#grizzly ii

[basketballjersey]

[thevideodungeon]

Grizzly II: Revenge (2020)

A movie that sat on the shelf for 37 years, and was not worth the wait. It seems like they were just shy of enough footage for a complete movie, leading to a substantial about of its short run time being taken up with excessive padding footage. Seriously, there are so many extended shots of the concert and sweeping drone shots of the forest. At least they actually had a properly giant bear prop this time.

4/10

[winterarmyy]

Plot Twist | Part I

An arranged marriage with mafia!bucky.

Run-through: I just need to get this out of my system. Most of arranged marriage mob/mafia!au I've read has a strong/bratty reader. And a really mean/asshole Bucky. Which is absolutely fine btw but its getting repetitive for me. I wanted to see a reader who's actually soft but fierce when she wants to be. And Bucky who is generally cold and seems to be married to his job but notices small things that the reader do, thus subconsciously started to care about her. They don’t hate each other, nor do they are infatuated. I don’t know if this exist, so I decided write it myself just in case. Enjoy!

Navigation: Part I | Part II | Part III* (end) | Extra

Words: 1.1k++

Pairing: beefy mafia!bucky x female!reader

Warnings: just fluffy and wholesome stuff here. Nothing graphic or explicit.

P/S: I like to write in 3rd pov btw. There's a few mentions of y/n sometimes too. Beware of the grammar mistakes, English is not my first language. This might be 2-3 parts type of fic, so tell me what you think so far.

Read my other works here: Masterlist

“He's late.”

The soft clinking sounds of his rings colliding with each other and onto the dresser woke her up from her deep slumber. Though her body remained still, her mind continued to wonder,

“Late. Again.”  She thought.

The sound of fabrics rustling about hinted her of what was happening beyond her closed eyes. The shut of the bathroom door confirmed her speculations.

“So, what if he came back home late? Why does it concern you?” She questioned herself.

Only a fool would believe if she said that she didn't care at all about the whereabout and well-being of this man. He is her husband after all.

Six months ago, she stood on the alter with that man. They swore an oath. They sealed the kiss. He was hers and she was his.

James Buchanan Barnes; Bucky was what he preferred to called. He is what every man wants to become, and every woman wants to be with.

An Adonis of a man; impossibly tall, 6'5"; body armored with thick layer of muscles. Bucky is huge, that if he trapped her against the wall, she might just see the resemblance of him to a grizzly bear. His dark hair flowed just above his shoulder and his steel blue eyes were as cold as his personality.

Though she wouldn't compare him to a frozen blizzard during the winter, he was more like the first day of snow, when the white flakes started to fall.

Cold enough to make you shiver and warm enough to lure you out but most importantly, obscenely beautiful.

However, of course, the main reason of the marriage set up by her father was not because of how beautiful he is, but to fulfil his hunger for power. As if the territories that their family has wasn't enough, her father arranged this union to extend his reign.

Y/N protested at first but knew better than to fight against her father. Being raised in such family, at a very young age she learned to think always ahead; pass the emotions and intuitions. What's the rational and logical way to solve a problem.

Took her a week to wrap her head around the matter, research about Barnes and go through the agreement between her father and her then husband to be. Barnes had listed some main demands regarding the union and although most of them were about their business, but one particular demand had caught her attention.

“After marriage, the couple must be faithful to one another. Any romantic/sexual relationships prior must be severed/resolved immediately. Failed to do so will result to termination of the contract.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” She thought.

Not that she was in any relationship at the time, and all the research result to possibly positive outcome. So, in the end, she complied.

Which then explained why she was sleeping in Bucky's bed six months later.

“I know you're awake.” Bucky's gravel voice startled her internal thoughts. She could feel the indentation of the mattress on his side of the bed, the fresh and clean scent wafting from him. She nearly purred from a sniff of it.

She slowly opened her eyes as if she was trying to peep and god what a sight to see after a restless sleep; Bucky's idea of pajamas was basic pants and nothing above and Y/N didn’t know what to feel about that. Does she hate it? Absolutely not. Does she like it? Well, he is easy on the eye indeed.

The room was dimly lit, but she could see his slightly damp hair; it looked longer than it is dry. Her eyes followed the outline of his body leaning against the bed. The soft light reflected on his metal arm particularly follows the gold lines decorating the dark surface.

She often had intrusive thoughts of tracing the lines; what would it feel like against her fingertips. Does he feel anything? Is it cold? Will it feel good? 

“You do know that it’s a waste your time to wait for me, right?” He huffed a heavy breath. She could hear the fatigue in his sigh.

And how does Bucky know that she waited for him before admitting her defeat to the drowsiness? Somehow, Bucky always managed to know things, to the littlest matter, even when he’s million miles across the world.

Just like when she found a copy of Pride and Prejudice on the bed a few months ago. The day before she received it, her copy was drenched in coffee; a young woman bumped into her in front of the café she often visit. He was in Russia that time. “Was it Clint? Did he tell Bucky?” she wondered.

“Whoever said I was waiting for you?” She scoffed, yet if the room was well lit enough, Bucky would’ve seen how playful her expression was.

He hummed a deep voice, “Hmm.” there’s a hint of doubt in his tone.

Y/N quickly follow her previous sentence, “I was simply enjoying my reading, that I lost track of time.” She shifted to face him and tucked herself further into the blanket, hiding the lower half of her face as she looked up at him. She wondered if he could tell that she was smiling just from her eyes.

Bucky’s gaze remained still on her, as if he was trying to reach into her soul, before he leaned closer to peek on the book on the table. Pride and Prejudice written on it.

He chuckled, which was rare. At the least the real ones are.

Of course, she had seen him smile and laugh countless of time. Especially during those gala they often attend. But those were just another set of armor he wore on a daily basis.

Bucky tried to bite back a smile, sinking his teeth into his lower lip, “Lost track of time, huh?” Yet, somehow Y/N can hear the smile in his tone.

“A good read?” he asked as if he did not know why his wife brought up about the book. She never said anything about the gift; not a thank you or a complaint. 

She simply cherish it in her own way. He heard from Clint that she rearranged her whole bookshelf just to make space for the book he gave her. Maybe this was her way of saying thank you.

He had been giving her books every week, since.

She pulled the blanket away from her face, lips curled into a genuine smile, “Always.”

Bucky preened to her reply before suddenly, “Okay, enough chit chat. It’s late.” he said almost monotone sounded, as he made himself comfortable under the blanket.

Before she could overthink of what went wrong, why the sudden drop of chemistry; that was when she felt his hand roamed to find hers. Bucky brought her palm closer to his face, she could feel his hot breath against her cold skin. 

He leaned his lips on her palm, leaving a soft and tender kiss as he mumbled, “Goodnight, doll.”

Rush of red shades bloomed on her cheeks, before caving into the feeling of his stubble on her hand. She gently caresses the side of his cheeks, hoping it soothes him to sleep. 

The corners of her lips curved upwards into a smile, "See? Like, the first day of snow."

Part II >>

Read my other works here: Masterlist

A/N: It’s my first fic so... share your thoughts? ily 🤍

[myriadeyed]

I would like to offer this resource for therians, an extensive list of all of Sir David Attenborough’s nature documentaries that are available on soap2day, and a full list of what species* they each (notably, prominently) feature the natural behaviors of, separated by episode, and omitting species that were only shown dead, juvenile or being predated on. This took me a while (I have been working on it since Prehistoric Planet’s release) because I did in fact have to watch every single series in full in order to list all the species and the episodes are around 50 minutes long, but enjoy.

Long post ahead:

Most of these shows have closed captioning, which is why I’ve picked soap2day. Planet Earth is the only one that doesn’t. I did not include Dynasties and Dynasties II because each episode only features one species.

Thank you to Birch (@ambiguousmutt​) for his help (he watched about half of the episodes) so I didn’t have to do it individually. Credit goes to him as well.

*Sometimes Attenborough doesn’t say the specific species and I was too busy trying to get through the episodes to identify it. In those cases I just put the most specific name I could.

Planet Earth

Episode one (From Pole to Pole): emperor penguin, polar bear, caribou, arctic grey wolf, Amur leopard, six-plumed bird-of-paradise, superb bird-of-paradise, great white shark, African elephant, African buffalo, lechwe, baboon, African wild dog

Episode two (Mountains): gelada, walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf, guanaco, cougar, grizzly bear, markhor, snow leopard, golden eagle, grey wolf, panda, golden snub-nosed monkey, red panda, demoiselle crane

Episode three (Fresh Water): giant salamander, grizzly bear, smooth-coated otter, Nile crocodile, dolphin fish, midge, Amazon river dolphin, dorado, piranha, spectacled caiman, crab-eating macaque, snow goose

Episode four (Caves): wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat, cockroach, bat hawk, cave swiftlet, yellow-red rat snake, Texas blind salamander

Episode five (Deserts): Bactrian camel, dromedary camel, red kangaroo, fennec fox, guanaco, long-nosed bat, Nubian ibex, flat lizard, lion, African elephant, locust

Episode six (Ice Worlds): snow petrel, Antarctic petrel, south polar skua, humpback whale, emperor penguin, eider, muskox, arctic grey wolf, polar bear, little auk, arctic fox

Episode seven (Great Plains): Mongolian gazelle, red-billed quelea, wildebeest, snow goose, arctic fox, arctic grey wolf, bison, wild ass, Tibetan fox, pygmy hog, African elephant, lion, baboon

