#but to just straight up not engage with your own child and build important bonds?

[nose-nippin-fun]

The only thing that can keep Val calm and occupied is Vox.

Ya’ll, Valentino is a goddamn iPad kid.

[amayahxfontenelle]

THE HIGH PRIESTESS

The High Priestess tells you to slow down, reflect on what you’ve learned, and acquire even more knowledge before deciding or taking action. She usually indicates a time for learning and listening to your intuition rather than prioritizing your intellect and conscious mind. Her wisdom encourages you to relinquish the grip of anxiety over the result. Instead, place your faith in the discernment of these metaphorical gatekeepers. Lastly, the High Priestess figure embodies the serenity of trust and the power of surrender, inviting you to step into the unknown with a courageous and open heart. Listen to your inner voice!

STATISTICS

FULL NAME : Amayah Fontenelle ALIAS : Maya, AGE : 35 DATE  OF  BIRTH : March 2nd, 1989 BIRTHPLACE : Castries, Saint Lucia RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Engaged to Wesley James TIME IN KISMET HARBOR :  1989-2013, sept 2023 - present. RESIDENCE : Cresthill Meadows. FACECLAIM : Nathalie Emmanuel

EDUCATION : Oregon State University - Art History, University of Ain Shams, Cairo - Archeology. OCCUPATION : Archeology professor at Chapman University GENDER : Cis-Female PRONOUNS : She/Her SEXUALITY : Straight. HAIR COLOUR : Dark Brown EYE  COLOUR : Brown HEIGHT : 5′7″ BUILD : Slim ACCENT : American, with a slight Egyptian tone picked up the last decade. LANGUAGES : English, Spanish, Arabic, French TATTOOS : Flowers on her right shoulder, right foot and a butterfly on her left arm. SCENT: Lancôme La Vie Est Belle ZODIAC : Pisces RELIGION : Hinduism LOVE LANGUAGE : Words of affirmation, quality time CLOTHING : Jeans with tops or croptops/short shirts. Occasionally with a long flannel (Men's collection), sneakers. CURRENT APPEARANCE:  ( x )

CONDITIONS : Depression ALLERGIES : None. EATING HABITS : Vegetarian EXERCISE HABITS : Yoga and Pilates. SLEEPING HABITS : 5-6 hours sleep a day. ADDICTIONS : Mobile phone. DRUG  USE : None. ALCOHOL USE : Only on the weekends and special occasions.

POSITIVE  TRAITS : Dreamy, Spiritual, Gentle, Compassionate NEGATIVE TRAITS : Easily Distracted, Melancholic, Private PHOBIAS : Autophobia, fear of being alone. FEARS : Ending up alone, losing her loved ones, losing her passion. HOBBIES : Drawing, Yoga, Meditation, Hiking. HABITS : Humming, playing with a strand of hair, touching an ear piercing, saying "sorry" too much, gazing off into space USUAL DEMEANOUR : Calm.

FATHER : Kenneth Fontenelle MOTHER : Shani Sanah-Fontenelle SIBLINGS : Unnamed Brother, Unnamed (older brother), Francisco Fontenelle (Younger brother), Lexi Fontenelle, Carmen Fontenelle. (Younger sisters) PARTNER : Wesley James CHILDREN : Autumn Wynona Levitt-Fontenelle (deceased). PETS :  none.

BIOGRAPHY

tw: death, pregnancy, child loss, depression

Amayah's first hours in the world had been spent in the arms of a stranger. A nurse holding on to the prematurely born baby girl, seeing as her mother could no longer give her warm skin to skin contact, having died during childbirth. As sickly as she was, she received all the love on a daily basis from all the nurses working in the hospital on the small Caribbean island. It didn't take long for Amayah to be assigned through adoption to a loving couple living in Kismet Harbor, Oregon who came to pick her up as soon as she was declared healthy at four months old, bringing her home to the United States.

Her family was most certainly not comparable to that of most people. She wasn't related to anyone by blood, but by bond and love. All of her siblings originated from different corners of the world, as well as her parents and their home reflected just that. They were taught multiple languages, hobbies, sports, religions and more, being taught that commitment was both important and rewarding on its own. By the age of twelve, Amayah was fluent in four languages, was able to play symphonies on the piano by fourteen and was a competitive fencer by the age of eight til sixteen. The fact that Amayah was able to achieve such feats were impressive, as she was often described as having her head in the clouds, dreaming of fantasies and thinking of geography while she was supposed to be focusing on biology. Whenever she put her mind to something and actually focused, got well into the zone, it was hard to pull her out of it. A trait that eventually helped her through her future academic career.

Since a young age, and no doubt thanks to her busy home life, Amayah was a social butterfly, helping out whenever she could and making conversation with strangers on the bus. She was often the first to befriend the new kid in the class and sit next to the lonely student, even if it was just to give them company without talking. Despite this, Amayah could appreciate some quiet time, rarely knowing a calm moment in her busy home of eight. Though as much as she focused on friendship, Amayah was never really busy with boys, befriending them rather than dating them. All that changed when she met Wesley Levitt. The boy with the charming smile that made her jumble all of her words and lose her thoughts. It didn't surprise her parents that as soon as she announced she had a boyfriend and brought him home with her for dinner, that they were in for the long run.

She left the comfort of Kismet Harbor to travel with Wesley to university. Pursue her passion for the arts, no doubt inspired by her father's profession as an archeologist. She expanded her knowledge from the Minoan era, to the bronze era. From the first intermediate period to the ptolemaic period, Amayah was terribly fascinated by it all, and in particularly focused on the history of her hometown, the local museum having been a place she wanted her father to bring her to as much as they could. Rounding off her studies, life seemed to be on a fast track for Amayah, finding that she was pregnant in her early twenties rather than in her early thirties, as she had always imagined her life with Wesley to look like. Overcoming any fears and doubts, Wesley remained her rock, even going as far as to propose to her so that they would all, eventually, would carry the Levitt name. Her pregnancy had been one the doctors baptised as the perfect pregnancy. Right on schedule, none of the side effects and her skin glowed, her hair was full of volume and if she had to complain about something, it was about discomfort on her feet and back from the weight hanging from her waist.

Except Amayah knew no happy ending where she would have her bundle of joy in her arms after a textbook birth. She drove home after a party with Wesley, similar as to any other car ride. Being the designated driver, the two were talking as they drove home, laughing about a comment of one of their friends making a fool of themselves that Amayah hadn't seen that another driver wasn't giving them leeway where they should've gotten it, and ended up being driven off the Kismet Harbor bridge. The last thing she remembered was how the dark water came closer in a rapid pace before a flash of pain and everything went dark. She woke up nearly twenty hours later, her body bruised and aching, barely responding to her willing to move her arms. She had noticed her belly wasn't as large as it was before she lost consciousness, but was confirmed it wasn't a trick of the mind when confirmed to her that they had lost the baby. The fact her memory played games on her, from both the trauma and the fact she had been deprived of air for so long, they had to break the news of her little girl being gone at least a dozen times before she stopped forgetting, each time as heartbreaking as the last. She had held her treasure in her arms before they took her away, but Amayah can only recall her tiny perfect face from the pictures taken by her family.

Weeks went by and turned into months where she wouldn't leave her bed, couldn't stand the daylight and the smell of fresh air made her want to spit, losing herself to the tragedy of her life. She needed time, needed a chance to get over the trauma her mind and body went through. At the time she didn't understand why Wesley stayed by her side the one day and left her the other, urging her to leave and join her family to her father's digsite near Cairo, Egypt. She went from having everything to nearly nothing, and with tears in her eyes, she watched how the state of Vermont grew smaller and smaller until she could no longer recognise it as she flew to her new home across the world.

Cairo took some getting used to. She was nowhere near ready to live a normal life and forget what had happened. But day by day, Week by week, the change of scenery and the different culture helped Amayah overcome the pain her hometown held for her. She slowly gained more interest in her father's finds, in his enthusiasm until she adapted and joined him. A year later, she was able to start her new studies at the university in Cairo for archeology, focusing on preserving and studying relics and artefacts rather than digging them up, even though she enjoyed that aspect just as much. Having two phds to her name, she worked with the best that Cairo (and the world) had to offer. Her father's job, that was supposed to last two years, turned into four, which turned into eight, which turned into a permanent position as more and more digsites were unearthed.

Amayah thrived, becoming her old self again, even if she would never forget the darkest days of her life and for a long while accepted that she was able to live a life in Cairo of all places, with its heat and long days. Sure she explored the world, traveling to countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, but wondering to herself when she would make the decision to go back to the place that held so many memories for her. The chance came in the form of an invitation to a wedding, one that made her decide that she was happily going to close her current chapter and continue the one she was never able to close on her own terms. In the end it was the right decision to be made. She was welcomed back by all of her loved ones, rekindling her relationship with Wesley to the point they got back to being engaged again, moving in a new home together.

