#and get a flippin teaching job already

[darkwingdukat]

Coronavirus cw, covid 19 cw, corona virus

I've been handling social distancing really well, looking on the bright side, looking forward to when it will end, using my time to practice and learn new skills, staying positive, and knowing that I am extremely lucky to still get paid to do work from home. I lost my second job, but that's okay because without having to commute, without spending money on random snacks while at work, without going out every once in a while, I don't quite need the extra income. It's a little tighter but I can make do.

But today Michigan and Indiana departments of education announced that we will not be returning to school for the rest of the school year and I am heartbroken.

I work with 8th graders this year, and they were 6th graders when I first started with Discovery. I knew these kids as baby middle schoolers and got to watch them grow into the big kids on campus. I have gotten to know so many of them so well, and I miss them so, so, so much. I won't get to see my 8th grade GSA members again. I won't get to go with them to DC because they won't get to go. I know so many of the kids were looking forward to that.

The worst part is, I didn't really get to say goodbye. That last week of in-person classes we didn't know we wouldn't be returning until after we had gone home. As an EA, not a teacher, I no longer have direct access to any of the students, not even my special education students. I won't get to give them one last farewell, I won't get to sign their yearbooks, I won't have one last laugh or dance or silly face with them.

I know this will end. I know I have been so lucky to get to know these kids for three years. I know they won't suffer for lack of those things they will miss, and in the end nor will I. This will pass.

Still, I am very sad today.

[proflipperz-review]

ProFlipperz Reviews 2021 -⚠️HOAX or LEGIT⚠️

PROFLIPPERZ WHAT IS IT

ProFlipperz is a simple arbitrage course that will show your subscribers how to make money by buying & selling household products locally, nationally & from retail arbitrage.

==> Special Discount: Order Today With Best Price And Special Offers

If Your Life Sucks Right now! & You Need A Change of Direction. If You Hate Your Job, Your Boss Making Your Life Hell. If Your Stimulus Check has Now Long Been Spent. If You Lost Your Job In the Pandemic & Finding It Hard To Find A New One. Maybe You’re In Debt? Struggling to Pay Bills Then This is for You! It’s Simple & Actionable, You can Do It From Home Starting With Zero. It’s Simple & Actionable. Introducing ProFlipperz. You Get Everything You Need To Finally Get Ahead And Start Generating Life-Changing Income With Product Flipping.

ProFlipperz helps you:

Find The Most Viable Products To Trade

Shows the apps & marketplaces to use

Gives You Tools to spot emerging trends & increase profits

Shows you how to get started with little or Zero capital

Teaches you How to close the deal for Maximum Return

If you’re happy with the way things are. If you have a thriving business and your bank account is flooded. Then, maybe you don’t need this strategy. You’ve already got it and you might want to exit this page right now. But if you’ve been struggling and you’re tired of it. If you truly want the change in your life then get it now. He’ll teach you everything about this system. Whys and hows. The right ways to go about it. He’ll even help you get it right with his own hands, brain, and time.

==> Special Discount: Order Today With Best Price And Special Offers

All you need to do is to show up, and he’ll give it everything he got to help you make a ton of sales within 30 days. Instead of losing time trying to figure it all out, you’ll invest time in perfecting a system you’ll be using for the rest of your life.

PROFLIPPERZ FEATURES

This ONE training alone can literally alter the course of your business…transforming you into an ultra-successful “Deal-Maker” totally dominating the online arbitrage marketplace!

You’ll find out how to boil down your “product flipping” business into ONE continuous action… that if made over and over… will give you the biggest revenues, highest profits, and greatest returns!

He’ll show you the SINGLE most IMPORTANT tactic you need to know that will all but guarantee your success as a product flipper and deal maker (it’s shocking how many flippers have zero clue about this tactic… do you?)

The easiest, most straightforward way to make money online without any experience, capital, or even a significant amount of work.

PROFLIPPERZ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is This Going to Cost Me a Lot Of Money? NO. They’re going to show you ways to Start for Free & of course a little cash makes things easier… He sold some household Items that he wasn’t using

Can Anyone Do This Irrespective of Age or Experience? HELL YES. They have people from 10 – 88 Flipping products in their group. It’s never too early or too late to start

Do I Need to Travel Loads? NO Not Always. You can get many items locally and some can be purchased by mail order.

PROFLIPPERZ PRICE AND OTOS

ProFlipperz: Flip Products Like A Pro Course: A full proof system for your customers to learn how to flip products easily and for amazing profits.  No minimum time requirements or limitations to how much they can make, it’s only limited by their ability to learn the different niches and grow their flippin’ muscles!

OTO 1: One-Time-Offer Option 1: Don’t let your customers become frustrated or lose motivation. They will provide them with the best niches each month along with many other ways to keep their flippin’ motivation and immediately start putting cold hard cash in their pockets. ProFlipperz Monthly Membership – Includes the following: Full Access to ProFlipperz Mobile App; Monthly “Top Niches” Videos; Weekly ProFlipperz Tips; Exclusive Monthly Newsletters; Motivational Text Reminders; Top Flip Alerts (Email or Text); ProFlipperz Buddy System.

OTO 2: One-Time-Offer Option 2: Finally, for the long term success of your customers, they will need the ProFlipperz Advanced Tracking spreadsheet.  This advanced version will allow for ProFlipperz members to see which items have brought them the most return so they can focus their flipping to those areas and maximize their income. ProFlipperz Advanced Tracking Spreadsheet – Including the following: Choose Currency (USD, Euro, Franc, CAD, Yen, KYD, GIP, GBP); Inventory Tracking with Category; Expenses Tracking; Dashboard; Monthly Tracking Metrics (Cash on Hand, Revenue, Expenses, Net Gain, Hourly Average); Sales/Profit by Month; Profit Per Hour per Month; Price Reductions from Original Price; Avg Turnover Days; Detailed Profit & Loss Per Month

OTO 3: One-Time-Offer Option 3: Help new ProFlipperz members avoid costly mistakes with the ProFlipperz Pre-Flip checklist and calculator.  Review these specific things, each flip, to save time and money.  Plus you can quickly plug in the info required in the pre-flip calculator to know your estimated margins and hourly rates. Two item OTO: ProFlipperz Pre-Flip Checklist; ProFlipperz Pre-Flip Calculator

==> Read More Here: Don’t Miss Out Today’s Special Offer <==

Special Bonuses for the Dope Review Audience: You’ll get all the bonuses listed on the Salespage, but I’m going to give you guys a SPECIAL bonus as well. If you Download ProFlipperz via any link on this page you’ll also get my bonus package $2800 Value. Believe me, my bonus package will save you time, money and make your life a little easier !

>> Visit The Official Website Here to Place Your Order!

[proflipperz-2021]

ProFlipperz Reviews 2021 — ⚠️SCAM EXPOSED⚠️

Life hasn’t been easy due to the pandemic – Covid-19 for those who haven’t yet found a reliable way of making money indoors. However, you might be surprised to learn that Steve Hitson, an arbitrage professional made $11,329 profit within 140 hours Part-Time in lockdown! How did that happen? Well, the power of ProFlipperz.

==> Special Discount: Order Today With Best Price And Special Offers

What is ProFlipperz?

ProFlipperz is “an arbitrage system that teaches you an easy way of making money through buying and selling household products locally, nationally, and from retail arbitrage.”

ProFlipperz will help you with:

Finding the most dependable products for trading

Showing the applications and marketplaces to use

Giving you tools to identify emerging trends and boost profit

Showing you how, to begin with, little or no capital

Teaching you how to optimally close the deal

ProFlipper App

ProFlipper App is available for Android and iOS. The App is a barcode scanner that will show you Google Results for item(s). It’s also a multi-site lister that lets you post directly to popular marketplaces like Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce. With it, you can also post directly to social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

==> Read More Here: Don’t Miss Out Today’s Special Offer <==

Who Created ProFlipperz?

Steve Hitson and Craig Crawford are the guys behind this incredible system. Steve Hitson is a $4M Arbitrage Pro who’s passionate about empowering people to achieve their dreams. As mentioned in our introduction, he made over $13K in 140 hours while still in a full-time job.

>> Visit The Official Website Here to Place Your Order!

His partner, Craig Crawford, is also popular for his extensive know-how and years of experience in developing websites, software, etc. His products have won the hearts of many.

Who Should Buy ProFlipperz?

ProFlipperz is for anyone who wants to make money and more money. It’s the most ideal money-making system for anyone with no skills or experience in making money online. In other words, this is a must-have tool for:

Newbie

Freelancers

People who are about-to-retire or retired already

Students

Any other entrepreneur

Why Buy ProFlipperz

We can say that if you have had your salary cut because of one reason or another and you need to maintain your financial position, then ProFlipperz comes in handy.

(LIMITED SUPPLIES) Click Here To Order From Its Official Website

You should also buy ProFlipperz if you lost your job due to the Covid-19 pandemic and are now looking for a way to make money quickly.

Buy ProFlipperz also because the App is:

Reliable & Affordable

No skills & experience required

Developed by talented & popular people

Proof of success

30-day money-back guarantee

There are no limitations or minimum required time to the amount you can make. You only need to familiarize yourself with the different niches and how to use the ProFlipperz App.

When Will Be ProFlipperz Launched?

The ProFlipperz launch will take place at 11:00 AM EST Jan/Feb 2021 (TBD). The launch will be a 7-day affair with competitive prices. Everyone is welcome to the launch!

ProFlipperz Monthly Membership – What You Get:

Access to ProFlipperz App

Weekly ProFlipperz Tips

Monthly “Hot Niches” Videos

Top Flip Text or Email Alerts

Choose Monthly Newsletters

Convincing Text Reminders

ProFlipperz Buddy System

The subsequent update brings in ‘ProFlipperz Advanced Tracking Spreadsheet’. That sophisticated rendition will enable ProFlipperz users to view which things have brought in the most profit. That will help them focus their attention on those things and optimize their returns.

(ACT NOW AND SAVE) Click Here To Get at a Discounted Price!

The ProFlipperz Advanced Tracking Spreadsheet comes with the following:

Choose Currency (USD, Franc, Euro, Yen, GIP, CAD, KYD, and GBP)

Stock Tracking with Category

Costs Tracking

Deals or Profit by Month

Monthly Tracking Metrics (Cash on Hand, Expenses, Revenue, Hourly Average, Net Gain)

Average Turnover Days

Benefits per Hour on every month

Itemized Loss and Profit per Month

Value Reductions out of Original Price

Moreover, you’ll also get the assistance you need, as a ProFlipperz user to prevent you from exorbitant prices with the ProFlipperz Pre-Flip agenda & number cruncher.

Funnel Details

Front End Price is $37 after 50% commission. What do you get?

Monthly or Lifetime membership

Access to ProFlipperz App

OTO1

With a 50% commission, you’ll pay $47. What do you get?

The ProFlipperz Case Study – Here, you’ll be able to go through a comprehensive course to learn how to flip products like a professional.

OTO2

Enjoy 50% commission Pay $47 per month. What do you get?

Get the ‘ProFlipperz Advanced Tracking Spreadsheet’ to accelerate your progress

All the above come with:

OTO1: Commerce Club & Mastermind

One month Mini-boot camp, a weekly live mastermind course within an exclusive Facebook group, and the content are readily available for members to access.

BONUS – Unlimited App upgrades for the next three months and extra tips, tricks, and training to boost results.

OTO2: ProFlipperz Academy and App Updates

That will help you to ensure your customers don’t become frustrated and are always motivated. You’ll get the “hot niches” every month together with numerous other ways of keeping their product flipping motivation on and instantly begin enjoying lots of cash in profits.

