#joe's only 28?? HELLO??

[dudefrommywesterns]

were people really calling jamie and joe middle aged?

that's so funny and so sad at the same time

#joe's only 28?? HELLO?? #that's only 7 years older than me #only start saying this when they start getting mail for aarp at 50 #typewriter dings

[eddiemunsons80sbaby]

Nobody's Fool: Chapter 6

Pairing: EddieXReader

Summary: You have bartended for years after you were forced to drop out of college due to family circumstances. You have dated your fair share of musicians, had your heart broken by one particular one, and have learned they are not be trusted. You have sworn off of them for the rest of your life. Then, one night, a new band plays at the bar, and against your better judgement, you can't help noticing the lead singer and guitar player. Could he possibly be different from the ones who came before him?

Warnings: 18+ Only due to eventual smut and language. There is also a toxic family relationship with a narcissistic mother if that is triggering for you.

MasterList

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28

“Hey sweetheart, can I get another gin and tonic?”

You were passing by a table of rather drunk college boys, your least favorite patrons to serve because they were almost always self-entitled little pricks. As you did, the guy asking for another drink reached out and smacked your ass. You fought the urge to hit him in the face, knowing you wouldn't have a job anymore if you did. Instead, you leaned down close, watching as his eyes went wide in surprise and excitement, incorrectly assuming that he'd just paid you a compliment or some shit.

“Touch me again,” you whispered, “and I will break your fucking hand.”

“Damn, baby’s got fangs,” his buddy laughed. 

“That’s not all I got,” you tossed over your shoulder as you walked away. “Test me and you’ll find out.”

You knew if Joe had seen that, he would be reprimanding you. He drew the line where it needed to be drawn but he always felt you needed to make the customers happy. You'd gotten a tongue lashing from him two weeks into your job when some guy pulled you on his lap and you'd dumped his drink over his head. However, you weren't about to let some douchebag frat boy think it was okay to get grabby just because mommy and daddy taught him he could have whatever he wanted. You weren't some shiny new Rolex sitting in the window of a jewelry store. If his parents wouldn’t teach him manners, then you damn well would. Besides, Joe loved you. He might be pissed if they complained but he'd forgive you.

You walked behind the bar, preparing the gin and tonic. You leaned down, grabbing a fresh glass and setting it on the bar. You poured in the gin, a few dashes of bitters and then grabbed the soda gun to add the tonic. You reached over for a lime wedge from the bucket you'd prepared earlier, squeezing it over the glass. 

“Well, hello there beautiful.”

You paused, lime frozen in your hand at the sound of that voice. It had been three days since your night out under the stars and you had lulled herself into a false sense of security. You had let yourself believe it had been one amazing night, one amazing night that you would remember forever but it would only be a memory now. He would only be a memory, a ridiculously sexy memory that you may or may not have thought about when you were alone...multiple times. Now, here he was, standing in front of you, and your brain had completely ceased to function, neurons misfiring, unable to find any words.

He stood, leaning on the bar, in all of his ridiculous hotness. Seriously, it should be against the law to look that damn good. Where did this man get off walking around like that? He was wearing a Black Sabbath tee tonight, a guitar pick lying gently against his chest on a chain. His hair was untamed and wild looking, waves falling gently over his shoulders. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked, lime still poised over the top of the glass but your hand still.

He smiled, “This is a bar, right? I came in for a drink with my friends.” He gestured over to one of the tables where a group of people sat drinking and laughing. “And, I may have been missing that pretty face.”

“It’s been three days since you saw me. You can’t have been missing it that much if you waited three days,” you snapped. You had been going for a casual, teasing tone but were aggravated at how upset you sounded about it. You did not want this man to know how much it bothered you that he hadn't sought you out right away. It shouldn't bother you. This wasn't what you were looking for.

“Well,” Eddie tilted his head forward, his hands pressing against the bar as he leaned toward you. Your eyes instantly drifted down, focused on those beautiful hands, long fingers clad in chunky, silver rings. “I had to give you enough time to miss me.”

You inhaled a sharp breath, reminding yourself that you needed to keep your cool, but damn, he made it really hard when the simple presence of him had your skin blazing, tiny licks of flame dancing over flesh, threatening to engulf you. You shook your head, forcing your eyes away from him, squeezed the rest of the lime into the glass, garnished it with a wedge and lifted it up, walking around the bar.

“You really think you’re so amazing that I missed you? It was a great night but it wasn't that great. I haven't been sitting at home pining for you. So sorry. Do you need me to grab my fruit knife from the bar and pop that giant head of yours? There’s a thin line between confidence and cockiness, you know,” you said, walking past him to deliver the drink, hearing him laughing behind you. 

You set down the drink, turning and running straight into Eddie. He had followed right behind you to the table you were serving. You stumbled backward and he reached out, one hand coming to your waist and the other on your arm, steadying you. Your body immediately responded to his touch and your thighs pressed together automatically, trying to ease the incessant throbbing that had shot straight to your center. You looked up at him and he gave you a Cheshire Cat grin, that tongue of his running along his teeth.

“You know you missed me,” he said.

“You live in a land of fantasy and delusion,” you stated, annoyed at the tremble you could hear in your voice. “I did not miss you. I didn’t even think about you. The thought of you never crossed my mind.”

“Really?” he teased, his hands grabbing your waist and pulling you close until there was not an inch of space between you, your bodies molded together perfectly. You had to fight the moan that was threatening to burst from your lips. “Not even once?”

“No,” you insisted, your voice breathy and not at all what you intended. You wanted to kick your own ass. You needed to get your shit together. How dare your own body turn against you when you were trying to be strong. You were trying to have principles, damn it, trying to save that traitorous heart that was pounding in your chest from more heartache.

“Hmm, why don’t I believe you?” he mused, brushing a piece of your hair behind your ear and you trembled at this slight touch. “I feel like your body is telling me something different.”

“Jesus, my body is telling you to go away,” you huffed, pulling away from him, even as every ounce of you felt disappointed at the loss of contact. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am at work. I have customers waiting.”

You strode purposely to the bar and away from him. Shit, you had to put some distance between them. He was breaking you down. This was way too intense, way too quickly. You could feel all of your resolve crumbling into pieces with each touch, each look, each word.

“Ohh…” Joey said, wiggling his eyebrows at you. “It’s your stargazing guy.”

You deeply regretted telling him anything about that night. He had not let you live it down since you did. He whined about how you took off, without hesitation, with some guy you had just met but wouldn’t give him one date after knowing each other for two years. You didn’t have the heart to tell him that he just wasn’t your type. He should be. You might have better luck if you were into guys like Joey, but you just weren't. 

“Did he come just to see you?” he asked.

“No, he didn’t come to see me. He’s here with his friends,” you told him, gesturing to where he sat at a table with three other guys and two girls. 

“And of all the bars in town that he could have gone to, he just happened to choose this one?” Joey teased, tilting his head, lips pursed in amusement. “I feel like that’s not a coincidence.”

You sighed, “Maybe they just liked this bar when they played here the other night.”

“I’m thinking he liked the service at the bar,” Joey laughed. 

“God, can you stop?” you groaned. “He's just having some drinks and I'm working. Look, can you just go serve their table?”

“Nope,” he shook his head. “They didn’t come here for me and we both know it.”

“They’re customers!” you argued, needing to not have to go to that table. Each encounter was chiseling away at you, making you question why you made that promise to yourself in the first place. But you knew why. You would not be able to stick to your promise if you kept coming face to face with that man. “You are a bartender so go bartend!”

“You go bartend,” he laughed. “I’m not saving you. I don’t know why you’re avoiding him anyway. The way you made it sound, you had a really good time with him so just go with it. What’s the worst that could happen?”

The worst that could happen is you could fall hopelessly in love with him and then he would have the power to destroy you. That beautiful man over there had the ability to make you completely helpless and you knew it. He was dangerous. He terrified you and thrilled you at the same time.

“Can we get some drinks over here?” Eddie called, staring right at you with a smile. 

“Your metalhead beckons,” Joey taunted, heading in the opposite direction.

“Goddamn it,” you muttered, abandoned. No choice but to serve the customers. You inhaled deeply, bracing yourself before walking to their table. You plastered a grin on your face, your teeth gritted tightly. “What can I get you?”

“Hi!” one of the girls said, way more excited to see you than she should be considering she had no idea who you were. “I’m Robin. You must be the girl this guy can’t stop talking about.”

“Damn, Robin,” Eddie muttered, his fingers coming to his forehead. “What happened to playing it cool?”

“Sorry,” she said, shrugging. “I sometimes struggle with social cues. It’s a thing. I’m aware of it but I just can’t seem to stop putting my foot in my mouth. We’re supposed to be cool so you don’t know how much he likes you. Personally, I think that’s stupid because why shouldn’t you know? He had such an amazing time with you. He's hasn't stopped talking about it since that night, well morning. That date sounded so romantic, like something out of the movies!”

