#but it also doesnt make sense to not put it in an urban area

[hibiscuslynx]

i keep imagining the statehouse as this huge house in the middle of nowhere. the entire property is in the middle of a grassland—yellow-green grass that reaches up to your knees kind of grassland. the plains. and there's a fenced off backyard behind the statehouse, but not more than a few hundred feet after it there's a forest—a temperate deciduous forest, like you find in the eastern U.S., with a creek a little ways in. venture deeper and you'll find a river. there's a mountain backdrop as well, and you know they're huge mountains, but they're so far away they appear a little small.

the house itself is... queen anne meets folk victorian-ish. shades of golden brown and white. there's a paved road leading up to it and a parking lot off to the side, about the size of a decently sized high school parking lot. and the road ends at the house. if you keep driving the other way, though, you eventually make it to town. a fairly urban city, with your standard fast food joints and stores and gas stations and whatnot. it's not the heart of a metropolis, not the suburban edges of it, but a decently populated urban city with a freeway or two running through it. somehow, somewhere, after a bit of an elevation drop maybe, absolutely rural plains gives way to the city. blink and you'll miss it, except no matter what you do, you'll always miss it.

the thing is, i keep imagining the statehouse and the land surrounding it as this little pocket in time and space, that exists on vaguely the same line as where central time meets eastern. the states are immortal, and that's practically magic, so why can't the statehouse be magic as well?

[mymegumi]

i’m just passing the time

pairing: gojo satoru x gn!reader

genre: angst

word count: 1.1k words

warnings: toxic relationship, smoking, swearing & suggestive themes

notes: my goal is to never write a happy gojo piece /j anyways he’s just such an easy char to write angst for for me lol. i’m going to be honest this doesnt make sense to me but also it’s five am so i’m gonna post it now and then probs delete it when i wake up lol

When you left, you always said it would be the last time.

But you came back to him with a sneer on your lips, and the promise that ‘this time would be it for sure’ because you were independent, you didn’t need him.

Gojo Satoru was many things, but one of them was not an idiot.

When he’d left high school as one of the strongest sorcerers known to man, he hadn’t been an idiot. When he became the strongest sorcerer known to the urban Japan area, he hadn’t been an idiot. So, when you walked right back to his front doorstep that only enough people to count on one had known, he had definitely not been an idiot.

You were the only thing that he had allowed himself outside of his world, the only piece that he allowed himself to keep that would keep him normal.

And maybe that was where the problem stemmed from, the fact that instead of seeing you as another person, another human being with feelings so dissimilar to his own, he allowed himself to instead see you just as a tool to make himself feel more mortal than he often felt.

“Don’t think this changes anything,” you whispered against the curve of his neck, hands curled into snow white hair that curls at the ends, “I just needed to relieve stress. This is the last time.”

Gojo didn’t even bother responding, instead he had molded his lips to the junction of your jaw. Despite all your promises of leaving, of walking out of his life and not coming back, he’d found that you were inclined to make fickle promises and were almost too untrustworthy when it came to him. He’d never complained, though, more than willing to invite you into his life, to hold you in his grasp for as long as he liked.

To hold onto you until he got bored.

“You’re a jackass,” you had muttered it under your breath, but he had better hearing than most—out of necessity than his own choice, “a fucking jackass with no morals and the reason you don’t have anyone close to you is because you’re too afraid to let them in.”

Your eyes were red rimmed, tears pooled at the base of your waterline as you had allowed your hands to ball into tights fists at your side. There was a tremble in the bottom of your lip, one that allowed Gojo to know how close you truly were to spilling, but he said nothing. He just continued smoothing his hand along the back of his date.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said it plainly after a moment of silence, as if he were just talking about the weather with a stranger, and yet it seemed to be the last push you needed, tears spilling from your eyes like you had no care for who saw.

You take a deep breath in, eyes steadily watching him and he has to commend you for your composure, because despite the years, he’d had more than one partner blow up at him for his decision to leave them behind. 

You were just a passing fad for him, another person to keep him distracted from the fact that the world might be obliterated if he were to scramble the cards in his hands. Another tether to the fact that he was still of the mortal world, as opposed to the god-like feeling he often had when he was surrounded by those who put him on a pedestal he’d never asked to be raised to.

Your lips pulled into a tight line as you tilted your head back, nose pointed towards the ceiling, “This is it. This is the last time, Gojo.”

His expression transformed into something that one could describe as apathetic as he licked at his lips, mouth suddenly dry. “If that’s what you want, of course.” His hand rested idly at the girl’s shoulder, mind going blank on her name now that he saw your retreating figure, blue eyes hidden behind transparent black watching the outline of your silhouette leave much longer than completely normal for someone breaking things off.

But you always came back.

You had come back the time you had caught him smoking again, voices clashing against each other like titans when he had called you overbearing. Despite his promises of quitting, of doing better, he had found himself sticking to the vice like a man on a raft, desperate for something to make him feel.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that his phone would have your number flashing on it—not saved for your safety, he had told you at the inquiry, but he knew you didn’t believe him, instead choosing to keep quiet. You would text him on a stormy Tuesday afternoon after you got off of your job that made you feel insignificant because all you seemed to do was useless, but being with Gojo made you feel alive.

You would text him on a sunny Thursday morning, asking to see him because you were unsure about where you stood with him. He was sure of it, after a Tuesday evening passed and transformed into a mellow-weathered Wednesday, before the night had shifted to the next day again. He was sure you would call him again, requesting just to go back to the way you had been before, all no-strings attached and lovers without requirements.

Gojo doesn’t get a text from you for the next month.

When you did text him, he knew almost immediately that it wasn’t meant for him. Too filled with warmth, words laced with too much love and adoration for a relationship that had been purely transactional, as yours had been. Reading between every word, eyes searching along the tones you had never used with him, Gojo feels something twang in his heart, melancholy and tinged with something he can’t put his finger on.

“Is this it?” He asked himself, because despite everything, you were still an anchoring point. If he were to throw out his line, he always knew you would tug on it, pulling until you drew him into your waters.

But it’s his fault. He knew it somewhere in the deepest parts of himself that he was the one to blame, because despite the fact that you depended on him openly, he depended on you in secret. He didn’t open his world to you because he was afraid, he was afraid of what it would mean to admit to you that he needed you more than he’d like to admit.

He was afraid that when he turned his back on you, to protect himself from the hurt that you could’ve caused him, you would mold your own life. A life without space for him in it.

More than anything, he had taken for granted that while he had just been passing the time, ignoring the fact that while he had thought you were falling in love, you were drifting away from him.

Maybe he had been the one falling in love.

[nothingisliteral]

Literary Agents Accepting Queries 2020

A note; these agents are according to my research as of June 12, 2020. To find more information on these agents, just look up their name and agency. How to query to these agents differ, so it would be wise to look into them more. Bolded is the categories, genres, and/or tropes that said agent is interested in. This list was put together by me, and it was only the agents who’s name start with A. Even though this is labeled as YA, many of these agents are interested in other genres.

* Adria Goetz (Martin Literary Management), Mill Creek, WA General fiction Suspense/thriller Fantasy/science fiction Juvenile fiction Religious

* Adriann Ranta Zurhellen (Foundry Literary + Media), New York, NY all genres and for all age groups, but has a penchant for edgy, dark, unusual voices, unique settings, and everyman stories told with a new spin. She loves gritty, realistic, true-to-life narratives with conflicts based in the real world; women’s fiction and nonfiction; accessible, pop nonfiction in science, history, and craft; and smart, fresh, genre-bending works for children.

* Adrienne Rosado (Stonesong Literary Agency), New York, NY adult and children’s fiction, as well as select non-fiction in the areas of pop-science, business, memoir, and humor. In both adult and children’s fiction, she is looking for contemporary, mystery, historical, thriller, fantasy, and anything with a wickedly dark sense of humor. She’s especially drawn to multicultural fiction, lgbtq+ works, and stories about people from atypical walks of life. She is not currently looking for poetry or children’s picture books.

* Agnes Carlowicz (Carol Mann Agency), New York, NY both fiction and non-fiction, with a special passion for literature that amplifies underrepresented voices and subverts the status quo. Among others, she enjoys: intersectional feminism, millennial self-care, female-driven memoir, true-crime, and humorous pop culture.

* Aimee Ashcraft (Brower Literary & Management), New York, NY busy seeking out stories that feature all-encompassing worlds and compelling female characters. She loves books that are told from an original point of view and are more addictive than a good Netflix binge

* Albert Longden (Albert T. Longden Agency), Bloomfield, NJ (AAR Member) General fiction, Mystery, Romance, Suspense/thriller, Fantasy/science fiction, Biography, Business/investing/finance, Sports, Paranormal (want writers that are preferably experienced and are willing to listen to productive critiques of their work)

* Albert Zuckerman (Writers House), New York, NY books in all adult categories, fiction and non-fiction. And lately I’ve been enjoying working with some YA and Middle Grade authors. I'm interested in working with a few more novelists, literary and commercial

* Alec Shane (Writers House), New York, NY mystery, thrillers (though he’s experiencing terrorist fatigue at the moment), suspense, horror, historical fiction, literary fiction, and middle grade and young adult fiction. He DOESNT want Romance, straight sci-fi, high fantasy, picture books, self-help, women’s fiction, food, or travel memoir.

* Alex Glass (Glass Literary Management), New York, NY General fiction, Mystery, Suspense/thriller, Juvenile fiction, Biography, History, Mind/body/spirit, Health, Lifestyle, Cookbooks, Sports, Literary fiction, Memoir, Narrative nonfiction, Pop culture

* Alexa Stark (Trident Media Group), New York, NY drawn to literary debuts with a unique voice and perspective, stories about dysfunctional friendships and families, edgy coming-of-age tales, character-driven suspense and thrillers, and fiction that delves into the surreal

* Alexandra Levick (Writers House), New York, NY Picture book author-illustrators, a wide range of middle grade and YA, and more speculative-leaning or genre-bent upmarket adult works. I’m committed to working with writers from diverse backgrounds and am looking to put forth a list of outstanding creators who will be able to provide windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors (thank you, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop) into all kinds of experiences. I’m particularly looking for own-voices stories about historically underrepresented characters, identities, and cultures.

