#i said celtics in 7

[scotianostra]

January 24th, 76AD, is said to be the likely date of birth forPublius Aelius Hadrianus, who built Hadrian’s Wall.

When the Romans invaded the British Isles they held, large parts of what is now Scotland, even after the construction of Hadrian’s Wall in AD 122, there were large forts around the country at varioustimes, the largest of which was Trimontium located at Newstead, near Melrose, in the Scottish Borders. It was occupied intermittently from about 79 to 184 AD and was the largest of the "outpost" forts after the construction of Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian’s Wall was largely abandoned for about twenty years from .AD 138, when the Romans established a new frontier in Scotland between what are now the Firths of Forth and Clyde, where they built the Antonine Wall.

The Antonine Wall was more of a very large ditch, and my old flat would have been part of the structure, part of the "wall" is on land only yards from me. I got into trouble for calling it a ditch from a Roman historian before, so will add that it was much more, the thing is it more or less looks like one just now, much of the fortifications are long gone.

Hadrian is noted for his interest in architecture and the number of provinces he visited whilst Emperor. He is likely to have visited Britain in AD 122, after some kind of conflict in the preceding years, and we know that it was in this period that construction of the Wall started. It has also been known as Picts' Wall, or Vallum Hadriani in Latin.

The origin of the Picts is clouded by the many fables and legends about them. There are numerous theories as to who the Picts were and where they came from. Experts even disagree over what they ate and drank and what language they spoke although some point to the existence of a distinct Pictish language, which today is believed to have been an Insular Celtic language, closely related to the Brittonic spoken by the Britons who lived to the south.

Often described as savages the Picts were an ancient and artistic people who defied the might of Rome which conquered the rest of Britain. They were a sophisticated , hardworking, clever people, skilled in farming and fishing.

You would have thought a savage tribe would have been an easy conquest for the Romans, but the Picts were anything but that. Picts are first recorded in history in the third century AD. Eumenius, a Roman writer, describes the "pictus" as fierce and skilled in battle. It is not clear whether "pictus" (the Latin for painted) was intended, or if this is a Latin form of some indigenous name. I prefer to think of them as the "Painted People"

Although the Romans reached Scotland and often defeated them in battle, they never conquered the Picts or Pictland. The Roman Empire's expeditions north resulted in few permanent gains.

Scotland's sculptured stones, created by the Picts of ancient Alba tell the stories of a race of people who defied Rome and survived the invading Vikings, thus preserving a separate culture and race in Scotland. It is in these sometimes mighty, sometimes delicate stones that the history of ancient Scotland is now recorded.

There are many of these slabs on display in The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, as well as a fine display in The Hunterian in Glasgow.

When the Romans left the Picts were often attacked by the Britons and eventually all the Pictish tribes agreed to support one High King who would rule all of Pictland.

It's said the Picts, unusually, were a matrilineal society, i.e. bloodlines passed through the mother. Pictish kings were not succeeded by their sons, but by brothers, nephews or cousins as traced by the female line in a complicated series of intermarriages between 7 royal houses. It is this rare form of succession which in 845 AD gave the crown of Alba and the title Rex Pictorum - King of the Picts - to the son of a Pictish princess by the name of Kenneth, Son of Alpin, he is generally accepted by most historians as the first of the kings of Scotland, follwing on from his reign as King of Dál Riata. As usual though, not al agree on this.

The Picts survived as a distinct people until early in the 10th century. However, there is no record of them dying out or moving elsewhere. It is most likely that the Picts simply integrated into the large population within the developing multi-ethnic nation of Scotti, Picts, Celts, Britons and Angles which we now call Scotland. The map, from wiki says this was how their lands looked as late as the 7th century. The last pics are of two Pictish people and a 15th century depiction of King Kenneth.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

This is pretty low stakes and no matter what, everyone likes each other a lot. So it's not a huge problem. But also, I'm steadfast on this...

I live with my sister a several roomates and we all consider each other family. It's a very cozy living situation. However, that doesnt mean we always get along and X and I butt heads on plenty of occasions.

X is a wonderful person but they're also extremely sensitive. They're autistic and dont like certain sounds or behaviors but also they run around screaming a lot or will walk up up and start talking randomly about something. I dont mind it, it can be really annoying when I'm trying to work but understand it and usually hear them out. However the running around screaming "CUM" and "I'M GONNA KILL YOU" can be pretty grating.

Anyways, I really like singing. I have a high soprano voice akin to a victorian childs ghost and I sing when I do the dishes and X haaaaates it. They always tell me to "fucking stop or I'll kill you" (they just speak in an extreme manner as a joke or out of habit it's not threatening just annoying) or "stop, I cant take it". I sometimes stop but sometimes I tell them to get over it because 1) they scream cum like 24/7 2) our other roomate sings until 3 am (deep husky voice very epic to celtic songs) and nobody complains and 3) idgaf. They tell me I'm mean and I tell them they're being overly sensitive, and then they say that they're autistic.

On one hand I understand that they have sensitivities, our other roomates and my sister are autistic as well and have certain things we need to keep in check. I also recognize that I can be overly harsh at times since they have a hard time understanding boundaries (I have issues with people touching me or invading my business so I have very short temper I that area). On the other hand they are the kind of person who cant take their own medicine, even if they're joking the CUM screaming and constant "I'm gonna kill you" really wears you down. I feel pretty justified in my snapping, like when they kept a walking into my room and caught me changing and said "why dont you put a curtain up?" (I had to reiterate that its MY ROOM!) Also when talking with my other roomates we dont have these kinds of problems and we understand what compromises we need to make.

Anyhow, I was singing These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things and X asked me not to because it gives her bad memories and I said I wouldnt, I sang a Neir song and X asked me not to because it's scary and I said alright, i was singing Lullaby of Birdland and X said something and I said GET OVER IT YOU SISSY and they got really sad. I was going to return to piano playing so I can learn Malo from Turn Of The Screw which is possibly the creepiest victorian child song you could sing, they probably wont like it but nowadays I just say "I literally dont care" and continue.

I know im really harsh and probably being rude but the double standards are very annoying and my other roomates think I'm fine. They say I'm mean but they think everything is mean. We are friends regardless. AITA

What are these acronyms?

[stalkerofthegods]

Lord Morpheus/Somnina deep dive info

Lord Morpheus is active in lives, he is a kind and gentle god, always having his worshipers/devotees in his mind, he is amazing.

Herbs • Poppy, Poppy trees, poppy seeds, ivory, Dandelion seed, Chamomile, mugwort, lavender, jasmine, passionflower, basil

Animals• Bats, Nocturnal animals, Cats, Fireflies, Moths, Butterfly, Racoons, Wolves, Crows, Halcyon birds, sheep “counting sheep” (my personal thinking)

Zodiac • None, I couldn't find any evidence, perhaps Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces because they were born in the winter.

Colors • Black, Blue, Gold, Purple, Silver, Red, some folks like associating neon colors and grey. I also think white.

Crystal• Amethyst, Herkimer Diamond, Scolecite, Hematite, Lapis Lazuli, and gemstones associated with dream magick

Symbols• Horns (he passes through a horn gate each night), Portals, gates, feathers, wings, skeleton keys, stars, night, ivory, tea, baths, sweet coffee

wear in their honor • sleep masks, PJs, slippers.

Diety of• of dreams, of sleep

Patron of• from/shape (his name translates to that, and shapeshifts in dreams.), messages to the unconscious, prophecies to the unconscious, influencing people unconsciously, hypnotizing, dreaming about the future, daydreaming, dream jobs, human shapes, hallucinations of humans, meditation, desire, hope, insomnia, opium-based medication, lucid dreaming, imagination, schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like disorders or illnesses, creativity, astral travel, encouragement, communication, divination

Element• Water, air

Offerings• Honey, honey cake, wine, fish and incense, Melatonin, Sleep-related gemstones and crystals, Skulls, Dream Catchers (ethnically obtained), Any type of stress reliever, and sleep indulgent tea, Ivory and/or Horn items, Sleep-related spells,

The imagery of his associated animals, Feathers, demon imagery(?), imagery of his animals, offerings of things like moths, butterflies, skulls, and feathers (ethically sourced), melatonin gummies, skeleton keys, Dream Pillows (herbal satchels filled with lavender to place under your pillow for better sleep)

Devotional• Track your dreams on a calendar, Keep a dream journal, Get enough sleep, Turn off your electronics 1 hour before bed (gets you in deeper sleep faster), Perform a night ritual, Learn about lucid dreaming and practice it, Write a letter to Morpheus before going to bed, Prayers related to Morpheus, Prophetic inducing herbs, Creating a playlist for him with songs that help you sleep, drink mugwort or chamomile tea before bed, set and try to stick to a night routine, write letters or jokes to him, write stories/a book, wear or dress your bed in his associated color, keep crystals for him on your bed or bedside table, have a bath or shower before bed, speak to him before you sleep, go to a sleepover to his honor, washing your bed sheets, cleaning up ur bed, try making your own melatonin, practice divination, try controlling ur dreams

Ephithets• Μορφευς, Morpheus, Shaper of Dreams, Sandman, Mildest of the Gods, Balm of the Soul, Oneiros, Kai’Ckul, Lord L’Zoril, Shaper of Forms, Lord Shaper, Prince of Stories (The Sandman, Neil Gaiman), Dream Giver, Sleep’s Guest, Lord Shaper, Father of Dreams, Lord of the Night, He Who Tells Mortals Stories,  Formshaper, Shadowmaker

Equivalents (alike not the same)• Niorun (Norse), Angus (Celtic), Caer (Celtic), Bes (Egypt), Tutu (Egypt), Morpheus (Greek), Somnina (Norse).

Signs their reaching out• Sudden floating in dreams, better dreams, sleeping better, seeing him in dreams.

Vows/omans• Perhaps wedding vows.

Number• 1, 6, 7

Morals• Morally lawfully neutral follows the gods' bidding.

Courting• no one, but is seen as Iris's husband in some literature,

Past lovers/crushes• I couldn't find any, I think he is Ace? But that is not anyone's business. He is ‘said’ to date Iris because of always being togetherer 

Personality• Morpheus is a very chill and comprehensive God. He’s understanding and he’s happy to help out if he can. He doesn’t ask for much when you worship him, as long as you’re making an effort he’s fine.

Home• Erebus, in the Underworld

Mortal or immortal • Immortal 

Fact• Some say they were able to “heal”, 

Curses• Insomnia, your dream of the ‘good future’ being wrong, your hopes and dreams crashing down, no dreams (If u like your dreams), feeling anger towards you in dreams and just in general. Your baby wakes up with a nightmare. The back/neck problems you wake up with.

