#NATIONAL SALT AWARENESS DAY

[pat7garcia]

Welcome to #RRBC’s 2nd Annual “A DAY IN MY LIFE” 30-Day Blogging Challenge! @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA @pat_garcia

Happy National Grammar Day, National Salt Awareness Day, and World Obesity Day DAY 4, MARCH 4, 2024 Good Morning To All!First, here’s something to laugh about.😄The day before yesterday, I had beautiful sunshine. Yesterday too. My co-host of the RNH Show (Raters Not Haters Show) has been visiting my blog posts during the challenge, and I wrote about how sunny the day had been. He commented on my…

[winedarkthoughts]

house of addams (3)

— 🌖 pairing: ot7 x fem.reader

— 🕷️ genre: mystery, angst + fluff + smut

— 🗝️ word count: 4k

— 🍄 summary: the coroner of Farrow's End finally invites you into his kingdom, and you can feel more than one set of watching eyes as you continue your investigation.

— ☕ content warnings: coroner!taehyung, assistant!jungkook, mentions of murder/death/suicide

— 🕸️ a/n: meeting more of the boys!!

previous chapter ← series m.list → next chapter

chpt. 3: into the morgue

"Have her come in," Taehyung says over dinner.

There's a collective clang as several sets of silverware are put down.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, hyung," Jungkook replies. He's nervous around you, especially because you can see more than you let on.

"We're going to have to eventually," Namjoon adds, and Jimin sends him a mischievous, knowing look. He knows how Joon likes to watch you in the bookshop, offering his assistance at his earliest convenience, asking if you need help finding anything specific.

"It's obvious she was hired by the mayor," Yoongi says. "Though, I'm not entirely sure why."

They all know that Mayor Summerbee runs in some of the same circles that they do, but they wonder if you're aware of that fact too. How much did she tell you?

"At the very least, it'll tell us what she already knows," Yoongi says.

"And if she scares easily," Taehyung adds, suppressing a smirk.

What kind of private investigator are you? Are you motivated by self interests? Are you just here to get the job done, bare minimum? Or are you the morbidly curious type? The kind that can't stop until a mystery is solved, even if it leads you to dangerous places.

Yoongi and Namjoon already have a guess at which type you are.

"She has some kind of sight," Jungkook says, biting his nails. The real question is how sharp is that sight?

"I don't think she knows that she has it," Jin pipes in.

They exchange glances, thinking.

"Well," Hoseok says, and they all turn to look at him. "I suppose we'll just have to test it."

september 27, 2004

You've seen your fair share of coroners. Good ones, even excellent ones, and the ones who never should've been appointed to the job in the first place. Most people aren't aware that there is no national standard for coroners, some don't even have medical training.

You remember a case not too long ago when a family mourning the loss of their son hired you to investigate the circumstances of his death, which was ruled "accidental" at the time. The coroner had not had any prior forensic training, he was an OBGYN turned politician. Elected by the small-town voters (nearly 80% of coroners in the U.S. are elected, by the way), he was cushy with the local police force.

And being your naturally suspicious self, or maybe it's a side effect of your job, you pressed for a second autopsy by an examiner actually worth his salt.

The external examination alone proved that it was far from accidental. His wounds suggested severe beating, and his cause of death was suffocation from being choked, homicide not accident.

Further investigation revealed police brutality. You pushed and pushed and pushed, and after being enough of a pain in the ass (and threatening several lawsuits), they finally convicted the officers responsible.

The family still sends you a Christmas card every year, and it more than makes up for being a pain in the ass for living.

So yeah, you don't trust coroners, or their reports, until you get the chance to evaluate their level of competence for yourself. And the fact that the coroner of Farrow's End has been so resistant to your attempts to contact him doesn't bode well.

But today, the Monday following your little expedition up to the Addam's House, he's finally available to see you. Last night you received a call at around midnight, seemingly from the same young man you saw on the other side of the gate the other day.

Of course you were awake, but you wondered why the coroner's office would be up and running at such an hour. Maybe a late night emergency autopsy? It wasn't unheard of, sometimes a Sheriff will request an autopsy to be completed as soon as possible when the press are particularly bothersome and the cause of death is unclear.

You didn't get the chance to ask, because the man started rattling off about how the coroner would be able to see you tomorrow morning, and he advised that you bring any notes you might have.

Good sign, it suggests that the coroner is willing to work with you.

It's early, maybe a little too early. The fog is blanket-thick and the clouds are sprinkling down a fine mist of rain.

You take your car as far as the rocky dirt road allows, park it at the base of the hill, and trudge on through the mud, the umbrella over your head immediately collecting dew.

You reach the gate, closed like last time. When you reach for it, you're expecting to find it locked, but just as your fingers are about to touch the cold metal, the gate swings open with a long creak.

You stand there for a moment, searching for some kind of mechanism that would make it open by itself, but you find nothing but old iron forged in intricate patterns.

Whatever, you've seen weirder. You slip through the parted gates and close them behind you.

Gigantic trees, pines it looks like, envelop the perimeter of the surrounding gates, with twisting, leafless trees in abundance nearer to the house, even though fall is just beginning to dawn and most leaves haven't even begun to change color yet.

You didn't notice it before, but these leafless trees are full of crows, black tufts perched on the reaching branches. No, crows and ravens. They call out as you pass by, and you get the odd sense that every single one of them is looking at you.

The cobblestone path leading up to the front door is overgrown with weeds. The exterior of the house, now that you can see it up close, is almost decrepit. The wood is rotting, the roof is sagging, the windows are dirty and smudged.

They rent this place out?

"Ma'am!" a voice calls out.

You search for the owner of the voice, finally finding it at the side of the house. It's the young man from the other day, peeking around a brick corner. He gestures you over and swiftly disappears again.

When you turn the corner, the man is standing by a double hatch door in the ground. Not a good sign for a supposed "morgue."

He seems to read as much on your face, because then he's saying, "I would take you down the elevator inside, but everyone is still asleep."

There's a childish nervousness in his voice, and it makes you send an uncharacteristic smile his way as you step through the door and down a spiral staircase.

Distracted, you don't see the curtains twitch, and the several faces in the windows above, watching.

The passage runs deep. You emerge in a wide hallway, lined with carved wooden walls and old portraits. The foundation is clearly old, but there are newly installed fluorescent lights that don't do the original craftsmanship justice.

"How old is this house?" you blurt out, and the young man can't suppress a high, boyish laugh.

"I'm not sure, around a century, I think," he says.

Wow hard to believe it's gone untouched for so long, you think as he leads you down the extensive hallway, passing several branching doorways.

Your eyes drink everything in, curious and scrutinous. Again, the man seems to read your mind.

"It might not look it, but we have a state of the art facility here," he begins.

"Crematorium," he gestures to one door. "Viewing room. Embalming room. Autopsy room. And the largest refrigeration unit in five counties."

This place is extensive, and the further you go, the cleaner and more modern it gets.

You notice that the man is wearing similar clothing from before: a large coat (broad shoulders) and big, thick boots. Black, laced up over his ankles it appears, it makes the thud of his footsteps echo against the walls.

You wonder if they are corpse-handling boots, or merely a style choice.

"Here's the office," he says, leading you into a small but cozy room fit with a cluttered desk and a few dusty but comfortable-looking armchairs.

"You can have a seat if you like," he says, nervousness creeping back into his voice.

You take him up on the offer, sinking into one of the armchairs despite the fact that you're a little damp from the rain. But judging by the state of the chairs, you doubt it would bother them.

It's then than you realize how chilly it is down here, in this basement maze tucked under an ancient house. Damn, you're so—

"Cold?" the man says suddenly. "I'm sorry, we get quite the chill down here. Would you like some coffee or tea?"

You perk up almost instantly.

"Coffee, please," you reply maybe a little too perkily, because it makes him smile at you, exposing those bunny teeth again. Very cute.

He disappears through another doorway, into some sort of kitchenette judging by the sounds coming from it (metal banging, water running, porcelain clanking).

You take a look around. The office walls are lined with framed photos and plaques all boasting the same name: Kim Taehyung. Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Master of Forensic Science, Embalmer's License, Medical Examiner Certification, Doctor of Medicine.

Got it, this man is learned. Good sign.

The young man returns with a silver tray in his hands. He sets it down on the ottoman between the two armchairs, grasping the black teapot and pouring fresh steaming coffee into a matching black teacup. You notice that the sugar cubes are in the shape of skulls and bones, and a part of you admires the dedication to the aesthetic.

You prepare your cup and sip greedily. The coffee is rich and strongly-brewed. Another good sign. It may not contribute to your investigation, but at least you can respect him as a person.

The young man takes the seat next to you and prepares his own cup.

For the first time since you arrived, you aren't distracted by your surroundings, and you're realizing just how strange this young man looks.

