#EDIT: he said nipper!

[icouldntfindquiet]

Source

[larkral]

Hello!! Thanks for the tags @hushed-chorus, @bookish-bogwitch, @cosmicalart, @j-nipper-95, @forabeatofadrum, @orange-peony, @ileadacharmedlife and @aroace-genderfluid-sheep! So fun to see what everyone is working on!

I've been doing some tests for audio for my @caught-on-tape-fest, which has been difficult because my children have been home sick almost every day this week. Anyway, got a first roll of a fic and learned a lot, like: I'm definitely not going to be trying a British accent (comes out half-Australian, I blame Bluey), I need a working doc so that I can highlight different characters dialogue in different colors to allow for different pacing and emphasis, and I need to talk slower. 

That said, I am excited and it's fun. Haven't yet done any editing but I have done that before and I feel pretty sure I'll be able to manage. 

Also this week I wrote some Simon's Two Mums and some of one of my CORB pieces. Sentences from both below!

My CORB piece, draft titled mechanic!Simon:

One of my foster families had three cars up on blocks in the backgarden. Kitty said she collected kids and Jules collected cars. It worked for them. Worked for me too. Kitty wasn't my biggest fan, but Jules didn't mind a quiet pair of eyes watching him, tools being passed his way when he reached for them. He didn't talk a lot either, but when he bought the Mini ('74) he patted the hood and said, "Happy Birthday, Simon."

Simon's two mums (draft titled normal!Simon even though he's reallllly not) also this is 8 sentences. Ah well:

Baz uses words like purview. I can barely get my lips around them. Why the crucible thought that he and I would be good as roommates, I don't know.  But I do like him. And he likes Penny. And Penny likes me. So it works out, even if it does kind of suck to be the in-between friend.  Not that Keris and Penny are better suited as roommates than Baz and me.

One thing that's helping me to work on these two pieces in tandem is that they're both stories where the WOM timeline doesn't happen the way it does in canon, so I get to be really generative in thinking about what the actual universe of CO is like, and what the social and political dynamics would be like if the events that happen canonically hadn't happened. Fun! Difficult! My jam.

Tag/hellos under the cut. :)

Tagging @stitchyqueer @thewholelemon @confused-bi-queer @raenestee @facewithoutheart @cutestkilla @sillyunicorn @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @basiltonbutliketheherb @asocialpessimist @aristocratic-otter @captain-aralias @petedavidsonscock @takitalks @artsyunderstudy @yeonjunenby @carryonvisinata @takenabackbytuesdays @martsonmars @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersghost @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ionlydrinkhotwater @shrekgogurt @palimpsessed @fatalfangirl​ @blackberrysummerblog​ @valeffelees @imagineacoolusername @whogaveyoupermission @wellbelesbian @rimeswithpurple

[palimpsessed]

I have finally finished the draft for chapters 2 and 3 of Strictly Professional. (Also, have you seen the ART?!?!) Every day for at least the past week I’ve been like “okay, you’ll finish it today” hahaha. Remember when I said it was going to be a 4K one shot? hahahaha! And then chapter 1 was 18k? hahahahahahahahah I’m totally fine. I swear I know how words work.

Anywho. Being a very slow reader, I gave myself the evening off and hope to get through editing tomorrow.

In the meantime, I had some banger lines that I simply couldn’t use. So I’ve decided a dead darlings could be fun? And I will also give you an excerpt that’s staying in. (Spice ahead—be ye warned!)

For “plot” context, Simon and Baz are at a conference where they are sharing a bed. Baz is Simon’s supervisor. They are both very horny and very stupid. ☺️

Six Dead Darlings Sunday:

“As your immediate supervisor, I must inform you that, where seduction is concerned, you fail to meet expectations and I will be making note of that demerit in your performance evaluation.”

It’s an odd sensation—as though he’s giving me his laughter to hold. (I want to. I want to keep it with me.)

I don’t think I’m ever getting my hand back. Which is just as well. It’s far better off in Salisbury’s custody than it is in my own. It will have a much happier life being able to touch him.

“I don’t see any point in not being honest. What do I have to hide, anyway? Your cock is touching my cock. That’s pretty honest, isn’t it?”

“That would be devastating to my ego considering how much effort I’ve put into being unreadable.”

“I’d be a lot more comfortable if I’d gotten you naked first.”

Many Sentences Staying In Sunday:

I squeeze his arse as he plumbs the depths of my mouth with his tongue. I meet it with my own, opening wider, surging up—anything to be closer to him.

He pushes his arse back into my hands.

I can feel his muscles flex and shift under my fingers and i knead deeper.

He lets out a broken moan, tearing his mouth away, severing our kiss.

“Too much,” he gasps. The words fall hot on my face—a puff of humid air shared between us. “Need you now.”

Yes, I’m doing that thing where I check in on tumblr to see what I’ve missed, post a snippet, tag everyone, and run away again. Once this fic is done, I look forward to getting caught up on reading and reblogging all of your posts this week. ❤️

@blackberrysummerblog @larkral @artsyunderstudy @confused-bi-queer @nightimedreamersworld @fatalfangirl @j-nipper-95 @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @aristocratic-otter @ivelovedhimthroughworse @alexalexinii @carryon-agatha @ionlydrinkhotwater @shrekgogurt @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @shemakesmeforget @seafoampuddings @ileadacharmedlife @moodandmist @hushed-chorus @thewholelemon @raenestee

[confused-bi-queer]

Thank you for tagging me @hushed-chorus @martsonmars @forabeatofadrum and @j-nipper-95

Writer’s block is also having its way with me, BUT I have great news!! I updated my fic about Baz with a tail!!

Last year happened the WIP Adoption Fest, and I was given @martsonmars wip, which is based on that phrase in AWTWB in which Simon mentioned he would’ve tied Baz to his bed if he had had a tail back in Watford. And well, I loved that prompt and I do love writing smut, after all.

