#saint ollie writes stuff

[saint-oleander]

In another world, one where kids weren’t the last line of defence against the Problem, Nikta would have probably been appalled by the idea of her youngest living alone with two other teenagers, no adults in sight and constantly risking his life. But that wasn’t the world where they’d been born.

In this one, she was simply happy to see him in a warm, mostly safe house, with two people who would risk their lives to keep him safe.

Five time they had guests, and one time they were alone.

Or, Portland Row through other people's eyes.

For my darling @fauna-a

I hope you like it <3

[sacredhyacinth]

sorry for the yapping lately but here’s bm’s official playlist IF it did get a series :0

1: in love with the moon by peppermint ollie

I LOVE LOVE LOVEEE this song and it also helped me write a ton of gabriel/Loretta’s conflict, also how I think mel/amara think about eachother

2: duvet by boa

3: christmas kids by roar i

I feel like this is the official anthem of the bm universe at this point

4: I wanna by yours by artic monkey

mina and raquel coded stuff PLUS I really like it and it flows really well with the whole theme and vibe of BM

5: teenage dirtbag by wheatus

yeah YEAH I KNOW

6: Clarence theme song

7: little fang by Avery Tate I LOVE YOU

8: blue hair by tv girl

pronouns

9: using you by mars argo

10: angry by mars argo

11: any song by mars argo

12: carino by the marias

13: from the start laufey and specifically the goodkid cover

14: es by crying

15: me and my husband by mitski

DUH

16: becky by be your own pet

we have to stand up for the national anthem

17: still feel by half alive

18: for elise by saint motel

poor Elise her screen time is so low nowadays

19: animal by sir chloe

20: cooties by Melanie Martinez

21: aristocrat by poppy

22: American kids by poppy

23: money by poppy

24: existential crisis hour by kilo kush

25: fell in love with a girl by the white stripes

never let Gabriel get the aux cord

[strawb3rrystar]

📝, 🤩, 🙊, 🦉, 🟥, 🤷‍♀️, 🍎, 😱, 📈, ⏳, 😁, 🌷 for the ask game!

(star, pretend like this isn't just you sending yourself an ask, and make it believable)

Oh my goodness! Thank you for the ask anon! (fuck you star, i do what i want)

📝How many words do you have posted?

Across all of my posted fics: 43,547 words

🤩 What's the most meaningful comment you've ever received?

This - post under this fic

Still very confused by this babe! And any and all comments i get really (special shout out to @sweetadonisbutbetter @jgabriel1920 @emgunther & @saints-wrapped-in-plastic)

🙊Your coworkers or classmates stumble across one of your fics, but don't know you're the author. Do you fess up? Or keep quiet?

I might be the only one, but I've told all my irl friends that i write fanfiction. All of them are very supportive of me because fanfiction makes me very happy and i assume they're happy for me. One of my best friends (who's a guy) and practically pokes fun at everything I do, doesn't poke fun at fanfiction. In fact, he's the one who suggested I should start taking commissions because my writing is that good.

🦉Is there another author that helped inspire you to write?

@oleander-nin inspired a lot of my tmnt posts, mostly the yandere ones. As well as many very talented creators in the community. (srry if you don't want to be tagged in stuff like this Ollie, I just really like ur works!)

🟥How long do you spend in edits?

TOO much time. let me walk u through it tho. There's a divider under the title. Then the pairing, warnings, word count and masterlist. The actual header of the fic. A divider under the fics, then Star's notes and my thanks. A divider under that, then the taglist. But then I also have to figure out the word count, add the link to the masterlist, and add tags. And then make it look pretty with all the fancy tumblr tools.

🤷‍♀️ What's a fic you didn't expect to be popular, but really took off?

Hazbin Hotel characters longing for you. Never expected to make it in the HH scene in the first place.

🍎What's something you learned while researching for a fic?

Rabbits rarely have heat cycles. So the saying 'fucking like rabbits' when referring to fucking many times in a short amount of time is basically pointless.

😱What's your greatest fear as a fanfic writer?

Dying (aka losing my blog)

📈 Which are your top three most popular fics?

Hazbin Hotel characters longing for you - 1,827 notes

Stop stealing my FUCKING CARROTS BUGS BUNNY - 1,731 notes

Taking him - 1,670 notes

⏳If you could go back in time and tell your younger writer self something, what would it be?

DO NOT WRITE THAT BAKUGO FANFICTION LITTLE STAR!!!

😁What makes you happiest? New fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or Tumblr asks?

Comments and asks!!

🌷What's one of your fics that isn't as popular, but you hold dear?

Broken promises is one of my longest fics, the best written, and has the same feeling as in the books. Yet it only has 79 notes! But I love it, made me cry while writing it, in a good way.

[liviavanrouge]

Haru

Nicknames:

-Irksome 2nd year, Headache, Idiot, Dead Meat(Minako @anxious-twisted-vampire )

-Floaty Boy(Freya @writing-heiress )

-Monsieur Protector(Rook)

-Nurse Shark(Floyd)

-Pomefiore's Saint(Pomefiore Freshmen)

Twisted From: Howl Jenkins Pendragon

Birthday: April 10th

Age: 17

Species: Human

Homeland: Land of Pyroxene

---------

Family:

