#still no wild tickets for this season however

[dewarism]

me when fall: ☹️

me when hockey back: ☺️

[velvetchrry]

hockey player!ghoap x smm!reader thoughts

just thinking about how you’re a social media manager for a new hockey expansion team. johnny and simon — who grew up playing hockey together — both got drafted to the pros but have never played on a team together before. they’re both selected for this new franchise — the first time they’ve played together since they were kids.

simon is a defenseman. big, hulking — he’s the guy that's going to initiate fights with the players that are picking on his teammates. you aren’t going to get away with a dirty hit when he's around — he will retaliate. he will dish out a big clean hit when they think they’re safe. especially if it’s johnny. he’s the team enforcer, but still a talented defenseman.

johnny is your center star. he’s wicked fast on the ice, and is always showing off with plays you think are near impossible. he’s surprisingly humble — giving credit where credits due, passing to his teammates when they’re open instead of taking a wild shot himself. he’s the chatty one, always talking up the press during intermission and after the games over.

(and ofc we have gaz as a winger and price as the old goaltender close to retirement, who just can’t give up the game yet)

you were hired with a batch of social media managers in order to promote this new team to the locals. you want to attract season ticket holders. you want people excited for the upcoming season. you want people to meet their players — even though most of them have a history on the ice.

you’re really good at your job. your main job is keeping up with the videos and pictures of the team and players — creating the content that gets posted. your coworkers laswell responds to the fan tweets and comments — she’s got more of a knack for that, where you have the creative eye.

part of your job is getting to know the players and getting them to open up to you on camera, especially when you’re recording. you have them follow along to the latest tiktok trends, record practice sessions and even what time everyone shows up to the arena (simon is early, price is right on time, gaz and johnny are running late). normally your job would be staying on home ice — not following the team when they’re away — but to keep up with content the owners request you specifically go along. it’s been a total hit online and tickets are selling like hotcakes.

you start to really get to know the team — you fly with them and stay in the same hotels. you’re with them at every practice. they start requesting you be the dj at practice even. it helps loosen them up. you get great content. you joke with them. you even stand at the bench during games. (content content content)

johnny of course chats you up first. he's easily to film and he’s your star. he’s the one generating the views and likes and hearts and comments. he’s the one everyone’s excited to see. he’s the first to jump on a new trend you want to film and he’ll encourage everyone to do the same. he’s the only reason that you get simon to be on camera. (and he still won’t go on camera much, rather you have to get shots of him on the ice)

they do their best to include you in everything, but especially when they’re at an away game. if the boys are going out for dinner, johnny will make simon knock on your hotel room door and convince you to join. (you don’t take a lot of convincing, however johnny has to pour simon a stiff bourbon to work up the courage to go ask you). you’re included in celebrations when the team wins. they drag you to one of the guy’s houses for a private dinner and drinks.

johnny and simon start to separately invite you to things — just the two of them. it’ll start off as johnny acting like he has a great new idea for content. he and simon did grow up together, they are best friends. they could have a great little segment together.

but it turns into more. they sit on either side of you. johnny brushes a hand against your thigh and rests it there. simon has an arm on the back of your chair, always keeping his body in the way of any potential threats. always keeping you safe. their sweet little puck slut princess. their hands are all over you by the end of the night.

they take you to a shared hotel room — after all it would be irresponsible for any of your to drive home. and johnny and simon share everything. they’re happy to share a room.

they’re happy to share you.

[dpr-stay]

Cupid | LH44

Lewis Hamilton x Reader

Warnings: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, reader is a press officer, don't think gender is stated specifically, implied sexual content, second chance romance, she is not edited, zhou guanyu does not crash, and there are swears.

WC: ~7.7k (kill me now)

I literally hate this, im so sorry. I haven't edited it because it's late but I hope it's not bad. I'll edit it tomorrow. also how is it so longgg, it was supposed to be 5k at best. (why have i written two fics about exes having dinner?)

Being Valtteri Bottas’ PR Agent was a wild ride. From being hired by him in his early days at Williams, to his successful years at Mercedes, and now at Alfa Romeo, you’d gotten to know the man through all stages of his career. You’d been there to field off questions about his declining performance at Mercedes and had been the first one to slam open the door and start yelling at him after the ‘cheated-on-his-wife’ rumours started floating around.

However, the paycheck was good and, when he wasn’t causing you to spend many nights in meetings about his public image, you didn’t mind the guy, happy to have to follow him around the world for most of the year.

The whole Formula One thing was also a bonus, you having been hooked on the sport after your Dad introduced it to you at an early age. You’d spent countless hours watching your dad watch the car’s speed by on his tv set, finally deciding to pay attention to the race after a few years. And boy, did you love it. 

You’d spent many an early birthday present forcing your parents to take you to the Grand Prix nearest to you, saving up for months to be able to afford the tickets and the travel. Something about the sport just intrigued pre-teen you, nothing to do with Michael Schumacher at all.

So, when the chance to be a F1 driver’s personal PR agent had landed on your advertisement agency’s desk, the place you had worked in the early days of your career, you had snatched it up quickly. The work started well before the start of the 2013 season, you having to meet the man himself and quickly getting adjusted to the many people you’d need to know to network for the guy. 

You’d also met Maldonado’s PR agent, one from the Williams team, who quickly brought up the ideas of doing interviews and press releases between the two drivers. You were swept into the world of the sport, beginning to get into the swing of things. 

Years passed, as did teammates, and Valtteri got signed to Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton. You didn’t know if your employment would carry over to Mercedes, but a team shirt and a letter letting you know about when Valtteri’s responsibilities started being mailed to your house confirmed it pretty quickly.

The atmosphere at Mercedes was more professional, though the team still treated each other as family. You’d often see engineers leaving together, going to go get drunk and celebrate Lewis’ common wins and Valtteri’s less common, but still happening, wins. 

You’d often spend hours at a time bargaining for spots for Valtteri in interviews and in PR related spots, and it worked. He was a well-known man, your job was practically done. The bosses were (finally) appeased, Valtteri was happy, and you could finally relax after years straight of stressing about social media and whatever the hell a vine was and if that was still relevant.

And then you’d gone and got yourself trapped in an elevator with Lewis Hamilton. 

Being a Mercedes employee, though only temporary, you’d met Lewis often during interviews and team meetings. However, you never really know a person until you spend five hours sitting opposite each other in a broken-down elevator, only being able to see each other by the light of your phone's flashlight, waiting for some sort of help as there was no signal.

Your conversation had started off hesitantly, you incredibly intimidated by the several-time world champion and him having a fleeting idea of who you were. The conversation had eventually fizzled out till the lift jolted, and a creaking sound echoed into the cavern of the contraption.

Your telling groan that you couldn’t hold back elicited a concerned “You alright?” from Lewis and then you eventually had to tell the professional F1 driver, who raced cars at over 200km/h every other weekend, about your fear of small spaces.

He hadn’t judged you for it, something which you thought was rather nice, and had even tried to adjust for you, moving to the very other side of the small box. Granted, your feet still touched, but you thought the sentiment was nice. 

He was more down to earth than you expected, you knew he wasn’t a prick but you weren’t expecting him to be… kind. Soon enough, after a few more questions about why you were afraid of small spaces and other questions, you both had spiraled into boundless conversation. 

You had talked about things you’d never talked about with someone, let alone a practical stranger, his soothing accent making it easier to open up to him. Things like the future and where it would take you, uncertainties about both your careers, even relationships, the type of conversations you only have trapped in a suspended metal box in the dark. 

Lewis was a fantastic person to talk to. He’d listen when he needed to and returned your conversation with equal energy, as though he actually wanted to be part of the conversation. For some reason he had decided to trust you and had talked freely to you, showing you a side that you doubted many people had seen.

Maybe it was the fact he couldn’t see your face or maybe you just gave off a trustworthy vibe. You didn’t know. All you knew was that, all of a sudden, you were one of Lewis Hamilton’s most trusted confidants. 

Even after someone had finally realised you were missing and exactly where you were, calling more firemen than necessary to bust open the lift though you supposed that’s what you were supposed to do when a ‘Sir’ was trapped in an elevator, Lewis had asked for your phone number and had continued to text you.

You’d met up a few times over the season, quickly becoming incredibly close friends who told each other everything. You’d had to deal with a few teases from Valtteri, who’d shut up when you reminded him who controlled the public’s opinion of him. 

During the off-season Lewis had invited you to come to his house for dinner. You’d went, it was lovely, and then you’d unknowingly experienced the moment of truth in your weird friendship/developing relationship. 

You’d been sitting at Lewis’s dinner table, eagerly chatting to the man about your family, leaning in closer and closer until the both of you were nearly leaning over the table. He’d cooked for you, an act you found incredibly sweet for the multi-millionaire who probably had ten private chefs on speed-dial, and you’d spent the evening wining and dining. 

You had both finished your main courses, talking about everything and anything when a loud bang had come from the upstairs of the man’s house. He glossed right over it, ignoring the loud sound. You had been about to comment on it but, at his nonchalance, you deigned not to. 

The conversation had continued, you both moving from his table to the couch he owned, which probably cost more than your salary earned you, when another loud sound, which sounded suspiciously like a bark, reverberated through his open-plan house. 

He sighed loudly at your questioning look, deciding that he couldn’t ignore it this time. He opened his mouth to speak but, before he could utter a syllable, the tapping of claws sounded against the stairs located, conveniently, in view of his living room. 

You looked up and there stood one of the largest Bulldogs you had ever seen. It was almost majestic, the way that he stood there on the steps, panting as though he’d just run a race. His brown coat was shining in the twilight glow, his muzzle a white colour in comparison to the rest of his body.

