#american water willow

[vandaliatraveler]

Where it narrows and plummets through a steep gorge at Valley Falls State Park, the Tygart Valley River has broken the Connoquenessing sandstone through which it passes into massive, jumbled slabs. In the margins of these wrecked pillars, where sediment and fine sand wash out, a great diversity of life has sprung up. The river is both destroyer and creator, more powerful and relentless than any god man has dreamed up.

From top: royal fern (Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis), a water-loving beauty that clumps in the nooks between the boulders; the elegant tassel rue (Trauvetteria carolinensis), with its sharply-lobed, palmate leaves; yellow star grass (Hypoxis hirsuta), whose six-petaled flowers and delicate, grass-like leaves are quite attractive; American water willow (Justicia americana), whose creeping rhizomes allow the plant to form extensive colonies at the edges of streams and rivers; silky dogwood (Cornus amomum), a thicket-forming wetlands lover; and ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), easily identified by its brown stem.

[aithusiel]

Happy Dyngus Day!

For those who don't know, Dyngus Day is a Polish-American holiday celebrated the day after Easter.

Tumblr folks, I feel like ur gonna love this one.

Here's how you celebrate Dyngus Day:

You slap people with a wet plant. What's the name of the plant, you might ask?

P u s s y w i l l o w.

So, to all my fellow Polish-Americans, may your day be filled with wet pussywillows and celebration.

Śmigus-Dyngus!!!

[headspace-hotel]

There, in the sunlit forest on a high ridgeline, was a tree I had never seen before.

I spend a lot of time looking at trees. I know my beech, sourwood, tulip poplar, sassafras and shagbark hickory. Appalachian forests have such a diverse tree community that for those who grew up in or around the ancient mountains, forests in other places feel curiously simple and flat.

Oaks: red, white, black, bur, scarlet, post, overcup, pin, chestnut, willow, chinkapin, and likely a few others I forgot. Shellbark, shagbark and pignut hickories. Sweetgum, serviceberry, hackberry, sycamore, holly, black walnut, white walnut, persimmon, Eastern redcedar, sugar maple, red maple, silver maple, striped maple, boxelder maple, black locust, stewartia, silverbell, Kentucky yellowwood, blackgum, black cherry, cucumber magnolia, umbrella magnolia, big-leaf magnolia, white pine, scrub pine, Eastern hemlock, redbud, flowering dogwood, yellow buckeye, white ash, witch hazel, pawpaw, linden, hornbeam, and I could continue, but y'all would never get free!

And yet, this tree is different.

We gather around the tree as though surrounding the feet of a prophet. Among the couple dozen of us, only a few are much younger than forty. Even one of the younger men, who smiles approvingly and compliments my sharp eye when I identify herbs along the trail, has gray streaking his beard. One older gentleman scales the steep ridge slowly, relying on a cane for support.

The older folks talk to us young folks with enthusiasm. They brighten when we can call plants and trees by name and list their virtues and importance. "You're right! That's Smilax." "Good eye!" "Do you know what this is?—Yes, Eupatorium, that's a pollinator's paradise." "Are you planning to study botany?"

The tree we have come to see is not like the tall and pillar-like oaks that surround us. It is still young, barely the diameter of a fence post. Its bark is gray and forms broad stripes like rivulets of water down smooth rock. Its smooth leaves are long, with thin pointed teeth along their edges. Some of the group carefully examine the bark down to the ground, but the tree is healthy and flourishing, for now.

This tree is among the last of its kind.

The wood of the American Chestnut was once used to craft both cradles and coffins, and thus it was known as the "cradle-to-grave tree." The tree that would hold you in entering this world and in leaving it would also sustain your body throughout your life: each tree produced a hundred pounds of edible nuts every winter, feeding humans and all the other creatures of the mountains. In the Appalachian Mountains, massive chestnut trees formed a third of the overstory of the forest, sometimes growing larger than six feet in diameter.

They are a keystone species, and this is my first time seeing one alive in the wild.

It's a sad story. But I have to tell you so you will understand.

At the turn of the 20th century, the chestnut trees of Appalachia were fundamental to life in this ecosystem, but something sinister had taken hold, accidentally imported from Asia. Cryphonectria parasitica is a pathogenic fungus that infects chestnut trees. It co-evolved with the Chinese chestnut, and therefore the Chinese chestnut is not bothered much by the fungus.

The American chestnut, unlike its Chinese sister, had no resistance whatsoever.

They showed us slides with photos of trees infected with the chestnut blight earlier. It looks like sickly orange insulation foam oozing through the bark of the trees. It looks like that orange powder that comes in boxes of Kraft mac and cheese. It looks wrong. It means death.

The chestnut plague was one of the worst ecological disasters ever to occur in this place—which is saying something. And almost no one is alive who remembers it. By the end of the 1940's, by the time my grandparents were born, approximately three to four billion American chestnut trees were dead.

The Queen of the Forest was functionally extinct. With her, at least seven moth species dependent on her as a host plant were lost forever, and no one knows how much else. She is a keystone species, and when the keystone that holds a structure in place is removed, everything falls.

Appalachia is still falling.

Now, in some places, mostly-dead trees tried to put up new sprouts. It was only a matter of time for those lingering sprouts of life.

But life, however weak, means hope.

I learned that once in a rare while, one of the surviving sprouts got lucky enough to successfully flower and produce a chestnut. And from that seed, a new tree could be grown. People searched for the still-living sprouts and gathered what few chestnuts could be produced, and began growing and breeding the trees.

Some people tried hybridizing American and Chinese chestnuts and then crossing the hybrids to produce purer American strains that might have some resistance to the disease. They did this for decades.

And yet, it wasn't enough. The hybrid trees were stronger, but not strong enough.

Extinction is inevitable. It's natural. There have been at least five mass extinctions in Earth's history, and the sixth is coming fast. Many people accepted that the American chestnut was gone forever. There had been an intensive breeding program, summoning all the natural forces of evolution to produce a tree that could survive the plague, and it wasn't enough.

This has happened to more species than can possibly be counted or mourned. And every species is forced to accept this reality.

Except one.

We are a difficult motherfucker of a species, aren't we? If every letter of the genome's book of life spelled doom for the Queen of the Forest, then we would write a new ending ourselves. Research teams worked to extract a gene from wheat and implant it in the American chestnut, in hopes of creating an American chestnut tree that could survive.

This project led to the Darling 58, the world's first genetically modified organism to be created for the purpose of release into the wild.

The Darling 58 chestnut is not immune, the presenters warned us. It does become infected with the blight. And some trees die. But some live.

And life means hope.

In isolated areas, some surviving American Chestnut trees have been discovered, most of them still very young. The researchers hope it is possible that some of these trees may have been spared not because of pure luck, but because they carry something in their genes that slows the blight in doing its deadly work, and that possibly this small bit of innate resistance can be shaped and combined with other efforts to create a tree that can live to grow old.

This long, desperate, multi-decade quest is what has brought us here. The tree before me is one such tree: a rare survivor. In this clearing, a number of other baby chestnut trees have been planted by human hands. They are hybrids of the Darling 58 and the best of the best Chinese/American hybrids. The little trees are as prepared for the blight as we can possibly make them at this time. It is still very possible that I will watch them die. Almost certainly, I will watch this tree die, the one that shades us with her young, stately limbs.

Some of the people standing around me are in their 70's or 80's, and yet, they have no memory of a world where the Queen of the Forest was at her full majesty. The oldest remember the haunting shapes of the colossal dead trees looming as if in silent judgment.

I am shaken by this realization. They will not live to see the baby trees grow old. The people who began the effort to save the American chestnut devoted decades of their lives to these little trees, knowing all the while they likely never would see them grow tall. Knowing they would not see the work finished. Knowing they wouldn't be able to be there to finish it. Knowing they wouldn't be certain if it could be finished.