* Alexandra Machinist (International Creative Management), New York, NY Commercial fiction Literary fiction Upmarket women's fiction Historical fiction Suspense Fantasy Young adult Middle grade

* Alexandra Penfold (Upstart Crow Literary), New York, NY specializes in young picture books, middle-grade fiction, and young adult

* Alexandra Weiss (Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency), New York, NY contemporary, magical realism, and light SFF. I’d also like to see more rom-coms that make my heart feel warm. dedicated to representing marginalized creators and diverse books, including #ownvoices. I’m actively seeking LGBTQIA+, POC, gender fluid, neurodiverse, and disabled voices for all age ranges and across all genres.

* Alexis Hurley (InkWell Management), New York, NY domestic works in the areas of literary and commercial fiction, memoir, narrative non-fiction and more

* Ali Herring (Spencerhill Associates), Lakewood Ranch, FL I’m open to all YA: Contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative, horror, romance, issue books (though I have a few already on my list so not my top choice), etc. All the contemporary fantasy right now. Contemporary with a speculative element YA suspense/thrillers All the horror right now, or horror-bordering Anything with an edge Fun teen romance like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Vibrant Teen rom-coms Dystopian or failing Utopia/Utopian worlds (fresh government or control system in place or none at all) Near-future dystopian where the world is not cleaned up and pretty. I want a sense of the horror but without tons of gore. Bold unexplored settings

* Alice Martell (The Martell Agency), New York, NY Open to all/most Genres Excluding: Fantasy, Science Fiction.

* Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary Agency), Louisville, KY In YA Fiction, I'm looking for diverse retellings of classic stories, stories rooted in mythology, contemporary fantasy with magical/supernatural worlds alongside our own (but not necessarily "urban," rural & suburban magical systems could be nice). Across the board, I'm looking for an inclusive cast of characters, across gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, and mental health spectrums.

* Alice Tasman (Jean Naggar Literary Agency), New York, NY Alice's fiction tastes, for young adult and adult books, ranging from commercial, literary fiction and history to thrillers and suspense, and women's fiction.

* Alicia Brooks (Jean Naggar Literary Agency), New York, NY she is looking for Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Pop Culture, Literary Fiction, Commercial Fiction, YA Fiction, Mystery/Crime, and Historical Fiction

* Alison Picard (Alison J. Picard Agency), Cotuit, MA Adult fiction and non-fiction, children's and young adult NO: short stories, poetry, plays, screenplays or sci-fi/fantasy.

* Allison Hunter (Janklow & Nesbit Associates), New York, NY literary and commercial fiction, especially women's fiction, as well as memoir, narrative nonfiction, cultural studies and pop culture. She is always looking for funny female writers, great love stories, campus novels, family epics, smart beach reads and for non-fiction projects that speak to the current cultural climate

* Alyssa Jennette (Stonesong Literary Agency), New York, NY children’s and adult fiction and picture books, graphic novels, and select pop culture nonfiction. She values diversity and inclusion; in fiction she enjoys ensemble casts with distinct voices, stories about poor characters and communities, and formats that are specific to a story and give it its own context. Alyssa is particularly interested in art/art history/art conservation, archaeology, mythology, language/translation, and criminal justice reform

* Alyssa Reuben (Paradigm Literary and Talent Agency), New York, NY adult, young adult, and the occasional middle grade fiction as well as smart, platform driven, nonfiction ranging from pop-culture, lifestyle, cookbooks, and narrative to memoir. She gravitates toward voice-driven non-fiction presenting a fresh point of view and particularly loves novels with an edge or a great romance arc.

* Amanda Leuck (Spencerhill Associates), Lakewood Ranch, FL contemporary and speculative fiction that explore social issues, YA fantasy based in mythology across cultures, historical novels that spark my need to know more, characters with disability, chronic illness or mental illness - that doesn't necessarily drive the plot, #ownvoices, women and girls in STEM, romantic plots and subplots that surprise me, LGBTQIA+ characters, the intersection of science and religion, or magic and convention, where what is real is not clear, animal and ecological themes

* Amanda Rutter (Red Sofa Literary), St. Paul, MN Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults, Middle grades, Young adults. Fantasy. Science fiction.

* Amelia Appel (Triada U.S. Literary Agency), Sewickley, PA For YA, she is particularly interested in stories with a savvy protagonist and a slightly dark tone that deal with serious coming-of-age issues well.

* Amy Elizabeth Bishop (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, LLC), New York, NY Fiction-wise, I'm interested in both upmarket and literary women’s fiction, mysteries, and fiction from diverse and underrepresented authors. I'd love more literary fiction from women of color. I'm choosy about my historical fiction, preferring it voice-driven and female-centric, focusing on the stories of those that history has largely chosen to not tell. [[A bit tuckered out from American Revolution, Civil War, WWII, and Vietnam War, so I'm not really looking in that space.]] I'm always interested in stories that are not set in Western Europe or the East/West Coast. I'd love to see more speculative fiction/light horror, though I'm not as interested in science fiction or fantasy in the adult space at this time. I'm also looking for a literary thriller/literary suspense a la THE TWELVE LIVES OF SAMUEL HAWLEY or BARBED WIRE HEART. In YA: would love a smart contemporary rom-com that isn't just boy meets girl in high school (or if it is, it has to be a seriously new story), a fascinating, creepy retelling in the vein of Carmen Maria Machado, and light horror. I'd love to find a multi-generational story and am particularly interested in the intricacies of family (and sister!!) relationships. I'm a sucker for stories that take place in closed environments (like boarding schools) and though I appreciate romantic elements, I'm also eager to see narratives where a happy ending for women isn't necessarily a relationship. #ownvoices, always, please. Anything with some serious creep to it!

* Amy Brewer (Metamorphosis Literary Agency), Kansas City, MO She’s seeking: Romances of all kinds; if your plot revolves around love or angst or both, send it to her. She is also looking for general fiction, LGBTQ+, women’s fiction, book club reads, and quirky humor.

* Amy Jameson (A+B Works), New York, NY loves children’s literature, and is actively seeking Middle Grade and Young Adult projects.

* Amy Rennert (The Amy Rennert Agency), Tiburon, CA General fiction Mystery Biography Business/investing/finance History Mind/body/spirit Health Lifestyle Sports Literary fiction Narrative non-fiction especially memoir and reportage

* Amy Stapp (Wolfson Literary Agency), New York, NY Mystery/suspense Contemporary romance Contemporary coming-of-age Historical fiction Southern Gothic

* Amy Stern (Sheldon Fogelman Agency), New York, NY Summer camps, boarding schools, reality television, kids who are in some way extraordinary, puzzles, puns. I really love stories that involve close family relationships that both enhance and complicate the protagonists' lives. I want to see more mental illness stories that aren't just about diagnosis and LGBTQIA+ stories that aren't just about coming out.

* Andrea Barzvi (Empire Literary), New York, NY General fiction Romance Suspense/thriller Juvenile fiction Biography Business/investing/finance Mind/body/spirit

* Andrea Somberg (Harvey Klinger), New York, NY Upmarket fiction (i.e., bookclub fiction) that has a twist or sheds light on an intriguing issue Novels that explore cultural heritage YA or Adult novels that are based on a true story from the 20th century YA contemporary love stories/romantic comedies Epic fantasy, especially ones set in a non-Western culture, military sf or space opera Magical realism for the adult, YA or MG market. YA and MG novels that feature diverse protagonists YA psychological thrillers MG mystery novels MG novels that are funny and are illustrated MG or YA novels that'll make me cry Nonfiction for MG or YA audiences Any novel with great characters and a compelling storyline Unique nonfiction

* Andy Ross (Andy Ross Literary Agency), Oakland, CA (AAR Member) narrative non-fiction, history, politics and current events, science, journalism, cultural subjects. We also work with literary and young adult fiction

* Angela Rinaldi (The Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency), Los Angeles, CA (AAR Member) I am actively looking for fiction commercial, literary, mainstream women’s fiction, multicultural, suspense, book club fiction – novels where the story lends itself to discussion.

* Anjali Singh (Ayesha Pande Literary), New York, NY Her interests are wide-ranging and include literary as well as popular fiction, young adult, women’s, African-American and international fiction. She is also seeking authors of nonfiction, including biography, history, popular culture, cultural commentary, and memoir. She is particularly drawn to distinctive, original voices.

* Ann Behar (Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency), New York, NY searching for wonderful children's books, from picture books to YA, ever since. I am looking for anything that is beautifully written, with a strong, distinct voice and characters that come alive on the page. Ideally, a book should grab my attention from the very beginning and hold it there, and leave me thinking about it for a few days after I am finished.

* Ann Rose (Prospect Agency), Upper Montclair, NJ YA of all genres: But especially stories that have heart and humor. I want you to transport me to new worlds--even if those "worlds" are in the middle of Iowa. But especially if its fantasy, I really want you to take me there and show me something I haven't seen before. I'd love some fantasy that's based on something other than western cultures. I'm always looking for strong character who are willing to stand up for their convictions--whether it be with their brains or their brawn. Give me fabulous friendship stories (and some no so fabulous ones). LGBTQIA+ stories!!! I'd still really love a story where two girls are running against each other for class president and then they fall in love. In both YA and MG I don't shy away from stories that deal with issues kids are dealing with today. I will say, if you are going to discuss topics like suicide make sure you've done your homework--proper language matters. I'd love to see more YA thriller--not necessarily gore but a story that keeps me on the edge of my seat, guessing until the very end. I'm still looking for my YA version of CLUE (and if it has three different endings, even better.) Which means mystery is a go for me, too. I'd love some YA that deals with toxic masculinity. A funny how to survive high school book with tips and tricks how to make the most out of your four years would be good. Show me characters who are beautifully flawed doing the wrong things for all the right reasons. Give me body positive MC's. Unique sports books--crossfit, ultimate Frisbee, rock climbing, mountain biking, roller derby, and even speed walkers. Oh, and twins - good twins, evil twins, twins that get along, twins that don't, rom-coms where twins switch places and hijinks happen... anything goes. Historicals that tackle things other than WW2--bonus points if there are badass women in in history.

