#A Different Kind Of Jam Legacy

[liz-allyn]

sugar and vice - epilogue

[continued from Part 23]

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Ice clinked against the stainless steel of her coffee tumbler like hollow wind chimes. She brought the pastel pink container to her lips, taking a careful sip. She’d already spilled some of it in her lap, and now brown spots dotted the yellow of her dress. Carefully, she set the tumbler down beside her, taking a moment to glance up at the scenery around her.

It was a golden-yellow summer day with a cloudless sky, save for the smog hanging over the city. Despite last week’s heat wave, the temperature was more moderate today, giving New York a much-needed break. From a bench in Central Park, she sat beneath the canopy of towering oak trees. A breeze rolled through that chilled her skin delightfully, aided by the icy beverage in her cup.

Nearby, a flock of pigeons scavenged for crumbs. On this particular Saturday, construction sounds were minor, reduced to distant echoes. The bright sounds of a street musician’s violin floated on the wind from nearby in the park. She heard a whistle from a group of children in the distance as they practiced soccer kicks. 

Soccer would be good for Bella, she thought. The seven-year-old girl had tons of energy and legs that were longer than she knew what to do with. Ever since the Olympics and watching Space Jam: A New Legacy, Bella had been obsessed with becoming the next WNBA champion. She described LeBron’s performance as a masterpiece. 

Her aunt knew better than to let her personal opinion spoil the girl’s fun.

That had been a good day. Today was a good day. She mused to herself as she took a breath. She was aware of the fact that the day wasn’t technically over. And perhaps there wasn’t anything particularly different from yesterday. But as her muscles relaxed beneath warm rays of sun on her shoulders, she found peace.

“Mind if I sit here?” a kind voice said from behind her. The muscles in her neck pulled taut. Her heart seized up and tripped over itself.

She glanced over her shoulder to find a pair of doe eyes fixed on her. Cherry lips twisted into a lopsided smile. 

Impossibly, Peter Parker looked younger than the last time she saw him. The only sign of age in his creamy smooth skin were tiny lines at the corners of his eyes, and a faint pink scar blending with the wrinkles above his brow.

Without the beard, he looked criminally soft. Big, bright amber eyes were fixated on her in a way that made her heart want to burst. She felt like she was floating in space and plummeting through the atmosphere. 

At the same time, the primal part of her brain screamed out shrill sirens. Just the sight of him and his soulful eyes felt like she was tearing off a broken limb. Watching as his teeth pinched his pouty lip gave her the sensation of ripping apart nerve endings. Her stomach soured as her heart ached. 

Beneath the heart, lava boiled in her belly. Her eyes were open wide, they could even be mistaken for shock. It wasn’t shock, however, but sheer rage burned in her eyes. 

Peter Parker, the persistent paradox. 

The only man that could stir every emotion in her, like the sun conjures every color of the rainbow out of drops of rain. He painted her world in vivid colors, and yet she was colorblind to everything but the golden hue of his eyes.

Peter Parker, who could make her feel stronger and weaker all at once.

She burned for him, in every sense of the phrase.

And at the present, he was holding his breath, waiting for her reply. She gazed up at him as emotions warred within her. He waited patiently, ready to accept whatever fate she thought he deserved.

She pursed both her lips tight, eyes narrowing. “I’ll allow it,” she said. 

His lungs came to life once again, as if he’d been spared the guillotine. Gently, Peter rounded the park bench and sat down in the spot to her right. She kept her nose forward, eyes focused on anything but him.

“Whatcha reading?” he asked gently, gazing down at the pamphlet in her lap.

She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. “A brochure.”

He observed the glossy tri-fold sheet with a nod. “I see that.” Instantly, he recognized the pictures and logo on the pamphlet, recalling how he once read the same words. “ESU, huh?” he noted with a half smirk, observing the ivory towers of the campus nestled in Midtown Manhattan. “Thinkin’ about classes?” He bit his lip anxiously. “What d’you wanna study?”

She held still, remaining silent as she stared down at the brochure. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, and it felt like razors being shoved into his eye sockets. 

“Dunno,” she answered with a gentle shrug. “Interior Design, maybe.” She cleared her throat and spoke with a little more volume. “Thinkin’ about applying for a grant for this fall.”

A smile warmed his eyes, though melancholy weighed down the corners of his lips. “What’s in the cup?” he asked, pointing his nose towards her coffee tumbler.

Lashes fluttered, she followed the end of his fingertip down to her beverage, almost having forgotten that it was there. “Oh,” she said meekly. “It’s a Mauna Kea.”

Peter quirked up a brow. “A what-ya-saya?”

She pinched her lower lip between her teeth to keep it from curving. “Mauna Kea,” she repeated slowly, enunciating the syllables. “Means ‘White Mountain’ in Hawaiian.” She hesitated for a moment, licking her dry lips. “It’s the name of the tallest mountain on Earth,” she declared, mustering confidence, “from peak to summit.”

A crease formed in Peter’s brow. “I thought Everest was the tallest mountain?”

“Tallest by altitude,” she divulged with pride. “Mauna Kea is bigger.” She flicked her eyes over to his and was immediately captured by his soulful gaze.

“No joke?” he replied with a thousand-watt smile and rosy cheeks. 

“Yup,” he answered, as butterflies filled her belly.

He gazed at her as if he were witnessing the sunrise for the first time. “So, you’re drinkin��� a ‘White Mountain?’”

Her heart skipped a beat. “It’s a cold brew. Blended with honey, macadamia milk and ice, topped with coconut milk foam.” She intended to look down at her cup. Or at the pedestrians. Or the trees. Or the sun. She intended to look anywhere but at him. She really tried. “I made it myself,” she said, feeling heat crawl up her neck.

His eyes glowed, further enamored by her mere existence. “Wow. All this time, all I’ve been drinking is black coffee.” A smile glinted in his expression while his blush gave him away. “Just black coffee. Bitter. With extra sadness.”

She fought the smile her lips formed. “That’s a shame.”

“It is. People tell me I should take more risks, though. Go out on a limb.” His eyes wandered across the park before shifting back over to her. “I’m Peter, by the way. Peter Parker.” He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, and in his eyes she could spot his trepidation. If he looked young to her before, now he looked like a blushing boy asking his crush to prom. He gazed at her with the same terror, his heart in his throat and on his sleeve. “What’s your name?”

A fire burned bittersweetly in her heart as tears burned behind her eyes. She gazed at him, feeling her emotions swell. “Mari,” she answered, truthfully. She studied the bourbon and topaz facets of his irises and the lovely curve of his cupid’s bow. “But all my friends call me ‘Honey.’” 

Peter’s lip trembled at that, eyes glistening despite his attempt to control it. “Honey,” he repeated with a murmur, as if chanting a prayer, or a protection spell. As if it was the answer to everything in the universe. In his universe, at least. “It suits you.”