Unlimited Mobile App Updates and Access to Academy with all extra training on:

Flipping products like a professional course – outline in Front End

Advance Store management

Market focused videos

Niche training

Interviews – Students & Professionals

Front End: Flip Like A Pro Course & Mobile App

Get a complete proof system to learn how to easily flip products like a Pro and make amazing profits. You don’t need any minimum time to do that. There are no limitations also on how much you can make. All you need is your ability to understand the various niches and “grow your flippin’ muscles!”

Also, get lifetime access to the most up-to-date ProFlipperz Mobile App version.

Final Thought

If you need to make that extra cash, give ProFlipperz a shot. It’s simple, affordable, and effective. ProFlipperz will help you with:

Finding the most dependable products for trading

Showing the applications and marketplaces to use

Giving you tools to identify emerging trends and boost profit

Showing you how, to begin with, little or no capital

Teaching you how to optimally close the deal

Remember, Steve Hitson made an $11,329 profit within 140 hours while still in a Full-Time Job. So, you can do it too! See More Details!

Get For a Special Discounted Price Today (In Stock)

[almost-fun-doodles]

    GhiraZant Family Au Headcanons Part 1 (Set up)

Before I get started, I wanna shout out @fangirlingpuggle ‘s GhiraZant family Au. I took a bit of inspiration from it, it’s really cute and and way more creative and I love their idea so much!! Go support them!! Tbh I’d love to draw Vaati and Link together some time because of it (!!! brothers !!!). With all of that, lets get going!

The story starts off after Hyrule Warriors and it’s an ‘Everybody Lives Happily Ever After’ kinda deal. So that means Ganondorf, Ghirahim, and Zant all survive and stay, every other character goes back to their own timeline.

This is because, from what I observed, Ganondorf summoned Ghirahim and Zant in a different way compared to Cia. He just kinda.. poofed them up. So, I hc that Ganondorf brought Zant back to life just like he had originally promised to Zant back in Twilight Princess. I also believe that he had “present-day” Ghirahim stored away in a mental bank, think of like how Ghirahim can just summon his sword out of thin air. I believe that Demise had that ability with Ghirahim, and because Ganondorf is a reincarnation of Demise, he could just re-summon Ghirahim, but never knew he could or chose not to. Back when Ganondorf was assembling his army in Hyrule Warriors, he needed generals, so he finally brought them up.

I’m changing the ending of Hyrule Warriors because I want Ghirahim and Zant to live in the present timeline of the game. I believe that, as long as Ganondorf is alive, Zant will continue to live and Ghirahim will continue to be summoned (I also believe that Ganondorf is immortal until killed, this trait is also passed onto Zant, so that effectively makes Ghirahim and Zant an immortal couple together). So I need Ganondorf alive. Basically, Ganondorf successfully survives the final battle but is left incredibly battered and wounded, not just sealed away in the Master Sword. So in my Au, when Lana, Link, and Zelda used the combined Triforce on Ganondorf, they only weakened him so much that he was about powerless compared to them, and then when there was only this dude left in the rubble, Zelda decided to see what a little compassion could do. She and the team decide to heal him up and eventually Ghirahim and Zant rendezvous with Ganondorf, and the three are granted citizenship in Hyrule Castle Town as long as they chill. 

Ghirahim and Zant are surprisingly delighted and fit in pretty well, they were planning to make some kind of a life together anyways so shrug. It’s a home life, though an unexpected one.

THEY LIVE IN A CONDO TOGETHER AND GANONDORF’S THEIR NEIGHBOR. And it’s cute!!

Zant becomes a manager at the local library, absolutely loves it there. When he’s not busy reading, he’s practicing his calligraphy or organizing books. He’s also working on a book of his own! He’s trying to document all of the accounts of the remnants of Twilian culture and related events in the Light Realm, since a good amount of it had been destroyed or lost after Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight so long ago. There’s this little group of kids who won’t stop coming by, they won’t check out a book or anything, ever, they just go and huddle at a table and watch Zant from a distance. The dude sticks out like a sore thumb, so it isn’t that surprising that people would be curious. Eventually the kids all gather around Zant’s desk and just quietly barrage him with questions, some how the whole shebang ends with them all agreeing that he should teach them how to do calligraphy on weekends, so that’s fun.

Ghirahim gets a job a tavern, he can play the piano and sing really well so he was hired to perform there. One day, one of the waiters had an outburst and stormed out of the tavern, so Ghirahim just cast a rune on his piano so it kept playing without him, got up, when over to the bar, picked up the served food, and started waiting while the piano played on and he continued to sing. So now he does both. The place is pretty small, so no matter where he stands, people can still hear him singing. The owner of the tavern is getting pretty old and doesn’t have any close successors, so Ghirahim thinks if he plays his cards right the tavern’ll be gifted to him. He can’t wait to rename it.

When they decide to finally have a child they consult Ganondorf, their reasoning being if he can bring people back from the dead, what else can he do in regards to life? Sadly, Ganondorf can’t just poof something to life (jnkrgjrgh he actually used to try that when he was Demise, that’s my hc of how monsters were created). But, he tells them of a ritual he knows about, you appeal to certain gods for a child. They try it and poof!! A baby appears!! A little boy with purple skin and red marks carved into his chest. The marks seem to be a cross between the runes splayed across Zant’s body and the marks from Ghirahim’s true form

Ghirahim chooses to name him Vaati because one time when he visited the library to see Zant as a bit of a surprise, he wasn’t there at the moment. So, he decided to look around a bit and came across an open story book about a magic boy with purple skin (none of them know that the story’s based off of something that actually happened in Hyrule, lol)

Vaati was born already grown to about four months old, so that means you’d think he wouldn’t be too susceptible to SIDS and the like. Zant in no way trusts that and spends the first two weeks really only doing what’s necessary to care for Vaati alongside Ghirahim. Doesn’t even refer to him by his name. An outsider would see this as Zant not wanting Vaati, but nope!! IIIIIIIIt’s trust issues!!! Zant’s really paranoid that something will happen to Vaati and he’ll end up heartbroken, so he kinda weans himself away for a while. Don’t worry though this gets resolved pretty fast. He realizes that he needs to get over this irrational fear because if he doesn’t then he’ll miss out caring for his son during some of his first times just existing.

Ghirahim finds out that Zant’s phase is over by walking into the room one day to just see Zant holding and cooing to Vaati in twilian and holy fuck that’s adorable help

Zant ends up becoming a stay at home dad and it’s just lovely their doorbell is one of those super loud buzzing ones, so Zant has a flipable sign on the front door that says ‘Okay To Ring’ on one side and ‘Please Knock’ on the other in pretty inked letters that he turns to signal that Vaati’s napping at the moment. Sometimes he forgets to turn it, so if you were to visit and mistakenly ring, there’ll be this really flippin’ loud buzz and then a baby cryin’ and lemme tell you that’s the only time you’ll ever hear Zant say fuck loud enough to be heard through a door.

[knivxsanddespair]

The difference between them and us?

Growing up, Pandora always found it vexing how peers or other royals would point out how she was different from the rest. Different in the way she looks, acts or talks. As if being different was wrong and it gave the right for people to judge and stare.

Granted, not many mewmans were thrilled at the start when Eclipsa got the throne back at first, still doubting her intentions. As her Aunt Meteora said, it just got worst when Globgor was free and they were back to wanting Eclipsa's head for it. Those few years of ruling peacefully was but an easy job. She thanked Star and Tom for being the help they need in the form of being ambassadors of peace and unity between mewmans and monsters.

Then, another trial was set to be tested. Eclipsa and Globgor needs to pass the throne to a much younger, more aspiring royal pair. And who better, if not perfect for the job than the then-newlyweds? They could still remember the mixed reactions from the crowd at the butterfly castle. Those who are firm with the old beliefs could not believe they are going to be ruled, once again by another mewman-monster pair.

But Tom and Star didn't mind the noise. They know they will have to accept it sooner or later. Like it or not, they are set to have a fair ruling over all.

It makes Pandora wonder when it was her turn to rule over the kingdom. Can she even take the pressure?

"Pandora?"

Oh no, she could feel the negativity already! The jeers, the boos, the imminent feeling of failure.

"Pandora?"

She snapped back to reality when she saw Moon, Eclipsa, Meteora and her mom looking at her with eyebrows raised. "Goodness dear, you've been dazing for a while. Is there anything you want to share with us?" Moon was the first to ask.

"I..I've been having some thoughts, Grandma Moon. About the whole thing between us and mewmans."

"Well now, the floor is yours dearie. Speak your mind out." Star pressed the issue further, since this was the topic of the day.

"Well.." The teen rubbed her elbow. "It's just that, no matter how far we get through this thing, there will still be others who don't get it. Others who speak ill of others just because they can. They harass and they call you names and it just hurts, you know? I mean, are we really that different?"

Four collective sighs was let out. Star went over to her daughter with a smile and patted her shoulder. "To be honest sweetie, not that much."

"R-Really?"

Eclipsa nodded. "Outward appearances should not matter and it never will. What defines a person is the actions they take. I saw it with my own eyes for too long. Take your uncle Marco for instance. He's like an earth version of a mewman, and yet, does he harm you?"

"No."

"Has he ever singled you out or make you feel like you don't belong?"

"Never."

"Has he ever not teach your father how to ride a dragoncycle?"

"Never, but it was funny to see Dad's dragoncycle not obeying him."

"That's besides the point. What I'm trying to say is, there are good and bad people in every groups, and we can't really say everyone is bad, even if the majority of them are jerks."

"I see your point there Eclipsa. That made me feel a bit better."

"And remember dear." Moon spoke in turn. "You will always have people who love you for who you truly are. Family and friends who will give their all to you." Pandora was bracing for impact when the older queens went by and hugged her.

"You know, this is nice and all but we can't eat our pies cold!" Meteora joked. The ladies had a good hearty laugh before they got back to their seats and resumed their afternoon meal.

Maybe this isn't as bad as she thought. Pandora isn't fooling herself when she still had her doubts over ruling and all, but she will take on the challenge, just like how they did.

(Another day, Another story at 3 in the flippin morning. I just wanted to do something for Pandora who belongs to @demon-draws. I hope I'm not boring you out or getting Pandora out of character too much TuT but still, enjoy the fic! )

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [544]

“What do you mean you’ve lost the lottery ticket?”  Sera says, rounding on Malika, “Andraste’s blasted garters, Malika. We spent three hours making sure that ticket looked legit. Three fucking hours on one lottery ticket to make sure it could get past the fraud detection and you lost it? We don’t have another friggin’ three hours to make a new one.”

“Well. It’s got to be in this car somewhere, right?” Malika says, panicking as she starts pulling things out of her bag. “Just drive or we won’t make it in time.”

“What,” Lavellan’s voice is very calm through the car speakers, but also obviously very forced, “Do you mean you don’t have the forged lottery ticket?”

“We’re working on it, Boss,” Malika says, “Don’t worry. Sera and I always pull through for you.”

Sera can hear the sound of Lavellan moving very fast and the sound of people of getting out of her way very, very fast.

“I need Leliana and Herah,” Lavellan says, “Where’s Leliana and Herah? Of all the blasted times for them to not be where they always are…”

“You don’t need Leliana and Herah, we’ve got this.”

“We’ve got nothing,” Sera says. “I don’t know why you keep acting otherwise. Malika you had one job.”

“I did not have one job, I had fifteen jobs. Hold the ticket, be your navigation, keep up three separate chats with the people pretending to be three different people, do an inventory to make sure our gear is ready…that’s already ten different things.”

“Are you counting the chats and the pretend bits as separate things?”

“Yes!”

Sera feels like it probably shouldn’t count as separate things but she’s attempting to weave through traffic on a goddamn holiday so she doesn’t have the focus to argue.

“Bull,” Lavellan says, “Malika and Sera aren’t going to make it.”

“We will! We totally will!”

“They lost the ticket.”

“It’s got to be in this car somewhere! It’s a closed system.”

Sera can hear Bull’s voice but she can’t quite make out the words, but she can sense the same measure of frustration that she, herself, is feeling. And honestly…yeah. Nothing to say about that.