You stood there, stunned, the girl’s words coming faster than you could absorb them. You knew you could be a bit much sometimes but you had nothing on this girl. She was like a little tornado of chaotic energy and rambling. Robin looked over at Eddie who just shook his head and raised his hands toward you like he was surrendering. 

“So…that was awkward,” one of the guys said. “Sorry. Please don’t judge us all on Robin’s outburst. It’s nice to meet you. I am Steve.”

“Hi Steve,” you said cautiously.

“Nancy,” the other girl said, waving with a small smile.

“Gareth,” one of the guys said and you recognized him as part of the band as the other guy from the band introduced himself as Jeff.

“Hi…nice to meet you all,” you responded, wondering why they were all introducing themselves when you were just trying to get their drink orders. It wasn't like you were all hanging out. “So, do you guys know what you want to drink?”

Nancy sighed, “I think we overwhelmed her. See Robin, I told you to calm down. Now she's all weirded out by us.”

“No, I’m good. I can assure you, I am completely underwhelmed. I am just trying to do my job which is getting you drinks.”

They all gave you their order and you headed back to the bar to prepare them, lost in a haze of confusion, trying to figure out what in the hell was happening right now. It was like he wanted you to meet his friends, but why? As you were getting out glasses, Eddie suddenly appeared on the side of you, scaring the shit out of you, and you let out a small shriek, jumping and spraying him with the soda gun.

“Oh shit,” he said, looking down at his wet shirt, tonic water dripping down his face.

“Damn it, I’m sorry,” you groaned, grabbing a towel. You walked around the bar, instinctually pressing it against his chest to soak up the water on his shirt. You moved up, gently wiping down his face and as you eyes met his, so intently staring into your own with amusement, your breath caught. Jesus, why did your body forget how to do something so basic in his presence? You quickly looked away, “I’m so sorry about that. You startled me.”

“It’s okay,” he assured you, running his hands down his shirt. “It’s just some water with bubbles. No harm done.”

“I’ll, uh, I’ll have your drinks over there in just a minute,” you mumbled.

“Look, Robin already screwed up any chance I had at playing it cool,” he said, a small smile curling his lips. “I had this whole plan. It was a good plan but that went to shit. I didn't want you to see me as too eager. But you know what, what the hell? I had a great time with you the other night and I would really like date number three.”

You looked into his soft, brown eyes and you were sure you were a puddle on the floor right now. Joey would have to mop you up with the rest of the spills after work. This guy was going to be so much trouble for you, but if you could just try to keep your heart in check, you could have fun with him. And god, you wanted to have fun with him.

“I thought I told you it was only one day so it only counted as one date,” you countered, finding your bearings and returning his smile.

“Ahh, but it was two separate locations. It was a nighttime date and a morning date so I say that counts as two. I mean, the third date is kind of a big deal. It's the one where you pretty much decide if I'm worth your time or not.”

“Oh yeah?” you asked. “Well, if it’s such a big deal then what is your plan for the date?”

“Well, are you off tomorrow?”

“I am.”

“There’s a carnival,” he said, his fingers dancing along the bar and if you didn't know any better, you'd think he was nervous but that couldn't be. Guys like him didn't get nervous. They always got what they wanted so what did they have to be nervous about? “I thought that might be a fun time. I mean, who can say no to cotton candy, deep fried food, ferris wheels, and rigged games?”

“Not me,” you laughed. “I love that shit.”

“Perfect. Then how about I pick you up around six?”

“I suppose I can agree to that,” you replied with a small nod.

“Great,” Eddie nodded. “And sorry about my friends. I know they're a lot. They just really wanted to see this girl that I had such an amazing night with and, honestly, so did I.”

You pressed your lips together to stilt the huge smile that wanted to be let loose at this words, "It's fine. Your friends are sweet. Maybe a little nuts but sweet.”

“That describes them pretty well," Eddie agreed.

“Oh, hey, I have your jacket still,” you remembered, hooking your thumb toward the side of the bar. “I can go grab it from the backroom for you real quick.”

“Nah, you hold onto it. It might get chilly at the carnival tomorrow night and you might need it. Besides, my jacket looks pretty damn good on you,” he said with a wink that threatened to send you straight to the floor.

You watched as he walked back to his table of friends. The girls immediately leaned in and then you saw him saying something. They grinned and glanced over your way. Robin waved at you and you waved back, smiling in spite of yourself. Nancy rolled her eyes, grabbing Robin's hand and yanking it down, muttering something to the girl. Eddie glanced over, grinning widely. That boy might prove to be trouble, and you might be making a huge mistake, but you had to admit, you were really looking forward to tomorrow. 

Taglist

@tlclick73 @bebe07011 @emma77645 @corrodedcoffincumslut @babeyglo @kimmi-kat @bblunuh @vintagehellfire

#eddie munson #eddie the banished #stranger things eddie #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #corroded coffin #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x femreader #eddie munson x female reader smut #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x fluff #eddie munson x y/n

[pan-fried-autism]

Lab Accident Chapter 4: Marching to the Hare

Characters: Swap!Leonid (@bowlerhatwearer), Swap!Jack, other people

Summary: Leonid finds his target.

Thursday, May 21.

Still don't know much about JacksnJackson.

Things I know and learned:

works at BUsiness finances Inc

28 year old

has wife?

apparently funny

Don't know the location of his residence.

With that, Leonid clicked his pen, putting the tip back into the chamber.

He lay back on his hotel room bed with a sigh.

He'd been trying for the past two days to find Jack, or at least his home... but he couldn't. He couldn't exactly ask his coworkers either-- to him, if he was here to visit Jack, wouldn't he already know? The man just never seemed to exist in the same area as him, too.

He sat up a bit, looking at his phone screen. The messages app was open.

'Hello, Detective. have you found my son yet? signed J Harris Sr.'

Leo couldn't help but giggle as he replied to Mr. Harris.

'No, I haven't yet. But I'm trying.'

Send.

Leonid went back to lying down, still unsure of what to do in the situation. Any thinking was interrupted, however, by a sound-- a rumbling from his stomach.

Leonid turned his head to the alarm clock by the bed.

5:09 pm.

Eh. Might as well get dinner.

Leonid sat up and picked his phone back up, going into Maps to search around New Anderville.

A few caught his eye-- The Coffery, Yappy Hour Bar and Grill, Minhs Din-Din, a downtown McDonalds, Pubbingtons, Greasy Joe's-- so he checked out their reviews.

Nothing too impressive, however... The Coffery only had fish and chips and liver and gravy as dinner options, Greasy Joe's was mainly for families with small kids, and the McDonalds had the 3rd lowest ratings of any McDonalds location worldwide.

That left Yappy Hour, Pubbingtons, and Minh's.

He decided to check out Yappy Hour a little more, seeing what they had on the menu... and something caught his eye.

'Boney Thursday today! From 5-8pm, all ribs and wings are half off! Try our delicious Mexican Grilled Ribs and Beer Battered Chicken Wings at a discount!'

Leonid's stomach growled.

He hadn't had ribs in a while.

The detective got out of bed, mind set on the prospect of ribs, and left the room.

---------------

No wonder they call this place Yappy Hour, thought Leo. It's LOUD in here.

In fact, it was so loud, Leonid didn't even hear the bell above the front door ring.

All around, he could see people at the tables and the bar, eating and chatting away while occasionally watching the sports on the TV. He felt himself cringe at the slight increase in noise as he walked up to the stand, where the seater stood.

They saw him and cleared their throat. “Table for?…”

“Table for one.”

“Just a moment.”

The seater walked away for a few seconds.

After those seconds, they came back, quickly grabbing a menu,

"I'll lead you to your table, sir."

Leonid followed the seater to a table, where one side had both seats, and the other had regular chairs.

As the seater placed the menu on the table, Leonid sat in a booth chair, reclining into the leather padding.

The seater leaned down a bit. "A waiter will be with you soon."

They left as quick as that.

Leo opened the menu, taking a look at some of the menu items (ginger beef on johnnycakes, spicy poutine, chicken wings and fries, hot-smoked salmon sandwich) as he sighed a bit.

He couldn't help looking around the pub as he moped in his thoughts. Look at me, he thought, sitting around in some pub while a kidnapping suspect is on the loose. What kind of detective am I?! His FAMILY'S paying me to find him and I can't even find one measly--

-- Holy shit.

Across from him was Jack Harris.

... Or at least he thought it was. From the back view at least, the hare matched the description of Jack-- chestnut brown fur, smoothly brushed headfur, wide eyes, mediocre fashion sense. He was sitting at a table with about four other people, all of them in different business garb.

It had to be him.

As he was looking, one of the people there happened to see him. Leo recognized him-- he was the grolar bear he first talked about Jack to. The man tapped the hare on the shoulder and started pointing to Leo, speaking words Leo couldn't hear over the other patrons. The hare turned around.

He looked exactly like Jack.

It HAD to be him.

The hare got up with a smile and walked over to Leonid, sitting down at the chair as Leonid continued gawking at him.

Finally, the hare opened his mouth and spoke.

"So... you're a college buddy, huh?"