-Unnamed Parents

-Unnamed Older Sister

-Unnamed Neice and Nephew

---------

Hobbies: Cooking

Pet Peeves: His stuff being touched

Favorite Food: Scrambled eggs sandwich

Least Favorite Food: Unseasoned things

~~~~

Dominant Hand: Both

Height: 6'5

Grade: Sophomore

Class: 2-D

Club: Film Studies

Best Subject: Summoning Magic

---------

Personality: Haru is a tease and tends to like pushing peoples buttons in order to get them to react a certain way. Despite his pranks, teasing and all that, he very genuinely cares for those around him and is willing to help them out with anything they need. A protector of the freshman in Pomefiore, he's not afraid to tell Vil off if he feels the male is pushing any of the freshmen too hard, reminding him that they're not 2nd or 3rd years like they are. He's blunt when it comes to it, telling Vil exactly how it is all while holding the freshman he's protecting close to him.

Since Golden is Epel's watchman, Haru is Epel's mentor, teaching the boy how to be a proper Pomefiore student all while still being himself, teaching Epel to not change himself for others. Haru is a comforting presence to freshmen of other dorms as well, and is unsurprised if someone like Jack, Ace or Ortho come to him for some kind of help.

A user of powerful teleportation magic, Haru takes the Pomefiore freshman to new places he think they'd end up enjoying and having fun at. He only does this once a week as to not accumulate too much blot.

----------

Unique Magic

Move The Place, Haru's UM allows him to move any of the dorms temporarily but he only uses it when asked by a Dorm Leader or the Headmaster. He also gets access to a moving home of his own but keeps it hidden far from the island.

Spell: "Let's move and groove everyone!! Move The Place!"

---------

Trivia:

-He's childhood friends with Vil and Jack -Like Vil he is a model but he takes on less flashy ones as to not attract too much attention -He's been labeled as a Womanizer, which always hurts his feelings and makes him huddle in a corner -He tends to get overly aggressive at times without warning -Rook states that Haru goes to bed immediately after school or club, the reason why is unknown -In the prologue Haru made a brief appearance and warned Ollie to not let Grim get close to a Diasomnia freshman, hinting that he knows something

@anxious-twisted-vampire @yukii0nna @writing-heiress @zexal-club @marrondrawsalot @yumeko2sevilla

[boo-journal]

12 Days to College

Twelve days to go. And oh boy, am I nervous! I keep having mini panic moments. (I don’t want to call them panic attacks, because I don’t think they are. They do make me want to cry/puke, though.) 

I think I’m feeling this way because I don’t feel ready. There’s still so much to do:

Clean out my dressers and bring them downstairs

Go through my clothes and decide what to bring

Go through my room and decide what decor to bring

Pick up new table and give old one to Goodwill

Get lamps

Get TV stand

Go through photo albums and decide what pictures to bring

Okay, writing it out helped. It’s not as much as I thought it was...still...I’m anxious. 

Also, I know I’m going to be homesick. After all, it’s been six years. I didn’t realize it, but I’m going to miss Zeno so much. Yes, we’ve grown apart after getting Ollie (for which I feel immensely guilty), but he’s still my boyo. I love him so much and I don’t want to leave him behind. That being said, I know he’ll be fine. I also know it’s better that he stay here. 

It doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to feel heartbroken and guilty for a while.

The thing that’s causing the most anxiety, though, is the fact that there are so many unknowns. What will my apartment look like? (There weren’t many pictures.) What about the surrounding area? Where will I get food? (I have an idea, but are there any places closer?) Will Ollie like IU? How are we going to get the couch into my apartment?!

Also, is the apartment complex haunted? Indiana University is notoriously haunted. And the building was built in the 1960′s, so the chances of spectral residents is high. If it were just me, I wouldn’t care too much. But that’s just it. Ollie’s going to be there. Will he be alright if there’s a ghost? What if there’s something bad there? 

I’m planning on bringing some religious stuff from home. You know: a few crosses, the standard Mary statues, some obligatory saints medals that were dipped in holy water from the Vatican...

Goal for today:

Go through my clothes and decide what to bring

Go through my room and decide what decor to bring (and put them in the pile downstairs)

Pick up new table and give old one to Goodwill

[ollyarchive]

Olly Alexander Just Wants to Be Straight with You

BY

BRENNAN CARLEY

PHOTOGRAPHS BY

ALEX RESIDE

The Years & Years frontman is back with a new single, a new hair color, and a new outlook on straight men.

Olly Alexander walks into GQ's photo studio and removes his hat, revealing a shock of brightly dyed red hair. Whether that means something to you or not depends on how familiar you are with and fanatic about the British singer's incredibly popular band, Years & Years. The trio's already put out one incredible album (2015's Communion), picked up fans like Katy Perry, and are now gearing up for their sophomore project, coming this summer and anchored by the just-released "Sanctify", which chronicles Alexander's experience sleeping with and falling for a straight man. It's an effortless synth-pop song with vivid religious imagery, a sticky chorus, and cheeky lyrics like "You don't have to be straight with me / I see what's underneath your mask," which is sort of Years & Years' sweet spot: Just when you think you have them figured out, they take you to a deeper place than you thought pop music could go.

Alexander, who's 27, is also known both for his acting work (you may have seen him on Skins) and for his outspokenness as a member of the gay community (his 2017 BBC documentary, Growing Up Gay, is a phenomenal watch). Boyish in appearance but confident in presentation, Alexander lounges in a windowless green room in lower Manhattan, fielding our questions about self-care, new music, and—yes—straight men.

GQ: When did you start working on the album? Olly Alexander: It was September 2016. We had finished up the majority of our touring. We were gonna take a break, and I...didn't take a break. I just started working on the second album. I did take like three weeks where I just deliberately did nothing and read books and stuff at home. But I also went to Taiwan and Bali by myself. It was a really good trip. It was fun.

I love being alone. [A solo vacation's] not for everybody, but I just like how you can do your own thing at your own time. You don't have to give a shit about anyone else's preferences, what they want to do. And you make friends and stuff.

Have you always liked being alone? Solitude is very restorative for me, especially because I spend so much time around other people and performing to people. And when you're on tour, you're sharing a bus with 20 people.

How did you handle needing solitude on the road? It's tough because you're constantly traveling, and you're in this whirlwind with no stability. I definitely got better at creating my own personal alone time within the company of lots of other people. It would be like, "Don't talk to me. I'm reading my book. I'm inside my bunk on my tour bus, and it's like literally a coffin." No one can come in, and I can just close the curtain and be here and be alone. And then, also, I would do things. It's fun touring. In America, the drives are so long, and then you make a stop over in El Paso or Cleveland. In Cleveland, I remember we had a day off, and I just Googled "things to do in Cleveland," and number three was "the cemetery." So, I went! And it was a good cemetery. Spend more time in cemeteries.

Why'd you jump right back into writing after the first album cycle wrapped? In my mind, I was like, "I'll just get loads of songs out of the way because I know how this process works. It's gonna take a really, really long time to find anything good, and I just want to get a good chunk in right now. And then I'll take the rest of the year off and start again in the New Year."

Once I started doing it, I was like, "Oh, I actually really like writing music." When you're touring and promoting an album, I wasn't writing any music or necessarily being super creative at all, and I forgot how much that's very important to me. It was encouraging because there's always a part of you that thinks, "Maybe I just can't. I won't be able to do it again. I won't be able to write another song."