He took a few steps down the stairs, tripping on one before regaining his posture. You could only watch in wonder, mouth agape, as the beautiful beast padded down the steps and took a turn, approaching you head on.

The dog was a thing of beauty, his droopy face conveying no discernable emotion except from being tired. He slowly made his way to the couch, you doing nothing but watching as he trotted along the hardwood floors. You didn’t catch Lewis staring at you warily as you were only focused on the thing that younger you would’ve fought a clan of savage chipmunks in order to have.

The dog eventually made his way in front of you, plopping his behind down on the carpet and staring up at you questioningly. You didn’t know what emotion your face was conveying, you only knew it was very silent.

You cautiously reached a hand down to rub between his ears. After a second of your rubbing he made a gruff ‘woof’ sound and you couldn’t help it, an entranced whine releasing from your throat. Collapsing onto the floor beside the dog, you forgot about Lewis, focusing completely on the magnificent specimen of a dog. 

Roscoe, as you’d soon come to know via a fond Lewis, took to you as soon as you took to him. Within a minute the dog was letting you handle him as much as you’d like, rolling over on his back to let you get his stomach and vigorously licking your arm as you pet him. Praises spilled from your lips abound, making sure to let the bulldog know just how much of a good boy he was.

At a cough you turned from your spot on the floor to face Lewis, the radiant grin he had on his face making you feel as though you’d passed a test of sorts. Roscoe also turned to look at Lewis before turning back to you and huffing. 

He moved forward, stepping on your legs, trying to sit on you, before falling off the slope onto the carpet. You then picked him up and cuddled him, trying to keep eye-contact with Lewis as you did so. Lewis’ eyes had turned into half moons as he watched you love on his dog, his smile consuming his face.

“I’m glad he likes you, I don’t know what I would’ve done if he didn’t.” He admitted, placing his drink on a wooden table that stood beside the couch. He then slowly slid from the couch onto the floor beside you, leaning his body down till he was face-to-face with Roscoe and gave the dog a kiss.

“He’s got good taste.” You commented and Lewis released a laugh, glancing up at you.

“Me or the dog?” He asked after a second and you paused, overdramatically placing a finger on your chin and tilting your head as though you were thinking. You then shrugged and he laughed again, you not missing the incredibly familiar twinkle in his eye as he looked at you.

After that, you’d found that Lewis was a lot more eager to meet at his house. Roscoe, accompanied by the sheepish man, was bowling you over nearly every time the door was opened to you. Lewis had also made the trip to your house, though you doubted he’d seen a house as small as yours within the last ten years. He seemed to like it though, settling in quickly and even staying there when you were at work. The off-season had continued like that, casually building your relationship between his training and your many meetings with Alfa Romeo, trying to settle the discussions about your contract after Valtteri’s move.

You’d finally gotten somewhere just before the season started after having to plead to not be replaced by an inside hire, Valtteri backing you up and stating he wouldn’t race without you. Alfa Romeo had accepted and then you finally had the contract you’d wanted. 

You’d left the meeting, Valtteri in tow, before turning around and hugging the man for having your back before you both said goodbye and made your way home and to the gym respectively.

The uber ride you’d hired was peaceful, the man staring straight ahead as you looked out the window, your small apartment building coming into your view. You smiled as you saw it, thinking of the Lewis you’d left in bed that morning, having to pull yourself out before him to go to your meeting. 

The climb up the steps (the elevator didn’t work which Lewis hadn’t complained about when you’d explained it in embarrassment) had seemed to take forever no matter how fast you climbed. When you’d finally made it to your floor, you had to practically drag yourself across the hallway to your door, unlocking it with force after the lock had gotten stuck.

Immediately you could tell something was off, the place seemed colder than that morning and it didn;t have to do with the fact the thermostat had broken a few months ago. All the lights were off and there was no noise coming from within, a telltale sign that Lewis was somewhere within whether he was listening to music or talking to someone. 

That was ok, though, he might’ve been at a meeting like the one you’d had, though you doubted there would be less than 7 zero’s on his contract. But that’s the difference between a big team and Alfa Romeo, you work with what you get.

You looked to the side table, placing your keys in the bowl, noticing the absence of Lewis’ keys. But that made sense if he was at a training session or a meeting, so you continued into the apartment, losing components of your outerwear as you went. 

You’d lost your scarf and blazer as you’d made your way to your bedroom, prepared to change from your business outfit into one of Lewis’ many shirts when you opened your closet. A quick rummage and you couldn’t find any. Weird.

You checked again before moving to another part of your closet and noting the lack of his hoodies or jumpers, which was even weirder as you’d stolen a few of them last week. You turned and moved to your dresser, an old antique wooden piece you’d picked up from an op-shop a few years ago after seeing it and falling in love.

You’d opened your drawer specifically for pajamas and found everything you’d acquired through your time of living independently but Lewis’ shirts. Moving to the many drawers Lewis used specifically when he’d stay over, a small inkling of panic settled in your stomach however you ignored it and opened the drawer.

Nothing. There was nothing left in the drawer. You quickly opened all his other drawers, almost pulling them out of the dresser with the force you were applying. All of them were empty. This caused the inkling to grow to an uneasy pool. Maybe he’d taken them to wash them at his place?

You stepped back from the dressers, incredibly confused and vehemently denying the growing panic in you. You walked, not ran, into your bathroom. The lonely toothbrush sitting on the counter sent a strange feeling, almost like adrenaline, rushing through you. Opening the cupboards under the counter you noted the loss of his extra face wipes and the moisturizers he insisted on using. 

You ran to your kitchen, not seeing anything off, before slamming into the back of the couch in your open plan apartment in your haste to get into the living room. The action caused pain to ring through your shins but you barely registered it, the missing cd’s that normally sat on the table your tv was balancing on that he had insisted were better than Spotify the only thing you were focused on. 

A quick look down the hallway to the door of your apartment only furthered your dread, noticing details you hadn’t seen before. The missing stack of shoes that he normally toed-off at the door and the missing extra wallet he left on the side table in case someone broke in almost confirmed your fears.

But what really set in the fact that he’d packed up and left was the missing leash that normally hung from a hook you’d installed specifically on the back of your front door. The inscribed ‘Roscoe’ on the hook seemed almost mocking from your place on the couch, but you couldn’t really acknowledge it, the tears filling your eyes blurring your vision.

You stood up from the couch and stormed back into the bedroom, slamming the open drawers shut, not hearing the splintering of the vintage wood. You picked up your phone from your bed that you’d tossed earlier in your haste to become relaxed, and opened your messages.

He hadn’t sent anything to you explaining his leaving and when you went to send a text (‘??? Where are you’) the message that you’d been blocked popped up at the bottom of the screen. You could only stare at the screen for a second, the implications of what he’d done sending emotional shockwaves through you. 

You barked out a sardonic laugh, your hand flopping from its position in front of you to be held uselessly at your side, your phone slipping from your grasp onto the floor. The world went still for a moment before you lifted a hand to cover your vision, the tears slipping from your eyes wetting your hand.

You sat alone on your bed that had, not even 24 hours ago, contained what you had thought was your future. You couldn’t find it in yourself to be angry at this point, the grief for something that was evidently never meant to be controlling your thoughts. A long deep sigh left you before it was interrupted by a sob. And then another sob.

You ended up falling asleep alone that night, still dressed in the smart pants and white shirt you’d worn to your meeting. Your only lullaby was your sobbing, not the sound of his gentle humming, something which you kept reminding yourself of. 

Valtteri had commented that you’d seemed sad the next time he’d seen you but neither of you had addressed it past that, him knowing when to keep his mouth shut. He especially knew to shut up after the intense glare you had fixed him. 

The season had started again and, while you were prepared for your duties as a PR agent, Valtteri’s full calendar being proof enough for that, you weren’t sure you were prepared to see Lewis again. Especially after the news that he was already seeing someone else had come out a week before the first race.

You’d returned Valtteri’s knowing glance with as much strength as you could muster and promptly ignored his further pitying look, choosing to feel sorry for yourself at home that night. You’d also ignored his attempts to try to get you to talk to Tiffany, you liked the woman but you didn’t think you should burden her with your ridiculous, because that’s what it was looking back, delusions that you could’ve been something more than just a summer fling to Lewis Hamilton.

You’d successfully managed to avoid Lewis the whole first couple of races, eventually beginning to see fleeting glances of him throughout the paddock. Seeing him for the first time with his partner had hurt but, looking at her, you couldn’t exactly blame him.

She was gorgeous and, after you’d done a bit of searching, was exactly his previous type. She was wealthy and had a respectable job, someone worthy of being with him. You’d made sure to avoid him after that.

You kept on at work though, determined to be the best goddamn PR Agent Alfa Romeo had ever seen. And you were succeeding. Valtteri was getting brand deals and after more positive press around him and his dedication to the sport regardless of his company, you were finally able to relax. 

And by relaxing, you meant getting wasted at a bar. In fairness, last time you’d relaxed you’d ended up more broken hearted than you’d ever been, so releasing some steam at a bar had seemed an appropriate route.

And it was, being able to drink away your sorrows and spill your guts out to a bartender in a small rundown pub in the middle of Canada was the perfect way to unwind. You hadn’t told the whole story of course, you resented the guy for what he did to you but you didn’t want to tarnish his reputation, but it was nice to tell it to some random person who probably didn’t even understand the way you were switching between Swedish, English, and Finnish. 