When the work began, the technology to complete it did not exist. In the first decades after the great old trees were dead, genetic engineering was a fantasy.

But those that came before me had to imagine that there was some hope of a future. Hope set the foundation. Now that little spark of hope is a fragile flame, and the torch is being passed to the next generation.

When a keystone is removed, everything suffers. What happens when a keystone is put back into place? The caretakers of the American chestnut hope that when the Queen is restored, all of Appalachia will become more resilient and able to adapt to climate change.

Not only that, but this experiment in changing the course of evolution is teaching us lessons and skills that may be able to help us save other species.

It's just one tree—but it's never just one tree. It's a bear successfully raising cubs, chestnut bread being served at a Cherokee festival, carbon being removed from the atmosphere and returned to the Earth, a wealth of nectar being produced for pollinators, scientific insights into how to save a species from a deadly pathogen, a baby cradle being shaped in the skilled hands of an Appalachian crafter. It's everything.

Despair is individual; hope is an ecosystem. Despair is a wall that shuts out everything; hope is seeing through a crack in that wall and catching a glimpse of a single tree, and devoting your life to chiseling through the wall towards that tree, even if you know you will never reach it yourself.

An old man points to a shaft of light through the darkness we are both in, toward a crack in the wall. "Do you see it too?" he says. I look, and on the other side I see a young forest full of sunlight, with limber, pole-size chestnut trees growing toward the canopy among the old oaks and hickories. The chestnut trees are in bloom with fuzzy spikes of creamy white, and bumblebees heavy with pollen move among them. I tell the man what I see, and he smiles.

"When I was your age, that crack was so narrow, all I could see was a single little sapling on the forest floor," he says. "I've been chipping away at it all my life. Maybe your generation will be the one to finally reach the other side."

Hope is a great work that takes a lifetime. It is the hardest thing we are asked to do, and the most essential.

I am trying to show you a glimpse of the other side. Do you see it too?

[canonbisexualbuck]

eras tour setlist (detailed)

miss americana & the heartbreak prince (NOT full song)

cruel summer (chorus, bridge, chorus)

welcome/she's so happy to be on stage again + spoken introduction into

the man (full song)

you need to calm down (verse 2, chorus, bridge, chorus)

longer welcome speech, eras tour night 1, thanking fans for showing up & celebrating opening acts. telling crowd we're doing one era at a time!!!!

lover (full song) acoustic guitar

the archer (full song) + electric guitar solo for costume change

fearless (full song)

you belong with me (full song)

love story (full song)

video interlude - showing woods/trees - for costume change

'tis the damn season (verse 1, chorus, bridge, chorus)

willow (full song)

marjorie (verse 1, chorus, bridge, outro)

speech/ it's been so long that she's toured and so much has happened since (new albums + rerecordings) & she's missed us. says she loves evermore despite what people on tiktok think

champagne problems (full song) acoustic piano

introduction of new keys player

tolerate it (verse 1, chorus, bridge, 2nd chorus, outro)

snake video/visuals for costume change

...ready for it (full song)

delicate (full song)

don't blame me (intro, verse 1, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro) + extended outro leading into lwymmd

look what you made me do (full song)

snake visual + abstract pink/purple colors + enchanted audio intro for costume change

enchanted (verses 1 & 2, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro)

video interlude with red audio snippets

22 (whole song)

we are never ever getting back together (full song)

i knew you were trouble (verse 1, chorus, bridge, final chorus)

speech about the red album & taylor's version

all too well (full 10 minute song) acoustic guitar

interlude: spoken wildest dreams lyrics/spoken seven lyrics - for costume change

invisible string (full song)

speech talking about folklore album & wanting to do something different than autobiographical albums

betty (full song) acoustic guitar

the last great american dynasty (full song)

august (full song)

illicit affairs (bridge repeated twice, outro)

my tears ricochet (full song)

cardigan (full song)

interlude for costume change

style (verse 1, chorus, bridge, chorus)

blank space (full song)

shake it off (full song)

wildest dreams (verse 1, chorus, bridge)

bad blood (chorus, pre-chorus & chorus, bridge, final chorus)

interlude for costume change

speech - introducing surprise song & her goal is not to repeat any of these songs on tour

surprise song: mirrorball (full song) acoustic guitar

another speech at piano (my live cut out though so idk what she was talking about)

tim mcgraw (full song) piano acoustic

interlude - water/crashing waves turning into clouds

lavender haze (full song)

anti-hero (full song)

midnight rain (full song)

vigilante shit (full song)

bejeweled (full song)

mastermind (full song)

final song: karma (full song) + farewells & final bows

[annamcdonalds67]

Challenge for the writers 2024

hello, to all the sturniolo fandom writers

I've made a little challenge for you guys that I would like you to participate in

I'm going to write down a bunch of songs down below and I need you to write down a one shot inspired by that song.

This is obviously optional for everyone if you don't want to do this then no problem!

I will edit this post whenever someone has posted a one shot inspired by the song so no one gets blamed for copying

You guys have no limits. I will choose one winner for each category and two runner ups as well

If you see any songs that are like this it means they're taken

The challenge will end at 10th April, and the winners will be revealed a couple days later

Category's

Smut

Fluff

Angst

Rules:

Choose a song

DM me what song you have picked

Tag me in your post

Specify which category you're participating in

And have fun!

Songs:

"Slut!"- Taylor Swift

Make You Mine- Maddison Beer

Golden Hour- JVKE

Better Than Revenge- Taylor Swift

Back To December- Taylor Swift

Is it Over Now- Taylor Swift

Low- SZA

Playing Dangerous- Lana Del Rey

Get Him Back!- Olivia Rodrigo

Labour- Paris Paloma

Bloodline- Ariana Grande

So It Goes...- Taylor Swift

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince- Taylor Swift

Should've said no- Taylor Swift

The Great War- Taylor Swift

Willow- Taylor Swift

Lavender Haze- Taylor Swift

Labyrinth- Taylor Swift

Cupid- FIFTY-FIFTY and Sabrina Carpenter

Our Song- Taylor Swift

Nonsense- Sabrina Carpenter

Feather- Sabrina Carpenter

The Heart Wants What It Wants- Selena Gomez

Shake It Off- Taylor Swift

I Knew You Were Trouble- Taylor Swift

Red- Taylor Swift

West Coast- Lana Del Rey

22- Taylor Swift

Bejeweled- Taylor Swift

The Man- Taylor Swift

Style- Taylor Swift

Blank Space- Taylor Swift

Wonderland- Taylor Swift

Wildest Dreams- Taylor Swift

Bad Blood- Taylor Swift

Vigilante Shit- Taylor Swift

Strangers- Kenya Grace

Delicate- Taylor Swift

End Game- Taylor Swift

I Did Something Bad- Taylor Swift

Paper Rings- Taylor Swift

Anti-Hero- Taylor Swift

Bad Idea Right?- Olivia Rodrigo

Enchanted- Taylor Swift

Gorgeous- Taylor Swift

Speak Now- Taylor Swift

Bubble Pop Electric- Gwen Stefani

Cardigan- Taylor Swift

Dress- Taylor Swift

Lover- Taylor Swift

Look What You Made Me Do- Taylor Swift

Earned it- The Weeknd

...Ready For It?- Taylor Swift

Superman- Eminem

Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High- Arctic Monkeys

Daddy Issues- The Neighbourhood, Syd

Cruel Summer- Taylor Swift

Don't Blame Me- Taylor Swift

Video Games- Lana Del Rey

Salvatore- Lana Del Rey

Million Dollar Man- Lana Del Rey

Art Deco- Lana Del Rey

Radio- Lana Del Rey

Sad Girl- Lana Del Rey

Vampire- Olivia Rodrigo

Everybody Wants To Rule The World- Tears For Fears

National Anthem- Lana Del Rey

Summertime Sadness- Lana Del Rey

Sweater Weather- The Neighbourhood

I Wanna Be Yours- Arctic Monkeys

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together- Taylor Swift

Karma- Taylor Swift

Because I Liked A Boy- Sabrina Carpenter

Say Yes To Heaven- Lana Del Rey

Boyfriend- Dove Cameron

Older- Isabel LaRosa

I'm Yours- Isabel LaRosa

Eyes Don't Lie- Isabel LaRosa

HEARTBEAT- Isabel LaRosa

all-american bitch- Olivia Rodrigo

People You Know- Selena Gomez

Can't Catch Me Now- Olivia Rodrigo

You Belong With Me- Taylor Swift

Iconique- EMELINE

American Horror Show- SNOW WIFE

Reckless- Madison Beer

CARNIVAL- Kanye West, Playboi Carti, Rich The Kid, etc.

