Jaime knighting Brienne was such a beautiful scene. Being a knight was something she dreamed about ever since she was a little girl, thinking that she would never get to be that. Yet here she is being knighted by someone she loves and respects. She deserves this so much.
crisis/urgent support lines and sites
hotlines/crisis lines for depression, domestic abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, teens, pregnancy, lgbt and more
mental support community - a forum where you can post that you are in a crisis right now and need peer support as soon as possible
imalive crisis chat - online one-on-one chat for if you’re in at risk of hurting yourself etc
self harm alternatives
si urges alternatives
relaxation/anxiety relief
do nothing for two minutes
interactive silk art
guided relaxation
watch a dream
100,000 stars
thisissand - create sandscapes on your screen with your mouse
calming gif
the quiet place project
the quiet place - find some quiet
the thoughts room - a super calm page to unburden yourself from bad thoughts
the comfort spot - a place for anonymous venting with out anybody judging you for who you are
the dawn room - my personal favourite, especially good for when you feel alone
know that it will be okay - when a moment is too hard for you - come here.
music and sounds
my anxiety relief playlist - on 8tracks
my positivity/recovery playlist - on 8tracks
‘stay strong’ playlists - on 8tracks
coffee shop sounds
rain sounds
calmsound - nature sounds
rainycafe
comfort food
one minute cookie in a mug
brownie in a mug
several cookie recipes
25 hot chocolate recipes
loads and loads of snacks - 533 quick and easy recipes for a range of snacks on studentrecipe
lots of different in-a-mug recipes
chocolate pudding in a mug - my personal fave (lil tip: add mini marshmallows for extra gooey yumminess)
advice and tips
how to be okay with yourself
25 resolutions
life hacks
more life hacks
a hella ton more life hacks - so many life hacks dude soon ur gonna never have a day-to-day stress again
school masterpost - school sucks so bad but hopefully this can help ease the stress
how to love yourself
how to bypass restricted wifi omg
alleviate menstrual cramps
boost your confidence
love yourself!
self help after anxiety
stop biting your nails
stop procrastinating
stop skipping breakfast
videos and movies
cure to sadness (video)
the movie blog - a blog dedicated to movie masterposts you will never be without a movie to watch again
cute roulette - THE BEST PLACE ON THE INTERNET ITS LITERALLY JUST A HUGE ROULETTE OF VIDEOS OF CUTE ANIMALS WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT FROM LIFE
random acts of kindness caught on film
disney movies
movies for angsty teens
distractions etc
rice questions - answer simple questions and donate free rice to people in poverty!!
click to give - just click a button to donate (it costs nothing) food to animals shelters, people in poverty and homeless veterans; mammograms to fight breast cancer; therapy for people on the autism spectrum; alzheimer’s and diabetes research; a book to a child; protect wildlife habitat
break something - good for anger
loads of cute games
how to make a blanket nest
learn something new - a masterpost of hobbies
exercise like a superhero
nice words
things to do when your sad
slap a bald guy with an eel - this is ridiculously entertaining
watch a dog lick your screen - it loops, so you could literally watch for hours if you want
calmingmanatee
daily puppy
how to make a comfort box
download free books
extras
emergency compliment!
lots of compliments - they even include ur name aw
huge list of bloggers who have put themselves forward as willing to listen/chat without judgement
getting anon hate?
:) tag - all the posts that i’ve tagged for making me happy
7cupsoftea - free, anonymous, confidential talks with trained listeners
get a hug
Calming songs, playlists and instrumentals:
Sing Me to Sleep
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Boost your Mood (peppier and happy songs)
The Driving Mixtape
Study
Summer Nights
It’s Going to be Fine
Calm & Collected
Once Upon a December - Piano (song)
Clair de Lune (song)
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (song)
Calming/distracting Websites
The Quiet Place
Rainymood.com
Calm.com
Soundrown.com - calming sounds to mix and match
A website to distract yourself
A recovery masterpost
A post of interesting things
Ungruntle yourself
Press a magic button and fix everything
Play cute games
Almost every movie your little heart desires (i suggest you use with adblocker)
How to love yourself
A website that compliments you
Crafts and activities, easy and fun DYI projects
Glitter calm jars
A list of things to do to curb anxiety
Make a blanket nest
Silky summer legs
Lots of food recipes; mostly desserts
For bad days masterpost
Make some microwave snacks
Five minute fudge
Make a phone case
A bunch of hobbies!
Self care list!
