#so I'd say I'm average but play it easy

[beatrice-otter]

There is FINALLY a women's hockey league that pays its players a living wage. There's been women's hockey before; the National Women's Hockey League was founded in 2015, later becoming the Premier Hockey Foundation. They got bought out in 2023 and rebranded as the Professional Women's Hockey League. Unlike its predecessor leagues, PWHL players should not need to work second jobs to have an income to live on in addition to playing hockey; the PWHL has minimum salaries. All players must make a base pay of at LEAST $35k, which is crap but at least it's crap you could theoretically live on. But most of the players are going to earn more than that, because there is also a team average minimum. The salaries for the whole team combined have to average out to at least $55k, and the top six have to each make at least $80k. But these are base pay rates; they also get a housing stipend ($1500/month) on top of that and a "daily meal allowance" when traveling, and all of these rates are contractually obligated to increase each year (3%). It's still peanuts compared to men's hockey, of course, but it's something you could make a living at, at least. And when you add in the housing stipend, a full-time player is actually making a minimum of $53k/year.*

Anyway! The first PWHL game took place on January 1, 2024, and you can watch the games on the PWHL Youtube page. I hope they do well, because female athletes should be treated (and PAID) better and while "a living wage" might seem a low bar it is still one that women's leagues too often fail to clear. So far, they seem to be doing okay; the January 5th game (Minnesota vs. Montreal) SMASHED the previous record attendance at a women's hockey game. 13k people attended; the previous record worldwide was a game with 8k attendees in Sweden. The North American record was 6k, so this is double that.

The thing that interests me is that they are CLEARLY not branding the teams, they are branding and repping THE LEAGUE. None of the teams have a name other than the city they're from; none of them have a logo of their own, just the PWHL logo; the uniforms are pretty identical, just different colors. (each city name printed diagonally down the front.) I read an article that the teams are expected to each rebrand themselves next year, but I'm still surprised that they're not trying to build up any kind of team loyalty from the start, just league loyalty.

The closest I get to being a hockey fan is occasionally reading hockey RPF (there are a TON of great writers in that fandom, if you've never checked it out before). But I support women's sports, and with games being on Youtube it will be pretty easy to just stream it on my TV (muted) while I go about my evening. I know it doesn't ad up to much in ad revenue, but it's something that costs me nothing. (And it's not like I'd be going to a game in person even if I lived in one of the six cities that has a team.)

*If you're wondering "why do they pay base salary + housing allowance instead of just saying what the whole salary is up front" I'm guessing there are tax incentives to do it that way. It might be either tax deductible for the team or untaxed for the player, or both.

#hockey #professional women's hockey league #pwhl

[fannyyann]

Keeping up with the Florida Panthers (aka Sara Civian interviews Matthew)

EP Rinkside: What's something away from the rink that’s making you happy these days?

Matthew Tkachuk: I would say, just, I'm lucky at this time of year. Especially across the whole country, it seems like it's freezing everywhere. It's beautiful down in Florida. And we just moved into our new practice rink recently, so that's been awesome.

EP: There was a quote floating around from (head coach Paul Maurice) from before the nine-game win streak and before you started getting hot on the scoresheet. He said people are going to say “Matthew Tkachuk is back,” and he's going to say you never left. Did you see that?

MT: I did, yes.

EP: How did you feel about it, and what's your relationship with him like?

MT: Well, Paul's been a very important part of my last few years. He’s one of, if not the best, coaches that I've ever played with. He's been very important for my development, and I just think that he trusts my game, and I trust my game. I wouldn't say (the puck) was going in early, but I haven’t changed one thing, I'm still doing the exact same thing, it's just finding a little bit more success right now.

It’s been a great year for our team and as of late, it’s picking it up a little bit for myself. Hopefully, we can just keep trending into the second half of the year here.

EP: How important is that trust between a coach and a player and how is it developed?

MT: I just think that he's always given me the right leeway, but still expects me to play the right way. He knows that there's some parts of my game that (are unique) I need to maybe take a little bit more chances than the average player. He gives me full leeway to do that, but also expects me to work my butt off and to lead by example.

EP: We always talk about “buy-in,” it's kind of cliché at this point, and you guys obviously have that factor. But how does something like that start?

MT: I just think being so close to winning it all last year has made it very, very easy to come back this year and have that immediate buy-in from the guys wanting to win a championship here. So many returning guys who are so close and so upset with not finishing it off. There's a lot of motivation.

EP: Do you have a favourite moment from last season's run?

MT: I would say, probably all of the series-clinching wins, the series-winning goals. The overtime winner in Boston, the overtime winner in Toronto, the last second one at home against Carolina.

All three of those are by far the greatest goals I've ever been a part of.

EP: I feel like we're not as a society talking about Sam Bennett enough. Can you give us a little bit about what he's like off the ice and what it's like to play with him?

MT: He just plays so hard.

He was one of the first guys I met when coming to Calgary, and we've been so close ever since. I'm so happy that we got to play together again down here in Florida. He was the first guy I talked to when I got traded, and we've just been so close for eight-plus years now.

It’s so fun that we're able to play with each other still, we just have such great chemistry on and off the ice. He just plays so hard and he complements my game so well. And off the ice, we're just super close and have a great group of guys that pretty much do everything together away from the rink.

It makes it so much fun to come to the rink every day, work with them, and then when we leave the rink, do stuff together.

EP: If you became the commissioner of the league today, what's the first thing you'd change?

MT: Overtime until somebody scores. No shootouts. And no back-to-backs. I don't know if we need any more back-to-backs right now.

EP: Other than you, who has the best chirps in the league?

MT: I'd say the guy who chirps a lot on our team is Brandon Montour. He has some good ones. Nick Cousins has got some good ones. (Ryan) Lomberg, too. They all have some good ones.

EP: Best advice your dad ever gave you?

MT: Two things: Compete and be a good teammate.

EP: Last year you gained some recognition outside of the hockey world, and it kind of sparked, like, a debate about personality in the NHL. I've always wondered What you actually think about this whole conversation, like, do you like being kind of the personality guy in the NHL?

MT: Well, I’m never going to not be myself. I grew up with great parents that taught me great things and around a great family. I’ll carry that for the rest of my life. I’m not trying to do anything, and some guys are (quieter) and that’s OK. This is just how my personality is.

EP: Can you give me three words to describe the current Panthers?

MT: Oh, I would say very fast. So fast. Close – we’re a super close team.  I've never seen a team like this where, you know, we're going to dinner on the road and we're having, you know, 15 people reservations and everybody hanging out with each other. it's been awesome. Fast, close, and fun. Nobody has more fun than our team.

#matthew tkachuk #FAST CLOSE AND FUN #i'm beside myself thanks #his relationship with paul makes me sooooooo #florida panthers #2324

[scintillyyy]

tim owns a gibson les paul and dick canonically plays guitar and they never discuss this potential shared interest together and this offends me <3 set in robin 32 my beloved because paris to gotham is a long flight and i'm sure they chitchatted (lewis's tim who says he's not a music oriented guy you can't hurt me, the boy doesn't own a gibson les paul for nothing)

"You know," Dick says, peering over Tim's shoulder at the page of the flight magazine the kid seems to be stuck on. "Duty-free only applies up to $800 in purchases. I think a $5000 guitar is just a little bit over that cap."

Tim looks up at him--startled, almost. He's been a little out of it ever since he and Dick left Paris. 

Truthfully, he's been a little out of it since they realized that the Clench could reactivate at any moment. Dick supposes he can't blame Tim for that--he's been holding his breath everytime Tim dozes off himself. Whenever he closes his eyes, he can see Tim sitting at the wall, breathing heavy but still managing to joke around as blood started to seep out the bottom of his mask, his horrified realization at what that meant, the terrified look he gave to Dick right before he slumped over...

It's fine. It's fine. Once they get back to Gotham and find Ra's and get the real cure this'll all just be nothing more than a bad dream. 

Tim looks down at the page, like he's actually seeing it for the first time despite the fact that he staring at it for about five solid minutes before Dick decided to say something. "Oh. I, um, I wasn't actually thinking of buying one," he says, like he thinks Dick might've actually been serious about thinking Tim was going to try and buy a custom Fender Stratocaster tax free. "I mean, I don't need one of these anyways. I already have a Les Paul at home."

Which. Jeez. Leave it to Tim to just drop the fact that he owns a...probably $3000 guitar oh-so-casually, like it's really nothing out of the ordinary for a fourteen year old to own. Tim is usually so down to earth it's easy to forget that his family has...a lot more money than the average person. 

Every so often he does like to remind them all, though.

"Really?" Dick teases. "Don't tell me. You had to have it because that's what the lead guitarist in Green Day uses." Which. It is a weird fact for Dick to know, but Tim seems to really like them--so of course he had to at least check them out, watch a few music videos. And *Dick's* played guitar since he was a kid, of course he was going to recognize a Gibson Les Paul, even if he is more of an acoustic guy himself. 

"I didn't exactly ask for it," Tim replies, a little sullen and pouty at Dick's teasing. "It's just--after dad got out of the hospital, I think he thought I'd like it after, y'know, everything. I don't think he realized I hadn't actually played in a couple of years."

Dick was unaware Tim ever did. It's interesting--a little kernel of a kid who, despite being the kind of person who can probably make conversation with a rock if he tries hard enough, can be surprisingly very guarded about himself. "You used to play?" he asks, tone casual, pretending he's not digging. 

