#Jordan's mood board took like three days to make even though I had a very clear image of what I wanted

[bigirlsdontc5y]

My thoughts on Marie, Jordan, & Halloween

If they don't do a couples costume...

Jordan is definitely the type to pretend they’re chill about Halloween when they’re absolutely not. If someone asks about their costume beforehand, they’re like, “I’m not going.”

Spoiler Alert: They go.

When (not if) they go out, their costume is most likely a character from an iconic video game or action movie. I can see them as Lara Croft, which is a great choice, because the costume is super slutty in both forms. Or they show up in a yellow tracksuit with black stripes on the sides, and when people inevitably say, "Oh, you're the bride?"

They’re like, "No, I'm Bruce Lee in Game of Death 🤨"

They chose their costume, specifically, to throw people off. It's a fun little game they play. But Marie guesses correctly on the first try, and Jordan is a little annoyed for the rest of the night.

Anyway, Jordan wins the costume contest with a costume they started working on at 9 pm the night before.

Marie, on the other hand, is 100% a last minute costume person. The only reason she’s dressed up is because Emma asked her to. And by dressed up, I mean she bought a cat ear headband from Walgreens for 5 dollars on her way to the event. Emma is going as a sexy mouse or Alice (of Alice in Wonderland), so they technically match. Just one person put effort into their costume, and the other person still has the tags on theirs.

If they do a couples costume...

I had a lot of different ideas when I was theorizing this. At first, I wanted Marie as Claudia from IWTV(2022). I feel like Marie would find a lot of comfort in her character. Claudia, like Marie, did not get to experience girlhood in the same way as her peers. Choices they could not make for themselves took it from them. Marie was given compound v as a baby, and they turned Claudia while she was unconcious. Both instances made them into something their family members were disturbed/afraid of. (This is me advocating that someone get to work on a Claudia & Marie edit.) But I eventually decided I wanted to do a couple's costume, and Claudia does not work with that.

Because I was still very attracted to the idea of Marie as a vampire, I stuck with it. I wanted to do something with classical monsters because the tropes they come with have so much fascinating symbolism.

Vampire novels, to me, are about hidden desires. Vampires are creatures that take what they want when they want it. Usually, it's an analogy for general hedonism, queerness, sex, gender ambiguity, etc, etc. The main character of a vampire novel is often disturbed by their desires, needs, and inability to control when they engage with those needs.

Jordan and Marie feel a certain amount of insecurity and discomfort around their powers. There was a time when Jordan didn't shift unless necessary, and Marie believes her powers make her a danger to society. Their discomfort harms them more than helps them because their powers are a part of their identity. Those characteristics make them conceptually aligned with the vampire.

Another choice, in line with the theme of identity and uncontrollable compulsions, was Maren and Lee from Bones and All.  But I felt like Lee wasn’t a character that Jordan would be interested in embodying.

Eventually, I settled on Marie being a vampire and Jordan being a werewolf. Werewolves share a lot of themes with vampires, but there’s one key difference. Werewolves explore ideas around transformation. Sometimes, their transformation is permanent, but usually, the werewolf is in constant movement between being a werewolf and being human.

Werewolves are about a fear of the true self. It’s the idea that being free and exploring things outside the mainstream will hurt other people. Being different from the masses makes you a danger to society. This story is preached to a werewolf so often that they believe it themselves. They take desperate measures not to shift. Even though said measures harm them.  A werewolf is depicted as being in constant emotional turmoil because they’re not “strong enough” to prioritize the needs of their community over themselves.

The werewolf's experience mirrors Jordan's experience. Their parents, ex-partners, and Vought tell them their identity is too confusing. That their identity is hurting their relationships. And that their identity is hurting their career. They tell Jordan that if they just stayed a boy, their life would be better. But Jordan knows staying a boy would be a disservice to themselves and their happiness.

Jordan putting on the costume of a werewolf is their form of reclamation. They take it on as a symbol of what they used to be (afraid of themselves) and contort it to their current feelings of who they are. Jordan’s Werewolf is about being yourself, being free, and making your own decisions.

The couple's costume Is 100% Jordan's brainchild, and Marie just agreed to go along with it. They go as a nerdy vampire and a werewolf jock. Their costumes are a fun twist on 1950s youth culture. While they’re visually mainstream, taking on the role of a monster separates them from it. The 1950s was a time when the policing of gender and sexuality was at an all-time high. Playing these characters for Halloween is a fun, transgressive experiment.

With that, I’ll walk you through each mood board and explain some of my aesthetic choices.

Marie’s preppy vampire has claw-like nails. Her teeth are sharp and uncomfortably white. She wears a neutral-colored button-up with a knit vest pulled over it. On her feet are a pair of unstylish black oxfords and fuzzy red socks. To keep her hair out of her face, she dons a ribbon or headband. A pleated skirt and leather belt tuck in her top. Blood paints her face.

The costume includes a brooch. Which is in reference to the 1950s youth culture practice  of “getting pinned”. It implies that Jordan’s Werewolf and Marie’s Vampire are dating. I chose a pin that incorporated pearl with Jordan’s Frankenstein pearl necklace in mind. So it’s less of a pin and more that she has a piece of Jordan attached to her knit vest.

In her hand, Marie holds her school books, which she ties together with a brown leather strap. The book strap calls back to an era before backpacks were popular. It solidifies the time and place of her costume.

Jordan's werewolf has recently gotten into a fight. The skin around their stark yellow eyes is a dark, discolored purple, and there's a gash across their nose. Blood drenches the front of their crisp white shirt. They styled their hair after jocks of the 50s. By that, I mean (too much) gel helps to form perfectly placed curls .

For their ears, they have prosthetics that make them appear larger than they are. The ears add an extra amount of scruff to the otherwise clean-shaven look.

On their neck, Jordan has two bite marks. The implication is that the marks are from their vampiric girlfriend, Marie. I decided to include this aspect in their costume because I get the vibe that Jordan is the sort of person who engages in PDA. They like people to know Marie is their girlfriend, and the faux bite marks are a new way for them to do it.

