#Partner and I had a super cool food idea for the tribe where they make a sort of like... flavored bone lolly out of sheep bones

[bonefall]

Thinking about that one post about the 5000 year old teenager girl found buried with her collection of 180 sheep ankle bones but specifically the addition of how ankle bones were used as dice back then and she was a gamer.. what I'm getting at is: would clan cats make bone dice and Are They Gaming

First let me teach you a little bit about Knucklebones: The Game.

You probably know one of its variants better as Jacks, that game you play with a rubber ball and little metal spikes. There's a version of Knucklebones in nearly every culture, where the basic idea is to throw an object up in the air, pick up as many of the smaller objects as possible, and then catch the larger object before it hits the ground.

In cultures with a lot of access to livestock, usually the hand and ankle bones of sheep would be used. Places that don't have them might use rocks, seeds, shells, whatever. It was Ancient Greece that had such an extreme take on the game that it eventually evolved into dice-throwing-- a totally chance-based game where you would just throw the biggest foot bone of a sheep (the astralagus; equivalent to the talus in a human) and see how they landed.

So the girl they uncovered in Kazakhstan with the 180 sheep bones wasn't really buried "with dice," make sense? It's more like being buried with jacks. Central Asia is actually jam-packed with knucklebones-types games. Mongolian Shagai is recognized by UNESCO.

And it makes a TON of sense, because those regions are grasslands absolutely ideal for raising sheep.

SO. CLAN CATS.

There's two major considerations here;

ONE: The access to, and size of, sheep bones.

Clan cats don't kill sheep. TRIBE cats actually have access to sheep and kill one or two a year! I would actually like to give them a bunch of special uses for various parts of the sheep. I think the eagle-killing thing in canon is actually pretty ridiculous for several reasons

BUT THAT SAID, an astralagus is the size of a cat's paw.

[ID: A human holding an astralagus in the tips of its fingers.]

You'd need to play a different sort of game with this. It's more like a square softball to a cat than a little rubber ball.

Boar also have bones like this, though. A muntjac probably produces bones that are sized properly for a cat. Hares and rabbits are probably the BEST bet here though, which, somehow feels right. I'm not sure why, but WindClan seems like the gamerclan Clan that would think up these sorts of cute games.

Something about it fits their whole savvy culture, tunneling, emphasis on trade and invention pre-Heatherstar. ShadowClan and WindClan share a cultural value of innovation, but ShadowClan seems more... chemical and competitive.

Hard to explain it. ShadowClan invents flax retting and WindClan invents the drop spindle. There's overlap but it has a bit of a different flavor between them.

TWO: Range of motion

I've made BB!Cats have the same range of motion as the cats in canon, which is higher than a real cat. They're able to WEAVE, you can't do that without a basic pincher grasp. They're also able to mix herbs, wrap things up in leaves, and apply bandages.

I haven't actually given my reworked cats much more ability than they already had, I just codified rules based on what we already see.

But that said, they DO have less range of motion in their hands than humans. They have little thumbs and a better ability to grab, but can't twist their paws completely upwards. There's no way they can toss an object straight up, then catch it again.

So any games they do play would need to accommodate that. So far I've got Scratchstone, Teeterstrike, and an unnamed rhyme game. The bone game would need to look more like a game of marbles than jacks. Or, maybe more modified to accommodate swipes and strikes, somehow? Or a two-person game of catch?

Gotta think about it.

[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 21: This Ol' Gal's the Leader of the Amazon Tribe!

*checks watch* Oh, hey, it’s time for more Ranma 1/2! Hope things are going well for you, person reading this. I’m...fairly sure I know what’s coming? I just don’t really remember exactly how it happens. Will I like it? Will I not? We’ll have to see, next paragraph, after I’ve seen the episode again.

That was...not what I was expecting? This storyline is both moving much faster and much slower than I remember, if that makes any sense. How? Well, let me recap it a bit first.

The episode starts with someone flying into the city on birds. More specifically, a bunch of small birds supporting a larger bird who doesn’t seem to fly, and the person is riding on that bird. It’s weird. She arrives in a construction zone, an old woman with a walking stick taller than she is, and she says something about looking for her son-in-law. Actually, she says it a lot. A steel girder almost falls on her head, but she hits it with her stick in mid-air, shattering the metal into dust, before running off.

It cut from that to Ryoga attacking Ranma. Why? Well, Ryoga doesn’t really need a reason, but this time he does. Namely, the whole Ranma kissing Akane thing from the last episode. Of course, Ranma was in cat-mode at the time and doesn’t remember it at all, no matter how much Ryoga tells him it’s real. After Ryoga gets splashed with cold water, Ranma is then attacked by Sasuke and Kuno for the same reason, and combined with piglet-form Ryoga’s help, Ranma actually gets kinda beat up in the process.

Heading back to the home, he realizes that Akane’s probably mad if it is true, and we see her in the dojo, but she isn’t really working out the way she usually does when she’s mad. If anything, Akane seems conflicted. Ranma shows up to talk about it with her, and immediately apologizes. Akane asks if he remembers doing it, and he admits he doesn’t. Then, Akane wonders, did it not matter? Would Ranma have kissed anyone, and it just happened to be her?

Not understanding what is going on, Ranma stumbles over answering too long, until Akane starts actually getting riled up, calling him a flirt. That pisses Ranma off, so they get into an argument. There’s also a scene where their dads are playing shogi, and they wonder about that pink cat Shampoo sent them, especially since it’s unlikely she knew about Ranma’s fear of felines.

The answer to that comes as Ranma goes to take a nice, hot bath to clean off after the fights he’s had. The cat jumps in with him, and before he can freak out about his greatest fear being in the room, Shampoo emerges from the bath right where the cat had been, and she’s very naked. Yep, the cat was her that whole time!

In a case of Ultimate Bad Timing, Akane comes to take a bath herself and sees Ranma in the bath with a naked Shampoo. We cut directly from that to Ranma practicing what to tell Akane later. Namely, that he won’t apologize or back down, instead being firm on the fact that it wasn’t what it looked like and he did nothing wrong. And we wonder why Ranma has relationship problems.

Akane appears, and she seems fine...before knocking Ranma into a pond. Not long after the water changes him into his cursed form, the old lady from the beginning appears, and Ranma has a very hard time fighting her. She won’t explain who she is or why she’s fighting him, then disappears. That felt...a bit pointless, honestly.

Later, Shampoo comes by the house again, with food. It seems she has moved to Japan officially, and lives and works at a nearby ramen shop. As everyone’s eating the food, the old woman shows up again, taking a place at the table to eat. It’s revealed that she is Shampoo’s great-grandmother, named Cologne, and she’s there to make sure that Shampoo and Ranma get married. Soun fires back about the engagement Ranma already has to Akane, but Shampoo seems to think she has a good argument for why she should be the one to take Ranma’s hand.

She takes him into the bathroom and uses cold water to turn back into a cat, and it’s revealed exactly what happened. Heading back to China, she was shamed for failing to either kill or marry Ranma, and thus had to train with Cologne. They did that at Jusenkyo, for some reason, and Shampoo fell into the Spring of Drowned Cats. So, apparently the curse is Ranma’s fault, and thus he has to marry her. He rightfully points out that’s utter nonsense, but Cologne doesn’t care.

They fight for a bit, with Cologne showing off one of those moves where it looks like there are a bunch of her but only one is real. Ranma uses food and Cologne’s hunger to figure out the real one, but that doesn’t really matter. She’s a bit impressed by him, but still knows he’s far too inexperienced to ever really stand a chance against her. Then she hits him with her stick, and says something about how he’ll be begging to marry Shampoo in a few days.

Why is that? Well, it seems she did something quite diabolical. She apparently hit a pressure point that has caused Ranma to be incredibly sensitive to water. Even cold water feels boiling hot, but it still activates his curse. To turn back to his preferred form, he’d need to use hot water, but with how sensitive his skin is, hot water would be torture to endure. Thus, he can’t turn back into his uncursed state unless he does exactly what Cologne tells him.

Let me start with the stuff I like about this episode. First off, this is a really interesting way to build a story arc that’s very different from the ones that came before. All the story arcs in season one were pretty typical for anime. Each event led directly to the next, it all felt like single stories that just took multiple episodes to tell.

But if you didn’t know the last episode was part of a story arc, you wouldn’t guess that to be the case. It felt like a single-stand alone episode. And it kind of was. Only two things really carried over: Shampoo the Cat being mailed to them, and Ranma kissing Akane at the end of the episode. In fact, when I saw Ryoga and Ranma fighting, it took me a second to realize what they were talking about, because I didn’t think that event from last episode would be carried over.

I really like how it was done, though. The show made it pretty clear that Akane was feeling some feelings about the whole thing, but Ranma was too caught up in the idea that she’d just be plain angry about it to miss what she was really telling him. She wanted him to tell her that actually it did mean something that in his cat-state, he still sought her out and was affectionate towards her. She didn’t want it to be meaningless. That’s really cute, and the miscommunication there was less annoying than it sometimes is and more adorable. Free relationship tip: learning how to properly communicate to your partner is really important!

The concept of finally introducing a character who is actually a better fighter than Ranma is good. Cologne isn’t Ryoga or Shampoo or Kuno. He can’t just beat her in a cool fight, she’s far more experienced and skilled, something that from here will kind of drive the entire arc. The fact that Shampoo ended up with a cursed form that Ranma finds so terrifying is also interesting. She’s kind of scary to him anyway, this unrelenting force who won’t leave him alone no matter what he does, so making her cursed form that but to the tenth degree is pretty neat.

Last good thing: I really love how nonchalant Kasumi is with Shampoo. Like, to her it’s just like, “Oh, Shampoo! You’re back, that’s lovely, do you want to stay for a meal?” Either Kasumi doesn’t understand the complex romance plot going on, or she does and finds it not reason to stop being a good host.