Where did "Sanctify" come in the process? It came pretty early. I've been having a lot of encounters with straight guys that were not being straight with me and were struggling, to put it lightly, with their sexuality. I was very fascinated by that dynamic because for starters, it's a very common experience, I think, for gay men to fall for a straight guy.

I mean, I've done it. I think for a lot of gay guys, you're at school and fall in love with your straight friends. That happened to me, and I think that's really super common. But also, now that I'm an out gay man—very out—I've noticed how some straight guys gravitate...it's weird because I've almost found myself having these encounters with straight guys and find myself playing this saint and sinner role, or like this angel and devil, because I'm leading them down the path of "sinful gayness," but also I'm helping them satisfy the sexual desire that they feel they can't get anywhere else. It's strange to have that dichotomy, and so I was like, "I'm gonna write a song about it!"

Most of my straight crushes happened when I was younger, where it's like, "Oh, I feel like I can lust after this person because it's likely never going to amount to anything because they're straight, so it's not gonna hurt me in the end." I relate to that 100 percent. That's something that I felt when I was younger. But then it happened to me recently where I was like, "Am I having feelings for this straight guy? What is that about?"

It's like you said: Putting away your emotions and investing in someone that ostensibly is never gonna give you that back. It's kind of heartbreaking. Why would anybody put themselves in that position? I think when you're a gay guy, navigating the dating world and romance, it's hard enough. If you're just stepping outside of all of that bullshit and just putting it on a straight guy, you're right: "Oh, that will never happen. My feelings aren't gonna get hurt." Even though they always kind of do. You're lying to yourself.

Have you felt from straight men—or men that present as straight, I suppose—that they've projected those angel and devil roles back on you? Yes. It's funny because it's like you feel the sense of responsibility to not fuck up this guy that's clearly struggling with his sexuality, but then resenting the fact that I had to tread on eggshells.

Is it especially hard for you to date because you're you? Yeah. It's funny because I downloaded Grindr. I was newly single toward the end of 2016, and I've been in relationships all throughout my 20s, and I was like, "I really want to be single, and I need to be alone." I think it's the right decision, but I'm literally like...I haven't seen Call Me by Your Name, and now I just cannot watch it because I'm just like, "Why would I watch depictions of two men being in love when I know I'll die alone?" I just can't handle that right now.

Anyway, when I was newly single, I downloaded Grindr because I'd been in relationships or I'd been in the band. I couldn't have Grindr, but then I was like, "Wait, but why the fuck can't I have Grindr? I want to have this experience." You know? So I downloaded it and I was on it, and then it was just weird because people would think I was catfishing myself, which was kind of a head fuck.

Grindr has some great things about it, but it also has a lot of negatives, and it's just very hard to trust anybody. It just feels like this meat market of dick pics and sex positions. "Are you a top or bottom?" It does kind of depress me a bit, even though I love to hook up as much as the next guy. It's good for that, but people would think I was catfishing myself, or they'd be like, "Oh, I'm such a big fan," and that's kind of a turnoff, so it didn't go super well for me.

You know how some people have dreams of moving to Florence or living in Seoul? You can still do all of those things, but I always think for queer people, "Well, I kind of need to live somewhere where I'm not gonna face abuse." A queer-friendly place. I think a lot of straight people forget that sometimes. They're surprised when I say that to them.

I think the assumption with straight people is that it's 2018 and even though things are better for gay people, it's not entirely true. I went to a wedding in San Antonio with my partner a couple of weeks ago, and I remember thinking, "Oh! This is the first time in a long time that I have not felt comfortable!" Yeah, I totally agree with you. Back when I had a boyfriend, if we were getting a cab together, I would a be a little uncomfortable kissing in the back of a cab. A lot of that has to do with my own issues around internalized homophobia that I grew up with, but at the same time, I do live in a really gay-friendly city. But if you leave London, half an hour away, you feel like it's a completely different landscape, and, you know, it does feel very threatening to just hold your boyfriend's hand or be yourself.

That is the reality for most queer people. I think we have made amazing strides in so many ways and we can be super happy about that, but it would be delusional to think that everything's fine. It's also because the LGBT community is so diverse, so intersectional, and I think people outside of the community forget that. But people within the community forget it, too. We don't actually reach equality unless everybody has equality, but if you're used to privilege, true equality feels like oppression. Unfortunately, we're white gay dudes, and we are a minority, and we have our own systems of oppression, but we're also at the top of the privilege tree. I think there's a lot of imbalance there.

I'm always gonna support my siblings in the community, but it does make me really sad to see how much racism, sexism, and transphobia that exists from within, and I think there are lots and lots of reasons for that, but we just can't really lose sight of the fact that we're all fighting similar battles.

You use the word "queer." A lot of people are still uncomfortable with that. Yes.

Have you had a moment where you've said to yourself, "I am comfortable using this and here's the reason why"? Yeah. Whenever I have these kind of conversations, I try and say I personally like "queer," but I understand that it's really painful for many people, and I've had a few people get offended with my use of the word, which I do completely understand. I'd like to think I have enough humility to be able to engage with that person that has the problem with that word, and I would listen and I would try and learn something from that experience.

I suppose for me, I like it because it feels very inclusive. "LGBT" is also good, and both feel separate but also similar. I don't know. I would be interested to hear what you think about the word and the use of the word.

I feel the same way. I think it's a generation who grew up knowing that word as an insult and a slur, that's hesitant to let a younger generation reclaim it. I think in 20 years, the gay twentysomethings at that time will be using "fag" as slang, but I was called it when I was younger, and I'm not comfortable yet letting that word be reclaimed. Yeah, I feel the same way about that [word], too.

It might say more about me than it says about them. Maybe I should be thrilled that they're so comfortable to take that word, especially when we're having the conversation about "queer." I'm comfortable using "queer," but it's also because the kids who were bullying me when I was 12 and 13 weren't using that as an insult. Exactly, yeah. I have not grown up with being victimized by that word. That is a super important distinction. But some gay guys feel like it diminishes a gay identity, and I love being a gay man. I identify as a gay man all the time, but I also like to identify as queer. I suppose it feels like it encompasses my gay identity, but it also encompasses some other stuff—a more fluid approach to my gender. And I feel like when I spend time with my friends who identify as genderqueer or non-binary, queer feels like the best word for us all as group. Language is so multifaceted, and these are words that we can employ in different situations, and they don't have to be fixed. If we're just carrying on these conversations, then I think we're fine.

You talked about the people that you have surrounded yourself with. Have you built up a support system within the community? Oh yeah, 100 percent. I moved away from home when I was 18 to London, and what I did was just try to find my family and people that I felt could understand the experience that I was going through. I've met amazing people. I've also lost amazing people along the way, and unfortunately that's normal.