Tim flushes and looks away, out the window. "Not really," he says. "I learned a bit when I was younger. After I got into listening to, like, real music." He hesistates. Even with his face turned away, Dick can tell by the tension in Tim's temple that he's debating on if he's going to continue what he's saying. Dick doesn't say anything, keeps quiet instead. In his experience, the best way to get someone to keep talking sometimes is to just let them go at their own pace. If they want to say it, they will. But only if you give them the chance. "Um. It was actually after I went to Bern with my parents over winter break once. It was--I was excited. They didn't take me on trips super often--they usually wanted to spend my school breaks at home. So it was the probably first time I'd been on a plane, actually. I always thought--I guess I always thought plane rides would be way more exciting than they actually are. Anyways, um. I was bored and I was just flipping through the in-flight entertainment and I ended up on the music video channel and--that might've be the first time? I think that was the first time I saw a Green Day video. And I--I was like wow. I was so impressed. And I turned to my mom and I said--I said I want to learn how to play just like that. And she said of course."

Unlike Jack--who Dick hears about constantly--Tim doesn't really talk about his mom much. Or ever really. Dick can probably count on one hand  the amount of times he's heard Tim bring her up since the funeral. And when one of those times was just a few weeks ago, during one of the many times Dick called Alfred to check on Tim and he could hear the kid in the background, sick and delirious with fever, wimpering for his mom, dad, Dana, anyone-

Well, anyways. Tim really doesn't talk about his mom much.

Dick bites the inside of his cheek. Clearly the nice thing to do would be to drop it here, before he really depresses the kid. But he can't deny that he's a bit curious to hear Tim go on, hear more about this. He really shouldn't ask though--he's trying to cheer Tim up, not make things worse.

But, Dick supposes. If Tim really didn't want to talk about it, he would have found a way to change the subject instead. He's pretty good at that, in Dick's experience. 

So he must want to talk about it. And Dick is curious. He's not a total saint, after all. "So you got lessons?" he asks. 

"Um. Kind of. I mean, usually that's what they would do whenever I expressed an interest in anything. Um. At least my mom did. She'd always do a ton of research to find the highest rated courses and make a ton of calls, even if she was a thousand miles away, just get me signed up for the best one as soon as possible. But, no. This time--this time, she--um. She kind of taught me a little bit herself instead." Dick's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Of all the things he expected to hear, that wasn't even a remote possibility. Tim swallows hard. "Yea, um. She said. She said she used to play in college, y'know. And after we got home, we went up to the attic of the townhouse and got out her old acoustic. It was just this cheap old thing. We must've spent all afternoon trying to get it tuned, god, my dad left the house, said his ears were going to start bleeding if he had to listen to us anymore." Tim looks down at his hands now. He clasps them together, twiddling his thumbs a bit. "We gave up by dinner, just went to go buy a new one instead. And then she taught me the basics, y'know. I'd practice, and then whenever she was home, we'd play together. I was never very good. She was a lot better." Tim frowns. "But still. She got me an electric guitar for my tenth birthday. Not anything too fancy, just enough so I could feel like a rockstar, she said. And that I'd get there, I just had to keep practicing."

"But you didn't?" Dick asks. It is a bit surprising, now that he's heard the whole story. It seems like something that would have been important to Tim to keep up. The kid's a bit sentimental like that. "You said it's been a couple of years, right?"

Tim's face shutters ever do slightly. "Well, ah, that is-" he says, floundering a bit. Now he's trying to sidestep. "The electric guitar broke. Um. On accident. Right before school let out back when I was eleven. And after that, I just. Couldn't find it in me to play anymore. I could never bring myself to tell my mom what happened, so I just said I was bored of it instead." Tim's mouth twists. "She was a little disappointed. I think she always hoped I'd pick it up again someday. I dunno. I thought about it. When I saw the new guitar in my room. But looking at it I just couldn't. It was too, too--" Tim sighs. "Maybe I should've. Given it another chance. I just, I wasn't--and now, who knows if there'll be one before-" Tim stops. He doesn't finish his sentence. He doesn't have to.

"Ah." Things start clicking together for Dick in a terrible way. Tim, who's been quiet and melancholy. Worried that the Clench could come back any minute, that he won't have a chance to do things that he maybe thought he could push off for the someday.

He suddenly seems so young. So young and lost and scared.

Tim's going to get a chance to play that guitar again. Dick's not sure how many people he's going to have to punch to make it happen, but he will. And once he does, maybe, just maybe Dick can casually mention that he plays on occasion too. They could make an afternoon of it. Order a pizza, maybe argue about music a bit. And Tim can say something like, hey, I think my mom would be really happy to see me doing this again. 

It'll be nice.

#dick and tim #listen shhh i know you probably can't buy guitars at the duty free shop but #i want them to talk about guitars so in comic book world you can #constantly thinking of tim's les paul

[jpitha]

More Aliens are Gardenworlders. What happens when a Human goes to visit a world that has significantly lower gravity? Fun. That's what.

Jas the human is being led around the homeworld of her friend the K'laxian D'menian. The K'laxi are a smaller, furred species with expressive ears and tails that evolved in the large temperate forests of their homeworld. Being a smaller, older planet than Earth, it has a lighter gravity, taller trees and less water in the oceans.

"It's so nice here!" Jas marvels. "I don't think I've seen a single stormy day on the weather the whole week we've been here"

"Yeah, regular storms are more an...Earth thing" D'menian says gently. "Remember, your planet is tilted relative to its orbital plane, ours is straight up and down. We also don't really have any 'seasons' either."

"Huh. Anyway, it's super nice here, thanks for showing me around." Jas bounces on the balls of her feet. "It's so light here, I feel like if I jump too hard, I'll fly right off!"

"It's about three quarters Earth gravity according to the translator, so it makes sense you'd feel light. Every time I'm over in Little Earth I feel like I'm wearing heavy weights!"

"I bet that's tiring! I wonder if we should petition the folks in Little Earth to see if we could lighten the gravity, maybe split it between our two planets?" Jas was thoughtful.

"That's super generous of you, but I think it'll be fine to keep at least one part of the starbase at a gravity, temperature and pressure that you prefer. Our world is colder than yours too on average."

"Yeah, but it's not bad. It's like a crisp fall day!" Jas was walking around in a light jacket. They walked past a large, well kept field and saw children playing and doing exercises. "I feel so bouncy here. Take my jacket for a second D'menian, I want to try something"

Before he has a chance to protest, Jas tosses him her jacket and she takes off full speed down the field. In the lower gravity of the planet, she's off like a rocket. All the kids playing stop to watch the taller, muscular human bolt down the field. As she approaches about half way down the field she lifts her hands over her head and throws herself forward, kicking her legs into the air, and with her momentum, uses her hands to launch herself into the air.

Marveling, all the K'laxi watch as she tucks her arms and legs in and tumbles end over end twice before kicking her legs out to stop her rotation, and lands hard with her feet together, bending her legs to arrest her motion and stands up straight with her arms over her head. "TA DAAAA" She yells, laughing.

The K'laxi children, being the same as kids everywhere swarm her, amazed.

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?"

"You were so fast!"

"YOU SPUN IN THE AIR!"

"CAN ALL HUMANS DO THAT???"

"Can you show us how to do it?"

As D'menian jogs up he flicks an ear, a K'laxi raise eyebrow. "Sorry" Jas says "I couldn't help it. The day was so nice, and I felt so light and the field was so large, I wanted to see what it was like to tumble in the lower gravity. When I was a kid on Earth, I never was able to flip more than once, but here two rotations were easy! The landing didn't even hurt my knees!" She grins at her friend. "Do we have time to talk to the kids? I'd love to answer their questions."

"Jas, we have all the time you need." D'menian smiles and sits down in the grass as Jas begins to show to the kids how humans (at least the ones who studied gymnastics as she makes sure to point out) can move.

#humans are hospitable #humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #humans are space capybaras #humans are space australians #aliens are gardenworlders

[incognita-soul]

hey, i saw in your bio that you work on tall ships and i was wondering if u had any advice.

i’ve been on 2 tall ship sailing trips before (+some dinghy sailing) and got my competent crew recently so i’m pretty inexperienced. on those sailing trips i’ve met young adults who were working on the boats as volunteers. i’d like to be able to volunteer on tall ships one day.

do you have any advice for the best way to gain experience and learn stuff? (if possible on a budget). i’m taking a gap year next year and i’d really like to take the chance to go sailing and get better at it. (i’m in the uk if that’s relevant.)

absolutely no pressure to answer and i’m sorry this is so vague and clueless! anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this. your blog is cool :))

Heya! Thank you, and I'd be happy to give you my two cents! All of my boat experience has been in the US so take my advice with a transatlantic grain of salt, but here goes!

Firstly, two trips and some dinghy sailing and a competent crew cert is actually quite a bit in comparison to your average person starting out in the world of boats, so don't worry about feeling too inexperienced! You're already on a good track. I've been working on tall ships in some capacity for over 10 years and I still don't have any specific certifications (I've got a lot of experience and sea time, I just haven't had time to take any of my courses and exams for actual licensing).