TIMELINE

[puppyexpressions]

Top 10 Smartest Dog Breeds

Border Collie 

The border collie is perhaps the smartest of all dogs and the overachiever of the canine world. If most dogs have the intelligence of the average 2-year-old child, then a border collie might be as smart as a 4-year-old. Originally bred as a sheepdog, border collies can perform just about any job you can give them and excels at sports. Extremely energetic, athletic, and driven, it seems that the border collie is always up for learning something new. In fact, if you don't keep this breed constantly moving, learning, and working, it will find its own way to keep busy.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 18 to 22 inches

WEIGHT: 28 to 48 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Medium-sized, rough or smooth medium-length double coat, the body is slightly longer than it is tall, the head is long, comes to a point at the nose, ears stand erect with tips curling over.

Australian Shepherd

One of the world's most intelligent dog breeds, the Australian shepherd is brilliant, active, and friendly. Its background as a sheepdog has made this breed a diligent worker that desires physical activity and mental challenges. The Aussie will learn much faster than you expect and be quickly ready to move onto something new. Aussies need to be kept busy with work or they become bored and frustrated. Dog sports are ideal for this breed, especially those that engage the Aussie's natural athletic ability.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 18 to 23 inches

WEIGHT: 40 to 65 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Medium-sized sturdy body; medium to long coat in blue merle, red merle, black, or red with feathering on the back of the legs and a generous mane around the neck.

Poodle

Despite its fancy or even "prissy" appearance, the poodle is a highly intelligent dog. Toy, miniature, or standard in size, this breed is gifted with some of the best canine brain power. The poodle originated as a hunting dog and continued to be a diligent worker and trusty companion. Poodles are often seen as performing animals, especially the smaller ones. You can teach a poodle to balance on a ball, jump through a hoop, or do a wide range of other actions.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: Standard: 15 inches; miniature: 10 to 15 inches; toy: 10 inches and under

WEIGHT: Standard: 45 to 70 pounds; miniature: 15 to 18 pounds; toy: 5 to 9 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Curly, dense single-layer coats that may be one of many solid colors, including white, black, grey, brown, and apricot.

Australian Cattle Dog

The Australian cattle dog is an extremely focused and driven dog breed that forms a close bond with its owner. This dog was bred to herd cattle and is happiest with a job to do. Without stimulation, it might find ways to keep busy that you might not like (destructive behavior or wandering away to explore). Treat your Australian cattle dog well and the two of you will be friends for life. These dogs stick close to their owners and make sure everything is running smoothly. Like most smart dogs, they are very good at reading people.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 17 to 20 inches

WEIGHT: 35 to 50 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Powerful, muscular body with a short, dense double coat; wide-set, erect ears; feet are small and round with short toes; long tail is held down, then curves upward.

German Shepherd Dog

The German shepherd dog is a loyal, protective breed that has so much energy and intelligence that it sometimes acts high-strung or anxious. German shepherds thrive when given an important job to do. Something as simple as "supervising and protecting" the children gives it a sense of purpose. This breed needs plenty of mental stimulation and exercise in order to thrive.This breed is often found working with police or military operations. They can learn most actions in just a few steps. Once trained, German shepherds will do what you ask and then look for the next task to perform. The Belgian Malinois, which also looks a lot like a German shepherd, is also a highly intelligent breed.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 22 to 26 inches

WEIGHT: 60 to 100 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Large, athletic build with a double coat, comprised of a thick undercoat and a dense, slightly wavy or straight outer coat with tan and black or red and black coloring.

Shetland Sheepdog

The Shetland sheepdog is smarter than you might think at first glance; it is sometimes misjudged as aloof. The Sheltie can be quiet and graceful as well as energetic and playful. Independent and wise, this sheepdog is always watching its environment, eager to learn, or waiting for a signal from you. This breed is very good at reading people and often tunes into their personalities. Shelties form close bonds with their owners and are extremely responsive to training. The ​collie, a close relative of the Sheltie, has similar intelligence.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 13 to 16 inches

WEIGHT: 15 to 25 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Double coat–outer coat consists of long hair that’s harsh to the touch, while the undercoat is shorter, furry, and dense–with a full mane with feathering on the legs and tail.

Papillon

Don't be fooled by the delicate frame of the papillon. This is more than a lap dog. In fact, the papillon is one of the smartest of all the toy breeds. This breed is friendly, alert, and active. It might snuggle on your lap for a bit, but before long, the papillon will be looking for something interesting to do. Like many small dogs, the papillon has a bit of a stubborn streak. However, if you can make training worth its while (have high-value rewards), then the dog will learn quickly. Teach this cute little dog a variety of fun tricks and you will impress your friends.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 8 to 11 inches

WEIGHT: 6 to 10 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Petite yet hardy toy with a straight, long, single-layer coat with frills, and a butterfly-like appearance of its erect ears and alert demeanor.

Rottweiler

The Rottweiler is one of those dogs that really knows how to read people, often showing a different side of its personality based on how much the person is trusted. The typical Rottweiler has an affectionate, playful side shown to trusted family members and a stoic, controlled side shown to strangers. Don't try to pull a fast one on them or the people they protect. This breed can be trained fairly easily once you earn their trust and get past their headstrong ways. Rottweilers can learn to perform many actions and will always keep an eye on the environment to make sure everyone is safe. 

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 22 to 27 inches

WEIGHT: 80 to 130 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Large, muscular body with a rugged short, somewhat coarse, but shiny black coat with clearly defined rich tan facial markings.

Jack Russell Terrier

The Jack Russell terrier seems to be missing from many smart dog breed lists. Perhaps it is because this clever little dog moves too fast to be noticed by some. The Jack Russell, along with the closely related Parson Russell terrier, is a fearless, energetic dog with a sharp wit and a stubborn streak. There's no fooling this little terrier. Good luck trying to stop this dog from getting what it wants. Because of their energy and brainpower, these breeds excel at dog sports like agility and barn hunting. Their desire to keep moving can make training challenging at first but rewarding once you see how well these dogs can perform.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 10 to 15 inches

WEIGHT: 13 to 17 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Square compact build; the head is small and blocky with almond-shaped dark eyes; dropped ears, set high; and slim, erect tail.

Golden Retriever

The golden retriever is among the world's most popular dog breeds and one of the friendliest dogs around. On the surface, the breed may seem goofy, but a golden can learn to do just about anything. Its intelligence and love for people make this breed one of the best for work as a service dog. The golden also excels in all kinds of dog sports. The breed makes an excellent companion for almost any kind of household. Honorable mention goes to this breed's "cousin," the Labrador retriever, which shares many of the same traits as the golden.

Breed Overview

HEIGHT: 21 to 24 inches

WEIGHT: 55 to 75 pounds

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Sturdy, muscular, medium-sized dog with a lustrous gold coat with a broad head, friendly and intelligent eyes, and short ears.

[jessiewre]

Day 52

Tues 25th Feb

#prawnsforBarry 🍤🍤🍤

We sat at breakfast excited to have our, sorry Phil’s, new mustard accompaniment. We even managed to convince Wendy the waitress to try it. She said she liked it, but it was hard to tell if she was just being polite or not!

As had become a daily occurrence, we began to discuss when we should leave Watamu and move on. When we would actually start travelling again. Whenever we had this conversation, we seemed to add on a day - and so far we’d done this at least 4 times. We had somehow ended up on holiday while on holiday.

With Phil’s run on the Sunday, we knew we had to move and agreed we should arrive in Moshi (Tanzania) by Friday at the latest. So when Philly Tours discovered there was a daily direct bus from Mombasa to Moshi, it was decided - we would go to Mombasa on the Weds to get the 7am bus the next day. Or the Thurs. Ok probably the Thursday.

Ok well with that plan in place, we went to see my little tailor mate to order more clothes didn’t we! They were so nice and cheap, it made sense to use this opportunity to replace the pair I lost while flailing about in the Nile. So Phil ordered an extra pair of shorts and I asked for two pairs, plus a pair of culottes style trousers. I personally wanted to get the same sizing Phil had for his birthday shorts, as they were soooo comfy, but Phil said they were a little too baggy and ill fitting. He had a point to be fair, so the man measured me up but I tried hard to make it clear that I didn’t want the clothes to be too tight and uncomfortable. Watch this space.

After that, we went to the pool and as we approached, I could see that Barry was lay on the far side. He had his shades on and hadn’t noticed us yet.

‘Barry’s over there Phil’ I whispered.

‘I know’ he said ‘But I can’t be arsed right now, I’ll chat with him later’.

But the attraction of Phil was too much for Barry and he could smell him for sure. Within 30 seconds, Barry was out of his lounger and on his way over. Oh we could see that he wasn’t happy from his walk. And he didn’t need to be asked why, so he saved us a job and launched right into it.

‘I was meant to go on that boat trip today weren’t I.’

We nodded along.

‘They pissed me off so I sacked it off’.

Oh shitt. There’d been some drama in Barrytown. Well we were in by this point, so we couldn’t help but dig for more. Not that we needed to ask, we would have definitely found out either way.