You’d woken up the next morning with a heavy weight off your shoulders and a nice Canadian man in your hotel bed, sending him off with a promise to call before promptly adding his phone number to your phone. Valtteri could tell something had changed when you’d walked into his driver’s room the next day, prepared to tell him about his schedule. You greeted his questioning look with a smirk and he shook his head, a disbelieving look on his face.

You’d found that you hadn’t thought about Lewis the whole day, when you’d settled into your hotel bed the night after the race. A warm feeling had spread through you at that, the knowledge that the man no longer consumed your thoughts making you feel good inside.

The next race weekend you were ready to go, the British GP making you pumped. You weren’t so pumped when Valtteri DNF’ed and were mentally preparing answers for the Finn as the race continued, briefing him on every response you could think of in relation to the gearbox issue. Zhou Guanyu did well in his race though, so the garage was quite excited for him, even though Valtteri hadn’t finished.

When the interviews had rolled around after all of the celebrations, you were following Valtteri on the walk to his first interview, eventually stopping to the side of him as a mic was held in front of him and the cameras had started rolling. 

Typical questions such as if he was happy for his teammate and if he was happy with the car were asked, some weirder questions such as if he thought the car’s not-working had to do with some obscure political issue before eventually the interview was wrapped up and the Finn moved on to his next interview, you following him.

You could see other drivers beginning to arrive in the area, being interviewed before you quickly looked away, not wanting to see if he was close. You’d managed to avoid him thus far today, how hard could a few more hours be?

You’d thought that before you heard the faint but tell-tale bark of Roscoe and you had to force yourself not to turn around and run to the dog. Lewis had mentioned bringing the dog to his home race at some point while you were together, so you weren’t exactly surprised at Roscoe’s presence. 

Valtteri’s interview was continuing in the background of your mind as you thought over the nights you’d spent cuddled with Roscoe and Lewis. Did you miss him or Lewis more? Did Lewis even miss you?

Valtteri nudged you in the side, his eyes wide and you snapped back to reality, staring at the interviewer.

“Pardon?” You asked, politely trying to make it seem as though you just hadn’t heard them and were paying attention.

“I just asked if Valtteri preferred Mercedes or Alfa Romeo.” The interviewer filled in and you turned to Valtteri, a questioning look on your face. Surely he could handle that question? He vehemently shook his head. Alrighty then.

You brought out both your hands in front of you, prepared to gesture out an answer for Valtteri to say. But before you could a large force had pounded into your back, knocking you to the floor and landing on top of you. The weight was heavy but it was warm and… was it licking you? “Roscoe! Oh my god, I am so sorry!” A voice came from behind you.

Oh no.

While you had been mentally preparing an answer for Valtteri, Lewis had been walking around the media area, Roscoe in tow on a leash. The dog had been restless ever since he’d entered the pen, Lewis echoing that sentiment as he saw a brief glimpse of you. He wanted nothing more than to run to you but he couldn’t with media responsibilities weighing him down.

Eventually the interviewer’s fill of Roscoe was full and he was able to do a little bit of wandering around the area. Lewis had handed the leash of the now-agitated Roscoe to Angela as he went to go answer some more questions, the press incredibly curious about the dynamics of the car.

Angela, bless her soul, had tried her best to wrangle the dog, but his continuous pulling and barking was beginning to annoy some of the media. Seeing this, Angela had decided to just let the dog pull her away, Roscoe almost dragging her as he went. 

He had pulled her almost completely across the room before he got too violent and managed to rip the leash from her hands, leaving Angela stumbling in the dust as he began to run. Lewis had watched this happen, and continued to watch in horror as Roscoe ran up behind you.

One gigantic leap and you were pushed to the floor, the big bulldog nuzzling into your neck. The world seemed to almost go quiet before Angela ran over, trying to grab the collar of the rabid dog, asking if you were ok.

Lewis had started to move over, dismissing the reporter who he was talking to as he made his way to his dog and his ex-lover. He saw you roll over on the floor, a small sad smile on your face as the dog began slobbering over you. A few more steps and he was in front of you, scolding Roscoe and apologising as he effortlessly grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled him back.

You tried not to look in his eyes, knowing all your effort of trying to get over him would be null if you saw his face. You ignored the hand he extended, instead smoothing down your clothes as you sat on the floor, only pulling yourself up when he awkwardly lowered his hand, framing it as if you just didn’t see.

He knew though, he’d developed the unfortunate skill of reading you.

You didn’t look at him as you assured him you were fine and that he should continue with his interviews, only sparing a glance at Angela who looked at you with a regretful hint in her eyes. You didn’t want to think about that more than you had to, waving them off to more interviews. 

You turned around before you could see Lewis leave, thankfully not seeing the longing he had displayed over his face as he turned away, back to his interviews. 

Would you have been able to hold it together if you’d seen the look he’d shot you? No. Were you when you watched it back after the weekend? Also no.

You turned back to Valtteri, cracking a quick joke, before he got back to his interviews. You spent the rest of that day picking gravel out of your palms, trying to forget about the whole interaction. You wouldn’t let this break your progress, the handsome Canadian man in your contacts getting a ring that night as you tried to distract yourself.

After a few days of you cursing Roscoe for trying to see you while also feeling as though you should arrange some sort of custody agreement so you could see the beautiful beast, a notification had popped up on your phone. It was a recommended tweet, a news article about how Lewis had apparently split from his “new fling”. 

That sent you spiraling, questioning why on earth the algorithm had thought to show you this and wondering what you’d done wrong in your past life in order for this to be what was happening to you.

You’d only become more confused a day later, when Angela had sent you an email, saying that Lewis would like to meet up and apologise because of the media backlash. The thing was you’d seen no media backlash, people just finding the dog's enthusiasm funny. 

If there was any sort of trouble, you’d have seen it, it was your job after all, so you were left sitting on your couch, pondering what was the point of the meeting she was trying to set up.

You’d aired the email for a few days, wondering what you should do. You wanted to say yes, to talk to Lewis again and ask him what had happened, but you didn’t want to get hurt again. And you knew you’d be hurt when you saw him doing perfectly fine without you.

The fact that Angela was waiting for you to respond didn’t cross your mind till you received a text from an unknown number, politely asking you to respond. The older woman had waited till she knew you’d read the text, about five minutes, before sending a more desperate text. That had your eyebrows raising unwillingly, confused about why she had sent three “please”’s in one paragraph.

Regardless you fell victim to knowing how hard it was to try and manage a driver's personal and professional commitments and said yes. Only because you felt bad for Angela was what you kept telling yourself.

Eventually the day had come and you were dreading it, lying on your couch until the last second possible. The thought of canceling had popped through your head multiple times but it was too late now. The only way you could back out is if an emergency happened or you died on the way to the private restaurant Angela had insisted on booking, saying that even though the meeting was supposed to be platonic, it shouldn’t be aired to the public.

A deep sigh left you as you pulled yourself up and walked to your bedroom, dressing yourself in business clothes. You wanted to put effort in, but knowing that you’d definitely be embarrassed if you showed up glammed out and he showed up in a shirt and jeans, you decided against it. It was a business dinner anyway, simply to smooth over a wrong that had been committed against you. 

But it wasn’t a wrong, it was Roscoe pushing you over, which could hardly be considered a wrong and was more the dog testing the things he could get away with.

The real wrong was what Lewis had done to you. You hoped that you could get through the ordeal without talking about it, showing up and then posting a picture to Lewis’s instagram or something about how it was all good to appease the critics.

Except there were no critics, it was just Lewis wanting to have dinner with you. Or maybe it was just Angela trying to meddle. Maybe he was going to try to apologise for him ghosting you? You didn’t know if you would accept it.

You might’ve been able to accept it if he’d been honest from the start, telling you that he wouldn’t want you past the end of the break so you could quickly shut down the relationship before it started and move on with your life.

A thought that’d you always try to flush from your mind sprung to the front of it as you wondered. Maybe you were being too harsh. You’d never explicitly expressed what you were, maybe you had just been overthinking it the whole time you were together. Or rather, not together. 

But that would’ve been unfair to you anyways, you reassured yourself. Him letting you get a taste of his future before exempting you from it was a cruel thing to do to anyone.

A ring from your phone let you know that you should’ve been out the door at this point. You quickly cursed before grabbing your essentials and running to your entryway, pulling your shoes on, before grabbing your keys from the side table. 

After locking your door, you ran down the stairs to your apartment building and hailed a taxi. Luckily traffic wasn’t too bad, so you were able to arrive at the restaurant on time, quickly hurrying inside and getting led to your table.

You never had to worry about being late though, as Lewis wasn’t there when you got to the private booth. It was fine, he came from the other side of town so he’d probably only be a few minutes late.

It was about twenty minutes later you’d sighed and decided to ring Angela. Ironically, she didn’t pick up. You couldn’t help the bark of a laugh that left your throat, shaking your head at the sad reality of your situation.

Ghosted by two members of Mercedes. Maybe it was a good idea for Valtteri to move when he had, otherwise they may have just stopped picking up the phone. You gave him ten more minutes before trying Angela again. The same response. 

At this point you were sick of being made the fool of. Perhaps it was your fault for believing your dispute could be resolved, your fault for believing you were worth showing up for. You stood up with a pressure at the back of your eyes and began the walk from the private booth all the way at the back of the swanky restaurant to the exit.

Before you got even five meters from your table, the door to the restaurant slammed open. Everyone turned to stare at the heavily breathing world champion as he took a second to recoup himself. He didn’t let himself look at anyone in the restaurant as he straightened his suit and turned to the host, who looked a little shell shocked. A quick exchange later and the host stepped back from the little podium he was stood behind. 

