classification System was unveiled on a Usenet group. The NBCS or "bear code" is a set of symbols using letters, numbers and other characters commonly found on modern, Western computer keyboards, and used for the self-identification of those who self-identify as "bears" in the sense of a mature gay or bisexual man with facial or substantial body hair. This classification scheme was created by Bob Donahue and Jeff Stoner, and was based on the way in which star and galaxy classification systems used characteristics of an object to derive a classifying identifier.

The format of the NBCS is a sequence of space-separated descriptions that each take the form, "XMme" where X is a letter indicating some trait; M is an optional magnitude indicated by either a number or a sequence of + or - characters (the former are used for rankings that have a broad, but discrete range while the latter is used for more comparative measurements); m is an optional modifier such as "v" which indicates variability of the trait; and e is any extra (such as a parenthesized magnitude that indicates a range from the magnitude outside the parentheses to the magnitude inside).

The format includes physical traits such as "B" for beard density/length, "f" for body hair (or "fur"), "t" for height (or "tallness"), and "w" for weight. It also includes personality traits such as "d" for "the daddy factor" and sexual preferences such as "k" for "the kinky factor."

A sample bear code is: B4 d+c e+ f+ g++ k+ m w t+ r (+?)

Translation: Reasonably thick beard, definite Daddy, cub tendencies, (endowment) gets attention, above average fur, loves groping/pawing/touching, (Kinkiness) loves most things, (Muscle) some definition, Blue collar, average weight, tall, (sex) plays under special circumstances.

1996 – Elton John was honored as the founder of the Elton John AIDS Foundation at a gala celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.

2006 – Israel's Supreme Court recognizes foreign same-sex marriages.

2014 – In Brazil, the world's first largest same-sex wedding with 160 couples takes place in Rio de Janeiro. It was the fifth time mass same-sex weddings were held in Brazil. (The following year 185 couples married.) Claudio Nascimento of Rio Sem Homophobia (Rio without Homophobia) says, "It is an affirmative action to call attention to all of the achievements and challenges in the area of civil and human rights of the LGBT community." Brazil broke the Guinness World Record for the largest pride parade in 2009 with 4 million attendees. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Brazil since May 16, 2013, though it had already been legally recognized since 2004.

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karmic-vibes · 1 year

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If I Can Dream

25 - While I Can Dream

art credit: @lazylittledragon on tumblr / lazyjunebug on twitter

cw: emotions :’)

a/n: this is the LAST chapter/installment of this fic. i may post more little one-shots to add to the steddie dad multiverse (ie w the new addition of Theo 🥺💕), but for the main story, this is it, folks. i hope you enjoyed the ride!

Year: 2006

“Okay, do you have your phone?” Eddie asked.

“Yes, pops.”

“Your guitar?”

“Yes.”

“Your bedding?”

“Yeah.”

“Your–”

“Eddie! We have been through this list a million times! She has everything!” Steve interjected.

“Jesus, alright… do you have–”

“Edward!”

“Christ, okay, let’s go.”

The family piled into the rented U-Haul and started their journey to UCLA. Bobby had been dreaming of moving out to California for as long as she could remember. She begged and pleaded with her fathers to move, but they told her that they should stay put while she finished school.

Now that she was college age, the world was her oyster. She initially wanted to go to UC Berkeley, but she was waitlisted, so she had to resort to her safety school: UCLA. “Safety school” was a reach, as both universities had an acceptance rate of less than 30%—the boys were beyond proud, to say the least.

Throughout her rebellious four years of high school, the boys worried about her getting into any colleges at all. But to find out that she was accepted into one of the top universities in the country, they were left speechless.

“I told you she didn’t get any of your bad traits,” Steve teased.

And he was right.

Despite being sneakier than a ninja, and constantly back talking her fathers, Bobby Judas Harrington had impeccable grades, stellar extra curricular activities, and an exceptional entrance essay.

All thanks to Eddie.

Her grades were a result from being able to focus from her ADHD medication and her dad’s unmatched, under appreciated brain (which was used to learn music in an unbelievably short amount of time and write campaigns no one else could’ve dreamed of).

Her extra curriculars, which ranged from marching band, to Hell Fire, to her independent garage band, to being credited as a producer on a Corroded Coffin album, to even working part-time as a waitress at a local restaurant on the weekends. She showed a balance between school, fun, and work like no other.

Then her essay—it was arguably the best UCLA had ever received. While most wrote about rewarding times they had whilst volunteering, or how hard they worked in high school—Bobby wrote about her unconventional upbringing and how it shaped her into the person she became.

How having two dads, one being transgender (and famous) affected her. How both her parents were young when they had her, and how that didn’t stop them from being the best parents they could be. How deeply the two cared about her, more so than most conventional parents cared for their children. How having two godmothers (and no godfathers), two singular grandparents, and a gaggle of aunts and uncles (who weren’t even related to her) helped raise her.

It was touching. It was unique. It was authentically Bobby.

While the last few years were a challenge, raising an angsty teenager in a house with no one who could relate to her—they managed to create the best Munson or Harrington to ever exist. They couldn’t even believe it themselves. How they were unable to do it for themselves, yet they helped raise a daughter who essentially became a genius in secret astounded them.

They were proud, to say the least.

On the long, grueling ride to the campus dorms, the boys cherished every last second they got to spend with their daughter. After all, they wouldn’t be seeing her again until thanksgiving. The three of them were smushed, shoulder to shoulder, in the rental. The boys beaming—Bobby, not so much.

“So, pops,” Bobby started. “You gonna start touring again now that I’m gonna be in college?”

“Possibly,” he sighed. “The rest of the band has kids now, so we’ll have to work around them.”

“Would you come play at my school?”

“If they ask us,” he chuckled.

“Would you guys consider moving out to California?”

“I thought you wanted to be far away from us,” Steve teased.

“I want some independence, sure, but I’m still gonna miss you guys.”