His skin is a dull shade of gray, with slight red blemishes and spots of dark purple flesh that look like deep bruises. His lips are simultaneously pale yet also tinged red, like there's blood inside his mouth. And his eyes, they look like—

The man seems to notice you staring at him, because he shifts uncomfortably in his chair and coughs awkwardly.

You blink, and his form seems to blur at the edges, becoming fuzzier and harder to latch onto. Maybe he has some sort of skin condition. But that wouldn't explain the feeling that something isn't quite right about him, something uncanny.

"I'll go see if Dr. Kim is ready for you," he says, practically sprinting out of his seat and out of the room. You hear his footsteps pounding through the halls, then hushed voices.

You being you, the debate over whether to slip through the hall to eavesdrop on their conversation does cross your mind. But you figured that even with your silent feet, they would probably still hear you rustling around in the quiet of the morgue.

A few moments later, and you hear one set of footsteps returning to the office. The young man pops his head into the doorway.

"He'll see you now," he says, vanishing just as fast. The way he appears and disappears like a ghost is starting to give you whiplash.

You follow him down the hall, entering a fluorescent-lit room fit with chrome features. The walls are lined with little doors, drawer openings, and there are several gurneys scattered throughout the room. The chill is even stronger here, this must be part of that state of the art refrigeration system.

The man standing in the center of it all is wearing a white medical gown and black latex gloves. He looks up as you enter, and—

Oh. He's young, startlingly young, early thirties max. His skin is golden tan over strong, handsome features. Dark tiger eyes, sharp and perceptive. The only indicator of his age is several tendrils of silver hair growing from the crown of his head.

"Good morning," he greets in a deep, charming voice. "Miss ______?"

"Yes, Dr. Kim?" you reply, holding out a hand.

"Just Taehyung, please," he says, taking off his gloves to shake your hand firmly, and jesus his hands are large and very pretty.

Ah, so he's not a pretentious asshole who insists on being addressed as "doctor" constantly. Another good sign. Though, judging from his extensive education, in this case it would be justified.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't see you sooner. It can get quite busy with just the two of us down here," Taehyung says.

You can't help but take another glance around the room. Only two people running this whole facility?

"I understand that you're working with the mayor?" Taehyung inquires, his casual voice good at hiding his burning curiosity.

You, in turn, are good at hiding the slight suspicion from hearing the mayor mentioned yet again. You're not sure who you're suspicious of though, him or the mayor herself.

"Yes, I was hoping I could get copies of the autopsy reports for Michael Bradley, Jarvis Laplan, and Sharon Mason."

You say it matter-of-factly, curious if they will bend at the slight flex of authority in your voice. Or, if being associated with the mayor yields certain results.

The two of them glance at each other.

"Access to Laplan and Mason aren't a problem, but Mary Bradley has requested that no further information on her husband's death be released," Dr. Kim replies, cool as a cucumber.

Your eyes widen just a bit, unable to hide your surprise. Wait...what? He would just give you the reports for Laplan and Mason, just like that? No request for credentials? No questions asked?

Truth be told, you've never gotten hold of an autopsy report after the first ask. You've always had to jump through hoops to get the right permissions and authorizations, as is the case for private investigators since they are not real police. And rightly so, the fine details of people's violent deaths is not something to be made light of, in your opinion.

Clearly your confusion is evident on your face, because then Taehyung is saying, "Laplan's wife and Sharon Mason's parents are quite eager for further investigation."

Ah, so they suspect something unusual too. Hopefully they'll be more than willing for an interview.

"And Bradley...?" your voice trails off with the question.

Taehyung furrows his brows like he isn't sure how exactly to put it.

"Mrs. Bradley has had a bad experience with the press," is all he says.

You can feel your eyebrow raise.

"Is she still a suspect?" you ask, deadpan.

Taehyung is quick to correct himself.

"No, god no!" he says, eyes wide and head shaking. "His death was purely accidental, a tragedy that could've been avoided."

Your attention catches on that last part like a snagged thread on a nailhead.

"Oh? Why do you say that?" you ask, unconsciously taking a step forward.

Jungkook, who's silently watching the whole exchange, can't help but think it makes you look predatory, a hunter locked onto their target with frightening accuracy.

But Dr. Kim doesn't bend. He tilts his head ever so slightly as the corner of his mouth curves up, like he respects your drive.

"Well, Michael Bradley exhibited signs of extreme mental distress, many of them suggestive of suicide."

"But you don't think it was suicide, do you?" you say, before you can help it really, because your mind is running a hundred miles a minute right now.

Jungkook can sense it too, his eyes Bambi-wide and watching in fascination as the cogs turn in your analytical brain.

"No, I don't." It comes from Taehyung's mouth like a sigh. You don't see it (Jungkook does), but he's impressed.

"That's all I can say really," Taehyung says suddenly, sounding apologetic. "You'll have to speak with Mrs. Bradley about getting access, but talking about her husband is painful for her. And she's been through enough."

He cares about people, the ones he works on are not just bodies to him. Very good sign. You're coming to the conclusion than Dr. Kim is definitely a coroner worth his salt.

"I'll be sure to proceed delicately, then," you reply softly. You're trying to say it back. I care about these victims, this isn't just a case to me. Everyone has a story.

He seems to get it, nodding his head with a gentle smile. Something very small, almost ghostly, clicks between you.

Jungkook observes it all in a slight state of awe. He can already tell that the rest of them, his "family," are going to like you.

Taehyung gives you the copies of the autopsy reports, a sizable stack of folders and papers and photos. He even gives you a copy of the autopsy transcript.

You realize that he was prepared to give you this information before you even got here. Either Mayor Summerbee is a very persuasive person, or Dr. Kim is eager to work with you. Maybe both.

Your point is proven seconds later when Taehyung hands you a business card (with his personal number scrawled on the back), as he tells you that you're free to contact him with any questions you might have.

You profess your thanks with an armful of documents, making a point to shake Dr. Kim's and Jungkook's hand firmly.

Jungkook leads you back, his boots softly thudding with every step, and you can feel Taehyung's eyes on your back as you walk through down the long hallway.

Jungkook is kind. He offers to help you with the massive stack of documents in your arms, but you politely refuse. You've got liquid gold in your possession.

He holds the gate open for you, even offering to walk you to your car, but again, you decline and thank him for his offer.

The gate shuts behind you with a resonate clang. As you turn away from the house to begin the trek down the muddy hill, you feel an odd sensation, like tingling insects down your back.

Looking over your shoulder, you see the curtains of several windows suddenly fall back into place. Someone, several someone's, are watching you.

You can't find it in you to be creeped out, though. Something about this house, despite its run-down appearance, is welcoming. Beckoning, even.

It's dark and old and practically falling apart, but many things that you love also happen to have those same traits.

A slight smile tugs at your lips as you turn and make your way down the path. You'll have to find out more about this place.

"Again. She saw through my glamour again," Jungkook announces to the room, sounding slightly defeated.

"Don't worry, Kook. It's a solid spell, I checked it myself," Yoongi replies as he waters one of the endless houseplants adorning their home. Thanks to Yoongi himself, of course.

"She saw through mine too," Taehyung says, resolute. He's staring at the black and white checkered floor, deep in thought.

Everyone looks up at that.

"That proves it then," Namjoon says. "She has a heightened degree of sight."

"I wanna know why though," Yoongi interrupts in a sudden bout of passion. "She's human. Why is she able to see everything?"

"Not the house though," Jungkook blurts out. "The glamour on the house held up."

"Of course it did, the house magick is stronger than any of us," Jin quips from the kitchen, standing over a sizzling stove.

"Lots of humans have the sight," Jimin says lazily, sprawled out in one of the lounge chairs.

"Yeah, but it's the type of humans who turn it into a cheap gimmick," Jungkook replies, pacing around the room now.

Taehyung crosses the distance between them in a few strides, putting a large hand on Jungkook's shoulder. The younger man looks up at him, then lets out a breath and returns the smile.

"You're safe, Kook," Taehyung says softly. "No one's gonna put up a fuss."

Jimin chuckles. "She might."

Taehyung throws a scolding glance over his shoulder. "A real fuss, I mean. Everything's been kept under wraps so far."

"And she's not a phony, or a leech. The mayor made sure of that," Yoongi says.

"In any case," Jin begins, an authoritative edge to his voice. "Hoseok said to keep an eye on her, so that's just what we'll do."

september 28, 2004

You may be a damn good investigator, but you're no med student. So the next day you set out to the bookstore, determined to understand every last term and phrase in the autopsy reports.

The same man is behind the desk, but this time he's bent over a typewriter, clacking away. You can't help but observe him for a moment, watching as his dark eyes dart over the page, the way his glasses rest at the edge of his nose like a wizened old man.

"Welcome in," he calls out at the chime of the bell on the door, like an instinct.

You take a few steps into the ever-crowded space, your eyes shifting over all the things you missed the last time you were here. Because that's what kind of place this is, somewhere you could go a hundred times and find something new each visit. Places like this are quite dear to you.