You quickly scampered back to your seat, making it just in time and plastering an unimpressed look over your face. Looking back up, you could see Lewis scanning all the patrons of the premises before his eyes paused and locked onto you. 

The simple action of making eye-contact, a luxury which you had refused yourself during your bump with Roscoe, sent a lick of emotion down your spine. You couldn’t exactly read his face, you didn’t know what he was choosing to display or doing unwittingly after being played by him for months, but you believed he was relieved. 

When he arrived at the table he waved off the host with a small ‘thanks’ before sitting down in the seat opposite to you. It was silent for a few seconds, you both continuing eye contact. You were trying to find anything you could recognise in his eyes while he was just looking at you, at your face. 

“I’m sorry for being so late.” He spoke finally, a slight tilt growing at the corners of his lips. You didn’t respond and the awkwardness won him over after a few more seconds, something that was quite uncharacteristic of him. He coughed.

“The lift wouldn’t work, I’d left my keys, then no one would pull over. I tried to call you but my phone died, so I just ran trying to get here.” He said and averted his eyes, a mannerism you’d recognised as a nervous tick the couple of times you’d seen it. You didn’t know how to reply so you let your emotions take hold.

“Your call wouldn’t have gone through.” You said blankly and he looked back to you, before chuckling awkwardly. You didn’t find it funny.

“You would’ve had to unblock me first.” You needlessly elaborated, getting some sadistic enjoyment out of the way the man squirmed. He continued his awkward laughing, you joining in to laugh sardonically.

You didn’t know where this feeling, of needing him to a sliver of the uncomfortableness he’d caused you, had come from. The feeling you got from his discomfort wasn’t pleasure though, it felt empty as though it was pointless in the long run. You supposed it was, he wouldn’t remember you in a few years and your small petty actions wouldn’t even matter when he married the princess of some country. 

He cleared his throat, drawing your attention from your musings to his face.

“I wanted to apologise.” He stated bluntly and you raised an eyebrow. Yeah, no shit. He caught your expression and winced. 

“I should’ve had Roscoe on a tighter leash and not have given him to Angela. It was my fault-” You tuned him out as he continued, shaking your head in disbelief. Yeah sure, it was why the meeting had been arranged, but you’d genuinely thought he might’ve talked about the elephant in the room at some point. Maybe you were judging harshly though. Maybe after a few minutes he’d start talking about the model he’d piped the other day or the Albanian billionaire who wanted to be his sugar mommy.

You’d forgotten that he could read you like a book and had stopped when he realised you were no longer paying attention. He reached over the table to wave a hand in front of your eyes, an action that was very rude, and you reacted accordingly. You turned to face him, affronted, and he smiled at your expression before his face turned serious and he breathed a deep breath.

“I didn’t know if you’d want to talk about what had happened.” He said finally, staring down at the table, and you scoffed, crossing your arms in front of your buttons. You started to talk, the words leaving your mouth before you could properly think about them, hurt blurring your thoughts.

“Of course I would love to recount the time I came home and I found my place ransacked.” You said, the fakeness of your enthusiasm leaking into your words causing him to flinch.

“I’d love to talk about the messages I sent you before I realised I’d been blocked. Sure, let’s talk about how, not even two weeks after telling me you thought we’d have a future together, you’d completely left me, without a word of discussion.” You finally let out, almost strangling your throat closed so as to not let more of the hurt out. This was a work-related dinner after all and you didn’t want to draw more attention than Lewis already had.

His face had fallen, an incredibly unfamiliar look coating his face and you tried to stop yourself before you spoke, trying to tame the biting uncertainties in your head.

“Was it because I’d moved companies?” You questioned and he looked up. “Should I not have followed Valtteri?” Your question floated in the air and he shook his head, a sorrowful expression taking over his face.

“Then why?” You asked after a second and he paused, not responding. You, tired of his silence, thought about all the reasons you’d gone over in your head, and settled on the one that made the most sense to you. Looking back, it was probably the most unrealistic, but it made sense to the angry and sad mindset you had.

“Was it because I couldn’t afford everything?” His head snapped up, shock colouring his features. “I could’ve moved to a new apartment if it bothered you, having to stay over at my place. I knew you didn’t do a lot of things that break because I couldn’t pay, but you could’ve told me if you wanted to. I do have a savings account I could’ve dipped into.” You said quietly, looking down at the table, all the fight having been sapped from your body. 

You were tired. You didn’t know what the time difference was between you and Canada, but you were sure that you could set an alarm and wake up to spill your guts to the stranger, it was better than telling anyone you knew. 

Lewis called your name but you didn’t look up from the table, hoping to not see any form of confirmation in his eyes. He reached a hand over the table, this time to not be rude but to lift your chin up and look in your eyes. He contemplated for a second before speaking softly.

“I thought it was what you wanted.” He said and you reared back, completely shocked before he continued.

“You kept going to meetings with Alfa Romeo and I thought it was your subtle way of telling me to fuck off. You know, that you had more important things to worry about than a driver from your old company. We’d never talked about what we were and I just thought…” He paused for a second here, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked at the wall before looking back into your eyes.

“I thought I could bite the bullet, leave before you could tell me to go. And it worked in the end, you’ve been doing exceptionally well. I haven’t seen a bad story about Valtteri in months.” He said and withdrew his hand as he leaned back against the chair behind him.  You processed his words for a moment before he cleared his throat, drawing you back to look at him.

“I would never, by the way.” He disclosed quietly and you tilted your head. He continued. “I don’t mind if you have the money or not, for that break your apartment was the best place for me.” 

The use of the present tense threw you off for a second, leaving you to rearrange yourself in your seat and clear your throat as you thought of a response. You couldn’t, opening your mouth but no words coming out. He’d stunned you into silence. You finally found your voice after steeling yourself for a second. “W-what about umm… what was her name?” You asked, a stutter permeating your words. He just sighed, letting his head fall slack to stare at the table. 

“It was a mistake.” He said quietly, and guilt for the poor girl rushed through you. “I thought that after I’d let you go I should at least try to find something as a replacement.” He looked up at you.

“I couldn’t though, no one could match to you. But I couldn’t leave her without a reason.” 

He leaned further back in his seat, his voice terse as he spoke. “She gave me plenty of reason after I caught her in bed with her ex.” You winced at the tone of his voice and gave him a second to collect his thoughts. Even if he was trying to break it off, it’s never a good feeling to be cheated on. 

You spoke up after a second, trying to clear the silence between you and deciding he should know about your fling after you’d ended if this dinner was going to way you thought it was.

“I met a man in Canada.” You said hesitantly and you saw his shoulders drop.

“Oh.” He said quietly, before shaking himself out as if he was a cat and plastering a smile on his face. Lewis made eye-contact and asked you a question.

“What’s his name?” Fake-enthusiasm permeated his question, as though he was trying to hide his disappointment. 

You didn’t want to address that, though you knew you had to. Could you take him back? You didn’t know for sure if he would leave you again, which scared you. The whole idea of taking him back scared you, though the thought of more time with him that wasn’t spent trying to avoid looking his way made you hopeful. You tried not to feel that way, knowing that you shouldn’t base your happiness on the man.

But he had apologised and explained his reasoning. As much as you wanted to curse him out for not talking with you, it did make sense. Feelings of inadequacy were present in every person, no matter how remarkable they were.

Look at you, already being hypocritical over your own words. You’d said you didn’t know if you’d take him back, but now you were already planning it. Was that pathetic? You didn’t like to think it was, but maybe you were wrong, ignoring your dignity in favour of the man.

God, if only the world was more simple and less complicated. If only you hadn’t gotten locked in an elevator, if only Roscoe hadn’t been as adorable as he was, if only you’d said no to this dinner. If only you’d just talked about your feelings from the start instead, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

Too late now though, you supposed, snapping back to the present and leveling eye-contact with Lewis. You contemplated your words, knowing they’d probably either be the start or the end of your time with him.

“I don’t remember.” You said finally, staring at Lewis’ face as a smile that he tried to contain spread over it.

“You don’t remember his name?” He asked, almost trying to confirm his words and you shook your head. He couldn’t control his smile, trying to mask it behind a cough. You only started to grin in response, looking into his eyes as they slowly turned back into half-moons.

A cleared-throat startled you both out of your bubble and you turned to the waiter, who looked as if he had just watched a soap opera play out in front of him. He awkwardly held out menus to the both of you and you quickly accepted them, apologising for making him stand awkwardly for so long.

When he’d left you both had looked at each other and exchanged smiles. The dinner had continued and it was as lovely as Lewis himself. That is to say, very lovely. 

After paying and making the walk to Lewis’ house, you both stumbled into Lewis’ abode, not able to keep your hands off of each other. However a large obstacle had stopped you from taking it further, namely the heavy weight of the british bulldog that decided to settle himself on top of you the second you’d walked through the door.

You could barely hear Lewis’s laughter over the sound of Roscoe licking the side of your face, you muffling your own laughter into the carpet. 

When you’d next seen Valtteri, he’d only taken one glance at your neck before shooting you a smirk, the knowing glance he had on his face making you roll your eyes as you pushed him to his interviews.

i got stuck halfway through but i just wanted it overrrr. Hopefully it's not too bad, let me know in the comments.