Leo gulped a bit and composed himself. "UH. Yes."

The hare chuckled. "I didn't know a detective could have to go to the Missoury Economics Collegiate, let alone take courses in business."

"Wh-- how did you know I was a detective?"

"Ruben told me. Plus, your badge is sticking out of your pocket."

Sheepishly pushing the badge back down, Leonid cleared his throat and put on his best serious detective voice.

"Truthfully, I've never went to college with you. I'm Leonid Aksakov, Private Investigator."

"Jack Harris. Charmed."

I KNEW IT! Leonid shouted in his mind. Out loud, he continued.

"I've come to ask you some questions, Mr. Harris."

"About what?"

"Well... a few months ago, a woman named Grementine Mewton went missing. I was told you were a former associate of hers."

A strange look seemed to pass over Jack's face after he said that. Before Jack could respond, however, a shadow loomed over the table.

Leonid looked up and met the eye of the waiter-- a moose, looking to be around 8 feet tall. His nametag read "Steven".

"Are you gentlemen ready to order?" The moose asked in a deep, gentle voice.

Leonid's eyes flickered between him and Jack before he answered.

'I-- uh, yeah, we're ready."

Out of the corner of his eye, Leonid almost swore he saw Jack's eye twitch.

"Alright, then. I'm obliged to inform you that today is Boney Thursday, and you get half off any wings or ribs you order." the waiter replied.

"I'm aware, thank you." replied Leonid, going back to the menu.

Jack raised a finger. "If you can, I'll have a tall drink of water." he announced.

Steven the waiter chuckled a bit. "If you say so, Mr. Harris. What about you, sir?"

"Glass of Pepsi." piped Leo.

Steven wrote it down on the pad.

"Alright, Pepsi and water... what about your meals?

Leonid went back to the ribs and wings, looking over the potential foods-- Mexican Barbeque Ribs, Ginger Ribs & Peameal, Classic Hot & Smoky, Mooseback Ribs, and--

"... What are Maple Fried Ribs?"

"We coat the ribs in maple syrup and Panko breadcrumbs before deep frying them."

The detective grimaced. "I'll have the Mooseback Ribs."

"And for your side?"

"Uh... curly fries?"

"Got it."

"I'll have the Beer Battered Wings and a side salad, please." stated Jack.

Steven scribbled their orders down, before putting the notepad back in his pocket, simply saying, "Your orders will be ready in a little while."

With that, he sauntered away, giving Leonid a little wink as he did.

Flustered and a little confused, Leo shook away the blush on his face and refocused on Jack.

"Again, I'd like to ask you a few questions about Ms. Mewton." he restated.

"Sure, shoot!" Jack replied, elbows on the table and holding up his head.

Jack took the notepad he usually kept around in his backpocket, a golf pencil besides it. He took a deep breath.

Well, I know Ms. Mothgo didn't paint that good of a picture of you, he thought to himself. Let's see if you really ARE a piece of work.

"Alright, Jack-- what was Ms. Mewton like?"

Jack let out a dreamy sigh. "Beautiful... stunning... smart... tantalizing... feisty... mysterious... basically the most desirable woman you could ever ask for."

Trying not to frown, Leonid pencilled in his answer.

"What is your relationship to (or with) her?"

A wistful look with a touch of real sadness washed over Jack's face as he answered again. "She was... my first love. We dated for five positively dreamlike months until she... she dumped me. Since then, we'd see each other around sometimes, maybe talk a bit here and there."

Leonid nodded, writing that down as well (along with a little note reading 'Что за неудачник...').

"When did you see her last?"

"Back in November. The 15th I think. Saw her getting stuff at a grocery store and we chatted a bit."

"'Bout what?"

"Y'know... life stuff. How we were doing in them. She told me she was going away for a little bit."

Scribble scribble.

"Did you know her specific plans?"

"Naw, she wouldn't say. She was being weirdly secretive. That's part of why I like her so much. I love figuring out how she works."

Scribble scribble scribble scribble.

"Do you know anyone who may wish ill will upon her?"

"I know two."

Leonid raised his eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Her dads-- Lionel and Lupus Mewton. They never had a great relationship. Lionel's a doctor, Lupus is a bigshot lawyer, they had great expectations of her. Grem wasn't entirely keen on those expectations, and she could be a bit... troublesome, too."

Leo nodded. "Do you know where they live?"

"Hometon, Missoury, 45 [STREET NAME]."

The detective jotted it down.

"Now, I want to talk about something your cousin said... Does Paula Lopez ring a bell?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, she's my aunt Luanne and Uncle Anton's kid. I'm guessing you know she took my house?"

"Yes. She mentioned you had a lot of 'weird pictures' of a girl in your house. I was wondering what that was about."

Jack scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "Man, ever since she married Cary, she's been overthinking everything. I get she's got little kids, but you don't gotta look into things so much! Anyway, I had a couple pictures of Grem around the house, mostly from when we were dating... they're just nice keepsakes. I left 'em behind when me and the wife moved."

A-HA.

Quickling scribbling that down, Leonid got to the last question:

"Can I hear about your wife?"

The dreamy look returned to Jack's face.

"Claire is... amazing." he sighed. "I couldn't ask for anyone better. She's so nice, and caring, and smart... I can see us staying together, til death do us part."

Leonid nodded again, writing this information down-- as well as underlining his wife's name.

"Thank you for answering all of my questions, Mr. Harris." Leonid stated, putting away the pad and pencil. "I hope it wasn't too botherso-"

The two were interrupted by plates.

Specifically plates being placed quite quickly in front of them (along with glasses, though they were drowned out by the sound of ceramic against hardwood). On Leonid's plate was a rack of very large ribs, over twice the size of any regular ribs he'd been given before, drowning in a spicy-smelling sauce. Next to it was a steaming pile of crispy curly fries. Jack's plate had 4-5 chicken wings in flaky batter, plus some Caesar salad.

The waiter-- Steven again-- looked down at them with a grin.

"Bon Appetit, you two."

----------------------------

Leonid only managed to finish half of the moose ribs.

As delicious as they were, he simply couldn't handle the amount of food he'd been given. He only got a third of the way through the fries, too.

While Leonid suffered where he sat, Jack picked the last of the meat off his wings using his large front teeth. Sitting back with a sigh, he chirped, "It was nice talkin' to you, detective. I hope I could answer your questions well!"

"Same for me," Leonid groaned out, "You've been a valuable source."

Steven the waiter came back with a checkbook and portable card scanner. "I'm here for the bill, now."

Leonid started reaching into his pocket, but Jack spoke up with "It's alright, Leonid." before taking out his wallet.

"You... You're paying for me?" Leo blurted.

Jack nodded sagely as he tapped his card again the machine.

A receipt was printed out (which Steven briefly scribbled on) before he gave it to Jack.

"Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen." He crooned.

With that, the moose was gone again.

Jack briefly looked over the receipt before handing it to Leonid, explaining, "I think this is for you."

Leonid took a look of his own.

Under the amount paid was a phone number and a doodle of a moose.

Blushing furiously, Leonid stuffed it into his pocket before getting up.

"Well... I'm gonna be leaving now. I'd get a takeout box, but I don't think I can handle any more of this."

"Same here," Jack responded, "I don't think there's any room for the crumbs on my plate. I don't think my wife'll want 'em either."

"I see then. Goodbye, Harris."

"Bye, detective!"

So they both left.

In the parking lot, leaning against his car, Leonid took a drag off a cigarette as he reflected on his encouter with Jack.

Well... I know he's annoying, that's for sure. I'm still not sure if he IS a kidnapper, but... it's a bit weird how his wife has Grementine's original name. Plus, the way he answered didn't really feel right.

Oh well. Maybe his wife has answers?

#lab accident #fiction #tne alternate ending #swap!leonid #swap!jack #tw smoking

[wander-over-the-words]

23 and 28 from the ask game for Ethan? :]

ahhh thank you for asking about my boy!! :D oc ask game 😋 23. how would you describe their voice? can they sing?

I am. absolutely rubbish at describing voices so I don’t know how exactly to say what Ethan sounds like ngrnngn besides the fact that he speaks in monotone like 90% of the time, as a symptom of his autism. He’d be voiced by Yuri Lowenthal (and that’s absolutely because Yuri does legit voice the male Courier and I’m too lazy/inexperienced with voice actors to pick someone else for him), but I’ve yet to decide which of Yuri’s roles is closest to what Ethan sounds like

For now, I just have fun imagining Ethan walking up to like half the people in this game like “Hello, Person Who Sounds Like Me If I Changed My Voice To Suit a Different Personality.”

Somebody call up Yuri and ask if he can sing rnnrgn I think Ethan’s probably…decent at singing. Not good enough to get on stage but good enough that you don’t mind hearing him. He’d mind if you heard him tho nrnrgnrgn

28. how do they show that they care about someone? how do they express that they don't like someone?

