#ellen’s 400 follower celebration

[backhurtyy]

for the prompts can u do zukka with 72 & 99🥺 congrats on 400!

72. Brushing hair from face

99. Would it help if I stayed?

Sokka woke suddenly in the middle of the night to a sharp pain exploding from his knee and tears streaming down his face. His knee throbbed, pain traveling down his shin and up his thigh in tiny repetitive waves, and he choked on a sob. It had been a long time since he woke up in this much pain- the type of pain that filled his senses and made everything blur around him until it was all he was aware of- and he didn’t quite understand why this was happening to him, because he’d been doing so well.

He’d been feeling so good recently, with barely even a flare up in the past few weeks, and he’d been extra good about taking care of his knee. He’d been doing his exercises- both those recommended by his physical therapist, Yugoda, and by Katara. He’d been good about wearing his brace when he knew he’d be on his feet for long periods of time. He’d been taking the elevator instead of the stairs, despite being terrified of getting stuck in it. He propped it up and applied ice when he got home from school, and heat before he went to bed.

He was doing everything right, so why was this happening to him?

He tried to relax and shift around to relieve some of the pressure on his knee, but when he tried to move his leg there was a stabbing, white hot pain, and before he could stop himself he cried out loudly. He collapsed into his bed tiredly, giving up on getting comfortable, and his eyes slipped shut as he sobbed loudly into the silent darkness of his room.

The tears flowed freely and heavily, combining with the pain to make it so that he wasn’t sure how long he had been there, when there was brightness beyond his eyelids from his light turning on.

He didn’t open his eyes or stop crying, but he did relax slightly, because there was only one person it could be. He felt bad for waking Zuko up with his crying out and sobbing, but at the same time he couldn’t help but be grateful that he wasn’t alone anymore, that his best friend had come to help.

There was the sound of rummaging around in his bathroom for a few seconds, and before he knew it his bed was dipping slightly under Zuko’s weight.

“Hey, Sokka, it’s me,” he murmured softly, his tired, raspy voice more soothing than Sokka could begin to say. “What’re you feeling right now?”

When he spoke, his voice cracked from crying for so long. “It’s really sharp and throbbing. And it’s hot... It hurts, Zuko, really bad.”

“Okay, it’s okay. I’m sorry it’s hurting so badly. But I brought you some stuff to make it feel better... I wasn’t sure if you wanted heat or cold, so I grabbed both, but it sounds like it’s a heat type of night?”

He nodded mutely, and a moment later there was the gentle pressure and steady warmth of his heating pack over his knee. He sighed in relief.

“Is that good?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, patting around until he found Zuko’s own knee with his hand, and squeezed it in gratitude.

“I brought you some painkillers and water, too. Do you think you can lift your head and take them?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

He lifted his head a little bit, Zukos hand coming to the back of his head to support him. He then dropped the medicine in his hand, and Sokka brought to his mouth- Zuko following him with a cup with a straw in it. His heart flip flopped at the gesture, unbearably warm; his thoughtfulness was just one of the reasons he’d been pining over Zuko for so long, and it seemed he wasn’t going to make it any easier for him tonight. Not that that was what Sokka was worried about, considering his knee throbbed painfully again.

He hissed, tensing up again as he lowered his head back down, and Zuko sighed. “I’m so sorry, Sokka,” he murmured again, his hand coming up to brush the hair that had fallen in front of his face back. “Is there anything else I can do?”

Sokka shook his head. “I wish there was, but... No. I don’t even know why this is happening to me. I mean, I’ve been so good about everything, doing exactly what I’m supposed to. I do everything right, but I still wake up in the middle of the night in the worst fucking pain, and I can’t even get out of bed to take care of it myself-“

He cut himself off before he could start crying again, bringing the heels of his palms up to dig into his eyes. Still, Zuko didn’t stop brushing back his hair or speak- he just waited for Sokka to continue.

“I’m sorry. I woke you up with my crying and now you’re taking care of me, and all I can do is cry and rant at you.”

“It’s okay, Sokka, I’m happy to do it,” he said, a depth to his words that Sokka couldn’t quite wrap his mind around right now.

“I just wish there was something more I could do,” he confessed instead. “I always feel so... So helpless. Like I should be able to do more to help myself feel better.”

“I understand how that can feel,” he murmured back, just as quietly. “After my scar, I didn’t know how to help myself, but it’s all I wanted to do. It took a long time to welcome other people’s help, even Uncle’s.”

“You make it easy to accept your help,” he said, the words slipping out before he could think about the implication of them. Still, once they were said, he found he couldn’t bring himself to regret them or take them back.

Because it was true- Zuko did make it easy, with his soft smiles and gentle touches, how he always did what he could to help and understood things so easily, how he listened to what Sokka had to say and somehow knew exactly how to make him feel better. It was just one of the things that had led to Sokka falling for his best friend, and falling hard.

Zuko didn’t seem to find it weird though, and just squeezed Sokka’s hand. “Is it beginning to feel a little better?”

He shrugged- it had settled to a dull ache now, but it was still painful and all consuming. “A little. Not a ton, but you’re helping.”

He hummed, brushing his hair back again. “Would it help if I stayed?”

“Yes,” Sokka said immediately- he didn’t need to think to know that having Zuko at his side the rest of the night would help.

“Okay,” he murmured. “I’m just going to turn the light out, but I’ll be right back.”

He nodded, and the bed shifted again as Zuko got up. Just a second later, though, it dipped again, and the warm line of his body was pressed against Sokka’s side. He sighed, the warmth comforting, and he reached out blindly. He didn’t have to search for long, though, before he found Zuko’s hand and laced their fingers together.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Zuko responded quietly. “It’s okay.”

There was something more to those few words, Sokka knew, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it. In the morning, he thought as he drifted off with Zuko clutching his hand tightly. In the morning, they’d talk about it.

Send me a prompt to celebrate 400 followers!

#this got.... so long #ummm i got really into it #hopefully that’s okay??? #chronic pain zukka is just. very important to me #this is the time of night where ellen projects onto sokka and thinks about all the times i woke up in pain wishing for someone to help me #n e ways #chronic pain zukka #sokka with chronic pain #i’ll probably reblog this tomorrow morning since it’s sorta late for a lot of people #zukosadragon ace writes #zukosadragon ace speaks #ellen’s 400 follower celebration #freckledsokka

[adriellej]

Soooooo guys!! What do you wanna do for a celebration once I hit 400 followers?? I’m so damn close it’s craaaazy! I am all ears, how do you wanna celebrate? 

Want me to write drabbles? Want me to try to write different fandoms (I have plenty that I just never dared writing for ;P)? Have a specific series of mine you want me to continue? Let me know what you guys feel like!

Just tagging a few here!

@winchesterswoonathon​, @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​, @blacktithe7​, @mrswhozeewhatsis​, @until-theend-oftheline​, @sleepywinchester​, @percywinchester27​, @sis-tafics​, @random-fandom-fangirl2112​, @mysupernaturalfics​, @ellen-reincarnated1967​

#400 followers #damn already #i feel so honoured by you all #calls for a celebration #let me know what you want guys

[thefandomsinhalor]

Pie Makes Everything Better

Written for: @mercurialkitty who, for my 400 followers celebration, had requested something sweet about fall/thanksgiving :) (thank you, this was super fun to write!! Xxx)

Pairing: Castiel/Dean Winchester

Word Count: 3445

Warnings: None

Rating: General

Additional tags: Alternate Universe—Bakery, Fluff, Thanksgiving, Sam Knows, Pie.

Summary: It’s Thanksgiving and Dean is desperate for an apple pie. Luckily, there is still one bakery that appears to be open. And Dean finds the cashier to be very kind and handsome.

Read on AO3

———----

“Dean, don’t you think you’re being a little overdramatic?”

“Nope. Turn right.”

“We’re already la—”

“No—no, we are not,” he cut him off. “And we are doing this. Turn right at the light, again,” he said, after glimpsing at his phone.

“But everyone is already at the house,” said Sam, following his directions. “Including Ellen and Bobby, and they were the ones who were supposed to arrive late.”

Sam shot a look at his brother, hoping he would be reasonable. But Dean was making a moue.

“We are not having Thanksgiving dinner without apple pie. For. Get. It.” Although Dean couldn’t see him, he knew his brother was rolling his eyes at him.

“I know it sucks, but it won’t be the end of the world.”

“Sam,” huffed Dean, “I feel like crap. I haven’t eaten since this morning. I’m exhausted, work has been nuts all week, I have just gotten off a freaking plane—yes, plane—and we, or rather, you, are driving us around in this…car—”

“It’s a rental, you judgmental ass! You’re lucky I came to pick you up at the airport.”

“—and now,” continued Dean, utterly unfazed by his brother’s comment, “you’re telling me that not one single person brought dessert? How is that possible? Not even Mom made her traditional pie?”

“Mom did everything else,” pointed out Sam.

“I know and I—but I have been looking forward to this freaking meal all year and it ain’t about to be ruined by the fact that there’s no apple pie. I can live with the fact that it won’t be Mom’s, but I need my damn pie for Thanksgiving dinner.” He let out a massive sigh as he leaned back in the passenger seat. “Just…please? It’s the only bakery listed as open.”

“I’m driving you, aren’t I? But Dean, they might not even be open. The holiday hours are probably not displayed online.”

But Dean shook his head, looking straight ahead, eagerly scanning for the shop. “It says it’s open, so it has to be open. We’re lucky to have found one place that still is.”

A few minutes later, Sam and Dean spotted the shop in question down the street.

A nice little bakery, with large windows and a sign displaying wings embraced by a golden halo.

And the “Open” sign hanging in the door.

Sam barely had the time to stop the car and Dean was already opening his door, jumping out of the vehicle. He gunned for the entrance, took a deep breath, pulled on the door and stepped inside.

The place was empty.

No customers seated at the small round tables. Nor at the counter.

And no one behind the counter either.

Just as he was about to call for help, someone, with a low, gravelly voice, said from the back room, “I’ll be right with you!”

“Okay. Thanks!”

Stepping towards the display of pastries at the counter, Dean hastily searched for his desired item.

Cakes. Cinnamon rolls. Scones. Croissants. Éclairs. And so on.

But, unfortunately, no pie in sight. Of any kind.

And even though Dean had to admit that everything his eyes fell on was mouthwatering, panic nonetheless spread through his chest at that sad fact. His only glimmer of hope, it seemed, was that pie—apple pie—was listed on the menu above.