[jeanstapleton]

the rule of 3 in season 5

examples include but are not limited to:

dot's family of three

dot being roy's third wife

dot, munch, and gator being three extensions of roy

munch & dot meeting three times

danish's prank on roy involving three men

the ticket number at the courthouse (?) numbering 313

munch claiming roy owes him three times his original payment

including gator, munch was attacked by three men

after being shot in the leg, witt had three working limbs

the rune munch left on the walls of the tillman daughters' bedroom had two kinds of threes: three vertical lines; then a diagonal, a horizontal, and a set of curves on the top and bottom

the ranch war involving three separate parties: the neo-nazis, the military, & dot vs the tillmans

im sure there are tons more, but my overall interpretation is that the threes are meant to subliminally question binaries -- moral binaries, gender binaries, the idea of the past & future being separate, pacifism vs violence, etc. -- because people cannot be defined through binaries. they can, however, limit the infinite paths available to them through binarist thinking. since dot, munch, & gator are the three main characters, i think they're represented through the 313 ticket, with gator being the 1. he was too far gone in his assimilation to have many paths available to him, & so he was locked into the singular path of suffering. munch & dot, meanwhile, have been questioning the binaries they've been locked into since the start of the season. when you overlap a 3 and a mirrored 3, you get a figure eight, aka infinity. dot & munch are that pair of threes, who, as the season progresses, are also revealed to be two halves of a whole. munch states in the finale that life is not a circle, but a line. he is trying so hard to cling to binarist logic because despite how it's poisoned him, it's still familiar, and the unknown territory of love is too scary. he's a lonely human being trying to convince himself that he's a beast. gator is the opposite. hes a beast trying to convince himself that his upbringing is the natural way of humanity. obviously, the wild card is dot, who shows both of them that the paths of life can exist even beyond the threes. even though she & gator aren't compatible anymore, she loves & forgives him. its munch who still has a chance, & so they meld together to form that infinity.

[walleeli]

Want to discuss something about Stampede that’s been plaguing me. SPOILERS for both Trigun Stampede and Trigun Maximum incoming…

I’ve seen a couple posts recently where people have said that Vash’s characterization in Stampede as having always been a goody-two shoes worsens his character (or like, makes it flat or boring or whatever.) and tbh I totally agree. HOWEVER COMMA. I don’t think it will end up having been accurate of him in the adaptation as we continue. And I think its possible it isn’t true now if you happen to know exactly what to look for… this is about to get long.

So I got into Trigun as a whole just a few months ago. And my experience was I watched 98, then tristamp, and THEN read trimax. So that’s my frame of reference and the order in which I experienced the different characterizations.

I want to talk about this scene at the beginning of episode 12 of tristamp.

Because when I first saw it, heard it, I figured it was Vash speaking. And when it panned out to reveal Knives

I was surprised. And a little confused. It didn’t line up with what I, at the time, thought to be true of their characters. The more clear cut “good” and “evil” being the only version I’d ever really experienced. (Maybe 98 did a better job with Vash’s characterization as a child than I am remembering??? But I feel like it was pretty similar to tristamp??? Could absolutely be wrong but either way the point stands that based on my memory at the time the scene was odd to me.)

The scene is so brief and there’s so much other shit going on in the rest of the episode that it left my mind pretty quickly. Until I was reading through Vash and Knives’s backstories in trimax and texting my brother about how I had no idea how deep Vash’s character was in the source material. It was at that point that I told him I was honestly kind of miffed with the handling of his character in Stampede, as I felt it did a disservice to him. And he actually was the one to remind me that Orange has already demonstrated an enjoyment of unreliable narration in tristamp. Specifically I am thinking of hearing in episode 1 that Vash gave Knives the code he needed to take down the SEEDS ships vs seeing in episode 11 that he didn't give it to him for that purpose AT ALL and also the ending of episode 8 showing young teen Knives as scowling and standing tall vs episode 9 showing him rattled and on his knees (obviously we also still get the scowling later but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. PROBABLY.)

Anyways my brother and I kept talking about it and I was saying it's still weird that we see all those scenes of Vash being this like. Happy-go-lucky kid when that's not what you get from trimax until after the blank ticket talk. And he suggested what I am currently choosing to believe to be true: the sequence of events has been reordered. And flashbacks we get of like, their first birthday and stuff, actually take place after they find Tesla. (In Stampede’s canon I mean.)

This is the only other time we see kid Vash seeming more closed off/somber/whatever. Obviously Knives has already taken some sort of turn. He’s certainly not in finger guns mode anymore LMAO.

Obviously this is just wild and maybe ungrounded speculation at this point. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Orange pulls the rug out from under us a bit in season 2. And I sincerely hope they do.

[kungukingi]

A little 因縁 (innen) bris/isbr detour

I've long believed that the switch in Isagi's age at the start of Blue Lock—from 17, as referenced in Chapter 88 (released in October 2020), to 16 as stated in the Egoist Bible (released in October 2022)—is Kaneshiro's intentional final word on the topic. However, I haven't discussed this here because people generally don't like the idea and aren't willing to change their opinions on the matter.

And I mean I get it, I also thought he was 17 for the longest time too, and even baked that information into my fanfics' timeline.

However, now that I am no longer the only one speaking about the retcon and how it is ultimately logical and valid, I feel comfortable pointing this out:

We know that Isagi started playing football at the age of four. This is an excerpt from his light novel that describes the moment he decided to start playing:

His father received J-League tickets from a friend and the family decided to go watch the game. The venue was the Saitama Stadium. His parents had little interest in soccer, but since it was a home game, the place was packed with enthusiastic local fans. Contrary to his parents' expectation that he would be scared of the crowd and cry, Isagi did not cry. “Whoa… Awesome……” As the game began, Isagi felt a throb in his chest that he had never felt before. The bright green grass and blue sky. Players chasing the ball. The crowd going wild. He doesn't know the rules or anything, but he wants to be there. He wants to chase the ball, too.

Translated by @hoshi801_, bolding added by me.

In terms of descriptions, the passage states that on the match day they had:

Good weather (blue sky)

Lush grass (bright green)

High attendance (the place was packed with enthusiastic local fans)

Free tickets are often distributed during the summer (mid-season) in the J-League. Given this, combined with the three descriptors of the event, I believe summer is the most likely time the match occurred.

We also know that Barou received a football from his father as a birthday present when he turned six on June 27th.

This makes me believe Isagi and Barou began playing around the exact same time that summer. And while it's not important and likely just a coincidence, I still find it incredibly heartwarming.

...But also, in light of the term "因縁" (innen) having been associated with them recently, this detail makes that concept even more delicious. We can now assume closely synchronised beginnings and parallel paths of growth for both, which perfectly aligns with the ideas of 'cosmic alignment' and 'predestined and unconscious connection' implied by 因縁.

And because I love being self-indulgent, I'm going to be thinking about this for a while.

[par2n2]

Donoùsa /do.núː.sa/ [Δονούσα, Δενούσα, ή Δόνουσα]

Very recently I had the chance to revisit Donoùsa, the easternmost and most unapproachable island of Mikrès Kyklàdes after 20 years since my last trip. This small island has become extremely popular for backpackers and youngsters, many of whom free camp in its sheltered southern sandy beaches. The island still possesses its isolated and secluded nature, however in the peak of the touristic season in August it becomes crowded and nearly swarming with colourful visitors.

Most backpackers set their lodgings in the small clearings of lentisks, tamarisks and olive trees that form dense groves in the fields behind the shore of Livàdi, filling them with tents and hammocks. The small sandy beach is crammed with sheds, umbrellas, jammed with tanned visitors with flashy and harlequin-like pareos. A remarkable community, or more accurately an actual makeshift village, is formed for the few summer months, inhabited by Greeks and foreigners alike, striving to enjoy the luminous Mediterranean sun and crystal clear sea. The fact that free camping in public areas (as all coasts and beaches in Greece are) is fully banned throughout the country, particularly in protected areas, and that hefty fines are imposed to perpetrators, discourages few backpackers, in Donoùsa at least, from this practice.

This over-visitation of still untouched and inaccessible islands and shores by the so-called "free campers" has peaked over the last decade in Greece. The still precipitating repercussions of the Greek financial crisis of 2010, the ever increasing cost of living in contrast to low wages, and the excessive and unethical, super profits of the tourism sector, Greece's "heavy" industry, have left few if any alternatives for generation Z, that has paid a huge toll, and still bears the immense debt burdens left by their parents. For most Greeks between their 20s and 30s, only a few days of holidays in the Greek islands, may require more than 2 monthly salaries or even more to be spent on ferry tickets, accommodation and subsistence costs, making the whole endeavour non viable. Staycation in Athens or in other main cities has become a mainstream for most, otherwise free camping is the sole option for enjoying the once common "people's swim" in the summer.

However, "free camping" is not without consequences, particularly for nature. Pristine, protected and sensitive sites (such as the idyllic sandy beaches with coastal dunes in small islands of the Aegean Sea) constitute the home for important, endemic and threatened species and habitats. Even the most aware and careful free-campers constitute a major threat, resulting in serious deterioration in wild and vulnerable natural ecosystems. Ignorance is the main cause, since most, if not all, campers presume that only litter and waste left behind are the cause of degradation, while strongly maintain that their "natural" free stay has no repercussions for the coastal dune ecosystems. According to researchers, it has been estimated that during the last thirty years, almost 75% of Mediterranean coastal dunes have been damaged or destroyed, principally by tourism. Anthropogenic impacts combined with natural coastline retreat accelerate the destruction of the dune vegetation, ultimately leading to dune destruction.

This was the case for Donkey-island, [Γαϊδουρονήσι], or Chrysì, an uninhabited secluded islet, south of Crete which was nearly destroyed by over-visitation and human induced degradation of its unique dune ecosystem. Propitiously the Greek state enacted an effective management plan and put into force protective measures for this natural gem, banning free camping and strictly regulating access and stay on the islet. Hopefully recovery of the much affected dune habitats will not be very far away.