Facebook is (unfortunately) still the best place to network, especially for international opportunities. There are a variety of groups that you can join. I'm personally in Schooner Bums, Tall Ship Opportunities, Women Who Sail, Crew Finder, and a few other private groups specific to the organizations I've worked for. A lot of organizations will post to these groups with job opportunities with specific requirements, so it's fairly easy to get the info you need. I'm sure there are a few groups specific to sailing in the UK. In the US, we have Tall Ships America, which is an organization that provides networking, training, and job opportunities for mostly US based sailors and boats. I'm not sure if the UK has an equivalent organization, but I do recommend even though you are UK based you should peruse their website, especially the Billet Bank, which is where job links are posted:

You're in the UK, so there are a shit ton of boats there but as far as I know most of them are museum boats that don't do a lot of sailing. I will say from personal experience that museum boats with a good volunteer maintenance program are great places to start for establishing a strong set of foundational skills (knots, understanding and maintenance of the rig, carpentry, etc.). You might not get much actual sea time with a museum boat, but you will learn the things that will make you a better sailor. I got into tall ships by working as a historical interpreter and then as part of the sailing/maintenance crew here:

https://www.jyfmuseums.org/visit/jamestown-settlement/living-history/ships#ad-image-0

Most tall ship organizations are based around education, both for the public and for the crew, so it's easy to find a boat with some sort of introductory training program relatively near wherever you live. These range from expensive pay-to-play working vacation type experiences, to paying a fee to participate in a structured comprehensive training curriculum after which you can become long-term crew, to volunteering weekends sanding and oiling blocks in exchange for the opportunity to sail.

Since you said you are taking a gap year, my advice is look for a short-term comprehensive live-aboard program that gets your foot in the door for staying on as regular crew, potentially even paid crew. Idk any specific ones in the UK, but here's the one that the last boat I worked on offers as an example of what i mean:

If you've got time before your gap year starts, try to find something local, like volunteering for a mueseum like I mentioned earlier, so that you get used to the vocabulary and foundational knowledge of boats. That way you can really get the most out of a more immersive program later on and you won't feel too much like an oversaturated sponge trying desperately to sop up more information even though your brain is leaking out of your ears.

I'm not sure if you're wanting to do tall ships longer term or just something one-off for the gap year, but if you're in it for the long haul just be prepared that it's a lot of hard work for not much financial return. I don't mean to discourage you, it's just good to know that upfront. On Lady Washington we have a saying that "we work on an 18th century boat for 18th century wages."

Unfortunately the tall ship industry is kind of hard budget wise. Most training programs cost quite a bit of money, most jobs are either volunteer or don't pay very well (industry standard deckhand pay in the US is about $1000/month), and most higher level positions require various levels of certifications (for which course and exam fees can run pretty high). You can do it on a budget, especially since most long term positions are live aboard so you don't have to pay for rent or groceries, but if you want to make a career out or it, it takes a lot of years of working for less money than you're worth before you start earning real money back.

Despite all that, working on tall ships is still an incredible and fulfilling experience that I recommend to anyone with a love of the sea and learning practical skills!

Sorry I couldn't give you more specific information, as I have yet to work on any UK boats. Good luck, and please tell me when you find a program that works for you!

#boat adventures #tall ships #tall ship opportunities

[maulfvckers]

OK SO HEADCANNON TIME

Maul was re-alived by the Son. Just like Ahsoka was re-alived by the Daughter.

So we know this for Ahsoka because it's done right in front of you and we have the bird and all that jazz. "In plain light," so to speak.

BUT what happened to the Son at the fall of Mortis? Well if you look at it carefully they're immortal beings that aren't exactly bound by space and time. So the Son being pretty damn powerful but probably not as much as the Father. He decides to live on in a dark sider. So... Who's desperate enough, emo enough, and stupid enough to accept the literal embodiment of evil?

Our boy Maul.

It explains a lot about him. It gives a pretty neat Watsonian explanation for his change in voice, it explains why Sidious literally never thinks of him again and is kinda surprised that Maul's alive, and it even explains his weird behavior in Rebels (again a Watsonian explaination). His voice changes because it's literally the Son's voice. Sidious genuinely thinks he died because, well... He did. And his seemingly erratic behavior and split motivations would fit pretty neatly with two different souls fighting for dominance in one body. It even gives a little insight into how Maul was able to "see" more than the average force user even more so than just having the context of his abuser taking over the galaxy.

But we don't see this right? Well... In line with the "light/dark" dichotomy that star wars loves. The reveal of Maul's possession isn't as straight forward or "hidden in the dark." (Yeah it's simple but *sighs* Star Wars) But we DO see it. We see it with the repetition of "the chains are the easy part. It's what goes on in here is hard," by the Son on Mortis as he talks to Ahsoka and by Mauk when he see him on Lotho Minor. We also hear it in his voice. These choices made by the animators were not mistakes in this sense.

We also can see how this plays out in Maul's general inability to draw from the light side even while not being a Sith just like Ahsoka has a general inability to draw from the dark side even while not being a Jedi. For the both of them, they're more or less fixed in their alignments. It explains how no matter how hard Maul tries to do the ultimately right thing by seeking to destroy Sidious, he's never going to experience the connection that comes from being in the light. It's just like no matter how much she despairs that she'll fall to the dark side, Ahsoka never really does (okay I gotta say Warsonian a third time cos I will lose my shit if I say what I really think).

So what does this mean for the narrative? For those two specifically, I think they're a little less in line with the idea "you can choose to be good or bad" and little more "wouldn't it be fucked up if you were possessed by the literal embodiment of evil/good and didn't even HAVE a choice no matter how hard you tried?" And you get some deep thing about free will and moralizing about how great it is. Cos if there's anything Star Wars loves to do it's moralize about things!

So that's just my take on them and I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks this, bit I'd love to hear from your frens. Take care!

-♥️-

granmaul

I love this, and I'm going to throw in a devil's advocate "Doylist" thought for the hell of it: Witwer voices both the Son and Maul and has a really good grasp on the lore. I think we can feel his influence in both characters' acting, and those similarities may be deliberate choices in their design so those echoes become apparent when looking closely at the execution:

The Son of Dathomir and the Son of Mortis.

I'm particularly fond of your headcanon because I think there are mirrors between the architects (the Celestials, assuming the Mortis Gods were part of that ancient race -- I like to think so but unconfirmed in canon afaik) and the fruits of their efforts, no matter how far they've fallen from the tree.

Thoughts, frens?

Darth Maul is alive truthers, speak up or forever hold your peace.

#dat ask #darth maul #the son #mortis gods #celestials #possession #darth maul headcanons #maul #maul headcanons

[worldsokayestmagicalgirl]

The first batch of pictures for Amoré's character journal are here! Also I have been so super sick that I've literally had nothing to do but to work on this for like almost 2 weeks so...

The cover to cover tour officially starts here. All I can say about the front & back is that I lament my lack of experience with my Cricut when I made these decals. I only had 2 "fun" colors to work with at the time & I was still getting comfortable drawing in Procreate, so my silhouette art leaves a lot to be desired compared to some stuff I've made recently. I also found it's incredibly easy to burn this leather book.

But she's volume one, everything with her is a learning experience, & I realized as much as it helps to have a mini heat press for tight corners & small spaces, the cloth barrier they suggest you use between the vinyl & the iron tends to make things harder to press on this scale. So instead I gotta quickly tap straight on the transfer film & hope I don't burn anything around it :(´◦ω◦｀):ﾟﾟ

So at the risk of thoroughly exposing my inner theater kid, Amoré set the precedent with how I went forward creating campaign characters. I started off collecting 5 songs to make a mini story arc (almost like a show choir set list 🙃) that helps me figure out an outline for the kind of story I wanna give them.

Somehow Amoré ended up with a truly horrendous blend of rock & theatre. Absolutely incredibe. No wonder she's always such a dramatic bitch.

It was a lot easier to go in & add little decals around these lyrics. I'm definitely cursed with the Too Much™ gene, but I enjoy the little pops of color they give ✨ plus it justifies me hoarding all these vinyl scraps printing stuff this small lol.

Stat sheet!

In all honesty, as my first character I had no fucking clue what I was doing when I placed these & if I could go back & change one thing I'd probably swap her Intelligence & her Wisdom. She’s definitely more people smart than book smart.

But everything else is...very accurate. She has all the upper body strength of a chicken nugget. Plus on top of the (already) negative I traded disadvantage on everything DEX for magic crystal shoes that can be periodically harvested. Just a way for her to carry around the family fortune without actually having to return to the vault✨

For something that started so average, her CON became a monster & always comes in clutch for her alcohol tolerance. I've played variations of her across a few different one shots & I always manage to roll well for anything alcohol related. The dice do respect a bit 🤣

Spells on the other hand, I floundered with a lot at first because we’re not a combat heavy game, but then I found Chaos Bolt & that was that. It’s essentially Amoré in spell form & I’ve had a ton of fun with it over the years. Also Mage Armor cuz my girl is SO DISTRESSINGLY SQUISHY.

Cantrips were more or less a bit of a toss up. Message was fun for the sheer idea of her using it to talk shit during social events without being caught. But aside from Light serving fun backstory purposes the other 3 are kinda just what looked fun ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ unless you count the idea that she would absolutely delight in zapping handshakes.

From there, I wanted to extend the world map made by our wonderful DM @cappierong into a full scroll. Ya know, for the aesthetic ✨

Our campaign started in Civania, where Amoré's main Estate is. I just wanted a quick mock up to reference, so I edited a preexisting picture I found that checked all the boxes (large, on a plateau, accessible only by bridge) and then absolutely smothered it in flowers.

But anyways... This is primarily where Diana & Amoré grew up together in their decade of backstory ✨

There was probably waaaay to much back & forth trying to keep the continuity between stuff I've already drawn & this big reference. But I think it turned out pretty ok? Not like if I make a mistake anyone will really know lol.