You're about to examine a shelf full of perfectly preserved beetles, when you sense the man look up at you.

"Oh," he says, like he's pleasantly surprised. "It's you."

And you would be lying if you said it didn't make your gut feel something warm squirming inside it.

"Need help finding anything?" he asks, like he has every time you've visited this place.

"Yes, please," you reply, barely hiding your smile.

He leads you through the maze of shelves like it's a map of his own brain. Several times you have to hurry to catch up to him in his excitement.

Soon your arms are occupied by an impressive stack. Anatomy, general medical knowledge, crime scene identification, even a few textbooks on post-mortem examinations.

To you, it's more liquid gold. You profess your thanks to the bookshop keeper, dropping a generous tip into the jar when you go to checkout. Again, the books are almost too reasonably priced. Not that it matters, since research purchases are an easy business expense ride-off.

Just as you turn to leave, the man clears his throat awkwardly, like he's building himself up to speak.

"There's plenty of places to sit here," he almost blurts out. "Lots of cozy nooks. Perfect for...research."

You pause at the door to glance back at him. You find him watching you closely, his expression somewhere between innocently curious and suggestive of hidden knowledge on his part.

"I'll keep that in mind," you reply, a little teasing lilt to your voice. Because clearly he enjoys your company too.

Then you turn on your heel and let the door swing shut behind you, leaving him wanting more.

a/n: thanks so much for reading!! i would combust with joy if you'd tell me any of your thoughts :D

NEXT UPDATE: 05/25/24

[oneatlatime]

The Tales of Ba Sing Se PART 1

Once upon a time in Ba Sing Se, the Gaang got Appa back. The end. Please?

This title sounds rather expositiony, but last episode was already a plot/exposition dump, and a rather dark one at that. So who knows? Not me.

Sokka hun I think you're supposed to shave with a blade slightly less substantial than that.

I am fascinated by the hair loopies. I always thought that they were braided in, but they clip in. Does she have a magnet in her braid that they clip in to? A lego type system?

CAT

Toph's morning routine is uncomfortably close to mine.

I know Toph likes being slobby to stick it to the man, but wouldn't it also help with her spatial awareness if she's always sporting a healthy coating of earth? Maybe she can sense where her limbs are better or something?

"Spa day!" "Do I have to?" UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE GUYS.

That has got to be torture. How would you like a pumice stone to the eyeballs?

Now THAT'S a healthy coating of earth.

You're not usually into that stuff? You got dolled up last episode.

Are there voice acting awards? Because whoever voiced these guys needs one. I have never in my life heard such perfectly distilled middle school clique bitch impression.

That's cathartic.

Katara's smothering/mothering tendencies usually annoy me, but it's a good thing those means girls happened when Katara was around, because this calls for serious hugs. I almost want to say that it's out of character to see Toph not be 100% sure of herself, but I think it adds character instead.

Do you think anyone's ever told Toph before that she's really pretty? Ever?

That's a good hug.

Is this short stories? Like an anthology? TALES of Ba Sing Se. Like day in the life? Ok. I'm going to break this up for ease of reading/writing.

The Tale of Iroh

If Iroh hadn't distinguished himself by making the best tea in the city, he would have come to everyone's attention anyway by single handedly fixing everyone's personal problems.

Bending soccer. Why didn't I think of that?

His voice is funny in this scene. Also isn't honour a fire nation thing?

One of my absolute favourite things about Iroh is that his philosophical side is always balanced out by a practical side. He's always philosophising but he's also always grounded. Sometimes hightailing it is what needs doing. Sometimes your sister is crazy and needs to go down.

You know you're bad at crime when your poor stance actually offends the guy you're mugging.

I also like how Iroh really doesn't moralise. He'll teach this guy what conditions the moonflower likes; he'll teach this guy how to mug better. Knowledge is for sharing, no judgment attached!

Random mugger speedruns Zuko's arc.

So pretty. It's been a while since there's been good pretty.

oh shit

ok

Now I have questions!

The Tale of Aang

Writers take note: You see this sad face? You see what you've done to my boy? You can reverse it with one simple trick! GIVE HIM APPA BACK.

I love this. Can't help Appa, so Aang helps every other animal in Ba Sing Se instead.

I want to know what this is. Monkey panther?

I didn't realise until now how tall platypus bears were.

CABBAGE GUY! HI!

Actual dragonflies. Punny.

I love these. My nomination for cutest atla animal.

I hope that wasn't required agricultural land. Should have put the zoo near the drill instead. That land already looked close to salted.

This was some Toph level bending. Love to see Aang's skills progress.

Turtle seal's got competition for cutest animal.

Just call this portion the petting zoo and it's a win.

The Tale of Sokka

Something I don't talk about enough is Sokka's supernatural skill with that boomerang. The realistic explanation is that he's spent every spare minute since receiving it honing his skills by chucking it at random piles of snow, but I like to think he's a boomerang bender. Actually wouldn't boomerang bending be a manifestation of latent airbending tendencies?

I make this face at lasagne.

I may have to make another Sokka's Stupid Faces post.

There is nothing oaflike about falling out of a window and into a Haiku. He was even polite about it!

Somebody introduce Sokka to flyting.

Forget about being a warrior, Aang needs to end this war yesterday so that Sokka can go be a poet. Warrior poet. He's way too creative to waste on cannon fodder.

Poetry bouncer. The longer I think about that the funnier it gets.

Betrayed by hubris.

A Poetry bouncer. Who comes up with this stuff? How do you come up with that? I keep thinking about a poetry bouncer and I keep giggling.

I'm breaking this post here as I'm reaching the image limit. Part 2 coming immediately!

[metalheadsforblacklivesmatter]

I DIDN'T KNOW BUT HAPPY NATIONAL MIGRAINE AWARENESS MONTH.

Things that I learned since having migraines.

They can change. You can go years without migraines, but then suddenly get them again.

Symptoms and triggers can change. You may think you don't got it that bad because you don't have the worst of the symptoms but then one day you suddenly got vertigo and vomiting.

Migraines impact the trigeminal nerve which is the same nerve impacted my TMJ pain, sinus headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, and cluster headaches. It's the biggest nerve in the face so it's pretty common to have multiple of these conditions at once.

Migraines can be triggered my barometric pressure shifts, flashing lights, sounds, and smells.

You can have migraines without aura or visual disturbances. These are harder to treat because most migraine medications require you to take them during the aura phase.

You can have what's called an "abdominal migraine" which is characterized my extreme stomach pain. This usually impacts adolescents.

You can have what's called a "silent migraine" which is characterized as migraines without the headache. In fact headache isn't even the most common migraine symptom based on a poll I've done.

Migraines can be highly tied into your allergies. Not just in the fact that sinus headaches and migraines trip the same nerve, but in the fact that your allergies can be a migraine trigger.

Migraines can make you more susceptible to alcohol especially when you're dealing with migraines triggers frequently.

Fluorescent lights are actually very bad for people with migraines because it's essentially flashing so fast you can't see it with the human eye (but trust me your migraines will know it's there).

It's actually very common for people with migraines to have heightened senses of smell, higher sensitivity to lights/sounds, etc. Some people have even noted that people with certain medical conditions have different smells.

Chronic migrains are obviously a disability but episodic migraines can be considered a dynamic disability (a disability where your needs fluctuate)

Migraine preventatives are different from migraine abortives. Doctors will usually only prescribe preventatives if you have chronic migraines or have a certain number of migraines a month.

15 migraine days a month is the number you're looking for to be considered chronic.

It's actually pretty common to be craving salt or carbs after a migraine. And listening to those cravings can actually reduce postdrome symptoms

Migraines come in 4 phases. Prodrome (irritability, fatigue, etc before the migraine), aura (visual disturbances), migraine, and postdrome (fatigue, dizziness, etc after the migraine).

The most common migraine meds are called triptans and shouldn't be taken with antidepressants because it can cause serotonin overdose syndrome.

Migraine aura isn't limited to visual disturbances. It can include phantom taste and smell (smelling or tasting things that aren't there)

People that have migraines are more likely to deal with heat intolerance

A lot of the "it's a migraine if you experience pain on this side of the head" is complete garbage. Migraines are characterized by a complex set of neurological symptoms of which doesn't always include headaches.

-fae

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Dear MagISoWo,

Hello! I really appreciate all of the good work you do for our community! My three-year-old daughter just started this year at our town's public preschool program and is the only faun in her school. She does qualify for the free school breakfast and lunch program and it's been a godsend for me as a single dad on a delivery driver's wage, you know? Anyway, you might or might not know that fauns need significantly more of certain minerals such as sodium as compared to humans. Most of us, if we're eating human-style food, add a supplemental mineral mix -- salt mixed with granular forms of the other minerals we need. Given my daughter's young age, I arranged with her teachers to have her minerals added to her food when they give it her, and as of the time she enrolled none of them indicated that this might be a problem. However, the other day she came home from school with a stomachache and mentioned that her substitute teacher had told her that she wasn't allowed to have her minerals. I went to the principal hoping to get this cleared up, and apparently this was the first he'd heard of our arrangement, and he stated that the substitute had acted correctly in his view, and that her regular classroom teachers would also no longer be allowed to serve her the food with the mineral mix now that he'd been made aware. Apparently their nutritional guidelines forbid serving food with added sodium because of the health risks for human children, and they would be at risk of losing their federal food program funding. They told me that if I want to have more control over what my daughter eats at school I'm always welcome to send packed lunches from home, but grocery money is tight as it is and it would be a financial challenge to pull her out of the free meals program. Do I have any recourse here? Are there protections for magical children in situations like this?