“Did you find it?” asked Sam, who had now reached his side.

“Not yet. I’m waiting for them to come to the counter.”

“Looks promising so far, though,” said Sam, pointing at the display.

“Right? Everything looks great. That raspberry cheesecake looks like something.”

“Yeah. I bet Dad wouldn’t say no to that. We should get a few things while we’re here,” suggested Sam.

“Good idea, seeing as they have a lot of options.”

It was at this moment that a dark-haired man, wearing a bright blue apron, finally appeared from the back room. “Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to Wings and Halo,” he said, bursting through the door. At the sight of Sam and Dean, however, he momentarily paused, and then stepped forward, with a shy smile forming itself on his face. “Sorry for the wait. What can I do for you?”

“One apple pie, please,” said Dean with such enthusiasm it was as if his life depended on it. “Sam? Go nuts, pick anything you want.”

The man’s smile vanished, however.

“I’m sorry, sir. We’re all out of apple pie.”

Dean’s heart stopped. He stared helplessly at him, in disbelief of his answer.

“Dean, I—I told you it could happen,” argued Sam, after a long uncomfortable minute of silence. “But it’s okay. There’s plenty of other stuff to cho—”

But Dean didn’t want to hear it. He waved his hand at Sam to stop him, took a deep breath and looked at the cashier straight in the eyes.

His piercing blue eyes.

“Look, I—um, I—sorry, what’s your name?” asked Dean, noticing the employee wasn’t wearing a nametag.

“Castiel.”

“Look, Casti—wait, Castiel? Really? That’s, um, that’s an interesting name.” Castiel remained silent. “And, um, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who ever said that, right?”

“I’m afraid not, no.” He had said it in a very nonchalant way, but a faint smile had appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Of which, Dean couldn’t help but take note of its shape. And this, for an unnecessary long time.

While remaining perfectly silent.

Sam cleared his throat.

“Right,” said Dean. “Okay, well, Castiel, um—”

“Cas.”

Dean froze.

“You may call me, Cas.”

“Oh. Um, Cas, I—look, I’m sorry. I know it’s just the way things are and I really don’t want to be that prissy customer, because who needs that, but I—you’re sure you don’t have any left? I’ll pay double or—”

“Dean,” hissed Sam, nearly outraged.

But that didn’t slow him down.

“I—I’m begging you,” he continued. “I know it’s not your problem, but I just had the worst day and—I really could go for some apple pie. Like, I don’t want to say that you’d save the day, but yeah. You totally would.”

Convinced that Castiel was most likely assessing his mental health after his over-the-top plea, Dean waited patiently under Castiel’s watchful eye.

Then, he finally said, “I’m sorry, um—Dean? Was it?” Dean nodded, holding his breath. “I—I’m sorry, Dean. We really are all out of apple pie. Because of the holiday, what we have left is what’s in the display for today.”

Dean shut his eyes as he actually felt his heart grow heavy. “Okay. Thank you, Cas. I under—thank you for your time. I appreciate it. Really.” He knew it had been a long shot, but he still felt disappointed. “Sammy, just…you go ahead and pick the other desserts.”

Reluctantly, he stepped away from the counter, looking at the ground, with his hands in his pockets.

“Dean, wait,” said Castiel. “I was going to suggest an alternative.”

Dean lifted his eyes.

“I had set aside a pumpkin pie for myself this morning. It was meant for a snack in the afternoon, but I’ve been so busy, I didn’t even get a chance to have a bite. I usually wouldn’t suggest it, because it was technically speaking ‘off the shelves,’ and that I handled it. But it’s intact. And I know it’s not apple, but it’s the closest to it I have. And the pumpkin pie is incredibly delicious. So, if you want, it’s yours.”

Dean’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? That would be ama—” started saying Dean, but stopped mid-sentence. Overwhelmed by Castiel’s gesture, Dean then felt guilty accepting his generous offer. “You don’t have to do this,” he added urgently. “It doesn’t seem fair. That pie was yours. No, Sam’s right, we—we’ll be fine with any other dessert.”

“It’s no problem. I’m closing in less than an hour, and I’ll have a full meal waiting for me then. You seemed to have your heart set on a pie. It would be my pleasure.”

The two men stared at each other kindly, and then Dean said, “All right, then. Yes, please. But only if you’re sure you’re okay with this.”

“I am.”

“Okay, um, we’ll take that one to go. Thank you,” said Dean, not believing his luck.

Castiel nodded and stepped away from the counter to fetch the pie. The moment he disappeared behind the door leading to the back room, Dean turned to Sam with a massive grin on his face. “This is awesome. See!” he said, hitting him on the arm. “I knew this place would work out. We saved the day and we get to bring some pie home with us.”

“Yeah. That’s awesome for sure.” And then, Sam, trying to keep his face straight, added, “And, um, I bet the pie isn’t the only thing you’d like to take home with you.”

“What?”

“Oh, you heard me.”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

Sam snorted. “Denial. So typical, Dean.”

Dean shot him an angry look. “I don’t—shut up.”

“I’m just trying to help,” he said, laughing.

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

Their brotherly quarrel got interrupted when Sam’s phone buzzed.

“It’s Dad,” he said, checking his phone. “Apparently, there’s been an accident on the highway and now he’s worried about why we’re taking forever to get there.”

“Just tell him we’re fine and that we took a detour,” said Dean. But he was prompted to add, under his brother’s firm stare, “…and that my stomach is the one to blame for the delay.”

The door swung open and Castiel appeared with a box in hands. “Here it is.” He slid the box on the counter and opened it for Dean to see for himself.

One perfect-looking pumpkin pie, with gorgeous crust leaf ornaments.

“That’s great. Thanks again.”

“No problem. Oh, and I should warn you, though, there’s a dash of whiskey in it. Does that still hold your interest?”

Stunned once again, Dean gawked at him, processing the information.

Which left Sam the opportunity to answer, “Oh, trust me, he’s interested.”

“Terrific,” said Castiel, closing the box delicately, while Dean glared at Sam, silently telling him to cut it out. “Was there anything else I could do for you today?”

“So many things I want to say right now,” muttered Sam.

“Um, yes. We’ll—we’ll get a few more desserts to go, if that’s all right,” said Dean, attempting as best he could to not look at his brother, whom, he knew, was most definitely smirking at him.

Sam and Dean then quickly selected five additional desserts from the display for them to bring, and as Castiel was finishing packaging a box of Danishes, Sam’s phone rang.

“I wonder who that could be?” he sneered.

“Ask them if they want anything,” said Dean, pointing at the counter.

Sam nodded and, after politely excusing himself, he stepped away from them to answer his call.

Thus, leaving Dean and Castiel to themselves for a moment.

With nothing else to do but stare at each other awkwardly.

So it seemed.

After a long minute of silence, one where Dean felt embarrassed every time he diverted his gaze away from Castiel the moment he realized the man was looking at him, Dean finally cleared his throat and said, resolute to kill the silence, “So, um, it’s—the shop…you’re nice. I mean, your shop. It’s a nice shop.”

Only to immediately regret his decision.

“That’s very kind of you to say so, Dean. Although, I cannot claim I had much to do about that,” said Castiel. “Is this your first time here?”

“Yeah.”

Silence.

“But, um, in my defense,” continued Dean, “I’m from out of town, so…”

“Oh, you don’t live in Lawrence?”

Suddenly upset by that fact, Dean answered, “Um, no. I’m visiting my parents. For Thanksgiving.”

Castiel nodded. “I don’t either. Live here, I mean. I’m visiting family, as well.”

Dean frowned, glancing around the shop. Castiel, understanding his confusion, added, “This is my brother’s shop. I’m simply helping him out this weekend for the holiday rush and in return he takes care of the whole meal. Well, most of it.”

“Awesome. That’s…awesome.” He paused briefly. Long enough to realize he was staring at him like an idiot. “So, Cas, um, since you’re visiting, can I ask—just out of curiosity—where do you live? Is it still close to Lawrence or…”

“I’m afraid not. It’s over six hours by car from here. I live in Pontiac, Illinois.”

“What? No way. I—I—” he let out a laugh, “I live in Normal.”

Castiel blinked. “Normal, Illinois?”

“Yeah. That’s—like, what? Less than an hour away from Pontiac?”

“I believe so, yes. How curious.”

“Yeah.” And unable to stop himself, he asked, “And have any big plans tonight?”

“Besides Thanksgiving dinner, you mean?”

Feeling like an imbecile, Dean shut his eyes a moment when he realized what he had just said. Determined to save himself from further embarrassment, he opted to simply nod at Castiel and keep his mouth shut until Sam’s return.

He quickly gave up on his resolution, however, when his eyes locked with Castiel. “I meant—um, until when are you staying?”

Castiel hesitated for a short instant. “Probably Sunday at the latest. Though, I suppose it will depend on the road conditions.”

“You drove all the way here?”

He nodded. “I usually travel by plane, but I…I had to bring down a few pieces of furniture I had promised my brother at the end of the summer and—anyway,” he said, waving his hand. “I—long story, it was less complicated—and less expensive—if I travelled by car this year. So, in order to avoid the storm, I left late afternoon on Tuesday. I was lucky enough to be able to do so, anyway.” Castiel’s eyes shifted to Sam who was still avidly speaking on the phone. “What about you?”

“I came here by plane at the last minute. Because of the storm. I actually envy you. I much prefer driving and without my car, I—well, anyway. I shouldn’t complain. I still made it and I get to see my family. Especially Sammy. I don’t get to see my brother as often as I’d like.”

“Brother? You—Sam’s your brother?”

His pulse racing, Dean gave him an urgent nod.

“Oh.” And a smile appeared on Castiel’s face. “That’s what I thought at first but then I—”

Dean shifted on his feet. “And that’s—that’s an important distinction? For you, I mean?” he asked with caution.

“It is a relevant detail, yes.”

“In a good way?”

“I hope so.”

Blood rushed to Dean’s cheeks and he couldn’t do anything but stare at him awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Sam, who had been finished with his phone call and was then standing next to Dean, a fact unnoticed by the other two, observed the scene with attention and amusement. When he judged that a significant amount of time had passed, enough to border into awkwardness, he cleared his throat, thus making Dean nearly jump out of his skin.

“Sam, you’re back. Did you—did anyone make a request?” asked Dean.