Blessings• Good sleep, having good dreams, and your children going to sleep.

Roots• Ancient Greece, born probably in Tarturas

Friends• Iris, Zeus, Hermes, Hera, messengers in general.

Parentage• Pasithea and Hypnos, some say he came from Hypnos asexually, some say from Nyx asexually, I think Nyx.

Siblings• Oneiroi, Icelus, Phobetor, Phantasus

Pet• None.

Children • None 

Appearance in astral or gen• often depicted with wings, he changes into whatever shape is needed at a given moment, decided as a young man in art, and has one ear with wing and one to hear with. He looks like he has short hair.

Festivals • I couldn't find any, I would say hibernation month, and just celebrate being able to sleep when animals are hibernating.

Season • winter 

Day • I would say Saturday because I get the most sleep on Saturday, no school, and no worries, I couldn't find a historic one, or just make a day for him, many people do that for minor gods.

Status• Greek Minor god/personification, a part of the Oneiroi, and the leader of the Oneiroi. plays a major role in day-to-day life. He is a Cthonic deity

What angers them • Insulting them, 

Music they like• I would think Sleep Music, Sleep Asmr

What they like • sleep.

What they dislike• I would say physical touch since he disappears all the sudden when he is almost being touched, I think he only touches those he ‘is okay with’ as a sign of trust or adornment because I heard a person back then say they use to get tapped by them

Planet• Moon (phase new)

Tarot cards• The Four of Swords and the Tower, message card (based on sleep and messages, each their own.)

Reminds me of• sleep, the good resting kind of sleep 

In my opinion • they are pretty rad, and strangely I've been having shit sleep, ain't he just a sweetheart.

Scents/Inscene • Opium, Lavender, Jasmine, Chamomile, Sandalwood, and any other calming scents

Prayers• 

1.

Ever-shifting Morpheus, lord of the Oneiroi who bring us our dreams, true or false. Morpheus, swift-soaring courier, twilight messenger of the gods, kind one, dweller in the shadowed land of dreams, dark-winged god who shapes the visions of the night, who tells the tales that must be told, who strips us bare of secrets, who clothes hard truths in subtle raiment, child of the black night, child of the shrouded dark, in the realm of illusion you are king. Morpheus, harbinger of change, concealer of clues, you bury bits of truth among our wishes and fancies; with your aid can we see into the mist of the unknown, with your aid can we find the hidden pieces of the self. Morpheus, I praise and honor you.

2.

With a whisper I call you, o Morpheus,  lord of dreams, greatest amongst the Oneiroi. I call to you as Hypnos draws near.

Phantasos, ancient messenger who  crafts wonder into form who conjures in our minds a tapestry otherworldly. Greatest molder and master of lights,  many-shaped, you cross the night  and take on any face or voice any hue or sound you so desire. I ask you, my lord: shield me from pain  and fear in my dreams, let no anguish burden my heart as I sleep. This only I request: that within your great creations I may rest  and through your hand I may find safe haven. That my words may reach you, o Morpheus  whispered though they may be as Hypnos draws near.

Links/websites/sources •https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpheus

https://www.thecollector.com/morpheus-greek-god/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Morpheus-Greek-mythology https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hypnos https://despena.gr/morpheus-the-ancient-greek-god-of-dreams/https://kreweofmorpheus.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=174762&module_id=305302 https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/morpheus-greek-god-dreams-who-delivered-messages-gods-mortal-world-002318#google_vignette How Ancient Egyptians Interpreted Dreams - UnEarthed Penn Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams (The Myths) - Amazon.comAmazon.com Caer Ibormeith - Thoughts on PapyrusThoughts on Papyrus Who is Niorun? - Northern Tradition Paganismhttps://greekpagan.com/tag/morpheus/

HUGE HELP FROM

I use resources, I do not own the info, and most deep dives have UPG (that I use in my work.) And I only take some information from sources. I am 14, this is my hobby, I am learning but I spent many hours and days on this, and I am always open to criticism. I have been doing worship for 5 years. Please know you can use the info, I do not sue, but I will take action if this work is used without permission and not put as a resource if used in any work. without permisson and not put as a resource if used in any work, for the public.

[esoteric-chaos]

Ferns - The Mundane and Magical 101

Working with my local land more has taught me to source local plants and connect with them. By properly taking care of it and working the land. That also means connecting with local plant spirits.

The Fern is one of those species of plants. This wonderful herb is abundant, protective and hold much wisdom for they are very old. With some dating back to 360 million years (or so they say). It is known some species can live up to a hundred years.

They are full of wisdom, you might just learn something from them if you actively work with them as a spirit.

Scientific Name:

Family: Pteridophyte

Parts used: For species of Fern it varies

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

CAUTIONS: ALWAYS check with your local herbalist and doctor before consuming any medicinal medicine as they will be able to direct you on proper dosages. Some medications can also interact and so can some conditions with certain herbs.

IMPORTANT: Some Ferns are harmful (like the Pteridium genus aka Bracken Fern) to the airways and can let off spores that can harm or cause death in immunocompromised people. Always be wary of Fern species around pets as well. Source and research responsibly.

Uses in Herbalism and Healing:

Certain Fern species are used to treat different ailments. Ex. Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) used for arthritis while Maidenhair Speenwort (Asplenium tricomanes) is used for coughs.

Always check which fern species is used as some can counteract and aren't always used for the same ailment.

On a fun note, Fiddlehead Ferns are used from a culinary standpoint and are quite delicious when prepared correctly.

Uses in Magic:

When placed in the home, it is said to hold protective properties, and when planted at the doorstep.

Dried Fern, when burned, carries exorcism properties.

Some folklore speaks that when Fern is burned outside, it causes rainfall.

When carried or worn, Fern has the power to guide to treasure.

Some Celtic and Irish legends speak of Ferns being used in from healing to magic.

A Slavic folk tale speaks of a flower on a fern that blooms for a very short time on the eve of the summer solstice. It is said it brings fortune to the person who finds it. In some tales, it allows humans to understand animals talking. It is guarded by malevolent entities. Though the one who succeeds in gathering it can receive earthly riches, that attainment has always brought unlucky energy to the poor soul, so some leave it alone.

Recipes:

A very yummy recipe using Fiddlehead ferns. Check it out!

Sources and extra reading material:

Please remember while I provide sources, some content is my own UPG from working for years intuitively with this herbal ally. What you do not see from my sources assume it is my UPG and take what information you will. Always cross-reference and research yourself. All medical knowledge will be sourced.

Medical Links:

Cao, H., Chai, T., Wang, X., B. Morais-Braga, M. F., Yang, H., Wong, C., Wang, R., Yao, H., Cao, J., Cornara, L., Burlando, B., Wang, Y., Xiao, J., & M. Coutinho, H. D. (2017). Phytochemicals from fern species: Potential for medicine applications. Phytochemistry Reviews, 16(3), 379-440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-016-9488-7

Spiritual:

Books:

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

Links:

Want to check out my other posts? Here’s the Masterpost

[your-resident-boat-person]

Hi! I saw your post about your top ocean liners! If you're still answering questions, what do you know about the Adriatic? Feel free to include another ship as I'm trying to learn more about ocean liners!

So, the Adriatic occupies a strange position in the Ocean Liner community. If you were to ask someone which of the Olympic class was their favorite, you'd get various answers, including the Britannic. However, very few people would say they picked Britannic because "she's the best version of the Olympic class". Most people would discuss her building, or her World War 1 service. Meanwhile, most people who I have spoken to about the Big 4 prefer the Adriatic because "she's the best version of the big 4". And, I mean, they're right, but its strange. She's the largest, the fastest, and the most luxurious. She was the first ocean liner to feature a swimming pool and Turkish bath, and all of her accommodations were generally a significant upgrade from her predecessors. But it's strange to me how THAT is the reason everyone prefers her. I mean, it's why I prefer her. She's the ultimate ship of the Big 4. But like I said earlier, very few people who prefer Britannic over Olympic and Titanic hold that opinion because she was (planned to be) more luxurious.

Anyway, here are some cool facts for you.

1. The Big 4 was almost the Big 5.

After Titanic sank, White Star apparently put in an order with Harland and Wolff for "A new Adriatic class ship". This is VERY strange considering the Big 4 had since been superceded by the Olympic class. As far as I know, no company EVER ordered a new ship from a previous generation like this, other than this instance. The ship was to be named RMS Germanic, after the SS Germanic of 1874, from the Britannic class. She presumably would have followed and improved upon Adriatics design, just as the Adriatic improved on the design of her predecessors. RMS Germanic had her keel laid down right around when World War 1 started, but the war delayed her construction, and she was eventually canceled.

2. The name

Like the Germanic, The RMS Adriatic was named after another White Star ship, the SS Adriatic of 1871. The SS Adriatic was the 5th ship in the Oceanic class, White Star's first class of ships. Like the RMS Adriatic, the SS Adriatic was an enhanced version of her predecessors. However, the SS Adriatic was later improved upon by the SS Celtic. The RMS Celtic of the Big 4 was named after this ship.

3. The Specs

The third ship of the Big 4, the RMS Baltic (named after the SS Baltic from 1871, also from the Oceanic class) was significantly larger than the previous two ships. However, Harland and Wolff left her engines unmodified. This meant that she was slightly slower than her predecessors. The Adriatic was even larger than the Baltic, but Harland and Wolff made her engines significantly more powerful. This meant that the largest of the Big 4 was also the most powerful, and the fastest. Her fastest crossing time was 7 days and 6 minutes. Also, her top speed was around 17 knots.

4. Coal consumption.

The Lusitania and Mauretania were the fastest ships in the world. From 1907 to 1929, their speed was unrivaled. The Mauretania specifically held the record for 19 uninterrupted years, and even beat her own record once. This, however, came at a cost. The Lusitania and Mauretania consumed 1,000 tons of coal PER DAY. The Olympic, only a few knots slower, only consumed 650 tons per day, despite being nearly 10,000 GRT larger than both of them. I actually discussed this in more detail in a previous post. Anyway, the Adriatic, by comparison, only consumed 260 tons per day. Now, she was nearly 10 knots slower than the Mauretania, but you can see how much more economical it made her by comparison. Because this was before late stage capitalism, these savings were passed on to the consumers. Tickets for the Adriatic (and by extension, the rest of the Big 4) were SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER than other competing ships, even the Olympic, and the RMS Oceanic, the predecessor to the Big 4. Also, after the first World War, most Ocean Liners like Olympic and Mauretania were converted to burn Oil instead of coal. This had several advantages.

1) Oil made the refueling process several magnitudes easier and shorter.