A bittersweet smile warmed his features as he gazed at her, lost in the universe and freefalling towards her singularity. Her eyes went glossy as she mapped the pores, freckles, and scars on his face like the constellations in the sky.

“I missed you,” he said, endearingly.

Her heart throbbed at the pain in his voice. “I know.” She licked her lips, sadness filling her expression. “You hurt me,” she said somberly.

With misty, red eyes, he whispered back, “I know.” He swallowed hard, tears swimming in his gaze. “I’m sorry for that. M’sorry for a lot of things. But I don’t regret a single moment.” 

Eyes glistening, a warm smile overtook her features, lighting up her gaze. She nodded in silent reply.

The sight of it made him want to die of joy. “If it doesn’t sound too forward,” he began gently, speaking with measured formality, “I was gonna ask you to come home with me.”

Home, he said. The significance of the word wasn’t lost on her. A tear rolled down her cheek, sliding along the curve of her grin. “Already?” she breathed out a laugh. “Geez. That was fast.”

His smile faded; he melted into enraptured awe. “No,” he whispered, eyes glowing with admiration. He leaned forward, breaking the invisible barriers between them. Her eyes fluttered shut as his calloused fingers brushed over her jaw, triggering a shiver down her spine. “I’ve waited years for you, remember?” he quietly rumbled. “I’ll keep waiting. For the rest of my life, if I have to.”

The sweetness of it all made her dizzy. It made her feel like her heart had spilled open and she would bleed out on the grass. “I’ll take it,” she sniffed, as Peter thumbed the tears from her cheeks.

“Take what?”

“The rest of your life.” 

He melted in her gaze, staring down at her lips. “Sweet girl. You are my life.”

Without hesitation, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. The sensation made her heart flutter, her mind soar, and her brain sizzle. It made her wounds heal and her soul sing. It made life worth living. It made hope real.

When they parted from the kiss, they were breathless and dizzy, hearts thrumming together in sync.

The honey hues of his chestnut eyes were fixed on hers. “So,” he said, thoughtfully. “Mauna Kea. Ever see it up close?”

She smirked. “Nope. Never been to Hawai’i.”

“Me neither,” Peter shrugged, his eyes alight with life. “Wanna change that?” 

End of Volume 1

A Note From Your Storyteller:

Whew. That was long.

I can't believe this has come to an end. Before I began writing, I was skeptical about this story, but honestly I could've never anticipated or expected the overwhelming support and love that I've gotten. People have made art from my art. They have showered me with gifts for my gift. If you'd say any gift is an expression of love, then gifted art is the ultimate expression of devotion. I love that you care about my characters, and about me!

What's next?

Good question. I've been at odds with this answer, and now it feels like I really need to commit to a path. My imagination is full of many more places that Honey and Peter can go. I could probably write 2-3 novels about these two with all of the effort I put into making these characters come to life. Realistically, I'm a mom with a baby, and I'm about to be a one-person band for the next few months. I'm excited to share these stories, but I'm not sure when or how, or even what that will look like.

The best thing you can do to interact with me is to keep your eyes on my updates from my Ko-fi page! I'm hoping to allow that to become a place where the S&V 'fandom' (wtf that sounds so weird what happened what is this life I am not worthy) can gather and where I can share updates.

In addition to S&V-related news, I'm going to post writing tips, best storytelling practices, AMAs, my favorite fics of the week, answer questions, and maybe even offer commissions. Keep in mind, none of this will be gatekeeped (gate-kept?) or behind a paywall. Even if you're not a regular... er, um, patron?... (barista?) on Ko-fi, you can still hopefully find some interesting stuff to check out.

But even if you don't do any of that, because... who cares, right? I do want you to do one thing for me. One tiny thing that will make the world better. One small thing that could end up changing someone's life.

The next fanfic you read, if you feel any emotions about it at all, please hit "reblog."

You don't have to write a long review, or leave a comment, or add any tags to it. You don't have to do anything more than click the reblog button. But please reblog. When you reblog, you get to share the gift fanfic writers make with someone else, regardless of whether you know them. And subconsciously, you tell the writer 'yes, I see you, and I think other people should, too,' and that small thing can save someone's life one day.

Forget engagement, forget likes vs comments vs reblogs vs community labels vs filtering settings—

Stories are gifts. They are expressions of love put to words. They are emotions lived, repackaged, wrapped in a bow, and then shared with others, along with a kind little note that says 'here's this moment of my heart, I hope it moves you the way it moved me.'

Reblog. And fill the world with a little more love.

[mercyburned]

@fatesweave / Kaeya's good at deflecting, Dehya's learned, but instead of putting her off, it makes her want to know more. He's mysterious. She thinks she knows things about him, but she just knows how he is, not why, not how. Not who. He carries the ability to change the topic like he was born with it, and she's fallen for it a few times up until now. He's good with words, better at knowing his way around them. He damn near got her this time, too. But the desert gets cold at night, the fire is warm, and a drink that burns its way down doesn't go amiss when the chill starts setting in. She's used to him turning her down when she's trying to get to know him better. It isn't personal, and she doesn't push him. She wants to know him, not have him push her away entirely. It'll happen on his own time, if he ever wants to share any other side of him, and she's a patient woman. Generally. The Sumeran wine beside her is musky and rich with warmth spread throughout, almost as if spiced. One of those that's best when sipped rather than downed quickly. Pulling out two small cups, she pours a mouthful for each of them and, nudging Kaeya's arm, hands him one. "Tell me something honest?" she asks with the raise of an eyebrow. He can tell her no and she'll respect it; the alcohol isn't a bargaining chip, nor a way to ply him. (She doesn't know if he can be plied with alcohol, given how much he can have and still keep his wits about him.) "I'll do the same in return."

No matter where Dehya's mind might be, Kaeya's was more or less only on what lay ahead. He sort of remembers the gates -- large and imposing, intimidating to him, even as someone who had been born behind the safety of them. But his nerves were beginning to twitch the farther and farther they got from Caravan Ribat. Oh, he trusted that Dehya wasn't going to murder him, steal all his Mora, and leave his body out here in the middle of nowhere. He trusted she'd get him where he'd paid her to take him. He knew how mercenary reputations worked, and hers was sterling.

But unless everything he knew about the world was wrong, it had been a long, long time since someone of Khaenri'ahn blood had approached the gates.

Shit, he didn't even know if he'd be able to get inside. If he'd even want to with someone else there who wasn't... of the same blood. Khaenri'ah was a graveyard, it was sacred in the way that only thin places of death could be sacred, filled with despair and grief, anger and pain, scared little boys helplessly watching the deaths of their mothers.

