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#my fourth milestone series !! <3
inverted-flowers · 6 months
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So... Those Secret Life tarot predictions I've been doing huh? Well it's Grian's turn! Reminder that you don't really need to know anything about Tarot Cards. If you're curious though it's just a simple 5 card spread I made specifically for this. Also I did this on November 2nd of 2023 (it's a Thursday) cuz I'll probably decide to schedule this as to not spam the tags lol.
First Card - Start
So this card was rough because while I was placing it I turned it without thinking about it (which I like never do). I had to debate whether to interpret it upright (how it would've been had I not turned it) or reversed (how it was when flipped it over). As I said in the very first post, I'm doing these as practice so this is also just a 'well wtf do I do in this situation' sort of milestone. In the end I've decided to interpret it as upright with a kind of side note of reversal... if that makes sense... I'm gonna combine the meanings a little bit!
I drew the Ace of Wands... uh... funky style. (Sure that makes sense right? /silly) This card is describing Grian's start of Secret Life as involving a lot of hard work. There could be some minor setbacks but he'll likely work through them fine enough. He'll probably have a great time, honestly, if this card has any truth to it.
Second Card - Individual
This card is describing how Grian does in the game basically. For it I drew the reversed 8 of Swords. He survives through the more difficult first part of starting in a new life series world. So far he's doing very well too so this is supported! If you've seen his episodes you'll know he's not exactly down a whole lot of hearts yet. This card also talks about being open to change and new opportunities. What new opportunities? I'm so glad you asked. To the next card!
Third Card - Social
This card is meant to describe how Secret Life goes for Grian on the social end of this series. I drew the Death card which made me laugh. The death card is about change, rebirth, and transitioning from one phase to another. My brain immediately went to how everyone and their grandma were drawing comparisons between his first ep with Scar on the camel and third life. This makes me think he's either not going to team up with anyone or if he does it'll be someone he hasn't yet and well... So far it's looking like the former! It makes that lil' comparison extra fun cuz this is saying he'll be putting the past expirences behind for something new.
Fourth Card - Big Impact
I drew the reversed Page of Pentacles which is wild cuz I drew that for Joel too but as his season end. Here I drew it for Grian's 4th card which is describing what makes the greatest impact for him this season. This card talks about a lack of progress and getting lost in the details. He might get too caught up in something and forget about his task.
Fifth Card - End
I drew the 3 of Pentacles for how Grian'll end Secret Life. This card talks about collaboration and learning. He's probably very secure in his beliefs... except that those beliefs might be a strict adherence to the rules which could ultimately cause him more problems than necessary. It also means he could take the advice and criticisms of his fellow players pretty well.
So do I think this reading is predicting Grian to win? Not in the slightest. 3 of pentacles really feeling like a participation trophy here lol. Like 'yay you learned things and got to make content with all these lovely people!' Not exactly something screaming he's gonna win. If I had to take a gander as to how it goes down, I'd reckon he gets distracted and fails a hard task or fails his normal tasks multiple times (based on the 4th card). That would then somehow push him to be more strict with rule following (based on the 5th card). If that is what happens, the fail would probably happen either soon and then affect the majority of his season or later when he's low. Maybe it's what turns him red.
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fusillisarah · 4 months
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2023 Reading Roundup (44 books, Predominately Romantasy)
I graduated from university and started my big girl job this year, take a look at what I was reading as I passed these milestones! I read FOURTY FOUR books this year and I’m so proud :)
Vampire Academy Series: Richelle Mead
Vampire Academy, Frost Bite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice
10/10. Comfort books. Love the arc, love the direction. Slow burn mentor/student. Set in modern day. Romantasy.
Dune & Dune: Messiah: Frank Herbert
Dune is a 10/10. Incredibly worldbuilding. Anyone with any interest in sci-fi should read. Messiah went a lot quicker, less complicated and fleshed. 5/10 I didn’t really enjoy it. Maybe I’ll push through one day…
King of Scars Duology: Leigh Bardugo
King of Scars, Rule of Wolves
I love love love Six of Crows, and I didn’t feel like reading Shadow and Bone just yet, so read King of Scars. 7/10 I probably should have read Shadow and Bone but now I probably never will, basically got the gist of it. Didn’t have a lot of background but the story is rly good. Love love love Zoya!!
A Court of Thorns and Roses Series: Sarah J Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses, a Court of Mist and Fury, a Court of Wrath and Ruin, a Court of Frost and Starlight, a Court of Silver Flames
12/10. Perfect down to the last minute detail. Epic fantasy, worldbuilding that had my jaw on the floor. Must read.
Fourth Wing: Rebecca Yarros
9/10 quick and easy read. Loved the dragons in this one. I’m a sucker for Enemies to Lovers so I basically exactly what i signed up for. Little scared for series though… ahh!
From Blood and Ash Series: Jennifer L. Armentrout
From Blood and Ash, Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, Crown of Gilded Bones, a War of Two Queens, a Soul of Ash and Blood
4/10. First 2 books were really interesting, third one actually totally lost me and in the middle of the fourth I ended up reading all of the Cruel Prince books in the middle of it lol. Determined to not have a DNF this year so I came back, finished it, and read the god-forsaken Soul of Ash and Blood. 0/10 I hated every second of that book. It’s a complete retelling with maybe 2 or 3 chapters that are actually interesting. Yes, I know I read all 5. No, I have no technical regrets. Take that as you will.
The Cruel Prince: Holly Black
The Cruel Prince, the Wicked King, the Queen of Nothing
Good, no spice obvi and super popular but I loved Jude’s character and was obsessed with the politics. Super intriguing I blew through these. 8/10
Verity: Colleen Hoover
6/10, read it in like a day and a half but I don’t rly like thrillers, they scare me lol. It was good tho and my first Colleen Hoover book, not sure if I would read another one but I did really like this one and the ending was super crazy. read it as a palate cleanser after Cruel Prince. I’ve realized if I don’t have a non-high fantasy palate cleanser I fall into a reading slump lol.
Once Upon a Broken Heart Series: Stephanie Garber
Once Upon a Broken Heart, The Ballad of Never After, A Curse for True Love
OUABH is 9/10, honestly such a wonderful book, perfectly captures the hopeless romantic of Eva and allure of Jacks, but TBONA is SHOWSTOPPING!!! 12/10. So amazing, love the storyline, never bored, such good romance it’s the most well written romance I’ve read in a while- screeching halt for ACFTL- I’ve put my thoughts on this blog but it felt so empty compared to the lifeblood in the first 2 books in the series. Definitely worth the read though.
Throne of Glass Series: Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, Kingdom of Ash
Nothing to be said that’s not already been said. Amazing. I love sprawling epics. Not a ton of romance and tbh I’m not a Rowan girly. Defending Chaol til I die tho. 10/10
Twilight: Stephanie Meyer
6/10. I’ve written about this one but I just felt like it was super juvenile for my tastes, I was expecting to like it more and it was just kinda eh. Needed a little more something something but that is of course a me problem. I just think I am not a big fan of YA anymore.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: V. E. Schwab
Wonderful story, totally lust for life after reading, made me so excited about the ending. I felt like there was so much more to be told which is like exactly how I wanna feel reading a book. 8/10
Divine Rivals: Rebecca Ross
At first I was not rocking with the pacing, I feel like this book could have been a lot longer. But when I finished it I actually was more on board with the speed and it was super sweet. Good found family aspect. 7/10 will for sure be reading the next one.
Plated Prisoner Series: Raven Kennedy
Gild, Glint, Gleam, Glow, Gold
I love love love LOVE these books! Pacing is amazing, you can see exactly how Auren’s trauma affects her character, Malina has gained a fan, just huge fantastic series here. Cannot wait until the last one is out. 10/10
Thanks for reading! Feel free to drop me a book review for 2024! Happy new year everyone!