2) Burning Oil instead of Coal made the ship marginally faster (the Olympic was 1/10th of a knot faster after the conversion).

3) Burning Oil made the ship produce much less smoke, increasing the air quality in EVERY PORT THESE SHIPS WENT TO.

4) Because fluid takes the shape of its container, you were able to store MUCH more of it, greatly extending the ships range.

However, an unintended consequence of this was the Stokers. Generally, a ship like the Olympic had 350 men stoking the boilers with coal. After being converted to Oil, this number dropped to 50 or 60. Also, because Coal and Oil boilers were so different, coal stokers would need to be completely reeducated to work on these new ships (contrary to popular belief, stokers were considered skilled labor at the time, and required very specific and specialized knowledge and training. It wasn't just a matter of finding a strong guy and handing him a shovel.) As a show of good faith to their employees, White Star didn't convert any of the ships of the Big 4 to burn oil, to help ensure that the coal stokers could maintain employment. This was especially appreciated once the Great Depression hit in 1929.

🌟~B-B-B-BONUS FACT~🌈

The RMS Adriatic was launched on the same day as Cunard's RMS Mauretania. Because of this, as well as the fact that the RMS Lusitania was launched earlier, the Adriatic was the only member of the Big 4 to not hold the title of "largest ship in the world".

⚓️🛟🚢 - BONUS B O N U S FACT - 🚢🛟⚓️

The longest trip the RMS Adriatic did was her voyage to be scrapped in Osaka Japan.

Now that I've infodumped all over your dash, here's a disclaimer:

90% of this was from memory. I occasionally checked some sources for specific numbers like speed and coal consumption, but otherwise this was all stuff I just knew off hand. Before you use ANY of this information ANYWHERE, I'd reccomend fact checking it to make sure I didn't get anything wrong.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out and ask! This is my favorite thing in the world.

[permettez-moi]

You know, the more I think about Halt being a royal, the more things start to make sense, and some are just plain fun.

1. He's a good tactician, which we write off to him being a ranger, but he propably had some war training, especially the tactics of it.

2. Technically speaking, he should probably be able to use a sword, yet another classic thing for your fantasy medieval royal to know.

3. Halt can propably sing, as it is a respectable skill to have.

4. Fashion. Halt knows, or used to know Hibernian fashion to a T.

5. He is multilingual! My best guess is - Hibernian - Araluen - a decent amount of celtic and pictic - and maybe a hand full of gælic, as a treat

6. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, he knows royal and high society protocol and rules. He just chooses to ignore them

7. Halt used to wear some make-up

8. His ability to pick up on lies and social nuance, propably due to training in high society.

[stardustizuku]

The Avatar of Mestionora

~ Rozemyne Playlist || The commoner daughter of a soldier, turned goddess

A little playlist I made from the start of the series; to the very end

(This was a fun project I’ve been making since halfway through Part 5. I’m so excited to finally see it finished. This was a wild, long ride, and I can’t express how much fun I had. This series has made me go through such an emotional roller coaster, so I decided to share this playlist. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as i enjoyed making it.

I’m thinking about making a separate post explaining the background of my selection. Why i chose what songs, why in that order, and how I separated the parts. But given the size of the playlist, it may take a while. That said, if you’re interested and wanna know about anything, feel free to ask! I will answer with delight).

PART 1 - Daughter of a Soldier

1.- Naughty - Matilda Cast (From Matilda Musical)

2.- Ponyo on the cliff by the sea - Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas (From Ponyo)

3.- Flowers in my hair - Wes Reeves

4.-My Love is Mine, All Mine - Mitski

5.- When I Grow Up - Matilda Cast (From Matilda Musical)

PART 2 - Apprentice of a Shrine Maiden

6.- Quiet - Matilda Cast (From Matilda Musical)

7.- Unsweetened Lemonade - Amélie Farren

8.- Once Upon a December - Christy Altomare ( From Anastasia Musical)

9.- Only Love Can Save Us Now - Ke$ha

10.- Go Tonight - Krystina Alabado, Emma Hunton (From Mad Ones Musical)

11.- Two Orugitas - Sebastian Yatra (From Encanto)

PART 3 - Adopted Daughter of the Archduke

12.- Chiquitita - ABBA

13.- Class of 2013 - Mitski

14.- The Milk Carton - Madilyn Mei

15.- Family Jewels - MARINA

16.- Seventeen - MARINA

17.- We Both Reached For The Gun - Chicago Cast (From Chicago Musical)

18.- Found - Sarah Stiles & Zach Callison (From Steven Universe The Movie)

19.- She Used to Be Mine - Jessie Mueller (From Waitress Musical)

PART 4 - Founder of the So-Called Library Comittee

20.- Ancient Dreams in a Modern Life - MARINA

21.- Belle - Beauty and the Beast Cast (From Beauty and Beast Movie)

22.- Non-Stop - Hamilton Cast (From Hamilton Musical)

23.- Put You in Your Place - Percy Jackson Cast (From Lighting Thief Musical)

24.- Little Wolf - EPIC Cast (From EPIC Musical)

25.- Téir Abhaile Riu - Celtic Women

26.- Fine on the Outside - Priscilla Ahn (From When Marnie was Here)

27.- The Prophecy - Taylor Swift

28.- Francis Forever - Mitski

PART 5 - The Avatar of a goddess

29.- Warrior of the Mind - EPIC Cast (From Epic Musical)

30.- Idol - YOASOBI

31.- Venus Fly Trap - MARINA

32.- Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Lorde (From the Hunger Games Movies)

33.- LABOUR (Cacophony) - Paris Paloma

34.- Don’t Make me - MALINDA

35.- Breakfast - Dove Cameron

36.- Hit me with your Best Shot - ADONA

37.- Nothing You Can Take From Me - Rachel Zegler (From Ballad from Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)

38.- Breathe - Leslie Grace (From In The Heights Movie)

39.- I Can Do It With a Broken Heart - Taylor Swift

40.- Fine Line - Ke$ha

41.- Product of My Own Design - Artio

42.- Queen of Kings - Alessandra

43.- No Good Deed - Wicked Cast (From Wicked Musical)

44.- Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift (From the Hunger Games Movies)

45.- Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? - Taylor Swift

46.- Ruthlessness - Cast of EPIC (From Epic Musical)

47.- They’re Only Human - Annapantsu & Caleb Hyles (Death Note Musical Cover)

48.- Thumbs - Sabrina Carpenter

49.- Respectless - Hazbin Hotel Cast (From Hazbin Hotel)

50.- The Greatest Show - Panic at the Disco! (From Greatest Showman)

51.- Different Beast - Cast of EPIC (From Epic Musical)

52.- Done For - Cast of EPIC (From Epic Musical)

53.- I am not a woman, I’m a god - Halsey

54.- Inkpot Gods - The Amazing Devil

55.- Sea of Love - Cat Power

56.- Once Upon a Dream - Lana del Rey (From Maleficent)

57.- Paciencia Y Fe - Olga Merediz

58.- To Build A Home - Patrick Watson

59.- Lover - Taylor Swift

60.- When You’re Home - Leslie Grace & Corey Hawkins (From In The Heights)

61.- Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine

[moiraimyths]

do you guys have any irish people on the team? i was wondering if theres any appropriation going on

Our voice acting team is majority Irish (4/7), since we wanted to prioritize Irish voice actors for these particular roles. Generally speaking, though, this is a fairly unhelpful question to direct towards our team. Cultural appropriation is described as "[...] the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity.".

Given that The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe) is very clearly described as a game based on Irish mythology and Celtic folklore, and is thematically centred around historical matters particular to Ireland, we do not meet the "unacknowledged" angle of this definition. Likewise, we believe we are taking great care to interpret these myths and discuss these historical events respectfully and as faithfully as possible. As such, unless we receive a specific criticism regarding our depiction or conduct, we have no reason to believe our game is inappropriate from this standpoint.

That said, as a show of good faith: In the past, we have had a handful of folks question our decision to set the game in 1845, i.e. the year that the Famine began, since our game is a "dating sim". However, as we hope our demo and external materials have thus far demonstrated, our story is not exclusively or even primarily centred around the romances themselves, and the Famine's inclusion is not merely superfluous angst, but both textually and thematically relevant to our broader anti-colonial/anti-imperialist messaging. In truth, the romances are so supplementary to our overall goals that they could be removed entirely - and, thanks to our Kickstarter's success, it will indeed be entirely possible to play the game without "dating" anyone. But, the romances nevertheless remain as game-play options because we do not believe that moments of light-heartedess inherently negate the serious aspects of our story. If anything, it can make many of these subjects more palatable to audiences.

Nevertheless, the development team is open to any concerns or criticisms made in similar good faith.

[ctoan11]

Had a lovely drive to the cottage today with my son. We couldn’t decide what music to put on so he suggested we put on our Spotify Blend playlist and it was perfect. We congratulated ourselves on some good listening on the past few weeks to let Spotify to put together a good mix of songs.

During a Celtic portion, after Great Big Sea and Spirit of the West, Carbon Leaf came on who I didn’t know and we had a discussion about what makes something a good Celtic song and I mentioned the tin whistle and he said yes, the tin whistle is in his genes.

And then I tired to think how much Celtic we might have listened to when he was young other than Great Big Sea and then I remembered an old cassette I played that some friends of mine had released.

They were Carl and Remy when we were in school and played a lot of events in the campus bar. (Play Truckin’ our friend Paul often yelled out during their sets). They were in Mechanical Engineering while we were in Chemical Engineering, so we didn’t have classes together but we were in a similar friend group. I had had a crush on Carl and we ended up working together at a consulting firm years later; Remy was a high school friend of my future husband and I had given him a ride home once for Christmas break so we had driven 2 hours together.

I said it was bar music, but Maritime bar, Irish drinking music. He would have been little when we listened, between 3 and 7 likely. He asked, did they sing the Jesse James song? He knew he knew the song but not The Pogues version and had no idea how he knew it!

We had some great discussions about what linked the songs together, as the music ranged from 70s to just released, country to indie to hip hop. Mitski was because I was listening the Spotify radio based on Mother Mother’s Ghosting, which was a group he introduced me to.

[weirdestbooks]

The Shot Heard Around the World Chapter 7

Enough is Enough (Wattpad | Ao3)

Table of Contents | Prev | Next

March 18, 1766

England had just given Thirteen great news. The Stamp Act had finally been removed. Now that that mess of an act has been cleared up, the tension in Thirteen’s relationship with his father can cleared up. Thirteen’s people can stop rioting, and things will calm down.

