#now there’s 4 more arcs after that times 6 books per arc so 24 more books to read ☠️☠️☠️

[louisloulouie]

Oh noooo…… I’m in danger of wanting to read and collect all the Warriors cats books that I never bought after I stopped reading the series

There’s 80+ books in this damn series….

[localcactushugger]

Is anyone else amazed that Hawks was only "undercover" with the Leauge for 6 months at the most.

Not only that, one and a half of those 6 months were spent just trying to gain enough trust to infiltrate.

I know it seems like much longer since Hawks made his Manga debut 2 years ago. But he had such a short amount of time on this mission. Hawks was introduced in the manga with his role being the "double agent". We literally have not seen Hawks outside of his "spy" role. Even when he is interacting with other characters outside of the Leauge, his "mission" is still happening in the background.

It seems Hawks made contact with Dabi right before the Hero Billboard chart, this is when he starts trying to infiltrate. His interaction with Dabi in the warehouse begins immediately after Endeavors fight with High-End:

During this time, Dabi is testing out a High-End Nomu for doctor Ujiko. Which means by the time Endeavor fights High-End, the My Villain Academia arc is already happening. Hawks is assumed to be one of the "members" Dabi is trying to recruit:

The Leauge has already made contact with doctor Ujiko, and the Doctor sends Dabi to test his High-End Nomu out on Endeavor (even though Dabi didn't know it would be Endeavor) while the rest of the Leauge battle Machia. At the time, Dabi still doesn't trust Hawks at all and he keeps the hero at arms length. While Dabi and Hawks are sharing ominous phone calls, the Leauge is hauling ass and it take's Shigiraki a month and a half to finally beat Machia. (The MLA is "defeated" too):

After a month and a half of phone calls (while the Leauge gets their asses handed to them by Machia in the background) Hawks is finally allowed into the Leauge when the battle of Dekia City is finally over. Dabi let's him in because Hawks "kills" Best Jeanist.

But there's a problem. By the time Hawks is let in, The Leagues numbers have drastically increased. They have an army at their side, multiple High-End nomu, and are now called the MLA:

Hawks blames himself, saying that he was "too late". That so many civilians would be alive now if he had been faster. He couldn't round up the Leauge when they were a small group, and now they have an army. A powerful one:

He's in too deep now. And you can see the stress on his face. I bet he never expected to be part of an army. He was simply tasked to round up the Leauge members while they were a small group, but the MLA was completely unexpected. Still, he decides to improvise and do the best he can with the shitty cards he's been dealt. It's not like he has another option at this point.

So he slips a coded message to Endeavor ASAP. Basically saying "yo, in four months shits about to go down. Ttyl I'll keep you posted lol". He can't tell the guy in person now, because to make things harder, he has camera's on his wings. (and even though he's being watched by camera's, he also gets followed by guards at the mansion):

After Hawks relays the massge, he stroles around the mansion with his bodyguard and heads towards the cafeteria. With a little eavesdropping (courtesy of his feathers) he also finds out that the Leauges plan is to "Destroy Everything" in four months:

After he relays the massage to Endeavor, he listens to the Leauges plans of destruction as his thoughts run a thousand M.P.H.

Because now "capture the Leauge" has turned into "Holy shit I now only have 4 months to take down a full fledged terrorist organization/army from the inside-out by myself while I'm being monitored 24/7 with absolutely no privacy & also a full time job as a hero + a public image to maintain. And I can only contact my fellow pro's about this mission through code because if the villains find out I'm a double agent I could be killed and Japan could be destroyed. Also some heros have even joined the MLA so who on my own side can I trust? Only a select specific few for now I guess."

If you thought things couldn't get worse your wrong.

Because around 2 months before the raid Hawks' heart (that wants to be free & has a genuine desire to help people) takes shit a bit too far when it makes him get attached to a certain powerful villain.

Hawks quckily finds out that Twice is easily the second most powerful villain in the Leauge after Shigiraki. He's an S ranked villain and he'll kick your ass with the power of friendship anyday. He's a great guy, but him and the Leauge are still planning on doing horrible things within the next 2 months. Twice is going along with it because he wants to stick by his friends, which y'know, is a cool motive. But considering that fact that the people Hawks is trying to protect ALSO have friends, and family's, this makes shit difficult and sends Hawks on some major guilt trips. (I would show all the panels of Hawks sadly smiling as Twice calls him a "good guy", but alas- Tumblr has informed me that I've reached my 10 image per post limit)

And tbh who wouldn't feel bad about suddenly getting attached to such a golden retriever of a man and then realizing you'll have to double-cross him at some point! I'm not surprised Hawks would feel this way, especially considering the fact that he never wanted to take on this mission in the first place.

Hawks is very much a people person, and he HATES lying even when he has no other option. This is a man who got "shivers up his spine" when he had to put on a serious face while handing Endeavor a book with coded messages inside. He literally felt icky and thought "this is low even for me" just because he had to use a deadly expression so that Endeavor would get the gist.

And when the Commission made their "proposal" about this mission, Hawks' first reaction was to call them out on their B.S. for asking him to put civilian lives at risk. He even admitted that he was feeling bad about sending Tokoyami away while talking to Deku, Shoto, and Bakugo. Hawks felt guilty about not being able to spend more time with his student, but considering that things with the MLA were starting to get riskier, and that Hawks literally handed Endeavor a book with a coded message inside about an uprising 2 seconds later, I can see why he wouldn't want to risk Tokoyami being around him. The fact that the camera's on Hawks' wings caught his interactions with Endeavor & the students also makes the creep‐factor worse. The MLA saw everything AND talked about it in a meeting later. Continuing to train with Tokoyami would put him at risk.

I love the complexity of Hawks' character, he's incredibly intelligent, logical, and intuitive. But at the same time throughout this entire mission his heart is constantly battling with his mind. Even when he knows he has to grit his teeth and do something shifty, his heart never fails to put up a fight with his logistics. Honestly it's been a pattern for a while that Hawks' sympathy always "Trips him up" in some way, so idk why I didn't see it coming around to bite him in the ass later.

(Tbh it's hard for me to see Hawks as a this super "Morally Gray" person that the fandom likes to paint him as because of a mission that he only spent 6 months on. I personally, kinda see Hawks as a "good person" who works for a "morally gray" agency. But that's a whole different meta)

Basically, Hawks getting attached to Twice wasn't a surprise. But considering how powerful Twice was, along with his role in the League's destructive plans (He was a lieutenant in one of the MLA's "Units") the discourse going on in Hawks' mind makes sense. By this point Hawks has already figured out all of the MLA's "Units" along with the three "bosses" that support the lieutenants of those "Units". It's noted that those "bosses" are extremely powerful and can match the strength of the heros as well. It took Hawks an entire month just to figure out all of the "Units" members. (I would show the panels explaining all of this but I'm at my photo limit)

All of these members were tasked to follow their lieutenants and bosses, and the plan was to attack all of Japans major cities at the same time. Once the cities were destroyed and chaos had set in, Redestro and feel good inc. Would distribute support items to the remaining citizens in the name of "self-defense". It would create a country full of discourse and destruction where Redestro and Feel good inc. Would rule from the shadows. But Shigiraki would be the main leader. He would become "king" and sit upon a "throne of rubble". (At least this was the MLA's plan, Shigiraki himself just kinda wants to destroy everything. But I suppose this would make things easier for him to do that.)

needless to say, the stakes have been upped excessively. But it took Hawks an entire month to gather this info.

This post is honestly just me marveling at what an M.V.P Hawks is

My guy literally only had 4 months to take down an entire terrorist organization for the inside-out. AND he was being monitored during that entire time. He figured out the MLA's intentions within the first month of being there. And it took him another full month to go into detail and figure out all the members, bosses, and lieutenants, for each of their "Units". Hawks even went as far as to immerse himself in the MLA's ideology, and he had in-depth discussions with the MLA's members. HELL HE EVEN FAKED HIS CO-WORKERS DEATH JUST TO GET IN.

AND HE PRETTY MUCH IMPROVISED ALL OF THIS SHIT!!! The original plan was to capture the Leauge when they were a small group! But by the time Hawks managed to infiltrate, The Leauge already had an army! They were a full-blown organization! And Hawks just kinda rolled with it??? He just kinda bullshitted his way through??

Like, "okay I'm now apart of an army I guess. The Leauge is now an entire organization and they're planning on destroying Japan in March. Let's see how this goes. I'll just have to make this work"???

LIKE HOW THE FUCK IS HE NOT DEAD! WHAT A FUCKING MADLAD

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Jupiter stations direct

Sorry about how late this is! The wifi was awry, but Ms M Jr straightened it out.

Timeline (currents events in bold):

Tuesday, February 18, 20:56 UT: Jupiter enters retrograde zone, 17:24 Capricorn

Thursday, May 14, 14:32 UT: Jupiter stations retrograde, 27:14 Capricorn

Sunday, September 13, 00:41 UT: Jupiter stations direct, 17:24 Capricorn

Sunday, December 6, 11:25 UT: Jupiter exits retrograde zone, 27:14 Capricorn

(First paragraphs repeated from a previous post of mine, if they seem familiar.)

The first thing I want to do is remind everyone that Jupiter is in its fall in Capricorn. Here’s what astrologer Isabel Hickey wrote, in Astrology: A Cosmic Science:

Jupiter in Capricorn is held back by the materialism and cautiousness of Capricorn. In this sign, Jupiter reaches its lowest and densest material aspect. Selfishness and materialism must be overcome…. Necessary to learn giving-outness for there is a tendency to be miserly with the expression of loving feelings as well as with money and material possessions.

And if that isn’t a good description of some people’s behaviors during COVID-19 social distancing policies….

Jupiter stationing retrograde means we’re going to start “noticing” (if we haven’t already) certain limitations. Per Martin Bulgerin:

When Jupiter is retrograde, the support provided by others dries up, leaving us to get by on our own resources. Often sources of income decrease or unexpected big expenditures crop up. This serves to draw our interests away from "frivolous matters" and concentrate our focus on what is truly important. Use this time to put your life on a firm foundation -- if you can survive this period with so little, you're sure to thrive later when the support resumes.

In his book The Inner Sky, Steven Forrest notes that natal Jupiter retrograde can provide us with a “deeply rooted inner faith.” That’s especially significant given the aspects Jupiter makes during this time. The three conjunctions to Pluto are literally morphing the structure (Capricorn) of our world. Everything is transformed and continues to transform. (And that third conjunction, in November, at 22:52 Capricorn, is only five minutes of arc away from January’s Saturn-Pluto conjunction at 22:47 Capricorn.)

=====+++++=====+++++=====

What can I add, all these months later? Well, the two Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions saw spikes in the US coronavirus rates - remember that Jupiter is expansion, and Pluto is viruses. With one more conjunction to go, just as flu season is beginning to kick off? Isolate yourselves.

Jupiter is going to re-retrace old ground between now and December 6. If you’ve had any placements affected by transiting Jupiter, this will give you the opportunity to resolve the situation. Jupiter always wants us to make the most of a situation - it may now be time to put on our big-person panties and be as adult as we can, in order to make the most of Jupiter in his fall.

Here follows a list of the outer-planetary aspects Jupiter will make between now and December 6. I���ve put it under “Keep reading” because not everyone wants to read all that.

Monday, October 12, 07:06 UT - Neptune Rx/Pisces sextile Jupiter/Capricorn, 18:45 (18 degrees, 45 minutes)

Maybe it’s because I’m a Gemini, but I always see aspect potentials in at least two different manifestations. The downside of this one is people in general clinging with a (literal?) death grip to whatever fantasies and delusions give their lives some kind of structure and support. The more positive manifestation would look like a lovely, unifying spirituality, in which we all celebrate and honor our interdependence. This particular kind of sextile makes us more oriented to group activities. Birds of a feather, I guess.

Placements affected lie between 17:45 and 19:45 of the yin signs Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces. In addition, placements between 17:45 and 19:45 of the sign Leo may feel some pressure to make adjustments.

Thursday, November 12, 21:30 UT - Pluto/Capricorn conjunct Jupiter/Capricorn, 22:51 Capricorn

What is making this one really, really extra-special is that the Lady Asteroid Pallas Athene is right there with them. Her conjunction with Jupiter happens about two hours, and with Pluto about one hour, before Jupiter-Pluto matures. Pallas Athene was also right there, in the same degree, during their June 30 conjunction - and very close, but not exact, back at the April 4 conjunction. This all was supposed to have been a learning experience for us, and if we’ve been smart we have taken the lessons to heart and will use them to steer ourselves going forward. Pallas Athene has some association with health and healing, so plan on some coronavirus news. Finally, Pallas Athene has a lot of affinity for politics, and this triple conjunction occurs nine days after the US elections. No matter who wins, the other side is going to be violently angry about it.

Placements affected lie between 21:51 and 23:53 of all signs, and between 7:51 and 9:51 of the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

Tuesday, November 17, 19:34 UT - Eris Rx/Aries square Jupiter/Capricorn, 23:41

And this happens two weeks after the US elections. The two previous squares were March 26 and June 26, 2020. I haven’t been able to pin any specific event onto this particular aspect; I think it “just” symbolizes, in the US, the enormous amount of anger being expressed by left and by right. The class snobs versus the racists. (Full disclosure: Ms M was raised to be a class snob. She’s working on it.)

Planets/Points affected lie between 22:41 and 24:41 of the cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn; and between 7:41 and 9:41 of the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

[wheresanne]

Common Teaching in Korea Questions

Exactly a year ago, an old friend told me about the opportunity to go live overseas, travel often, and make money at the same time. 🌍 I asked, “How long will you be gone? What do you do if you don’t like it there? What will you do with your car?”

After a hundred more questions, tons of research, financial planning, organizing the right qualifications, and knowing myself enough to know if I was truly ready for this experience, here I am.

Here are some of the most common teaching English in South Korea questions that I had and most people may have.

If you have any questions about EPIK program or life in Korea, feel free to comment or message me. 

1. What would be your list of pros and cons?

Cons would be the language barrier and culture work environment is different compared to the US. Preparing to return back home sounds difficult so make sure you continue working on your future career so you don't have a gap on your resume.

2. Tips for the application process?

For the application process, use the Internet and search for possible lesson plans and read others’ experiences of teaching and living abroad. I wasn’t originally a teacher, but I often reflect and remember some of my influential teachers, then apply that to my style of teaching. 

3. Tips for the interview process?

For the interview process, since it will most likely be a video chat interview through Skype, remember that the video chat might be a few seconds of the audio delay, so try not to cut off the interviewer’s talking. You should dress nicely and smile a lot since you’ll be seen as a role model and working with children. Keep your answers to one or two full sentences. Talk confidently. Again, do some research online for example questions and answers.

4. Do I have to take the TEFL if I’m going to major in early childhood education with a concentration in English as a second language? (Very important question)

To teach in Korea, you have to be a native English speaker. To teach early childhood education in Korea, you must have a TEFL certificate and you are supposed to have a real education degree.

5. How can you send money back home for cheap? Is the transfer costs very expensive?

Depending on your home country, for example, if your home country is the US, you could send money back home through an American Citi Bank account for a small transaction fee. Your home country bank might charge extra fees. My personal American bank, USAA, charged me $70 when it received $1,000 home.  

6. What are each of your teaching schedules like? (I know they differ) Do you have free time?

I teach 22 hours or classes per week, I talk more about this in my "What is my job in Korea?" YouTube video. I have to be at work 8:30-4:30 M-F. Besides those 22 hours, I'm sitting at my desk preparing for future classes or whatever I want to do.   

Since I teach about 550 students in my middle school, I only visit the 1st and 2nd graders every-other-week and then I teach the 3rd graders every week. 

7. Where was/are you placed? Do you like it there?

Through EPIK Program, I was placed in an Innocity in Naju in Jeollanam province in the south. I love it. Great food and good location.

8. What are your classes like? Elementary, Middle, High? Big? Small?

I teach middle school in a new city. I have about 550 students in total and about 15 to 25 students in each class. 

I also teach an after-school club class, where we video chat Australian students about Korean culture, landmarks, etc.

9. What is your EPIK apartment like? Is it as small as I’ve seen online? (Not that is matters much about size!) And is your bills pretty cheap?

Before coming to Korea, I was expecting to be placed in an older apartment, possibly with mold or cockroaches. 

Through EPIK, I was thankfully placed in the new Innocity in Naju county in Jeollanam province. I love it here because there are tons of fitness centers, tons of cafes, restaurants, a library, Lake Park, and it's a new city with lots of transportation and modern buildings.

