#⩩ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀( ✧˚ · . ༝༚༝༚ baylor threads. )

[hauntedqt]

❛   i'm   the   girl   you'd   die   for   .   ❜ / @enemylines

[loveshard]

muse: baylor núñez, 24, biromantic bisexual, b-list actor

verses: human & supernatural: vampire (tvd inspired)

note: made with legacy editor!

  “ you’re just an itch i need to scratch. you probably shouldn’t get so attached. ”

[tooswcctx]

@loveshard sent “don’t go falling in love with me.” \ Baylor Núñez & Pinar Aydin

Pinar immediately turned to look over at him, giving him an unamused look, eyes narrowed before laughing. “Trust me, you don’t have to worry about that.” They’d been friends for a long time, only recently reconnecting after the disaster of his last ex - the last thing on her mind was falling in love with Baylor. “You aren’t even my type.” Beyond the fact he was attractive, which everyone could see, and was in shape...okay, she didn’t need to think about that too much.

[ay-008]

Spec Geico Ad: You Can Have It All

OVERVIEW:

I was going through a Reddit thread called “shower thought”. I was just scrolling through just to find something funny and I saw this random comment saying "If you make two cakes you can eat one of them." I thought it was hilarious and dumb. Then I started to think about motivational speakers. How they say such simple things but aren't saying anything at all. The majority of the time the masses are in awe of their words. So I thought why not bring it to life in a Geico commercial that has nothing to do with insurance?

INT. GIANT AUDITORIUM - DAY

A few stragglers run inside to see the main speaker of the conference. The camera focuses on the sign while people are running past it. The room is packed.

SFX: Crowd is chattering.

CUT TO:

INT. STAGE - DAY

MC walks on stage, and the crowd is about to go nuts.

MC: (to the crowd) Let's hear it for Javier Baylor!

Crowd: (screams in excitement) Whaaaaaoooaoaoa!

SFX: Crowd screaming in excitement.

Javier Baylor, a Tech bro/hipster with long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail wearing a dingy black shirt, tight black pants, a lot of threaded bracelets, and Chelsea boots, comes out on stage.

He waves his hand to silence the crowd.

SFX: The auditorium goes silent. You can hear a pin drop.

CUT TO:

CROWD - DAY

You can see the anticipation of the crowd waiting to hear his powerful words. Someone faints from the anticipation.

SFX: Huuugh.

CUT TO:

Javier Baylor: “People say, you can’t make your cake and eat it. Well, I say You can have your cake and eat it ( pause ) if you make two……….”

CUT TO:

CROWD - DAY

SFX: The silence lingers.

Crowd is calm like a still body of water

*beat

The crowd goes bananas.

SFX: You hear this giant roar from the crowd.

Narrator: You can save and have it all when you bundle your home and auto insurance with Geico.

CUT TO:

Closing title card with Geico - Home.

FADE OUT.

[baylornonwovenstructures]

Sewing Machines

You have the option to learn the basics of how to operate Baylor Fiber Department sewing machines during class this week. While not required, becoming comfortable with a sewing machine will be a great skill that I think you will find useful to save you time and open up what is possible for your studio projects, especially when thinking about soft sculpture construction strategies. Many past students described learning about the sewing machines as providing "freedom" for future fiber projects.

Come find me during your work time and let's talk about sewing machines!

Images above, from top:

Each of the Berina sewing machines in the fiber studio comes with its own operating manual which has instructions on all the basics of using the machines. Please reference these guides when you have issues with the machines. The top 3 images above are scans from this manual showing the parts of the machines and what they do. The last scanned image is a helpful troubleshooting page that guides you through some of the things to try when the machine isn’t working as you expect it to.

This YouTube video demonstrates how to set up the machine for sewing, including threading the top of the machine, and loading the bobbin. 

This next YouTube video demonstrates how to sew a basic seam on the sewing machine.

[whumpy-writings]

A New Life

Of Vampires and Men Masterlist

Takes place directly after An Offering

CW: Vampires, fantasy religion, gunshot wound mention, awkward social interactions (?), food, basically a recovery fic because Reeve deserves all the comfort

Reeve stood there, his jaw hanging open. How the fuck was he supposed to respond to that?

“Thank you?” He said, uncertainty in his voice. That must have been an acceptable response since Nadiv then got to their feet.

“You must be exhausted after your journey. We’ll show you to your room,” Nadiv said. The vampire pushed open the metal gate and stepped into the Monastery. Reeve took a deep breath. This was it. Then he followed them inside. The three of them stood in a large open space, awash in gentle light from the slowly rising sun. Reeve’s eyes widened. There were plants everywhere, flowers of all sorts of colors, fruit trees, vines of ivy twisting up the stone walls.

“It’s beautiful,” Reeve breathed, his eyes glued to the garden.

A chuckle sounded behind him. “There’s much more than this. We’ll give you a proper tour tonight,” Ambrose said.