* Anne Bohner (Pen and Ink Literary), New York, NY commercial women's fiction, romance, YA and popular nonfiction.

* Anne Hawkins (John Hawkins & Associates), New York, NY (AAR Member) Fiction of all sorts, non-fiction (contemporary journalism, history, biography, etc.), juveniles (although primarily young adult and middle grades, since we don´t specialize in illustrators, but having said that I should add that we represent several of the best), science-fiction and fantasy.

* Anne Tibbets (Red Sofa Literary), St. Paul, MN Right now, she's acquiring YA and Adult: Thrillers, Mysteries, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Historicals.

* Annelise Robey (Jane Rotrosen Agency), New York, NY women’s fiction, romance, historical fiction, YA, fantasy, mystery, and suspense, and is always looking for exciting new voices in fiction

* Arielle Datz (Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency), New York, NY (AAR Member) She is looking for literary and commercial fiction (mostly adult, some YA), featuring unusual stories and voices.

* Ashley Lopez (Waxman Literary Agency), New York, NY Ashley is looking for literary and young adult fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and cultural criticism. Most importantly she seeks authors with a strong point of view and an eye for language.

This is the end of my fist alphabetical list of agents accepting queries in 2020. I hope this list was helpful to you, and wish you good luck in your querying!

[theycallmegothboy]

1-100 >:DDDD REVENGE!!!

FELIXXXXXXXXXXXX >:(( 1. Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?  -spotify  2. is your room messy or clean? -it’s pretty messy i guess  3. what color are your eyes? -blue and grey

4. do you like your name? why? -yeah it’s fine 5. what is your relationship status? -single 6. describe your personality in 3 words or less -certified intrusive thot 7. what color hair do you have? -brown and rn it’s red 8. what kind of car do you drive? color? -i dont have a car 9. where do you shop? -hot topic, goodwill, target 10. how would you describe your style? -comfy emo 11. favorite social media account -of mine, probably discord or youtube 12. what size bed do you have? -twin >:(( 13. any siblings? -i have 1.5 brothers  14. if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? -probably vancouver, idk canada seems lit 15. favorite snapchat filter? -i like the one with devil horns and a tail but its cute 16. favorite makeup brand(s) -i dont wear makeup 17. how many times a week do you shower? -i used to shower every day, but i dont do anything that gets me dirty so like maybe 3 times but if i leave the house then i shower 18. favorite tv show? -stranger things 19. shoe size?  -8 or 9 20. how tall are you? -5′6 with shoes >:(( 21. sandals or sneakers? -sneakers wtf 22. do you go to the gym? -lol no 23. describe your dream date -making some pie or something together and then eating the pie and then sitting on some rooftop looking at stars 24. how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? -quite a bit actually but i’m saving up for a phone lol so soon it will be like maybe 10 dollars lmao 25. what color socks are you wearing? -not wearing socks but the ones i had earlier were white (ankle length) 26. how many pillows do you sleep with? -just one but it sucks 27. do you have a job? what do you do? -NO BUT IM TRYING TO GET A JOB BUT THE FUCKIN PEOPLE THERE ARE GHOSTING ME AND WONT REPLY TO MY EMAILS SO LIKE SBJHBJS 28. how many friends do you have? -like 4 lmao 29. whats the worst thing you have ever done? -idk nothing super bad but i do a lot of small shit that makes me feel guilty when i realize what i did 30. whats your favorite candle scent? -juniper rosewood 31. 3 favorite boy names -leo, clay, charlie 32. 3 favorite girl names -ivy, uh... idk thats all ive got 33. favorite actor? -no clue 34. favorite actress? -no clue 35. who is your celebrity crush? -not a celeb but i’d smash danny phantom 36. favorite movie? -nightmare before christmas or edward scissorhands 37. do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? -no, but my fav book is probably the prince and the pauper? idk 38. money or brains? -CASH MONEYYYY jk probably brains but if your entire personality is being “smart” like fuck off lmao   39. do you have a nickname? what is it? - a bunch of people call me son (see #49, #100), some call me rat, dumdum, goth boy

40.how many times have you been to the hospital? -just once i think when i was birthed. i also went once with my brother cause he kicked some scissors i left out on the floor and it sliced his toe the fuck open and he needed stitches and i watched him get the stitches and almost passed out :/ 41. top 10 favorite songs -please dont make me do this i dont have it in me 42. do you take any medications daily? -yea i take 20mg of vyvanse but i need to get it raised to 30 cause 20 is Not Enough 43. what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) -i got some dry fuckin skin yall dont even know 44. what is your biggest fear?  -it depends. the dark is a pretty constant one though 45. how many kids do you want? -like 2 or 3 eventually 46. whats your go to hair style? -in my face, looking stupid 47. what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc)  -it’s pretty small 48. who is your role model? -i dont fuckin know lmao  49. what was the last compliment you received? - “i belive in you, my son, you’re an amazing human being“ (same friend mentioned in #100, not actually a parent of mine) 50. what was the last text you sent? -”no it’s a raccoon“ YOU GET NO CONTEXT LMAO 51. how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? -i dont think i ever hardcore believed in him, maybe i did though i remember sleeping under the tree one christmas eve waiting for him but i was like “oh yeah that makes sense“ i guess 52. what is your dream car?  -i honestly dont give a shit as long as it actually fucking works 53. opinion on smoking? -cigarettes? fuck no that’s nastyyy. weed? that’s fine i guess but wait till you’re like 18.  54. do you go to college? -no. am sophomore n highschool 55. what is your dream job?  -musician/palentologist 56. would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs?  -fuck the suburbs lmao, but also im tired of rural, so like.. semi urban?? 57. do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?  -no but i take the little soaps >:)) 58. do you have freckles?  -yes 59. do you smile for pictures? -awkwardly, yes 60. how many pictures do you have on your phone?  -dont have a phone but i have like 12 on my computer currently. 4 are of me, the rest are of my cat or random shit 61. have you ever peed in the woods?  -yes 62. do you still watch cartoons?  -cartoons these days kinda suck but like if they were good fuck yeah i would like gravity falls can come hang yknow? 63. do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? -i had nuggets from mcdonalds today so i guess them? i dont really care 64. Favorite dipping sauce?  -i got sweet and sour but i dont like it that much. that schezuan sauce was great 65. what do you wear to bed?  -wouldnt you like to know? ;))  66. have you ever won a spelling bee?  -NO ive only been in two. the first one i misspelled the word “turmoil“ cause i had never heard it before and the second one i spelled the word “owed“ as “ode“ cause i was thinking like ode to joy and then i felt like a big Fool afterwards :(( 67. what are your hobbies? -lol what hobbies 68. can you draw?  -i am physically able to draw, but not well, no 69 (haha). do you play an instrument? -yeah i play a few 70. what was the last concert you saw?  -i saw Chicago in either georgia or tennessee i cant remember in like 2016 71. tea or coffee? -hot coffee, iced tea. NOT the other way around. (i love both though) 72. Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? -starbucks 73. do you want to get married? -sure why not 74. what is your crush’s first and last initial? -dont have a crush 75. are you going to change your last name when you get married?  -idk maybe 76. what color looks best on you?  -i dont know but i wear black a lot and that’s pretty dope 77. do you miss anyone right now? -yeah  78. do you sleep with your door open or closed? -closed 79. do you believe in ghosts? -on the fence. not 100% “oh my god look at these gHoSt oRbS i need to sage my house!!!“ but i accept that there’s some things i wont understand about the world and that i have no answers to. i wouldnt be surprised if there are, and i wouldnt be surprised if there aren’t. 80. what is your biggest pet peeve? -whatever my adhd decides i viscerally hate with a firey passion right at that moment  81. last person you called -my brother (the 1 of the 1.5 from #13 and the one who sliced his toe in #40) 82. favorite ice cream flavor?  -chocolate is dope 83. regular oreos or golden oreos?  -regular double stuff. if you say golden, mint, peppermint, or thin oreos i’m gonna have to euthanize you, i dont make the rules.  84. chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? -rainbow cause it’s prettier  85. what shirt are you wearing?  -queen shirt from hot topic 86. what is your phone background? -i didnt get a phone between question 60 and now but my computer one is some mountains with the moon in the background 87. are you outgoing or shy? -really depends on who i’m around 88. do you like it when people play with your hair? -YES FUCK AAAAAAA (this girl played with my hair literally once in middle school and i was like oh shit and i had a crush on her until the end of middle school true story,,, so ashley if you’re out there-) 89. do you like your neighbors? -to the left they’re fine and their dog is nice but idk what happened to the horses so that’s sus but that’s where our cat came from so they can hang  guess, behind me they’re fine but their boys are loud, to the right they’re fine, and even further to the right are the dope neighbors and waaaaaaaaaay far to the right is a llama and he’s dope as hell 90. do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? -whenever the fuck i remember to/have the energy 91. have you ever been high?  -i dont think so but i wouldnt put it past myself 92. have you ever been drunk?  -not that i can remember, no 93. last thing you ate?  -sloppy joe from a can 94. favorite lyrics right now -”not gonna waste my life, cause i’ve been fucked up“ 95. summer or winter?  -fall. fuck you 96. day or night?  -night but i like it when it’s actually night and it doesnt get dark at like 4 fucking pm cause that makes me depressed 97. dark, milk, or white chocolate? -dark is good, milk is fine, white is only suitable for fancy stripes on chocolate covered strawberries 98. favorite month?  -i vibe with september 99. what is your zodiac sign -sagittarius (was almost a scorpio but i was holding out >:))) 100. who was the last person you cried in front of?  -in person, my mom like 6 months ago, on a discord call, my friend (i love you by the way, you’re the best,,, i dont think he has tumblr but im just putting it out there) like a month or so ago. i hate crying in front of people, i turn into such a hyperventilating snot monster which is not suitable for human gaze and thats the real tea :/

felix this took like 2 hours of my life i will never get back i hate you and i hope you’re happy with what you’ve done <3 <3

also anyone who wants to stalk me, enjoy this information that im handing to you on a silver platter :)) <3