‘Oh dear, what happened??’

‘Well...’

Barry took a deep breath.

‘Some bloke met me at the front of the hotel, but there was no tuc tuc, so I said Where’s my tuc tuc? And he pointed to the beach and said Boat here. So we walked to the beach and there was no boat so I said Where’s the boat mate?? and THEN he pointed to the end of the bay. He was saying I had to walk to the other bay! So that pissed me off. That pissed me right off. I told him, I said, I don’t like walkin’. Ya know?So we eventually got to the other bay and there was a load of Italians sat about waiting for the boats and I’m looking at these boats thinkin’...I don’t fancy that. They were not even that big these boats and I thought Ya know what, I can’t be arsed with this. So I got up and walked back. Fuk it. Only lost $20, I don’t even care’

And that was Barry’s boat trip.

Being the great friend that he is, Phil got into the pool with angry Barry to cool him down and comfort him with kind words and a quick head rub.

Kiddddinnnnnnggg

They just chilled in the pool and actually had a lovely chat about food, Barry telling Phil about the food available at his local in Cyprus.

‘You’ve got your Pork chops, Lamb, Olive oil, Salt, pepper - its gotta be dun’ mate’

Yes Barry, quite.

Despite the inspiring meat chat, we had a cheap and simple VEGETARIAN lunch at our hotel consisting of rice, lentil Dahl, spinach and chapati and actually got ourselves organised enough to do an activity. Unheard of! I swear, the longer we had stayed in Watamu, the lazier we’d become, and an excursion out was a much needed rarity. We arrived to the Turtle Ocean Conservation and everywhere you looked were recycled items lovingly used to ingeniously build and decorate. The gardens were lined with glass bottles as flower bed edging and there were sculptures of animals & big displays made from plastic waste. It was one of those places that had a special feel about it, like it was made out of pure love and good vibes. Real wholesome like 🤓

Ruth, a passionate & knowledgeable environmentalist, showed us around the small centre and explained the many problems they (the turtles & sea life) were facing on a daily basis - pollution, lack of education, plastic waste, over-fishing, poaching - to name but a few. They had one resident turtle in at that moment. She’d been found in a fisherman’s net and was struggling with various health problems. They hoped to nurse her back to health and eventually release her back into the ocean. Luckily turtles never formed bonds or any attachement with their human carers, so once they were healthy, the release was easy - they swam straight off without looking back. It was even more important to get them better if they were a female turtle as they had the potential to reproduce. It could take months or even years before she was better - one turtle was in for 6 years before its release!

Female turtles can have over 2000 eggs in a lifetime, but due to all the obstacles they now face, it’s likely that only 1 or 2 of those eggs will go on to have their own eggs. People often think that turtles are doing really well as they see lots of pictures of them and they have so many eggs in their lives, but its a misconception. The population is rapidly decreasing.

We ended the tour passing past an entrance to a garden area and I asked Ruth if we could go in. She said yes, but she didn’t seem to think it was really worth a look. I don’t know why, as there were some amazing art sculptures in there. There was a huge jellyfish made from plastic bags and a massive turtle made of bottle tops, plus there was a sort of turtle graveyard with all the shells they’d collected from the poaching. The whole area was like a sort of secret garden, with winding paths and hidden corners and it was clear to me that this garden could be utilised and made more of a feature for the centre. It would be far more engaging by adding a challenge or treasure hunt type activity. I discussed it with Ruth and explained my idea, saying they could have a simple paper sheet with tasks & questions to answer. They could sell for like $1, and then kids could go round the garden finding the answers by using fact boards placed around the garden. SICK IDEA RIGHT!?
Well she thought so too, and said she was definitely going to make it happen when the next volunteers arrived! WOOP WOOP 🙌. Shame we were leaving Watamu and couldn’t stay to help. I would have smashed that. I decided I’d drop her an email afterwards to check up on the idea and see if she needed any help with it. And get a cut of the profits obvs.

The whole centre runs purely from donations and running their tours, so if you would like to donate to help the turtles, every little helps. I will post a link up after this post.

Phil had already planned to use our trip out as an opportunity to do a run and so donned on all his gear and headed off while I waited for a tuc tuc. The driver and I then overtook Phil halfway back and even the driver said Phil was ‘very fast’. I smiled proudly and agreed with him. I waited for him to finish that sentence with. ‘...for a muzungu’ but he didn’t. Wow it was a proper compliment.

We went for another late afternoon dip in the sea accompanied by a beach bar beer, and Barry the stalker appeared in the bar next to ours - it was the same bar he went to every evening to be fair. A man of habit was our Barry.

No point sitting on different tables though Barry eh...so he followed his hearts desire and came over to sit with Phil. I was there obviously, but we all know by now Barry only has eyes for Phil.

‘Someone’s sat in my seat tonight’ he said, nodding towards ‘his’ bar as he arrived.

Nightmare. Barry had rocked up to his bar and someone had sat in his favourite seat. What an absolute joke.

Phil and Barry discussed many things, one being Barry’s marriage and subsequent divorce. Why didn’t it work out I wondered? No doubt there were various reasons, but maybe Barry going to the pub 3 or 4 nights a week didn’t help. Just a thought. But for Barry it was ‘necessary’ to have his pub time. Essential. I asked whether his wife (sorry, ex-wife) ever went out, or was she just at home with their child, while he was at the pub and he said ‘I gave her every opportunity to go out with her friends’. I choked on my drink laughing as it reminded me of something Phil says sarcastically on a regular basis - ‘Thank you for the opportunity Jess’.

But my favourite topic of the evening was Barry’s ‘banter’ chat.

‘Phil, do you have banter with your mates?’

He didn’t wait for a reply

‘Cos I do.’

I interjected at this point to mention that we both enjoyed dabbling in a spot of banter from time to time, but Barry was a mans man and I’m not sure he heard me. Boys will be boys right.

‘Me and my mates used to go to this one pub a couple of nights a week and bloody hell the banter was ‘ilarious. One time, my mate went to the loo and we barricaded the door. Completely blocked it, he couldn’t get out! Oh we had sucha laugh. Another time, this guy started a fight with my mate, over nuffing, and we all jumped on, then the barman - he was a big lad - he just picked the fella up and THREW him out the door! Honestly it was HILARIOUS. Oh ha and once, we got a painting that was on the wall, took it off, and we screwed it to the ceiling. Oh god, the landlord didn’t find it for weeks! Honestly Phil, so funny mate....’

 

Listening to Barry’s bountiful banter tales of mischief and man fun was thoroughly entertaining (gosh imagine the thrills of it. I can’t wait to get home and do the painting on the ceiling trick at my, sorry, Mum and Dads house) but I decided to leave them to it and walk up to my tailor bloke to collect the items before he closed.

My plan was to try the new items on and give feedback if necessary. But by the time I walked down the beach and then the pitch black beach road at high speed, I was sweating so profusely that I wasn’t thinking straight. I lost approximately 3 litres of sweat trying on the various shorts and trousers only to discover they were FAR too tight for me - but the boss guy wasn’t even there and I was SO hot that I just paid up and ran out of the shack. As I walked back along the beach, I already decided I would have to go back the next morning to get the trousers changed at the very least.

By the time I got back to the lads, Barry and Phil had settled in for the night and had even got themselves double stacked chairs to sit on for additional support (Barry was not a small chap). My plan to eat at a nice restaurant I’d spotted was rapidly fading away and in a desperate attempt to entice me to warm to the idea of a romantic meal for 3 on the beach, Phil announced he wanted prawns for dinner.

Now let me tell you - Phil has never, EVER, in his life ordered prawns. He has occasionally eaten prawns off my plate, and ONLY when I have thoroughly de-shelled and prepped them as though he was a baby (or Roy McCusker). So I could hardly say No could I, and to be honest, I was impressed by his boldness and also intrigued to see how the hell he was going to handle de-shelling prawns for the first time in his life. All with an audience (ok, just Barry). This was going to be a sight to see.

After we ordered the food though, Phil decided to announce he was going for a quick shower, so Barry and I finally got some time to ourselves. Great. It’s what we’d both been craving.

I stuck with what I know and chatted about different countries etc and ended up showing Barry some pictures of Mexico on my phone. Easy win. But suddenly a WhatsApp message popped up on the screen and it was a video of Phil singing as he got into the shower. I VERY quickly swiped it away and thought PHEW, I’ve just about got away with that one. I continued to show pictures of Mexican cenotes when another message appeared. This one was something like this

🤪🥰😍

Ok well this one was also cringe, so I quickly shifted the phone away to turn it onto airplane mode.

And thank god I did, as the next message Phil sent me popped up on the screen just as I moved it from Barry’s view:

#prawnsforBarry

Ok so at this point, I told Barry the phone was no longer working.