My EPIK apartment is a studio office-tel style, so it's in a massive building where I pay $50 a month for the building utilities and then about $20 for my utilities.

10. How long have you been living in Korea?

I've been living in Korea since June 2018 and I was in the August 2018 EPIK intake.

11. If you can speak Korean, will more employers want to hire you?

answer

12. Do any of you have a permanent residency visa? If so, what’s it like? Is it less stressful?

I don’t. I’m on the yearly F2 visa. 

After watching Megan Bowen and World of Dave on YouTube, who have been in South Korea for nearly 10 years now, it seems that sometimes people or Koreans still think they're a foreigner.

13. How many vacation days do you get? Are they flexible or not very flexible?

Vacation days are only allowed around the winter and summer camp schedules, Your contract will say you have 25 paid-leave days total (contracts are slightly different depending on the province you're in) in the contract year.

14. What advice would you give to anyone moving to Korea for the first time?

For anyone moving to Korea for the first time, do lots of research online, come with an open mind, don't forget you're representing your country, and remember why you're coming here. You're not coming here to party, coming here to teach and grow.

15. What are your co-teachers like? Are they helpful?

I have 7 co-teachers since I teach at a bigger sized school. They are so kind and helpful. I’m a fairly independent person and haven’t had many issues, so I don’t often “bug” them, but I know they would help me if needed. At work, they don't ask to see my lesson plans or games. After classes, we often talk for a moment as a way to quickly review how the lesson or class reacted to the lesson. We work together when a speaking test is coming up.

16. Do you make enough to live comfortably? And to save?

I live very comfortably. I barely go shopping for clothing or home decorations, since I’m a very minimal person. I just have the essentials. Also, I don't have to stress about repairing my apartment or my car maintenance. 

17. Do you make your own lesson plans or do you have to teach by a book?

My middle school has a textbook where I teach the Listen and Speak sections with my own extra "real life" examples and then we play a review game. 

18. Do you teach at more than 1 school? If so how many? And is it really stressful?

I only teach at one school. 

19. Can you remember all your students' names? What are some fun ways to memorize all their names?

Since I have many students, my first semester was about memorizing their faces, behaviors, and levels of English in class. By the second semester, I asked for a student-list and tried to take attendance before each class. Since I see most of the students every-other-week, it has taken me almost two semesters to learn their names.

If I ever see them outside of the school in my neighborhood, I ask them “How are you, what’s your name again?” as a good way to practice their English too. 

Some students have English names, perhaps from their English hagwon academies. If they don’t have an English name, at the beginning of the semester, I offer them a list of popular English names from their 2006-8 birth years.

I remember their names by remembering somethings similar in English. 유빈 Yoo-bin sounds like "You Bin"

20. Is your commute to work long?

I bought a bicycle from an online Facebook flea market group and then I every day I ride my bike for about 10-15 minutes. I could walk for 30 minutes, or I could take a bus but that'll cost me about 2,000 won every day.

21. What is the most rewarding part of teaching in Korea?

I really like the comfortable life here.

22. What are some culture do’s and don’ts that are important to know?

Culture do's would be to remember it's not your country. Make friends with almost everyone, but remember your boundaries.

23. How do you deal with homesickness and stress?

For homesickness or stress, I often go for a walk or bike ride in nature, which reminds me of my hometown or eat pizza or a hamburger. And catch up with family and old friends via Facebook.

24. How have you changed since living in Korea?

Living completely alone can be difficult and different for some people. I have so much free time here. I think my sense of fashion style has changed too.

25. Do you have a Korean phone plan? How much is it a month?

I pay $70 a month for my 100GB phone data plan for my iPhone bc I often travel around Korea so data is important to me.

You can get the Korean phone plan after you get your ARC number, almost a month after living here. You can easily get a SIM card from the convenience stores or from the airport. 

26. Last but not least, what are some encouraging words you would give to those who want to teach in Korea!? 

Only teach if you actually like kids and are a patient person. If you don't get accepted through EPIK, or JLP, or TaLK, don't forget to apply through hagwons!  

[kitty-bandit]

All the numbers for the salty ask meme XD

Anon, you seem to know I’m a Secret Salt Queen. XD

Also, this is ALL for DGM.

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

Honestly? I may hate a few ships, but I can see the appeal of them. Even certain crack ships. Like, just because I don’t find it appealing doesn’t mean I can’t see why others might like it.

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?

The only real BRoTP I have in DGM is Allen x Lavi x Krory. I think those three are adorable together in a platonic way.

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

ROFL, YEAH. There have been a couple over the years, and some were (at the time) considered good friends. There is at least one BNF who I no longer associate with because they couldn’t handle my anti-censorship/ship-and-let-ship stance, even though we’d been friends for years. (I’d supported this person emotionally and financially when they were in trouble, and even beta read for them/helped out with fan events/written a fic for them.) When the fandom drama got intense and antis started causing shit, I got more vocal about anti rhetoric not having a place in our fandom. This BNF couldn’t handle it and ‘broke off our friendship’. We haven’t talked in probably 2 years.

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?

Whoops yeah. It’s Yullen. XD Though, I’m not so disgusted when I see the ship anymore, and I’ll even reblog art from time to time. But I don’t go out of my way to seek out content.

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

ROFL, you mean Yullen again? Yeah. XD I’m trying to get over my hatred, but it’s a slow process.

6, Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

YUP! Fandom actually got me into Lucky and Poker Pair. I was not a fan of Tyki’s for the longest time (mostly because of OLD fandom portrayals of his character), but a few friends wrote some amazing fics with him and converted into a Tyki lover. XD

7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?

Not really. I’ve certainly lost interest in writing certain ships, but I’ve never really grown to hate any of them.

8. Have you received anon hate? What about?

Hahaha, yeah. Mostly antis being assholes because I don’t cower before them.

I’ve also gotten trolled on my fics on ff.net (one of the various reasons I won’t post there anymore). It was nonsensical sexual harassment, but still. It was gross.

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?

Chaoji. Need I say more?

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Speaking strictly in terms of the manga (because the anime went off on some ridiculous tangent arcs during hiatuses that I just can’t get into), the Mater Arc. It wasn’t bad per se, just… it didn’t interest me. It’s the first real arc for the manga. When I first read/watched it, I hated Kanda a LOT. (Love him now, though.)

And Allen was… not interesting to me. In the early chapters, he felt so flat and dull. The typical nice shounen main character, y’know? OBVIOUSLY Hoshino threw a 180 on that, and now he’s interesting as hell. But yeah, Mater bored me. XD

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I don’t think so?? Most of the unpopular characters are ones I don’t like either.

13. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

If there is a universally unpopular arc, I’m not aware of it. XD

13. Unpopular opinion about ______ character?

I’ll just choose a character I have an unpopular opinion about:

Lenalee

Whenever I see people who yell about others hating Lenalee, I’m confused. I never see this hate, or if I do, it’s so few and far between that it’s not even worth mentioning.

I think it’s a hold over from years back (DGM is like, 15 years old now) when older fandom channeled their internalized misogyny and projected it onto female characters. I lived those days, when a female characters only ‘got in the way’ of your gay ship. (Likely a visceral response to the blatant homophobia in fandom at the time as well, but that’s another story for another time.)

People defend Lenalee without batting an eye, but really? She’s done some shitty things and she’s a rather selfish character. I love her to bits, but she’s not the perfect angel people like to make her out to be.

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

We’re not the perfect fandom everyone thinks we are. Sure, we’re smaller, so problematic people/things crop up less often, but we still have plenty of issues. We’ve got antis, we’ve got homophonia, we’ve got racism. We’re not perfect.

15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

Hallow was good. You’re all just mean. XD

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

MORE LAVI!

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

Hooboy… What would I change…

OKAY–After the Ark Arc, I would’ve had Allen and Lavi interact more. I wanted to see the aftermath of that! Because before they had left China, Lavi and Lenalee thought Allen was DEAD. And Lavi was Not Okay™. They thought that all the way up until the fight in Edo, when he returns. They almost immediately get sucked into the Ark, and everyone starts dropping like flies after that.

And Lavi’s the last one to ‘die’ in the Ark. Allen watched him fall into the abyss with Chaoji. And he s c r e a m e d.

Yet we have no “I thought you were dead”/ “I thought YOU were dead” conversations. There’s no “I’m so happy you’re alive” conversation and I feel CHEATED.

18. Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or bised?

I give absolutely zero fucks about what’s popular to ship.

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

Everyone is a little too Precious™ about Hoshino. I love the woman and all, but some people act like guard dogs if anyone criticizes her on anything whatsoever.

Also, I’m perplexed by this “Don’t share spoilers” mentality lately? What else is fandom for but to share spoilers? People act like sharing the RAWS after the magazine comes out in Japan is somehow tantamount to treason.

Like, bitch. Do you know I’d have to wait 2+ years to see any official translations for the manga? I buy the books when they come out, and since Hoshino writes slow, I depend on our fan-translators to give us something to read before I can get my hands on official merch.

Fan-translations are how small fandoms like us survive when we’re not speaking the official language of the source material. Acting like you’re on a high horse because you buy the Japanese copy, then can’t read it because you have a 3 year old’s grasp of the language, is just dumb.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?

Laven, IMO. Fite me on it. XD

21. What are your thoughts on crack ships?

LOVE ‘EM!!! I’m so here for crack ships. You have no idea.

22. Popular character you hate?

I don’t think I currently hate any popular characters, but I used to hate Tyki and Kanda quite a bit. I love them now, though.

23. Unpopular character you love?

I don’t really have an unpopular character I love. XD I’m just boring like that.

24. Would you recommend DGM to a friend? Why or why not?

Absolutely. I think it’s an amazing manga.

25. How would you end DGM/Would you change the ending of DGM?

LOL WHAT END???

26. Most shippable character?

ROFL, Lavi. I ship that bitch with everyone. XD

27. Least shippable character?

Tiedoll. I’m sorry, I can only see him as the anime equivalent of Bob Ross, and we all know Bob Ross doesn’t fuck.

✧Salty Ask ✧

[tamboradventure]

13 Off-the-Beaten-Path Things to See and Do in Paris

Posted: 6/24/2019 | June 24th, 2019

Paris is filled with famous attractions: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Versailles, the catacombs, the Pantheon, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre-Coeur. The list goes on. There are so many amazing sites here that you could spend days (heck, even weeks) just seeing the main, most well-known ones.

But there’s more to Paris than the sites that attract thousands upon thousands of visitors each day. While I was living Paris the past few months, I made it my mission to see some of the more unusual, lesser-known (but equally awesome) attractions (that didn’t coming with the aggravating crowds that make so many of Paris’ attractions unbearable).

And, while some of the things on the list below might not be “super secret” attractions or activities, they do fall into the category of “over looked attractions” so I included them.

Here are some of the best off-the-beaten-path things to see and do in Paris:

1. Le Manoir de Paris

This is where macabre museum meets haunted house. Numerous rooms highlight some of the more unsettling aspects of Paris’s long and often dark past, such as the Phantom of the Opera, vampires, or the crocodiles in the sewers. Using real actors as well as animatronics, the city’s gruesome and unsettling history is brought to life in an interesting way. In addition to their museum, they also have escape rooms as well as different levels of intensity depending on how scared you get!

18 Rue de Paradis, +33 6 70 89 35 87, lemanoirdeparis.com. Open Fridays 6pm-9:30pm and weekends 3pm-6:30pm. Admission is 29 EUR for adults and 20 EUR for children 10-15.

2. Musée Édith Piaf

Édith Piaf is perhaps the most famous French singer from the 1930s to the 1960s, and know around the world for her song La vie en rose and Non, je ne regrette rien (which appeared in the movie Inception). She lived in a little apartment in the Ménilmontant district at the start of her career, which has been turned into tiny museum dedicated to her. You get a glimpse at her life through her gold and platinum records, photographs, clothing, letters from fans, posters, recordings, and sheet music.

5 Rue Crespin du Gast, +33 1 43 55 52 72. Open Monday-Wednesday 1pm-6pm and Thursdays 10am-12pm. Admission is free, but you’ll need to make an appointment. You’ll also want to either speak decent French or go with someone who does.

3. Musée Curie

Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize (and the only woman to win it twice) for her research into radioactivity (a word that she invented). She was the first female professor at the University of Paris as well as the first woman to be entombed in the Panthéon on her own merits. Located in the 5th arrondissement, this museum, in her old laboratory, highlights her radiological research. It’s insightful and eye-opening for anyone unfamiliar with her historic discoveries.

1 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, +33 1 56 24 55 33, musee.curie.fr. Open Wednesday-Saturday 1pm-5pm. Admission is free.

4. Archives Nationales

Opened in 1867, the National Archives houses thousands of historical documents dating back to 625 CE. One of six national archives in the country, the museum sheds light on France’s turbulent past, providing nuanced historical details and context through permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Built by the order of Napoleon I, the building itself (known as the Hôtel de Soubise) is absolutely stunning. It is in the late Baroque style, embracing long columns and lots of statues and sculptures. It features immaculate grounds and gardens as well. They always hold a lot of good exhibitions too.

59 Rue Guynemer, +33 1 75 47 20 02, archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/en. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm. Admission is 8 EUR per person.

5. The Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy

Opened in 1898, this museum is home to over 1,000 animal skeletons from around the world, including complete skeletons of elephants, large cats, and even dinosaurs. It’s as interesting as it is unsettling: all the animals are facing the same way, making it look like you’re in the midst of some undead stampede!

2 Rue Buffon, +33 1 40 79 56 01, http://bit.ly/2B0lruZ. Open daily 10am-6pm (closed Tuesdays). Admission is free.

6. The Vampire Museum

Paris has a long history with the esoteric, one that is brought to life in this fascinating (if not macabre) museum founded by an eccentric scholar to showcase his knowledge of the undead and esoteric. Here you’ll find vampire-killing kits, rare texts on demonology, and mysterious ancient relics. It’s a busy, eclectic, creepy museum that’s a feast for the eyes and one worthy of a visit if you’re at all interested in more obscure (and fanciful) tales. It’s a fun little, kitsch museum.

14 Rue Jules David, +33 1 43 62 80 76, artclips.free.fr/musee_des_vampires/MuseeVampires1.html. You’ll need to make an appointment in advance by phone. (Don’t worry if the voicemail greeting is in French — the curator speakers perfect English).

7. Petite Ceinture

In use from 1862 through 1964, the railway circling Paris was abandoned when the city expanded beyond its limits. It’s mostly hidden behind buildings and covered in wild plants and grass now, though some sections are now officially open to the public. You’ll find all sorts of flowers and street art along the tracks.

While some sections are illegal to visit, near Parc Georges Brassens you’ll find a section of the tracks known as the ‘Passage de la Petite Ceinture’ that is both free and legal to visit. It’s located in the 15e arrondissement.

8. The Salvador Dalí Sundial

This surrealist sundial was created by world-renowned artist Salvador Dalí. Located on Rue Saint-Jacques, it’s is a mix of a human face and a scallop shell (the symbol of the Camino to Santiago, since the street is named after the saint). While the sundial doesn’t actually work, it’s nevertheless an easy way to see a piece of artwork by one of the most famous artists in the world.

27 Rue Saint-Jacques. Open 24/7 with no admission.

9. Montmartre Cemetery

While the Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest and most popular in Paris, for a more secluded stroll, check out the Montmartre Cemetery. Plenty of people visit the top of Montmartre for Sacré-Coeur and the view, but few take the time to wander this cemetery sitting at the foot of the district. It opened in 1825 and is home to many cobwebbed mausoleums, as well as a handful of stray cats. You won’t see many people here, so you can explore in peace.

20 Avenue Rachel, +33 1 53 42 36 30, paris.fr/equipements/cimetiere-de-montmartre-5061. Open Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, Saturdays 8:30am-6pm, and Sundays 9am-6pm.

10. The Museum of Counterfeiting

Opened in 1972, this museum is home to counterfeit items that have been collected by France’s customs agents and police (as well as donated items from brands and consumers alike). There are over 500 items in the museum, ranging from counterfeit art and luxury goods to more mundane items, like cleaning supplies. While some knockoffs are impressive in their duplicity, it’s also funny to see just how bad some counterfeiters were!

16 Rue de la Faisanderie, +33 1 56 26 14 03, musee-contrefacon.com. Open Monday-Saturday 2pm-5:30pm. Admission is 6 EUR per person for adults and 5 EUR for students and seniors.