In the past days, someone commented on that first chapter that I should update the fic because it was good, so I said: alright. And I did!

This fic scared me and kinda bothered me, but I had to put that second chapter out there before it made me crazy, and I published it. I didn’t edit a lot from what I had previously written, but I loved this bit.

Disclaimer: it’s kinky AF. I tried to use a lot of the kinks I know in this fic

BAZ

He smacks my arse, and my eyes roll back into my head with the pleasure of the sting. He takes the tie off my mouth.

“Is that alright?” he asks. “If I hit you?”

I nod.

He grabs a handful of my hair, and yanks it back so hard I’m folding almost in half. His words brush my nose.

“Use your fucking words, bitch.”

“Yes, Snow. You can—“ I clear my throat, “you can continue with that.”

He raises both eyebrows, freeing my hair and letting me back to my submissive position.

“Your thighs too?” he asks.

“Wherever you want.”

“Mmm. I like it when you’re a good boy.”

My tail twists where it’s knotted. I don’t like that he can use my kinks this easily. It makes him so… powerful.

I’m planning on writing 4 chapters, so it’s a lot of blue balls over here!

Here’s the fic!!

Diving Right Into

And the updated chapter (2)

Now tagging: @castawaypitch @blackberrysummerblog @bookish-bogwitch @cutestkilla @captain-aralias @wellbelesbian @onepintobean @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ninemagicks @kohatenz @yeonjunenby @aristocratic-otter @artsyunderstudy @whogaveyoupermission @ic3-que3n @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @angelsfalling16 @palimpsessed @johnwgrey @ionlydrinkhotwater @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @sillyunicorn @kherub @basiltonbutliketheherb @gekkoinapeartree @letraspal @erzbethluna @takitalks @starwarned @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @fatalfangirl @excalisbury @facewithoutheart @shemakesmeforget

[officialgritty]

How I Would Humble NHL Players

An essay written by bigboigritty. 

I would humble hockey players the only way I know how to, by sending them to Australia. Let’s suppose that they have decided to hold the All Star game over here (forget about it’s usual date) (forget that some players I have listed below might not be invited) (and while you're at it, please forget that Australia’s rinks are Not Good).

I think that they would suffer but in an entertaining way so it’s fine. 

First of all, their biggest concern is getting sunburnt. It would effect all of their dumb asses but I’m particularly worried about Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mitch Marner. Boys are practically translucent. Vince Dunn would be fine, he’d probably wear a shirt most of the time which is a very smart decision. 

You may wonder why I didn’t mention Nolan Patrick because I am a certified slut for him, well I don't think he would have a problem. He would spend most of the time inside and when he joins the others, I think his Virgo ass would reapply sunscreen. Maybe he would burn slightly but I don't think it'd be enough to make him uncomfortable. 

Another thing that I think they will gain from this experience is a higher pain tolerance. Now you’re probably thinking, “Zoe they are NHL players so they can handle pain.” Wrong.

Real pain is running barefoot on cement at theme parks while you race to get to the next ride. Also getting into the car and having to avoid touching every piece of metal to not get branded like a cow. Or better yet, when the heat gets so bad that there’s a black out because everyone has their air conditioning turned on.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that other countries have scary animals but I would pay to see them panic over ours. Crocodiles here can grow up to 5.2 metres / 17 feet. We have a box jellyfish season where it’s advised to avoid swimming or wear wetsuits for coverage. Funnel web spiders can survive underwater for hours by trapping air bubbles around their skin. We have several of the worlds deadliest snakes present across the country. 

Listen, I don't want anyone to get injured but the constant fear that they would have when doing anything would be enough to make me happy.

My biggest question is who would survive in the shady areas, who would survive the eshays?

Under no circumstances can you look them in the eyes or cross their path. They are not to be feared individually but in groups caution is advised. I think the players would attempt to assert dominance and that is simply not an option. You are better off to ignore the eshay.

Nolan would have no issues here if im being honest. He is big and I don't think they’d find it worth it to fuck with him. But you know who they would target? Matthew Tkachuk. “Where are you going pretty boy?” “Oi braa did we hurt your feelings ya pussy cunt?” They would make fun of his hair in particular. 

Travis Konecny would be an eshay. I don't think I need to make further comment. (So would Louis Tomlinson but I am not a 1D account and I will continue to repeat that until it’s true.)

I would also give them a few iconic tasks to get the true Australian experience. Activities for the ‘vacation’ include triathlon events, beach flags, bush walking and climbing the harbour bridge. They could attend a cricket match but they tend to like golf so unfortunately they would probably enjoy this :(

AFL is an extremely popular sport here and I think they would loose their shit when they learn the rules of this game. No protective equipment is used other than mouthguards, that's it. That’s all you get. And jumping onto other players for leverage is encouraged. I would thoroughly enjoy the fights that would break out because of this.

Another task would be to use a map to make their way to a servo for a slurpee. The catch is that they will be required to pass through multiple alleyways. Also, the season is Spring, it’s swooping season mother fuckers. Let’s see how brave you are when birds chase you down the block. Personally I don’t think any of them would pass this test, maybe McDavid because the birds may not be able to detect a heartbeat.

Australian food would disgust them, I just know it. Things that they would need to try are a Bunnings sausage sanga, fairy bread, lamingtons, baked beans on toast, Milo and Vegemite. Because I’m me I would give them no butter with their Vegemite. 

An after thought I had was money so I’m editing this to include it. Everything here is EXPENSIVE so they would need to learn how to budget. Upon doing research, Canadians would be fine but the Americans will be mad.

1000 CAD = 1019 AUD

1000 USD = 1297 AUD

Another after thought was the fact that they won’t be able to drive (or at least drive well) here. We drive on the left and not the right, same goes for walking paths too. I can sense a lot of them bumping into people.