Not the sort of thing you brought a stranger to witness. Not the sort of thing he should have brought someone else along for, but how else was he supposed to get there? Father dearest left him no instructions, no knowledge, no thing... just a legacy that hung like cobwebs in his lungs.

It wasn't that he had no interest in his traveling companion. If he'd asked for company to literally anywhere else, this entire conversation would be different. The destination just wasn't the sort of place to make a smile crinkle his eyes.

He took the wine without complaint, swirling it around a few times before he sipped from it. The taste was incredibly different from Mondstadt's sweet dandelion wine, but he liked it anyway. “Something honest, let's see... I like to make strawberry jam.”

Yeah, yeah, he knows -- not at all the kind of honesty she'd meant. Too late.

[celestialdragoncookie]

i wanna ask a question if you don't have burden of your fans

Who's starlight star

What's her background

Name: Starlight Star Cookie.

Occupation: Mixture of Ranged and Bomber.

Rarity: Forgotten ( Two tier above Beast cookies).

Origins:

Before the era of witches, the lone ruler of the stars and birds protector of the sky the divine cosmic phoenix was born. The lone phoenix of cosmic stars and space along with it's sibling titanium dragon, were born not baked from the collision of the thousand planets and fallen unstable stars. From that onwards a single wisp of mighty pure cosmic flames, howled into the nexus with mighty firish feather wings created range of the universe various constellations stars, planets magnetic forces were given life. As it's roar thunder throughout vast universe like a predator in the ocean, it was not alone as the unstable energies and various metals from the collision of thousand planets and fallen stars assimilated due to strong magnetic forces created a powerful divine being the apex predator in the cycle a mighty dragon. Upon it's awakening it's roar shoke the heavens bringing fear to life death alike, the two siblings were only toddlers and first cookies in all in the universe. With mighty beat of the entitys wings caused a mystical crystal to appear, from that source becomes the core of space cookies life including birth of new race of Phoenixs. The Phoenix was named Starlight Star cookie, primordial Cosmic phoenix and creator of all space cookies including the Phoenix kind.

It's dragon sibling with a mighty roar caused shockwaves throughout the universe, the seismic waves results in the shocking various elements which results in the formation of magic, mana and important of all dragons came into being. The dragon named itself Titanium dragon cookie, primordial dragon cookie ruler of metal type of cookies and ancestor of dragons.

As the witches created the first five heros wielding the five soul jams, they came into being Starlight Star cookie and titanium Dragon cookie as they weren't baked by them in the first place. Each first five heros represents different virtues but those two represents different virtues more powerful purer then ever balancing the cycle. Starlight Star cookie wielding the virtue of Friendship while her dragon brother Titanium dragon cookie wielding the virtue of Courage. The ear of heroes were peaceful ever growing but alas the once promised heroes because twisted apostles of darkness accept for those two. The fallen heroes no called beasts gestured their two comrades to follow and join them, but two refused seeing their unwilling ness they attacked them. Now once comrades in arms are now enemies, battle between the two heroes of legacy and beasts were intense battle continued for days after hours of struggle the two heroes managed to defeat them and stopped them from prevail the destruction. Beasts now in weakened state, sealed away in the silver tree by the creators witches themselves as The silver kingdom was born whom Elder Faerie cookie was appointed as the guardian of the seal.

The battle was known as " Battle of Legacy", where the two heroes of legacy and beasts fought both sides fought for either peace or destruction. The battle held in the area where the kingdom of holly berry resides, and this contains denser and thicker layer of mana and place is called Fallen Dragon veins. In fear of being corrupted, the last two heroes sealed themselves away didn't want the history to repeat themselves due to several days of battle cost the extinction of Phoenixs and endangerment of dragon kind. The Twilight kingdom known as kingdom of wishes vanished becoming a myth along with the metal clan of hero of courage turned to ruins. As centuries have passed, the two heroes of legacy are now become myth to put children to sleep as the remains are now forgotten, chased by adventures treasure hunters and scientists. No body knows the forgotten kingdoms true origins and it's location, the only cookie who has suck knowledge is Elder Faerie cookie.

Will the two forgotten heroes being remembered again or reborn as corrupted version of themselves? Will they bring peace to this world or will be bearer of the destruction itself? Only the time will tell the tale. Now the five beasts have woken up from their slumber, will some brave cookie will venture into the depths of truth and awake the old legacy that was hidden away from the world? Beware as the Once Honorable two heroes of legacy Will Prevail their Era of Peace And Destroyer of Darkness.

STARLIGHT STAR COOKIE, FORGOTTEN HERO OF FRIENDSHIP AND TITANIUM DRAGON COOKIE FORGOTTEN HERO OF COURAGE, THE TWO MIGHTY HEROS OF LEGACY WILL ONCE AGAIN GRACED THEIR PRESENCE ONCE AGAIN IN THE MORTAL REALM AND AGENTS OF LIGHT WILL PURIFY THE DARKNESS ONCE AND FOR ALL.

[arogaba]

Made a lady for @thepettymachine's A Different Kind of Jam Legacy!

Meet Irma Fletcher!

[faeriefrolic]

for the simblr ask game: 🐬

Ohh this is hard because there's so many good ts3 challenges out there!! A Different Kind of Jam challenge that I'm currently doing is really interesting (I cannot WAIT for gen 3 omfg murderous horse girl💅) but I also like the random legacy challenge! I want to try out the zodiac challenge, whimsy stories and I've been cooking up a tokyo mew mew based challenge that's been sitting in my drafts for a bit 👀

[new-royston-cursebreakers]

NRCB's Writeblr Intro!

Hey all! My name’s Rene and it’s about time I actually introduced myself, huh?

I’m a transgender, neurodivergent writer from the Metro-Detroit area. I love writing fantasy, slipstream, magical realism, and poetry, and I love reading those same genres (if your story has dragons, giants, and/or bug-based characters/races, hmu!) I tend to world build a lot, then pants a plot that takes place in that world. I’m always interested in being tagged in tag games, and if you’d like to be added to my tag list, please let me know!

You’ll find my stories chock full of:

queer relationships between men

rampant optimism

ridiculous concepts taken seriously

questions about religion, purpose, existence, etc.

character-specific motifs

dramatic irony

mild horror

My interests include:

writing, of course! Ooh, and editing!

video games (LoZ, Terraria, Bully, SDV, Subnautica, FF1, 6, and 9 just to name a few of my favorites!)

tarot

religious studies

roleplaying

beading

making playlists/moodboards/anything about my characters!

Stuff about WIPs under the cut!

The Curse of New Royston

Main tag - wip: tconr

Current status: editing. again

Within the borders of the town of New Royston, Connecticut, one’s net worth proportionally affects their physical size. Sometime in the early 2000s, high school sophomore Gio Violett, a 20-foot-tall giant recently recovering from a near-death experience, meets Cricket Collins, an 11-inch-tall freshman who’s been living on his own since his parents left town with the intent to save up enough money to bring him with them. Together, the two of them resolve to try to break the spell over New Royston, but a variety of adversaries, from supernatural forces to the town’s political machines, stand in their way.