What didn’t I care for? Well, like I said at the start, it feels like this arc is moving too fast and too slow at the same time. In one episode, this story resolves the Akane/Ranma kiss from last episode, the mystery of the pink cat, introduces a new focal player in the story, and curses Ranma with something he’ll have to fix. That’s a lot to happen, and I was really shocked the pressure point thing happened in this episode too.

But at the same time...I really found my interest waning in the back half of this episode. The Cologne fight just isn’t super gripping, to me anyway, especially when the technique she uses just feels very bland. There’s a good five or so minutes, about a quarter of the runtime of the episode, that I was just bored in.

I also like reintroducing Shampoo, only three episodes after she left, was a bit of a mistake, especially when she’s basically a main character from here on out. I know she was very popular, but even then giving the audience some time away from her let’s them miss her, if that makes any sense.

There was originally going to be a Cologne based Character Spotlight, but then I decided not to because we still haven’t seen a lot from her, and also I’m very tired and my birthday was Monday please stop bullying me

So, yeah, if you couldn’t tell I’m kind of meh on this episode. It’s not bad. It’s not great. I enjoyed the first half quite a bit, but the back half was a little more of a struggle. It was in fact a big enough dip that I’m putting this episode fourth from the bottom, just above the P-Chan introduction episode.

Episode 7: Enter Ryoga, the Eternal ‘Lost Boy’  

Episode 12: A Woman's Love is War! The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 15: Enter Shampoo, the Gung-Ho Girl! I Put My Life in Your Hands

Episode 9: True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!

Episode 2: School is No Place for Horsing Around

Episode 19: Clash of the Delivery Girls! The Martial Arts Takeout Race

Episode 6: Akane's Lost Love... These Things Happen, You Know

Episode 13: A Tear in a Girl-Delinquent's Eye? The End of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 17: I Love You, Ranma! Please Don’t Say Goodbye

Episode 20: You Really Do Hate Cats!

Episode 16: Shampoo's Revenge! The Shiatsu Technique That Steals Heart and Soul

Episode 8: School is a Battlefield! Ranma vs. Ryoga

Episode 11: Ranma Meets Love Head-On! Enter the Delinquent Juvenile Gymnast!

Episode 4: Ranma and...Ranma? If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another

Episode 5: Love Me to the Bone! The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart

Episode 1: Here’s Ranma

Episode 3: A Sudden Storm of Love

Episode 21: This Ol' Gal's the Leader of the Amazon Tribe!

Episode 10: P-P-P-Chan! He's Good For Nothin'

Episode 14: Pelvic Fortune-Telling? Ranma is the No. One Bride in Japan

Episode 18: I Am a Man! Ranma's Going Back to China!?

But hey, maybe things will be different next time? I’m actually pretty sure I’ll like it better, because now we’re really getting into the stuff I can remember. Namely, Ranma is going to be introduced to what will be his signature technique in “Behold! The 'Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire' Technique”. I’ll be there next week, and I hope you will too.

[miss-choco-chips]

Put a ring on it 2

Gonna drop this here super quick and then go back to cram for my finals. Who allowed me to schedule six finals in one week? I’m gonna die. Pray for me.

Tagging @jedissica ‘cause they asked me to, and @animemangasoul who I think will like this.

---.---

-Batman, here we are. It’s been a while since you last called an emergency meeting. Is everything okay?

-Were you aware that our children eloped together?

-...what.

-As in, my third kid, your first one, Diana’s second, and Barry’s… grandchild. I’m not exactly sure about who married who, but there was more than one wedding and they have a group chat called ‘hubbies and waifu’. Whatever that means.

-...

-...

-That’s my girl. I always told her, go big or go home.

-Diana, no.

----.----

Cassie’s phone went off again with her specific Diana ringtone, and she gave up, turning it off and throwing it on the pile with Kon’s, Bart’s and Tim’s (the last one had four all by himself, so it was quite a big ‘phone tower’; Hah, pun intended).

-You’re gonna freak out so badly over this when you actually wake up -she informed Tim’s fluffy hair. 

Said vigilante only released a cute little snore, face buried on her lap, legs thrown over Kon’s, one hand that had fallen from the couch resting on Bart’s head where he sat on the floor in front of them.

-Well, they were going to find out one way or another. And this was probably among the best scenarios.

-How? I’m sure this one was top five on Tim’s ‘worst case’ nightmare list.

-I was there and saw their faces. I didn’t even know Batman could express any emotion other than ‘cold’ and ‘overflowing with rage’. That image will bring me joy in future distressing times, I’m sure. My patronus memory, if you will.

-I’m soooooooo jealous, dude.

Cassie snorted, carefully not moving an inch, fingers cradling through Tim’s hair. Over her dead body would he ever cut it, now that it was finally long enough to make itty tiny braids all over it, her favorite therapeutic iddle work.

-We’ll make Tim give us footage when he wakes up. He has to provide for us, after all.

Kon let his arm, resting on the backrest of the couch, fall over Cassie’s shoulders- Be sure to include footage from after we left, too. Nightwing’s  ‘As in more than one?!’ part was solid gold.

-No kidding, I want that as my ringtone for you and Tim -chimed in Bart, carefully moving Tim’s hand back to the couch and then running to the kitchen- Ice cream?

-Do you even need to ask?

---.----

By the time Tim woke up, the hero gossip network had done it’s thing, and almost everyone with a costume was aware of the news. Even Cissie, who was officially retired, and Zachary Zatara, away on his shows and usually out of reach, had called, the first one to offer congratulations and ask if the thing was real emotionally-wise, the second to just laugh at them for full six minutes before hanging up. 

He did text them later, asking when the celebration ceremony would be.

-It’s not a bad idea -mused Cassie, showing them her phone screen with the magician’s text- a party, I mean.

Tim, from his place working a case on the Titan’s main computer, tuted- Batman might actually kill me for that. I think we’ve survived this far only because there are no written records making this official, and a part of him must think it’s all some elaborate prank.

-It’s not -insisted Bart, head poking out of the kitchen- we are family now, officially. No take backs.

Their Robin shifted in place just enough for them to see his smile, a gift on itself- I know, guys, and the sentiment is much appreciated. But from a legal standpoint, it’s not that different from what a few kids on a playground could do while playing family. Only place this could stand against judgement would be the future, some ancient Amazonian tribe, or Krypton.

-Doesn’t matter, as long as it’s true for us. And, I mean, we didn’t want to cut your options if you ever wanted to actually get married the classic way.

This time, their bird actually turned around, a warmth on his expression that he usually reserved for his team. It made them feel special like nothing else.

-Yeah, I know. Thank you for that. It was really considerated.

As if they would drag Tim into something like legal marriage without previous consent. The fact that he even felt the need to thank them for showing him basic human decency was making their blood boil with the need to punch a bat on the face.

Kon flew over, the high chair preventing him from draping himself on his best friend’s back, but not from hugging his neck and messing his hair.

-Back at my point -cleared her throat the amazonian-, your former mentor can suck my metaphorical Freudian dick. We could throw a party, and it would only be different from a normal one because marriage celebrations include gifts, which I’m totally for. I haven’t seen Zatara, Cissie, Greta and Anita in a while, and Miguel, Raven and Gar might murder us for not telling them about our plans and not making it up to them with a party. No ‘adults’ out of the ones on team, or mentors, invited, enough alcohol to re-drown Atlantis, fancy food bought with Bat’s credit card…

-You are right, it does sound kinda nice -hummed Kon, floating just out of Tim’s range when former Wonder Boy tried to slap his hands away. Silly bat, always denying affection.

-All in favor?

-I don’t know -giving up, Tim went back to his case files- I have a lot to do this days, and there’s a lead that might take me to Asia…

-Isn’t Cass there? Ask her to take over it for you, as a marriage present or something. C’mon Tim, do it for the gifts. Imagine what Zatara might get for us. So crash.

-If  it’s a magical object, I won't want it anywhere near me. We bats don’t have the best track record with that stuff, and I swear to god if I get deaged I would use my non-prosecutable age to murder someone. Probably Zatara himself.

-Adorable as that might be, it totally won’t happen.

----.----

-....can you repeat it one more time? Slower, though. I think I’m getting hearing problems.

Raven, through the video call connecting the Cave with the Tower, didn’t seem fazed by Nightwing’s slightly threatening tone.

-I said, the team had a party, everyone got drunk, and it was fine for a while. I was watching over them, but then I needed to use the restroom. When I got back, someone had gotten ahold of Zachary’s gift for Tim, Cassie, Kon and Bart, and…

-Why for those four? -asked Hood, standing right by N’s side. He had came in during Raven’s first explanation, and felt like there was something he was missing.

-It was a marriage gift. Moving on…

-A what?! Since when is Lil Red married? The fuck happened while I was in Russia?!

-...someone had gotten ahold of the gift -Raven kept going, cool as a cucumber. On the background behind her, teen heroes were running back and forth, people were screaming and something was smoking-, which happened to be some sort of magical artifact. Zachary wasn’t really aware of what it did, he just randomly choose it from among his collection of magical tools when he remembered at the last possible time a gift was mandatory for a wedding party. I returned from the bathroom and everything was a mess, the couch was turned upside down, a pipe had burst, the tv was on fire and Tim had been de aged.

There was a battle scream, in a distinctly childish voice, somewhere on the room out of view of the camera, and Raven’s eyes left the screen for a second as if looking at it.

-Was that Red Robin? -Batman, because of course he was listening in, started typing at the console, frantically trying to get a new angle to see what was going on on the Tower.

-He’s unharmed, and everything is under control.

Another scream, this time louder.

-...that didn’t sound under control -mused Dick, apparently still processing the information. Bruce typed faster. Robin gripped his sword tighter, as if readying himself for a war.

Jason still looked utterly lost.

-Marriage? She said marriage? AND YOU ASSHOLES KNEW ‘BOUT THIS?!