Thank you

Hello,

We're very sorry to hear that you ran into trouble at your child's school. The School Meals program is meant to make life easier, not more stressful and it is definitely not meant to exclude non-human students. Providing this kind of service on a national schale is relatively new, however, and a lot of schools still have some trouble with the practical implementation. We hope your principal has simply misunderstood the regulations of the program, because there is definitely room to adapt meals according to a child's personal dietary needs.

Sadly there is not one clear statement in the program's terms we can point to for an immediate solution, because different solutions are suggested for different situations. Some children require very different food than their fellow students. (Such as uncooked meat, blood, coal, raw honey, etc.) And schools cannot be expected to provide meals suitable for every single diet.

Some children, like your daughter, only need small changes to a meal. Like eliminating a certain ingredient or adding a supplement. The School Meals program encourages schools to accomodate these students by having the parent or guardian of the child to provide an explicit instruction on how their child's meal is to be changed, and to sign this document to give the school permission to do so. We will enclose the link to the government page on the School Meals program where this suggestion is explained. If you provide such a document, plus the supplements your child needs, we expect the school will comply.

However, schools do have the option to refuse adding supplements or medications to children's meals, if they deem it too difficult a procedure to carry responsiblity for. It does not sound like this applies in your case, but if they choose to go this route you can always apply for Grocery Cards instead. These are also provided by the School Meals program, and function as coupons that can be used in most super markets, bakeries and farmers markets. They are mean especially for everyone who wants to ensure their children eat well, but cannot easily make use of the meals provided at their school. We will enclose a flyer on how to apply for them, should you want to look into that option. Considering your current situation, you should already qualify.

Best of luck and please don't hesitate to come to one of our local after school activities if you could use a hand with anything else!

~ the MagiSoWo Team

[qqueenofhades]

Think what strikes me about something like "we can't vote because the system is rigged! Ban the electoral college!" is the big underlying implication of it.

That there is no multiple solutions or paths, only the one correct path and everything else is worthless.

And that's incredibly frustrating because there are two levels of problems with it:

is the utter dismissiveness of anything other than their specific solution, which ignores how any degree of positive change cannot occur with only just ONE idea, it's usually the result of many ideas that lead to change.

The fact that it feels like they're skipping every step in between the current situation to this end result, or actively fixating on themselves having the correct solution, but only by literally getting everything in between completely wrong in the process.

Like, the latter point in particular is like a complex math equation: Just because you got the right answer doesn't mean you can just ignore every difficult step in between, or just assume that all of the WRONG processes become validated retroactively because you stumbled into the correct answer. You'd literally get failed and be forced to redo the problem if you tried that shit in math.

I saw a poll the other day claiming that support for abolishing the Electoral College had now reached 65% of all Americans. Now, I take all polls, whether good or bad, with a grain of salt, but this does reflect a growing awareness that the EC is a horrible racist anti-democratic dinosaur only applied to the presidential election and only used for electing Republicans who don't win the nationwide popular vote, and that there's a genuine groundswell of support to abolish it. See the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which could possibly collect enough state-by-state ratifications to go into effect into 2028 (in the best-case scenario). So even all the bitching about how "the system is rigged" (which. WE KNOW! WE KNOW! There's not a single Democratic voter going to vote like WOW I LOVE THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE CAN'T WAIT FOR MY VOTE TO DEPEND ON HOW MUCH IT COUNTS THANKS TO THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE WHEE OLD DEAD WHITE GUYS!) blatantly ignores that a possible seismic change IS possibly in the offing, because people put in the work to make it happen!!! The fact that the EC might soon be superseded or disempowered is FUCKING MONUMENTALLY HUGE!!! It has existed literally since the beginning of America and arbitrated every single presidential election!!! And let me tell you, the people working to make that change and fundamentally reshape American democracy are absolutely not the Online Leftists, whose grasp of civic and political theory starts and ends at "wah the system is rigged I do not vote I am very smart!"

This also reminds me of the recent idiots in my notes complaining that Biden was a) not "genuine" in supporting the striking auto workers, that b) Don't You Know He Broke The Rail Strike (the follow-up where he gave the railworkers what they most wanted with that strike was conveniently never mentioned), or c) that he wasn't "doing it for the right reasons" (whatever the fuck that means). Which accurately reflects their belief that the way you do politics, or praxis, or anything at all, is just by having the Really Goodest Mostest Purest Intentions really hard, and that's it. Like. Aside from the fact that it's impossible to prove why Biden is privately motivated to do anything, we have a long track record demonstrating that he is a person of genuine Catholic faith who has been moving more and more to the left overall, and has been the most pro-union, pro-labor president in American history. So first of all, complaining that "he's not GENUINE!!!!" in supporting the strikers is impossible to prove, and contradicted by actual evidence. But the Online Leftists gotta feel More Gooder Than Him somehow, so.

Likewise: as I said in one of my previous posts about Hillary Clinton: I do not give a fuck if she was privately the most Neoliberal Corporate Centrist Shill Ever To Shill (and as I also said, none of those words means what the Online Leftists think they do). I do not care about the American monarch president's personal feelings, unless they reflect directly on the policy that they make and the real-world effects that it has. I don't care if Clinton killed puppies (or dreamed about killing puppies, which for the thoughtcrime police is equally bad), as long as she appointed 3 new liberal justices to SCOTUS and throughout the courts, instead of the hacks that Trump forced onto the bench and literally everything else he did. In the same vein, Biden could secretly be like "hahahaha fuck all workers BIG CORPORATIONS FOR LYFE but I gotta support the workers and get them their rights so they'll vote 4 meeee" (not that I actually think he is, but still) and hold onto your hankies, children: I DO NOT CARE! Because the tangible real-world effects of that policy that he is working hard on making results in a better economy for those workers and substantial redistribution of capital away from the oligarchs for the first time in a generation! Not to mention, I kind of like the idea that a president decides to make himself most appealing to workers instead of bosses! But for the Online Leftists, if this action isn't done with the Sufficiently Pure Motives, it is Wrong and Bad and Not Good Enough and Blah Blah Biden Sekrit Republican.

Anyway. Yes. That. The end.

[justforbooks]

Daniel Ellsberg, a US government analyst who became one of the most famous whistleblowers in world politics when he leaked the Pentagon Papers, exposing US government knowledge of the futility of the Vietnam war, has died. He was 92. His death was confirmed by his family on Friday.

In March, Ellsberg announced that he had inoperable pancreatic cancer. Saying he had been given three to six months to live, he said he had chosen not to undergo chemotherapy and had been assured of hospice care.

“I am not in any physical pain,” he wrote, adding: “My cardiologist has given me license to abandon my salt-free diet of the last six years. This has improved my life dramatically: the pleasure of eating my favourite foods!”

On Friday, the family said Ellsberg “was not in pain” when he died. He spent his final months eating “hot chocolate, croissants, cake, poppy-seed bagels and lox” and enjoying “several viewings of his all-time favourite [movie], Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, the family statement added.

“In his final days, surrounded by so much love from so many people, Daniel joked, ‘If I had known dying would be like this, I would have done it sooner …’

“Thank you, everyone, for your outpouring of love, appreciation and well-wishes. It all warmed his heart at the end of his life.”

Tributes were swift and many.

Alan Rusbridger, the former editor-in-chief of the Guardian, said Ellsberg “was widely, and rightly, acclaimed as a great and significant figure. But not by Richard Nixon, who wanted him locked up. He’s why the national interest should never be confused with the interest of whoever’s in power.”

The Pulitzer-winning journalist Wesley Lowery wrote: “It was an honor knowing Daniel … I’ll remain inspired by his commitment to a mission bigger than himself.”

The writer and political commentator Molly Jong-Fast said: “One of the few really brave people on this earth has left it.”

The MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan said: “Huge loss for this country. An inspiring, brave, and patriotic American. Rest in power, Dan, rest in power.”

The Pentagon Papers covered US policy in Vietnam between 1945 and 1967 and showed that successive administrations were aware the US could not win.

By the end of the war in 1975, more than 58,000 Americans were dead and 304,000 were wounded. Nearly 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers were killed, as were about 1 million North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong guerillas and more than 2 million civilians in North and South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The Pentagon Papers caused a sensation in 1971, when they were published – first by the New York Times and then by the Washington Post and other papers – after the supreme court overruled the Nixon administration on whether publication threatened national security.