Water- Tyla

Exes- Tate McRae

Agora Hills- Doja Cat

Barbie World- Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice

Moonlight- Kali Uchis

Houdini- Dua Lipa

Slumber Party- Ashnikko, Princess Nokia

Greedy- Tate McRae

Obsessed- Olivia Rodrigo

Softcore- The Neighbourhood

Freaks- Surf Curse

Twin Size Mattress- The Front Bottoms

Me and My Husband- Mitski

Always Forever- Cults

Yes, and?- Ariana Grande

Super Freaky Girl- Nicki Minaj

American Jesus- Nessa Barrett

That's my Girl- Fifth Harmony

2002- Anne-Marie

One of The Girls- The Weeknd, JENNIE, Lili-Rose Depp

@hearts4chriss @evieolo @evie-sturns @flynnriderishot @hysteria-things @breeloveschris @lovingmattysposts @sugrhigh @meg-sturniolo @hoesformatt @vanteguccir @freshloveforthefit @gamermattsgf @b2cute @freshloverr @worldlxvlys @sophssturn @matts-k1tten @sukiipjs @rootbeerworshiper @teapartyprincess4two @muwapsturniolo @freshloveee @chris-slut @fake-sturniolos @solarsturniolo @sturnmaee

SPREAD THIS TOO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE

[thebearer]

The kids picking up more of the readers accent on words, like I’m from England and I think it would be so funny for them to call it something else and Carmy or Richie be so confused then realise 😭

This doesn’t even have to be an English words it’s honestly different dialects in NY or the us as a whole

the way little teddy and willow would DIE at carmen and richie saying words (because they spend so much time with you and have your dialect)

“daddy! daddy! say water.”

carmen fights an eye roll because he knows what’s coming. “wa-ter.”

and like clockwork teddy and willow fall into each other. “nooo! it’s wa-tah! you say it silly!”

but also they’ll say things like that in the most chicago type accent. like very american accent but british pronunciations.

[todaysbug]

February 2nd, 2024

Thick-legged Hoverfly (Syritta pipiens)

Distribution: Native to Europe, but found throughout Eurasia and North America.

Habitat: Occur wherever there are flowers, but most common around human habitations; common habitats include farmland, gardens and parks. Larvae are most common in rotting organic matter such as compost, manure, silage, and occasionally cadavers.

Diet: Larvae feed on decaying organic matter, while adults feed on many types of flowers. Their most common food plants are water-willow, white vervain, American pokeweed and candyleaf.

Description: The thick-legged hoverfly is called so due to their overdeveloped hind legs. These insects can sometimes be pests, as they occasionally feed on ornamentals, but are generally considered beneficial because they pollinate many common flower species. They also act as bio-indicators, especially to demonstrate the effects of environmental changes on pollinators.

Hoverflies are very agile fliers, and are often found hovering near flowers. This species, however, is very rarely found flying more than a metre above ground level. When they encounter another fly, males will sometimes circle around them; if they're male, this often results in the two males circling eachother, and if they're female, the male may dive at her at an acceleration of up to 500 centimetres per second squared in an attempt to initiate copulation.

Images by Joaquim Alves Gaspar and Stephen Luk.

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

Stats from Movies 101-200

Top 10 Movies - Highest Number of Votes

The Thing (1982) had the most votes with 2,313 votes.

The 10 Most Watched Films by Percentage

Shaun of the Dead (2004) was the most watched film with 69.30% of voters saying they had seen it.

The 10 Least Watched Films by Percentage

The Wicker Man (2006) was the least watched film with 67.02% of voters saying they hadn't seen it.

The 10 Most Known Films by Percentage

Friday the 13th (1980) was the best known film with only 1.04% of voters saying they'd never heard of it.

The 10 Least Known Films by Percentage

The Doll Master (2004) was the least known film with 88.49% of voters saying they'd never heard of it.

The movies part of the statistic count and their polls below the cut.

The Faculty (1998) You're Next (2011) Matriarch (2022) May (2002) Black Christmas (1974) Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) Friday the 13th (1980) Jason X (2001) The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) The Tunnel (2011)

Scream 2 (1997) Climax (2018) Raw (2016) Tusk (2014) A Serbian Film (2010) Waxwork (1988) American Mary (2012) In the Mouth of Madness (1994) The Fog (1980) The Mist (2007)

Ginger Snaps (2000) Scream 3 (2000) House of Wax (1953) Shaun of the Dead (2004) Night of the Living Dead (1968) Basket Case (1982) Malignant (2021) Attack the Block (2011) Insidious (2010) Trick 'r Treat (2007)

The Wolf Man (1941) The Invisible Man (1933) The Invisible Man (2020) Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) Scream 4 (2011) The Last Broadcast (1998) Dark Water (2002) Dog Soldiers (2002) One Missed Call (2003) V/H/S (2012)

The Houses October Built (2014) Occult (2009) Willow Creek (2013) Savageland (2015) The McPherson Tape (1989) Waxworks (1924) Scream (2022) Possum (2018) Cemetery Man (1994) The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

The Thing (1982) Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) Night of the Lepus (1972) Puppet Master (1989) Gargoyles (1972) From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) The Fourth Kind (2009) Dead Silence (2007) The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972) American Gothic (1987)

Netherworld (1992) The Bad Seed (1956) Satan’s Triangle (1975) The Creeping Terror (1964) The House That Would Not Die (1970) The Wicker Man (2006) Scream VI (2023) From Beyond (1986) Castle Freak (1995) Beyond the Gates (2016)

The Phantom Empire (1987) The Evil Clergyman (1988) Would You Rather (2012) Chopping Mall (1986) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) [REC] (2007) The Bay (2012) Happy Death Day (2017) Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Mayhem (2017)

Child's Play (2019) Freaky (2020) X (2022) Pearl (2022) Possession (1981) Possessor (2020) Hush (2016) Us (2019) Creep (2014) Creep 2 (2017)

The Witch (2015) Eyes Without a Face (1960) The Void (2016) Annihilation (2018) Color Out of Space (2019) The Thing (2011) The Relic (1997) The Doll Master (2004) Hellhole (2022) The Howling (1981)

[vandaliatraveler]

Valley Falls State Park is best known for the dramatic cascades and rapids formed by the Tygart Valley River as it “squeezes” through a narrow gorge on the way to its eventual confluence with the Monongahela River in Fairmont. The park was once the site of a grist mill in the mid-1800s, but the only evidence remaining today is a spillway, a grinding stone, and an abandoned quarry, now overtaken by forest. Falls notwithstanding, I’m ever in awe of the massive slabs of Upper Connoquenessing sandstone piled up on either side of the river - they provide both a testament to earth’s prehistoric past and an amazing riparian zone of rocky pools and sandy embankments where seeds from farther upstream can deposit and take root, providing homes to many uniquely-adapted species. 