-He’s… throwing a tantrum -the woman ignored him, still looking only at her former leader-. Something about using his age to kill Zatara without being convicted. I’ll need to leave now, I only called to ask you to take over Tim’s cases while we solve this issue.

-Wait! Rae, if Timmy’s a kid, he needs to be with us. We are his family, it’s our jurisdiction.

A green bird suddenly landed on her shoulder, halthing whatever response she might give. Gar pecked her on the cheek lightly before turning his beak their direction.

-Husbands and Wives get priority, N, you know that. Cassie, Kon and Bart are looking after him, and keeping him from killing Zachary, while the rest of us research how to turn him back. Zach is actually trying to contact his cousin, maybe the great Zatanna will quicken this process. So, yeah, no Bats allowed on the Tower until then!

-But/!

A loud crash, followed by a wail, made Gar wince and Raven’s head to snap to the side and growl.

-Whelp, gotta go, Tower out! -a ‘Tim!’ could be heard in the background just before the screen went dark.

-...

-...

-...

-...Anyone gonna fill me in?

-Drake eloped thrice over without informing us and has been living in sinful unworthiness with his three partners since last month or so, that we know about. Probably more.

-...Partners?

-You heard her. The speedster, clone and amazonian.

-...

-...

-Dickie, how t’fuck did ya allow’is to happen?!

-IT’S NOT LIKE I WAS ASKED FOR MY BLESSING, JASON!

-B, what the utter hell, ain’t ya supposed to keep track of this kinda shit?!?

-...

-Don’t bother, Father has been broken since learning of Drake’s mistake, and will go unresponsive at the most inconvenient times.

-...

-Fuck, I need a drink. Also, ’m going there.

-You heard Gar, Jay -pointed out Dick- we can’t just walk in there, and the Tower is legally his. We have to be smart about this, plan this through, and/

-Yeah, no, he said ‘no bats’-gesturing at his gun holsters, he started to walk to where his bike was parked-. RIP ya’ll, but I’m different. See ya.

-...

-...

-Tt. Useless. I’ll go back to training. Father, Grayson, should you two, as the plebeians say, ‘snap out of it’ and come with a good plan to get Drake back under our tutelage, I’ll be by the mats waiting.

-...

-...Don’t look at me like that. I raised him for a few months tops, but he’s your kid, not mine. Same with Tim, and Jason’s entirely your fault.

---.---

Meanwhile, back at the Tower, Kon let out a screeching ‘Tim!’ before diving out and catching the baby bird in his arms, halting his fall from the ceiling rafters where he had been climbing. Behind him, Cassie let out a relieved breath.

-God’s above, you almost gave me a heart attack. Okay, new ground rules, this two little feet stay on the ground.

Tim, as proudly as a three year old toddler could, frowned at him.

-Don’t patwonize me, Kon. And lemme go, I havta cacth Zac/ Zat/… Magic-boy.

Bart materialized by their side, arms looping below Tim’s armpints to carry him to the recently put back to its correct place couch. He dropped there, tiny bird in his lap, cooing all the while.

-Aww, you’re precious.

-I could still huwt you -pointed out the toddler, resigning himself at being manhandled.

-I know -replied Bart lovingly, softly stroking his turf of hair.

Somewhere on the side, Cissie clapped her hands, as if getting rid of the dust there.

-Okay, I putted out the fire, so now I’ll be heading home. This magical bullshit is way out of my ‘retired’ comfort zone.

Cassie landed by her side and gave her a quick hug, while Greta walked up to them- I understand, thanks for coming.

-Give us a call when this is solved, we can have a coffee while you complain about your husbands. And… child, now, I guess. God, it was already weird calling Tim your husband, but now he’s a baby and it's doubly weird. Figure this out quickly.

-Will do. See you guys later.

One by one, they all left, some offering their support (appreciated, but not needed, thank you, we’ll manage), some still laughing. In the end, only the Core Four, Gar, Raven and Miguel remained. Zachary probably was there somewhere (if he dared leave without helping them fix this, he was dead meat), but out of the enraged toddler’s sight, which. Wise.

Even if said little human being was pint sized and cow eyed, he was probably still the most dangerous person in the room, unarmed or not (you know what, scratch that; if time with Tim taught them anything, was that no bat was ever unarmed. Even bare handed, their own bodies were weapons).

-...So... What should we do while we wait for Zatara’s solution?

-I vote movie night. It’s not like we can keep on drinking, with a kid in the room/ Auch! Pointy elbows, Tim!

Kon swooped in, picking Tim from Bart’s not invulnerable lap and cuddling to him on the couch by the speedster’s side. Tim knew better than to hit the Boy of Steel without proper equipment, so he let himself fall back against the broad chest. Cassie, talking to the older members of the team on the side, smiled softly at them before returning to her conversation.

As mad as his current situation made him, Tim couldn’t bring himself to pout too much. It had been a fun night, all things considered.

-----.-----

[advocaado]

Day 12: Masked Ball

@thirtydaysofzutara​

(Continuation of Day 1: Vigilantes)

You’ve all been waiting patiently for this. I’m gonna warn you right off the bat that it’s not my best work. I maybe kinda had to rush it a bit to get it out on time. Just pretend that it’s super good and was totally worth the wait.

Find the whole collection on fanfiction.net User: Advocaat

Katara mentally cursed as she entered the grand ballroom of the Earth Palace. Everywhere she looked, colorfully dressed, wealthy partygoers stood in groups chatting and sipping fine spirits. All wore exquisite dresses and robes and all, to her great frustration, had faces hidden behind ornate animal masks. Sighing at the work ahead of her, Katara stepped into the room and joined the flock of bedazzled nobles.

It was just her luck, she lamented, that the Earth King’s usual gala had been replaced this time around by a masked ball. The plan had been for her to meet up with Zuko and for the two of them to hunt down the Earth Kingdom merchant selling her tribe’s ivory together, but when she found the mask lying on her bed and realized what sort of party this was going to be, it had become clear to her in an instant that her job had just become a whole lot harder. Now, not only did she have to somehow identify the man she and Zuko were looking for, she first had to find Zuko.

And, to make matters worse, she’d been warned by Sokka just before leaving the South Pole after returning the “borrowed” jewelry to her father’s treasury that Aang had figured out what she’d done. He knew that he’d been tricked and he wasn’t happy about it. Katara was confident that he’d already figured out where she was. All he’d needed to do was ask the Earth King about the guest list for the ball and he’d know right where to find her. That added yet another element of uncertainty to tonight. She had to somehow find Zuko and find their target all while dodging a furious Aang.

It was going to be a long night.

Well, she reasoned, first things first, she needed to get started on locating her partner in crime.

She pushed through the crowd, carefully assessing the heights and body types of the people she passed. It was all she really had to go on given she had no idea what Zuko was wearing and the only flesh visible to her were hands. Being from the Water Tribes, she herself would be more recognizable from a just small show of skin, but that was a double-edged sword because while that would make it easier for Zuko to spot her, it would do the same for Aang.

She cursed again and pulled the shimmering, gold-trimmed sleeves of her silk stateswoman dress as far as they would go over her hands. Why did Aang have to catch up with her now when they were so close to bagging their target? The time it would take her to catch him up on the situation would probably cause her to miss her window to identify the man before he retired to whatever backroom he’d no doubt commandeered to do his dealing. She only hoped she managed to find him before Aang found her.

Actually, she decided after giving the matter some thought, forget looking for Zuko. They’d cover more ground if they searched independently. Sure, there was safety in numbers, but she and Zuko were both master benders who could hold their own if it came down to a fight. She just had to hope that Zuko would be on the same wavelength and focus on sniffing out their target rather than wasting his time searching for her.  

Katara’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the enormous ballroom with a critical eye. There had to be some kind of tell—some way for the merchant to signal the nobles looking to buy from him. He would likely be acting in some predetermined peculiar manner in order to attract the attention of the right people. He would also probably have something on his person, perhaps a piece of jewelry, that was distinctive enough to confirm his identity. Her first thought was a necklace. There were plenty of unique pendant designs that were suitably eye-catching. Or perhaps a broach…

As she worked the matter out in her head, a waiter glided by and offered her a glass from a tray. She took it thoughtlessly and lifted her mask just enough to throw it back, appreciating the refreshing coolness of the beverage after many minutes of power-walking through throngs of party-goers. Discarding the glass on a nearby table, she resumed her hunt, keeping her eyes peeled for striking jewelry.

That man over there chatting with a group of young women? No, he was wearing only a string of beads.

How about those three older-looking men discussing politics? Nope, not a single piece of jewelry between them.

Perhaps someone in that large ring of people talking by the buffet table? No, their jewelry was all generic gemstones.

Katara found herself quickly growing frustrated. This was like trying to find a pebble in a badger-mole’s den. She’d be here all night if she tried to inspect the front of every man at the party.

Her frustration made her hungry and she retreated to the snack table to grab a few bites. She hadn’t eaten since lunch and she always got a little grouchy on an empty stomach. She nabbed a few small eatables and another glass of whatever that waiter had been passing out and quickly pounded them down before returning to her search.

Feeling much better now that she had some food in her, she resumed her perusal of male jewelry fashions. Her target had to be here somewhere, she reasoned. Hanook had been certain that the merchant was selling the ivory at this function. If he wasn’t here, then she couldn’t think of any other—there!

At once, Katara’s gaze zeroed in on a male figure wearing a necklace that didn’t match that of anyone else she’d seen so far. It was a rusty red color with a thick silk cord and at the center of it hung a round, polished piece of wood with a distinctive pattern etched into its surface. Bingo, she thought smugly.

Making her way over to the man, she straightened her dress and puffed out her chest alluringly. “Hey, there,” she said when she got to him, lowering her voice just as she’d done with the pirates in Linfen. “Nice necklace, you got there.” She raised a hand to lift the wooden pendant with a single finger and pretended to examine it. “Any special meaning behind it?”

