#and gen 3 but i bought it as soon as i knew it existed

[vairiance]

You know your franchise is in a good state when you release a DLC featuring a whole new region and a bunch more creatures and characters and the top reaction people have is "YES THE BOXES LOAD NOW"

[maximuswolf]

remembering Starfield's release

remembering Starfield's release I was so excited, I'd bought an Series X a couple months prior and had just been playing Diablo 4, but Starfield was the big boy for me.... Bethesda have their detractors, but I greatly enjoyed Skyrim, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and 4... honestly, Fallout 4 might be my favourite out of the bunch. The gameplay loop in that game is just insanely satisfying and well-implemented. People had issues with aspects of the story but I enjoyed it well enough, it didn't change my view or teach me anything, but it was great fun to see it unfold. So like millions of others I was beyond excited for Starfield... that sense of exploration, that brilliantly-realized world-building, but now in the limitless expanse of space??? Base building where you want, ship building, exploring the entirety of a planet... the opportunities seemed endless.You knew this wasn't going to end well.... as soon as the gane started I was underwhelmed with the way it looked. 2 gen-old textures and models with no polishing. Boring cave location. Ah, but.... the famous Bethesda big reveal moment... when you step outside the confines of the starting area and realize the full scope of the game's potential...Never came. I left the caves and was told to go to another planet. I cannot tell you how my heart sank when I saw that cutscene and loading screen. The whole reason I wanted to play a game that goes out of its way time and again to tell you to explore space, was to explore space. Instead I was to be staring at loading screens. Why would I bother building a ship then? How is it meant to feel immersive? The whole thing i loved about previous Beth games was exploring at my own pace, but that was now arbitrary and pointless, if not plain impossible.I stuck with it.... the second crushing disappointment was reaching the luxury utopian planet and seeing how bad it looked. Those textures, the terrible layout and design work, the empty walkways.... truly it was like something from a couple of gens ago. I stuck with it.... the story was nothing. The characters were all flat and dull and had no reason to exist, no narrative hook. Missions were comprised of talking to someone, watching a cutscene, looking at a loading screen, watching a cut scene, pressing up to walk forwards and nothing else, for literally minutes, speaking to someone, then doing the loading screen/cutscene thing back to the original NPC. Mission completed. On planets with low gravity, why do I jump higher but my steps are the same? How do I exit water by popping out of it like toast from a toaster? Why does getting holes shot in my spacesuit have no effect on the suit or oxygen levels?After 100 hours I had to be honest with myself: the game isn't just a let down, it's a total write off. Nothing works. Every system is broken or lacking. It looks and plays like a game from 2008.The last high profile game I can remember that let so many people down all at once was Diablo 3, and that was because people couldn't actually play it. We've seen our fair share of disasters this year, but from small development teams or troubled productions. It still blows my mind to think of how badly Bethesda messed this one up, and how obviously broken it all is. It leads me to believe they just didn't test it or didn't care to.I really hope they sweep this whole sorry mess under the rug and make their effortlessly compelling and addictive games again, but if they're still able to, why didn't they do it here? Submitted August 29, 2024 at 09:25AM by Crab_Lengthener https://ift.tt/c3oHk54 via /r/gaming

[foreverfangirlalways]

The Astronomer and The Florist (Chapter 14)

Chapter 14 Title: Dress Shopping and Wedding Planning

Summery: Patton and Virgil do some wedding planning, while Roman and Logan go wedding dress shopping

Ships: Analogical & Royality

Warning: Nervousness, mild panic, author is basing wedding dress shopping off of ‘Say yes to the Dress Atlanta”, new character is written a bit oc for plot reasons

-let me know if I need to add more warnings-

(I had so much fun writing this chapter! And thank you to @kawaiikat54 for going virtual wedding dress shopping with me )

*i linked the dresses Roman tried on for anyone curious *

—-

Patton, Virgil, Logan, and Roman were all sitting in Logan’s living room. Well, technically it is Logan and Virgil’s living room, since they are officially, completely moved in together.

“So,” Logan said, calling this faux meeting to order, “when is the wedding date set for?”

“February 14th. Valentine’s Day!” Patton exclaimed excitedly. Patton and Roman both agreed that a wedding on the day of love most suited their aesthetic.

“Alright, and have y’all chosen a venue yet?”

Roman spoke up this time. “We went on our first date to a botanical and rock garden, and they have a wedding venue there.”

Logan nodded and checked off another box. “Virgil, you got the flowers, red and baby blue is the color scheme, I have the wedding invitations in my office... yep! I believe other than the clothes, we have all the major necessities.”

Everyone nodded, and Roman looked sheepish.

“Hey Lo, when did you set up that dress consultation?”

“Oh, that is at 1:30, and it is currently 12:45. You might want to get ready for it.”

Roman started freaking out, and ran all the way up the stairs before he remembered that this is not his house.

Everyone laughed, and Virgil said, “why don’t Patton and I do a bit more decoration searching while you two go buy the perfect dress?”

Logan nodded, grabbed his keys and went to get in his car. Roman said a rather extra goodbye, and hopped into the car with Logan.

As soon as they pulled out of the driveway, Patton and Virgil started looking up Honeymoon vacation ideas, as a sweet surprise for Roman.