I'm not saying that being straight is easy, but when you're gay, you don't really have a familial network or support system. You have to find that. Also, I think there's a whole erasure of queer people who are in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and so there's this collective anxiety about aging and who's gonna love us and who's gonna take care of us and what if we don't have kids because we don't have any rulebooks for that or any guidebooks for that. It feels completely terrifying, and I know that I'm not alone in thinking that.

Do you worry at all about getting older? For sure. Now I feel a little bit more comfortable with it and I think, "Oh my God, I'm so happy that I'm not gonna have to worry." I don't want to have kids, and that's just a personal choice. It's nothing to do with being gay or not, but I used to worry that "Oh, I'm gay, and that means I can't have a longterm relationship or get married or have kids." That was just the thing that you were supposed to have, that everybody was supposed to have. Now, of course, we do live in a world where it's totally normal for gay guys to get married and have kids.

Now I kind of feel like, "Oh well, I feel like I can just be empowered enough to make the choice to not have those things. I don't want them," and still live a full, happy life and get old and be a mad gay guy living by the sea like Grace and Frankie. That's literally all I'm aiming toward, is living like Grace and Frankie.

You just mentioned how we're meant to assume that we won't have long relationships. I've been in a relationship for almost four years, but the way that straight people talk about the length of their relationship, as if it's like...you know how when you have a dog, and it's like, "Well, he's 8 in dog years, but he's 64 in human years." People seem shocked that we're able to carry out longterm monogamy. I know. On the one hand, I think one of the great things about being gay, I find, is it's not a given that you're gonna immediately enter a monogamous relationship with somebody that just has to last as long as possible, and it fails when it ends. It's like one rule, and it's not to cheat. I love that it feels like there are more possibilities. For myself as a gay guy, I feel like, "Oh, maybe I could have a different kind of relationship," which is great but...

The rulebook is different. Exactly. But at the same time, it does show the double standard that gay people are viewed as less likely to be able to commit. I think there are lots of reasons for that, and I don't want to jump to, like, "Oh, well, straight people just think that gay guys are deviant and promiscuous," you know? There's a seed of truth to that, still, that it is kind of a surprise to see a longterm relationship.

It's crazy how we have one relationship model. I think even five years ago, people weren't super aware of what polyamory meant or being in a throuple. And I was like, "Maybe I wanna be in a throuple?" And I was like, "Actually, that seems like the best relationship ever." I just wanna be the unicorn in the throuple, and I can live in the next house to the couple. Wait, this sounds so fun. How can I arrange this?

I'm sure you can arrange that. I know. In my mind, I'm working toward the Grace and Frankie throuple situation. I'm just gonna get high by the beach all day. Maybe see my husbands or whoever they are a couple times a week.

Styling by Nick Royal

[valeriemperez]

I screenshot these from a forum. What do you think? imgur(.)com/a/VSj3a

This is very eloquently speaking, and I understand all of this person’s points. Which forum is it from?

Can we please still do the WestAllen deserved better tag. I still can’t believe they really pulled that 😭

I’m not the arbiter of trends, promise. I only make the posters and stuff because people ask. If someone wants to do Westallen Deserved Better, I will support and reblog it.

Long ask about WA/OF below, among others:

Part 1: Me again, thanks for answering. I'l probably take a little break from fandom if that’s the only way I can enjoy Barry/Iris being married. do what I gotta do. yk ;) About your other point, in the context of this story at least F is not just a white woman. She’s a Jewish woman, one whose E-X version we saw brutally mistreated. In a story with nzis invading her character (and other jewish characters) should have got more focus, not less.part 2, I was not talking about you when I mentioned the more about x than x stuff, fyi. I think you’ve made your opinion very clear. Was more talking about people who didn’t say/retweet anything (which has so many possible reasons depending on comfort level so I don'blame anyone for not saying anything) but then I see them fire off post after post about this dw like it’s the worst thing in the world, and that does make me shake my head because the comparison of the responses.part 3, Yes, as a black woman Iris should have gotten her say, but a jewish character getting her say and story this crossover was very important to me. Her romance getting focus felt correct in a story with invading nzis. I feel like part of this crossover has really shown how insensitive some people are with regards to antisemitism and see other issues as more important. (me talking generally again, not about you!)Part 4 (fandom general stuff, not wa fandom:) Then there’s people joking about how nzi version Ollie and Kara r still a better couple than K*ramel (which I don’t ship, but come on). Apparently there’s also a ‘funny’ twitter poll about which is worse, OF or nzis, and some r voting for OF. idk who made it, only saw a post about it. That’s vile. We can care about more than 1 thing, yes, but i'v come to to point of shaking my head when I see yet another wa was wronged and its the worst thing evapostpart 5/ sorry for dumping all this on you! It’s one thing when we fight hate for WA/Iris together, but when you’re kind of disappointed in your own fandom it’s hard to give your feelings a place. Crossover aside, I suppose I expected more from people. It was kinda self absorbed decision, but is that a reason to trash the entire character? Sounds too much like how people scream Iris needs to die if she has 1 episode they don’t like her in.part 6/ almost done, promise. The way I see it, there are WA fans that are upset (which I get) and then there are people who hate f and/or of and are using this to hate them more. I can support the former (to a point), but not the latter. Barring some overlap, those people don’t care about WA/Iris and will drop them as soon as they can’t use them anymore (which is exactly what happened last season when they thought OF wasn’t happening anymore).Part 7/ final part! And what gets me is I’ve seen people being immediately super hostile to some of the same of fans that have been defending Iris in the vile stuff that went down against her this season because they understood it with F. (not trying to paint them as saints, bec oh boy are there mean people in their fandom, jikes) but..yk what I’ll stop because I can never fully explain how it makes me feel. Thanks for listening :)

Yeah, fandom can make things worse for you as an individual instead of better a lot of times, so I totally get stepping back. And I agree that it makes sense for Felicity as a Jewish woman to have a central story when the villains are Nzis.

I’m glad the crossover worked for you on that front, and I agree that plenty of people don’t see antisemitism as serious because it’s not something they’ve ever experienced or witnessed. 

And, yes, joking about Nzis or OF being worse than them is fucking gross. The account that made that poll is an Arrow fandom troll who has been around for years: @LoveOverwatch on Twtter, btw. Steer clear of them.

I also totally understand what you’re saying about some people aligning themselves with garbage misogynists who have already shat on Iris and will continue to do so next week, just because they’re shitting on a different woman this week. That’s why I try to avoid publicly airing out my hatred of any female character, no matter how much I may dislike her. I never know how much of it is rooted is misogyny or the “there can only be one” mentality, and I don’t want to give a voice to those people.

I am not sure which fans from their fandom have defended Iris from vile stuff, but I trust there are some.