The man seemed flustered by her bold action. “Well, actually it’s a—” All at once he stopped and she saw the eyes of his mask look straight at the hand that was touching his necklace. “Wait…Katara?”

Katara froze. Hold on a minute. That voice. She looked up quickly and realized for the first time that behind his red monkey mask the man she’d approached had a clean-shaven head.

“Katara!” he said her name with more confidence this time. “It is you. I knew you’d be here!” He made a lunge for her wrist but Katara was fast and retracted it just in time.

Prattling off every curse she knew in her head, she turned on her heel and fled into the crowd.

Shit! Shit! Shit! she swore as she ran. Of all the people for her to accidently mistake for her target, she had to find Aang. Oh, this was not good.

Thinking fast, she ripped off her mask and ducked into a large group of people. Cries of outrage and indignation followed as she snatched the mask off a random woman and shoved it onto her face, pausing only to thrust her own mask into the bewildered woman’s hands. Before Aang could catch up to her and realize what she’d done, she burst out of the crowd and dove into another.

She continued to maneuver in and out of crowds until she was confident that she’d at last lost Aang. Only then did she stop and take a moment to catch her breath. Nearby was another tray of drinks and she took two, gulping them down with gusto.

Perhaps looking for the merchant on her own had been a bad idea after all. She was no closer to finding him than she’d been thirty minutes ago and all she’d achieved was confirming for Aang that she was here at the king’s party.

She should’ve just looked for Zuko—worked together with him to come up with a plan of attack. They always worked best together. It was why she’d dragged him along on this mission in the first place.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, she abandoned her glasses and tentatively peeked around the wall of people she’d positioned herself behind and scanned the crowd. She didn’t see any red monkey masks and the people she’d disturbed seemed to have settled back into their conversations. The coast looked clear enough, so she stepped out from her hiding spot.

…And promptly stumbled into a marble pillar. Frowning in confusion, she used the pillar to help right herself and passed a hand over her eyes. Suddenly, she had a feeling almost like the room was swimming. She focused on the people nearby and after a moment her vision righted itself. She blinked a few times and when the problem didn’t persist she decided to write it off as the heat getting to her and continued on.

She shoved past Earth Kingdom nobles and foreign dignitaries keeping a watchful eye out both for her target and the telltale red of Aang’s mask and necklace. She knew better than to think he’d given up his hunt for her. As she trekked back across the ballroom, her eyes darting this wat and that, the vibrant clothes of the party-goers began to blend together in a whirl of color. There were just too many people to search through. Too much jewelry. Too many colors. She was starting to feel overwhelmed. A waiter offered her another drink and this time she sipped it slowly as she continued to walk. The flavor was syrupy and reminded her of peaches.

Was it just her or did the room seem louder than it had been before? It was like someone had gone around and given each person a rolled-up piece of paper to shout through. Katara winced at the noise and cast her gaze around for an exit. She needed some fresh air and a break from the crowded ballroom. She found what she was looking for: the large double doors leading back into the palace proper and she changed her trajectory to head for them.

She’d nearly made it when a hand alighted on her shoulder, halting her.

Startled, Katara turned her head and found herself staring at a red monkey face. Uh oh.

“Why’d you run from me, Katara?” Aang’s voice came from behind the mask. He sounded hurt.

Katara struggled to find words to answer him. “Listen, Aang,” she appealed to him. “You don’t understand—”

“Talk to me outside,” he cut her off, guiding her to the doors with a hand on her back. “It’s way too noisy in here.”

Katara found herself being steered out the door and at once she felt relief as the cool air of the connecting hallway struck her. The hallway’s open-air design allowed the chilly night breeze to chase away the muggy heat of the ballroom. She heard the door close behind her with a resounding click and her relief abruptly fled when she realized that she and Aang were now alone.

“Alright, Katara. Explain,” Aang commanded. He’d removed his mask and Katara could see the unhappy arch of his eyebrows as he stared at her impatiently. “Sokka told me your plan. He said that you went to the Earth Kingdom to apprehend the poachers yourself. I went to Linfen and confirmed his story with the authorities there. Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?”

Katara removed her own mask with a sigh. It looked like they were doing this after all. “Aang, I’m sorry. I just… the mission required a certain amount of discreetness, and well…”

She trailed off when she caught a glimpse of movement behind Aang. Far down the hall, a group of people were exiting the ballroom from a second, smaller set of doors.

“Well, what?” Aang pressed, his frown deepening.

Katara ignored him. Her attention was fixed on the group now walking away from them down the hall. Her eyes narrowed.

“Katara?”

Katara held up a hand to silence him and affixed her mask back over her face. “Listen, I’ll talk to you later, Aang. I really need to follow that group of people.”

Not waiting for Aang to reply, she brushed past him and began jogging after the group.

Perhaps if she’d been in a clearer state of mind, she would’ve predicted that Aang wouldn’t be satisfied to be brushed off in such a manner.

As she hurried down the corridor, her mind focused on sneakily joining the group of people who had left the ballroom so suspiciously, she wasn’t at all prepared for Aang to run after her, feet slapping on the polished stone, and yell, “Katara! Where are you going? I wasn’t done talking to you!”

At once, every member of the group stopped and their masked faces turned to see who had yelled. When they saw Aang, unmasked and furious, running down the hall directly toward them, Katara heard a voice cry out, “It’s the Avatar!” The group burst into a flurry of panicked motion and a man in a lemur mask yelled, “Run!”

The group hurriedly split, their members taking off at a sprint down the hall. Katara cursed and shouted, “Hey! Stop right there!” before promptly giving chase. She mentally berated Aang for alerting her targets. Why oh why did he have to confront her now? He was ruining everything! She cursed again as her long dress tangled with her feet, threatening to trip her. Dammit, she wasn’t dressed for a chase!

Luckily, Aang seemed to at last realize what was going on and he sped past her, overtaking the group in no time. Using his airbending, he sent a great gust through the corridor, knocking the fleeing criminals off their feet. Cries of surprise followed as butts landed on the hard floor and masks came loose and fell clattering to the ground. Katara wasted no time pulling water from the large vases that lined the hallway and freezing the would-be escapees in place.

Katara was ready to celebrate, thinking their mission was over, when she realized that there were two men still standing. One was tall and wore long robes of emerald and the other was stockier and wore a shorter-trimmed outfit of burnished gold. The man in green had his legs planted in an uncertain stance and appeared to be looking back and forth between her and Aang through the eye-holes of his leopard-fox mask. The gold-garbed man was not nearly so uncertain. He was already running again, leaving his partners in crime behind to save himself.

Aang frowned after him, disapproval written all over his face. “I don’t think so!” he called after the man, and this time he used earthbending to send a ripple through the floor directly toward the two men. Katara watched with satisfaction as the gold-clad man was tossed onto his face and promptly encased in stone so that he couldn’t run again. However, the green-robed man still didn’t fall. He hopped deftly up onto a window ledge as the wave rippled through the place where he’d been standing and Katara could only watch dumbly as, without missing a beat, he jumped back down and lunged into a sprint.

Straight for her.

Normally, Katara would’ve reacted quicker, but her thoughts felt like they were swimming through a swamp as her brain attempted to send the signal to her limbs to move. She could only blink in surprise as the masked man barreled into her, catching her under the ribs with an arm and hoisting her easily up onto his shoulder. Before she could process what was happening, she and the green man were jumping up onto another window ledge and disappearing into the darkness.

oOo

The next thing Katara knew, she was being deposited onto a hard, cool surface. The starry sky was spread out above her and her nose was filled with the smell of plants. A quick glance around told her she was in the Earth Palace gardens. The man who had kidnapped her retreated a few steps, his soft slippers noiseless on the dry earth. Katara opened her mouth to yell at him for manhandling her, but before she could get a word out he pulled the mask from his face in one smooth motion and tossed it onto a patch of grass nearby.

Katara’s angry tirade died on her tongue. “…Zuko?”

Zuko’s eyes landed on hers. He looked non-too-happy. “Katara, what’s going on?” he demanded. “Why is Aang here?”

Katara took off her own mask and shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Why was it so difficult to gather her thoughts? The world looked like it was spinning around Zuko as if he’d become the center of a merry-go-round. She tried her best to focus on him and not the tilt-a-whirl that was the rest of the garden. “He caught up to us,” she answered, the statement taking more effort than it should’ve.

Zuko sighed and pushed a hand up into his hair, his eyes lifting to the heavens. “I knew he would,” he muttered, now sounding resigned more than irritated. Looking back at her, he said, “I did tell you. You don’t give him enough credit.”

Katara huffed and rolled her eyes. “Relax. He doesn’t know that you’re involved in this.” Her nose scrunched up in thought and she added, “I think.” Aang had only said that Sokka told him she went to Linfen. He never mentioned anything about Zuko. “Besides, the situation’s been taken care of. We caught the crooks.”

Zuko sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’d been hoping to glean some more information from them before having them arrested.” With a huff, he sank down onto the stone seat beside her. “Who knows what kinds of other shady business that merchant’s been involved in. It’s going to be hard to make him talk behind bars.”

Katara was only half listening now. She was captivated by the sharp ridge of Zuko’s jaw and the handsome slope of his neck enhanced by the stiff, elegant collar of his robes. He looked fetching in party clothes. He’d looked fetching in his pirate attire as well. “Mm,” she hummed to show that she was paying attention. Dragging her mind out of the swamp, she said, “Let King Kuei deal with that. At least now the world will know that the Fire Nation weren’t the ones poaching our whales.”

That was the most important thing, as far as Katara was concerned. The last thing she wanted was for this misunderstanding to sour the relationship between their nations.

After all, that would make things very difficult for Katara, who had decided some time ago that one way or another she was going to jump Zuko’s bones.

This wasn’t something she’d talked to anyone about, of course. When she’d realized for the first time that she was in love with Zuko she’d been sixteen and in a relationship with Aang. It had been a long and tricky road since that day.