I heavily considered having Jordan wear their signature bomber instead of a letterman. But if I went that route, it wouldn't be of a costume. So, Jordan is sporting a blue letterman jacket to solidify their werewolf's role as a jock.

(Bonus - Cate is a siren, Sam is Chucky, and Andre is a loser.)

Happy Halloween,

bigirlsdontg5y

[hookingminor]

the way that you love me - anthony beauvillier

a/n: inspired by pov by ariana, a lot of it is from tito’s perspective. lightly edited. all fluff. thank you @thirteenisles​ for telling me to write for tito

word count: 2.5k

summary: anthony’s been in love with you for a long time

-

Anthony was in love with you.

He knew it from the moment he met you that he was done for. There really wasn’t anything inherently special about you, which probably wasn’t the nicest thing to say, but it was true. But when you smiled at him for the first time and extended your hand in introduction, something inside of him shifted.

It was subtle, almost imperceptible, and he didn’t even register it at first, but then he shook your hand and a calm settled over him. Anthony didn’t understand what it meant then, but he understood it now.

It was the same feeling he felt right now as he watched you sleep next to him your hair strewn across the pillow and mouth slightly agape. Soft snores escaped your lips, though you always denied it when he told you. It bothered him a bit at the beginning, the snores used to keep him awake during late nights when he had early morning practice. Now he couldn’t sleep without you, snoring and all.

You looked so peaceful lying beside him. With one hand lightly holding onto his bicep, his heart fluttered. It was something you always did when you were asleep: reach out until you grabbed some body part.

When he came home late at night from road trips across the country and settled into bed, you never failed to do the same thing. You were a notoriously heavy sleeper, but whenever Anthony slid under the sheets, you swatted in his direction until you came into contact with him. Whatever you hit, you grabbed onto before rolling over and crawling as close to him as possible.

The first time it happened, all Anthony could do was laugh. He thought you might’ve been awake and that his return woke you, but when he didn’t see your breathing change or eyes flicker open, his chest had gotten so tight he was afraid it would burst.

An overwhelming softness consumed him at that, and it hit him with full force every time it happened. It was the little things. You never realized you did it, nor did he ever tell you.

“Stop staring, weirdo,” you peeked one eye open and caught Anthony looking at you.

Anthony coughed out the stiffness in his throat before replying.

“I can’t help it,” he chuckled, hoping you couldn’t see through him and how vulnerable he was feeling right now, “You’re so beautiful in the morning.”

Whatever Anthony was afraid of you seeing, you didn’t because you rolled your eyes.

-

“Can you make me some tea, please?” You called out to your boyfriend who was rummaging through the kitchen.

“Yeah, give me a minute,” he hollered back, and you heard the coffee machine running to dispense hot water.

Anthony reached over your shoulder from behind to place the mug on the table next to your textbooks. He paused halfway through his retreat to rest his hand on your shoulder and gave you a soft kiss on top of your head.

“Baby, you have three other mugs in front of you,” Anthony said, noticing the half-filled mugs in front of you.

You shrugged, “It tastes better when you make it.”

Anthony left you to continue your studies, but your statement replayed in his mind as he went into the living room and turned on whatever game was playing at the moment. You’d said it without hesitation, and Anthony doubted you even processed what you said.

It was all he could think about.

Later that night when he went to clear the table after you’d disappeared to take a shower, he saw that the only mug that was empty was the one he’d made for you earlier.

He noticed everything after that. Every morning before you left, there was always a mug semi-filled with coffee or tea resting on the counter that you’d made before going to class. Every evening when he made you a cup of tea before bed, you drank every drop.

Intrinsically, Anthony knew he didn’t make tea any better than the next person, but it never failed to brighten his mood every time he woke up and saw the empty tea mug from the night before sitting on the nightstand.

-

Anthony knew you had your doubts sometimes. Not about him. Never about him.

But he knew you had insecurities. About your relationship, about yourself and the need you had to compare yourself to other girls, about why Anthony was even with you to begin with.

None that you ever voiced them with him, but he could tell when you began to pull away and close yourself off from him. He never understood why or what caused it, but he could always read the signs leading up to it.

Anthony also knew how to snap you out of it. The first time it happened, he feared you were going to break up with him, but now he was practically a professional.

“What are your plans for the night? Are you still going out with the guys?”

You had been unusually quiet during dinner, and now you were hand washing the dishes instead of just putting them in the dishwasher; a telltale sign you were thinking too much and needed a mundane task to clear your head.

Approaching you from behind, Anthony wrapped his arms around your abdomen and nuzzled his face into your neck.

“Actually, I was thinking we should stay in for the night,” the words sounded muffled against your skin, and the vibrations tickled, which only caused Anthony to squeeze you tighter.

“Oh?” You questioned, unable to stop the smile tugging at your lips.

“Mhmm,” he hummed as he reached forward to turn off the sink, “I can’t neglect my girl right before leaving for a road trip.”

“You’re not leaving for another two days.”

“Then we’ve got less time than I thought,” Anthony said with fake realization, “Better get started now.”

You squealed in surprise as Anthony spun you around and hiked you up by your thighs. He had no care for the wet hands clutching onto his shoulders as you steadied yourself. Leaving the dirty dishes to be dealt with later, he carried you from the kitchen and into the bedroom where he spent all night showing you just how much he loved you.

-

“How’s Y/N doing?” Mat asked Anthony when they boarded the plane, “Tell her I say hi.”  He’d plopped down next to Anthony who was sending you one final text before take off, and Mat knew that love struck face anywhere. It was a face he only reserved for you, and Mat didn’t have to look at his phone to know Anthony was texting you.

“She’s doing well,” Anthony answered, firing off an ‘I love you’ before locking his phone.

“Yeah? You guys are still coming to the wedding next month, right?” Mat asked. One of their teammates was finally tying the knot, and Anthony knew Mat was only asking so he didn’t have to be the only single one there. He would still be the only single one, but Mat always inserted himself into yours and Anthony’s relationship whenever he had to third wheel.

“Yeah, we’ll be there,” Anthony replied with an eye roll as he checked his phone one last time to see you’d replied with an ‘I love you too’ before switching it to airplane mode.