Episode eight (Jungles): magnificent bird-of-paradise, spider monkey, howler monkey, siamang gibbon, gliding tree frog, colugo, red crab spider, African elephant, chimpanzee

Episode nine (The Shallow Seas): humpback whale, multiple corals, banded sea krait, trevally, dugong, bottlenose dolphin, Socotra cormorant, salp, comb jelly, sea lion, dusky dolphin, sea urchin, sunflower starfish, short-tailed stingray, great white shark, king penguin, fur seal

Episode ten (Seasonal Forests): Eurasian lynx, moose, crossbill, wolverine, western capercaillie, pine marten, great grey owl, pudu, kodkod, mandarin duck, cicada, red deer, Amur leopard, tiger, mouse lemur

Episode eleven (Ocean Deep): whale shark, oceanic whitetip shark, common dolphin, Cory's shearwater, manta ray, sea spider, vampire squid, spider crab, unnamed deep sea eel, giant isopod, chambered nautilus, Pacific spotted dolphin, mola mola, frigatebird, sailfish, blue whale

Planet Earth II

Episode one (Islands): pygmy three-toed sloth, Komodo dragon, sifaka, marine iguana, Galapagos racer, Buller's albatross, fairy tern, Christmas Island red crab, yellow crazy ant, chinstrap penguin

Episode two (Mountains): Nubian ibex, red fox, golden eagle, grizzly bear, bobcat, flamingo, mountain viscacha rat, snow leopard

Episode three (Jungles): spider monkey, flying lizard, sword-billed hummingbird, river dolphin, jaguar, glass frog, paper wasp, click beetle, red bird of paradise, Wilson's bird of paradise, indri

Episode four (Deserts): lion, Harris's hawk, shrike, locust, sand grouse, pale chanting goshawk, feral mustang, golden mole, desert long-eared bat, darkling beetle, Namaqua chameleon

Episode five (Grasslands): saiga antelope, lion, harvest mouse, carmine bee-eater, Kori bustard, African elephant, serval, Jackson's widowbird, grasscutter ant, compass termite, giant anteater, bison, red fox, arctic grey wolf

Episode six (Cities): langur, peregrine falcon, leopard, European starling, great bowerbird, raccoon, rhesus macaque, spotted hyena, wels catfish

Our Planet

Episode one (One Planet): lesser flamingo, orchid bee, golden-collared manakin, red-capped manakin, blue manakin, cormorant, booby, common dolphin, shearwater, African wild dog, timber wolf

Episode two (Frozen Worlds): gentoo penguin, wandering albatross, narwhal, Pacific walrus, humpback whale, orca, leopard seal, polar bear

Episode three (Jungles): lowland gorilla, forest elephant, black sicklebill, twelve-wired bird-of-paradise, western parotia, mountain treeshrew, Philippine eagle, black spider monkey, leafcutter ant, Sumatra orangutan, velvet worm

Episode four (Coastal Seas): northern fur seal, compass jellyfish, giant trevally, mobula ray, Atlantic stingray, bottlenose dolphin, grey reef shark, whitetip reef shark, sea otter, California sheephead wrasse, Steller's sea lion, bald eagle, humpback whale, Guanay cormorant, Inca tern, Peruvian booby, South American sea lion

Episode five (From Deserts to Grasslands): Socotran cormorant, Arabian leopard, Arabian oryx, African elephant, cheetah, bison, Alcon blue butterfly, saiga, Przewalski's wild horse, tiger

Episode six (The High Seas): blue whale, spinner dolphin, mobula ray, oarfish, anglerfish, bristle worm, giant petrel, black-browed albatross, wandering albatross, bluefin tuna, sea lion, humpback whale

Episode seven (Fresh Water): Australian pelican, torrent duck, grizzly bear, manatee, giant mayfly, common kingfisher, osprey, jaguar, callipterus cichlid, Siamese fighting fish, hippopotamus, lion, African elephant, sandhill crane

Episode eight (Forests): Siberian tiger, bald eagle, rough-skinned newt, great hornbill, African elephant, African wild dog, fossa, gray mouse lemur

A Perfect Planet

Episode one (Volcano): lesser flamingo, marabou stork, Galápagos land iguana, vampire ground finch, Aldabra giant tortoise, North American river otter, coyote, Kamchatka brown bear, wildebeest

Episode two (The Sun): yellow-cheeked gibbon, fig wasp, arctic grey wolf, wood frog, garter snake, arctic fox, Saharan silver ant, golden snub-nosed monkey, sooty shearwater, humpback whales

Episode three (Weather): straw-colored fruit bat, fire ant, Amazonian giant river turtle, desert rain frog, Bactrian camel, Christmas Island red crab, carmine bee-eater, Nile crocodile, African fish eagle, hippopotamus

Episode four (Oceans): common dolphin, marine iguana, flightless cormorant, flamboyant cuttlefish, eider, bottlenose dolphin, lemon shark, manta ray, blacktip reef shark, trevally, rockhopper pengin, Eden's whale

Episode five (Humans): none

Life

Episode one (Challenges of Life): bottlenose dolphins, cheetah, panther chameleon, orca, brown-tufted capuchin, stalk-eyed fly, hippopotamus, Clark's grebe, giant Pacific octopus, strawberry poison-dart frog, leopard seal, orangutan

Episode two (Reptiles and Amphibians): pebble toad, caiman, basilisk, Brazilian pygmy gecko, panther chameleon, Namaqua chameleon, red-sided garter snake, collared iguana, hog-nosed snake, horned lizard, sea krait, African bullfrog, Komodo dragon

Episode three (Mammals): Weddell seal, elephant shrew, aye-aye, caribou, straw-colored fruit bat, lion, spotted hyena, polar bear, brown-nosed coati, meerkat, African elephant, humpback whale

Episode four (Fish): sailfish, flying fish, weedy sea dragon, convict fish, sarcastic fringehead, mudskipper, Hawaiian freshwater goby, hippopotamus, barbel, silvertip shark, clownfish, sea lion, ragged tooth shark, multiple snapper, whale shark

Episode five (Birds): spatuletail hummingbird, lammergeier, red-billed tropicbird, magnificent frigatebird, red knot, horseshoe crab, lesser flamingo, chinstrap penguin, great white pelican, Clark’s grebe, sage grouse, Vogelkop bowerbird

Episode six (Insects): Darwin’s beetle, unnamed damselfly, monarch butterfly, alkali fly, Wilson’s phalarope, oogpister beetle, mongoose, bombardier beetle, honey bee, black bear, Japanese red bug, Dawson’s bee, grass cutter ant

Episode seven (Hunters and Hunted): ibex, short-tailed stoat, brown bear, Ethiopian wolf, California ground squirrel, star-nosed mole, cheetah, red fox, greater bulldog bat, bottlenose dolphin, Bengal tiger, rattlesnake, orca

Episode eight (Creatures of the Deep): Pompeii worm, Humboldt squid, nemertean worm, moon jelly, fried egg jellyfish, spider crab, stingray, cuttlefish, giant Pacific octopus, sunflower sea star, king crab, cleaner shrimp

Episode nine (Plants): monarch butterfly, purple-throated carib hummingbird

Episode ten (Primates): Hamadryas baboon, Japanese macaque, lowland gorilla, spectral tarsier, phayre's leaf monkey, ring-tailed lemur, Sumatra orangutan, chacma baboon, white-faced capuchin, brown-tufted capuchin, western chimpanzee

Blue Planet II

Episode one (One Ocean): bottlenose dolphin, tuskfish, tern, giant trevally, mobula ray, false killer whale, Asian sheepshead wrasse, orca, humpback whale, walrus

Episode two (The Deep): sea toad, Venus’ flower basket, unnamed shrimp, ethereal snailfish, cock-eyed squid, pyrosome, barrel-eyed fish, unnamed siphonophore, yeti crab, Humboldt squid, fangtooth fish, sixgill shark, scabbardfish, zombie worm

Episode three (Coral Reefs): broadclub cuttlefish, coral grouper, day octopus, multiple corals, green turtle, bottlenose dolphin, manta ray, bobbit worm, saddleback clownfish, marbled grouper, grey reef shark

Episode four (Big Blue): spinner dolphin, yellowfin tuna, mobula ray, sailfish, sperm whale, sea turtle, blue shark, great white shark, multiple jellyfish, Portuguese man o' war, whale shark, wandering albatross, shortfin pilot whale

Episode five (Green Seas): Garibaldi, Australian giant cuttlefish, weedy seadragon, common octopus, pyjama shark, sea otter, tiger shark, smooth stingray, zebra mantis shrimp, common dolphin, humpback whale

Episode six (Coasts): Pacific leaping blenny, king penguin, southern elephant seal, Sally Lightfoot crab, Galápagos sea lion, ochre starfish, clingfish, chain moray eel, Atlantic puffin, arctic skua

Episode seven (Our Blue Planet): none

Prehistoric Planet

Episode one (Coasts): Tyrannosaurus rex, Tethydraco, Phosphatodraco,  Tuarangisaurus, Mosasaurus hoffmannii, pycnodont fish, ammonites,  Kaikaifilu

Episode two (Deserts):  Dreadnoughtus, Tarbosaurus, Velociraptor,  Mononykus, Barbaridactylus, Secernosaurus

Episode three (Freshwater): Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus rex, Deinocheirus, Quetzalcoatlus, Masiakasaurus, Beelzebufo, elasmosaur