[oswednesday]

despite not having much story and the booring-est gym challenge, i really liked kabu! he had a lot of character, with his pokemon team and the lil cutsceen you get with him, like when you bump into him in the coal mine and the send off and the really surprising to me battle animation after he was like extra upright serious? loved all that! i want to play off more on it, so in this nuzlocke 

hes an heir to the coal mines, like his family long time before he was born bought up them all , he like stupid wealthy but had no interest in doing anything business and coal related, but out of a mixture of both fear and respect for his family, he essentially waited for them to knock off to pursuit a career in professional pkmn battling so he started along in his 30s rather than 18 like most trainers in galar do (the trainers are all going to be at least 18 in this thing its so silly you spend a literal hour fighting preschoolers dggggf when has there Ever been that many!!) 

he sold the coal titles over to the government’s transportation sector (so like the trains)(also there are rumours going around about how kabu’s family’s company and rose’s company are connected in some way, same goes for the transportation sector, its no secret the chairman has an energy company tho its that alternative energy), so he doesnt have to bother with it, and in return they sponsor him completely, covering any needs he has so he never has to do anything but train with his pkmn

 he enjoys traveling and studying under pkmn master in other regions, because of this he has many luxury pokemon from other parts of the world! another thing that reflect his multi-regional studies is his gym quest

( a part of me thinks a mining cart mini game would be fun and im bummed out there wasnt one in game but i think it would be more in character if there was just a no frills stair case leading further into the earth, with a trainer under kabu's tutilage standing in the way)

(ability: steam engine, moves: tar shot,high horsepower, ancient power, explosion)

(the terrain triggers the effects of its ability!)

(championship cup thingy: tar shot, ancient power, burn up, explosion) (note: the order of pkmn he sends out is in verse this time so coalsorra last! this is the one he also gigamaxes or w/e, it uses its special one for the big match!)

( like i think kabu, opal and piers are the only characters where it makes sense that they'd have like Gym Trainers under them cause the Lore is like these are sports atheletes whose lively hoods are all wrapped up in pr with challengers threatening to take that from them like,,,why would the younger ones train anyone? like thats silly)

(ninetales has some LAME ASS abilities so kabu’s extra rare ninetales has storm drain cause wouldnt that fuck you up? like oh okay sorry ma’am wont use water gun anymore have a nice night, probs like vulpixs that live in urban areas of like unova)

(ability: storm drain, moves:spite, will-o-wisp, grudge, mystic fire)

(the cup: spite, mystic fire, grudge, fire blast)

(in kabu's case its because thats how its done in eastern regions and its both a nod to his ethnic heritage (rather than being from another region straight up more like his moms family is, giving him more connections to the plot) and to his abroad training) 

(ability: flash fire, moves: extreme speed, flame wheel, retaliate,fire blitz)

(cup update: extreme speed, fire blitz, wild charge, double-edge)

(each gym trainer has one pkmn, each level you go down gets hotter which boosts fire moves and reduces damage to water, ice, grass and normal, something like its warm, its hot, its very hot! with very hot having a chance to inflict burn on any pkmn not part fire type)

(after you finish up with very hot, you enter kabu's stadium, which is a platform surrounded by lava and the terrain is like steaming with coal mounds, theres a safe place for you to stand but not much protection else wise, also ive been imaging like a protective thin see through barrier around the crowd thats like protects them from the battle, sometimes it does crack and strain but its never broken before, mr mimes probs put them up)

(ability: speed boost, moves: double kick, dual chop, dynamic punch, mega kick)

(cup update: it evos into the mega form cause i prefer the design and it matches kabu’s motif! in verse i think the mega forms will be treated like rare alt forms you can get when you have pkmn with the hidden abilites so you dont need the z stone to have them and theyre perma as an evo, moves: blaze kick, sky upper cut, dual chop, brave bird)

 (n was right)

(ability: magician, moves: future sight,howl, heat wave,wish)

(cup update: future sight, psyshock, heat wave, wish)

(cinderace is making me appreciate delphoxs design more lmao)

(note: while the rest of the order is reversed in the cup, delphox always goes second to last)

(any pokemon that isnt fire or have levitate take damage on the terrain each turn thats equivalent to ember kinda like hail or sandstorm but for fire-type, the air being very hot also has a chance of inflicting burn, i have more nit and grit about like air and fire terrian but i think ill save it for when i get to that!)

(ability: flame body, moves: wrap, bug bite, fire fang, coil) (just like In The Game he makes this cutie extra big and uses that special attack, i keep picturing it like a bonus attack you pick when you enlarge them rather than what it actually is, im sure the hypothetical battle emulator will deal with that)

(cup update: this sweet baby goes first! moves: wrap, bug bite, lunge, fire lash)

(its also shiny! it matches kabu!)

[tumblunni]

I LOVE YOKAI WATCH SO MUCH

All these monsters are just so soft and the music is great and there's so much craftsmanship put into the environments i keep finding new tiny lil secret animations for stuff?? Like when you go into houses you take off or put on your shoes, when you cross the street you press the button on the traffic lights, when you run and stop real fast you do a slide, YOU CAN RUN UP AND SLIDE DOWN ACTUAL SLIDES, you can sneak behind houses to find secret routes and crawl underneath stuff cos youre short, when yoy run too much ypu get winded for a few seconds, and ONLY JUST NOW i discovered you can use all the equipment in the school's outdoor gym field by walking up against it, and theres several shortcuts because of this! You can climb up the rope strengtg test thingie and then POLE VAULT OVER THE WALL holy shit this kid is hella reckless but i appeciate cutting a good two minutes off my commute across the town.

And can i say that the idea of an open world town game is really really fuckin good?? Its just like all those open world explorations except its in an urban area instead. Like this town is HUGE! And theres so many hidden areas in alleyways behind houses and roads under roads and stuff. Lots of places where they placed a treasure chest in just the right spot to say "hey this area is reachable!" and then yoy have such a great time figuring out how! And so much is already open just at the start of the game, ive got totally sucked into this!! I've already found a few places thatre clearly intended for later in the game but they open up JUST enough early on for you to get a taste and feel hyped to come back later!! There's a sewer dungeon and a mine tunnel dungeon that you can just get one floor into and see hints of where theres treasure chests or boss enemies you'll someday be able to reach! And aaaa ive had this delay in the lp's progress cos i got so sucked into finding all the yokai currently available. Thats the BEST part of the open world town stuff! You dont just find monsters as random encounters or in special supernatural areas, the whole damn slogan of the thing is Yokai Are Everywhere! You're encouraged to search under vending machines, cars, windowsills, plantpots, flowerbeds, trees, lakes, sewers, trash cans and goddamn everything!!! All the actual town stuff in the town is a monster spawning spot, and the randomized nature of it means theres always a reason to run around town even if youve already been somewhere. There's always only (for example) three or four trashcans around the town that have Dimmy, out of like 15. And you have a radar system to track them down so its super fun! And then theres some rare spots which are kinda frustrating, like hungramps only in the cardboard box in one alleyway and pupsicle only in one of tge many ponds which honestly doesnt make sense. That one took the longest to grind! Oh and there's the weirdness of Slush's recolour Droplet which is THE SAME COLOUR except slightly darker! Its only rare cos you dont notice when you got one, lol. Apparantly it has an even rarer version but that one's bright red, thankfully! Cant get that one yet tho, otherwise id keep grinding for even more hours lollll

Aaaa my heart just feels so full when i play this game! It really captures the fun of exploring new places as a kid! Sucks that im not allowed to run arpund collecting cute snails now i'm an adult, but this captures the feeling of it more than pokemon does. Its possibly the reason why pokemon go was so monumentally popular? But i think this captures the feeling of more interactively SEARCHING for your monsters while also having the actual substance to back it up and keep you playing. Also it has such loving replication of childhood! I already mentioned the cute animations giving personality to your kid, but there's also the little touch that currency is in kiddy bucks. I.e. you gain smaller amounts of pennies from all money sources, and working up to £5 feels like 4000g in other games. Tho ive actually been grinding so long that i have £400 now! Im spending it on food to give all my monster friends!!! THEY ALL HAVE FAVOURITE FOODS AAA IM FEEDING A SENTIENT WALL A POT NOODLE one of the monsters is a fake wall with legs yo these designs are SO cute! Bit of a missed opportunity tho that its just a random find in grassy areas when it could have been its own minigame maybe? Like, test how well youre memorizing this giant map by having one out of place wall appear somewhere and you need to find it. There's a hide and seek minigame in every game this company's ever made so i'll be sad if there's not one here!

Aaaanyway the wall is the last yokai i need to grind for and then FINALLY i will resume the goddamn tutorial and get past the first story event, lol. Really i feel like they shouldnt have opened up the world so much so early, ive got sooooo sidetracked by joy~!

The lil wall guy is named Noway aaa i love them...

Oh oh oh and ive accidentally got attatched tp some yokai i didnt really like the designs of, cos the way they play in battle is so creative and useful! Currently my big pal is Leadoni ("lead-on" + oni aka goblin). Theyre a weird kinda mehh design thats a neat concept but the execution is weird. Cos their supernatural power is making you get lost, they have one giant hand doing a beckoning gesture, and one tiny one waving a little flag. But what makes the design meh to me is that otherwise the design is just 100% a generic cutesy oni like in any other game. So it looks kinda extra gross to have a massive muscley hand on a tiny child thing. I feel like the more cutesy you make the body the more creepy that hand is, lol! But its really useful in battle cos it leads enemies astray too, it takes attacks that were originally targeting its teammates. Thats just so kind!!! So i feel bad that i named mine Doomfist and Foomdist XD i didnt expect id use them so much! But i like that the game is so good it made me go "aww kind babby" even for the one design that looked legit scary to me. BABBY PROTECTS THEY FAMBLY AAAAA

God i love this game...