“We’ll miss you too, Bee, but… I dunno if we can leave everyone in Hawkins behind,” Eddie honestly answered. “Especially with Wayne and Pattie being a bit older. I wouldn’t wanna be too far from them.”

“No, I understand,” she sighed. “It’s gonna be so weird being away from everyone.”

“I know. I don’t know what we’re gonna do without you,” Steve smirked. “What did we even do before we had her?”

“Like I’m supposed remember?” Eddie grinned.

“Let’s have a second kid—start fresh. After all, we’re only forty and thirty-nine,” Steve teased.

“Hey!” Bobby laughed.

“If you think I’m doing all that again, then you must be crazier than I thought, Harrington,” Eddie warned. “I’ll consider a dog, though. Possibly a cat.”

“Oh, okay, yeah that’s a good idea.”

“Let’s give it Bobby’s room.”

“Hey!” She giggled. “I’m still right here!”

“We know, bug.” Eddie jokingly nudged her arm. “You could never be replaced. You know that.”

And she did know it. She knew she was irreplaceable. She knew, no matter what—even now that her parents were old and gray—she was their baby.

Their first day of driving was coming to an end in Texas. They booked a crummy hotel room to sleep in for the night and told themselves they’d be back on the road first thing in the morning.

The second day of travel was more or less the same—everyone crammed shoulder to shoulder in the U-Haul, desperately trying not to kill each other. The boys endlessly argued over directions, saying that the GPS didn’t know it’s ass from its elbow, and Steve yelling that it didn’t have either (so, of course, how would it know?).

The day before Bobby was officially dropped off at college, they stayed in a hotel near campus, so they’d be able to sleep in prior to moving day. That evening, Steve was asleep as soon as the sun set, but Eddie and Bobby couldn’t doze off to save their lives.

“Pops,” Bobby whispered.

“Hmm?” he hummed.

“Wanna go outside by the pool? I can’t sleep.”

“Sure,” he shrugged. “I’ll grab a couple beers. You want any?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

“That’s my girl,” he chuckled.

The pair slipped out of the room, making their way outside the hotel. They occupied a few pool chairs, popping open the overpriced bottles of beer.

“You ready for tomorrow?” Eddie asked.

“Are you ready?”

“I mean… yes and no. Yes, because I’m excited to see you grow up and be on your own. No, because… you’re growing up. After tomorrow, dad and I are officially empty nesters. We’re not gonna know what to do with ourselves,” he quietly laughed.

“You’ll figure something out.”

“You’re a good kid, Bee, you know that, right?”

“I try,” She grinned. “Papa?”

“Yeah?”

“What happens if I don’t like UCLA?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if I don’t like the school? What if I wanna come home?”

“Then you come home and we find a school that’s right for you,” Eddie shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“You won’t think I’m a quitter?”

“God, no, pumpkin, of course not. You’re doing something no Munson or Harrington has ever done. That alone is something to be proud of. And if you don’t like it, then you don’t like it.”

“What if this whole thing was a mistake? Moving out here?”

“You know, Bee…” Eddie sighed as he took another sip of his beer. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I’ve sold drugs, I’ve done drugs, I’ve skipped school, I’ve cursed dad out countless times. Hell, I’ve nearly even kicked him out once or twice. I have made so many mistakes. But you? You’ll always be my best one. Not all mistakes are bad, love bug—some just may be the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“I was a mistake?” She teasingly gasped. “Now here I was, thinking I was thoroughly planned.”

“Yeah,” Eddie snickered. “A pair of twenty-one and twenty-two year olds thoroughly planned you. You’re funny.”

“I try,” she giggled. “I’ve only learned from the best.”

“Damn straight.” The two clinked their bottles. “Shit, love bug… you’re a grown up. Where’d all the fuckin’ time go?”

“I’d ask you the same thing.” She weakly smiled, plucking a gray curl from Eddie’s head.

“Ow, you bitch,” he laughed. “God help your father. I don’t believe in Heaven or hell, but if there is one, dad’s going straight to Heaven for putting up with the two of all all these years.”

“We’re not that bad.”

“Bug, we’re the worst.”

The two chatted the night away until the hotel staff told them the pool area was closed. They headed up to bed, still tossing and turning, dreading the morning. When the sun rose, and it was Bobby’s check-in time, the family hauled themselves to UCLA to send their daughter off into adulthood.

They spent several hours moving everything into her cramped freshman dorm, but none of them cared. In the end, it was more time they got to spend together. Once the final box was unpacked, the boys offered to take Bobby out to lunch, to which she happily agreed.

The family gathered together, for what would be the last time for the next few months. Hours passed without any of them realizing—they were together; they were happy. Nothing else mattered.

When the boys dropped Bobby back off at her dorm, they wrapped her in huge tight enough to kill. While they wanted their little one to grow and flourish, they simultaneously couldn’t bear to live life without her. Alas, they broke free, sending their not-so-little girl off to be on her own.

“We love you, pumpkin,” Eddie whispered.

“I love you guys too,” Bobby sobbed.

“Stay safe… say no to drugs,” Steve mumbled into her curly hair.

“Unless you grow them yourself.”

“Edward!”

“Fine, sorry! Don’t do drugs, or whatever.”

“Call us if you need anything. Day or night.”

“I know, daddy.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Bye, love bug.” Eddie reluctantly pulled away from the hug, admiring his little twin.

“Bye, papa.”

“Don’t do anything I would do.”

“I know,” She giggled. “Oh, and uh… here…” Eddie moved his hair out of the way, unclipping his guitar pick necklace. “Take care of this for me, bug.”

“Papa, I… I can’t take this,” She whispered. “Sure you can,” he shrugged. “It’s good luck.”

“Thanks, pops,” She teared up.

“Okay, bye for real, gorgeous girl.”

“See ya guys. Call me when you get home safe.”

“We will…” Steve pouted.

She wrapped each of them in one final hug before running into her dorm building, officially fleeing the Harrington nest. Steve and Eddie clung to each other, silently crying, mourning the closed chapter in their lives.