Episode four (Ice Worlds): dromaeosaur, hadrosaur, Ornithomimus, Olorotitan, troodontid, Antarctopelta, Pachyrhinosaurus, Nanuqsaurus

Episode five (Forests): Austroposeidon, Triceratops, Carnotaurus, Qianzhousaurus,  Edmontosaurus, Atrociraptor, Anodontosaurus, Therizinosaurus, Telmatosaurus, Hatzegopteryx

The Hunt

Episode one (The Hardest Challenge): African leopard, African wild dog, Parson’s chameleon, nose-horned chameleon, African mantis, Darwin’s bark spider, Nile crocodile, Amur falcon, orca, cheetah

Episode two (Arctic): polar bear, arctic grey wolf, arctic fox, glaucous gull

Episode three (Forests): tiger, American marten, sparrow hawk, Portia spider, tarsier, harpy eagle, chimpanzee, army ant

Episode four (Oceans): blue whale, frigatebird, dorado, sargassum fish, spinner dolphin, Beroe ovata, Chiroteuthis, lionfish, black-browed albatross, sea lion, tuna, copper shark, common dolphin, Bryde's whale

Episode five (Plains): cheetah, caracal, honey badger, termite, bald eagle, lion, Ethiopian wolf, hotrod ant, spoor spider

Episode six (Coasts): bottlenose dolphin, algae octopus, sand bubbler crab, long-tailed macaque, marine otter, grizzly bear, grey wolf, peregrine falcon, orca, humpback whale

Episode seven (Conservation): none

Life In Colour

Episode one (Seeing In Color): Indian peafowl, mandrill, Costa’s hummingbird, magnificent bird-of-paradise, blue moon butterfly, fiddler crab, mantis shrimp, flamingo, poison dart frog

Episode two (Hiding In Color): Bengal tiger, langur, ptarmigan, crab spider, zebra, Cuban painted snail, blue-striped fangblenny, common waxbill, pin-tailed wydah, Augrabies flat lizard

Frozen Planet II

Episode one (Frozen Worlds): emperor penguin, orca, Pallas’s cat, Siberian tiger, grizzly bear, hooded seal, polar bear

Episode two (Frozen Ocean): polar bear, beluga, harp seal, skeleton shrimp, crested auklet, orca

Episode three (Frozen Peaks): high-casqued chameleon, japanese macaque, kea, andean flamingo, giant panda, golden eagle, andean mountain lion

Episode four (Frozen South): king penguin, Antipodean wandering albatross, blue whale, Weddell seal, chinstrap penguin, snow petrel, leopard seal, orca

Episode five (Frozen Lands): grey wolf, arctic fox, Amur leopard, Siberian tiger, painted turtl, Lapland bumblebee, snowy owl, caribou, grizzly bear

Episode six (Our Frozen Planet): none

Africa

Episode one (Kalahari): fork-tailed drongo, ostrich, black rhinoceros, Angolan giraffe, African leopard, armored ground cricket, spider wasp

Episode two (Savannah): Agama lizard, shoebill, bee-eaters and rollers, lesser flamingo, African elephant, crowned eagle, African fish eagle, martial eagle

Episode three (Congo): chimpanzee, central African rock python, Angola banana frog, African skimmer, rockfowl, African elephant

Episode four (Cape): emperor swallowtail, giant kingfish, African penguin, monkey beetle, springbok, yellow-billed kite, pied crow, ghost crab, vundu catfish, Nile crocodile, Bryde’s whale, great white shark, common dolphin

Episode five (Sahara): Grevy’s zebra, naked mole rat, barn swallow, Dromedary camel, dung beetle, crocodile, western yellow wagtail, Saharan silver ant

Episode six (The Future): none

[jiangwanyinsimp]

An Incomplete (and Very Long) list of thing Edwin Payne missed while he was stuck in Hell

This list emerged because I was talking about how he would have missed the end of World War One and then the list kept going. It is not complete or in order, and is provided simply for posterity

ww2

spanish flu

the hindenburg disaster

the rise of public radio

Irish independence

fast food as a concept

the hinterkaifeck murders

the extinction of the california grizzly

the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb

television

jet aircraft

supersonic aircraft

the moon landing

THE OFFICIAL FOUNDING OF THE SOVIET UNION

the jazz age

surrealism

the first woman to swim the english channel

the BBC

Amelia Earhart

Tintin

the discovery of Pluto

the crash of airship R101

the founding of porsche

the geneva convention

UK abandonment of the gold standard

the discovery of 22 elements on the periodic table

technicolor

Australia starting and losing the Emu war

the creation of the Royal Christmas message

the Great Depression

FM radio

the first canned beer

pre-sliced bread

the recognition of stress as a biological condition

the extinction of the thylacine

the destruction of the Crystal Palace

the first full feature length animated film (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

the nylon bristle toothbrush

Batman

the last use of the guillotine for an official state execution

Gone With the Wind (the book AND the film)

the founding of Greggs

Looney Tunes

the discovery of the Lascaux cave paintings

Agatha Christie's works

Cheerios

the discovery of nuclear fission and all subsequent nuclear discoveries

the airplane ejection seat

The Little Prince

LSD

the lifting of the prohibition of married British women working as teachers

the disappearance of flight 19

the first formula one grand prix

Mensa

the invention of the magic 8 ball

the Doomsday Clock

the AK-47

the first commercial microwave

the Kinsey reports

the first time Idaho Fish and Game parachuted beavers into the wild

humanity's entry to space

the beginning of the broadcast of the Archers (the longest running present day drama by number of episodes)

the Korean War

the polio vaccine

the first nuclear powered submarine

The Lord of the Rings

Moomins

transistor radio

the TV dinner/ready meal

ICBMs

the entire life of Elvis Presley

Kermit the Frog

My Fair Lady (the film and musical adaptations)

Grace Kelly's wedding

the Entire Life Of Marilyn Monroe

the Beat Generation

Eurovision

Helvetica typeface

the peace symbol

the Cod Wars

computer games

Dyatlov Pass incident

Barbie

Missile Mail

the Declaration of the Rights of the Child

the MOSFET

particle accelerators

the Beatles

the recovery of the Vasa

the first Six Flags

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Catch-22

the Vietnam War

Silent Spring

The Rolling Stones

the night of the long knives

Vatican II

James Bond

the Cuban Missile Crisis

Thích Quảng Đức's self-immolation

the "I Have A Dream" speech

JFK Assassination

the smiley face

Mary Poppins (1964)

IntelSat

the last British execution

high speed rail

the first time "fuck" was said on british tv

the Moors Murders

the Grateful Dead

the British parliament decriminalizing homosexuality

most of the literary career of Pablo Neruda

Fleetwood Mac

the Parker Morris Standards

the end of steam passenger travel in the UK

Led Zeppelin

Earth Day

the first temporary artificial heart

the first person to row an ocean solo

Woodstock

the Zodiac Killer

the nationalization of Rolls-Royce

decimalisation of UK currency

the first e-book

the first microprocessor

DB Cooper

the first email

the Biological Weapons Convention

Watergate

the start of the Troubles

The Joy of Sex

all attempts to climb Mount Everest and the eventual first ascent

ABBA

the invention of the Rubik's Cube

the Moorgate tube crash

the first Cricket World Cup

the global eradication of Smallpox

Star Wars

the Tenerife airport disaster

the discovery of the rings of Uranus

Red Rum winning three Grand Nationals

the Concorde

the start of the broadcast of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Jonestown

Synthetic insulin

the Thorpe affair

the release of God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols

Monty Python

the election of Margaret Thatcher

Star Trek

Iron Maiden

the incident where the dingo ate a baby in Australia

the end of iron and steel production in the UK's Black Country

the first London Marathon

Charles and Diana's wedding

the church of England votes to elect women to holy orders

the 1981 UK tornado outbreak

the first child born by IVF

the Falklands War

the raising of the Mary Rose

the invention of ciabatta bread

the discovery of the Titanic

the King's Cross Fire

Top Gun

Lockerbie bombing

[wintersongstress]

RED DEAD REDEMPTION II  • scenery [83/?] — First Light on the Trail Through Grizzlies East 

[mydaddywiki]

Jim Justice

Physique: Heavyset Build Height: 6’ 7" (2.01 m)

James Conley Justice II (born April 27, 1951-) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 36th governor of West Virginia since 2017. Justice was once a billionaire, but his net worth had declined to $513.3 million as of 2021. He inherited a coal mining business from his father and built a business empire with 94 companies, including the Greenbrier, a luxury resort in White Sulphur Springs.

Justice is a well-liked and wealthy coal magnate who is one big fucking bear of a man. No other way to describe him. Hell… he compared himself to a grizzly bear. A 6-foot-7, 400+ pound millionaire grizzly bear. I’ll admit, I’m a little intimidated by the sheer size of him. But once I leave my goo on him, that’ll pass.

A lifelong West Virginian, he attended Raleigh County public schools and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1969, and attended Greenbrier Military Academy as a post-graduate. Governor Justice went on to Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and was captain of the golf team for two years before earning his undergraduate degree and a Masters in Business Administration.

Justice married his high school sweetheart, having two adult children and spend time spoiling four grandchildren. In addition, they have three dogs: two Boston Terriers, and their famous Babydog, an English Bulldog. Plus, he coach girls' basketball. Not the most handsomest guy, but I'd love to fuck around with him for a weekend. And for some reason with his dog, Babydog watching.