[allbeendonebefore]

What are your favourite head/canon things about Alberta

[cracks knuckles] [stretches fingers]

so i’ll just start with a disclaimer - i use sherry’s/iamp/whatever alberta and i realize ive been getting a lot of followers who are part of rp groups and whatever or people who might be interested in adding some depth to their own ocs so feel free to like… think about these things if you want if you’re thinking of doing an alberta oc?? I guess

so since that mysterious slash implies what are my fave canonical things about AB too I’ll say that there isn’t much- I go with what sherry says on canon rather than IAMP and PC because while there are a lot of things I had influence over in both projos there are a lot of things I would have done differently so we’ll start with the bio

Canon Stuff

literally all the things are accurate sooo its hard lol. Obviously the political situation has changed and the economic situation is its usual rollercoaster (WELL… but thats another time). I gotta say that the ‘alberta beef is the best thing that’s ever happened to me’ is really hitting home right now because i didnt realize how SPOILED i was by AAA beef until I got to Ontario ToT (ngl the pork here is super good and saves me money but the BEEF aAAA)

also my edmonton bias shines through at ‘he hates a part of himself called calgary’ thats by far my second fave B)))

Headcanon Stuff

ok where to start I will try to not make this an essay and i can elaborate more if you’re curious

- a lot of people will wonder about whether a province lives in the capital or the biggest city etc. and I have to say in Bertie’s case it is NEITHER. He’d never willingly live in (d)E(a)dmonton (sorry ed ilu) because Ed represents Government which he Hates and while he would spend a fair bit of time in Calgary he gets claustrophobic/exhausted - he still in my mind represents more of the rural bits of the province than the cities. I think he might move around a little, but he probably lives on a ranch between both cities but within sight of the mountains. I’m sure he has a place to stay in each city, but he’s a country boy at heart and appreciates his space, peace and quiet. 

- Particularly space because Where else is he going to keep his 3 trucks + 2 ATVs + horses + 100000 cows + boat + canoe + kayak + all his camping junk + motorbikes + dirtbikes + tractor + other junk that people leave at his place

- that said his ‘birthplace’ is the southern ‘half’ of the province so he tends to kind of hover around there more- as i said he owns a ranch rather than a farm because the Quality Ranch Land is in the south and the Good Farm Land is in the north (and being eaten up by ugly houses ugh)

- still I think he spends a fair amount of time working up north in the Fort Mac area because Why Not make All the money. Even if you’re a rancher boy in the middle of nowhere, everyone in this province has ties to the oil industry one way or another. It wouldn’t make sense for him NOT to work in Oil and Gas because it’s literally the only job in the province lmao.

- His driving playlist consists of: Dean Brody, Corb Lund, Keith Urban, Ian Tyson, and the obligatory Nickelback which he listens to Un-ironically but also to piss off/drown out passengers when they’re annoying him

- He’s easily annoyed. By Everything. And Everyone. He’s the current national scapegoat and he takes it Extremely Personally depending on the context but also he has a relatively affectionate relationship with everyone and usually expresses his affection by pointed jabs. 

- like he literally gets along with everyone on a personal level and not just because he buys them drinks- his worst relationships are probably with BC and Ontario and that’s just because he lives to irritate them and they respond with an appropriate amount of salt. He still doesnt mind hanging out with them and bc/ab/on/qc is an unstoppable team. He just gets extremely sensitive when anyone asks to borrow money from him and will give you an earful of ‘i work SO HARD for this money to put FOOD on YOUR TaBLe’

- generally really tight fisted with money………. only when other people are looking. he makes a big deal about how little he spends on essential services and you just look at him like ‘so you’re saying you have the money to get all this crap for this rodeo coming up but you dont have the money to take yourself to the hospital after’ and hes like [coughs up blood anime style] ‘im ok i have whiskey and benadryl at home’ [adjusts his diamond studded hat]

- really big on loyalty and straightforward conversations and has NO patience for any hypocrisy or doublespeak no matter how small. The slightest of things can send him reeling with Betrayal. Also this makes him either tight lipped or TMI, there is no in between. 

- like literally reeling he’s very top heavy and you could blow him over with a sneeze, he’s all bark and only some bite. When he’s good he’s Real Good but when he’s bad he’s like a foot in the grave bad

- he’s the baby of the prairie bros but also the one with the brains- and i don’t mean in an academic sense i mean in the ‘so crazy it just might work’ sense. 

- literally he’s an idiot he doesnt understand how equalization payments work no matter how many times you explain it to him. He doesn’t understand a lot of things re: the economy but he never shuts up about them. 

- the easiest way to piss him off is to threaten his autonomy in any way, he will stop whatever he’s doing to put a boot up yer ass if you Dare suggest something like ‘why don’t you let ontario/canada take care of that for you’ even if he knows the way he’s doing something is garbage he will go out of his way to keep doing it because its ‘my way or the highway’. 

- ‘why do you have all those guns’ ‘oh you know hunting deer and stuff’ [really its because he’s terrified a rat is going to sneak into his barn or something] [but he does actually hunt] [and he’s the type of guy to have the ‘trespassers will be shot’ signs]

- I haven’t figured out WHAT truck he drives yet but i am PROUD OF HIM for no longer putting truck nuts on it, THANK GOD that went out of fashion. (That said he does not have the stacks- his truck is lifted and Shiny and also has a handful of Alberta Strong decals/stickers.) Newf probably gave him a sticker of “The Rock” or a nfld flag and he Loves it. On a scale of most to least obnoxious trucks its Mac - Bert - Cal - Ed. It’s probably a white truck.

- i should think about things he loves more, this headcanon list is mostly things that make him angry oops xDD he loves animals a lot, and not just to eat i swear. The bigger and the more horns the better.

- he really loves driving a lot, it’s like a big part of his independence factor. I think sometimes he will just drive aimlessly late at night/early morning when it’s not busy and just go and find somewhere to look at the sky.

- he looooves digging up fossils in his spare time, or just interesting rocks in general. If you say the words animatronic dinosaur he is ALREADY THERE

- he watches a lot of sci fi and really loves star trek. So Much. he’s totally attempted mowing crop circles in his lawn/fields probably multiple times. he’s still waiting for the ufos to come land. Also has a thing for spooky places and cryptids and those weird inexplicable twilight-zone like events that only happen on road trips. did i mention the Giant Roadside Attractions. 

- he has this persona of being a traditional/small-and-big-c conservative but he’s actually really into innovation and trying new things, meeting new people, etc. He interacts with so many different people lately that he’s trying to take the time to really re-evaluate himself and move away from the Klein-era “Severely Normal People” image because it doesn’t reflect him. The issue is he’s more likely to vote on economy rather than social issues so his actual progressiveness gets hidden by lack of political representation (and lets be honest he has Always hated politics). He’s got a lot of crap to sort through but he catches people who underestimate him off guard.

- was probably raised methodist/protestant/whatever but is mostly pretty secular, but he has some definite strong holdovers that make him uncomfortable about certain subjects and his first reaction to being uncomfortable is always anger.

- completely oblivious to being hit on or something or really gay situations around him but is that type of person who is like [cant walk too close to another dude because what if it looks gay bro].

- his fave cow is named buttercup

- he has definitely woken up after a night out with friends naked and alone duct taped to an air mattress and floating in the middle of a lake. true story. 

- he will macgyver his way out of any situation. doesn’t mind getting down and dirty in the mud when it’s necessary. exactly the type of person to shove his hands in bitumen and squish it around or to pick up a rock and lick it or to shove a thermometer up a cow. When he gets squeamish he does his best to be bullheaded and pretend like Nothing is Wrong until he faints. 

- his french is crap but he Tries- the french he knows is backwater northern AB french which he’s too shy to bring up so he feigns ignorance. His german is good and his ukrainian is passable, his spanish is fine, he’s trying to get the hang of some other languages but doesn’t tell anyone he’s practicing because he hates getting made fun of xD

- the hat and boots are Absolutely to make him look taller than he actually is. He doesn’t wear inserts but he does make sure the sole/heel on any boot he buys is Thick. Smol insecure man with a Big hat. Will spend 300 bucks on shoes, but he actually does ride/work so its an investment for him. 

- heads to Arizona/Mexico in the winter when he’s not working, otherwise Banff/Jasper are his ‘budget’ vacations lol. 

i love this stupid province pls ask if you have any more questions because i love to talk and i feel like i’ve said too much already lol

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Bugging Out What it Means, How to Plan for It, and When to Leave

Bugging Out

Bugging out is a common term among preppers and people in the preparedness community. On its face, its a simple concept, leave you home when theres a disaster or emergency, but its much more complicated than that.

What does bugging out mean? Bugging out is when someone leaves their home because of an impending emergency or emergency that is already happening. It gets its name from the scattering of bugs when you turn on the light or try to step on them and they scatter in all directions.

If youre interested in bugging out then you should keep reading. Theres a lot of nuance involved in bugging out intelligently and effectively.

Table of Contents

Bugging Out

What Is Bugging Out

Why is it called bugging out?

Why would you bug out?

What do you need to bug out?

Bug Out Bags

Urban Bug Out Bags

Rural Bug Out Bags

Common Bug Out Bag Questions

Do I need a bug out bag?

How long should a bug out bag last?

What should be in your bug out bag?

How heavy should a bug out bag be?

Bug Out Locations

What to Look for in a Bug Out Location

Getting to Your Bug Out Location

Bug Out Vehicles

Bug Out Trailers

Roof Racks

Bikes

Weapons While Bugging Out

Types of Weapons for Bugging Out

Other Things to Consider When Bugging Out With Weapons

Bug Out Plan

Before You Need to Bug Out

The Last-Minute/No Notice Bug Out

Bugging Out With a Few Hours Notice

Bugging Out With a Couple of Days or More to Prepare

Conclusion

What Is Bugging Out

Bugging out is when you pack up your family, load as many supplies as you can into your vehicles and leave your home. Its not an ideal situation, but when you bug out it should be the lesser of two evils.

Im probably going to end up saying this a lot, bugging out should be a last resort! Dont live somewhere where youre going to need to bug out as soon any kind of problem happens. You home should be a safe place that can keep you and your family safe in all but the most dangerous situations.

Why is it called bugging out?