Nadiv walked on Reeve’s right side, Ambrose on his left, as they made their way inside a large stone building.

The corridor was dim, with lanterns flickering every few feet.

“This is the main building, which has bedrooms, living areas, and the kitchen,” Ambrose said.

Just then another person walked out of a room in front of them.

“Oh! You must be Reeve!” She said, running up to him. She had curly red hair and freckles across her face. Reeve caught a glimpse of her teeth. She was human.

“I’m Rosa. Nice to meet you,” she said, sticking out a hand.

Reeve shook her warm hand and gave her a hesitant smile. “Nice to meet you too,” he said.

“Everybody’s super excited to meet you. We haven’t had anyone new in a while,” Rosa said. “I’m actually going to meet some people in the kitchen for breakfast right now. Would you like to come?”

Reeve looked at Ambrose. “Go ahead, if you want,” he said with a smile. “Rosa, could you show him to his room afterwards?”

“Sure thing,” Rosa said.

“Let’s go eat then,” Reeve said.

The two of them started down the hall. “So how was your trip?” Rosa asked.

“Long,” Reeve replied. “And the wagon smelled like horseshit.”

“Ah yes, traveling in style,” Rosa said. She gave him a toothy grin and Reeve decided that they were going to be friends.

“How long have you lived here?”

“Just over five years. You’ll be happy here,” she said, turning down a hall.

“How many other humans live here?”

“Counting me, 21. 22 now that you’re here,” she said. “In general, we all get along. Though avoid Baylor, he’s kinda an asshole.”

“Good to know.”

“Here’s the kitchen,” Rosa said, stopping before an open doorway. The scent of fresh bread drifted out and Reeve’s stomach growled. “Hey everybody!” Rosa said as she stepped inside. Reeve followed a step behind, nerves fluttering his stomach. “Everybody, this is Reeve.” There were five humans in the room seated around a large table and they all looked up at him. Reeve gave a small wave, suddenly self conscious.

“Has Rosa talked your ear off yet?” A large man with dark brown skin asked.

“It’s still hanging on by a thread,” Reeve replied.

“Ha!” The man slapped the table. “I like you. Name’s Graham. That’s Jackson, Tiffany, Wesley, and Clara.” He said, gesturing to each of them in turn.

“Nice to meet you all,” Reeve said, taking a seat next to Graham. Rosa sat down next to him.

Wesley was seated across from him, lankey and with a mop of brown hair. He leaned forward. “Is it true you got shot?” He asked, eyes bright with excitement.

Tiffany punched Wesley in the arm. “Ow!” He said, rubbing his arm.

“Where the hell are your manners?” She turned towards Reeve. “Sorry about him, he’s an idiot.”

“It’s alright,” Reeve replied. He looked at Wesley. “Yeah, I was shot, but I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Sorry,” Wesley said sheepishly.

Just then a vampire entered the room carrying a tray full of food. “I hope everyone’s hungry… oh! I didn’t know you would be here for breakfast,” she said, looking at Reeve as she placed the tray on the table with practiced ease. “My name’s Claudia, and I’m in charge of the kitchen. If you ever need anything, just let me know. My door’s always open for humans in need of a snack.”

Reeve’s eyes widened. “T-thank you ma’am,” he said.

“No need for ma’am’s or sir’s here,” she said softly, meeting his eyes. Reeve swallowed, suddenly aware that all eyes were on him.

“It’s almost the season for lemon tarts,” Rosa said, breaking the awkward silence. “Do you like lemon?” She asked Reeve.

Reeve blushed. “I’ve never had lemon.”

Rosa gasped. “You’ve been missing out on one of the great pleasures of life.” And with that Rosa chatted away, listing all of the fabulous foods that could be made out of lemon.

Reeve’s eyes started to close halfway through his oatmeal. It had been an awfully long day.

“Reeve?”

He jolted awake, spoon clattering to the floor. Rosa was looking at him.

“How about I show you to your room now?”

“Okay.”

Everybody said their goodbyes, wishing Reeve pleasant dreams. Reeve followed Rosa down the hall.

“They’ve given you one of the room’s on this floor, so you don’t have to deal with the stairs,” Rosa said. She stopped at a room, pushing open the wooden door. Reeve followed her inside.

“This is all for me?” He said with awe. The room had soft rugs on the floor, a large four posted bed to the side. A big window looked out over the garden, the morning light streaming into the room.

“Yep, all for you,” Rosa said. “If you need anything you can just pull this cord and someone will come to help.” She gestured towards a cord next to the bed. Reeve made his way over to it, running a hand over the soft blanket.

“This is amazing,” Reeve said. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but this was better than anything he could ever have dreamed of.

“I told you you’d be happy here,” Rosa said, flashing him another one of her grins. “I’ll leave you alone now. You must be tired.”

“Thank you, Rosa. For everything.”

She gave him a giant smile. “Welcome home, Reeve.”