11. Promenade Planteé (Coulée verte René-Dumont)

This tree-lined walkway is a greenbelt that extends almost 5km along the old Vincennes railway line. The railway line ceased functioning in 1969, with the park being inaugurated a few decades afterward. Until New York built their High Line, it was the only elevated park in the entire world. (And, honestly, this is way nicer the the NYC High Line). You’ll find lots of trees, flowers, ponds, and places to sit along this long path that stretches from Bastile to the edge of Paris. It’s al ong really easy and beautiful walk. You won’t find many people here. Even on a nice day, it’s rather empty. It quickly became one of my favorite things to do in Paris and I can’t recommend coming here enough!

1 Coulée verte René-Dumont (12th arrondissement). Open daily from 8am-9:30pm. Admission is free.

12. Canal Saint-Martin

Stretching 4.5km, the Canal Saint-Martin is a man-made waterway commissioned by Napoleon. Construction finished in 1825, connecting the Canal de l’Ourcq to the Seine via both above ground locks and underground tunnels. While not any secret spot (on a nice day, you’ll find the canal lined with people), it’s mostly a spot for locals who want to have a picnic and relax. So, say no to the Siene, and come have your outdoor picnic along the canal. It’s more relaxing and there will be fewer people!

The canal starts at Place de Stalingrad and ends at Quai de la Râpée. Canal cruises last 2.5 hours and cost around 16 EUR per person.

13. Museé de Montmartre

Founded in 1960, this museum is located throughout two building that date back to the 17th century. Over the years, the buildings were home to many famous writers and painters. The gardens of the museum were actually renovated to look more like the gardens in Renoir’s paintings (there is also a vineyard nearby that dates back to the Middle Ages but it makes horrible wine). The museum’s permanent collection includes a wide variety of paintings, posters, and drawings.

12 Rue Cortot, +33 1 49 25 89 39, museedemontmartre.fr/en/le-musee. Open daily from 10am-6pm (7pm in the summer). Admission is 12 EUR for adults, which includes an audio guide. Discounts are available for students, children, and persons with disabilities.

***

While the main sights in Paris are always worth checking out, but if you want to be more than a tourist and develop a greater appreciation for the City of Light’s unique and complex history, visit these unconventional and unusual attractions in Paris.

Book Your Trip to Paris: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. Some of my favorite places to stay in Paris are:

St. Christopher’s Canal – Comfy spot on the canal. During the summer months, the terrace is hopping!

3 Ducks Hostel – This hostel has one of the cheapest bars in the city, and it’s just a 10-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower.

Les Piaules – Fantastic chimney lounge, a cool bar, and a rooftop space. It’s a great place to meet people!

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Looking for more information on visiting Paris? Check out my in-depth destination guide to Paris with more tips on what to see, do, costs, ways to save, and much, much more!

Photo credit: 4 – Adrian Grycuk, 5, 8 – Guilhem Vellut, 6 – Jim Linwood, 9 – Joanna Penn, 10 – Son of Groucho, 12 – PPun, 13 – advencap, 15 – Museé de Montmartre

The post 13 Off-the-Beaten-Path Things to See and Do in Paris appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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[miky91ftw]

The Stravaganza Series: An attempt at in-universe timeline (2/3)

See part 1 and the general premises here: [X]

hey everyone! It took me a while, but I was finally able to re-read and annotate both City of Flowers and City of Secrets, thus compiling the second part of the Stravaganza series timeline. Although the death bell tolls like crazy in these two chapters (especially in CoF), luckily the space-time continuum is pretty much stable, and time flows at the same speed on both end of the gate, allowing us to trace a perfect one on one correspondence between the events in Talia and what is going on in London.

This said, let’s get started with the analysis without further ado:

CITY OF FLOWERS

General timespan: from early March 2005/1579 to late April 2005/1579 (approx. 2 months). To commence, let’s fix some points to orient ourselves: Easter in 1579 falls on April 19. The day Sky stravagates for the first time coincides with the last day of Carnevale in Talia, Martedì Grasso (Shrove Tuesday), which happens exactly 40 days before Easter. Thus, we can pinpoint March 10 as the day when the story starts to move (despite the wedding being in the works supposedly for a couple of months at least). 

After Easter, we know that the weddings, the Nucci massacre and the flooding of the Argento rivers all happen on the following Tuesday (April 21). These are the most important dates for the overall plot, but, taking into account that (aside from the short Devon holiday) Sky stravagates almost daily, we can deduce most of the dates for all the other notable events in the book, such as:

Sky performs his epic coup de theatre, calling Nick Falco and revealing his status as Stravagante the day right after his first Stravagation, on March 10*, 2005 (England Time)

On March 11 (Talian Time) Sky and Suien visit Colle Vernale, while everyone else is freaking out about the weddings.

On March 12 (TT) Niccolò gets poisoned, and Carlo kills Davide Nucci in retaliation.

Between March 13 and April 6 (the day after Alice stravagates) the events can be placed with absolute precision - this is mainly due to the fact that, while we know that on Easter (March 27, 2005) most of the Barnsbury kids are in Devon for the school break, there are not exact indication of the dates they leave and return to London. Yet, we know that the day after Alice stravagates is less than two weeks away from the wedding, so it should be at least April 7 (TT). This sort of makes sense since we know that all the preparation for the wedding stravagation, the talisman exchange and Alice’s involvement in the operation takes at least a week, at the beginning of which Colin (aka Rainbow Warrior, Sky’s dad) celebrates his birthday (which is stated to be on April 1). Meanwhile, people in Giglia are still freaking out about the weddings.

the Holy Week in Talia starts on April 13 (Monday). On Thursday (16) Jacopo and his family arrive in Giglia, while Alfonso & co. arrives only on Friday (17). Finally, the pope arrives on the day before the wedding (Monday, 20) as he had to stay in Remora to perform the Easter Mass there. On Monday, after the celebrations are over, Niccolò proposes to Arianna (ew.) 

In England, meanwhile, Loretta discovers about Sky’s existence only on April 17, and Rainbow Warrior meets his son on the following day (April 18).

After the bloody events of the wedding, the following week has the Nucci surrendering on Wednesday (April 22, TT), and the fateful duel between Niccolò and Luciano on the Friday (April 24, TT). With the death of the Duca  and the Bellezzan delegation departure, the day after the duel is also the one where Silvia and Rodolfo get married (April 25), thus concluding the main plot of the book.

Concerning the age of the characters during the book, here’s what we can infer from previously known information:

Luciano and Arianna are both 17, turning 18 the next fall. Georgia is 16, and will soon turn 17 (as briefly mentioned in chapter 4). Falco is 15, and will turn 16 in November per my previous headcanon.

As for Sky, we know that he’s in the same year as Georgia, but it is hinted in chapter 17 that he already urned 17. This most likely puts his birthday in the first part of the year, probably between January and February (as Capricorn and Aquarius both fits his character, astrologically speaking XD)

Now, if you think that packing all the action of City of Flowers in a timespan of less than 50 days may seem too intense, get ready for the next entry, aka

CITY OF SECRETS 

General timespan: apparently, people in Padavia run on caffeine 24/7**, as all the main events take place in less than a month, specifically from October 11 2005 (ET) to the night of the Manoush execution, November 4 1579 (TT). Padua is a crazy city, no matter the timeline. 

We can pinpoint the starting date by the fact that Matt’s first Stravagation happens on the night of his 17th birthday, and he arrived in Padavia on the day of Arianna’s 18th birthday (October 12). Since we can infer from the text that, when you stravagate, you arrive in Talia on the day after the one you were back in England, this means that Matt’s birthday is on October 11. This means that Matt was born in the same year as Georgia and Sky, but, since his birthday is after August 31, he is in the year behind them (a search on the web informed me that the threshold for school admission in the Uk is August 31. Can anyone confirm this? FYI, in Italy we go by solar year, aka all children that turn 6 by December 31 are in the same year).

The final date, November 4, marks the Manoush execution, the solar eclipse*** and the  great Padavia fire. We know his as soon as chapter 22, when the date for the execution is fixed two days after the Manoush’s capture, which happens in the night between November 2 and 3. 

Similarly to what happened to CoF, Matt is seen stravagting almost every night, so we can keep count of the passing days to date the main events in the story, mainly:

Rinaldo arrives to Padavia around October 14, and the laws are passed in the following days (most likely on October 16 - a Saturday - which, as stated by Constantin, is considered a working week just like the others in Talia).

Deathridge arrives to Padavia on Friday 15, where he holds his first lesson at the University. We know that the third lesson is the following Friday (October 22), so the second lesson must have taken place between these two days (I’d say either on Tuesday 19)

The aforementioned assumption are strengthened by the fact that the Monday after Matt’s arrival is a holiday, more specifically St. Luke’s day, falls on October 18.

The day after the third lesson (thus, Saturday 23 October) we are introduced to our favourite red-haired bastard prince, the problematic fave™️ of the saga, Ludovico Vivoide. 

Given that the day of St. Raphael falls too on a Monday in Talia (October 25), we can place on the day before (Oct. 24, ET) Ayesha’s encounter with Jago, followed the day after by Matt cursing his “rival” with the Evil Eye. The situation gets solved on the 27, with Lucian returning briefly in England and meeting his parents. After he returns to Talia, on October 28 he manages to do well at his lecture, eventually sealing his fate as far as Filippo di Chimichi is concerned.

Also, sometimes around the 25, our favourite spy Enrico gets captured by Lucian, who forces him to take a bath, despite his protest. One of the highest moment of the saga, tbh.

The day after the lecture (Friday, October 29) we are introduced to Doc. Angeli and we know about the public dissections held at University. Luciano will be saved from Angeli’s unknowing tolls the following Thursday, on November 4.

To conclude, the final arc of the story takes place between Halloween (October 31, in England) and the three days of the Manoush festival. While Matt falls asleep in his room and the party at Chrissie’s goes on, the boy is kidnapped and beaten up in Padua (November 1, day of the Dead). Filippo accidentally stravagates, is scared by Ayesha, and finally everything gets solved before morning (November 2) arrives. 

As said before, the Manoush are captured on the night of November 2, the trial takes place the morning after (Nov. 3) and the execution is set for the 4th.

The events in the epilogue stretched between November 4 and January 1st 1580, the day where Bino is born in Giglia. Although he is “a little ahead of his time” we can infere that he was conceived right after the wedding, no later than April****. 

Aside from that, the epilogue informs us that Barbara and Marco get married, Matt gets his driving licence and we can only hope that Luciano finally manages to study for more than two days without being interrupted. As i said, CoSe is a wild ride. Go read it.

ADDENDUM 1: By the end of the fourth book, the character’s ages are: Luciano and Arianna > 18 Matt and Georgia > 17 Sky > 17, possibly already 18 Nick > 16

ADDENDUM 2: FOOTNOTES

*: the reason why I believe that the arrival day in Talia is the one right after the starting day in England, as explained, can be inferred mostly by looking at the CoSe timeline. 

**: it IS a university city, after all.

***: look, the moon phase seems to be pretty much on pair between worlds, but there is no records of a partial moon eclipse on November 4, 1579 (none that I’m aware of, at least). We can, however, headcanon it as Doctor’s Deathridge illusionary magic extravaganza, as A) they needed a distraction/something to cause a sensation among the crowd and solve the situation B) he’s actually a proficient astronomer, and knows how this kind of phenomena looks like, and the effect they have on people C) he’s Rodolfo’s master, and heaven knows what sort fo great magic he is actually capable of D) the fact that he used a mass illusion without telling the others but knowing that Luciano and co. would still be able to use it as a tool to free the Manoush is objectively cool as heck. 

****: or, it could have been conceived before the wedding, who knows 👀

IN CONCLUSION: THAT’S ALL FOLKS SEE YOU FOR PART 3 IN [redacted] MONTHS!

[paul-s-walks-uk-blog]

Walk 4: Broad Falls to Buckfastleigh

 “The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say” 

J R R Tolkien

This walk description is from my Tumblr blog ‘Dartmoor (and other) walks’, where you will also find guides some of my other walks, and (eventually) hints, tips, for successful hiking and descriptions of some of my favorite places

The walk described in this blog is the return journey from the one described in walk 3

Homeward bound from a camping trip is as much pleasure as going. There is no pressure to keep to a schedule and one can take the time to go slowly and poke around. After all, it doesn’t matter too much if you get drenched, or do too many miles and get sore feet: Home is at the end, with a shower and dinner and warmth-not the possibility of a damp night in a sleeping bag with aching legs. Thus the walk back from Broad falls (walk 3) was a deviation from my plan. I decided that instead of returning the way I went to South Brent, I would take a nice  amble over Hickaton Hill and dawdle down some country roads and head for Buckfastleigh. If I had to wait for a bus, no matter,  there are places to get a coffee and read a book while waiting.

Click here for pictures from this walk

Walk data

Distance: Approximately 7 miles (11 km). Plus another mile to Buckfast!

Grade:Moderate

Start point: Western bank of the Rivr Avon, near Broad Falls, approximately SX652670

End Point :  Buckfastleigh

Facilities: None at the start, until you are off the moors. Buckfastleigh has shops, cafes, a good chip shop, pubs and toilets. A look at the map will show that a little detour from the route will take you to Scorriton, where the Tradesman’s Arms does good food .

Transport: There are buses on weekdays and Saturdays from Buckfastleigh to Exeter, Plymouth and Totnes. For details check Traveline South West. On Sundays, there are buses to Plymouth and Exeter, but they are not very frequent. You cannot get directly to Totnes on a Sunday. If you are driving from Plymouth take the A38 in the Exeter direction. From Exeter take the A38 in the Plymouth direction, and turn off when Buckfastleigh is reached. Both routes are about 24 miles.

Map : Ordinance Survey Explorer OL28. Compass needed across Hickaton Hill if visibility is bad

Walk overview

The walk starts along moorland river banks, then a shortish tract of open moor. From Lud Gate it is road walking all the way, except for a a detour on public footpaths through some rarely visited woods.

Route Map

Click here to see the route maps for this walk

stage 1: Broad Falls to Lud Gate

It had been a dry night and there was no dew, so my tent was dry, and I could get an early start. I munched a bowl of muesli, had a mug of tea, packed up and set off. It was perfect walking weather for someone with a rucksack-a little chilly, but dry. The sky was a single sheet of bluish grey. The was no sign of the sun.

The first part of this walk was along the right bank of the Avon as it heads in a south-easterly direction, The river bank itself is marshy and difficult, and there are wide areas of tussock on the side of the hill, but between them runs a fairly dry path, used occasionally by people, but more often by sheep. The path climbs up and down a little and then follows the river as it changes course and bears left.

The Avon on it’s way to Avon Dam

Shortly after this turn you will see the Avon clapper bridge crossing the stream.(approx. SX656661 )(see picture below). There are (apparently) about 200 clapper bridges on the moor. Most of them are medieval, being on the routes that the shepherds drove the giant flocks belonging to the abbeys. A clapper bridge is a simple affair: One or more granite slabs used as a bridge. The work in pre-machine times to construct these must have been immense. The average granite slab in such a bridge is about 6 foot (1.8 m) long, 3 feet (0.9 m) wide and about 6 inches (15 cm) thick, making 9 cubic feet (0.25 cubic meters). Granite weighs 20 pound per cubic foot, so the average slab is about 180 pounds (about 36 kg). These would have been hauled into position from wherever they were found, then levered over the water. The bridge here consists of 2 slabs supported in the middle by a pile of smaller blocks. 

The Avon Clapper

The trail descends to the clapper, slightly passing it before it does so. Don’t be tempted to cut this corner off. The Two Moors Way National Trail joins our path here. It is very popular, and the passing of many booted feet has turned the area around the bridge into a slippery mush. The path takes the least squishy approach.

After crossing the bridge, and standing to watch the waters gurgling under its piles, our track follows the path of the river eastward. The path is well trodden, but there are lots of alternatives as people have tried to avoid the watery parts. Take your pick, and good luck. Keep higher if possible is the only vaguely practical advice. To your left rises Huntingdon Hill. On the is hill is the remains of Huntingdon Warren. The rabbit farm on the hill was running until 1956.

The path crosses over a style at the end of a wall that goes down to the riverside. By the wall stands Huntingdon Cross. This is a medieval cross and has stood here for at least 600 hundred years. The path then Crosses the Western Wella Brook, a tributary of the Avon. The stream divides into two and the crossing places are very muddy. Until recently this was the place where a walker was most likely to get wet feet-but a new clapper bridge has been put over the wider stream and stones (with a pipe) have been put over the smaller stream, so I got across without having to hop gingerly over loose rocks. This (very welcome) new bridge was made by Dartmoor National Park Authority, with funding from the Totnes and the Devon Ramblers, who have earned, at least my, undying gratitude. Of course the bridge was not made as it was in the middle ages! A video can be seen here of it’s construction. They clearly picked a day of bad weather for it.