“We should’ve made two fucking tickets,” Sera says.

“It’s still here! I swear it is! It was in the car with all of our gear.”

“Hold on,” Lavellan says, and then they hear her cover the speaker and the sound of several people talking and then crackling. Lavellan’s running. “You took the wrong car!”

“What the fuck do you mean we took the wrong car?” Sera asks.

“Bull, check the garage,” Lavellan says, “Skinner, where the fuck is Herah? Get her to the garage and get her on her way to intercept Sera and Malika. Someone tell Leliana to make a fake accident or something. Fucking stall for time.”

“What do you mean we took the wrong car?”

“You took the wrong damn car is — we have three cars that look exactly like the one you’re in,” Lavellan explains, “And all of them are loaded up with our normal gear. One of them just got brought in by Maxwell and it needed refurbishing because there was blood in the back seats and someone spilled cocaine back there. Malika must have put the bag with the lottery ticket into one of the other models, and then one of our clean up crew probably moved it to another garage for clean up thinking it was Maxwell’s car instead of the one you were using.”

“Why the fuck were we parking the same car colors and models in the same flippin’ garage to start with then?” Sera snaps.

“Apparently we need to figure out a system for that. I’m hanging up, I’ll have someone send you a new route to stop at to pick up the forgery from Herah. Malika, keep stalling. I need this ticket to get into government hands or we’re fucked.

-

“Having the Boss learn how to play cards from an Antivan and a Qunari really, really set her up good,” Maxwell muses. “You should have seen her at the table with the Hawkes and the Couslands. She cleaned house. I think Garrett would be impressed if he didn’t lose so many favors to her.”

“I love that woman so much,” Bull says. “Hey. Guys? I love her. Did you see the look on Aedan Cousland’s face when she bluffed the fuck out of him? If there were gods I cared about I’d thank them for putting her on this planet for me to watch destroy everyone in her path.”

“Is there anyone overly upset with us?” Josephine asks, “I told her not to win too much.”

“She did take some losses,” Maxwell says. “But overall she showed up and turned up. It was like watching a painter. Or a musician. It was art, Josephine, really. You did the world a service in teaching her gambling.”

“Don’t worry,” Bull says, “I flagged the possible problems. Aedan Cousland’s a dick, but he’s kind of honorable. He wouldn’t stoop to doing anything over a game of cards. And if he did Solona Amell’s got it out for him anyway so we could tap the Hawke’s and Amell’s for help dealing with his attitude.”

“So what’s going on here?” Maxwell asks. “Did we miss anything good?”

“Define good.”

“Anything that might end up being the end of me if I don’t hear about it immediately.”

“Ah, well then. Zevran is here,” Josephine sounds a little strained. “And…well. You know how he and Ellana get along.”

Bull and Maxwell grimace.

“How can two people so similar get along so badly?” Maxwell muses. “Bull, you get Ellana, I’ll get Zevran?”

“Nah, you can’t handle Zevran, either,” Bull lints out. “He bats an eye at you and you’re all fluttery like paper in the wind. I’ll handle Zevran, you get the Boss and distract the fuck out of her.”

“By handle Zevran….do you mean…handle Zevran? Or handle Zevran? Or handle Zevran?”

“Maybe, yes, and if it comes to it,” Bull replies. “Don’t question my methods, Trevelyan.”

[lesbianphan]

Tag

I don’t normally do these anymore but my gf tagged me and y’all know I can’t deny her anything so here we GO lol some info no one asked about me

tagged by: @flippin-phantastic​

name: Amanda nicknames: mandy, manda, dinha.... none of those are used very frequently cause nicknaming my name sucks y’all lol zodiac: Pisces

height: 5′5” (I think???? I DON’T KNOW OKAY I guess it’s 1,65 m for you who use decent measurement systems lol)

age: 24 orientation: lesbian ethnicity: Brazilian so... Latina? favorite fruit: I like bananas a lot. Strawberries are gr8 too! favorite season: probs winter cause it’s the only time I’m released from the hell I live in favorite flowers: I never thought about it ahha Roses are pretty favorite scent: idk I like sweet scents a lot... Maybe vanilla? favorite book series: Series would have to be harry potter but I need to reread it cause it’s been too long coffee, tea, or cocoa: cocoa cats or dogs? BOTH!! But I always had cats ahah average hours of sleep: 7 or 8 unless I go crazy and sleep twelve hours and die favorite fictional character: what a hard question! Well atm I really like Baz from Carry on so I’m gonna go with that for now lol otp: panda ehehe  🌝 dream trip: going anywhere to meet the bae tbh blogs: my main is @cherryonsimon

———————————————————————————

tagged by @wyrneck

Rules: Answer the 30 questions then tag 20 blogs u would like to get to know better (I’ll skip the ones I already answered)

2. Gender: female

5. Time: 6:11 pm

6. Birthday: February 19th

7. Favourite bands: evanescence, muse... I’m sure there’s more but I forget lol

8. Favourite solo artists: I’m bad at this... hmm... I mean I like lady gaga, halsey, kesha, some brazilian singers like Sandy, pablo vittar, etc... I’m sure there’s more lol

9. Song stuck in my head: evanescence’s new song imperfection

10. Last movie watched: oh fuck idk lol I think it was rewatching zootopia with my parents? or maybe rewatching the way he looks with my girlfriend. My memory is bad x.x

11. Last show watched: also the first episode of the fosters with Poonam... it wasn’t great so we stopped (sorry if anyone likes it x.x)

12. When did i create my blog: this one was january 2015 if I’m not mistaken. But I’ve been on tumblr since forever, my main blog was created in 2011 (march 9th actually.... did u know my main blog has 3275 pages cause I just figured that out by trying to find my first post HAHAH)

13. What do i post: Here I tried to post more stuff that isn’t just youtuber related like it used to be so I post youtuber stuff that I like but also aesthetic pics and things that make me happy. Plus my monthly selfies go here as well ^^

14. Last thing i googled: moon face emoji to add up top lol before that was the damn conversor for meters to feet lmao

16. Do you get asks: not anymore ahah a moment of silence for the old times when anyone cared about this blogs besides me loool

17. Why did you choose your url: cause panda is my new branding and I couldn’t do the whole youtuber url thing anymore after I pulled away from phan

18. Following: 279

19. Followers: idk how cause I’ve been steadily losing followers since I stopped being a phan blog but I stiLL have 4.2k followers

20. Favourite colours: purple, some blues... reds are cool too and pinks. Idk I like many colors.

22. Lucky number: I don’t think I have one

23. Instruments: we have a guitar here I tried to learn but I sucked at it lol

24. What am i wearing: brown bermuda shorts and a workout shirt that I bought to go to the gym and then never went to the gym lmao

25. How many blankets do i sleep with: 1 when I can. Usually none cause it’s hell here.

26. Dream job: hard question omg. Hm I’d like to learn programming well and design stuff? maybe games?? idk. I’ll probs end up in a miserable job let’s face it. At least I won’t be teaching NEVER AGAIN LADS.

28. Favourite food: I like lasagna a lot... But really I’ll eat anything. I have an unhealthy obsession with ice cream too lol. anything sweet. Just gimme food!!

29: Nationality: Brazilian, born and raised.

30: Favourite song right now: I’m a little obsessed with something just like this by chainsmokers and coldplay and I blame katie for that one.

I won’t tag anyone cause I’m lazy but feel free to do it if you want and tag me so I can see it :D

[fereality-indy]

Wendip Week 2017 5+1

5+1

Friday June 14th, 2019 Dipper Pines residence 412, Gopher Road, Gravity Falls, Oregon

“Alright, well let’s see.” Dipper said as he looked around his converted warehouse loft, “Picnic basket, cooler, six pack of Pitt, blanket, bug spray and…”

Dipper began patting his pockets, searching the basket, the cooler, and he finally found the green velvet box in the fridge. He must have set it down when he pulled out the ice for the cooler. He was just about to start taking everything out to the El Diablo when his phone went off.

Seeing it was Wendy he answered, “Hey Wendy, I’ll be over in fifteen, just need to get the supplies in the car and I’ll be on my way”

From the other end of the line he heard, “The picnic is gonna have to wait Dip. Lil Seth just showed up at my door all battered and bruised. Apparently dad, Rudy, and Lucas got into a row with a group of Manotaurs. Seth was able to get away because he was in a different clearing when it started. I’m about to head out and save my family.”

“I’m on my way, I’ll be there in five. Wait for me.” He said as he say the little green box down on the kitchen island and rushed out of the door. He spent the rest of the day explaining to two groups of walking testosterone that fighting was not always the best answer.

Thursday June 27th, 2019 Poseidon’s Gravity Falls, OR

‘Ok, this might be a better idea,’ Dipper thought as he and Wendy were led by Jean Luc to a corner table. Thanks to some of Gideon’s contacts preparations were made, the staff knew what he was planning to do, a bottle of sparkling cider is waiting at the table, Wendy’s favorite desert was waiting to be brought out after dinner, and he had the little green velvet box in his pocket. Nothing could go wrong.

About half way through their salads it did. In a flash of pink and purple the Pines twins favorite blonde rushed into the restaurant. Pausing only long enough to hand Jean Luc a small stack of bills, Pacifica rushed over to the couple’s table.

“Hey Pacifica, what’s wrong?” Wendy asked as Mabel’s girlfriend made it to the table.

“No time to talk. Mabel’s in trouble,” Pacifica stated as she grabbed her two friends and started heading towards the door.

It turns out that a rogue group of gnomes decided that Geoff had been to lenient in his earlier dealings with the Pines twins and decided to claim Mabel as their own queen. The rest of the night was spent lugging two battery powered leaf blowers through the woods to rescue Mabel.

Tuesday July 9th, 2019 On State Highway 245 Heading Baker City, OR

'Well this trip is already not going the way it was supposed to be going.’ Dipper thought as drove up towards north east Oregon.

Over the weekend Ford learned from a former colleague/renewed acquaintance that the Baker City Oregon Trail Museum had received a donation of collection that had some pieces that carried a certain set of symbols. Ford asked Dipper to go check it out as he due back on land for another week. Dipper in turn asked Wendy if she wanted to come along.

They had planned on staying two or three days, mostly in order for them to get some 'them time’ without any of the townsfolk coming to them asking for help. He had just finished up packing his suitcase, including the green velvet box, and his testing equipment, when he heard his front door close.

“Hey man you in here?” Wendy called as she navigated the converted warehouse.

“In the bedroom,” he called out.

“I have some great news. I just got off of the phone with gentleman from the State Forestry Department and I have an interview for the Ranger position that opened up just outside of town.” She called back as she headed up the stairs to the bedroom.

“That’s great. You’ll be perfect for the job.” Dipper replied as he zipped his suitcase closed. As he turned around he saw her standing in the doorway looking crestfallen. He rushed over to her, “Wendy, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry man. I got so excited about the job interview that I forgot about the trip,” she said as she fidgeted with the keys still in her hands.

“That’s ok, we’ll just do a light diner and you can go home and pack.” He said as he gently kissed her on the tip of her nose.

“That’s just it Dip, I don’t even have time for dinner. The interview is tomorrow morning in Salem. I’m heading out once I’m done here so I can hopefully get a hotel room for the night.” Wendy said as she looked into his chocolate brown eyes. “I’m sorry Dipper, I know you wanted this so we’d have some time to ourselves.”

Dipper pulled her into a hug and said, “Go to your interview, this is the job you’ve wanted since even Gideon could stop ordering from the kids menu. So go do your interview, nail it, and we’ll take a weekend to go celebrate when you get the job.”

“You’re right,” Wendy said as she hugged him even deeper. As she pulled back she gave him a quick kiss. “Well I better get going.”

“And remember you can nail this interview and get this job cause you’re a flippin Corduroy!”, he said as he was walking out to her truck with her.