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news4usonline · 2 days
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Denver is just better than the Lakers
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LOS ANGELES - For the Los Angeles Lakers, playing the world champion Denver Nuggets must feel like a recurring bad dream. They have now lost seven consecutive postseason games to Denver, and every time they play, you can squint and imagine you are watching a replay of the previous game. This matchup has run its course. The Nuggets are simply a better team than the Lakers. They have the best player in the series, Nikola Jokic, and a better head coach. On both ends of the floor, they do everything better as a team than the Lakers. Los Angeles has continuously hit Denver with its best shot, but it is not enough every time.  Second half starts now ? pic.twitter.com/EqCKsLk5B0— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 26, 2024 "They do not have a weakness offensively, especially their starting lineup. They have been one of the best-starting fives in our league over the last couple of years," said LeBron James. "It is definitely one of the better teams I have played against in my career." This is not the same team the Lakers beat in 2020 on their way to the championship. That team did not have Aaron Gordan or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Michael Porter Jr. was a rookie coming off the bench, and Nikola Jokic had yet to evolve into the most unstoppable player in the NBA. Los Angeles has led at the half in all three games during this series, and even when trailing, it always feels like Denver is in the driver's seat. Once the Lakers go up by double digits, it feels like the Nuggets have them right where they want them. "I think they are a little more locked in than we are when we come out of the half, and we have seen Denver throughout the year. They take advantage of every opportunity," said Gabe Vincent. The Lakers started game 3 on an 8-0 run, and Anthony Daivs scored 10 points in the first four minutes, but as the game went on, Los Angeles steadily declined in every category while Denver ascended to a near-perfect level of play. First 8 belong to us ?? pic.twitter.com/D2wvQd5MmX— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 26, 2024 Davis has been great in this series, scoring at least 32 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in every game. James is holding up his end, with at least 26 points and eight assists in all three contests. Neither of the Lakers stars has had an off night, and they still can not buy a win. In game 1, James tried to attack early and be a playmaker late. He took the opposite approach in game 2, setting up his teammates first and scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter. In game 3, he took what the defense gave him. None of these strategies resulted in a victory. "I think Dever is just beating us, to be honest. You can talk about adjustments, you can talk about this and that, but at the end of the day, we got to put our best foot forward and win basketball games. You can talk about everything else, but at the end of the day, you gotta man up and go win," said Austin Reaves. Jamal heatin' up ? 20 PTS / 3 REB / 6 AST pic.twitter.com/WbLiPjM8h1— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 26, 2024 The most frustrating part for Los Angeles is that they have never been blown out during any of the seven playoff losses and are only losing by an average of six points per game. It feels like they are so close, but in reality, they are so far away from being able to beat this team in a seven-game series. "Our focus right now is to try to get one. Try to get a game and then go from there," said Davis. Denver is the best team in the NBA for a reason. The Lakers will look to avoid being swept for a second straight season on Saturday, but the Nuggets are too good for the Lakers to come back and make this a series. Top Image caption: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) has hit another milestone during his NBA career. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/The Bulletin/File Read the full article
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satrangee-ray · 3 years
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Meet my MC: About the Future
Inara Hepburn (she/they)
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New beginnings:
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Inara will soon get a haircut done, that one haircut she was gathering courage for throughout her teenage years. An asymmetric chop, complete with semi-permanent purple highlights. Perfection! She'll also get her first ever tattoo, a prism with colours bursting, on her forearm. And of course, Ethan would plan weeks ahead to take a day off on the day of her appointment, just to be able to hold her hand through the entire process of her screaming her head off while getting the said tattoo.
Having created too much drama the first time, Inara will walk into the tattoo studio for a second round, this time like a mature adult, to get a stethoscope inked near her collarbone. This will originally be to foreshadow the release of her third book, the residency memoir, but unfortunately, she will fail to stick to that plan.
Speaking of the memoir, Hepburn's Stethoscope will originally be scheduled to release in 2022, but due to Inara's unfiltered commentary on the healthcare system, it's efficiency, American politics, and capitalism among other issues, the book will be rejected by several publishing houses. Due to their initial absence of permanent American citizenship, and hence the legal right to comment so strongly on those subjects, Inara too will temporarily shelve the project. Five years after residency/two years after their marriage to Ethan, with several edits, re-edits and a US citizenship in place, Inara will finally let the book out for the world to read, and sure enough, it will hit equally hard with both readers and critics.
Writing wise, Inara's next venture after the journal will be a spy thriller trilogy, based on a team of four agents who execute dangerous but necessary missions all around the world. The central character Veronica and her gang will become extremely popular, resulting in the second book being made into a movie.
In the activism department, Inara will start their own US based queer NGO, 'We the Rainbow People foundation', to legally advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, provide food, shelter, free physical and mental healthcare to queer people of all ages who aren't privileged enough to access those, as well as hold counseling sessions for parents of queer youth who want to learn more or are reluctant to come around.
Later down the line, Inara's ancestral home in Kolkata will be completely bought off by them, after paying due shares to their aunt and cousin. The Indian wing of Inara's NGO will be founded there. Said wing will be handed over to some prominent queer activists in Bengal for immediate supervision, and Kolkata will serve as the headquarters of We the Rainbow People, India. 
Family <3:
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More below the cut—
Inara will continue to live with Ethan and Jenner in their shared condo till three years after their residency. At 32, they will get engaged, and eventually married to their longtime partner, and buy a new home together, beautifully placed in equal distance from city-life and the countryside.
Post marriage, Ethan will be wanting a baby, but Inara won't be particularly comfortable with the idea of getting pregnant or opting for surrogacy. Hence, biological kids would be out of question, but fate will find another way to seep a third human into their lives. Through her NGO, Inara will meet a two year old in an orphanage, abandoned in infancy by their parents, most probably because they're intersex. The couple will adopt the child and raise them as their own, albeit in a gender neutral way, until they are old enough to figure out what their gender identity is.
Iris Ramsey (they/them) will be an adorable kid, enthusiastic about science experiments and music from a young age. Their love for cats combined with their Renny's would prompt the entry of a fourth member in the Hepburn-Ramsey household. 
The family might consider naming their new cat Ethan, cause it would kinda look and act like him, but with little Ethan being a close friend and a regular visitor to Iris' home, three Ethans in one house would be too much confusion. Inara will only tease Ethan with a joke about naming the kitty Kardashian, just to follow suit with Jenner. Ethan will grimace, the other two will laugh, but the cat will end up responding. Hence, the Ramsey ragdoll would be named Kardashian; 'Kardy' for short.
The Ramseys will keep meeting up with Alan and Naveen during all major yearly events like Christmas and New Year's. Naveen will also team up with Inara to occasionally conduct mini poojas for their family, and Iris would thoroughly enjoy the preparation process.
Awards and accolades:
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The diagnostics team of Bloom Edenbrook, and that of Solomon Kenmore (headed by Dr. Aurora Emery), along with the immunology research teams of the respective hospitals will join hands to find a cure to Caroline Bloom's condition. For this milestone achievement in the history of medicine, Dr. Baz Mirani, Dr. Aurora Emery, Dr. Inara Hepburn and Dr. Timothy Riaz (head of research team, Kenmore) will be honoured with several awards from medical organizations and invited to address in conferences around the globe.
Dr. Hepburn will join Dr. Ramsey in the management of several epidemics over the years in different parts of the world. The World Health Organisation will thus honour them both with a special accolade to acknowledge their contribution in this regard.
After its delayed release, Inara's journal 'Hepburn's Stethoscope' will win the National Book Award for Non-fiction due to its "honest and detailed account of devastatingly true events." Her following releases consisting of all three parts of her spy series will receive nominations and awards on both national and international levels.
At 45, Inara will be honoured with the Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award for their contributions in aiding queer liberation.
That was my final entry! This whole event was so enriching, so much fun and so much solidarity, I can't even! I'll probably rant in the host blog's asks. But before that, a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who read and supported my submissions, you deserve the world.
Love to all, goodbye✌.
Tagging: @openheartfanfics @adiehardfan
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notveryglittery · 4 years
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birthday prince (5)
summary: happy birthday, roman!!! words: 2,900 / ship: dlampts (deceit/logan/virgil/patton/roman/thomas/remy) author’s note: this is part five of my Giving The Gay Anything He Wants series for roman’s birthday (june 4)! all ships are written implied romantic but i’m not stopping you from interpreting it otherwise. check the end notes on ao3 for credit on these gifts (bc i don’t know where to put them in this post)! i hope you enjoy!!
part 1 (roceit) | part 2 (logince) | part 3 (prinxiety) part 4 (royality) | part 5 (dlampts) |  read on ao3
— — —
“Rise and shine, buttercup!”
Roman swatted at the air, as if that would send away the voice trying to wake him. “Five more minutes,” he grumbled, burying his face back into a pillow.
“You said that ten minutes ago, sugar,” drawled another.
If Roman really thought about it, he’d remember that, yes, he was guilty of this charge. That didn’t mean that he would admit to it, of course! Besides, even if he did, today was his day so he should have been able to do whatever he liked.
Oh.
Oh!
Energy shot through him as he jolted up. “It’s my birthday!”
Patton’s laugh was musical, the most beautiful sound Roman could ever ask to start his morning with. “I knew we’d get there eventually.”
“I dunno, I was sure it’d take him at least another half hour,” Remy teased, standing in the doorway.
"Good morning!" Roman exclaimed, swooping in for a kiss from Patton. He happily obliged, taking it also as an opportunity to comb a hand through Roman's tangled hair.
Were it not for Remy clearing his throat a moment later, the two might have lost track of time entirely. They pulled apart, only a little sheepish about it. Patton took Roman's hands in his and gave him a tug, urging him out of bed. Thankfully, now that Roman knew what was being celebrated, he followed easily, lips curled into a grin that seemed it'd never go away.
"What's on the agenda?" He asked eagerly, curious how early it actually was and how long it'd be before his first gift.
"Get yourself dolled up first, hon," Remy told him, tilting his tumbler in the direction of the closet.
"Remy!" Patton hissed, a hint of a scolding reminder in his tone, if Roman was hearing right.
Apparently, this was all it took for Remy to remember whatever Patton was trying to say. They swapped places faster than Roman thought possible, especially with his sleep addled brain not quite keeping up. Remy looped an arm through Roman's and began leading the way to the bathroom.
Patton waved at them as he left, "see you in a bit!"
"You're up to something," Roman accused without hesitation.
"Why I never," Remy said, pouting. "When have I ever been up to anything in my whole life?"
It was, again, thanks to Roman's still half-asleep state that he could level Remy with his best unimpressed look.