Scaling was also another big issue I had, & I moments where I thought something was too big I just kinda handwaved it away like "ehhhhh she's from a stupid rich family." But now I have a NEED to draw baby Diana & Amoré around like, the statue gardens or something cuz I feel like certain parts of this place are definitely ominous 👀 especially for children...

And lastly we have the back cover & the High Noble political relationship map! I normally have this closer to the front but for layout purposes it'll be here. I kinda feel like I need to do more for the decoration of it but I can’t think of anything else to add at the moment.

Sam if u read that no you didn't.

But now! Other than a family portrait that I've always wanted to draw, I think I'm ready to move onto the art for Season 1 : Arc 2. It's a pretty hefty amount of art in comparison to others, so I gotta get busy. Especially since I think I'm gonna have to draw a few comics *sobs*

If you made it this far, thanks so much for reading! I'm always excited to talk out our little idiots so thanks for indulging me ❀(*´▽`*)❀

#duo rong #dungeons and dragons #dnd character scrapbook #duo chronicles #amore bellridge #diana blackthorn if you squint #dnd #dnd character #dnd pc #dnd oc #character creation #character study(?) #dnd backstory #season 1 #dnd art #dnd campaign #campaign art

[gordonzola-ramen]

My mutual @alectricblue tagged me in this game tag! I normally dont do these, but I thought it'd be nice to get to know me more (and also meet y'all if you wish to participate)!

It will be long though. Sorry

1. Were you named after anyone?

Was originally gonna be named Andrea after a ballerina my grandma liked! Sadly no one remembered her well, not even grandma, so I don't know much about her.

My deadname was simply just chosen bc it was easy to pronounce, as well as my chosen name Diego (it's what I would've been called had I been male), although when I chose it for myself I liked the JoJo character Diego Brando so there was some correlation there.

Funnily enough, people think I'm nicknamed Lio after the Promare character, but I hadn't met them yet.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday. At 11pm. Watching OR3O's One Piece song. It was nostalgic ok

3. Do you have kids?

Nope. There's an absurd amount of reasons I don't want them, although not a single one is because I dislike them. I've had to babysit many kids and they've all been very sweet.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Oof, my recent sports is taking my dog for a walk. But I used to like volleyball and kickball! And reluctantly played soccer and did swimming! Sports give me a lot of anxiety and i'm not sure why.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

I do a lot of teasing and lighthearted banter that can sometimes be considered sarcasm?

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their eyes! Or anything outstanding like cool hairstyles or visible tattoos.

With online people, I mostly recognize them by pfp or a vague mental pronunciation of their username.

7. What's your eye color?

Dark brown?? Or black??

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Honestly, whatever makes me think more. Unhappy endings tend to do that more though, so I guess scary movies! But of course it depends on the mood, sometimes I just want a nice story to cheer me up.

9. Any talents?

I've been told I am talented at the piano! And music in general, although most of my skills feel less like talent and more like just studying the thing.

10. Where were you born?

So I was born in the US, in Florida, but my entire family is from Costa Rica and I just happened to be born while my parents were studying abroad. I don't remember much from the US though, I came back to CR with my grandma in my first months because she was less busy than my parents, and then they came to live here again. So in my eyes I've been a true Costa Rican since always hehe

11. What are your hobbies?

Playing the piano! Also drawing sometimes (I like to color more than draw, but unless I get my hands on a coloring book I can't do that unless I draw), playing videogames (mostly RPGs and visual novels), and doomscrolling.

12. Do you have any pets?

YESSSS my beloved dog Mia!!!!!!!!!!! I love her so much, she escaped her abusive home and we found her while walking around a plaza, said hi, and she followed us home. She's been with us for 8 years now and I adore her. Reference below because how can I not show her off:

13. How tall are you?

Excellent question. I forgot but I'm average if that helps!

14. Favorite subject in school?

It changed over the years, in senior year it was English because we had my favorite teacher! I knew him for years because he has a literature club I partook in, so I was very happy to have classes with him. Plus, we saw the Oresteia, which goes tremendously hard especially when your teacher geeks out about all the symbolisms.

Apart from that, computer class! We barely ever had it, and almost had it cut out entirely in senior year, but the few times we did I really enjoyed programming and practicing typing! And when we didn't do anything we could play so.

15. Dream job?

I want to make my own videogame! So I'd say a game developer, although being a part of any videogame, especially RPGs, would be a dream come true.

Well thank you for reading, I hope that was some insight, it was very fun to reply!

Tagging section (no pressure to do it at all, you can also do it if you're not tagged who cares)

@skyllion-uwu @thefrogswhospoke @gorgeousuare @chronologicalimplosion @fishy-lilic @smoothedsmoothie @mx-mind @montied @aspirationatwork @jhofoyitchg @derkhue @mellomaia @federalfazbear @mcfinnigan @mutantsgurls @foxounderscorecube @sweetnessfollowsmp3 @mildredtefoneck @oh-my-stars1969 @unfullbucket @fluffnfuzzxoxo @electriceel69 @scottigyn @stressedsilverware @sapphicrobotenjoer @antjellies @milk1non-tolarantes @ovalbrain @chocokhaos @markdiegamer @astralix13 @atheist-xmas @blktomekurata @monstar-dreams @glass-duke @c--eam @laooneart

#ask game #tag game #gordonzola's corner #image described in alt

[hothotpot]

Hey did you know Disco Elysium is absolutely incredible and I haven't stopped thinking about it one single second since I played it for the first time two months ago and also I am going to marry Kim Kitsuragi I don't care if he's fictional or gay or I'm not a man, we'll figure it out.

Anyway, here's a scrap of a fic I started that I'll never finish but there's enough in this 350 words that I like that I figured I'd yeet into the void and hopefully some of y'all will enjoy it.

GREY DOOR: There is nothing noteworthy about the door in front of you. It is, in all regards, non-descript, unremarkable, *average*. Worn and weather eroded, perhaps, but no more so than any other door in the neighborhood.

PERCEPTION: (Easy: Success) The brass of the handle is tarnished from years of use, a dull and mottled brown where once it had been bright, shining gold. The wear on the paint is uneven, one area in particular worn down to the metal where a broad shoulder has leaned against it countless times, in part because the door tends to stick but also because it’s difficult to remain upright when one is *that* drunk.

HALF-LIGHT: It’s not *that* door, but it’s still bad. Dread settles in the pit of your stomach, icy cold and heavy as an artillery shell, sweat breaking out on the back of your neck – you *do not* want to open that door, Harry.

KIM KITSURAGI: The lieutenant shifts next to you, almost imperceptibly. He doesn’t clear his throat. “Everything okay, detective?”

EMPATHY: This is difficult for you, he knows.

- ENDURANCE (Godly): “Never better, Kim, my man!” You throw the lieutenant a wink and punctuate your reply with flawlessly executed finger guns, demonstrating just how okay everything definitely is.

 – (Lie) “Yeah, just checking to make sure this is the right place.”

 – “I have a terrible feeling about this, Kim. I *really* don’t want to open this door.”

YOU: You can feel your hair and the collar of your shirt sticking to your neck, clammy and uncomfortable. “I have a terrible feeling about this, Kim. I *really* don’t want to open this door.”

KIM KITSURAGI: “I understand.”

EMPATHY: He does. He really does.

KIM KITSURAGI: The lieutenant nudges his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, then settles his gaze on you. Light from the dim bulb in the hallway reflects off his lenses as he tilts his head, but behind the glare there is compassion in his eyes. “It’s okay, detective,” he says, quietly, a hand resting lightly on your arm, “it’s just an apartment.”

#disco elysium #harry du bois #kim kitsuragi #my writing #fanfic #fic I will never finish #or even actually write #written in the style of the game #the brain worms are so real but I'm in such a creative rut I can't make anything real happen writing wise #my nonsense

[gothicprep]

i started writing this and it ended up way longer than anticipated. apologies in advance.

a movie called "you're so not invited to my bat mitzvah" has been on netflix's top 10 for the past couple of weeks now. i thought, "i wonder what this is", looked it up, saw it was review bombed, and thought to myself. great. now i have no choice to watch this.

i'll just write my review of this, and then get into what i found odd about the review bombing.

this is the latest adam sandler production for netflix. it's a coming of age story, kind of a modern take on "are you there god? it's me, margaret?" sort of thing. deals with all the difficulties of modern life – phones, tiktoks, hip rabbis, etc – and the eternal difficulties of life – puberty, getting your priorities in order, why god allows evil, hip rabbis, etc – in a way that's both familiar and specific. it's familiar in part because sandler casts people from his regular orbit, but also a very specific movie because it's about a very specific milieu. which is to say, upper middle class jewish girls and their parents, and tension between a religious event which involves a lot of intellectual preparation for an adult responsibility, and the consumerism involved with bar/bat mitzvah inflation in families that can afford to celebrate on that scale.

i found the specificity charming, especially in the depictions of the protagonist (played by sunny sandler, adam sandler's daughter) and the various difficulties she has with her father (played by her irl dad). although, i'm grading on the netflix curve here, which i'd define as "was this a movie you can watch while you're looking at your phone and still be entertained by even though you're not paying close attention to" and it's pretty much that. i'd say a little bit better than average, because the performances of the young actors really nail it. sunny sandler is great in this. she's not afraid to come off as totally ridiculous, especially in one scene where she's wearing overdone makeup and trying to take selfies. she seems genuinely bereft when her friendship with her best friend unravels. her character does some things which are genuinely cruel, even by the standards of teen movie stuff, but she has a lot of potential as a physical comedian.

it's easy for a movie like this to be a total nepotism project, but it also does not work if sunny sandler isn't good in her role, and she is. and the kids who play her friends are also good in their roles.

another thing that i also found fascinating about this wasn't just the specificity of the jewish experience that's depicted in it, but also the specificity of the current situation where teenagers aren't just presenting themselves on their phones all the time, but in which they're recording each other on their phones all the time. we've all been cautioned about what we share online, but there isn't yet conventional wisdom about documentation we have of other people outside of, idk, "you shouldn't share other people's nudes". and it does a good job of blending a specific cultural milieu with a specific generational experience.

it's not ibsen or anything but it's, like, fine.

so. the review bombs. i think this might have gotten a lot of traction on tiktok, because a lot of the 1 star reviews are prefaced with "i am [12-14] and jewish and i didn't like this". i'm not here to pick on them, but a lot of them share a common gripe about it which is... i'll just pull some quotes from them:

"As a young woman, myself, I was extremely disappointed in the oversexualization and generally offensive depictions of teenagers (especially the girls) in this film."