-_-_-_-

Logan had found a wedding dress shop that said it was all accepting, and even had a few pictures of men in wedding dresses on their website.

Logan parked and looked over at Roman, who seemed to be a little nervous. “Roman, are you ok? If you are not prepared we do not have to do this. We can simply go another time.”

Roman shook his head then took a deep breath. “I’m good. Just a little nervous, ya know?”

Logan nodded. “How about we go in and try, and if at any moment you feel like you need to take a break or leave, just tap on my shoulder 3 times and I will excuse us. This is supposed to be for you, so your feelings are of upmost importance.”

Roman nodded and smiled. “That sounds like a plan, thanks Logan.”

“It is no problem.”

“Great. Now, how about we go find me a worthy gown?”

Roman and Logan walked into the building, and were greeted by their consultant.

“Hi, who’s my groom?”

Roman raised his hand. “I am! My name is Roman, and this is my best man, Logan.”

“Alright, my name is Cedric, but everyone just calls me Critic.”

Roman looked a little nervous at that, but Critic just laughed.

“Don’t worry sugar, they call me Critic because I can almost always find the perfect dress based off of everyone’s critiques. Also, Critique just happens to be my last name.”

Roman chuckled and seemed to be a bit more at ease. “Sorry, I’ve just never been dress shopping before.”

Critic smiled. “Well then, we will just have to make this time extra special! Now, do you have any idea of what you are looking for?”

Roman nodded, and Logan handed Critic a notebook.

“We compiled a list of dress types we think would look best on him.”

“Also, the date is set for Valentines Day, so I want red on the dress, and preferably flowers!”

Critic nodded. “Perfect! If you will follow me, we can get started.”

Roman, Logan, and Critic all went throughout the shop, looking for the perfect dress. Roman picked out one, Logan picked out one, Critic picked out one, and then Roman and Logan both agreed on one.

“Alright, I think we got a good selection! Let’s go try these on!”

The first one Roman tried on was his on pick. He walked towards Logan, and Logan tried to keep a supportive look.

“This is has a few of your requirements, it’s a ballgown, red in color, with flowers. What do you think?”

Roman looked at Logan expectantly, and Logan sighed. “Honestly? I think you look like a red Fifi.”

Roman laughed. “Solid Disney reference, and I couldn’t agree more. I have no idea what I was thinking. I think more white and less poof.”

Critic nodded. “Let’s try on Logan’s choice then.”

Roman walked out in Logan’s choice, but looked a bit uncomfortable.

“Logan’s choice is a white A-line dress with a red back and beads along the top and bottom of the front.”

“What’s wrong Roman? I like it, but I think it is a bit... boring for you.”

Roman nodded. “I like the white and red, but I hate the beads and I do think it is way to plain.”

“I agree.” Critic said. “It doesn’t go with the aesthetic you want. Why don’t we try my choice next?”

When Roman came out in Critic’s choice, Logan immediately knew that it was a no.

“My choice is a more princess look with a red top that has cherry blossoms on it. What do you think?”

“Umm, I hate the sleeves, they are really scratchy. And I think the way the top is tilted makes me look fat.”

Logan shook his head. “Roman, you do not look fat, but I think the downward sash is a no go.”

Critic looked a bit ashamed. “I’m sorry Roman. I thought this would have a certain, Je ne sais quoi, but I do not think this is the one for you. Do you want to try on the one both of y’all pick out together?”

Roman nodded, and they headed back to the changing room once more.

The next time Roman came out, he looked a little happier, but still uncertain.

“This dress is a two piece with a flowery bottom and a red and sheer designed top.”

“I really love the bottom of it, but I don’t care for the top.”

“I agree, I think the two piece is a bit much.” Logan said.

“Yeah, I think it looks more like a prom dress. But if you like the bottom so much, I think I have the perfect dress in mind.”

Critic shooed Roman back into the changing room, and ran off to go get the ‘prefect dress’.

Roman stepped out looking radiant, and Logan already liked it best.

“This dress is a ballgown type, with flowers rising up from the bottom and a red and white designed top. How do we feel about this one?”

Roman looked at Logan.

“I think it looks...” Roman started to look sad, so Logan hurried along his sentence.

“I think it looks gorgeous on you Roman. It is the perfect balance of red and white, and the flowers rising up will make a very extravagant display when Patton twirls you around. But what do you think?”

“I LOVE IT!” Roman shouted out in glee. “It feels so nice, I love the color, and the spin factor is on point!”

Critic smirked, looking pleased with himself. “So Roman, what are you saying to this dress?”

“I am saying yes to this dress!”

After Roman changed back into his clothes, they paid for the dress, set up the date for alterations, and bought a surprise for Patton.

-_-_-_-

“So Roman, did you have fun wedding dress shopping?” Patton asked after Logan dropped Roman off.

Roman dipped Patton and kissed him dramatically. “I had a fabulous time and I can’t wait to see your expression when you see me in my dress.”

Patton giggled and booped Roman on the nose. “I bet you will look as gorgeous as the first day I saw you. I can’t wait to marry you.”

“I can’t either Pat!”

They then sealed the precious moment with a kiss.