In 2017, the story was retold in The Post, an Oscar-nominated film directed by Steven Spielberg in which Ellsberg was played by the British actor Matthew Rhys.

Ellsberg served in the US Marine Corps in the 1950s but went to Vietnam in the mid-60s as a civilian analyst for the defense department, conducting a study of counter-insurgency tactics. When he leaked the Pentagon Papers, he was working for the Rand Corporation.

In 2021, a half-century after he blew the whistle, he told the Guardian: “By two years in Vietnam, I was reporting very strongly that there was no prospect of progress of any kind so the war should not be continued. And that came to be the majority view of the American people before the Pentagon Papers came out.

“By ’68 with the Tet offensive, by ’69, most Americans already thought it was immoral to continue but that had no effect on Nixon. He thought he was going to try to win it and they would be happy once he’d won it, however long it took.”

In 1973, Ellsberg was put on trial. Charges of espionage, conspiracy and stealing government property adding up to a possible 115-year sentence were dismissed due to gross governmental misconduct, including a break-in at the office of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, part of the gathering scandal which led to Nixon’s resignation in 1974.

Born in Chicago on 7 April 1931, Ellsberg was educated at Harvard and Cambridge, completing his PhD after serving as a marine. He was married twice and had two sons and a daughter.

After the end of the Vietnam war he became by his own description “a lecturer, scholar, writer and activist on the dangers of the nuclear era, wrongful US interventions and the urgent need for patriotic whistleblowing”.

Ellsberg contributed to publications including the Guardian and published four books, among them an autobiography, Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers, and most recently The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner.

In recent years, he publicly supported Chelsea Manning, the US soldier who leaked records of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, who published Manning’s leaks, and Edward Snowden, who leaked records concerning surveillance by the National Security Agency.

On Friday, the journalist Glenn Greenwald, one of the Guardian team which published the Snowden leaks in 2013, winning a Pulitzer prize, called Ellsberg “a true American hero” and “the most vocal defender” of Assange, Snowden, Manning and “others who followed in his brave footsteps”.

Steven Donziger, an attorney who represented Indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest against the oil giant Chevron, a case that led to his own house arrest, said: “Today the world lost a singularly brave voice who spoke truth about the US military machine in Vietnam and risked his life in the process. I drew deep inspiration from the courage of Daniel Ellsberg and was deeply honored to have his support.”

In 2018, in a joint Guardian interview with Snowden, Ellsberg paid tribute to those who refused to be drafted to fight in Vietnam.

“I would not have thought of doing what I did,” he said, “which I knew would risk prison for life, without the public example of young Americans going to prison to make a strong statement that the Vietnam war was wrong and they would not participate, even at the cost of their own freedom.

“Without them, there would have been no Pentagon Papers. Courage is contagious.”

Three years later, in an interview to mark 50 years since the publication of the Pentagon Papers, he said he “never regretted for a moment” his decision to leak.

His one regret, he said, was “that I didn’t release those documents much earlier when I think they would have been much more effective.

“I’ve often said to whistleblowers, ‘Don’t do what I did, don’t wait years till the bombs are falling and people have been dying.’”

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Alex Bollinger at LGBTQ Nation:

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) declared June the “Month of Bridge Building” instead of saying that it’s Pride Month, and he’s facing criticism for shifting the focus from LGBTQ+ awareness and Pride to the nonexistent oppression of anti-LGBTQ+ people. Cox issued a declaration for the Month of Bridge Building this past Saturday, June 1. His declaration said that LGBTQ Utahns “have experienced marginalization and isolation as a result of their differences.” In the next paragraph, his declaration says that “those who do not identify with, celebrate or support Pride celebrations… nevertheless share the experience of being marginalized.” His declaration goes on to say, “In Utah, we love our children and we hope to live in such a way that our children will forever love us even if at times we may disagree over deeply-held personal views or beliefs.”

[...] He also issued straightforward Pride Month declarations in 2021 and 2022. But in 2023, he got criticized by conservatives for issuing a Pride Month declaration, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, who called it “disgraceful” and “disgusting.” On the left, some criticized his Pride Month declaration for coming just after he signed the gender-affirming care ban. He considered himself “an ally to the LGBTQ community” in a 2023 interview, saying, “We have great relationships, I am very close with the advocates in our state.” He’s now facing a serious primary challenger from the right in state Rep. Phil Lyman as he runs for governor again. This past April, Cox was booed when he spoke at the Republican State Nominating Convention. Delegates at the convention overwhelmingly supported Lyman. “Maybe you’re booing me because you hate that I signed the largest tax cut in Utah history,” Cox said. “Maybe you hate that I signed constitutional carry into law. Maybe you hate that we ended CRT, DEI, and ESG. Or maybe you hate that I don’t hate enough.” Cox was attacked for suggesting that he was getting booed because the state Republican delegates were hateful, even though his veto of the sports ban in 2022 has been one of Lyman’s main criticisms of him.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) issued a bothsiderist declaration that June is Month Of Bridge Building instead of declaring Pride Month by pushing the baseless trope that anti-LGBTQ+ Utahns “share the experience of being marginalized.”

This is a far cry from the days in which Cox was at least somewhat an LGBTQ+ ally (or what passes as one) for a GOP politician.

[glamour-witch-bitch]

💅💖Glamour Witch Tips PART 3 💖💅

Happy Lions Gate portal yall, hope your manifestations all come to fruition on this day! I haven’t done a compilation of glamour witch tips in a while so I thought I’d do that today. I’ve done lots of reading and research so I got a lot for y’all in this post. With that, let’s get into it!

💖For my false eyelash wearers, I hope you’re cleaning those things when you’re done wearing them. Most importantly I hope you’re cleaning them in moon water for additional alluring powers and or protection.

💖 Honey 🍯. Honey is an incredible thing to use in your Witchery. Not only is it a natural antioxidant, it also Carrie’s antibacterial and antifungal properties. Perfect for when you have a sore throat. It’s also been used across nations in many spiritual practices for ages.

Physical: honey can be used topically to treat acne, hyperpigmentation, dandruff, and (I’m not a doctor so take this with a grain of salt) has been historically used to treat burns and wounds to keep out germs and fight bacteria/infection.

Honey when consumed can also be used to; treat sore throat and cold symptoms, help with digestive unease, boost metabolism, and may help with cardiovascular health as well (again not a doctor so please take this with a grain a salt)

Spiritual/Witchcraft: Appropriately nicknamed “Nectar of the Gods” a perfect offering for most deities as honey is prevalent in most countries and cultures. Can be used to “sweeten” up already existing relationships. I personally associate honey with abundance due to the fact it’s the fruit of bees labor. Use honey as a face mask for additional beauty and attraction rituals.

💖Lavender. Lavender is an essential for every witch and has been used for a millennia in both spiritual practices and medicine as well. I use lavender soap to help ease my anxiety. I like to visualize my anxiety from where it’s felt the most (for me it’s my stomach and my head) leaving that area and traveling to my hands. Then I visualize it seeping out of my skin and that’s where I wash it away with the lavender soap. I bought my soap from NakedVoodoo on Instagram and I definitely would recommend her products and services to a friend and to y’all.

💖Rosemary. Rosemary is a great and I mean great herb that anyone can use and likely already has in their kitchen. In glamour it’s associate with confidence and youth; but its not limited to that. It’s also associated with awareness, banishing, cleansing, comfort, contentment, focus, loving spirits, memories, and renewal.

I used a rosemary shampoo bar from Nole, (an AMAZING hair care company that I recommend for everyone, it’s a little bit pricey but 10000% worth it.) Every time I use it in the shower I ask that it cleanses me of all icky things that I might of have picked up on and restores and renews my energy.

💖Seaweed. Seaweed and sea moss are not only a great supplement to add to your diet (I do have a post about it somewhere one here) it also has incredible magical properties for things such as abundance and blessings. Fantastic for rituals and spells invoking your health, stability, and like said prior abundance.

💖Cleanliness. This might be mostly because of my OCD (no actually, I just got diagnosed last month and since starting medication I’ve been doing much better) But making sure both you and your space is clean before spell work makes such a huge difference. Not only does it have your cleared energetically, but it also does something for your confidence as well. So before you do your spell work, shower and give your area a little tidying up and see the difference it makes.

💖Beauty 👏 love 👏 and 👏 attraction 👏 work 👏 is 👏 protection! 👏. This isn’t as much as a tip as it is more so a school of thought. I said what I said, beauty is the most deadly yet underestimated weapon you can have in this life. Doing love and attraction work on yourself is absolutely protection work, because when people love you and are attracted to you they are also going to be rooting for you and is going to be on your side.

As always happy crafting, stay safe, and stay beautiful my pretties.