The door closed behind her, and Reeve made his way over to the window. He could see birds in the trees, the leaves swaying in the breeze. And best of all, he could feel the sunlight on his skin.

Reeve quickly washed his face and hands in the washbasin next to the bed. He set his crutch against the wall before climbing under the covers. The bed was softer than anything he had ever felt before. The sheets were gentle against his skin, the pillows fluffy. Reeve whispered a thanks to the Goddess right before he drifted off to sleep.

Tag list: @thecitythatdoesntsleep @whump-cravings @thecyrulik @neverthelass @michelleswhumpyreblogs @whumpsy-daisy @the-monarch-whumperfly @aswallowimprisoned @secretwhumplair @whumpzone @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @nicolepascaline @susiequaz12 @princessofonwardsworld @puffball-lover554 @itsleighlove @pumpkin-spice-whump @wiwinia @sunflower1000 @whump-blog @that-sapphic-person @melancholy-in-the-morning @pizzasthengym @suspicious-whumping-egg

[5millionfriends]

[Postgame Thread] Oklahoma Defeats Baylor 34-31

[Postgame Thread] Oklahoma Defeats Baylor 34-31

[Box Score provided by ESPN](http://www.espn.com/college-football/game?gameId=401112082)

Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T —-|-|-|-|-|-|- [Oklahoma](#f/oklahoma)|3|7|7|17|34 [Baylor](#f/baylor)|14|17|0|0|31

### Made with the /r/CFB [Game Thread Generator](https://gamethread.redditcfb.com)

View Reddit by CFB_Referee – View Source

[speedywitchanchor]

Neil Armstrong Died After Heart Surgery. That May Have Been Avoidable.

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died in 2012 at age 82 after what should have been routine heart surgery. When nurses removed wires linked to a temporary pacemaker, he bled profusely into the membrane surrounding the heart. He died a week later.

The medical details, disclosed this week by The Times, have prompted questions from both doctors and readers. Did Mr. Armstrong need open-heart surgery in the first place? What went wrong, and why?

Here are some answers from leading heart surgeons.

Mr. Armstrong went to the hospital complaining of severe chest pain. Don’t people with chest pain from blocked arteries get stents to open them up?

It depends on what sort of blockage a person has, said Dr. Michael Mack, a heart surgeon at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital — Plano.

Three major arteries feed blood into the heart. In Mr. Armstrong, the most important, the left anterior descending artery, was not blocked, according to records received by The Times. The other two, the circumflex and the right coronary artery, were blocked completely.

“You can’t put a stent in an artery that is completely occluded,” Dr. Mack said — at least, it could not have been done a few years ago. With advanced techniques, it can be done now by some expert surgeons.

Were there other options?

The blockages Mr. Armstrong had were probably not going to kill him, Dr. Mack said, but they do result in chest pain, also called angina. So treatment was not life-or-death; it was a quality-of-life issue. That raises questions about whether Mr. Armstrong should have been rushed into surgery.

There is an alternative to bypass surgery: medical therapy, which means trying to treat the condition with drugs. The medications that alleviate angina include nitrates that widen coronary arteries, beta blockers that slow the heart and calcium channel agonists, which also open arteries.

“If it was me, I would try medical therapy first, but it depends on how severe the pain is,” Dr. Mack said.

What is a temporary pacemaker, and why did Mr. Armstrong get one?

In open-heart surgery — whether to bypass a blocked artery or to insert a heart valve — surgeons usually stop the patient’s heart so they can work on it. A heart-lung machine temporarily substitutes for the heart’s functions.

To stop the heart, surgeons infuse an icy solution into it. But the cold can dampen the heart’s electrical circuitry, said Dr. Jonathan Haft, a heart surgeon at the University of Michigan. So when doctors try to wean patients off the heart-lung machine, the electrical circuits can be slow to recover and the heart may beat feebly, or not at all.

So when surgeons finish the operation, they almost always sew fine wires, not much thicker than a human hair, onto the surface of the heart. They thread the bright blue or orange wires through the chest wall and skin.

The wires are hooked to a box the size of a clunky, old-fashioned cellphone, which generates electrical impulses that control the heart’s rhythm.

Once the heart’s electrical system has recovered, a member of the medical staff gently tugs the wires. They are so fine that they almost always come right out; if they don’t, they are simply clipped at the skin’s surface and left in place.

No harm is done most of the time, as the heart’s own circuitry takes over. (Permanent pacemakers, which are not meant to come out, are placed inside the heart, Dr. Haft noted.)

What went wrong in Mr. Armstrong’s case?

Very occasionally, when a nurse or other staff member tugs on one of the pacemaker wires, it tears the heart surface and causes bleeding. That usually occurs because the wire was stitched on too tightly, or someone pulled too hard, Dr. Mack said.