"With the barbie movie just coming out, I thought we were past sexualising girls. But here comes along a movie AIMED AT KIDS and teaches them that incredibly revealing outfits and quite sexual pictures are correct and even possibly supported for kids!"

"I also noticed that it sexualized teenagers after the amount of times they said “hooking up” after reminding us that they are only 13 years old"

"Second off this show “shows off” 12 year olds in a very dirty way in some parts of the show and some parts are absolutely disgusting."

"Stereotypes, sexualising of 12 and 13 year olds, and teaching people that this is how Jews are"

i'm not going to be like "these dipshits in middle school do not understand the language of film, unlike me, a 28 year old woman who is very smart". but there's nothing remotely sexual in this movie. there's the scene where sunny sandler's character is taking trying to take IG type pictures with her friends, but the audience isn't invited to ogle at it. like, one of her friends is holding a floor lamp so it functions as a ring light, and the dialogue is, like, "how do i look?" "like your goldfish just died :/". and stuff like "they kissed and i heard he touched her underboob" is no more salacious than the sort of juvenile gossip that you'd find in an actual junior high school.

that all said, it's very jarring to me to hear people in that age group using "it sexualizes teenagers" in their critical vocabulary. i don't think that would even cross my mind when i'd be that young and watching a comedy. and i could be reading too much into it, but the ongoing moral panic about sex ed and kids seems like it's driving kids nuts just as much as it is adults.

all of this is a long winded way of saying, this culture war shitstorm has gotten a lot of coverage in terms of the parents who want to ban books, but maybe it'd be prudent for someone to pitch a piece that focuses on how this whole thing is impacting young people who are no doubt absorbing some of this through osmosis and tiktok.

[decafdino]

Wip wednesday

nobody tagged me, I just wanted to participate lol. I'm actually getting excited about this supernatural au (even though it is rapidly getting out of hand)

They do eventually make it to the farmer's market. It's late enough in the day that it's mostly empty, which also means the pickings are slim. TK doesn't seem to mind, though, bouncing around the meager rows of pumpkins and thoroughly examining each one.

"Baby." Carlos crosses his arms. "It's been almost an hour. What you want to carve can't possibly be that big, can it?"

TK sighs exasperatedly. "It's not about the size, Carlos. It's all in the shape of the pumpkin."

"They're literally all the same shape: round."

"First of all, pretty sure round isn't a shape, babe." He picks up a pumpkin. "Second, they're not all round; this one's all lumpy on one side."

"So don't carve on that side. Problem solved."

TK sets the pumpkin down and swaggers over. "You know, if I didn't know any better," he says, "I'd think this whole excursion was just a way to get in my pants."

Carlos cocks an eyebrow. "Like we didn't just do that right before we came."

TK snorts. "I'm not that easy, Reyes."

"Playing hard to get?" he gasps in mock surprise. "That's supposed to be my line, Strand."

"Really? You don't remember our first night together?"

"Yes, but I also remember the first time we met." Carlos squeezes his ass. "I wasn't about to let a wolf string me along."

"So I guess you could say we were both a little skittish," TK compromises.

He's about to lean in for another kiss when movement catches in the corner of his eye. He turns, and immediately drops his hands from TK's face, blushing. "Uh—"

"Talia," TK beats him to it. Unlike Carlos, he seems actually happy to see her. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Hi, y'all," she says, almost bashful, like she didn't mean to interrupt them.

Or she didn't mean to get caught staring, Carlos' brain unhelpfully supplies. "You shop here?"

She shrugs casually. The black tank top she's wearing to combat the Texas sun shows off her bare shoulder, littered with even more scars. She shifts when she notices Carlos looking. "I go here sometimes, yeah. Mostly just for supplies."

"Supplies?" Carlos questions.

"Ingredients." She shows him one of the bags, full of herbs Carlos recognizes immediately. They're mostly used in the hunter community to ward off and weaken certain types of supernatural. He doesn't know if wolf's bane is in there, but if she came a little closer he knows TK would be able to tell.

"I'm pagan," she explains. "There's supposed to be an eclipse coming up, so I'm going to try to take advantage of it."

TK nods, though Carlos can tell he's fighting the urge to wrinkle his nose by the way he keeps sniffing. "Yeah, I heard about that," TK says. "They're saying there's supposed to be nearly full coverage?"

"We'll see," she says. "And you two are…?"

"Pumpkin shopping." Carlos hopes his smile doesn't look too forced. There's just something off about Talia, something he doesn't trust. Maybe he's being a little superficial, but an average hunter wouldn't get those scars unless they had a habit of becoming needlessly violent with their kills. "And you know what, I think we've just found the perfect one." He picks up the pumpkin TK had dropped at their feet, the one with the lumpy sides, and tugs TK over to the woman at the register.

TK doesn't stays silent, though Carlos can tell he wants to ask. As he's getting handed back his change, Talia calls out, "Enrique says hi, by the way."

Carlos stiffens, then forces himself to turn and wave. "Tell him we say hi back."

"See you around, Talia," TK says with a wave. Once she's turned away, Carlos hurries him back to the car.

"You don't think—"

"I don't know," Carlos answers honestly. "But I'm not willing to risk it."

"You don't trust her?" TK asks.

"I don't trust a lot of people." He sighs when TK gives him a look. "Enrique is traditional, and Talia is his—whatever she is to him. If they're on our trail—"

"Baby, if anyone's on our trail we would know by now. Especially you," he says, cupping Carlos' cheek, "my paranoid control freak. Nothing slips past you."

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment."

"That's good, because it is one." He kisses Carlos' cheek. "I promise to stay safe, if that will make you feel better."

Their foreheads press together. Carlos takes a moment to breathe in TK's air, to cherish the closeness they have. He never wants to lose this. He can't even imagine what he would do without TK, even though the lives they lead are dangerous. "You can't promise me that."

"I can do my best, and you'll do yours. Right?"

"Yeah," he says, resolve hardening. "Let's go home and relax. How does that sound?"

TK smiles. "It sounds like someone wants to help me carve this pumpkin."

#tarlos #911 lone star #tarlos fic #tk strand #carlos reyes #floggyfics #wip challenge

[nikatyler]

❤️🧡💛 and 🧸 for any couple that you reaaally wanna talk about :)

Thank you! The choice was easy because my brain is really rotting for these two at the moment. I mean, when is it not. But some days it rots harder.

❤️ Who is the more romantic one? Do they wish their partner was more romantic?

Ross is literally the rose gen NSB sim, so that answers the question 😂 He can be over the top. Caleb I'd say is…average amount of romantic, for a vampire. It works for them well like that.

🧡 Who said 'I love you' first? 

Ross. And he was very brave about it because if he did it wrong, it would've ruined their friendship and he knew it.

💛 What are their favorite activites to do together? 

They love playing videogames together and they get really, really competitive. Generally, Ross is better at that, and he always teases Caleb about being too old to beat him (cause, you know, Caleb grew up in the times where no one could've probably imagined something like videogames would one day exist 😂)

🧸 BONUS! Include one of your favorite moments between them!

Oh boy. Ohh boy. Yeah so there's a lot I could mention, but really one that always stands out for me is back in gen 3 when the, uh, burning in the sun accident happens. The ghostly reunion at the beach afterwards?? I cry. (Also, the fact I basically came up with it on the spot?? Dang I don't write like that anymore.)

Also when Ross gets his physical body back and Caleb found out, that's a moment I adore too.

But I think that if I'll ever get myself to finish the story I'm working on now, both these moments will be nothing compared to uh. Something from this. *spontaneously combusts just thinking about it. you guys we're all gonna die when it happens i guarantee you that. you guys maybe for our own safety it'll be better if i don't finish it. i'm normal about it i promise. so normal. jesuschristnoimnot*

#ts4 #sims 4 #the sims 4 #sims #simblr #breeze nsb legacy extra #oc: ross #*caleb #ship: nsb raleb #blorbo talks

[oubliette-odette]

The Reluctance of Love Pt. 12

If you thought I'd make it easy for my boys to be together....honey, you've got another thing coming.