With effort, Katara stood from her seat. “We should probably—”

She’d been about to suggest that they don their masks and slip back inside before Aang discovered the two of them out here and put two and two together, but before the words could finish leaving her mouth, she and Zuko were surprised by a shout splitting the air.

“Spread out and search the grounds! The fiend couldn’t have gotten far!”

Katara and Zuko shared a panicked look. An order like that could only mean one thing: Aang had alerted the palace guard to her kidnapping.

Following the command, thundering footfalls could be heard encroaching on the spot where she and Zuko stood. Katara looked around for a spot to hide but there was nowhere enclosed enough to conceal themselves. With no time to run, Katara acted on instinct. She grabbed Zuko by the front of his robes and yanked him against her, backing up until her back was pressed against a tree. Before he could protest or ask what she thought she was doing, she hooked her arms around her neck and pulled him into a searing kiss.

Not a second later, a team of guards appeared from around a hedge.

“You there!” the one in front called out to them, his voice commanding. “Have you seen a…”

The guard faltered and the men behind him stopped in their tracks. “Oh, um, pardon me,” he said weakly. Katara watched the man tip his helmet and gesture to his fellow guards. Wearing embarrassed looks, they retreated back the way they’d come, giving the intimately engaged couple their privacy.

When the guards were gone, Zuko attempted to pull away.

Katara didn’t let him. She held fast, sliding a hand up into his hair and pressing her body flush against his. The haze in her mind helped her shut out all sources of stimuli outside of him. Zuko didn’t fight her for long. Rather, he took a small step forward, smooshing her harder against the tree, and she felt the backs of his fingernails brush her cheeks with the tenderness of a lover. They broke apart briefly for air and Katara felt her whole body shiver when Zuko’s warm breath ghosted over her neck. His body was warm and hard against hers and his touch was causing her hormones to go crazy. With abandon, she ground her hips into his and pulled his head back so she could access his throat. She placed her mouth against his skin, and probed the area with her tongue, causing him to make a noise that sent heat straight to her core.

Spirits, she’d never felt so turned on. Zuko wound his arms around her and grabbed her bottom with one hand to pull her pelvis against his again. She could feel his desire for her and it excited her. She rocked her hips against his again and made to draw him into another molten kiss when he abruptly pulled away, grabbing her shoulders to put distance between them.

“Katara,” he said her name in a husky baritone. “Stop.”

Katara almost didn’t register his command through the haze of her desire. Stopping was the last thing she wanted to do, but she somehow managed to pull the break on her hormones to hear what he had to say.

Zuko bent his head to look into her eyes seriously. “We can’t do this. You’re in a relationship with Aang and—”

Katara didn’t let him finish. “I’m not.”

Zuko’s eyes widened. “…what?” he said dumbly.

She nodded. “Aang and I are taking a break right now.”

Zuko gave her a baffled look. “Huh? But back in Linfen you said that things were, and I quote, just peachy between the two of you.”

Katara fought the urge to roll her eyes. Goodness, Zuko could be awfully slow for someone who was expected to be wise enough to lead a country. “Did you really expect me to open that can of worms right there in the middle of the street while dressed like a tavern floozy?”

“Well, then, are you going to talk about it now?”

This time Katara did roll her eyes. She was too far gone for this conversation to be happening right now. “No. I’m going to keep kissing you and you’re going to save your questions for a more appropriate time.”

Her bit said, she pulled his face down to hers again and picked up right where they left off. If Zuko had any further protests he clearly decided that they were non-pressing enough to wait because he didn’t try to stop her again.

Later, they would need to sit down and have a proper talk about this. Katara would make certain Zuko understood that she desired far more from him than a one-night-stand. She would explain to him exactly why she always went to him before Aang when she needed help with something. She would tell him unabashedly of the feelings she’d been suppressing for over a year.

But before that, she was probably going to puke out her guts, because the haze in her brain right now definitely wasn’t just from hormones.

“Katara,” Zuko murmured into her mouth. “We should take this inside.”

And that too, she mentally tacked on. Even if she and Aang were taking a break, it really wouldn’t do for him to find her sucking face with Zuko in the yard.

She broke away to nod in agreement and the two took off silent as panther-sharks in the direction of the palace.

fin

oO0Oo

Abrupt ending is abrupt! Sorry, this was just getting WAY too long and let’s be real, we were all just waiting for the juicy make-out anyway. Nobody cares what happens after that.

This actually wasn’t originally how I was going to continue Vigilantes. I was pretty constrained by the prompt selection so I ended up modifying my plan heavily. Thanks to that, this conclusion isn’t quite as satisfying as I would’ve liked. It also wasn’t very cohesive in my opinion. I really struggled to write something that made sense but I found myself falling short at every turn. The result is that this story isn’t nearly as strong as the first part. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have enough time to work it into something better. I already sank way more time into it than I should’ve and that’s put me on a very tight schedule for the rest of the prompts. But that’s just part of doing these kinds of challenges. You can’t expect it to be all smooth sailing.

[wineanddinosaur]

Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribò Are Blending Diversity and Culture Into Natural Winemaking in Santa Rita Hills

Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribò are partner winemakers for the boutique winery Camins 2 Dreams in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Partners in wine and in life, this couple makes natural wine from grapes sourced in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA — using anything but the traditional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Gomez, a Chumash Indigenous Native American, and Catalonian-born Taribò, are like polar opposites, both possessing a myriad of knowledge and winemaking skills that together create a perfectly balanced equation. Married in 2014, the couple met in California while working at J. Lohr Winery in Paso Robles. Soon afterward, they moved to Spain to make wine at Castell d’Encus before returning to the hills of Sta. Rita, Calif., to start their own label, Camins 2 Dreams. Sourcing grapes that are unusual for the region — Syrah and Grüner Vetliner, along with Gamay, Carignan and Albariño this year — the couple decided to go against the grain to create unique wines they love, which are available in their tasting room in Lompoc, Calif.

Although only on their fourth vintage, these women are already investing in their community with a commitment to uplifting others through mentorship and partnering with local groups such as the Hue Society, Bâtonnage, and Speed Rack.

In the following interview, winemakers Tara and Mireia sat down with VinePair to discuss making natural wine while creating community in the Sta Rita Hills of Santa Barbara and beyond.

1. Both of you have had successful careers as winemakers prior to starting Camins 2 Dreams. What made you decide to start a wine label together?

TG: It’s always been a dream for us to do something on our own. We didn’t want to be working for somebody else forever. We wanted to do something for ourselves, and it allows us to experiment with different varieties.

MT: When you have your own winery, you can interpret how you want your wine to be without anybody telling you what to do. It’s riskier but it’s also more fun.

2. What varieties are you working with currently, and where are you making them?

TG: Our main varieties are Syrah and Grüner Vetliner. Our vineyards are in a cooler part of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, so we make cool-climate expressions of these varieties.

MT: That’s what we have in the market and what we make the most of. Last year, we also started with Grenache and Graciano [available to our] wine club only. All still wine, but we do have a Pét-Nat of Grüner.

TG: As far as the vineyards, we focus on Sta. Rita Hills. We work with one vineyard, “Christy and Wise,” that is just outside of the Sta.Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, but a really cool vineyard: biodynamic, sandy soil, head-trained vines, really pretty. We source our Graciano from there. We also source from Zotovich and Spear for our Syrah, which is more of a clay loam-dominant soil.

3. Working as a couple was a big decision! How does working with your spouse change the way that you approach winemaking?

TG: With our own label, we are able to experiment with different varieties that I wasn’t able to do before on my own (Kalawashaq’ was Tara’s first wine label) . We have a shared mission: We both like the same style of wine, so we made what we wanted to make from the beginning, and we also share the same philosophy of winemaking.

MT: Well, starting two different wine labels would be difficult! We have a shared vision, we like the same style of wine, and we share the same view of winemaking. But also, there’s compromise. Like, if I say I want to make a certain wine and she’s not sure, then we will say, “You choose one, and I choose one.”

TG: For me that’s Carignan. I’ve always wanted to make Carignan as a single-variety wine. And finally, this year I’m going to do it. At my other winery, I’ve had to make it as a blend, but I always wanted to make 100 percent Carignan. Here at Camins, we both enjoy the same varieties and fresher wines with higher acidity, so we have the freedom to choose what we make.

4. Is there anything that either of you would have approached differently on your own?

MT: I don’t think there’s anything I would’ve done differently. I don’t think I would change anything. If anything, it’s nice to have a sounding board for someone to bounce ideas off of.

TG: To be quite honest with you, I’m really enjoying this moment with Camins 2 Dreams because with Kita it was always just me, and here it’s the both of us.

MT: Even though you are really specific down to the line on the floor!

Mireia points down to a grid outline on the floor measured to optimize barrel spacing. Both laugh.

TG: Mireia is just a go-getter and wants to get things done, but I am thinking about something to the point of overthinking, then I plan it out, and then I think about it again before finally making a decision.

5. Clearly, you work well to balance each other out. Even the name, Camins 2 Dreams, in both English and Spanish is like a balanced equation. Both the name and label design of your wine seems very personal. Can you tell us the story behind it?

MT: So “Camins” means “path” in my language, Catalan, which is spoken in the northeast part of Spain. It represents the path to our dreams. I came from Spain to do an internship at J. Lohr winery where I met Tara back in 2006. Afterwards, I went back to Spain, and I invited her over and we were going back and forth for over eight years. Throughout this time, we visited many wine regions and tasted wines everywhere, so I always say that all these paths we took led us to our dream winery. And here we are! Hence, Camins 2 Dreams.

TG: The label design depicts a vine tree in a circular shape representing the world, because we come from different parts of the world. The roots are deep and represent the deep roots we have, and are showcasing the vineyards and soil on the land we are making our wines from. In the middle, there is a yin and yang, symbolic of the balance that we have between each other as well as the balance within the wine. We balance each other pretty well.

Both laugh.