At first there may be no sign of a problem, Dr. Haft said. But as bleeding continues, blood pressure drops and the heart rate rises. The condition, called tamponade, occurs because blood is pooling around the heart and starting to clot. This inhibits the heart’s ability to relax and fill with blood.

[cupcakemolotov]

Victoria plots and schemes, and her plans all work so that in any scenario, she wins. The House survives. She's such a wonderful nuanced character. And isn't it interesting we've yet to see her interact with the Baylors as a whole, her interactions with her granddaughters have all been one-on-one, and Nevada and Catalina have seen different facets of her character. The impressions they drew aren't wrong but they're not entirely all right either.

I agree with this. We have only seen a very small part of Victoria, and through very different lenses. I am so very interested to see what they decide to do with her!

The thing about first person, is everyone is an unreliable narrator. I think the grandpa in the scene is Linus, because he's the only older male character we've been introduced to. But I don't think he necessarily is their grandpa. I think grandpa was just a catch-all term to convey - "huh, older male with a weird relationship to the Baylors and Victoria, makes sense he would be a blood relative". Whether or not Arabella believes he is their biological grandfather is another matter too.

So the twin and I had a pretty big debate about Linus = Grandpa and it COULD be. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all, with the tiny hints that they keep giving us about Linus and Victoria, and we already know that Arabella is cheeky. And neither he nor Victoria would want Catalina to know that they are working that closely together, as I am certain they are both putting her through the ringer as a bunch of tests. Its a dangerous game they are playing with Catalina, because they could very easily alienate her completely. So if Linus is the Granpa, that means they are very definitely giving her the Good Cop/Bad Cop Treament (and honestly, I still don’t trust Linus at all.)  Or this could be the entry point for another character. They are really good at pulling threads I sometimes don’t see coming (I did not expect Xavier the little shit to be the villain in book 3,  but I am delighted she is going to get to kick the shit out of him. Seriously. He has no idea what she is and I fucking love that).

"Is Victoria the main bad guy in the end? I don’t think so. I think she is a dangerous, dangerous  knife the Baylor family has to contend with until she dies, and for her emotional scares are learning opportunities that will make her house stronger." 100% agree with this. She's teaching Catalina how to prepare for every situation and how to come out on top. And look how well Catalina is doing, already prepared to use Aunt Gisela as the sacrificial chess piece if it comes down to it.

But as outlined in EB, Catalina hasn't crossed the stage where she would preemptively eliminate possible threats. She's monitoring and making plans that she can live with. Not right now, but maybe one day Catalina can live with killing her aunt (or other threats that arise) if it means her family is safe. I don't think that change in mindset will necessarily even occur as a result of something tragic happening, just the natural progress of being Head of the House and a Prime.

Look at Catalina examining the scene the way she had been trained to do so and disregarding it because that isn’t who she is in that moment. I was actually so happy they put that scene in, because it showed us the backbone of Catalina in ways we don’t otherwise see. Here, they said, is what Grandma Tremaine has trained her to do, how she has taught her to eliminate threats (see also: how Augustine expected Nevada to eliminate him previously “I’m only alive because you haven’t learned to eliminate threats”) and here is Catalina rejecting that. Yes, she can become her grandmother’s creature, she can be that kind of ruthless, but she doesn’t want to do so she is making the harder decisions not to be.

I think those three rules of her dad’s come into very interesting play when you think about it. He too had suffered through Victoria’s terribleness, and those are the three things he decided here most important above all. Stay Bought. Don’t Break the Law. Be able to look at yourself in the mirror at the end of the day. I don’t know if these rules were deliberately put down to counter everything that Victoria had tried to teach him,  but they are the backbone of his kid’s  lives, and they have been the rope that has kept them all from sinking beneath the weight of the House Rules I think. And I actually really love it, that in some way Victoria’s son continues to thwart her plans from the grave by simply being a good, kind man who understood on so many levels the awful that came from a house. And he had to know what his kids were, so he did the only thing he could do. He gave them a moral foundation to stand on.

[loveshard]

for @sakurapizza​

     “ i didn’t come out here to play it safe. isn’t it more fun to live life on the edge? ”

[wundcrlust]

ZEKE BAYLOR TAG DROP

 ｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .: 𝓈𝒽𝓊𝓉 𝓊𝓅 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 :. threads. z. ✧｡ ｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .: 𝒾'𝓂 𝒶 𝒷𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓇, 𝒾 𝒷𝒶𝓀𝑒 :. musings. z.✧｡

｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .: 𝓂𝓎 𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 :.𝒻𝓉. sharpay. z. ✧｡ 

｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .:𝒶 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝒻𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝓂𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓁𝑒𝑒 :. 𝒻𝓉. ryan. z. ✧｡

  ｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .:𝒶 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝒾𝒶𝓃𝑜 :.𝒻𝓉. kiera. z.