From top: American water willow (Justicia americana), a showy aquatic perennial that forms large colonies in the shallow riffles of streams; an eastern American toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus), which was busy croaking and making babies in a rocky pool near the falls; sweet azalea (Rhododendron arborescens), also known as smooth azalea, a rangy, stream-loving shrub whose strongly-scented, white flowers have distinctive red stamens; yellow star grass (Hypoxis hirsuta), an exquisite riparian member of the lily family that clumps on the moist, sandy banks of fast-moving streams; royal fern (Osmunda regalis), a spectacularly beautiful fern that loves the nooks between the boulders at the river’s edge; and ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), also known as brownstem spleenwort, an elegant, upright fern with a special fondness for the same rocky nooks.

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 2: Employed By Criminals

I can’t stand waiting any longer. I’ve been in my new room for what seems like an hour and no one has come to give any further instructions. The time I took to settle in only lasted five minutes, considering all my possessions fit in a small suitcase. So, I decide now I will explore.

I peek through the keyhole and find the kitchen outside to be empty. After opening the door I stick my head out to survey again. Still empty. Where is everyone? The least I can do now is to prepare dinner. After scavenging the kitchen I find some vegetables and spices to work with. No meat, but I’m not going to make a fool of myself around looking for the meat cellar. After I’ve started boiling water and mixed in some herbs I begin to chop the vegetables.

“You’re back,” Finn states as he enters from another side door, looking at the pot with new-found interest. “What’s that?”

“Dinner. Oh, since I didn’t get a good chance to introduce myself, my name’s Verena. Just so you know. Your aunt hired me to be your tutor.”

Finn scrunches his face in dislike. “Ugh. That again? Aunt Polly knows I hate reading!”

“What do you enjoy instead?” I try to sound optimistic as I peel the carrots.

“I like math better, like the math Tommy does for the business. Reading’s too complicated.”

“Not necessarily. What have you read before?”

“The Wind In The Willows, Peter Rabbit, all that kids stuff.”

“Well then it seems to me that you just need to find content you enjoy. Fiction may not be your choice, but you might like books of science, philosophy, or social issues. Have you heard of the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy by Isaac Newton, or Relativity: The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein? Maybe The Jungle by Upton Sinclair? Actually-” I set down my knife and rush to my room, returning with a book from my suitcase. “I brought this with me on vacation for light reading.” I hand the curious child the worn book. “It’s the Common Sense pamphlet by Thomas Paine. It’s American, but I’m sure it’s much more interesting than Peter Rabbit.”

Finn apprehensively scans the first page, and I can’t hide my growing smile as a look of interest begins to spread on his face. He starts reading, wandering down the hall while not looking up once. Maybe I’ll make a good tutor after all.

“Alright, enough chatter. Let’s eat.” An approaching voice speaks.

I go back to chopping carrots and don’t bother to look up until the voice speaks again.

“Who are you?”

When I lift my gaze to find the voice’s source, a pair of icy blue eyes are peering into me. The eyes belong to a man with a well-sculpted face that shows both stern and commanding intentions. He’s wearing gray trousers, black dress shoes, white shirt and gray vest, as well as a flat cap that John was wearing earlier. He’s also smoking a cigarette, which has brought a foul stench along with it.

“Who let you in here?” The man asks, not even waiting for me to answer his first question.

“Polly did. Pleasure to meet you-”

“But you can’t be here. I’ll have to talk to her.” Then he walks off and starts pouring himself some water, and I faintly hear him mutter: “We don’t take in strays.”

Excuse me? Since when does this guy get to treat me like dirt? Maybe it’s the American mutt temper, but I’ve got the urge to give him a piece of my mind!

I lean against the counter and look up with rebellious eyes. “Gotta say, your accent is a bit on the tricky side. Mind saying that again?”

The man seems taken back by the tone of my voice, as if he’s not used to people being sassy with him. He’s quick to regain his posture and has a smirk growing on his lips.

“And I’ll say that your American accent is downright pathetic compared to ours. You lot still never got over being independent, did you? Gotta flaunt it about in all our faces!”

My jaw drops. “I never even mentioned that! I think you’re the one holding a grudge based on a war you weren’t even a part of!” He tries to interrupt but I keep talking. “And for the record, we Americans are current allies with you. So instead of arguing about something that happened a hundred and forty years ago, I say we uphold each country’s honor and talk as if we’re on the same level. Do you agree?”

The man keeps staring at me, seeming to ponder whether or not to argue again.

“This book is really good!” Finn interrupts the silence from down the hall.

I grin at his enthusiasm and go back to chopping carrots, ignoring the man’s blank stare.

“Polly said you know Finn, my new student.”

His eyes flick upwards to find mine again. “Pardon?”

“I’m his tutor, or at least I have been for the past hour. Polly hired me, so that’s why I’m here.”

“Interesting…”

Now he’s looking at me in a different manner, as if sizing me up as a potential threat. Why would he do that? The man slowly walks around the counter towards me and removes his cap, allowing me to see he has dark hair in a style similar to Finn’s. He turns it over and sets it on the counter, as if he wants me to get a closer look. What I do I notice it’s got something shiny peeking out of the brim.

“What’s with the custom hat? It’s made of metal, or something?”

The man simply chuckles and holds back the fabric to show- razors?

“You sew razor blades into your hat? Now I’ve heard everything! And I thought Americans were crazy!”

“Is that soup I smell?” Another voice comes from the same way the man came. Another man enters the room and I recognize him as John. When he sees us, his eyes acquire a hint of uncertainty. “Thomas, I see you’ve met Verena. Polly was just telling me about her.”

So this is the Thomas I was warned about? I guess Polly wasn’t kidding when she said he was ruff. 

“Not officially, John. She was just telling about how Polly hired her to teach Finn. May I ask why?”

“Polly says it’s because he needs a proper education. Not one that’s only taught through bookkeeping. Can’t say I blame her. When’s the last time any of us actually sat down with him and taught him something?”

Thomas shrugs. “If he’s going to be part of the Blinders he’ll learn all he needs to know by watching us.”

The name sends a chill down my spine and I snap to attention.

“Wait- Blinders? As in Peaky Blinders…? Oh my God.” I look back and forth between Thomas and John, still holding the knife. “Shelby! That’s the name! Shelby! I’ve heard things about you, what kind of a man you are! Excuse me, but I do not want to be involved with anything surrounding you!”

I grip the knife and dash for the hallway, yanking on the door handle only to find it’s locked. Panicking, I stand in the corner with the knife held out as Thomas Shelby struts towards me- holding a pistol!

“Please, don’t kill me! I have nothing to offer! You’d just be wasting a bullet!”

There’s no answer, only Thomas looking at me with cold eyes.

“Verena! Verena! Polly, where'd she go?” Finn’s voice comes from down the hall. He turns his head and sees me, with a wide grin on his face. God, I can’t let him see me get killed!

“Finn…? Finn! Did you finish your reading?” I speak in a quivering voice.

“Almost. I’ve only got a few more pages.”

I nod shakily still looking between Finn and Thomas, who’s looking at him while still holding the gun up. “Alright, go and finish up and then I’ll be right over.”

Finn heads back into his room, and I look up to glare into Thomas’ calculating eyes. “I swear to God, if you so much as lay a finger on that boy-!”

“You’ll what?” Thomas asks in a laid-back manner. “A moment ago you were begging for me not to kill you. Now you’re threatening me not to kill my own brother?”

My mind stops. “Brother…? He’s your brother? Oh…” I shamefully look to the floor, cursing myself in my head for making such a stupid mistake. “But you’ll still kill me.”

The next few quiet seconds are so suspenseful I swear I can hear my own heart beating. I dare to look back up at Thomas, who now shakes his head.