[dykevanny]

I looked up what national holidays there are besides Mario day because it's funny to me

Happy national wig day and salt awareness week

remember to salt your wigs today!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TOMORROW in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and then SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

#15yrsago Tesla coils sing the Doctor Who theme in orgy of electric awesomesauce https://arcattack.com/about-us/

#15yrsago HOWTO Make a duct-tape corsage https://www.instructables.com/How_to_Make_a_Duct_Tape_Corsage_and_Flowers/

#15yrsago 419 scammer impersonates the nation of Ethiopia, takes $27 million from Citibank https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/nyregion/21scam.html

#15yrsago On the demise of books, newspapers, music and movies https://web.archive.org/web/20090301000000*/https://www.internetevolution.com/document.asp?doc_id=171555&

#15yrsago Future of News video from 1981: epitome of foolish futurism https://memex.craphound.com/2009/02/20/future-of-news-video-from-1981-epitome-of-dumb-futurism/

#10yrsago Comic explains problems with Oakland’s Domain Awareness Center surveillance plan https://medium.com/the-nib/the-testing-ground-for-the-new-surveillance-db4f129a7177

#10yrsago Well-Sorted Version, an alphabetical Bible https://www.wellsortedversion.com

#10yrsago Sculptor collaborates with honeybees to cover statues with comb https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/02/artist-aganetha-dyck-collaborates-with-bees-to-create-sculptures-wrapped-in-honeycomb/

#10yrsago Obama’s top Trans-Pacific Partnership officials were given millions by banks before taking the job https://www.republicreport.org/2014/big-banks-tpp/

#10yrsago Report from a meeting of Wall Street’s secret, tasteless plutocrats’ club https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2014/02/i-crashed-a-wall-street-secret-society.html

#10yrsago Edgar Allan Poe’s interior design proscriptions https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/edgar-allan-poe-interior-design-critic-180949543/

#10yrsago Museums and the free world: keynote from the Museums and the Web conference in Florence https://mwf2014.museumsandtheweb.com/paper/glam-and-the-free-world/

#5yrsago Florida inmates sue prisons for digitally confiscating the music they were sold https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/crime/2019/02/19/florida-prisoners-could-form-class-action-to-demand-refund-on-confiscated-media-players-and-files/5881894007/

#5yrsago Owner of civil war reenactment business sues school district that canceled field trips after his far-right social media came to light https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-rileys-farm-lawsuit-oak-glen-20190219-story.html

#5yrsago FDA: infusing young people’s blood will not improve your health https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/19/health/plasma-infusion-young-blood-fda-bn/index.html

#5yrsago A malicious USB cable with its own wifi rig https://twitter.com/_MG_/status/1094389042685259776

#5yrsago Magic Lantern: feature-rich addons for Canon EOS cameras https://www.magiclantern.fm

#5yrsago Google admits Nest security product has a secret mic, insists it wasn’t supposed to be a secret https://www.businessinsider.com/nest-microphone-was-never-supposed-to-be-a-secret-2019-2

#1yrago Turbotax is blitzing Congress for the right to tax YOU https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/20/turbotaxed/#counter-intuit

[lucivinyl]

seasons may change, winter to spring

pairing : thoma x gn!reader

Thoma can’t recall a day where he doesn’t reminisce about Mondstadt at least once.

There are many things about his homeland that he misses: the wine (of course), the folk songs played on lyres, and the breeze that stretches across the entire nation. Sure, Inazuma has its perks, but a part of Thoma’s heart is always tethered to the city of freedom. More often, he finds himself wondering about the people. Is his mother doing well? Do his friends still remember him? Is the Windblume festival still celebrated?

And sometimes, more reluctantly, his mind wanders to the most tender part of his memories— you.

—

Within the first week of the abolishment of the Sakoku Decree, Ayato approaches Thoma with a suggestion.

“Do you wish to return to Mondstadt?”

Thoma’s mouth hangs open, flabbergasted by the question. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t asked himself something like that in years. Chalk it up to the fear of rejection and disappointment.

Of course he wants to go back, but it’s not like him to just turn his back on the people that have provided him with shelter. That would be against his sense of loyalty, which he plans to uphold until his very last breath.

In the end, he decides to pay the city a visit. His stay won’t be permanent, he’ll still come back to Inazuma, but at least he gets to take a look at the city that he longs for.

Boarding one of Kamisato’s fancy ships, he drifts northward, in the direction of home.

—

During his time away, Thoma has written four thick stacks of letters. They sit in a large sack next to his other luggage.

Most of them are addressed to his mother, and a good few to his old buddies. As for the remaining, they are to you.

He plans to give them all to their rightful recipients. His mother is guaranteed to appreciate them, but it’s your reaction that he’s most uncertain about. If you squint just a little, you’ll notice the hints of desperation that seeps through his words when he gets more homesick than usual, how his affection never faltered in all those years.

He pictures your smile as you read them (he’s unsure if his imagination is accurate; your features have probably changed a lot). Perhaps it’s full of adoration and unspoken love. Perhaps it’s full of pity or regrets for what could’ve been.

Looking out at the glistening sea, queasiness troubles his stomach. Being aware that you could’ve moved on and forgotten about him is one thing, accepting it is another. Brimming beneath his facade is the fear that the hurt will show when- if you really have no care for him anymore.

He would rather you be furious and mad at him for leaving than be totally unbothered. Indifference is the real salt to the wound.

A sailor knocks on his door, informing him of the close arrival at Mondstadt. He manages a terse response before packing up.

—

Mondstadt is as he remembers— wind that carries fragrances, windmills that stand tall and are visible from hills away, unblemished plains and water that meets the sky, forming a picture of pastoral tranquility. 

He makes a stop at his home first. The shock in his mother’s eyes is as large as the sun as she takes him in. The basket of carrots drops from her hand as she rushes to pull him into a tight embrace. She still smells like lilies and home.

“Oh, look at you.” She sandwiches his face with her hands. Thoma notes that they’ve become more calloused and wrinkled. “You’ve grown so much. Has Inazuma treated you well, dear?”

“It has, mum.” He touches her hands tenderly, wetness filling his eyes. “I met some really good friends too. I can’t wait to tell you all about them.”

“That’s good to know.” She laughs as he sniffles. Even when he’s already so much taller than her, he still looks like a little kid in her eyes. “Come on, I’ll whip up something for you. Hash browns?”

He beams. “That’d be perfect.”

—

Thoma stays in the village for a few days, catching up with the neighbors and the uncles that watched him grow up. They keep asking him about his journey in Inazuma, and he patiently repeats his story to them. 

On the fourth day, he hands the letters to his mother, and watches as she reads through each and every one of them. Written between the lines are struggles that he has overcome by himself, ups and turns in his everyday life, and childish musings that only a mother gets to know. She is proud of the courage he possesses, but there is also melancholy in knowing that he was once alone and lost, that she couldn’t help him in any way.

“Who are those for?” She points at the other stack of letters, still tied and untouched.

“Oh,” He wipes his eyes dry with the back of his hand. “They are…uh… for a friend.”

“A friend?” She gives him a knowing look. 

He chuckles. “Come on, mum.” 

“When do you plan on finding them?”

“Later, maybe. I have no idea where they are though.”

“You know, if you were to ask around in the city, someone is bound to give you an answer.” She squeezes his plump cheek in a doting manner. “The question is, are you just too afraid to find out?”

“I’m not afraid…”

“You don’t think I can see through you?” She raises a brow.

Thoma remains silent. He knows that, even in this very second, his thoughts are being studied.

“Just go out there and find them, honey. Why should you wait any longer?”

The answer hangs in the air, muted and heavy.

—

Thoma once told his mother that he could still navigate the city with his eyes shut. He was wrong.

To be fair, he still remembers where the turns are and where the stairs are situated, but there is now a girl selling flowers and stalls lining up along the side of the cobblestone road. He’s probably going to crash into them walking blind.

Other than that, the buildings are also different from what he remembers. The shop that once sold toys has been turned into a tavern. The bookshop downtown is now a jewelry shop. That building right there was once blue instead of beige. The changes may be subtle, but together they already form a totally different city.

He finds Wagner by the city gate, working away with a hammer. He seems to have gotten more muscular. 

“What do you need?” The blacksmith grunts, not sparing him a glance.

“Oh, um…” Thoma bows his head, trying to enter Wagner’s line of vision. “Do you remember me?”

Brows furrowed, Wagner looks up and stares at the blonde boy. After a stern second, his face eases up. “Thomas?”

“Thoma,” he laughs. “Close enough.”

“That’s a face I haven’t seen in years. I heard you went to Inazuma and never came back.”

“Yea, my boat got overturned in the storm and I got washed up on shore with absolutely nothing in my pocket. I was only able to come back because the Sakoku Decree has been lifted.”

“Sounds rough. Good to see that you’re still doing well.” He gives Thoma a pointed scan from head to toe.

“So do you,” after an awkward beat, Thoma shakes his head and asks the question. Your name slipped out of his mouth like spring.