Pitch

Comic Sans PowerPoint

TCoNR Tag Masterlist (links lead to their intros)

waterlogged curseling 🌊 (Gio)

held in darkness 🦗 (Cricket)

self-appointed guardian 🍓 (Fletcher)

fear-laden medium 📒 (Eneas)

avoidant sleuth 🪡 (Caelan)

remedy provider 🕯 (Auster)

of two worlds 🌸 (Cameron)

ice-eyed warden 👑 (Theodore)

boundless learner 📖 (Margaret)

regretful fugitive 🎓 (Lionel)

the kindest soul 🩸 (Darryl)

TCoNR Short Stories

Flowerbed (2000 words - Fletcher, in his hour of need, meets the heir to the Violett legacy)

Oracle of the Stained Glass Windows

Main tag - wip: ootsgw

Current status: on the back-burner

Kilroy, a pacifist hippalektryon, lives with his herd in the area around the Oracle, a great stone hall of unknown origin that magically shifts itself to create wondrous stained glass windows dyed with different types of magic. Kilroy himself is featured in one of these windows jamming his horn into the gut of some unknown, pitch-black creature. One day, an attempt from Kilroy to avoid his violent, prophesied fate goes wrong just as he runs straight into Mar, the creature from the window. Mar helps heal Kilroy’s injury and Kilroy, shocked by his would-be adversary’s kindness, vows to find a way to avoid their mutually-destructive destiny.

OotSGW Tag Masterlist

two-toned warhorse 🪽 (Kilroy)

wayward academic 💥 (Mar)

The Sun and the Craftsman 

You can read it @the-sun-and-the-craftsman!

Main tag - wip: tsatc 

Current status: working on first draft 

Darius had been one of many ordinary people pulled into Ashur’s world from his own—and at the nick of time. The portal had been his only way out from the law after exacting revenge on his parents’ murderer. But Ashur’s world wasn’t exactly a paradise either. 

Faced with the threat of being sent back to the exact moment of his capture, Darius must find a way to get along with the ruler of this world—a powerful, god-like entity with an affinity for scorching sunlight, an insatiable hunger, and a magical mastery over flesh. And Ashur, in turn, must find a way to co-exist with this stubborn human who joins the long line of mortals who have attempted to truly understand him.

TSatC Tag Masterlist 

sun-touched ☀️ (Ashur)

dual justice 🧥 (Darius)

stars below 🌠 (James)

Unnamed Time Traveler WIP

Main tag - wip: ttwip

Current status: working on first draft

Neor is a talented mage. Sent from her hometown of Dunevale to the continent's only Mages' Guild, she finds herself disillusioned at how segmented and rigid their structure seems to be. So when the greatest living mage, Archmage Sacha, says that magic doesn't have any clear borders like the Guild's, Neor jumps at the chance to follow and learn from her.

But a spell gone wrong—or right—ends up sending Neor to a distant and bleak age. Now, her only companion is Vultarne, a ruthless, violent mage who brought the world to its knees and would've killed Neor if her spell had not protected her. Now Neor has to figure out why she was able to cast this spell when Sacha couldn't, and what she can do to make this broken world a better place.

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Jeff Buckley: Grace (Legacy Edition) (Columbia)

Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, October 2004

Remastered version of the original 1994 album with second CD of outtakes/rarities and DVD of Grace vids and footage of Buckley in Bearsville, New York.

AS GRUNGE lay flailing in the rain of Seattle, the last thing anyone expected was a bona fide prodigy appearing, messiah-like, to save the day for passionate melodic intensity.

But that’s precisely what Jeff Buckley did ten years ago. The fact that his legacy has been a regrettable line of mewling Brit impostors (Coldplay, Keane and their kind) should not count against him.

On first hearing Grace’s title track, time stopped as one drank in the miracle of its beauty – a kind of unbearable ecstasy that recurred throughout his modest body of work, not least on the sorely under-appreciated Sketches for My Sweetheart, the Drunk.

Posturing and affected as Jeff could be, music oozed from his every pore. The sweet pain of ‘Grace’ and ‘Last Goodbye’ remains, in these soulless times, an aural elixir for all true rock romantics.

Ten years on and remastered, Grace sounds more swoopingly lyrical and breathlessly eclectic than ever. ‘Lilac Wine’ is soppy and the take on Britten’s ‘Corpus Christi Carol’ mannered, but the soaring assurance of the rest – Zep echoes, Asiatic strings, Leonard Cohen cover and all – belies the album’s short gestation.

Eclectic isn’t the half of the Legacy Edition’s second CD. Here we have Buckley the chameleon, having a stab at Hank Williams, Nina Simone, Alex Chilton – even the MC5’s ‘Kick Out the Jams’. It all sort of works too, complementing two versions of ‘Dream Brother’ and one of ‘Eternal Life’ – as well as ‘Forget Her’, a sorrowful near-classic and this set’s ‘You Know You’re Right’.

Finally we have a DVD featuring the four Grace videos, a new clip for ‘Forget Her’, and a doc on the making of the album – complete with footage of Buckley and band working on it at Bearsville’s Studio A.

"I’m an easily distracted person," Jeff admits as he wanders Bearsville’s back roads in Ernie Fritz’s footage. "So this is great."

It was great. And it produced some of the most thrilling music of our time.*

Buckley’s mum, Mary Guibert, on Grace ten years on

UNCUT: How long has this Legacy edition been in the works?

MG: The hardest part was locating all the material. Because besides the famous Bearsville sessions, there were additional sessions held in New York. There were many, many takes of some songs, and there were some songs where there was only one take. Most of it I listened to as early as 1998, so it’s really been six years in the making, in terms of knowing it was there and choosing not to release it. The idea of including ‘Forget Her’ and using ‘Alligator Wine’ and some of the other things that Jeff wouldn’t necessarily have chosen for an album.

Why was ‘Forget Her’ replaced on Grace?

Well, that song came to him at a time when he was breaking up from a very important relationship [with Rebecca Moore]. He ended up not wanting to sing it every night of his life. I think he thought it would be a song that he would grow to hate.

Because it was too painful?

Yeah... and because it was no longer true. In fact he and Rebecca reunited later. It took a while to kind of figure out that maybe the two of them had some more growing up to do. Plus the fact that Jeff was about to embark on a life that would tear apart any relationship. He felt that they were too young to embark on a life commitment at that time, and he didn’t want to hold her back. But then we had a meeting with [Sony chief] Don Ienner in January and I said, I think this is really the time to release the track. I mean, it was all over the internet anyway.

With the remastering of Grace, do you hear the album differently?