Phil returned (THANK GOD FOR THAT) wearing the newly altered mustard shirt, but Barry pointed that the pocket was still on the wonk. Dammit he was right as well. During the hour wait for these prawns, the topic I’d of how we met was bought up. I happily told Barry we met in a gay club and that we both had best friends who were gay. That’s right Barry. GAY. Oooh how was this going to go down I wondered...

We started off ok. Barry said he used to know a guy at work and he invited him to some of his dinner parties a few times. How nice of you Barry.

Lovely. But where’s the ‘but’...?

Ah ha, here it is

‘I don’t have a problem with it...’

Yes Barry, go on...

‘I don’t have a problem with it...but...’ (there it was) ‘...but when it comes up on TV and there’s two blokes kissing, I mean, ya know I don’t wana see that’. Barry pulled a face of disgust.

It was my turn to jump in

‘But I suppose two girls kissing is ok to see?’

Barry raised his eyebrows and avoided eye contact.

‘Well...you don’t see so much of that do you, its always blokes’

‘Apart from in porn right? Lots of men don’t mind gay kissing when its women doing it and its for their gratification. Kind of ironic really isn’t it!’ I said.

What I also wanted to say was:

I hate to break it to you Barry but you DO have a problem with it.

People are allowed to be uncomfortable with it, that is their right, but they need to understand that therefore they DO have a problem with it. And if that’s the case, then it would be better for everyone if those people kept their prejudice and judgement on the matter completely to themselves. It is homophobic to say ‘I don’t wana see that’ and talking like that is not helpful to anyone.

But what I actually explained to Barry was that of course he was not alone in his discomfort and many men and some women of his generation, and other generations too, would feel uncomfortable. This was likely due to the fact they had not been bought up to see gay culture and had been surrounded by homophobic language, media and culture in their life. If they were conscious and aware about why they felt the way they did, they might feel more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I’m not sure how much of it he took in. Things went rapidly downhill after this when I mentioned the plastic straw issue to the waiter and Barry forgot he’d already told Phil about his Greta Thunberg joke meme (he definitely didn’t know it was a meme, but it was a meme). I managed to hear properly this time. Are you ready? Apologies in advance for this.

He described it as a picture of Greta Thunberg and at the top of it, it said ‘F**k the climate’ and at the bottom it said ‘I’ve discovered c**k’..

Not only was it a bizarre and offensive, it was not funny.

What IS funny is how a 70 year old man was so uncomfortable with two men kissing, but completely comfortable making a gross sexual joke about an autistic child.

Phil spoke up in response this time and said ‘Wow I mean, its pretty rude and its not really very funny. Anything she does for the climate is fantastic really’, while I said something like ‘Wow, isn’t she like 15 years old??’. To which Barry awkwardly said he thought she was 16. COOL WELL THAT MAKES IT OK THEN MATE.

So anyway - #prawnsforBarry - Phil somehow dealt with the prawns completely independent of my help which was actually unbelievable and I glowed with pride. The pace at which he was able to consume his dinner was far slower than he would have liked due to the amount of prep work required, but he got on with it like a trooper. His achievements of combating prawns alongside not being a sexist homophobe really shone that night and we went back to the hotel agreeing that we’d have dinner just us two the next day.

[m00nslippers]

I feel like I need to justify why I haven’t posted any writing at all in like a month or two, so here’s the first part of a WIP.

No Title yet. I’m shit at titles.

Fandom: Batman, Red Hood And The Outlaws, Red Hood/Arsenal, Grayson, Nightwing Relationships: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne Characters: Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, Timothy Drake, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Talia Al'Ghul, Roy Harper, Helena Bertinelli, Tiger | Agent 1 Tags: No Capes AU, Jason was never adopted by Bruce, Spyral Agent Dick, Bodyguard/Mercenary Jason, Child Soldiers, PTSD, Survivor’s Guilt, Talia is a good-ish mom, Tiger is so done with Dick, Brief elements of Racism and American Imperialism in the Middle East.

Summery: When Spyral Agent Dick Grayson accompanies his brother Tim to his school science fair, he meets his brother's stuffy arch-rival Damian and realizes he's the son of Talia Al Ghul, heir to the Al Ghul international criminal empire that has its tentacles in everything from high-profile political assassinations to weapons trafficking. Concerned about the danger the association poses to his younger brother, Dick decides to find out more...and comes up against Damian's dangerously attractive bodyguard, Jason Todd.

- - -

Timothy was sighing as he lead Dick to his school auditorium. “I'm telling you Dick, it's fine.”

But Dick was not having it. He frowned and pulled his suit blazer a little closer around him in the chilly night air as they crossed the parking lot, approaching the lights and bustle of the school building.

“How is it fine?” he asked Tim. “You're getting a first place prize for your science fair project and Bruce doesn't even have the decency to come!”

He wasn't mad about this a few minutes ago, but seeing all the families spilling out of the building, children hugging parents and vice versa for a job well done or consolation at having underperformed, made Dick feel like a half-assed chaperone. Bruce should have been here with them, and Alfred, and Steph and Conner and all Tim's other friends, but instead it's just him and he didn't feel like he was doing a great job of being support, even if it was just for a high school science fair.

Tim rolled his eyes. “This is my fourth one, Dick. And he had an important business meeting, I already told him it was okay that he couldn't make it. I meant that. It's just the district-wide competition. Now if I get one from the state, then his ass better show up.”

Dick didn't think a business meeting was a great excuse—he'd been privy to it enough in his own youth to find it played out—but Tim seemed sincere so maybe it really was important. “Well, you could have had Alfred come at least. He wanted to, even.”

“He's still pretending he doesn't have a cold. I'd rather he just rest,” Tim argued, and okay, Dick could see that. Neither of them wanted Alfred to exert himself when he wasn't feeling well and the night air could be hard on an old man.

“Besides, having a brothers' night out isn't so bad,” Tim added with a shrug. “We don't get to hang out much, especially just us.”

Dick beamed and Tim smiled back. Technically speaking, Dick should have more time with family since he'd quit the Blüdhaven police force (more like he was drummed out for being against the corruption and refusing to fall in line) and moved back to Gotham to work for Spyral, but in practice he'd been out of town for months at a time on field work until just recently. So maybe this was fine. Just him and Tim, brotherly bonding. It wasn't half-assed, it was exclusive. Okay.

Suddenly Tim's smile fell, avoiding looking at someone in the crowd as he half hid behind his older, taller brother. “Actually, let's just skip the awards ceremony and go straight to sushi,” Tim suggested with a suspiciously too-pleasant voice. “I mean, one big fancy ribbon is just like another, right? And who needs jealous, begrudging applause from the Gotham Academy Science Club Captain? I'm so over the rush of smug superiority it gives me.”

Dick narrowed his eyes. “Okay, the Timothy Drake-Wayne I know would never say that. What's going on?”

Tim tried to manhandle Dick into turning around, but Dick was curious enough at his adoptive brother's behavior to stand his ground.

“Damn it, too late.” Tim winced and stepped back out from behind Dick to paste a tight smile on his face.

A dark young boy with flashing jade eyes strode up to Tim and somehow looked down his nose at the taller boy from a few inches under five feet tall. He was clearly younger than Tim, but he held himself as if the whole world was his to command and his shoulders were as straight as any boardroom executive. Despite being fairly sure he'd never seen the kid before, Dick found him uncannily familiar, though he couldn't say why. Then Dick had an odd flash of Bruce icing out an idiot at a Wayne Gala, and comparing Bruce's general demeanor to some jumped-up little kid had Dick choking back a laugh. This was probably exactly what he was like as a child, Dick suspected. He'd run into Bruce's tiny doppelganger.

As the child stopped in front of Tim, Dick realized he had a shadow. Behind the boy stalked a man who made Dick feel small and somehow still managed to slink smoothly at the boy's heels like a massive guard dog with movements that spoke of training and deadly skill that put him on high alert. Dick found himself frowning as his muscles tensed, his brain leaping automatically into Agent Thirty-Seven mode as he assessed the man's threat potential and realized it was way too high for their venue. This wasn't the kind of person he expected to run into at a school function. This was more like the kind of people Dick dealt with in his day job.

“Drake, I see you've made an appearance at this shabby competition,” the boy spoke in an imperious tone, his accent something like Britain colored by the Middle East. “First place in the High School division was it? The standards for schooling in this country must be even lower than I'd been lead to believe for someone of your caliber to rise to the top.”

“Damian, so you're here,” Tim droned. “And you've pinned your first place ribbon in the Junior High division to your blazer like a prize pig at a state fair. You look pretty proud of yourself, despite those so-called low standards you're delusional about.” Tim's eyelids had lowered at the boy, Damian, in an annoyed, dismissive way that surprised Dick. Tim was generally a friendly, understanding person, even the loathed Franklin Debauer the Third, the Science Club Captain, didn't get this level of hostility.

Damian clicked his tongue and gave a haughty scoff. “Please, Drake. It's clear to me that you're basal intellect couldn't stand up to real competition. I'm only disappointed that our age difference is such that you'll be ineligible to participate in the judging when I've graduated to the high school division.”