I don’t wanna make Ethan sound like a saint (because he isn’t) but he. cares about people in general. by default. Granted, some people, he’ll pass on caring about, for whatever reason he might find in advance (*cough*membersoftheLegion*cough*), but when it comes to the regular joes of the wasteland…He has a very high level of empathy that he just *clenches fist* hates because when someone needs help, he’s compelled to help. He finds it annoying because either he’s trying to get on with the main quest or whatever else he’s doing at that point or it’s a task that he’d just. Really rather not do nrngrgn

Best example I can think of is the fact that he did Rex’s personal quest even though a) he was about five minutes away from finally getting onto the Strip to confront Benny and b) he is TERRIFIED of dogs. He still did it tho because “Look at him, he’s in pain. Why should he suffer just because I have a phobia?” 

He just. spent half that quest hiding behind Boone ngrngn but now Rex is the only pupper he’s not scared of! so! progress! 

Obviously, some quests he was happy to do and got invested in, like defending Goodsprings and Joana and Carlitos’s stuff, but some stuff he approached with a “okay fine but let’s make it quick” mentality.

On a more personal level: you know Ethan likes you/is comfortable around you when he drops his Resting Bitch Face and monotone voice. The companions knew they were In with him when he first cracked a genuine smile at them; he’s actually quite a bubbly guy, you just haven’t Unlocked his Real Personality until you’re a Level Two Friend. But to be honest, Ethan’s not shy about just calling somebody a friend when he himself would classify them as such.

When he dislikes someone, his Resting Bitch Face just becomes Bitch Face. His frown and half-lidded, dead eyes turn into a heavy frown with a slightly curled lip and narrowed, annoyed eyes. Because it’s not very different to his default expression, it’s not always easy to tell when Ethan doesn’t like someone. His tone gives it away a little more, in that his monotone-ness inches towards exasperation (the likes of Fantastic at HELIOS One) or a certain tension that lets that person know that he ain’t fuckin around so don’t try anything (Cachino at Gomorrah), and his body language becomes more stiff because of how uncomfortable he is. He’ll also make use of his Terrifying Presence Perk more; someone he doesn’t like touches his shoulder and Ethan will look at their hand, look at them, then slooowly raise his eyebrow while glaring at them as a silent warning to remove their hand

In the specific case of Benny: Ethan’s a deadpan snarker anyways, but he’s never snarkier than during that Enemies phase of he and Benny’s Enemies to Friends to Lovers relationship. With other people he dislikes, he’ll generally keep his opinion and any insults to himself until he’s out of their earshot; with Benny, he wasn’t afraid to let Benny know what he thought of him, and insult him and clap back at him during their conversations while they were companions. Benny touched his shoulder and Ethan would threaten to break his fingers. Insulted Benny’s intelligence and called him a dumbass a lot.

Benny knew something was changing between them when he had the realisation that Ethan hadn’t told him to go fuck himself in a while, and especially knew it when Ethan started smiling at him, laughed at things he said, and called him stupidhead instead of dumbass c:

#reply #answering #thanks for sending this in!!!!! #Courier Six: Ethan Faust #Courier Six #I promise Ethan is a nice guy nrgnrgn he just. is scary. by accident but sometimes on purpose #he has Good Karma I promise

[soldier-requests]

can i get a playlist for a tiger therian? i like kind of ethereal/mystical music, or anything that reminds you of a jungle or forest. please include some nonlyricals/instrumentals! thank you eternally :3

hello! sorry for being so late, but hopefully you like some of these songs. happy new year!

songs go like "song" + "artist"

"Evening Wind" + "Joe Hisaishi"

"Heimr Àrnadalr" (From 'Frozen'/Score) + "Christophe Beck"

"Tulou Tagaloa" + "Olivia Foa'i"

"Around" + "Modulogeek"

"Shalala" + "Moses Gunn Collective"

"Sunshine Recorder" + "Boards of Canada"

"Lycanthrope" + "NOMAD_theband"

"Creature of the Night" + "Air Traffic Controller"

"I Am Here To Lose Control" + "De Staat"

"We are Gods! We are Wolves!" + "Le Loup"

"Werewolf Heart" + "Dead Man's Bones"

"In The Room Where You Sleep" + "Dead Man's Bones"

"Fangs" + "Younger Hunger"

"Therian" + "Papadosio"

"Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" + "Tame Impala"

"Plastic Beach" + "Gorillaz" and "Mick Jones" and "Paul Simonon"

"I Can't Wait" + "Nu Shooz"

"Shut Eye" + "Stealing Sheep"

"Animal Impulses" + "IAMX"

"Kitty City" + "Cyriak Harris"

"I Saw an Angel" + "Puzzle"

"Photosynthesis" + "Blank Banshee"

"Bathsalts" + "Blank Banshee"

"The Mind Electric" + "Miracle Musical"

"Temptation Stairway" (Waltz Variation) + "Metaroom"

"Blood In The Wine" + "AURORA"

"Little Boy In The Grass" + "AURORA"

"LIGHT SHOWER" + "Melanie Martinez"

"SPIDER WEB" + "Melanie Martinez"

"最後の楽園" (in english: "The Last Paradise") + "Haruomi Hosono"

"This Is My Beloved" + "Mort Garson"

"lain" + "C4FF31N3"

"6pm" (from Animal Crossing) + "Arcade Player"

"K.K. Jazz" (from Animal Crossing) + "Arcade Player"

"Town Gate" (from Animal Crossing) + "Arcade Player"

"13 Angels Standing Guard 'Round The Side Of Your Bed" + "Silver Mt. Zion"

"I'm Not Human At All" (Copenhagen X Sessions) + "Sleep Party People"

"I Am Shell I Am Bone" + "Gazelle Twin"

"Wrath Of God" + "Crystal Castles"

"Love You" + "The Free Design"

"Once Upon a December" (from Anastasia) + "Emile Pandolfi"

"Landscape With a Fairy" + "aspidistrafly"

"Aquarius" + "Lor"

"village song" + "Paris Paloma"

"Come Along" + "Cosmo Sheldrake"

"Birthday Suit" + "Cosmo Sheldrake"

"Entangled Life" + "Merlin Sheldrake" and "Cosmo Sheldrake"

"In the Woods Somewhere" + "Hozier"

"Old Black Train" (feat. Justin Rubenstein) + "The Blasting Company" (Over The Garden Wall)

"Merry Go Round of Life" (Howl's Moving Castle) + "Vitamin String Quartet"

"Inside Out" + "Duster"

"Insomniac" + "Memo Boy" and "Chakra Efendi"

"Woodland" + "The Paper Kites"

"Featherstone" + "The Paper Kites"

"Willow Tree March" + "The Paper Kites"

"Oceanic Feeling" + "Lorde"

"Sunflower" + "Rex Orange County"

"Blackbird" (Remastered 2009) + "The Beatles"

"Here Comes The Sun" (Remastered 2009) + "The Beatles"

"Call Me The Breeze" + "John Mayer"

"Rule #28 - Sand" + "Fish In a Birdcage" and "Raquel Lily" and "Atlys"

"The Bug Collector" + "Haley Heynderickx"

"Call me" + "90sFlav"

"Everything at Once" + "Lenka"

"Firefly Lullabies" + "Ava Beathard"

"Howling at the Moon" + "Skyhill"

"Changing Colors" + "Hiwet Tesmi"

"La femme à la peau bleue" + "Vendredi sur Mer"

"Les Fleurs" + "Minnie Riperton"

"Monk's Robes" + "Deradoorian"

"Lavender Moon" + "Haroula Rose"

"Lions" + "Jenny Hval" and "Vivian Wang"

"Caribbean Blue" (Remastered 2009) + "Enya"

"Avalanches and Unfamiliar Ways to Die" + "Ha Vay"

"Sea, Swallow Me" + "Cocteau Twins" and "Harold Budd"

"Persephone" + "Cocteau Twins"

"Moses" + "Elizabeth Fraser"

"Andromeda" + "Weyes Blood"

"Holocene" (feat. Weyes Blood) + "Zella Day"

"Caliope" (Remastered 2011) + "Maanam"

"Mishima" + "Daphne Guinness"

"Mermaids" + "Florence + The Machine"

"Fairy Fountain" + "Super Guitar Bros"

"Glory Box" + "Portishead"

"Waffles" + "Whatever, Dad"

"Would I Be The One" + "Sean Ono Lennon"

"Electric Counterpoint: III. Fast" + "Steve Reich" and "Mats Bergström"

"Speak For Me" + "Cat Power"

"Bolero" + "BLAST! Ensemble"

"All the Candles in the World" + "Jane Siberry"

"Clouds" + "Resavoir"

"all I understand is that I don't understand" + "toe"

"The Moon Will Sing" + "The Crane Wives"

"Metaphor" + "The Crane Wives"

"The Moon and the Stars" + "John Mark Nelson"

"Mr. Fox in the Fields" + "Alexandre Desplat"

"Alive" + "Phil Lober"

"Star of the County Down" + "Van Morrison" + "The Chieftains"

"Acolyte" + "Slaughter Beach" and "Dog"

dividers from @/animatedglittergraphics-n-more and @/cringecrew

#request accepted | ''Allons-y; Allonzo!'' #kin playlist #kin music #tiger therian #worlds-silliest-specimen #playlists | ''This reminds me of someone...''