[seabysiren]

had an idea for streamer au (not a request, just wanted to share)!! playing animal crossing with ghost and soap, they're both in vc but you're muted and just using the reactions and text. soap may not be able to burn babygirl's island down but he can certainly commit aggravated assault with a net. meanwhile reader is just drawing ghost as an anime girl on the bulletin board.

also ghost would 100% have grizzly as his cranky villager. i will not accept any criticism because i am 100% correct

part I ; part II

this is 100% true.

instead of animal crossing new horizon it’s just animal crossing new hostage.

ghost was reluctant to say the least. last time he played multiplayer with soap it went bad. like kill all your family and burn you at the cross bad.

after several insistent minutes of begging, he relented.

that was the worst idea ever.

soap’s little character trampled around everything, his loud voice mocking his decorations.

“yer off yeir rocket, ghost.”

“…what.”

“it’s all monochrome! no color. ya enjoy simulating color blindness? it’s all grey.”

“stfu.”

ghost doesn’t appreciate the criticism. nor the constructive criticism when soap said he could make a tea party right there in the middle of his house.

girly pink and all.

-

your character can just be seen slowly trailing after ghost’s.

the absolute contrast in characters. ghost’s character can be seen wearing a skull, a black mask, a skeleton shirt and black jeans.

yours on the other hand is just cute. soft pastel colors highly contrast the black and grey decoration set around the island.

you can be seen in the corner of ghost’s screen just emoting randomly.

the chat coos at you whenever your character can be seen following ghosts around.

the only villager ghost has on his island is grizzy. it’s the only villager he talks to. he literally ignores everyone else and never lets grizzy leave.

you say he likes grizzy because their both emotionally constipated.

he denies it but chat totally agrees.

grizzy has his own little designated area decked out in all the works. axes in stumps. fire places. the occasional questionable body.

and a cute little cabin :)

ghost left the stream once. just for a little snack and a break.

that was a bad idea.

soap had unleashed chaos. sure he couldn’t vandalize his island. nor kidnap his villagers and burn his dog at the stake.

but he could plunder.

and plunder he did.

the chats just going crazy begging soap to stop or egging him on. but nothing can stop soap except soap himself. he won’t stop until he literally took everything on the island.

you just follow around him with that dumb little chat above your head.

saying like

“you missed one.”

“there’s a whole section over here.”

“he’s gonna beat your ass when u return”

cue soap hitting grizzy with his net. your character just emotes and dances in the background of the chaos.

by the time ghost returned, your nowhere to be seen as he just silently watches soap take everything.

he leans into the microphone and just growls into it.

“the hell you doin’ ya bloody muppet.”

soap screeches in surprise.

he sounds like a pterodactyl.

dinosaur soap.

ding! [muppet counter: 7]

after raiding his entire island soap comes back just to smack ghost’s character. again. and again. and again.

until you say you got an announcement to make.

ghost and soap’s characters walk over to the bulletin board.

you emote as you say to check the note you posted. the only note posted on there because ghost doesn’t like using the bulletin board for anything.

it’s just a drawing of ghost in a maid outfit emoting.

soap’s mic can be heard crackling from the way he bursts out laughing.

and despite ghost absolutely tearing into you for the absurd[ly good] drawing , he doesn’t take it down.

baby girl intensifies when you let soap surprise ghost. by letting him into his account and decking out the island in baby pink and pastels and replacing grizzy with bluebear.

let’s just say your switch rights have been revoked along with soaps.

[shilo-bathory]

what happened in riptide 97 again.. its been so long....

OHHH MY GOD OKAY (tdlr is at the bottom if u want a quick sum lmao i just like long summaries its like enrichment for me) so thats the episode i think right after the pull up to zero and beat the shit out of the ghost house, chip and gilly have a convo with ollies mom and she smacks one of em i forget who and is like whyd you keep my son away. theyre both like yeah thats fair! and they return to the house and gillion and chip make an underground pool in there- chip offers the mind reading braclets to gilly and is like hopefully maybe thisll help with the nightmares? and they all go 2 bed!

Gillion wakes uo and hes feeling refreshed!!! (he still has the kuba kenta curse at this point) but he actually got whole night sleep and its looking like its not like. enflamed or hurting anymore! they make jokes about it being healed with the power of friendship and all and then gryffon knocks on the door of the house.

gryffon tells em that he tailed the leader of the gang that was threatening ollies mom and he found their hideout, so the trio race off i fucking forget if like gryffon comes or not??????? they get to the hideout and fight a couple bitches in masks and they tell one of the guys to lead them to the "boss" but i forget so bad who but one of the albitrio puts the braclet on the goon and hes like "heh, if they pull the blue lever theyll get sent to the pit but if they pull the red lever theyll meet the boss and hell have my head!"

so the four of them pullup to this bar thing and chip of course pants a guy (rememver when they were fucking obsessed with pants cause i completely forgot) and the other guy pantses chip and the bar laughs or whatever and. SOMETHING HAPPENS I THINK IYS LIKE AN ENCOUNYTER OR SMTH OR ONE OF THE THREE MAKES A WRONG JOKE but charlies like "no worries! ill pull the blue lever!"

and everyones like charlie. and hes like what its gonna get us to the boss! and condi while laughing cause its condi is like THATS THE LEAVER TO THE PIT and charlies like. i legit fucking forgot what one was what one. so the albatrio falls down this fucking PIT and once again i fucking forget but some interaction happens here (iu think feather fall was cast these guys plummet so much) and gillion casts vortex warp on the other 2 so they land at the top! gillion im pretty sure lands at the bottom and something happens to where he passes out.

charlie is asked to leave and then grizzlys like :3 audience you dont get to know eitherrrr! and gilly boy wakes up in a cage with the boss in the middle of the room. chip and jay are described as looking "so fucking bad dude" and charlies like i thought yall had it!!!!! and bizly is like nah dude it was so fuckinh rough we do not have it. im pretty sure jays chained to the wall via her foot and chip is busted up in the middle of the room with the boss.

the boss laugjs and i forget but i think he pulls off his face and is revealed to be price! and he laughs and says some stuff about giving chip a fair fight in this like. lava arena and kicks him his swords! chip tries to fight him a little bit but after a moment he runs to jay to try and cut her chains, and price taunts him a little before saying smth like "i wantr you. to die" and chip just. drops dead in front of jay. no rolls nothin nada.

Gillion was fading in and out and at this point gillion does that and jay is right in front of him, her foot is so fucking mangled like she broke it to get out and she looks sooooo fucking fucked up. price also taunts them and jays like "fuck you" and price blasts her and she disintegrates. imto dust. just like that.

gillion is so distraught and hes like "NO THEY WOULDNY GO OUT LIKE THAT" and gillion tries to fight price but he gets bested and WAKES UP IN THE UNDERGROUND GHOST HOUSE POOOLLLLLL

so it was all a curse dream made worse by the bracelet and how much later stages it is. gillion throws jay across the room because he dosent believe this is real and is like YOURE DEAD YOURE ALL DEAD!!!!! the other two try to comfort him and im blanking so fucking hard on the rest but this is uaually what people refrence/mean then they say 97 :3

TLDR: ollies mom scolds chip and gill, they make underground pool in ghost house, go to sleepy, gill wakes up refreshed, they go to the mob boss of zeros hideout, gillion pulls the wrong lever and they all fall in a pit, gill vortex warps the other two and they get seperated, when gillion wakes up everyone looks incredibly fucked up, price is there and straight up kills chip and jay and then taunts gillion and "kills" him, gillion wakes up back in the ghost house pool because it was all a nightmare of the kuba kenta variety, and he then doubts everythinh around him and if anythings actually real! :D

[basketballjersey]

[ask-sebastian]

Shouldn't be a surprise... and in by now I think my grizzly has come to regret that he showed me the band... I listen to it non-stop whenever I'm outside or in the car

My Patronus song for this year and probably forever. Perhaps a little unusual, but not only have we already seen the new film in the cinema, but Godzilla was something where we both sit there for hours and watch the old films.

And of all the things he thought we'd get along on (LotR or Star Wars) it was Godzilla 🤣🤭 But hearing that Theme.. I still get goosebumps, my heart rate increases and I am so freaking I'm love with that franchise💛🖤

Besides the 3 I already send.. here are some more for all your beautiful people in this fandom. Who had it ruff this year and found some anchor in the fandom💚🤍 🖤💛 ❤💛 💙🤍

Some hope and vibes to get my own ass kick again.

Too many songs who spoke this year to me... bit those two are high up on the list 💛🖤

Bring the vibes~ 🖤

[normanbased]

two (2) things

1) i know the two characters are completely unrelated but ever since i saw That Scene in someone behind the door i’ve been thinking “norman bates the type of guy to throw up in the sink”

2) rewatching psycho ii and god the little details in this movie are so good. love the bit where statler tells mary “hey, girl, i gave you the morning off, not the afternoon. hop to it” and norman gives this little nod as if statler is talking to him

Norman in the book (Psycho and Psycho Sanitarium) is throwing up ALL the time out of nerves and because gore makes him feel sick. In Psycho Sanitarium one of the other patients goads him on and asks to know about the murders in grizzly detail and poor Norman tries to just ignore him, and then I don't remember exactly what was said, but the other patient goes WAY too far and Norman just pukes on the spot :[[ Its another daily reminder that I would feel sorry for Norman IRL and he would 100% kill me. (also that scene of Tony's character in sbtd throwing up is smth I also think about way too much, literally the most pathetic guy I've ever known)

Norman can't help but be roped in on the group scolding <3 somebodies getting yelled at? Huh, must be me!