“I’m not going to kill you.”

My brow furrows at his words. “This means I’m fired then, doesn’t it?”

By now John’s entered the hallway and comes over to stand in front of Thomas.

“Why would we fire you? From what Polly’s told me and what we’ve seen here, you haven’t given us any reason to fire you.”

“But my question is-” Thomas steps forward. “Can she be trusted? How do we know she’s loyal to us?”

I bite my lip and lower the knife I’m holding. “With all due respect sir, you’re technically my employer. That and the fact that you’re temporarily housing me gives me enough reason to be loyal. And if for whatever reason in the future I might not be, you can kick me to the dirt.”

Both men exchange looks, seeming to have a silent conversation while I stand here awkwardly. Eventually John gestures for Thomas to put away the gun, who seems to have forgotten he had it out.

“We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot,” Thomas says in a lighter tone. “What was your name again?”

Now that he’s not holding a gun at me, Thomas actually seems decent. I might dare to even call him handsome. Remember, this is your boss now. Keep it professional. Don’t lose your head.

I stand up straighter and hold out a hand to shake his. “Verena Nora Steenstra. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shelby.” I turn to John and shake his hand too. “You as well, Mr. Shelby. I was told by Polly to wait for any further instructions. In the meantime there is soup in the pot if you’re interested.”

“Wait.” Thomas gets an odd look. “You… made dinner? Why?”

Now that I have more leverage, I hold my breath to squeeze past the two men and back into the kitchen. “I had nothing else to do, and it’s the least I can do since you’ve allowed me into your home.”

Just then, Polly comes into the room. She hesitates when she sees us, giving John and Thomas a certain look. Then she sees the pot on the stove.

“Who cooked? Ada hasn’t made anything in weeks.”

The two men look at each other, then point to me. Polly seems impressed.

“You appear to be a lady of many talents, Ms. Steenstra.”

My face goes pink at her praise and I busy myself by stirring the soup. “I know my way around the kitchen. My family thinks it’s proper for me to be a suitable housewife, so that’s what I’ve been expected to do my whole life. Cooking, baking, sewing, the works. In all honesty, this is the first real job I’ve ever had.”

When I turn back to them, they’re all sitting at the table and appear to all be whispering something. Thomas is the one to speak first.

“So you’re from America, and for the moment you are stuck here?”

“Correct.”

He nods slowly. “Welcome to Birmingham, Ms. Steenstra. Here’s exactly what you’re getting yourself into, love. My family runs a bookkeeping business, and we do our part to keep a close eye on the authorities. People know better not to mess with us.”

“Bookkeeping, like gambling?”

“Correct.”

Dear Lord, I’ve become involved with criminals!

Polly seems to catch onto my panicked thoughts. “You need not worry about being caught up with our work. You’ll only be interacting with Finn.” Polly’s eyes narrow. “If anyone asks, you’re a private tutor and only a private tutor. Do not go asking too many questions.”

I nod shakily and wring my hands together. “Seems to me like a world made up of gambling, drinking, and violence.” I shake my head and give her a skeptical look. “That doesn’t seem like a world I want to be involved in.”

“You won’t have to, and I suggest you don’t.”

By now Finn’s returned and is sitting next to John, but he’s not the only one who’s entered. Over the past few minutes a man with a mustache and a younger woman with short dark hair wearing a red dress are now standing across from me. Thankfully Polly notices my discomfort.

“Everyone, we need proper introductions. This is Verena Steenstra, and she’s going to be helping Finn with his studies. Verena, you’ve met Finn, Thomas, and John. The final Shelby brother is Arthur over there.” She points to the mustache man. “And Ada’s their sister.” She points to the woman in red.

Wow. The Shelbys are a big family. And suspicious ones at that, because they’re all looking at me as if they’re dogs eyeing a piece of meat.

“Polly, no offense, but I don’t like this,” the one called Arthur grunts. “Who says the bitch won’t tattle to the coppers the instant she leaves? How do you know she isn’t a spy sent by the new bloke?” He jerks his head to see Finn eating my soup and he swipes the bowl. “How do we know this isn’t poisoned?!”

“Because I ate it?” I shrug. “Because unlike most people I’ve met here I actually try to be nice? It’s fun, you should try it sometime.”

John starts outright laughing, leaving us all giving him funny looks. “You picked out a real winner, Polly! She’s just like the Americans I met during the war!”

Lord, what have I gotten myself into?

[brian-in-finance]

The actress Caitríona Balfe, center, taking her seat at the table. Photo: Rich Gilligan

T ENTERTAINING WITH

In Belfast, a Celebration of Art, Community and Pizza

In October, on the second floor of a former spinning mill in east Belfast, the visual artist and author Oliver Jeffers, 46, hosted a candlelit dinner for a group of Irish and Northern Irish artists and friends. The Portview Trade Centre, as the building is called, stopped producing textiles in the 1970s and is now home to 54 artists’ studios and creative businesses, including Jeffers’s, and his neighbors made up a large portion of the guests and the organizers. The occasion was a personal one — the launch of his 20th book, “Begin Again” — but he also wanted to celebrate his wider creative community. Accordingly, the evening combined tributes to both Belfast, where the artist has a home in the Holywood area, and Brooklyn, where he lived until recently and still has a studio.

VIDEO 📹 The author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers invited friends to toast his new book at a dinner in a former textile mill.

Jeffers is perhaps best known for his philosophical, understated children’s books, including “The Book Eating Boy” (2006) and “The Heart and the Bottle” (2010). And true to his style, “Begin Again” is curious, warm and quietly profound. “Not for kids, but not not for kids,” Jeffers says, the book is a vibrantly illustrated exploration of the climate crisis that attempts to lay out a hopeful future for humanity. “It offers an idea of slowing down, of using what’s near us — of starting over,” says Jeffers, “with the realization that we cannot do anything until we start to act with a sense of unity, to tell ourselves new stories that are defined by what we want.”

Jeffers, center (in tan jacket), sat beside the film director Lisa Barros Da’Sa, at left. Photo: Rich Gilligan (and Caitríona Balfe, at right… BIF)

Pearson Morris, the head chef of the Belfast restaurant Noble, pan-fried wild halibut in a makeshift kitchen set up not far from the table. Photo: Rich Gilligan

While guests gathered for drinks, the sun could be seen setting over the city; on the north side of the building, hills rolled down toward the sea. The food too — a collaboration between the local bistro Noble, known for its unpretentious ingredient-led dishes, and Flout, an American-style pizzeria on the ground floor of Portview — was unmistakably rooted in Belfast. Despite a limited power supply and a lack of running water in the room, dishes were assembled and cooked in situ using three portable pizza ovens and a small stove. The table was lit with clusters of white candles and, after the sun finally went down, said Jeffers, it glowed with “the warmth of a hearth at home.”

The dinner table stood at the center of the 10,000-square-foot room. Photo: Rich Gilligan

The attendees: Jeffers celebrated with his wife and business manager, Suzanne Jeffers, and a group of Irish and Northern Irish artists, including the actress Caitríona Balfe, 44; the portrait artist Colin Davidson, 55; the electronic musician and composer David Holmes, 54; the husband-and-wife film director duo Glenn Leyburn, 54, and Lisa Barros Da’Sa, 49; and the writers Glenn Patterson, 61, and Jan Carson, 43. “Everybody at this dinner,” said Jeffers, “was interested in the power of narrative, the impact of what they do and how it makes other people feel.”