“Yeah. I mentioned briefly what the options were. Everyone is happy with what we selected. That being said, I think if we leave without some powdered mini donuts, Donna is gonna murder us.”

“Let’s make sure you don’t leave without some, then,” said Castiel.

After Castiel had finished preparing the box and putting everything else in bags so it would be easier for them to carry, he asked, “Was that everything?”

Sam and Dean nodded to him. Dean quietly paid the bill, glancing at Castiel every chance he got.

While Dean shoved his wallet back in his pocket, Castiel placed the receipt in one of the bags, then slid them on the counter and gave Sam and Dean a bright smile.

“Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Sam and Dean wished him.

And everyone stayed put.

Sam was eyeing his brother with a growing smirk on his face. Dean was gazing at Castiel, as anxiety was spreading in his chest. And Castiel, bouncing his eyes back and forth between Sam and Dean, wondered by every second that passed why neither of them had moved.

“Is there a problem?” he finally asked.

At Dean’s silence, Sam said, “I think Dean, who, by the way, is super single, wants to say something.”

Dean turned towards him, aghast. “Sam! What the—” He scoffed. “Subtle, Sammy. Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome.”

Relieved that Castiel was smiling warmly, Dean, nonetheless, felt incredibly embarrassed.

“Sam, could you—a little privacy, please?” He handed over one of the bags to his brother, hoping for him to leave them alone.

Sam gladly held the bag. He also remained on his spot, grinning and shaking his head at Dean’s request. “Oh, I’m staying here and seeing this thing through until the end.”

“No, you’re not,” hissed Dean.

And Sam’s only reply was a mischievous grin.

Dean rolled his eyes, let out a deep sigh of exasperation and turned all his attention to Castiel, who was patiently waiting for him.

Still harboring a smile.

Dean swallowed hard.

“So, I was thinking,” Dean began saying with a wavering voice, “I—obviously not tonight—but, um, if you’re free one—an evening, I—I’d like to see you again. If you want.”

After what seemed like an eternity to Dean, Castiel said, “We usually have long hours during weekends like this. And as it’s partially why I’m here—to help my brother,” Castiel reminded him, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to wander too far off from the shop, even in the evenings.”

“Right.”

“But,” continued Castiel, “while I wouldn’t be able to leave the shop, if you want, we could meet here during the afternoon. It was busy earlier today, but that was mostly due to the fact that we were the only shop open and—anyway. The point is that the afternoon is usually not peak hour. In fact, it’s typically dead during that time, much like right now,” he said, gesturing around them. “So, if you want—I—I know it’s not anything grand in terms of—”

“I like it.”

A shy smile appeared on his lips. “Yes?”

Dean nodded vehemently. “I’d like that very much.”

“Okay. When?”

After a short hesitation, Dean said, “Tomorrow too soon?”

“No,” he laughed. “Tomorrow’s perfect.”

“Awesome. I’ll bring coffee. Or would you prefer something more festive? Like apple cider? Hot chocolate?”

“That sounds delicious.”

“All right, then. I’ll bring both.”

And they spent a long minute, gazing at each other with bright smiles, utterly silent.

“As much as I’d like to continue witnessing what’s happening here,” said Sam in a low voice, “Dean, we need to leave or we will get skinned by everyone when we get home.”

“Okay.”

But Dean didn’t move. He simply stayed put, staring at Castiel. Acknowledging that Dean hadn’t heard a single word he had just said, Sam rolled his eyes, feeling as annoyed as he was amused.

“Fine,” snorted Sam. “Let me put it this way then: the longer we stay, the more stuff you’re supplying for me to report back at home.”

And with that, Dean snapped out of it. “Wow. Look at the time.” He grabbed the other bag, as he cleared his throat. “We—I’m sorry, Cas. Um, we—Sam’s right. We really have to go.”

“Of course. Don’t worry. See you tomorrow.”

Dean gave Castiel a short nod and headed towards the exit with Sam following him. But before he reached the door, Castiel said, “And Dean?”

“Yeah?”

Dean stopped so abruptly, Sam nearly slammed into him.

“I’ll make sure that there will be an apple pie.”

And gawking back at him, Dean replied, “More than one thing to be looking forward to, then. But still doesn’t beat the first one.”

And with that, Dean got the pleasure of watching Castiel’s smile widened.

“Oh. My. God,” said Sam. “Guys, seriously, I’m two seconds away from calling the cuteness police.”

Beaming at Castiel like a fool, Dean said goodbye once more before leaving the shop. He didn’t complain once on the way to the house.

He even hummed to the cheesy songs Sam selected on the radio.

He spent the night gleeful, chuckling at everybody’s jokes.

He absolutely savored every single bite of that pumpkin pie with his eyes closed, ignoring Sam who was laughing his head off at the sight of him.

And at night, in his bed and listening to the wind brushing against trees, he slowly drifted into sleep, recalling the way Castiel’s deep voice was pronouncing his name.

#spnpetra #my fanfic #destiel fic #destiel fluff #mercurialkitty #spn fanfiction #bakery au #thanksgiving #sam knows #pumpkin pie #followers celebration #supernatural

[fashionbooksmilano]

Bauhausmädels

A Tribute to Pioneering Women Artists

Patrick Rössler

Taschen, Cologne 2019, 480 pages, ISBN 978-3-8365-6353-6 English, French, German

euro 30,00

email if you want to buy [email protected]

Celebrating the centennial of a groundbreaking School of Art and Design, this volume marks the founding of the Bauhaus with a visual exploration of its most underrated members. Unprecedented in current literature, Bauhausmädels presents 87 artists and artisans through texts and photographic portraits, many published for the very first time. Recent archival discoveries revive the biographies of better-known talents. In the 1920s, the title “Bauhaus girl” expressed a silent admiration for the young women who courageously eluded traditional gender roles to build a different, creative future. These include Marianne Brandt, the first woman to be admitted to the Bauhaus metalworking program whose designs are used by Alessi to this day; Gertrud Arndt who, dissuaded by the faculty from studying architecture, instead shone through her photography and rug design; and Lucia Moholy, who photographed the Bauhaus buildings in iconic shots, but spent the rest of her life trying to retrieve the negatives which were withheld from her. Moreover, the volume reminds us of other women artists whose names, nearly forgotten, also stand for early pioneers of gender equality, refusing to follow the beaten tracks society and their families insisted on. With almost 400 portrait photographs taken between 1919 and 1933, Bauhausmädels creates a visual impression of the women artists who attended the most progressive art school of the 20th century and, departing from there, often changed the world of art, architecture, design, and even politics. Biographical data sheds light on each artist’s individual struggle, persistence in the face of adversity, and incredible accomplishments. In this grand family album, we discover a group of unique trailblazers whose legacy paved the way for women artists after them.

Florence Henri, Grete Stern und Ellen Auerbach, Friedl Dicker, Anni Albers, Otti Berger

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#bauhaus girls #bauhaus #marianne brandt #gertrud arndt #lucia moholy #women artists #1919 1933 #twenties #anni venti #fashion inspiration #fashionbooksmilano #florence henry #grete stern #ellen auerbach #friedl dicker #anni albers #otti berger

[sorenmarie87]

400 Followers!!

WHAT!  Oh my god~ I can’t thank you guys enough for following me.  Words can’t even describe how this makes me feel.  So how am I celebrating this you ask?  

With OC drabbles of course~ I have a list of OC’s right here.  So pick a couple and a prompt from this list and I will write a drabble for you <3

Forever Tags - @lovetusk @coffee-obsessed-writer@mirajanefairytailmage@kazosa@aquivercactus@soythedemonqueen@docharleythegeekqueen@holyfuckloueh @ellen-reincarnated1967 @srj1990@buckyscrystalqueen @ravenangel33 @disneymarina @clockworkmorningglory

#400 followers #wow #Thank you all again seriously #OC drabbles

[lauraramargosian]

Ellen DeGeneres to receive The Carol Burnett Award in 2020!

Ellen DeGeneres to receive The Carol Burnett Award in 2020!

ELLEN’S GAME OF GAMES — “Say Whaat Women Want” Episode 209 — Pictured: Ellen DeGeneres — (Photo by: Mike Rozman/NBC)

Ellen DeGeneres is truly one of the most charitable humans on the planet. In fact, she’s receiving the humanitarian award called The Carol Burnett Award.

Further, the award is presented to someone who went above and beyond contributions to the world, on and off-screen.

Did you know the Carol Burnett Award was first introduced last year at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards?

With this in mind, you might remember the first person to receive the award was Carol Burnett.

Isn’t it true and safe to say that when we give back to the world, the good karma comes rolling in and it’s a positive feeling?

Most importantly, it’s a feeling we all deserve to feel when we go above and beyond, the purpose of life is to leave the world better than we found it.

HFPA president Lorenzo Soria opened up about the award and spoke about The Carol Burnett Award.

“From her sitcoms, to stand-up, to becoming a household staple on daytime television, she is a pioneer who has captivated audiences for nearly 25 years with her undeniable charm and wit.

Ellen Meets Viral NYC Firefighter and His Baby Daughter!

In addition to her television success, she’s an advocate and philanthropist, lending her voice to those who don’t have one, and spreading kindness and joy through the power of her platform. We look forward to celebrating her achievements at this year’s ceremony.”

Ultimately, it’s the one thing that Ellen DeGeneres has strived to do from the start of her career.

View this post on Instagram

Find out how this happened. Tomorrow. @jenniferaniston

A post shared by Ellen DeGeneres (@theellenshow) on Oct 27, 2019 at 3:34pm PDT

Just as important Portia de Rossi must feel extremely proud of her love. It’s always refreshing to see your family and friends reach new levels of success within their career goals.

Stay tuned, the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards will take place on January 5, 2020.

Lastly, what are some of your favorite charities?

Sound off in the comments below, and if you’re loving the positive vibes you can always follow us on social media or subscribe to our Newsletter.

Blessed be!

Halsey gets distracted by her boyfriend, ready to laugh?

The post Ellen DeGeneres to receive The Carol Burnett Award in 2020! appeared first on Positive Celebrity News and Gossip.