✧｡

 ｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .: 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓂? 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝒹𝒸𝒶𝓉𝓈 :. 𝒻𝓉. chad. z. ✧｡ 

｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .: 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓂? 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝒹𝒸𝒶𝓉𝓈 :. 𝒻𝓉.  troy. z. ✧｡ 

｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .: 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝒶 𝓅𝒾 𝓅𝒾𝑒 :. 𝒻𝓉. gabriella. z. ✧｡

｡✧ 𝓏𝑒𝓀𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇 .: 𝒾'𝓂 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝓃𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝑜𝑜𝓀𝒾𝑒𝓈 :. 𝒻𝓉. ✧｡

[lenfaz]

Longing

For @sambethe and @kliomuse, who’ve encouraged me to put this idea to paper

“I’ve only loved two people in my life, Catalina…. The first wasn’t meant to be. He went on with his life and married your sister.”

“And the second one?” She was almost afraid to ask, as the air thickened between them and his eyes met hers. The façade was gone and there laid Augustine in all his humanity. The sheer agony she saw there took her breath away.

“It’s ironic, isn’t it? There’s only one way to be immune to your magic and it seems I have been able to acquire that particular skillset in the past few years.”

She tried to reach for him, but he pulled back.

“No, darling, don’t. I know my place. I know that this is preposterous. I’m all kinds of wrong for you. Connor would beat me to a pulp, and with all reason. Your mother would shoot me. Your cousin would dispose of me in the most efficient way.” He quirked an eyebrow at her. “I know my boundaries and I know this is not meant to be. That’d never meant to be.”

“Augustine.”

“I beg you do not pity me. I’m the Head of a very powerful house and I will get over this feeling. I will. You, in the meantime, will go live your life. Marry your count, Catalina, and do not give this another thought. I’m too old, scarred and jaded for you.”

/-/

10 years later

She looked like a vision. The years have been good to her. She looked poised, intelligent, strong. She looked - was - like everything a Prime should be and still maintained that bright eyed kindness that had driven him to her more than a decade ago.

Sagredo was an idiot to let her go.

“What brings you to my office, Miss Baylor?” he asked

“Why the formalities… we’re practically family, aren’t we?” she adjusted a crease on her black pencil skirt, and his eyes couldn’t help but roam over her figure. Gods have mercy on him. Connor was going to dump a building on his head. And with reason.

“They haven’t made it official yet and until he puts a ring on her finger and the contracts are signed, we are not family.”

Besides, I’ll never be able to look at you as a sister.

“A Montgomery marrying the Beast of Cologne… I hope your brother is ready for temper tantrums.”

“You’re being awfully harsh on your sister. She’s grown up to be a lovely young woman. She’ll bring nothing but joy and dignity to House Montgomery.” He leaned in, because he couldn’t help himself now that he had her so close after all these years. “Although I do fear the day they take over MII and House Montgomery.”

“If you’re so worried, Augustine, you can easily fix that by taking a wife and producing offspring, like a good Head of House.”

He closed his eyes, sighing. Not a chance of that happening.

He could hear the clicking sounds of her heels as she came closer, her scent enveloping him. It was torture, and yet he didn’t want it to end.

“Open your eyes, Augustine.”

He drank her features, allowing himself this one moment of weakness after all these years. “Why are you here, Catalina?” He let threads of his illusion go, letting her see parts of the real him, hoping that his vulnerability will push her away.

She gave him a lopsided smile. “Ten years ago, you had a proposal to make to House Baylor.”

He chuckled. “You mean when I tried to arm twist you into becoming my vassal?”

She bit her lip and he almost groaned. She was too close. “That is one way to look at it…. You remember what I said to you?”

As if he could ever forget….

“You told me that you - that House Baylor - needed to stand on its own. That our relationship would be unbalanced and that I would crush you under me. That you’d lose yourself.” Her words had been clear and concise. They were not equals. There was an unbalance. And she didn’t want it. It was a statement on the impossibility of an agreement as much as it was on the everlasting impossibility of them. Of why they would never be.

She shifted and for a moment he thought she was going to sit on his lap. But she wouldn’t, would she? That’d be preposterous.

“That was the reality then, Augustine. But it’s been ten years.” She leaned over him, her fingers tracing a pattern on the sleeve of his suit. “Things have changed. I - our house- it’s more mature. We stood on our own. We survived. We succeeded. We thrived.”

She’d done all those things and more. He knew it as he hadn’t been able to resist the temptation of keeping tabs with her. Silently, in the shadows, he rejoiced in every one of her triumphs over the last decade.

“You’re a success, Catalina. House Baylor is a success. You’ve done it. But that still doesn’t answer my question.” He needed her out of his office before he made the biggest mistake of his life. “Why are you here?”

“Because I have a proposal for you.”

“For me? Or for House Montgomery?”

“Aren’t they one and the same?”

No, they aren’t.

She stroked his hand and he lost what was left of his sanity. He almost growled at how great her fingers felt on his skin.