The term bugging out is believed to come from the Korean War during several instances of massive retreats that occurred during the war. It probably came from the 1930s commercials that showed bugs fleeing in front of a giant foot thats about to crush them or in reference to the way bugs scatter when theyre found.

Its a creative piece of slang that means retreat or relocate to a place thats safe, or less dangerous.

Why would you bug out?

The exact reason that someone would bug out is going to be different for everyone. Some people are going to plan to bug out as soon as theres any threat of social unrest in the area and others arent even going to consider it until its simply too late. You should aim for somewhere in the middle.

Examples of events that may cause you to bug out:

Pandemic

Financial Collapse

Civil Unrest

Natural Disasters

Foreign Military Occupation

Martial Law

Any event that would make living in your home or apartment unsustainable is a reason to bug out.

What do you need to bug out?

In order to bug out, you should have a packed bug out bag for each member of your family, a bug out location, a vehicle to get you to that bug out location and a bug out plan.

Bug Out Bags

A bug out bag should make up the backbone of your basic bug out plan. It should include everything that you need to get from your home to your bug out location and nothing more.

When you bug out you should be in a vehicle, but you need to plan your bug out bag so you can carry it on your back the entire way. This is the worst-case scenario, so its what were planning for.

The thing that you really need to keep in mind is that a bug out bag needs to be minimalistic. Pack only what you need not what you think will be nice to have. If you want to have nice to have stuff while youre bugging out then put that stuff in a tote that you can load into your vehicle and get rid of if you end up needing more room later on.

These are the essentials that you must have in a bug out bag:

Backpack

Water

Food

Shelter

First Aid Kit

Urban Bug Out Bags

If you live in an urban environment, then youre much more likely to have to bug out than someone that lives in the suburbs or in a rural area. With so many people jammed into cities and literally living on top of each other, theres just a lot more that can go wrong. Even seemingly small disasters can turn into full-blown riots pretty quickly and with little to no warning.

This makes an urban bug out bag one of the most important things for people who want to be prepared in the city.

I normally recommend that you build an urban bug out bag in a way that draws as little attention to it as possible. You dont want it to be obvious that youre carrying a lot of supplies on your back if there are looters or hungry people around.

Rural Bug Out Bags

If you live in a rural area, I think youre a lot less likely to ever use your bug out bag, but that doesnt mean that its not still important. If youre planning to be able to bug out, start with a bug out bag no matter where you live.

I consider rural bug out bags to be a little easier to put together than an urban bug out bag. You dont really need to worry about drawing attention to yourself and you can find a lot more backpacks that are at home in the country than you can backpacks that are big enough to pack everything you need and not draw attention in the city.

Common Bug Out Bag Questions

These are a few questions that always come up when I discuss bug out bags.

Do I need a bug out bag?

If you were reading earlier then you already know that answer to this but the question comes up so often that Im going to touch on it again. A bug out bag should be the foundation that all your other bug out plans grow from. Its the one thing that will always go with you when you bug out, so yes, you really do need one.

How long should a bug out bag last?

Youve probably heard of a bug out bag referred to as a 72-hour kit or 72-hour bag. Does that mean that you should pack for three days? Not necessarily.

Your bug out bag needs to get you from your home to your bug out location on foot. Whatever that time is, then thats how long it needs to last. There is no cut and dry answer thats going to fit everyone.

I like to have a minimal amount of food to last the entire trip and water for the first day or so with a water filter so I can collect more water on the trip. Water is really heavy, so carrying a weeks worth of water just really isnt possible.

What should be in your bug out bag?

The minimum you need to pack in a bug out bag is water, food, shelter, and a first aid kit. There are all kinds of other things that make sense to pack in a bug out bag, but thats beyond the scope of this article. If youre interested in bug out bag ideas I suggest you read this article.

How heavy should a bug out bag be?

I try to get my bug out bag to weigh around 25 lbs. If you go over that its okay but you have to be aware that each pound you add is going to make each step you take all that much more difficult.

When you start getting over 35 lbs you really need to think about what youre taking. Is everything an absolute necessity?

Your bug out bag should keep you alive until you get to your bug out location. It doesnt need to keep you comfortable!

Bug Out Locations

A bug out location is the place that you plan to take your family when you make the decision to bug out. If you have every other part of your bug out plan in place but you dont have a bug out location, then you really dont have a plan at all! Packing everything up and running out of the house with nowhere to go really isnt a plan and couple be disastrous for you and your family.

The good thing is you dont need to buy some piece of property in the mountains to have a bug out location. You can make plans with a family member to go to their property if something goes wrong where you live and they can come to you if something goes wrong there.

If you dont have a family then you can go to a close friends house or even a secluded tract of public land.

With all other things being equal, this is the list of bug out locations in order of desirability:

Land that you own

Property owned by a family member

Property owned by a friend

Secluded public land

Your bug out location needs to be able to support you and your family when you arrive so youll need to preposition food, water, and everything else youll need when you get there. If youre going to a friend or family members house, have them mark and store your food and water for you.

If youre going to try to use public land, which I dont recommend unless its your only option, youre going to want to cache food and water in a way that other people wont find it.

What to Look for in a Bug Out Location

Ideally, youre going to want to go somewhere with a low population, that can support you and your family. You should look for land with trees, wildlife, water, and shelter.

Areas that have extreme weather like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and draughts should be avoided if you can. Extremes in temperature also make the area less desirable.

What to look for in a bug out location:

Mild temps

No extreme weather

Low population

Abundant trees, wildlife, and water

An area that is easily defensible

Doesnt stand out from a commonly traveled roadway

If you live in the U.S. then youre lucky! There are a ton of great areas to bug out to.

Good places to look for bug out locations in the U.S.:

The pacific northwest

The Appalachian mountains

Much of the central plains states

Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and southern Georgia

This is just a quick assessment of the country. You can find a good bug out location pretty much anywhere.

Getting to Your Bug Out Location

After you have a bug out location you need to plan the route that youre going to take to get there. Youre actually going to need several routes planned out.

The main route that you choose should be the easiest and fastest route to your bug out location. Its probably the way that you normally drive there.

Your secondary route should still be pretty direct, but it should take you around areas that may be compromised in the event of a disaster. Go around high crime areas, gang areas, population centers, etc. All of these could get bad in a disaster.

Be creative when youre planning your routes. If youre going to travel on a highway, what happens if that highway is gridlocked?

When youre planning your alternate routes (especially your walking route) look to see if there are man-made paths that you can use. Train tracks or easements cut under high tension power lines can make travel easier than trying to cut through a densely forested area.

Mark everything thats important on hard copy maps. Either print them out or buy them online and keep them with your bug out bag.

I like Rand McNally road atlases and state maps, but you can use any type of map that you prefer.

What to mark on your maps:

The main driving route to your bug out location

The secondary driving route to your bug out location

The main walking route to your bug out location

Routes to take with any alternate transportation you may use (bikes, horseback, motorcycle, dirtbike, etc.)

Areas where you can get more water (lakes, rivers, streams)

Gas stations/stores

Areas where you can find food (fruit trees/bushes, etc.)

Chokepoints (areas that force you to travel through them)

Hazard areas (known gang areas, high crime areas, etc.)

Bug Out Vehicles

There is always a lot of talk about bug out vehicles in the preparedness community. The truth is any vehicle that you have is a bug out vehicle.

You should take all of your vehicles when you bug out unless theres a specific reason not to. This makes it less likely that youll end up stuck on the side of the road if one vehicle breaks down and it also lets you carry a lot more gear.

Obviously, trucks with 4 wheel drive capability and more cargo capacity are better but if you just have a couple of Toyota Camrys you should still take them.

Bug Out Trailers

A trailer gives you a lot more cargo room and smaller cargo trailers can even be pulled by cars if you have a trailer hitch.

I like the idea of having a cargo trailer loaded all the time and ready to go. (I havent done it yet though.) You can pack it with food, water and whatever else you want, then just hook up and drive away if things get bad.

Roof Racks

Roof racks can hold a lot of gear and theyre not nearly as expensive as a trailer. The main drawback of a roof rack is that you cant really have it preloaded like a trailer unless you have it loaded out all the time.

Bikes

Mountain bikes make a great bug out vehicle and theyre a really good way to get around that doesnt need fuel. Consider taking mountain bikes if the roads are (or could be) packed with traffic. The later youre able to get on the road during a bug out, the more likely that youre going to hit traffic from other families trying to do the same thing.

Weapons While Bugging Out

Being able to defend yourself while youre bugging out is obviously extremely important. The areas in-between the place youre bugging out from and your bug out location could be more dangerous than you originally planned for. The same disaster causing you to bug out may have already hit those areas throwing them into chaos.

At a minimum, each adult should have a rifle and be able to use it effectively. If you have children that are old enough to use a rifle, then they should have one as well.

That probably seems a little extreme to some people, but it really isnt. Ideally, no one will even have to touch their weapons and everything will go smoothly. Unfortunately, we cant just plan for the best-case scenario and hope everything goes well. We need to plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Types of Weapons for Bugging Out

Having a rifle is critical. Im of the opinion that you should have an AR-15 or an AK-47 style rifle for everyone in your family or group that can use one. You should also choose one or the other and stick to it. This means that you will all use the same magazines and ammo, and should be able to use the same spare parts if someones weapon goes down.

If you have a pistol to bring with you then you should take that with you as well. A pistol gives you more options when youre bugging out. If you dont want to be seen with a rifle, you can still conceal the pistol and be armed in areas where a rifle would draw unwanted attention from crowds or law enforcement.

Other Things to Consider When Bugging Out With Weapons

A rifle is way more effective than a pistol, period. There are almost no situations where youre better off with a pistol over a rifle. You should always plan to take a rifle with you if its at all possible.

Weapons can draw a lot of attention in populated areas. If youre bugging out from a city you may want to keep your rifle tucked away until you need it or you get far enough away from people that you can start carrying it in the open.

In the past, some areas have declared a state of emergency and used that to confiscate weapons from civilians. In the U.S. this is unconstitutional (making it illegal) but it didnt stop it from happening in the past. In a state of emergency, you may have manned checkpoints that you need to get through so plan accordingly.