Where I think players would live based on vibes alone:

Carter Hart and Vince Dunn: North Shore Beaches, NSW. Daddy’s money. Carter probably did Nippers whereas Vince was a skater boy. 

Travis Konecny: Darwin, NT. Would 100% live there and enjoy it. He would try to conduct crocodile tours but gets assigned to feeding the baby crocs and doing shows for little kids. 

Tyson Barrie: Perisher, NSW. One of the only ski resorts we have to offer, major friendly mountain man energy.

Nolan Patrick: Byron Bay, NSW. @antoineroussel enlightened me, steering away from my original thought of Katoomba, NSW. Byron Bay is a magnet for hippies and links rainforest to the ocean. Chris Hemsworth and his family also live there.

William Nylander: Perth, WA. I don’t know much about Perth other than they wouldn’t shut up about partying while the other states had to quarantine. For some reason, I also associate Perth with Tik Tok. 

Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid: Melbourne CBD, VIC. These two would live in the same apartment building in the city, Connor one level above Sidney. It’s the most boring looking block of them all and Crosby would send in complaints to the landlord about McDavid pacing during the night.

Tyler Seguin: Surfers Paradise, QLD. Party central, not many people are actually from this area and he would be sure to tell absolutely everyone that he was. I also think he would get a Meter Maid tattoo, specifically on his leg. Has definitely slept on the beach before because he couldn’t find his way home.

Jamie Benn: Hobart, TAS. Tasmania is usually forgotten about. Another one with mountain man energy except he is more creepy than friendly.

Mitch Marner: Fitzroy, VIC. @antoineroussel is responsible for this one too. Hipster central, makes you question how the hell someone so young can have so much money. Would chug $45 wine and not blink an eye.

(honourable mentions include = Sammy Blais: Hobart, Tas. Once again no comment on Tasmania. TJ Oshie: Cairns, QLD. Would do reef tours. Haydn Fleury: Western Sydney, NSW. Haydn would 100% own a ute or a white holden commodore and you can’t tell me otherwise. Roman Josi: Adelaide, SA. Small town history teacher vibes.)

I have attached a handy map for those who may need it.

In conclusion, the NHL should send their players over here to teach them some manners and while they’re at it, management should bring themselves too. Nolan Patrick could pass as an Australian if he built up a tan. (So does Nylander in this picture but we won’t talk about that.) Come over anytime baby, I’m free. 

Glossary

Servo - A service station, also known as a petrol or gas station. Example: 7/11

Theme park - An amusement park. Can be said in reference to both normal parks and water parks and usually means those in QLD. Example: Six Flags

Swooping season - August to October in Australia. When birds attack and chase humans and / or pets for getting close to their babies. Magpies are notoriously bad for this. 

Bunnings sausage sanga - A cheap feed / meal found at the front of a hardware and gardening store called Bunnings. Made up of white bread, sausage, onion and your choice of sauce.

Fairy bread - White bread with margarine and topped with 100s and 1000s / sprinkles. 

Meter Maids - Women who work along the beach dressed in gold bikinis. They top up parking meters to save tourists from getting fined and will often stop for photos. 

Nippers - Surf lifesaving programs carried out for children between 5 and 14. 

Ute - A pick up truck.

Eshay - A person who partakes in drug use, graffiti, listens to EDM and targets victims in groups. Below is the typical style of an eshay. 

Tagging a few friends so this doesn’t completely flop but feel free to ignore if it isn't your thing. I won’t be offended lmao

@scheifefe @ifiwasshawnmendesidslapmyself @d00dlebob @bowenbyram @kempe @prettyboyroope @quintonsbyfield @travisgermy @pitoftrash @kspitehockey @ballsakic @canadianheaters @bricksatlandyswindow @powerblais @brokeninsidebutnobodyknows @jamiedrysdales

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 94

Ant Stiches

Recently, at the G-Mex Centre in Manchester UK, I attended the CLOTECH 96 exhibition. The organizers had gathered an entire textile world under one roof - everything was on display, from humble scissors, buttons, needles and colourful threads to the latest computerized textile manufacturing equipment and embroidery software to execute complex stitching tasks on the newest high-speed machines.

I am not a tailor, I do not make or sell clothes for a living, I am not in the textile business in any way. Even so, what had brought me to this exhibition was curiosity about such devices as stitches, stitching needles, scissors and the like. More precisely, I had come to see what I could find out about the history and development of such devices in relation to cutting and joining in surgical procedures, especially sutures.

Every display in the great hall was presented by a team of experts who were there to answer questions. I asked many. In the end, rather to my surprise, I met one expert who was able to give me the kind of help I was looking for. He was Paul Breuer from Aachen, representing the German company SNF MANF, who, as it happens, manufacture surgical needles. Paul Breuer astonished me with his knowledge of a wide range of methods for sewing skin, including the use of ants. Naturally, I was intrigued, and Paul promised to post to me a photograph of an ant being used as a skin stitch, after his return to Aachen.

An embroidery equipment specialist, Caroline Sayers, of the company DATA STITCH, said she could design an ant stitch, if I could supply her with a suitable photograph. The very next day after I had supplied the photograph, the ant was scanned, digitized and an embroidery machine executed for us the amazing ant stitch.

My curiosity about this unusual suture technique led me to further investigations which finally bore fruit when I came across Welcome Institute for the History of Medicine’s 1973 publication, Albucasis on surgery and instruments. This book is a definitive edition of the original Arabic text with English translation and commentary by MS. Spink and G.L. Lewis.

In Book 2, Chapter 85, on suture materials used by the Arab surgeons, Albucasis (the Latinized version of Abu l-Qasim) mentions two techniques. Spink and Lewis, 1973, p.538, comment:

1. Ants’ nippers. This is not a classical method; but is said to be used by African tribes as a way of bringing skin edges together (modern Michel clips); evidently the Arabian ant-nippers acted in the same way.