"Here I am, just trying to help you look your absolute best, and you're claiming me a criminal. That's just plain unfair."
Roman couldn't deny how wonderful that sounded, actually. Doing his own makeup and hair was a regular occasion, so much so that it almost got boring to do anymore. Remy, without a doubt, could be trusted to make sure Roman's winged eyeliner would be sharp enough to kill a man. Not that Roman would ever admit it, but Remy might have been even a better makeup artist than he was.
"Alright, alright," Roman yielded, "I supposed I'd be lucky to have someone of your talent dress me up today."
Remy looked equally smug and delighted at this. He shooed Roman along to take a shower, ducking back out of the bathroom to, presumably, pick an outfit for Roman for the day. The prince used the hair and body care products that he liked to save for special occasions, singing (of course) various Disney love songs as he did. With what must've been some sort of sixth sense, Remy was on him again as soon as he was wrapped up in a bathrobe and towling his hair dry. He got to work without wasting a moment, making sure that Roman's luxurious locks were fluffy and styled just right. The swoop to his bangs had never been so perfect, if he was being honest! The makeup look was bold, reds and golds and glitter; thankfully, Remy reassured him he'd used all waterproof brands so that Roman could cry all he liked without issue.
They returned back to the bedroom, where Remy had the outfit displayed on a mannequin. It shouldn't have been a shock that he'd picked some of Roman's favorite pieces but he was pleasantly surprised all the same.
"I really do just know you that well, I guess," Remy said, nonchalantly.
Roman, lightning quick, pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving behind a lipstick print. "You do and I love you so much for it!"
While Remy blushed and stammered at the sudden affection, Roman darted ahead and began to get dressed. Remy didn't need to turn away to give Roman his privacy, all things considered, but he did anyway, fiddling with the jewelry on Roman's vanity. It took some deliberating, but he decided finally that, above all else, the rainbow jewel encrusted crown was a must for today's ensemble.
"How do I look?"
"Babe, I don't even need to—" Remy's words died on his tongue as he faced Roman. Sure, there had been no doubt that Roman would look handsome as hell, but the beaming smile and light in his eyes and bouncy excited posture… He looked so happy and radiant and— "Wow."
"Stop," Roman said, giggling.
Remy took the crown and approached. He gave Roman a half-bow, smirking up at him. "May I have the honor, your majesty?"
“Stop!" Roman repeated, squeaking.
"Never," Remy promised, standing and reaching up to nestle the accessory on Roman's head. Each strand of hair still fell perfectly into place. "Now then," he said, taking Roman's arm in his, "shall we begin the festivities?"
Getting downstairs took no time at all, though Remy did dart ahead and down the steps first, so that he could loudly announce Roman proper. Patton and Thomas cheered for him as he descended, which added only more to the warm blush that he had a feeling might be a permanent addition today to his makeup. The pair ooh'd and ahh'd over Roman's look, showering him in compliments and praise. If this was just the beginning, then he sincerely was unsure whether he'd make it out of the celebrations alive.
They gathered at the dining room table, where Virgil and Deceit were laying the finishing touches on breakfast. The spread looked delectable, every one of Roman's favorite foods, and all of it hot and freshly cooked. Logan joined them last, carrying a plate with a single biscuit on it. There was a lit candle, too, and they'd all started singing before Roman could even catch up. He blew the little fire out and made a wish - though they'd nearly all already come true at this point, anyway.
"We're breaking a record today of how many times we can sing happy birthday," Thomas said with a wink, "fair warning."
Breakfast was full of fun and light chatter. They talked about the rest of their plans (at least, the ones they weren't keeping secret) and reminisced on old milestones. Roman felt full and happy, content to just sit and listen to his loved ones talk and joke around him. He was never left out of the conversation, though, always pulled back into a topic or started one anew with. He was listened to, unequivocally, and the attention was pleasant.
Soon, the food was finished, and the group moved to the kitchen. Patton and Deceit worked together on dishes while Logan presented what would be the first of birthday treats. They were muffins with Crofter's jelly in the middle, a flavor that Roman didn't recognize.
"Roman's Razzleberry," Logan explained, looking mixed on his feelings regarding the name. "It took some experimenting, but this combination of raspberry, strawberry, and dragonfruit came out the metaphorical winner."
"It's delicious!" Roman exclaimed, taking another from the tray. "My own jam! Thank you, dearest."
They gathered in the living room next, where the furniture had been rearranged to give them space for various activities. They did start with a movie, to let their meal settle, all huddled together on the couches. Roman was squished between Virgil and Thomas, the former playing absentmindedly with Roman's fingers while Thomas trailed his hand up and down Roman's arm, leaving tingles along the way. He might have dozed off a little, warm and cozy as he was.
The short nap energized him for their next game. Charades was one of his favorites as it gave him an opportunity to really practice his acting skills. What better way to hone one's craft than by not being able to use all the normal necessary components? Playing a part without any speaking lines and having to hope he'd do well enough that his companions could guess… It was a challenge he always looked forward to!
Virgil popped out and back in shortly with snacks for them all, the apparent second birthday treat: popcorn and candies and chips and soda, all easy and quick but not any less appreciated. They split into teams of two, leaving one to be their referee, and then each round, swapping out so that they all could have a turn to play. Roman ended up the winner, to absolutely no one’s surprise, though Deceit did come in a close second.
Lunchtime had rolled around and this time, they took to each making sandwiches for themselves. Patton and Remy surprised them (well, surprised Roman) with the third and fourth birthday treats: heart shaped cookies with exquisite frosting doodles and red velvet cake pops, respectively. They were sweet and delicious and baked perfectly and Roman only resisted eating more than he could count because he knew he had to save room still for whatever Thomas and Deceit had made. After they were finished and the dishes were washed, Patton led the way back upstairs. They stopped in front of his room.
“Would it be okay if we took a trip down Memory Lane?” He asked, holding Roman’s hands. “I was thinking we could visit some birthdays past!”
Roman looked to the others, nearly overwhelmed with how much affection and love he had for them all. “Whatever you have planned, I’m all in.”
“Nap time,” Remy and Virgil chorused.
Deceit rolled his eyes while Logan stifled a laugh.
“Shh,” Thomas hushed, giving them pats on the head. It was an amusing sight, to say the least, as Remy had a couple of inches on him and Virgil’s hunched over form was shorter than them both.
Memory Lane was as warm and fuzzy as Roman remembered it. He didn’t come through here often, usually only when he and Remy needed something for a Dream, but the consistent feeling it carried of being embraced by Mom or Dad was nice. The memories they visited were nice, too: old visions of time spent with friends, trips to amusement parks, parties that ran late into the night. While they all had their moments, Roman couldn’t help but feel that his birthday today was the absolute very best of them all. By the time they exited, he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt quite so relaxed. Logan and Virgil, on the other hand, looked like they were a little tired from the adventure. He took to their sides, planting himself between them, and grabbing each of their hands. Their quiet, grateful smiles were enough to give him pleasant shivers down his spine.
“Kitchen’s off limits,” Deceit announced as they all arrived back downstairs. “None may enter.”
“Except me!” Thomas piped up.
“Except you,” Deceit agreed, giving him a not-so-secret smitten smile.
Before Roman could ask why, they’d both disappeared. His attention was quickly stolen by Remy anyway, who was dragging him down onto the couch for his and Virgil’s aforementioned nap time. Patton giggled, making sure that they had enough blankets and pillows to be comfy.
“You sleep well, okay? We’ll wake you up in a little bit!” Patton said, taking Roman’s crown for him so that it wouldn’t get in the way, and setting it carefully on the coffee table.
If Roman wanted to ask Logan and Patton to join their cuddling, he didn’t get a chance to. Remy was carding a hand through his hair, draining him of his energy with each gentle scrape of nails against his scalp. He would have declared Remy a cheater for using his powers like this, but Virgil was falling victim to it as well and having his emo nightmare curled up with him was too pleasant to allow any upset feelings, regardless of how joking or serious they were.
Roman did, in fact, nap well, especially thanks to Remy’s presence.
When he woke, his limbs were only a little stiff, but he was overall very warm and relaxed. Virgil was gone but Remy had his face tucked into the crook of Roman’s neck. His sunglasses had been removed and Roman decided it might be worth dealing with the possible attitude of rousing Remy before he was well and ready if it meant getting to see his pretty eyes.
“Pstt,” he whispered, cupping Remy’s hand in his cheek. “My sweet dreamcatcher, it’s time to wake up.”
Remy grumbled, leaning into Roman’s hold. “Sweetie, I know you aren’t trying to coax me out of slumber right now.”
“Why I never,” he teased, echoing Remy’s earlier faux offended tone.
It took a moment longer, but Roman was blessed with getting to watch Remy blink away the lingering sleep. He thought this might be the best present of them all, seeing the swirling and shimmering shades of brown in Remy’s eyes, never one color at a time. It didn’t last long, what with Remy letting his eyelids slip back closed, but that was because he was leaning in to kiss Roman, and that sort of made it worth it.
“I should’ve known better than to leave you two alone,” Virgil groused suddenly, startling them apart.