“God, it’s just a matter of time before you two are getting hitched and I’m left all alone,” Mat sighed before pulling an eye mask over his head and putting in his headphones.

Mat made the comment in passing; he didn’t understand the weight of what he’d just said, and he was already brushing it off and leaving Anthony to sit and think about it.

Maybe Anthony should’ve felt panicked after the realization hit, but all he felt was that same sense of calm wash over him. He’d never given much thought to his future. He definitely didn’t plan on ending things with you and when he pictured himself in five years, you were always there beside him but he’d never made definitive plans.

Mat began dozing off as the plane took flight, but Anthony was wide awake. He knew he wanted to marry you, he was sure about that. There was no doubt in his mind that you were the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but the feeling was all-consuming.

He was happy, yes. Calm in a way he’d never felt before but also nervous. It wasn’t something you two had ever talked about, and for the first time, Anthony was insecure. He imagined it’s what you felt like when you started pushing away, and he finally understood.

Would you even want to get married? Did you want a life with him? Kids? A picket fence? The whole nine-yards?

Anthony knew he would give you anything you wanted, but the question was: Did you want him to?

-

As you flitted around the party, Anthony watched you with intent eyes. The girls had stolen you away earlier in the evening demanding pictures and that you mingle with them instead of hanging onto Anthony the entire night, not that Anthony minded that. He very much preferred when you were near him, if only to stop the chirps he was receiving.

“God, you’re such a lost puppy without her,” Jordan commented, snapping Anthony from his stupor as his gaze flickered back to his friends. Anthony blushed, knowing the comment was directed at him, but he had no comeback.

“Ease off, he’s just imagining his own wedding now,” Matt teased with a knowing look. Nearly all the guys had been there before, and Anthony knew they meant it in good fun.

“Popping the question any time soon, Beau?” Scott asked as he took a swig of his beer. Being the most recent one to get married, he understood the feeling probably better than the other married guys.

“Not soon but thinking about it,” Anthony admitted sheepishly. He wasn’t one to talk about his feelings with the guys. Sure, he went to one of the older ones if he ever needed advice, but those times were few and far between. By the raised brows of everyone near him, he could tell they were shocked with his admission. Happy, nonetheless, but still surprised.

Anthony had started thinking about it during the road trip when Mat had unknowingly dropped that bomb on him. He thought about it constantly, but he still hadn’t brought it up to you yet.

“Really? Good for you, dude,” Jordan said, and suddenly Anthony felt shy.

He couldn’t help it, his eyes shifted back to find you in the middle of conversation with Sydney as you snapped some pictures for other girls. You were glowing. You always glowed to Anthony, and maybe it was the wedding atmosphere, but right now, it was like you had a halo surrounding you.

Your face lit up at something someone said, and even though you were across the room, he could hear your laughter in his head.

The other guys exchanged a few glances between themselves as Anthony’s attention was stolen again by you. They couldn’t really blame him, they’d all been in his shoes at some point.

As the night dragged on and the drinks flowed freely, Anthony absorbed all of it: the soft voice you used when talking to the young kids who begged you to play with them, the way you clutched onto his arm when you made your rounds and mingled with other guests, the atrocious line dancing you did with Mat since Anthony refused to cotton-eye joe.

“Come on,” you said out of breath as you extended your hand to Anthony. You were tired from the long dance and a slower one had come on right after, “Just one dance.”

With a heavy sigh, Anthony took your hand as you led him to the dance floor for a slow dance. Your face was warm for the exertion and alcohol, and even a little sweaty and smudged, Anthony thought you were gorgeous.

His hands fell to your waist as yours wrapped around his neck, and he pulled your body flushed with his. You swayed to the music and rested your head on his chest.

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” Anthony mumbled against your hair. Although unprompted, it wasn’t unwelcome.

“Oh yeah? Why is that?” You asked, pulling back to look at your boyfriend. It wasn’t normally like Anthony to be this soft, especially in public, but the wedding had only enhanced his good mood.

“Because I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful you are and how much I’m in love with you.”

He said it so simply and casually, as if he were recounting his favorite part of dinner instead of baring his heart for you to see. Your teasing smile softened into one of appreciation.

“Who knew weddings could turn you into such a sap, Beauvis?” you joked lightly, though you pulled yourself closer to him. It was that same stupid nickname Mat had called him one time, and you frequently used it much to Anthony’s dismay.

He tightened his grip on you as he returned your warm smile, and he could see it all right then: his entire life laid out ahead of him with you in the center of it all. Truth be told, Anthony was a sap for you, had been for a long time and you knew it.

“I want a winter wedding, too,” you commented easily after a moment, and Anthony felt his heart rate speed up.

“And if I want a summer wedding?” He threw back, though the smile on his face indicated he was only teasing.

“Hmm…” you paused to ponder the thought, “I think we might have to compromise on a fall wedding then. Summer is too hot for me.”

“Fall sounds nice,” Anthony mused, “A little difficult with the season, but we can make it work if you want.”

“As long as you’re there, I don’t really care when it is,” you replied, and Anthony found himself thinking the same thing.

He didn’t respond after that, deciding to let the music engulf the two of you as you continued to sway. Another slow song followed right after, but Anthony made no motion to leave. He would’ve stayed there all night if you wanted if it weren’t for Mat disrupting your dance and asking to cut in.

Anthony let him take over without hesitation as he didn’t really care much for dancing anyway, but he walked back to your table feeling lighter than he had ever felt in his life.

Unable to stop himself, he pulled out his phone as he watched you and Mat laugh on the dance floor, the song changing to a more upbeat one. Mat spun you away in a dramatic twirl that almost sent you stumbling had it not been for Mat’s hold on your hand.