Sadly, tourism and seasonal over-visitation, even free camping, of small and vulnerable islands that lack resources, but host important and threatened natural habitats and species, take a grave toll, that may dispossess insular and coastal communities from their most valuable assets, natural environment.

[hugsandchaos]

Owl House Swapped AU Storyline

Okay, so Luz is born in the Boiling Isles as Luz Clawthorne, but she isn’t living with Eda. Eda and Luz have swapped last names, and Eda lives in the human realm (let’s say King is a dog or something). Camila joined the Emperor’s Coven to try to feed her daughter, but someone who saw her as a competitor cursed her daughter to try to force her out. Years later, Luz has her palisman Stringbean and is known as Luz the Wild Witch, and her mother is trying to bring her in to find a cure, but like Lilith in the original story, she’s being lied to by Belos. Luz somehow escapes into the human realm, but it was a one way ticket. She feels obligated to get back, but at the same time, she’s not sure if she really wants to.

As a sort of “Season 2”, I’m thinking that in Season 1, there was a threat in the human realm, but the group managed to take care of it. However, Belos finds a way into the human realm at the end of Season 1, and he’s still after Luz.

A little foreshadow I’ve thought of is Hunter trying out the “long hair” style and for the first few seconds, Luz sees Belos instead of Hunter and jumps back with a scream. The group laughs and Luz realizes what’s actually going on and nervously laughs along, saying that she thought he was someone else. Everyone thought she meant that she thought he was a stranger at first, but later on Hunter realizes she actually meant “I thought you were someone who pretty much traumatized me in his pursuit to capture and possibly kill me” when they’re trying to figure out who “Belos” is and why she’s so scared that he’s in the human realm that she ran away from the group in terror.

That’s the short version. I’m going to bed.

[kaceybruce]

Life is Beautiful..

and messy, and fun, and chaotic and full speed and turtle slow. I came on here to look at some of our summer fun we’ve had along the way and think of things to put on my radar for this summer and instead I ready a few posts along the way and am in awe of how far I have come, we have come.. 

Life is so different. I am so different now. We are in this season that has taken my breath away and I cant keep up. I started turning inward again in hopes of just trying to figure some things out. I cant keep up. I am metaphorically drowning again. and then I say to myself, Kacey, you have been here before and you have got yourself out of messes like this before. 

How do I do it all. I don't. How do I put myself in 4 places at once, I don't.. How do I find peace with that. As the kids are older I have this yearning for 5 years ago even though you couldn't pay me to go back there. I have tried my best to ebb and flow and grow with what we need NOW and not how it used to be. which isn't easy for me, a lover of all traditions. 

I have released my children into the wild wild world and they spring back to me every now and then. I see it and feel it when they ask for a movie night or to go to the leisure center. 

We planned a trip to Hawaii when we moved up. It was the first decision the four of us made moving up and it was this “ we can still have a fabulous life even though I left your dad and we are in 3 schools in six months and Im so sorry I tried my best. Even now, with all the self work I have done moving forward and doing the right thing. it sits there in the back of your head. a mini trigger that “your marriage didnt work out, you are less then”. its mind blowing. 

I teach my kids the power of saving and travel and we saved so long and so much that the jar at the front of my foyer has peppa pig riding a surf board. peppa who? 

During one of our family meetings, Brixton said to us “ are we ever going to go? or are we just going to talk about it” and fair. we booked tickets the next week. book the flight! that's usually how it starts and completed. Everything falls into place after that. 

This trip was solid gold for our family. As we spiderweb away from each other in soccer directions, and play dates, and hang outs, and studying for tests, and messaging friends around the clock. this was a lovely reminder that we all still really like each others company and we know how to have fun together. 

We let the vacation speak to us. however it needed to. We changed our mind, we changed direction. there was no-one to answer to as we weren't traveling in a group. we went up for some air con break and a cloud rolled in and we said lets go find dinner. we got ready to go. took off the wet bathing suits, made it to the pathway and the next resort over, the sun came back out. 35 and humid.. we sat on some other resorts chair and went “where are we even going?” looked at each other and said back to the pool? and we all agreed and laughed and walked back up to the room, placed the wet bathing suits back on and found new chairs to sit on. ordered mango smoothies and chicken strips. and resumed as we were. 

and no one whined or cried or was mad we changed our mind. it was lovely. Hawaii post will be another time. But it felt like this giant exhale we all needed in life. and we accomplished a goal!! a 5 year goal that we made as a family. 

I walked onto that beach in the morning after the crazy travel day of hiccups. and I exhaled and choked up. filled with so much joy and release. the kids didnt even see the few tears that fell. we ran and got our feet into the ocean and played. and this need to prove that we were going to be okay and the kids wouldn't be messed up, who am I kidding we all give them different reasons to be messed up.. and that we just DID it! literally fell off of my. as though I had a thick terry cloth towel cloak covering me from the sun. I felt it fall away and I actually said out loud. “ you fucking did it Kacey! and followed that up with “ you had absolutely nothing to prove to yourself’ 

talk about freedom and exhale. 

I brought a note book and just jotted down anything I could that trip and as I crawl out of the vacation low that comes after such a great vacation. I am already thinking, where are we going next in this world kids?!?! where are we going next. 

motherhood is crazy working full time. I cant grasp anything and I cant parent the kids how I want to. and I see the silver linings in there and the goodness that is coming out of that. but man oh man.I yearn for the slow mornings at home while the sun slips through the front blinds. sitting on my front steps talking to me sister on the phone and chasing the sun. I am also grateful that I sucked the ever loving marrow out of that stage of life. I knew when I was in it that it was fleeting, the elders told me so almost every day, but wow. not that we are in this stage. 

phew. where do we go from here? 

[magickingdompng]

Question time! What's your favorite Disney land that's no longer around? Mine's the original "Tomorrowland" (hopefully the right name) themed after space / the future and with all the corporate sponsors lol

Oh, what an interesting question!

The original Tomorrowland was such a wild place! It’s honestly one of my favorite modern lands, but I would’ve loved to ride some of those original rides like Journey into Inner Space. I’m glad they never changed that retro-future theming, though.

There have been a surprising amount of lands that have closed over the years. It’s a good time to quickly go over the difference between a park and a land, for those who don’t know (because I didn’t for a while).

A park is what it sounds like: a whole theme park. You need a ticket to get into it, and you can only go to one a day (unless you have park hopper tickets). Disneyland has only two, but Disney World has four — Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot.

A land, however, is a section of those parks which has specific theming. I won’t go over all of them, there’s a lot, but some good examples are Tomorrowland like you mentioned and Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom, as well as Star Wars Land (aka Galaxy’s Edge but everyone calls it Star Wars Land LOL) and Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios. As long as you’re in the particular park the land is in, there’s no ticket and you can freely come and go.

As for closed lands, I absolutely have to say the original Future World in Epcot.

Honestly, I would say all of Epcot as it originally stood, but Future World especially, because it contained a fan favorite Disney attraction that has been closed for years: Journey Into Imagination, the origin of Figment the purple dragon! It also contained several other defunct attractions - in fact, I don’t think any of them still stand today.

The reason Future World and Epcot in general has been so remodeled is an interesting one, and actually relates back to the reason Tomorrowland was remodeled so heavily; it’s basically an impossible to theme a theme park to the real possible future.

Well, you can, but it’s not going to last very long. Epcot was originally sort of a permanent world’s fair, with its attractions designed to be educational and innovative. Future World especially, obviously, got the brunt of this, with all kinds of showcases of scientific discoveries.

But you may have noticed a problem with this idea. While it’s an incredibly cool idea, especially nowadays science moves quickly. In just a few years, Future World and pretty much all of Epcot looked outdated already. The technology it showcased was no longer innovative. It was all yesterday’s news.

In order to keep a land like that accurate and up to date, it would need overhauls basically every single year, and that’s just not feasible (especially for a park that never closes for an off season).

So, Future World and pretty much all of the other lands and attractions of Epcot have been gutted. A lot of it stands fully abandoned, like the Horizons plaza which is only used intermittently as a festival space. It gives the entire park a strange vibe.

However, I’ve got to say I kind of love modern Epcot, too, even though it’s since replaced all its lands and has a lot of renovations planned. It was one of my favorite parks to just be in when we went, with the retro future theming of Tomorrowland taken to a bigger extreme. I’d still absolutely adore to see it at its peak of operation, especially when Journey Into Imagination was still operating.

Thank you so much for the question!! And on a side note, also thank you for reblogging my posts and promoting my blog like you have. It’s the only reason I’ve gotten such a huge influx of followers and notes and I can’t thank you enough. C:

[whatsonmedia]

Thursday Thrill: Music Madness Festivals & Award Shows!