The table: Guests sat at two long tables — pushed together to create a more intimate arrangement — in the middle of the otherwise nearly empty 10,000-square-foot room. The events stylist Rachel Worthington McQueen, 30, sourced an Irish linen tablecloth in the same navy hue as the book cover’s background. Mismatched dishes in traditional Blue Willow patterns (originally bought from secondhand websites for Worthington McQueen’s wedding two years ago) held squat candles, and food was served on simple white plates brought over from Noble. Seasonal blooms — including deep burgundy dahlias and pale pink spray roses — echoed the rich palette of the book and were provided by the local, sustainable flower farm Sow Grateful. Each display was tied with bright pink twine, sourced by Suzanne Jeffers to match the exact Pantone color (number 812U) of the book’s title.

New Haven-style mussels pizza by Peter Thompson, the founder of the pizzeria Flout, was served alongside Noble’s halibut. Photo: Rich Gilligan

The food: To start, Noble’s co-founder and head chef, Pearson Morris, 34, served crab and lobster from nearby Bangor Bay dressed with homemade mayonnaise and his Bloody Mary tomatoes (heritage tomatoes steeped overnight in a mix of vodka, celery and Tabasco sauce) on Flout’s blackened focaccia. “I bake things so you think they’re burned — that’s flavor for me,” said the pizzeria’s founder, Peter Thompson, 45. Next was a take on the classic New Haven-style clam pie made with steamed Galway Bay mussels, alongside which Morris served pan-fried wild halibut with a fish head sauce. Then came Flout’s Detroit-style pepperoni pizza and a salad featuring locally grown baby gem lettuces. Dessert was Noble’s chocolate delice — jaconde sponge cake topped with salted caramel, dark chocolate parfait and a chocolate mirror glaze — accompanied by a salted caramel ice cream with Flout’s sourdough chocolate cookies tumbled through.

The drinks: Noble’s front-of-house manager and co-founder, Saul McConnell, 38, oversaw the drinks, which ranged from a vibrant Blanc de Meunier champagne for arriving guests to an amber passito-style Liastos wine from Lyrarakis, Crete, for the dessert course. The Boundary Brewing Company, Belfast’s first tap room and one of Jeffers’s neighbors in the building, provided an alternative aperitif: a full-bodied English bitter called A Certain Romance, a favorite of Jeffers’s studio team.

Jeffers illustrated the evening’s menus. Photo: Rich Gilligan

Noble’s chocolate delice, a jaconde sponge cake with salted caramel and a chocolate mirror glaze. Photo: Rich Gilligan

The conversation: Many artists talked shop, swapping notes on the production problems they encounter in their respective industries, and conversation also turned to global events. “There’s always been a comparison between the conflict in Northern Ireland and the conflict in Israel-Palestine,” said Jeffers. “We talked about the divisive rhetoric that’s going on right now.”

The music: Jeffers enlisted the Irish producer and D.J. Marion Hawkes, who runs the record store Sound Advice in Portview, to create a playlist, which ranged from classic folk to contemporary electronic tracks.

The recipe for Noble’s mayonnaise: It’s hard to beat fresh, homemade mayonnaise, says Morris, and it’s a quick, thoughtful addition to a dinner at home. But despite its few ingredients, it’s deceptively difficult to make. He recommends starting with equal parts white wine vinegar and egg yolk (approximately 2 teaspoons of vinegar to two yolks), which prevents the eggs from splitting as you very gradually beat in 250 ml of oil, then season with 5 grams of sugar and 5 grams of salt. Morris likes to use extra-virgin rapeseed oil for its neutral flavor, and an electric mixer for ease.

The New York Times Style Magazine

Remember… there’s always been a comparison between the conflict in Northern Ireland and the conflict in Israel-Palestine. We talked about the divisive rhetoric that’s going on right now. — Oliver Jeffers

Anon: Thanks… didn’t see your message until 10 minutes after posting. 🙁

[jungleindierock]

Rebjukebox 2024 - No 1

Here's my first playlist for 2024, it's not gonna be a monthly thing, just once i have 40 tracks i like, then i will share it. So could be one or two or even three in one month and other months maybe none, this is why it's numbered. I am already close to No 2 being finished, cover done, just need to cut down to 40 tracks from the 80+ tracks in the provisional draft playlist. So could share this next week!! These playlists are great way to find new bands and artists and saves us having to post each on sepearatly.

I used to do these just through Soundcloud, but thought i might as well add it to my Spotify also. So i will add two links to the playlist and can use which ever one you prefer.

If your a solo singer or a member of a band, then follow me on my Soundcloud page here, if i like your stuff, i will follow you back, if i don't follow back then sorry but your not my thing. Whatever style of music is fine, i like many stlyes and will take a listen. You should always trust your own ears with music.

You can only follow 2,000 people on Soundcloud, so am limited. But if am following you there, i can see when you share new music, which means you could be added to one of these playlists or the main JIR playlist (one per month). What style of music is fine, i like many and will take a listen.

Enjoy and share, stay free, see you soon with No 2!!

Reb

Ok the links for the playlist:- Soundcloud I Spotify

Tracklist

1 - Paramore - Burning Down the House (Talking Heads Cover) 2 - The Delta Shake - I’ll Be Your Man (Alternative Version) 3 - Anja Huwe - Rabenschwarz 4 - Fat Dog - All The Same 5 - Loupe - Tested Waters 6 - Wynona - Feeling For Edges 7 - Nothing Rhymes With Orange - Friday Is Over 8 - Shannon and the Clams - The Moon Is In The Wrong Place 9 - KAWALA - American Adrenaline 10 - overpass - Stay Up 11 - Camens - Cynical 12 - Cinders - Going Nowhere 13 - Linn Koch-Emmery - Ebay Armour 14 - Grace Petrie - Start Again 15 - Neon Dreams (Ft. Matthew Mole) - The Art of Letting Go 16 - This Rebel - Same Every Time 17 - The Holy - Any Given Day 18 - Soundwire - Shake The Fever (Radio Edit) 19 - The Snuts - Millionaires 20 - Neck Deep - Moody Weirdo 21 - Softcult - Heaven 22 - Lurve - Pesnya O Lyubvi 23 - BARSTAFF - Tracy Island (Radio Edit) 24 - Sasha Assad - Bad Nature 25 - Red Rum Club - Hole In My Home 26 - No Windows - Song 01 27 - Mourn - Could Be Friends 28 - Sunglaciers - Cursed 29 - POND - Neon River 30 - Slow Time Mondays - Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time 31 - Jeen - So What 32 - stillcorners - The Dream 33 - The Marra - Masterpiece 34 - The Hubbards - Hiding & Reading 35 - The Cheap Thrills - Last Orders 36 - Aqualine - No Answer 37 - Torrey - Bounce 38 - Low Blows - Normal 39 - ParisBlue - Remedy 40 - Bombay Bicycle Club (ft. Lucy Rose) - Willow

[fionajames]

prompts

A/N: Hello guys!!! I decided I'd send a list of various prompts for you guys to send me as requests. Absolutely anyone is free to use this! There are one word, dialogue, idea and song prompts!!!