I believe the Flash show was used for ratings. Nearly every character got to shine on their own respective shows, but Barry barely got a few lines in his. I’m glad that Queen Iris got to kick some ass. But the writing for her on Error was OOC to an extent. Now I know what happens when Iris crosses over. I’d rather she stays on the Flash where she gets some respect.

You’re not wrong.

ugh, imagine cheering on some of the same people who treat Iris like trash just because this time it’s directed at something else. smh (not you!)

Yeah, I’m not here for that. I know those POS will be back at it again the second Iris breathes too loudly for their comfort.

Will Barry and Iris ever get a dance scene? The most basic stuff they don’t get. I won’t even ask about a love scene. I question the reasoning behind it all.

There’s definitely a reason to question it, and I hope you direct some of those questions to @gberlanti @flashtvwriters etc.

[sweettsubaki]

Continuing with Nightwing #29 we notice 3 main storylines, the main metal one, the “Batman [something]” one and the one that happens in actual series (Teen Titans last time, Nightwing here, and Suicide Squad next.

Aw if Seeley didn’t hit many of my writing pet peeves I might enjoy some of his stuff as a basic entertainment story (he’s good at writing wit)

Aw. One thing to remember is that Seeley is the only person to have tried to restore the surrogate father/child relationship between Dick and Damian. It shows.

I like Ollie. I’m torn because on the one hand I still think the Dami/Dick surrogate father comes out of nowhere in the general context of Rebirth since everyone else ignores it. On the other hand, Dick and Dami’s Batman and Robin is still the story where Damian’s attachment to someone (and that someone’s attachment to Damian) feels the most organic and genuine out of all his appearances since then.

one of the things I dislike in Seeley’s writing of Damian is the “Kid likes Video Games because he’s a kid” PoV. Still, I like Ollie’s snark.

*sigh*

...it kind of reminds me of something. Either the pitch for a MMORPG or an RPG or

oh yeah, Saint Seiya. It looks like a mix between the Sanctuary and Hades Arcs (and like 90% of shonen I’ve read in my life)

Another pet peeve of mine. Apparently to Seeley the Batfam is only Damian Bruce and Dick. I mean sure in N52 and Rebirth it’s true (though the Bruce-Damian one is...not great and they keep trying to pretend that’s not the case but as long as there won’t be any foundations for any supposedly bond pre-existing other than “we share the same mentor, I won’t buy it) but if he’s gonna try and use pre-N52 Dick&Dami then why does he use the N52 Batfam format? So...yeah...pet peeve.

(MMO)RPG music playing in the distance.

So this issue was fun in general because I enjoy the wit (and Ollie is just a general light in my life right now...at least Metal Wise) but Seeley managed to ruin most of it with a few of my pet peeves (including one I didn’t mention but it’s how there’s always someone commenting on “the view”)

[saint-oleander]

Mandrake and Co. masterpost

Bartimaeus Trilogy adventures, in a Lockwood and Co. AU

Hauntings are our business - on the formation of Mandrake and Co.

Chapter one: Strong and Safe (of Nathaniel John Mandrake) Chapter two: Boom! (of Bartimaeus Sakhr) Chapter three: Apocrypha (of Ptolemy Soter) Chapter four: Nightmare (of Kitty Jones)

Like silt in a pond - or, Queezle's life, before and after

Behind the counter - trials and tribulations of Simpkin's minimarket

All the pins inside your fretted head - or, Jakob Hyrnek after the accident

find the whole series here on ao3

Hauntings are our business is also available in Italian on ao3

[holbyconfessional]

Holby City S19 E54-E60

As with the Casualty catch up - since this is SO historical now, I’m going to put the whole lot under a cut, save dashboards!!! Episodes covered are:

S19 E54 - Thicker Than Water

S19 E55 - Things Left Unsaid

S19 E56 - Know Yourself, Know Your Enemy  

S19 E57 - Kingdom Come

S19 E58 - It Has To Be Now

S19 E59 - Hungry Heart 

S19 E60 - Hiding Places

Holby City S19 E54 - Thicker Than Water

So we have more Guiseppe this week.  Yay.  Not.  A Small bowel volvulus couldn't happen to a nicer guy.  Sorry, Raf.

More nefarious Fredrick, shipping in a Swedish patient, then pretending he didn't know her so he could fake diagnose her Pancreatic Pseudocyst and wow everyone with his swift and decisive diagnosis skills.  Not to mention try and make another play to push a clinical trial for his drug.  So glad that Hanssen twigged and called him out on it.  Odious individual.

Ollie and Matteo's competition to be the most interesting was dull, although it did afford Jac a wonderful opportunity to show off her feistiness with her epic line (about Ollie's dullness) 'I'm as shocked as you are!'

In other and most heartbreaking news, Lofty transferred to AAU, and worst of all, Raf proposed to Essie.  I mentally threw things at my TV.

Holby City S19 E55 - Things Left Unsaid

Well, Morven was rather uncharacteristically unkind to Lofty, wasn't she?!  I mean, he may be one of the dullest humans in existence, and aggravatingly cheerful and fair, but still!  Of course, he was going to make a brilliant diagnosis with the hypochondriac patient, thereby showing Morven his worth.  Actually, I'm pretty glad it was something minor, and Morven still got to 'win' too, about the woman being a bit of a time waster.  It may not have avoided the cliche, but it did slightly mitigate it!

Evil Fredrick strikes again with his tenuous grasp on truthfulness and medical ethics, by covering up a psychological issue with a father/son transplant.  HOW is Nina the Snake letting these things happen, how is he getting away with it, with the barest of slapped wrists?  Better not be because of his father, because I'm pretty sure said father wouldn't be putting up with such shenanigans!

So, Nina the Snake is pregnant, and trying to talk to a seemingly uninterested Matteo.  I was pretty uninterested too.

And finally, it's Roxanna's first day.  Somewhat less angst between her and Ollie than expected.  There has been some speculation that she's an early insert, with an ultimate potential goal of being a love interest for Serena somewhen upon her return.  I'm saying now, please god don't let this be true. It's almost impossible now, watching some of the insane pairings they've got going on, or building up.  But that?  I just couldn't.

Holby City S19 E56 - Know Yourself, Know Your Enemy

AKA the day of Ric's inquest at the Coroners Court, into the death of Elaine Warren - where, surprise surprise, it's found that there's a case to answer.  As with any long running show, some story lines are more gripping than others.  I have to say, for the most part, I'm finding this more of a slog than a thrill, but I will say that I really would like to know what happened with the anti-coagulants!  Was it Ric's error?  Did Donna screw up?  Dear lord, I hope it's the latter.  Really not a Donna fan.

So, Amira's back on Darwin.  Why?  Is she considered an interesting character?  I suspect it's more in an attempt to expose some hole in Jac's psyche, since we're clearly being shown that she's struggling with something - hopefully setting us up for a lovely, meaty storyline, and not just the impending romance with Fletch (vomit).

Dom and Fredrick.  I find it interesting and mildly alarming how jealous Fredrick is of Dom.  Of course, he wants to be the most important in his fathers eyes, and he's already been shown to be extremely ruthless and manipulative in order to try and get his own way and climb to the top.   So it's ironic that his behaviour traits and attempts at professional shortcuts should be exactly what set him back in his incredibly rational and fair father's eyes, against Dom's honesty and genuine attempts to be the best he can be, and the best for his patients.  I enjoyed his detective work this episode, diagnosing the Wegener's Granulomatosis (GPA), and I liked his decision to pull it as the case study for his Junior Doctors Award project, in favour of something far more prosaic.   To my mind, it's a nice demonstration of exactly how much Dom has grown as a person and a doctor, and was the perfect offset for Fredrick's showboating.

Holby City S19 E57 - Kingdom Come