I'm so sorry 🙃

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 11, 12, 13 Word Count: 3349 (average 25 min read) Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racisms. Steamy scenes will come to those who are patient. :) All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

Altan POV

The Council was a group of old men who should have probably died or retired ages ago and they still believed their opinions mattered to generations much younger than them. I sat at the front of the long, rectangular room next to the seat of my father. There were nine council members, five on one side, four on the other, all regarding each other like they were better than all the others. I wondered if any of them even considered anyone else in this room their friend, or if they were all in this just to barter their way of life into this town.

I was equal parts frustrated by their traditional methodology and scared at the power they still held over a society that had evolved since their time. They were capable of so much simply because they had climbed up the ranks until there was nowhere else to go. 

My father had been summoning me to each Council meeting for the past week and I found myself bored to tears each time. I contributed very little to their conversations, and I already knew that I was doomed to disappoint all of them again today.

Most of the items of business were small, inconsequential things like adding more roads, where to expand for more homes as more people come to our town. With each one we offered our vote, when there really wasn’t much to vote on. I found my fingers itching to be playing with something other than the fringe on the hem of my sleeve. 

I couldn’t deny that my father - despicable as he is - was a committed leader. His attention was fully invested in each person’s comments, and he weighed all of the options equally. 

My father was an intelligent man, and a deep thinker and I think that’s why it hurt me so much every time that he didn’t seem to have the heart to make sense of me. I wasn’t worth his time mulling over and understanding - to him I was simply broken and in need of his repair.

Time moved slowly, but I did my best to keep my mind on the present conversation. I was surprised that my father didn’t ask more of me since he insisted that I be there, but I was also grateful to not be put at the center of attention in front of these old men. 

After a long laundry list of things, my father cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, “Council Orin, I seem to recall you mentioned to me an issue you were having in the Northern district?” 

I watched closely as the man named Orin nodded sagely towards the Duke. “Ah yes, thank you, Your Grace. Gentlemen, I’d like to discuss the matter of a newcomer that’s been in town. A well respected innkeeper came to me with some concern that an orc has been staying in his inn for the past nine days now. He doesn’t appear to be here for any particular reason besides to loiter in our streets. We’ve been good enough to attract very little of the other folk in Faerun, and I wonder if there is something to be done with this newcomer?”

I gripped the armchair of my seat as I was forced to listen to these men discuss their distaste for orcs. With one mention of Drun’s race, they suddenly all felt it was their right and permission to exclaim their opinion - all of the despicable and completely wrong. They were talking about Drunrag, my Drun. They called him unclean, and one of the cursed races because they had sided centuries ago with the enemy. A long dead enemy that Drun had nothing to do with. They were formulating plans to get him out of town. I had to say something, but I couldn’t, not when I looked over and saw the way my father was watching me with such a smug look.

He shifted in his seat again and cleared his throat, the room fell into expectant silence. 

My Father spoke, “Altan, son, what do you say is the best course of action? Perhaps your youth can help us see a different light?”

I refused to look back at him. He was mocking me. I knew he was cornering me to fold and not say anything. I knew if I said what I felt, it would fall on deaf and racist ears. Instead I sat straight and held my fingers tight like claws on the armchair. “Perhaps it would be wise to avoid making a rash decision until we learn why he’s here.”

“The innkeeper says the orc won’t speak when he talks to him. Says he’s practically mute.” Councilman Orin responded.

Another Councilman jumped in, “I thought I saw him working with that Dragonborn Doxxah in the Northern District, perhaps they’re plotting something.”

I couldn’t believe them. Doxxah had been here for years and had proven themselves again and again to be an honest, hardworking contributor to the town. I opened my mouth to speak, but was interrupted by another round of the men exclaiming their dislike of Dragonborns, of Orc of all the races they felt uncomfortable around.

“It’s not as if we don’t want them in our town.” One of them said, “But it must be understood that our town was built centuries ago as a fortress to protect our ancestors from the dangers that these very same races brought outside our day every day. Do we ignore our past and history just to embrace these newcomers into our town?”

“I don’t see any reason why we should be the same as our ancestors from hundreds of years ago.” I replied. They all looked at me with furrowed brows. “Perhaps Berdusk is more than about keeping tradition, but about making traditions that provide comfort and safety for all folks who pass through. Neither Doxxah or this orc you speak of has caused any true offense that warrants this amount of distrust towards them. Perhaps change is not so bad for a town and we simply need more time.”

My father tapped his finger on his armrest, “So you would erase our history from us?”

I shook my head, “That’s not what I'm suggesting at all. I see it as an expansion of what we could offer.”

“But we can’t please everyone, young lord.” One man said, “We are not as impressive of a town as those larger, more advanced cities like Waterdeep, or Baldur’s Gate. We cannot easily accommodate them and our people would not be comfortable to change for them. Wouldn’t it be safer for them to not be here?”

“So you’re saying we force this gentleman to vacate our town?”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a gentlemen, young lord. He’s an orc, he’s from the wild plains in the South. They’re undignified and so uncouth there.” 

My voice was shaking as I spoke. “I don’t see any sound reason to kick him out.”

“It’s for the safety of the town. You must remember that the North District is where families live. An orc living there is…well…it’s preposterous and it cannot stand.”

Tradition. Family. Protecting what’s always been. These were the grumblings that this town rested everything on. It was a narrative that had pervaded and infected the way the Council viewed anything. They had used the same disgusting rant on my mother when she had tried to change things here to help her children and other people's children. Remembering her then made my blood turn hot and I couldn’t listen to any of that bullshit anymore. I sprung to my feet, my chair making a loud clatter as it fell back. The room fell silent.

“You are the ones who are preposterous. Look at you! You all live in denial that times have changed since you were young. Times have changed since our ancestors. Time changes people, it changes us. We have a chance to be more than just Berdusk, a town where all Men live and thrive. Why must it just be humans? Because you’re more comfortable looking at someone who looks and thinks exactly like you! It's easier, isn't it? It’s too uncomfortable to have to consider that other races could be better at your job than you! It's too uncomfortable to have to recognize that maybe your traditions are worse than outright violence. You don’t like that the world is changing to make you less important and you would drive out every last race that isn’t human if you had the chance, wouldn’t you? Including me.” 

The silence in the room was deafening and none of the Councilmen would meet my eyes as I let them have a taste of what I thought of each of them.

I turned to look at my father, who was looking at me with a smug look. 

“I’m dismissing myself from this meeting.” I said, before stepping down and racing out of the room. 

I caught the eye of Commander Gideon who was standing outside the door into the room. He didn’t move, but I caught something in his eyes that I hadn’t noticed before. I didn’t bother dwelling on it as I continued my march out of the room, out of the building and down the steps towards the town below me. 

The guards weren’t prepared as I barreled passed them and down the street. They tried to follow me, but I shook them off quickly as I wound through the crowds and into another crowded street. My head was pounding, my heart was racing and I only had one place I wanted to be. 

I burst into Doxxah’s bakery, out of breath and heaving. “Where is he?” I asked.

Doxxah broke into a grin and pointed behind them. “In the back, young lord.” 

I didn’t wait for permission to walk around the counter. I wove my way through the various obstacles until I found my way into the back where the room was so much more warm with all of the ovens burning. There was Drun, covered in flour and sweat. He hadn’t seen me and was bent over a tray of rolls, sprinkling a dusting of cinnamon over the top of them. He was biting his bottom lip and was deep in concentration.

All of the tension inside of me loosened at being able to see him. He was adorable in that moment, and I would have loved to take in the image of him like this, but I needed him. I cleared my throat and waited for him to look at me. 

His eyes, his beautiful stormy grey eyes found mine and he raised to his full height. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked. He looked behind me with a worried expression. He seemed afraid to approach me.

“I just needed to see you.” I said. “I’m…” I felt hot tears as I looked at him. Why couldn’t they see him the way I saw him? He was gentle, he was beautiful, he carried himself so carefully and thoughtfully. How could someone look at him - sprinkling cinnamon on a roll with such care for gods’ sake- and tell me he was of a lesser race? There was nothing about Drunrag that I didn't find lovely and safe and good. I closed the distance and barreled into him, wrapping my arms around him with my head buried in his chest. “Please, let’s go.”

“Where?” He asked.

“Anywhere,” I said, my voice was muffled in his chest and I felt like some pathetic child. 

I felt Drun’s hands settle around me. Holding me around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him. His body was so warm.

“Will we be safe?” he asked.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to answer.

“Altan.” he said and he pulled me back so he could look at me, he took my hand and placed it on his chest. Oh all of the nine hells consume me, my name on his lips was sin. Gods I needed him.  “Do you feel it?” he asked, using the same words I had said to him.

And I felt it, the quick beating of his heart. It was strong and steady and purposeful. I pressed my hands there, feeling comfort in its power.

“Do you understand?” He asked.

I nodded.

“Do you trust us?” He asked.

“I trust us.” I said. “But my father will never allow me to be with you. We’ll never be safe.” I looked up at him, “The city intends to kick you out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they plan to do worse. If I can’t go with you, then promise me you’ll go and be safe.”

He shook his head, “Not without you.”

“Then let’s go.” I said. “I’ll leave it all behind, right now.”

I heard Doxxah’s throat clear behind me and I whirled around to see Commander Gideon standing next to them. 

“Your grace.” He said, his voice was gentle. “Your father asked that I get you…he wanted me to inform you that you should say your goodbyes now.”

It was a threat. Say goodbye to your lover and come back repentant or face the punishment. My body tensed and I resisted moving. 