Pretty gold-dipped feathers (for decorating or anything)
What to do when:
You’ve been triggered
You’re having an anxiety attack
You’re having a panic attack
Your face is red and puffy after crying
You just had a fight
You hate yourself
You want to avoid being stressed
You want to get over your ex
Meditation and breathing
Guided Meditations
Do Nothing for 2 Minutes
Calm Down
Meditation Tips
90 second relaxation exercise
Simple things
Pretty Tree
When You Feel You Have Lost Everything
See Some BLOOD
Press a Button to Make Everything OK
Calming Manatee
Calming Gif
Make Something!
Jump into a Sofa Fort!
Make a Comfort Box
Glitter Jar Or This One
Other Nice Things
A Page To Help You Recover!!!
Coping Skills & Distractions
The Quiet Place. Shhhhh
For When You’re Upset
The Nicest Place on the Internet
Player 2
10 Most Relaxing Online Games
Talk To Someone That Will Listen
Not Having a Good Day?
How-to Love Yourself
Ground Yourself X X X
Mood Chart
Do Nothing For Two Minutes
Rainymood
The Comfort Spot
Weave Silk
Seed Plant Breeder
This Is Sand
C.A.L.M
Calming/Relaxing Music:
Soft Piano: x, x, x, x, x
The Sound of Waves: x
The Sound of a Storm + Waves: x
After half-an-hour the Duke came forth and was accompanied to the Queen’s Chamber, where were also the Princess Mary and many attendants.The Queen (Catherine Parr) danced first with her brother very gracefully; and then the Princess Mary, the Princess of Scotland (Margaret Douglas) danced with other gentlemen and many other ladies also danced. A Venetian of the King’s household danced some gallards with extraordinary agility. After dancing had lasted several hours the Queen returned to her chamber, first causing one of the noblemen who spoke Spanish to offer some presents to the Duke, who kissed her hand. He would have likewise kissed the Princess Mary’s hand, but she offered her lips; and so he saluted her and all the other ladies. The King is said to be a man of great authority and beauty. The Queen has a lively and pleasing appearance and is praised as a virtuous woman. Describes her dress and that of the Princess Mary, who has a pleasing countenance and person and who knows how to conceal her acquirements. She is adored throughout the kingdom.
The Duke of Nagera’s Visit to England, 17th February 1544 (via queenmarytudor)
The four children of Count Fredrik Axel von Fersen and Hedvig Catharina de la Gardie. All siblings held high positions within the swedish court, due to their father’s position as leader of the aristocratic party.
Hedvig Eleonora (von Klinckowström) von Fersen, 1753 - 1792, was described as reserved and disliked the court life, but accepted a position as lady in waiting to queen Sofia Magdalena for her husband’s sake. She was close friends with king Gustav III, but was one of few who dared to disobey his orders. It’s said that the king demanded everyone at court to partake in the gambling games, but when Hedvig refused he did not object.
Hans Axel von Fersen, 1755 - 1810, is without a doubt the most famous of the siblings. Predestined to inherit his father’s titles and goods, he made a name for himself during his Grand Tour in Europe, as well as during the American Revolution, Gustav III’s Russian War and later, the French Revolution, where he struggled to rescue Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who he is rumoured to have had an affair with. He was brutally murdered by a mob following a false accusation that he assassinated the swedish crown prince.
Eva Sophie (Piper) von Fersen, 1757 - 1816, is perhaps the second most famous of the four. Her affair with the swedish prince Fredrik Adolf was ended by her disapproving parents when she was unhappily married to Adolf Fredrik Piper. Over the years she formed an intimate (perhaps sexual) relationship with queen Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta, who would dedicate her memoirs to her. Sophie was accused for the same assassination as her beloved brother Axel, but was protected from the mob by Charlotta.
Fabian Reinhold von Fersen, 1762 - 1818, became officer and politician at the swedish court. Just like his brother and sister, Fabian also had an intimate relationship with queen Hedvig Charlotta, and is rumored to have fathered a child which she miscarried. And just like his siblings, he was accused of involvement in the death of Crown Prince Karl August in 1810, but managed to escape the funeral procession where his brother was murdered. He resigned from his court position that same year, most likely in respect to his brother.
The von Fersen- line ended with Fabian’s two children, Axel and Hedvig, in 1839 and 1879.
It’s interesting looking at the series’ original outline and then comparing it to what the series eventually morphed into. There’s a huge difference between how Arya in book one is written versus how someone like Sansa, Daeneryes, Jamie, or Tyrion are written in later books. Arya in GOT initially comes across as the stereotypical girl-dresses-as-boy/girl-wishes-she-was-boy trope that we see waaaay too often in fiction, especially fantasy fiction (it was everywhere in the 80′s and 90′s to the point where anything feminine in fantasy was seen as unfemminist somehow). I’m so glad the series matured and the characters with it so that we got the complex and rich story that we have with complex and well rounded characters, the types you don’t always see in fantasy.