Get ready to immerse yourself in music and cultural experiences as February draws to a close and March gears up! This month offers a diverse selection of festivals, from celebrating established artists to showcasing up-and-coming talents. Here's a quick glimpse of what awaits you: aBroadfest 29 Feb – 2 Mar This year is a celebration of 10 years of Abroadfest holding its ground in one of the fragile climates. Where festivals have taken the biggest hit, some of the best festivals are having to take a break, because of the cost of living crisis!  However aBroadfest Is back for its 11th inception.  Any festival loving person up for up for a roadtrip of sorts wont be disappointed, some of the biggest festival take place in this magnifiacnet city. Its also a great start to the global festival season. Abroadfest is taking festival-goers to a beautiful european destination. Thankfully returning again this year for an even bigger and better shindig. Expect 3 days of a full-on music program, set in the majestic surroundings of Barcelona, Spain with its unique production alongside one the best artist line-up. Letting your senses run wild as you enjoy this quirky experience. This is a weekend for true dance music lovers. The festival line-up for 2024 includes Noizu, Kream, plus many more Tickets & More Info The Brit Awards 2 Mar Back for its 44th cermony, the star-studded UK celebrity music event is going to go off with a bang.  Hosting this years event is Clara Amfo, Maya Jama and Roman Kemp. Expect fun a froics at the O2 London,  where the winning nominees music artists for each catoergires receive the very special Brit award.  This is a ticket event that the general public can attend and see some of the most famous music artists from the UK and around the globe, including newcomers all coming together for one big party. But for those you, who just like sitting back at home and having a Brit partty of you're own thankfully the Brits cermony can be seen live on the TV.  Lets just hope theres no naughtiness going on.  With special preformances from Dua Lipa, RAYE, Kylie Minogue, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, Jungle, Chase & Status, Becky Hill and Rema plus other. The Brits is always a very special night on the UK music calender and definitley one for your bucket list.. Tickets & More Info Masters of Riff 1 - 3 Mar London Doom Collective proudly presents the Masters of the Riff festival back for its third year.  Taking place over the weekend at Oslo, Hackney, London.  For those that love all things metal or/and rock music. This headbanging festival its defo one for you.  Its a celebration of rock gods from the heavy rock scene.  Its lookings like London is cookin up a storm for the weekend. Tickets are still avaliable so go check the finest riffs in the capital The 3 day line-up features Dopethrone, Elephant Tree, The Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Firebreather, Margarita Witchcult, Dystopian Future Movies, Dead Witches, Grave Lines, Tuskar, Hundred Year Old Man, Trippy Wicked, Gurt, Dunes, Black Orchids, Wall, Helve, Novere, Godless Suns, Mountain Caller, Bodach and Orme. Tickets & More Info Read the full article

[stillunusual]

Leeds United: Meslier, Firpo (Roberts 73), Ampadu, Piroe (Bamford 64), Kamara, Summerville (Anthony 90), Rodon, Gray, Rutter, Gnonto (James 64), Gruev.

Subs not used: Klaesson, Cresswell, Cooper, Shackleton, Joseph. What an incredible game - and an important one too….

The pressure was really on Leeds after Ipswich won their game in hand in midweek to go level with us on points. Leicester were nine points clear at the top, so a victory at Elland Road would have increased the gap between us and them to 12 points, but now it's half that, which makes them potentially catchable….

This was the fifth time I've had hospitality tickets at Elland Road, and up to now I've seen three wins and one draw, so it was also good to continue my unbeaten record while enjoying the unlimited food and booze in the Leeds Lounge….

The pre-match atmosphere was electric, the game got off to a frenetic start and Leeds had the first big chance of the game. Joe Rodon released Archie Gray down the right, who exchanged passes with Willy Gnonto, and then squared the ball to Joel Piroe on the edge of the Leicester box, but the striker powered his effort over the bar. Crysencio Summerville (who was in a better position) looked suitably annoyed….

Leicester's passing and movement was a cut above that of any other team we've faced this season. They pressed high and didn't give our players any time on the ball. Illan Meslier had to make a decent save just before they scored from the resulting corner.

However, we were still very much in the game and had a great chance to equalise two minutes later, when Gnonto's cross was headed wide by Piroe. Gnonto and Summerville also had decent scoring opportunities before the break but we finished the half one down, when we should probably have been in front.

We also had the first clear cut chance in the second half, when Summerville won the ball on the right and cut it back to Georginio Rutter, who curled his effort over the bar.

But Leicester dominated the next 20 minutes - and hit the post, had a goal dubiously disallowed for offside, forced Meslier to make another excellent save, as well as missing a couple of sitters. They could have been three or four goals up by the time Daniel Farke decided to make his first substitutions, replacing Piroe and Gnonto with Patrick Bamford and Dan James. We immediately looked more lively and the atmosphere, which had gone a bit flat after the break, began to build again.

A few minutes later, Junior Firpo was substituted. Connor Roberts came on to play at right back and Archie Gray switched to left back, which turned out to be a genius move by Farke….

There seemed to be no way through the Leicester defence but with ten minutes to go, Rutter muscled his way into the Leicester penalty area and found Roberts, who smashed home his first goal for Leeds!

To say that this caused wild celebrations in the stands would be an understatement….

Within two minutes of the equaliser, great interplay between Rutter and Roberts ended with a pass from Rutter to Gray, on the left side of the box, who put Leeds ahead with a shot that was deflected into the net by a Leicester defender.

The scenes after this goal were simply unbelievable, and the whole ground was rocking for the last 10 minutes (and well after the match was over). The Leicester fans had occasionally been audible after the break singing "where's your famous atmosphere?"....

They certainly found out by the end!

The points were sealed in stoppage time when Rutter was brought down just outside the box. The free kick was taken by James and deflected into the net by Bamford, after which I spent the next couple of minutes jumping up and down while singing "let's go fucking mental" (along with everyone else around me).

Being a Leeds fan can feel like a life sentence of despair and torment at times, but games like last night make it all worthwhile….

[ottawavalleycreations]

What's in Progress

Ah, the holidays. The Season of Giving, and a time for spending time with family, friends, and all manner of loved one. One could wax and wane poetic about the various high holy days of the holidays, or speak to more secular approaches to the season, or even the outright marketable approach regarding the consumerist society in which we find ourselves bombarded with the pressures of sales and selling. While there is much I myself could say about this season and much more that could be complained about regarding the aforementioned market pressures from every conceivable angle to either buy or sell or provide the best "deals" on the latest hot ticket item or otherwise fad-tastic happening, I'd like to take a moment to talk but briefly about the things I am working on, or otherwise procrastinating working on by writing this blog post.

I am in the process of writing a Journal Entry for the membership site over at Ottawa Valley Creations and have been continuing to repost The Venture Series, the latest page having been just uploaded today. The in-progress Journal Entry is one that I have been wanting to write for some time and is actually in no way related to the holidays, though there is another too that will be written that may be more thematically appropriate-- at least in the interest of dates and specific days. The entry currently in progress is in regards to a certain ancient world deity that I have been tracking through various sources and papyri to render but a small snapshot look at in my own words and writing, so too, at the people that may have worshipped this deity in question.

Another thing I've been working on for Ottawa Valley Creations is getting together more items to take literal snapshots of so to post them within the store. I am also in the process of developing several paintings of a large size and heavier detail of others that have already been listed, though in all honesty, this is entirely dependant upon overcoming the frustrations, depression, and melancholy which seems to afflict many this time of year with the Vitamin D deficiencies prominent in countries of the Northern Hemisphere this time of year. This being said, however, there is also a smaller project painting that I am very nearly finished with which will be being posted and available both as the original canvas and as prints, this painting being a long time in the works and of the Angel Raphael, the young Tobias, and his bride, Sara. Just a sweet little portrait attempt based upon the apocryphal story, laced of course, with my usual bunches of abstract symbolism.

There is plenty in the works, as one can see, and aside from the seemingly ever wilding turmoil that is the battlefield of attempting to achieve mental wellness, it is business as usual over here with Ottawa Valley Creations. I personally cannot in good faith make my time with the holidays a completely secular and capitalist greed machinist attempt to swindle the masses with promises of sales and discounts to make up for the black hole of lacking purpose except but to consume and purchase without thought or concept of ethics and morality; but we are still here, still live, and still avidly working on new art and getting old art posted for the enjoyment of viewing. And perhaps if I can plant the seed of supporting an artist, and historian, who is trying very hard not to be too cynical about too many things, then all the better.

I appreciate any that have taken the time to read this and thank any and all for their support. My thanks, and well wishes, always,

M.R.Reid

Ottawa Valley Creations

[jaydeemedia]