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#Positive celebrity gossip #celebrity gossip #news #love #positive vibes

[deansdirtylittlesecretsblog]

There You’ll Always Be

Title:  There You’ll Always Be

Author:  Dean’s Dirty Little Secret

Characters:  Sam Winchester x Eileen Leahy

Word Count: 1579

Warnings:  language, character death, implied sexual activity, angst

Author’s Notes:  written for @klaineaholic 400 Follower Celebration. My prompt:  “If you’re the one protecting me… Then who’s the one protecting you!?” I also decided to use it for Angst Appreciation Day. Thank you @mamapeterson for helping me angst when I couldn’t angst. I took some liberties with the dialogue in 12.21 There’s Something About Mary.

In my heart there is a memory, and there you’ll always be.

You can never be sure if this time will be the last time - the last time you smell her hair, the last time you see her smile, the last time you feel her touch, the last time you get to kiss her. If Sam had known that the last time he saw Eileen would be the last time he saw her, he would have told her everything.

Everything.

Dean kept teasing him, good-natured teasing, the “older brother thinks it’s cute you’ve got a crush on her” kind of teasing that legitimately made Sam blush. Of course, he gave it back tenfold when it came to Dean’s feelings for a certain sheriff in Minnesota, the two of them shooting barbs back and forth until they were both breaking down in fits of laughter. It had meant to a lot to him though when Dean had clapped him on the shoulder and muttered “she’s good people, Sammy,” before pulling a beer from the fridge and leaving him to practice.

He’d taken some American Sign Language classes in college, what felt like a million years ago, but he only remembered the basics like ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ the stuff everyone knew. He wanted to learn more, wanted to be able to actually talk to Eileen, so he’d found a website to help him. God knew, when he set his mind to something, he gnawed at it like a dog with a bone, until he’d figured it out or perfected it. Learning sign language wasn’t any different.

He got nervous every time he Skyped with her, sure he was going to make an idiot of himself in front of her. He wanted it to be perfect, wanted to make sure he wasn’t telling her to go jump off of a cliff or something like that. Eileen was infinitely patient with him, correcting his mistakes with a gentle smile on her face, giggling when he really messed something up. He appreciated her patience.

They’d been talking steadily for a couple of months when Eileen suggested they get together for coffee, maybe even dinner. Sam had agreed, so quickly he was afraid he’d come across as too eager. He was grateful she’d been the one to ask, he’d been worried that if he did it, she’d think he was looking for some quick hook-up or something. That was certainly not his intention.

He’d had to borrow the Impala from Dean, enduring several minutes of good-natured teasing and his stupid older brother shoving condoms in his duffel, despite his protests.

“Just in case,” Dean had chuckled, winking.

When Jody said her name, he flinched and for a second, he forgot how to breathe, how to draw in a breath and let it out, expanding his lungs until they were full, then releasing the air. He heard Jody talking, heard the words coming from her, heard himself responding, but it was all happening in a vacuum of sound and air.

“Thanks for letting me know. Bye.” Sam disconnected the call, his eyes on the floor, like maybe she’d somehow appear in front of him.

“Who?” Dean asked.

“Eileen,” Sam answered.

“How?”

Somehow, he answered his brother, somehow he told him what Jody had said. He could feel the tears threatening, could feel that familiar tightening in his chest, the ache in the center of his head, the tremble in his fingers that came every time he lost someone he cared about, someone he loved. It was all too familiar.

It was always the people he loved that got hurt. First it was Mom, then Jess. Dad. Madison. Dean followed suit later. Ellen, Jo, Bobby, Kevin, Charlie; anyone and everyone in between that he let himself get emotionally attached to in one way or another. It was like the universe was conspiring against him to take everyone away from him.

Now, it was Eileen.

Sam met Eileen just west of Kansas City, a couple hours south of Lebanon at a hole in the wall restaurant just off the highway that he and Dean had eaten at quite a few times. It looked like nothing, but they had amazing food.

Four cups of coffee later, Sam’s knee was bouncing, his fingers tapping on the table, and Eileen looked like she might bolt for the door. He was royally screwing this up.

“You okay, Sam?” she signed.

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied, clearing his throat. “I’m, uh, I’m good.”

Eileen reached across the table and grabbed his tapping fingers. “Even though I can’t hear that, it’s still driving me crazy” she said.

Sam shook his head and laughed. “Sorry. You want to get out of here, maybe go for a walk?”

“You could walk me back to the motel,” she shrugged. “If you want?”

Sam nodded and pushed himself out of the booth. He dropped some money to the table and gestured for Eileen to go out ahead of him. She waited for him at the door, linked her arm with his as they walked down the street, the two of them comfortable in their silence.

They stopped outside the door to her room, Eileen leaning against it, Sam fidgeting, staring at a spot just over her shoulder. There had to be something he could say, something he could do, to stretch the evening out longer. He was so lost in his thoughts that Eileen had to snap her fingers in Sam’s face until he looked at her. As soon as his eyes settled on her face, on the warm brown of her eyes, his decision was made. He took a step forward, cupped her face in his hands, caught her lips in his, and kissed her.

When they finally broke apart, her arms around his waist, his body flush against hers pressing her into the door, they were both panting and Eileen was smiling up at him.

“I was wondering if you were going to do that,” she laughed.

“I’m glad you said that,” Sam chuckled. “I was afraid you’d punch me.”

Eileen laughed, tucked her hair behind her ear, and pulled the key to her room from her pocket. “Why don’t you come in?” she grinned.

Sam drew in a deep breath and swallowed. He couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop staring at the length of her neck, a neck he’d kissed, now marred by deep bruising and cuts. Or the curve of her jaw - she was ticklish, right there beneath her chin, a little to the left of her throat. He reached out and ran a finger down the length of her arm, remembering how soft and warm she’d been.

“People who do what we do, you know there are gonna be deaths, but...this…” He gnawed on his lower lip, trying to hold in his need to scream, to yell out his pain, to flip the table and watch the instruments tumble to the ground.

“Why did she leave Ireland?” Dean asked.

“I don’t know, Dean…”

He could hear it in his voice, the pain, the exasperation, the loss. Every word that followed felt like it was thick, stuck in his throat, blocked by layers of emotion, forced out by sheer will. It was all churning inside of him, everything, all of it, waiting to explode.

“I-I…” Sam exhaled, the sound sharp and biting. “I wanna punch something in the face.”

“Good,” Dean said. “Hold on to that.”

They were sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing each other, the sheet wrapped around Eileen’s torso, Sam in his boxer briefs. It was the first time they’d come up for air in three days, their need for each other almost desperate.

“I don’t want you to go,” Sam shook his head, his hair falling in his face. “You should stay with me, come back to the bunker. I can protect you -”

“If you’re the one protecting me… Then who’s the one protecting you?” Her hands were flying, moving so fast Sam could barely make out what she was saying.

He reached out, wrapped his huge hands around her waist and pulled her into his lap. She collapsed against him, her face buried against the side of his neck, her breathing fast and erratic, her tears falling on his shoulder.

“I will protect you. Always.” he murmured against her hair. Sam knew she couldn’t hear him, wasn’t sure he wanted her to. The words were for him.  

He knew how hard it had been for her since she’d shot that British kid, how much she’d struggled with what had happened, with her guilt. He wished he could take that all away from her, carry that burden for himself. For now he’d just have to try and comfort her as best he could.  

He lowered her to the bed, intent on making her forget everything that had happened, if only for a little while. He needed his fill of her before she was gone.

“She left Ireland because she was scared.”

Dean’s words echoed in his head. She was scared. Scared enough to ask if she could come and stay with them while she “sorted things out.” Scared enough to reach out for help.

He stared out the window, watching the houses flash by as Dean drove back to the bunker. His heart was pounding, tears sliding down his face, his hands shaking.

He’d failed her. Failed her when she’d needed him most.

“I will protect you. Always.”

He was a liar.

Forever:  @jensennjared @mrswhozeewhatsis @the-mrs-deanwinchester @official-shipper @brooklyn-writes-flangst @climbthatmooselikeatree @mamapeterson @katnharper @raeganr99 @skybinx-blog @winchesterr67 @grellsutcliff105 @arikas5744 @faegal04 @the-girl-of-your-nightmares @mrsjohnsmith @mogaruke @courageoussam @nerdwholikesword @growningupgeek @virgosapphire79 @sleep-silent-angel @bkwrm523 @iwriteshortstuff @for-the-love-of-dean @nichelle-my-belle @deandoesthingstome @andiamsoinlovewithyou @pizzarollpatrol @misswhizzy @supernatural-jackles @waywardjoy @awkwardnerdqueen @valee-ppiew @superbluhoo2 @deansbaekaz2y5 @roseangel013bf @jencharlan @kickasscas67 @neanealuv @deanscherrypie @kittenofdoomage @tjforston @purgatoan @just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms @sckslife @sis-tafics @youwerelikeadream @i-dream-of-dean @impala-with-wings @bringmesomepie56 @basmaraafat @oriona75 @writingbeautifulmen @ultimatecin73 @gemini75eeyore @vote-for-pedro @tom-is-in-my-tardis @percywinchester27 @mysteriouslyme81 @faith-in-dean @that1seniorchick @milkymilky-cocopuff @atc74 @s4m-w1nch3st3r5287 @winsmut @squirrelchester @demonangelimpala @justacaliforniandreamer @xxsugarturtle @findingfitnessforme @wvnchxstxr @winchestergirl-love @petrovadixon @colorfuluniversewhispers @love-kittykat21 @velcr0kitty @spookypeyton @frickfracklesackles @ria132love @shhhs3cret @harleenquinzzel @icantfindacreativeurl @gallifreyansass @anotherotter @kaitlynmarie1120 @giftofdreams @not-moose-one-shots @you-didnt-see-that-cuming @emoryhemsworth @fangirlofeverythingme @goldenolaf25 @nanie5 @cameronbraswell @luulaachops @upon-a-girl @goofynerd-67babylove

#kiri’s 400 followers fics #spn angst appreciation day 2017 #sam winchester fluff #sam winchester drabble #sam winchester one shot #sam winchester imagine #sam fanfic #sam winchester spn drabble #sam drabble #sam imagine #sam one shot #spn fanfic #spn fanfiction #spn one shot #spn imagine #spn drabble #spn fluff #supernatural one shot #supernatural imagine #supernatural fluff #supernatural drabble #spnfic #spn fic #smut #supernatural smut #sam x eileen #sam winchester x eileen leahy

[showfridge0-blog]

The Catherine Auchincloss House - 123 East 69th Street

In 1872 ubiquitous developer Christopher Keyes began construction on a row of 11 20-foot wide brownstone-fronted homes on East 69th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues.  Designed by the equally-prolific John Sexton, they were completed in 1873.