“I think we’re ready to enter that agreement in equal footing now and considering the ties that will bind our families, it wouldn’t be far fetched for us to enter such agreement. The Montgomery-Baylor International Investigations. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

If she leaned any closer she was going to collapse into him. He should stand up, put distance between them and yet all he could do was intertwined his fingers with hers and pulled her until her legs touched his.

“Why?”

She shrugged… “If you’re worried about them taking over, let’s build something so strong that even they cannot ruin. Think about it, we could even be bigger than House Rogan if we set up to it.”

Considering House Rogan was busy raising several offspring that have burst with the most unexpected magic combinations and enjoying every minute of it, he didn’t have any doubts that he could one-up his best friend business wise. But not all in life was house business.

“Your proposal does bring a lot appeal. As Head of House, I’d be an idiot not to consider it.”

“And as Augustine?”

“Why would I feel any different?”

“Because you love me.”

Sharp and to the point. Like the daggers he knew she carried around and were her favourite weapon.

He averted his eyes. “That’s ancient history, darling. I got over it a decade ago.”

“Look at me,” she commanded. And the final pieces of his facade dropped and he looked into her eyes as anything but Augustine Montgomery.

Her hand reached for his face and he wanted to recoil, but he was weak to her touch. He leaned into her palm, savoring the moment. “Catalina… don’t do this. I’m trying to do the honorable thing here. Not to mention, preserve my physical integrity. You can’t illusion a corpse.”

She chuckled and the sound was like music to his ears. He was in his forties and he felt as giddy as a teenager whenever she was near. “You foolish idiot… you really don’t have feelings for me?”

“I don’t.” He was going down a rabbit hole with his last piece of sanity.

“Take a closer look, Augustine.” She closed her eyes and hummed briefly. The air around her started to shine as if tiny twinkle-twinkle little stars surrounded her. And suddenly he could see it all: her wings spread wide around her, bent and cocooning the both of them, threads of her magic weaving through him. It was mesmerizing.

“Catalina,” he rasped.

She opened her eyes, her smile wide and almost childish. “I picked up a few tricks here and there in the past few years. And I’ve been hitting you with all my magic since I walked into your office, Augustine, so don’t you dare tell me you don’t love me.”

As if I could have ever stopped.

The words were out of his mouth before he could catch them. And finally - finally - she did what he’d been hoping she’d do since she leaned into him. She lowered herself down and sat on his lap, her arms circling his neck.”You once told me you knew your place. That you were too old, too scarred, too jaded for me. And you were. Perhaps you still are. But the reality is… I would have never wanted you any other way, Augustine.” Her lips brushed his. He didn’t stand a chance. He crushed his mouth into hers, giving into a decade of wanting, of longing, of loving.

“Your family is going to kill me.”

“Ffft, I’d like to see them try. My sister married the Scourge of Mexico, for crying out loud.”

[tfcrp]

THE FOXHOLE COURT: JANUARY 14-JANUARY 20

ONLINE:

“As the Spring Championships begin, it’s time for teams to play outside of their districts, against opponents they don’t usually face. And the Palmetto State Foxes and the UC Davis Aggies, with over 2,600 miles between them and the Foxes’ less-than-stellar record of making it to the Championships, haven’t played each other in years.” 

“The Foxes, who finished out the regular season with four straight wins, will be hoping to make the first game of their second straight year in the Championships a strong one, but they’ll be down backliners Glory Hoskins and Grayson Sharpe due to red cards in the final game of the regular season. However, backliner and former Ohio State Buckeye Casey Hendrix is expected to be back on the court, after sustaining a concussion in the previous game against the Georgia Southern Eagles.”

“The Aggies are not so lucky: after a strong regular season that put them second in their district, their leading goal scorer striker Marisa Bowers will be sitting out of the first game of the Championships after suffering a knee injury. And Bowers may be out for the long haul, which means the Aggies will need to find some secondary scoring if they want to go far in the Championships."

“With the Aggies down Bowers and with the Foxes coming off a strong regular season finish, these teams might be more evenly matched than they first appear on paper. And whoever wins will then be one win away from securing their spot in the next round’s death matches—and whoever loses will have some ground to make up if they want to do the same.”

“ELSEWHERE IN CLASS I: The reigning Champion USC Trojans will take on the UT Longhorns, the Edgar Allan Ravens will face the Boston Terriers, the Penn State Lions will try to make the most of their second-place district finish with a matchup against the Baylor Bears, and the upstart Ohio State Buckeyes will try to step into Penn State’s Big Three shoes against the Belmonte Terrapins.”

- COLLEGE EXY ONLINE, “CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW: FOXES vs. AGGIES”

“What’s that in the air? Why, we think it smells like school spirit. We’re more surprised than anyone to have not one but two teams in the postseason and, let’s be honest, we’re not here for the sports: we’re here for tailgating in parking lots and, of course, all the gossip and the meltdowns along the way. So buckle in, kids, and place your bets. First up is Exy, and we’ll be keeping our eyes and ears out as the Foxes jet off to sunny California—and you know we don’t miss a thing.”