2. Gut sutures. Gut was used by the earliest Greeks for bow-strings; but it is not mentioned as used for surgical purposes until the Arab era of surgery. Albucasis then describes it as ‘rubbed-down gut, well cleansed’. This may be the earliest reference to this now universal suture material.

Abu l-Qasim’s own account (ibid., p.550) is a vivid description of sutures using ants and cat gut:

Some men of experience have said that when a wound occurs in the intestine and it is small, it should be sutured in this manner, namely: ants with large heads are taken; then the edges of the wound are brought together and one of these ants is applied by its jaws then the head is cut off, and it will stick and will not loosen. Then another ant is applied near the first; and you proceed after this manner with a number of ants according to the size of the wound. Then reduce the intestine and sew up the wound; for the heads will remain sticking to the intestine until it is healed up; and no harm will come to the patient.

The intestine may be sewn up with fine suture which is extracted from an animals gut and sticks to it after being threaded in a needle. The method is that the end is taken of this suture made of gut, well scraped; and to this end is fixed a linen thread, twisted, and then that thread is passed through the needle affixed to the suture of animalis gut, with which the intestine is sewn and then replaced in the abdominal cavity (Abu l-Qasim al-Zahrawi, Al-Tasrif, Book 2 Chapter 85).

Abu l-Qasim Al-Zahrawi (936-1013) wrote his remarkable surgery manual Al-Tasrif during the period of Arab/Islamic rule in Spain about a thousand years ago. I felt a curious and wonderful sensation at the link between an ant stitch, mentioned and talked about in an exhibition of textile craftsmanship in Manchester near the end of the twentieth century, and the dedication and craftsmanly skills of the Muslim scholar who, a millenium before, had adapted the use of ants, and invented the use of cat gut, for making sutures. This was not the only contribution this extraordinary man made to the development of modern surgery techniques, nor was he the only Muslim to have made significant and striking advances in the field of medicine.

It is hard not to feel awe (and, naturally, some pride) at the achievement of the Muslims in that great period of Islamic civilization. I have no doubt that their success was owed to the excellence of their faith and their consequent commitment to working for the improvement of human well-being and the advancement of learning. And I realize that I am merely at the beginning of a long quest for information about what was achieved by Muslims dedicated to Islam in the broadest sense-namely, a way that improves the quality of human life and the quality of our understanding of the world we live in.

[violetbruise]

Always Meet Your Heroes.