---

Gen taglist-

@dragonwithproblems

@five-falseh00ds-ph0nated

@kawaiikat54

@thefingergunsgirl

@sanders-sides-with-quinn

@007ardra

@yikesdodson

@nerdycupcake559

@softestvirgil

@teacupfulofstarshine

@impatentpending

@star-crossed-shipper

@ravenivy2079

@rainbowemonightmare

@ladyartemisia28

@moose-boi

@resident-trash-goblin

@parx-boiiz

@ninathepancake

@kuroyurishion

@funkyfreshfatherfigure

@pattoncake-and-eyeshadow

@drewwwbydoobydoo

@sure-i-exist

[diarrheaofthekeyboard]

Jumping at Shadows

7.25.2020

Peter Green died today and I spent a considerable amount of the morning listening to “Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac - Live at the BBC”. I never met the man but his music greatly affected me 25 years ago. 

The first time I heard of Peter Green was in the book to Aerosmith’s “Pandora’s Box”. I was a massive Aerosmith fan in high school and I think my parents may have given it to me for my birthday. A few years later I was working at a record store and I don’t think the BBC set made it to the sales floor. I bought it as soon as I saw it. 

Halfway through my freshman year I sold most of my high school CD collection. I was still beholden to Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Pink Floyd and some others. But nearly every hair metal record was sold to fund albums by God Street Wine, The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Gov’t Mule, and other 90s bands I had been newly exposed to. I was also getting albums from my friend Doug, who was pointing me towards the British Invasion and British Prog, with Zappa and The Fugs being the only outliers. 

When Live at the BBC appeared it was a big moment in my musical development. Here was something I was being introduced to from all sides. It was marketed to me by a guitar magazine, it was an influence of my biggest influence in high school (Aerosmith) and it was a bonding point with a big brother figure. 

Discovering Peter Green may also be the first instance of “pulling back the wool” on classic rock for me. He shatters the idea that if something is good, it will be popular. 

Guitarists know Peter Green. Or more specifically, Boomers, Gen X-ers, and older Millennials who play guitar know Peter Green. But nobody else does. In popular music, there’s maybe 3 songs people know, and none know he wrote them. “Black Magic Woman” by Santana, “Green Malanashi” by Judas Priest, and “Oh Well” by Fleetwood Mac, as played by Lindsey Buckingham. If you’re a second or third generation classic rock kid from the burbs hearing the same songs every day at the same time from the same top 100 playlist that’s been played for the past 30 years, you’re never going to hear about Peter Green. You get Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll hear Jeff Beck. When Fleetwood Mac comes up, you’ll hear the Buckingham/Nicks version and never anything from the previous band, not even an acknowledgement they existed. 

So here’s this 2 disc set that just kills. It explains everything Aerosmith was doing in the mid-70s and kicks the Stones blues covers in the teeth. It’s also the album that started me on the “Clapton is not God” argument, that really crystallized for me a few years later when I saw “The Last Waltz”. 

I spent a lot of time learning some of these songs. Particularly “Rattlesnake Shake”, “Sandy Mary”, “Oh Well” and “Albatross”. The first and last were important because “Pandora’s Box” has a third rate cover of “Rattlesnake Shake”, and they really think it’s good. “Albatross” was the inspiration for “Boogie Man”, which is the last song on “Get A Grip”. “Sandy Mary” is just a cool song. We’ll get to “Oh Well” in a moment. 

Around this time, the “Rumours” line-up of Fleetwood Mac got back together. Baby Boomers everywhere wet their pants buying their reunion record.  I watched their entire VH1 concert and from the first note it was torturous. I never knew just how many Fleetwood Mac songs I despised, having heard them on lite-rock radio in my parents’ car for 20 years. There were 2 bright moments for me. I’ll admit that “The Chain” is undeniable. Even all those years later, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks still hated each other. Apparently they loved money more than they hated each other though, hence the reunion. But it’s a good song. Second was “Tusk”, which is kinda fun. 

And then there’s “Oh Well”. The original version is a triple guitar assault of Marshall amps on 11. Sonic annihilation. Lindsey Buckingham played it solo. And it just didn’t work. Which in my 20 something mind, made it the worst fucking thing ever. Sacrilege. I would later give up on the idea of sacrilege, and most other things people cling to, but at that point I was highly offended. 

Something like 15 years later, I was playing in a band with my friend Doug. He was on drums. And frankly, he was terrible. He had started playing drums because nobody else would, but he never put any time into it either. He wrote the words and I’d write the music and we’d make something that was ours, and I’d deal with the shitty drumming. 

Well, Doug wanted to have some covers in the band. He really wanted McCartney’s “Let Me Roll It” but I didn’t like the song and because he wouldn’t put the time into his drumming, I passive aggressively didn’t put the time into really learning to sing and play it. So that went by the wayside. Then one day we broke into “Oh Well” and he just started singing it. It was a pretty trippy, spaced out version with lots of harmonizer, so I could try to approximate the song’s musical harmonies. I also loved the intense tremolo I would use. So it got added. 

Even if I’m not a third the guitarist Buckingham is, I felt like we were honoring the song because it wasn’t intentionally sloppy. His one man version was an impossible task. There’s no way you can take the original, try to put on your best solo Pete Townshend, and think you’re gonna get away with it.