[brookston]

Holidays 12.16

Holidays

Barbie and Barney Backlash Day

Beethoven Day

Boston Tea Party Day

Day of Reconciliation (f.k.a. Day of the Vow; South African Afrikaners)

Los Posadas begins (a.k.a. Posadas Navidenas; Mexico, Latin America)

Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society Day

National Sports Day (Thailand)

One Day At A Time Day

O Sapientia (Anglicanism)

Peter Rabbit Day

Pokemon Incident Day

Posadas Navidenas begins (Mexico)

Reconciliation Day (South Africa)

Simbang Gabi begins (Philippines)

Sophia (a.k.a. Sapinetia; Celtic Goddess of Wisdom)

Stupid Toy Day

Three-Tier System Day

Victory Day (a.k.a. Bijoy Dibosh; Bangladesh)

Victory Day (a.k.a. Vijay Diwas; India)

Wan Kila Haeng Chat (National Sports Day; Thailand)

Yuletide Lad #5 arrives (Pottasleikir or Pot-Licker; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Eat What You Want Day

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

St. Klippenstein's Day (Allagash) [Varies]

3rd Friday in December

National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day [3rd Friday]

Underdog Day [3rd Friday]

Independence Days

Bahrain (from UK, 1971; cerebration day only)

Kazakhstan (from USSR, 1991)

Feast Days

Ado, Archbishop of Vienne (Christian; Saint)

Adelaide of Italy (Christian; Saint)

Alice, Empress of Germany (Christian; Saint)

Beethoven Day (Pastafarian)

Crispin Glover Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Festival of Sapientia (Ancient Roman personification of wisdom & knowledge)

Festival of the Little Heat (Celebrating Bes, Ancient Egyptian Protector of the Home)

Haggai (Christian; Saint)

Martin the Turkey (Muppetism)

Newton (Positivist; Saint)

Philip K. Dick Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Ralph Adams Cram, Richard Upjohn and John La Farge (Episcopal Church USA)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [68 of 71]

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [31 of 32]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Avatar: The Way of Water (Film; 2022)

Battle of the Bulge (Film; 1965)

Hello, Dolly! (Film; 1969)

Hey Joe, by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1966)

La La Land (Film; 2016)

The Magicians 9TV Series; 2015)

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Film; 2011)

The OA (TV Series; 2016)

Playtime (Jacques Tati French Film’ 1967)

The Producers (Musical Film; 2005)

Rain Man (Film; 1988)

Rogue One (Film; 2016)

Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "New World Symphony," by Antonín Dvořák (Symphony; 1893)

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Children’s Book; 1901)

200 Motels, by Frank Zappa (Music Film; 1971)

Unplugged, by Nirvana, airs on MTV (TV Concert; 1993)

Today’s Name Days

Adelheid, Elke, Heidi (Austria)

Adela, Hagaj, Sebastijan (Croatia)

Albína (Czech Republic)

Lazarus (Denmark)

Aade, Aale, Adeele, Adelheid, Aliide, Ethel, Haide, Liide, Teele (Estonia)

Aada, Adele, Auli, Aulikki (Finland)

Alice (France)

Adelheid, Elke, Heidi (Germany)

Modestos, Theofano (Greece)

Aletta, Etelka (Hungary)

Albina (Italy)

Alvīne (Latvia)

Albina, Alina, Audronė, Vygaudas (Lithuania)

Oddbjørg, Oddbjørn (Norway)

Adelajda, Ado, Albina, Alina, Ananiasz, Bean, Zdzisława (Poland)

Agheu (Romania)

Albína (Slovakia)

Adela, Adelaida (Spain)

Assar (Sweden)

Addie, Addy, Adela, Adelaide, Adele, Adeline, Adella, Adelle, Alena, Alina, Aline, Della (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 350 of 2022; 15 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 50 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Dōngyuè), Day 23 (GUI-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 22 Kislev 5783

Islamic: 22 Jumada I 1444

J Cal: 20 Zima; Sixday [20 of 30]

Julian: 3 December 2022

Moon: 50%: 3rd Quarter

Positivist: 14 Bichat (12th Month) [Newton]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 85 of 90)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 24 of 30)

#Holidays #calendar

[djtangerine]

I posted 16,953 times in 2022

That's 9,769 more posts than 2021!

493 posts created (3%)

16,460 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@renchanters

@sleepiestbutterfly

@habeascorpseus

@newtbeetle

@uhohgottashreep

I tagged 5,583 of my posts in 2022

#hey froggy - 551 posts

#gtws - 458 posts

#hermitcraft - 392 posts

#grian - 375 posts

#dl - 364 posts

#bdubs - 188 posts

#etho - 180 posts

#star trek - 146 posts

#joe hills - 129 posts

#dsmp - 104 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#if i ever guy man dude bro king you or 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 girlboss girl you. please know i consistently forget gender is a thing and i’m sorry

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

1,184 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

#4

I think my favorite part of Landscaping Your Mind by G.T.W. Ska is the pseudonym. The implications that Scar, renowned youtuber and disabled rights activist, is also running a massive scam on the side where he impersonates Amazon in order to mind control people or possibly start a cult or maybe just sell bullshit but only under a false name is absolutely impeccable. Of course he’s doing that. Of course Grian is his first target.

1,221 notes - Posted May 1, 2022

#3

HELLO EVERYONE

1,270 notes - Posted February 28, 2022

#2

See the full post

2,100 notes - Posted February 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

sometimes i remember the greatest con Scar has ever pulled is making everyone think he’s bad at minecraft

2,757 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #god yea i fucking KMOW my dsmp x hermitcraft was big you don’t have to tell me #doubled my blogging somehow. i haven’t been blogging this semester either #also i rlly got my star trek numbers up damn

[lectern-fullcauldron]

I posted 1,847 times in 2022

That's 1,847 more posts than 2021!

203 posts created (11%)

1,644 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@theminecraftbee

@daily-ethoslab

@mcyt-cats

@daily-grian

@bucket-of-amethyst

I tagged 1,811 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#sk queue red by the master of puppets - 1,497 posts

#good to reblog - 205 posts

#hermitcraft - 195 posts

#joe hills - 60 posts

#zombiecleo - 39 posts

#ethoslab - 28 posts

#bdouble0 - 23 posts

#grian - 18 posts

#youtube - 15 posts

#season six - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#its that nobody has to actively disagree in a way that cannot be solved (if you are absent and do not send a proxy it doesnt count as a no)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

things hermits talk about at conventions (according to Joe hills):

International tax codes

How great Etho is

1,527 notes - Posted July 25, 2022

#4

love the pacing of etho's hermitcraft nine so far

ep 1: get locked in a situation of own devising to make the game challenging enough to be worth playing

ep 2: say hello to the thronging mass of hermits racing to welcome back to the server

ep 3: revolutionise redstone once more and put together a high tech, genius sorting system together like it's nothing

1,562 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

#3

there's a lot of things i appreciate about Joe Hills, but one of them is his determination to make all the signs on hermitcraft ADA compliant. his enderchest contains white dye so that he can make poor sign choices legible. when he tweets images from stream there's a big pause as he adds the alt text. he talked about making a discord bot to remind his discord members to add alt text to their images. i respect this guy. the only reason he doesn't have professional subtitles is because he believes in paying all his staff fairly and he can't afford it yet

1,623 notes - Posted August 17, 2022

#2

absolutely adore how etho's episode is mostly the hermits falling over each other in their desperate attempts to spend time with him. they're giving him tours and presents and pranks and throwing complements into the in game chat. he really is the cool cousin at the family gathering, just like he's always been

1,710 notes - Posted July 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

there's a sliding scale of decade old friendships on hermitcraft because you've got bdubs with his 'etho, my beloved' attitude and then cleo with their 'joe, my endless torment' attitude. and both are equally beautiful

2,129 notes - Posted August 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[sparkyblizz]

I posted 3,135 times in 2022

That's 539 more posts than 2021!

265 posts created (8%)

2,870 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@simonblackquillsimp420

@heckoffmate

@skylightserene

@strange-aeons

@handageddon

(sorry for the @s everyone)

I tagged 1,135 of my posts in 2022

#sparkyblizz speaks - 446 posts

#ace attorney - 330 posts

#dual destinies - 219 posts

#aa5 - 216 posts

#ds9 - 212 posts

#deep space nine - 203 posts

#star trek deep space nine - 193 posts

#star trek ds9 - 192 posts

#simon blackquill - 179 posts

#bobby fulbright - 141 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#usually my nicknames reference my pfp and current obsession but because my pfp is blackbright there isn’t a short easy nickname for it

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

rewatching Civil Defense and I am losing my mind over this interaction

Garak: "It's not going to work, you know."

Dukat: "What are you babbling on about now?"

Garak: "I'm talking about Major Kira."

Kira: "What about her?"