[ad_1] Bold, brash, and bursting with energy, the Leicester Square Christmas Market is full of tipsy festive cheer. It’s all back for 2023 with more of the magic of the season. No one would describe Leicester Square as sedate. The square was laid out in 1670. In the 20th century, it became known for casinos, hotels, theatres, and entertainment venues. The Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash, played early gigs at the Leicester Square Theatre. Its reputation as the heady heart of the capital lives on. LEICESTER SQUARE CHRISTMAS MARKET Over the holidays, the square transforms into a vibrant centre for entertainment. The Leicester Square Christmas Market is a bustling display of festive cheer. Market organisers Underbelly, hold our favourite annual Christmas event in London – La Clique at Speigeltent. Yes, it’s busy, yes it’s touristy and yes, it’s overwhelming. But it’s also undeniably enchanting. Grab Christmas by the baubles with our guide to the Leicester Square Christmas Market. COMMENTS // We do our best to keep the information in this guide up to date, if you notice anything has changed, please leave a comment below. BOOKINGS // Booking your trip via the links in this guide will earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support – Paul & Mark. LA CLIQUE AT SPEIGLETENT Speigletent is a travelling tent made of wood and canvas. It’s decorated with glass and mirrors from where the name originates. (Speigletent translates as “mirror tent”). Throughout the 19th century, Speigletents were known for their wild and decadent ambiance. They were often used as dance halls, bars, and bohemian entertainment salons. The tradition continues at La Clique, held in Speigeltent, Leicester Square from 8 November 2023 until 6 January 2024. La Clique is the adults-only addition to your Christmas calendar and the highlight of a Leicester Square Christmas. The Oliver Award-winning production was a standout at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Performances include a mix of cabaret, burlesque, comedy, and magic. It’s a thoroughly entertaining night out. Book your La Clique Tickets. LA CLIQUE LEICESTER SQUARE CHRISTMAS MARKET In the heart of central London, the Bavarian wooden huts of Leicester Square Christmas give it a traditional atmosphere. The market includes several outdoor bars from festival sponsor, Prahava. You’ll also find delicious food, traditional market stalls, and hand-crafted goodies. Pick up a spiced festive drink from Amarula, or treat yourself to a fat bratwurst, downed with a mulled wine. Entry is free to the market but it can get very busy. If you’re looking for a raucous night out, you’re in the right place. For a slightly more sedate experience, arrive earlier in the day when Leicester Square will still be waking up. WHAT ELSE TO DO IN LEICESTER SQUARE? When you’ve had as much festive cheer as you can handle, there are plenty of other great things to do in Leicester Square. Here’s just a sample: PRINCE CHARLES CINEMA Leicester Square is the London destination for Hollywood premiers. The four main cinemas Odeon, Odeon West End, Vue, and Empire charge ridiculous prices to see a movie. However, the Prince Charles Cinema, just around the corner, is a much better option. It has a rotating program of cult, arthouse, and classic films screened alongside recent Hollywood releases. It’s a lovely theatre and much better value. CHINATOWN Stroll the hub of Asian restaurants, shops, bars, and cafes in nearby Chinatown. Stone lions and Chinese-style gates decorate the area. Don’t miss the gate on Wardour Street, designed in a traditional Qing dynasty style. CHINATOWN SCENES IN THE SQUARE Scenes in the Square is a series of 8 sculptures depicting characters from the last 100 years of film. You’ll find Laurel and Hardy, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Gene Kelly, Paddington Bear, Mr Bean, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter and the Iron Throne. TKTS LEICESTER SQUARE The famous Tkts Booth

in Leicester Square is the best place to buy on-the-day, discounted theater tickets for the West End. The booth is open Monday to Saturday from 10.30 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 4.30 pm. You’ll generally get a great deal but the helpful staff are also very knowledgeable about theatre in London. LSQ ROOFTOP BAR The LSQ Rooftop Bar has indoor and outdoor seating with sublime London views. Located on the 9th floor of the Hotel Indigo, it’s the perfect place for your follow-up Christmas Party. After getting in the mood at the Leicester Square Christmas Market, book a table at LSQ Rooftop. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY The National Portrait Gallery has an excellent collection of notable and famous British people. It’s free to enter the main exhibition but there are regular temporary exhibitions that are worth looking at. It’s one of our favourite galleries in London. Check what’s on at npg.org.uk. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY A BIG THANK YOU We’ve been providing free travel content on Anywhere We Roam since 2017. If you appreciate what we do, here are some ways you can support us. Thank you! Paul & Mark FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM USE OUR RESOURCES PAGE [ad_2] Source link

[yatescountyhistorycenter]

When life is literally a three-ring circus

By Jonathan Monfiletto

In early March, Billy Martin’s Cole All-Star Circus rolled into town. Unfortunately, so did a late winter snowstorm, so the circus’ return to its hometown had to be postponed until late April.

Indeed, despite a heavy rainstorm that night, the Cole All-Star Circus’ performance in the Penn Yan Academy gymnasium took on an old-home-days feel. Billy Martin – who succeeded Penn Yan native James M. “Jimmy” Cole in 1988 as the circus’ leader – paid tribute to the circus’ founder in its 85th season, with Cole’s granddaughters and other relatives on hand to witness the homecoming. Martin stated there would be a local celebration later in the year, but I haven’t heard anything more about it.

I attended the circus with my 5-year-old daughter, and it was a surreal moment for both of us. For me, a local history buff and (I like to think) aficionado, despite my lack of Yates County roots, it was incredible to witness a Cole All-Star Circus performance in the town where the circus began. For my daughter, well, she just loves circuses and marveled at all of the performers and their talents.

Gone were Jimmy Cole’s famous elephants – in an age when society has rightfully decided such acts are cruel despite their mystique – and in fact there were no animals whatsoever. What we saw instead were dazzling displays of feats of strength and agility as well as excitement and comedy. It really and truly was a wonderful experience, and at 85 years old, the Cole All-Star Circus is still a thrill.

Of course, the story of the Cole Circus goes back much farther than its 85 seasons and even farther than Jimmy Cole’s 86 years of life. As an undated and untitled newspaper article in our research files seems to indicate, you could say the circus was literally in Jimmy Cole’s blood. According to this article, Cole was a direct descendant of William Washington Cole, who founded the Famous American Cole Circus in the 1850s.

Long before that Thomas Cooke toured markets and fairs in northern England and Scotland in the 18th century with a small company of tent shows. His son, Thomas Taplin Cooke, known for feats of strength and skills on a tightrope, bought a troupe and chartered a ship to entertain in America. With him were 12 of his 19 children, and by 1846 the troupe had ponies, horses, clowns, and a Russian reindeer. When Cooke returned to Scotland, his daughter Mary Ann remained and married William Cole. Their son, William Washington Cole, established his circus that traveled by trains far into the 20th century.

In spite of, or because of, his ancestry, Cole first took interest in the circus at age 3 when he received for Christmas a box of blocks decorated with pictures of birds and other animals. By age 11, he was handing out programs and assisting backstage at the Sampson Theater; at age 14, the theater manager promoted him to treasurer. During the winter, many circus people performed at the theater and whetted Cole’s appetite for the circus.

During the summer of 1925, Cole spent his school vacation with Floyd King’s Walter L. Main circus. Following his graduation from Penn Yan Academy the next year, he joined the Main show as assistant manager in the office and ticket wagon. He worked for the King’s Gentry Bros. Circus in 1928 and then Sells-Floto in 1929. He served as the time keeper and commissary manager for Sells-Floto in 1930 and then superintendent of the commissary in 1932.

In 1936, at age 30, Cole became the youngest circus owner in America when he opened the James M. Cole Wild Animal Circus. However, the show closed after just four days due to weather and a lack of capital. He then spent two seasons as time keeper and paymaster – with his wife, Dorothy, as “the first woman in circus history ever to be an assistant paymaster,” Cole said in a 1938 newspaper article – for the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus.

It was for the 1939 season that Cole established his famous indoor circus – a format that was designed to bring the circus to schoolchildren who had never seen such a show. Its first performance took place in October 1939 in Cole’s hometown in the Penn Yan Junior High School auditorium. With an adjoining stage and gymnasium, the 15-act show included a variety of acrobats and artists and clowns. That show included the Behees, labeled as the world’s greatest flying trapeze artists.

Later seasons and shows featured Jumbo – an 8,500-pound elephant who joined the Cole circus during the 1940 season and then opened the new season in Penn Yan the following year. The elephant was quartered at the Yates County Fairgrounds Penn Yan and, according to Cole, would have no difficulty entering the Junior High School building. However, at an appearance in Lyons, Jumbo reportedly had to enter through a big window in the school library since all of the school doors were single and thus too small for an elephant. Penn Yan school buildings apparently had double doors.

By 1942, Cole planned to make his indoor circus a year-round show, rather than beginning the season in September with the start of the school year. This time, the circus would host shows starting in May. Uncle Sam came calling in November 1943, though, and Cole packed away his circus equipment and entered the U.S. Army for service during World War II. Sgt. Cole was attached to Transportation Corps at Camp Plauche, Louisiana.

When Cole received his discharge two years later, the circus was ready to reopen, with some of Cole’s fellow war veterans among his returning workers. Together, they began assembling the tent and related pieces and gathering the necessary equipment; shows started again in April 1946. The new tour included the Cole circus’ first performances in schools for the first time in eight years, according to one newspaper article.

Subsequent articles feature the antics of Cole’s elephants, such as getting loose and taking a stroll down Main Street in Penn Yan or around the Canandaigua Golf Club and refusing to enter the Penn Yan school auditorium. They also highlight 9-year-old Jimmy Cole Jr. joining his father’s circus in 1950, its 12th season, billed as the youngest elephant trainer ever.

In May 1957, Cole – then just past 50 years old – opened Circus-Land, a 25-acre circus-themed amusement park three miles east of Penn Yan in the hamlet of Mays Mills, in the town of Milo. The attraction featured a 500,000-piece hand-carved model circus, Cole’s famous performing elephants, wild animals, a fairyland zoo, authentic railroad circus wagons, circus museum pieces, baby animals, a Native American gift shop, clowns, free acts, and more. There were long-range plans to expand the property and items over time. Just two or three years later, though, Cole and his wife sold their Penn Yan property, which apparently included the Circus-Land site, as they moved to the southwest to work with other circuses.

In 1977, at age 71, Cole celebrated his 60th year in the circus business – dating back to his work at the Sampson Theater at age 11 – during a show in Geneva, with several dignitaries heaping their thanks and praise upon the performer and businessman. The following year, the Cole All-Star TV Circus celebrated its 40th season – with “balancing wizard” Billy Martin among the acts. On Saturday, March 3, 1984, Penn Yan and Yates County commemorated “Jimmie Cole Day” with a variety of festivities throughout the day at different locations. The slate included a presentation during the intermission of an evening circus performance – the circus’ biannual appearance in its hometown.

In 1988, at age 81, Cole completed his final circus at the helm, handing the show off to Martin, who continues to head the circus today. Cole died in 1992 at age 86, leaving behind his second wife, his son, and a plethora of memories.