The new clapper bridge. The two DALEKS beyond are the remains of a water pipe system across the river

Looking north east from Huntingdon Cross you can see a rounded hill. This is Hickaton Hill. It is easy to identify because of the large, almost circular shape on it’s side.This is the site of a neolithic settlement. Four thousand years ago, the climate on the moors was more hospitable, and they were well populated. There are the relics of settlements, hut circles, stone rows and circles spread over most of the moor.

The track now leads up Hickaton Hill. It can be seen (usually) from the cross. It is well trodden, because it is part of two trails, the Two Moors way and the Abbot’s way. In summer is can be relatively busy.

Follow the track up the hill, and take time to poke around the settlement. The map show distinct hut circle shapes. These may be obvious from the air, but at ground level the settlement ring seems to contains random piles and patches of stone. You can sit here and imagine the bustle, smells and noise of all those years ago.

The ancient settlement on Hickaton Hill

Follow the Two moors Way up the hill. It levels out and then climbs again, and soon you come to a place where the trail you are on is crossed by another (this was once the road to Huntingdon Warren). This is close to the edge of the open moors. Ahead and to your left you can see fields and patches of woodland. There are now wiry and twisted blackthorn trees amid the granite boulders.

view of fields from Hickaton Hill

We are heading towards Lud gate ( SX683673). Shortly after passing the crossroads you will notice that the track diverges. The path straight on is the Two Moors Way and bearing slightly to the right, the track to Lud Gate. You can see your destination as a small copse of fir trees to the north east. Lud gate lies in a small kink in the moor boundary between these and a little wood of deciduous trees,The path is clear and gravelly.Around you are bushes of gorse. It always seems so lush, this small patch of heath after the grassy expanses of the moor.

Stage 2 : Lud Gate to Buckfastleigh

Lud Gate

At the gate ignore the finger post pointing to the left, and pass through the gate into a long lane with dry-stone walls and cut-and-laid hedges on either side. Trees arch overhead. In summer it is a delightful canopy of leaves, alive with birds. In winter it is a fascinating network of twisted branches.

After about ten minutes walk the lane becomes a proper road, which eventually comes to a crossroads called Cross Furzes. Pass this junction and turn left at a T junction a little further on.The road we are following is it is to Buckfast and Ashburton. (picture at top of this post). There is another mile or so of road-walking, past farms and fields, until you come to a farm called Button. There is a footpath through the farm. It is rarely used as the footpath signpost is beyond the farm gate, and almost hidden in a bush of holly.

Pass the (very well kept) farmhouse, and on crossing a style keep the hedge to your left and enter Bilberry Copse, which is a small part of Kings wood. Because the path is not busy, the leaves were still dry underfoot and the forest was decked still in autumn colours.

After the woods the trail passes through a few fields which often have sheep and horses in. The track comes to a road, at which we turn left and cross a small bridge over the River Mardle, shown below, then through Bilberry woods. There is no reason to do this, as the path through the woods merely loops in an arc and joins the road again.

footbridge into Bilberry Woods

Bilberry Hill Woods

On joining the road turn left and in just over ten minutes you will arrive in Buckfastleigh

Buckfastleigh is a small, busy town. 

For some reason, they have changed the bus timetables so that there are no longer buses to Totnes on a Sunday. I walked another mile to Buckfast, where I have frequently caught a Sunday bus home, It was the same-no service. So I had to ring my wife and ask her to come a get me, like a lost schoolboy. And, it being Sunday, the chip shop was closed!

Fish and chips in Buckfastleigh

[dawittiest]

HOW $#@! DO I READ NEW AVENGERS?

New Avengers (Vol. 1) is one of the most recommended Avengers runs by me and it’s a classic. Great, so how do I read it? Not by picking up the first issue and hoping for the best, that’s for sure. To get it, you have to know the context behind Avengers Disassembled and the House of M, and it’s a good idea to maybe read Young Avengers v1 too, and when you finally start reading actual New Avengers run then you get to Civil War and things get… confusing. (This is going to be a long post).

SO! Welcome to the biggest cluster of events in Marvel U history! It’s also my fave.

(see also: totally subjective intro to avengers comics)

Most of it is a brainchild of Brian Michael Bendis – now, to be a proper Comics Fan™ you need to be aware of the Bendis Discourse. My good friend Brian here is the definition of a Problematic Fave; he has written a good chunk of my favorite comics ever – he’s also written some of the worst. Now, I’d argue that his New Avengers era (running impressively from 2005 to 2012) is his Peak moment and one of the best creative moments in Marvel’s history. But it’s a fuckton of comics.

First in the NA run comes Civil War – the original limited series written by Mark Millar is probably one of the most controversial Marvel comics to be published (up until last year’s Secret Empire but we don’t talk about that). It’s, well. For starters, it’s not great for the characterization of all involved. Then there’s the issue that it seems not a single editor was involved in publishing this comic (is Matt Murdock in jail or prowling the streets? Who the fuck knows!! Certainly not the author). It’s aggressive. It’s over the top. It’s very Millar.

But Civil War is undeniably one of the most iconic storylines in modern comics. And while the original series is, let’s say, problematic, some of the tie-ins and aftermath issues are good. Plus, Civil War practically singlehandedly birthed the SteveTony fandom into existence. What can I say, I’m biased.

Once upon a time in my younger and more foolish ways, I decided to read the entirety of Civil War, spanning over 100 comics total, over the course of one summer month. I came back from this experience aged with wisdom to obliterate Bad Discourse with my encyclopedic knowledge of all relevant panels and to tell you which Civil War comics you should read for best experience. Honestly, no regrets (well, maybe except Moon Knight. I regret reading that a little).

Mind that this is a completely subjective selection. Also, seeing as Civil War spans over one-fucking-hundred comics I didn’t list all that are worth reading – just those that are most relevant to the story. It’s still a Lot.

BEHOLD – CIVIL WAR!

Prelude

-       The New Avengers Illuminati v1 #1 (one-shot)

-       Amazing Spider-man v2 #529-531

-       Civil War #1

-       Amazing Spider-man v2 #532

-       Civil War Frontline #11

1 CW Frontline is great. It’s also 11-issues long. If you’re not intimidated by the sheer number of comics to read, I really recommend it. If you’d rather cut the unnecessary comics out of your diet you can skip it on first reading, though I recommend you go back to it someday – it guarantees to make you look at certain players in Civil War through whole different eyes.

-       Civil War #2

-       Civil War Frontline #21

-       Civil War Frontline #31

-       Amazing Spider-man v2 #533

-       New Avengers v1 #21

-       Civil War #3

-       New Avengers v1 #22

-       New Avengers v1 #23

-       Black Panther v4 #182

2 The real wedding of the century! It’s not really all that important in the grand scheme of things but I included it because it’s just one issue and really, it’s iconic. Definitely worth the read.

-       Civil War Frontline #41

-       Civil War Frontline #51

-       Amazing Spider-Man v2 #534

-       Civil War #4

-       Amazing Spider-Man v2 #535

-       Civil War Frontline #61

-       Civil War Frontline #71

-       New Avengers #243

3 You can skip it, really.

-       Civil War #5

-       New Avengers v1 #25

-       Iron Man v4 #13

-       Iron Man v4 #14

-       Amazing Spider-Man V2 #536

-       Civil War Frontline #81

-       Civil War Frontline #91

-       Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War

-       Civil War #6

-       Civil War Frontline #101

-       Amazing Spider-man v2 #537

-       Civil War #7

-       Amazing Spider-man v2 #538

-       Civil War Frontline #111

-       Captain America v5 #254

4 It’s part of the Brubaker’s run on Cap, which means it’ll probably throw you on a few occasions since you don’t have the full context. Still, you should read it, it’s important; besides, not knowing what tf is going on is just part of the Comics Experience.

-       Civil War The Confession

The Aftermath

-       What If – Civil War

-       Fallen Son: Death of Captain America

-       Iron Man Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (IM Vol. 4)5

5 Do you like TEARS and PAIN and some BODY HORROR? This run is for you. You don’t really need to read it right after CW; it’s acts pretty good as a standalone and you can always go back to it later. But I really recommend you do – it’s some of the best comics there are.

-       Captain America Vol. 54

4 Ah, the (in)famous Brubaker Cap! Some love it, some hate it. I have to say, it’s one of my favorite runs, period. It’s epic-length so I don’t recommend you dive into it right this second, but you should go back to it sometime – it will give you some further insight to the NA era and it’s just good storytelling. (There is some misogynistic bs to beware of, but honestly, that’s like token warning for all comics).

So you’re done with Civil War! Time for a breather, right? Wrong. Marvel has another event in store for you and this one is probably my most favorite of all.

BEHOLD – SECRET INVASION!

When you’re done with Civil War’s aftermath, you can continue reading NA up until you hit

-       New Avengers v1 #37

then you proceed to

-       New Avengers Annual #2

in which Brian wraps-up his pre-SI storyline and the next issue after that begins

Prelude: The Infiltration

-       New Avengers v1 #38

-       Mighty Avengers #7

-       New Avengers Illuminati v2 #1-#56

6 You don’t really have to read all of them, but I recommend you do. If you recommend I shove it, read at least #1 and #5, as the events in these will be brought up again and again.

-       New Avengers v1 #39

SECRET INVASION

-       Mighty Avengers v1 #127

7 Mighty Avengers are great for further insight into SI! But you don’t really need them. You can always go back to those later.

-       New Avengers v1 #40

-       Secret Invasion #1

-       New Avengers v1 #41

-       Mighty Avengers v1 #137

-       Secret Invasion #2

-       New Avengers v1 #42

-       Mighty Avengers v1 #147

-       Secret Invasion #3

-       New Avengers v1 #43

-       Mighty Avengers v1 #157

-       Secret Invasion #4

-       New Avengers v1 #44

-       Mighty Avengers v1 #167

-       Secret Invasion #5

-     �� New Avengers v1 #45

-       Mighty Avengers v1 #177

-       Secret Invasion #6

-       New Avengers v1 #46

-       Mighty Avengers v1 #187

-       Secret Invasion #7

-       New Avengers v1 #47

-       Secret Invasion #8

The Aftermath

-       Mighty Avengers v1 #20

We’re saying good-bye to Secret Invasion with MA #20 and moving up to an even darker period in Marvel’s history

BEHOLD – DARK REIGN!

Now, Dark Reign isn’t considered an event per se, because Marvel just advertised it as “The New World Order” (see how long that sticks). But I’m still gonna treat it as one, since it’s hard understanding just what tf is going on if you don’t have some background reading.

-       Dark Reign The Goblin Legacy8

8 This is not as much as a new comic but a reprint of some older comics that give you much-needed background on Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. Don’t get discouraged by the silly Silver Age-ness – the comics are the product of their time and anyway, this is basically required reading.

-       Secret Invasion Dark Reign9

9 Not a required reading but an entertaining behind-the-scenes look. Definitely recommended.

-       Dark Avengers10

10 Okay, again, not required but so much fun. If you like asshole antiheroes and more in-depth look at Norman Osborn’s twisted shenanigans you will really enjoy this book. And Victoria Hand is everything. (If you decide to read it right now, I recommend you read NA up to Siege and then read all of DA up to Siege too).

-       Dark Reign New Avengers: The Reunion

-       Invincible Iron man: World’s Most Wanted (IIM v1 #8-19)11

11 Cool concept, uneven execution, cool characters, uneven characterization – Fraction’s IIM in a nutshell. Plus, Larroca’s ugly-ass art. I have sentiment for this arc but admittedly, you can probably go back to it later.

Continue reading NA up to

-       New Avengers v1 #60

after which you should read

-       New Avengers v1 Annual #3

which leads you up to

SIEGE!

Maybe I’m biased but Siege is a pretty lukewarm event. Still, you need it, so I’m going to give you bare required reading.

Prelude

There’s like… 15? Thor issues leading up to Siege but they’re boring and I didn’t read all of them so you can skip them too.

-       Captain America: Reborn12

12 I don’t really think you should read it without reading Brubaker’s Cap first or you’ll be very confused. All you need to know is Steve is back! And you can read up on everything leading up to that in CA v5 later.

-       Invincible Iron Man: Stark Disassembled (IIM v1 #20-24)13

13 Fraction is back at it again! And just like before, you can probably get back to it later. Still, I dig the whole Disassembled concept.

SIEGE

-       Siege #1

-       Dark Avengers #1314

14 only if you decide to read the series

-       New Avengers #61

-       Siege #2

-       Dark Avengers #1414

-       New Avengers #62

-       Siege #3

-       Dark Avengers #1514

-       New Avengers #63

-       New Avengers #64

-       Siege #4

-       Dark Avengers #1614

The Epilogue

-       The Sentry: Fallen Sun

-       New Avengers: Finale

Aaaand that’s that! Wow, you read a fucking load of comics. Get back to me when you want to devour even more.

NEXT STOP – HEROIC AGE!

[junker-town]

Matisse Thybulle is becoming the cult hero Philly deserves

Matisse Thybulle is living up to his college reputation during the start of his 76ers tenure.

The Sixers rookie sensation is a walking defensive highlight reel.

Elton Brand kept repeating himself at the Philadelphia 76ers’ introductory press conference after the 2019 NBA Draft. “We had to have him,” Brand said again and again, subtly acknowledging the rumors that he had promised Washington Huskies wing Matisse Thybulle during the draft combine and was willing to do whatever it took to get him. Celtics general manager Danny Ainge saw Brand’s desperation and took advantage, trading back four spots and picking up the No. 33 selection from Philadelphia in return.

Brand may have telegraphed his infatuation with Thybulle, but the cost of an early second rounder won’t matter if the Sixers’ rookie continues the riveting progression he’s shown in the early part of the season. When Thybulle is on the floor, it’s hard to notice anyone else. The Denver Nuggets got a first hand look at that experience on Wednesday night.

Thybulle was everywhere and everything against the Nuggets, flying around the court on defense, finishing above the rim in transition, and continuing his hot shooting from deep. He ended the night with 13 points, five rebounds, and one steal, with multiple jaw-dropping sequences underscoring his second straight brilliant performance. He finished +20 in a game where no other Sixer was better than +9.

Matisse Thybulle, to me, you are perfect. pic.twitter.com/AzlG1tsqcV

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) December 11, 2019

Thybulle is just now working his way into a regular spot in Brett Brown’s rotation, but when he does play, he’s making a major impact. The Sixers are 16-2 in games where he plays at least 12 minutes. He’s one of the league’s most accurate three-point shooters on low volume. According to 538’s RAPTOR metric, he’s the most impactful defensive player in the league, with a slight lead over Rudy Gobert and Kawhi Leonard.

This feels like the rare rookie who is ready to contribute right away while still just scratching the surface of what he could one day become. The rest of the world is just now seeing what Brand always believed.

Thybulle has been a historic defensive playmaker

All Thybulle did during his four years at Washington was rewrite the defensive record books. As a senior, Thybulle became the first player in the modern era ever to have 100 steals and 80 blocks in a season. He was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and national defensive player of the year as a senior.

Thybulle did his damage his last two years playing in the 2-3 zone that head coach Mike Hopkins brought with him from Syracuse. It led some to wonder if his immense production would translate to pro-style defenses, a question Thybulle answered definitively as soon as he put on Sixers colors.

Thybulle immediately impressed in summer league, and took his legend to another level in the preseason, where he averaged 2.6 steals and 1.4 blocks in just 19.1 minutes per night. Just ask Luke Kennard if Thybulle’s defensive numbers in college were a mirage.

Some Matisse Thybulle highlights from last night, focusing on his defense. He's now averaging 5.6 steals and 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes in preseason pic.twitter.com/tuutNf89P4

— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) October 16, 2019

Thybulle’s defensive playmaking has been just as excellent in the regular season. He’s averaging 3.1 steals and 1.5 blocks per-36. He’s second in the NBA in steal rate. He’s near the top of the leaderboard in deflections per-36. The Sixers defense, which is No. 4 in the league, is 3.7 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the floor.

His anticipation instincts are real. His reaction time is real. Seemingly every time he takes the court, Thybulle is making two or three defensive plays at minimum that make you rewind and watch again.