EDIT AFTER NOT THINKING ABOUT THIS POST FOR A WHILE: Remember in Psycho IV where Norma forces Norman to wear a dress and be referred to as a girl? Perhaps there’s some latent trauma there with being commanded to do things as a girl — like how Mother is always calling him “boy” and commanding him using that term, she for sure used “girl” at times to humiliate and abuse him, which is evident in Psycho IV!— I know that’s a long shot but perhaps some foreshadowing to understanding deeper aspects of Norman’s trauma is present there?

[omegaremix]

Winter 2018 mixtape:

XXYYXX B-Sides

Odd Nosdam Trish

Goth-Trad “Air Breaker”

William S. Burroughs “Summer Will”

Girl Pusher “Better Off Alone” (live)

Liars “Staring At Zero”

Prayers “Edge Of The Blade”

Gary War “Don’t Go Out Tonight”

Pond “Colder Than Ice”

Contrepoison “Heartbeat”

Bad Zu “Motherfuckers”

Silent Servant “The Strange Attractor”

Peaches “Convincing People”

Deerhoof “Singalong Junk”

Ron Morelli “Radar Version”

Zola Jesus “Siphon”

Goth-Trad “Disorder”

Bad Zu “Queen”

Believer/Law “Foxhole Prayers”

Tame Impala Currents B-sides

Lust For Youth “Display”

Grizzly Bear “Mourning Sound”

Adult. “Dance Avoid”

Molly Nilsson “I Hope You Die”

Blvck Ceiling “Hello, Miracala”

Silent Servant “Self-Hypnosis”

Princess Century “Crummy Bones”

Uniform “The Lost”

Pharmakon “Transmission”

Grimes “Genesis” (Blvck Ceiling RMX)

Russell Haswell “Hardwax Flashback” (Powell RMX)

Ninos Du Brasil “A Magia Do Rei II”

Cults “I Took Your Picture With My Eyes Closed”

Machine Girl “Freewill (Phase β)”

Silent Servant “Disassociation”

KVB, The “White Walls”

Moon Diagrams “Magic Killer”

Men, The “( )”

Sunn O))) “It Took The Night To Believe”

Ninos Du Brasil “Vagalumes Pirilampos”

Rezzett “Zootie”

Horrorist, The “Programmed” (Silent Servant RMX)

Silent Servant “Cut Unconscious”

Drvg Cvltvre “Waging A War Against God”

Believer/Law “Ashes”

Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement “Watery Grave”

Boy Harsher “Pain”

Brainbombs “Drive Around”

I Hate Models “Cyanure Dance”

Vatican Shadow “Weapons Inspection”

[votestaynight]

8th day "Sword and Magic II"/9th day "NEO" (scene 1)

"Fuji-Nee. It's fine that you eat apples, but eat your requirements. Those oranges you bought… there's still a boxful of them."

"Aw, I remember that now…. Uhh, I'm tired of eating oranges." Fuji-Nee says this, digging her fangs… I mean, her teeth into the apples.

"What do you mean, you're tired of eating them? Remember I was against it? Even though there's only me, Sakura, and you, you bought nearly 10 mochi and 3 boxes of oranges. You buy too much just because it's New Years. There's still a box left even though it's February. If you let it rot, I'll make you pay for all of it.

"Ugh. …I'm just asking, but, how long does it take for oranges to rot?" "Oh, about 2 weeks to a month in normal temperatures. They're almost out." Well, I kept them in the ice room, so they should be good for a bit longer.

"Gah, so now's the time to eat and time to rot?" "…Fuji-Nee. Never live by yourself. Food poisoning is scary nowadays. Check the expiration date on your food and watch out for fish in the summer."

"It's fine, I'll just come to your place when that happens. You can just give me the leftovers." "…I won't give you leftovers, you idiot. You eat a lot. If you're going to come and eat, I'll prepare some for you too." I avert my gaze and start preparing dinner again.

"Hm. Then I'll make lots of money and give you money for food. You're good-for-nothing like Kiritsugu-san, so I expect you'll be always in trouble for money."

"Keep talking. …Anyways, why did you get so many oranges? You should know Sakura doesn't like those kinds of fruit, and I don't eat much either." It's a good opportunity, so I ask her a question I've been wondering since the New Year.

"Hmm, I don't know. Oh, but Orange-peko sounds good, right?" "―――――" …Well. I guess it was stupid of me to hope for a logical answer from Fuji-Nee.

Preparation for dinner ends, and the time is past seven. Fuji-Nee and Saber are in the living room, and only Tohsaka is absent.

"…I wonder if something happened to her outside." I don't think Tohsaka is the type to make that kind of mistake, but I think she does make big mistakes sometimes. "――I guess I'll go take a look." I should be fine by myself if I'm just going to go search around the house.

I exit into the hallway. The instant I try to leave, the door opens and Tohsaka in her coat arrives home.

"Tohsaka." "I'm home. What, are you greeting me in an apron? You look pretty good in it."

Tohsaka makes that humorous comment without even twitching her brow. …She's scary. People who can put on a serious face while joking are the scariest.

"Tohsaka, what were you――" As I try to ask her what happened, I notice the blood on her hand. …A small stain of blood and a swollen index finger. Could that be…?

"Tohsaka. I'm going to guess about something bad." "What? I won't listen if it's anything stupid." "It's not. Have you punched someone?"

"Correct. I gave that annoying Shinji some knuckles." Tohsaka snorts and passes by me.

"……" I see, some knuckles for Shinji. Now I understand the blood on her hand and the swelling on her finger――hang on!!!

"Hold on, hold on, hold on! What do you mean, you punched Shinji!?" "You're being loud. He was being annoying, so I beat him up."

"Beat him up… you mean, with bare knuckles?" "Bare as it can be. A grizzly bear, too." Tohsaka snorts again.

"……" "……" A brief silence. I don't know what to say, so I just shut my mouth and cause an awkward silence.

"…Let's get back to the main subject. You said you punched Shinji, but why?"

"It's only natural I punched him. He was talking about things like me joining him, and you being useless so I should give up on you. He said stupid things after calling for me, so I punched him to make him shut up."

"……" No, isn't that a little too short-tempered, Tohsaka? …Or could it be? Did Shinji say something stupid enough to even piss off the ever-calm Tohsaka?

"…Why are you looking at me like that? I'll say this, but I'm the victim here." "No, both sides are equally responsible, right? …But still, why would Shinji say something like that to you? He said he wanted me to cooperate with him."

"Who knows? Maybe he thinks of you as a rival or something. He was acting weird ever since I told him I was living with you."

"What!? Tohsaka, you told him about us!?"

"Yeah, I did. I think it was yesterday morning. Shinji called me and said proudly that he became a Master like me now. He pissed me off, so I told him that you were the same too. I thought he learned his lesson, but he was waiting outside my house for me a while ago."

"So, I told him I'm living at your house now and I didn't have any intention of cooperating with a half-assed Master like him… what, was that bad?"

"――――" That's generally bad. Shinji is very conscious of Tohsaka under normal circumstances, so this is like pouring oil onto a fire.

…Well, but still… I see, I get it now. I understand why Shinji only saw Tohsaka as the enemy, and why he kept asking her to cooperate with him. In a word, he――

"But it's strange, isn't it? I wonder why he's so fussed up about me. Judging from his personality, I wouldn't expect him to want to cooperate with anyone." ――No. It's because Tohsaka Rin is important to Matou Shinji.

"It's not strange at all. I think you're a special person for Shinji. His was a family of magi originally, right? Then――I think he admired you since you were of the lineage of a magus family like him, and you still retain the blood of it."

That's why he's persistent about Tohsaka. I think Tohsaka Rin has been a target of his affections from even before this Holy Grail War started.

"WHAT!? …Well, I am a bit happy about being liked, but still――" It must have been a real surprise, as Tohsaka stands pondering.

"…Oh, I remember. Come to think of it, Shinji asked me out when I was a first year." She makes a terrible "gah, I forgot about it" reaction. …I'll sympathize with Shinji, just for now.

"Whoa, no wonder he never gets enough of talking to me. I understand now." "…That's fine. So, how did you reply?"

"Oh, I think I rejected him. I can't stand it if I'm not the first to make a move in a contest. It's like I can't get in the mood unless I'm setting the mood, or like I don't feel like it if someone else starts a match."

Tohsaka ponders, as if she really doesn't remember. ――I'm shocked. She must really live following only her feelings.

"Tohsaka. You suck at rock, paper, scissors, right?" "Huh!? Wait, how do you know that!?" …As I thought. Of course, if she likes to make the first move, she would be weak against a later move.

"Use the soy sauce for that, Saber. Don't put mayonnaise on it, even by mistake." "――I see. Well, I saw Taiga do so, so I thought I should as well."

"……"

"Fuji-Nee is just playing around. She's not much of a reference, so be careful from now on."

"…I see. I was referencing Sakura before, so you never warned me, but…" "No, I'm not angry. I worked hard to make it, so I just want you to have it at its best. So, getting back to the original conversation…"

"……"

"Shirou, I'll take seconds. Give me lots of stuff in my miso soup." "All right. How about you, Saber? I bet you're hungry since we worked harder today."

"Not really. But I will take another just in case." "Yeah, go ahead. If you also started recklessly raiding the fridge at night because you were too hungry to sleep, I'd die of shock."

"……"

"Hey, that's terrible. I told you that wasn't me. It was some burglar that raided the fridge."