Garak: "She's much too busy trying to save this station to be impressed with your incessant posturing."

Dukat: "Garak!"

Garak: "And even if she weren't, she has much better taste than to be attracted to you. You, a married man."

Dukat: "I should have executed you years ago."

Garak: "Oh, you tried, remember?"

Bashir: "Garak. This isn't helping."

244 notes - Posted August 26, 2022

#4

Joe, to the sk8 crew: I spent a while in Italy, and I got used to the customs. One of the Italian customs that we don't have here is that people will greet each other with air kisses on the cheek.

Reki: Does everyone do that? With everyone?

Joe: No, you generally only do it with close friends and family. Which reminds me... When I came back home, I had gotten so used to Italian customs, it took me a bit to remember I was in Japan. It probably didn't help that I had one too many glasses of wine on the plane. So, anyway, Kaoru was waiting for me at the airport.

Cherry: I have a witty insult prepared, as one does, and this man walks up to me, and he has this stupid grin on his face, which is not uncommon. He then throws open his arms, and speaks fluent Italian to me. At this point, I'm confused. He then leans in, and does the air kisses. I have no idea what's going on. He pulls away, and speaks more Italian, and then, after a moment, says, in Japanese, "Oh, Japan!"

Sk8 crew: ...

Cherry: It was the strangest experience of my life.

Langa: Why would you do the kisses with Cherry? Don't you guys... hate each other?

Joe: I've known him for years, and I was slightly drunk, and forgot he's Japanese, and I'm Japanese, and that we were in Japan. Perfectly normal, really.

294 notes - Posted April 4, 2022

#3

hello DS9 fandom and garashir nation

313 notes - Posted August 28, 2022

#2

he itchy he itchy he scritchy he scritchy

682 notes - Posted October 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I don't usually reveal my jokes for my edits on tumblr beforehand but this is too funny not to share

edit: here's the video it comes from

750 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#sparkyblizz speaks #HELP I CAN'T WITH THIS #oh my god... #year in review #tumblr 2022 year in review

[searchingfortheuniverse]

Hello my dear!!! Hope you are well <3

Gonna go with 9, 21, 26, and 28 for the ask game!

Hi hi hi!!! Thank you beloved <3

9. What fic meant the most to you to write? Hmm... I think they all meant a lot in their own ways because when I write it's because I have something I want to write. Whether it ever gets posted is a different matter lmao but I think I'd probably say... Your Head Will Collapse? Just because there's a lot in there about the concept of wanting to go home when you're already there. Even though the situation was different, it had a lot more of a personal situation motivating it than most of my other stuff does.

21. Share your favourite piece of dialogue. Just because I thought it was funny, this snippet from Where the Love Light Gleams is definitely up there:

"Merry Christmas," Joe says.

Webster blinks. "It's only Christmas Eve."

"Merry Christmas Eve."

"You're Jewish."

"Alright, then, Jesus Christ. Happy Hanukkah. Now let me in, it's fuckin' freezing out here."

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year? Finishing writing Both Haunted and Holy for sure. It was the first time I'd started posting before a fic was finished and I got it done without having to change to the posting schedule I'd set myself to keep the updates regular. I'm crazy proud of it because it's also one of the longest pieces I've ever written.

28. How did you recharge between fics? Watching TV, mostly! A little bit of making edits - I finally got into properly making gifs this year, and I've always really enjoyed making text post memes. And also I got very into doing Lego from September onwards lmao. I have had to space them out so I don't spend too much money on them though so now I have four of the Star Wars helmets done and BD-1 is going to be delivered on Monday.

Fic writer asks

#asks #ask game #thesunlikehoney

[education30and40blog]

Taking the time to think for a change

Happy Holidays and hello, winter. It’s Christmas for some, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Winter Solstice for others. No matter what you celebrate, it’s customary to gather together with our families as we wind down the year. This time of year is not only a time of celebration, but for me personally, it’s usually a time of reflection and planning. For some reason, we’re either around a lot of people during the holidays attending parties, dinners, and gatherings, or it’s just my wife, Mary Catherine, and me in a quiet house. I love being with family, but I also enjoy periods of solitude.

During periods of quiet, I normally try to work on some things around the house and get caught up on my personal “to do” list. What I look forward to the most, however, is some quiet time to just sit and think. Years ago, I learned how to be more deliberate about thinking after reading a book entitled “Thinking for a Change” by John C. Maxwell.

“YOUR THINKING, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, SHAPES THE WAY YOU LIVE. IT’S REALLY TRUE THAT IF YOU CHANGE YOUR THINKING, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.” – JOHN C. MAXWELL

Maxwell, perhaps best known for his books “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” and “Developing the Leader Within You,” is one of my favorite leadership authors. Twenty years ago (the same year I started my business), he actually came to Fayette County and did a national broadcast originating from the newly established New Hope Church South Campus. Perhaps some of you reading this were there that day, it was a huge crowd.

Autographed copy of Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell dated 3-28-2003. Photo/Joe Domaleski

While I was there at the Maxwell event, I picked up one of his lesser-known titles, “Thinking for a Change.” The message was simple, but it quickly became one of my favorites of his many books. His emphasis on the power and potential of “just thinking” really inspired me to be more deliberate about how I approached thought.

In the book, Maxwell makes the case that all actions and endeavors begin and end with thought. He maintains that there are different types of thinking skills and outlines each one of them in the book. Here’s a quick summary of those key skills and what they mean to me personally:

Big-Picture Thinking: Seeing beyond the day-to-day to understand the broader scope and future direction of my business and my life. I probably struggle with this more than any other type of thinking. It’s hard to think about the big picture when you’re drowning in the details of “here and now.”

Focused Thinking: Applying concentration and focus on key goals and challenges in order to make decisions and solve problems. I actually enjoy this type of thinking the most, but I have to be deliberate about tuning out distractions from emails, messages, and other non-urgent things that sometimes feel urgent.

Creative Thinking: Coming up with new ideas to drive innovation. Creativity allows individuals and organizations to develop new ideas, products, and services, which can lead to breakthroughs, excitement, and forward progress. This is what my company is best known for, and it’s actually part of our company name – Country Fried Creative. For me personally, the challenge isn’t the creativity part (because I have a great creative team) but it’s the application of that creativity to specific situations.

Realistic Thinking: Assessing situations objectively with facts, data, and experience. Oftentimes creativity is tempered with reality. Brainstorming shouldn’t be constrained by reality, but reality definitely comes into play before implementing ideas. As a business owner, I have to assess the feasibility and market potential of our creative ideas. Realistic thinking gives us the proper context for doing that.

Strategic Thinking: Planning effectively to achieve goals and objectives. This is different from big-picture thinking, which often isn’t constrained by goals and objectives. Strategic thinking considers various scenarios and paths. I often consider the best case, worst case, and probable case when it comes to strategic thinking. Risk vs. reward comes into play when considering strategic thinking.

Possibility Thinking: Empowers people to look beyond apparent constraints, envisioning what could be achieved. For me, this is the classic “Can Do” thinking where anything is possible. It’s all about being a leader of hope.

Reflective Thinking: Taking time to ponder and learn from past experiences. I do this a lot, perhaps too much. While it’s important to consider the past, it’s even more important not to dwell on the past in such a way that it becomes baggage. Experience gleaned from reflective thinking helps in realistic thinking to avoid past mistakes. However, focusing too much on the past can limit possibility thinking and future potential.

Going beyond popular thinking: Challenging the “crowd mentality” in order to see and do things differently. Unfortunately, this has become increasingly hard to do as computer algorithms dictate what we see. This means not just following the path well-trodden but daring to think independently. It’s about questioning the status quo and considering alternative perspectives or solutions that might not be immediately obvious or widely accepted.

Shared Thinking: Collaborating with others can help expand perspectives and generate better ideas. There are so many tools available to facilitate collaboration that it would seem this would be a “no-brainer.” Yet, each one of us works differently in a group setting. Optimizing frictionless collaboration without stifling group creativity is probably one of the top business challenges of our time. Work-at-home vs. work-at-the-office is a hot topic with businesses. I personally think a combination of in-person and remote collaboration has worked best with our team.

Unselfish Thinking: Focuses on how things affect others, including employees, customers, family, and members of the community. In business school, I was taught that the purpose of a company is to maximize profit. While profitability is important for financial viability, I’ve come to learn that a business has a moral obligation that goes beyond profits. For me, simply considering the question “How can this idea help people?” can lead to thinking that can help people and the community at large. Purpose first, and then profits often follow.

Bottom-Line Thinking: Concentrates on thoughts and activities that can generate measurable results. Being results-oriented is an important part of being a leader. Out of necessity, sometimes those results need to be immediate and short-term, like achieving year-end financial goals. At other times, the results are more long-term and sustainable in nature. Focusing on results ensures that big-picture, possibility thinking can lead to positive outcomes that are beneficial to all concerned.