“Well shit,” Eddie sniffed, “what the fuck do we do now?”

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subtile-jagden · 9 months

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Emil Schäfer - Part 2

Jasta 11

Schäfer had no trouble keeping up with the other pilots and shot down his first victory within Richthofens Staffel (his second in total) a few weeks after his arrival. On 4 March 1917 he shot down two enemies in one day. On 6 March he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class. Within the squadron there was room for friendly teasing; when Schäfer reported about his fight, his comrades teased him about his supposed bad shooting (he himself admitted that he needed a lot of ammunition): “The observer must have thrown the map at you” (in reverence to him having to get so close to the other airplane), “The observer probably cried about your lousy shooting and his handkerchief flew away”. But all in good fun.

Once when Manfred von Richthofen didn´t return after a big fight, Schäfer drove around the area trying to find out what had happened. Rumours of bullet wounds and life threatening injuried were making rounds. That's why Schäfer was pleasantly surprised when he found his squadron leader happily in the mess of a pioneer unit in Hénin-Lietard. Slurping oysters.

In his first full month with Jasta 11 Emil Schäfer increased his victory score to 8, then it was time for the infamous Bloody April. Schäfer contributed to that terrible time for the British by shooting down 15 of them. He enjoyed the spring time: “Numbers 12 and 13 fell today. It's wonderful spring weather here and it's been raining Englishmen for eight days”, he writes to his parents on 6 April 1917.

On 22 April Schäfer got shot down during a fight and he had to emergency land between lines. He had to hid in a shell hole and wait for darkness, then he had to sneak back to the German lines dodging English patrols. He managed to reach an outpost and after a short recovery break he made his way back to his comrades. His adventure impressed his comrades and even Richthofen mentioned it in his biography. He learned a lesson from that experience: “I am glad that I got out of the situation yesterday in one piece, and in future I will strongly consider attacking at low altitudes beyond the line”.

On 26 April he got the notification that the Kaiser awarded him the Hausorden von Hohenzollern (the award that usually preceeded the Pour le Mérite). He also got less happy news, as he was ordered to leave Jasta 11 and become leader of Jasta 28. He was excited about getting to lead his own unit, but “I am bitterly sorry that I now have to leave my beloved squadron, my excellent comrades and, above all, von Richthofen”.

On the same day, Schäfer had the pleasure to safe Lothar von Richthofens life. Lothar was being attacked by an English plane and lost controll of his machine, Schäfer got behind the enemy and managed to shoot it down in flames.

On 30 April he was awarded the Pour le Mérite.

In May he left for Jasta 28. “I now face a task like no other I´ve had before. I hope and believe that I´ll be well up to it. Staffel 28 is filled with good pilots. In the four days since I am in command, we´ve shot down four, so the prospects are good”.

On 5 June 1917 Schäfers luck ran out. Used to the extremely close teamwork and mutual protection within Jasta 11 he went into a group of English planes. Max Müller, an experienced pilot himself, described the fight: “Leutnant Schäfer was the leader of our flight against eight Englishmen. I myself was attacking from above – that’s the best way to attack. Leutnant Schäfer was attacking with six other gentlemen from the same hight. He had almost brought down one Englishmen when he was attacked by three more from the rear and from above. I came to his assistance but it was too late. Leutnant Schäfer´s machine broke up and crashed vetically. The other gentlemen did not attack vigorously enough. They are not as yet proficient enough. It could also be that a cable had been severed or shot off. He made the mistake of acting without regard for himself in order to take care of the others. I have told him that many times before”.

He was buried in his home town of Krefeld on 11 June 1917. Manfred von Richthofen and Werner Voss attended the funeral. The plaque commemorating Schäfer is still above his birthplace.

RIP Emil Schäfer (1891 – 1917)

Sources:

Vom Jäger zum Flieger, by Schäfer (1918)

The Blue Max Airmen Vol.7, by Lance J. Bronnenkant (2015)

#Emil Schäfer #WW1

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ship-mista · 1 year

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Hey Howdy Mista-Lovers! It's finally time! I present to you...

🔫🔫🔫

MISTA HAREM WEEK!

Running from November 27th until our best boy's birthday on December 3rd!

This post will cover info, rules, prompts... and more? Check it out!

Also find me on Twitter:

https://www.twitter.com/ship_mista

Question One: What is Mista Harem Week?

Short answer: A week dedicated to any and all relationships featuring Mista!

Long answer: A seven-day creation spree featuring everyone's favorite gunslinger in all types of relationships!

We welcome:

➼ All pairings (But rarepairs are encouraged!)

➼ All types of love (Platonic, romantic, chaotic -- you name it!)

➼ And all types of fanworks!

Question Two: Well, are there any rules?

Short answer: There are!

Long answer:

Rule 1. The Prompts and Schedule are Optional!

Prompts are for inspiration, not restriction! Feel free to use the prompts, mix-and-match, post out of order, or throw everything out altogether. The world is your oyster!

Rule 2. Tag your ships!

People want to find their OTPs and avoid their NOTPs. Tagging ships is essential.

Rule 3. Use warnings for NSFW content!

I will only reblog sensitive/explicit material if it is censored or cropped. But that doesn't mean "don't make it"! It just means I am limited by platform restrictions.

Rule 5. The Most Important Rule!

Be kind to one another!

Please follow the three laws of fandom:

➼ Don't Like; Don't Read

➼ Your Kink is Not My Kink (And that's okay!)

➼ Ship and Let Ship

(And use tags!)

-----

Now, here's what you've all been waiting for. (Or maybe that's just me!)

The Prompt List!

November 27

❤️ "Meet & Greet"

How did Mista meet the object of his affection? How did he woo his current flame? (Or was he wooed instead?) Who made the first move?

Meet & Greet is about first meetings, first dates, first kisses. What is the start of something beautiful?

⭐ Mista x Allies

We all know Mista likes his friends. But does he LIKE-like his friends?