"Then could you tell that robber that she shouldn't just eat meat, but that she should eat vegetables as well? And tell her not to finish off all the desserts in the fridge as if that's what she was after. Geez, she's like a hungry animal or something." "What!? Don't call me a tiger!" "Whoa, I didn't call you that! Ow, hot! Don't throw the hot white radish, you idiot!"

"……"

"Shirou. It seems the pot in the kitchen is boiling." "Huh? Oh, hold on Fuji-Nee, I need to turn the fire off." "All right. Bring me some chicken and boiled egg in soy sauce quickly." "Roger. Then keep Fuji-nee company, Saber." "Yes. Please do not rush your cooking, Shirou."

"……"

I get up. …Oh yeah. Why has Tohsaka been quiet all this time?

"Tohsaka? Does dinner taste bad?" "No. It's nothing, so don't talk to me." She looks away sullenly. …Hmm. She's not the kind to drag that thing about Shinji out this long, so maybe something has irritated her.

Dinner ends as usual and Fuji-Nee goes home satisfied. Saber and Tohsaka are in the living room. It was an awkward mood before, but since I've trained with Saber for the past two days, it doesn't feel awkward anymore.

"Saber, you can go to bed. I'll do the rest." "No, I will stay awake until you go to sleep. I would also like to learn from Rin how skilled you are in magic."

"I see. Then let's go to Tohsaka's room a bit earlier than usual. You don't mind, Tohsaka?"

"No, I don't mind. But you are getting along much better with Saber." …? For some reason, Tohsaka says this with the same displeasure she had when we were eating dinner.

"I'll be waiting in my room, so come when you're done cleaning up. …And I'll also be skipping school from tomorrow on. So come to my place in the afternoon." Tohsaka leaves the living room, still in a bad mood.

"Shirou, did you do something to Rin? She seems angry." "Did it seem that way to you too? …I don't know. I didn't do anything to anger her."

We both look at each other and tilt our heads. We have no idea why Tohsaka's angry.

"Then to start with, go ahead and 'strengthen' this lamp. You just have to strengthen the glass on the outside." She hands me an antique lamp.

"―――――" I sit down. I take a deep breath, holding the lamp in both hands. Tohsaka speaks so easily, but I'm rigid all over with tension.

Even though I do it every night, the reality is that the success rate is below 0.1 percent. Tohsaka says she'll study the extent of my strengthening to determine the level I'm at, but she won't be able to do even that if I fail at the strengthening.

"―――――" That's no good. I shake off my idle thoughts. I concentrate my mind on the lamp.

The blueprint of the lamp emerges. I could draw a diagram of the glass's material, shape, and even the flow of strength that would correspond to blood vessels in humans. So all I have to do now is to put my magical energy into those blood vessels.

…I just have to do as I always do. The feeling of driving a burning metal rod into my backbone. All I have to do is stick that incompatible burning nerve into my body and familiarize myself with it. Once that succeeds, all I have to do is pour in the correct amount of magical energy for the glass and―――

"――Oh" I broke it. I must not have been able to control it, as I put more than the proper quantity of magical energy into it, and as a result, the glass breaks easily.

"……" I look up at Tohsaka timidly. "…As I thought. I thought this might be the case, but it really was." Tohsaka's shoulders slump.

"Hm? What do you mean you thought so?" "Isn't it obvious? I'm just dumbfounded by your lack of talent…! First of all, you don't have the basics down. Geez, I'm impressed you can produce magical energy with such a ridiculous method!"

"…Tohsaka. Are you angry?"

"Of course! I'm amazed you've kept training with such basic problems, and I even want to kill your teacher for not correcting you. Why are you taking such a long route…!?".

"…Hm. I don't get what you're saying, but don't insult my father. It's my fault that I don't have any talent, so my father has nothing to do with it."

"Of course he has something to do with this. If you take an apprentice, it's the role of the teacher to correct the student. …Well, you're right that it does no good to take it out on someone who's already gone, but still, your teacher got the first step wrong."

Still angry, Tohsaka takes out some kind of a can from her bag. It looks like a can filled with candy drops, something foreign children treasure. I've seen a lot of imitations in Japan as well. That thing that has several varieties of candy, and the white one being the mint.

"Hold out your hand, Shirou." "…?" I put out my hand. Tohsaka shakes the can and takes out a reddish candy drop.

"All right, swallow that." "…?" I put it in my mouth as instructed.

"…It's not sweet. No, it has no taste actually. And this feeling… it feels more like rock than candy.

"…Hmmm…" I forcibly swallow it down. "Oh, ouch. My throat hurts. What was that, Tohsaka?"

"It's a jewel, of course. Couldn't you tell by looking at it?" Straightforwardly. Tohsaka says something outrageous.

"A jewel, why…!?" "I can't help it. I prepared some medicine too, but that sort of thing won't work if I want to fix you. So I decided I'd just have to open the switch with the strongest one I have."

"No, that's not the point…! Why are you making me swallow a jewel!? I can't digest something like that!"

"…Hey, now. If you're going to worry about things, you should be worrying about something else. It's not a normal jewel, you know? What I gave you just now is an enforcement tool that will let you find out about what you didn't know up until now. It should start melting right about now, so be prepared, or you'll faint."

"Why are you telling me I'm gonna faint with――" Just as I say that… The abnormality hits me.

"―――――!?" My body is burning. The feeling in my limbs goes numb. A lump of heat that can only be described as pain enters my back. I have to concentrate my mind at my forehead and squeeze it, or I won't be able to stay standing.

"――What… is… this?" I know it. I know this feeling. This is a failure. This is the reaction that happens in my body when I fail to construct a Magic Circuit inside me――!

"It's all right. It must be painful, but it should gradually get better if you can maintain that condition. Well, the burning feeling will continue for about two or three weeks though." …I want to answer her back, but I don't have the energy to do so. All I can to is try with all my might to stay standing.

"Okay. The difference between a magus and a human is whether they have a switch or not. You should know that this switch is the toggle for the Magic Circuit. See, there's an electrical pot that can boil water. A magus is just like that. And a normal person is a pot that can keep the water warm, but can't boil it.

"We are similar, but different. The question of whether one has the switch or not is beyond the grasp of an individual. When we are born――no, when we are made, we are separated into insulators and kettles. A person without the switch will never be able to experience magic.

"All right? You're an amateur, but you definitely have a Magic Circuit. So that means you have the talent. So if you make the Magic Circuit within your body even once, all you have to do after that is to toggle the switch. You just have to press the switch and switch between on and off to produce magical energy."

…I calm my breathing. As Tohsaka says, it seems the situation won't get any worse if I calm myself down.

"You only have to make the Magic Circuit once. But you're trying to make the Magic Circuit from scratch and build it into you every time.

"That's just a waste. If you establish it in your body even once, all you have to do is to switch to it. …Usually, a magus who establishes a Magic Circuit next receives training to switch to it. But your teacher didn't do that. That's why you're building a Magic Circuit and risking death every time. …No, maybe your father made the same mistake as well."

I breathe out. The feelings in my limbs slowly return.

"As you've trained the wrong way for a long time, your switch is closed. If that's the case, all we can do is to open it by force and let your body know that there is a switch."

"See, the jewel just now is something that forces the switch to turn on. So you'll be like that forever. If you want to return to your original state, you'll have to turn it off with your own power. If you can do that, you won't need the jewel's help anymore. After that, you should be able to handle the Magic Circuit with a simple mental operation."

"…I get… that… but…" Can't I do anything about the heat in my body? And she talks about this switch, but what am I supposed to do?

"What, you can speak already!? …Hmm, you're good at controlling yourself. Then maybe you can return to your normal state rather quickly. The switch will automatically turn off as your body tries to calm down and tries to get comfortable again. All you have to do is hasten that process with your will. See, it's easy, right?"

"…No… like I said, I don't understand at all. You say a switch, but I don't feel anything like that."

"It'll be like that now, but you should be able to get a clear image eventually. It'll be like a button in your head. So all you have to do is switch it on, and you'll be able to open the Magic Circuit easily."

"…I hope so. I just feel really sick right now…"

"I assume so. You always shut your Magic Circuit after you used your strengthening magic, right? It's the opposite right now and your Magic Circuit is open the whole time. It's like running full speed all the time, so it's naturally painful. But that's an essential requirement to be able to call yourself a magus. If you're going to fight as a Master, toggling the switch will surely help you out."

"…I know. It was a surprise, but I'm thanking you. You're right. If I can feel this switch thing, it will certainly be a bonus."

"…You understand pretty well. But there's no need to thank me. I'm just helping you because I'm in trouble if the person I'm cooperating with is weak." Tohsaka looks away. It must be because my body is burning. Blankly, I think that the embarrassed Tohsaka is cute.

"…What? What are you staring at my face for?" "Nothing. I just thought you're not honest."

"…I see. You must have excess energy if you're able to say such things. I can continue teaching if you have that much energy, right?" Tohsaka approaches me, smiling.

"…Uh." Hold… on. Hey, I can barely move my body right now.

"So, try your 'strengthening' again. You shouldn't be able to control your magical energy right now, but you'll be of no use if you don't get used to that condition. "It's all right. I brought lots of lamps. I don't know how many times you'll screw up, but I won't let you rest until you succeed in strengthening."

Smiling, she hands the lamp to me, still barely able to move. "…Uh." Whoa… this is like telling someone with a 40 degree fever to walk on a long tightrope…

"…Geez. I didn't think I'd give up before you did." Tohsaka blames me with her glare.