Highly stressful, edge of your seat stuff tonight.  Will Holby be closed, in favour of St Francis?  Will all our beloved characters lose their jobs? Maybe not quite as stressful as the producers would like, as I think we can all pretty much assume that somehow, Holby will endure.  But, the episode did afford some good moments for Hanssen - most noteably 1) the opening scene on the roof, 2) a great camera shot of Hanssen standing on Keller as the camera panned along the ward toward him, and 3) Hanssen sitting in his office, with his glasses off.  (I'm not sure why the last one pleases me so, but it does, so there you go!).

I'm always very pro Hanssen heavy storylines, I think he's an exceptional character.  With this one, I was also pretty delighted that in some part, it was the underrated Sacha who saved the day, with his innovative idea of implementing SAINT (post-surgical accelerated independence using novel technology).  Loved the final scene with Hanssen acknowledging Sacha's importance to him and the hospital, over a drink.

Jeremy Warren is back, wanting his mothers notes from Donna.  HOW is Donna so stupid as to keep entertaining him?  Surely she realises at this stage that she's putting herself, the hospital, the case itself in danger by continuing to keep in contact with him?!

Also the return of one of my favourite patients, Mr James.  He has the best lines, and excellent delivery.  His speech about Matteo's hair was just classic, I bet he's a dream to write for.

Other moments included Ollie's wedding ring, lots of posturing by evil Fredrick, but special acting credit MUST go to Matteo's red trainers, which stole every scene they were in!

Holby City S19 E58 - It Has To Be Now

Oh, what fun.  We were forced to rewatch Raf's proposal to Essie in the pre credits. Ouch. Followed by a post credit dramatic running scene which is supposed to remain us we love Ollie (although I'm sorry to say, black hoodie aside, he definitely lost cool points IMO).  Which was then supposed to help us remember that we hate Roxanna, because not only did she kill Ollie's wife, but she's also trying to steal his project funding.  Oh, but whoops.  Her project is on Alzheimers, and hey, her super talented surgeon husband has Alzheimers, so all of a sudden, she's not The Bad Guy, and we (and Ollie) want her to get the funding, because she and her husband deserve it...

And here's where I stop being sarcastic and flippant, because as hackneyed as the storyline is, I don't consider dementia of any form to be a laughing matter, having personally seen what it can do to a loved one.   And I can begin in the smallest way to imagine the pain of what she and her husband must be feeling.  But, it doesn't change the fact that for me, this entire story was so heavily signposted that it kind of lost impact.

Oh, holy shitbags.  Not only did Raf and Essie get engaged, but now they blinking well got married.  On the one hand, I thank goodness that it was off screen and I didn't have to watch it, but on the other, EW!   Couldn't they have had their 2 episodes of happiness, then suffered a monumental breakup, or the death of a close family member which would leave one of them angry, depressed, drinking too much and lashing out at colleagues, before buggering off to a vineyard in France, whilst the other went to do humanitarian work with the army?  Oh, whoops, wrong pairing...  But poor, poor Sacha.

Ooh, Morven and her mother.  Not a shining example of maternal glory to my mind.  Personally, I'm thinking Morven is SO much better off without her.

Holby City S19 E59 - Hungry Heart

Ooh, lashings of evil Fredrick.  Undermining Dom to Henrik, Sacha to the pathologically honest patient's girlfriend, then finally 'accidentally' telling Matteo about Nina the Snake's pregnancy.  Such an unbelievably unlikeable character.  There was a little celebration in my soul when Henrik told him that there was a recruitment freeze, which would prevent him from applying for a registrar's post.  Karma?!  So, Hanssen thinks Fredrick should go back to Sweden (well, don't we all?  Except perhaps his poor wife, who I, for one, seem to have horridly misunderstood!)

So, we got one teeny tiny scene where Lofty visited Dom, and gave him a super squishy hug of congratulations.  Gotta keep the memory of that not-quite relationship lurking somewhere in the viewers mind, so it's ripe for revisiting.  Right?

Lots of Ric drama.  I have to say, I loved Morven's supportiveness, inviting him for coffee.  Such a nice change from Donna's hounding.  Ric may have been a mentor and friend to her, but last I checked, that doesn't automatically mean she has the right to invade every corner of his life, and to know every move he makes.  I felt really angry when she was hounding him about where he was when Jeremy's mother died.  She wants to know why he won't tell her?  Well, perhaps it's because it's none of her ****ing business!!!

COTWs, WAG with appendicitis, and the slightly more interesting kid with a funky neck, who passed out every time he looked to the side too quickly.

Holby City S19 E60 - Hiding Places

I'm afraid I found this episode rather dull.  More of the Ric/Donna/Jeremy debacle, and I find myself no clearer as to why Donna persists in hanging around with Jeremy in the face of his allegations.  Ric is supposedly her friend.  I get that she doesn't know what actually happened, so she doesn't know for sure that he is completely innocent, and I get that she feels some level of empathy toward Jeremy for his loss - BUT, Ric is supposed to be her friend, and she truly believes he is an excellent doctor and surgeon, and she also believes in human error, so why is she not supporting Ric more?  (I'd just like to qualify at this point that I don't mean by lying for him).  And even more to the point, surely her continuing interaction with Jeremy is actually detrimental to the court case?  At least Jac stood up for Ric, even if it was in an inappropriate way.  And ooh, look, seems like Jeremy is going to try and squeeze a second court case out of it!  

On the one hand, I believe in justice.  But on the other, I think this litiginous society in which we live is insane.

So, Fredrick is indeed gone.  But is it for good?  (Please be yes, please be yes....)

Nina and Matteo and the baby.  I shall sum up my thoughts into a single word.  YAWN.

So, this episode had a patient naming dogs after staff based on their personality traits.  Oh, how I chortled and slapped my thigh.

Mildly interesting thread - the unravelling of Jac.  Awesome, awesome character.

[mayramoss-blog1]

What are Danny Dyer’s royal connections – a look at his family tree

Danny Dyer’s royal ancestors include King Luis IX, William the Conqueror and more. (Picture: Rex/Shutterstock/Getty)

EastEnders star Danny Dyer is carving a name for himself as a historian’s muse back on our screens tonight on his new BBC show, Right Royal Family.

Dermot O’Leary apologises after Danny Dyer drops f-bomb in emotional NTAs speech

In an unforgettable appearance on Who Do You Think You Are? in 2016, Dyer discovered that he’s a direct descendant of not one, but two kings of England, in addition to a royal adviser and the important reformation advocate, Thomas Cromwell.

As a result of these revelations, Danny Dyer is going to front a two-part documentary show on BBC One in which we’ll see him exploring 800 years of British history by eating, dressing and living exactly like his ancestors did.

This means that we’ll get to see Dyer munch on Viking treats like sheep’s tongue and fermented shark; model some 1300’s era underpants; and walk through the streets of Paris dressed like a peasant, holding a crown of thorns and leading a procession of singing monks.

You know, chill Wednesday night stuff.

Who are Danny Dyer’s royal relatives?

In 2016, Dyer found out that he is a direct descendant of William I, also known as William the Conqueror, and King Edward III.

Now, having taken a closer look at his history for Right Royal Family, he’s found that there’s even more in his family history that’s worth writing home about.

Let’s take a closer look at Danny Dyer’s famous royal relations.

Rollo the Viking

Danny Dyer can trace his lineage far back through Norman history to Rollo the Viking, the very first ruler of Normandy who won his land through a combination of victories on the battlefield and allegiances with the right people.

Rollo, which is the latinised version of a name that historians can’t quite agree on, reigned from the year 911 to 927, is the great-great-great-grandfather of William the Conqueror, who we’ll get to in a minute.

His descendants continued to rule over Normandy for almost 200 years until 1204.

Danny Dyer learning to shoot a longbow like his ancestor, William the Conqueror. (Picture: BBC/Wall to Wall Media)