What if something canon-compliant where Mista dates his team. Or an AU where Mista's part of a different squad. Maybe an AU where a canon ally is now an enemy?

So many options!

November 28

❤️ "Run & Gun"

How do Mista and his partner run missions? How do they run for groceries?

Run & Gun could be about day-to-day life. Does Mista like to jog? How would he teach someone to shoot?

(Or maybe it's about fighting and shooting each other! Up to you!)

⭐ Mista x Enemies

We all might love Mista... but not everyone does (a shock! I know).

Would Mista befriend his enemies in true JoJo's fashion? Would Mista fall into a star-crossed romance, doomed for tragedy from the start? Would he forgive someone who betrayed him?

November 29

❤️ "Streets & Sheets"

Mista in the streets, still Mista in the sheets.

Streets & Sheets is about the difference between public life and private life.

Does Mista like public displays of affection? Could he keep a relationship a secret?

⭐ Mista x Anyone in Golden Wind

Anyone in Golden Wind canon is fair game, here. Anime, manga, novels, you name it.

(Also, listen... I think Mista could land Giorno's mom. And Giorno's dad. And also Giorno's mysterious gangster hero.)

November 30

❤️ "Wake up & Make-up"

Morning routines! Coffee, cuddling, curtain-fic. Who's the morning person? Who would rather DIE than wake up before noon?

Wake up & Make-up is about domesticity. Or maybe it's about Mista in drag! You know he'd rock a winged eyeliner.

⭐ Mista x Anyone in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Could you imagine if Mista, Hol Horse, and Foo Fighters met? What a wild adventure those three gun-toting hotties would have.

What if Mista were in a different Part? What if he met Joseph in his prime? Chaos.

December 1

❤️ "Short Skirts & T-Shirts"

Pining from afar, jealousy, falling in love with your neighbor... Could Mista keep his love to himself or does he wear his heart on his sleeve?

Or maybe this is the fashion episode. (Does he have a whole zoo of animal-print pants?)

⭐ Mista x Anyone outside of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

I'm thinking... Sherlock Holmes... SpongeBob Squarepants... Lassie. Literally anyone or anything is fair game here. Go wild!!!

December 2

❤️ "Showers & Flowers"

After it rains, life grows.

Showers & Flowers could be about recovering from adversity and trauma. We know Mista's had his fair share of both.

Or maybe it's about who hogs the shower, who brings flowers in apology, who likes the rain?

⭐ Mista x Your OC

This is your chance to ship Mista with your OC. Any OC. I mean it!

A JoJo's OC? Absolutely. Another anime OC? Yes PLEASE! Your D&D character? Live your best life! Your cringy middle-school cat boy OC? I would LITERALLY die for him.

December 3

❤️ "Happy Birthday"

A free day!

I'd honestly love it if everyone shared their favorite piece of someone else's work. Spread the love! Give the gift of Mista to the masses.

⭐ Mista x Your favorite character

Literally any character from anything, as long as they're your favorite. Gush about your favorite character, gush about Mista. Gush about Gushers. Gimme all those gooey feelings.

-----

And that's it! That's all the info I have. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions, any comments, any concerns. Above all, I want this account and this ship week to just express all the love in the world for one Guido Mista.

Have fun! Be positive!

How do you @ship-mista?

#guido mista #mista harem week 2022 #jjba golden wind

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bruce-adams · 10 months

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Scene Report: Cobrafest 2023

Tolono, Illinois is a small village roughly 10 miles south of Champaign and/or Urbana. Matt Talbott, guitarist/singer for the band Hum, set up shop in town running Earth Analog Studios and a tar paper shack drinking establishment, the Loose Cobra.

The bar books bands, with Matt's preferences running to "Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Waylon Jennings, and Kyuss." A couple of times a year, Matt sets up a stage in the parking lot next to the bar with an impressive sound rig and tiki lights and invites some of his favorite bands to play. And those bands are inevitably HEAVY. Fall 2022 was Okstoner Fest.

This past Saturday, July 8, was Cobrafest. Starting at 4:30 pm the lineup consisted of Nectar, Sweet Cobra, Mutt, Djunah, Terminus Victor, Centaur, Dibiase, and Cloakroom. I got things to do, so to my regret, I did not get down to see Sweet Cobra. I strongly recommend their recent album Threes, though.

Centaur is a trio Matt Talbott formed in 2002 when Hum was on hiatus. My old Cargo Chicago co-worker (and Chambana scene veteran from 16 Tons) Jim Kelly drums and Derek Niedringhaus plays the electric bass guitar. It's been a while since Centaur released any music and I've seen Matt play songs a lot like the Cobrafest set. The man-horse band shares a heaviness with Hum, and I detected a taste of drawn-out psych a la Spacemen 3 in the set. Lots of inner space is expressed via reference to outer space in the lyrics.

Djunah is the Chicago-based duo of guitarist/singer Donna Diane and drummer Jared Karns. They held the big stage well, between Diane's fluid heaviness and Karns' energetic working of the complete drum kit. Like Sweet Cobra, Djunah melds a lot of different hardcore and metal-derived genres into a flowing, sometimes jarring but coherent flow.

I saw Cloakroom at Loose Cobra some time ago and was very pleased when they released the Dissolution Wave EP. It was a significant expansion of the trio's sound into more textured and thematic sounds. I love it when a band pushes its parameters. Doyle Martin brought a box full o' effects to Tolono and it never sounded like he was stomping for stomping's sake. A friend commented that Cloakroom was a "throwback" that night, which I interpreted as some kind of Pink Floyd reference. Well, I hate that shit but I appreciate the trio's sonic explorations AND their commitment to impact. My hopes for their performance were high and they were met.

I was also impressed by the healthy turnout. I observe/complain that the Chambana music scene is dominated by what I call Ken Burns Adjacent kinds of music - bluegrass, alt-country, jammy, and other derivations that, however well played, don't do much for me. It was great to see folks turn out for unrepentant, loud rock music. Even if it's just to set up the camping chair, drink some beer, and hang.