Oh, absolutely. When we took the two-inch master and played it in the studio with George Marino, we heard a very different album. They used a lot more compression back in the early ‘90s, and it homogenised the sound. There are strings on the album that you couldn’t really hear on the original mastered version.

Is it fair to say that Jeff had a good relationship with Andy Wallace? It seemed like Andy was an almost paternal figure for Jeff.

Quite, quite. He was the perfect person for that moment, because Jeff was all over the place. It was significant that Andy came back in to the picture after the Sweetheart sessions with Tom Verlaine didn’t quite work out. I can remember Jeff’s manager saying, ‘Are you sure you want Andy back in? Don’t you want the album to be free of the artificial patina of production?’ And Jeff said, ‘Don’t worry, I got a pair of Size 12 Doc Martens and I’ll stamp on his wrists if I don’t like what he’s doing!’

[thetrailofflames]

The Splinterclaws Culture

~Based on barbary lions and satyrs~

Values

The Bold and Brutish, these cats value Strength, Honor, Bravery, Mentorship.

Ranks

These cats value the authority of the high ranks very strongly. A commander, the guildlord, ranks the highest.

Who rest under is the General and Lieutenant. The General is charged with the battle and outer base alignment while the Lieutenant is charged with hunting and inter base alignment. A cleric is charged with all things healing of the guild and its members.

Veterans are retirees who have given service to their guild and have earned rest.

Calvary are the ones charged with the skill combat at the words of the general.

Drill Sergeants are ones charged with being the lords of the overseer over the entire guidance process of overseer and cadet.

Architects are the ones charged with crafting and various maintenance around the base.

Ventators are the ones in charge of the skilled hunts

Nurses are the ones charged with the care of the young of the guild

Rangers are cats of no specific path.

Succession

The decision of a general or lieutenant is almost exclusively up to the commander. They have the final say.

If a previous general or lieutenant retires, their voice is the loudest in who there replacement will be. 

There’s usually up to at least three candidates for either role.

Diet

Their dense forest is home to many things to consume such as Mice, Shrews, Squirrels, and various woodland birds, with the uncommon rabbit on occasion.

They also hunt and consume deer, nicely roasted. The varies berries are used for their jams, sauces, and soups.

In more scarce times, they often hunt snakes.

Trading

They are a very in demand guild due to their open access to antlers. However they also trade deer hides, feathers, tree sap and bark, and honey. 

Decoration

Cats will display their physical strength with the weapons of predators. The typical are fox or badger teeth.

Commanders, generals, and lieutenants cover themselves in paint to signify their rank at gatherings and in combat.

Body Traits

Broad shoulders.

Bulky.

Large paws

Antlers 

Hoofed back legs

Tufted ears, average size.

Spiky “lion like’ tails

Fluffy manes that are a different color than most of the body, can reach over their head and ears.

Thinner pelts so they don’t get caught in their dense forest territory.

They are the second tallest in the guilds.

Naming Traditions

Very typical with how they operate and strict minded, they’re naming system is a of a simple selection of their constant surroundings. Sucks as plants, prey, and trees.

However there is more room for varity over the many seasons since the founding such as fur textures and patterns and rarely the time of day.

They’re also a big fan of legacy naming. Typically, after a cat that’s already passed but cats tend to name their kits after their partners or overseers. 

Religion 

They aren’t the most devote of the guilds. Neutral mostly. 

Their patron is The Lion, Zineth and Nuvu.

Holy Days

Aren’t the most in tune when it comes to sacred days, but they are still present. 

Pretty neutral to Paka’s Light and Sirsha’s Gleam. Celebrates both however not to the extreme of their neighbors. 

Hava’s Grace - the time of bonding between the noble deer of the forest and the cats. This time where cadets get to meet the fawns and play games and watch the stags fight it out.

Brawls of Lika and Trila - the time when splinters really cut loose. Games of all kinds are held from three to seven days. 

Courting / Bonding Habits

These value strength above all else. Courting is no exception to this.

A mate is nothing if they aren’t if they don’t seem able to provide. Courting is typically initiated through a duel or a gift of a starling.  Arranged pairings aren’t too common.

Cats who’ve built a great deal of respect and trust naturally fall into a stable relationship.

Relationships typically happen later in life, so much so that it’s quite common for older cats to just start having a family.

Cats show their worth through battle and hunting.

Neutral to some encouragement with polyamory

Family Dynamics

Kits typically nurse past the expected time. To help increase bonds between mother and kit.

A father may not be around for the early days but a father is expected to show a decent bond with their kits. For a father to shun his young without reason, is to display weakness to his bloodline.

Death + Burial 

The body of the deceased is examined and cleaned by the clerics. The cats’ family and closest friends are allowed contact. 

After the mourning time, the seniors take the body to be buried, family members can go along if they wish. 

Other

They typically speak in a gruff and loud tone compared to the other guilds.

They have duels to settles disputes and slights. Public one’s are set in the middles of camp as while private ones are settled in The Pit. 

Nicknames are commonplace such as sapling, acorn, little thorn, seedling.

[spookyvalentine]

10, 12, 25, 32 (off your third shepard ama questions list) if you’re taking asks! 👀♥️

AHH YES I WILL!! and yes I'll do it off the fourth list ;) also im gonna to include truce too since I’m finishing this so so late I hope that’s ok!!

10. Favorite drinking buddy and why:

Mercy never met a homebrew they wouldn’t sample. like, oh shit you made it? yeah I’ll take a sip of that. They don’t drink much (that was their teen years), but they do want to taste something locally made. And mercy loves being someone’s drinking buddy. hell yes, sit next to me, gimme the DL. can always rely on them to be the dd and cover the bill. Didn’t get drunk on the sr1. On the occasions they do get close to shitfaced—well. mercy’s alone shut away somewhere. The ones that have a pass to drop by are Kasumi, Thane, Edi, Jack n Vega. (crime lord: wrex, kasumi. sports coach: vega, nihlus. white collar: samara, edi)

Stellan doesn’t want just a drinking buddy—they want a whole party! as many people as possible. On Mindoir, Stellan was raised in an artists farming commune that had large gatherings to celebrate a harvest and the gifts of the season—sharing fresh cheeses and bread, vegetables on the grill and fruit for smoking later, jars of jam and pickles and butter, honey wine and fruit beer. eating under the big tree. dancing and music around a bonfire, watching the sun (and for some, the moon, too) sink down into the lake. that being said they have a wine night or two doing some board games/group activity. oh you know their citadel party was just. spectacular. joyful

As for Truce? hmmm. Well since I’m still figuring them out their answers are gonna be shorter than mercy n stellans. First instinct? Joker. The two of em have a lot of shared history, even before me1

12. Where do their thoughts linger? The past, present, or future?

Mercy’s solidly in the present. the here and now. what counts is the time between each breath and what they’re gonna do with it. kasumi’s grandmama taught them and mercy’s kept up a regular yoga practice since akuze

Stellan is always looking to the future. thoughts skipping ahead, strategizing, making predictions… what is the next move? How to get there? there’s a reason Stellan was known as a galactic kepesh-yakshi talent first

Truce is hunted by their past in a way mercy n stellan’ve never had to suffer with. A legacy. fuck, a lineage. There’s a ghost already haunting their next footstep

25. Does Shepard dream of the starchild, or does it take a different form?

OKAY so I’m stupid and was a uhhhhh lil high when I wrote this list of questions, so I’m gonna articulate it a bit better n split it into two and maybe go edit the list: Who are they chasing after in their nightmares? Does the starchild/reaper take this form for the final confrontation?