As she sat down in the driver’s seat Dipper leaned in and gave her another kiss, “Be safe out there. Love you.”

“Love you too.” She said as closed the door and started the engine. She then rolled down the window and said, “You be safe too. Call me if it starts to get hairy up there.”

“I will.” He said just before she pulled out of the driveway and headed to the main road out of town.

And this is why he spent two days meticulously going through the Baker City Oregon Trail Museum’s donations and only found an Incan coin with a pyramid relief on it and an earthenware dish that carbon dated as being somewhere between forty and forty- five years old and what the curator thought may have been Cipher emblem looked more like Floyd’s 'Dark Side of the Moon’. It was probably some stoner’s attempt at an earthenware dish.

Wednesday July 17th, 2019 Mystery Shack Gravity Falls, OR

Dipper looked around after the 'Welcome Home Stans’ party had died down and most of the town had went home. Still around were Wendy, Soos, Melody, the Stans, Mabel, Pacifica, McGuket, Robbie, Tambry, Candy, and Wendy’s family. Maybe this is what the universe was wanting him to wait form everybody they cared for to be in one place.

As he walked into the room where everyone had gathered, he saw Robbie and Tambry had sequestered themselves in a corner enjoying a night without little May. Pacifica and Mabel seemed to be in world of their own after one two many glasses of Mabeljuice. Stan and Soos were playing with little Let while his mother Melody was trying to get him to settle down for the night. Ford and McGuket were going over the result of the testing Dipper has done in Baker City. Surprisingly Candy and Wendy’s middle brother Lucas were dancing to the music that was still playing in the background. Manly Dan and the other brothers were watching Lucas in the act. He felt his pocket to make sure the velvet box was still there. Because finally there was the beauty that is Wendy Corduroy, who was walking straight towards him. He was so distracted by her He failed to notice the ice bucket had been spilled. He stepped onto the loose and melting ice. Like something out of an eighties comedy movie he kept sliding till he finally fell at the base of the Sascrotch, which the fell right on top of him. After a couple of moments under it the only plan he had remaining was to go home embarrassed.

Friday July 26th, 2019 Route 2 Heading Out Of Town

Dipper had his bag packed as soon as he returned from Baker City. He knew Wendy would get the job, heck she could probably teach the other Rangers a thing or three about working in the woods. So when she got the call on the 19th? He was ready to head out then but she decided to wait till the following weekend as she had told Soos she would cover a day so he and Melody could have a day off with the kids.

The velvet box say snugly in his pants pocket as he drove on out of town with Wendy by his side. They were on there way out of town.

“Alright I’ve got us a hotel room for two nights, tickets to see 'Purple Moon” the band Robbie’s old drummer is in, and directions to Portland’s best hamburger joint.“ Dipper said as they headed towards the canyon pathway out of town.

"Cool, I’ve been wanting to check them out since Robbie told me she joined a band while in college. I mean she was the best…” Wendy was saying when the car started making a loud noise and then the engine just died. “Whoa, what happened?”

“I’m not sure,” Dipper said as he tried to start the engine to no avail, “I just had it serviced last month.”

He reached down and put the car in neutral, “Can you scoot over and I’ll push use on to the side of the road.”

As soon as Wendy got in the driver’s seat, Dipper began pushing. After a couple of minutes they had the Diablo on the side of the road.

He walked on up to the window and asked, “Can you pop the hood, maybe it’ll be something one of us can figure out.”

Wendy did as asked and then got out to help her dork look under the hood. While she’s no greasemonkeyn she has learned the basics. After about fifteen minutes they both threw up their hands in defeat.

“Alright I can’t figure it out. You?”, Dipper asked as he put a hand on the good.

“Sorry Dip, not a clue.” Wendy said as she pulled back and let Dipper shut the hood.

“Well we can still reach Soos and ask him to come tow us. And then we can still make it to the hotel and the show if we get your truck.” Dipper said as he leaned against the hood. He saw Wendy’s face drop, “What’s wrong?”

“Well we hadn’t planned on being in town so I loaned my truck to Lucas she he could run Candy to a tech show down across the state lines. They seem to have really hit it off.”

“Man, let’s just get picked up and call it a night.” Dipper said as he laid back on the hood. Looking up at the sky Dipper thought, 'Man. Maybe I should just give up. Someone or something just doesn’t want me to get this done.’

After her call was done and Soos was on his way she leaned back and laid her head across his chest. She had nearly fallen asleep to the rhythm of his heart beat when they both heard the unmistakable sound of Soos’ old truck.

“You doods ok?” Soos asked through the lowered passenger side window.

“Yeah, just a little frustrated.” Dipper said as he slid off of the hood.

Wendy helped guide Soos so that he was lined up with the front of car and then they set about hooking the town cables.

“Alright Dipper, you steer the Diablo and Wendy you hop in the truck with me. I’ll tow it on over to the Shack, Hank knows the way there and can come get it easier for you.” Soos said as he was walking around to the driver’s side.

“Sounds good. Then you can drop me off before you take Wendy back to her apartment.” Dipper said as he started to get into the car.

“But…”, Wendy started before she was cut off.

“Wendy honey, I know this was all my idea and we both want to spend the weekend together. But this mess here has given me a massive headache and right now all I want to do is go to bed and get the day over with,” He said with a wane smile, “We’ll get together tomorrow and figure out what to do with the rest of the weekend.”

And despite a protest when they got to his converted warehouse, he still went in alone.

(Still) Friday July 26th, 2019 Dipper Pines residence 412, Gopher Road, Gravity Falls, OR

“…and let Jackie know that we’re not going to make it to the concert so there’s no need to go ahead with the plan. Thank her again for me for trying and thanks again Robbie for setting this up.” Dipper said into the phone. He was sitting alone on his bed in the dark, “I dunno man, I beginning to wonder if someone out there doesn’t want this to happen. This was the fifth time my plans were shish kebabed.”

And from the doorway he heard, “Ya know man, if want to do something with me it’s best to just do it.”

“Wait, what?” he said as he jerked around and saw Wendy standing in the doorway.

Misinterpreting his reaction she blushes, “I don’t mean it like that.”

Into the phone Dipper said, “Look I need to go Wendy’s here. Yeah, yeah smartalec. Alright, talk at you later.”

“Well, so you were talking to Robbie? And you guys had something planned for this weekend?” Wendy askes as she walked into the darkened bedroom. Reaching over she turned the dimmer switch on so there was a faint glow of light in the room.

“No, no it was nothing.” Dipper said as he got up and started towards her, “What are you even doing here? I said we’ll get together tomorrow.”

“Well maybe I decided that I didn’t want my boyfriend to suffer alone. Maybe I decided that I would be here so whatever we decided to do tomorrow we could get right to it.” she started out sounding a little upset. but then with a smirk she added, “Maybe I caught my brother and his new girlfriend on my couch in flagrante delicto and wanted to let you know we have the truck again.”

“Wait a minute, Lucas…” Dipper asked almost completely forgetting the previous part of the conversation.

“Uh, huh.” Wendy nodded as she wrapped and arm around her boyfriend.

“and Candy?”, He continues. Still trying to wrap his head around it.

“Both had their shirts off and she had a strap down when I coughed to let them know I was there.” she said with a chuckle. “I suggested that he take her home and that next time they find somewhere other than my apartment to have their fling. They were both redder than his hair.”

“Man that would have been fun to see.” He said returning her smirk.

Raising an eyebrow she said “Really? So you want to see Candy topless?”

“No, no. I didn’t mean that I wanted to see Candy topless,” He said defending himself, “I just meant the whole embarrassed situation.”

“Chill Dip, I knew what meant I was just busting your chops.” She said as she kissed him on his forehead.

“So what were you and Robbie planning for this weekend?” She smiled as he started to cluster at the question.

“What? Nothing.” he tried saying before she shot him down with a 'I was standing here for a good moment’ look. Resigned be started, “Ok, for over a month now I kept making some plans to do something and it always seems like something comes up and ruins my plans. Your family getting into a fight with the Manotaurs, the gnomes kidnapping Mabel again, my clumsiness, and tonight the car breaking down. It’s like someone doesn’t want me to carry out my plans.”

“Nah, I wouldn’t go that far. Remember when it comes to what we have here, plans don’t work for us. We work better going by the seat of our pants. Remember that whole scheme that ended up with us dating. And remember the dance that first summer? I know you had a twelve step plan to ask me to dance, Mabel told me about it, but as you found out all you had to do was just ask.” she said as she let him go and turned back to brighten the dimmer switch. She heard him say “You’re right!” and as she turned back around she saw he was down on one knee.

As Wendy brought her hands up the her face, Dipper pulled the green velvet box out of his pocket. As he opened the box holding the cut emerald ring he asked, “Wendy Berble Corduroy, would you make me the happiest guy alive?”

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a passionate kiss. As they separated Dipper asked, “So is that a yes?”

“Of course it is you dork,” Wendy said before she kissed him again.

“Well at least I’m your dork,” he said as he placed to ring on her finger.

“Yes you are.”

[conversationswithhank]

Hank: (deep discontented sigh)

Me: (having just been hosted for a coffee by our neighborhood friendly auto-parts store owner) Two cakes in one day! Lord, you’re a loved and lucky boy! Sr. Pereira is so kind.

Hank: He is and I like him, but… (sigh)

Me: But what?

Hank: Why are adults always asking me what I want to be when I grow up?  Or that when they were my age they were done with school and working? It’s like every time I want to yell, “I’m a kid! I don’t know what I want to do for a job! And I know… I know you were working when you were my age. I know already!”

Me: Wow. Okay. These are two separate and very important things, so lets break it down so that you can be more empathetic when someone tells you their story of leaving school after 4th grade.

Hank: That is how it was back then.

Me: For some.

Hank: What?

Me: Era uma vez (once upon a time) before the revolution (April 25, 1974) your education ended at the end of 4th grade unless your family could afford to educate you further. Think about that. It didn’t matter if you were smart, it didn’t matter if you loved learning with your whole heart, if you were poor you went to work and if you were wealthy you continued on. Can you imagine leaving school in a month and never going back?

Hank: (pause) No.

Me: Your Avó Dalia (grandmother) was devastated to leave school. Your Avô Alfredo (grandfather) went to apprentice to be a carpenter and Dalia worked in the fields, helped take care of your tias and tios (aunts and uncles), then she went and worked in factories. After the revolution one of the important policies that everyone fought for was education for all. The key word in that sentence is fought. It was so important to the people of Portugal to end the stunting of education that they fought for all children to be able to stay in school, for you to be able to stay in school! That is why neighbors, family, strangers when they hear how old you are they tell you the story of how they hadto leave school, because they are so proud and grateful that you don’t have to. You are truly privileged, Hank.

Hank: If the revolution didn’t happen that means my papa would also have finished school when he was nine years old, too?

Me: Yes. Our family is a proud, funny, loud, charming, working class, amazing group of loving people, but your papa would have never become a doctor (Phd) without the revolution or the money to keep him in school.

Hank: And papa would have never gone to study in America and you would never have met and I wouldn’t have you and papa as my parents and Molly as my sister.

Me: (nodding) When someone confesses that they left school at your age your answer should never be (annoyed), “I know, I know, jeesh.” You should listen to what they’re saying with an open heart and say, “I am so lucky. I love school.”

Hank: I never thought of it that way.

Me: Another reason you are privileged. You never had to. And now on to the second part of your query: Yes, for the rest of your life from this day forward someone will ask about your future plans: job, wife or no wife, kids or no kids, house, car, the whole enchilada.

Hank: What’s an enchilada?

Me: (shaking my head) You’re so European. An enchilada… never mind it means everything. (starting over) Hence forth for the rest of your life until you’ve become stable and established people will pepper you with question as to your intentions.

Hank: Why? That is so frustrating.  I don’t know!  How am I supposed to know?