On April 14, 1903 the New-York Tribune reported the Catherine Agnew would be married to Edgar Stirling Auchincloss that afternoon in the mansion of the bride's family at No. 23 West 39th Street.  Catherine was the daughter of Andrew G. Agnew and the former Mary Hervey Bliss.  Exactly one year later, on April 15, 1904 Agnew purchased No. 123 East 69th Street.   And then the following year, in July, he transferred title to his daughter.

The reason that her parents' wedding gift was belated was most likely due to an updating of the now-outdated Victorian.  In 1904 Agnew had hired S. Edson Gage to make alterations.  Period photographs reveal a remodeled facade--a somewhat curious take on Spanish Revival.

Edgar Auchincloss was a wealthy importer.  He had graduated from Yale University in 1896 and was was a member of some of Manhattan's most exclusive clubs, including the University, Downtown and Racquet Clubs.  At a time when only the wealthiest owned motorcars, he was a member of the Automobile Club of America.  The Auchinclosses had four children--Edgar, Jr., Mary Bliss, Elizabeth Ellen and Katrina. 

The twisted wrought iron balusters of the sinuous staircase and the lighting fixture carried on the Spanish motif.  photo by Samuel H. Gottscho from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York 

The same year that Edgar and Catherine moved into the remodeled house, they acquired a 400-acre country estate near Darien, Connecticut.  Its name, Keewaydin, was taken from Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha."

On May 4, 1910 Edgar Auchincloss died in the 69th Street house at the age of just 35.  While he left about a quarter of a million dollars to relatives, Catherine received the bulk of the estate.  The New-York Tribune remarked "At her death the estate is to go to the testator's three daughters and one son" and added that the estate's executors "are empowered at any time to provide a fund of $25,000 for the son to use should he desire to embark in business, or a like sum, should he desire to enter into serious study preparatory to taking up a profession."

In a move that may have shocked society, two days after her husband's death, Catherine purchased the house next door, at No. 121, spending more than a million and a half in today's dollars on the property.  It may have been, however, a reaction to being suddenly alone that prompted the purchase.  After having the architectural firm of  R. H. Robertson & Sons make "extensive alterations and additions" to the home, she sold it to her brother, George Bliss Agnew.

The alterations to No. 121 were remarkable.  Seen at far right, No. 123 boasted a Spanish Renaissance entrance, tiled roof and dramatic balcony above the areaway.  photograph by Wurts Bros., from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York

The closeness of the siblings was evidenced five years later when, on the same day, September 17, 1915, architect W. I. Morris filed plans for interior renovations to both houses.  They were identical in scope, "extend stairs and bedrooms," at a cost of $3,000 each.  The young widow never remarried.  She instead busied herself with charity work, most notably the Association for the Aid of Crippled Children.  During a its annual meeting in the 69th Street house on March 2, 1926, she was re-elected its president.   For decades she would be highly involved in her pet philanthropy, often hosting meetings, teas and receptions in the home. In 1930 Catherine commissioned architect William F. Dominick to give the house a noticeable face lift.  His plans, filed on December 11, involved removing the stoop and areaway, remodeling the first and second story facade, and replacing the tiling of the roof and shed dormer with copper cladding.

Dominick's remodeling of the lower floors toned down the former Spanish Renaissance elements.

It was a busy time for Catherine.  Twelve days later the engagement of Edgar, Jr. to Patty Milburn was announced.  One by one Catherine's children married and left East 69th Street.  Mary was married to Nelson Lawrence Page on November 16, 1933; and Katrina's engagement to Royal Elting Mygatt was announced on July 9, 1937.  That wedding took place less than a month later at Keewaydin.  Elizabeth's wedding three years later in June also was celebrated in the Connecticut home.  Rather surprisingly, The New York Times noted on June 9, 1940, "No previous announcement of the engagement had been been made."

Catherine's library was decidedly English in design.  photo by Samuel H. Gottscho from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York 

At the time of Elizabeth's marriage Catherine had five live-in servants at No. 123--a cook, two maids and two "waiters," (the more polished maids who served, for instance, Catherine's teas, receptions and luncheons).   An example of the regular teas that would have kept those women busy was the tea hosted by Catherine and Elizabeth on April 7, 1945 for the trustees of the Child Education Foundation.  It was emblematic of the types of entertainments Catherine held--almost never merely social, but with an altruistic purpose. On May 16, 1950 The New York Times reported that Catherine had sold the house she had occupied for nearly half a century.  Two years later, while still a single-family home, a doctor's office was installed in the first floor.   By the early 2000's the mansion was owned by, Zack Hapton Bacon III, a partner in the multibillion-dollar hedge fund Moore Capital Management; and fiancé of Diandra Douglas (former wife of actor Michael Douglas).  When he listed the property in 2005 for $10.75 million, it was described as having "six bedrooms, eight wood-burning fireplaces, a wood-paneled library and a terrace topping the fourth floor."  There were also an elevator, indoor waterfall in the entrance hall, and a gym with sauna.  Bacon changed his mind, however, and took the property off the market.   Twice remodeled, Catherine Auchincloss's stately home is an integral part of the amazing architectural fabric of the East 69th Street block.

photographs by the author

Source: http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-catherine-auchincloss-house-123.html

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

[backhurtyy]

4? Please make it as fluffy as you can

4. Kissing on sofa, foreheads pressed together, breathy, soft tender.

sorry this took so long anon! i tried to deliver on the fluff so... hopefully it’s okay 💖

The apartment was quiet, sunlight streaming in the open windows and a light breeze making the curtains sway gently. It was a peaceful, lazy afternoon, and Sokka couldn’t imagine anything better than this- just laying on the couch, Zuko half on top of him as he used his chest as a pillow.

Sokka pulled Zuko tighter to him and hummed, his heart swelling when Zuko nuzzled closer to him and squeezed him right back with the arm he had draped over his stomach.

“What?” Zuko mumbled with his eyes shut, words muffled by how his cheek pressed into Sokka’s chest.

“Nothing. This is just really nice. We never get to just… Be lazy like this, you know?”

Zuko’s eyes slid open and he turned his head so that he could see Sokka, resting his chin on his sternum. “Yeah, it is,” he said with a soft smile.

Sokka rubbed his thumb into Zuko’s right arm lightly, not speaking, just smiling at him and trying to put every ounce of love he felt into it. When he smiled even harder and his eyes fluttered shut, Sokka knew he had seen it.

A second later, Zuko was shifting fluidly to prop himself up on his elbow and lean forward until his face was hovering over Sokka’s.

Sokka swallowed and said quietly, “Hey, baby.”

“Hi, love.” Zuko’s reponse was little more than an exhale, his lips parting slightly as he looked down at Sokka with shining eyes.

They stayed frozen, time slipping away as they just gazed at each other, faces so close together that they could feel each other’s breath skating across their cheeks. A strand of Zuko’s hair had come loose from his bun and now hung in front of his face, so with slow, delicate movements- as if anything else would shatter the moment- Sokka reached up and pushed it back behind his ear.

Rather than remove his hand from Zuko’s face after though, he let it rest there so that he could brush his thumb across his cheekbone gently. Zuko let out a shuddering breath, and ducked down to kiss him, slow and sweet and lazy and so full of love that Sokka’s heart ached.

When Zuko finally went to gently pull away after what could have been minutes or hours, Sokka followed him and captured his mouth in another plying kiss- nothing more than just the press of their lips together, but it still left him breathless. Zuko, apparently determined to steal all the air from his lungs, kissed him chastely twice more before pressing his forehead to Sokka’s.

“I love you, Sokka,” he murmured softly.

“And I love you, Zuko,” he responded back, eyes staying shut.

They stayed there, breath mingling in the small space between them and the sun casting its warm rays across their legs, and Sokka knew it would never get better then this.

#i kinda.... skated over the kissing so hopefully it’s alright!!! #this made me tear up actually.... i just..... i love them...... #zukka #ellen’s 400 follower celebration #anonymous asks #ellen.fic

[localbloggist-blog]

Lavelle Puts US up 2-0 in World Cup Final

LYON, France (AP) – The Latest on the Women’s World Cup final (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

Rose Lavelle has put the United States up 2-0 against the Netherlands with a fine solo goal in the 69th minute.

The midfielder collected the ball some 30 meters out, advanced to the penalty area and skipped past defender Stefanie van der Gragt before planting a low shot past goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal.

She was mobbed as she dived into the arms of her teammates as she sprinted to the U.S. bench to celebrate.

6:20 p.m.

Megan Rapinoe has opened the scoring for the United States in the 61st minute with a penalty against the Netherlands in the Women’s World Cup final.

Referee Stephanie Frappart awarded the penalty following a video review showed that defender Stefanie van der Gragt made a high challenge on striker Alex Morgan.

Rapinoe confidently struck the spot-kick down the middle and past a static Sari van Veenendaal, who seemed to anticipate Rapinoe would shoot to the side and was wrong-footed.

It was Rapinoe’s sixth goal, tying her with Morgan and England’s Ellen White at the top of the scoring charts.

6:10 p.m.

U.S. defender Kelley O’Hara has been replaced for the second half by Ali Krieger.

O’Hara needed on-field treatment near the end of the first half after colliding head to head with Dutch winger Lieke Martens as they jumped up to contest a high ball.

5:50 p.m.

The United States and the Netherlands were deadlock 0-0 at halftime in the Women’s World Cup final, mainly because of Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal. She has made three key stops.

U.S. midfielder Julie Ertz saw her hooked shot saved in the 27th minute following a corner.

Van Veenendaal imposed herself again in the 38th, keeping out Alex Morgan’s low shot from Megan Rapinoe’s left-wing cross. She denied Morgan again, this time with an even better save, low to her left to tip Morgan’s fizzing driver away for a corner.

U.S. goalie Alyssa Naeher had a quiet half but came out confidently to clear the ball when forward Lineth Beerensteyn chased down a pass from Vivianne Miedema.

Dutch winger Lieke Martens and U.S. defender Kelley O’Hara both needed brief on-field treatment near the end of the half after colliding head to head while going for a header.

4:50 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron hopes women’s soccer players are eventually paid the same as men.

Speaking on France Info radio before the Women’s World Cup final in Lyon, Macron said “we need to go progressively toward that.”