     Mikhail, or Mickey for short was lounging around on his mothers luminescent pink sofa, the arms faded of the colour where Mickhail lay his head with his feet sprawled along the length of the small-ish two-seater. He glanced from the TV to the coffee table with the paper and a copy of the latest issued comic. Mickhail was bored on this particular sunny Saturday, while his mum was at work for the morning. As he was ten, he was allowed to be home on his own providing he didn't touch the stove, or give the cat a bath in his squirty foamed silly soap, or do anything much at all really besides watch the TV. It was school holidays and he wanted to be out playing and running about with the other kids on the estate. He sighed a big sigh and heaved himself upright. If it hadn't had been just the two of them, his mum and Mikhail would have been much happier he'd thought. Mikhail had always wanted a brother or a sister to boss around, or even a fatherly figure with whom he could share his interest in Marvel comics with, maybe even get to kick a ball around with for a bit. But it wasn't to be.         The time seemed to tock by so exaggeratedly slowly - every shifting hand of each minute felt like an hour and an age to Mickhail, who by now was very hungry and darted into the kitchen amidst the huge gurgles and rumbles of his tummy. He got out a slightly chipped green porcelain bowl, which was almost as big as his entire face (and he was only a small little nipper) and began to pour out Cheerios piled right to the top of the bowl. The coolness of the fridge was pleasant as he opened the door to get the milk from within it. After popping it back, grabbing a teaspoon from the drying rack, and with his rather massive and almost flooding bowl of Cheerios and milk, Mickhail jumped back onto the sofa spilling milk from the sides of the bowl as he sat with a firm and solid thump. He polished off the bowl with what seemed like one big inhale, slurping the milk at the end. At least that had filled some time, he'd thought to himself. Outside he could hear the fun squeals of excitement and laughter and Mickhail got up towards the front bay window, where he could see a girl around his age with blonde hair in pigtails, sporting a bright orange hoodie with the letters G A P on the front, and Adidas striped joggers on. She was playing with a football with her slightly older brother adorning similar gear and had glasses on, who seemed to be allowing her to win. Mickhail groaned and started to feel upset that he had no one with whom he could just go out and play with.         Moving back to the sofa he slumped himself beside the cat, but the cat was too busy indulging in a spot of cleaning its own paws to bother paying any attention to Mikhail and his company as he joined her on the sofa. 'Silly Nooms,' he said to the cat who was called Naomi. A scrawny looking black feline, she was quite fickle when it came to humans. She liked to mostly sleep or be by herself, it was mostly a bonus if Naomi allowed you to be in her company. Mickhail was now trying to pay attention to the TV again, however nothing that was on particularly interested him and he ended up nodding off slumped on the sofa.         Mickey was now in what seemed to be a forest, but it felt more ethereal and enchanted. There were a few bolts of shimmering glitter here and there as he stepped and trod on broken branches with ever-blooming leaves on them still. And soon he was somewhere even less familiar, a bright incandescent light in front of him as he still continued padding forward with his feet.          In his dream, Mickey stepped through the light and on the other side came out to a world which looked like the one he knew of outside his bay window. The playing field in the distance, the street with a whole number of houses stacked narrowly in a row. It was an odd feeling arising in Mickey's body, but Mickey was too busy to notice the stirrings of oddity as he was mesmerised by the figure approaching landing from up above in the sky. It was a sunny and baby blue sky, clear with the fresh hope of something fun to come. The figure was just an outline, blob-like but hurtling towards landing near the playing field. Mikhail picked up his pace to go and meet the blob-like mysterious figure as it came to land.           It turned out that the figure was much larger up close. A well-built, toned and fantastic looking man with a chiselled jaw stood before Mickey intimidatingly towering above him with his chest proudly puffed. He even gave Mickey a wink and grinned, and Mickey swore that the man's teeth sparkled as he showed his pearly whites off. Mickey took a step backwards, and as he did so an oncoming red car honked at him. Before he knew it he was being swooped off his feet, several inches from the ground and carried to the side by this strange man. It wasn't until the car had safely moved on did the man place Mickey back gently onto the solid ground. Mickey felt nauseous and couldn't fathom what had just happened.          'Hi, Mickey,' the deep voice boomed from above him extending a muscular arm. Mickey now understanding the guy had just saved his life gave his hand to the man in what seemed to be an incredibly firm handshake. 'H--Hi' Mickey replied in a timid voice not quite being able to string any other words together, but still wondering how the mysterious man had saved his life some moments ago.         Noticing the puzzled look on Mikhail's face, the man spoke and nonchalantly said 'You're probably wondering, my name's Daniel and I'm just a regular superhero here on these mean streets. I fight the good fight, with all my might. And I noticed you were in a spot of bother, so there I went again, saving the day.' Mickey thought the guy was so full of himself at this point, and could he really be a superhero - with a name as plain as Daniel and donning a pair of very tight jeans, a plain red t-shirt and a gold chain around his neck. Mickey gave him a chance to answer a question though, 'So uh... how did you know my name?' Daniel craned down to Mickey and double-tapped the side of his nose with a grin and a wink simultaneously. 'Ahh, that my boy, is a secret. Top superhero secret.. But, would you like to play a game of footie?' asked Daniel, producing a black and white ball in front of Mickey's bewildered eyes. 'S-s-sure,' Mickey replied apprehensively. He had wanted to stop being bored, and go and play outside after all. Who was Mickey to question the gift that had quite literally landed in front of him!      Kicking the ball up and down the playing field, Mickey was having the time of his life as he zoomed the ball in between the makeshift goal posts. 'He shoots, he makes that ball right at the back of the net!!' yelled Daniel boisterously cheering his little friend on. They passed the ball to each other for a bit, and then Mickey gasping for breath landed bottom down upon the roughly cut grass.          He took a minute or perhaps a few and realised that he felt a big bubble of joy emanating from within him, despite his wet and prickly bottom from the rough cut and slightly dewy grass. He felt more seen and acknowledged with Daniel than with anyone else in his life! Sure, his friends always liked to play Pokémon with him on the Nintendo DS but it wasn't the same as the feeling of fully being alive in the moment with another like this. He let out a small chuckle intended to be just for himself in his private realisation but it made Daniel grin, showing his polished and shiny teeth as he did so. 'Ah, it was a pleasure to have had this fun time with you Mickey,' Daniel exclaimed as he sat beside his little pal. 'I must be on my way now, though. Maybe we can catch up again soon? See what we can do about those front forward passes!' Mickey's face dropped into glumness as he realised he would be alone once more, and for who knows how long. 'Okay,' he sulked. 'When will we meet again?' Mickey asked in hope that it would be very very soon. 'Well how about tomorrow, I am always hovering around this playing field so you won't miss me when you're ready!' Mickey nodded and with that, there was a whoosh when Daniel flew up and away and Mickey was alone once more.         In a flash, Mickhail was back on the pink sofa in the living room back home. At the same moment he'd returned dazed, Mickhail was awoken by his mother lightly shaking him and complaining about the ring of milk splashes on the sofa from where Mickhail had made the mess earlier and left it. 'Mikhail! What on earth?!' rumbled his mother, while Mickey wondered whether he'd just had a very pleasant dream or whether any of what he thought he'd experienced was in fact true.          When getting up to gather a piece of kitchen towel to wipe up his mess, Mickhail glanced at the coffee table beside the sofa which had the latest edition of a local comic, pulled out from between the local newspaper his mother had probably left for him he'd thought. On the front cover was drawn a well-built man donning a pair of very tight jeans, a plain red t-shirt and a gold chain grinning and winking whilst simultaneously handing a couple of thieves with big bags of money to the police. Mickhail beamed a gigantic smile and remembered he was not alone while doing his mundane task. Or at any time, for that matter.

[dmvalerts]

Loudoun: Two Arrested in Connection with Series of Larcenies from Vehicles

Loudoun: Two Arrested in Connection with Series of Larcenies from Vehicles Please click here to acknowledge receipt of this message FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  September 7, 2018 Contact: Kraig Troxell, Media Relations and Communications Manager, 703-771-5278 Kraig.Troxell@loudoun.gov        Loudoun County, VA- Two Virginia men are in custody after a multi-jurisdictional investigation and are suspected of being involved in a rash of larceny from vehicle cases in Loudoun County and the Town of Herndon.  Edward L. Campbell, Jr., 25, of Ashburn and Craig Nipper-Duval, 22, of Herndon, were identified as suspects in a series of thefts from vehicles over the summer in the Ashburn and Herndon areas through a joint investigation by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) and the Town of Herndon Police Department.  In many of the cases, the suspects entered unlocked vehicles and removed items including credit cards. The credit cards were later used at area stores to purchase gift cards.  “The arrest of the two suspects reflects well on the hard work of the detectives and how good working relationships with our partners in law enforcement and the community can help solve crime,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.   Campbell was arrested by the LCSO on August 14 on 12 felony charges, including four counts of credit card theft, three counts of obtaining money through false pretense, one count of attempt to obtain money by false pretenses, three counts of Identity Theft and one count of attempted identity theft.  A subsequent investigation identified Nipper-Duval as an accomplice in many of the thefts. After a search warrant was executed in the Town of Herndon Thursday night, Nipper-Duval was taken into custody by the Herndon Police Department with the assistance of the Fairfax County Police Department.  He is charged with 10 felonies in Loudoun County, including four counts of credit card theft, three counts of obtaining money by false pretenses and three counts of identity theft.  Campbell remains held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on no bond. Nipper-Duval is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.  Additional charges are pending against both suspects.  ### If you would like to edit the way you receive these messages, please LOGIN to your account to manage your information

[albinohare]

Woman on a mission: what drives Dee Caffari? How the pioneering sailor went from PE teacher to Volvo skipper

For Dee Caffari, skippering a Volvo Ocean Race Team has been the culmination of an extraordinary career (so far!). So why doesn’t she feel like she’s made it yet? Helen Fretter talked to Dee on her round the world adventure to find out.