At 22 years old, Thybulle already looks like a seasoned vet on the defensive end if you accept that every player will have a missed rotation once in a while. Those that saw him at Washington knew his steal and block rates would translate, zone be damned. It’s what he’s showing so far on the other end that is actually surprising.

Thybulle is a developing shooter

Thybulle’s jumper had potential coming out of Washington, but it was also no sure thing. He hit a respectable 35.8 percent of his threes on four attempts per game over his four-year career, but his percentage was down to just 30.5 percent as a senior. More troubling, Thybulle looked reluctant to shoot in his final year, passing up open threes to swing the ball or attack half-hearted closeouts.

Thybulle hit 39 percent of his 28 attempts from three in summer league, giving Philly hoop his range could extend to the pro line. He’s continued that in a big way during the regular season. Right now, Thybulle is hitting 46.3 percent of the 54 three-pointers he’s attempted. That puts him No. 6 in the league in three-point percentage.

THYBULLE BACK TO BACK THREE ! #PhilaUnite pic.twitter.com/WNcpNO22kU

— 76ers FR (@FR_Sixers) December 9, 2019

Thybulle’s shooting is going to regress, but his touch looks legitimate and his low arcing shot appears soft coming out of his hands.

The Sixers don’t need Thybulle to be one of the league’s best shooters like he’s been so far. They just need him to be respectable. Anything else he gives them beyond that on offense is going to make the imagination run wild of what he could one day become.

The 76ers finally found a usable rookie

From Joel Embiid to Ben Simmons to Markelle Fultz to Zhaire Smith, the Sixers have had comically bad luck with rookie injuries. We’re not trying to jinx Thybulle, simply noting that even making it 24 games into his rookie year is a cause for celebration.

Thybulle is also simply easy to root for. Every time he speaks to the media, you can tell he’s living his dream.

"Even just like six months ago, if you had told me I'd be in the position I'm in today, it would have been really hard for me to believe you... I'm so grateful." Matisse Thybulle doesn't hold back on how it feels to have the team relying on him. pic.twitter.com/QbMu67HfMS

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) December 9, 2019

Sixers fans are turning Thybulle into the cult hero he was always destined to be. This has been the perfect union of a hyper-passionate fanbase and a player whose impressive skill set and beaming personality demand appreciation beyond his per-game numbers.

honestly i don’t even watch the other sixers anymore i just watch matisse

— Michael Levin (@Michael_Levin) December 11, 2019

the Matisse Thybulle draft day deal with the Celtics is the first time Philly has won a trade with Boston since we got Ben Franklin back in 1723

— shamus (@shamus_clancy) December 9, 2019

Thybulle has outlier athletic ability with outlier defensive instincts. He’s entered the league with his own signature celebration. He has a ways to go on offense and will need to learn the nuances of defensive coverages, but it’s clear he has some special talents that he’s already been able to successfully deploy against pros.

The Sixers are still figuring out who they are with mismatched pieces that think outside the box the rest of the NBA is living in. Whatever the Sixers eventually develop into, Thybulle will be a big piece.

[supermortalavengers]

ToG & ACOTAR

1) Which of the ToG characters do you relate most to? Dorian Havilliard.

2) Which of the ACOTAR character do you relate most to? Rhysand.

3) Which character in either series do you think you would dislike the most in real life? Tamlin.

4) Which character wouldn’t like you in real life? Probably Tamlin.

5) Which character would you be best friends with in real life? Cassian, honestly.

6) Who’s your OTP from ACOTAR? Feysand. 100% no matter what. I can’t believe I ever shipped Feylin.

7) OTP from ToG? Doraelin (though Rowaelin is growing on me)

8) Did you ship Rowaelin from the moment he came into the picture? HELL NO.

9) How quickly did you stop shipping Chaolaena? Or do you still ship it? I stopped shipping it pretty quickly.

10) Which character do you ship yourself most with and why? Rhysand, because shit, man. Everyone that he’s around he BUILDS on, gives them the tools to make themselves better, he doesn’t MAKE them do it, he gives them the choice, and it honestly just… He is the person that I wish most people could act like because of that. I mean, he’s also beautiful. And sassy. And I need that in my life too, but mostly the other part.

11) Ships that annoy you and why? Feylin. Because Tamlin is an abusive little asshole and nobody will convince me otherwise.

12) Do you ship Amren and Varian or would you rather Amren remain alone? I don’t necessarily ship them, per say, but… They’re cute.

13) Any theories about where Amren came from and what her real form is? Fuck if I know.

14) How do you view Rhys’s actions UtM? Ah… When I first read the series, without having read the others, I really hated him for everything he did. But, after reading the other two books, and seeing where he was coming from, I’ve given him a little leeway. Yes, some of it was cruel and unnecessary, but… He was doing it to save Feyre, and in the end, save everyone from UtM.

15) Do you want Tamlin to die? Are you pro redemption arc? How do want his arc to end? In all honesty, I would never wish a bad thing on anyone, even a fictional character. So, I would prefer he didn’t die. I don’t think he should get a redemption arc though. He deserves a shitty ending, because he was/is abusive. He needs some God damn therapy.

16) Which villain out of both series do you hate the most? If I can count Tamlin as a villain, I really disliked him because of how he treated Feyre. And how Feyre didn’t see anything wrong with it until she was shown actual love and care. I also DESPISE Dorian’s father. He makes me want to slap a bitch.

17) Do you blame Elena? …Lemme get back to you.

18) Which villain do you want to slowly suffer and which one do you want a painful death for? Dorian’s father, even though he’s already dead… But whatever.

19) Tell me how you feel about Moriel, Elucien, and Nessian. Fuck, I think they’re adorable. Lucien really needed a good ending. He was put through so much shit, and he was stuck under Tamlin. He deserves a hug. Nessian… Just AH. I can’t describe it better than that. Moriel… Jesus Azriel needed a good ending too. Come to think of it, Mor needed it too. Both lived through hellacious beginnings… So… I think they’re all well deserved relationships.

20) Thoughts on “nameless is my price?” Gotta reread the series. So badly. I’ve forgotten so much. My only clear memory is that I love Dorian with all of my heart.

21) How do you think ToG will end? …With all my babies happy?

22) Do you prefer the Celaena story arc or the Aelin arc? Or do you find that the difference between the two is simply character growth? I think that it’s just character growth, though I do miss Doraelin.

23) Long haired Rowan or short haired Rowan? *shrugs* Don’t particularly care. I’m just starting to care about Rowan in the first place lmao

24) Which character would you most like to hook up with? Cassian. Would definitely be a good time.

25) Which character would you most like to fall in love with? Rhysand. I don’t think I need an explanation for that. And maybe Lucien… For some of the same reasons as Rhys, but also because Lucien has those fast comebacks and snippiness, and I need that in my life.

26) How would you feel if Sam were resurrected in ToG7? …I… Just… Don’t know. I feel that would make things problematic?

27) How do you feel about Elorcan at the moment? Do you forgive him and think Elide should? Or are you angry with him? …Lemme read the books more. I honestly skipped a lot because I was unhappy with Rowan. I need to reread the entire series. So…

28) Thoughts on Fenrys and Connall? As said in 27: I gotta reread the series.

29) What do you think the importance of “princess of carrion” and all the other stuff the book says to Feyre is? …Fuck, I’ve read these books enough times, but I’m drawing a blank to this.

30) Do you think any major characters will die in ACOWAR? Who? …Considering I read the book… I mean, I was so terrified near the ending about Rhys… But I’M OKAY RIGHT NOW.

31) Did you ship Feylin in ACOTAR or were you always side-eyeing it suspiciously? …I fucking shipped it, head over heels. Oh, how I regret that.

32) How do you think Feyre will handle being in the Spring Court again? Like a God damn boss, because she’s grown a lot.

33) Head canons for your OTP! I just… Mhmm

34) Name a ship you hope ends like the Titanic… …That one of them dies? Tamlin?

35) What do you think Feyre’s father is up to? Some stuff.

36) Do you forgive Nesta and Elain for how they treated Feyre? …Mmm.

37) Favorite morally grey character. Is Chaol morally grey? I feel like he is. Just a little bit.

38) Favorite villain. Mm… None particularly. A lot of them are just… Not to my liking.

39) Favorite god from ToG …Lemme get back to you on that.

40) What theories do you have about the Bone Carver? Fuck me running.

41) Any theories about the cauldron? That it’s a God damn mess.

42) Favorite funny moment from ToG Anything that was relatively funny between Dorian and Aelin.

43) Who is funniest character? …only one? UHM. Rhysand. Really. He just… He always makes me laugh.

44) Where is Nox??? On the God damn moon, probly.

45) Are you down for Rowaelin/Feysand babies in the epilogues or would you want them to wait? Oh, HELL YEAH. BRING ME ALLLLL THE BABIES.

46) What is the King of Adarlan’s name? “Piece of Shit”?

47) Do you have any f/f or m/m ships? Hm... None that stand out to me in ACOTAR? But, I really need to reread ToG though, so that could change.

48) Any part of the plot in either series that you would change? Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of Aelin jumping around from guy to guy in the beginning of ToG. I understand that a lot of people do that, but to me, it just created a lot of unnecessary drama. And I really do hate drama.

49) How do you think the lock will be forged? Carefully.

50) Who is a better male lead? Rhysand or Rowan?  RHYSAND FOR THE GOD DAMN WIN.

[tamboradventure]

The 10 Best Day Trips from Paris

Posted: 6/3/2019 | June 3rd, 2019

Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world for many reasons. Heck, I love it so much that I’m currently living here!

This city has it all – and it would take a lifetime to reall see. Even after a decade of visiting and months living here, I’m still finding new things to see and do!

And, while the city itself has a million and one sights to visit, there are also some fantastic day trips from Paris that can help you escape the city – and see what else this incredible country has to offer.

From historic vineyards to medieval castles to cheesy tourist sites, thre’s a lot within a short distance from the city.

Here are some of the best day trips from Paris (at least in my opinion):

Table of Contents

The Palace of Versailles

Château de Fontainebleau

Château de Chantilly

Reims

The D-Day Beaches

Giverny

Champagne

Rouen

Orléans

Disneyland

1. The Palace of Versailles

From its exquisite gardens to its lavish interiors, the Palace of Versailles is truly a sight to be seen.

Located just 20km from Paris, it was the primary residence of the kings of France for over 100 years, until the French Revolution. Once just a tiny hunting lodge, it was initially transformed into a proper château by Louis XIII, who bought up the surrounding land to extend his park and gardens. Eventually, Louis XIV (aka the Sun King) turned this into lavish country estate as a way to escape Paris and diminish the grip of the French nobility. A massive and decadent symbol of royal power, Versailles offers an incredible insight into French history, highlighting the ostentatious lives of the former monarchs.

The Palace of Versailles is one of the most-visited attractions in the vicinity of Paris, with over 10 million people swarming the grounds each year. To avoid the worst crowds, try to visit during the week.

Place d’Armes, Versailles, +33 1 30 83 78 00, en.châteauversailles.fr. Open Tuesday–Sunday 9am–5:30pm, with the last entry at 5pm (closed Mondays). “The Passport” ticket will give you admission to all the palace tours (grounds, Trianon Palaces, and Marie Antoinette’s estate), the Musical Fountain Show, the Musical Gardens, and the exhibitions; it costs 27 EUR (for one day) or 30 EUR (for two days). To get there, take the RER Line C to Versailles Chateau or the SNCF train from Gare Montparnasse to Versailles Chantiers.

2. Château de Fontainebleau

Located about 75km from Paris, this is one of the largest royal estates in the country. Built in the 12th century, it was inhabited continuously for over seven centuries and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site as well as a national museum. The origins of the palace also date back to a hunting lodge used by the kings of France, with additions being built throughout the years, the most elaborate of which are from the 14th and 15th centuries.

Much like Versailles, there are lavish rooms and apartments here, including a grandiose and ornate ballroom, as well as the throne of Napoleon. The château was also used as a NATO base of operations after World War II until 1966, when it was restored, gaining UNESCO status in 1981.

77300 Fontainebleau, +33 1 60 71 50 70, châteaudefontainebleau.fr. The château itself is open 9:30am-5:30pm (to 6pm in the summer). The parks are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Admission is 12 EUR per person, with discounts available. EU residents under 25, as well as any visitors under 18, can take the Grand Apartments tour free of charge.

3. Château de Chantilly

This historic château is located just 60 minutes from Paris by car. It was built in 1560 by the Montmorency family, one of France’s noble families. It is surrounded by some 8,000 hectares of forest and has seen numerous additions over the years, including a major restoration after part of it was destroyed in the French Revolution. When the last owner of the château died with no sons, it became a public historic site.

There are waterfalls and canals around the property, as well as some fountains, flower gardens, and Chinese-style gardens. You’ll also find lots of sculptures outside, making it a great place to relax and go for a stroll.

The château is also home to the Musée Condé, which opened in 1898. It boasts over 1,000 paintings, 1,500 manuscripts, 2,500 drawings, and 30,000 books in the library!

60500 Chantilly, +33 3 44 27 31 80, domainedechantilly.com/fr. Open daily 10am-6pm in the summer and 10:30am-5pm in the winter. Admission is 8 EUR for just the park, 17 EUR for the park and château, and 30 EUR for the park, the château, and an equestrian show. By car, the journey is just over an hour via the A1 or A3.

4. Reims

This small city is located just 140 kilometers from Paris and has played a significant role in French history. Reims grew to prominence during the Roman Empire, and when the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims (Reims Cathedral) was completed in the 15th century, it became the place where every king of France was crowned (with a few exceptions). Much like Notre-Dame in Paris, this Gothic cathedral boasts two large towers. It was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. While in town, don’t miss seeing the city’s fortifications; a number of them, including Fort de la Pompelle, saw combat in World War I.

You can reach Reims by car via the A4. The journey will take around 95 minutes. There is also a train from Gare de l’Est run by SNCF that takes 50-90 minutes; tickets cost around 30 EUR per person.

5. The D-Day Beaches

On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces invaded Normandy, in what is known as Operation Overlord. Almost 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel that day. Today, you can visit some of the remaining fortifications and bunkers, as well as several cemeteries and museums.

The beaches are located just under three hours from Paris by car, which is the best way to explore the region, as you’ll have more freedom and flexibility with your schedule. If you’d rather not drive, you can book an organized tour from Paris that will take you to the main sites over the course of the day; expect to pay around 150 EUR per person.

6. Giverny

This picturesque village is 80km from Paris and is famous for being the home of renowned painter Claude Monet, the founder of the impressionist movement. On a stroll through the famous gardens, you’ll recognize scenes from some of his most famous works. It’s like walking through art history itself. Be sure to visit Monet’s home as well as the art museum!

Many other impressionist artists also moved to Giverny, making it a great day trip for anyone interested in art or art history.

The journey to Giverny will take around 80 minutes by car via the A14 and A13. If you don’t have a vehicle, you can take a train to Poissy and then take the bus, but the journey will take almost three hours and cost around 35 EUR per person.

7. Champagne

The Champagne region is known for — you guessed it — producing champagne. Only wines that come from this region are technically allowed to be called “Champagne,” which makes this the epicenter of all things champagne. Though a long day trip from Paris, it’s possible to tour vineyards and sample the region’s wines in a day. If you don’t have a car, you can take a tour with Walks of Paris, which runs trips to the area.

The Champagne region is located east of Paris. You can get there in just over two hours with a car via the A11. The trip can take around where between 1 hour 45 minutes and 4 hours via train; expect to pay 25-50 EUR for a train ticket.

8. Rouen

Like Reims, Rouen has its own gorgeous cathedral. Built in the 11th century, it towers over most of the city (much like Notre-Dame in Paris). Rouen itself is most noteworthy as the place where Joan of Arc was martyred, and you can visit her memorial, not to mention other historic sites (such as Château Bouvreuil).

Rouen can be reached by car in just under two hours via the A13. Direct trains will take around 90 minutes and cost around 30 EUR per person.

9. Orléans

This gorgeous city is located on the Loire River about 2 hours from Paris. You’ll find gorgeous medieval half-timber houses that really give Orléans a traditional European feel. There are tons of medieval buildings still in use, many dating back to the 14th and 15th century. There are some incredible museums here too, including the sobering Musée Mémorial des enfants du Vel d’Hiv, which highlights the deportation of Jews and Roma to concentration camps during World War II and the Joan of Arc museum.

Orléans can be reached by car in around 1 hour 30 minutes via the A10 or N20. A direct train will take around the same amount of time and cost around 20 EUR per person.