The author reading John C. Maxwell’s Thinking for a Change. Photo/Joe Domaleski

If you’re like me, then perhaps you’ve never really thought about thinking. “Thinking for a Change” was a real eye-opener for me. Embracing Maxwell’s thinking styles, from big-picture to bottom-line thinking, isn’t just about business success; it’s also about enriching every aspect of our lives. May your holidays be merry, reflective, and filled with thoughtful moments. Enjoy your holiday family time, but create some space for thoughtful, deliberate, and creative thinking. Happy New Year, everyone – let’s make it a thoughtful one!

[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year.  Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran.  He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]

[jdgo51]

DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR AUGUST 21, 2023

Why Wait?

By Wayne Greenawalt (Illinois, USA)

READ ROMANS 16:1-15

"I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae."

ROMANS 16:1 (NIV)

"My good friend’s health is declining. He has experienced two episodes of heart failure, and another occurrence could end his life. He is a member of a church where I once served as pastor. Knowing I will be asked to pay tribute to him at his funeral, I began to ponder his many admirable qualities. As I was organizing my thoughts, I was struck by the incongruity in my thinking. Why was I waiting until my friend’s funeral to honor him? It would be far better to express my appreciation now so that he can be encouraged and blessed. So I wrote him a letter and received an appreciative response.

The apostle Paul was not hesitant to express appreciation for his co-laborers in Christ. In the final chapter of his letter to the Romans, he greets no fewer than 28 individuals. He mentions many by name, as well as the contribution they were making to his ministry and the cause of Christ. I’m sure they were heartened by Paul’s commendation.

To remain faithful, we need the support of other believers. We all need words of appreciation now, not just accolades after we die. May God’s Spirit guide us to someone who needs encouragement today." Be comforted by the Spirit. Others will be with you for support and will compliment or encourage your efforts. And the Holy Spirit will remain with you , always for continuous support. Catch hold of the Spirit!

TODAY'S PRAYER

"Lord God, help us to be encouragers for our friends by showing them your love in our words and actions." Amen.

Romans 16:1-15

"1 I’m introducing our sister Phoebe to you, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. 2 Welcome her in the Lord in a way that is worthy of God’s people, and give her whatever she needs from you, because she herself has been a sponsor of many people, myself included. 3 Say hello to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life. I’m not the only one who thanks God for them, but all the churches of the Gentiles do the same. 5 Also say hello to the church that meets in their house. Say hello to Epaenetus, my dear friend, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. 6 Say hello to Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 7 Say hello to Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners. They are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Say hello to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Say hello to Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10 Say hello to Apelles, who is tried and true in Christ. Say hello to the members of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Say hello to my relative Herodion. Say hello to the members of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Say hello to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who are workers for the Lord. Say hello to my dear friend Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Say hello to Rufus, who is an outstanding believer, along with his mother and mine. 14 Say hello to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15 Say hello to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. So many before us have proclaimed and lifted up the name of Jesus. Say hello to them as you work on your path of service to Him. We have a legacy to uphold in our ministry to others. Do your part! Be blessed in your service! Joe

[thetoxicgamer]

Diablo 4 Won’t Have Huge Damage Numbers, Praise Lilith

The inhabitants of hell are levelling up in Diablo 4, as Lilith's best will now have armour to boost their damage mitigation in the RPG game, according to Blizzard. Big numbers are over; hello, simpler UI. One of Diablo 3’s most frustrating features is the damage numbers. As you level up you start dishing out millions of damage, all of which is displayed on your screen. Unfortunately, monsters hit pretty hard too, cluttering the display even further and causing absolute chaos. Enter monster armour. Yes, that’s right; coming into Diablo 4 Lilith’s armies will now have damage mitigation in the form of physical armour instead of a swollen HP bar that takes ages to grind down despite your character’s huge damage numbers. Diablo 4 won't have huge damage numbers, praise Lilith: A collection of ghostly skeletons with huge numbers above their headsDiscussing this during the February 28 Diablo 4 dev livestream, principal game designer Meng Song states “we have a problem that, whenever we want to increase the monster’s defensive power, the only way we can do it is through increasing the monster’s HP. “If we want to increase a monster’s defensive power from level 31 to level 32 by 10%, that means the level 32 monster is going to have 10% more HP. If you do this from level one to level 100, it ends up with a super big number; billions, or even trillions. “For players to be able to kill these monsters they have to be dealing billions of damage, and in Diablo 4 we show this number as floating damage text; we can’t hide it. So, because this number is so big, it covers a big chunk of the screen.” Game director Joe Shely notes that these numbers are “hard to understand,” especially because “combat in Diablo is really fast and you want to be able to quickly understand how much damage you’re doing. We want to keep the numbers down.” https://clips.twitch.tv/ArborealCogentCookieChocolateRain-f1PiqaeV2-V-27z0?tt_content=channel_name&tt_medium=embed So instead of having huge numbers on your screen, the monster will absorb some of the damage using its ‘armour,’ and you’ll only see the damage you’re dealing directly. This keeps the numbers down, while making monsters easier to balance. As someone who is bad with numbers, I am very glad to hear this. My main gripe with Diablo 3 was diving in as a Monk, popping my combos, but being unable to understand how much damage I was actually doing. I also found myself missing smaller enemies because they were obscured, meaning it was really easy to get overwhelmed or miss things. During my Diablo 4 gameplay preview, I did find the UI much less busy, which in turn made everything feel just that little more fluid. So begone, large damage numbers! Out with the old, and in with the new. If this change has piqued your interest ahead of the Diablo 4 release date, be sure to check out which of the Diablo 4 classes you’ll be picking up to send Lilith demons straight back to hell. Read the full article

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.16

Holidays

Barbie and Barney Backlash Day

Beethoven Day

Boston Tea Party Day

Day of Reconciliation (f.k.a. Day of the Vow; South African Afrikaners)

Los Posadas begins (a.k.a. Posadas Navidenas; Mexico, Latin America)

Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society Day

National Sports Day (Thailand)

One Day At A Time Day

O Sapientia (Anglicanism)

Peter Rabbit Day

Pokemon Incident Day

Posadas Navidenas begins (Mexico)

Reconciliation Day (South Africa)

Simbang Gabi begins (Philippines)

Sophia (a.k.a. Sapinetia; Celtic Goddess of Wisdom)

Stupid Toy Day

Three-Tier System Day

Victory Day (a.k.a. Bijoy Dibosh; Bangladesh)

Victory Day (a.k.a. Vijay Diwas; India)

Wan Kila Haeng Chat (National Sports Day; Thailand)

Yuletide Lad #5 arrives (Pottasleikir or Pot-Licker; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Eat What You Want Day

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

St. Klippenstein's Day (Allagash) [Varies]

3rd Friday in December

National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day [3rd Friday]

Underdog Day [3rd Friday]

Independence Days

Bahrain (from UK, 1971; cerebration day only)

Kazakhstan (from USSR, 1991)

Feast Days

Ado, Archbishop of Vienne (Christian; Saint)

Adelaide of Italy (Christian; Saint)

Alice, Empress of Germany (Christian; Saint)

Beethoven Day (Pastafarian)

Crispin Glover Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Festival of Sapientia (Ancient Roman personification of wisdom & knowledge)

Festival of the Little Heat (Celebrating Bes, Ancient Egyptian Protector of the Home)

Haggai (Christian; Saint)

Martin the Turkey (Muppetism)

Newton (Positivist; Saint)

Philip K. Dick Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Ralph Adams Cram, Richard Upjohn and John La Farge (Episcopal Church USA)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [68 of 71]

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [31 of 32]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Avatar: The Way of Water (Film; 2022)

Battle of the Bulge (Film; 1965)

Hello, Dolly! (Film; 1969)

Hey Joe, by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1966)

La La Land (Film; 2016)

The Magicians 9TV Series; 2015)

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Film; 2011)

The OA (TV Series; 2016)

Playtime (Jacques Tati French Film’ 1967)

The Producers (Musical Film; 2005)

Rain Man (Film; 1988)

Rogue One (Film; 2016)

Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "New World Symphony," by Antonín Dvořák (Symphony; 1893)

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Children’s Book; 1901)

200 Motels, by Frank Zappa (Music Film; 1971)

Unplugged, by Nirvana, airs on MTV (TV Concert; 1993)

Today’s Name Days

Adelheid, Elke, Heidi (Austria)

Adela, Hagaj, Sebastijan (Croatia)

Albína (Czech Republic)

Lazarus (Denmark)

Aade, Aale, Adeele, Adelheid, Aliide, Ethel, Haide, Liide, Teele (Estonia)

Aada, Adele, Auli, Aulikki (Finland)

Alice (France)

Adelheid, Elke, Heidi (Germany)

Modestos, Theofano (Greece)

Aletta, Etelka (Hungary)

Albina (Italy)

Alvīne (Latvia)

Albina, Alina, Audronė, Vygaudas (Lithuania)

Oddbjørg, Oddbjørn (Norway)

Adelajda, Ado, Albina, Alina, Ananiasz, Bean, Zdzisława (Poland)

Agheu (Romania)

Albína (Slovakia)