5. You both have very unique cultural backgrounds. Does this influence your wine making choices at all?

MT: The reason we chose natural winemaking and minimal intervention is because of where we come from. In Tara’s culture, you want to respect the land; and me, coming from Spain, I’m used to drinking natural wine. I learned to make wine this way. So, we make low-intervention, natural-style wines that are lighter and more food-friendly because in Spain, our wine is meant to be enjoyed with food. That’s what I’m used to drinking and that’s what I want to make.

In Spain, we didn’t add anything to the wine, so here it is the same, other than about 20 ppm sulfur before bottling; we use wild yeasts and no finning, no filtering. My family was making wine just for home consumption. It’s a very small vineyard and we don’t sell it. I think my great-grandfather planted the vines, so maybe 30 years ago. But I remember when I was a kid, we would just go pick the grapes, foot-stomp them, put the wine in a barrel, and that was it. I grew up like that; you get what you get from the vineyard and try to make the best out of it.

TG: And I learned about this with you, Mireia, I always wanted to do natural wine with other wineries I worked for but I was always under too much pressure, so I had to go the conventional route. For this brand we are totally free to do it. Ultimately, I look for balance in everything that I do. Growing up it was instilled in me to find balance within yourself and in your surroundings, so I look for that in the wine.

6. You represent a range of diverse communities within the wine industry, being women, people of color, Indigenous, and part of the LGBTQIA+ plus community; did you ever experience any discrimination?

MT: The only time I felt like I was an immigrant was when I first came here. I had one job in a cellar doing labeling and bottling, and the winemaker was expecting me to work outside of the cellar, cleaning his house. He sort of demanded it. He basically threatened, “Do you want a job or not?” And I remember thinking, “Just because I am from another country doesn’t mean you make those demands. I am here to make wine.” Otherwise, I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve had good bosses. I did experience some discrimination once I started helping out Tara at Kita, derogatory comments, but that was more directed to her and to the tribe.

TG: Yeah, I’m used to it. Growing up I went to a private school, so just because of the color of my skin, I’ve always sort of stuck out. We were the only people of color in our school, so trying to fit in was always difficult. In general, having the connection with the Chumash tribe and encountering people who refuse to try our wines because I am from the tribe. … There has always been some discrimination towards the tribe. Sometimes, it feels like we have to go outside of the community in order to sell our wine.

7. How have you been able to overcome these experiences in the wine space?

TG: Recently, things have been better. In the past, I’ve just put my head down and forged my own path. It wasn’t until 2020 that we started really building community. Prior to 2020, I didn’t even know that there were other Indigenous people in the industry. With things going virtual, it’s been super cool. We’ve been able to form a community within some of the panels we’ve been on, which is great.

8. What are some things that could change within the wine industry?

MT: Well more diversity is one thing; it’s white and male-dominated, so that needs to change. I mean, diversity is always a good thing! We like wine that is diverse, and if you have a diverse group of people making wine, then they’re going to be more unique and different. Like you said, we each bring a part of our culture to the wines, and that’s what makes wine interesting.

Also, as wineries we have to show potential applicants that we are open and inclusive via our actions. Wineries that don’t show this are not going to get a good base of diverse applicants applying to work with them.

TG: I think it’s time people truly listen and learn. We can’t keep excusing those who refuse to listen and do the work.

9. What are some of the ways you have begun to build community and essentially change the narrative for others in the wine industry? What are some of the groups you are a part of?

TG: We are working on being mentors and showing up in the community. The Hue Society, WineFare SF, and Bâtonnage Mentorship Program are some of them. It’s awesome to have met some of those people. This year, Bâ\tonnage is still going to be virtual, but they’ll also be doing an in-person tasting that we’re going to be a part of. Speed Rack Advisory squad, I’m a mentor for that; also, the James Beard Legacy Board network is really awesome. I’ve learned a lot from their sessions. They are training me to be a better mentor for someone who wants to learn and be a part of this industry. How awesome is that?

10. Really awesome! So, What’s next for Camins 2 Dreams?

MT: Now that Covid protocols are lightening up, our tasting room is back open by appointment, which is great because we were only open eight months — literally our first vintage — before the shutdown happened. We’re working on our direct-to-consumer (DTC) market. Currently, we have expanded our DTC operations to New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Washington State, and California, with Ontario and the U.K. up next.

TG: Also, we are making Gamay, Carignan and Albariño. We’re excited about that. We’re doubling on production this year. Right now, it’s just Mireia and I, but in the future, we’d like to employ interns. It’s scary, but we’re growing and we love it.

The article Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribò Are Blending Diversity and Culture Into Natural Winemaking in Santa Rita Hills appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/camins-2-dreams-natural-winemaking/

[johnboothus]

Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribò Are Blending Diversity and Culture Into Natural Winemaking in Santa Rita Hills

Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribò are partner winemakers for the boutique winery Camins 2 Dreams in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Partners in wine and in life, this couple makes natural wine from grapes sourced in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA — using anything but the traditional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Gomez, a Chumash Indigenous Native American, and Catalonian-born Taribò, are like polar opposites, both possessing a myriad of knowledge and winemaking skills that together create a perfectly balanced equation. Married in 2014, the couple met in California while working at J. Lohr Winery in Paso Robles. Soon afterward, they moved to Spain to make wine at Castell d’Encus before returning to the hills of Sta. Rita, Calif., to start their own label, Camins 2 Dreams. Sourcing grapes that are unusual for the region — Syrah and Grüner Vetliner, along with Gamay, Carignan and Albariño this year — the couple decided to go against the grain to create unique wines they love, which are available in their tasting room in Lompoc, Calif.

Although only on their fourth vintage, these women are already investing in their community with a commitment to uplifting others through mentorship and partnering with local groups such as the Hue Society, Bâtonnage, and Speed Rack.

In the following interview, winemakers Tara and Mireia sat down with VinePair to discuss making natural wine while creating community in the Sta Rita Hills of Santa Barbara and beyond.

1. Both of you have had successful careers as winemakers prior to starting Camins 2 Dreams. What made you decide to start a wine label together?

TG: It’s always been a dream for us to do something on our own. We didn’t want to be working for somebody else forever. We wanted to do something for ourselves, and it allows us to experiment with different varieties.

MT: When you have your own winery, you can interpret how you want your wine to be without anybody telling you what to do. It’s riskier but it’s also more fun.

2. What varieties are you working with currently, and where are you making them?

TG: Our main varieties are Syrah and Grüner Vetliner. Our vineyards are in a cooler part of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, so we make cool-climate expressions of these varieties.

MT: That’s what we have in the market and what we make the most of. Last year, we also started with Grenache and Graciano [available to our] wine club only. All still wine, but we do have a Pét-Nat of Grüner.

TG: As far as the vineyards, we focus on Sta. Rita Hills. We work with one vineyard, “Christy and Wise,” that is just outside of the Sta.Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, but a really cool vineyard: biodynamic, sandy soil, head-trained vines, really pretty. We source our Graciano from there. We also source from Zotovich and Spear for our Syrah, which is more of a clay loam-dominant soil.

3. Working as a couple was a big decision! How does working with your spouse change the way that you approach winemaking?

TG: With our own label, we are able to experiment with different varieties that I wasn’t able to do before on my own (Kalawashaq’ was Tara’s first wine label) . We have a shared mission: We both like the same style of wine, so we made what we wanted to make from the beginning, and we also share the same philosophy of winemaking.

MT: Well, starting two different wine labels would be difficult! We have a shared vision, we like the same style of wine, and we share the same view of winemaking. But also, there’s compromise. Like, if I say I want to make a certain wine and she’s not sure, then we will say, “You choose one, and I choose one.”

TG: For me that’s Carignan. I’ve always wanted to make Carignan as a single-variety wine. And finally, this year I’m going to do it. At my other winery, I’ve had to make it as a blend, but I always wanted to make 100 percent Carignan. Here at Camins, we both enjoy the same varieties and fresher wines with higher acidity, so we have the freedom to choose what we make.

4. Is there anything that either of you would have approached differently on your own?

MT: I don’t think there’s anything I would’ve done differently. I don’t think I would change anything. If anything, it’s nice to have a sounding board for someone to bounce ideas off of.

TG: To be quite honest with you, I’m really enjoying this moment with Camins 2 Dreams because with Kita it was always just me, and here it’s the both of us.

MT: Even though you are really specific down to the line on the floor!

Mireia points down to a grid outline on the floor measured to optimize barrel spacing. Both laugh.

TG: Mireia is just a go-getter and wants to get things done, but I am thinking about something to the point of overthinking, then I plan it out, and then I think about it again before finally making a decision.

5. Clearly, you work well to balance each other out. Even the name, Camins 2 Dreams, in both English and Spanish is like a balanced equation. Both the name and label design of your wine seems very personal. Can you tell us the story behind it?

MT: So “Camins” means “path” in my language, Catalan, which is spoken in the northeast part of Spain. It represents the path to our dreams. I came from Spain to do an internship at J. Lohr winery where I met Tara back in 2006. Afterwards, I went back to Spain, and I invited her over and we were going back and forth for over eight years. Throughout this time, we visited many wine regions and tasted wines everywhere, so I always say that all these paths we took led us to our dream winery. And here we are! Hence, Camins 2 Dreams.

TG: The label design depicts a vine tree in a circular shape representing the world, because we come from different parts of the world. The roots are deep and represent the deep roots we have, and are showcasing the vineyards and soil on the land we are making our wines from. In the middle, there is a yin and yang, symbolic of the balance that we have between each other as well as the balance within the wine. We balance each other pretty well.

Both laugh.

5. You both have very unique cultural backgrounds. Does this influence your wine making choices at all?

MT: The reason we chose natural winemaking and minimal intervention is because of where we come from. In Tara’s culture, you want to respect the land; and me, coming from Spain, I’m used to drinking natural wine. I learned to make wine this way. So, we make low-intervention, natural-style wines that are lighter and more food-friendly because in Spain, our wine is meant to be enjoyed with food. That’s what I’m used to drinking and that’s what I want to make.