Me: Some people do.  My childhood friend Lisa wanted to become a chemical engineer when she was your age and guess what?

Hank: What.

Me: She is a chemical engineer.

Hank: How did she know that way back then?

Me: She just did. Now, I have a bit of a trick that worked well for me when I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life so the next time someone asks you what you want to be when you grow up you can say, “I don’t know what I want to do yet but I plan on being very happy.”

Hank: That’s good. I like that. That is what I will say.

Me: It works well and changes the subject away from the epic life quandary and on to the satisfying notion to live a happy, lovely life.

Hank: That’s perfect because I don’t know about the future. I might have a job that pays my bills and then my happiness comes from my life and my friends and my family.

Me: Truth! That’s what I did until I moved to Portugal.  I had a string of jobs that paid the bills and then focused on my passions after work. A smart, thoughtful answer will get you far. You don’t have to let other people pressure you. Never take other people personally! You do you and grow and learn and your future will unfold as it should. I can’t imagine what your future will look like. The world is changing so fast, far too fast for you at nine or I at 37 to be able to answer the question of what you will be when you grow up, but you will work hard to be happy.  That we know for certain.

Hank: People ask you what I want to be?

Me: All the flippin’ time! It’s madness. It’s far too rushed.

Hank: Wow.

Me: But it was the same when I was young, but unlike you I always had an answer until I was about 19 and then I had no clue. When I was your age I wanted to be a flower arranger.

Hank: What’s that?

Me: The person who makes bouquets at the flower shop.

Hank: Oh, so you wanted to own a flower shop?

Me: No, I just wanted to be the arranger. Then I wanted to be a writer.

Hank: You are a writer.

Me: But then I forgot I wanted to be a writer when I fell behind in school and started struggling with reading and writing. I thought writers must be smart and I knew I was stupid

Hank: You’re not stupid.

Me: Well, I know that now, but I was convinced then that I was stupid because I didn’t know I wasdyslexic SO because I could barely read or write I decided I would be an actress.

Hank: You did?

Me: Oh yes. This was my longest phase. I never got one lead roll and was a constant chorus girl but I was determined and auditioned for everything. Then I decided I wanted to be an anthropologist.

Hank: A what?

Me: A doctor who studies people and cultures. It was the only “real job” I could find that felt utterly romantic and adventurous.  I wanted to travel the world and immerse myself in cultures and then observe how those cultures grew and thrived, but all the while I was making art and taking art classes and throwing pottery and was always in the art building and covered in mud or in museums sitting quietly in front of art to sooth my weary soul.

Hank: But you’re not an anthropologist.

Me: No, I dropped out of school.  I couldn’t keep up with the reading and the work.  I didn’t want to get a Phd and my grades were average at best and school was expensive and so I got a job and just worked but I spent my vacations making fruit trays and doing kitchen prep in the kitchens of these fancy craft schools in North Carolina and Tennessee so that I could take more pottery classes and learn from working potters. I worked all year to be an artist for a few weeks and then I got a second job managing a ceramics and photography studio. I taught classes and I met your papa and I realized that I was an artist, there was no helping it, so I went back to school and then I got pregnant and then I moved to Europe and then I learned Portuguese and I remembered I had always wanted to be a writer so I started doing that and then I had your sister and then I got sick, but I kept writing, and now I am making working with clay again and teaching workshops and my RA/AS is more manageable and through it all I have always, always, always promised myself I would be happy. And I have been. I am happy every single day and I am loved and I consider that to be the success of my life.

Hank: Wow.  You have done so much.

Me: Life is not a strait line, Hank. It is a winding road.  It is an adventure.

Hank: I don’t know what I want to do yet, but I have decided to be very happy.

Me: No one ever called you dumb.

Hank: Not one day.

[midnightiscoming-kasabian]

New/Old interview with Ian (November 2016) _______________

Mike Dolbear DRUMS | Interview with Ian Matthews - Kasabian

“Rock compares to jazz like killing someone with a baseball bat vs. putting a pillow over their mouth”. Ian Matthews has both ways down like few others.

Coming from a jazz background he swapped the thin sticks for some proper wood and has been the power house behind British Indie Rock band Kasabian for the last 13 years.

2015 has also seen Ian seeking out new adventures joining a team surrounding master drum builder Keith Keough launching the brand new British Drum Company.

I caught up with Ian after his performance at the London Drum Show to chat about his musical upbringing, Kasabian and his new venture into the drum building business.

[x]

You started at the age of four after your babysitter taught you your first beats?

Yes, my babysitter (now passed away) was one of my dads mates and a long standing friend of the family. He would come to babysit me and bring me drum sticks when I was about two. I still remember ‘Mama - Dada - Mama - Dada’. His dad had an amazing red sparkle drum kit which I always loved. I think that’s where the seeds were sown.

My dad being a pianist wanted me to play the piano too but he realised that I wasn’t interested. So when I was four he tried to find a teacher who would teach somebody so young. There was a guy who lived just around the corner in Bristol called Mike Holmwood who was playing as a session player at the time for a band called The Brotherhood of Men. He had me come round the house, stick on some Cowboys and Indians or whatever was on the telly on a Saturday morning, gave me some milk and biscuits; take me up to the drum room for ten minutes to teach me some stuff; then back down for some more Cowboys and Indians; then back up for another ten minutes and so on... He did that for several years and taught me how to play brushes, jazz independence, how to read and all that. He got me to a point where when I was seven years old my dad turned around to me as he was packing his organ in the back of the car and went: ''Son, you’re coming with me''. The drummer for his social club gig was ill so I filled in. I went to do the gig with him and got £5. From that point I was hooked.

This guy Mike used to tell me about playing with confidence and feel. It was something I didn’t quite understand then but he sowed those seeds in my head. I’m making music for the sake of how I’m doing it as opposed to what I’m doing and I’ve got on as a drummer from the age of 19/20 as a drummer by going into from that direction.

Was it a conscious decision for you to make drumming your career or did it just happen?

I went through school still doing all these gigs with my dad and then joined a Bristol drum corps called The Troopers when I was ten. I don’t think we were a very good drum corp; we rehearsed twice a week and we also came last in the championships, but it taught me how to play with others and we used to race each other on rudiments trying to become the lead drummer.

I also did some school orchestras and in the band of the Avon and Somerset fire brigade learning to play with a wind band, playing military type stuff and lots of reading. I also did wedding gigs and jazz gigs, so I was always involved with music through school.

Even my drum teacher at the time, Eddy Clayton, used to dep me out for his gigs so I was playing in the pubs of Bristol when I was 13. Props to all these middle aged jazzers letting a 13 year old boy sit in and count them in.

I left school and had some crappy jobs which all weren’t really well paid and I just realised I could make nearly enough doing a couple of function gigs on the weekend. So I decided I would like to just sit at home and have to do nothing else but just play the drums and see if I can live of that. So I did.

You once made this beautiful comparison between rock and jazz being like “killing someone with a baseball bat vs. putting a pillow over their mouth”.

[laughs] Yes, this was kind of a half joke between me and a friend of mine who’s a jazz violinist. I’ve done jazz gigs with him and it’s so different than going on stage for a hundred thousand people driving a drum kit through the stage. That’s why we came up with that. To me, brewing on a ride cymbal at mid- to up- tempo, or even a slow brush thing, the inner me is trying to bring as much intensity to that musical moment of a whisper as I would at a yell.

You’re left-handed but you set up your drum kit right-handed?

I had this question a lot during my time as a teacher. You find people have left/right issues with their bodies. For me, I’m left-handed writing but my natural instinct is to kick a ball with my right foot, so my right foot was always gonna be my kick drum foot. Also, I was just put on a traditional drum set by my first teacher. I can’t even remember if he made me play like this or if I just naturally did it because I as a kid I watched all these drummers on our little black and white TV making their drums shake, guys with massive bangs of hair and huge sideburns. Maybe that’s where it came from. I’m not against playing lefty but it’s just the way it rolled. The right foot thing though was important for me.

Let’s talk about Kasabian.

I had a teacher who indicated to me that if I wanna get on the scene I needed to make sure to make friends and connect to as many engineers as possible. That’s where you meet the musicians who are doing stuff and where you get a call of people who need a drummer. These are the guys who are active, not the getting stoned in a bedsit dreaming about being a rock star.

I had red light fever and every time the recording button got pressed I would jam up. I tried getting as much training as possible, whether it was paid or not.

Mat, a friend of a friend, ran a studio called Big Bonk and I used to go there and record for free on his projects and in return he would throw me some work. Sometimes there was 50 or 100 quid in it. Kasabian from Leicester were coming down. They got some development money from their manager to spend on a drummer and Mat recommended me.

The day before the recording I fell down the stairs, sprained my right ankle badly and was inches from picking up the phone to cancel because I couldn’t walk. I still did it. I limped down to his basement, the boys looked at me and I went: ''I’m your drummer for the day''. That’s when I first met them. I did the session in pain you wouldn’t believe, they were blown away it seems and I did a couple of sessions with them after that.

They got signed the year after in 2002 but I couldn’t really get involved because I was doing enough stuff already. I was working with a guy signed to Virgin, another artist signed to Real World and was going to Paris a lot doing some African crossover stuff replacing Manu Katche in a band.

During that time the guys were sharing a farm up in Leicester working on their record. We lost contact a little through 2003 and later that year they started getting on the road playing the Dog & Duck here, the Dog & Duck there, driving up and down the motorways in a Mini Metro and an Austin Maestro.

In 2004 the manager called me in a panic saying they needed a drummer next week and they wanted me. It was Easter holidays so I went in and we tore it up for two weeks. After that the manager said: “Do you want to come and work with us? I can hire you and we have enough money to replace your teaching and feed your family. Come with us for 18 months.” I went for it and it was amazing. In fact they made me a band member in 2005 - so it’s kind of a gradient in membership. I wasn’t just parachuted into a famous band. I proved myself, we proved ourselves and together we made it all possible. I met them 15 years ago and it’s all been developing ever since.

There’s a bit of a time off for the band at the moment?

Yes, we last seriously toured in 2014 when we headlined Glastonbury. That was a big gig. That whole year was really dense.

Then 2015 we just did about 15 or 20 festivals mostly in eastern Europe, we also went to Brazil and did the Lollapalooza tour of Latin America taking in Chile, Peru, Colombia and Argentina. Then come the end of August we decided we’re on our sixth album, we need to give us some time off. We also wanted to give the public some time off and not just bring out another album and go back out on tour.

This coincided with Keith inviting me to become partner in the British Drum Company.

2016 was quiet apart from May where Leicester, Kasabians favourite team, won the Premiership in the most dramatic way ever and we played their victory parade in front of 150,000 people in Victoria Park. In my down time I did some jazz gigs, some funk gigs, a little bit of session work here and there, the drum company and my family. I’m not pursuing a project because by the time it gets going Kasabian will be back out.

Let’s talk about the British Drum Company for a bit.

So Keith is a guy I met a few years ago at the Scottish Drum Fare and we got on like a house on fire straight away, it’s like Bro-Love. We stayed in contact every since and every time I was in Manchester we met up for a drink, some food or he came to see a gig - we just became mates and we would trade on each other on our perspectives on drum maker vs. drum player. I always knew I wanted to work with but he was with Premier and I was with DW so we just didn’t have the situation.

It came to that he left Premier and Al Murray convinced him to keep on building drums, so the two of them started collecting partners. Stu Warmington does our marching devision, Alan Kitching is our product designer and there is me, which is flippin’ amazing. Keith literally just turned around to me at V-Fest, the last gig of our tour and went: “You’re up for this then mate?”. And I just went: Wow! Fuck yeah!

It must be something like a little boys dream to be involved in building your own kits. Is there any limit to what you can do or can you just try anything?