Doug hated when I would cut “Oh Well” from the set. This happened when we’d run out of time. You only get 45 minutes for a set of originals in NYC anyway. If we’re up there, I’m playing originals, not a cover. So he’d lose that argument. I think that was really the beginning of the end of our relationship because he would have temper tantrums when he didn’t get his way. 

Oh well.

[faresramettas]

160219: skam italia x gay center event (part 1)

it’s going to be really hard for me to recap everything that happened yesterday, so i’m going to split this in two parts: one dedicated to the conference and one to the moment when we actually met them and took pictures etc. i’m sure all the things i’m going to report were already said yesterday in tweets and stuff but i wanted to have a place to write them all down cause my memory is so bad. warning: this got long.

the conference 

first of all, kudos to the gay center’s staff. so many people came they couldn’t fit them all in the conference room, so they decided to have a second shorter session so that no one would go home disappointed. they also said that afterwards we’d be able to take selfies and meet pietro, rocco and federico

spoiler alert: pietro, rocco and federico are literal angels. so sweet, funny, honest, humble, intelligent and well-spoken. ludovico bessegato is confident, smart and a savage. he dragged the whole fandom and yet we still love him cause he’s a genius

as soon as ludovico stepped on stage he made it clear that this was not an event about skam only and to please respect that. he said that they wouldn’t talk about season 3 and not to ask about it, and that’s why no info came out

the conference started with a presentation of the gay center. their representative introduced the work they do with the gay help line and talked about really heartbreaking cases of lgbt youth (12 and 14 year olds) who called to report violence from their own families. it was really hard to hear. they showed statistics of discrimination in italy and other data. their point was that skam s2 shows a positive reality where martino is able to come out to his friends and live his truth and his love, but unfortunately we have to be aware that these terrible realities exist too, especially in this country

the skam section started with a question to ludovico about his choice to include the voice messages in the first scene of s2. we watched that scene. he said he knew he wanted to do it from the start but recording and adding the voice messages was the last thing they did, one week before the release of the first clip. he came to the gay center in rome and met the young people and recorded the messages with them (i’m sorry, i’m not sure this is accurate) and he was moved to tears. that’s when he realized how important what they were doing with this season was. he said it was important for him, before showing the easiness of two people who can be together without external hardships, to start the season with the voice messages, as a reminder that these realities also exist

the host asked what was the most important thing for him, what he felt more responsible showing, and ludovico said for him it was the reaction of a group of heterosexual friends to one of their friends coming out. without dramatizing it or simplifying it too much. so the coming out with gio was the hardest scene cause there was a lot of weight on it. giovanni also had to be worthy of the moment. i loved this part: he said for him it was fundamental that giovanni touched martino right after his coming out, because it shows that nothing has changed between them, that they can still have a physical friendship, because so many times this doesn’t happen, straight friends pull back from/become less physical with their gay friends. their friendship not only hasn’t changed but is made more precious now

ludovico researched stuff like the gay street and grindr by experimenting them himself. he went to the gay street in rome and had a mission to get hit on (and he was lmao) and who did he meet that night? ROCCO, who went to the audition the morning after! incredible, he said he didn’t know rocco’s sexual orientation or anything but because he had seen him at the gay street he knew he could help give his input to the series, and of course pietro was precious as well to help with the representation

we watched the coming out scene and it was federico’s turn for questions (you could hear he had a cold, bb), the host asked him about how he felt/prepared for it and he said he felt a lot of pressure but he basically let martino lead him, he trusted his character that he had worked so hard on day after day and he also leaned on ludovico tersigni and bessegato. he hopes as many people as possible can relate to that scene, see themselves in it and live it

federico said the series enlighted him and made him reflect on lgbt themes and problems. he was never one to use homophobic slurs to follow the logic of the “pack” but it’s a thing, when you’re 15 or 16 you think you have to conform to what your friends say and do even if it’s harmful but this is why we have to spread awareness (”bisogna evitare il grigiume dell’uniformità” - we have to avoid the greyness of uniformity, he’s such a poet)

special mention to federico’s beautiful sweater, apparently he bought it in oslo, that sweater made his shoulders look even broader and it’s my new religion 

we watched the milan uramaki/wedding proposal scene and BITCH I HAD NEVER REWATCHED THAT PART CAUSE IT HURTS i swear we were all holding our breaths. that’s when the host asked rocco about gay marriage and he said italy is very late but at least we have civil unions now and it’s been hard fought for. it’s important to talk about gay marriage not so much for younger gens but for older generations. discriminations are always present so you can’t relax even when you reach a goal, you have to fight for the next one

when asked how he pictures his wedding, rocco said marriage is very far in the future for him, but whoever it’s going to be with his wedding is going to be very normal (”everyone naked is not a bad idea tho”) and y’all already know this part, he said he’s a person who’s experimented a lot and he HATES LABELS, for himself and for others (so maybe don’t call him pan king, u know what i’m saying). he’s experimented a lot and tried to figure out what he likes and he likes a little bit of everything (ME PIACE NPO DE TUTTO. i was there. i was there when he said that. iconic) he understands the need for labels cause they can help you identify yourself and give a sense of belonging but there’s also the risk that they can be too limiting

we watched fili’s speech and fede blew a kiss to pietro??? my heart

EMMA STA A ROSICA’ - cit pietro turano (emma is jealous af)

at this point besse DRAGGED US TO HELL AND BACK he said the fandom gets mad at emma and when characters say things that are wrong but it’s hypocritical (cause it’s a realistic show, no?)