Anthony smiled to himself as he opened Google to search for engagement rings.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Mint Field Interview: Return to the Light

Photo by Adrianna Tangassi

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Take a look at the cover for Mint Field’s debut album Pasar de las Luces: two eyes, everything else obscured by black. It’s about how much the then duo of Estrella del Sol Sánchez and Amor Amezcua let you in, creating mere moods with instrumental expanse, letting whatever image the music conjures up to the listener. Then, look at the cover for their recent EP Mientras Esperas: a photo by photographer Adrianna Tangasi, taken by a lake in San Diego, reveals much more even if from afar: the now trio, including touring bassist Sebastian Neyra. Likewise, the music, including its composition and structure, is much more clear, despite increased levels of distortion. The message resonates: This is the new Mint Field.

The Tijuana-based band--a mix of shoegaze, dream pop, and krautrock--has seen tremendous growth over the past few years. When they were recording their debut, Sánchez and Amezcua had barely picked up their instruments. They slowly learned to play as they toured, and the songs on Mientras Esperas originated from soundchecks and were written last year between tours, recorded in mid-October in Los Angeles. As radically different as it sounds from Pasar de las Luces, according to the band, Mientras Esperas is a mere transition; they already have demos for their next album, which they’re hoping to record this summer and release either later this year or early next year.

I spoke to the band from Mexico City, the day before they played the 10th anniversary of Festival NRML. They’re about to embark on an East Coast and Midwest tour with California indie band Film School, which includes a stop at the Empty Bottle on Sunday. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: Is the title of Mientras Esperas (“while you were waiting”) a reference to something like, “While you’re waiting, here’s something between the debut and the next album”?

Estrella del Sol Sánchez: Yeah, it could be something like that. But I also think it’s a reference to waiting for something to happen. It could be music, it could be anything.

SILY: When did you realize you wanted to make Sebastian a permanent part of the band?

ES: He was playing with us since May of 2017, and it was just very natural. We just started touring at that time in Mexico. Last year, we were touring a lot, so we were playing almost every day. With him, we have a special connection playing. We were like, “Yeah, of course, why not.” He’s an amazing bass player and musician. He was a very nice contribution to the band.

SILY: What exactly do you think he brings that’s different than you had before?

ES: Amor and I taught ourselves how to play. We never took lessons. At the beginning, we were just figuring out how to play instruments. He has a more clear idea on how to settle down songs. He’s a very good musician. He knows how to take the song to another level. I feel like sometimes that’s what you need. It’s not that you can’t do it, you just need someone to push you to do better things. He was that person.

SILY: When I read that you had just recently learned how to play your instruments, I was amazed. Pasar de las Luces definitely doesn’t sound like that. It is very aesthetically definitive, though, and Mientras Esperas is more varied.

ES: I think the EP is supposed to be like that. I feel like it’s this step to get to the next record.

Amor Amezcua: It’s like a new phase in us. We want to experiment with new sounds we’ve learned. This EP, we wanted to do a transition to the next LP we’re gonna release. We already have songs to the new album.

SILY: A song like “Jardin de la Paz” sounds like it could be on the first album, but “Ella Se Queda” has much more of a groove and is much more fuzzy and rock-oriented than anything on the first album. And “Vamos Rapido” is very folky.

ES: I think it’s important to say that most of these songs, especially the first two, were made during soundcheck. They reflect how we sound live. I think Pasar de las Luces is a very studio album. To be honest, I don’t think it sounds like that live. It has a lot of layers and is spacey and ambient. This EP is very live.

SILY: What’s the inspiration behind the album art of Mientras Esperas?

AA: We wanted to of course face it, that this is the new face of Mint Field, so we thought it would be important to appear on the cover. “This is the three of us, and this is how we sound.” It’s something we haven’t done, and we didn’t grow up doing that. Especially me, I don’t always feel super comfortable with pictures. The girl who took these pictures is a long friend of mine, and I’ve always thought she’s a very good photographer. She has a very different style than the picture of the EP, but she’s very good. I asked her if she could take the pictures, and she was like, “Yeah of course.” We told her we wanted black and white and a little bit of a nostalgic feeling on the pictures, and she was like, “Okay, yeah.” It turned out very nice. We’re all very happy with the cover. The point is that we were facing what we are and the new us in the cover.

SILY: Have you played the new songs live before?

AA: We’ve played some of the songs on the past European tour. We had a tour with the band Ulrika Spacek in the U.S., and we also played those songs there. We played these songs before recording them live, so we needed to play them more live to figure out how to record them.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

AA: I’ve been listening to Mexican bands. These bands who are going to play NRMAL tomorrow. El Shirota. There’s another girl from Panama who is a mix of a lot of countries. Her name is Michelle Blades, and she’s also very good. I’ve been very excited for NRMAL, so I’ve been listening to who we’re going to see tomorrow. I’ve been listening to Massive Attack, also. Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin.

[towering-peach-blog]

Sea Breeze Bazaar Report

23rd Sun of the 1st Astral Moon

Maelstrom Command: Mist

From: Storm Private Towering Peach

To: Storm Commander Sylbfohc Ostulmsyn, 1st Squadron, 9th Levy

Subj.: After Action Report Sea Breeze Bazaar Guard / Watch Duty Detail

In attendance were Captain Jordan Kennedy, Sergeant Dishel Dinwell, Corporal Mandrag Ganon, and myself. The group arrived at Moraby Dry Docks on foot by the 17th bell on the 22nd Sun, the official starting time of the bazaar. I must confess that I was caught up in prior issues that drew my attention for longer than I thought it would, forcing me to arrive a bell after the event had started. As I arrived, it was a cloudy and overcast stricken eve, though the patrons of the bazaar had not let the weather bring down their mood for the event. I was greeted by Cpl. Ganon before taking my place of standing guard at the bazaar several ulms away from the other guards. The formation was akin to an open box, with only one way in and almost no chance of escape should any person attempt to flee after being caught in the middle of a crime. Each person would stray from position from time to time in order to cover more ground when standing guard as well as appearing to be doing their absolute best to make the bazaar a safe place.

Overall, the guard duty went well, with each officer encouraging and promoting a welcome and safe atmosphere for the merchants and customers like to participate in the event. Civilians came up with questions regarding stalls, directions and the like, each member of the Maelstrom answer every question given to them, or at the very least, directing the civilian towards a member of the event organizers that could help.