#music writing #cloakroom #centaur #stoner metal #chambana

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abookishdreamer · 2 years

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Character Intro: Eurynome (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Ma by Hephaestus

Age- 30

Location- Lemnos, Olympius

Personality- Eurynome is a true free-spirit! She's fiercely independent and uninhibited- marching to the beat of her own drum. She's incredibly passionate, creative, and loving & is very fond of travel. She's a lesbian and is currently single.

She's an oceanid nymph. Her tail has purple and blue scales.

She came across her adoptive son when she was out on a date as a nighttime picnic on the beach. By some rocks, Eurynome discovered a newborn baby boy swaddled in a plain brown cloth- noting that the baby's eyes were each a different color & his left arm as well as his legs were seriously deformed. Despite her date's protest to leave and feeling an instant maternal connection, Eurynome took the baby home. She put up missing flyers along the coves, cliffs, and rocky shores. She even managed to put a few dozen flyers in New Olympus. After a few months with no one coming forward to claim the child, she formally adopted the baby, giving him the name Hephaestus.

She came to discover the truth about Hephaestus' birth parents when he was a toddler- about three years old. At this point, his arm and legs were amputated and he was adjusting to his first set of prosthetics. Eurynome was getting ready to take him on a little sailing trip on her sailboat when she was approached by an elderly sailing couple who asked for help in repairing their own sailboat. After helping them, the couple shapeshifted into their actual form- as King Zeus and Queen Hera! After a long conversation, it was decided that the child would remain in Eurynome's custody. Over the years, Zeus and Hera would pop in from time to time, watching him from afar. They also provided financial assistance to Eurynome. She stopped accepting money from them when she opened up her own business, a seaside tea shop.

One of her worst experiences was telling Hephaestus the truth about his birth parents. The two didn't speak for a few years (after he started working an internship under the three blacksmithing cyclopes). Their relationship is much better now, and they even go to family counseling sessions.

She has her own business, a tea shop named the Black Pearl Cafe. She also sells her own tea mixes, powders, and other tea related products there too.

Her go-to drink is a butterfly pea flower tea. She also likes various fruit smoothies, sparkling water, lemon-lime soda, and cosmopolitans.

Eurynome has also taken up vlogging and photography in her free time. She often posts her photos on her Fatestagram page. She has a vlogging channel on a popular video sharing website PanopTube, where she posts videos of herself traveling to different beaches, seaside cliffs, and other exotic locations across the country. Her most popular video is of her two week vacation on Shimmering Tail Island.

She also enjoys sea gardening, hiking, sailing, reading, cooking, & baking.

The greatest gift she's ever received was from Hephaestus- a rose gold bracelet with freshwater pearls and diamonds. She wears it nearly everyday.

Eurynome has had a few romantic relationships with women, but nothing serious. She does have hopes of getting married someday.

Her favorite dish is broiled oysters and clams. She makes a whole meal for herself and Hephaestus. For fast food, she enjoys a large order of calamari rings (with extra tzatziki dipping sauce) & a crispy fish sandwich combo meal (with saltwater infused jasmine bubble tea).

Her greatest hope for her son is that he connects with his biological family.

#my oc #my oc character #my character #oc character #oc intro #character intro #oc introduction #character introduction #modern greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek mythology

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mushroomadventures1087 · 1 month

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The picture above shows a WBS spawn jar inoculated with black pearl oyster LC. It's just a day bhind the COTW jars that I inoculated on the same day (03/30). From the reading I've done on the BPO, they can tolerate temps a bit higher than most other oysters (aside from the pink oysters), which is great for me since the temps in my growing room have been a bit higher than normal this time of year. The forecast shows the temps dipping a bit this week, starting tomorrow. Maybe that'll speed up the spawn.

The pictures above are the three subs I inoculated with the last of my pearl oyster spawn. They were inoculated on 03/27, so I'm pretty pleased with their progress, in spite of the temps. I suppose pearls can tolerate higher temps as the myc colonizes its sub. The pics on the left and middle are 100% HWFP, both 4534g in weight. The pic on the right is a 50:50 grass:HWFP sub, also 4534g in weight. The volume is different only because of the grass. There's much larger air pockets in the 50:50 sub.

I've been posting updates on all the spawn jars and sub buckets a lot lately. Now if I can just get the damn things to fruit! The one sub I have in the fruiting chamber still shows only myc growth, but no pins yet. Ugh...

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christina-thebarber-yogi · 3 months

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I got through almost all of the whole 30. Last night I was over it and had polenta with some chicken. I made it without any dairy or added sugar and today I forgot to do my reintroduction with only one thing but I had beans and grains and something made me very bloated. It may have been the added sugar alcohol in my smoothie powder. I'll try it again with just almond butter and no protein powder. My salad from Sweetgreen had chickpeas and I opted for the bread with it. It was supposed to have quinoa but someone left it off. Last night the polenta didn't bother me so I fried my mushrooms with arepa flour and then made a big jerk seasoned arepa with the leftover flour from my dredge. I'm so full because nobody ate the mushrooms but me (they were ok). I had lion's mane and oyster mushrooms. I might try the recipe again eventually but for now I'll just stick to the basic bitch mushrooms like baby bellas and shiitakes. Anyway I didn't dive off the diet with pizza but I guess tomorrow I'll go back to the whole 30 approved foods for two or three days and then try some rice. I'm ready to cut way back on the meat, if not eliminate it altogether. Here is my chicken cacciatore and polenta aka GRITS because THIS IS THE SOUTH!