William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror, sometimes known as William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, and it was he who led the French invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

William’s youth was marked by various struggles among Norman aristocracy for power. He had to fight to gain authority over those who sought to control him or supersede him, both because he succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy when he was just a child, and because of his illegitimate status.

He’s also Danny Dyer’s great-grandfather 30 times over. We’ll let you decide which one you think is a finer achievement.

More: EastEnders

Hing Henry II

King Henry II of England was born in 1133. He started his reign as king in 1154 and was made Duke of Normandy when he was just 17.

He was plagued by rebellions and conflicts from his sons and wife over what they would inherit later in his life, but King Henry’s rule was not entirely unsuccessful.

Before he turned 40, he reigned over England, much of Wales, half of Ireland, and half of France. His changes to law during that time is thought to have laid the foundations for what we now know as English Common Law.

Dyer looking very regal dressed as Henry II at Dover Castle. (Provider: BBC/Wall to Wall Media)

King Edward III

King Edward III was born in 1312 and history remembers him for his military success and for restoring order after his father, Edward II made a right hash of his rule.

After disagreements with his barons and the French royal family, coupled with the losses of battles in Scotland and famine, Edward II was forced to hand the crown over to his then-14-year-old son Edward III, and died shortly after, probably in an act of murder.

Edward III reigned for 50 years and is credited with fostering a new spirit of camaraderie between himself and his high-status subjects.

Polydore Vergil, a scholar born in the 1400’s, wrote about how Joan of Kent, the young Countess of Salisbury and reportedly the king’s favourite at the time, once accidentally dropped her garter at a ball. The other guests tried to ridicule her, so in response, the king tied the garter around his own leg, saying ‘shame on him who thinks ill of it.’

Louis IX and Danny Dyer – Two saints as far as we’re concerned. (Picture: Getty, Rex/Shutterstock)

King Louis IX

The french King Louis IX was crowned when he was only 12 years old, and ruled from 1226 until 1270.

Louis IX was known for his kindness and for his devout religious practices. When he became king, it is said that over 100 of the poor would eat in his house most days, and that he would often serve them himself. He was canonised as a saint by the pope 27 after his death, which, as medieval historian Dr Emily Guerry tells Dyer in the show, is very rare.

‘There are very few saints that aren’t virgins or martyrs,’ she explains, ‘so to have a blood of a saint in your blood is an extraordinary thing.

‘That blood is sacred blood. It can work miracles in the church.’

Thomas Cromwell and his descendant Danny Dyer. (Picture:Getty, Rex/Shutterstock)

Crikey – Is there anybody else we should know about?

Dyer is also related to Henry VIII’s adviser and English Reformation advocate, Thomas Cromwell.

When Dyer found this out in 2016, he noted the many various connections between himself and Cromwell, stating: ‘He came from a slum, I come from a slum. Cromwell left the country at 14, I started acting at 14. He was a self-taught lawyer. I’m a self-taught actor.

‘Cromwell had two daughters and a son. I’ve got two daughters and a son. Cromwell wrote his last letter to Henry VIII begging for his life, on 24 July, which is my birthday … And I drink in the Anne Boleyn pub.’

Danny Dyer’s Right Royal Family begins tonight, Wednesday 23 January, at 9pm on BBC One.

MORE: Megan Barton-Hanson and Wes Nelson pucker up after Dancing On Ice drama at the National Television Awards

MORE: Ollie Locke and Georgia Toffolo take the tube to the National Television Awards but they’re still fancy AF

Source link

http://www.manutdnews.online/what-are-danny-dyers-royal-connections-a-look-at-his-family-tree/

[healthtipss]

Weight Loss Tips

1. Be consistent

“This doesn’t mean you have to do the same boring squat routine every day – it just means you have to be consistent with your fitness routine,” says Kira Mahal, trainer at MotivatePT. “It’s easy to start a new fitness routine but it’s very difficult to continue it. Write down your workouts for the week and make sure to stick to that.

“I recommend working out five days a week with two rest days in order to see results. Keep your workouts exciting by switching it up every day. After a few weeks, working out will become a habit and you will start to crave it.”

2. Beware added sugars

These can creep into all kinds of foods that you might not expect to be full of the sweet stuff, like condiments and shop-bought sauces. “Opting for foods without added sugar is a must,” says Jonny Mills, trainer at boutique fitness studio Sweat It. “Sugar spikes your blood glucose and if you don’t burn it off it’ll be stored as fat.”

3. Upgrade your tastes

try to remember you’re a grown-up and you eat like one“Make it easier for yourself to make better choices. The phrase ‘acquired taste’ is basically redundant for food – all your tastes are acquired, so acquire healthier tastes and you’ll want to eat healthier. Make the change to black coffee instead of cappuccinos or dark chocolate rather than a slab of Dairy Milk, and after a few weeks you’ll never want to go back. One good tip is to try to remember you’re a grown-up and you eat like one. When reaching for a snack, think: would a child want this? Don’t rely on willpower – this stuff isn’t supposed to be hard.” – Jess Wolny, personal trainer

4. Stay accountable

“Being accountable to yourself goes hand in hand with support from friends and family. Accountability comes in many forms – it could be just a promise to yourself or telling the whole world via social media – but it’s essential for keeping you motivated when the going gets tough. And a support network is also crucial for times when things go wrong and you need to get back on track. Even better, find someone who has been there and done it themselves because their advice and insight can be invaluable.” – Phil Graham, personal trainer and physique coach

5. Be a goal getter

“Too many people start their fat loss plan without setting an end date or a realistic goal. You need targets to keep yourself motivated, especially for situations when it would be easy to make bad decisions – when you get offered cake on a colleague’s birthday, it’ll be easier to turn down if you know you’re only two weeks from your goal. Set a finish date that you are 100% confident you can hit. There will inevitably be times where you’re tempted to go back to old habits – and having a specific goal, with smaller milestones along the way, can keep you on track.” – Leon Kew, personal trainer

6. Track your progress

“It’s vital to take photos and measurements and keep a training diary that details not just moves you do and weights you lift, but also how the session felt. This will give you the insight to make smart changes to your programme to keep your body guessing so the fat keeps falling off.” – Olly Foster, personal trainer and fitness model

7. Record what you eat

“Writing down what you eat is a great way of tracking your eating habits. Does your nutrition differ on weekends or under times of stress? To go one step further, you could do this with a training partner and show each other what you’re eating. No one wants to write down McDonald’s or Krispy Kremes if they’re in friendly competition.” – Adam Jones, personal trainer

8. Clean out your cupboards

“If I am trying to get lean I won’t keep foods at home I know I should be avoiding. Even if you have amazing willpower it can be almost impossible to get in after a very long day and eat the food you know you should when there’s a stack of tasty treats just an open cupboard door away.” – Shaun Estrago, personal trainer at UP Fitness Marbella.

9. Separate fats and carbs

“Avoid eating fats and simple carbs together, especially once your rate of fat loss begins to stall. When you consume carbs insulin levels spike (the extent depends on the type and amount of carbs), and insulin’s job is to shuttle any recently ingested energy to the areas of the body that need it most. If you’ve been training hard these nutrients will be delivered to muscle cells to repair and rebuild them. But any excess energy you consume, particularly from fats and simple carbs like sugar, will be stored in fat cells, which is the last thing you want.” – Matt Sallis, personal trainer