Mate, it’s incredible! Keith is the genius and what the rest of us do around Keith is to steer his genius in the right way. We’re like a band. We’re flying very quickly, we’ve only just gone a year and already everybody is going: oh yeah, British Drum Company. People are intrigued still  but we all came together because we’re all senior in what we do somehow. We’re not ‘having a go’ or just investing in a business and try go get people in to run it who are not that emotionally into it. We’re five partners who came together to create something magic that we’re proud of and I think it’s working.

I think it has taking people by a bit of a shock that a little Manchester workshop can create a drum kit which sounds f**king unreal.

I had that moment when I left DW, who I was very loyal to, and turned up to London Drum Show last year [the official launch of British Drum Company]. I got up in the lift, got to the booth, drums all over the floor, the boys all red-eyed because they’d been up all night to finish the last drum kit and you could still smell the solvent. Keith gave me a drum key, put me on this 24” kick drum kit and told me to tune it up. I took a deep breath: Right, this is the moment, let’s see what I’ve done. I hit the drum and I tell you now: the adrenaline that went through me when I realised I’d done the right thing was incredible. We set the whole thing up, I played it and my first words when I turned to Keith were: ''I’ll take this kit on a stadium tour tomorrow. I’ll never forget that moment''.

I’m catching you just after your masterclass in the Mike Dolbear room here at the London Drum Show. How does this compare to being on stage with a band?

Well, I’m coming here to a full room of people and I have Ash Soan, Karl Brazil, Mark Richardson, Cherisse Osei and Tina from Zildjian out there who all came to see me. Bloody hell! I’m nervous of those situations but it’s not the playing, it’s the talking. Am I actually gonna manage to entertain these people and give them something?

When it comes to playing music I’ve been doing it long enough. The intense acceleration of Kasabians career happened in the mid noughties - especially when Fire came out. Suddenly we started headlining all these festivals. I remember being at T in the Park and looking at this enormous stage, there was Channel 4, T4 cameras everywhere, celebrities hanging about and 60,000 people out the front and I shit myself! I had my moment of ‘Wow’ and had to talk myself down of it. I told myself: I’m only here because the boys want me here and the way I play. I can’t change the way I play that’s just the way it is. We are only here because the people out there want us there. We can’t change the way we play, that’s the way we do it. So if we only go on stage and play the way we play and not be scared of that, then happy days surely! We spent hours together in dressing rooms and tour buses talking about these issues, Tom just always went: ''You have nothing to prove''.

So I think those other drummers can think what they like, we’re all mates. I could have a bad one today and wouldn’t give a sh*t. I’m only human.

I know that I’ve made 100,000 people jump at the same time in a field so there is something about my humble basic beats that works. That’s me being arrogant of course but if we get into the psychology of it... and maybe there are some readers out there who might have to read that. It’s like sports psychology.

Finally, what’s next?

The company is keeping me busy pretty good. We’re doing most of it via social media so my phone is just going ‘bing’ all the bloody time.

In the meantime, the weather is changing for Kasabian, we’re gonna be brewing up. The new record is in completion I think and for all you Kasabian fan readers, there’s gonna be something special coming your way.

That’s the good thing though: if I do go out back on tour with Kasabian this year, I’ll still be helping to manage the company.

I feel very lucky at the moment.

Thanks a lot for your time Ian!

Interview -Tobias Miorin

Photos - Francesco DesMaele

www.mikedolbear.co.uk

[authenticaussie]

Coffeshop au vs Fake marriage au vs Lady and Knight au vs Hogwarts au

aWWW man haha a big 4v4 going on,,,Damnnn. Okay okay so I love fake marriage aus man, just fake dating and anything is so good because of all of the pinning oh man it’s perfect. But then again!!! Anything that comes of a Lady & Knight au is just….perfect. All the time. Because you can have starts-off-as-betrayal-turns-into-utter-loyalty, or you can just have starts as loyalty and adventures and dragons and magic and!!! Oh boy just so cool so cool

Lady & Knight AU Headcanons:

For a betrayal au!!! Nam/Tash would be so good because you have royal lady Nami who’s adopted by Arlong and raised to be a selling point, basically, she always knew she was just going to get married off once she stopped being useful, so she decides to sell the whole kingdom out. 

Except when Arlong sends her capital she gets assigned this super-fucking-cute personal guard and she’s like shit I’m too gay for this. And Tashigi is at first a bit standoffish ‘cause she’s like that with everyone but just??? They end up being friends??? And Nami’s plan to betray the kingdom and go back to her rightful home starts falling to the wayside because she doesn’t want to betray Tashigi??

And Tashigi loves this place, loves the kingdom and capital and every person in it, and always helps out in town whenever Nami decides she wants to go out and just. 

God kill me okay I am 100% here for Nami seeing cruelty in everyone but Tashigi is just so-

Good. So heroic and kind and strong and Nami’s always been weak for loyalty ‘cause she’s never had it

Nami ends up confessing her plans to Tashigi but then saying she knew how to fix it and didn’t want to go through with it and Tashigi kiiiind of doesn’t believe her??? And she turns standoffish again and so cold, but she promises not to tell anyone, and Nami’s like fuck I gotta get her trust back i miss her so much—

And so Nami ends up twisting her plans and making it look like Arlong was blackmailing her and that it was his plans, ‘cause he wasn’t popular at court, and basically does this super clever coup and takes over his whole enterouge and deposing him as duke (or whatever tf he would be ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

And arlong finds out that she betrayed him and so sends people to kill her but then Tashigi busts in and totally does awesome sword fighting and saves her life and they talk it over and be honest and just. Happily ever after ;u; 

And for the loyal af I’m gonna do Robin and Koala ‘cause it’s just so flippin’ cute

There was a coup when Robin was younger and the whole royal family was murdered but lil!Koala helped her sneak away and worked in the kitchens and gave information to the rebels, and she was so young, but so strong, and helped the rebellion take back Robin’s kingdom, and so in return Robin asked her what she wanted and Koala said that all she wanted was to be able to protect Robin. (Cue flustered and barely hiding it Robin, and utterly oblivious young koala)

Robin as this elegant and poised and utterly (literally) magical lady and Koala’s been head over heels for her for the longest time, ever since she was a page and saw Robin (as a teen) with her head held high and her voice so calm and strong as she dismissed warriors to help fight bandits and take care of her kingdom.

Before Robin’s coronation she’s meant to visit every single village and know the people and work with her land so she can understand what they live like and go through but Koala’s super worried because even though Robin is a powerful witch there’s still ways to get her and begs to accompany her

And Robin acquiesces (and is actually secretly super happy that Koala still cares enough to want to protect her, because a lot of other people see her as scary and cold and strange and she doesn’t mind, but sometimes it gets lonely)

Koala totally braids Robin’s hair at one point!!!! Because it was getting in the way and Robin was getting annoyed!!! And then agrees to do it for the rest of the trip!!!! And she dies inside because Robin is so beautiful and she loves her so fucking much!!!!!!

God okay kill me

They end up camping together on the road and it’s basically just domesticity and protecting each other and taking care of each other and Robin confides softly some of her fears of being queen and koala almost half-confesses that she’s worried one day they’ll be things she can’t protect anyone from

Their first kiss is totally in a waterfall. 

I don’t know why that thought occured to me but now that it has I can’t let it go

They get attacked by bandits and Koala fights them all off but ends up getting injured. And so they camp by this waterfall that opens into this really lovely cave system that’s lit by shards of glowing blue and purple crystal that Robin found ‘cause it’d help her healing magic (which she isn’t suuuuuper good at, ‘cause healing magic is innate and Robin is more of a learned witch, and has heaps of memorised spells, but isn’t good at just shoving raw power at a thing).

And in the soft glow of these crystals and she’s patching up Koala’s side she just…..Ends up tugging Koala’s chin and pressing a kiss to her lips and Koala’s like lajkhdgj holy FUCK

And she tries to kiss back properly but then ends up wincing and going all ow ow ow fuck that hurt

And Robin laughs and Koala’s like aw come on that’s not my fault. And basically ends up saying something about how she’s wanted to do that for ages is it her fault that she wants more than just one kiss???

And Robin’s like woah. excuse me, wait, what.

And Koala starts blushing furiously and gets super flustered and is spluttering and trying to explain and Robin just thinks it over while she’s spluttering and is like “So you…have loved me? For a long time?”

And Koala just ends up nodding kind of guilty but then Robin smiles at her and Koala’s fucking wrecked and Robin just says “Good,” and kisses her again!!!

And no misunderstandings occur and they keep travelling around just this time with  kisses and more affection and Koala not feeling careful around what she’s allowed to do, ‘cause before she didn’t feel like she could / should touch Robin and now finds out Robin fucking loves all the attention Koala gives her 

GOD IT’S SO CUTE!!!!

And when they get back and Robin is crowned it’s basically a fact that Koala is the kingdom’s other queen and when people on Robin’s council complain and says she needs to get married ‘cause she shouldn’t be queen without a king she just laughs in their face. 

She’s not 100% comfortable with being a mom, because she doesn’t remember much about her mom, ‘cause she died when Robin was so young and she was always so busy with being Queen, but Koala would love a kid, and she needs an heir….

(Little does she know that she’s already accidentally adopted all of the orphaned children in the castle, who she visits regularly and tells wonderful stories about the adventures she and Koala had and supports and helps with jobs and teaching and she gives them books and like okay these like 10 kids all see her and Koala as their moms)

But she needs a biological kid apparently (she’s contemplated firing this council, they’re fucking dumbasses) so she makes a kid and the kid has magic and there’s dorky magical shenanigans as she tries to get used to the fact that someone calls her mother and means it and Koala’s like Robin, pls, you’ve been looking after the castle kids for years why is this weird???

But it’s mine, Robin goes, frazzled, and Koala laughs quietly and soothes her with kisses and they raise this kickass kid and she and Koala live happily ever after. The end!!!!!

Fake Marriage AU Headcanons:

Uhh man tbqh I love fake dating more than I like fake marriages???? Idk why but it proooobably has something to do with my dislike of marriage and the fact that people use it like it’s an end-all-be-all and a solution to every problem imeanwhat???im not cynical

anyway!! I’m a drip for zolu and I haven’t written it for ages, so; 

Zoro runs this lowkey but really strong dojo along with his sister Kuina and they compete a lot in fights, but are confined to the stupid gender bullshit ‘cause Kuina’s dad won’t let her fight any guys. Kuina’s already the strongest female swordsman in the world, and demands that Zoro become the strongest man so they can have a fight and so who’s actually better, and who’s the strongest full stop.

But Zoro can’t beat mihawk. It’s annoying as fuck for him, especially when Mihawk constantly keeps asking when Zoro will find something stronger than his ambitions, when he’ll find something worth fighting for.

One day he finally snaps and points at Luffy, who’s the brother of a friend of a student that attends Kuina’s self defence class and goes, 

“I’M FIGHTING FOR MY FIANCE YOU ASSHOLE”

Luffy’s like wtf. Mihawk’s like ah. Well then. i shall leave you to spend time with your fiance, ‘cause you obviously don’t know well enough what i mean. 

luffy’s still like what the fuck. Mihawk leaves while Zoro’s yelling at him, and then he whirls on Luffy and Luffy’s like akjhjdg dude why are you glaring at me  

Then Kuina busts in and is like YOU HAVE A FIANCE?????

And Koala and Sabo are on her heels and Sabo’s like luffy how the hell did you keep this a secret!!! You’re a shit liar!!!