Trouble began to present itself in the shape of two hyur, one male and one female, having a fight between the baked goods and general goods stalls at the 19th bell. While not too physical, the female midlander, average height and of a slender build with dark blue hair, was seemingly being held against her will, with her wrist being grasped. The male highlander, muscular and well built with dark brown hair, held the woman in his hand and was causing reason for bystanders to inform me of their fight during a brief conversation with Sgt. Dinwell. I broke the fight apart without physically touching the two, and asked both of them the reason for the scene in front of event-goers. While no explicit reason was given by either party, the two insisted that they were “very good friends” and would occasionally pester one another during the brief interview. The two also seemed quite anxious and afraid of me during my time spent talking with them, with several answers being interrupted by swift shin kicks or flicks to the nose by the opposite party. When asked for names, the female gave the name “Lila Swift” while the male called him “Clyde”. Seeing no reason to stall either of the two, as well as to not cause worry for the patrons, I thanked them both for their time and warned them to not engage if physical violence, even if just it was playful teasing, for the sake of the environment and people around them. They both complied and walked away into the crowd. Upon returning to my position, I spoke to all three Maelstrom officers and warned them to keep an eye on the two. The night remained uneventful as Cpl. Ganon retired from his shift, leaving us three to our own devices

No further trouble came until several moments before the 21st bell, the closing time of the bazaar. Sgt. Dinwell contacted Cpt. Kennedy and myself through the linkpearl about a situation by the docks. The two of us ran towards Sgt. Dinwell’s position near a lone boat by the dock with a small group of people getting ready to board had it not been for the miqo’te. I was shocked to find the two hyur from before present and brandishing weapons, "Lila” wielded a weapon that of a thaumaturge while “Clyde” came equipped with a greataxe. The two were joined by two new hyur, one of which who was just simply referred to as “Captain” and an unnamed archer. The group was holding a male keeper miqo’te hostage, bound by his hands, near the water’s edge on the pier. When Cpt. Kennedy arrived at the destination, a battle ensued between the Maelstrom officers and the four pirates.

The battle was initiated by the nameless archer, shooting an arrow at Sgt. Dinwell that lodged itself on his arm. The battle was hard fought, with my fellow superiors receiving numerous arrows in their body, but found ourselves the victors in the end. During the fight, “Lila” attempted to push the kidnapped miqo’te into the sea in an attempt to evade an attack. The captain of the group scolded her for this, telling her not to endanger the “future thrall”. I dove for the man at the last moment, just barely in time to save him from sinking to the ocean floor. A merchant from the bazaar, Lucerna, found herself involved when the captain of the crew found himself outnumbered and took her hostage as a means of escape. After a brief period of hesitation, he threw her to the ground, Lucerna hitting her head on the pier hard enough to knock her unconscious. We soon found ourselves caring for the miqo’te, Oswyn Carter, and Lucerna’s wounds, the latter of the two calling her husband to help her come and help her home. With all three suspected down, the nameless archer was bleeding profusely and would pass if no medical attention was given. Lucerna said she could mend the man’s wounds, though her grimoire was at home in the Mists, a few minutes away from the base. We made haste for her home, securing all three prisoners and rushing to find sufficient healing.

We arrived at Lucerna’s residence at the 22nd bell, mending the archer’s wound to where he could be safely transported back to base for questioning. While the healing was going on, I began to question “Lila” about information regarding the captain along with the nameless archer when he had finished having his wounds tended to. What I recorded that day in my notebook still leaves me in disbelief, be it true or the mad ramblings of terrified captives.

“Lila” informed me that the Captain, with the help of his crew which was made from blackmailing those unfortunate to find themselves in his way. Their main ship “The Superbia” was primarily used in The Spawning Grounds to transport large crates of crystals, mainly water type, from one destination to another, though neither party would give any specifics about what they were used for. The captain had many contacts to supply him with his cargo, two specifics being given were a monetarist in Ul’Dah under the name of “Uwado Serundio” as well as unnamed Maelstrom soldiers who most likely helped smuggle them through Limsa. After prodding both for answers, I concluded my questioning and let the proper men see them to the holding cells for the night.

Both Sgt. Dinwell and Cpt. Kennedy were treated for their wounds and released a bell or so later, suffering from arrow wounds with an order for them to avoid overexerting the areas which took the greatest amount of damage.

Follow up: At the 9th bell when I returned from a round today, I was informed that the prisoners had successfully escape containment, and were loose in the Limsa territory. A brief questioning of the guard revealed that all three pirates showed signs of a great illness, vomiting all over the cell for good measure. When taken into the medical office, “Lila” performed a sleeping spell to render the guard disabled while proceeding to crashed through the window with what looked to be a fire spell. I’ve been told posters will be issued to all territories to be hung searching for people who may not the whereabouts of people who may or may not know the whereabouts of their captain. To say that this case is a wild dodo chase would be an understatement at this point. After a brief follow up with Cpt. Kennedy, if what the three said holds any water, one shudders to imagine what this captain has planned, or if just a pawn in an otherwise larger scale operation. Just a normal day for the Maelstrom, I imagine.

Till Sea Swallows All

Pte. Towering Peach

@maelstrom-command

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Steen Returns; Hagelin Traded; Hronek; Buchnevich; More – February 22

  As expected, Nazem Kadri was not at game-day skate for the Leafs and did not play on Thursday night after suffering a concussion on Tuesday. Concussions are very fickle and it’s doubtful we get any sort of timeline on this. Owners will just have to be patient.

Kadri being out of the lineup led to William Nylander centering the third line with Andreas Johnsson and Connor Brown. Johnsson also took Kadri’s spot on the top PP unit. Johnsson, by the way, had 10 shots on goal in Toronto's 3-2 loss to Washington on Tuesday night. In his previous 10 games, he had 7 shots. Let's call this one an anomaly. 

*

A little bit to my surprise, Devante Smith-Pelly made it through waivers and the Caps look like they’ll be able to hang on to him. As I mentioned yesterday, teams love guys with rings and he has one plus a cheap contract. Not to mention San Jose claiming Michael Haley and Nashville actually giving up a draft pick for Cody McLeod, neither player being as good as Smith-Pelly. Though I guess if hockey was predictable, it’d be boring.