“You’re just jealous I got to kiss the most handsome prince in the world before you did,” Remy said cheekily, reaching over to grab his sunglasses from the table and sliding them back on.
Roman couldn’t have prepared even if he wanted to. Virgil moved so quickly, thanks largely in part to those flight reflexes, swooping in and capturing Roman’s lips with his own. The kiss was fierce and passionate and even as Virgil pulled away, Roman followed after him. He sighed, disappointed for it to have ended so quickly. Virgil stuck his tongue out at Remy and then shot away as Remy lunged for him. They chased each other around the living room, laughing and throwing playful insults back and forth. Roman watched fondly from the couch, warm still in their nest of blankets.
Hands pressed down on his shoulders, massaging the post-nap aches away. Roman looked up, finding Logan above him. Logan smiled, bending slightly to give him a kiss on the forehead.
“Troublemakers, the both of them,” he said, only pretending to be disappointed.
“You’re one to talk,” Roman pointed out. “I’ve seen what you and Deceit get up to.”
“Shh,” Logan hurried to interrupt. “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”
“Dinner’s ready!” Patton called suddenly from the kitchen.
Roman’s stomach growled, surprising him; he wondered how long they’d slept for. Logan came around to the front of the couch and helped Roman up. Virgil and Remy had already darted away to try and steal bits of food.
“Has your birthday been so far satisfactory?” Logan asked, taking a moment to return Roman’s crown to his head. It was a testament to Remy’s hard work that his hair still looked flawless.
“It’s been perfect,” Roman answered enthusiastically.
Dinner consisted, once more, of Roman’s favorite foods. The cupcakes were courtesy of Thomas, another birthday treat, and while he seemed embarrassed about the messy frosting, Roman thought it overwhelmingly endearing; he especially liked the edible glitter and fondant stars. As they were nearing the end of their meal, Deceit procured the final birthday treat: champagne glasses for them all, filled with bubbly cider. There was another happy birthday song as Patton brought the cake out to the dining room. Roman had definitely started crying by now, as it all came together just how much they’d done for him today.
“A toast,” Deceit began, holding up his glass. The others followed. “To our favorite author, poet, artist, actor.”
“To the prince of our dreams,” Remy chimed in.
“And our hearts!” Patton added.
“To the best Creativity I could ask for,” Thomas continued.
“To the greatest hero,” Virgil suggested.
“To a wise and clever leader, one whom we can always trust to take care of us,” Logan rounded out.
Roman wiped frantically at his eyes, uncertain whether his makeup was smudge proof as well, but not caring one bit. “Thank you,” he said, voice wobbly and thick with tears. “I love you guys more than I can say.”
Deceit, from his seat beside him, used his free hand to take one of Roman’s. He pressed a kiss to his knuckles and then held that hand to his cheek. “How unfortunate for your wellbeing,” he threatened sweetly, “because I think that we can say plenty.”
And they did, praising him on anything to everything: from his appearance to his creations, his traits and what made him tick, and the cute faces he made without realizing, and every tiny simple little thing they adored about him. It was, to say the least, the best way to end what had been the best day.
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kikiskeysgame · 3 years
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After coming off a 5-3 loss on Saturday night, the Blackhawks had a big bounce back win tonight as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings 7-3 and Patrick Kane reached a milestone as he scored his 400th NHL career goal.
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In the first period, Nikita Zadorov kicked things off on a good note by scoring his first goal as a Blackhawk (assisted by David Kampf), giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.
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Ryan Carpenter extended the lead 2-0 as he scored his first goal of the season with assists by Ian Mitchell and Matthew Highmore; however, Sam Gagner cut the lead in half just 38 seconds later, making it a 2-1 game.
Although both teams remained scoreless in the 2nd period, the offense started looking really good for the Blackhawks in the 3rd period.
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First, Pius Suter scored his 7th goal of the season (breaking a 7-game scoreless drought and reclaiming the scoring lead among NHL rookies) with assists by Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat.
Then, Ryan Carpenter scored his second goal of the night with assists by Alex DeBrincat (with his second point of the night) and Adam Boqvist.
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Not long after Carpenter's goal, Patrick Kane scored his 11th goal of the season and his 400th NHL career goal (assisted by DeBrincat, who got his third point of the night), making him the fourth Blackhawks player all-time to notch 400 goals with the club, the 9th born U.S.-born player in NHL history to reach this milestone and the fifth U.S.-born player in NHL history to score his 400th NHL career regular-season goal at age 32 or younger.
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Evgeni Svechnikov scored the second goal of the night for the Red Wings, but Dominik Kubalik extended the Blackhawks' lead to 6 goals (with an assist by Brandon Hagel), giving him his second goal in back-to-back games.
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Alex DeBrincat got his 4th point of the game as he scored his 11th goal of the season to give the Blackhawks a 7-2 lead (with assists by Calvin de Haan and Kane, who got his third point of the night) and a bounce-back victory.
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First off, I just want to say that I am very proud of Patrick Kane getting his 400th goal tonight. I was looking forward to him reaching that milestone and predicted that it would happen at some point during the Hawks' homestead and I was right. Kane is an outstanding hockey player and seeing him reach big milestones like this are so exciting.
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Alex DeBrincat kept his point streak alive by getting 4 points tonight. I am just very impressed with how well DeBrincat has been playing this month and he has amazing chemistry with Patrick Kane as they both continue to contribute a lot offensively. With the way he's been playing lately, I would be shocked if he wasn't chosen as one of the NHL's "3 Stars of the Week."
It was also nice to see players like Nikita Zadorov, Ryan Carpenter, Dominik Kubalik and Pius Suter get themselves on the scoreboard as well. The Blackhawks definitely followed one of my keys to the game which was producing more offense.
However, I wasn't pleased with the faceoff violations that they took which cost them two power play chances or the fact that they allowed too many shots against them. The Hawks need to find a way to improve those issues, especially when it comes to the teams that they'll be facing in March.
After tonight's game, the Blackhawks begin a 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. 
As they reach the month of March, the schedule's going to be very challenging for the Hawks as they face teams like Tampa, Florida, Dallas, Nashville and Carolina. They need to try to get as many points as they can against those teams and try to keep themselves on track throughout the whole month.
Until then, go Blackhawks!
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aion-rsa · 3 years
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What We Do in the Shadows Season 3: What is an Energy Vampire Anyway?
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This article contains spoilers for What We Do in the Shadows season 3’s first two episodes.
Boredom, tedious, tiresome, flat. These are not the first words which jump to mind when thinking of vampires or comedy, but What We Do in the Shadows wields them like secret weapons without sacrificing a single laugh or scare. The FX horror farce, which is a series adaptation of the 2014 feature film created by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, follows four vampires. They have been roommates since, well, forever, but one is different from the rest.
Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Nadja of Antipaxos, (Natasia Demetriou), and Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), are traditional vampires. They drink blood, a virgin’s if possible. This is usually supplied by their familiar-turned-bodyguard Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). A probable virgin himself, but off limits. Even vampires know not to feed on their own supplier, especially one who has taken down the entire local vampire hierarchy. The fourth vampire does not drink blood. He subsists on the lifeforce of others. He is an energy vampire, and no one is safe from his appetites. Familiars are fair game, and so are the other vampires.
Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) looks like an office drone, talks like an automated menu, and has the presence of an interdepartmental meeting memo. A simple watercooler chat can drain a listener of the very will to live. It’s tasty. The Staten Island vampires have been named head of the entire Tri-State vampire community and Colin, who will be celebrating a major milestone this season, is undergoing a search for self.
You don’t have to look far from Colin to find Mark Proksch, the actor who plays him. In Better Call Saul, he played Daniel “Pryce” Wormald, the ineptly arrogant pharmaceutical connection who was very particular about his baseball cards. On The Office, he played Nate, a proven entity, but not without handicaps, like hearing, vision and cognition. With offbeat roles on This Is Us, Modern Family, Portlandia, Drunk History, Bob’s Burgers, and Adventure Time, Proksch has spent his career playing yo-yos, his first appearance was as a self-proclaimed master.
Proksch spoke with Den of Geek about vampire centennials, television perennials, and freezing his genitals playing kickball in the snow.
Den of Geek: Hello and thanks for doing this, and I wanted to wish Colin Robinson a happy birthday.
Mark Proksch: Well, it’s a little premature, but thank you.
I know the season is building to it, but will you be throwing a big celebration?
Yes. There will be some festivities, Colin Robinson style.
Do you know his sign?
I don’t know his sign. Gosh, that’s a good question. I don’t think he knows it, even.
Is there anything he wants for his birthday?
I think what he wants most is to know where he came from, and where he’s going. He’s in a bit of an existential funk right now. And he’s doing a lot of research about energy vampires. The problem is there’s not much out there on energy vampires because no one likes them. So, there aren’t many books about them. When he goes into the big Vampiric Council library, he can’t find a single word about energy vampires. And that’s probably because they’re so reviled within that community, that they don’t respect the energy vampires, or have any of their books.
You’ve been doing a lot of research on the history, and the nature, of energy vampires, as you said. What do you think, or, what do you call what he is feeding from? Is it Prana? Chi? Neurotransmissions?
Oh, yeah. We haven’t learned. He still doesn’t know. I think he’s feeding on the exhaustion of others. The everyday life exhaustion of others, I think, is what he feeds on.