he dragged the tumblr sjw politically correctness of fandom and something about how we all say we accept and love everyone but then WE are the first who feel the need to put labels on people and people in boxes. he said IT’S COOL TO HAVE NOORA’S QUOTE IN YOUR BIOS BUT DO ANY OF YOU ACTUALLY STICK TO ITS MEANING? YOU’RE THE FIRST WHO AREN’T KIND smth like that i swear i was a bit stunned

he also really didn’t like how everyone spoiled scenes and clips, ruining the experience for everyone while also creating false expectations, cause we expect things to happen and get mad if they don’t (ngl as a person who hasn’t watched the og i was like yeah tell em). idk, basically at the end of the speech all i got is that he’s an emma apologist

pietro said so many amazing things, like that when we have that moment of awareness, when we realize we are victims of behavioral schemes, prejudices and stereotypes deeply rooted in society, that’s when we can change the world. idk he’s seriously such a well-spoken smart person and he’s only 22

he also said in a video i have posted here that positive lgbt representations in tv shows/films are SO important for young people cause they need to see that there’s a positive reality out there for them too, that gay characters aren’t only the psychos, the ones who kill themselves or suffer

host dragged ludo for not including a beyonce song in the gay season but he said we can expect satisfactions from fili in s3

fede took the gay test and ludo told him the answers to get the totally hetero results, but when ludo took the test his result was Not totally hetero

rocco knows he looks like edward cullen, actually it was his first girlfriend when he was like 14 and before twilight was a thing that told him that he looked like cedric diggory aka rob pattinson. when twilight happened it all went downhill. the vampire outfit in the halloween clip was Not Casual. actually they had a line when someone told nico he looked like edward but it didn’t make the cut

fede said the hardest scenes, not because he couldn’t get in character but because of the expectations and pressures were the ones with mamma rametta (<333) and the coming out with gio. but the scene he hated the most was the i wanna be yours scene cause he said he went cross-eyed (è venuta di merda - it came out like shit)

host asked who’s top and bottom and they all laughed about it don’t worry (although i know someone asked again in the second session? and they said they switch idk, whatever)

at the end there was not a lot of time for questions but as soon as the host asked if we had any i IMMEDIATELY shot my hand up cause i thought i would regret it if i didn’t ask. so i stood up and pietro came to give me the mic (<33333333) and I WAS SO NERVOUS but i thanked them for all their work and then i asked rocco how he felt representing a character that’s not only lgbt but suffers from a mi, that he did a WONDERFUL job doing it because he helped so many people who suffer from bpd/mi to identify with niccolò (i accidentally said multiple personality disorder instead of borderline and i am so embarrassed but i swear. i couldn’t. think. i apologized too) if he felt he had more responsibility and if he could talk about the milan scene. he said he did feel a double responsibility and an additional pressure because henrik holm already did a splendid job, but he dealt with it like any other role, worked on the character like any other and tried to do it justice. he didn’t treat it differently. the milan scene was hard cause it was the very last one they did but they also had so much fun. he told us about bessegato pranking him and making him yell TABBBBASCOOOOO when he was running around naked in milan

i feel like i should mention that in the second session rocco said federico is a really good kisser (”bacia da dio” literally means “kisses like a god”)

that’s all i have and sorry this was so long. the conference was truly incredible. but meeting them afterwards was even more so and that’ll be part 2

[wannabe-placemaker]

University Galleria?

If you’re anything like I was in middle school (and hopefully you’re not for a ton of reasons), when you think of college you think of 4 years on a manicured, historic campus where you’ll be groomed into the next titan of industry, whatever industry that may be. You assume that a bachelor’s degree will cement a quality of life that will be better than your parents’, or if they were college grads, a life that will as comfortable as they had. That’s the basket of goods that has been sold to pretty much every American born since Animal House was released. That promise is no longer a guarantee thanks to ballooning costs and a one size fits all solution to creating a competitive 21st century workforce.

Personally, I spent hours upon hours researching schools because my parents were zero help when it came to choosing a college. Their advice had always been “work hard so you can get into a good college” without any definition of what defined ‘a good college’. They’d bought the same basket of goods that everyone’s been sold. I knew that my family had the means to help me out with my tuition no matter what. My mom would work 3 jobs if it meant I got to go to the college of my dreams because that’s just the way she is. I of course didn’t want that, so I focused on school’s that meant 100% of demonstrated financial need and that had a good return on investment (% of students with jobs after graduation and high incomes 15 years out). This wasn’t supposed to be a Colgate University shout out, but that’s where all of my experience comes from so here we are.