*

With Alex Steen back in the Blues lineup, Robby Fabbri is again on the outside looking in, though he’s still in the lineup skating on the fourth trio. I still have a lot of faith in his talent, but the 2018-19 season is a lost cause for him.

Staying with the Blues, Jaden Schwartz replaced Brayden Schenn on the top line and Robert Thomas took Schwartz’s spot on the second line. This interesting because Schenn’s name has popped up in trade rumours this year, though not as much now that the team is winning. Maybe they’re still looking to move him? The official reasoning from the coach was an upper-body injury but taking what any coach (outside of Tortorella) says at face value at this (or nearly any) time of year isn’t advisable.

*

The Washington Capitals traded a third-round pick in 2019 and a conditional sixth in 2020 to Los Angeles for Carl Hagelin. Don’t even bother with him.

*

Brett Howden was in a non-contact jersey at the Rangers’ game-day skate as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. There is still no firm timeline for a return, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. He could have a much bigger role on this team in 4-5 days than he did a month ago.

*

Jayce Hawryluk was lined up on the second line for Florida on Thursday night with Mike Hoffman moving to the third line. It’s a move we’ve seen a few times this year and with the Panthers believing they’re in the playoff race, this isn’t a matter of simply giving a young guy a bigger role to see what they have, they think he can produce right now. Whether that’s misguided or not, we’ll see.

*

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, both in the NHL and in fantasy leagues, there’s one notion I want to discuss and that’s the idea of “overpaying.”

At the risk of sounding like a freshman college essay, the general definition of overpaying in the context of (fantasy) sports is paying above market value for an asset. In general, this idea of overpayment is more applicable in auction drafts, like paying $30 for a $20 player or whatever.

The problem with defining overpayment in terms of market value is the market isn’t always correct. It can often be incorrect. Incorrect market pricing is part of how bettors make money, for one thing. It’s also how we find values in fantasy leagues by taking advantage of ADP. Some people are afraid to take a player a few round ahead of their ADP despite the ADP not necessarily being reflective of their current, or potential, fantasy value.

It might sound simplistic but it’s where comparative evaluation is important. If you think Player A and Player B are going to be similar in production for the next six weeks, but Player B costs a top-75 player and a 2nd round pick while Player A available for just for a top-75 player, Player A is the obvious choice. The issue comes with the comparative analysis and being honest with yourself. Being able to de-couple a player being “your guy” from a player being undervalued is critical. If you lie to yourself about which category a player falls, you’re doomed.

With the looming deadline, I thought it’d be worth finding a couple undervalued players to grab right now.

  Filip Hronek

I have never been a fan of Jeff Blashill. His lineup decisions constantly baffle me (the blue line and power play especially), his treatment of talents like Andreas Athanasiou infuriate me, and the way he handles young guys has typically been underwhelming. However, of late, Jonathan Ericsson has been a healthy scratch and that has led to Hronek getting his way into the lineup. Not only into the lineup, but to the top PP unit, and a top PP unit that actually features their top players (Mantha, Larkin, Athansiou, Vanek) rather than the talent being spread across two units. This is wonderful news for Hronek’s fantasy value.

Hronek’s underlying numbers are very good. He leads the Red Wings blue line in both relative shot attempts for and relative shot share. That means Detroit controls more shots with Hronek on the ice than any other defenceman. In limited ice time together, Hronek has dragged Trevor Daley’s numbers to respectability (it’s still a tiny sample, it’s just a sign in the right direction). In a much bigger sample, he’s done the same with the now-scratched Jonathan Ericsson, which is another data point indicating that Hronek is a good defenceman.

One problem is that even if he maintains PP1 status, he might not crack the 20-minute mark per game with any regularity. That’s fine, though. Guys like him can still have fantasy value (just think of Will Butcher and Mikhail Sergachev from last year), though he’d be more valuable in points-only leagues.

Acquiring Hronek is a big gamble because Blashill’s moods change with the wind and he might be back in the press box a week from now. It’s a gamble worth taking given his current usage, though, in 12-team leagues or larger.

  Pavel Buchnevich

It seems very likely that Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes are both gone at the deadline. With Brett Howden on the mend, it seems he’s a likely candidate to take over for Hayes as the second line centre. Who replaces Zuccarello on the top line, though, is more uncertain.

Buchnevich has often found himself in the dog house, be it under the current coaching regime or Alain Vigneault. However, he’s been consistently lining up on the second line with Hayes of late and has responded with four points in his last four games.

Anyone who reads my Ramblings with regularity knows I think that Buchnevich hasn’t been given a fair shake and his consistency issues are overblown. My thoughts on this issue can be summarized as such:

  would you believe me if I told you that the duo of Kreider and Zibanejad have been worse defensively over the last 2 1/2 seasons when they *don't* have Buch on their line than when they do? https://t.co/SjyTb3zZhP

— Michael Clifford (@SlimCliffy) January 29, 2019

  It seems very plausible that if Zucc is traded, Buch takes his spot on the top line. It could go to someone like Jesper Fast I suppose but this team needs to see what it has in its young players post-deadline. It makes all the sense in the world for Buchnevich to join the top line and he can probably be had for a bag of peanuts. The time to acquire him would be right now and not after the deadline. If next Tuesday comes and then we find out Buchnevich is skating with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, it’ll be too late. Though, to be fair, if Kreider is traded as well, I’m not sure Buchnevich will amount to much. That adds to the gamble here.

*

In anticipation of the trade deadline, Ottawa sat all three of Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and Ryan Dzingel. I know it’s the prudent move for the organization but I’d hate to have bought a ticket in hopes of seeing Ottawa’s top players. They should give more notice than 30 minutes prior to puck drop.

In a predictable result, New Jersey shutout Ottawa 4-0. Cory Schneider registered his first shutout since November of 2017 and has now won three consecutive games. It’s far too early to say he’s back to the old Cory Schneider, but if he is, his performance over the next six weeks could swing a lot of fantasy leagues.