One word prompts

hiraeth 

lost

catacombs

bloodhound

whisper 

broth

brine

froth

angel

wheat

camp

cry

shadow

bramble

herd

pack

wild

runaway

solstice

courage

tracks

woods

hike

firefly

quill

moon

sun

stars

spirit

song

splinter

clear

ice

sea

clouded

hum

jinx

limbo

wire

barbed

spear

sword

breath

holly

sink

drown

canine

willow

twine

whistle

Song prompts

not strong enough (boygenius)

meet me in the woods (lord huron)

cherry wine - live (hozier)

sweet tooth (cavetown)

1979 (smashing pumpkins)

bloodhound (the foxing)

rory (the foxing)

still feel (half alive)

best friend (rex orange country)

be nice to me (the front bottoms)

wires (the neighbourhood)

running with the wolves (AURORA)

the night we met (lord huron)

i’d rather be alone (boodahki)

cocaine jesus (rainbow kitten surprise)

romantic homicide (d4vd)

duvet (bôa)

breezeblocks (alt-J)

me and the devil (soap&skin)

heavydirtysoul (twenty one pilots)

father (the front bottoms)

waterfalls coming out of your mouth (glass animals)

genesis (grimes)

devil like me (rainbow kitten surprise)

rockstar (boywithuke)

bad habit (steve lacy)

my ordinary life (the living tombstone)

notorious (neoni)

nothings new (rio romeo)

lighthouse (the waifs)

step on me (the cardigans)

inside out (duster)

the man (taylor swift)

mind over matter (young giant)

rises the moon (liana flores)

sparks (coldplay)

mama’s boy (dominic fike)

way down we go (kaleo)

evergreen (richy mitch & the coal miners)

yorktown - the world turned upside down (original broadway cast of hamilton)

i love you so (the walters)

505 (arctic monkeys)

labour (paris paloma)

worldstar money - interlude (joji)

willow (taylor swift)

leave a light on (tom walker)

pretty boy (the neighbourhood)

lovers rock (tv girl)

the last great american dynasty (taylor swift)

you’re on your own kid (taylor swift)

ho hey (the lumineers)

stubborn love (the lumineers)

dear arkansas daughter (lady lamb)

watching him fade away (mac demarco)

o children (nick cave & the bad seeds)

Idea prompts

running through wheat fields

running through garden hose droplets

dancing in the rain

walking in the bush

splashing in the sea

horse riding

rolling down grass fields

trekking through forest

swimming in forest creeks

rock hopping

daisy chains and crowns

collecting wood for fire

bonfire at night

walking on abandoned highways and roads

lighthouse exploring 

cartwheeling and playing in fresh grass

morning dew and crisp morning air

dirt under your nails

tree climbing

abandoned towns

walking on train tracks

wooden boats

island exploring

baking in then morning quiet

watching movies very late at night

staying up late at sleepovers

corn mazes

wheat fields

frozen lakes

frozen forests

paper planes

jam jars

friendship bracelets

barbed wire fences

blood dripping on tiles

scratchy vinyl music

empty dark cold nights

canine teeth

fireflies in fields

camp cabins

sea shanties

sibling play fighting/rivalry (blood or not)

road trips with loud music

picnic dates in the forest

busy arcades

bookstore dates - the smell of old books

playing soft acoustic guitar in nature

playing fiddle and dancing around campfires

stargazing

laying in bed awake

Dialogue prompts 

“please kill me”

“i’m everything you can not control”

“i am the monster you created”

“am i that easy to forget?”

“i will never hesitate to put my life on the line for you”

“stars can not shine without darkness”

“i miss the old you”

“remember who you are”

“please don’t leave”

“listen here pal”

“how much is enough”

“i remember smiling the whole way home”

“i never told you i was falling in love”

“do you want to go wander around aimlessly?”

“you still feel like home”

“no matter what, you’re still my brother”

“i could never hate you”

“let me help”

“help me, please”

“we’re just kids”

“water is so exciting with straws”

“i can’t stop thinking about you”

“get in the blanket fort”

“when they smile, i forget how to breathe”

“platonic love is just as important”

“i’m homesick for a place i’m not sure is real”

“smile more, it looks beautiful on you”

“runaway with me” 

“dance with me?”

“come back to bed”

“your bleeding on my floor”

“stars sparkle in your eyes”

“sarcasm is a weapon”

“can we just go back?”

“i miss how it used to be”

“hold me”

“any closer to them and i’ll kill you”

“i’ll be by your side forever”

“are you ok?”

“it’s going to be okay”

“i’m going to cry, but happy tears”

“can i crash on your couch?”

“we’ve got more than two people crashing in our house”

“i belong with you”

“you’re my soulmate” 

“hold my hand, please?”

“they smile when you message them”

“i want to live”

“sing to me”

“we’re finally home”

A/N: @techs-goggles9902, @skellymom

[defundthepolicedestroythegop]

If built, Donlin would be the largest open pit pure gold mine in the world within one of the world’s largest river deltas. The ecosystem it threatens is vitally important for fish, wildlife, food security, and the physical, cultural, spiritual, and mental wellbeing of the Alaska Native people who have lived here for thousands of years. Industry and its boosters dream of the last frontier crisscrossed with massive mines, oil fields, pipelines, roads, and other infrastructure, but it’s not empty land. Tribes who have lived in this region from time immemorial say projects like Donlin conflict with traditional ways of life and the Tribes’ present existence. Other Alaskans and Americans from across the country feel deeply about protecting these lands and waters too, as demonstrated when they raised their voices against Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, drilling in the Arctic Refuge, and ConocoPhillips’s Willow Project — all of which Earthjustice challenged in court. Donlin, jointly owned by two Canadian mining giants, Novagold and Barrick Gold, is supported by the region’s for-profit Alaska Native corporations, who own the surface and subsurface rights to the mine, but not by most Tribes in the region. More than a dozen Tribes have passed formal resolutions opposing the project, and six Tribes and an Alaska nonprofit, represented by Earthjustice, are challenging the project on legal grounds. All told, litigants have brought four separate lawsuits opposing the mine in state and federal court, with different plaintiffs on each case.

[vintagelacerosette]

Tag game Tuesday/picrew catch up!

Oh how I've missed doing these! Thank you so much to these sweetpeas who tagged me to do these tag games/picrew. Lyle @milkovetti Michelle @michellemisfit Bri @y0itsbri Evie @energievie Julia @juliakayyy Georgia @iansw0rld Kat @mybrainismelted Nosho @creepkinginc Cross @crossmydna Willow @ian-galagher Lyds @ardent-fox Vey @look-i-love-u Molly @deathclassic Jay @surviving-maybe 💕

💟Name: Myn/Shermyn

#️⃣Age: 27

🗺️Location: Sydney

🧥Do you own a robe? Describe it. Yeah a pink silky with lace trim one my older sister gifted me as my maid of honour gift 🥰

☕️Do you have a favorite mug? Describe it. Why yes! It's one of my prized possessions! My Gallacrafts mug I made art with the darling & talented Ling @lingy910y

🧣Do you have a favorite blanket? Describe it. You know I don't think I do & that's tragic 😔

🍵Coffee or Tea? Tea

↳🔥🧊Hot or Cold? Cold it's been so damn humid & dry in Sydney rn 😓

🧦Fuzzy socks or Wool socks? Wool

🧤Gloves or Mittens? Gloves but the fingerless kind so I can scroll/read fics on my phone lol

🔥Fireplace or Campfire? Fireplace

🌞🌜Sun or Moon? Both baby! They work in tandem to give us life ☀️🌙

🍬Chocolate candy or Sugar candy? Sugar 🍭

🥐Sweet Pastry or Savory Pastry? Sweet

🎃Peppermint or Pumpkin Spice? Peppermint. I haven't had pumpkin spice before

🛏️Go to bed early or Wake up early? Wake up early but i don't sleep early to make the happen 🥲

🥣Cold cereal in milk or Hot oatmeal? Cold cereal in milk I especially love the sweet ones. American cereal certainly hit the spot with their cinnamon toast crunch or lucky charms 🤤

🍞Potatoes or Bread? 🥔

And Finally…

🚬 Gallagher or Milkovich? It'll have to be MIlkovich even tho objectively the are more terrible ones than good. But to be fair the great stole my fucking heart 💖

Picrew

Which character from any media would you like to have as a father? 

I think Johnny Rose from Schitt's Creek would be a funny dad plus loaded 🤣

If money, laws, time, and effort were no object, what animal would you want to have?

I'd love an otter omfg they're so damn cute 😭

What is your Chinese takeout order? 

Sweet & sour pork & spinch noodle with wild mushrooms.

What's your favorite emoji?