“It’s alright, Altan.” Drun said softly, his hand was on my arm, and he gently coaxed me to return my attention to him. 

I nodded, my face wet with tears. “Drun…I love you.”

He nodded, his hand tightened around me. “And I you.” He leaned forward and his forehead was pressed to mine. “I’m yours, djenifad. Don’t give up on me.” 

He pushed me gently towards the door and I resisted every time. I saw the pain reflected in his eyes as I was being pulled away again from him. “Drun, Drunrag. I love you. I love you...” I could only say it again and again as Commander Gideon took my arm and gently began to pull me away. Drun was standing there, watching me and I saw a faint glint of wet light in his eyes. 

Commander Gideon was gentle as he pulled me discreetly into the carriage that was waiting outside the bakery’s steps. Of course there were still many eyes on us as I pulled myself in. 

“Commander,” I managed to say, struggling to stay composed. “What does my father intend to do to him?”

He remained calm, and he was gentle in his answer, “The Duke did not make any mention of the young orc, only to return you home.”

Somehow, that left me more scared, but I could do nothing else but nod and utter my gratitude to him. He was being surprisingly gentle and kind about all of this. 

Doxxah stood at the door, but not before approaching me and placing in my hands a small box. “He made this one, he added so much cinnamon I couldn’t sell them. I think they’re for you.” 

I laughed before immediately coughing and choking on my tears. My Drun, he remembered I loved cinnamon. I couldn’t speak. I was so overwhelmed with emotion. Doxxah closed the door and backed away, waving gently at me. They didn’t say anything, but I saw an ally in them. They would take care of Drun while I couldn’t be by his side.

The ride was silent, uncomfortable and the Commander was once again patient and gentle as he told me that I was to be escorted to the Duke’s chambers to meet with him. In all of this, I could sense a reluctance in the Commander’s actions. I’m sure he felt a bit like a babysitter and could easily resent me for making his job such a headache, but he continued to remain neutral and impassive. 

My father’s chambers was a room I only saw when I was in trouble and I only ever associated it with bad memories. I never remembered seeing it until I started to disobey my father’s rules and resist his instructions for me, and then I would be taken there to be given a stern talking to. When stern talkings to didn’t work for him, it turned into ridicule, chastisement and sometimes physical punishment. I hated that room.

The room was all dark wood panels, red velvet curtains that kept the room dark and moody. He had little furniture in there, just a round room that was dark and shadowy. When the Commander let me walk in, he waited outside and I stepped in alone.

“You made quite the impression in the Council meeting today.” The Duke said. He was sitting at a chair, a scroll in his hand that he was reading.

My jaw was tight as I took in the sight. “You can do anything you want to me, but you can’t hurt him, do you understand?”

“By our laws, we have no grounds to do anything to him yet.” My father said coolly, not looking up from his readings. “But if I hear or see that he has touched you in any way…I can promise you that I will remove him from your life in one fell swoop and ruin any chance of you seeing him again. I have him right where I want him to keep an eye on him. And you, my son, will be kept under a more severe supervision. So I know where you will be at all times. Be careful of your actions.” 

“Why is it so important to you to control me?” I asked, fighting back the emotion in my voice. I had to stay in control. “There is no love lost between us. Why must we suffer ourselves through this? I’ll never be the person you want me to be. Just let me go, let me be happy with him. I’ll never speak your name again. I’ll change my name if I must. But we don’t have to keep doing this anymore.”

“You ungrateful, insolent boy.” My father seethed, “You have been given everything since the day you were born and I have been the one to give it to you. I could have taken you from your mother as soon as I saw how she was turning your mind against me. But I let her keep you. You were always hers and I was gracious enough to let it be that way. But she is gone and you are mine now, and I will see you thanking me for the mercy I continue to show you.”

“I’m not grateful.” I spat, “How can I be grateful when you intentionally keep me from being who I am? Just…please…let us go.”

He sighed, feigning exhaustion. “I know the moment I set either of you free, you’ll be crawling right back to each other. I see it in both your eyes, you're sick for each other.” 

“I’m not sick, I’ve never been sick. This is my choice.” I pleaded back, “Your Grace…Father. I love him, he means more to me than my own life.”

His eyes became wild at those words, “You would bring yourself this low to get the attention you so crave? If you desire to be nothing more than a whore, then I will find you someone better than this. You depraved child.” He rose to his feet. “I do not see how you became so wrong as you grew, but this would disappoint even your mother to see you as wanton as you are for that beast. You will not see him again, and if either of you seek each other out, it will cost him his freedom.”

I flinched, the words bit into me and I felt tears form once again on the surface of my eyelids, but I did not blink, nor back down, “So what will you have of me, now that I am your depraved, sick, deranged prisoner?” I asked “Should I worship you? Kiss your feet for your bounteous generosity for saving me from my own choices? Or would you prefer your prisoners to stay silent, meek and submissive?”

“You will be grateful and you will follow my instructions with obedience. Do you understand?” His eyes were cold and heartless as he regarded me. “Your life will be easier once you start to see what I’m doing for you and you’ll thank me someday.”

I could not bring myself to beg anymore. I saw the finality of his words in his eyes. He intended to break me, and I was afraid there was no hope to be free this time.

#DOWN WITH THE DUKE #altan needs a hug #also drun #someone give drunrag a hug #p.s. that cinnamon roll is definitely not edible #drun drowned that roll in cinnamon #monster boyfriend #orc boyfriend #orc x half elf #dnd inspired #set in faerun #monster lover #monster romance #orc #orc romance #monster fucker #slow burn #romance #my fic #writing #gay romance #my fic writing #fantasy story #creative writing #bg3 #writeblr #mm romance #original story #fated lovers #queer romance

[scramble-crossing]

2 3 10 12 13 for the ask game!

2. A headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like! Ok this is hard to answer because I forget what's canon and what's intricately-woven-into-my-brain headcanon but I'll say the "Kariya was an Angel" theory! I never disliked it, but I never liked it more than the simpler explanation of "Oh he's just been around the block a couple of times, that's why he knows more than the average Reaper but still couldn't pick out Joshua as the Composer-that stuff's above his paygrade." Even now it's not "canon to me" level of headcanon, but I can see the appeal and really I appreciate anything that inspires people to look a littler closer at characters like Kariya or Uzuki. Also it's really good when played for comedy. His ass is showing up at the Angel convention, stealing as many appetizers as he can, and bouncing before anyone can point out that he got fired 30 years ago for skipping meetings to go play Tin Pin with random Wall Reapers.

3. A character that fandom has helped you appreciate It's too easy to say Coco so Beat! It's embarrassing to admit but I kinda had a bone to pick with him when I was first getting into the series for sorta "replacing Sho" in neo. I didn't think he was as interesting (and to be fair he really isn't in neo until you take his relation to Rindo's arc into consideration; he works wonderfully as a back for Rindo to hide behind even if his own story was very much concluded by the end of the first game. Then there's also his dynamic with Neku, which is very very good, but he didn't need to be a player character for that. Anyways). Beat analysis posting made me actually pay attention to him while replaying the games and realize how much I'd missed skimming over him in W2 (the poor guy's really gotta try to compete with fan darling Joshua and Sho, aka the loudest fucking man alive, for screen time). His stint as a Reaper is incredibly fascinating. I forget who, but I always distinctly remember someone talking about Beat getting prepped to try and deaden his heart and become as brutal and merciless as a Reaper is supposed to be before ultimately choosing kindness in both his siding with Neku and sparing Kariya and Uzuki in W3 and man.....yeah. He's just such a good guy. He's easily in the top 10 favs now, if not the top 5

10. A blog (mutual or one you follow) that has made your fandom experience brighter Well....yknow....

There are a LOT of others and I'm too shy to tag but goldensunset (incredible analysis) playtwewy (fav fics ever) sho-minamimoto (awesome art + sho headcanons) dj-of-the-coven (made me love beat) purplelea (also incredible analysis) bitternami (very kind and wow I read a fic of yours once and it blew me away...I will remember to find it and leave a comment soon) leonvilasi (always leaves fun and interesting comments in my notes) off the top of my head and a whole bunch of people who aren't as active in the twewy fandom anymore or whose art I love and the people I always see leaving funny tags in my notes you're all awesome <3

12. Compliment someone else in your fandom AUGH HELL ON EARTH!!! dandelion2302 I absolutely adore the way you draw Sho your art is amazing.................

13. Your favorite type of fandom event (gift exchange, ship week, secret santa, prompt meme, etc) Yknow I've never actually done any fandom events before twewy! I had a blast during the twewybang and while I probably won't participate again for a while (I'd rather finish the fic I wrote for the 23 one first) it was a wonderful first experience with this sort of thing :]

#asks #sorry for being a coward everyone #it will happen again #if you see this thank you for making my dash brighter :] #gotta go do coursework now but I will be back for more asks! #if I have to be genuine one more time I'm gonna throw up (/lh)

[depressedfish]

Hey FRC people!

I'm bored and tired of packing for Houston, so I thought I'd do a quick writeup of some Ontarian teams that'll be there! Hopefully you can find some new teams to watch and watch out for. Do note that this post is NOT a suitable replacement for good pit scouting. Teams may have fixed their robots from the last time I saw them compete. Also, these are not all the ontario teams, just the ones I've seen play so far. With that out of the way, let's start with...

Team 2056: OP Robotics

They certainly live up to their name.