Always avoid confrontation if you can. Avoid crowds, dont get into verbal altercations, and definitely dont start fights. Even a minor wound can be life-threatening if you get into a firefight while bugging out.

Bug Out Plan

Bugging out starts a long time before youre actually packing your gear into the car and getting out of town with the family. You should plan your bug out ahead of time so each step of the process goes as smoothly as possible. Its not the time to figure out what you need to take and where youre going while a massive hurricane is bearing down on you.

We all have to understand that the ideal situation often isnt reality. When we plan our bug out, we need to make changes based on what we can afford and the reality of our own situations.

The good thing is that with enough planning and forethought just about anyone can put together a bug out plan that will be successful and not break the bank.

Choose the event or events that will make you bug out and stick to it. If you dont leave when youve decided to, you probably never will. Dont change your mind at the last minute.

Before You Need to Bug Out

Everything up until now has all been part of your bug out preplanning, but theres still some more planning that needs to be done.

Your bug out bag is the minimum that youll take with you when youre bugging out, but if youre driving and have time to load out your vehicle, you should pack as much as you can into it. Everything that you can take will make your life at your bug out location a little better.

Pack the most important items first with the least important items toward the outside so you can reach them easily to get rid of them if you need to make room.

Additional items to pack when bugging out:

Food

Water

Blankets

Sleeping bags

Important documents

Extra ammo

Water Filter

Firestarter

Flashlight and Batteries

First Aid Kit

Warm Clothing

Tarp

Knives

If its at all possible, you should have as much gear packed up and ready to go all the time. For most of us, its probably not possible but packing up what you can and having a good list of the things that you cant keep packed up will make getting everything into your car a lot faster. If you have everything on a list, itll also keep you from forgetting anything when the situation is stressful.

The Last-Minute/No Notice Bug Out

In a last-minute/no notice bug out situation, something has happened that requires you to leave your home immediately. This could be anything from an unforeseen natural disaster to spontaneous social unrest that puts you and your family in danger.

This is the worst-case scenario but also the easiest to plan for.

Actions to take:

Load your bug out bags into your vehicle

Load up your family

Leave ASAP and head toward your bug out location

Bugging Out With a Few Hours Notice

Bugging out with a couple of hours notice is the scenario that I see as the most likely to occur. In this scenario, you can foresee a disaster starting in the next couple of hours and decide you need to bug out.

Actions to take:

Load your bug out bags into your vehicle

Load up any pre-staged food, water, and other gear

Go down your list of other things to take and pack as much as you can

Leave as soon as you can to beat any other people that have the same idea

Bugging Out With a Couple of Days or More to Prepare

I see this scenario playing out if you have your ear to the ground and really know whats going on with local weather or world events. Most of us will still miss the signs but you may get lucky and see something coming.

Consider renting a U-haul truck or trailer if you think something is going to happen in a couple of days. It sounds a little crazy, but if youre sure something is about to happen, then renting a large vehicle that can carry a lot of gear may make sense.

Actions to take:

Load your bug out bags into your vehicle

Load up most of your pre-staged food and water

Start getting your list of items together and position them near the door or in the garage where they can be loaded quickly

Continue going to work and school normally while you wait to see what happens

Make plans for everyone to get home as soon as possible if needed

Leave as soon as you see the situation deteriorating

Conclusion

Bugging out should be one of your last options when a disaster strikes, but you should know how to bug out and how to do it effectively and safely.

Plan before a disaster ever threatens your home. Start by finding a bug out location and building a bug out bag. Map out your routes to your bug out location and mark any locations of interest.

Decide whats going to make you bug out and stick to it! Dont second guess yourself when youre under stress.

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/bugging-out-what-it-means-how-to-plan-for-it-and-when-to-leave

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Supporting Family Members in Need Without Risking Your Own Financial Future

A recently released survey from the Society of Actuaries revealed that most Americans feel its their duty to provide financial support to family members in need. In fact, about two in five Americans have provided such support to a family member during the past year, according to the survey, titled Family Obligations Across Generations(PDF). Its only natural to want to help loved ones. Some financial advisors note that with the ever-increasing cost of education, skyrocketing student loan debt, increased longevity, and the constantly rising cost of housing in many urban centers, obtaining monetary assistance from extended family in order to survive has become increasingly critical. Whats more, most Americans think that assistance should work both ways with parents providing financial support to adult children, and children jumping in to help their aging parents when the need arises. One of the ideas raised by the study however, is that providing such assistance should not jeopardize ones own finances. Easier said than done right? It can be a tricky balancing act when your heart wants to help but your head (and your pocketbook) suggest otherwise. Traditionally, most financial advisors tell their clients not to compromise their own financial situation to help friends or family members, said Misty Lynch, a behavioral financial advisor and certified financial planner with John Hancock. While this is sound advice, it can be very hard to follow especially when it comes to your loved ones. With that in mind, financial experts share their tips for when and how to help a loved one while protecting your own financial future. Start Preparing to Provide Help Early Most parents want to help their children financially, particularly when it comes to funding higher-education. But keep in mind that providing such assistance to children can impact your own retirement if not planned for properly. As a certified financial planner, I know that by compromising my retirement savings to put [my children] through college I run the risk of being a financial burden to them when I am older if I can no longer support myself, said Lynch. So, to do both, I started college savings accounts for both children when they were six weeks old. I put $25 into each childs account automatically every paycheck. There may not be enough to pay for their entire education, but I feel comfortable knowing money is invested for that purpose when they need it. Whats more, starting an education fund early in your childs life with a small amount of money allows you as the parent to continue to fund your retirement at a higher rate, said Lynch. Review Your Bottom Line First Before saying yes to a loved ones request for money, go over your budget and financial picture. This step might even involve speaking with a financial advisor to discuss your income and expenses as well as the family members financial request for support. Answer these questions: Are you able to pay your own bills and consistently put money into a savings account? Do you have extra money that you might otherwise have available for free spending? There are a lot of different tools and calculators available online to help review your finances or you could just sit down and look at your bank statement, said Lynch. And also, ask yourself if you dont get it back, would it strain your relationship? Dont Shortchange Your Retirement If possible, its best to avoid dipping too significantly into your retirement funds, or decreasing your contributions, in order to help family members. Unlike college, there are no scholarships or unsecured loans designed to cover the full cost of retirement, says Joe DePaulo, CEO and co-founder of College Ave Student Loans. And while college lasts for about four years, retirement could be 30 years or more, says DePaulo. Taking from your retirement nest egg or cutting down on your retirement contributions could mean your child will foot the bill in the future. A good rule of thumb is to make sure youre not paying more for your childs college education per month than you are saving for your retirement. Share the Financial End of Caregiving Among Siblings When it comes to supporting aging parents, location can play a big role in who provides the assistance in large families with multiple children. Typically, the person who is physically closest has to do most of the work However, this could eventually cause a rift between siblings if the need increases over time, said Lynch. A good way to keep things from becoming unfair is to share the financial end of caregiving equally or in a way that makes sense between family members. Research Employer and Community Resources Before Making Major Decisions Your employer may offer benefits, such as employee assistance programs that provide information and advice to help you manage your various responsibilities as a caregiver, including financial obligations. Subsidized child care and adult care may also be a benefit that you can take advantage of when needed, said Lynch. Explore the benefits at your company and talk to others about your situation at work. There may be help available that you arent aware of. Employer sponsored programs arent the only avenue to consider when searching for ways to ease the financial burden associated with helping family members. Anna Rappaport, of the Society of Actuaries, suggests looking for community resources as well. Think about community resources and how to get things done so it doesnt cost so much money, some people are a lot more resourceful than others, said Rappaport, who is chair of the SOAs Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program. Area agencies on aging are a very good place to find out whats available in your community and at modest cost. Know When to Say No There are certainly times when its appropriate to decline to provide financial support for a family member, as hard as that might be. Determining when to say yes or no may depend on a variety of factors, including your values, your financial situation, and the specific request being made. If you really cant afford it, I think its important not to support someone else, said Lynch. Its also important to say no if what theyre doing with the money is not something you support or if its conflicting with other goals and beliefs you have. In other words, while its important to help, its also important to set limits, said Rappaport. A senior should take care of themselves first, while still trying to help others, said Rappaport. Bottom Line: Dont Feel Guilty Family is a critical part of the fabric of society and theres nothing wrong with helping your children, parents, and other loved ones in a financial bind. The key is to find the right balance between providing that assistance and maintaining your own safety net, say financial experts. I think everyone is feeling the impact of the increased cost of living at some level, whether they are the ones who have to help someone else or are the ones who are in need the help, said Lynch. Its natural to want to help. You should not feel guilty. On paper it may not be a good idea, but if there are ways to contribute without impacting yourself too much, its more important than saying I cant do this.' Mia Tayloris an award-winning journalist with more than two decades of experience. She has worked for some of the nations best-known news organizations, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the San Diego Union-Tribune. More byMia Taylor: https://www.thesimpledollar.com/supporting-family-members-in-need-without-hurting-your-own-financial-future/

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9 indoor-outdoor flooring ideas

( bulthaup by Kitchen Architecture/ Houzz)

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The benefits of indoor-outdoor living are clear the calmnes of nature and the beauty of fresh air brought right into your home but it can be tough to feeling connected to the outdoors in a more urban environment. A great way to boost the link between inside and out is with seamless flooring that bridges the gap by creating visual harmony. Check out these nine ideas.

1. Bring the outside in . A great way to stimulate your interior feel as if its outside is to choose a material you would typically use on a patio, like flagstones, and use them for your interior flooring too. This works particularly well in a solarium addition.

Flagstones are porous, so they will require a sealant. The sealant will help protect the stone from these components outside, and from stains and other injury in your kitchen or living space. Select a solvent-based sealant for outdoors you can use it indoors too.

RELATED: Discover Your Alternatives With the Help of a Flooring Professional

2. Blur the boundary . A clever design trick is to use one material for the majority of the kitchen and then simply a few feet before the kitchen ends switch material to the same or similar as your outdoor flooring. Its the perfect way to create a pleasing visual disarray between inside and out.