So in Mercy’s nightmares, it starts out as strangers, acquaintances then loved ones revealed to be indoctrinated and consumed by reaper tech until barely recognizable. And inspired by @angstyastro’s big brained Isani idea that gripped me by the throat and hadn’t let up, is the starchild takes mercy’s image, flickering randomly between ages, from younger than they remember to older than they’ll ever be

Stellan’s first dream has the kid, Anderson and the alliance room they were in blasted to bits. They start having nightmares about the mindoir raid (they hadn’t had one in nearly seven years). And the starchild flits between all their siblings, many parents, grandparents and cousins. It hurts, makes them angry at first, but with the slurry of pain, concussion and adrenaline, it’s not too bad seeing their faces again

Ahhh I can’t come up with anything for Truce yet, I gotta rotate them some more

32. What kind of drunk is Shepard? Affectionate, weepy, belligerent…?

Mercy is… honest. They have opinions—in a way that others belatedly realize that until that moment, Shepard’s been holding them at arms length. And for all that mercy knows just every detail and decision that shaped their lives, and like, even after saving the entire galaxy together (twice!!!!), mercy rarely talks about themself. when they’re drugged with a psychedelic (a self-indulgent tropey abduction fic I’ll finish some some day), they are deeply affectionate and weepy

Stellan is a flirt. It’s so unexpected because hoo boy. The commander does not have game. after a pina colada though? Smooth criminal. Fetching blush all across the cheeks, their nose and ears pinking. Big velvet pupils, white teeth biting down on reddened lips. Clever timing, a charming laugh. Leans all up into your space. And with Shiala! Positively handsy. It’s a sight to behold for sure, of spritely little Stellan Shepard leaving tall beefy Shiala with a dropped jaw and a hot stare. Big dancer

Truce, I can’t decide if they go quiet or go out pickin fights

fifty (last) questions for commander shepard

[chorusfm]

Fenix TX – Fenix TX

The self-titled record from Fenix TX came with a number of firsts for the band. It was their first major label LP, the first record that they would release after re-branding from Riverfenix to Fenix TX, and their first real exposure to the mainstream of pop-punk that was beginning to blossom during the summer of 1999. Other pop-punk bands, like Blink-182, were getting major radio airplay and more audiences were being exposed to this genre of music. Fenix TX was produced by Jerry Finn, Ryan Greene, and Jim Barnes, and the band would continue to work with Finn on their equally successful Lechuza. This self-titled LP by the pop-punk band from Houston still sounds as charming, polished, and at moments a bit before its time. For every great track like “All My Fault” and “Flight 601 (All I Got Is Time),” there’s a goofy song like “Rooster Song” to show their audience that they were growing up and to not be taken too seriously. There’s plenty to love and enjoy on this LP that would provide plenty of clues of where Fenix TX would take their sound on subsequent releases. The album blasts off on the right foot with “Flight 601 (All I Got Is Time)” that features great dual-riffing from Damon DeLaPaz (guitar) and lead vocalist/guitarist Will Salazar, while the late Adam Lewis (bass) laid down a nice, pulsating bass line. Drummer Donnie Reyes showcases some nice restraint on the quieter parts of the song and understands when to kick into a new gear when the rhythm section explodes out of the bridge. “Minimum Wage” follows the smooth as silk opener with some sloppy punk rock that is reminiscent of other bands like NoFX, The Offspring, and even Blink-182. “Surf Song” is a perfect, windows down on a summer day kind of jam, that still stands the test of time to this day. ”All My Fault” gets a nice sheen/cosmetic makeover from the Riverfenix version of the song, that came out two years prior, and earns its place of one of the scene’s greatest pop-punk songs of all time. It’s a well-constructed jam that opens up with a simple riff, while later adding in different sections and parts to the track to make for an ultra-memorable single. Salazar sings on the chorus, “Tell me something that’s sure to break my heart / ’cause everything’s my fault / And I know I deserve to be alone / ’cause everything’s my fault,” and it’s easy to see why the band connected with so many audiences through their smooth delivery of music. The middle of the album features some playful titles like the slick pop-punk polish of “Jolly Green Dumbass,” the more abrasive side of the band in “G.B.O.H.”, and a riff-heavy track in “Ben.” Fenix TX showcase their great band chemistry and attention to detail on mid-tempo songs like “Speechless” and the Dude Ranch-esque punk of “Philosophy.” Other late standouts like “No Lie” features another memorable bass line from Adam Lewis, while the crowd favorite “Apple Pie Cowboy Toothpaste” is a ridiculous title for a song that has some troublesome lyrics with today’s ears on them. The closing duo of “Jean Claude Trans Am” and “Rooster Song” filled out the record with some more tongue-in-cheek lyrics paired with a great pop-punk sound that still rocks to this day. Fenix TX were not the most popular band in the Drive-Thru Records roster, but they certainly are one of the most adored by their fanbase. Seeing how many lives the band touched helps put a nice bow on the legacy they have left behind, and I hope that the family of Adam Lewis knows just how loved this band was to so many people, and that the band members are genuinely great people to be around. For now, let’s all give this album another spin to celebrate the life and legacy of not only Adam Lewis, but Fenix TX as a whole. --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/reviews/fenix-tx-fenix-tx/

[verbandsbuero1]

Lübeck Spots Shop: Find Extraordinary Things

Presentation:

Settled in the core of the beguiling city of Lübeck, Germany, the Lübeck Spots Shop remains as a demonstration of the rich social legacy and imagination that characterizes this notable city. Offering an organized choice of interesting things, this shop is a gold mine for local people and guests the same. In this article, we'll investigate the appeal of the Lübeck Spots Shop and the one of a kind things ready to be found inside its walls. Lübeck Places Shop: Einzigartige Artikel entdecken

The Quintessence of Lübeck:

Lübeck, with its middle age engineering, cobbled roads, and social importance, is a city that catches the hearts of the individuals who visit. The Lübeck Spots Shop reflects this substance, uniting an assortment of things that mirror the city's set of experiences, craftsmanship, and creative pizazz.