Leg 4, Melbourne to Hong Kong, Day 12 onboard Turn the Tide on Plastic. A candid moment where I caught Dee Caffari staring out the hatch. What is she thinking? Photo by Brian Carlin/Volvo Ocean Race. 13 January, 2018.

Dee Caffari puts most of us to shame. She turned up in the cliquey world of offshore racing in her mid-twenties without a reputation built on years of Figaro or Mini Transat racing, no childhood spent dinghy sailing, no private backer, no technical advantage. No leg-up at all, in fact. And yet she was the only skipper in this year’s Volvo Ocean Race who has also completed a Vendée Globe. She has achieved so much.

Dee is a big believer that anybody can do the same. That can be a little confronting, leaving those of us who haven’t realised such dreams feeling a bit like a failure. For the pros who spent a lifetime racing off Brittany or the IJsselmeer it must be disconcerting to have someone who did a fast-track Yachtmaster course line up next to you on the skipper’s rostrum.

Perhaps because of that the armchair critics have not always been kind. Some questioned her lack of podium results, but in offshore racing a huge achievement lies in getting to the start – and an even greater one in getting to the finish. And that is what Caffari does – she gets around (the Volvo Ocean Race was her sixth lap of the planet). 

Actually, looking back at her 2008 Vendée Globe what stands out is how she finished just five hours after Brian Thompson (who, with a Jules Verne title, nobody could accuse of not being performance driven).

Leg 8 from Itajai to Newport, day 9 on board Turn the Tide on Plastic. 30 April, 2018. Skipper Dee Caffari.

She has just completed the Volvo Ocean Race skippering Turn the Tide on Plastic. It is the second time she has led a crew around the world, and it is, in many ways, the perfect job for Caffari. It is also not a role many others would have taken on. But this is a woman who set off on her solo round the world record attempt in 2005, against the prevailing winds and currents, having never actually sailed single-handed before. Caffari is not easily daunted.

How did she work her way from being a newbie Yachtmaster to having one of the most complete and accomplished CVs of any offshore sailor?

“I’m stubborn and bloody-minded, and wasn’t going to take no for an answer,” she muses. “It’s about building connections and networks, and taking opportunities as they arise, and I’ve been very fortunate to be in the right place to do that. I’ve also had to be a bit more resilient than most.” 

“She makes smart decisions, and she’s prepared to put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making it happen,” observes Brian Thompson, who also raced with Caffari in the 2009 Transat Jacques Vabre, and navigated on Turn the Tide on Plastic. “She’s not afraid to have a big goal and work really hard to get to it.”

She may have come into the sport late, but her first job gave her a rich seam of connections. Starting out at Mike Golding Ocean Racing as a nipper on his corporate sailing programme, she joined a team that included Graham ‘Gringo’ Tourell, who was boat captain for Dongfeng, Jonny Malbon, as well as Golding himself. For a rookie it was the perfect teaching ground.

Dee (Denise) Caffari aged 6 in 1979 aboard her father’s motor yacht the Jolly Rotter en route to Holland.

Allie Smith, who recruited Caffari straight from her UKSA Yachtmaster course, recalls: “Every step of the way she learnt from the best. So she learnt how to sail a Challenge 67 yacht from Mike [Golding]. And then when she got her Open 60, who did she turn to to tune the boat up and learn from? Mike again.”

Dee’s approach was to learn, and work, and then learn some more. “Dee would always ask questions,” says Smith. “‘Why are you doing that?’, ‘Why are you doing it that way?’”

Golding recalls: “When she was made skipper of the 67 she literally spent three days just parking the boat in Ocean Village, going into all the horrible difficult spaces.”

“Whenever she was given a task, with each successive job, she was thrown straight into it in the deep end. And each time she rose to the challenge and did it really well.”

But going straight from the classroom to a top-level campaign meant she had to hold her own.

“I used to be able to get her into tears pretty easily,” recalls Golding. “I think she was quite highly strung then. Not intentionally, but neither was I going to let things go by just because she was a girl.”

Emotions run high

When Caffari later announced she was going to skipper a team in the Global Challenge (the pay-to-sail, westbound round the world race sailed by crews of 18 amateur sailors with a professional skipper), Golding was concerned that Caffari was too sensitive. “My fear was that Challenge crew can wither you! They are very intelligent people who’ve made money and time to do the race, they’re used to being the boss, and they can cut you to ribbons.

“So I said: I fear you’re going to have to harden up. And she obviously did, because she had to.”

Briefing her Global Challenge team

When she skippered Imagine it. Done in the 2004 Global Challenge Caffari not only survived some challenging crew politics, but gained respect for how she handled a potentially life-threatening situation on board when one of her crew developed severe internal injuries. 

Golding said he noticed a huge change in her on her return. “I think that emotional side had gone for her, she had a confidence that wasn’t there prior to the Challenge.”

But the ebullient Caffari we are used to wasn’t always so positive. After the Challenge, she rolled straight into a solo west-about round the world record, an experience she describes as ‘an emotional rollercoaster’. So, in preparation for the Vendée Globe two years later she worked with a sports psychologist.

“That was probably the biggest growth in my sailing I ever had, learning how to manage me,” she says.

“I used to easily say what I didn’t want to happen: I didn’t want to let people down, I didn’t want to come last. But I would struggle to say what I did want to happen. 