When she opened the door to the garden, it was so lovely that she held her breath, unwilling to disturb such perfect beauty. The snow drifted down and down, all in ghostly silence, and lay thick and unbroken on the ground. All color had fled the world outside. It was a place of whites and blacks and greys. White towers and white snow and white statues, black shadows and black trees, the dark grey sky above. A pure world, Sansa thought. I do not belong here. Yet she stepped out all the same.
Its honestly sad that antis can’t understand that this line is Sansa’s character. They spend so much time debating the specifics of how spoiled, bratty, bitchy, selfish, and treasonous she is, when the reality of her character is so completely different.
She’s a young girl who, even after all these tragedies have happened to her, can look out upon a garden and be taken away by how completely beautiful it is. Despite how profoundly depressing her life has been for years at this point, despite seeing her family murdered in front of her, she instantly jumps to see how the snow has made a wonderland outside her door.
And then she thinks I do not belong here
She sees all of this beauty around her, and doesn’t think she belongs; she doesn’t think she deserves something so perfect. A far cry from the narcissistic and power hungry bitch that her antis paint her to be, she can’t even include herself in the good she sees outside.
Yet she stepped out all the same
That line says everything you need to know about Sansa. She thinks she doesn’t belong with beautiful things anymore; that she is too damaged, traumatized, or wrong to fit in with a world of whites and greys and blacks. But she steps out all the same. She so desperately wants to be a part of this world, to be a part of the beauty she sees in it. Her snow castle is her part of making something beautiful, of just being a part of the wonder she sees.
It’s just amazing to me that you could read this chapter and miss so much of Sansa’s nature. The raw innocence in which she approaches the failed Godswood is so indicative of her character, and its a shame antis can’t see it.
sansa with littlefinger / jon with daenerys | [insp post]
hi, sorry to be a bother, but i was wondering if u knew any alternatives to Philippa Gregory?? I really want to get into Tudor history and I love historical fiction but I've heard so much criticism of her work xx
Unfortunately a lot of period books are going to be steeped in a certain level of creative license which sacrifices historical details to the ideal or romanticised effect. Most major Tudor writers – Weir, Plaidy, Gregory - are guilty of this. Personally I can look past this and enjoy the content for its historical setting and loose interpretation, but if that is a deal breaker for you there are a slim number of authors who will likely appeal to you. If you are disinterested in Gregory, I would recommend Alison Weir and Jean Plaidy. Their novels are chock full in historical references and are of a similar style to Gregory. As I understand it their’s are more credible, the exception being Weir tends to take a biased standpoint, and Plaidy is more of a story-writer than she is a historian.
You’ve probably already heard of Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series. I read its entirety and enjoyed it, but there are errors strewn through it. On the opposite end, Adrienne Dillard’s works tend to be more true to history and from what I’ve gathered the author herself is an all-around good person. I highly enjoyed The Raven’s Widow as opposed to Gregory’s interpretation to Jane Boleyn. Olivia Longueville is also a recommended author. Sharon Kay Penman, Ken Follett, Katharine Longshore, Diane Haeger, and Margaret George all have interesting and well-researched reads. I loved the Autobiography of Henry VIII by George. It reads fantastically.
I hope this helps! Enjoy your summer reading.
Margaret was born in Westminster Palace on November 28th, 1489, she was the second child and first daughter of Henry VII and his queen Elizabeth of York. She was named in honor of her grandmother, Margaret Beaufort. Margaret was betrothed to James IV, King of Scots in 1502 when Margaret was 12, her mother and grandmother insisted that her marriage wait until she was older and so Margaret was married by proxy on 25 January 1503. Her younger brother Henry succeeded their father in 1509 and tensions between England and Scotland began to rise which came to a head with the battle of Flodden in 1513, where Margaret’s husband James would be killed in battle leaving Margaret a young widow and their young son James as king.
Margaret was made regent to her son, but Margaret would make an ill fated marriage with Archibald Douglas the earl of Angus which would make Margaret flee to England in 1515 where she gave birth to her daughter and only other surviving child, Margaret Douglas. Margaret returned to Scotland in 1517, she would marry for the third time in 1528 to Henry Stewart, Lord Methven. Margaret was never able to achieve peace between England and Scotland, her brother and her son James would never be true allies and the relationship between her two countries would remain tense.
Margaret died in 1541, her son would outlive her for only a year and Margaret’s granddaughter, Mary, become queen at only a week old. Margaret’s great grandson through both her son and daughter, James VI, would follow her nice Elizabeth as the next king of England in 1603, uniting the crowns of England and Scotland, Margaret is the ancestress of every British monarch since.