"Father?" Thirteen asked as he stepped into his father’s office. Thirteen knew that everything surrounding the Stamp Act was complicated and that his father didn't want to remove it, but he was glad he did.

"Yes, Thirteen?" his father asked. Thirteen shifted his feet. Something in his father’s voice sounded off, making him nervous, especially with everything happening nowadays.

"I wanted to thank you for removing the Stamp Act. I know my people-"

"Don't say that," Father said, cutting Thirteen off. Thirteen was confused. Did he not want him to apologize? Thirteen thought it would help improve things, proving to his father that Thirteen knew most of his actions were wrong.

Admitting that he was wrong and his father was right was always the best way to fix things. His father liked it when his colonies could own up to their mistakes and fix things.

"What? What do you mean?" Thirteen asked. His father couldn't be telling him not to call the colonists his people. Thirteen had always done that, and his father had never seemed bothered by it before. So it couldn't be that. It...it couldn't. Right?

‘I think…I think we messed up.’

"The colonists. I let you call them your people, but with my American colonists thinking they're the only ones who can impose taxes, I've had to resort to other measures. Parliament passed an act allowing us to have a say in all colonial affairs. You have assemblies, but that doesn't mean you have more or equal power to Parliament. If you hadn’t acted the way you had before, I wouldn’t have to do this. I’m sorry, my son, but you brought this on yourself. Since you wanted to act like a child, I’ll treat you like one." His father said.

'What the hell? What about the salutary neglect policy?'

'Our assemblies don't have power? Then why the hell would have them?'

'That fucking bastard.'

'Does he think the colonists will be peaceful after hearing that?'

'We have governed ourselves for over a hundred years, and now he  wants to declare that invalid?'

'FUCKING BASTARD! THEY'RE OUR PEOPLE!'

'He wants to stop riots, and he does this.'

'Bastard infringing on our rights.'

'This is worse than the Stamp Act.'

'This isn't the way to bring peace between people.'

'After everything that's happened, this is where we end up.'

'Oh, man. Things just got very complicated.'

'Britain, you just messed up again,'

Thirteen was shocked, his internal voices shouting louder than they ever had. He was hit with a large and ever-growing headache, and he stumbled backward, his legs weak from shock. 

"Thirteen, are you alright?" Father said. Thirteen shook his head, his hands shaking slightly, mind swirling with so many different thoughts and opinions.

"Why? The...it's...why?" Thirteen stuttered out before leaving the room and running back to his own, pushing his uncle Wales out of the way as he did so.

"Thirteen?" Wales asked as the colony slammed the door to his room shut.

'Fucking bastard.'

'We can't just take this. We need to go back. Yell at him. He can't just...'

'But he did.'

'Dammit.'

Thirteen sighed and sat down before shoving his face into his folded arms. He thought removing the Stamp Act would fix everything, but it worsened.

"Thirteen, are you okay?" Thirteen heard his Uncle Wales ask.

'The rest of the British Isles most likely already know this. Why is he asking that question?'

'Probably thought it wouldn't affect us this badly.'

"Go away!" Thirteen yelled back at him, knowing the Celtic wouldn’t hit him like his father and England did. Thirteen needed time to himself. How could his father do this? They were his people. They will always be his people.

'You're a pawn, a colony. You get used for money and resources, but you don't have real power.'

'The wording is a bit dramatic, but it is a good point.'

Thirteen’s father was taking away the power in his assemblies and denying him the right to call his people his own. Why did he think he could do that? This was the first time Thirteen’s people had reacted to his father’s laws this way, so why were they being punished so harshly? Removing the Stamp Act would fix their issues with his father, but then he had to pass the Declaratory Act.

Thirteen always wanted to support his father, but after this? He was just so conflicted. He didn't understand what was happening. So much was changing. His father isn't as good of a person as Thirteen thought he was.

That was a terrifying thought to him. His father...he...he...did he really love Thirteen? Or was Thirteen really just a pawn?

'Isn't this drastic-'

'No!'

'It is. This act is so horrible, but there's no need to get overemotional.'

'Our identity was just taken away, and you want us to be calm?'

Thirteen’s headache was growing, making it harder for him to focus. His thoughts were growing louder, demanding different things from him. It was making Thirteen so confused. Thirteen wanted to go back and yell at his father for doing that, consequences be damned, but another part of him was trying to convince him to remain calm.

'Being aggressive is only-'

'Damn him! Be aggres-'

'You can't!'

'You have to!'

'We need represe-'

'Our assembl-'

'We need a say so we don't h-'

'Are they going to bring back the St-'

'We're being unreasonable.'

'Unreasonable? What about that idiotic-'

Thirteen curled up into a ball on the floor as the pain in his head grew to an unbearable amount. There were so many conflicting thoughts that just kept canceling each other out. What was he supposed to think?

Most were angry about this act, but a couple still said Thirteen had to keep peaceful. He…he just wanted the Stamp Act to be removed. His father knew their reasoning. Some of his people couldn't pay that tax, and not all of his people were okay with the violence and riots.

His father knew this.

So why did he pass an act that wouldn't help things? He knew Thirteen’s people felt that internal taxes were meant to be placed by the assemblies. Saying that the assemblies could no longer solely do that and that a government three thousand miles away had to place taxes on people they knew nothing about wouldn't help things.

His father didn't know what Thirteen’s people were like. They were his people, not his father’s. Even if they were British, they were still Thirteen’s colonists. His father thinks they are just like his people in Britain. They aren't. They left Britain because they weren't accepted or wanted there. They left for religion and money.

And then they stayed. Three thousand miles is a long distance, and one hundred and eighty-one years was a long time. And it was enough time for Thriteen’s people to become different from his father's. They weren't the same. That's why local governments are essential to Thirteen and why representation is vital to Thirteen and his people. His father couldn't pass laws or taxes without knowing what Thirteen’s people wanted and needed.

'We need representation if Parliament is going to be allowed to have direct control over our taxes.'

The chaos of Thirteen’s thoughts began to calm, and the headache subsided. Thirteen realized that St. John's Island was in his room with him and that Thirteen had been crying.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Thirteen nodded. St. John's Island raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? You were crying, and I kept calling your name, and you wouldn't answer." St. John's Island said.

'We pulled him down that far?'

'I thought we were just like voices.'

‘After what happened at the ri–’

Thirteen wondered what that meant but pushed it out of his mind to answer St. John's Island’s questions.

"I'm sure. I just had a headache. It made it hard to pay attention to things." Thirteen told him as he sat up, leaning against the smaller colony. St. John's Island gave him a skeptical look but dropped the topic.

"You've been getting more headaches recently. Do you think you have an illness? Or do you think the unrest in your colonies is causing it?" St. John's Island asked. Thirteen shrugged.

"I'm fine. It's just a couple of headaches. It's not like they're being caused by some...I dunno...disruption." Thirteen answered. St. John's Island was too worried. Thirteen was fine; he was just frustrated and upset with his father and hungry from inconsistent meals from all his punishments.

And he was scared about how his thoughts seemed like more than thoughts.

'You know we've been more than just voices for a while now. We've been affecting him physically.'

'So what does that mean for the future?'

'Like we know. We'll have to wait and see.'

—————————————————————

June 5, 1767

Things had been less tense than Thirteen thought, but he and his father still had tension. Thirteen had tried to avoid calling using the phrases 'my people' and 'my land' in front of his father, but it slipped out sometimes. When that happened, his father would grab him and hit him a few times before locking Thirteen in his room and lecturing him.

Thirteen hadn’t been treated like this since he was in Jamestown, and he knew that was the point, but it didn’t stop it from being painful and humiliating. Eventually, Thirteen just avoided speaking around his father.

His thoughts hadn't gotten any better, either. They were all so loud, and his headaches had become more frequent. He hadn't had a headache bad enough to make me collapse again, although he was sure it would happen. Instead, Thirteen started having weird gaps in his memories, a few minutes or hours a day where he couldn’t remember things, which scared him.

Thirteen also thought that St. John's Island told all of Britain about Thirteen collapsing because now they got worried whenever Thirteen would have a headache. It was more people treating Thirteen like a child, and he hated that.

'Of course, you hate it. You're not a child.'

'And just because you're a colony doesn't mean you're not mature.'

Thirteen had a growing headache today as his thoughts again battled whether he should talk to his father about the Declaratory Act and how Thirteen had been treated since it was passed.

'You should. Nothing will change if you sit around and let yourself be bossed around.'

'But what if it makes things worse?'

'But what if it doesn't? If we allow Britain to do this, we're only sending him a message that he can do whatever he wants, and we won't complain.'

'Isn’t that what the Declaratory Act is doing? Giving him a say in all colonial affairs, in all cases?'

'So would it really matter if we put up a fuss?'

"Thirteen?" Thirteen heard his Uncle Scotland ask behind him, "Are you okay? Are you having another one of your headaches?"

"No, I'm fine," Thirteen lied. He didn't feel like being treated like a child today, so he learned that it was best to deny it and wait for them to leave him alone.

"Are yo-"

"Yes, I'm sure! Will you guys stop babying me about a couple of headaches? They aren't even that bad!" Thirteen cut off Uncle Scotland. Scotland took a step back, his eyes full of kindness and understanding that Thirteen didn’t want to see when his head was all messed up!

"Sorry. We're just worried about you. You've been different recently—more angry," he explained.

'And I wonder whose fault that is?'

'Britain?'

'No, you dense...never mind.'

"Well, it's almost like my people have been distraught over all of these ridiculous acts and taxes that have been placed on us," Thirteen told his uncle. Scotland sighed.

"I know you're upset about them, but there's not much you can do other than learn to deal with them," Uncle Scotland said, “It’s something we’ve all learned, living with Sasainn and Crown.”

Thirteen sighed. He knew his uncle was partially correct. There wasn't much Thirteen could do about them, but that didn't mean there wasn't something Thirteen could do. Thirteen could deal with this if only he would work up the courage, like Ireland's courage.

"Hello, Thirteen," Nova Scotia said as she approached Scotland and Thirteen. Britain wants to talk to you. He's in his room."

Thirteen nodded, got off the couch, and walked up to his father's room as Nova Scotia and Scotland exchanged whispered words behind him.

'If it's another tax, I'm going to lose it.'

'It probably is. Britain still needs to pay off his debts, and due to the Declaratory Act, he thinks he can tax us.'

'If it is a tax, he's warning us at least.'

'There's going to be another major headache soon.'

Thirteen walked into his father's room, knocking on the doorframe as he did so, careful to keep his head down. His father was standing by his bed, looking out the window to the garden, where Thirteen could see a few colonies, although, without distinct flags, he couldn’t tell who they were.