“I learnt that I had to practice positive language, and completely turn that on its head.

“Even now, my default setting when I’m stressed is I can feel myself going back to the negative. I have to have a word with myself and change my language again. And as a result I’m much more positive.” 

Timing is everything

That positivity has been thoroughly tested in the Volvo Ocean Race. The Turn the Tide on Plastic team was a late entry put together by Volvo, the UN Clean Seas campaign and Mirpuri Foundation. It has been stunningly timely – as the race ramped up the plastic oceans issue became a hot topic globally, giving Caffari the kind of platform that commercially backed teams could only dream of. 

It was also timely for Caffari, who told me in Alicante how before Tide came her way she had been throwing herself – unsuccessfully – at other teams trying to get a trial for this edition of the race. 

The opportunity to skipper a campaign was huge, but daunting. The project came with unique challenges – stipulations that six crew should be under-30, at least one Portuguese. The budget and timeframe meant there was little warm up, sailors needed to be fit and ready to go, but many of the youngsters had almost zero ocean racing experience before they set off. 

Performance analysis was rudimentary compared to some teams. In Cape Town we chatted about how teams had been analysing the onboard footage during the Atlantic leg and she was intrigued that some had allocated resources purely to that. “We’re still going “’Oh, that’s a nice picture!’ We are just so not on that level,” she joked. 

So it has been a surprise to many just how close Turn the Tide has run some of their competitors. For much of the first Lisbon to Alicante leg they were neck and neck with Brunel – so when Brunel complained of rudder issues Turn the Tide watch captain Liz Wardley forthrightly told me she felt it was patronising, and suggested that Tide’s performance out of the blocks had rattled some of the Volvo stalwarts.

The team continued improving: on the final approach into Auckland Turn the Tide on Plastic was in front. They clung to the top three until the final 20 miles, when Mapfre and Dongfeng relentlessly hunted them down the North Island’s coast. Turn the Tide eventually finished 5th and even Dee seemed lost for words. 

On the northward Atlantic leg Turn the Tide sailed near-faultlessly, in the front half of the pack for the entire leg and enjoying several days in pole position. Two days away from the finish they again seemed set for a podium finish, but it would be a three-way fight. 

An onboard video shows Caffari explaining the situation on deck; she’s met with nervous silence. “Come on, yes Dee!” she rallies them. Clearly the crew wanted to believe the podium is still in grasp, but had been denied it too many times. They were denied it again, as the light winds and fog of Newport rolled Turn the Tide back to sixth.

She commented in a post-leg interview. “Yet again I’m stood here saying for the fourth leg running, ‘They didn’t get the result they deserve’. So I’m kind of stuck as a skipper on how to pick them up and get going for the next leg, but that’s what I’ve got to do.”

Rallying the troops is something Caffari is good at, and she’s often praised for her people management skills – even if at the beginning of the race she wasn’t entirely confident in her, abilities. “I [do enjoy it] although I think I’m not very good at it,” she told me before the start in Alicante. “I get stressed by it. I don’t want to get it wrong.”

She talks about her crew with more of a sense of responsibility than the other Volvo skippers; part mother hen, part enthusiastic school sports coach. Her management style is based on nurturing strengths.

“I’m not very much a dictator,” she observes. “I don’t tell them all what to do. I go OK, this area is yours. Are you OK? Do you need any help?” 

Leg 10 from Cardiff to Gothenburg.

So good at empowering her team is Caffari, that she revealed in Cape Town she felt almost redundant at times. “I kind of feel like I’m second to [the navigator] and then I go on deck and Martin [Strømberg] is running his watch and Liz is running her watch and I don’t really fit in there, so you end up being quite isolated. And as a leader you generally are. It’s lonely at the top.”

Thompson explained they later restructured so Caffari also ran a watch, a move Caffari said she hoped “might restore my confidence a bit!”

Despite the billboards plastered around Volvo Race villages with her name and face on, Caffari is instinctively modest. She admits that for much of her racing career she compared herself to sailors with entirely different backgrounds. “Even now, when you’re in an environment where you have Olympians or America’s Cup sailors, you’re like ‘Oh, what have I done?’ And actually, there’s a bit of a reality check, that in fact I’ve done quite a lot.”

But as the race was drawing towards a close, Caffari was taking stock. “I think if I was honest with this campaign, there isn’t another skipper that could do what I’ve done with the team I’ve had and the timescale and budget I’ve got. 

“But I want to show how close the racing’s been with a result as well. I do believe what we’re doing is right, but my concern is if you look at the scoreboard we look no different to Team SCA, yet how we’re racing and how this campaign is going is so much better.

“The team deserve it, and I think we’re probably the one team where every other team would be happy if we got that result.” 

She’s right – after the Auckland and Newport finishes, rival skippers like Charles Caudrelier commented on how cruel the result had been for Turn the Tide. It says a lot about the respect and goodwill Dee and her team have earned. With three legs to go, Caffari remained as determined as ever.

“I don’t want the sympathy vote, I want to justify it on the water.”

Postscript: After this article was published in the July issue of Yachting World magazine, Turn the Tide on Plastic finished Legs 10 and 11 of the Volvo Ocean Race in 5th place, their best results of the race. This left the team tied in 6th place overall with Team Sun Hung Kai Scallywag.

In order to break the tie, Caffari’s team had to beat Scallywag in the in-port series, which meant not only finishing ahead of the Hong Kong team in the final in-port race in The Hague, but finishing with at least one boat in between them to give them a two point advantage. In the final in-port race Turn the Tide on Plastic were 4th, ahead of MAPFRE and Vestas 11th Hour Racing, with Scallywag in 7th. This gave Caffari and team 6th overall in the in-port series and overall Volvo Ocean Race.

The post Woman on a mission: what drives Dee Caffari? How the pioneering sailor went from PE teacher to Volvo skipper appeared first on Yachting World.