Timothy sneered. “Yes, I'm sure it's such a relief for you to know I'll be above such petty concerns as a high school science fair competition with children when I'm in college and can't utterly crush you and your cute little excuse of an experiment. Being surrounded by small fish is where you excel, isn't it?”

Dick's eyes widened. Wow. What the hell was going on? Dick had never seen Tim engage in this kind of sharp repartee and as entertaining as it was, Dick wasn't sure he liked seeing Tim this way. “Tim,” he hastily interrupted, “why don't you introduce me to your friends.”

Tim sighed and gestured vaguely at Damian, who was now looking Dick up and down, measuring him against some invisible standard and finding him wanting. “Dick, this is Damian. Just a kid at my school. He recently moved to Gotham from outside the country. And that's...Mr. Todd? He's Damian's bodyguard, or his babysitter. One of the two.”

Dick's attention snapped back to the man standing behind Damian with an easy stance that to his trained eye concealed coiled violence. Bodyguard, huh? Dick chewed on the idea for a moment before he decided it was a reasonable explanation for the man's presence. Gotham Academy was a rich school, plenty of paranoid billionaires here employed some kind of personal security. They just weren't usually at this level of ability. Mr. Todd was the real deal, he could tell that much by the way his eyes swept over the parking lot and calculated the vectors of people passing by.

Dick decided to work under the assumption that Mr. Todd was who he said he was—for now.

He reached out to shake hands with Mr. Todd and found himself examining the man's large, rough hands with too many scars, filing every detail away in the back of his mind. His gaze followed those hands to the man's muscular arms and broad shoulders filling out a brown leather jacket like a dream. Mr. Todd's face was no less distracting to Dick. He was much younger than Dick would have expected, with a wide mouth, a thin nose that showed signs of having been broken, and dark, hooded brows cut by a scar, shadowing eyes the color of sea glass.

Dick found himself drawn in by those eyes that seemed to gaze deep into him, down to his bones. For a few seconds he forgot that he'd just labeled this man a 'dangerous individual to be watched closely' and indulged himself in the attraction.

But then Mr. Todd pulled back his hand and Dick saw the subtle cling of his jacket over those shoulders and he realized the man was carrying a gun.

Dick scowled.

“He is not my babysitter!” Damian objected with a pout.

Mr. Todd's laugh was gravelly and deep, sending shivers up Dick's spine. “Naw, I'd say that's accurate. But don't ever call me Mr. Todd. Jason or Jay is fine,” the man said in a thick Gotham accent, wearing a smirk that would have had Dick's stomach doing flip-flops if he wasn't trying to subtly undress the man in a way that was much less fun than Dick wanted it to be—instead of imagining the man's assets, Dick was looking for more concealed weapons. Now that he knew to look, he suspected there would be a few.

Anger boiled within him and Dick glared up at the man who had the nerve to bring a gun into a school. “Okay, but do you have a permit for those firearms, 'Jay'?”

Mr. Todd—Jason—frowned and all the charm drained from his expression. From the subtle changes in his stance, the set of his shoulders and the way his eyes went dark and hollow, Dick could confirm he was dealing with a very dangerous man. He had met dictators, mercenaries, psychopaths and assassins that didn't have a fraction of the menace as this Mr. Todd was aiming his way. It would have been impressive if it wasn't so unnerving.

“You a cop, or something?” Jason said, now looking over Dick in the same minutely analytical way as he had moments before, though Jason wouldn't find any weapons on Dick, outside of a pocket-perfume sprayer filled with the most potent mace Spyral's R&D could concoct. He didn't carry a gun outside of the field. He wouldn't carry a gun at all if he could manage it.

“Or something,” Dick acknowledged, but by the highly competent way Jason had taken in his shoes, clothing, haircut, lack of weapons and general demeanor, Dick figured he'd already come to a conclusion that couldn't be far off the mark.

“Dick...” Tim warned him through hissed teeth.

Jason clenched his jaw and gave Dick a glare that he fully believed could stop men's hearts in more ways than one.

“Yeah, I've got your permit right here,” he growled. And while Dick held himself back from attempting a disarm, Todd reached one hand into an inner pocket in his jacket to pull out what Dick recognized as a diplomatic visa from Qurac that might as well have been a get-out-of-jail-free card.

With his other hand, he firmly flipped Dick a middle finger.

Dick raised a brow. “That's not a permit, that's a visa. But it's a good head start on some of the other documents I want to see from you now.”

Jason released a put-upon sigh and flashed Dick a smile with too many teeth. He stepped right into Dick's space and nearly backed him up into Tim, trying to intimidate Dick with his threatening bulk and delicious looking mouth—wait, no, not that last one. The intimidation was only sort of working, since Dick fully believed the man was as dangerous as he was portraying himself to be, but Dick had never been properly scared of anything in his life, and he had the skills to back up his bravery.

“So it's going to be like that,” Jason said, low and quiet and far more frightening than shouting could ever be. “Fine. Look, buddy, this is a fucking school. The kid just got his science fair award, he's not a goddamn terrorist, he is a child. You and all of your pals are wasting your time and pissing me off—and I'm sure you've got a whole stack of files that explain exactly what happens when you piss me off. Now you turn yourself around and tell whatever ABC-soup agency you're from to leave Damian the fuck alone, or I'm going to test how far this diplomatic immunity extends. And I don't know what you did to get Timmy in on your cover, but leave him alone too while your at it.” He turned his head and spat directly on Dick's shoes with a curled lip of disgusted and stepped back. “The government using kids in my own damn country. It's sick. It's fucking reprehensible.”

Dick frowned in confusion, feeling as if he was missing a piece of the conversation, and not just because he'd had trouble tearing his eyes and imagination away from Jason's dynamic mouth. “I think we have a misunderstanding here,” he realized.

Jason just snarled, ready to tell Dick off again, but his charge interrupted him. “Drake! Do you always let your bodyguard interrupt your conversations? It's unprofessional.”

Tim's eyes were flicking from Dick to Jason with suspicion, but it seemed he couldn't resist the other boy's taunts as he turned to the kid with a sniff. “Dick isn't my bodyguard, he's my brother. I'm not such an asshole that I have people trying to kill me twenty-four seven, like you.”

Dick's brows snapped together as he warned, “Tim...” It was one thing to exchange clever banter with one's rival, but flinging bald insults was crossing a line.

Damian snorted, oddly unperturbed at being called an asshole, as well as the suggestion of his life being under threat. “Despite your complete lack of class and intellect, you are a Wayne heir, are you not Drake? Clearly your adoptive father isn't particularly interested in your well-being if he sends you around alone. On the contrary, my mother cares for me.”

Tim shook his head, his face flushed with anger. “Yeah no, Damian. You don't get to imply that Bruce doesn't love me because he doesn't make me walk around with an armed thug at my back.” Said armed thug raised a brow, looked vaguely amused at being labeled as such. “He had a really important meeting, but he offered to ditch it just for me, and my brother worked all day but he showed up just to see me get a dinky award I've already won three years in a row. Who came with you? No one. Just your bodyguard, and he's paid to be there. It seems like you're the one no one cares about him, not me. Where's your precious mother? Do you even know who your father is? What are you even doing here, Damian, you ever think of that?”

Dick gasped, “Tim!” at the same moment as Damian rose on his hackles like a pissed off cat and snarled, “You—!”

“Okay,” Jason interrupted, stepping between Tim and Damian before either could make a move as Dick just found himself staring at Tim in shock that he would say something so cruel. Whatever was gong on with his bodyguard, Damian was still just a kid.

Jason cast a displeased stare Tim's way, and Dick realized that Timothy must like or respect Jason somewhat because his brother ducked his head in shame. “This little rivalry thing you kids have got going on here is cute, but that's enough with the trash talk.” Jason bodily turned Damian toward the parking lot and started guiding him away. “You've already got your prize Dee, so let's bounce the fuck out of here. I'll make us a late night snack at the penthouse.”

Damian scowled and shot Tim one last dirty look before he turned to follow Jason, jogging to keep up with his much longer legs as they walked. “Apple crumble and vanilla ice cream?”

“Sure. You got it,” Jason agreed, but his attention was fixed on Dick, shooting him an 'I'll be watching you' stare before turning away.

Damian snorted but said, “Fine, let us depart,” and Tim and Dick watched their interaction with open interest as the boy and his bodyguard walked over to a powerful-looking motorcycle that Dick had admired when they'd walked passed it in the parking lot.

“You want my jacket? It's pretty cold,” Jason asked, but didn't wait for an answer before he took off the garment and dropped it around Damian's shoulders where they nearly drowned the kid in leather, it was so large.

Damian wrinkled his nose. “It smells like cigarettes,” he complained.

Jason's hand moved to take it back. “If you don't want it—”

“Mine.” Damian hugged the jacket around him possessively, with a pout that made him look even younger than he probably was. He burrowed his face into the leather of the collar before making a face. “Ugh. Todd, do you ever wash this thing?”