Handmade High quality Products: One of the champion highlights of the Lübeck Spots Shop is its obligation to displaying handmade distinctive merchandise. From privately made earthenware production and handwoven materials to unpredictably cut wooden things, each piece recounts an account of the gifted specialists and ladies who add to Lübeck's dynamic craftsman local area.

Exceptional Trinkets: Dissimilar to conventional gifts found in standard traveler shops, the Lübeck Spots Shop offers a scope of novel and nicely created keepsakes. Guests can bring back home a piece of Lübeck's beguile with things that mirror the city's notable milestones, social images, and verifiable importance.

Nearby Craftsmanship and Photography: The shop gladly includes an assortment of nearby craftsmanship and photography, catching the magnificence of Lübeck in different structures. Guests can peruse artistic creations, prints, and photos that grandstand the city's scenes, design, and day to day existence.

Connoisseur Pleasures: Lübeck's culinary legacy is very much addressed in the shop's determination of connoisseur delights. From privately created chocolates to high quality sticks and jam, food lovers can enjoy the kinds of Lübeck and bring a piece of its gastronomic culture back home.

Social and Verifiable Books: For those keen on digging further into the set of experiences and culture of Lübeck, the shop offers an organized assortment of books. Whether it's a verifiable novel set in the city or an educational aide about its milestones, these books give a scholarly excursion through Lübeck's at various times.

Coordinated efforts with Nearby Specialists: The Lübeck Spots Shop frequently teams up with nearby specialists, architects, and skilled workers to make restrictive things that are accessible just in the shop. These restricted version pieces add an additional layer of uniqueness to the shopping experience.

End:

The Lübeck Spots Shop is something other than a retail space; it is a festival of the city's personality and the gifted people who add to its social embroidery. Whether you're an occupant hoping to help nearby craftsmans or a guest looking for an unmistakable keepsake, the Lübeck Spots Shop welcomes you to find the enchantment of Lübeck through its cautiously arranged assortment. Step inside and drench yourself in the novel things that mirror the spirit of this captivating city.

[spotifycompair001]

Playlist Showdown: Comparing Spotify's Music Curation to the Competition

In the domain of music real time features, where a huge number of tunes are only a tick away, the significance of viable music curation couldn't possibly be more significant. The arranged playlists frequently act as the passage for clients to find new craftsmen, sorts, and tunes that impact them. Among the a large number in this field, Spotify stands tall as a trailblazer, eminent for its refined calculations and human-organized playlists. Nonetheless, the competition is savage, with stages like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Pandora competing for clients' focus. In this article, we'll dig into the universe of music curation, zeroing in on Spotify, and compare it with its competitors to perceive how it piles up.

Spotify's Curation Wizardry

Spotify's outcome in the music streaming industry can be credited to some extent to its extraordinary curation capacities. The stage utilizes a mix of AI calculations and human curation to fit playlists to individual preferences. One of Spotify com pair leader highlights is its customized playlists, for example, Find Week by week and Delivery Radar. These playlists influence information investigation to recommend tracks in view of clients' listening history, inclinations, and ways of behaving. This customized approach frequently prompts fortunate disclosures, where clients coincidentally find melodies they probably won't have viewed as in any case.

Additionally, Spotify brags a broad library arranged playlists taking special care of different mind-sets, exercises, and classes. Whether you're in the temperament for peppy exercise tracks, calming acoustic tunes, or nostalgic legacies, Spotify has a playlist for each event. The stage additionally teams up with powerful craftsmen, tastemakers, and brands to arrange elite playlists, further improving its list.

The Competition's Counterplay

While Spotify rules the music streaming scene, competitors like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Pandora offer compelling other options, each with its own one of a kind way to deal with music curation.

Apple Music, for example, underscores human curation through its "For You" segment, where editors handpick playlists and collections custom fitted to clients' inclinations. This organized methodology is especially obvious in Apple Music's lead playlists like "New Music Everyday" and "Fundamental Collections," which highlight a mix of well known hits and unlikely treasures.

Amazon Music adopts a marginally unique strategy by utilizing its huge environment and client information from Amazon Prime. The stage's customized playlists, fueled by Amazon's recommendation motor, intend to consistently incorporate music into clients' everyday schedules. Moreover, Amazon Music offers select elements like "Alexa, play something I haven't heard previously," taking care of clients looking for novel music encounters.

Pandora, known for its radio-style streaming, depends on its Music Genome Task — a complex calculation that examines melodies in view of many credits — to organize customized radio broadcasts. While Pandora comes up short on same degree of on-request access as Spotify or Apple Music, its attention on customized radio and disclosure situated highlights separates it in the jam-packed streaming scene.

Spotify.com Pair: A Flexible Curation Device

In the midst of the competition, Spotify keeps on improving, presenting highlights like "Spotify.com Pair" to upgrade the music curation experience. This component permits clients to pair their Spotify accounts with compatible gadgets, like brilliant speakers or televisions, empowering consistent control and curation of music playlists.

With Spotify.com Pair, clients can undoubtedly progress from their cell phones to bigger screens, keeping up with full command over their music playback and curation inclinations. Whether facilitating a get-together or unwinding at home, the capacity to pair Spotify with different gadgets improves the general listening experience, giving clients more prominent adaptability and comfort.

Besides, Spotify.com Pair works with cooperative playlist curation, permitting various clients to add to a common playlist progressively. This cooperative angle cultivates social communication and innovativeness, as loved ones can organize playlists together, adding their #1 tracks and finding new music cooperatively.

The Decision: Spotify Rules

In the skirmish of music curation, Spotify arises as the undisputed boss, because of its creative mix of AI calculations, human curation, and easy to use highlights like Spotify.com Pair. While competitors offer compelling other options, Spotify's broad library of arranged playlists, customized recommendations, and consistent coordination across gadgets put it aside from the rest.

At last, whether you're a relaxed audience looking for new music revelations or a no-nonsense fan with diverse preferences, Spotify's comprehensive curation capacities pursue it the go-to decision for a large number of music darlings around the world.

In conclusion, as the streaming conflicts keep on unfurling, Spotify stays at the front, setting the norm for music curation and altering the manner in which we find, investigate, and appreciate music in the advanced age.

[motorfestgames2023]

The Crew Motorfest: A Unique Spin on Racing Games for PS5

As soon as they dive into "The Crew Motorfest," one might lowkey think they accidentally started the latest "Forza Horizon" chapter. The vibes between "Motorfest" and that Microsoft racing game are already hella obvious in the kind of interactive prologue. Switchin' between various rides, sometimes hittin' the regular roads, and other times going off-road, gives off some serious déjà vu. But you know, "The Crew Motorfest" ain't just a straight-up copy of "Forza Horizon." The peeps at Ivory Tower added some unique twists that set their new jam apart from the OG source, making it a fantastic choice if you're looking to buy PS5 games.