"Hello, Thirteen." The Empire said, looking up at Thirteen as he entered the room.

"Hello, Father." Thirteen said back, "What's this about?"

"The Providence of New York hasn't been complying with the Quartering Act of 1765-"

'Yeah, because it's a fucking stupid law.'

"-So Parliament has decided to pass the New York Restraining Act. This will forbid the New York Assembly and the governor of New York from passing any new bills until they agree to comply with the Quartering Act."

'WHAT?'

'WHAT THE FUCK!'

Thirteen held his head in pain as the voices echoed around his skull. His limbs began feeling numb and heavy, and he felt like he was about to pass out. Thirteen felt a presence start creeping into their mind as his body swayed.

‘Relax.’

Thirteen felt tired, and his eyes fluttered shut. 

New York was, however, definitely not tired and very pissed and in control of Thirteen’s body after he forced out his father, much to the anger of his siblings, who were currently yelling at him.

"-rteen! Thirteen, can you hear me?" New York heard his grandfather ask. The colony scowled.

"I can hear you just fine. I think you have a problem with hearing me. You're decreasing the power of the New York assembly?" New York questioned, his tone sharp as he jerked his head at the empire, unafraid of consequence.

“York, you idiot, are you insane? You’re going to get us all in trouble with Grandfather!’ Delaware yelled, his twin’s exasperated voice making it clear that as soon as New York returned to the headspace, he was getting a lecture from the small autonomous zone of Pennsylvania.

"It's only until New York complies with the Quartering Act," his grandfather said, something strange in his eyes. “And what gives you the right to think you can act this way? I knew repealing the Stamp Act was only going to encourage this…uncolony-like behavior.”

“You can only push someone so far before they get upset. And you’ve been pushing my people and me to the limits. I’m like this because I’m mad, I’m hurt, I’m betrayed, and my body hasn’t stopped aching in months because of your beatings!” New York exclaimed before running his–Thirteen’s tongue over his teeth. Oh, feeling things were weird!

‘You’re also like this because you’ve taken control of our Father’s body. York, get out of there–both Grandfather’s room and Dad’s body.’ Massachusetts chided.

‘Now. You’re making things worse. I know you’re mad, but we must discuss this later.’ Virginia added. 

“Now you listen here, Thirteen!” his grandfather began, but New York had already vanished, taking his father’s body to the city that shared his name.

Upon arrival, he leaned up against a wall before putting a hand to his forehead.

New York couldn’t believe he just did that.

‘And neither can we, you self-righteous ass!’

Oh god, Rhode Island was loud.

——————————————————————

June 26, 1767

Thirteen walked into his father's office without knocking. Ever since his strange blackout and block of missing memories, the colony had gained confidence as he realized he could escape beatings by returning to the colonies, and he had taken this revelation into great stride.

"Thirteen, remember your manners." His father lectured, already getting up like he was prepared to start hitting Thirteen. Thirteen was tired of them, tired of being babied.

"To hell with my manners! Don't tell me there is another goddamned tax." Thirteen told him, slamming his hands down on the desk.

'Aggressive.'

'Necessary.'

"Thirteen, you must understand and stop getting unreasonably angry over these taxes." Father began, lifting a hand. Thirteen, determined to say his piece, let the blow connect with his eye.

'IT'S NOT UNREASONABLE!'

'We have our assemblies for a reason. Our past situation worked fine.'

'And someone had to change it.'

'Britain's the problem here.'

"Just tell me what you're taxing now. The ability to leave a house? Talking? Breathing?" Thirteen questioned. His father shot him an incredulous look and hit Thirteen again, this time a slap across the face. 

"Thirteen, don't be ridiculous."

“Your taxes are ridiculous, so my ridiculous examples made perfect sense.” Thirteen snapped, crossing his arms as his father sighed.

"The taxes are only on glass, lead, painters' colors, paper, and tea. And it gives custom officials broad authority to enforce these taxes and punish smugglers." His father said.

"Oh, only on that. Thanks. I'm so grateful for the five new taxes. They are a truly wonderful way to benefit society," Thirteen said while rolling his eyes. Father narrowed his eyes and hit Thirteen again, although all he succeeded in doing was making the emboldened colony smile, as he knew he was getting under his father’s skin.

"Thirteen. Just because you haven't been feeling well and had some sort of…weird…thing come over you a few weeks ago does not mean I will tolerate this behavior." His father said.

'Don't listen to him.'

'When has he ever shown an ability to listen to what we want?'

'Just listen. It'll make things go smoother. You know how he is.'

"I am tired of your stupid taxes. I'm stressed and pissed off. Is there anything else you plan on taxing so I can get a warning? Or are you going to surprise me with a new tax?" Thirteen asked. Father sighed and hit him again, although this blow seemed to have less rage behind it.

"We're planning on passing two new acts soon." The country said.

'How perfect.'

'Two new acts. Just what we needed.'

"What's in these acts?" Thirteen asked, correcting his posture and tone now that his father had listened to his question.

"One of them is just to keep the British East India Company from going bankrupt and collapsing. It's making the tea from that company cheaper than the smuggled Dutch tea." His father explained.

'That wasn't as bad as I thought.'

'That's because it doesn't affect us dipshit.'

"The next act will create a new Customs Board for the North American colonies, headquartered in Boston and with five customs commissioners," His father explained, causing Thirteen to sigh. There it was. The insistent need to meddle in his life.

'Oh, come on! How are we supposed to smuggle things now?'

"Well, at least it's not more taxes," Thirteen said. His father looked surprised.

"You're not mad?" He asked. Thirteen shrugged.

"About the first one, yes. The two new ones you'll be passing soon, not really. It's not going to negatively affect the colonies, aside from the fact that smuggling will decrease," Thirteen told him.

"You think smuggling is a good thing?" Father asked, giving Thirteen a suspicious look.

"No, it's just that a lot of the colonists depend on it, so some people are going to lose business," Thirteen told him before slowly backing out of the room.

'And we like the smuggling.'

Those acts weren't that bad. Hopefully, this means things could get better.

—————————————————————————

July 6, 1768

Thirteen was wrong—he was so wrong. Things had been getting better. His headaches had been decreasing, and the tension between him and his father had been decreasing, and then his father had to do this.

'How can he think he has the power to do this?'

'First my assembly, and now this?'

'For fucks sake!'

'I thought things were going to get better.'

'We're so naïve.'

"Father, explain this to me one more time," Thirteen asked, barely concealed fury in his tone as his thoughts raced around for an explanation.

"This act is being passed to aid the prosecution of smugglers. Rather than colonial courts, it's giving Royal Naval courts jurisdiction over all matters concerning customs violations and smuggling," his father said.

"Didn't you already have one of those? In Nova Scotia? Why do you need more?" Thirteen asked as a headache began to grow.

"Smuggling in a big problem, Thirteen. You’ve admitted to that yourself. I'm enforcing new acts around it to fix the problem." Father explained.

'We have our courts.'

'We were perfectly fine before you came butting in.'

"What about my courts? They can handle this." Thirteen protested. His father sighed.

"No, they can't. The colonial courts have done nothing to stop the smuggling, which means I must take action myself." His father explained.

'Does he even want us to be able to do anything?'

"Are you going to provide transportation for my colonists' trips to these courts? Or are you just going to let them struggle on their own? And is there going to be a jury?" Thirteen questioned.

"Decisions will be made solely by the judge, and the accused person will travel to the court of jurisdiction at his own expense. If they do not appear, they are automatically considered guilty." His father explained, not seeming as upset by these questions as they fell under his “logical questions” definition.

'What?'

'No jury? A jury is one of our rights!'

'What if they cannot make it to court but innocent?'

'Are we going to throw innocent people in prison?'

'Are we actually going to make people travel to these corrupt courts?'

"That's stupid. The entire act is idiotic nonsense." Thirteen said before turning around to leave the room, before feeling a heavy blow land on his head, knocking him down.

"Where are you going?" His father asked.

"I'm leaving," Thirteen mumbled through the pounding in his head.

"We can talk more on this tonight," His father told him. Thirteen laughed.

"Not your office. I'm going to my colonies. If you want me to come back, come and find me." Thirteen challenged before bringing himself to New York. He finally made his choice. He was siding with his people.

———————————————————————

Britain watched in stunned shock as Thirteen vanished. That particular son of his had been growing increasingly unlike himself these past few years, from angry fits to doing everything he could to play being the victim of Britain.

That could be explained by some sort of mental break or Thirteen forgetting all of the lessons Britain so carefully taught him.

Or there was the more terrifying explanation, one that terrified Britain.

St. John's Island had told him that his eyes had been changing colors when Thirteen collapsed after finding out about the Declaratory Act.

Then, when Britain told Thirteen about the New York Restraining Act, his eyes when from blue to goldish-yellow, he started acting and moving in ways he never had before, and everything about him was different.

Ever since then, Thirteen had kept up the dangerous attitude, forcing Britain to punish him almost every time they had a conversation. Locking him away, hitting him, taking away his food, hell, even stripping him of his bed and preventing the other colonies from talking to him had done nothing.

Britain was afraid those troublemakers, the Sons of Liberty, were affecting Thirteen in an immoral way that the poor colony didn't even realize. If they were creating a new countryhuman, or at least trying to, that would explain what happened to Thirteen.

It also meant that Britain had a serious problem on his hands, as even England and Scotland agreed that what Britain suggested could be possible.

They had been monitoring Thirteen during his headache fits just in case they were caused by some sort of possession. The closest call was the one Britain had, but if Thirteen was in the colonies alone, who knows what could happen? 

Britain knew he had to send someone over to manage Thirteen. He was not going to lose his son.

[destinygoldenstar]

Why I Don’t Want To Talk About RWBY Again

Yes. She decided to show her face again.

And she will probably instantly regret it.

So, this isn't usually the media I talk about. However, I addressed it in my post 'Is Screen Time An Issue For A Character', where I talked about multiple media to gain a wider perspective on a solid critique point to figure out where this possibly came from? And in terms of the RWBY-related stuff I said there, I got... some honest, fair, completely non-personal attacking feedback. No personal attacks whatsoever.

I thought 'okay, maybe I am wrong' if everyone is so insistent that I am 'incorrect' and what they're saying is 'facts'. We all make mistakes. So I decided to rewatch the show in it's entirety and actually see Volume 9 for myself. I actually hoped that maybe I was wrong and they were right and I could see this show for the masterpiece that it is...

Uh, short answer: Not really...? For the most part, the points I made in the past are still how I feel. (I just didn't word it very well in that post. I'll take the L for that one)

I'm disappointed I learned nothing too. I really wish I did.