10. Disneyland

Sure, this isn’t the most adventurous of travel experiences, but it’s definitely a fun one! Disneyland Paris (45km east of the city) gives you a look at an American experience from a French perspective. Lose yourself in a world that’s not quite American and not quite French — but all parts that over-the-top Disney goodness that you love.

Whether you’re traveling with kids or you just want to just relax and have a touristy good time, Disney offers a great escape from day-to-day Parisian life. Don’t miss the nightly fireworks show over the Sleeping Beauty Castle too — it’s pretty epic!

Boulevard de Parc, 77700 Coupvray, +33 825 30 05 00, disneylandparis.com. Open Monday-Friday 10am-8pm, Saturday 10am-10pm, and Sunday 10am-9pm. A single-day adult pass for one park will cost around 100 EUR per person, while a three-day adult pass for both parks will cost 215 EUR.

***

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing escape, a lesson in history, or a touristy getaway, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for on a day trip from Paris. With so many scenic towns, historic cathedrals, and stunning landscapes to choose from, you’ll be able to have an amazing experience that will round out your time in one of my favorite cities.

Get Your In-Depth Budget Guide to Paris!

For more in-depth information, check out my guidebook to Paris written for budget travelers like yourself! It cuts out the fluff found in other guides and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money in one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, on- and off-the-beaten-path things to see and do, non-touristy restaurants, markets, and bars, and much more! Click here to learn more and get started!  

Book Your Trip to Paris: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. Some of my favorite places to stay in Paris are:

St. Christopher’s Canal – Comfy spot on the canal. During the summer months, the terrace is hopping!

3 Ducks Hostel – This hostel has one of the cheapest bars in the city, and it’s just a 10-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower.

Les Piaules – Fantastic chimney lounge, a cool bar, and a rooftop space. It’s a great place to meet people!

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Looking for more information on visiting Paris? Check out my in-depth destination guide to Paris with more tips on what to see, do, costs, ways to save, and much, much more!

The post The 10 Best Day Trips from Paris appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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[oldtumblhurgoyf]

NaNoWriMo Prep

Under the cut I have the outline of a novel. NaNoWriMo challenges you to write about 1700 words a day (roughly 3 pages) so by the end of the month you have 50,000 words written and nearly 100 pages. That’s a short novel, probably about half of a book of the length I’m planning to write.

Now I’ve seen plenty of reasons not to do what I’m about to do to write a novel, but there are a few reasons I’m going to do this anyway:

Nothing else has really worked (I once wrote most of a novel but basically just sort of lost interest and wasn’t sure where it should go) 

Everyone’s process is different--this might end up being mine (that’s my hope)

I’m doubtful my goals in this are the same as other people’s (I want to churn out pages and books and try to streamline the stuff that feels like it inhibits that currently)

So under the cut I’ve got a breakdown of a generic plot outline, pretty much chapter by chapter. The idea is that it’s the characters that really matter, not the plot. Following this outline should guide me toward making things more difficult, not allowing breathing room, and keeping things pushed. I don’t need to think big picture, it’s right here. Just figure out what these characters are doing in this specific instance and how that trends toward the next big story hook here.

Basically the details change but all stories have the same general outline so I should think about that a lot less.

Also I’ve got enough chapters outlined for the extent of NaNoWriMo so some later stuff isn’t really fleshed out (or rather it boils down to what I’m thinking of as “side quests” (SQ) and I didn’t want to write that each time) so if you have thoughts on what those chapters/groups of chapters might look like, what they would do in the story, do share!

Chapter 1: Intro protagonist and their personal conflict Chapter 2: Intro antagonist if I didn’t already and the world conflict Chapter 3: How do those two conflicts end up dramatically altering the protag’s life forever?

Chapter 4: Intro side character and their conflict if I haven’t already Chapter 5: Build on the three conflicts introduced, let them intermingle and complicate each other Chapter 6: If I haven’t already, set up a potential solution and set protag/friends down that path

Chapter 7: Build tension. Think of this as a side quest or a step in the bigger process. It might be an idea that doesn’t bear fruit for the protag or maybe it does, but it’s not the only thing that needs to happen. Chapter 8: Or maybe there’s a minor setback, something unforeseen which needs to be overcome before moving on (this is really just a different type of side quest) Chapter 9: What we really want to see from these chapters is how the characters live and seeing that what they do matters. Right around here they should be ready to confront the big issue at hand, likely unaware that they can’t succeed against it yet (though the audience may be well aware of that)

Chapter 10: Victory seemingly within reach, it all goes pear-shaped. Things end up worse than before. Chapter 11: Aware now that they aren’t powerful enough/don’t have the right tools/in some way just aren’t able to solve their problem yet, a new solution comes their way, perhaps in the form of a new character Chapter 12: Still, they wallow in things a bit. If they are to venture into the underworld to overcome their problem, that might happen now (and in the next few chapters)

Chapter 13: Similar to chapters 7 through 9, the intent with these chapters... Chapter 14:...is to develop the characters and let them breath... Chapter 15:...while they explore their world and seek to address their problems...

Chapter 16:..without succeeding. What does failure do to them? What are their successes when they aren’t able to succeed against the big thing? Chapter 17: Around here they should be ready for round two against their problem. They’ve prepared anew and have a better understanding of what they need to do to overcome. Really explore that and how they go about tackling something that they failed at before. Chapter 18: SQ

Chapter 19: SQ Chapter 20: Yet again they fail. Something new ruins things (again, perhaps a new character or an old character in a new light). Chapter 21: If they haven’t ventured into the underworld before, they definitely do so now. If they ventured into the underworld before, they probably need to return and go deeper now. And by underworld I really mean the protag pushing beyond what they thought their limits were. What they had wasn’t enough to overcome this thing twice now. At this point they have to go further than they ever thought possible. Do what they never thought they could.

Chapter 22: SQ Chapter 23: SQ Chapter 24: SQ

Chapter 25: Somewhere in these chapters our character probably faces a sense of utter hopelessness. The stuff they’re doing doesn’t seem enough. Some promising SQ fell through. A friend betrayed them or left or died. It’s always darkest before dawn. Chapter 26: Probably about this early the Final Battle starts, whatever form that takes. Either the last few moments/part of the journey leading to it, when our heroes are further from help than ever before and cemented down the trajectory that will lead to their dooms or their validation (or the last few moments when they can forget it all and go home, for better or worse, the real temptation to just give up) Chapter 27: And somewhere in here, probably the last scene of that Final Battle, the protag really pushes beyond all they’ve ever done before. You though Super Saiyan was as high as it went? Check out Super Saiyan 2!

Chapter 28: Actually what I just wrote probably happens here or the next scene. The Final Battle should follow it’s own mini story arc, beginning, middle, and end. Think a boss fight where you beat form one and of course it has a form two and you beat that and then have to overcome the final form. Chapter 29: The Final Battle. Whatever it is, they face it here. All or nothing, do or die. Actually the battle may well have started a few chapters before. But this is where it’s decided. All the pieces fall into place, the questions find answers (some certainly unexpected), and these people have to live with the outcome, whatever it is. Chapter 30: denouement. This shouldn’t read like a years later epilogue most times but instead provide just a hint of a path forward from the wildfire of a climax we just experienced. it’s not an ending but the promise of a future we just aren’t seeing right now.

I am thinking of this as three parts; chapters 1-10, chapters 11-20, and chapters 21-30. Beginning, middle, end. Stuff can move around a bit and change, but the point of this is as a sort of road map and I can be aware of how much mileage my story is getting (already going into the middle after 5 chapters? maybe this story doesn’t have as much to it as I thought. maybe I should explore the characters some more. still in the beginning at chapter 15? maybe this is two books worth of material or even just a longer book. alternatively perhaps I’ve included a lot of stuff that isn’t really necessary to the story). This also functions well if I do decide my story is just the first part in a longer series since I just have to change the last bit so that it’s clear the Final Battle wasn’t won and then any denouement is a short setup (that could maybe even function as a first chapter slightly modified) for the next book in that series.

Additionally I’m aiming for about 7 pages per chapter (in some circles that’s believed to be the perfect length for a short story and that’s sort of how I’m envisioning each chapter even though they won’t really be stand alone short stories). That’s right around 3500 words, or about two day’s worth of NanoWriMo writing. For those doing the math, that means I end up with about 15 chapters at the end of the month, not the 30 I have outlined here. But I’m cool with that. It also means my resulting book is about 210 pages/I have some room to cut here and there to put forth the best work and still have like 180+ pages. the dream would be doing this full time and literally producing about 6 books a year, one every two months and that being my full time job

[richardrobertsimsuccessblog]

26 Crazy Stories about “OMG!” Opportunities that Blogging Made Happen

Will it all be worth it?

You can’t help wondering sometimes.

Every spare minute, you’re glued to your computer, reading, writing, doing all you can to grow your blog and build your audience — all on the shaky promise that someday your efforts will pay off.

But sometimes, that someday feels far out of reach. Sometimes, you can’t help wondering whether that day will ever come, or whether you’re just wasting your time.

Well, hang in there, my friend. Because you never know what kinds of opportunities your blog can bring you.

And they might take time, but for all you know, they might be right around the corner.

To prove it, I asked 26 of my blogging friends to share the coolest, craziest opportunities their blogs made happen in their early days — that is, before they amassed a huge following and made tens of thousands of dollars off their blog.

Ready to dive in?

#1. Jeff Bullas / Jeff Bullas

One of the “craziest” opportunities I had happened about a year after starting the blog when I was invited to speak in New Zealand.

It came about because a millionaire who was reading my blog, loved my content and had an idea and sent me an email.

After the event he asked me to join the board of a new tech startup and offered shares.

Five years later the company has raised $3 million and is continuing to grow.

That company is Shuttlerock.

We were a winner in Facebook’s 2016 Innovation Spotlight providing a scalable creative solution to unlock the true power of Facebook Advertising.

#2. Ryan Biddulph / Blogging from Paradise

The coolest opportunity that arose for me as a beginning blogger was being asked to interview Thrillionaire celebrity Nik Halik. I had no clue how to blog, let alone conduct an interview. Since this was some 7 years ago I literally pressed “record” on a tape recorder – I am not kidding – received the call on my land line (resistant to cell phone usage back then) and preserved the interview for transcribing.

I learned a valuable lesson too; be prepared! I asked two canned questions sent to me by his press guy and Nik told me he was bored of the same old questions as this was his 10th interview of the day. Because I spent 20 minutes researching him earlier that day I nimbly shifted and asked probing, interesting questions that made for a great interview.

#3. Chris Guillebeau / The Art of Non-Conformity

In my early days of blogging, Air New Zealand flew me to the Cook Islands for a 24-hour event.

It was a whirlwind visit and I learned that I don’t like sponsored trips (too much expectation on behalf of the sponsor, even when they say otherwise…), but I was still grateful for the experience.

#4. Danny Iny / Mirasee

The craziest opportunity that arose from blogging was that I ended up co-authoring a book with Guy Kawasaki and other A-listers when I was an unknown. Here’s how it happened:

Firepole Marketing (now Mirasee) was just a tiny blog with less than 1,000 subscribers, when I had the opportunity to guest blog on Copyblogger. My post was “38 Critical Books Every Blogger Needs to Read.” Number 12 on the list was The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki.

It must have caught the attention of Guy and/or his publicist, because a few days later, I received an email from Guy thanking me for including his book. He said he had a new book coming out and offered me a review copy and an interview.

Of course, I seized the opportunity. I spent 15 hours preparing for the interview to make it so good that Guy would want to share it with everybody. Afterwards, I posted the interview on my blog and created a video to promote the book on YouTube. I wrote reviews on Amazon and other bookseller websites—I did everything I could think of to get the word out.

Months later, I invited Guy to contribute to my book, Engagement from Scratch!, and he said yes. And that’s how blogging helped me co-author a book with Guy Kawasaki.

#5. Richard Lazazzera / A Better Lemonade Stand

Blogging quite literally changed my life. Within months of starting my ecommerce blog, A Better Lemonade Stand, I wrote a really long-form piece of content that drove thousands of brand new visitors to my site. One of those visitors was the director of marketing for Shopify. He reached out to me via email and we started to build a relationship.

About a year later, I moved to Toronto. When the director at Shopify heard, I was offered a position at Shopify which I jumped on. That position allowed me to reach two million visitors per month through their blog (while still growing my personal blog), write a full length book, and participate in the IPO of Shopify.

I’ve since left Shopify and continue to build A Better Lemonade Stand and several other companies. To think it all began with a single blog post still amazes me.

#6. Ian Cleary / Razor Social

Within six months of launching the blog it was voted one of the top ten social media blogs in the world by a competition run by Social Media Examiner.

That was pretty amazing for me because I started the blog based in Ireland and I was the only European blog on the list. This rapidly helped me become an influencer in the Social Media Space and generated me significant business.

#7. Amy Lynn Andrews / Amy Lynn Andrews

In 2006, when I had been blogging only a few years and blogs were still somewhat of a novelty, I was contacted by a writer from TIME Magazine. She had found my blog and wanted to interview me for a story she was writing about one of my main topics.

For some reason I didn’t think it could possibly be true, but a few months later I found myself in the print edition of TIME Magazine (in March 2007). Unfortunately I wasn’t savvy enough to maximize the exposure, but I did keep in contact with that journalist and enjoyed her friendship for several years.

#8. Dave Chesson / Kindlepreneur

You never know who is reading or following your content. I found out that my all time favorite writer, and multi-NYT Bestseller, Ted Dekker, had come across my work.

This led into getting to meet him for coffee, and ultimately, become an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) reader as well as helping with some of his book marketing projects.

#9. John Lee Dumas / EOFire

Very early on I had the opportunity to be featured on some pretty big sites as a guest poster, which wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t had the EOFire blog up and running. One of the first was on Think Traffic​ (now Fizzle.co), and we were featured there within just one month of having started our own blog.

This first guest post gave us powerful momentum and exposure, which we then used to request to guest post on other big name sites like Social Media Examiner, Copy Blogger, Content Marketing Institute and over twenty others.

Each new guest post opportunity brought with it exposure, more momentum, and most importantly, a very valuable friendship with people I’m proud to still call friends today.

#10. Aaron Orendorff / Iconicontent

Back in March 2014, I had just started blogging. Basically, it was me, my mom, and literally 261 unique visitors (I checked with Google Analytics just to be accurate).

I’d posted six times, when — out of the digital blue — I got an email about this post, Getting Your Customers to Hold It, Love It, and Give It Money:

I nearly lost my newbie-blogging mind. Of course, I said yes. And somewhat embarrassed myself by asking for a link:

“This is for a book project, so the linking is tough — but I’ll give you lots of love otherwise,” was Ann’s kind response.

Three months later, I’d secured my very first guest post at Copyblogger and I knew enough — just enough — to immediately turn around and pitch Ann on a MarketingProfs guest post. I composed a full article, sent it off, and was in. Everything I’ve done over the last three years has been built on that foundation. And I owe it all to one nice lady who stumbled on my blog when I had no business getting visitors of her clout (or visitors at all for that matter).

#11. Sean Ogle / Location Rebel

About six months after starting my blog, I wrote a post about quitting my job as a financial analyst. I had no idea what I was going to do after that, but I knew I was ready for something different.

The following week I received an email from a reader congratulating me on taking the leap, and telling me that he was looking to bring an intern out to Asia to help him with the online marketing for his company. I’d work part time and he would pay my basic living expenses, while teaching me the ins and outs of the digital world.

Six weeks later, I was on a flight to Bangkok where I would live for the next seven months – and it would set the foundation for my life and business for years to come. I haven’t had a real job since.

It never would have happened had I not started the blog, and positioned myself for a big opportunity to come my way.

#12. Camilla Hallstrom / Influence with Content

Back when I got started, I had NO clue what I was doing.

I wasn’t sure what worked and what didn’t. Sure, through programs like Serious Bloggers Only I knew what sorts of posts got results, but I still felt uncertain about putting anything out there. What was the point, really? What if I was just wasting my time on this blogging thing? A nagging voice inside my head told me I would end up empty handed without anything to show for it…

That’s why it felt amazing when one of my first posts got tons of shares and comments. But the best part? Brian Tracy (the sales mogul) shared it on his Facebook page (at the time, he had around 1.5 million followers). And that same post went on to win the title of “Most Epic Post” in a contest here on Smart Blogger (Boost Blog Traffic back then).