🥹 I'm particularly fond of this one bc it's the marvelling of beauty for me

Would you rather have a library, greenhouse, or home theater in your house?

I think greenhouse. I think would be so soothing & I feel like I need more plants in my life hahaha

What childhood tv show do you think of the most fondly?

Cardcaptor Sakura 🌸

What was your tumblr like when you first joined?

I joined 2012 it was so aesthetic & I wished be one of those vintage aesthetic blogs hence my tumblr name lmao. I kinda got confused & scared how to use it so i stopped for 2 years. So i missed out all the fun drama i guess lol. Then I started using it as like a scrapbook of things I liked hahah

What clothing style do you love but don't feel compelled to replicate yourself?

50s but I feel that would be such an effort to pull off

If you were plopped into a fictional world, which one would you know the layout of the best?

Pokemon but like in the switch games. I've been playing too much instead of sleeping lmao

What is your favourite piece of art? 

Idk if I have a favourite but one that impacted me in high school was a piece called 'Atomic: full of love, full of wonder' by Nike Savvas. Funny thing is that I got to see it in person may 2 or 3 years after seeing it in a high school text book & having to do essays on it. It was by complete accident & I had no idea see was displaying her work in our national art gallery. It was magic to see a piece irl after studying it 🥰

Do you have a water bottle? what does it look like?

My bestie jusr got me this steel pink hello kitty tumblr that was a collab with a bubble tea shop! I love it I take it to work 💖

What fanfic trope is a quiet fave?

I think time travel with younger selves meeting their older selve & seeing how they fot their happy ending 🥰

Do you carry a daily bag? what does it look like? what's the weirdest thing in it?

Yeah a carry bag for work. It's this tote bag another bestie got me for my last birthday. It's really cute. It's pink & mint green with a cluster of cute things like teddy bear.

If you had to ship Mickey with another Gallagher, who would it be?

Respectfully no ❤️

What is a fanfic trope you didn't expect to like and then very much did?

I'd say mafia au especially bc of the amazing fic by Kay/Shamelessquestions, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Ian Gallagher.

Do you think s11 Mickey can still carry s11 Ian?

He sure could! He's our swol lil man

Look at them guns!!

Who got custody of the killing bat when they sold the house?

I kind have this tie between Fiona getting it or it being passed to Liam & Franny to keep the legacy going

Not tagging any bc I'm late but if you see this & you want to go ahead starlight 🩷

[casimirt]

CAN WE PLZ HAVE MORE INEFFABLE HUSBANDSSSSS? Maybe like a silly little goofy one if you havent done that already?

Hahah for sure, I'm so happy people are enjoying these!

Dear Readers,

This one is called The Nanny.

The young master Warlock was an unusual child. Not because he was the son of Satan, or the son of an American diplomat, but because he was raised by his gardener and his nanny.

The pair in question went together as well as oil and water, and often confused the poor lad to the point of a tantrum. But, he was loved, and fed, and kept alive nonetheless.

Nanny Ashtoreth was a harsh woman, in both looks and attitude. Her tall, slender form often reminding Warlock of a spider. And Brother Francis the gardener, who he often caught staring at Nanny, said they should respect all living creatures. Even the arachnids.

Nanny was also a classy woman, and would often remind him of such. She wore long dark dresses, even darker shades and often had a hint of red somewhere on her outfit. She did however like to mingle with 'the lower class' as Warlock was told, and she spent a fair amount of time teasing and whispering with Brother Francis.

He was a stout man with somewhat of an unfortunate face. But as he would tell you, it's what's on the inside that counts. Nanny Ashtoreth said you could find out if that's true, by cutting someone open. Warlock had never liked that idea much, and neither had Brother Francis.

Warlock, like many young children, had a lot of questions about life and about love. He was often sat between Nanny and Brother Francis, who would give him sage advice on their two opposing views of the world. It typically started with a bit of light teasing and flirtation, and ended with Nanny hissing and Francis trying not to swear. If he was honest with himself, he had his suspicions that they secretly liked each other. So secretly that they'd rather chew a cyanide capsule or have their teeth pulled before they admitted it. But, deep down, deep, deep down they had some strong connection.

Most days the three of them would walk the gardens together, discussing the literal birds and bees; and in one awkward occasion, the metaphorical. Over the years Warlock was privy to the slow but budding romance between his two mentors. From the flowers Brother Francis would grow and then pick, to the cookies and cakes Nanny Ashtoreth would bake. Needless to say they were an odd couple, but a sweet one all the same.

As the young son of Satan, and son of an American diplomat grew, he became more aware of and more meddlesome in their relationship. Often acting as cupid or some other romantic messenger between them. From passing notes, to 'parent trapping' them when the situation allowed.

Once he even got them to sit through a full date before they realised just what it was. Warlock had said he'd meet them both under the willow tree and upon the picnic blanket for lunch. It was only after they had eaten half the food shared the bottle of wine, that they had realised this lunch was not intended for a 9 year old boy.

Nanny had given him a stern telling off and a slap on the wrist after that little stunt, and Brother Francis and stood there hands on hips as she did so. Hmm, perhaps allowing them to get close and gang up on him wasn't a good idea after all. It was a while before he tried to set them up again, and this time he planned to be more careful about it.

The opportunity presented itself when a painter came to give the pool house a fresh coat of paint, and allowed young Warlock to help. This meant Nanny Ashtoreth had to be outside to supervise, and it then meant Brother Francis wouldn't be far behind.

The painter was about a quarter way through the job before he started paying Warlocks' Nanny a fair bit of attention. She was sat on the garden wall, with a black lace parasol shielding her from the sun. Warlock was busy on the far side of the pool house, writing crude words in white paint. Brother Francis, who had spent the past half hour trimming the same hedge, was watching with a scowl upon his face.

Being a tall, dark and mysterious woman, Nanny often caught the eye of many gentlemen that visited the estate. So much so it rather bothered Brother Francis, and he always made sure to have an excuse as to why he was hanging around.

Warlock, now bored of his painted profanities decided to stir the proverbial pot. He glibly mentioned to the gardener that the painter had a crush on the nanny, and that it might well be reciprocated...

Bradley, as the tradesman was named, had complimented Nanny multiple times on her clothes. Including her darkened sunglasses covering most of her face. She was a severe looking woman, but that was just what Bradley liked. He had liked it even more when she had abruptly, and rather rudely, shut him down when he suggested she remove said glasses to show him her face. Something about the hissed tone to her voice told him he had better drop the subject. Bradley had continued painting and Nanny had continued watching. So did Brother Francis.

Brother Francis in his distracted and flustered state, accidentally trimmed more than he intended off the hedge in front of him. He composed himself, as to not make any more mistakes, and turned to young Warlock.

"Young master Warlock, of course the painter likes Miss Ashtoreth! She's a very-"

He paused and thought carefully about what to say next. After all, he couldn't have his young charge knowing how he really felt! The young charge in question didn't need words to know how Brother Francis really felt.

"-Captivating woman. And it's not up to me to tell her who she should or shouldn't talk to."

He then muttered something under his breath about wishing it wasn't the painter, of all people. Collecting up the flowers he had accidentally cut from the hedge in his frustration, he tied them in a red ribbon that seemed to come from thin air.

With a pat on the head and the promise of payment later, he handed them off to Warlock to deliver. The dark haired boy made a b-line for his Nanny Ashtoreth, who seemed bored by the painter's constant nattering. She didn't much care for uninteresting conversation. And, if she was going to accept praise and flattery from anyone, she'd rather it be from the gardener...

Warlock ran up to her and dropped the bundle of neatly tied flowers in her lap, earning a curt smile. She already knew who they were from, and she already knew why. Shooing the child away, she carefully drew a single flower from the bunch and tucked it behind her ear. Thankfully the shade from her parasol masked the colour of her crimson cheeks.