Okay, so for my background, I jumped on the train of this show just about a month or two before Volume 6 came out. I got it recommended from a classmate in school who was obsessed. And I thought it was... okay.

And then I got bullied and harassed by the person for the remainder of the school year. Cause I DARED not said it was a masterpiece.

(Yeah, this is a running trend for me)

But with every new Volume from there, I rewatched the show as background noise for homework, to the point where I've at least rewatched it 5-6 times, maybe 7 including this rewatch. But with every rewatch where I actually noticed certain details... the certain volume would get a little worse. (Except for one case)

Maybe it's because I'm a jerk. I've been called that more than once.

Maybe it's because Celtic Phoenix's rewrites of the show are a thing. But that’s also a topic for discussion here.

But I know the exact point when I abandoned the show for over two years. When Volume 8 came out.

It was... it was a miserable viewing experience for me. And for me, this was my last straw with the show and I fell to the dark side. There were so many production problems where I could see why it turned out the way it did. There were so many decisions with the plot that I did not agree with.

And the biggest reason why I left. And this is a thing that's been consistent anytime I engaged with the show in any way. And the reason WHY I don’t feel safe talking about this show.

The fandom is terrifying.

It's not as bad as the Dhar Mann situation, I don't think, but it's still a nightmare to engage with.

There are so many toxic entitled people online that feel the need to bully and harass anyone who says ANYTHING about the show that isn't 'I think this was handled perfectly'. You say anything even slightly neutral, or even hint that you may not think perfection, you will get cyberbullied.

And I MEAN THAT when I say cyberbullying, you get personally attacked, you get cursed at a lot, you get accused as homophobic and misogynistic, and you get double bullied and ganged up on when you ask for feedback towards you to be impersonal and focused on the work itself. There is NO breather to this.

People just really love to attack every single being they can find. Over a CARTOON.

If this was some real life documentary or something, then I would get it.

But this is a FICTIONAL SHOW.

It's very unwelcoming and it's miserable for people like me to engage with these people as a result.

NO, I AM NOT SAYING EVERYONE IS LIKE THIS. I'm sure there are still good civilized decent people in this fanbase. But the ones that are like that are the loudest.

There's also a 'hate-fandom' spawned. Which I also despise cause it's basically just the same thing but the opposite approach. And why are you even tearing apart something as sport? That's sick. Do something else with your time. Do literally anything else.

You have to pick a side.

Either you love the show, if you don't you're a horrible person.

Or you hate the show, if you don't you're a horrible person.

THIS is the real reason why I left the show.

And the fact that I'm even daring to say this guarantees that I will get backlashed.

At least I anticipate that this time. (But I'm just gonna ignore this behavior and I will only respond to people who keep things impersonal and just focus on the content. I don't care if you have a valid point against what I say, if you personally attack me or anyone else, and act like you know me, I won't listen to you. It doesn't make you better than me, it's cyberbullying.)

For the sake of this rant post, I am OPTING OUT of the idea that 'I have to love the show or hate the show'.

I'm a neutral saying my perspective as a neutral.

And I will say that as long as you're not a cyberbullying racist/sexist/homophobic piece of garbage, your opinions towards this show is VALID in my book.

If you think this is the best show of all time, that's VALID.

If you think this is the worst show of all time, that's VALID.

If you disagree with either of those two statements, then you can leave my post right now.

I am not going to take either side, as I really don’t want to. I am not the type of person to be openly happy all the time, as when I feel any emotion at all I will say it. And I am not going to hide my emotions to make other people happy. That’s not who I am.

But I also don’t want to be seen by the public as a hardcore complainer for that. Spending all your time whining is just exhausting and tiring and unrewarding, when you could be doing literally anything else, and healthier stuff, with your time. I should know. I used to criticize Dhar Mann videos. While those were worth critiquing it cause multiple mental health problems for me. So I stopped and did other stuff with my life.

So really, if I were to pick a side, either one, it would be doing injustice to my character. And the fact that people have to be split in fandom sections for a single show is insane. I’d be harassed endlessly no matter what.

And harassment like this over a cartoon is just not worth it. Even if you try to calmly explain yourself and defuse a fight, you’re not gonna be heard. They’ll just keep arguing until you reluctantly confess to their side. Which is gaslighting.

And this is a both sides issue. So you know. Again, I’m not picking sides when I say this.

This is not a ‘this side good ; this side bad’ issue.

At that point it has nothing to do with the show itself, or a rewrite of said show that some people made.

Fixing RWBY, that rewrite project on YouTube, is not immune to criticism. It’s not better than the original show. It’s not worse than the original show. It’s just a thing that exists. Like all rewrites do. This whole project is just a group of people approaching a story in their own writing style, like fanfiction tends to do. It’s really just a group of artists and writers coming together to play around and have fun.

So obviously that makes this project a crime against nature and a product made out of pure evil spite. /s

FIXING?! FIXING a show? HOW MALICIOUS CAN YOU BE?! YOU DARE IMPLY THAT YOU THINK THE SHOW ISNT PERFECT AS IS?!

Now, take note, I myself HAVE seen the entirety of this fan project. I have my own problems with it, and it certainly did not fix everything. But I can also safely back up that SOME PEOPLE are fat liars with their critiques on this project.

There’s being critical, and there’s lying.

That’s it. That’s all I’m saying about certain users. Because this isn’t really a ‘one person is entirely to blame’ problem so I don’t want to pin blame on one user.

And the worst part about all that is that it’s one thing to be a critic towards anyone’s work, you know, looking at their work and giving feedback. It’s another to act like this is personal.

It stops being about the show and more about throwing around accusations on people as though you personally know them.

News flash: ten to one, you don’t.

And it’s not just me. There are multiple blog users and YouTubers who said their peace on this and said the same things I’m saying. People will go out of their way to personally insult and harass neutrals to make sure their point sticks and they take it to heart. Because if it’s about the person and not the work, they have to change their mind, right? No one wants to be called a gross human being after all.

That’s not how that works. This is why if you go to my blog you see me more often than not making posts about other media. Not because I think these shows are better than RWBY (I’ve criticized them plenty as well, criticisms that I think are deserved), but because I feel more welcome in their fandoms…?

I’m not gonna pretend they’re perfect, every fandom has some nasty people, but at least I’m not gonna get barraded for every single opinion I have as though my opinions over cartoons are a judgement of my real life character.

Yes people have disagreed with me and given me criticism, but at least it’s focused on what I’ve written and the flaws in my logic of writing style. An IMpersonal critique towards me. That gets more through to me than personally insulting everyone and treating everyone that isn’t you like they’re pure evil.

Even when I try to look at RWBY related tags, it’s just this exact stuff.

You say an opinion that isn’t 100% positive? BASH.

You like something about the show? BASH.

You make art of a ship someone else doesn’t like? BASH.

You try to make an analysis post? BASH.

You write a fanfiction? BASH.

You like a fanfiction of the show? BASH.

You don’t like a fanfiction of the show? BASH.

You dare title that fanfiction ‘fixing’? BASH.

Then people really love to use buzz words fir extra power. ‘Sexist’ ‘Racist’ ‘Homophobic’ and all kinds of bad words. Without ever actually hearing an explanation.

You like a certain ship? BASH. YOU’RE HOMOPHOBIC. (Never mind nobody ever said they hoped their ship was canon or said they preferred that ship over a canon one)

You think a villain character is a well written and interesting character? BASH. YOU SUPPORT TERRORISM. (Never mind there’s a difference between agreeing with a characters POV and just liking them as fictional characters)

You like a character that so happens to be male? BASH. YOU’RE SEXIST. (Never mind that no one said they should’ve been spotlight characters or anything. And the least sexist people don’t even give a shit about the gender of the character)

You don’t like this character? BASH. CLEARLY YOU DONT LIKE THE CHARACTER BECAUSE THEYRE NOT STRAIGHT WHITE MEN.

Completely ignore if the person who says the opinion actually explains WHY they don’t like the character. Completely ignore if they don’t even mention the race, sex, or sexuality of the character once in said explanation. Completely ignore if they even said they like other characters that fit those same categories as the one they didn’t like.

Completely ignore actually checking out the persons blog to see if they like other characters in anything, not just RWBY, that have some sort of diversity to them. Maybe even love those characters and praise them.

Nope. Doesn’t matter. You don’t like one character, clearly you just hate women.

CLEARLY everyone who doesn’t agree with you are dares to say why and how they personally would’ve done it is a PURE EVIL HUMAN BEING GOING OUT IF THEIR WAY TO SPITE AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY. Don’t even bother hearing the person out or letting them say WHY they feel this way or WHY they changed it, (like the FRWBY writers DO in streams btw) NOPE. PURE EVIL. SOLELY BECAUSE YOU MADE A REWRITE.

It’s not like rewrite fanfiction as a concept is all about people reimagining someone else’s work into their own vision, and multiple fandoms do this with varying intents, whether it’s out of fixing a critique they had or trying a different tone or ‘what if’ scenarios or whatever. And again, multiple fandoms do this. (Hell, I did it with Total Drama’s Season 2. I don’t think that show is perfect, either. Far from it.)

But I don’t even trust myself to word this all right, so I’m case you don’t trust my word. I’ll link some people who have said the same things I’m saying but in more detail than I could ever. That way I can avoid plagorism.

Judgemental Critter and Twilight Guardian go VERY in detail of these problems. They go in depth about certain users I don’t feel comfortable talking about myself, they go in depth about how this is a both sides issue, and so much more.

Go look at both of these.

It’s all so unwelcoming and I just… can’t.

I can’t take that.

No one deserves that level of harassment over something so not worth it at the end of the day.

It’s just a show guys.

This isn’t real life propaganda.

This isn’t Election Day.

This isn’t school.

It’s a product designed for entertainment purposes.

You can feel whatever way you want to about it. You don’t deserve to be shut out for however you feel.

I am not a perfect person. That much, I will admit. I will admit to my mistakes when I recognize I make them and try to improve myself. Just like the rest of you, I’m just a normal human on the internet talking about stuff I find interest in. But I will also admit I need to get better at defending myself when I recognize something is just plain bullshit.

So… yeah. I did a poll on the possibility of me doing commentary posts to expand my blog. I already decided I’m starting that experiment with The Amazing Digital Circus’s one episode right now. But I do have a set poll for shows people want me to do commentary on. And RWBY is one of the options. If that wins, then I’d have no choice but to explain all my opinions of the show in as much detail as I could.

No one deserves to feel this unwelcomed and unsupported. Maybe I would talk about the show more if I wasn’t this scared of harassment. But nothing is worth it if it’s accompanied by that amount of bashing. It has nothing to do with the show. It has to do with the treatment of said show. That’s the worst part.