In Spain, we didn’t add anything to the wine, so here it is the same, other than about 20 ppm sulfur before bottling; we use wild yeasts and no finning, no filtering. My family was making wine just for home consumption. It’s a very small vineyard and we don’t sell it. I think my great-grandfather planted the vines, so maybe 30 years ago. But I remember when I was a kid, we would just go pick the grapes, foot-stomp them, put the wine in a barrel, and that was it. I grew up like that; you get what you get from the vineyard and try to make the best out of it.

TG: And I learned about this with you, Mireia, I always wanted to do natural wine with other wineries I worked for but I was always under too much pressure, so I had to go the conventional route. For this brand we are totally free to do it. Ultimately, I look for balance in everything that I do. Growing up it was instilled in me to find balance within yourself and in your surroundings, so I look for that in the wine.

6. You represent a range of diverse communities within the wine industry, being women, people of color, Indigenous, and part of the LGBTQIA+ plus community; did you ever experience any discrimination?

MT: The only time I felt like I was an immigrant was when I first came here. I had one job in a cellar doing labeling and bottling, and the winemaker was expecting me to work outside of the cellar, cleaning his house. He sort of demanded it. He basically threatened, “Do you want a job or not?” And I remember thinking, “Just because I am from another country doesn’t mean you make those demands. I am here to make wine.” Otherwise, I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve had good bosses. I did experience some discrimination once I started helping out Tara at Kita, derogatory comments, but that was more directed to her and to the tribe.

TG: Yeah, I’m used to it. Growing up I went to a private school, so just because of the color of my skin, I’ve always sort of stuck out. We were the only people of color in our school, so trying to fit in was always difficult. In general, having the connection with the Chumash tribe and encountering people who refuse to try our wines because I am from the tribe. … There has always been some discrimination towards the tribe. Sometimes, it feels like we have to go outside of the community in order to sell our wine.

7. How have you been able to overcome these experiences in the wine space?

TG: Recently, things have been better. In the past, I’ve just put my head down and forged my own path. It wasn’t until 2020 that we started really building community. Prior to 2020, I didn’t even know that there were other Indigenous people in the industry. With things going virtual, it’s been super cool. We’ve been able to form a community within some of the panels we’ve been on, which is great.

8. What are some things that could change within the wine industry?

MT: Well more diversity is one thing; it’s white and male-dominated, so that needs to change. I mean, diversity is always a good thing! We like wine that is diverse, and if you have a diverse group of people making wine, then they’re going to be more unique and different. Like you said, we each bring a part of our culture to the wines, and that’s what makes wine interesting.

Also, as wineries we have to show potential applicants that we are open and inclusive via our actions. Wineries that don’t show this are not going to get a good base of diverse applicants applying to work with them.

TG: I think it’s time people truly listen and learn. We can’t keep excusing those who refuse to listen and do the work.

9. What are some of the ways you have begun to build community and essentially change the narrative for others in the wine industry? What are some of the groups you are a part of?

TG: We are working on being mentors and showing up in the community. The Hue Society, WineFare SF, and Bâtonnage Mentorship Program are some of them. It’s awesome to have met some of those people. This year, Bâ\tonnage is still going to be virtual, but they’ll also be doing an in-person tasting that we’re going to be a part of. Speed Rack Advisory squad, I’m a mentor for that; also, the James Beard Legacy Board network is really awesome. I’ve learned a lot from their sessions. They are training me to be a better mentor for someone who wants to learn and be a part of this industry. How awesome is that?

10. Really awesome! So, What’s next for Camins 2 Dreams?

MT: Now that Covid protocols are lightening up, our tasting room is back open by appointment, which is great because we were only open eight months — literally our first vintage — before the shutdown happened. We’re working on our direct-to-consumer (DTC) market. Currently, we have expanded our DTC operations to New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Washington State, and California, with Ontario and the U.K. up next.

TG: Also, we are making Gamay, Carignan and Albariño. We’re excited about that. We’re doubling on production this year. Right now, it’s just Mireia and I, but in the future, we’d like to employ interns. It’s scary, but we’re growing and we love it.

The article Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribò Are Blending Diversity and Culture Into Natural Winemaking in Santa Rita Hills appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/camins-2-dreams-natural-winemaking/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/tara-gomez-and-mireia-taribo-are-blending-diversity-and-culture-into-natural-winemaking-in-santa-rita-hills

[worldofsurvivortibet-blog]

EPISODE 1 (Part 2) - “I'll be sharpening my knife just in case” - Eddie

SEB

I'll be happy if I never have to see another fucking Robot Unicorn for the rest of my life...

NICHOLAS

Hey guys! So I am going to send it here so it's easier, but I already LOVE my tribe! Everyone is so sweet and easy to talk to (something that isn't always the case in these games). I am really trying to be super active and friendly and supportive towards people so that they feel like they should keep me around,,,, and i think it's working well since I got added to that fun alliance! I'm working hard for this reward challenge so I can prove my worth to all of these people on my tribe! That's about it for now! xoxoxoxo Nicholas

AMANDA

OK i have found that i hate this unicorn game. Like HATE IT.  I am so over it. everyone seems cool so far. there is some people that i am already kind of nervous  about because they just seem like they are already trying to play games and stuff. IDK but they just have me on edge but oh well. I think i am going to try to become close with them but idk i don't really want to be close with hem bc i don't trust them.

JARED

Honestly I am PISSED I was not put with Daniella or Trysten, and I’m stuck with the damn furry! But this will not bring me down, I am here to WIN and I will do whatever it takes to do that. Right now my goal is to just be social and try my best to talk to everyone, because god knows I do not want to be the first one voted out!

CHRISSA

we won that reward which is cool there's a reason i like that game, I hope we win immunity too so nervous still. I am hoping i am safe if we don't win either though. Voting if we had to, would be so hard.

ELENA

I am so happy that we won reward! I am a little bit confused about what exactly they are able to do at "the summit" but hopefully Dani and Darian will share with us when they get back! So far as tribe relations go, I haven't had a chance to speak with everyone yet, but I have made a couple of friends it seems in Seb and Darian. I hope to speak with everyone at least once before Immunity challenge is over.

DANI

I WANTED THAT GODDAMN IDOL CLUE! ME! I did! But my freaking Papa Jabari or whatever that dish was called didn't have jack SHIT! Grrrr.... I Didnt even eat that shit it tasted like acc trash! So I'm starving and now I'm stuck on a fucking mountain peak with a furry, someone who plays the victim all the time, a photographer piece of shit who I'm targeting, and a few other assclowns I haven't had the privilege of conversing with. GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW!

MATT

My lord Seamus got angry over something I called toast. I need to do that more *eyes emoji*

CHRISSA

flag challenges are ugly but I am here for it and the summit twist is cool that's all

JARED

Honestly, I’m mad.  I wanted to go to the summit because I wanted to talk to Daniella… *starts sobbing* I just feel so ALONE! It’s not fair….

TRYSTEN

I'm not going to lie. I feel defeated a little. I just feel like the weakest link, and I'm not going to be surprised if they vote me out.

KENDALL

Okay I just found out newlyf's name, it's Ally. I was right the first time, which is weird because I am usually never right at all. So chances are we are in the Matrix, sorry to shatter your fragile reality :/. Now on to more substantial things: 1. The Reward Challenge Yeah fuck that challenge man. I'm not going to lie, for the first ten minutes it was sort of fun. I like addicting things and the music was pretty good but everything went down hill and it went down hill fast. I still have the bloody song stuck in my head. :( 2. Summit Interesting concept and I like the idea of having an excuse for not being as social. Unfortunately I couldn't jump at the opportunity because that would be stupid. It would put a target on my back if I did, as the possibility of me having an idol would increase. Plus the odds of someone from my group going was very high considering we make up 4/7. And low and behold I was right. Two of the people I trust the most went to the Summit and I got to keep my hands clean. I guess this also means that the idol thing was fake which leads me to say, really guys, really? I stressed out about this.  3. The Immunity Challenge Flag making challenge, I volunteered because nobody else knew how to use photoshop and I am really good at drawing. I'm no Picasso (early Picasso, not late Picasso, I could do that shit) but I think it will work. Not to mention I hate relying on other people because people are gross and that I need to prove myself of some use. If I'm not careful, they'll catch on that I am virtually worthless in most scenarios. Like I wouldn't even be good bait for the wild animals, I taste too much like arsenic.  Anyway that's all folks, I'll be back with more scheming, paranoid ramblings and zombies. Well, maybe not those first two.   

DARIAN

SHIT HIT THE FAN kinda. I got an idol on my first try today. But it wasn't for my tribe... I know..Im sooooo lucky that I find someone else idol. So I was than told that I had 45 min to decide who I was going to give it to. Instantly I had two ideas in my head Keyonjay or Ally. Keyonjay- He clearly is decent in challenges and would be a string partner to attempt to align myself with. He has also agreed that if he finds my idol that he will give it to me. So theres a win win there for me.. maybe Ally- She did really bad in the first challenge and that honestly puts a huge target on her back because she is the easy vote. The team stays strong and no one gets butt hurt. But if she has the idol she can make a move and take out a big player EARLY... Like Keyonjay hahaha. After talking it out with keyonjay and getting his opinions and than a little self reflection I decided to give Keyonjay the idol in hopes that he could be the one to find my idol and maybe even become a strong alliance member!! Ahhhh so stressed!!!!