Source Birkin bag for sale Authentic Luxury Hermès Bag at www.crocodilesbag.com

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[hatohouse-blog]

Notes On Systems Of Game Fishing Equipment

Some Emerging Options For Handy Game Fishing Equipment Plans

Top of the range game fishing equipment

Some Professional Answers On Convenient Strategies Of Game Fishing Equipment

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An Inside Analysis Of Down-to-earth Game Fishing Equipment Tactics

[palimpsessed]

Haven’t really written anything new and I’m still dipping my toes back in here, but I have more dead darlings from Strictly Professional, so why not share? It’s truly a shame I couldn’t make a place for some of these lines, and I doubt they’ll be of use in the future. Anyway, it’s fun to let these live on their own, and I will likely do this for other fics in the future.

After finishing the first draft, I thought things were going to be pretty smooth sailing on the edit. And then I got to Baz’s first POV of Day 2 and realized it was a mess. There was almost no transition from Baz panicking to Baz flirting. I worked on that scene for three days to get it where it needed to be, and some lines I loved simply had to go.

I also realized that I needed to structure chapters 1 and 2 as mirrors, with their POVs in opposite order. This led to a couple of scenes having to be rewritten from the other perspective, and that meant some internal narration had to be removed.

Did you need that context? Probably not, but I find process interesting, so I’m sharing a little peek into mine for those who like it.

1. Pulled from Day 2 (Baz POV)

“I'd do it all again. I would right now, too, if you asked me. I'd have you right here on this table, if that's what you wanted, bugger the consequences. Or other things."

I have to throw a hand over my mouth to avoid the howl of surprise that tries to burst out of it.

He simply smiles innocently and takes a sip of his own water. "Offer's…on the table," he murmurs, failing to suppress his smile.

2. Pulled from Day 1 (Baz POV)

That should frighten me. I don't like feeling as though I don't have control over my own body. But I can't stay in my head long enough to muster the proper shame, self-loathing, and regret that would ordinarily be plaguing me like the Furies by now.

3. Pulled from Day 3 (POV change)

I missed this, having this—these quiet morning intimacies, whispers and secrets shared over pillows, the presence and weight of another body in bed with mine—even more than I missed having sex.

4. Pulled from Day 3 (POV change)

He draws his hand back and crawls across the expanse of bed to place a kiss on the corner of my mouth, where his thumb had been stroking earlier. He's still smiling; Salisbury must be the world's leading expert on kissing while smiling.

5. Pulled from Day 2 (Simon POV)

"I don’t mean to presume. I know that this is just, you know, this. What happens at the work conference, stays at the work conference, right?"

I know my attempt at humour was pathetic at best, but someone had to try to lighten the mood.

It doesn't work. If anything, it makes Baz look a bit stricken. It was probably a bad idea to bring up the conference right now. (It was definitely a bad idea.) The very last thing Baz needs is to be reminded of all the ways our little tryst is a walking, talking ethics violation.

"Well, I would never presume, either," he says. "I'm fairly certain it would be a fireable offence if I did."

6. Pulled from Day 2 (Simon POV)

"Don't change the subject," he says.

"What subject were we on?" I ask.

"Your impeccable pectorals."

"Oh! So that's why you like my chest."

"It's a leading contender. And I meant what I said. You do look powerful. Strong. Sturdy."

He adds quietly, "some of us could use sturdy."

Thanks for your tags today! Going to go read your posts now. @ileadacharmedlife @j-nipper-95 @larkral @nightimedreamersworld @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @hushed-chorus @blackberrysummerblog Will add some tags for @facewithoutheart @raenestee @artsyunderstudy @cutestkilla @mostlymaudlin @stillmadaboutpetra @sillyunicorn @tea-brigade @aristocratic-otter @thewholelemon @onepintobean @fatalfangirl @martsonmars @ivelovedhimthroughworse @jbrrring @shrekgogurt @moodandmist @letraspal @wetheformidables

[larkral]

Happy Sunday y'all (she said, having written and scheduled this on Saturday evening). Hope y'all have gotten to do something pleasant this weekend so far, and that that continues into today!

I've continued editing ADA, with the occasional dip into the Simon has two mums AU as a treat (mostly researching what the fuck a barrister does. One of the mums is a barrister. 🎉, so if you have secret barrister knowledge PLEASE hmu)

This is a snippet of more than six sentences of ADA that gives me real kiss it better warm fuzzies, though the setting and context is meaningfully more dire. (Simon POV)

Penny’s still running when we hit the door, but only just, and her face is grey and blank. Agatha rounds on her, shoulders her against the facing wall and pours a vial of her healing potion into Penny’s mouth. It stops the bleeding almost immediately, and Penny’s still gasping, still unfocused.  Baz crouches in front of Penny, and takes her hands in his. He sings some kind of spell at her, and her eyes cross back into the land of the living. They flit from Baz to Agatha to me. I take a step closer, and then Baz pulls her into a hug.  “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, Bunce,” he says, and then tugs me into the hug as well. 

Tagging everyone! Gimme some words! (Alternately, and especially if you live in the springtime part of the world, consider finding a flower and giving it a moment of deep attention.) <3 @stitchyqueer @thewholelemon @confused-bi-queer @raenestee @facewithoutheart @cutestkilla @hushed-chorus @sillyunicorn @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @basiltonbutliketheherb @ileadacharmedlife @asocialpessimist @bookish-bogwitch @aristocratic-otter @captain-aralias @petedavidsonscock @takitalks @artsyunderstudy @yeonjunenby @carryonvisinata @takenabackbytuesdays @martsonmars @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersghost @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ionlydrinkhotwater @aroace-genderfluid-sheep​ @shrekgogurt @forabeatofadrum  @palimpsessed @fatalfangirl​ @blackberrysummerblog​ @valeffelees @imagineacoolusername @orange-peony @j-nipper-95 @whogaveyoupermission