What I really wanted to get at here is that Colgate University is the model of college that everyone expects: beautiful campus, quality professors, opportunities for learning and social development galore. The thing is, a Colgate model is really only accessible to the ‘top tier’ of students. (Top tier could also mean Daddy’s money, but with a 23% acceptance rate it’s still a top tier in terms of resources.) We need options for those that can’t afford $30,000 a year bills while also giving up 4 years worth of income. I know we’ve all seen the graphs that show that giving up those working years is made up for with higher salaries down the road, but from what I can see those salaries are too far down the line for people that are drowning in debt now.

We need options for adults to gain more skills across the board that is accessible and tailored for regional economies. There is often a rural ‘brain drain’ where the brightest kids from poor areas leave as soon as they can, which leads to skill gaps in local and regional workforces. Those gaps often go hand in hand with population decline, which wreaks havoc on former commercial strongholds like the shopping mall. Anchors are leaving left and right and there’s a swath of empty space across semi-rural America. What if there was a Federal block grant that could be used for adult education in local and regional areas? I’m sure some type of program like this exists on a small scale, but if it does I sure haven’t seen it working. Imagine taking an old Sears at the end of a mall and breaking it into classrooms, maker spaces, computer labs, or whatever else a community needs to train workers that could be utilized locally.

For example, my hometown is Erie, Pennsylvania; it is known for having one of the poorest ZIP codes in the country, population/economic decline, the pizza bomber, and great sunsets. Our primary mall, the Millcreek Mall, is the commercial keystone of the area. If you need anything in that city, you go to where Peach Street meets I-79 and head to the mall with the 4th most leasable retail space in the US. It consists of 5 anchor sized spaces, many of which have changed hands over the past decade. Having good foot traffic from tourists (0% sales tax on clothes and a short trip from Canada) keeps this mall alive, but the mall serves tourists better than it does the local community. Erie also has 5 universities and there are talks of a community college. This community college project has been debated since I was a baby, and I don’t believe anyone has actually taken classes yet.

When the next anchor inevitably leaves the Millcreek Mall, I imagine the gut reaction will be to find another large retailer to fill the space as that occupancy is tied to the leases of the other tenants. As opposed to another retail space that will provide low paying retail jobs and medium priced goods that tourists want sans sales tax, what if we used that space to train workers that Erie could actually use? At one time, GE Trains was the largest employer in town with other manufacturing making up the bulk of resident’s employment. The largest growing industry is healthcare, generally driven by UPMC and tourism driven by wineries and Presque Isle beaches.

Who am I to say what skills Erie’s workforce needs most? I’m not an employer and I don’t even live there anymore. All I know is that people there need options. So many of my friends are saddled with mountainous debt for degrees they aren’t utilizing as they work retail in the mall. For those that are graduating high school in Erie, many of them working in that mall like I did, are going to go to college without any idea why other than they’ve always been told that’s the key to a better life. If an option was literally right in front of them, that was low cost and taught them skills that local employers are demanding, couldn’t that save them a lot of time and financial hardship? They can’t repo knowledge, but they will still take your car. There’s an aging population and a growing healthcare sector; what are skills that are not taught in K-12 that would be valuable to the industry? Things that don’t necessarily require four years of classroom learning. With Erie Insurance being the only Fortune 500 employer in the area, perhaps they could teach courses on insurance coding or underwriting or risk management that could be applied to multiple companies. Getting employers involved in the process will be key to actually producing workers that will be valuable for the area. The city of Erie school district faces newsworthy financial hardship to a point they had to close and sell a school. I don’t really trust them to be teaching students about fiscal responsibility or personal finance, so having civic courses that teach folks how to do taxes, apply for a loan, not live on credit cards, register to vote, could also be included as gen ed courses potentially in this space.

People graduate college and have nothing from it but a mountain of debt and a piece of paper. Many don’t even get that far and drop out with too much debt and no piece of paper. Heck this space could also function as a college prep place. Somewhere to go before you commit to college. Personal opinion, but we should be prepping Erie for climate change. We’re going to be in a prime position with our access to fresh water, open space, and a climate that should be suitable for agriculture and people. We’re going to need infrastructure improvements, construction, transportation solutions that get us away from personal automobiles, environmental workers that shore up our beaches to prevent erosion and to protect our wildlife, urban planners, community activists that can shape the future of Erie for people in Erie. There are levels of thinking that go into all of these things, which means we’ll need folks with Master’s degrees probably, but I guarantee we’ll need skilled workers on the frontlines actually getting things accomplished. People think ‘no college required’ means ‘no skills required’ but we all know that’s not the case. Whether it’s customer service, stocking shelves, trading stocks, digging ditches, building a rocket, or picking up roadkill, there’s skill and often art involved in quality results. Tapping into the talent across the country does not require that everyone go to a four year public university for free, it requires giving localities the resources to create citizens that want to make their world, and hopefully their communities, a place they’re proud of.

[easkyrah]

Karsa — Gavriel

As requested by @moonlit-butterfly: Gavriel dying before he and Aedion make nice. I hope this suffices! I’d never spared Gavriel a full thought, so this proved quite interesting. Plus I was tempted by the idea of a next gen fic, so that facet was incorporated. I’ll get around to work on the other two submissions — they’re very provoking indeed. <3 

Always trust your gut. It knows what your head hasn’t figured out yet.

June 20th. The Summer Solstice.