*

The reason you hold players out is so they don’t get injured, like Rangers defenceman Adam McQuaid. He left in the first period and did not return. It wasn’t clear what the injury was, though the team would say he was held out afterwards for precautionary reasons.

*

Victor Hedman returned to the Tampa Bay lineup Thursday night after missing their last game. It’s a sigh of relief for himself, the team, and the fans.

*

Justin Williams had two goals and one assist in Carolina’s 4-3 win over Florida. Nino Niederreiter had a goal and an assist, giving him 15 points in 15 games in a Hurricanes uniform. He also now has as many goals (9) with Carolina as he did with Minnesota this season in 46 games. With each passing day, that trade is looking like more and more of a home run. Once Jordan Staal returns, this team should be feared in the East.

*

Brendan Gallagher marked his first career hat trick in Montreal’s 5-1 win over Philadelphia. That makes 26 goals for him on the season, five away from his career-best 31 last year. He’s such a good across-the-board fantasy contributor, averaging over 1.5 hits/3.5 shots per game with a good plus/minus.

*

With two first-period assists in Thursday night’s game against Pittsburgh, Brent Burns tied his career-high with 55 helpers. The single-season high by any defenceman post-2005 lockout is Erik Karlsson with 66 in 2015-16. That mark is well within reach with a quarter of the season left. Burns would add a goal late in the game for the three-point night.

*

Aleksander Barkov continued his torrid pace on Thursday night with a goal and an assist in Florida’s 3-2 win over Carolina. That gives him nine points in three games and has 15 points in 11 games since the All-Star Break. It appears the Panthers are making another late push, but it’s a wonder if it’s too little, too late yet again.

*

More updates in the morning. 

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-steen-returns-hagelin-traded-hronek-buchnevich-more-february-22/

[violupe-blog]

Dating in 2018 Sucks Ass

I think anyone who is single in this day n age can agree with me on this... dating sucks. 

I’ve been single for 5 and a half years now. I’ve been single this long mostly by choice. I’ve been busy with getting my bachelors degree and working multiple jobs trying to keep up with my bills.

In late 2017, I had finally scored a good job. Now, I’m no where near making 6 figures but I’m making more than enough to be able to comfortably pay all of my bills and still have money left over for leisurely expenses.

So, with this new job, and finally having a normal work life, I thought I should start getting into dating. My 3 best friends and my older sister are all in amazing relationships. This means I’m either always the 3rd wheel or I’m at some point listening to their wonderful lives with their significant others.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am so happy to see the people that I love in my life in happy and loving relationships. But you can’t help but think to yourself, how lonely your bed is at night.

Sure, I’ve got my 2 cats (borderline crazy cat lady over here) but you can’t really have a conversation with them. Sure I can make meow sounds at them when they meow to me, but it’s not the same... ya know?

Now a second reason why I never got into the dating scene prior to 2018 had a lot to do with the fact that I’m a very shy person and meeting new people can be a little scary for me. There were a few times in the past that I tried online dating, but I was way too scared to meet people, so I quickly stopped all together.

Shortly after the New Year this year... I decided to make a New Years Revolution for once in my life. I decided that I wanted to take more chances in my life, put myself out there, and start meeting new people. Frankly, I was done being the third wheel.

So what did I do? What every single person in 2018 that was looking to meet people did, of course. I signed up for Tinder for the first time.

Now.... Why did I chose tinder? I couldn’t tell you.. After all, it is a shallow dating app. You swiped through people based on their photos. Most people couldn’t even be bothered to write something in their bio. And if they did, it wasn’t very descriptive of who they were as a person. But if they did have a descriptive bio, it came off as weird as no one else was doing that... And even so, you didn’t really read it until after you matched, but it was too much work having to go onto their profiles to read up on them before you swiped. So no win in the regards.

Now, why am I writing about my shitty dating experience, do you ask? Well, I’m sure a lot of people have funny dating stories, which is why I wanted to write about my experiences. I think the best kind of comedy is the kind that people can relate to, and its good to make a joke out of shitty situations to lighten the mood up a lot.

Now, in my stories, I will of course be using aliases, but these stories are going to be 100% true.

A little about me. I am an Automotive Service Advisor at a Car Dealership. I won’t specify which one, though. After a few months at this position, I started making some long lasting relationships, especially with Andrew and Jake. Andrew was one of our parts guys and Jake is the other service advisor.

These two basically became my work husbands. They are both really great people.

Andrew, however, it a very short man. I, myself, am 5′7 and I look down at him when we talk (not in the figurative ‘I’m better than you’ way, I literally look down at him). Andrew, was also single and also on Tinder. When we both discovered we were both on the app, we started venting towards each other.

Now, where I work, it is very encouraged to joke around and give each other a hard time. We can go a little over board with the back and forth insults, but it was all in good fun.

Andrew himself could get a little morbid as well, but everyone appreciated his creepy sense of humour. Especially myself.

One day, he was venting about how he had gotten ghosted the night he was supposed to meet a girl. He was a little upset, as most people would be. He of course, had to throw in the ‘short card’. He mentioned that he had told her his height and conversation had taken a turn after that point. He had tried to ignore it, but it was hard after she.

Soooooooo. I had to go be a jerk and crack a joke.

“It must be tough finding a girlfriend when you’re short” are the words that came out of my mouth. Word vomit, is what I like to call it.

I froze the second I realized what I said. NOW I in no way meant that being short is unattractive, I MEANT that girls are shallow about height (because, it is true). But the way I worded it, sounded like I thought he was doomed due to his height.

Of course, Jake heard the word vomit that just spewed out of my mouth and he nearly died laughing. I covered my mouth with my hands and looked at Andrew, who’s jaw had dropped out of shock.

“Wow.” was what he said, in his Andrew-esque way (I wish there was a way to describe the way he said wow).

Thankfully, Andrew has a morbid sense of humour. Thankfully, he took it as a depressing joke. And of course, he held it against me (hell, it’s currently September as I’m typing this out and this happened back in January and he still holds this against me).