I- Wha- huh????? goes luffy, and Zoro’s like yep. He is. Fucking shit liar. It was meant to be a surprise but i got so angry at mihawk

WHO THE HELL ARE YOU demands sabo

my. fiance?????? luffy goes’cause he’s confused as all hells, bUT SABO THINKS HE’S CONFUSED AT SABO FOR NOT REALISING IT

There’s a lot of yelling. So much yelling. Luffy has no idea what’s going on. Zoro ends up dragging him away before they leave and kind of explains what’s going on - his rival says he needed something worth fighting for, and movies always say love makes you stronger (”only the cheesy ones,” luffy mumbles, but shuts up when Zoro glares at him, daring him to make another comment)

Luffy doesnt end up agreeing persay, but he doesnt say no either, and so they have to handle the inquisition in the form of friends and family and then find out a lot of the people they know know each other??? and it’s only weird luck they haven’t met before then??? So they just claim that they had met before then, and it’s ridiculous and dorky and they have to answer plans about marriage and where their rings are, and zoro says he didn’t want luffy to loose his and that he was always working and fighting and so they’d agreed not to get rings and

GOD GUYS IT’S A GOOD OL’ CLUSTERFUCK

They end up going on dates where they try and get everything sorted and what they know about each other and luffy keeps making zoro laugh (which is annoying, fucking hell luffy, you’re a dumbass, zoro thinks with a roll of his eyes, but can’t deny that…weirdly enough luffy makes him really happy)

and once their friends know they’re getting married, they get shoved together a lot too, and so they go from not knowing each other very well to just learning so much about each other’s likes and dislikes and they get along really well????? like wtf it’s so weird????/ they just fit. Once Zoro stop acting so put-upon ofc tho (luffy yells at him, and tells him that it was zoro’s fault in the first place that they were stuck in this mess, so how could he get off on being so high and mighty all the time??? and zoro stops acting like a dick)

And their friends are just like oooohhh yeah i can see why you want to marry him now and zoro’s like laskhdgf fucking hell you guys you’re so thick, god i cant believe this is working he thinks as he texts back like 30 seconds after luffy replies, and smiles fondly at all the spelling mistakes and emojis he recieves in return

Finds out that Sabo gives Koala a lift to her self-defence classes and sometimes joins in as a demonstrator for them to practice on and Luffy doesn’t have anyone at home and he gets bored and lonely by himself so he comes along but is banned from the classroom and so Zoro starts teaching luffy how to fight and finds out that Luffy’s actually a good fighter but his basics are off

You know that trope where the characters stand super close to correct each other’s techniques???

Yep. 

yep. 

Zoro you loser. 

And Zoro finds that his fighting has improved as well, ‘cause Luffy’s so wild and unpredictable and he needed a refresher on the basics too.

And one time when they’re sparing Luffy manages to pin him and crows in delight and victory and is sweaty and grins down at him and Zoro’s like

Oh shit.

Oh sweet fucking shit.

SHIT

Welcome to Feelings Town tm, population: one utterly in love Roronoa Zoro who didn’t realise until it was TO FUCKING LATE

the “wedding” date they’d organised dawns nearer (Zoro tried to keep it as small and cheap as possible, ‘cause they’d planned for luffy to leave him at the altar (no way was zoro doing the leaving, everyone would kill him. Luffy is everyone’s sunshine) but luffy has so many fucking friends) and Mihawk agrees to fight zoro before they go on their “honeymoon” and there’s a bunch of people there cheering zoro on and it’s all these friends that he’s made/grown closer  to thanks to Luffy and then just about when he thinks he’s gonna loose there’s luffy, fists clenched, fire alight in his eyes, urging him on, and Zoro’s like fuck

fuck I want to make him proud. i don’t want to see him disappointed. I want to best mihawk and go get fucking married and go on our stupid honeymoon and be

happy

because that’s how he’s felt. He’s felt happy with Luffy. He’s felt so happy with Luffy. 

Kicks mihawk’s ass and drops his sword into Kuina’s hands and bypasses everyone else to wear Luffy is standing and grinning and there’s stars in his eyes and Zoro basically just picks him up and like they’re reading each other’s minds Luffy just leans in and kisses him

It’s fucking perfect.

Zoro’s sweaty and hot and his blood still sings from the fight and it’s rushing in his ears but all he can feel and hear and see is Luffy 

And it’s perfect.

From behind him, Mihawk mumbles, “So you’ve finally found something stronger than ambition.”

Zoro pulls away and leans his forehead against luffy’s and replies, “Don’t go all cheesy family movie on me now, Mihawk.” 

and Luffy laughs and they kiss again and its!!!! so cheesy!!! so cute!!! so good!!!

And they end up putting the marriage off for a bit and dating for a few years but everyone still calls them fiances / the old married couple and one day when they’re sprawled on the couch Zoro just turns to luffy and goes, 

“Hey, do you want to finally actually get married?”

And luffy grins and zoro rolls his eyes and he’s like “yes i get that we practically already are, but I-”

“want to buy you a ring. And that stupid stuff. Alright?”

“Alright,” Luffy goes, still grinning super super wide, “but you might wanna put it on a necklace or smth ‘cause you know im gonna lose it.”

Zoro groans and is like dont i know it. half of our yearly pay’s gonna go to replace ur wedding ring. 

and just!!! laughter and happiness and happily ever after. The end!!!!

[britishdelirium]

This rap is lyrically one of the best things ever written. Sit back, listen and read these lyrics.

[Verse 1: Akala] Yes, I grew up on the dole in a single parent family Been through a little bit of tragedy Yes I was around drugs and violence before the day that I started secondary And that’s part of it not half of it, get the picture, the rest ain’t necessary Growing up, got a little caught up, but that ain’t even half of my life Also given the knowledge of self That is all we actually need to survive If you saw me aged 9, reading Malcolm just fine Teachers still treated me stupid Students that couldn’t speak English, they put me in groups with And the irony is some of the first man to give me schooling You would call gangsters but I already explained, we know what the truth is They used to say ‘Don’t be like me’ Yeah I got a name and dough on the street Night time comes, I can’t sleep And that’s the part that rappers don’t speak We don’t hit the road cos we are thugs Don’t come out the womb, wanting to sell drugs If we got the right guidance and love Would we fight people just like us? How could I knock the hustle to get by? How do you think I ate as a child? Judge no one, done many things wrong I just don’t boast about it songs But listen to my older bars I was just as confused as you probably are But you grow and you learn, travel and fuck up One too many man you know get cut up One too many man that could’ve been doctors End up spending their whole life boxed up You learn, if you study Its all set out just to make them money No cover, it’s all about getting poor people to fight with one another So its logical that us killing our brothers, dissing our mothers Is right in line with the dominant philosophy of our time But time is a cycle, not a line Comes back around you regain your mind You be ready for the energy I channel in my rhymes Remedy the pedigree, the jeopardy of mine When the world’s this f***ed up, lethargy’s a crime We can all fight with our brothers over crumbs Far harder to fight the one who makes guns We can all talk sh** and get two dollars Far harder to be the one who seeks knowledge If we understood economics We’d know money’s nothin’ Think nothing of it Money is a means to get wealth, not the wealth itself Don’t get confused, I’m far from broke All that you see me do I own But I won’t hang what I make around my neck I know from where that the diamonds came But I do quite literally own a library That definitely costs more than your chain And businesses, and properties Far from starvin’, I eat quite properly And I don’t care, just said it for the kids Who need to know that you’re not broke to listen Don’t know an asset from a liability They’ve never been shown or told the difference So they don’t change situations Richest man in Britain is Asian That’s significant, not coincidence Asian people build businesses Not by flossin/going out shoppin’ Giving out their culture for everyone’s profit Who run’s Bollywood? Indian people Who owns our shit? So we shake our arse and dance As if racism just upped and vanished But has it? No its right on course You’re beaten so bad, you’re trained to ignore Let me not just make sweeping statements Gimme a second, I’ll explain it For small amounts of drug possession there’s more black people in jail in America than there is for rape and armed robbery and murder all put together You can say they’re just locking up thugs Imagine if they locked up every middle class kid that had ever held drugs Oh that’s right, that’d be your kids! Bigger than that what is going on with this Prison in America’s a private business They get paid 50k per year per inmate by the State, just wait… Also legally are allowed to use their prison inmates as slaves Cheap slave labour, big corporations They come out of jail, can’t get a job So when we celebrate going to jail We are LITERALLY CELEBRATING ENSLAVEMENT Add to that, that the hood that you’re livin’ Engineered social condition that breeds crime by design Where do you think you get your nine? You can say that they’re just black But I like to deal with facts In the 1920s you would’ve found in America Black towns Prospering centres of economics and education to make you proud But some people couldn’t bear that the former slaves would not just lie down So the KKK and other hate groups burnt those towns to the ground Killin hundreds If it ain’t understood You think you were always livin’ in the hood? Shit it’s only been sixty years Since they hung blacks and burned em’ And that was so cool They were your pastors’ picnic baskets Even gave kids the day off school To go see a lynching, have a picnic It’s fun to watch the little monkeys die Then people act a little dysfunctional You wanna pretend that you don’t know why If your colour means you can be killed And you’re powerless to get justice about it Is it difficult to figure out how you would then end up feelin’ about it? And that ain’t excuses Just dealing with the roots of abuses that make a reality Where a generation of young men speak of ourselves as dirt casually That’s America This Britain Some things are similar Some different In this country the first enslaved were the working class What’s changed? Worst jobs, worst conditions Worst taxed, look where you’re livin’ You go to the pub, Friday night You will fight with a guy, don’t know what for But won’t fight with a guy, suit and a tie Who sends your kids to die in a war They don’t send the kids of the rich or politicians It’s your kids, the poor British That they send to go die in a foreign land For these wars you don’t understand Yeah they say that you’re British And that lovely patriotism they feed ya But in reality you have more in common with immigrants Than with your leaders I know, both side of my family Black and white are fed ghetto mentality Reality in this system Poor people are dirt regardless of shade But with that said Let’s not pretend that everything is the same When our grandparents came here to Britain If you had a criminal record you couldn’t get in Yet that ain’t protect them from all the stupid, stupid abuses they would be livin’ Kicked in the teeth, stabbed in the street Many times fired bombed our houses Put faeces through our letter box And of course the cops did so much about it(!) Daily, up to the 80s People spittin’ into my pram cos’ I was a coon baby But of course that has had no effect on why today we are crazy And none of this was for any good reason They were just dark and breathing To ease the guilt now for all of this treatment Constant stereotypes are needed So if I celebrate how big that my dick is, bricks that I’m flippin’ Clips that I’m stickin’, chicks that I’m hittin’, I’m playing my position But if I teach a kid to be a mathematician, messin’ with the schism How they gonna fill a prison when materialism is nothing but a religion? What do you think we got now in Britain? Just like America, private prisons Prisons for profit! That mean when your kids go jail people make money off it So keep environments that breed crime Build more jails at the same time Market badness to the kids in the rhymes As long as rich kids ain’t dying its fine! Get em’ to the point where some are so lost They actually believe that if they don’t celebrate killin’ themselves off That it’s because they’re soft Was Malcolm soft? Was Marley soft? Tell me was Marcus Garvey soft? Well? Was Mohammed Ali soft? Nah, Nah I think not! But they want us to think that the road is cool Being on road is all we can do We don’t control the wholesale productions Who benefits from us movin’ the food? Or thinking there’s no way out of road life But Malcolm X used to hustle out on the roadside When Marcus Garvey organised more than 6million people With no Facebook or Twitter Why is this something you cannot equal? Shiiiiit! One of my homeboys did a ten straight in the box in yard Now what’s he doing? Passin’ his doctorate Don’t tell me that it’s too hard! Who trained you to believe that you’re inferior? Sungbo Eredo in Nigeria are the remains of an ancient moat Dug 1000 years ago 20 metres wide, 70 down Round the remains of an ancient town That’s 400 square miles around 400 square miles around Please, please don’t believe me It was a documentary on BBC! But we ain’t studyin’ history Too busy watching MTV And MTV said wear platinum Now everybody wanna go and wear platinum And MTV said pop magnums Now everybody wanna go and pop magnums If MTV said drink prune juice You would start hearing that in tunes soon ‘Hey! Today I wore my Cartier Is it now more important what I got to say?’ Oh and I drive a Mercedes by the way So everybody listen to what I got to say Huh, does that make you all happy? Ahh but shit my head’s still nappy Think for myself, still some mad at me But on the mic ain’t not one bad as me All of this here’s good for the rhymes Put us in the same place at the same time And it’s clear to everybody that I’m out of my mind Some of these guys are runnin’ out of their rhymes Clear to everybody that has got ears I’m the guy that they just might fear They wanna get near but they can’t have a peer Ah dear I’m hard liquor you’re just like beer Front on the kid for another five years Come to my shows and some cry tears It mean that much to em’, it’s a movement! I don’t speak for myself but a unit Black, white, man, woman, anyone that respects truth we put in Dudes are like no dinner with just puddin’ Yeah you’re sweet but no substance puddin’ You could never ever be with a level on Our songs get out played out there in Lebanon We speak for the people properly Not for the old fat guys in offices And the girls love him, it ain’t fair He can’t even be bothered to comb his hair Anyway that’s enough kissin’ my own arse Back to the more important task of being so shower I got half the hood screaming “KNOWLEDGE IS POWER” And I ain’t saying that will change rap But I do know this for a fact Right now there’s a yout’ on your block With his hand on his cock and his face screwed up Swear he don’t care, don’t give a fuck That he won’t let nobody call his bluff But the words go in Open up your chakra Because once that’s happened there’s no going back Once you start to see what is really happening Who the enemy you should be attackin’ is So READ, READ, READ! Stuck on the block, READ, READ! Sittin’ in the box, READ, READ! Don’t let them say what you can achieve Cos when people are enslaved One of the first things they do is stop them reading Cos’ it is well understood that intelligent people will take their freedom Cos’ if we knew our power we would understand that we can’t be held down If we knew our power, we would not elevate not one of these clowns If we knew our power, we wouldn’t get arrogant when we get two pennies If we knew our power, we would see what everybody sees, that we’re rich already! But never mind MCs go run for your mummy I’m hungry, I run for my tummy That’s enough, back to worshipping money I’m off, back to the study!