Does Colin ever contemplate the carbon footprint of the energy vampire?
No, I think Colin’s in for it just for himself.
How come Colin can stand fire, he laughs it off, but he can’t deal with a cattle prod?
Yeah. Tony, you’re poking holes here. I don’t know. That’s, again, a very good question. Why doesn’t fire hurt him, but a cattle prod shocks him? Maybe, because one is energy? I mean, electrical energy, I should say. I guess heat is its own energy.
In the Cloak-of-Many-Nandors episode, how did it feel to hear Kayvan Novak do you? And did you give him pointers? Did he drain you in the process?
Yeah. Well, Kayvan has been doing all of us, since day one of shooting. So, it wasn’t a revelation to hear him do my voice. That said, we all sent recordings to him so he could perfect it. I haven’t seen the episode yet. The night we were filming my scene, it was about 4:00 a.m., it was one of the coldest nights in Toronto. So, I didn’t stick around to hear him do my voice. But I’m sure it’s as good as he was doing it on day one.
There’s a lot more location and exterior shooting this season. Is that more fun? Or is it just another day in a different cubicle?
I love our set. Kate Bunch, who is our set designer, is an absolute genius. And we film in the cold months, in Canada. So anytime we get to be on set, near the fireplace that actually works, is a plus. Filming on location has its limitations. We can’t film during the daytime, because the vampires will be burned up. So, we always film at night, when on location. And it looks like it’s 11:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., when in fact, it’s usually 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. And so, when we go on location, we’re usually shooting pretty unpleasant evenings. So, I’d much rather film on set. Filming on location can be fun though, because you have a lot more interaction with real people. And I think that’s one thing that makes the show really funny, is seeing these idiot vampires dealing in the real world. So, it’s kind of fifty-fifty for me.
Did you have fun in the snowball fights?
Yes. There are a lot of snowball fights, yes.
The last time I spoke with you, Colin had just gotten a promotion and it kind of went to his head. How is it for Colin now, to be in power at the Vampiric Council?
I think, as much as Colin loved having some power, I think his M.O. is really, just fading into the background. That way, he can prey a lot easier. Just trying to mix into the group. Be a spider with his web, in the background. I think that’s how he prefers to prey. And so, even when he becomes part of the Vampiric Council, he still allows others to exceed him in power. And so, this season, when Nandor and Nadja are the heads of the Vampiric Council, he’s more than happy to be the secretary. The most boring job you can have in a council setting, taking the notes.
Who do you think Colin would prefer on the throne, Nadja or Nandor?
That’s a great question. I think he would probably prefer Nandor, because Nandor is so stupid. Nandor is very, very dumb. And so, he, Colin, can get Nandor to do pretty much anything he wants. Whereas Nadja, I think Colin likes Nadja. And I also think that Nadja’s too smart to fall into Colin’s traps.
Does he get a jolt out of things like the heart ripping?
Yeah, I think so. I think he does enjoy that type of stuff. Yeah.
Can you feed off Nadja’s ghost in the Nadja doll?
I can’t. And I think I’ve tried to several times. I don’t remember what made it on air. But there’s been several times where I’ve tried to feed off of the doll, and it doesn’t go anywhere.
Will Colin’s research turn up any famous energy vampires? And have you come up with your own?
I’ll drop in names for energy vampires, every once in a while. I don’t think any of them have made it so far. I mean, I’ve done Andy Warhol, who seems, to me, to have been an energy vampire. Truman Capote. I would love to have Bob Newhart on as an energy vampire, because I think he’s brilliant, and he would absolutely kill it. Yeah, I’ve thrown in some of those names. David Crosby, I’ve thrown in. I mean, the more left field, the better. But I don’t think any of those have gotten in. I don’t think they want to insult people.
When you look back on your character’s past, do you find any trace of Les Nessman DNA?
Only in my acting. I loved WKRP, and Les Nessman was definitely a good energy vampire. Just a great character, and acted brilliantly. Yeah, I’m sure I stole from him. You know, it’s interesting, I mostly watch classic television. And I’ll see something, and I’ll be like, “Oh, that’s where I got that. That’s where I took that from.” I haven’t seen him since childhood, but it made an impression on me that, “Oh, okay. That’s why I do that.” And that becomes very eerie to me, when I realize I’m just a culmination of things I’ve been watching my whole life.
I’ve recently been watching it and was amazed by the physical comedy. Arthur Carlson was a genius. So, tell me about the physical comedy in What We Do in the Shadows. Because you’re using not just you, the actors, but you have the effects, and there’s a lot going on, especially, in the backgrounds.
Yeah. I personally love being able to do physical comedy. And Colin Robinson is so great for that, because he’s so at two with his body. He’s not a physical human being. He’s not athletic, to say the least. And I think it adds an extra layer to the character, when you actually see him physically emote, really. Whether it’s dancing, or playing kickball, he’s very unsettling in his movements. Then when you add in the ability to fly, once in a while, or throw people against a wall, it really becomes a playground that not a lot of shows let you get to do. Explore those extremes of physical comedy. And so, I love it for that reason.
You mentioned being free to emote. In the opening episode, you actually are peeved when you can’t feed off of Nadja and Laszlo, and when they shut you down. Does Colin get drained when the feedees don’t give with the Prana?
Yeah, I think he gets really frustrated. It’s almost like a dog that’s always promised a treat, but never is actually given the treat. I think he becomes furious. And he thinks it’s unfair, I would expect, and thinks that they’re not playing by the rules. His bizarre social rules, in which he should be allowed to feed on whenever he wants. Because he gets to do it all day long at work. Anytime he’s out of the house, he gets to do it. But when he’s in the mansion, they know what he’s up to, and they can shut him down pretty quickly. I think he gets frustrated.
Also, still with the first episode, your toilet duties. They only seemed designed to annoy you. So, when you’re actually annoying yourself, isn’t that like cannibalism?
I don’t know if he’s annoying himself. I think he’s really into what’s going on in those toilet buckets. That’s all. I think he’s curious.
You meet a big fan in the rogue vampire house, in Queens. Does Colin’s reputation precede him? And will we see a growth in his vampire community renown?
That’s a great question. I think his reputation does precede him. That said, I don’t know what the writers have in store in that story. I mean, it would be interesting to see him rise to a level of energy vampire stardom, and how he would handle that. But I don’t know.
Is that a little counterproductive?
It would be in his mind, absolutely. Again, it goes back to him being the spider with the spider web, and just, kind of, hanging out in the background.
Do you think the connection you make with energy vampires is different from the connection traditional vampires make? And might we be seeing something of an underground, within the underground?
I think with the traditional, bloodsucking vampires, I think it’s mostly sexual. For them, they just want to get their rocks off. I think with energy vampires, it’s much more subtle, and a little more complicated. And I don’t know if those relationships could last, the energy vampire relationships. What we saw with Vanessa Bayer’s character, Evie, I think that ran its natural course, as far as romantic liaisons with energy vampires.
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What We Do in the Shadows season 3 airs Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. on FX.
The post What We Do in the Shadows Season 3: What is an Energy Vampire Anyway? appeared first on Den of Geek.
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vision11official · 3 years
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Record-making Performance of Chris Gayle against Australia in the T20I series.
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What an incredible match that happened in the Fantasy T20 series between Australia and the West Indies. Gayle storm swiped the whole opponent team Australia with his six and fours. These matches can be played with Fantasy Sports App like Vision11.
Australia faced a Twenty20 international cricket series loss as Chris Gayle is back in the form again for the West Indies. On that 3rd T20I match, he smashed 67 runs on 38 balls, which can be done by him only. The match was held in St Lucia, the home ground of the West Indies where the team lead the series with 3-0 and won by six wickets after achieving the target in just 14.5 overs.
With giving such an outstanding performance Gayle has become the first player to score 14,000 runs in T20.
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This is a record milestone in T20 internationals, which is achieved by a 41-year-old player. To make yourself a witness and enjoy such incredible performances live, you can download Vision 11 Fantasy sports.
Gayle had only 41 runs total in his past five T20 international matches and he went scoreless in the first three deliveries by Mitchell Starc. But on the bowling of Josh Hazelwood deliveries, this left-handed batsman hits 18 runs off four with a six over and three fours.
He scored 22 runs from the overthrow by leg spinner Adam Zampa, while reaching his half-century with a third consecutive six.
Australia cleared the boundary twice and scored 141-6 after being dismissed for 140 and 127 in the initial two matches of the Fantasy T20 series.
Even after losing the series, Australia is going to play the last 2 matches with pride. And as a comeback, Australia won the 4th T20I match against West Indies with a score of 189/6 and the West Indies are still leading the series with 3-1.
The partnership of Andre Russell and Fabian Allen turned the table as the West Indies needed 47 runs on 18 balls. On the fourth and fifth ball of the 18th over, Russell hit two consecutive fours.
To score 36 runs in 12 balls, the West Indies players needed to make another strategy. On the first delivery of the 19th over by Riley, Meredith Russell hit a six, before taking a single to bring Allen on strike. On the balls of Meredith, Allen hit 3 consecutive sixes before getting knocked off on the final ball of the 19th over.