That’s the moment I understood exactly how powerful blogging can be. You can get noticed by anyone and you can open doors that right now seem firmly shut.

Apart from this, blogging has made such a difference in my life. I have met new friends who have the exact same interests as I do — that NEVER happens offline (for some reason, people’s eyes glaze over whenever I try to start a discussion about a content idea I just heard about). I’ve gotten job offers in big part thanks to my blogging experience and I started my freelance career because of it.

#13. Ashley Faulkes / Mad Lemmings

When you are just getting started, you don’t really expect anything crazy to happen. But sometimes you get a big surprise!

One of the things I did when starting out was to create a post featuring all the influencers in the blogging and social media scene. It got a lot of people’s attention and connected me with a lot of influencers very quickly. After all, it was a post with the sole purpose of highlighting these influencers (and letting them know of course :>).

Now, having connected with these influencers, I had the opportunity to take it a step further. I started inviting a lot of them on my brand spanking new podcast. Of course, I did not expect many of the bigger names to say yes. Surprisingly, I got quite a few big bloggers on the show, including some who were very reluctant to put themselves out there (not everyone is a lover of the microphone you know :>). Some of the people I got on my podcast included: Rebekah Radice, Ileane Smith, Ann Smarty, Susan Gilbert, John Paul Aguiar, Ian Anderson Gray and more. No, not Seth Godin, but still, for a complete beginner not bad I think!

What blew me away is that getting in contact with people you look up to is not as hard as it seems (if they don’t have an assistant answering their mails :>). Don’t forget, they were exactly where you are not too long ago. And most are more than happy to help out a newbie! Give it a shot.

#14. Daniel Scocco / Daily Blog Tips

Blogging is a great way to showcase your expertise and expand your network. I learned this when, back in 2009, I landed a consulting gig with an agency of the United States Government! The guys from Voice of America (the official external US broadcaster) were planning to launch a new site, and they wanted to learn what would be the best ways to optimize and promote it. It was a very interesting experience, and certainly a nice touch to my CV!

Practically speaking, this happened because I wrote a lot of content on related topics (website optimization, SEO, content marketing, website promotion), and that content got linked from other bloggers and site owners, and eventually it ranked well on Google. Then when the guys from VOA started doing some research they came across my stuff, liked it, and decided to get in touch.

#15. Meera Kothand / Meera Kothand

One of the craziest opportunities I received when I started out was not only having my guest post accepted at Marketing Profs but also getting an invitation to record a mini video training for their paid members.

It was scary but I took the plunge and did the training for them and got paid for it as well. This was when my blog was barely six months old. I’ve always believed in guest posting but its benefits reach far wider than just getting traffic and growing your list. It gets you exposure, introduces you to a new audience and paves the way for other opportunities like it did in my case!

#16. Dave Schneider / Ninja Outreach

Well I got the opportunity to join my current startup, Ninja Outreach! The opportunity arose when I was invited on a podcast with my now partner Mark, who read my blog, only a few months after I started it.

After the podcast was published he reached back out to me and we discussed some ideas we had for building marketing tools in the space. We decided it made sense to work together on it. That was three years ago, and NinjaOutreach is doing over half a million dollars a year now.

#17. Nathan Chan / Foundr

I can’t put this down to any one situation! Ever since we started the Foundr blog this has given us opportunities to interview some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our generation (Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Seth Godin etc.) and with this we’ve also been able to connect with some amazing entrepreneurs in our community which has been an extremely rewarding experience.

#18. Julie Harris / Whiskey and Red

The craziest opportunity that arose from blogging was being invited to speak at my first live class. I had been blogging for about six months when I was contacted by the Hawaii Chapter of a national women’s entrepreneur association, “Femfessionals” to speak at their Hawaiian Chapter dinner. They had found my name through another local business I had worked with in the past and found their way to my blog. I had just posted about “Charging What You’re Worth” and they loved the post so much they asked me to present on the same topic live, in front of their whole local chapter.

There was a whole catered dinner, wine and beverages, and a room full of local entrepreneurs waiting to hear what I had to say. I was so crazy nervous but excited. This opportunity then opened more doors to new clients, new projects, and continued speaking gigs. My business was so new at that point, I didn’t have much of a portfolio, and my small social following was pretty slim, but I had a pretty extensive business blog, and that was what convinced them that I was the perfect speaker for them.

#19. Franklin Hatchett / Online Dimes

When I first started blogging I came across a new internet marketing method with Shopify. I ended up writing about it on my blog and uploading a Video to Youtube. To my surprise this became a great opportunity and the opportunity grew my blog from around 1,000 visits a month to over 25,000.

This is the single biggest thing that grew my blog and I seized every moment of it. The blog post and video in question were posted all over the internet because people had doubts and talked negatively about it. That negativity grew my email list to 35,000 and Youtube to 30,000 subscribers in a year. I also launched a private Facebook Group four months ago that quickly grew to 15,000 members and counting.

The blog post that was shared and talked about now has over 400 comments with the video having over 300,000 views. Some might not call this the perfect opportunity, however controversy is used on a daily basis for advertising and any publicity is good publicity.

#20. Zac Johnson / Zac Johnson

When you put yourself out there in any industry and start to gain a following and audience, new opportunities are going to come up all the time. I’ve learned to not get excited by any of them, as only a very small percentage will actually come together. However, when they do, it’s pretty cool!

One such example was when Michael Bayer contacted me through email and asked if I’d like to be featured in a documentary on internet entrepreneurs. At the time I said yes… but always fully aware opportunities and emails similar to these come in every day and usually result in nothing.

Long story short, Michael was able to pull it all together and release the film! We had a nice premiere party in Hollywood, CA and it was pretty cool! Definitely a fun and exciting opportunity that never would have happened if I didn’t start ZacJohnson.com.

#21. Scott Chow / The Blog Starter

I would have to say that the craziest opportunity to come from blogging as I was getting started was the opportunity to be interviewed by a journalist from a nationally distributed magazine.

I’m generally a pretty shy person so it felt a little strange to have that kind of spotlight on me. However, I think for a lot of people that’s what blogging is all about: finding your voice and sharing that with the world.

I am proud to share that message with people and also to help so many people establish blogs of their own!

#22. Joe Bunting / The Write Practice

The craziest thing that happened to me as I first got into blogging was in 2008, after blogging for just a few months, I connected with another blogger who had been doing it for years for the organization he ran. We started emailing back and forth, and once, when he was going to be traveling in my city, we met and he introduced me to his daughter.

A few years later, I was traveling through his city, helping him with a book he was working on, and I saw his daughter again. We hit it off over coffee, started talking, and very long story short, less than a year later we were married. All from blogging.

#23. Tor Refsland / Tor Refsland

There are a lot of crazy opportunities that have happened thanks to blogging.

Let me mention two of them:

1. I got featured in a book with some of the best marketers in the world: Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Brian Clark and Grant Cardone.

2. I got headhunted by Noah Kagan (I graciously turned him down, since I wanted to focus on building my own business).

#24. Ryan Robinson / Ryan Robinson

I got to work with Tim Ferriss, Neil Patel, Lewis Howes and dozens of other entrepreneurs right after I started blogging.

A few months after I started to write about my experiences running side projects, I applied for a job as a content marketer for the business classes at CreativeLive—the online education company. Thanks to the fact that I had already been blogging for myself about business related topics and essentially doing everything the content marketing job would entail, I got the gig and overnight started working with some of the most prominent names in the business world, helping them to create content and market their classes.

By going after a day job that put me in close proximity to the most influential people in my industry, I’ve since been able to grow these relationships and they’ve led me to do things like become a contributor on Forbes, land interviews with people like Pat Flynn and to launch my own consulting business. Blogging is all about relationships—go out of your way to forge meaningful ones that’ll help you progress within your industry.

#25. Nick Loper / Side Hustle Nation

The craziest opportunity that came from blogging was the chance to speak at my local TEDx event. I was about a year into writing the Side Hustle Nation blog when I was accepted as a speaker, and without any relevant public speaking experience I could point to, I think it was the blog (and Side Hustle Show podcast) that tipped the scales in my favor.

I was incredibly nervous leading up to the event, but it was an awesome “bucket list” experience and a chance to step out of my comfort zone in a big way. Plus it forced me to refine my message into a (hopefully) coherent and concise talk. I went through a half dozen different drafts and rehearsed like crazy before the big day, but the talk ended up receiving a standing ovation and has now been viewed almost 10,000 times on YouTube.

#26. Kiersten Rich / The Blonde Abroad

My first ever client was Visit Jordan for a video campaign where I got to produce a series of videos in the capital, Amman.

I’d always been passionate about videography, so it was an incredible opportunity and I was humbled that a tourism board had such faith in me despite only having just gotten started as a “blogger.” I learned early on that my audience and influence was only one aspect of my worth, but that my content also had value!

What Crazy Opportunities Are Waiting for You?

I know those pesky doubts are hard to shake sometimes. I know sometimes you feel like your day will never come; like you’re just wasting time and you might as well quit.

But let these stories inspire you to hang in there.

Blogging can (and often does) pay off in big and unexpected ways.

It is worth it.

So keep reading, keep writing, and (this is important) keep honing your skills.

Keep growing your blog and audience, and opportunities will find you.

Your turn will come.

And it might be right around the corner.

Author the Author: Eli Seekins is the founder of Launch Your Dream. He helps bloggers and entrepreneurs turn their passion into a business. Want help getting your first 1,000 email subscribers and making your first $5,000? Check out his FREE Job To Blog Virtual Summit — where 25 expert bloggers teach you how to quit your job, start a blog and make money doing it.

26 Crazy Stories about “OMG!” Opportunities that Blogging Made Happen

[sandranelsonuk]

26 Crazy Stories about “OMG!” Opportunities that Blogging Made Happen

Will it all be worth it?

You can’t help wondering sometimes.

Every spare minute, you’re glued to your computer, reading, writing, doing all you can to grow your blog and build your audience — all on the shaky promise that someday your efforts will pay off.

But sometimes, that someday feels far out of reach. Sometimes, you can’t help wondering whether that day will ever come, or whether you’re just wasting your time.

Well, hang in there, my friend. Because you never know what kinds of opportunities your blog can bring you.

And they might take time, but for all you know, they might be right around the corner.

To prove it, I asked 26 of my blogging friends to share the coolest, craziest opportunities their blogs made happen in their early days — that is, before they amassed a huge following and made tens of thousands of dollars off their blog.

Ready to dive in?

#1. Jeff Bullas / Jeff Bullas

One of the “craziest” opportunities I had happened about a year after starting the blog when I was invited to speak in New Zealand.

It came about because a millionaire who was reading my blog, loved my content and had an idea and sent me an email.

After the event he asked me to join the board of a new tech startup and offered shares.

Five years later the company has raised $3 million and is continuing to grow.

That company is Shuttlerock.

We were a winner in Facebook’s 2016 Innovation Spotlight providing a scalable creative solution to unlock the true power of Facebook Advertising.

#2. Ryan Biddulph / Blogging from Paradise

The coolest opportunity that arose for me as a beginning blogger was being asked to interview Thrillionaire celebrity Nik Halik. I had no clue how to blog, let alone conduct an interview. Since this was some 7 years ago I literally pressed “record” on a tape recorder – I am not kidding – received the call on my land line (resistant to cell phone usage back then) and preserved the interview for transcribing.

I learned a valuable lesson too; be prepared! I asked two canned questions sent to me by his press guy and Nik told me he was bored of the same old questions as this was his 10th interview of the day. Because I spent 20 minutes researching him earlier that day I nimbly shifted and asked probing, interesting questions that made for a great interview.

#3. Chris Guillebeau / The Art of Non-Conformity

In my early days of blogging, Air New Zealand flew me to the Cook Islands for a 24-hour event.

It was a whirlwind visit and I learned that I don’t like sponsored trips (too much expectation on behalf of the sponsor, even when they say otherwise…), but I was still grateful for the experience.

#4. Danny Iny / Mirasee

The craziest opportunity that arose from blogging was that I ended up co-authoring a book with Guy Kawasaki and other A-listers when I was an unknown. Here’s how it happened:

Firepole Marketing (now Mirasee) was just a tiny blog with less than 1,000 subscribers, when I had the opportunity to guest blog on Copyblogger. My post was “38 Critical Books Every Blogger Needs to Read.” Number 12 on the list was The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki.

It must have caught the attention of Guy and/or his publicist, because a few days later, I received an email from Guy thanking me for including his book. He said he had a new book coming out and offered me a review copy and an interview.

Of course, I seized the opportunity. I spent 15 hours preparing for the interview to make it so good that Guy would want to share it with everybody. Afterwards, I posted the interview on my blog and created a video to promote the book on YouTube. I wrote reviews on Amazon and other bookseller websites—I did everything I could think of to get the word out.

Months later, I invited Guy to contribute to my book, Engagement from Scratch!, and he said yes. And that’s how blogging helped me co-author a book with Guy Kawasaki.

#5. Richard Lazazzera / A Better Lemonade Stand

Blogging quite literally changed my life. Within months of starting my ecommerce blog, A Better Lemonade Stand, I wrote a really long-form piece of content that drove thousands of brand new visitors to my site. One of those visitors was the director of marketing for Shopify. He reached out to me via email and we started to build a relationship.

About a year later, I moved to Toronto. When the director at Shopify heard, I was offered a position at Shopify which I jumped on. That position allowed me to reach two million visitors per month through their blog (while still growing my personal blog), write a full length book, and participate in the IPO of Shopify.

I’ve since left Shopify and continue to build A Better Lemonade Stand and several other companies. To think it all began with a single blog post still amazes me.

#6. Ian Cleary / Razor Social

Within six months of launching the blog it was voted one of the top ten social media blogs in the world by a competition run by Social Media Examiner.

That was pretty amazing for me because I started the blog based in Ireland and I was the only European blog on the list. This rapidly helped me become an influencer in the Social Media Space and generated me significant business.

#7. Amy Lynn Andrews / Amy Lynn Andrews

In 2006, when I had been blogging only a few years and blogs were still somewhat of a novelty, I was contacted by a writer from TIME Magazine. She had found my blog and wanted to interview me for a story she was writing about one of my main topics.

For some reason I didn’t think it could possibly be true, but a few months later I found myself in the print edition of TIME Magazine (in March 2007). Unfortunately I wasn’t savvy enough to maximize the exposure, but I did keep in contact with that journalist and enjoyed her friendship for several years.

#8. Dave Chesson / Kindlepreneur

You never know who is reading or following your content. I found out that my all time favorite writer, and multi-NYT Bestseller, Ted Dekker, had come across my work.

This led into getting to meet him for coffee, and ultimately, become an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) reader as well as helping with some of his book marketing projects.

#9. John Lee Dumas / EOFire

Very early on I had the opportunity to be featured on some pretty big sites as a guest poster, which wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t had the EOFire blog up and running. One of the first was on Think Traffic​ (now Fizzle.co), and we were featured there within just one month of having started our own blog.

This first guest post gave us powerful momentum and exposure, which we then used to request to guest post on other big name sites like Social Media Examiner, Copy Blogger, Content Marketing Institute and over twenty others.

Each new guest post opportunity brought with it exposure, more momentum, and most importantly, a very valuable friendship with people I’m proud to still call friends today.

#10. Aaron Orendorff / Iconicontent

Back in March 2014, I had just started blogging. Basically, it was me, my mom, and literally 261 unique visitors (I checked with Google Analytics just to be accurate).

I’d posted six times, when — out of the digital blue — I got an email about this post, Getting Your Customers to Hold It, Love It, and Give It Money:

I nearly lost my newbie-blogging mind. Of course, I said yes. And somewhat embarrassed myself by asking for a link:

“This is for a book project, so the linking is tough — but I’ll give you lots of love otherwise,” was Ann’s kind response.

Three months later, I’d secured my very first guest post at Copyblogger and I knew enough — just enough — to immediately turn around and pitch Ann on a MarketingProfs guest post. I composed a full article, sent it off, and was in. Everything I’ve done over the last three years has been built on that foundation. And I owe it all to one nice lady who stumbled on my blog when I had no business getting visitors of her clout (or visitors at all for that matter).

#11. Sean Ogle / Location Rebel

About six months after starting my blog, I wrote a post about quitting my job as a financial analyst. I had no idea what I was going to do after that, but I knew I was ready for something different.

The following week I received an email from a reader congratulating me on taking the leap, and telling me that he was looking to bring an intern out to Asia to help him with the online marketing for his company. I’d work part time and he would pay my basic living expenses, while teaching me the ins and outs of the digital world.