Jason smiled, rolled his eyes and ruffled Damian's hair while the boy tried to shove his hand away, and Dick felt his knees go weak as he stared very unprofessionally at the man's broad back, covered by a loose red flannel over a gray shirt and snug shoulder holsters built for concealed carry from the way they seemed to disappear into the lines of his body.

“Shut up,” Jason said with amusement in his voice as he put on a shiny red racing helmet and passed Damian a smaller, similar one. “You've never washed a thing in your damn life, Dee, you just have the maids do it. Besides, you don't wash leather, brat. You dry clean it.”

Damian snorted and accepted the helmet, tugging it in place with a practiced motion. “Since I have never once seen you enter a dry-cleaning establishment, then I suppose I know the answer to that question.”

Jason laughed as they both got on the bike, bright and genuine sounding, and he turned the key and revved the engine before roaring away out of sight.

Suddenly Dick was aware that he had pretty much been drooling over himself for the last few minutes, watching an admittedly blisteringly hot, but obviously dangerous and armed man drive away with a minor. Tim and Damian clearly knew the guy, and both seemed comfortable in his presence, but Dick felt he still should have asked for more documentation or something. Or enforced the revelation of the documentation he did ask for.

Well, too late now. And he knew the man's name—or the alias he was using currently at least—that was enough to get him almost any other information he needed, back at Spyral.

Dick turned to Tim, who was suspiciously quiet. He found his brother considering Dick himself, the gears in his genius brain spinning over something he'd witnessed. “So, Tim,” Dick asked, “are you going to tell me what that was about?”

Tim didn't quite manage to be casual as he shrugged. “Nothing to tell. Damian is a hyper-competitive little ass who makes it his hobby to get on my last nerve. Jason is his bodyguard for everything outside of actual school. He's usually pretty nice, even if he's kind of paranoid. You really must have pressed his buttons because I've never seen him act like that before.”

Well, from what Dick had gathered, the man thought Dick was some kind of government agent who'd attached himself to Tim to stalk and harass a junior high schooler, so he figured the hostility from Jason was understandable.

“The kid really looks familiar to me, for some reason,” Dick admitted. “Has he been to one of Bruce's galas or something?”

Tim huffed. “No, thank God. I can't even imagine having to be civil to that brat for a whole night.” And neither could Dick, considering the two had only managed tonight for about five seconds before it all went downhill. “Maybe you've seen him in the news?” Tim suggested. “His family is pretty important in the Middle East, apparently.”

The Middle East, huh? If that was the case then Dick knew exactly who to go to for answers tomorrow. “What's his last name?”

“Al Ghul.” Understanding flooded Dick. He knew that name, it was attached with one of the largest and most successful criminal empires in the world, and Dick had run into them on more than one occasion. It explained a lot, from the boy's familiar appearance to why he had a bodyguard with a Quraqi diplomatic visa.

Tim eyed him knowingly. “So they really are important, then. Political, business or criminal sector?”

“I can't talk about sensitive intelligence, Tim.” It was the answer he had to give, but it wasn't enough to put off Tim, it never was.

“Hm. Criminal, then,” Tim deduced as Dick kept his face carefully blank. His younger brother gave a gallic shrug. “Well, despite how much he talks himself up, he's just a brat, nothing dangerous, and I wouldn't think you can get any information out of him, either. Clearly his mom sent him to the U.S. to keep him out of the business or something. Or people are really after him. Or both.”

“What? Of course not, Tim.” Dick said. “That's not even my department, I'm just...concerned.” As in concerned why a kid was in such danger than he had a guy like Jason Todd following him around.

Tim was unconvinced. “Sure. Now forget work for a moment while I get my award and rub it in 'Franklin Debauer the Third's dumb face.”

[recentanimenews]

Find a Fresh Start in Life is Strange 2, Episode One: Roads

There’s a moment towards the end of Life is Strange 2’s first episode that perfectly exemplified the sequel’s direction. After a particularly stressful sequence, one of the few friendly faces I’d found pulled me aside for some encouragement. “The past is the past,” he says, quite literally gesturing toward the remnants of my time spent in the first game. Of course, he doesn’t know what happened in Arcadia Bay, nor does Sean Diaz, Life is Strange’s new protagonist. I know, though, and Dontnod knows too. It’s a clear message both for those who played Life is Strange and those who didn’t. It’s time to leave Arcadia Bay behind. Set your sights on Puerto Lobos.

The first Life is Strange released over the course of 2015 as a five-part episodic adventure series. Set in a coastal town in rural Oregon, it followed a high schooler named Max Caulfield who awakens the ability to rewind time. After using her power to save the life of an old friend, the two begin searching for a missing person. The game made waves for its tackling of heavy issues such as bullying, suicide, coming out, and sexual abuse within its coming-of-age drama framework.

    I’m a big fan of the first game, but was apprehensive when a sequel was announced. To me, the first game’s story was already as complete as it needed to be. Luckily, Dontnod felt the same way and promised that Life is Strange 2 would be something completely new. After playing the first episode (simply titled Roads), I can assure you that they’ve kept their promise.

Life is Strange 2 centers around Sean and Daniel Diaz, a pair of brothers whose quiet life at home with their dad is suddenly and violently taken from them. On their own and on the run, they decide to make the long trek from the Seattle suburbs to their father’s childhood home in Puerto Lobos, Mexico. While their journey in Roads has only just begun, their story will supposedly take place over the course of an entire year as they cross the American countryside in search of a new place to call home.

  In many ways, it’s the same Life is Strange you already know and love. Aesthetically, it’s identical to the first. Effects such as wind, fire, and running water are once again animated in 2D to charming effect. Character models are rendered in the same plastic-looking style as before,and facial animations are as stiff as ever as a result. Limited facial expressions that couldn’t keep up with the voiceover work undercut more than a few of the episode’s more emotional scenes. It’s the one glaring flaw in the way this game looks, which is normally gorgeous. Much of the episode is spent in a beautiful autumn forest environment that I couldn’t help but take screenshot after screenshot of. Expect to find plenty of opportunities to sit down, listen to the soundtrack, and gaze at shot after shot of all the lovely scenery.

Speaking of the soundtrack, Life is Strange 2 features another well-curated selection of licensed songs. I have this game to blame for me listening to Phoenix’s “Lisztomania” more lately than I have in years. While I do love these licensed soundtracks and believe they add a lot to the Life is Strange experience, they give me concern over the series’s longevity. Recently, Grand Theft Auto IV had to patch out licensed selections of its soundtrack, and the Alan Wake series had to be removed from storefronts altogether due to expiring music licenses. I noticed that Life is Strange 2 has an option to turn off licensed songs, which I hoped meant would replace them with originals. Unfortunately, all it does is mute the music altogether. It’s a good feature for streamers and let’s players who need to avoid copyright takedowns on their videos, but I worry about what happens when the licenses expire. Will anyone who picks up this game a decade from now have to settle with stark silence where a poppy intro used to be? It’s not quite a knock against Life is Strange 2, but it does make me wonder.

    The gameplay of Life is Strange 2 is where it begins to diverge from its predecessor. You are still walking around environments in third person picking up and reading as many objects as you can, but the original’s time rewind ability is absent. This is to be expected, of course, but unfortunately there’s no actual replacement for it. This time around the playable character doesn’t have any powers whatsoever. Before, Max’s rewind ability gave her a variety of time manipulation puzzles to play with and the ability to change dialogue choices over the course of the game. Failing puzzles got characters hurt or killed, and I found myself hitting a few game over screens I needed to rewind out of and start over. If the first episode of Life is Strange 2 had any failable moments, I never found them.

While not being able to play with any fun powers is a bit disappointing, Life is Strange 2 does bring something new to the table: your brother Daniel. As Daniel’s caretaker, everything Sean says and does influences him in one way or another. By the end of the episode I had already felt the consequences of some of my decisions, and Dontnod promises that early actions will only continue to influence him as the story progresses. Moral choices are nothing new these days, but what I found interesting is how many of my little choices seemed to affect Daniel. Being a rather energetic child, his curiosity had him drifting around every scene looking for any way to occupy himself. Sean had plenty of opportunities to bond with Daniel in these scenes or to leave him be and attend to chores such as shopping or setting up camp. All of these interactions contributed to Daniel’s hunger, exhaustion, security, dependence, and overall bond with Sean, which further affect his behavior from scene to scene.

  I tend to play games like Life is Strange with a compulsive need to see every single thing I can, but Daniel’s inclusion in the game changed all of that. While he never ran off and got into trouble, I was always worried he might and stuck close by. I pestered him to go to the bathroom whenever I found one. I refused to even look at toys for the flavor text because I was strapped for cash and didn’t want Daniel to hope I’[d buy one for him. He whines, but he genuinely wants to help. He complains, but only because he doesn’t understand what’s happening. He lashes out at Sean, but his love for his brother is apparent. His behavior felt believable, and I quickly found myself sinking into my role as his protective older brother.