And I personally don’t want to be a part of such an unsupportive and unfulfilling environment. Especially when I can do other stuff with my life.

Maybe I will try to talk about RWBY again one day. Explain my opinions fully. As honestly as possible.

But I KNOW no matter what I’m gonna say, I will NOT be welcomed with warmth, instead with guns pointed at my head.

And to that, I’ll just say, ‘Hit me with your best shot’

*sigh* Welp, if you excuse me, I’m barricading my windows for the mob that I know is gonna come at me for the sins I have committed here.

[yoga-onion]

Death of the king of the waning half-year - The end of the beginning, the beginning of the end …

Legends and myths about trees

Celtic beliefs in trees (7)

I for Idho (Yew) - December 21st Winter Solstice

Colour: dark green, Star: Saturn, Gemstone: olivine, Gender: female, Metal: lead, Element: earth, Patron: Banba, Hecate

Symbols: resurrection, death + rebirth, eternity, path to meet ancestors + land of the soul

Today is the winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, the day in the northern hemisphere when the sun is at its lowest altitude in the south and day is shortest and night longest during the year (reversed in the southern hemisphere).

Yew is an evergreen tree with dark green leaves and red berries. The yew is a robust tree with a thick girth and an extremely long life. It is probably the longest lived of all trees.

As soon as the downward reaching branches reach the ground, the tree begins to grow strongly, as if it has been reborn as a new tree. The eldest living yew tree is in Europe is said to be the Fortingall Yew, in Perthshire, Scotland, and it has been estimated between 3000 to 9000 years old.

In addition, the yew's hollowed-out heartwood, especially when wet, looks like a flayed animal, and when cut it appears to bleed, so the yew is increasingly said to be a sacred tree. Yew sticks were believed to be able to divine the future, and yew sticks were used as 'writing pillars' to engrave the Ogham script, as they could be preserved almost forever.

As the druids believed the natural law of reincarnation, where the soul becomes reborn as another person, the yew was seen as a protector of the soul during the journey to the Otherworld. Some believe that the road to the Otherworld is shaded by rows of yew trees. Furthermore, the yew is said to stop any obstacles caused by evil spirits from the Otherworld.

As a sacred 'tree of immortality', believed to protect and purify the dead, yews are often planted in cemeteries, many of which are as old as the church or much older.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

ケルト人の樹木の信仰 (7)

IはIdho (ｲﾁｲ) - 12月21日 冬至

“衰えゆく半年の王の死 〜 始まりの終わり、終わりの始まり…”

色: 深緑、星: 土星、宝石: オリビン、性: 女性、金属: 鉛、要素: 土、守護神: バンバ、ヘカテ

シンボル: 復活、死＋再生、永遠、先祖に出会える道＋魂の国

今日は冬至、北半球では太陽の南中高度が最も低く、一年の間で昼が最も短く夜が最も長くなる日(南半球では逆転する)。

イチイは濃い緑色の葉を持ち、赤い果実を実らせる常緑樹。イチイはたくましい樹木で胴回りが太くなり、ものすごく長生きをする。おそらくすべての木の中で最も長生きする木といえるだろう。下方に伸びた枝が地面に着くと、新しい木に生まれ変わったかのように、力強く生育を始める。ヨーロッパで最も古いイチイの木は、スコットランドのパースシャーにある『フォーティンゴールのイチイ』と言われており、樹齢は3000年から9000年と推定されている。

また、幹の中が空洞になったイチイの心材は、とくに湿っていると、一見皮を剥がれた動物のようで、切れば血を流すようにも見えるため、ますますイチイは聖なる木だといわれるようになった。

イチイの杖は未来を占うことができるとされ、またイチイの棒はほぼ永遠に保存できるため、オガム文字を刻印する「文字棒」として使用された。ドルイドは、魂が別の人間に生まれ変わるという輪廻転生の自然法則を信じていたので、イチイはあの世への旅の間、魂を守ってくれるものと考えられていた。冥界に至る道はイチイ並木の木陰になっているという説もある。さらに、イチイは異界の悪霊が起こすいかなる障害をも食い止めるという。

神聖なる「不死の木」として、死者を守り浄化すると信じられたイチイは墓地によく植えられ、その多くは樹齢が教会と同じか、またはそれよりずっと古い。

[anthrofreshtodeath]

fake dating au? 👀

Let's do it! Fake dating is one of my favorites.

“Hey,” Jane Rizzoli runs into Maura’s office, huffing and puffing between clops of her boots on the linoleum. “Maura.”

Maura removes her blue light glasses and looks up from her report to take Jane in. “Hi,” she begins, “why are you sweaty?”

“I just ran into Frankie in the parking garage,” Jane explains. Her armpits have dark circles under them on her baby blue v-neck. Her chest shines. 

“So you had to sprint in the opposite direction?” Maura asks, smiling despite her confusion. She glances up at the clock above her coffee station - 3 PM. What exactly could Frankie have caused two hours before the end of the work day?

“Yeah,” says Jane, and Maura didn’t expect a confirmation of what she means to be humor. Jane takes a big breath in and then plops herself onto Maura’s couch. “Exactly.”

“I’m sorry; I think I’m missing something,” Maura saves her work even though her word processor has an autosave feature and makes her way to Jane. “You love your brother.”

“I tolerate my brother. Most of the time,” Jane grumbles.

Maura chuckles, and shakes her head. “You love him. You do everything together.”

“Exactly. And he’s got four tickets for tonight’s game,” Jane replies, making even less sense than before.

Tonight’s game. Out of a countless number of games that could be scheduled this evening in the city, pickup basketball games, baseball games, board games, flag football games… She knows now that Jane means the Boston Red Sox game happening at 7:05 at Fenway Park. This is the first year that Maura has paid attention to baseball, from spring training on, but this is the game Jane always means. When they go to the Garden it’s the Celtics game, on Sundays at one o’clock from September to January it’s The Pats game. When it’s just the game? Jane means the Red Sox. “Tickets for the game,” Maura tries it out on her own tongue, and she likes how the intimacy with her best friend tastes. She likes even better how said best friend relaxes her body when Maura says it, Jane’s back sinking into the cushions of Maura’s sofa, inching closer regardless of her mysterious predicament. “Tickets that he isn’t sharing with you?”

“Oh no, he is, and that’s the problem,” Jane groans.

“So, you don’t want the tickets,” extrapolates Maura, and that statement tastes wrong in comparison. Her understanding of the situation continues to deteriorate. 

Jane glares and the downturn of her eyebrows says are you crazy? “Of course I want the tickets. But the condition is that I go with him and his dumbass friend Kurt Rossi.”

“The solution to this seems simple,” says Maura. She folds one leg over the other, draping her skirt just above her knee. “Take the ticket and ignore both Frankie and Kurt. You can even put a seat between you and them.”

“Not that simple. He wants it to be a date.”

“For him and Kurt?” Maura asks.

“For me and Kurt!” Jane laments, and Maura chides herself - of course that’s what Frankie meant. “Wait. Your brother is setting you up? Why?”

“Because he’s the most like my mother,” Jane rolls her eyes when she answers. “But I really, really want to go.”

“So you said yes,” Maura posits.

Jane grimaces with one eye open, and gives Maura a guilty smile. “Sorta?”

“Sort of.”

“Yeah.”

“Well what did he say?”

“At first I told him hell no. Kurt’s boring,” Jane explains. “And so then he goes, ‘well it doesn’t have to be Kurt, but I’m not givin’ you this ticket unless you bring a date.’ Apparently Ma’s also holding his lunch at the cafe hostage until he gets me to go out with somebody. But I think he secretly likes it.”

“Your mother is… truly dedicated,” Maura covers her mouth so as not to laugh at Jane’s misfortune. “But Frankie is smart. You can’t pass up Fenway.”

“I can’t. So… I came up with a plan. And I need you to back me up,” Jane tells her. “I’m telling Frankie that you’re gonna be my date. Come with me?”

Maura turns rigid next to Jane, when they had all but knocked their bodies together before. Jane doesn’t know. Jane can’t know, right? Maura has dived head first into baseball, incorporated fried foods into her diet, and made a cop bar her Friday night routine, all for Jane, and to Maura, those are neon signs over her attraction. But to Jane? Well, Jane is a detective. A rather decorated one. Oh shit, maybe Jane does know…

“Hey, Maura? You hear me?” Jane asks, and Maura must have wandered off.

“I can’t,” she blurts in reply. When Jane stops talking and glares, she revises. “I… I can’t lie. You know this.”

“I know. That’s why you’re just tellin’ him you’re my date for the evening. And then, he can be fat and happy, Ma can think I went with Kurt and voila. Everyone wins,” Jane thinks she’s solved it all, clearly.

Maura can’t think of a reason to deny her, especially since being Jane’s date for the evening 1) would not technically be a lie nor necessarily have lasting romantic connotations, and 2) she would get to go on a date with Jane. Something she’s fantasized about since Jane recovered from sending a bullet into her own gut nine months ago. “O-ok,” she says.

“Wait, yeah?” Jane’s face cracks open, each muscle tightening to a symphony of happiness, and Maura wonders how she ever would have stayed steadfast in her refusal. 

“Yeah,” Maura assures her. She checks the clock again. 3:05. “I would love to go. It would only be my third game.”

“Thank you!” Jane, with genuine, child-like excitement, gathers Maura up in her arms. “We’re playin’ the Jays and I do not wanna miss it.”

“You’re welcome. Should we meet there?” Maura asks, remembering the last time they went to the park, Jane rushing to their seats just before the first pitch because she had to arrest a suspect and it had turned into a chase. One man a couple rows back yelled at her to sit her ass down and she’d spent another three minutes cursing at him until he left his own seat.

In other words, Jane is a true member of the Fenway Faithful, even if she is also faithful to her job. With such a last minute engagement, Jane may need all the minutes between now and then she can get so that she can dedicate her entire attention to the game. But, she surprises Maura yet again with her answer. “Nah. What kind of date would I be if I did that? I’ll pick you up at six.” She rises, bends down and kisses Maura’s warm cheek, and then sticks her thumb in the front of her belt. 

“See you then,” croaks Maura, face-to-buckle with said belt when Jane stands up straight. She licks her lips just before she glances up to Jane’s eyes, warm brown when they stare back down at her. 

“See ya,” Jane leaves with less speed than she entered, but with no less purpose. 

Maura must wait for two hours and fifty-three minutes to see Jane again.

___

Kurt Rossi is actually a handsome young man. Maura has learned on the way to the park that he is between Frankie and Jane, so two years removed from both of them. His laugh is pretty for a man’s, but it barely registers because Jane is here. 