“Of course they’re still around,” his heart leaps with hope. “They opened a bakery a few blocks away. See if you can catch them there.”

Briefly thanking the blacksmith, Thoma all but races down the street, the bag of letters bouncing off his back. Finally, he comes to a stop in front of a wooden shop sign, with different types of pastries listed out in your familiar handwriting.

As for the shop itself, it’s closed for the day.

Heaving a sigh, Thoma kneels down and traces his finger down the board, smudging the edges of your writing. There’s a devilish voice in his mind that’s telling him it’s a sign from above advising him to turn around and go back home. 

But then there’s also hope shimmering in his chest. Knowing that you’re still in Mondstadt, touching the marks you have left behind, it fueled him with an even stronger sense of longing. 

Straightening himself again, there’s one other place he can go to.

—

“My dad says you’re a bit of an airhead.” You blurted out, grimacing as you watched Thoma take in the information. 

Waves lapped at his feet and ebbed away. Looking out, there was nothing but the endless expanse of the jade-colored sea. Afternoons out here at the Falcon Coast were his favorite pastimes, even more so when you’re accompanying him. 

“What?” He said, caught off-guard. “Do you think I’m an airhead?” 

You gave it some thought. “No. I think you’re a gentle person.” 

“I see.”  A pause. “If your dad dislikes me, does it mean I cannot hang out with you anymore?” 

“I don’t think he dislikes you, he’s just… not very happy with you. Anyway, who cares about what he says? I’m gonna hang out with you until the end of time.” 

“Thank archons.” A stone seemed to be lifted off his chest. “Till the end of time… does that mean we are going to grow up together?” 

“Of course.” 

“What do you think we’ll look like when we grow up?” 

“Mm… I think you’ll become a lot taller than me, and a lot more handsome. You’ll keep your hair long and tie it into a ponytail. And when you’re old enough, you’re going to become a knight—“ 

“I can’t imagine myself as a knight.” 

“What do you want to be then?” 

“I…” no words came out. He realized that he didn’t have a particular ambition. Until now, all he’d ever wanted was for everyone around to live happily and harmoniously. It didn’t matter what occupation he took up as long as he lived a peaceful life. 

“Let’s just assume you’re going to be a knight, ‘kay?” You continued. “As for me, I’m going to open a bakery, just like my dad, and every day we’ll come here to look at the sea while you eat the leftover pastries.” 

“Sounds sweet.” 

“Uh-huh. And when the sun sets, we’ll go home together and cook dinner. Maybe feed our dogs. Or cats. Or both. Which one do you prefer?” 

He’s still a bit hung up on the part where you would go home together. “When you said ‘together’, did you mean we were going to live under the same roof?” 

“Obviously! How else are we supposed to stay with each other till the end of time-- oh, archons, we would have to get married, wouldn't we?” 

“I—" 

“We’d better start planning our wedding now!” 

Thoma doubled over as laughter escaped him.  

“What are you laughing at?” You pushed his arm accusingly. 

“No-nothing. Carry on.” He recomposed himself. He didn’t have the heart to burst your fanciful bubble. 

As you expanded your fairytale, he interrupted you at times to give his input. Time flew past, and soon the sky was covered by the veil of dusk.  All the talking finally caught up to you, rendering you silent as you watched the scenery. 

With a futile tremble, the sun descended entirely into the sea. You’d better leave before it got too late (and before your dad adds ‘bad influence’ to his list).  

Yet the moment he faced you, words died on his tongue. It was like the sun was in his eyes. Painted across your face was serenity; your drooping eyes, curved smile and hair in the wind.  

It was then that Thoma realized this: whenever he thought about the future, you were always in it. 

Thoma regrets not having left home earlier, because it was already late evening when he arrived at Falcon Coast. But it’s not enough to slow him down, not when he can already smell the salty water in the air.

His surroundings rush behind him as he paces toward the edge of the cliff. The sight is one that makes his stomach drop— what used to be a wide beach has been flooded by the high tides, to a point where only a few sandy islands remain. Desperate eyes rake over every corner they could reach, until they land on a lone figure, perched on a jagged rock.

He cringes at the way his voice croaks as he calls out your name, but no matter. The figure shifts, as if turning toward his voice. Despite not being able to see clearly who it is, he inspects the height of the cliff, takes a swollen breath, and jumps.

Regaining his balance, he dashes across shallow water. His heart drums along with his heavy pants as your features sharpen. Doesn’t matter how much time has passed, he’s sure he can infallibly recognize you in a crowd of thousands, especially with a sunset as the backdrop.

“Thoma?” The wind carries your voice to him, crystal clear, unlike the many times he’s heard it in his dreams.

“Thoma!” You mirror his haste, running down the rock with such speed that he worries about your safety.

The shorter the distance between you, the quicker his steps become. Soon he feels like he’s being moved by the wind, gliding through time and space, until he collides with your body with his breath choked out of him. His arms find purchase around your waist. 

“Is this a dream? Is this really you?” You manage to ask as he twirls you around. 

“It’s me, I promise.” He nods, smile buried in your clothes. “It’s me.”

As he pulls away to take a good look at you, his heart swirls with fondness.

You look just as radiant as the setting sun years ago.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Beach Day

Beaches are beautiful and amazing to enjoy! But they also need to be taken care of and National Beach Day is a time where people are encouraged to do just that.

History of National Beach Day

Beaches are places that are beloved by so many, with access to salt-water oceans or fresh-water lakes, beaches encourage healthy and fun outdoor activities like swimming, sports, building sandcastles, having a picnic, playing frisbee and simply enjoying the feel of sand between the toes.

But just like many of the earth’s precious areas, the world’s beaches are degrading due to human interference as well as global climate change. National Beach Day certainly encouraged people to spend time enjoying the beaches, as well as making them more enjoyable for everyone.

National Beach Day was founded in 2014 by animal activist and lifestyle expert, Colleen Paige. Her motivation for starting the day was to get humans to clean up the natural resources of the beaches to make them beautiful and sustainable so everyone can enjoy them for a long time into the future.

How to Celebrate National Beach Day

Try out some of these ideas for celebrating National Beach Day:

Head to the Beach

National Beach Day is about more than just getting to the beach and lying around soaking up the sunshine – although enjoyment of the beach can certainly be part of it. The greater purpose behind the day is for everyone to do their part to clean up some not-so-tidy parts of the beach. So grab a trash bag, and perhaps a friend as well, and join in on cleaning up the beach.

Join or Organize a Beach Cleanup

Get involved and join forces with a group that is sponsoring a beach cleanup in honor of National Beach Day. This usually includes a gathering together in the morning and pursuing a dedicated, organized effort to clean individual sections of the beach.

And if there isn’t a beach cleanup in the local area? Then start one! It’s a great time to raise awareness, recruit friends, tell folks at work or get family members to get excited about the opportunity to make a difference for the planet on National Beach Day.

Make a Donation to Charity

Those who don’t live near a beach or who can’t get there to clean up can still be part of celebrating National Beach Day. Take part in the event by making a donation to a charity that supports keeping oceans and other waterways clean.

Consider one of these charities for making a donation:

Surfrider Foundation. This organization believes the beach belongs to everyone, so they fight for ocean protection, plastic reduction, beach access, clean water and coastal preservation.

Oceana. The largest organization in the world that is devoted only to the conservation of marine life. It works to end sources of pollution like oil and shipping emissions, as well as creating campaigns to protect vulnerable ocean places.

The Nature Conservancy. Since 1951, this group has been protecting natural places, including beaches and waters.

Source

[strayrockette]

Give Me Peace Over War

Next Part

Summary: A young girl struggles to accept her new reality and attempts to find a way out by any means necessary.

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x oc

Trigger Warning: Mentions of death, suicide, and feelings of depression. A gun also appears near the end. Lots of angst. Please do not interact if you are highly sensitive to these topics. Angst is my favorite genre to write so it can get very very heavy.

A/N: The topics mentioned in this story are not light and should be addressed accordingly. If you or a friend have thought about harming yourself please reach out to someone who will help guide you to a better resolution. And please remember that there is always someone who cares about you. Have hope and faith that everything will turn out alright eventually. Things take time and it needs patience and commitment for a better outcome.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Poem Title: And So To Madness, I descend by Khaëdra 

retrieved from: allpoetry.com

Thomas Shelby Masterlist

Peaky Blinders Masterlist

Prologue

And so to madness I descend

Through these dark days, that never end

The waves come but I can't defend

Perhaps my fate's already penned

My first moment of awareness was capitalized on a birthday party. I was turning four but I did not feel like a young child who was bright-eyed and basking in the bliss of youth. The party raged on but my mind screamed that something was wrong. Smiling faces and gentle hands caressed my cheeks but I did not enjoy their touches nor did I seek them out. Joy turned despair the moment my fragmented mind conjured visions of life too distant from my present moment. Of a life that paralleled my current existence but did not overlap on one congruent line of time.