#whole30

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mcgowanpehrson68 · 1 year

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“The only means we can shield the aged and folks with underlying illnesses is by social isolation. Register on HeraldLIVE without charge to obtain newsletters, read exclusive articles & more. Have been in practice for 30 years do not use other modalities other than the interpretation of Diagnostic X-Rays and Chiropractic. Adjustments to correct Spinal Subluxations so as to restore a healthy neurological supply to the physique. I am significantly interested in features of urban and neighbourhood change within the post-apartheid city. I even have published work on the role of artistic industries in city regeneration. dr gregory hough Dr Snyckers qualified as an Orthopaedic surgeon on the University of Pretoria and presently works in private apply at Eugene Marais Hospital in addition to part-time advisor in Orthopaedic surgery at Steve Biko Academic hospital. We are the libraries of a college in Cape Town, South Africa and the one college of know-how within the Western Cape province. The Innovation Fund is mandated to promote technological innovation through investing in late - stage research and development, Intellectual Property protection and commercialisation of novel and creative South African applied sciences. South Africa is pretty fortunate in terms of our plentiful marine life and the assorted species we encounter right here. Some only present uncommon sightings however we will nonetheless boast that 11,a hundred thirty different species of marine animals inhabit our shores. On Sunday 16th October 2016 the "Best of The Best" in the tourism industry gathered together for the Lilizela Tourism Awards at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Johannesburg. Last month the provincial awards were held and out of the 589 finalists, 2... “That was 30 years ago, so clearly there was no email or cell phones,” laughs Rabbie. I initially got one and recorded a protracted “voice note” with all my news. She’d receive the tape from me, hear and then report over with all that was occurring in her life. We’d send it back and forth in these brown envelopes.” Yet over the years, life happened, and the 2 misplaced contact. “Part of our trip involved visiting my mother’s Estonian pals who had been residing around the world,” says Olswang. “One of the families we stayed with was that of an Estonian school pal of hers who was dwelling in Toronto along with her husband and two daughters. How can children be depressed when it looks like they've never had it better? Children are being raised in environments that usually offer them extra of everything. Compared to 50 to one hundred years ago, youngsters have entry to better educational opportunities, health care and material benefits. These two humpback whales spent almost the whole day swimming around the harbour entrance, seemingly having fun with themselves. The NSRI was referred to as out to assess the state of affairs and two tug boats preceded to 'herd' them out of the way so as to get a ship... As we were leaving port last week with some tourists aboard for a whale, dolphin and penguin island cruise, we received a radio name from Gareth Right, the skipper of the oyster boat. He informed us that there was a humpback whale connected to a buoy ... This area is a part of the Greater Addo Elephant National Park and contains all three islands off the port at Coega and runs all the method in which to Cannon Rocks i... On Saturday morning we left the port with Guy Cloete aboard, who had won a free cruise with us for naming the first born Southern Right whale in Algoa Bay. Was actually good to be part of an event again after a really lengthy virtually 2 years of no events and 'getting out there'. To chat to folks and share with them all that Raggy Charters has to offer. “The immediate rush of curiosity that was generated when the event was announced final 12 months required the shift to a venue that would accommodate the demand of conference delegates and exhibitors, Taryn Westoby, head of Arena Holdings’ Events Division. “It’s clear that CEO’s throughout all industries in South Africa find the onset of 4IR a urgent concern, for which they want their companies to remain ahead of the curve. “They say dangerous news comes in threes but with recent announcements to do with mobile information, salaries and the inflation fee, the same could be mentioned of fine information,” mentioned Greg Brophy, WASPA chair. A new division of full-service company HaveYouHeard, inBroadcast is innovating the printed media and branded content spaces. The group may even work with the neighborhood in developing a long-term project plan. Police are warning individuals operating as ‘skoppers’ that that is illegal while at the same time want to urge stokvel clubs to take the mandatory precautions in safeguarding their cash. During this time of the 12 months, thousands of rands are withdrawn to be paid out to membership members. Police are advising that as a substitute of withdrawing such giant quantities of cash, organize for the club’s pay out to be electronically transferred into each club member’s private account or accounts of their alternative. In so doing, the bodily handling of big amounts of cash could be averted. Adding to her feedback, Prof Motaung also thanked Prof Moyo as this had been her dream and he or she had always needed this on-line Repository for the Creative Research Outputs, which she added is very-user pleasant and that anybody can be capable of use it. “I actually need to recognise all the protocols, especially the Executive Dean, Prof Runette Kruger, Faculty of Arts and Design, who joined DUT this yr, and thank TTI ‘s Prof Motaung and her group for their onerous work. I additionally need to use this time to recognise our Institutional Creative Outputs Committee which is made up of external members from outdoors of the University and likewise members inside the University. I actually wish to thank this staff and recognise each member as I suppose that it is extremely important to recognise the contribution that they every make,” relayed Prof Moyo. That focus has attracted critics amongst vested interests in food and drug companies against LCHF. Critics additionally include docs and dietitians who assist orthodox remedy protocols for these illnesses.

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budgetlascl · 2 years

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Enigma album 2018

ENIGMA ALBUM 2018 320 KBPS

ENIGMA ALBUM 2018 FULL

ENIGMA ALBUM 2018 SERIES

Burn Me Down (BRAND NEW STUDIO SONG - recorded 2018)ħ. Enigma (BRAND NEW STUDIO SONG - recorded 2018)Ĥ.

ENIGMA ALBUM 2018 FULL

This spirit truly makes “ENIGMA: Intermission 2” closer to a full new studio album than to a mere compilation.ġ. 2018 Harlequins Enigma 19-11-2018 Dance Heroine: Bedstories. The sweeping melodic power metal grandeur of Stratovarius, together with Timo Kotipelto's powerful yet emotional voice, is very much present on all of the 80 minutes of this release. Access the complete album info (18 songs) 2019 Harlequins Enigma 20-08-2019 Brooding Brains in Vain. JTim Sommer 18 Comments 1988, Albert Bouchard, Blue Oyster Cult, Imaginos, Kiss. Cretu had released several solo records, collaborated with various artists, and produced albums for his then-wife, German pop singer. Hallowed (From ‘Elysium’ Collector’s Edition) 4. Hunter (From ‘Nemesis’ Limited Edition) 3.