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

Lilly (Finally) Engages the Diabetes Patient Community

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/lilly-finally-engages-the-diabetes-patient-community/

Lilly (Finally) Engages the Diabetes Patient Community

When I heard that Lilly Diabetes was holding its first-ever Diabetes Blogger Summit, my initial thought was: "It's about flippin' time."

I'm an active patient advocate and blogger who's lived in Indianapolis for close to a decade and worked for about six years in downtown Indy, where Lilly is based, but haven't once been able to get a clear read on what the company is doing to engage the diabetes patient community, either online or offline. I have tried to communicate with them, but have either received no response or got the impression that they simply weren't interested in hearing my patient perspective. Since 2009, other companies have led the way in engaging with the diabetes community.

But Lilly hasn't even gotten its feet wet. Not until recently.

So I was pleased to see they were finally willing to open that door to bring about a dozen members of the Diabetes Online Community to Indianapolis for a summit at their headquarters just north of downtown. This summit marked the first time that Lilly has done anything like this in any of its therapeutic areas. Bloggers who were able to attend (besides me) were: Scott Benner, Leighann Calentine, Kelly Close, Bennet Dunlap, Scott Johnson, Kelly Kunik, Tony Rose, Cherise Shockley, George Simmons, Lorraine Sisto, Kerri Sparling, and Kim Vlasnik.

My impressions about this long-overdue engagement: impressive and positive, and I do think it was a great start, but there's a long way for Lilly to go in truly engaging with the diabetes patient community on so many fronts.

Changes Afoot

You might say that Lilly has been stuck in the past for a long time. It's a 136-year-old Pharma giant with a rich history of medical successes. Vice president of global diversity Patty Martin told our group the company's medications have always "spoken for themselves and led the way." But now, she says, Lilly is pushing to recognize changes when it comes to "empowered patients" and offer more personalized care and information.

"Putting a face to the company's history and future began about two years ago," she said.

We learned that about 8,000 people work on the main campus of Lilly, and about 200 work for the Lilly Diabetes unit that Enrique Conterno leads as president. We got to meet him and a roster of other high-ranking executives and company decision-makers, and I imagine the faces we saw and discussions we had were reflective of a new wave of energy within Lilly about how best to engage the diabetes community.

Clearly, in the past Lilly didn't grasp how it could and should interact with and listen to the DOC. At this summit, I felt we were finally being heard, and that our group offered some good feedback on how Lilly can move forward in its efforts to be more "patient-focused" with personalized care and services. The relationship has begun, and with a company that has such a significant foundation in diabetes, that is HUGE.

Making Disney Books (Available)

A fair amount of time was spent talking about several books Lilly has released focusing on tweens with diabetes.

First, they reviewed feedback on Coco (the monkey with diabetes) and the Disney collaboration that Lilly announced in July 2011 at the Friends for Life conference. Part of that effort was the Once Upon a Time Contest created last summer. We learned they'll be announcing the winners of that in early to mid-June.

Lilly shared stories about how adults and grandparents living with diabetes have used the book, Coco and Goofy's Goofy Day, as a teaching tool for family members, and how a young girl newly diagnosed with type 1 was able to reassure her own concerned parents after reading it. The feedback has been very positive, the Lilly marketing people said, and it made a diabetes diagnosis about running, jumping and playing rather than about needles, insulin and carbs. Kids have been able to teach other kids about diabetes, and feel more "normal."

The book might be great, but one thing that stood out as a shortcoming about this whole initiative was availability. Those in the room pointed out that people can't get their hands on this book outside of doctor's offices. We were told this was by design because Lilly is trying to direct PWDs to their healthcare providers. "Our strategy has been directing people to their endo, to let them be the hero," Lilly's consumer marketing director Matt Caffrey told us. What?!

The DOC shared ideas about making the book accessible to public and school libraries, school nurses, low-income community health clinics, and conferences put on by diabetes organizations.

People may very well love this book, but it's of little use if they can't get their hands on it. I think Lilly got the message loud and clear, and we'll see if they make those changes any time soon.

A few other new books, which we were given copies of, includeESPN: Power Forward, the story of a 7th grade boy just diagnosed with type 1 who worries about being able to play basketball and how to share his news with friends and teammates; ESPN: Up for the Challenge, similar to the other ESPN book but through the eyes of a newly-diagnosed 8th grade girl on the soccer team; and Hannah Montana: Uptight (Oliver's All Right), hitting at the popular Disney show and how the two girls learn about their good friend Oliver who's been keeping his type 1 diabetes a secret.

The Lilly people heading this collaboration say their next move will be entering the teen market. We shared thoughts on how we'd like to see some adult-oriented books, which could be inspirational resources for those concerned about living with diabetes into adulthood or even teaching tools for adults with diabetes who want to teach their own kids about diabetes.

I think the books are great tools for families because they deal with the emotional and mental struggles of being a kid with diabetes, rather than the clinical or physical aspects. We all want to be "normal," and we worry about being designated as different. These books hit on that element very powerfully, in stories that kids can understand. I wish they would have been around when I was growing up.

Lilly showed us one more Disney book, too: Dishing It Up Disney Style, a cookbook aimed at families living with type 1 that offers a total of 30 Disney character-themed recipes divided up equally between breakfast, lunch and dinner, not only "diabetes-friendly" foods, but also gluten-free recipes.

That's why it amazes me that these books aren't more widely available outside doctors' offices — they are dealing with non-clinical aspects of life with diabetes!

Hello, Social Media

Tarra Ryker, senior director of global business communications, told us that Lilly's "journey" with social media has really only just begun. The company's been active on twitter and in the blogosphere through its LillyPad (@LillyPad) since 2010, but without much actual interaction. They've recently undergone some changes such as a new look and allowing comments to appear immediately instead of being delayed several days or banned altogether. We emphasized that listening is important, but that two-way interaction is key to social media (!), and that it can make or break the relationship with our community.

As I sat in the room listening to some of the corporate big-wigs talk about social media, I wondered why the people who actually write LillyPad weren't in the room. I mentioned this, and it seemed to come as a surprise, as if the idea hadn't even been contemplated before... which I found somewhat perplexing since they were hyping LillyPad so much.

Ryker said the company is trying to develop a "more cohesive look and strategy overall" for its combined social media across business units, and is doing some market research to study why diabetes is the top health topic in the social media world, dramatically higher than oncology or Alzheimer's, for example. We suggested it's because of the chronic nature of diabetes and how it's always with us, and how peer support is just as important — if not more, at least psychologically — than standard medical care and doctor's guidance.

Ryker pointed out something true for all Pharma companies: regulatory concerns about what they can and cannot say about products and directly to patients make social media a complex issue. Thane Wettig, VP of global marketing, said this during our discussion about social media use: "We know we need to listen, and have to push the boundary on what the FDA says you can do and can't do."

What Lilly Could Do...

We emphasized that Lilly can do a better job of highlighting things it is already doing. For example, many of us had no clue there was a specific telephone hotline for people with questions about their insulin (1-800-LillyRx). Or that in 2010, Lilly Diabetes started a patient assistance program with Walmart that provided $170 million in free/reduced price insulin last year, and a new awareness pilot program with Walgreens here in the Indy area to provide education about hypoglycemia, something that could expand to other locations down the road.

By letting us know about those types of things or even blogging and tweeting about them, our community will see the direct impact of what the company is doing.

George offered a suggestion that Lilly do a better job promoting its own campus and facilities, particularly the historical museum and replica of the original Col. Eli Lilly lab that we had the chance to tour. Lilly stopped doing public tours there in 2001, but putting a virtual tour online or blogging about these items could offer a valuable look behind the corporate curtain.

We also suggested telling the "real" personal stories, by writing about those with diabetes who work at Lilly.

Dr. Dana Hardin, a pediatric endo who started at Lilly about a year ago, told us all about how the company recently decided to invest in diabetes alert dog training through the Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN). Though dogs' noses vary (just like our diabetes may vary), they can often sense a hypo better than a CGM — within 15 minutes of it happening, rather than the devices that frequently don't alert us until we're actually dropping dangerously. It can cost $30,000 to train an alert dog, but the program assigns the dogs out for $12,000. She talked about the training, how the dogs first bump you under the arm and then can go find someone else or even dial 911 and fetch an orange juice from the refrigerator!! It's not clear what the dogs actually sense, but it may be a volatile organic acid in a PWD's body. Some data on this canine hypo-sensing capability will be presented at the upcoming ADA Scientific Sessions.

This is a perfect example of the type of program we in the DOC would like to know about, and can help publicize, offering Lilly a window into what people think and also a channel to reach those who might need these dogs.

Grateful & Hopeful

As always, one of the best parts of these events is seeing friends from the diabetes online community. One of the organizers repeatedly noted that the atmosphere was like a "reunion" among old friends. That really about sums it up! Yup, alongside the promotional aspects of these forums, the companies know that one of the greatest benefits for us is simply the chance to spend time together.

Overall, being there touched my heart and I feel very grateful - for the sentimental reason that without Lilly's insulin-making role back in the early '20s, my own D-mom and I wouldn't have been around. So getting a glimpse of this company behind the scenes was very significant to me personally, as theirs is the only insulin I've ever used.

Sometimes, you can't gauge the real impact of these events until an undetermined point down the road — maybe even a year later, when the company brings PWDs back to share what has happened since the last get-together. Whatever the timetable might be, I'm encouraged to see Lilly open its doors to a more two-way dialogue with the broader diabetes community. Hopefully, we'll all see — sooner rather than later — some positive results that will help all of us be more aware of how we're all tied together when it comes to diabetes.

DISCLOSURE: Lilly offered all attendees compensation for travel funds, meals, and a few "bonus" items such as books and Lilly merchandise. With my house being only 20 minutes from the Lilly headquarters, I didn't need any travel or transportation assistance. But even if I had, it wouldn't change my views or ability to write openly and honestly about this event.

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article