Statbotics Rank: 1

FUN Rank: 2

EPA: 58.9

Common name: OP

Last event I saw them at: Ontario DCMP

Division: Galileo

I mean, what else is there to say about them that hasn't been said before? OP Robotics has always been a top competitor in Ontario, let alone the whole world. They have an incredibly well designed robot, with one of the cleanest swerves I've ever seen. Sure, they can't trap, but they can make up for it by a mile with the metric ton of notes they put out. There are a few chinks in the armor: the aforementioned trap, a slightly slow amp shot, and how their robot can pretty easily be pushed around, but who cares? They certainly don't. Did I forget their former world record of 155 clean?

Team 2200: MMRambotics

Ramming through the competition.

Statbotics Rank: 69 (nice)

FUN Rank: 46

EPA: 38.5

Common name: Rambotics

Last event I saw them at: Ontario DCMP

Division: Curie

Sleek, compact, and fast as hell. Rambotics have been a top contender in Ontario for a long time now, and it's easy to see why. They can trap, 5 note, and has one of the fastest amp shots. Very, VERY scary team to go up against. They've had some consistency issues throughout the season, unfortunately. However, that does not stop them from being a major threat on whatever alliance they're on. My advice? Just cycle.

Team 3683: Team DAVE

These guys aren't your average Joes.

Statbotics Rank: 73

FUN Rank: 35

EPA: 37.9

Common name: Dave

Last event I saw them at: Ontario DCMP

Division: Galileo

While they may have a pretty boring name, don't let that fool you into thinking that they're not one of the best robots in the world. Together with OP and 2702, they set a former world record of 155 clean, and that's only the beginning. They have a very fast trap, clean swerve, consistent 4 and 5 notes, and maybe 6 if I'm remembering right. They've been consistent throughout the season, and are a major major threat on any alliance. Again, like rambotics: just cycle.

Team 4946: The Alpha Dogs

The dogs are in the house. And by god, they're barking.

Statbotics Rank: 85

FUN Rank: 62

EPA: 37

Common Name: Alpha Dogs

Last event I saw them at: Ontario DCMP

Division: Archimedes

With two* of the most controversial robots of the year and some great placings, these dogs are continuing to learn new tricks. And yes, you heard that right. TWO. WHOLE. (NOT) ROBOTS. Using a loophole in G209 that states that a robot counts as a robot only if it has a drive train, they have two whole configurations. It's so insanely cool. While I have heard that they may not be bringing it to worlds, that still won't count them out from doing well. They have fairly consistent 4 and 5 note autos, which have had some consistency issues. However, they more than make up for it in teleop, with one of the best drivers out there. They can also trap consistently on their main configuration (as of Ontario DCMP). Do not even THINK of defending them, it's just a waste of time. These dogs have a damn good bite, and will show up in any alliance.

Team 3161: Tronic Titans

Shooting notes in style.

Statbotics Rank: 130

FUN Rank: N/A (I swear they were on there i might be blind)

EPA: 35.1

Common Name: Tronic

Last event I saw them at: Humber

Division: Archimedes

You can recognize them across the venue with their signature black and gold capes, but style isn't all they've got. This team is incredibly consistent, with a very good amp shot and a solid 4 note auto. Just a very very consistent robot all around. They'll always do their part and more on any alliance.

Team 4907: Thunderstamps

If you've heard the clap, it's already too late.

Statbotics Rank: 163

FUN Rank: N/A (again I swear they were there)

EPA: 34.1

Common name: Stamps, TStamps

Last event I saw them at: Windsor

Division: Galileo

You may know them as the jumping robot from 2022, but this team isn't a one trick pony. They've been plauged with a streak of bad luck, mired with consistency issues, but they keep plodding along. They have a very good 4 and 5 notes autos, and a trap to boot. These racehorses may qualify as a dark horse this worlds, but that by no means means they're out.

Team 7558: ALT-F4

If you're up against them, try using that shortcut to end the match sooner.

Statbotics Rank: 200

FUN Rank: N/A

EPA: 32.7

Common name: Alt-f4

Last event I saw them at: Humber

Division: Galileo

One of the newer teams on the block, and took me by surprise in 2023. This year however, they've had a little less luck. With some auto and consistency issues, they've not had as good a run as I know they can. Their turret can beam notes like it's water, and autos can be smooth as butter. Keep a close eye on them.

Team 5885: Villanova WiredCats

All wired up and ready to roar.

Statbotics Rank: 261

FUN Rank: N/A

EPA: 31.2

Common name: wiredcats

Last event I saw them at: Windsor

Division: Milstein

These kitties are the all around picture of a solid robot. With a pretty unique back shooter that allows them to amp fairly quick, and some solid autos, they'll pack a punch on the field.

Team 1114: Simbotics

All hail the kings/queens/themperors.

Statbotics Rank: 268

FUN Rank: 44

EPA: 31

Common name: Sim, Simbots

Last event I saw them at: Ontario DCMP

Division: Milstein

Two time former world champions. Hall of fame team. Has a ship name with OP. They've done it all. And they build robots like it. Simbotics hasn't been as good as of late, but that doesn't mean they're fully washed. They're still a very very scary robot to be looking at, and the numbers don't reflect that at all. Just keep in mind their auto inconsistencies.

Team 5406: Celt-X

The mean green machine.

Statbotics Rank: 271

FUN Rank: 95

EPA: 30.9

Common name: celtex (thats like how its pronounced leave me alone)

Last event I saw them at: Ontario DCMP

Division: Johnson

Celt-X is another really really consistent and pretty darn scary robot in its own right. With very solid 4 note autos and the ability to trap, it makes them good already. Their major selling point is a very fast amp shot, allowing for more amp cycles than what you might expect.

Team 4920: Belle River Boltheads

These nuts and bolts will break your bones.

Statbotics Rank: 377

FUN Rank: N/A

EPA: 28.6

Common name: Boltheads

Last event I saw them at: Windsor

Division: Daly

The boltheads have been a very solid and consistent robot this year. They have a good 4 note, and a good amp shot, and a good teleop. However, they were having some issues with their shooter at the end of Windsor, but that won't stop them at worlds.

Team: 1241: THEORY6

The dark horses of Canada.

Statbotics Rank: 799

FUN Rank: N/A

EPA: 22.5

Common name: T6, Theory 6

Last event I saw them at: Ontario DCMP

Division: Galileo

These former world champions have had a very unfortunate streak. With their turret being broken during the first day and a bit of DCMPs, along with auto issues and swerve issues, it was looking doomed for their Worlds run. But then. They were first pick for 4946 at DCMPs. Was it Faith? Pity? The memes? Whatever it was, Theory 6 proved themselves very worthy of that pick. Once their shooter gets up and running, it can turn itself into a mini 254. Keep a very very close eye on this team, and if noone gets them, snag them while you can.

And that's it! feel free to tag or add any US teams that I might not know or have heard about, I'd love to know who to watch! Good luck to all competing!

#frc robotics #frc #frc crescendo #frc 2024 #first robotics competition #first world championships

[thevividgreenmoss]

I had a couple of friends (my only two friends really lol which two is far far above my historical average for friends, one is above the historical average if we're being Real) over last night to see the movie I made with my cats/co-directors and I made little tickets/keepsakes for both of them lol

Since the first short I randomly slapped together back in January which eventually ended up being incorporated into what this ended up being I liked the idea of keeping this as something I primarily just directly share with people in my own living room, like the only reason I initially put this shit online anywhere is to have an easy way to share it on here with you all in case it's of interest to anyone lol but idk like there's no way to make even five dollars off of this since I don't have the rights to any of the music playing in the background and huge chunks of certain songs/albums are in the shit lmao like almost half an hour of D'Angelo - Voodoo lmfao but like. it cost me literally nothing to make this, I shot the entire thing on my phone and cut it together on my laptop using open source software so there isn't even any cost to recoup so why not include the music I was already listening to ig and past that just share it with directly with anyone that's willing to sit through it

Back in May I was talking to one of my neighbors who is also one of the neighborhood plugs who also raps a little bit just for the fuck of it "I dont make money off music, I'm a trapper for real" (slightly paraphrased it was almost a year ago at this point), but I actually fuck with his music and listened to it of my own volition after he initially directly played a track for me and our other neighbor and the other day I was over to reup and was like 1) I made a movie off your product so truly thank you cause this doesnt happen otherwise and 2) if you check it out and anything jumps out at you we can work on a music video along those lines if you're down which who knows if we'll do that but personally I'd love to. Then he asked me why I haven't been fasting lmao, remembering that I also didn't fast last year. And that led to talking about god and history and america and the whites. He was telling me a bit about another Pakistani guy that buys from him, showed me a picture of the dude, standing with (presumably although I can't say for sure) his father and grandfather.

The picture he showed me, everything he said has been stuck in my head since. The three smiling desi faces, if I had to guess either fellow Kashmiris if not that maybe Pathaan, but especially the old man's face recalling of course my nana's. I wish I could've made a movie in Lahore with him. I do want to make one with my mom, I was thinking of incorporating clips of a walk around the creek at my parent's neighborhood with her into this video but I ended up going a different direction but I do think it could be worth it's own standalone piece. But I do want to do more of these and the process by which it came together is definitely something accessible to everyone like everyone can do this I feel, if anyone wants. But I personally do want to make one with my mom if she's down.

A few days before that aforementioned day in late May I read Prince's unfinished autobiography and among a million things in there that I have not been able to stop seeing or thinking of was what? The way he opened the first chapter with the image of his mother's eyes - the first thing 👁 saw.