Mitchell Starc took the responsibility to deliver the last over of the match where Andre Russell was chasing 11 runs for his team West Indies to win the match of the Fantasy T20 Series. And Starc ended up delivering the best over of his career in the T20 series.
Starc delivered 4 back-to-back dot balls in the last over, choking the batting of Russell and putting the match almost at an end. Starc gave 6 runs and Australia ended up winning the fourth match of the Fantasy T20 series on the last two deliveries.
In the fourth match, Mitchell Starc returned to defend 11 runs off the last over. Starc said that “I was wrong against Russell in the past and the first match of the series is an example.”
He also said, “he is happy to be back and deliver the best over my career”. The series kind of two halves for the Starc, where Starc was wicketless for eight overs with 89 runs in the beginning matches. However, Starc didn’t take any wicket in the fourth match but prevented Russel from hitting 11 runs in the last over and gave 37 runs to West Indies.
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anywhozits · 4 years
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All I Really Want
Rating: M
Pairing: Kristanna (eventually hah)
Verse: 90s High School AU
Notes: chapter one of my first frozen multichap! yayyy but warning it’s an emotional roller coaster (naturally, because teen angst and all)
Read on Ao3, too!  
Champagne popped, fireworks cracked, loud screams of excitement echoed throughout the large Mediterranean style-mansion in Newport Coast, California. Everyone in the house counted down the seconds until 1997 and celebrated the victory—the host’s software company had ended the year with the most fiscal prowess of any software company in the country.
Ten.
Right—The Company that Agnarr Larsen had founded and owned had hit a milestone. 10 billion dollars in sales worldwide in 1996.
Nine.
They’d opened some international subsidiaries. Most recently one in Oslo, Norway.
Eight.
Within the last month it was finally acknowledged that The Company had the first fully developed Internet Strategy of all the tech companies.
Seven.
Whatever “Internet Strategy” meant.
Six.
Agnarr Larsen had thus gone all out. He and his wife, Iduna, spent a sickeningly large sum of money on this party.
Five.
The theme—70s Disco / Studio 54 because 1997 had one number in common with that decade.
Four.
At least 35 Cirque-employed go-go dancers served drinks, danced on tables, and strutted their stuff throughout the house.
Three.
They had exactly five separate disco balls, an indoor and an outdoor dance floor, properly themed food, and an incredibly well-stocked open bar that left the guests in awe.
Two.
And in the corner sat a girl with striking red hair, alone, again… as always, sipping on some champagne she thought her parents would care she swiped from the open bar.
They didn’t.
One.
More fireworks went off, bursting into sparks of gold, blue, red, and white right on top of the hill behind the house.
The girl—Anna—didn’t look up. She remained seated on the couch, crossing and uncrossing her legs, taking sip after sip of champagne. It was damn good champagne. Despite having no actual knowledge about the quality of sparkling wine after only 14 years on this earth, she could tell this was some quality shit. Cristal. It even sounded fancy.  
God was she bored.
Her blue eyes scanned the crowds. Everyone was yelling, throwing their hands in the air, hugging and kissing each other.
She had no idea where her parents were. Agnarr and Iduna Larsen. The very hosts of this party. This was their house. This was her house, too, then, she supposed. The cold walls, the empty halls, the wide-open spaces that most of the time housed one or two or three people only. It was a nice house, though.
And all of that—well, everything in her life—was owed to the success of her father’s company. The Company. She knew nothing of the specifics other than it being some kind of tech software situation that clearly allowed them such a large sum of money that they were comfortable at the very least. Comfortable was Agnarr’s favorite word to describe their unnatural and disgustingly wealthy lifestyle.
Looking around again, Anna saw no trace of them anywhere.
Well—classically her mother was nowhere to be found, blessed with the uncanny ability to seamlessly blend in with the furniture at these types of parties. Well. Actually… with Iduna, it always went one of two ways. Either 1) she hid out somewhere using her stealthy camouflage skills as the night progressed or 2) she took on the role of belle of the ball, effortlessly engaged in radiant conversations with every partygoer. The difference between those two perfectly outlined by one simple distinction—whether it was a Bad Day or a Good Day.
Today was a Bad Day. Anna could feel it. Her mother’s absence more-than confirmed that blatant fact.
But still no sign of her father.
Anna rolled her eyes and gulped down more champagne. Her stomach dropped. Worst New Year’s ever. She was always required to attend these stupid Company parties because it looked good for her dad to have such a supportive youngest daughter.
And she loved parties. But.
But she wished she had somebody, anybody even remotely close to her age to share this with.
Because even though their house was filled with people, filled with people having the time of their life, she still felt so... lonely. Maybe even the loneliest she had felt in a long time.
She knew she’d feel this way. Anna had really tried her best to preemptively remedy the situation, asking her dad if she could invite her best friend, Kristoff, to the party. But of course, Agnarr had grumbled something under his breath about how that would be a bad look.
Shaking off all of that frustration, Anna slowly rose from the couch, making her way past a few scantily clad go-go dancers, trying her best to push away the cocktail meatballs and the fondue skewers they kept trying to shove into her face.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of her father, finally, standing next to a couple of his business school buddies, all of them wearing custom tailored suits with bowties and sunglasses even though they were indoors. They carelessly swung their glasses of Cristal and laughed hearty belly laughs.
Anna thought maybe she could join this conversation. Seemed fun enough.
But when she made it close enough to hear their conversation, she stopped in her tracks. They hadn’t noticed her approaching, of course. They never did. Being invisible to her father and his cronies was one of her biggest talents.
Even still, she backtracked a bit, allowing herself to hide behind the series of potted plants that lined their living room.
“I kept telling her we already had the perfect kid—why would we risk the second one? But she didn’t buy it. She wanted Elsa to have a sibling. And look where we are now.” A series of masculine laughter—guffaws more than anything else—broke out.
Anna gulped. This wasn’t new. She’d even heard it all before. Her father’s go-to party story.
But then he said it. The punchline. Stated in such a light-hearted manner with a characteristic shake of his head. “We should’ve stopped after one.”
Anna stumbled backward. It always hit her. It always hurt her. Her fourth time hearing this dumb story and it still felt like being punched in the gut.
And yet… here she was at this party alone and bored and miserable trying to please him. Hoping maybe one day he would change this story. Maybe one day he would stop telling it altogether. Because she was here. She tried. She made the effort.
It didn’t seem like it was too much to ask. Things used to be good. They used to spend time together as a family.
Tears stung her eyes. She totally should’ve just said fuck you to her dad and gone to Kristoff’s house like she wanted.
Whatever. Right now, all she needed was an escape. Anna desperately wanted to get the hell away from him.
Thus, she took off in a jog toward the kitchen, the echoes of her father’s continued laughter taunting her remorselessly.
On the way, she caught her reflection in a golden floor length mirror. Her jog slowed to a halt.
She sighed, staring deeply at her reflection. Poofy but also flawlessly curled, her usually chest-length red hair now only fell to her shoulders. Anna gave it a quick toss, adding even more body to the curls.
She stared harder, looked closer.
Both frosted pink lips and electric blue eyeshadow brought out every single feature of her face—her piercing blue eyes, her soft yet diffuse freckles, and the eternal flush of her cheeks no doubt heightened by the Cristal. She sighed, carefully biting her lip so as to not mess up her lipstick and touched the thin silver choker around her neck. One of her Christmas gifts from Santa. From her parents, duh. She knew that. But… it still felt like it came from Santa.
Anna sighed again.
She thought she looked okay. Just okay.
Now she wished she’d worn something different. Sure, the aqua sequined dress framed her body well. The straight neckline and spaghetti straps were cute. And naturally she did love that the dress fell to her upper thighs, something she figured her parents would take issue with. But again, that was exactly the reason why she’d chosen the dress in the first place.
She wanted a response. She craved a response…
But she only looked okay.
One more sigh and she decided it was time to move on.
Thankfully it didn’t really matter how she looked while she did the thing she really wanted to do next.
Anna took one last moment to look at herself. To psych herself up for what was to come.
You got this, Anna. You’ve done this loads of times before. Tonight is no different.
Because.
There was somebody she wanted to talk to. Somebody she needed to talk to. It was a new year now. 1997. Maybe 1997 was their year, maybe in 1997 they’d be close again.
Her heart beat heavily and quickly within her chest. Faster yet when she reached the kitchen… when she picked up the clunky gray cordless phone.
She had the number memorized. Duh. Anna called her sister, Elsa, at the minimum once a day.
Elsa very rarely picked up. Elsa very rarely called her back. But every so often, like a glimmer of hope, she did.
It was like 3:06am for Elsa and Anna knew that she was probably asleep. She knew, logically, that the chances Elsa would actually answer the phone were about 0.2 out of 10, but… there was that glimmer. Because Anna needed it. Because it was a new year and…
Anna couldn’t help it as the thought crossed her mind again. It now played on repeat almost like a chant. Or… a cheer.
No.
A prayer, honestly. It was a desperate prayer.
Maybe 1997 was their year. Maybe 1997 was their year. Maybemaybemaybe.
God did she hope 1997 would be their year.