On Friday FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced he’ll seek to double the prize money for women at their next World Cup in 2023. But even doubling the pool from $30 million to $60 million doesn’t diminish the gap with the men’s World Cup prize money, which is set at $440 million for the 2022 World Cup, up from $400 million last year.

Macron, who supports Marseille —the only French team to have won the European Cup — said interest in women’s sports will be boosted significantly after this tournament.

Macron said “we have the World Cup effect” and added “things will never be the same” for women’s soccer in France.

4:40 p.m.

On a sunny day at Stade de Lyon, the Dutch fans are making the stadium even brighter with their orange jerseys.

The Oranje have packed themselves behind one of the goals and several are waving the horizontally striped red-white-blue national flag.

The Dutch players went over to applaud them as they ran out onto the sunbaked field.

4:10 p.m.

Megan Rapinoe returned to the starting lineup for the United States in the Women’s World Cup final against the Netherlands on Sunday.

Rapinoe missed the 2-1 semifinal victory over England on Tuesday with a minor hamstring injury. She had two goals in each of the previous two games of the knockout stage.

There were concerns that midfielder Rose Lavelle would also be sidelined with a hamstring injury, but she started.

Alyssa Naeher started at goalkeeper for the seventh straight game, and the backline of Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper and Kelley O’Hara remained unchanged from the semifinal.

Accompanying Lavelle in the midfield was Julie Ertz and Sam Mewis. Alex Morgan was up top flanked by Tobin Heath and Rapinoe.

4:06 p.m.

Lieke Martens kept her place in the Netherlands starting lineup despite a recent foot injury.

The left winger struggled during the semifinal win against Sweden, going off at halftime. She has been carrying the injury since scoring a 90th-minute penalty in the 2-1 last-16 win against Japan, when a teammate stood on her foot during the celebrations. In the only change to the Dutch team which beat Sweden 1-0 in the semis, Anouk Dekker replaces Merel van Dongen on defense.

Netherlands:

Sari van Veenendaal, Desiree van Lunteren, Stefanie van der Gragt, Dominique Bloodworth, Anouk Dekker, Jackie Groenen, Danielle van de Donk, Sherida Spitse, Lineth Beerensteyn, Vivianne Miedema, Lieke Martens.

3:30 p.m.

The United States will be vying for its fourth Women’s World Cup title when it meets European champion the Netherlands on Sunday.

The U.S. is the defending champion, while the Dutch women are appearing in their first World Cup final.

Both sides had narrow wins in the semifinals, with the U.S. beating a physical England team 2-1 and the Dutch needing extra time to overcome Sweden 1-0.

The finalists both have female coaches. Jill Ellis leads the United States and Sarina Wiegman is in charge of the Netherlands.

It’s the first time since 2003 that two women have coached against each other in the final.

In the most recent meeting between the two teams, the U.S. won 3-1 at home in 2016.

The Associated Press. 2019. All rights reserved. 

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[because-imma-lady-assface]

Reasons

Dean x Reader

A/N: This is my entry for @luciisthebest 400 Follower celebration (congrats again!) The prompt I chose is in bold and the song lyrics are italicized (I chose “Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga). Thanks as per usual for the beta to my Beka.

Warnings: Smidge of angst. Swears. Dean’s POV

Words: 945

~

“Listen. You know how I feel about you-how I’ve always felt about you. This isn’t on me.”

“Y/N come on. You gotta cut me a little slack here I-you know I do. Fuck. I don’t know why this is so hard.”

“Dean. I get it, and yeah, I do know you love me. I don’t know how to explain it, but if you expect me to come back-to stay, I need to hear it more. I just do.”

“Oh please. I’ve said it.”

“You did. Twice. Good for you.”

“That can’t-”

“Twice, Dean. You said the words ‘I love you’ twice to me. And the second time you were leaving me on Bobby’s doorstep, after Sam...just after Sam. Every other time I said it first and you said ‘me too’ or kissed me or whatever. So yeah, I knew. That doesn’t mean I didn’t-don’t need to hear the words. They-they’re important too. And I’m not going to pretend they aren’t anymore.”

Her voice was steady when we first started talking. My Y/N’s voice. That Y/N was ball-busting and confident in damn near everything she said or did. Now, her voice was soft, but it was more than that. It was timid.

I couldn’t believe what she was telling me. I couldn’t believe how monumentally fucking stupid I was.

Not just for leaving her like I did, running to Lisa, but for ever going back to her when Sam came back. I needed the help. She knew about everything. Knew about where I went. She pretended she didn’t. Pretended we could all be fine again. Just friends this time.

I was a fucking moron, and a selfish one at that for ever bringing her into my mess of a life. Even worse, my dumbass fell in love with her, let Sam love her like a sister. He finally had someone else to go to. Someone way better than me.

I let her stick around after I came back from Hell. I know there are pieces of her missing from that time she’ll never get back. She should hate me. I’ve brought nothing but loss to her. When we needed help, we went to her. No matter what had happened I trusted her with my life, with my brother’s.

Along the way she met, and loved, Kevin and Charlie. Lost them because of me. I didn’t bring Ellen, Jo or Ash into her life, but they were all dead because of me and my crusade.

Bobby alone should have her running for the hills. Countless reasons she should go. And yet when I asked to stay this time, she only asked for one thing. She should be making me beg.

“Hey.”

Her voice, still soft but with a little of her usual resolve back, pulled me out of my head.

“Sorry I-uh…”

“You haven’t changed one bit, and I know you Dean Winchester.”

That I had to chuckle at. She did, and it never failed to bite me in the ass.

“Give me your phone.”

She fiddled with it-didn’t even need to ask for the code. Just knew it was Sam’s birthday. When she handed it back to me I looked at the screen.

“Really? Y/N/N...Lady Gaga?”

“Just listen to it you ass. Music always got through to you better than anything else, and it says it way better than me. I’m gonna go for a walk. Just think about what we talked about.”

After she left I settled against my headboard and grabbed my headphones.

“Alright Gaga. Let’s see what you got a million reasons about.”

I had to pause the song after the first two verses. How the hell did she know what was going through my head? Shit, Y/N.

I pushed play again and let the next part wash over me.

I bow down to pray

I try to make the worst seem better

Lord, show me the way

To cut through all his worn out leather

I’ve got a hundred million reasons to walk away

But baby, I just need one good one to stay

By the time she walked back in the room I must’ve listened to the damn song twenty times. There were parts that I couldn’t get out of my head.

Baby I’m bleedin’ bleedin’

Stay

Can’t you give me what I’m needin’ needin’

Every heartbreak makes it hard to keep the faith

But, baby I just need one good one

Good one, good one, good one, good one, good one

“How can one reason make up for all the others?”

Then she did it. She smiled. That smile always did me in. She slipped off her jacket and shoes and sat on the end of my bed. Just like always her legs folded together like a pretzel, leaning forward just a little, forearms on her top leg.

“Because wrapped up in that one reason, are countless others. I think you’re forgetting the biggest reason of all though.”

“What’s that?”

“You. You Dean Giant-Stubborn-Curmudgeon-Of-A-Pain-In-My-Ass Winchester. You are more than all the other reasons. Good or bad.”

I couldn’t believe it. The fact she loved me and could see me in that way blew me away. I’d always tried not to think about it too much. So, for once I didn’t. I leaned in and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward until she was lying flush against me.

“Well when you put it like that.”

“I always have been a speaker of the truth.”

There’s that smile again.

“Y/N L/N, I love you. And I promise to tell you. Will you stay?”

Her kiss was the only answer I’d ever need.

Tags:

All of the Things: @amanda-teaches @codexofwitches @emilypkuzu @feelmyroarrrr @hexparker @ilsawasanacrobat @lynnebla

Supernatural Things: @bradygabrielle-blog @impala-dreamer @holisticdean @mrsbatesmotel53 @myplaceofthingsilove

#luci's 400 follower song challenge #dean winchester x reader #supernatural one shot #spn x reader #supernatural fanfiction #dean x reader #dean winchester pov #look ma i did a thing

[lynccycling]

Welcome to the week of women! We couldn’t be more thrilled to highlight our own community of boss babes who are breaking barriers & making a difference in the world. Read below as we shed some light on our own LYNC women that are doing BIG THINGS in the community. We're celebrating those that inspire us, help break down gender bias in their industry, and support their local girl gang.

Meet Erin Zeller (@erinstellar), a video producer, digital marketer by day and passionate storyteller by night. She’s making noise in a male-dominated field, video production 🎥, and using her talent to tell some pretty jaw-dropping stories.

“As a former news reporter, I found a love for being able give people a voice through video, and tell stories that inspire change. I filmed, edited, and solo-produced UnBound, a short film about human trafficking in Texas through the eyes of a survivor who shares her experience on what it was like being exploited in the sex trade. The name UnBound comes from the anti-trafficking organization who fights to end sex trafficking and advocates for survivors like the woman featured in the film. I’m honored that the story was accepted into the Deep in the Heart of Texas film festival and will be screened in downtown Waco ‪March 29th.‬ “

In April, she’ll be starting a new job at an all-female production company which is huge because it’s such a male-dominated space. In the future, she hopes to create more films that highlight other strong women, non-profits, and changemakers, because “stories are how we all relate, and they have the power to inspire and bring change to a community.”

We’re so proud of Ellen Ewing (@ellenewing2473) for retiring after 32 years in the corporate world! After she cleared out her office, she knew she wanted more. She wanted to get involved with helping children find hope and safety from the sex trade. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ “I began learning more about human trafficking and learned that in Dallas alone an estimated 400 children are being sold for sex every day. The more l learned, the more I knew I needed to do something to help. My church asked me to co-lead our Anti Human Trafficking Team. We financially support and serve 4 non profits in the Dallas area who are working every day to educate, rescue and rehabilitate these children who are suffering through the trauma they have experienced.” ⠀ Texas is the #2 state in the nation for human trafficking victims, only second to California. The sex trade industry pulls in an astounding $99 billion per year, making it the fastest growing crime in the world. Ellen partners with a local non-profit organization, the @PoiemaFoundation, educating the public and raising awareness in order to prevent sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and other methods of sexual exploitation. 71% of human trafficking targets women & children. Poiema helps survivors begin recovery through a trauma-informed care program and residential housing that provides food, shelter and security. ⠀ Each Saturday, Ellen and her Poiema group head to hotels to hand out out flyers of missing children while looking for suspicious activity to provide to the detectives who are actively working to rescue exploited girls.