What doom upon me does impend

An angel to my side please send

Ever deeper doth my path wend

And ever darker with each bend

Whispers of a devil child ran rampant among the small travelers' temporary settlements. What little happiness my parents had of my birth and lived existence made way for wary glances and fear. Try as they might, they could not hide behind their eyes for I saw everything with clarity. Perhaps too much clarity.

Dreams, no nightmares haunted me. When sleep took me, visions of brown eyes gazing lovingly into my own left me choking in my wretched sorrow. Soft hands grasping mine, patting my cheek, and caressing my head filled me with longing I wished to be fulfilled. But every morning I woke to more despair and grief and could not fathom why I should live when my heart felt like stone.

Four days after my awakening-as I liked to call it- I found myself staring into the vastness of the ocean. The scent of sea salt assaulted my tiny nose and brisk cool air whipped my hair as I pondered what it meant to truly be happy. What would it take for this heavy feeling of absolute hell to lift off my shoulders? And for happiness to swell in my chest like the rising tide headed straight for me?

I see no sign of foe or friend

What does my solitude portend

How far do these glum halls extend

Most of all: who did I offend

Life was indeed a cruel fate. Death was a preferred bliss. But no matter how hard I tried I ended up back where I began. Living a life I did not ask for. A life I had no desire for. A life that was more a burden than a gift. My only imaginary foe was that of Life and my only friend was Death. But Death refused to claim my disconsolate soul. And life refused to leave me be.

I managed to live past the age of four. My clan refused to expel me from their side. Despite the edginess they felt around me, they vowed to care for me. Much to my displeasure. My parents did not celebrate my birthday. I could not remember the last time they had. Instead, they celebrated the new life of my baby sister.

They tried to keep it a secret, fear of how I'd react, I suspect. But I knew. I knew the moment they started smiling euphorically when they thought I wasn't looking. I knew when they giggled and whispered of happier times that would surely come.

Nightmares still plagued me and I still awoke to choke for air to quench the tightness in my throat. I was content for a time. Content to go along with the motions while wallowing in my misery.

Until my baby sister was born with hazel eyes and light brown hair.

"We're going to name her Lianna, what do you think?" My mother's voice was soft and wary as I stared emptily at the bundle in her arms.

I found myself hating everything about this baby girl. She doesn't have the right eye color and her hair should be curly, not straight. While nightmares haunted my sleep, they were often fuzzy and hard to envision. But at this very moment, a vision so clear blossomed in my mind that it made me wail. Because a brown-eyed, curly-haired brunette baby girl used to await my open arms with a dimpled smile and a joyful laugh.

But that baby girl no longer existed and did not await the moment I would open my arms for her lovely embrace. I found myself craving her tiny arms, wrapped delicately around my neck. Craving the sweet scent of chocolate, permeating her being because all she ever wanted was chocolate to fill her soft belly.

The baby girl who would call out my name. A name I could not remember but a name I responded to happily if it meant seeing her smile so widely her dimples popped. A baby girl named Ella. Lianna was not Ella. And Ella was not here.

That night, I stole the only gun my clan had. The gun was kept hidden in a box inside the tent of the clan leader. No one cared much where I went. As long as I was out of sight. Which was perfect, because there was no one to stop me from putting a bullet into my head; searching desperately for peace.

What foul feast must I now attend

All of my fire I've to spend

But still, my soul will not transcend

And so to madness I descend...

But peace was not meant for me it would seem.

[iwoszareba]

9 Ship Songs

thank you for the tag @dujour13 !!

i'm bad at playlists because i am picky about the lyrics and i don't naturally listen to a lot of new music but here we go

I have two Aqil/Sosiel songs and they are so sweet and full of love, this is what they deserve and you all know that

The National Parks - You Are Gold

'Cause you are gold You are all I see You are aurum scarce and meant for kings And I will wait If it's time you need What I see in you I hope you find in me 'Cause you are gold

The Mountain Goats (but I prefer Eliza Rickman version fot them) – Riches and Wonders

We are filled with riches and wonders Our love keeps the things it finds And we dance like drunken sailors Lost at sea, out of our minds You felt shelter somewhere in me I find great comfort in you And I keep you safe from harm You hold me in your arms And I want to go home But I am home

recently i completed a Knave/Socothbenoth playlist, i don't talk nor think about them a lot because they are genuinely awful. i mean just look at the themes i was aiming for when looking for these songs: obsession with a level of self awareness, willing but not healthy masochism, manipulation and general misery. so yeah!

Nico Collins - Hate me

Damn you always get your way Guess it's written in your nature You know everything to say Just as long as I'm in danger But I like when you take me under It feels so good when I suffer It's so insane the things we do In the name of love

AlicebanD – Catharsis

I can't stop thinking about you And if you're stripping me down to My brittle bones and crumbled joints These open wounds just need some salt Oh, it would be better if you left If I can't see you, I can't step Into the light you've cast about you I can't have you, but I want you

Sodikken - Misery Meat

As you open up my ribs, the blood flows out like a river You strip my bones away as you indulge in my liver And the more that I am in pain The more that you'll gain And to me, that seems like a pretty fair trade

Kabaret Sybarit - Animal

I take her day and night and tell her lies Like "We could see the world," "We'll grow old together" All that crap Yes, "I love you" And "Oh, baby you're the one, you'll be mine forever" Oh, whatever works This one is true

Lindsay Mendez – Circus

Surely you could understand Haven't you been in love on the edge Where there's no turning back? Just the thought of it can take you to some new dimension So you do what you can just to get his attention It drives you to boil, right up 'til you spill It could drive you to bliss It could drive you to kill

The Taxpayers - I Love You Like An Alcoholic

One last kiss, I love you like a broken pot One last kiss, I love you like a pack of dogs One last kiss I need you like I need a gaping head wound One last kiss, I love you like an alcoholic One last kiss, I love you like a négligée One last kiss I need you like I need a broken leg

The Cardigans - Step on me

Do what you want to, do what you want to Be what you want to, be what you want to Go on and step on me You're free to have everything you can see All that you want from me Free to be all that you want to be Do what you want with me

[idsb]

hi holly!!! i am thinking about taking a job that would likely require a lot of travel around the us (by car instead of bus, but they pay for gas and lodging which is pretty sick) and i am nervy about that but also it could be good? i guess i’m curious (if you feel comfortable answering!!) if you have any thoughts or advice since i know you travel for work quite a bit anywayyy ilu i <3 your blog k thanks byeeee 💞💞💞💞

Hi!!!!! omg that's so exciting!!! that sounds like an INCREDIBLE job that I would love so much, but I think an important thing is to question if that lifestyle works for you.

Some of the pros are that, especially driving, you get to see SO much of the country, and see so many gorgeous places and have so many beautiful experiences that you simply wouldn't have when flying to destinations if you were just traveling on vacation. A random diner in Idaho will have the best pancakes you've ever eaten in your life; on the drive from Denver to Salt Lake City there's this part where the highway opens up to the base of a river winding around a mountain, it's one of the prettiest spots in the whole country and it'll just be your day for like 4 hours. You can plan to leave a day early and spend it having a picnic by the ocean, visiting a national park, or exploring a new city - hell, even leave a week early and see an entire region. You'll sing songs in the car and make the best memories to some gorgeous views, see Saguaros and mountains and cows crossing the road, idyllic farmland and treacherous cliffs. You'll meet random people at gas stations you'll remember forever. You'll have a favorite restaurant in every city, your days off will be an adventure, and having a free place to stay for a lot of it will make it even better - a lot of your life will literally be a most-expenses paid solo vacation.

The negative side would be that those things are not for everyone. You'll get really bored and lonely on long stretches of road, and have to be really comfortable with yourself to be entertained when on drives alone for that long. It could be hard to maintain friendships if you're always gone for extended periods of time. Nebraska is shit to drive through and goes on forever. You'll pop a tire without service and have to deal with it. You might miss certain things because you're far away. It might get monotonous and lonely, and you might have days where you're somewhere really cool, but you feel empty inside because you're not sharing those things with people who you actually love at home.

It really depends on the genre of life experience you stake more weight in - for me, the cons of life at home that get missed and the more lonely days pale in comparison to the positive sides of the experiences I listed, and I am so deep inside my own head sometimes that I really do feel like I am my own best friend - and because of that, the situations where I've been on long drives alone are some of the best experiences I've had, and I don't think I'd trade mosaics of different experiences with people I probably won't see again for anything that a life of being there for everything that happens at home could get me. But for a lot of people, the polar opposite is true.

If you're unsure of the answer to that question, it will never hurt to test it out and see what you think. I think filling your life with as many colorful and different things as you possibly can is what it's all about, and makes your life seem a lot longer and fuller - and if you do that for a year and you absolutely hate it, the worst you'll end up with is some wasted time and a lot of good stories, and it helps if you go into it with an awareness of the fact that the bad parts will inevitably happen, but you'll wind up with so many positives that are hard to come by in any other way.

I hope that helps!!!