The day the Terrasen Court brought meet hell on Earth. The day morality and immortality met in a conflagration of whirling steel and wind. The day Crochan queen Manon’s Settling destroyed Erawan’s army. The day Elide and Lorcan purged Morath, and established Perranth. The day Aelin rose from a coffin, a crucifixion of sorts, and transcended her mortal body.

The day Maeve burned into ashes with the pale wind.

The day all bleed in a sea of crimson scarlet, the soil enriched with the lifeblood of all.

The day the dark ages had passed over. Where hope alighted, a fiercely shining beam.

The crowning and celebration of the true queen of Terrasen had brought Gavriel to his knees.

A start of a new era.

New beginnings, new freedoms. 

A clean slate.

A year later, the dirt and grime from his past crept over that slate, a thorn in his side, a ruination of all fought and forced for, a ghost haunting the clarity within blurred lenses. 

Aedion.

A reminder.

Of failure.

Of loss.

Of what Gavriel truly would never have — a family. 

A son.

Another smile to see, a soul to teach, a mind to grow with, a lung to laugh with, an arm to throw with, an eye to share sights with.

None he’d have.

Not a son to love.

Only flickers of remembrance of the fast-fading frame of his mother, of what could have been. 

Still, Maeve haunted him. Did she know? Would she have used him? Forced him? Taken him? Used him? Whipped him? Destroyed him? Watched him age without any ounce of hope for so much more out there?

Oh, yes, his demons did haunt him, and Aedion unknowingly fed them every day. A presence in which closure crept away day by day. 

Not even the elation of joy could carry him to the same levels of ecstasy. 

Maeve had chained him, had controlled him, and brought the twisted, demented sense of order within his life. His body had acclimated to serving another’s, his own will beating for another, and when his heart so desired to live for another — his son — only paled rejection followed.

He’d spent eons bound.

Only for it to wear like a drug.

To serve.

To protect.

To honor.

He supposed that was what he was doing now, stalking through the underbrush, watching the anniversary festival of the summer solstice.

Gavriel paced in his lion form, watching the festives proceed, the banners strung, the flags waving, the banter and jester filling the air infused with euphoria.

But not him.

Not when he’d existed with enmity in euphoria. 

Bitterness ran through him, so deep no dip of the blade could trace the abyss of how much he’d lost lest he kill himself. His eyes had hollowed out, only tracking his son, further straying towards his own destiny, away from his father.

It was fate, he supposed.

Destiny.

For Aedion to marry the shapeshifter, to be engraved within the legends, to be bathed in glory.

To have his own child almost as if rectifying Gavriel’s own mistake — or lack of one for not knowing, for fading into oblivion. Aedion’s son had Gavriel drinking away his sorrows for days.

Aelin had discarded the bottles and smacked the back of his head. 

Hesitantly, Gavriel had entered the infirmary, watching Galeron, his grandson, clumsily crawl within the castle walls. Aedion had look up, tears in his eyes.

And Gavriel had left.

He hadn’t been there for his soon; the sight had been too much to bear.

The burden continued to grow on his shoulders, heavier by the day, as Galeron continued to grow. 

The glamour and beats of the festive paled in comparison to the melancholy and drabness drumming in his heart. No tempting smile or sway of hips could tide him over, not even now that he had the freedom and time. The clock ticked by, and Gavriel listlessly watched the shouts of victory and hoots of relief swarm the air.

The anniversary of the summer solstice only held painful recollections for him. He considered himself selfish in ruminations, wallowing in his own acrid taste of what-ifs. 

He loosed a low growl, and circled the perimeter. He’d been too cowardly to walk in his Fae form, for two-legs meant bearing the pain of human interaction, of which too many smiles haunted him. 

A coo sounded from one of the open clearings, and Gavriel broke through the teeming trees blooming with lush green hues. Elide smiled at him as she rinsed her hands in a crystal pond, a collection of berries sitting in woven baskets.

Gavriel trotted up to her, and leaned forward as the woman scratched his ears, a trickle of laughter slipping from her mouth. The sun shone brilliantly down on them, casting reflections of crystalline facets through the water, the banks rich with the soil. Honeyed droplets kissed the stalks of grass, the gentle breeze carrying the reassurances of regal reign.

“The weather speaks fortune for Aelin’s rule,” Elide murmured, wiggling her toes as reddish sand slipped from her skin. 

A male — Lorcan — emerged from the clearing, wearing dark, but full eyes. That rough-hewn face full of dark danger, death and destruction, now glimmered with hidden mirth, full of carefulness and gentleness, a change that passion created.

Passion not for the corpses, but for the care in enrichment.

For Elide. 

How the source of raw rage manifested into reverence of romance, turning the demi-Fae into a creature of open understanding.

Lorcan nodded at Gavriel, and those dark eyes immediately flicked towards the woman now drying her hands with a towel. 

The other male’s shoulders no longer stayed hunched, tensions bunched around the arms. Freedom suited him well, vehemence of admiration adorning those rough features.

Gavriel watched the Lorcan lean forward, and scoop Elide into his arms, cradling her, absolute adulation carved into his appearance. 

Elide bid her farewell to Gavriel’s as they dashed away in preparation for the dressings of the festival.