Meet Honor (@honorshearer)—a lover of comedy & food. Our two favorites! After doing stand up comedy for 6 years, Honor founded her own catering company, Gourmet at Home.

Cooking is an industry that is largely represented by men, boasting less than 20% of female chefs. 🍴 But now, Honor is bridging the gap and rockin’ the kitchen. Did we mention that Honor’s cooking is drool worthy?! She creates beautiful cuisine and memorable experiences. Honor, an entertainer at heart, also teaches cooking classes for people ages 9-99 available on @cozymeal.com.

“I became a chef because I love food, but my goal is to create beautiful experiences for people. Growing up, my mom cooked dinner and we always ate around the dining room table while my dad provided these incredible stories. We sat there together, eating wonderful food, talking and laughing. These dinnertime memories are my favorite.”

Honor loves being a chef so that she can provide exquisite food and an avenue for joyful, memorable experiences. We love Honor’s passion for food, creating long-lasting memories together, and founding a female run business in an industry that is lacking balance. 

Meet Tori Schwarzlose (@tori.schw)—for the past four school years, she has had the honor of being a Program Manager for After-School All-Stars (@asasnorthtexas), a nonprofit that runs afterschool programs for middle school students in under-resourced schools.

People often ask her, "Why in the world would you want to work with middle school students?" Her answer typically goes like this. ⠀ “Do you remember what you were like in middle school? I know I had braces, a middle hair part and wore high rise jeans with tie-dye tshirts. If I can help one awkward middle schooler realize that the best is yet to come, then I feel like I have made a difference."

ASAS North Texas provides free after-school programs for over 700 kids across 6 Dallas schools, and over 730,000 kids across the country. Their vision is for their All-Star students is to be safe and healthy, to graduate high school and go to college, to find careers they love and then give back to their communities.

With more than 15 million children home alone after school during peak times of juvenile crime, Tori‘s daily work is making a difference in these kids’ lives. “Every day is a fight to do better, to provide experiences for our future leaders. But every fight is worth it when it's #forthekids.” 

Meet Annie Stock (@annie.stock)! One year ago Annie took her passion for balloons and started her own business, Float Balloon Bar (@float_balloon_bar). She saw the need for personalized balloons in the DFW area and decided that she was going to fill that void. She says her desire to follow her passions and start her own business was sparked during a goal setting workshop we had here at Lync Cycling. She remembers, “We had to write down where we saw ourselves in 10 years and work backwards. I knew I wanted to have my own side business so this was the push I needed.”

This past year, Annie has been pushed out of her comfort zone many times, but has learned that she can meet and exceeded the expectations of her clients. She laughs, “I often say yes to projects and then figure out the details later. It is so satisfying to be scared of a project and then actually complete it!”

She admits that running a small business has been scary, but so rewarding. Throughout the ups and the downs, the final product is always worth it. “I have had many failures along the way, but looking back those have made me stronger and work harder on the next project!”

We are so proud of Annie for being an entrepreneur and a girl boss in our community and can’t wait to see Float Balloon Bar continue to grow!

Meet Lindsay Davis (@lindsayraydavis)! Lindsay started working at SMU after falling for a Mustang (her now husband Joe). They are also expecting their first child this summer! She now works with the Nancy Ann and Ray L. Hunt Leadership Scholars Program and is working for her Masters in Education in Education Policy. She is responsible for 95 students from the point at which they apply to SMU through graduation as well as managing the Hunt Scholar alumni program. Lindsay wears many hats in her role - recruiter, teacher, event planner, life coach, etc. She loves getting to have an impact on these students’ SMU journey!

Lindsay loves her job which is apparent to anyone that knows her. She says, “my job is fun because it’s challenging. Every single day is different, and every student question, concern, and problem is different.” She cares so much about her students and their success and well-being at SMU. “My job is a 24/7 job: the students know I am here for them any day, any time…except for the 45 minutes I make for myself at Lync! (Although, I see a bunch of them in class now, too, which I love!” The past few years she has been bringing the Hunt Scholars in for group rides at Lync at the beginning of ever semester. She tries to practice what she preaches to her students when it comes to life balance. Between her job, her masters degree, her leadership position in the Junior League of Dallas, being a wife, and a soon to be mother, she’s got A LOT going on! She has found a healthy way to relieve stress and have fun through classes at Lync. Lync “is huge source of both energy and mental relaxation.”

Lindsay says there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a student reach a goal that they didn’t necessarily think they could achieve. “Any role I can play in their experience means the world to me, that is what keeps me going.” She believes her job is an exciting opportunity to watch young leaders makes the world a better place. 

Meet Tiffany Fettinger (@tfett1), Owner of Texas Pride Athletics (@texasprideathletics) & current coach of SMU Cheer (@smucheer). Tiffany loves coaching cheerleading and has passionately coached various levels for twelve years. Coachinng SMU Cheer is a dream come true for her, but she has always dreamed of building her own program from the bottom up, so six months ago she opened the doors of Texas Pride Athletics.

“The journey so far has been empowering, emotional, lots of hard work, but insanely rewarding! I get to share my love for cheerelading and tumbling with kids from our community, see their confidence grow as they achieve new skills and their faces light up when they are so proud of themselves. I am hosting tryouts for our very first teams at Texas Pride and I cannot wait to take on the challenges this will bring.”

We stand behind Tiffany and her drive to build a woman-operated business that brings the community together and hosts an empowering place for young kids. “With super strong women supporting me, the sweet and positive mothers that bring their children to the gym, and my staff of smart and diligent young women, Texas Pride will continue to grow and positively impact children in our community!” We can’t wait either Tiffany 👏🏻 

#IWD #IWD2019 #internationalwomensday

[katekingcmp-blog]

History of Twitter

History of Twitter

 Twitter was invented in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, he originally thought of the app as being a SMS-based communications platform. In the early days it was referred to as twttr. Software developer Noah Glass is credited for coming up with the original name.

  Before twittr was given the name Twitter, they were three names in the pipeline they were: Flickr, FriendStalker and Dodgeball. The definition of twitter is “a short burst of inconsequential information and “a series of chirps from birds”.  

  Twitter is famous for its 140-character limit; this is because originally Twitter was a SMS app where the limit was first introduced. Twitter wanted to leave room for the usernames when someone writes a tweet.

 Twitter is much more than just uploading what you have been up to during the day; it is more to do with the media, politics and business. Many people will report that they first heard news on Twitter, for example, natural disasters, sports scores and a death of a celebrity are all shared on Twitter first.

 https://socialnomics.net/2013/01/23/the-history-of-twitter

 Twitter today

 Today Twitter has over 200 million users with 460,000 new accounts being created every day. There are more than 140 million tweets sent each day and while the company only started with eight employers it now has more than 400.

 Many famous people use Twitter as a way of promoting themselves and keeping their fans up to date with what they are doing. Below is a list of the famous people that have the most followers.

 1          KATY PERRY. @katyperry.– 108m followers

2          Justin Bieber. @justinbieber – 105m followers

3          Barack Obama. @BarackObama – 103m followers

4          Rihanna. @rihanna – 89m followers

5          Taylor Swift. @taylorswift13 – 84m followers

6          Lady Gaga. @ladygaga – 78m followers

7          Ellen DeGeneres. @TheEllenShow – 78m followers

8 Cristiano Ronaldo. @Cristiano.- 77m followers

 Controversy

Many people in the public eye use Twitter to express their opinion on certain issues, however, often they will not think about the consequences before doing this. Lord Sugar is an example of this, below is a message with an image that he put up on Twitter regarding the Senegal International football team. Many people twitted that his remarks and the image of the bags and sunglasses were racists.

  He was later forced to publish an apology

 I misjudged me earlier tweet. It was in no way intended to cause offence, and clearly my attempt at humour has backfired. I have deleted the tweet and am very sorry.

— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) June 20, 2018

Tweets such as this can cause serious upset to the people concerned and people reading the remarks.

When I did my survey most people answered that they use Facebook more than Twitter, but when it comes to people actually liking the posts  my Facebook is proving more popular but I am getting more views on Twitter. 

I am surprised by this result especially when all the people who took my survey said Facebook and not Twitter, but I will adapt to the new findings.  

#KateKingcmp #Twitter #penny

[getyourgossip0-blog]

Betting on the celebrity gossip circus that is the Bieber-Baldwin wedding

New Post has been published on https://getyourgossip.xyz/betting-on-the-celebrity-gossip-circus-that-is-the-bieber-baldwin-wedding/

Betting on the celebrity gossip circus that is the Bieber-Baldwin wedding

Sorry girls, it looks like Justin Bieber is off the market… if you even care. The Canadian pop singer is getting hitched to model Hailey Baldwin, which means it’s time to bet on all those fun prop odds surrounding this celebrity wedding. 

After an on-again, off-again courtship, Bieber and Baldwin – or Bieb-Win… maybe Bald-Ber? – anyways, they’re getting married, with the couple announcing their engagement in early July. The combo of Pop Prince and Super Model always makes for interesting relationships, which is why oddsmakers at MyBookie.ag have a long list of prop odds around the soon-to-be determined wedding.

You can wager on whether the two will tie the knot before the end of this year, taking the “Yes” the wedding will happen before the end of 2018 at -175 with the “No” coming back at +135. If you think the nuptials won’t happen until 2019, you can jump on that prop which is paying +150. 

But given the pace that this relationship is on, it might be a smarter play to take the wedding in 2018 and a divorce by the end of 2019. What? I’m just sayin’ the kids are moving faster than Usian Bolt with his ass on fire. 

THINKING OF PLACING A BET? CHECK OUT SPORTSBETTINGDIME.COM FOR SPORTSBOOK REVIEWS

Because this is a celebrity wedding, the guest list will be packed with familiar faces and the wedding parties should be too. Odds on Bieber’s Best Man see longtime friend Ryan Butler at the top of the board at EVEN money, followed by manager Scooter Braun and fellow pop singer Usher both at +300, rappers Lil Twist and Soulja Boy at +700 and +800 odds respectively, and boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. at +2000. Talk show host and massive Bieber fan Ellen Degeneres is a +5,000 long shot.

On the bride’s side of the aisle, Kardashian product Kendall Jenner is a runaway favorite to be Baldwin’s Maid of Honor at -200 odds. Her closest competition are models Bella Hadid and Mari McKinney at +200 and +400, as well as cousin and daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, Ireland Baldwin, who sits at +500 to be the M.O.H. 