After Elsa got shipped off to boarding school in the 6th grade because of her super human intelligence level that apparently could only be properly nourished by snooty institutions on the East Coast, the two sisters had largely lost touch. Elsa was busy with academics and the consistent string of pressure her parents put on her as their successful and perfect first-born daughter.
But lucky for Anna, Elsa had a shiny new Nokia phone that she got for her 18th birthday.
Anna dialed the number and held her breath. The sounds of more fireworks and more chatter and more people being beyond obnoxious filled the background and Anna decided it best to lock herself in their massive pantry. It was quieter there. She could drown out the sounds of everybody to the point that she only heard the phone ringing, her heartbeat, and that same nervous and hopeful mantra.
Maybe 1997 was their year.
The ringing stopped cold. And then one aggressive beep later and Anna thought she might start sobbing.
She couldn’t hide the quivering in her voice. “Um, Elsa. Hi. Happy New Year!” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Um. It’s dad’s dumb disco party right now and everybody’s being so loud and boring, and I have nobody to hang out with, so I thought maybe…” Her voice cracked. “I thought maybe you’d be free, but. I guess you’re not. You’re probably, like, sleeping or something. Which makes sense, um, because. Time difference or whatever. But. I thought, maybe, since it’s New Year’s and all that you’d be free or still awake or something. Um.” Maybe 1997 was their year. A sob caught in her throat. “I miss you, Els. I really miss you. I know we don’t talk that much, and I know you have so much going on and school is stressful and I’m just your annoying little sister. But. I love you. I feel…” Anna took a deep breath in. Tears rolled at a steady pace down her cheeks. “Um. Never mind. Can you just—can you give me a call when you get this? I’d love to talk to you.” She couldn’t hold in the sobs anymore. Instead of a singular crack she broke down fully, her voice quaking with frantic cries. “I miss you, Elsa. I love you.” She had to take a minute to catch her breath. “Um—bye.”
The second Anna pressed end on the phone she collapsed onto the floor. She hadn’t bothered turning the light on in the pantry and now she was thankful for the darkness. It somehow comforted her. Like she was in an entirely different dimension. She needed that escape. Shit did she need that escape.
She didn’t know what to feel. She didn’t know how to feel. Her entire body was numb.
Why did she ever let herself get her hopes up again? It always ended the same way.
Disappointment.
This wasn’t their year. It was never going to be their year.
She was stuck in this endless cycle of loneliness and rejection and abandonment and she would never break free. Never.
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Blog Post #7: Case Study Refined [in progress]
Portal magazine
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I was the graphic designer for Portal, the literary magazine for Vancouver Island University for three years. Portal is nationally distributed to newsstands across Canada through Magazines Canada and is also sold locally in the university’s bookstore. I work with the Portal team, the Creative Writing and Journalism third and fourth-year students. All VIU students are encouraged to submit their fiction, non-fiction, poetry, scripts, photography, paintings or illustrations. The student magazine department then decide which pieces will make it into the issue, and I design the magazines’ layout, fliers for their fundraising events, ads for ad swaps with other literary magazines, programs and tickets. 
I started designing Portal in my second year at VIU, studying graphic design. Being the only designer meant that I was given responsibilities that a lot of junior designers wouldn’t have been able to have yet. It also required that I design 90 pages in two weeks time. This position gave me the opportunity to become more confident using Adobe software and I got more experience designing layouts. It is a unique experience working on this magazine every year. The 2021 issue was Portal’s 30th anniversary issue. To celebrate this milestone, Portal added 3 more articles which made this issue the largest Portal magazine to date. Portal is also one of just a few literary magazines in the area that print in colour, and we took full advantage of that by showing vibrant colours throughout the magazine through the artwork and color coded genres. For example, fiction is orange, scripts are green, non fiction is blue, and poetry is purple. In the past, interviews have also been placed in the non-fiction category, but since the 2021 issue had three additional interviews, I created a category specifically for these articles called Features which was red. These colours would be present in the drop cap, pull quotes, page number and title. Being able to design three Portal issues allowed me to improve on my previous designs every year. Before I designed a new issue I would try to find new ways to create interesting shapes or interactions between the text and imagery that suited the tone of the written piece.
Portfolio Reading Series
The Portfolio reading series is a series of events held throughout the year where Portal invites authors to speak and read from their books. I was tasked with designing a logo for this series and a poster series that’ll be used to advertise each event.
Logo Design
I used elements from the Portal logo for recognizability. It was named Portfolio to associate it with Portal as well as the Portent Prize, also part of Portal. Portal uses their parenthesis icon throughout their collateral. The parenthesis changes colour based on the images it’s paired with. The publisher wanted to include a microphone since this is a series where authors and students do readings.
Poster Series Throughout the Years
3 different designs for each year
2019. The readings were held in The White Room in Nanaimo. The poster alludes to the interior of The White Room by using a recognizable light fixture in the posters as a background. The design stayed consistent through the year, and I switched out the book cover and author images throughout the series.
2020. The location changed; it was now being held at The White Rabbit cafe. Again, I made the poster design resemble the interior of the cafe: white walls, art hanging, sandwich board outside advertising their specials. I placed author’s image and the book cover in the frames and the event’s information on the sandwich board. This was an improvement from the previous year’s design, because I overlapped the sandwich board with the frames to create one focal point (instead of three different elements) and kept lots of whitespace in this poster  to create balance.
2021. The series moved online due to covid. Now that these readings were posted on Youtube, the publisher wanted to include movie themes like the clapboard and the film strip. Like the frames from the previous year, I used the film strip to contain the author’s image and the book cover. I used colours from both images to create the gradient.
Portal Fundraising Events Posters
I see every thing I design as an opportunity to improve. Looking through the posters that I’ve designed over the last three years, I see improvement in the way the posters communicate. The posters now have one focal point with an established hierarchy. 
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mridhashawon · 3 years
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How Ravichandran Ashwin picked his 400th Test wicket wasn't how you'd have imagined it. Let's say it didn't quite have his trademark. He was round the wicket to a right-handed batsman, darting the ball full at 95 km/h to try and hit the front pad. That's surely not the lasting image of Ashwin's bowling. It would much rather be of him bowling from over the wicket, much slower than he did in Ahmedabad as men at slip, leg slip and forward short leg wait for the inevitable edge.
So, when Jofra Archer reviewed the lbw decision and Ashwin had to wait to raise the ball to the crowd, nothing felt lost in the shuffle. Even the 40,000-strong crowd, which in India is normally switched on for every little milestone, needed the big screen to remind them this time. You couldn't blame them though. It was just a bizarre day of cricket.
England were 68/7 when Ashwin picked that wicket. By that time, Axar Patel at the other end had raced to four wickets inside 12 overs and Joe Root's 5/8, his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, had already packed up India for 145. Fourteen wickets had fallen in some three hours of play until then. Three more wickets would fall, a total of 17 in little over two sessions in the day, and the match would be done inside two days.
It was thrill-a-minute cricket on an "interesting pitch" as Root would call it later, but it was hardly a pitch evocative of Ashwin's credentials as an off-spinner. And nothing summed it up like his twin dismissals of Ollie Pope in the Test match.
In the first innings, Ashwin deceived Pope with drift from round the wicket. It's not his usual line of attack but this was also not the usual pitch he bowls on at home; this spun so big that Ashwin had to change his angle, like Nathan Lyon very successfully did against India's batsmen in Delhi in 2013. Varying his angles and having the "courage" and "awareness" to do it now, is also something that Ashwin spoke about after his all-round match-winning performance in Chennai last week.
No wonder he took all of five deliveries to switch to round the wicket in the second innings. But this time, he beat Pope from over the wicket. It was that customary drift again. Pope missed the line, played back to this full ball to make things worse, and lost his off-stump once again.
These weren't the kind of dismissals that needed the pitch they were playing on. You could argue about the efficacy of arm-balls from Axar if the balls leading up to them didn't turn big, but Ashwin deceived Pope in the air in both the innings. The drift got him playing the wrong line, the dip got him playing the wrong length. With a similar approach, Pope would be out to Ashwin on most pitches around the world.
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That's perhaps the greatest change in narrative around Ashwin's storied career so far. Only as recently as January 2019, he had lost the tag of India's "frontline number one overseas spinner" to Kuldeep Yadav in Australia. A groin injury had limited Ashwin's Test appearances to only the first Test in Adelaide on that tour, something that was a stinging throwback to the tour of England only a few months ago. Half-fit in Southampton, Ashwin was out-bowled by Moeen Ali in the second innings as England went on to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series. In that moment, his seven wickets in the first Test in Birmingham, which included the twin "bowled" dismissals of Alastair Cook, felt like a long time ago.
In contrast, Ashwin played three of the four Tests during his latest tour Down Under, notably his fourth visit to the shores and his best by a distance. While there's still some time to go, he would be eager to make the World Test Championship finals and set his record right in England too. There are six Tests if all goes to plan.
"During the lockdown, I worked a lot on my fitness. On wanting to get my body ready for the so-called 'next couple of years' or the next 3-4 years," Ashwin told the host broadcaster after India's win in Ahmedabad. "Because you know this body is ageing by the moment, as we're talking... so all those things started to pay rewards. I lost about 7-8 kilos through the lockdown. I just think from Australia onwards things have looked upwards for me."