KEYONJAY

Okay so a couple things. I got the best score on the first challenge out of pure luck. Like just somehow I literally got to like 55k on level two when the previous times i played i couldn't get over 10k on all three levels. Unfortunately we still didn't win which fucking sucks because I didn't wanna go to the goddamn summit at all, but the other tribe chose me because i got the best score apparently. Didn't really wanna be away from my tribe for anything to change with my alliances, and really didn't wanna be put in a position that complicates my game. Ofc immediately that changes because Darian just gave me an idol. like dsfsdsf wtf. I just met the kid. It's really nice though and obviously from my last game I see that you can't abuse people's kindness like that so I'm not gonna use it against him or anything or brag and call him dumb (I'm sorry Mitchy D:) but this definitely complicates things because if I had an idol, I'd rather be the only person that knows about it and now I have to contend with the fact that this idol is basically mine AND Darian's and I have to use it in a way that benefits both of us or risk a pissed off juror. God. DONT GIVE ME IDOLS! I DONT WANT THEM! THEY COMPLICATE THINGS! He wants me to use it on Ally if my tribe loses the first immunity, but hopefully I can protect her and make that not happen regardless, or we can win, which I doubt since it's a flag challenge and I fucking suck at these.

ACE

Alright we got 2nd on the challenge which is decent. And then the next chall is a flag making competition and considering Kendall and Jared know of my abilities hopefully they can leave it up to me. I'm gonna make a wicked gif. Anyways the Summit twist is kinda cool, I got food that gave me an idol clue but it at least told me where NOT to look. I'm probably gonna stick to mountainside since random.org told me to. The Summit is Me and Keyonjay, Matt, Darian, Dani, and Johnny. I already know Dani and Matt, Darian talked with me a bit and they seem alright. They use phone emojis a lot and Im not use to seein those on my computer so its weird a bittttt! Johnny isn't online yet so idk about them just yet. Before I left Jared wanted me to talk to Keyonjay about making an alliance with them. When I heard keyonjay would be at Summit I decided to volunteer myself so I could get the question in. Keyonjay said they were ok with Jared and wanted him to join the alliance with Kendall and Nicholas... uhh no I think we just meant something between us 3 we don't need that big of an alliance even though our tribe is amazing and we'll probably barely lose anybody =') Also Kendall and I sorta already settled Jared as our possible first tribe boot so that'd just make things a bit harder maybe? WHo's even left? Ally and Amanda... that's it rofl also I don't think Ally is Mega anymore lol delete it

JOHNNY

Since joining the game, I’ve found it really difficult to legitimately communicate with people. I can’t help but think a lot of these people are dweebs, who just sit behind the computer all day blogging on tumblr and obsessing over Survivor games online I’m sure, and there’s no way I can compete with no lifes who do nothing but scratch their ballsacks all day. Any who, I do kinda know Dani, who is in the Summit with me right now, and i recognize Jared from a few other games I’ve played, but I’ve yet to approach him yet about the game, but I’m glad I have that in my back pocket. I’ve really gotta start forming some bonds with people, because the conversations I’m having with most of these people are not strong, and I wouldn’t be surprised if these try hard motherfuckers already have a majority alliance, but all I can do is contribute in challenges and hope for the best since my social game isn’t going to be too strong this early on. I’ve made a bond with Crimson on my team because we have a mutual friend, so hopefully that can take me a long way for now. My plan is to just bond with Matt since he’s the only one from my tribe I can talk to, maybe strike a deal, let him think he can do anything with me in this game, when tbh I’ll probably slit his neck soon enough anyways

tbh I get the very scary feeling that a lot of people know each other in this game, and I honestly don’t have anyone in this game that I can truly rely on like some do, and I’m never going to know who is friends with who. Now I know what it feels like to kinda be a newb in the games I play when I just target the people I don’t know… Guess I’m getting a taste of my own medicine here

DANI

Darian is getting on my nerves so badly. Like ugh, shut up for like two seconds nobody cares if you're a photographer. 

So Darian's dumbass comes up to me saying Carson/Julia have an idol in the game. Do I believe him? Yeah. Do I not wanna believe him? Yeah... But that's just how the game works. Oh how I wish I had that idol... *licks lips* Oh the things I would do to it... Grrr....

CARSON

Ok so I'm pretty sure Darian just exposed that he has the idol by trying to give me a fake clue. On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Darian Goggin wrote: > I got a clue to an idol On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Darian Goggin wrote: > It wasn't much but it's something On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Carson (albania host) wrote: > omg On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Darian Goggin wrote: > Don't search the Forrest On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Darian Goggin wrote: > Or the mountainside On 1/4/17, at 7:27 PM, Carson (albania host) wrote: > I guess that can be kind of helpful lol So apparently you get clues to the idol at the Summit. Hell, there could even be an idol at the Summit. But regardless he got a clue... but he should have quoted it if it was real. Plus I went to the mountainside already and got THIS: On 1/3/17, at 9:24 PM, carson (tibet host) wrote: > You come to the spot where an idol looks to have been hidden, but there's nothing here! https://media.tenor.co/images/fb3f2d1e814190100a4ae401b1660d5b/tenor.gif He told me not to go to the mountainside because he already went there and got it and he didn't want me to find out its gone! And I guess its safe to say he's working with Dani now, who I also wanted to work with. I would go to her about it, but idk if she'd leak to Darian that I'm onto him. Right now, I'm just going to lay low with this until I need to use it. It sounds to me like Dani, Seb and Elena already know each other, and if Darian goes with them, they'll have majority. I wanted to work with Julia (and by extension Chrissa), but idk if it'll work out. Once again, I don't want to pry at all because no one really has a target yet. There isn't an easy first boot, so one slip up could cost me the game. OK THE PLOT JUST THICKENED Apparently, the Namtso idol is gone... which means all the tribes are searching the same area. So maybe Darian doesn't have it... but he could be protecting someone that does. I mean he's probably in cahoots with the ppl at the summit, And we can find the other tribe's idols. I'm so fucking shook.

JULIA RAE

ok so right now i dont know what im doing bc i dont really play survivor ,,, but i think im doing alright. i talked to everyone and i rly like carson and darian but that just my opinion! also darian told me that he'd be willing to get rid of seb if it came down to it ,,,, which is ok with me idk that dude and he kinda weird ngl! hopefully we win immunity bc if we dont idk what to do!! hehe love survivor!!

TRYSTEN

Holy Shit! I fucking did not expect us to get first, but thank yoouuu Johnny! *blows a kiss to the camera* moi!

CHRISSA

I am so glad we are not going to tribal, fuck the people who said those things lol just kidding it's their opinion honestly we just don't know who will judge and what they will like. it sucks.

DANI

I feel good I feel nice I've never felt so Satisfied I'm in love I'm alive Intoxicated Flying high It feels like a dream When you touch me tenderly I don't know if it's real But I like the way I feel Inside

DARIAN

Yasss we won immunity! No tribal! Which is great because no one really is on the outs rn so no one can really be an easy vote and that's scary! But I don't have to worry about that so yay!

KEYONJAY

So we lost the first immunity challenge and this really sucks, but luckily I'm in the majority alliance and then we kinda have Jared as an extra number even though he's not really IN the alliance or the alliance chat. I still have my idol that nobody knows about so I could make some kind of move if I wanted. Darian wanted me to use it to "take out a power-player" but I'm like, not gonna do that. It's WAY too early to make a big move like that and it would be completely illogical and senseless. It's better to just go with the numbers right now and not rock the boat. Plus I don't really see anyone on our tribe as a power-player necessarily. Kendall is definitely the leader of our alliance but I wanted it that way so I can continue flying UTR and focus on my social game. Now to see who will be the first to go from our tribe. :( Sucks because I really like everybody.

MATT

Well damn. Johnny is actually the MVP for this one. We can literally just relax and pretend like we give a shit about who's leaving only because it's none of us lmao.

ACE

I'm sad we lost, I like everybody on this tribe. I don't feel like bringing Jared down just yet, I brought up that Ally had the lowest score on the Reward challenge so we could possibly just go with her. Everyone in the Mofos alliance said they wanna keep me and Kendall for doing good work in the challenge but we'll see about that. I think I'm good with mostly everybody except for Amanda and Ally. I just spoke to Amanda and she said she'll vote Ally bc they haven't spoken at allll. Amanda doesn't seem to be in any alliance whatsoever. Kendall is a strong leader in the Mofos and I like that she's more leading than I am even tho I'm the one who suggested Ally. Hopefully that'll keep the target more on her than me later on in the game. Kendall just told me Keyonjay gave her an idol clue and it's the same one I got. So that didn't help any. I guess I gotta continue filling up that mountainside grid.

ELENA

I am so happy that we aren't going to Tribal Council because I really like everyone on our tribe right now! It will be sad if we lose any time soon because they are all just very nice and interesting people. I am so greatful for Carson for doing the most of the work on the flag, I do wish he had somehow incorporated the Yaks since I did the research on Tibet, it felt like my idea was ignored a little bit. But what matters the most is that it was a very good outcome! I can't wait for the next challenge!!

KENDALL

Welp, I might have fucked myself. Why did I volunteer? Why did I think that combining two mediums is a good idea? Dear lord, what have I done? Well anyway, here's a quick recap: Ace and Keyonjay went to the summit and when they came back Keyonjay told me he had an idol clue. He gave it to me because he really didn't want an idol, apparently they are more trouble than there worth. Ace didn't tell me anything about the summit and only talked about making the flag. She only brought it up when I revealed my idol clue. This proves to me that my loyalties should lie more with Keyonjay than Ace. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway after we lost the challenge I typed in the alliance chat "well at least we know it's either me or Ace". I meant it as a joke but they freaked out and thought I was pulling a Zane. I managed to clear up the misconception but I am still not sure if they still doubt me. In order to repair some sort of relationship with her, I showed Ace the idol clue which was the same clue she got. And now I'm nervous maybe she will show receipts of the conversation to Keyonjay and shift the target on to me. It wouldn't be too difficult, I'm a bit of an unusual person to talk to and I mostly hogged the challenge that we failed. Though chances are I'm being irrational so I'm not going to risk it. If I do start panicking and try to get my alliance mates out, I'll end up putting the target on my back that I've been trying to avoid. God I hate feeling fear, it's very gross. Well, all feelings are gross... it's just this one is inconveniencing me the most currently.