Six weeks later, I was on a flight to Bangkok where I would live for the next seven months – and it would set the foundation for my life and business for years to come. I haven’t had a real job since.

It never would have happened had I not started the blog, and positioned myself for a big opportunity to come my way.

#12. Camilla Hallstrom / Influence with Content

Back when I got started, I had NO clue what I was doing.

I wasn’t sure what worked and what didn’t. Sure, through programs like Serious Bloggers Only I knew what sorts of posts got results, but I still felt uncertain about putting anything out there. What was the point, really? What if I was just wasting my time on this blogging thing? A nagging voice inside my head told me I would end up empty handed without anything to show for it…

That’s why it felt amazing when one of my first posts got tons of shares and comments. But the best part? Brian Tracy (the sales mogul) shared it on his Facebook page (at the time, he had around 1.5 million followers). And that same post went on to win the title of “Most Epic Post” in a contest here on Smart Blogger (Boost Blog Traffic back then).

That’s the moment I understood exactly how powerful blogging can be. You can get noticed by anyone and you can open doors that right now seem firmly shut.

Apart from this, blogging has made such a difference in my life. I have met new friends who have the exact same interests as I do — that NEVER happens offline (for some reason, people’s eyes glaze over whenever I try to start a discussion about a content idea I just heard about). I’ve gotten job offers in big part thanks to my blogging experience and I started my freelance career because of it.

#13. Ashley Faulkes / Mad Lemmings

When you are just getting started, you don’t really expect anything crazy to happen. But sometimes you get a big surprise!

One of the things I did when starting out was to create a post featuring all the influencers in the blogging and social media scene. It got a lot of people’s attention and connected me with a lot of influencers very quickly. After all, it was a post with the sole purpose of highlighting these influencers (and letting them know of course :>).

Now, having connected with these influencers, I had the opportunity to take it a step further. I started inviting a lot of them on my brand spanking new podcast. Of course, I did not expect many of the bigger names to say yes. Surprisingly, I got quite a few big bloggers on the show, including some who were very reluctant to put themselves out there (not everyone is a lover of the microphone you know :>). Some of the people I got on my podcast included: Rebekah Radice, Ileane Smith, Ann Smarty, Susan Gilbert, John Paul Aguiar, Ian Anderson Gray and more. No, not Seth Godin, but still, for a complete beginner not bad I think!

What blew me away is that getting in contact with people you look up to is not as hard as it seems (if they don’t have an assistant answering their mails :>). Don’t forget, they were exactly where you are not too long ago. And most are more than happy to help out a newbie! Give it a shot.

#14. Daniel Scocco / Daily Blog Tips

Blogging is a great way to showcase your expertise and expand your network. I learned this when, back in 2009, I landed a consulting gig with an agency of the United States Government! The guys from Voice of America (the official external US broadcaster) were planning to launch a new site, and they wanted to learn what would be the best ways to optimize and promote it. It was a very interesting experience, and certainly a nice touch to my CV!

Practically speaking, this happened because I wrote a lot of content on related topics (website optimization, SEO, content marketing, website promotion), and that content got linked from other bloggers and site owners, and eventually it ranked well on Google. Then when the guys from VOA started doing some research they came across my stuff, liked it, and decided to get in touch.

#15. Meera Kothand / Meera Kothand

One of the craziest opportunities I received when I started out was not only having my guest post accepted at Marketing Profs but also getting an invitation to record a mini video training for their paid members.

It was scary but I took the plunge and did the training for them and got paid for it as well. This was when my blog was barely six months old. I’ve always believed in guest posting but its benefits reach far wider than just getting traffic and growing your list. It gets you exposure, introduces you to a new audience and paves the way for other opportunities like it did in my case!

#16. Dave Schneider / Ninja Outreach

Well I got the opportunity to join my current startup, Ninja Outreach! The opportunity arose when I was invited on a podcast with my now partner Mark, who read my blog, only a few months after I started it.

After the podcast was published he reached back out to me and we discussed some ideas we had for building marketing tools in the space. We decided it made sense to work together on it. That was three years ago, and NinjaOutreach is doing over half a million dollars a year now.

#17. Nathan Chan / Foundr

I can’t put this down to any one situation! Ever since we started the Foundr blog this has given us opportunities to interview some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our generation (Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Seth Godin etc.) and with this we’ve also been able to connect with some amazing entrepreneurs in our community which has been an extremely rewarding experience.

#18. Julie Harris / Whiskey and Red

The craziest opportunity that arose from blogging was being invited to speak at my first live class. I had been blogging for about six months when I was contacted by the Hawaii Chapter of a national women’s entrepreneur association, “Femfessionals” to speak at their Hawaiian Chapter dinner. They had found my name through another local business I had worked with in the past and found their way to my blog. I had just posted about “Charging What You’re Worth” and they loved the post so much they asked me to present on the same topic live, in front of their whole local chapter.

There was a whole catered dinner, wine and beverages, and a room full of local entrepreneurs waiting to hear what I had to say. I was so crazy nervous but excited. This opportunity then opened more doors to new clients, new projects, and continued speaking gigs. My business was so new at that point, I didn’t have much of a portfolio, and my small social following was pretty slim, but I had a pretty extensive business blog, and that was what convinced them that I was the perfect speaker for them.

#19. Franklin Hatchett / Online Dimes

When I first started blogging I came across a new internet marketing method with Shopify. I ended up writing about it on my blog and uploading a Video to Youtube. To my surprise this became a great opportunity and the opportunity grew my blog from around 1,000 visits a month to over 25,000.

This is the single biggest thing that grew my blog and I seized every moment of it. The blog post and video in question were posted all over the internet because people had doubts and talked negatively about it. That negativity grew my email list to 35,000 and Youtube to 30,000 subscribers in a year. I also launched a private Facebook Group four months ago that quickly grew to 15,000 members and counting.

The blog post that was shared and talked about now has over 400 comments with the video having over 300,000 views. Some might not call this the perfect opportunity, however controversy is used on a daily basis for advertising and any publicity is good publicity.

#20. Zac Johnson / Zac Johnson

When you put yourself out there in any industry and start to gain a following and audience, new opportunities are going to come up all the time. I’ve learned to not get excited by any of them, as only a very small percentage will actually come together. However, when they do, it’s pretty cool!

One such example was when Michael Bayer contacted me through email and asked if I’d like to be featured in a documentary on internet entrepreneurs. At the time I said yes… but always fully aware opportunities and emails similar to these come in every day and usually result in nothing.

Long story short, Michael was able to pull it all together and release the film! We had a nice premiere party in Hollywood, CA and it was pretty cool! Definitely a fun and exciting opportunity that never would have happened if I didn’t start ZacJohnson.com.

#21. Scott Chow / The Blog Starter

I would have to say that the craziest opportunity to come from blogging as I was getting started was the opportunity to be interviewed by a journalist from a nationally distributed magazine.

I’m generally a pretty shy person so it felt a little strange to have that kind of spotlight on me. However, I think for a lot of people that’s what blogging is all about: finding your voice and sharing that with the world.

I am proud to share that message with people and also to help so many people establish blogs of their own!

#22. Joe Bunting / The Write Practice

The craziest thing that happened to me as I first got into blogging was in 2008, after blogging for just a few months, I connected with another blogger who had been doing it for years for the organization he ran. We started emailing back and forth, and once, when he was going to be traveling in my city, we met and he introduced me to his daughter.

A few years later, I was traveling through his city, helping him with a book he was working on, and I saw his daughter again. We hit it off over coffee, started talking, and very long story short, less than a year later we were married. All from blogging.

#23. Tor Refsland / Tor Refsland

There are a lot of crazy opportunities that have happened thanks to blogging.

Let me mention two of them:

1. I got featured in a book with some of the best marketers in the world: Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Brian Clark and Grant Cardone.

2. I got headhunted by Noah Kagan (I graciously turned him down, since I wanted to focus on building my own business).

#24. Ryan Robinson / Ryan Robinson

I got to work with Tim Ferriss, Neil Patel, Lewis Howes and dozens of other entrepreneurs right after I started blogging.

A few months after I started to write about my experiences running side projects, I applied for a job as a content marketer for the business classes at CreativeLive—the online education company. Thanks to the fact that I had already been blogging for myself about business related topics and essentially doing everything the content marketing job would entail, I got the gig and overnight started working with some of the most prominent names in the business world, helping them to create content and market their classes.

By going after a day job that put me in close proximity to the most influential people in my industry, I’ve since been able to grow these relationships and they’ve led me to do things like become a contributor on Forbes, land interviews with people like Pat Flynn and to launch my own consulting business. Blogging is all about relationships—go out of your way to forge meaningful ones that’ll help you progress within your industry.

#25. Nick Loper / Side Hustle Nation

The craziest opportunity that came from blogging was the chance to speak at my local TEDx event. I was about a year into writing the Side Hustle Nation blog when I was accepted as a speaker, and without any relevant public speaking experience I could point to, I think it was the blog (and Side Hustle Show podcast) that tipped the scales in my favor.

I was incredibly nervous leading up to the event, but it was an awesome “bucket list” experience and a chance to step out of my comfort zone in a big way. Plus it forced me to refine my message into a (hopefully) coherent and concise talk. I went through a half dozen different drafts and rehearsed like crazy before the big day, but the talk ended up receiving a standing ovation and has now been viewed almost 10,000 times on YouTube.

#26. Kiersten Rich / The Blonde Abroad

My first ever client was Visit Jordan for a video campaign where I got to produce a series of videos in the capital, Amman.

I’d always been passionate about videography, so it was an incredible opportunity and I was humbled that a tourism board had such faith in me despite only having just gotten started as a “blogger.” I learned early on that my audience and influence was only one aspect of my worth, but that my content also had value!

What Crazy Opportunities Are Waiting for You?

I know those pesky doubts are hard to shake sometimes. I know sometimes you feel like your day will never come; like you’re just wasting time and you might as well quit.

But let these stories inspire you to hang in there.

Blogging can (and often does) pay off in big and unexpected ways.

It is worth it.

So keep reading, keep writing, and (this is important) keep honing your skills.

Keep growing your blog and audience, and opportunities will find you.

Your turn will come.

And it might be right around the corner.

Author the Author: Eli Seekins is the founder of Launch Your Dream. He helps bloggers and entrepreneurs turn their passion into a business. Want help getting your first 1,000 email subscribers and making your first $5,000? Check out his FREE Job To Blog Virtual Summit — where 25 expert bloggers teach you how to quit your job, start a blog and make money doing it.

from Julia Garza Social Media Tips https://smartblogger.com/blogger-opportunities/

[junker-town]

Should the Lakers retire Kobe Bryant as No. 8 or No. 24? They chose both

Kobe Bryant starred for a decade wearing a No. 8 jersey, then switched to No. 24 and kept it up. The Lakers chose to retire both jerseys, but what if they had to choose?

Which @kobebryant uniform should the @lakers retire? It's a really tough decision!

A photo posted by SB Nation NBA (@sbnationnba) on Apr 12, 2016 at 7:09am PDT

Kobe Bryant's career is now over, so it's time to dive headfirst into the glorious world of basketball nerdom. Most of the impending eulogies upon his retirement focused on questions like where Kobe ranks all time and whether he's the greatest player to ever wear a Lakers uniform.

But there's another piece of business that needed deciding as well: which jersey number should hang in the rafters? No. 8, or No. 24.

The Lakers made their choice: both.

Update. BOTH of Kobe's numbers will be retired.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 12, 2017

Kobe wore No. 8 through the 2006 season, then switched to No. 24 as a homage to his 24/7 work ethic. Back in 2016, then-general manager Mitch Kupchack has already hinted that team might cop out and retire both numbers. Ultimately, they did just that.

It's understandable why. This isn't like Michael Jordan donning the number 45 for a half-season. Bryant has worn each number for 10 years, making multiple All-Star teams and winning championships in both uniforms. The 10-year tenures are remarkably similar.

But unlike the Lakers, we don't believe in cop outs. Here are the résumés for each numbers, the cases for and against each, and a final decision.

No. 8 ('96-'06)

The numbers

23.9 points per game 45-percent fiel goal shooting 5.1 rebounds per game 4.5 assists per game 1.5 steals per game 2.9 turnovers per game 34 percent three-point shooting 22.2 average PER

The accolades

3 NBA Titles 4 Western Conference titles 9 playoff appearances 8 All-Star selections 4 time All-NBA first team 2 time All-NBA second team 2 time All-NBA third team 6 All-Defense selections 1 scoring title 1 All-Star Game MVP award 1 time Slam Dunk champion

The case for No. 8

This decade of basketball contains a complete narrative arc on its own: the Slam Dunk title that propelled Bryant into the public's conscious, the dynasty year with Shaquille O'Neal and Phil Jackson, the otherworldly individual seasons where he carried teams featuring renown talents like Smush Parker and Slava Medvedenko to the playoffs.

No. 8 won three championships, and it's these teams that are most glorified and remembered. It wasn't just the wins. It was the 15-1 run through the playoffs in 2001 and the epic battles and victories over stacked squads like the Spurs, Blazers and Kings.

The No. 8-Shaq-Phil teams were the type of champions that get books written and movies made. Kobe wasn't the sole responsible party, but he had a major hand.

The case for No. 8 is most compelling because of the ridiculous individual numbers Kobe put up after O'Neal was dealt to the Heat. He averaged 35.4 points per game in 2006 and dropped 81 one night against the Raptors. No. 8 only missed the playoffs once and only missed 81 games in 10 years. Kobe No. 8 was also a much better and more active defender than No. 24.

Kobe No. 8 finished his career with Hall of Fame individual numbers to go along with all that team success. Add in the glorious fro and you have an even more compelling case.

The case against No. 8

For all the good in No. 8's career, there was also plenty of bad, on and off the court. The battles with Shaq short-circuited the Lakers' dynasty. The last game of the No. 8 era ended with Kobe pouting in the Game 7 against the Suns in 2006 while taking just three shot attempts in the second half.

We must also mention the sexual assault allegations in 2003 as a black mark on Kobe's career.

No. 24 ('06-'16)

The numbers

26.2 points per game 44-percent field goal shooting  5.3 rebounds per game 5.0 assists per game 1.3 steals per game 3.1 turnovers per game 32 percent three-point shooting 20.8 PER

The accolades

2 NBA titles 3 Western Conference titles 10 All-Star game appearances 1 MVP Award 2 finals MVP awards 7 All-NBA first team 6 All-Defense selections 1 scoring title 3 All-Star Game MVP awards

The case for No. 24

No. 24 captured two titles, and there was no question who The Man was on those teams. Bryant's athleticism might have started to slip after switching to No. 24 before the 2006-07 season, but his game remained as effective as ever. Some would say No. 24 was even more fun to watch. The impeccable footwork, jab steps, Olajuwon-esque post moves and textbook mid-range jumpers were basketball porn to those who find the action below the rim more entertaining.

No. 24 was named First Team All-NBA an incredible seven times. He was also just a few bounces away from matching No. 8's three-peat.

All in all, Bryant was just more a fun basketball player and person to watch when wearing No. 24, at least until the injuries hit towards the end of his career.

The case against No. 24

No. 24 didn't get off to a great start. After the Lakers were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in 2007, Kobe went on Stephen A. Smith's radio show and said he wanted to be traded. The Lakers were open to the possibility, too. If not for the serendipitous Pau Gasol trade, who knows how Kobe's late career would have played out?

But the primary case against No. 24 is everything that's gone on in Lakerland over the past three years. Kobe has looked like a shell of himself since a torn Achilles to end the 2012-13 season. Before that, he clashed with Dwight Howard and may have sabotaged numerous other Lakers free agent pursuits, according to reports.

When he managed to make it on the court, Kobe has statistically been one of the worst players in the league over the past three seasons. That, plus his and insistence on being the No. 1 option despite his eroding skills, has dragged the Lakers into the gutter and transformed them into the West's version of the Knicks.

Ruling

This is a tough one and could go either way, but the Lakers should have retired Bryant's No. 8.

That's the number that was on his uniform when he turned into Kobe, the player known by the world for his unique style, flare and personality. The years as No, 24 were great, but No. 8 is the uniform that set the foundation and started Bryant on the journey of becoming a transcendent star.

Better that than the cop-out of doing both.

Text by Yaron Weitzman. Graphic by Brittany Cheng. This piece was originally published on April 12, 2016.

* * *

Pivotal Moment: The time Kobe asked a 10-year-old for advice

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