Island Racing Adventures: A Playlist Journey

The playlists take you on a ride from one race to the next, letting you explore the whole island. "Hawaii Scenic Tour" is like a chill starting point, with long races to help you get the lay of the land. It's all relaxed, not super competitive, and helps you get the feel of the island. "Made in Japan" is a bit of a mixtape, showing off modern Japanese cars and throwing you into some drifting, drag racing, and more. "American Muscle" blends off-road with street action, and then there's some super-specific love for car brands, like "A Porsche Story: 911 Legacy." Each playlist takes you on a unique journey, with commentary fillin' you in on those cars' histories. One even showcases the Japanese custom shop Liberty Walk, with real-life footage to keep it real. There's a more playful playlist where you take on challenges for Donut Media, an online car geek crew. You get to 'pick a side' in car showdowns and riff on their most popular show segments. Oh, and the playlists have their vibes, too. The "Made in Japan" playlist has that neon, fire-breathing dragons, and Japanese style that turns the city into a super-slick Tokyo. Donut's got a bunch of goofy parade floats like donuts everywhere. And "American Muscle" is all about the stars and stripes, complete with fireworks. It's dope how each playlist makes the island look different even though it's the same spot, you feel? By the way, if you ever want to enhance your gaming experience, you might want to consider checking out where to buy PS5 games.

The Crew Motorfest: Racing Through Thrills and Challenges

There's also plenty of online action, including weekly challenges, and other modes like Grand Races, where you battle it out with 27 other players on a massive track, switching between rides and chasing ever-changing checkpoints. It's also lit just cruisin' around the island with the squad and smashing out playlists together. Motorfest nails makin' online play super easy to jump into, with no drama. And hey, if you're lookin' for a chill road trip, gas up, let's roll, and maybe even pick up some new PS5 games along the way.

The Crew Motorfest is a big step up for the series, but it's kind of sad that it can't shake off those "Forza Horizon" vibes. Still, this is a seriously fun racer with tons of stuff to do in the game and more on the horizon, whether you're playing online or not. Even though it might seem alike on the surface, Motorfest is still the GOAT when it comes to wild gameplay that switches up rides on the fly.

[mentoslol]

—ABOUT ME!!

call me mentos or sadie (real name) whatever is fine

i use any pronouns but i tend to stick with she/her/they/them

im from the US but the goal for the future is to travel and probably live in other countries

i speak english and spanish (basic) and im teaching myself korean

i love to read all different kinds of genres and formats

im an artist and (hopefully) im going to college for graphic design in the future

90% of the time i have my headphones on and am listening to music, right now mainly kpop and krnb but i listen to pretty much everything and my spotify wrapped is insane every year

I love video games especially the sims franchise, but some other favs rn are stardew valley, hogwarts legacy, and roblox

—ARTISTS IM REALLY INTO RIGHT NOW!!

shinee, taemin, key, onew, jonghyun, minho, ateez, aespa, nct dream, nct 127, nct u, wayv, seventeen, wave to earth, dpr ian, mokyo, joji, sade, lauryn hill, frank ocean, bad omens, tame impala, twenty one pilots, rihanna, red hot chili peppers, pearl jam, muse, blur, radiohead, deftones, the smashing pumpkins, gwen stefani, djo, fleetwood mac, her’s, lady gaga, shakira

—ABOUT THE BLOG!!

i will post literally anything i find interesting

i also use this to let out some of the crazy when i get excited about something (adhd)

mainly i repost fanfics, sims 4 content, sims 4 cc, sims 4 gameplay, art, movie/tv content, social issues, or art

Behave.

—THE END!!

feel free to send asks or pm me about anything,,, i just can’t guarantee that it’ll get responded to immediately bc i have attention problems and im perpetually busy lol

[quotesfrommyreading]

And that brings us to today. The first thing to understand is: We are in a better place than we were during the Cold War in many ways. During the Cold War, we had tens of thousands of weapons pointed at each other. Now by treaty, the United States and the Russian Federation each have about 1,500 nuclear weapons deployed and ready to go. Now, that’s a lot of nuclear weapons, but 1,500 is a lot better than 30,000 or 40,000.

Nonetheless, we are dealing with a much more dangerous Russian regime with this mafia state led by Vladimir Putin.

Putin is a mafia boss. There is no one to stop him from doing whatever he wants. And he has really convinced himself that he is some kind of great world historical figure who is going to reestablish this Christian Slavic empire throughout the former Soviet Union and remnants of the old Russian empire. And that makes him uniquely dangerous.

People might wonder why Putin is even bothering with nuclear threats, because we’ve always thought of Russia as this giant conventional power because that’s the legacy of the Cold War. We were outnumbered. NATO at the time was only 16 countries. We were totally outnumbered by the Soviets and the Warsaw Pact in everything—men, tanks, artillery—and of course, the only way we could have repulsed an attack by the Soviet Union into Europe would’ve been to use nuclear weapons.

I know earlier I mentioned the movie Octopussy. We’ve come a long way from the days when that mad Russian general could say, If only we got rid of nuclear weapons and NATO’s nuclear weapons, we could roll our tanks from Czechoslovakia to Poland through Germany and on into France.

What people need to understand is that Russia is now the weaker conventional power. The Russians are now the ones saying, Listen, if things go really badly for us and we’re losing, we reserve the right to use nuclear weapons. The difference between Russia now and NATO then is: NATO was threatening these nuclear weapons if they were invaded and they were being just rolled over by Soviet tanks on their way to the English channel. The Russians today are saying, We started this war, and if it goes badly for us, we reserve the right to use nuclear weapons to get ourselves out of a jam.

This conventional weakness is actually what makes them more dangerous, because they’re now continually being humiliated in the field. And a country that had gotten by by convincing people that they were a great conventional power, that they had a lot of conventional capability, they’re being revealed now as a hollow power. They can’t even defeat a country a third of their own size.

And so when they’re running out of options, you can understand at that point where Putin says, Well, the only way to scramble the deck and to get a do-over here is to use some small nuclear weapon in that area to kind of sober everybody up and shock them into coming to the table or giving me what I want.

Now, I think that would be incredibly stupid. And I think a lot of people around the world, including China and other countries, have told Putin that would be a really bad idea. But I think one thing we’ve learned from this war is that Putin is a really lousy strategist who takes dumb chances because he’s just not very competent.

And that comes back to the Cold War lesson—that you don’t worry about someone starting World War III as much as you worry about bumbling into World War III because of a bunch of really dumb decisions by people who thought they were doing something smart and didn’t understand that they were actually doing something really dangerous.

  —  Radio Atlantic: This Is Not Your Parents’ Cold War