Their empty presence left him alone in the glaring sensation of the sun’s too-bright rays that could not burn away the sense of solitary.

He knew loneliness.

The war had been fought to end the lonely souls, but now Gavriel had never been so singled. He had his cadre finding their own paths, their own happiness, while Gavriel’s rested in a dead end, an abrupt path he had lost the right to walk through.

A youth’s cry pierced the air, and he prowled towards the noise, his shackles raised.

Turning through the underbrush and weaving through the branches, careful to avoid the thinner sticks that snapped at the slightest touch, Gavriel bounded towards the outskirts of the Ornyth territory. 

He froze.

A tawny-eyed male with blond hair wobbled through the clearing, juxtaposing the large muscles roped around his arms and ancient, guarded aura circling him. 

Gavriel’s claws dug into the rich Earth. 

“Galeron!” a female voice chirped. “What are you doing?”

The male in Gavriel’s skin gazed at the dark-haired woman with youthful innocence. “Look at me, Lys!”

Gavriel felt tension spin through his legs. Lysandra bit her lip, watching Galeron prance around in Gavriel’s form. No doubt her son inherited the female’s gifts to a stronger extent. 

Galeron swung an invisible sword at a high arc. “I’m Grandpa Gavriel, mommy!”

Lysandra paused, and  opened her mouth. Then shut it, her head tilting to the side in silent contemplation. 

“How’s my son doing?” a voice boomed, and Gavriel tensed, throwing a protective shield over him to mask his scent. 

Aedion Ashryver emerged from the opposite idea of the clearing, ringlets of water dripping from golden hair, bronze skin simmering in the sun. Gavriel watched his son swoop his wife into his embrace, the shapeshifter kissing him fully on the lips.

Galeron grimaced, the sight a strange sight to behold in his current form. The air crackled around Aedion’s son, Gavriel’s grandson, and a young boy sat casually on a patch of trimmed grass. 

“Mommy told me that you didn’t have a daddy so I tried to look like grandpa!” Galeron shyly said, and fluttered his lashes. “So I can protect you!”

Lysandra guiltily withdrew from her husband’s arms, and Gavriel watched as an indiscernible look flickered across his son’s face.

“Son,” Aedion husked out. “You don’t need a father to find strength.” He beat a fist against his chest. “It’s what’s within. You can never do anything in this world without courage, never gain anything without sacrifice, and never live without the passion of love.”

Gavriel bowed his head.

He had none of the things left. He had left his courage on the battlefield, no longer a seasoned warrior. He had nothing left of himself to offer, save to have his son’s forgiveness. He had never had the chance to hold a wife, or even Aedion’s mother, and murmur sweet things into the listening ear.

Not having someone — that was the worst curse imaginable. 

Galeron looked up to his father with wide eyes. “Is that why you never play with your daddy?”

Gavriel’s claws sunk deeper.

“Galeron,” Aedion said slowly, and almost wistfully. “Fate sometimes weaves strings together so deeply and cuts the threads beyond repair. There are some things that need more than time as healing among other complications.”

“What string?” Galeron blinked.

Aedion let out an amused huff.

Lysandra hiked up her skirts. “Come, Galeron. We should start changing into our clothes.”

Galeron whined, the sound an arrow to Gavriel’s heart. “But I wanna continue playing!”

Aedion took his wife’s hand. “Let him play for a little longer.” He waggled his eyebrows. “You want to model the dresses you’ve bought?”

Lysandra rolled her eyes, but tugged Aedion away, leaving Galeron in the clearing. 

Before Gavriel could debate his next move, Aedion reappeared abruptly in the clearing. Galeron gasped in delight as his father pressed a dagger into his palm, and closed his fist around the hilt.

“To defend yourself,” Aedion murmured. “You make me proud, son.”

Gavriel’s lion sunk onto his haunches, the palpable burden weighing heavier. 

He watched Aedion disappear, and Galeron twirl the blade in his hands. His lion’s tail twitched in amusement, watching thhis grandson wield the weapon with improper form.

He hoped his grandson would never have to use that blade on a battlefield.

Slowly, his crept forward from the clearing, loosing a slight sound from the depths of his throat to alert his grandson. He dropped his shield. 

Galeron whipped around in shock, nearly dropping the dagger.

“Bad kitty!” The boy said, waving the blade in the air. “Daddy says mountain lions are prey!”

Gavriel paused, and that cost him.

Galeron flung the blade, the sun glinting off the metal, momentarily blinding him.

Gavriel’s lion fell to his knees, the familiar presence of pain seeping through his body.

Aedion’s son may not have known how to play with the dagger, but he did know how to fulfill the weapon’s purpose — to mar. For he still had warrior blood pulsing through him, the only gift — or curse, Gavriel’s blood could course. 

Gavriel’s body lacked the strength and the will to repair, his magic failing him. The burden was too large to carry his demons chipping away at him. The fading mentality of weakness had surmounted his hopes, his chances at forgiveness.

He distantly heard footsteps approaching him.

Could make out his grandson’s figure eagerly bouncing towards him.

Gavriel’s lion hissed out lowly as Galeron dug the dagger deeper through his heart.

A clean shot.

Galeron sang out, “Do you think father would be proud of me?”, and drove the blade from one end out the other.