"…I'm sorry." "My predictions were too optimistic. I never thought you would break all thirty. …Sorry, but that's it for today's training. There's nothing to use to measure your strengthening any more."

"…Ugh." But I did try. I tried hard with a body that's burning like I'm in a boiling kettle. I tried hard, but it's just that the "strengthening" failed in spite of that.

"…Um. If it's just the glass breaking, you can fix it, right? You fixed the broken glass window before." "It's impossible. That was something that broke normally. This broke because it couldn't endure your magical energy. Remember that it's hard to affect something that carries the magical energy of another."

"――Hm, I see." "Yeah. …Don't worry and go rest. I'll call it enough to have turned your switch on today. I'll teach you the rest when you're able to control it."

"…Phew. I'm glad I can rest, but what will you teach me after this?"

"You can only use strengthening, right? You said that's all you can use, so then, you might be able to take it up to the next level and use 'transformation'. Have you ever been taught about strengthening, transformation, and projection magic?"

"―――――Hm." …A little. Strengthening is used to strengthen something, as the word suggests. People tend to think of strengthening as hardening something, but it actually strengthens the object's effect. For example, swords will become sharper and lamps will become brighter.

I don't think I need to explain too much for transformation, either. For example, you can't create a fire with an edged weapon. That which attaches abilities beyond the normal effects is called transformation. And projection I think was―――

"…? What was projection, Tohsaka? I remember my father talking about it often."

"You know about strengthening and transformation, right? Then I would think you'd naturally know what projection is. Well, in short, it's magic that reproduces something. It's not magic that elaborates on something that's already there. Basically, it's magic that constructs something from nothing, so it's the hardest."

"Oh… but magical energy is used only once, right? So something made with 'projection' disappears quickly. Comparing a 'projected' sword made with ten magical energy and a 'strengthened' sword with one magical energy, the 'strengthened' one is stronger. You only need to work on something that's already there, so strengthening is more efficient. In that light, projection uses too much magical energy, so it's not a magic that's widely used."

"…Oh, I remember. I think my father was saying something like that. He said something about not doing it because it wasn't worth it."

"That's it. All right, let's finish up if you're done asking questions. …You seem rather unsteady, so I'll at least take you to your room."

I let her accompany me back to my room. And Saber is waiting for me at the doorway.

"Well done, both of you." "……" I don't even have the energy to respond. I answer with just a nod and enter my room.

"How is Shirou, Rin?" "Bad. He's really bad. He doesn't have the talent." It's a merciless statement, just like Tohsaka.

…And then, when I notice, I'm looking up at the night sky. Tonight, I didn't run away because I felt uneasy about Saber. I'm just feeling the night wind, finding my burning body and the things Tohsaka taught me impossible to manage.

"…But once I'm really able to use this switch thing, then the problem is only the procedure. I'm worried about the future if I'm failing so much at the easiest magic of strengthening…"

I murmur and start to put my magical energy into the plank I brought out from the shed. ――A cracking sound. The strengthening failed as I expected, and the wood has a crack in it.

"…I can even see the structure inside of it, so why can't I control my magical energy?" Tohsaka said I'm straining too much. She also said it's fine with just a small amount of magical energy, so I should just think about enforcing the weak spots in the object. …In short, does she mean I should ease up a bit?

"…I already know that without having to have her tell me." The problem is, I don't have any way to ease up. It would be great if there was some good way to relax and―― "……" Footsteps that seem to seep into the night. This presence rudely approaches me for the second time.

"…What? I don't have any business with you." "I feel the same way. But it seems Rin is worried about you, so I could not overlook it."

"……" I throw the plank away, glaring at Archer. And then, Archer picks up the plank as if he's interested in it.

"Strengthening magic, huh? But it sure is badly done." "…! Huh, I know I'm just an amateur. I feel bad for putting extra work on your Master." "No, that is not it. Even Rin is mistaken on this matter." "Huh…? What do you mean by――"

"Huh, work on something that is already there? That's aiming too high. You are not skilled enough to do such a thing." "Wha…!"

He's saying what he likes when I'm letting him…! …But he is so correct, I can't answer. It's true that I'm unskilled, and it's my fault that I cannot succeed at the magic. It's no good taking it out on this guy.

"――What? You don't have the energy you did last night?" "Shut up. I just stopped talking because you were right. It's all my fault for not being skilled enough."

I look away. I don't know how he took it. "…Hm. Maybe you are unlucky with your teachers in a way." Archer says so as if he's amazed.

"Huh…? That can't be true. My father and Tohsaka are good at teaching, so it must be me that's a bad student."

"――That is why. For you, a magus that doesn't know anything would suit you better. A genius cannot understand the agony of an ordinary person. Rin is too good a student to realize the mistake of a dropout."

"…?" I don't get what Archer wants to say. I don't get it, but to guess from his words…

"I don't get it, but I think you're looking for a fight." I'll take it right now, free of charge. "That is a mistake as well. Emiya Shirou is not fit for fighting. Because your fight is supposed to be a mental fight, a fight with your own self."

"Hm… you're saying that a fight between magi is a mental fight, right? I already know that. But still, a fight has to be exchange of blows."

"Geez. Saber will be in trouble if you are like that." Archer looks down at me seriously. In his eyes are things I haven't seen before… real dejection and anger.

"Listen carefully because I will only say this once. Look. Emiya Shirou has no chance of winning if it comes down to fighting. None of your skills will be any use against a Servant."

"…!" That's something Saber said to me. She said that no matter what kind of clever scheme I use, Emiya Shirou has no chance of victory in battle.

"In that case, at least imagine it. If it is an opponent you cannot match in real life, beat it in your imagination. If you cannot beat it yourself, imagine something that you could beat it with. ――After all, that is the only thing you can do."

"Wha―――" I don't know why. But it feels like Archer's words naturally pass into me.

I should not forget those words. I think that what this man is saying is something that should never be forgotten――

"…There is something wrong with me advising someone I need to kill. I guess the kindness of Rin has transferred to me." Archer disappears suddenly. Archer was just supposed to keep watch. I bet he jumped back onto the roof where it's fit for keeping watch.

"…What's with him?" I complain at the guy that disappeared. There's no reply. Ruminating on the words that linger horribly in my head, I feel the cold winter air on my burning body.

…I'm dreaming. It must be because my blood is hot and my body is pulsing. I am reliving the scene I don't need to remember.

It's my oldest memory. At the same time, it is a memory that can't be separated from me. A scene from ten years ago that never goes away, even though I usually never recall it. It's not that I forgot it. It's not that I want to forget it. For me, it is just something that has already happened.

So it's not something I feel pain over. It's not something I feel particularly angry about.

What's past is past. I cannot redo it, nor go back to it. I have escaped from that scene and still continue to live. All I can do is look forward.

…No one told me to. I just vaguely thought like this ever since I was a child. Not forgetting or denying the past. The only way to make use of what has gone away is to acknowledge it―――

"Ah――uh." I wake up because of the burning heat in my body. …How long was I asleep? I guess I fell asleep while feeling the night wind, without returning to my room.

In the dim shed, there's me and―――

"…! Saber…!?" "You have awakened, Shirou. I do not mind you escaping out of your room, but it is slovenly for you to sleep here." ――There is Saber's figure, looking like she wants to complain to me.

"Oh, morning. Well, I was hot last night and went outside, so I guess I fell asleep then."

"I can tell. Please do not worry about excuses, but take more care next time. My position will be in question if my Master sleeps in a place like this."

"Ugh… sorry, I'll try to sleep in my room as much as possible from now on." "If you understand, I am glad. By the way, Shirou. Taiga has been calling for you."

"Fuji-Nee is? What would she want me for?" "It must be about breakfast. It is already past time for breakfast." "Eh――whoa, it's already past seven…!? Damn, I overslept…!"

"It seems so. It is unusual for you to wake up last. Rin's training last night must have tired you quite a lot." Saber analyzes the situation calmly. But I don't have that much composure.

"Sorry for making you wake me up, but could you go back first? I'll change and head to the kitchen too." "Yes. Then I shall try to calm Taiga down as much as possible."

Saber leaves with calm footsteps. But, calm down Fuji-Nee…? Saber has already adapted quite well to the mornings at our house.

I run into the kitchen. Ignoring Fuji-Nee's vilification, I prepare breakfast in about five minutes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. There isn't much time till school starts, so eat quickly." I put the breakfast onto the table. "Wha――" And then.

"What is this!!?" Fuji-Nee explodes.

"What is this!? There's only toast! Shirou, why is this the only thing for breakfast…!?"

"…Hey now, I slept in, so it can't be helped. There's no time to make anything else. Anyways, a meal with bread is basically just this. We're just missing salad and egg, so there's not much difference."

"Of course there's a difference! Don't the rest of you think so too!?" Fuji-Nee asks Tohsaka and Saber, who are eating silently. But she shouldn't be so optimistic. Those two aren't as greedy as Fuji-Nee is. They won't agree with her.

"…You're right. I'm not Fujimura-Sensei, but I cannot forgive such laziness. I can only consider this an insult to the bread." …Hey, hold on. I thought you don't usually eat breakfast!

"………Sigh." Whoa, what was that sigh that sounded like obvious disappointment!? Did your character change, Saber!?

"See, everyone agrees Shirou is the one at fault. It's decided by majority rule, so go and make a proper breakfast when you've repented your actions." "I can't follow such an unfair match! First of all, you'll be late if I make something now. It's already seven thirty. You won't make it in time unless you run while eating, so I suggest you give up on that idea!"