Throughout the day, he kept on reminding me of the humiliating words that came out of my mouth. And no matter how much of a joke he turned it into, I still felt so bad.

So, a few days later, I had a coffee date lined up with a really cute guy. Conversation via text went very, very well. I was actually excited to meet this lad.

We decided to meet up at a Tim Hortons half way between us. I lived in Val Caron and he lived in Lively, so it was about 10 minutes for each of us to drive. If you’re familiar with the Greater Sudbury Area, you know how geographically spread out all of the towns are.

I had gotten there first. I had planned it like that. I wanted to be parked and waiting for when he arrived.

A truck exact to his that he described pulled into the parking lot and parked beside me. So, we got out of our vehicles to meet.

And guess what.

HE WAS SHORTER THAN ME.

I had a hard time not laughing. Not because of his height, but because of what had transpired at work a few days prior. Now, I’m not gonna lie. I had always envisions the man of my dreams to look a certain way, which did include being taller than me. However, I kept an open mind about him.

And guess what? He turned out great! We got a long very well, conversation had a great flow to it. There was no awkward silence to it at all. We both laughed and I felt like we had a good time.

As most people probably do, I felt very nervous about whether or not he really was interested in me. Luckily though, the next morning, he had texted me good morning. What a relief!!

I was a little bit excited. So what did I do? I texted my three best friends Sharron, Shelly, and Jordan about him thinking that things were going to go somewhere. He had even asked me out on a second date!! 

I was pretty giddy.

Now, of course, I had to tell Andrew and Jake as well. I couldn’t help but make a joke of it, and boy did Andrew love that one up!

Unfortunately, the day we were supposed to go on a second date, he cancelled on me. Well, he just didn’t text me all day and later that night he said something had come up. I said that it was okay and that we could always reschedule. But no response... I had gotten ghosted for the first time. And boy did that suck!!

And this starts the beginning of my ‘fun’ dating stories. I hope you enjoyed.. there’s more stories to come

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Little Me, Back in Paris

I am officially the most content person on the planet at the moment. But more on that in a minute, cause I certainly didn’t feel that way all day.

We got up hella early, with our three separate alarms going off together at precisely 6 am. I had slept rather fitfully, as I always do when I have to get up early. Anyway, we got up and sluggishly made our way finishing up packing and making breakfast. I’m always baffled at how quickly others are able to gain their personality so early in the morning. I can barely speak or have a conversation right after I wake up, but that doesn’t stop my flatmates.

Finally, we took our bags and met Kevin to walk over to Kings Cross. It was super weird going through security and passport checks for something other than a plane. It was a super long line but we got through it quickly.

We got through the line with only a few minutes to spare and boarded the train. We switched a lot of the seats around, but it wasn’t a big deal.  What was a big deal was that I hadn’t eaten breakfast and was VERY hungry! So right after we were under way, Kelly, Jordan, Josie and I went to the cafe car. I got a muffin, orange juice, and a toblerone bar. Breakfast of champions!

After mercifully eating, we settled in for our very calming journey. I spent most of it alternating between “The Knife of Never Letting Go” and “I’ll Give You the Sun” (which I’ve already read but had the urge to do a reread because it’s so good!) It was a lovely journey and I didn’t even notice when we went through the chunnel.

We finally got to Paris! And it’s just as beautiful and bustling as I remember it. We walked from the station to the hostel. And the hostel is SO NICE! I’m in a room with nine other girls and we’re in bunkbeds, but each bed has it’s own little shelf and outlets right next to it. We also have our own bathroom in our room. It’s so nice!

So we dropped off our bags in our rooms and then had some time for lunch. Our group found a cute little bakery and we all had baguettes. Then we met back at the hostel to get our metro cards. After that we took the metro over to Musee d’Orsay. The metro is pretty simple, like I remember it. We did end up taking the wrong train at one point, but fixed it soon after.

We finally got to the Museum. At this point my mood dropped really low all of a sudden. I felt really homesick, seeing as the last time I was there was with my family. At the museum, we met the Art professor and she’s really cool. We wandered around the museum for a little while and I listened to my music, which made me feel better. And I also saw some works I don’t remember from last time so that was cool.

After that museum, we walked over to Louvre. People took the classic Pyramid pictures and we had to wait in lots of lines before getting in. But we finally did and Rachel, the professor, led us around to the famous pieces, including Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. I got to see The Raft of Medusa, which is one of my favorite pieces. And it was really interesting to hear Rachel talk about the pieces, considering she really knows what she’s talking about.

When we finished up, we were free for the rest of the evening. I wanted to stick around the Louvre for a bit but was stuck with the dilemma of a dying phone, zero knowledge of the metro without it, and a mental drain that was only increasing the longer I spent with people.

So I used the ever-popular and widely successful “I’m not feeling great” excuse. Also I’m not a foodie and I knew a lot of people were trying to go to a fancy place to eat. So I left them to it, and wandered down the Seine at twilight.

It was beautiful and very calming. I saw the now lock-less lock bridge. But I did go over to where I had put me and Daniel’s lock in 2014. I thought I would be able to find it, but that corner is now swamped with locks! Considering it’s one of the last places to put them, that makes sense. But it would’ve taken forever to find it. The symbolic, literary side of me love that though.

I considered for two seconds checking out the Shakespeare and Company bookstore but my phone was at 9% at this point, so I found the nearest metro station and started the long journey home. I didn't realize how central we were when my family stayed in the city, compared to where the hostel was this time around. It took me nearly half an hour to get home. Not counting when I couldn’t read a two way train map and had to ask for help…

But I did finally get back to the hostel and have had the room all to myself since then and it… has been amazing! First, I unpacked my stuff and made my bed. Then, I didn’t want to leave the hostel so I just went to the bar/restaurant in the hostel for my dinner. I had a burger… and it was okay. The fries were the best part and they were actually really good. So I got to eat dinner by myself and my kindle! It was incredibly ideal!

After dinner, I took a shower and still had the room to myself. Now I’ve been chilling in bed, watching Netflix. It was a beautiful first day in Paris.

Steps/Miles: 21,626/8.59 miles