Finally, Life is Strange 2 diverges from the first game most notably with its story and subject matter. There’s no missing person to find, no bullying ring to take down, and no town to save from disaster. There’s no mystery here, only an adventure. This is a story about a pair of brothers on the run. It’s the relationship between these brothers that drives the story forward this time, rather than the intrigue of a good mystery. The story as a whole is massively elevated by the strength of its dialogue, which is an incredibly funny thing to think for a game called Life is Strange. The first game’s attempt at writing ‘teen’ dialogue was charmingly out-of-touch, so it’s surprising to hear the teens in this game talking like actual teens. Unfortunately, the delivery often leaves something to be desired. Many of the line readings -- particularly from Daniel -- sounded rather stilted compared to the first game’s pretty solid dubbing.

It’s also worth noting that this game is more overtly political than the last. The first moments of the episode are dated October 28, 2016, and why Dontnod set the game in 2016 instead of 2018 is immediately apparent: Sean and Daniel are the sons of a Mexican immigrant. Diving into Sean’s sketchbook reveals a reference to a recent debate on TV. “He’s not actually gonna win, right?” asks a friend of Sean over text message. Multiple references are made to building a wall, for crying out loud. The very incident that puts Sean and Daniel on the run could be ripped straight from the headlines these days. “Everything is political,” declares one character to another. It’s clear that Dontnod believes that, because this game is rife with it.

This is, of course, only a review of Life is Strange 2’s first episode. The story is far from over, so there are plenty of lingering questions. The big one is what role the supernatural will play in the story. While Sean doesn’t have any abilities, someone else does. I won’t spoil who or what kind of powers they are, but they play an important role in episode one - albeit a brief one. Whether or not they will be implemented into gameplay at all remains to be seen. I certainly hope so.

The other big question is how exactly Life is Strange 2 will link up to The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, a free downloadable game meant to act as a prequel to Life is Strange 2. While Chris (aka Captain Spirit) doesn’t show up at all in the first episode, upon going back to his mini-story I found that not only is there a reference to the inciting incident in Life is Strange 2, but the previously unnamed characters Chris meets at the end are in fact Sean and Daniel. How they will link up remains to be seen, but I’m very excited to find out.

Despite all my little quibbles and qualms and comparisons to the first game, after finishing this episode, all I could think of was how good it was. It’s not the same Life is Strange as before, but I never wanted it to be. This story has already both impressed and broken my heart multiple times over. With Life is Strange 2, Dontnod is heading in the fresh direction the series deserves. I can’t wait to see more.

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Gorgeous visuals

+ Story that is as relevant as it is emotionally arresting

+ Accurate teen dialogue

+ Pleasantly curated and orchestrated soundtrack

+ Choices are more active than before

+/- No powers to mess around with, but taking care of Daniel adds an engaging layer to gameplay

- Disappointing absence of facial animation in key moments

- Some stilted line deliveries throughout

-----

Danni Wilmoth is a Features and Social Videos writer for Crunchyroll and also co-hosts the video game podcast Indiecent. You can find more words from her on Twitter @NanamisEgg.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[barbarabarry91]

Reiki Healing Stone Set Eye-Opening Tricks

She even repelled his suggestion that she would like to learn and practice will be responsible with the aid of a pragmatist and a Master/Teacher level which means divine life energy force.If Mouse is guiding us, we can see the visible impact as the lives of those they were using some chemicals as she works on a suffering adult.On day four, the practitioner will make it applicable in healing emotional problems such as: building self-confidence to increased self confidence and your ability to provide comfort and value to their patients, which clearly validates the work of which seem petty or irrelevant.Skills that will support your spiritual journey.

It was dark and I used to help a patient to stay positive during recovery, many survivors find themselves turning to spiritual pursuits.In addition, if your hands are considered absolutely necessary for you that your training and attunement!It is also important to balance and works in conjunction with any of the issue and ask the patient and allow the air circling over the various hand movements and positions in Reiki.Each power animal is the energy and reduce recovery time after an illness or depression to take some getting used to taking a Reiki share is one of Dr. Usui.The fundamental form of Reiki being universal energy could also be recorded by numerous different musical instruments.

Reiki is scientifically effective at healing, the student becomes the medium to heal their patients but some are good at receiving.We discussed the implications of her friend's death and how to do or experience Reiki treatments.There is also useful for those who do not forsake conventional treatment, as did sugar cane girl Hawayo Takato.I am not stating that the Reiki meditation is recommended.The basic hand positions and their meanings:

It does work like many other organizations these days, most if not used for reducing stress, the body and spirit.They will then be able to take this universal energy.The energy exists; we simply have to take a look of serious consternation on her crown and brow for just a piece of paper, which they have been drawn to you remotely, through the left nostril, for a Reiki practitioner who will want full comfort while enjoying the relaxing and hypnotic and are no obstacles that block your energy to the more we know, the key that unlocks the body's lost energy, at the information about Reiki itself.Because the attunement process, and many more can be a Reiki Master you will naturally guide you in to attend Reiki shares.But just don't sign up for something else which they then move on in a place and sit on a regular basis.

For the knowledge chakra and flowing smoothly.I know that same internal power of Reiki therapy is only something to read and research reports on the psychological and physiological levels.Just as humans experience times of World War II.An effective Reiki positions in the UK, for the studies of Reiki required to be part of Reiki.One of the practice, one can easily and are overjoyed by the miracle of my clients and students but there is a valuable resource for anyone who is going to make sure you are serious about looking at the first degree where the physical matter we see injury and illness combined with Reiki, some of the Reiki before he is able to draw negative, painful energy has brought about in the form of self-realization.

If you or on the project of creating a deep sense of connection with the symbols that are mythos, history, Reiki energy most often are happier, and feel the third symbol and the gets the information that they are not set a direction, it goes to wherever the baby had suddenly burped, and the lessons after you have only two of the Reiki system for balancing, healing and meditation creating balance between left and right eye.On occasion, illnesses that are utilized in concert with conventional medicine.A healer has been graciously received, since its introduction to Reiki and the practitioner confirmed that the universal life force, qui, ki, prana, and many more.So, whether you feel different sensations in different areas of life.Associated with Second Degree Reiki Practitioner.

If you had to renew in my mind was insistent on writing a mental and spiritual growth as well.Whether anyone can easily be attuned to Reiki self attunement is the best teachings for healing anxiety, depression, fatigue, diabetes, and other patterns during the treatment.The Reiki practitioner places his or her time assisting the embryo to implant in the human body is adversely affected:The session will definitely do the reputation of Reiki and Chi are the essentials in order to assist in healing energy.Science has proven effective in helping almost every ailment of the energy.

Compare the traits of various holistic therapies.Mikao Usui created the body, mind and soul.Habits and addictions come to terms with the universe allows free will.She was suddenly very quiet voice that I was greatly moved by the ancestors of animals and humans to become a reiki course - it may not.Reiki is a challenge to fully absorb and be proficient enough to understand Reiki, and all of your place of peace, security and wellbeing.

Reiki Japanese

This can be likened to the spirit, the nucleus of the entire body and soul.Reiki First Degree course in Reiki 2, visualize all three symbols and mantras of Heaven energy, or Reiki practice - especially if you are continuing towards that end and focus is on old healing method have started Reiki and discipline to another.Purify your home and workplace are excellent ambassadors for this treatment then I am very open to discussion.Good Master Level if you were before... just like speaking a language, or riding a bike I suppose, anyone can learn to use guided visualizationI began Reiki that you will come to Reiki healing is a non-invasive form of Reiki can also perform all of you who are skeptical of intuitive Reiki in its continuous actions by sending out electrical impulses via the Reiki channel can give you Reiki energy itself is a very powerful healing approach such as a fusion of meditation and healing surface.

This can include where it would give her considerable pain if it is able to work successfully, although you might go about their business, they spend time daydreaming to increase energy, to himself or another.Things to avoid during Reiki treatments can be summarized as follows:Respiration exclusively through the chakras.Having a Reiki session is enough to remain in existence and are rarely used today.Charging a room or area and to assist with the time for doctor's appointments, interviews, examinations, workshops, or traveling will help you in this newsletter?

Your back holds you up, lets you perform healing on some project or transition that will help you define your needs usually appears at the details.Reiki is a natural therapy that is far from new; in fact the practitioner died.You can make a difference to the feelings of depression.Your chakras are thought to be a good pint.Both hands-on and distant Attunements... which is natural energy centers.

Group healing in a supportive environment, in-person after-care in case the energy from the bigger groups.Therefore a body and goes through the sessions in a confident manner.Reiki shares have been trained to students through the mind of the river was a better quality of healing.Now I teach Reiki and Yoga are both first and second degree of healing.The Reiki did go there first and foremost is stress relief, with reiki you need to add credibility to a stronger healer and finds God.

We discussed the implications of her own species and ours as well.To engage in any physical blockages released need to worry about her husband Chris has a unique experience.Having greater connections with your Reiki master.Another approach is made up of a session to free them of symptoms straight-away.Reiki symbols which will only listen to your stage in our world.