Adela, Adelaida (Spain)

Assar (Sweden)

Addie, Addy, Adela, Adelaide, Adele, Adeline, Adella, Adelle, Alena, Alina, Aline, Della (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 350 of 2022; 15 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 50 of 2022

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Dōngyuè), Day 23 (GUI-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 22 Kislev 5783

Islamic: 22 Jumada I 1444

J Cal: 20 Zima; Sixday [20 of 30]

Julian: 3 December 2022

Moon: 50%: 3rd Quarter

Positivist: 14 Bichat (12th Month) [Newton]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 85 of 90)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 24 of 30)

#Holidays

[usertiff]

hello, lauren! a little behind in sending, but they do say better late than never right? oops, i forgot to say who i am, i'm your secret santa! i hope you had a wonderful saturday and your sunday is great, too! can you tell me a bit about some of your favorite muses and face claims? ❄️

that's okay, being behind is the name of my game ksksdfjjf im always a little slow. but aaa yay!! i'm so excited!!

so i think my ultimate favorite muse/muse i've had for the longest time is (erika linder, she/they, nonbinary lesbian, 28) JULES HELLSTRÖM (which she doesn't really have a lot in her tag tbh but anyway) she's fucking RUTHLESS when she needs to be, will always stand up for good and justice, so honestly she never backs down and is always ready to throw a punch. HOWEVER, within this load of anger she has, it's truly because inside she is v soft and caring, always trying to help others, protect others, and do good where she can. specifically to other women and nonbinary people. continued under cut!!

she's a big angry lesbian who is v loud about the things she cares about, v much an activist and hates rich people and hates men tbh im ngl. she's definitely the "scary hairy lesbian" that hates all men that Those All MenTM warn you about LMAO. she is by and large a moon child. like seriously i based her off of artemis kskskdjflskjdf. she lives for the night and never wakes up earlier than 3pm tbh. she kind of has two occupations, it just depends where i'm playing her that decides which one i use. her og occupation is a wildlife officer, because (artemis, really) she loves animals and respects the hunt, and wants to ensure others are respecting nature as well. on the other hand, she owns a whole ass bar, not because she's like wealthy, but her uncle leaves town and passes it down to her and she's like wTF?! i'll end this here but i could talk about her for awhile, i love her! also i just noticed i used she pronouns this whole time, but i want to end this by saying jules's preference for pronouns changes by the day lol. some days it's a they-only day, some days she's like yeah... yeah you can call me she, that feels nice. LOL idk

i don't know if i have any other specific muses to share that i can think of at the moment, but here's some of my favorite faceclaims!! (i rly only had a few like FAVORITES so i bolded those, and the rest are some that i've always wanted to play or just think are neat!)

im so sorry i didn't know how long or short to go so i just ksskdfjsldkfj but again i bolded the real og's

nonbinary

erika linder

keiynan lonsdale

brigette lundy paine

lizeth selene

women

kat graham

amber midthunder

anya chalotra

hunter mcgrady

sasha pieterse

khadijha red thunder

evan rachel wood

winona ryder

jeanine mason

kiera allen

kim petras

devery jacobs

kacey rohl

quannah chasinghorse

kristin kreuk

bree kish

aly michalka

summer bishil

olivia cooke

olivia taylor dudley

vera farmiga

levy tran

rutina wesley

dichen lachman

kiana madeira

men

manny montana

froy gutierrez

cody christian

bill skarsgard

harvey guillen

milo ventimiglia

michiel huisman

joe keery

ian bohen

maxence danet fauvel

alex meraz

nyle dimarco

tanner novlan

nonbinary

erika linder

brigette lundy paine

#rphservergifts #answered

[theliterateape]

[From Back in the Day] All Art is Political

By Tani Freiwald

The following essay was originally written and performed for BUGHOUSE! in Las Vegas on October 28, 2019. The topic of debate was “Is All Art Political.” Tani went up against Scott Hertinstein. Tani was determined the winner by our judge.

You know the challenge in an all or nothing statement is that it only takes one exception and your whole argument can dissolve faster than a cardboard suit in the rain. I know there's the old “exception to the rule" clause but that just seems facile and lazy to me. So tonight I intend to prove categorically and without exception, that all art is political, because, as it turns out, everything is political: every relationship, every interpersonal interaction, every aspect of our daily lives and here’s how we know that.  

Many, many, many, many years in the past. I’m talking two-and-a-half to three million years ago, an unexpected mutation appeared. Wait a minute, is that an oxymoron? Is there such a thing as an “expected” mutation? Some might argue that electing Trump to the Presidency was an expected mutation given the growing malaise, injustices, and tribalization of our country over the last thirty years, but we’ll save that for a later debate. 

Anyway, about three million years ago, our ancestors, the apes, gave rise to a new species, Homo or man. As early man began spreading out into the world, different environments necessitated different forms of adaptation and a whole slew of different hominids began to populate the planet. There was Homo rudolfensis, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo floresiensis, Homo denisova, Homo habilis, Homo sapiens. Homo, homo, homo, homo, I guess, in the end, we’re all gay.

But what’s really important about this evolution is that in the beginning, we were a pretty unremarkable species compared to the rest of the animal kingdom. We were smack dab in the middle of the food chain. We ate creatures less powerful than us and were eaten by creatures more powerful than us. Still the multi-Hominid world worked pretty well until, eventually all but one Homo had disappeared, (betcha Mike Pence would like the sound of that). Maybe eaten, maybe unable to adapt to hostile environments, and in some cases wiped out by other Hominids: remember Homo neanderthalis? Now, just a memory and the occasional bone fragment.

Yup, turns out bonobo bros preceded Bernie Bros by a few million years.

During this time, Hominids lived in small, predominantly family groups that operated just like those of our nearest  ape relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos do today. Their social structures are hierarchical with a single dominant leader. The alpha ape maintains, or tries to maintain social harmony.  Interestingly we tend to think that when an Alpha is challenged two individuals engage in physical combat with loud, aggressive behavior resulting in the vanquished either retreating to a lower status within the troop, banished from the group altogether or in the worse case scenario, fatally injured.

Well, we would be wrong. The truth is when two individuals contest the alpha position, they usually do so by forming extensive coalitions of both male and female supporters. (Yup, turns out bonobo bros preceded Bernie Bros by a few million years.) Ties between supporters are based on intimate, daily contact like touching and hugging (hello Joe Biden) kissing, grooming, and mutual favors. Sound familiar? Alphas become leaders not so much because of physical prowess as their ability to lead a large and strong coalition. In other words, a process by which power is achieved, maintained and used to determine who gets to make the rules that will effect every aspect of everybody else's lives. Also known as Politics.

But there's one limitation to this otherwise successful system of group dynamics. It is totally reliant on trust. A trust that can only be established in groups where all the members know each other intimately. So as groups get larger the social order destabilizes, ruptures and a new group is formed. When you think about it, it makes sense. After all, just fifty individuals generate 1,225 one-on-one relationships and countless interactions in other combinations.

So, if group dynamics and power relationships ie politics seems only effective in small groups, how did Homo sapiens manage to rise from inconsequential, middle of the food chain fodder to the conquers (and ultimately) destroyers of the planet? I’m glad you asked, ‘cause here’s where the art part comes in…

About 150,000 years ago there occurred another unexpected mutation that today we call the Cognitive Revolution, and it would be followed in rapid succession (well, rapid in evolutionary terms) by the Agricultural Revolution about 70,000 years ago and the Scientific Revolution a skant 500 years ago.

It is Art that was integral to history's two great cultural manifestations, religion and commerce.

One of the consequences of this cognitive leap was the development of language. Almost all animals communicate with vocalizations and calls but man is the only animal with a means of sharing information through a limited number of sounds and signs that can produce an almost unlimited amount of meanings and ideas. Nowhere is this unique human feature more evident than during my favorite part of infant development when syntax precedes words. You’ve really missed out if you’ve never had a deep philosophical conversation with a ten-month-old over the question of Trump's quid pro quo with Ukraine. And no, listening to republicans doesn’t count, even if it does sound remarkably like baby talk.

But where, might you ask, is Art in all this. Well, if the concept of Politics precedes everything, guess what, Art, informs everything that politics and language created because 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens developed an ability no other animal possesses, the ability to imagine that what which can not be seen. In other words, Imagination. If there is a dividing line between art and imagination, I’m hard pressed to find it.

It is Art that was integral to history's two great cultural manifestations, religion and commerce. Neither of which would have been conceivable without trust. But now, trust was no longer dependent on intimate daily activities of small groups. Relationships with strangers thousands of miles away could be developed based on common beliefs in the myths of religion and commerce. Even today’s national identities and political affiliations are all based on shared trust generated by the mutual acceptance of ideas, not picking parasites off your cousin’s head. And those intangible human constructs could not have been created, nurtured, and spread across the globe without pictures, storytelling and music. In short Art.

We could never have come to dominate earth without art. But there would have been no art if the chimps and bonobos hadn't invented politics.

#Art #politics #evolution #group dynamics