Is he bowling at his best? "This question has been asked quite a few times in my career. In 2015-16, people were asking me the same thing when I went through that lovely phase... And now people are asking the same. One thing's for sure, I've always looked to improve and every time I've thought I've bowled well, I've always found another gear. So I'll not be surprised if I surpass myself in the future as well."
Going by how he's bowling, there are surely many more milestones to come. And for the one he just passed, he would be glad that it came at the world's largest capacity cricket stadium, and more importantly on a pitch like this. That he's managed to pull away from its shadow speaks of his great strength as a cricketer. Learn more
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valerie-royeaux · 4 years
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Quarantine Questionnaire
Tagged by the lovelies @amarmeme and @novamm66! Thank you so much for thinking of me!
Are you staying home from work/school?
Yes, it’s been three weeks that I am working from home. I am an engineer, and at this time of the year most of the work we do is usually design, estimates, and specification writing - so it’s office work.
That being said, I have a minor case of ADHD, so the breaking of the boundaries of Work and Home destroyed my productivity. I’ve mostly adapted by now, but it still doesn’t feel right to work from somewhere my brain doesn’t see as a place of work.
If you’re staying home, who’s there with you?
My spouse, their mother, and our cat. Their mother as an elderly dog, but I barely interact with him. My spouse and our cat is all company I could wish for, to be honest. Being able to spend the day with them is definitely being a plus.
Are you a homebody?
Oh, yes! In fact, this social distancing times is being great for me to have a reason not to go out. I love it! Also, it’s allowing me to power through my Dragon Age fan comic project, Anathema. In fact, I released a Sneak Peak on the first three pages of Chapter #2 not long ago.
What movies have you watched recently?  What shows are you watching?
No movies. I’m not much of a movie person. Series, though! My spouse and I devoured the fourth season of Money Heist last Friday as soon as it got released, and we’re re-watching The Office in the evenings.
An event you were looking forward to that got cancelled?
Not events per se - I’ve had a huge milestone at work be cancelled, as well as another huge immigration milestones for in-laws. Also, I had a friend who was coming to spend the Summer in Newfoundland with us, and now she’s had to postpone - maybe even cancel the plans.
Events, though? Not really.
What music are you listening to?
Mostly established playlists I already had on Spotify. John + Junia’s playlist, of course, is a staple as I work on Anathema.
What are you reading?
Nooooothing! I really, really should read more. I tried finding some comics online to read as means of studying for Anathema, but I still didn’t find anything quite along the lines I’d like to learn from. 
And on the video-game, I’m replaying some games of the Assassin’s Creed series, as well as playing the ones from the Ezio saga I didn’t play before. The #2 and #3 on his saga should arrive in the mail any day now.
What are you doing for self-care?
I am doing only self-care. Me and the house are one, and honestly, this is being a major time of healing for me. Working from home is not ideal, but not having to leave for anything else? There are a few things I like doing outside, but not being able to go out far outweighs, in a positive way, the losses from like, one or two things I’d like to go outside to.
Tagging @saltlordofold, @buttsonthebeach, @andrastini, @idrelle-miocovani, @cullenvhenan, @mapplestrudel, @gugle1980, @sassylavellen, @randomlymad, @ankalime, @acaranna, @cdhurricane
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comicteaparty · 4 years
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January 4th-January 10th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive
The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from January 4th, 2020 to January 10th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:
What goals do you have going forward with this new year for your story?
carcarchu
well i basically have the same goal every year which is to cover more ground, i made the mistake of making my first comic be a super long 3 part epic so it feels like it's going to take me years to make it even part way through when i try to make my chapters longer however it generally leads me to feeling burned out so i still have a way to go when it comes to finding the right length per chapter that i can put out consistently
LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)
In Phantomarine (http://www.phantomarine.com/), this year I finally reach the chapter where all my main characters meet and start interacting - it's where the story truly kicks off. I've spent almost 2 years in setup/exposition mode, and I finally get to exit it properly. I'm so. SO. Excited. And I really want to take my time and do it properly. It's about to get very fun for me, and I hope it will show in the work!
Cronaj
My goals mainly consist of reaching page 100. I'm over 1/4th of the way there, and I believe I can get there before 2021. I also want to reach the introduction of one of the main characters, but I don't think that'll happen this year. This character doesn't appear until the end of Ch. 5, which is somewhere around page 170-180. Am I waiting too long to introduce this character? Absolutely.
eli [a winged tale]
I am almost halfway through Arc 1 and almost at 10% of the story Looking forward to chugging away at it and hope to reach the First Plot Point by the end of the year
kayotics
I guess one of my goals is to reformat chapter 1 for printing (I drew it at the wrong size), and then update chapters 1 & 2 for colors. I’d like to compile the first four chapters into a book, but I’d like all the chapters to be visually similar in color at least.
Tuyetnhi
Gonna try to finish two chapters this year and clean up ch.1 and 2 for printing its gonna be a lot of work but I know it can be managed~
snuffysam
In terms of where the main story will go - Book 3 just started, and Chapter 1 should be finished mid-March. Chapter 2 will be finished early-mid July, maybe even late June? Chapter 3 will be finished sometime in September. And then it's Chapter 4... which won't be finished until like June 2021 lol. But anyway, by the end of the year we'll be introduced to all the important characters of this arc (though we won't have had much time with some of them). Including a character who's so important, I'd almost call them the deuteragonist of the entire comic if not for the fact that they're only showing up 700 pages in, lol.(edited)
Past the actual story aspects - the comic will be celebrating its fourth birthday at the end of February! And, given that the first page of the comic was started on a leap day, it's technically the first birthday the comic has actually had. The upcoming short stories for the year are some of my favorites so far, so that's exciting. I'm also interested to see how the shipping contest & fan-art contest turn out. We'll also be reaching page 750 at some point this year, which is a pretty big milestone.
Deo101
I have a goal for my second comic to get it off of hiatus, and for my main one I would really like to make improvements in the areas I've received critiques! Mostly, I just want to keep making them for another year <3 I don't really have any goals other than to keep on going with it
(also, a preemptive congrats on four years!)(edited)
AntiBunny
Well, having fully reuploaded my archives, I'm letting them update gradually to hopefully attract a new audience over on comic fury. When it catches back up I intend to finish up Chapter 10, and with it book 2. Then I'll finally launch book 3, Coast to Coast, which will allow me to tell more different stories by changing locations.
Kelsey (Kurio)
Hey Vinnie! How goes it?
AntiBunny
Still chugging along.
Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS
The big goal for Wayfinders off course is first of all to launch! In start February (we will find a date today iiih!!) Then at the end of 2020, if everything goes accordingly we should have produced 7 chapters enough for a book Ah! This is all so exciting
Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)
Pretty much my goal is to just keep swimming. I hope to complete more chapters this year. I should be able to finish chapter one of my comic, Eryl, unless I have to take a long hiatus (which, honestly, is looking very likely). Ashes is less time intensive than Eryl and the chapters half as long (only 16 pages each; Eryl chapters are usually 30-35 pages), so I’m going to try and finish at least two, if not three chapters before 2021. But honesty, just getting what I can done and continuing to push forward is my biggest goal.
Mei
I only started My Husband is a Cultist last year in April (https://tapas.io/series/MyHusbandisaCultist) and my goal is to reach that first year anniversary and to keep the train rolling for this comic! I initially wanted to have the rest of this arc completed in 2020, but I've decided to be realistic as I will be making a grad film at the same time (yay), so I just plan to do as much as I can, and to at least have Chapter 4 completed before March, and maybe Chapter 5 after that! I have a lot of story I want to tell and it's hard to stay focussed on it, but I'm doing my best, doing a little at a time!
Phin (Heirs of the Veil)
My goals are mainly to become a little quicker and finish the second book in time for the Heirs of the Veils (http://heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de/) fourth anniversary next October. Story-wise we want to have all the bits and pieces in place to slowly approach the actual meaty parts of the comic and prepare well enough to finish it in the coming 3 years.
FeatherNotes
Our goal is to have our book fully edited, with help from editors and friends, so we can be more confident in it's true rendition. Im not one to stick to making pages perfect, but there are definitely parts that could use some attention! Other than that, book 4 is on it's way and it's always a main goal to get to print for upcoming cons!
varethane
My goal this year is to get to the end of the first arc of Wychwood! After a year of working on it, I'm roughly halfway there. I'd also like to lern 2 colour better.
Capitania do Azar
This year I hope to get a new book out!! That would be great and also you know, just keep going. If all goes well I can get a chapter out until the end of the year and that'd be cool (but also perhaps a bit too hopeful, since my chapters have started to...get bigger with time..)
SAWHAND
This year my goal is to start posting the comic! And, if it works out, I'd love to get the whole thing thumbnailed out by the end of the year. Fingers crossed!!
DanitheCarutor
My goal is to finish chapter 5 in less than a year. Up until now it's taken a year to finish a chapter thanks to work, chores and the occasional procrastination spell. But in December I quit my depressing job that was a two hour drive away, so I'm hoping to be more productive, even if I get part time work somewhere in town.
twothirty
along with finishing chapter 6 and 7, im also hoping to have all of book 2's script written and edited~
renieplayerone
My goal is id love to get the first chapter or two of kate blast printed
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