- FOXWATCH, YOUR SOURCE FOR GOSSIP AT PALMETTO STATE UNIVERSITY

ON CAMPUS:

With Championships comes increased media attention, and as the Foxes head into the week of their first game, they hold an open practice on Tuesday, January 15. As the Foxes prepare to leave their district for the first time all season, it’s an opportunity for out-of-town reporters to get a firsthand look at them, and for camera crews to record footage that they’ll use in stories and promos. Though Wymack doesn’t make any of the Foxes available for comment and tries to run it as a normal practice, the presence of the press is palpable outside of the Plexiglass walls, the lights in the Foxhole Court bright as if it were lit up for a full game.

After their evening practice on Thursday, January 17, the night before their flight to California and their first game of the Championships, the Foxes and the Vixens gather at Abby’s house for a potluck dinner, with all of them working together to provide food to share—one last normal night before the pressure of the Championships takes over.

And then on Friday, January 18, it’s time for the Championships to officially begin. The Foxes and Vixens gather early in the morning at the Foxhole Court and then make their way to Upstate Regional Airport—flying for a game for the first time this season. Once at the airport, it’s a long eight hours of travel—(including a layover in Chicago)—before they land in Sacramento, gather up their gear, and load onto buses for the short drive, past cornfields and cows, into Davis.

They arrive in their hotel in Davis’ small downtown in the early afternoon, leaving them plenty of time to shake the fatigue off from their long flight and get ready for the game that evening—where the Aggies will have the home court advantage, lacking a long day of travel and used to the timezone. The tension increases as the clock ticks closer to first serve at 7PM, the Foxes gathering for a quiet dinner in the hotel before it’s time to head to Davis’ court—and for the Championships to truly begin. 

(OOC information related to the game under the cut)

The results of the game against the Aggies will be posted, a little out of our regular schedule, on Thursday night and, in order to put it together, there are a few things I need from you:

Due to the size of the roster, there is a chance that not every player will get to play in every game, so if you want your character not to play in the game (for reasons that could be related to being late to practice, poor performance in practice, mouthing off to Wymack/Grant/Claudia, or any other reason you can think of!) please let me know. And for this game, I’m potentially looking at having to sit one dealer.

If there’s anything exceptional you want to take place during the game (fights, red cards, injuries, exceptionally poor play, etc.) please let me know, and I’ll do my best to work it in. This will work on a first-come-first-serve basis, if the game is getting too packed with details, you might have to wait for the next one;

After each game, two players will be selected to answer questions from the press. If you want to volunteer your character for press duty, please message me! This will also be on a first-come-first-serve basis. And if you volunteer for press duty, please only do so if you expect to be able to play out the thread with your partner in a timely fashion. And, for Championships, we’re now at a reset! If you’ve done press duty before, feel free to volunteer again, though priority will go to people who have not yet had the opportunity.

Remember, you only have to reach out to me if there’s something very specific you want me to work in!

And, as always, I welcome any feedback!

[illuminatethesehcpelessplaces]

ugh i rarely do this but i just cannot motivate myself to write some of my super old drafts so under the cut are all the threads i’m dropping. i am not dropping any of these ships and i absolutely want to write with all of you again!

@wehavefoundthestars // asher x elio, egin x elio

@ittybittylittlebit-hot // tatum x jace

@hellcbeautiful // baylor x lucia, asher x dante

@hiwagas // bobby x michael

@brxkensovls // clare x casey, ian x river

[geconmanast1984-blog]