Tailor the materials to suit your design, from teak flooring with limestone tiles inside, external slate tiles with wood-effect panels, or perhaps even a herringbone brick pattern with parquet flooring inside.

3. Follow the grain . Its unlikely youll find a wood you want to put indoors that will also work outdoors. Many of the woods typically used in interiors, such as oak, pine and ash, simply arent weatherproof enough for external utilize, and its unusual to consider the more durable hardwoods, such as teak and ipe, used indoors.

If youre set on using natural woods for both indoors and out, you may find that you have to go for different types. But you can create a sense of cohesion by ensuring that the planks run in the same direction( toward the garden will result the eye out) and are cut to the same width.

You could try a weathered teak outside and silvery pine inside, or a white oak with cypress decking, or you may want to contrast a silvery wood, such as weathered teak, with something a little richer, such as oak.

4. Try a wood-look material . If you love the seem of real wood but would prefer something properly weatherproof and hard-wearing, choose from one of todays wood-effect options that can work as well outside as in.

You could go for wood-imitating porcelain tiles, or try specialist exterior wood veneer panels, such as those by ProdEx, which have a real wood surface but a Bakelite core. Pick from a range of wood consequences, from silvery Scandinavian pine to rich, red-toned cherry.

RELATED: Browse More Patio Ideas and Photos

5. Maintain it simple . If youre after a functional floor that doesnt draw the eye too much, go for a natural stone or natural-effect tiles. It would be easy enough to continue this into your garden and genuinely give the outside space the sense of being an additional room on the house.

Hard-wearing porcelain tiles are a brilliant selection for bridging within and outside spaces since they are tough, weatherproof and widely available with a slip-resistant finish very handy for the garden element.

6. Go for all-over gray . Dark gray floor tiles, perhaps a slate or another darknes stone, are great for connecting indoors with out. They offer a sleek contrast to greenery outside and appear smart inside plus theyre less likely to show muddy footprints!

Travertine and slate run particularly well outside, thanks their durability, but you can use limestone and sandstone too simply make sure that theyre properly sealed, and remember to use a solvent-based sealant rather than a water-based one. All natural stones benefit from sealants, but be wary of using granite and marble outside, since they can be very slippery when wet.

7. Say yes to concrete . You dont inevitably require identical floor finishes stretching from indoors to out to create a breezy, free-flowing space if you choose matching tones.

You can use the same material is available in two different formats. For instance, a poured concrete floor inside the kitchen area is chic and urban, and can merge nearly seamlessly with oversize paving slabs, in the same pale gray, that encompasses the garden patio.

RELATED: Find the Right Glass Door for Your Patio

A concrete sealant will make it weatherproof and help to protect it against grease, oils and other spills. It can be applied by roller or spray to dry and entirely cured cement( allow at the least 28 days after its laid ). Its best to go for two thin and even coats, applying the second one in the opposite direction to the first.

8. Improve a garden room . If youre luck enough to have a garden room or converted shed, enhance its mood by expand the floor out to skirt the building so that when the doors are thrown open wide, you cant quite tell whats inside and whats out.

Remember to choose a material that can work both inside and out, which may entail a treated natural stone, a weatherproof wood, porcelain tiles or expert exterior vinyl tiles.

RELATED: Want to Add Solar Panels to Your Home? Find a Pro to Help

9. Stick to the same palette . If youre looking to create a connection between inside and out, but dont want to go for exactly the same material or style, create the connection by choosing materials in the same tonal coloring palette.

Indoors, opt for patterned porcelain or cement tiles that draw out something of the natural stone used outside, or vinyl flooring in a similar coloring palette to a hardwood deck.

Read more:

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Inside Peru’s modern-day Machu Picchu is this the best new building in the world?

The soaring buttresses and hanging walkways of UTEC in Lima have earned it the RIBA international prize. And Grafton Architects, the Irish team behind it, have equally big plans for Britain

Listening to Irish architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara speaking about their work, you could be forgiven for thinking they were describing a dramatic mountain range, or the rocky coasts of County Clare. They talk of cliff faces, summits and ravines, of spaces being carved and cleft to form grottos, overhangs and terraces. When you encounter their buildings, it becomes apparent why: they feel like structures that have been wrestled into shape with geological force.

The result of their latest tectonic rupture was recently crowned best new building in the world, having been awarded the inaugural RIBA international prize in December. This was a suitably momentous accolade for a vast concrete monolith that doesnt pull its punches. Perched dramatically on the edge of a ravine that rises above a motorway in Peru, the Universidad de Ingeniera y Tecnologa (UTEC) is a symphony of soaring buttresses and daring cantilevers, an apt home for Limas new university of engineering, where students will learn the art of mining minerals from the Earths crust.

No starchitect hubris Shelley McNamara, left, and Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects. Photograph: Luke Walker

Were interested in weight, says McNamara, 64, who founded Grafton Architects with Farrell, 65, as a co-operative in 1978. For us, the enjoyment in architecture is the sense of weight being borne down or supported, the feeling of moving within the forces of gravity. Its a very primal need.

Its certainly a feeling that will be impressed upon the students walking into UTEC on their first day of term. Great structural fins march along the spine of the building at 20-metre intervals, supporting a vertiginous stack of laboratories and classrooms, rising up either side of a nave-like void that runs through the centre of the complex. Looking up, you get a thrilling view of intersecting concrete beams and slabs, an aerial ballet of staggered terraces connected by flying walkways and leaping staircases. Given the amenable climate, it is all open to the elements, allowing coastal breezes to flow through the atrium, and the sounds and smells of the street to bleed into the building.

Primal UTECs urban setting in Lima. Photograph: Iwan Baan

Its an extension of the city, says Farrell, describing how most people in Lima still build their own homes, pouring the concrete themselves (more cement is sold on the domestic market in Peru than in the commercial one). The result is a city of densely terraced, stepping rooftops clinging to the hillsides. We needed to make something at a heroic scale, she adds, but which also had intimacy and a range of smaller spaces where students could retreat.

Within this mountain of infrastructure, which looks like a fragment of an ancient colosseum, there are little nooks and patio gardens, sheltered places to be alone and enjoy the view out over the city. Drawing on the ancient terraced landscape tradition of Peru, they have crafted a modern-day Machu Picchu.

Located in the Barranco district, the building acts as a buffer between the busy highway and a quiet residential area, forming an urban cliff that will eventually extend 360 metres along (the completed building is the first of three phases). In its uncompromisingly muscular form, it might feel like a bit of a throwback to an earlier, brutalist era. There are definite echoes of the Alexandra Road estate in north London, designed by Neave Brown in the 1960s, and the stepped concrete fortress of the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury. Proposing this kind of megastructure might suggest the sort of dogmatic self-assurance of postwar planning, but Farrell and McNamara have nostarchitect hubris. They are unusual in that they dont present a project as a fait accompli, or the inevitable right answer to a brief or site.

We never really know what were doing when we start, McNamara admits. We like to create spaces you couldnt design consciously, things that just happen somehow. Rather than thinking of a space and then finding a structure for it, we make a structure and that, in turn, makes a space. They say they are interested in the spaces in between, which havent been asked for in the brief and describe their architecture as a kind of scaffolding, a non-prescriptive framework on which lives and events can be played out.

UTEC feels like a gigantic armature with the teaching spaces slotted in, a sense that gives it an ancient, almost ruined quality. Over time, its grey concrete bones will accrue a layer of the surrounding desert dust, lending it the warm earthy hue of the citys older concrete structures, and adding to the primal feel.

The RIBA prize may have put Grafton in the spotlight, but they are no strangers to international gongs. They won the inaugural World building of the year award in 2008 for their Universita Luigi Bocconi building in Milan, clad in sheer walls of stone that appear to slip and slide past each other, while their sharply chiselled medical school and student accommodation for the University of Limerick was shortlisted for the Stirling prize in 2013.

Graftons Universita Luigi Bocconi building in Milan, Italy. Photograph: Paolo Tonato

Graftons tectonic power will soon be coming to London, with two substantial buildings currently in the works. Toning down the Richter scale to a level palatable for leafy suburbs, their Town House for Kingston University will be a handsome civic addition to the campus, providing teaching spaces and cafes arranged on cascading terraces around a central courtyard, with an open colonnade to the street to invite in the public.

Eschewing raw concrete for a polite palette of reconstituted stone and brick, in a nod to nearby Hampton Court Palace, the building will nonetheless share UTECs feeling of an open framework to encourage a fluid overlapping of activities. It was initially refused planning likened to a second world war flak tower by the council planning committee but further explanatory drawings thankfully convinced them there was nothing to be afraid of.

Paul Marshall Building, London School of Economics connecting street building landscape and sky Credit Grafton Architects Photograph: Image courtesy of Grafton Architects

In the even more curtain-twitching environment of Lincolns Inn Fields, across the square from the Sir John Soane Museum, Grafton are honing their designs for a new faculty building for the London School of Economics, which will turn this corner of London into a showcase of the best of Irish architecture, given that ODonnell and Tuomeys twisted brick Eiger, the LSE Student Centre, stands next door.

Taking inspiration from the atmospheric fan-vaulted undercroft of the 1600s Lincolns Inn Chapel, Grafton Architects have proposed an internal structure that appears to grow in branching, tree-like umbrellas as it rises through the building. Spiralling staircases will corkscrew down the multiple levels, landing on a gently sloping open plaza, conceived as an extension of the public realm outside. The pair describe the space as having a similar quality to the Royal Festival Hall or the British Library, acoustically as well as visually, again revealing their attention to crafting spaces with an awareness of all the senses.

Their 25-person office (still small for a company engaged in projects of this scale) is also working on a big telecoms institute in Paris, a university of economics in Toulouse and a new city library in their home town of Dublin, all won through competitions, while the duo somehow find time to teach at the Swiss architecture school of Mendrisio, no doubt at home in the craggy surrounds.

It feels like a monastery, says Farrell of the building. A place where theres more time for conversations about how each place is unique and why architectures role is to heighten that, not to smother it.

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