"It's fine. If I have to choose between being late and being hungry, I'll choose breakfast." "Don't do that! What teacher in the world would do that…!? It's fine, so eat and go to school quickly. I'll tell you this, but I won't be cooking any breakfast other than this."

"Hmmm. Geez, you're diligent in the weirdest places. If you keep talking like an old man, you'll become really old quickly."

"You don't need to tell me. I already have the tastes of an old man because of you, Fuji-Nee." So saying, I start eating my toast. …Well, it's true. There is something desolate about having only toast for breakfast when there's this many people.

The sounds of the shinais echo. The substance of the fight is the same as always.

I attack desperately, while Saber blocks my blows easily and counters with an attack twice as sharp as mine. I manage to block it, attack even stronger, and lose――we are repeating the same match over and over.

"Ha――Haa, haa, hah." I stand still and breathe deeply. Wiping the sweat off my forehead with my arm, I calm my breathing.

"What are you resting for? You would not have given up at this point yesterday. Here, come attack me."

"No――hold on. I need to catch my breath. Let's rest a bit."

"What are you saying? If you will not attack, I will just attack. You do not mind that?" Saber stares at her bad student. But I cannot move my body to my satisfaction, even if she looks at me that way.

"…Sigh. What has gotten into you, Shirou? You are like a different person from yesterday. Your blows that came straight for me were the only thing that amazed me, but I do not feel any power from you this morning."

"…I know that myself, but… I just can't do too well." Well, uh, the situation is too different from yesterday.

"Is the heat in your body still present? But it is no good if your performance decreases just because of that. Please cool down a bit and calm your mind."

"――No. Before that, do something about that thing." I point to the observer by the wall.

"What? Don't mind me and just continue your training."

"……" Tohsaka doesn't understand at all. When she's staring at me like that, I can't concentrate on fighting with Saber.

"You are worried about Rin? That proves even more of your lack of training. "…I understand. In that case, I will make it so that you will not worry about observers." Saber grips her shinai hard.

"Whoa, hold on Saber, my breath isn't――" "There is no problem. You should fix such a problem during battle." Saber disappears from my view.

"――!" The instant I realize this is bad and block my face, Saber's shinai hits me right on my head.

…And so, the training this morning was severe. I wasn't worried about Tohsaka watching after I got knocked out once. As I devoted myself to blocking Saber's blows, it was lunchtime before I knew it.

"But man, Saber really is calm. You didn't even twitch your brow during the whole three hours you fought with Shirou. You don't talk much normally, but it's even more true when you're in a battle. It feels like you're a machine or something."

Tohsaka is in a good mood, I think because she saw me getting beat around a lot. The two are in the living room, resting. As for me, I'm preparing lunch by myself as a punishment for not being serious this morning. …Geez. I want to cut corners and finish quickly by making something like white noodles.

"Machine-like…? I see, I have never been conscious of it, but I may be turning off my emotions while I wield the sword. It must be the same even in training."

"Hmm. Could that be in preparation for holding a sword even though you're a girl? Like, not losing in spirit because you're inferior in physique?"

"That is incorrect, Rin. Being calm is part of readiness for battle, but that should be no different for a man or a woman. Even you should shut down your emotions during battle. You are the kind who is able to."

"Hm… you're pretty direct. Well, it's true, though. But yours is definitely different from mine. I only shut out my generosity. I can't be as objective as you are."

"It seems so. That must be why you are so gorgeous. You keep the elegance of a woman even during battle."

"What, is that sarcasm? I can't beat you in gorgeousness. …I'll admit it since Shirou is way over there, but I was fascinated by your beauty when I first saw you." …No, I can hear you, Tohsaka.

"――You must have been misunderstanding. If my figure looked gorgeous, it must be that my class of Saber looked gorgeous."

"That's not it. I just felt like I've lost as a woman. …I wouldn't have been so shocked otherwise."

"…I am saying that you are mistaken. I have never thought of myself as a woman, and I have never been treated as one. It cannot be true that I am gorgeous."

Saber's comment stops the conversation. "―――――" As I use the kitchen knife, I feel irritated by Saber's comment.

"…I've been wondering for a while, but just what does she think she is?" I take a big swing at the chicken meat. For some reason, I'm getting annoyed.

――I have never thought of myself as a woman

"――Heh. It's none of my business…!" I strike hard at the cutting board with my knife. But doing so doesn't make me feel even one bit better.

"These are today's task. We've got more than yesterday and you seem calmer today, so you should succeed."

I don't know how she brought them here, but Tohsaka brings out about forty lamps.

"I'm going outside. I'll be back in a while, so finish up by then." Saying goodbye, Tohsaka leaves the room.

"――Sigh." Well. Yesterday night was bad, so I should at least succeed at one or two tonight.

"…Phew. Half done, for now." It took me one hour to try "strengthening" on about twenty lamps. Half of them broke, and the other half showed no change. But out of the ones that didn't break, five of them had magical energy successfully channeled into them. All I have to do now is to challenge the twenty that are left, but――

"…… Hold on. Maybe five is enough as a test?" It seems like all the lamps are antiques. I feel bad about breaking any more of them.

"…Hmm." Yeah, I should――

[stastrodome]

Fun Facts. 100% verified.

Due to the outreach and popularity of online gambling, King Charles II| has become a huge fan of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.

Maple Bourbon Milkshakes were the signature cocktails of Richard Nixon.

Lord Byron was banned from the Earl of Shaftsbury's castle for "importune commentary impugning the Shaftsbury name".

Julia Child once said "There are only two ways to cook a meal: the proper way and Cincinnati-style!"

Marie Kondo has a basement full of boxes of VHS tapes.

[malbecmusings]

Juneau, Alaska

July 26 & 27 - A warning that was stressed over and over and over by guides we talked to while planning this trip: DO NOT underestimate the bears. A grizzly has a sense of smell exponentially better than a bloodhound. With the ability of said 1,000lb plus behemoth to hit 40, yes f-o-r-t-y, miles an hour for up to 2 miles nonstop, shit could hit the fan faster than you could imagine. The prep we've done, including for a potential unfriendly wildlife encounter could be a book in itself. We're all carrying bear spray; the boy scout and I are each carrying a different type (potency/volume vs range). Everyone is also carrying chest holsters with big bore handguns, and yes, praying we don't have to use them.

My first thought this morning was one of of gratitude for not having any large, nosey critters come into camp in the middle of the night. My second thought was about how good I felt. We spent for-effin-ever trying out different tens, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads before we found a combo that we liked. Although it was in the 50's we stayed warm and didn't wake up feeling like we had spent the night sleeping on rocks, which is exactly what we had done.

Half our party was already up having coffee around the fire when I unzipped the tent to assess the world. The clouds were pretty low so there wasn't a need to get in a hurry. While everyone primarily responsible for flying is instrument rated, meaning we could get up and call for a clearance to fly into Juneau.... why?

Instead of rushing to get everything packed up, we decided to make a big breakfast and chill while we waited for the weather to lift. There wasn't as much concern about cooking this morning because we'd all be up and *might* be able to see or hear something coming. Our resident chefs went wild and made the biggest, best tasting breakfast burritos and pancakes I've ever had. My contribution to the feast was virgin Bloody Marys which were almost as good as the high test variety.

The ceilings lifted by the time we finished breakfast, got everything cleaned up, and the planes packed. We flew upriver in search of more gravel bars to do touch and go's on. I made two full stop landings in a slight crosswind that even I was proud of. It pays to sleep with know a good CFI.

Juneau holds the distinction of being one of only two state capitols that are wholly inaccessible by an outside road system. In addition to being a government town, it's also tourist central, with a yearly average visitor count of more than a million tourists. That's a lot, especially considering the metro population is barely 36K. But, it is stunning. Turn in any direction and you'll find mountains, the ocean, glaciers, and wildlife within arms reach.

We got lucky and found a VRBO big enough to house all of us rather than staying at a hotel. Bonus points for it being close to the airport. Our host was quick to recommend the Salmon Bake for dinner. Her instructions were to dress warm and go hungry. Imagine a rustic outdoor Cracker Barrel buffet. It was a bit very touristy, but isn't that the point? You can belly up to the bar, chill around a campfire and roast marshmallows, pan for gold, shop for stuff (of course), and enjoy an "Alaskan experience" while feasting on pretty decent food. Two tips: get a table by the creek if you can and get the glazed salmon.

Juneau Part II: We had a chill night and crashed early because we had a fishing charter scheduled this morning. Another cool, beautiful but wet morning. To hopefully minimize the risk of a lung issue flareup, I broke out both the layered cold weather and foul weather gear. It took two boats to haul all of us and the better part of an hour to reach the fishing grounds, which looked an awful lot like ALL the water we passed before reaching that spot. Our guides were amazing though. Between us, we caught a literal boatload of halibut, salmon, and rockfish surrounded by some of the most mind blowing scenery imaginable. The guides are going to process everything except what we saved for dinner and ship it to us when we get home.

We were planning to hike up to Mendenhall Glacier when we got back but pulling all these fish up from the bottom of the damn ocean wore us out. Instead we built a fire in the fire-pit, had a few drinks, and enjoyed a chill night. Tomorrow we head north again for another few nights off the grid. Our first stop will be the town of Cordova where we'll refuel and provision before heading to a Forest Service cabin on Hinchinbrook Island.