I just said, grasping for air, please take care of our son. He took me tonthe hospital and I had severe asthma attack. If we took as longer thendr said I could died. This is honestly a typical pitfall of being better/more productive than average at your job. It's almost impossible to work at such a high level forever but people come to expect it of you and are upset when you don't meet the super high standards they don't have for anyone else. One of the upsides to YouTube is the ability to be flexible when things come up and it's too bad people hold that against her instead of being happy that she is able to take time to deal with life.. 8 points submitted 1 month agoDie Bausteine werden per Spritzguss hergestellt, da ist das teure die Form und die Maschine. Wenn ich aber beides hab und millionen von teilen herstellen kann, dann gehen meine kosten pro Stck rapide in den Keller. Die Herstellungskosten fr die einzelnen Steine liegen wahrscheinlich im grenbereich von 1 2 cent pro Stck, wrd ich mal schtzen. Physicists have isolated the gauge particles for most of the forces. The strong force uses pions and another particle called a gluon. The weak force 의령출장안마 uses W and Z bosons. We didn't have famous pregnant lesbian couples on the covers of glossy weekly magazines. We had one quarterly newsprint newsletter so stapled together, you had to update your tetanus shot just to subscribe. There weren't lesbian bookstores; there were only two lesbian books. King crab legs are Bering Sea, north Pacific. Other side of the country. You want to find a market that sells them frozen, precooked, in the shell. This is an old thread but I am just getting around it, just curious about your skin type. I had a sample of this and boscia peeling gel and the peeling gel was a lot more softer on my skin but the amore pacific felt cleaner and squeakier, hope I am making sense. So am curious about your skin type and if that makes a difference.. There is no good reason for anyone to be posting a daily brew (of any kind) to UA. If someone posting daily content, they should be asked to move that to their own subreddit until they have a collection of material to promote a weekly post is more than enough attention. UA took away 의령출장안마 the downvote button, and posting "please stop this spam" in a thread would violate rule 2 people have no (official) way to discourage this daily brew takeover, and it hurting the sub.. SMU lost their football team for paying players and Baylor has seen little to no consequences for repeatedly ignoring rape allegations. I have to drive through Waco pretty regularly and I feel gross whenever I do, and of course, they are known for being Baptist. When I was applying to colleges (2012), they were one of my first picks but it was too expensive and they required you to take a "chapel" class. If its for entertainment, even educational entertainment, I wouldnt bother pressing onward with anything that doesnt entertain me. Thats just how I see it, and you may disagree. :). If you hit the same way every time, it should. But over time people forget that, and think they just unlucky. If you are able to match your angle and entry board into the pocket every time despite the changing conditions, and that angle is optimal for a strike, you get one.

[simvivorspeculation]

Simvivor 15 Post-Disappearance Thread

In this thread, we will go over the speculated and debunked returning castaways for Simvivor’s 15th season. Keep in mind this list is subject to change as new information is revealed. There was a ten-day quarantine prior to filming that began on April 2nd. At the time of publishing, it is April 17th, and filming began as of April 13th.

LAST UPDATED: April 17th April 19th

LIKELY

Baylor Ansari (Terra Amorosa - 7th) No social media activity after March 28th.

Brice Rivera (Dragon Valley - 4th) Social media activity persists, but it is likely that his accounts are being ran by someone else. Heavily speculated by reliable sources.

Dottie Rademaker (Redemption Island - 15th) No social media activity after March 28th.

Hudson Brothers (Felicity Island - 1st) Inactive on social media regularly, but he is speculated by a reliable source.

Jules West (Dragon Valley - 6th) Social media accounts are still active but her family’s farm recently made a post indicating that Jules was away for a period of time, likely confirming her.

Morgan McKay (Belomisia - 9th) No social media activity after March 14th. Sources suggest Morgan may have already been eliminated, however, because he was recently spotted near the filming location.

Pam Beesly (Belomisia - 11th) Inactive on social media regularly, but she is heavily speculated by reliable sources to be on. She missed multiple tapings of her work’s documentary series recently.

KEEP AN EYE ON

Benji Thompkins (Oasis Springs - 6th) No social media activity after March 10th. It is speculated that he may be on The Challenge 4, but sources are mixed.

Jaya Falk (StrangerVille & Kingdom Come - 3rd) Despite sources indicating no two-time players were contacted, Jaya has not posted on social media since quarantine began and new sources suggest that she may have been cast for the season.

Paul Wharton (Terra Amorosa - 6th) Inconsistent social media presence. Notably, he was contacted for The Challenge 4, and sources are mixed on him at the moment.

Ricky De Vries (Mt. Komorebi - 2nd) Social media activity persists, but his accounts were run by family during his first season. Not speculated to be on by some sources, but there are no reasons to debunk him yet.

Trevor Mallory (Ohan’ali - 10th) No social media activity after April 1st. His online shop has been temporarily closed and he is heavily speculated to be on. **UPDATE 4/19** Trevor’s online shop reopened briefly before closing again and some posts on his Simstagram were archived.

Yemi Atwater (Oasis Springs - 1st) Social media activity persisted throughout quarantine, but numerous sources suggest that Yemi is on the cast regardless.

DEBUNKED

Avaline Locatelli (Redemption Island - 5th) Dropped from the cast prior to filming.

Britney Pilzer (Isla Paradiso - 3rd) Announced to be a presenter at an awards show on April 28th. Speculation says she did not have an eligible partner for the show.

Estefania Gutierrez (Redemption Island - 4th) Recent social media activity. Spotted in public as well.

Jack Torleif (Redemption Island - 10th) Social media activity persisted through quarantine.

Karen Townie (The Bramblewood - 6th) Recent social media activity.

Nevaeh Kravitz (Ohan’ali - 6th) Social media activity persisted through quarantine. Speculation says she did not have an eligible partner for the show.

Omar Al-Shirazi (The Bramblewood - 11th) His wedding is set for May 1st. Speculation says he did not have an eligible partner for the show.

Rob Henriques (StrangerVille - 4th) Confirmed to be on The Challenge 4. Speculation says he did not have an eligible partner for the show.

Talia Straud (Oasis Springs - 9th) Recently announced her pregnancy on social media.