Those prop options are pretty sensible compared to the other Bieber-Baldwin wedding odds on the board, such as will Justin’s ex Selena Gomez attend the wedding, with “No” a hefty -500 fave. And staying with that old flame, you can wager on whether Bieber will cover up or remove the Selena tattoo on his forearm, with the “Yes” a -140 front runner. 

And since Hailey Baldwin is of the famed family tree of Baldwin brothers – you know the ones: Alec, Billy, Stephen, ahhhh… Sleepy… Grumpy… and Doc? – bookies are having fun with props like “Will All the Baldwin Bros. be in attendance?” with “No” at -200, “Will Any of the Baldwins be working at the wedding?” – because you know times are tough for a couple of those guys – with “Yes” a +200 underdog… I feel like that should be higher… and “Will Alec assault a member of the paparazzi?” with that shit-show paying off at +200. Again, I feel like that should be higher…

Given some of these props, the Bieber-Baldwin wedding should at least be a wild party. I’ll be patiently waiting for my invite to come in the mail…

For my more fun entertainment props, check out Covers.com and be sure to follow us on Twitter @Covers for odds and insight into the wild and wacky world of novelty betting.

[lauraramargosian]

More Than Just a rapper. Kanye West Sunday service comes to Utah during LDS conference.

Kanye West Sunday Service happen right during The Church of Latter-Day Saints conference weekend.

@kanyew.est More than just a rapper.

 #kanyewest

Isn’t it true that Kanye West has talked about growth, fashion, music and so many more topics in the media? So, it’s pretty safe to say that he knows his stuff when it comes to working but now he’s showing the other side of Kanye.

The side we will call “More than just a rapper,” because this photo had the best hashtag we could begin to spread the love. It will be turning up the heat for Utah. The contradicting personalities in the downtown area will be increased and we hope anyone who is going to these events always remembers to love and be kind.

I’ve always preached to “just love,” and if Kanye wants to a step further by inspiring his family, friends and followers state-to-state, so be it.

Let’s be real, we’ve all seen the stories of “this guy,” for hating “that guy,” for believing in complete opposite ideas on endless levels.

More than just a rapper.

This shows that Kanye West is more than just a rapper but a man attempting to fill all the goals he has in life.

In fact, he inspires his family, friends, and fans to never give up and to dream big because it is not impossible to attain your goals.

Ellen Meets Viral NYC Firefighter and His Baby Daughter!

With that in mind, let’s remember to respect one another not based on what you believe but as a person.

Utah is constantly ready for high traffic and it’s a state where many high-profile celebrities and events happen, it’s “my kinda perfect,” when it comes to being an entertainment state.

West’s service will happen during the General Conference meeting and there will also be a protest from excommunicated Mormon bishop Sam Young will hold his “Protect Every Child” march.

Are you guys going to hit up his service? It’ll be a lot of good vibes seein Kanye West who is in fact, more than just a rapper Sound off in the comments below.

Blessed be!

Kayne West Sunday service sample!

More than just a rapper, Kanye West #MoreThanJustarapper #SundayService

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#Positive celebrity gossip #celebrity gossip #news #love #positive vibes

[biofunmy]

While California Fires Rage, the Rich Hire Private Firefighters

Don Holter is an owner of Mt. Adams Wildfire, a private contractor in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Sacramento. Most of his business comes from contracts with federal agencies, but his company is one of only five private firms in California that he knows of that work directly for homeowners.

Most don’t advertise the service widely, he said, instead relying on word of mouth. “It’s not who you are, it’s who you know,” Mr. Holter said.

Mt. Adams Wildfire offers short-term “on call” wildfire protection for families and neighborhood associations in Northern California and Eastern Washington. Last year, the company was on call for close to 90 days, Mr. Holter said. The service can cost up to $3,000 a day.

The majority of private fire crews work for insurance companies like Chubb, USAA and Safeco, which often provide fire mitigation services to their policyholders in high-risk fire areas without extra charge.

But most insurance-contracted crews don’t actually fight the flames. They focus on making homes more fireproof by installing sprinkler systems, fire breaks and fire-blocking gels.

Firefighters with Mt. Adams Wildfire will battle wildfires threatening homes, Mr. Holter said, on the phone from a job in South Lake Tahoe.

As climate change makes wildfires more dangerous, and often understaffed fire crews are exhausted by the increasing frequency of blazes, Mr. Holter said he expects more companies like his will pop up.

“It’s coming,” he said. “It’s a good old boys’ system, but it’s going to change.”

Private firefighting isn’t new. In the United States, government agencies including the National Forest Service have contracted with private crews to fight and prevent wildfires since at least the 1980s.

What has changed is that contractors are beginning to hire out their services to homeowners directly, as well. It follows that some security firms see a new business opportunity.

Chris Dunn is the founder of Covered 6, a private security firm outside Los Angeles that contracts with homeowners in nearby Malibu and Hidden Hills. He said he is planning to cross-train his security guards to fight fires and hopes to offer a subscription-based fire protection service by next summer.

In addition to training his own staff, Mr. Dunn wants to create a federally accredited firefighting course for independent contractors, who could be on call when homes are at greatest risk.

“It would be like a temporary worker during Christmastime,” Mr. Dunn said. “Retail has them, why wouldn’t fire season have them?”

Disregarding Evacuation Orders

Ever-increasing wildfires are costing Californians hundreds of billions of dollars. Taxes in the state are already high, and insurance rates for homeowners in high-risk fire areas have soared.

On top of that, utility customers will soon be on the hook for over $10 billion in extra charges to help companies cover wildfire damages.

One of those companies, Pacific Gas & Electric, already charges some of the highest electricity rates in the country. The company has been harshly criticized for pre-emptive blackouts this month that have left millions without power for days.

It is also currently in bankruptcy proceedings to address liabilities resulting from recent fires started, in part, by its aging equipment, including the inferno that engulfed the town of Paradise, killing 85 people last year.

Residents in the wealthy enclave of Hidden Hills, who already pay for Mr. Dunn’s security company, plan to spend even more to protect their gated community. The city has earmarked $5 million to bury hundreds of feet of overhead power lines and plans to eventually move all electricity cables underground.

Last year’s devastating Woolsey Fire, one of the largest on record in Los Angeles County, was a big factor. The nearly 2,000 residents of Hidden Hills, where celebrities such as Drake, Jessica Simpson, Howie Mandel and members of the Kardashian family have homes, had to evacuate during the blaze on Nov. 8.

At first, flames appeared to safely pass by, so firefighters left the area to fight the fire in nearby Malibu, where at least 400 homes were destroyed. But by the next afternoon, strong winds had pushed flames across a wildlife preserve back toward Hidden Hills.

“We didn’t have any fire trucks left,” said Lilian Darling Holt, a resident of 40 years and a member of the Hidden Hills community emergency response team. “We basically had to fend for ourselves.”

Armed with pool pumps and fire hoses, residents and Covered 6 security guards held the fire at bay long enough for Cal Fire air tankers to arrive that evening and drop pink fire retardant around the edge of the city.

Though the Woolsey Fire ultimately burned more than 96,000 acres across Los Angeles County and Ventura County, in the end, only one structure in Hidden Hills, a barn, was lost.

The story was picked up differently in the media, however, after TMZ reported that Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West had hired private firefighters to save their mansion.

Quickly, the internet was flooded with arguments about the celebrity power couple’s personal fire crew, with critics saying that the privatization of wildfire services undermines what should be a public good. Later that month, Ms. Kardashian West appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” seemingly to defend the action.

“They saved our home and saved our neighborhood,” Ms. Kardashian West said on the show. “I had them make sure they controlled every house on the edge. So it wasn’t just my home that I said take care of. I said, ‘Take care of everything.’”

But according to interviews with Hidden Hills residents and city officials, the reality was more complicated. When flames threatened, such a firefighting team was nowhere to be found.

It wasn’t until at least a day later that a crew arrived at the Kardashian-West home and began spraying its own retardant, said Mr. Dunn of Covered 6. “I know because I logged them in the gate,” he added.

Steve Freedland, who was the Hidden Hills mayor at the time and now is a member of the City Council, said: “The story about Kim and Kanye sending private fighters to save Hidden Hills — that was completely untrue. That really played no part.” (Representatives for Ms. Kardashian West declined to comment for this article.)

Mr. Freedland, who served in an emergency command center at Hidden Hills City Hall as the fire raged, said that about 30 residents and city security guards ignored mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind to protect the homes in the fire’s path.

“Those are the people that I’d like to see get credit,” Mr. Freedland said. “Not some fictional fire crew.”

Too Many Fires to Fight Them All

Private fire teams that show up to protect homes sometimes neglect to coordinate with emergency agencies and can hinder evacuation efforts, according to The Los Angeles Times.

“From the standpoint of first responders, they are not viewed as assets to be deployed,” Carroll Wills, the communications director for the California Professional Firefighters, a labor union, told the newspaper. “They’re viewed as a responsibility.”

Many in California, most notably the writer Mike Davis, the author of “City of Quartz,” and the essay “The Case for Letting Malibu Burn,” have questioned the logic of protecting homes in extremely fire-prone regions in the first place.

Mr. Davis and others have argued that, at least when it is public agencies fighting the fires, it is an unfair use of resources and that as wildfire season in California worsens, the state should reconsider the amount of new housing that can be built in high-risk areas. (In recent years, some homeowners in fire-prone regions have begun to be dropped by their insurers.)

A new report by Los Angeles County found that emergency services were seriously unprepared to respond to last year’s Woolsey Fire, and that in a fire that size, residents cannot always expect public agencies to protect them.

When the blaze broke out, many fire crews in the state were already busy fighting the Camp Fire in Northern California and another fire in Ventura County. (Some in Malibu also reported that firefighters failed to arrive during the blaze.)

With that memory still fresh, Hidden Hills residents considered hiring a private firefighting service.

Instead, they bought their own fire engine. The pickup-size truck, which comes equipped with a water tank and hoses, is designed to fight blazes in rural areas. Local volunteers are training to use the vehicle to put out brush fires and hot spots.

“I want to make sure the next time people stay behind, we’re better equipped and not putting anyone’s safety at risk,” Mr. Freedland said. “Having a truck that has water and a pumper on board is a game changer.”

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