Jane is here, Jane is relaxed because Jane had a couple of beers when they stopped at The Bullpen, and Jane walks next to Maura with their index fingers entwined. Maura keeps her new beer up to her face as they circle the concourse just so no one notices her blush. 

This might be her favorite Jane.

“What’s the over under on Beckett strikin’ out ten tonight?” Frankie tosses his head toward his shoulder so he can call out to his sister behind him. A rush of jealousy tickles Maura, because why does he need to monopolize Jane’s attention if his friend his here? Kurt supposedly knows all there is to know about Boston baseball. Maybe jealousy isn’t the right word. A rush of possession? Ugh. It’s all irrational. 

Jane shrugs and it reverberates all the way down into Maura’s palm. “‘02 was a long time ago,” her voice booms right outside the Budweiser Deck where the Rizzolis plan to spend the first few innings of the game. “I’m takin’ the under.”

“What’s ‘the under’?” Maura whispers into Jane’s ear when they take a high table close to the railing over right field and set all their drinks down.

“It’s a betting thing,” Jane explains. “You have a figure and if you don’t think the athlete is gonna make the figure, you take the under. If you think they’re gonna surpass it, you take the over.”

“Do you bet on these games?” Maura gasps.

Kurt laughs from his place across from her. Maura tries not to snap that he’s blocking her view of the field. “You kiddin’ me? These goody two shoes would never,” he says. When both Jane and Maura glare at him for his audacity, still connected at the fingers, he coughs. Frankie widens his eyes and finds the Bud logo on the tabletop fascinating. “It’s just… just the way we talk,” Kurt adds, almost to himself. 

“Hey, tell you what. You two meet us at our seats,” Jane says after a few extra tense minutes of staring. “But don’t rush.”

Maura slides her entire hand into Jane’s simply for saving her from Kurt. When their skin touches, she realizes it calls for more than holding hands. She blames the beer just before she tugs Jane’s jersey close, fingers closing around the D in the RED SOX print, and kisses her.

Jane’s lips are soft. Jane’s mouth tastes like hops and cinnamon gum. Jane’s tongue sure does slip in quite quickly after Maura initiates and… maybe Jane blames the beer, too.

But good god does it curl Maura’s toes inside her Gucci sneakers.

“You know what? I’ll pay you double what the tickets cost if you don’t meet us at our seats,” Maura, finding her own voice, says. She looks only at Jane, smiling at Jane’s half-open mouth, but the proposition is definitely for Frankie.

Frankie’s mouth looks exactly like his sister’s. Maura tugs Jane toward the concourse, unwilling to wait around and watch him fix it when Kurt says to him, “I see what you mean when you said I didn’t have a chance in hell.”

[fannyyann]

Tkachuk feels connection to Jimmy Butler: ‘We both play the game with very high emotion’

Miami Herald article by David Wilson 

Matthew Tkachuk is one of the fiercest, most ferocious competitors in the NHL, so there was some appreciation when he saw the pictures of Jimmy Butler, one of the fiercest competitors in the NBA, wearing his jersey during a workout Thursday in Massachusetts. 

The similarities — not just between the parallel postseason runs of the Florida Panthers and Heat as No. 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference, but also play style and attitudes of their two star forwards — are Tkachuk does feel some level of connection to Butler. 

“We both play the game with very high emotion,” the superstar right wing said before the Panthers faced the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday at PNC Arena. 

The pictures of Butler in Tkachuk’s jersey were a hit in Florida’s locker room and Tkachuk, who admits he hasn’t “paid attention too much” to all the specifics of Miami’s season because of how often the team’s games overlap, made sure to watch as much of Game 2 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals Friday. 

What he saw was Butler distilled down to his purest form. The 33-year-old forward scored 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out six assists, nabbed three steals, blocked two shots and got into a forehead-to-forehead shouting match with Celtics forward Grant Williams in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s 111-106 win in Boston.

It all felt pretty similar to what Tkachuk did to the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins last month in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The 25-year-old winger had five goals, six assists, four power-play points, 22 shots, a plus-minus of plus-5, 20 hits and two blocked shots, and assisted on the series-winning overtime goal in Game 7 to finish off a historic upset in Boston.

Less than three weeks later, Tkachuk delivered another historic moment in Game 1 of the NHL’s East finals, scoring a game-winning goal to beat the Hurricanes in the sixth longest game in NHL history early Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina, just barely 21 hours before Butler’s show at TD Garden.

“They’re in a very similar spot as us. They’re like the underdogs and going into each series, and kind of just believing in their team. And he’s one of the leaders in that and kind of like the emotional leader,” Tkachuk said. “I love watching him play, especially more being down in Florida, seeing him more than I ever have. I’m very impressed with him. He’s a gamer. He’s pretty dialed in with what he’s done these playoffs. Last night was a big example. That was fun to watch.”

As a child, Tkachuk looked up to NHL stars like Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Rangers left wing Patrick Kane, who was a superstar for the Blackhawks back then, and also Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman David Ortiz because he rooted for the Red Sox. He loved how Ortiz thrived in clutch moments and tries to emulate it. 

He did a pretty good job to kick of the NHL Conference Finals earlier this week. 

“You want to be that guy at big moments,” Tkachuk said. “Jimmy and David Ortiz are two of the best at that. It was cool seeing Jimmy wearing my jersey. The guys got a big kick out of it.”

Tkachuk has one other connection to the Heat-Celtics series: He went to high school outside St. Louis with Boston superstar Jayson Tatum and they still keep in touch. 

The last time they talked, he said, was before Game 7 of Round 1, right before Tkachuk and the Panthers eliminated Boston with Tatum in attendance.

[cazluvsu]

☕️end result of this season

assuming u mean the end of the celtics season so 😇😇

the narratives. Ouuhhh the narratives.

celtics are chokers!! they aren’t clutch!! jayson tatum can’t close!! jaylen has no left hand!! jrue is a playoff dropper!! the west is going to dominate the east!! celtics were never ‘battle tested’!!! celtics have no bench!! joe mazzulla can’t coach!! mavs in 5!! the jays don’t work together and they never will!!!!!!

all of them. ALL OF THEM!! GONE!!!!! WHAT THEY GONNA SAY NOW!!!!!!!! the whole team was doubted throughout the regular season and playoffs bc of these dumbass narratives when they were the most dominant team by nearly every metric for the entire. season.

but so many analysts said how they were never gonna get over the hump.. Embarrassing!!! (koc… nick WRONG… sas… KENDRICK PERKINS. etc etc…)

people kept basing these takes on past iterations of this celtics core when they were really a different team!!! jaylen took a huge jump defensively, kp added so much to their offense, dwhite had a career year starting consistently, jrue was an incredible fit with everyone Obviously l, and tatum took on a huge playmaking role throughout the season And throughout the playoffs especially!!

but everyone on the team made sacrifices. and worked together. and rooted for each other. and were on the same page. everyone on the team was hungry for banner 18 and they fucking won it!! fuck all those analysts saying they’d never win!!!!!!!

but Also the positive narratives!!! jb’s come back after a devastating miami series last season, signing the richest contract in nba history, and proving to Everyone that he was worth every. fucking. penny. snubbed from all-nba (and all defense if we’re being fr) but he used it as motivation and used the hate to win ecf mvp AND finals mvp. iktr!!!!! my jersey is getting framed idc

JAYSON!!!!! fucking winning it!!!! putting the team on his back in some games!!!!! it genuinely makes me so happy to see

the jays. finally. they work. they always have, they’ve had so much success, but so many people were so quick to brush it off because they hadn’t yet won a title when they were 22, 23, 24 etc when in reality they’ve been one of the most successful duos over the past 7 years when jayson got drafted. now they finally have something real and proven to show for it. to show for all of those years of relentless work, TOGETHER, making each other better and growing as they players for a lucky long time in todays nba

AL. is an nba champion. ncaa And now nba. hofer?? i think YES!!!!

jrues second ring!!! the peoples princess oh i love him so much

and just everyone. forever in nba history. can’t take away the fact that they’re champions!!!! always will be!!!!!!!

i am just so unimaginably happy . like this is the best thing ever. i love life . i love the celtics. the team that got me into sports and will forever be my favorite team. ever. i can’t wait to watch this team grow and change even more for the rest of my life sports r 4ever!!!!!!

[beautifultypewriter]

Gondor Girl Playlist

Okay, so my best friend @streets-in-paradise (yes, I called you my best friend; deal with it) already made an amazing playlist for GG, but I wanted to put my own ideas out there, so here we go…

1. Daughter of the Moon - Adriana Figueroa

2. Gently As She Goes - Erutan

3. Ancient Land - Celtic Woman

4. Savage Daughter - Sarah Hester Ross

5. Numenor - Oonagh

6. Follow Me - Celtic Woman

7. Touch the Sky - MALINDA, Conor Hearn, Jamie Sandel

8. One of Us - Heather Dale

9. Beeswing - Celtic Woman, The Longest Johns

Especially the line, “You foolish man, that surely sounds like hell. You might be lord of half the world, you’ll not own me as well.” In reference to the suitors in Gondor.

And, “if you don’t take me out of here I’ll surely lose my mind.”

And, “oh she was a rare thing. Fine as a beeswing. So fine a breath of wind might blow her away. She was a lost child. Well she was running wild. She said as long as there’s no price on love I’ll stay. And you wouldn’t want me any other way.”

10. Téir Abbahie Riú - Celtic Woman

11. For the Dancing and the Dreaming - Erutan

Gondor Girl x Pippin vibes. Like it’s not even funny how much this fits them. His want to be “worthy” of her and her just always loving him for him. They’re so cute.

12. Cascade - Beecake

13. Cad é Sin Don Té Sin - Caladh Nua

14. Nocturne - Celtic Woman

Love the idea that this is a lullaby that Gondor Girl sang to the hobbits. Lu, you are amazing for that.

15. Daughter of the Sea - Sharm

This is a lullaby that Gondor Girl’s mom sang to her before she died. A Dol Amroth lullaby. It’s been passed down in their family for generations, sang from mother to daughter. Boromir definitely picked up the tune and would sing it to GG since their mother no longer could. And GG will sing it to her own daughter.

16. Noble Maiden Fair - Ashley Serena, Karliene

This is a lullaby that the nurse who raises GG in her mother’s absence sings. Definitely an old Minas Tirith lullaby. Also a lullaby that GG will sing to her children.

17. Wanderers Lullaby - Adriana Figueroa

“The blue in an ocean of gray.”

“Though the world may try to define you, it can’t take the light that’s inside you.”