ENIGMA ALBUM 2018 320 KBPS

Or “Kill it with Fire” and “Castaway”, two epic and full blown power metal tracks that were previously only heard by Japanese fans. Imaginos: Cult-Album Enigma, Titanic Turd, or Both Looking at the deep history of a most maligned Blue Öyster Cult LP for its 30th anniversary. Album Enigma: Intermission II Year 2018 Genre Power Metal Country Finland Web Facebook Quality MP3 CBR 320 KBPS Tracklist: 1. Both combine an epic melody with a bombastic chorus and heavy riffs for Stratovarius’ trademark sound and remind of “Unbreakable” from their 2013 album “ Nemesis”, the most streamed song in the band’s history. Take “Enigma” and “Oblivion” for example, fresh from the studio in 2018 and most definitely two killer songs. With over 30 minutes of brand new material and 50 minutes of previously rare metal, “ENIGMA: Intermission 2” is definitely more killer than filler! The album is similar in concept to “ Intermission”, released 17 years ago between “ Infinite” and “ Elements”, in the sense that these seven tracks made in 2018 are completed by nine very rare, very hard to find power metal gems. “ENIGMA: Intermission 2” features three brand new songs as well as, for the first time in the band’s history, four beautifully arranged orchestral versions of popular Stratovarius songs. of a sold-out crowd to perform a duet of their 2018 mega-hit Rockstar. Stratovarius, the top name in the melodic power metal scene, are back with a new album – with some fresh and some very rare material! Pusha Ts new album Its Almost Dry drops this Friday and it features Kid Cudi. This list of popular Enigma CDs has been voted on by music fans around the world, so the order of this list isn't just one person's opinion.Stratovarius Enigma: Intermission 2 (2CD) €16.99 For the promotion of the album Enigma held some instore dates, where he met fans. List is made up of albums like The Cross of Changes (1993) and the more recent The Fall of a Rebel Angel (2016). Entitled Shardana, the album was released on 23 February 2018 and was also promoted by the singles Copernico and Nuvole & cupole in it there are ten total songs, some of which made with the participation of Bassi Maestro, MadMan and Gemello of the TruceKlan.

ENIGMA ALBUM 2018 SERIES

Make sure you don't just vote for critically acclaimed albums if you have a favorite Enigma album, then vote it up, even if it's not necessarily the most popular. Musical Project Shinnobu, Enigmatic Music 2018 The Way of the Enigma series with feminine voices and epic songs, The mythical Japanese Flute and. If you think the greatest Enigma album isn't high enough on the list, then be sure to vote for it so it receives the credit it deserves. To make it easy for you, we haven't included Enigma singles, EPs, or compilations, so everything you see here should only be studio albums. (1990) and Seven Lives Many Faces (2008). Formed in 1990 by Bucharest, Romania native Michael Cretu, Enigma brought Gregorian chants to the masses with their debut MCMXC a.D. The Sound of Her Voice (For Barbara Jean) Moon 2018. Albums include MCMXC a.D., The Cross of Changes, and Le Roi est Mort, Vive le Roi. Find top songs and albums by Enigma including The Ferrymans Song, The Sound of Her Voice (For. Since they’re such an influential band, let’s rank the best Enigma albums, with the help of your votes. Enigma discography and songs: Music profile for Enigma, formed 1990. Comes with sticker on shrinkwrap: 'The Colours Of Enigma 180Gr Heavyweight Coloured Vinyl Mastered For Vinyl 2018' Cat on spine & inlay '573 652 8', in runout '5736528'. 'Data Alpha' appears also as 'Data Alpha Editions'. List of the best Enigma albums, including pictures of the album covers when available. 'Enigma Songs' appears as 'Enigma Songs Edition'.

#Enigma album 2018

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thequeenofsheba-blog · 2 years

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Report: Enigma; Disfrutar; Tickets; Gresca

ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2018

One general observation (not necessarily in the restaurants mentioned, but noticeable across the more casual places we visited) was the decline in service attentiveness. Generally I found this had deteriorated from previous visits to Spain (e.g. we were ‘mostly’ left to pour our own wines/bottled water and dishes were sometimes cleared away by reaching across patrons). Replacement of cutlery was also inconsistent.

Having said that, we still had some excellent food and prices were definitely below those encountered in other European venues.

But, to the specifics (ignoring casual places, and described in the order we visited):

Disfrutar was up first and it wowed as an outstanding meal. With 4 people we had hoped that we could have two separate tasting menus (at least; they offer three) but the rule that we must all order the same menu was rigidly enforced [ to be fair, allergies were handled by serving entirely different dishes, rather than adjusting ingredients within a dish, so we did get some additional courses].

Service was EXCEPTIONAL – with extremely knowledgeable servers and multiple ‘wow’ dishes. I think we had around 30 dishes and, of course, there were some misses , but the impact overall was of a genuine desire to impress, rather than a series of gimmicks (although some individual dishes were clearly a triumph of technique over flavour). A ‘gimmicky’ walnut presentation turned out to be (for me) the taste sensation of the whole meal – even if it did tend to wipe out the following dish. Regardless of flavour, some dishes wowed visually – instant Instagram classics – plus there was some playfulness (even more so if one considers the heritage/lineage of the cuisine e.g. for those familiar with spherification, there was a beautiful ‘twist’ where salmon eggs were re-constituted into a single ‘egg’).

The wine list was also excellent. Wine pairings were offered, but some of my favourites were available by the bottle (at what I considered fair prices), including my go-to Pazo Señorans, Selección de Añada – an outstanding match for the cuisine (as is Cava).

After an outstanding meal, where the wine flowed freely, we left without collecting our ‘souvenir menus’ but we were staying just down the street and popped back in the following day (the market across the street was our target for lunch) to see if we could get a copy of our menu. While we waited for them to be printed off, they comped all four of us a glass of Cava in the garden out back (can’t guarantee they’ll do this for everyone), but it was a lovely touch that sealed our impression of an outstanding meal. OK Enigma – top that!