10. Indulge yourself

“The number one priority in any fat loss challenge is compliance. If you can’t sustain the programme in the long term you’ll never achieve your goal – or you’ll simply rebound as soon as you do. Calculate your calorie target for the week and allow 10% of that to come from your favourite foods. Most people feel like they’re cheating when they eat their favourite foods, so incorporating them into your nutrition plan helps keep you on track without guilt or painful sacrifice. The psychological impact of this is huge.” – David Godfrey, performance director at One Performance UK

11. Don’t rely on fat burners

“At best fat burners are an expensive combination of caffeine, green tea and other ingredients designed to raise the metabolism or mobilise fat. At worst you may be taking be something detrimental to your health. Many people take a fat burner as an excuse to skip the gym when they’re tired (often because they aren’t eating enough) or short on time, in the mistaken belief that it will do the job instead of exercise. But even if your fat burner does mobilise fat you still need to exercise to burn it off or it will just continue to be stored.” – Sean Lerwill, personal trainer and fitness model

12. Eat gut-friendly foods

“Nutrient absorption through the gut is the key to successful fat loss. Inflammation of the gut lining can prevent absorbing nutrients, which can make you more hungry and knock your hormones out of whack, encouraging fat storage. Avoid foods that you’ve found to cause gut discomfort and eat more fibre (veg) and omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D3 (oily fish), as well as taking a high-quality probiotic to replenish your gut with good bacteria.” – Matt Warner, head of personal training, Ultimate Performance Manchester

13. Be smart with carbs

“One effective method to get you losing fat is to swap starchy carbohydrates, such as bread, grains, rice and potatoes, for fibrous carb sources like broccoli, cauliflower and dark leafy green vegetables. This will shift your body from fat-storing mode to fat-burning mode. You’ll also consume more fibre and more vitamins and minerals essential to good health. And don’t skimp on veg portions – load up on it to keep you feeling full.” – Anthony Nyman, personal trainer at Transform Antics

14. Build new habits

“The crucial factor to success is forming new, healthier habits. When you first learn to drive a car you must focus on changing gear, indicating and braking all at once, which can feel overwhelming – but it soon becomes automatic. Once you start to develop new habits, such as planning your meals, sticking to a structured training programme and getting better-quality sleep, it becomes easier not only to lose body fat but also to keep it off.” – Jamie Alderton, personal trainer and fitness model

15. Exploit your fasted state

“At any given time, your body is in either a fed or fasted state, and being in a fasted state offers the best physiological conditions to optimise fat burning. So schedule your eating and training to take advantage of this: avoid eating anything for two hours before and two hours after working out. Just drink water instead.” – Richard Scrivener, personal trainer at Fitness Industry Education

16. Make your own meals

“If you don’t prepare your own food then you can only guess at what you’re actually eating in terms of calories, macronutrients (carbs, fats and protein), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and fibre. If you don’t have a clear idea of what you’re eating, you simply can’t stick to the daily limits needed to create a calorie deficit, which is when your body has no choice but to burn fat stores.” – Gus Martin, personal trainer

See related

How To Lose Weight Fast

The Best Exercises For Weight Loss

Whip Yourself Into Shape With This Weight Loss Workout

17. Boss the supermarket

“The most important session of the week for fat loss isn’t in the gym, it’s in the supermarket. The choices you make when you’re food shopping will determine how well you set yourself up for the week ahead so buy, cook and eat real food. Sustainable long-term fat loss is about ingraining good habits and that all starts with what you put in your food basket.” – Steve Kowalenko, personal trainer

18. Avoid post-gym coffee

“A pre-workout cup of coffee can improve gym performance thanks to the powers of caffeine, but you should avoid it after training because it raises cortisol. Exercise increases levels of this stress hormone, which helps you make positive physique changes, but you need it to return to normal levels once you leave the gym. Coffee will keep levels elevated.” – Ashton Turner, co-founder of Evolve353 gym

19. Avoid sugar mixes

Think ordering the protein-feast half chicken at Nando’s justifies a cheeky Coke on the side? Think again. A 2017 study published in the journal BMC Nutrition found that having a sugar-sweetened drink with a high-protein meal can decrease metabolic efficiency and prime the body to store fat. Fat oxidation was worse with a higher-protein meal, so a fizzy drink can undo all your good work. Stick to sparkling water.

20. Keep good food close

Get your laziness to work in your favour for once. Volunteers at Saint Bonaventure University in the US who were given a choice of apple slices or popcorn ate whatever was closest – even when the popcorn was only a metre or so further away and they claimed to prefer it. There’s an upside to choosing an apple, too: research suggests that they promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria which aids weight control.

21. Sit down to eat

Research from Cornell University in the US suggests you’re likely to eat more in social situations – especially at the buffet, or when you’re walking while you eat. If you’re hitting the buffet, use this slim-diner checklist: pick a seat facing away from the food, use chopsticks if there’s an option, and scout out all the food options before you pick up a plate.

22. Use your illusion

Everyone loads up on food when the plates are bigger – that’s just basic buffetology – but can you use the effect in reverse to trim your waistline? Yes, according to new research published in the journal BMC Obesity. Researchers designed plates designed on the “Ebbinghaus illusion” – the one where the size of surrounding circles makes a central circle look bigger or smaller – and asked volunteers to load up as they saw fit. Results were clear: the group with the optical illusion plates self-selected small portions throughout the test, although they also ate less than the government-recommended amount of veg. The moral? Serve your desserts on the smallest plate possible, and your veg on an oversize platter.

23. Stay relaxed

In research from the University of California, test subjects who ate high-sugar, high-fat foods were at more risk of a larger waistline and higher belly fat if they were chronically stressed. For the less stressed, negative effects were less apparent. Use what the US Army calls Tactical Breathing at stressful – four seconds in, four seconds holding, four seconds out. It’ll tell your nervous system to chill.

[saint-oleander]

In the end, as it had been in the beginning, Ptolemy wakes up. But that comes later. Before, there are three things: a ring, a staff, a necklace. And a boy, closing his eyes in the Other Place and opening them amongst trees.

For one moment, between the Other Place and Earth, Ptolemy finds himself somewhere else.

Written for the first five prompts of this year's Bartimaeus Prompt Week

[saint-oleander]

The point is, Sakuko is learning how to cook.

Originally written in Italian for the contest "Let's Drabble" organized by @mari--lace on the forum Ferisce la penna

HERE THE ORIGINAL: TRA VIRGOLETTE

[saint-oleander]

When the internet is nosy but volleyball players are worse, and Oikawa is still mourning the loss of his map of the Karasuno polycule™ 

Or, the absolutely stupidest thing I have ever posted, based on this excellent concept by @teddy-takeda

[saint-oleander]

 It was the first time she went there without Hinata or Yamaguchi, and they usually did all the talking while she stared dreamily at Kiyoko Shimizu while she packed up their order. But she had to be brave.

Because Yachi would have never talked to Shimizu, hadn't it been for the croissants.

Or, five meetings in the bakery and one right outside.