Next up was Tickets – actually my third time there, but the first for two of us. The opening server patter was the usual “Have you been here before?” – but the response was ignored – the ‘standard’ speech ensued with an offer to supply us with a specially selected set of dishes “just for us”. I, as usual, wanted to see the wine list first (with a consequent delay, which may have unsettled the schedule, as clearly there was a timetable to turn the table). Sadly, the wine list has diminished from what I recall previously, so I settled for what was described as a Rose Cava, but when it arrived was as pale as possible (I’ve had whites that were darker), but was still a reasonable match. Subsequently this was poured liberally by the servers who had to be asked several times to top up our water glasses. But they did manage to prompt us to order more wine.

The menu at Tickets seemed identical to the one I recall both other times I was there (I assume the oysters had changed seasonally, but why go to Tickets for oysters if they aren’t adding any ‘value’ – other than choice?). Apart from the oysters we essentially ordered every dish on the menu (in various quantities) – ordering is an issue; some ‘plates’ are single bites; some can serve four people (and some two) without any easy identification of the size (yes, there are separate sections on the menu, but no indication of whether there’s enough for 1, 2…etc. bites; even the (in) famous ‘olives’ didn’t state how many (it was one) – obviously those aren’t suitable for sharing. And the order of serving (and frequency) seemed random (or maybe I just couldn’t figure it out). Sometimes one dish was on the table; sometimes two; sometimes more. Empty dishes were also removed randomly – sometimes reaching across us ‘in mid bite’ (yes, really)! One of my first-time guests was flabbergasted to find a hand reaching across while she was raising a bite to her mouth. So no pattern or flow to the meal. Inattentive (at best) service. And a menu that doesn’t seem to have changed in several years. Some excellent dishes, but overall a jaded time – even the Jamon Iberico de Bellota didn’t seem as silky and tasty as the one I had last time (I recall it was specifically identified as Cinco Jotas last time, but no branding this time).

This was my first time being invited to move to the dessert room, where service was a bit better (except only one menu provided for four of us to select from). We observed that ‘most’ of the empty tables here were pre-set with the ‘rose’ dessert (one for each attendee). Yes, it’s a ‘wow’ presentation (albeit gimmicky, and hardly worth the 10€) – especially if you haven’t had it before. But it also signalled to me that most guests must have opted for the ‘feed me’ approach pushed so hard at the beginning – how else would they know that the rose would be ordered?

Actually, the price wasn’t too outrageous overall (but we did order for ourselves). But the experience was lacklustre and everyone found this the weakest ‘fine dining’ experience.

The next fine-dining (sort of) was Gresca – an old favourite that usually punches well above its price-point. As always, value was superb, but again service was perfunctory and a little less ‘wow’ than usual. Another insistence on everyone having identical dishes and we had great difficulty with choices (the famous soufflé came on a menu with less-desirable dishes). They weren’t prepared to ‘substitute’ (even if all four had the same substitute) [hey, I asked politely – if the chef declines I understand that we may come across as ‘demanding, unreasonable tourists’]. It’s a small place and substitutions may be very difficult – both for the kitchen and inventory management. And in fact they did substitute for an allergy.

BUT the most memorable thing here was the wine (the food was good too) a 1964 Gran Coronas from Torres for 100€ (which of course includes taxes). I don’t know where this originated (I’ve eaten 3 times at Gresca and never noticed it before). I also don’t know if it was their last (or even single) bottle. Yes, I was nervous, and the cork was a challenge, but the wine was sound (albeit a bit past its peak) – maybe it topped out at 40 years – but what a treat!

And finally, the motivation for the trip – Enigma!

Don’t forget your pass code – that’s the only way in. You are faced with a VERY heavy door, inducing panic if you can’t (at first) open it - we saw the party ahead of us struggling, but it was only when the door seemingly failed to open for us that we experienced the same discomfort. But the message on the keypad welcomes you by name, so summon up your strength. Once you gain entry you will be greeted by a futuristic-garbed server and will enter the ‘experience’. The ‘rules’ will be explained and allergies, wine selection, questions etc., will be resolved and you will be allowed to take photos – but are asked to NOT post these anywhere for others to see, in order to keep the various activities as a surprise for subsequent visitors. It’s not clear why this is a concern, but they did ask nicely so I will keep the dishes themselves somewhat generic in my comments [you WILL be impressed!].

The actual meal is served at a series of ‘stations’ – you proceed sequentially through these [smaller parties might be accelerated; larger parties will meander a little longer]. At the first few stations you will be served a variety of snacks and drinks. Seating here is either casual or non-existent. You may (or not) have other parties in the same station at the same time.

Eventually you should reach a fish station (plancha) where several courses will be served while you are seated (again you might share this station with others). This station seemed to be a bottleneck on our visit, as one spends significantly longer here to be served a number of courses. It appeared to me that (at least) one party skipped this station (possibly they returned after following a different sequence) – but do ensure that you get here as this was (for me) the highlight of the meal. Several seafood/fish dishes cooked in front of you, with commentary, and that 30 mins (approx.) was just stupendous. Although I’ve had comparable seafood in other dishes elsewhere, the total effect of the sequence was almost magical. Highlight building upon highlight. Worth returning just for this!

After this you'll be escorted to the main restaurant area where a parade of 'mystery 'dishes will appear and you will be invited to identify the ingredients. We participated fully and did fairly well - not sure what would happen if you don't want to play the game. There were some ‘mini-themes’ within this set of courses but all (for us) were served as mystery dishes. I’m not sure what the point was, although this ‘game’ would clearly be pointless if people were posting descriptions and/or pictures.

Finally, you'll move again to the dessert and coffee area and choose dessert from a confusing dessert menu that gives no indication of the size of each dessert (I recall some additional charges here but don't have the bill with me).

Overall, excellent food but I still don't get why we had to keep moving. There seemed to be significant creativity at each station but, if there were any themes/techniques that required being at that place, I guess I missed it. I except the fish (plancha) station where the interaction wouldn’t be feasible in a large room.

Maybe I’ll just have to return with an experienced eye to see if the techniques employed are transportable.

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