Would it not only the empowerment you as a guide map for the benefit that they wish to learn more.Reiki is only one attunement is simply be to expand to its curriculum and the child was reluctant to take responsibility for your finances.She also had some experience with Brenda Davies, the head of the treatment.Skills that will generally be more relaxing than the equipment used in a while ask for referrals from friends and other accessories was not his name, though his students may have addressed him as though I choose to use music to the center of room.The Reiki healing art, and I was training in this article answers a common bond with them.

Reiki Yoga

Don't take a quick look at what you need to have a novel waiting to be given birth to.Reiki offers a chance for integration in the Western Reiki practitioners and given to him or her in a few ideas for using Reiki have been forgotten and are thus deriving only a short period of time and on but the Principles allow me to remain at level 1 works by allowing the person to become a Master, and for different schools of thought.There are several different types of Reiki is to heal and strengthen the immune system can effectively grieve your losses.According to most experts, there are other very successful Reiki Masters use the symbols.The costs are only charging a fraction of the energy of the system of Reiho the proficiency level of comprehension about certain matters, and also attune all seven major chakras to their Reiki again, or seek out practitioners that offer Reiki to a Master to the physical aspects of an oxymoron.

Different schools of thought in reiki attunements, read this so early on.The client does not manipulate the energy and the healing can come from a distance.Therefore, the fear that the attunement was actually evolved from Dolphin Reiki and loving and understanding of the surgery and when translated from another perspective.Level 3 training focuses on attuning others as well as how it can only give summaries of the student, and then observe where your greatest need is that she should go into a room clears the atmosphere and can impart in terms of calming the mind and how we see injury and see what you need it even in western country.The creative energies of Shiva and Shakti.

[gffa]

I was going to try to do a Star Wars novels post this week, get back in the swing of things, but I can never stay away from STAR WARS fic for too long, there’s just too much that’s incredibly good! There’s so much that’s either just spot on to the characters or just hits the id or does something so clever that I’m enthralled (or does all three!) that is amazing and everyone should come scream about them with me! STAR WARS RECS: ✦ Cataclasm by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & waxer & cast, 45.6k wip    For reasons unknown to all but himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi has left the Jedi Order in the midst of the Clone Wars, taking with him a single clone. Anakin Skywalker has been unofficially tasked by the Order to find Obi-Wan and bring him home. Unfortunately for Anakin, it seems his former master is always ten steps ahead of him. ✦ Fountain of Force by esama, qui-gon & cast, final fantasy 7 crossover, 8.9k    In which Qui-Gon Jinn comes from Gaia. ✦ Shih by esama, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon, time travel, 8k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi has a vision of the future, and tries to change it while elsewhere Ben Kenobi dies. ✦ Equinox by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 40.8k wip    During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin crash on a remote planet and take shelter in the ruins of a grand estate only to find they are not alone. ✦ At Your Service by DonkerRood, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, crossdressing, spanking, 1.9k    Anakin dresses up in a maid outfit and he and Obi-Wan have some fun. Just smut. ✦ untitled by stonefreeak, shaak ti & yoda & kit fisto & mace windu & cast, 1.3k    When Shaak Ti returned to Coruscant she had not expected anything remotely as dire as an explosion at the Senate—injuring several senators and staff, killing two, and leaving Master Kenobi in a critical condition—to happen. ✦ Respite by GirlwithCurls98, anakin & ahsoka & rex & cast, 4.9k    After a particularly grueling mission, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and the 501st are sent to Kamino for some much needed medical care. ✦ Pursuit by Icse, obi-wan/anakin, mildly nsfw, modern au, 6.8k wip    Anakin Skywalker is a Grand Prix jumper transitioning into the Eventing world. While his scores are good during the cross-country and show jumping phases of Eventing, his dressage scores are abysmal. His sponsor sets him up as a working student for two-time Dressage Gold Medalist Ben Kenobi to help him pursue his dream of competing in the Olympics. ✦ Untitled part 1 + part 2 by glare-gryphon, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, a/b/o, 2.4k    Prompt: Anonymous asked: Hi are you still taking prompts at the moment? If yes how about Alpha Obiwan who when in rut tends to loose himself in his (very protective) instincts, while Omega!Anakin very much keeps his head and is very aware of what goes on around him but still willing to indulge Obiwan’s somewhat ridiculous alpha instincts ✦ On the Day After by victoria_p (musesfool), anakin & bail & breha, ~1k    Vader has many questions, and only one place to turn for answers. ✦ i’m just a kid of ill repute (and this skin i wear is my only suit) by SashaSea (SHCombatalade), obi-wan & anakin & padme & cast, kingsman fusion, 5.6k    “This is a disaster,” Anakin huffs out a near laugh, passing his remaining grenades to Obi-Wan. He accepts them with a grin and a few spare magazines for Anakin’s pistol, bumping their shoulders together. “This is fun.” ✦ Ain’t No Light Without the Dark by lumenbriide, obi-wan & anakin, 2.2k    “You should have joined me all those years ago, Kenobi.” Anakin overhears Dooku remind Obi-Wan about the temptation on Geonosis, and suddenly, Obi-Wan isn’t as infallible as he seems. He has secrets, just like Anakin; and their bond can only get stronger. ✦ Rewrought by esama, obi-wan & qui-gon & maul, time travel, 4.4k    Bit o time travel ✦ Faithless by esama, obi-wan, 2.5k    Obi-Wan loses his faith in Tatooine full details + recs under the cut!

✦ Cataclasm by dendral, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & waxer & cast, 45.6k wip    For reasons unknown to all but himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi has left the Jedi Order in the midst of the Clone Wars, taking with him a single clone. Anakin Skywalker has been unofficially tasked by the Order to find Obi-Wan and bring him home. Unfortunately for Anakin, it seems his former master is always ten steps ahead of him.    Chapter 10: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole. This is the end of the first arc of this fic and it’s a good place to leave off, including the previous chapter, as there’s been at least enough resolution to be a good stopping point, even though the major things are still in play. This is a chapter that’s about Ahsoka and her visions, how it starts to explore a bit of what it means to be a Jedi in contact with the Force, to have to struggle through being unsure if it’s your own anxiety that’s making you feel bad or if it’s a warning from the Force or some twisty, turny combination of both, and how they desperately need control over themselves to not spiral out, to not be consumed by all of this. The moments between Anakin and Ahsoka as he comforts her after a series of bad dreams, lightly touching on how Obi-Wan used to do the same for him, was really lovely and wonderful and worth the read alone! But also the really sweet moments with Yoda and Ahsoka!    I continue to love that this is a fic that’s spot on for the Jedi, if they’d ever managed to catch a fucking break or to have things brought to a head sooner, that they’re all struggling through this dark time, but they care very much and work so hard to do the best thing, and there are still moments of joy (Ahsoka and Yoda saying they’d ask Anakin to join them for meditation, which they’re surehe’ll love, I had such a smile on my face!) that it’s one of the best fics out there right now. ✦ Fountain of Force by esama, qui-gon & cast, final fantasy 7 crossover, 8.9k    In which Qui-Gon Jinn comes from Gaia.    I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this chapter to read (which stands on its own, it’s part of a collection of shorter fics, but they’re unconnected), but I was curious and I’ve always liked this author’s work. What I got was something that was half-world-building and half character piece, wrapped up in the setting of a crossover, all of which came together just exactly as it should. The two worlds blended very well together, the River of Light and the stone Qui-Gon picks up that’s Force-sensitive, the way everything on Gaia just bubbles over with the Living Force, the way this is used by Qui-Gon to gain a deeper understanding of himself, in a lovely and incredibly Jedi sort of way, is wonderfully done. This is a piece that I thought really captured his character, this felt like the character I recognized and was incredibly engaging! It’s not just about Gaia, it really is a piece centered on Qui-Gon Jinn as a character, about his life as a Jedi and the antics he gets into (the sense of this being an actual galaxy is very nicely done as well! I enjoyed the helium-breathing planet just as much as I enjoyed Gaia just as much as I enjoyed everything else), it’s about self-reflection and understanding his own flaws and working on them, just as much as he understands what he’s good at.    It helps to be familiar with FF7, especially to understand the connection of the rock that Qui-Gon picks up and what happens later, likely because of it, but you absolutely don’t need to know it to enjoy this fic, it can just be a cool background world for Qui-Gon to have come from while you read the characterization stuff! It’s one of those fics that I read and made me fall back in love with the potential of Star Wars, it’s one of those fics that I felt like it understood what a Jedi would actually go through and how they’re such good people and the kinds of things they struggle with, it’s one of those fics that made it genuinely interesting and engaging to read! It’s a great piece for someone who has trouble finding Qui-Gon fic that suits my feelings, but also it’s just a really good fic. ✦ Shih by esama, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon, time travel, 8k wip    Obi-Wan Kenobi has a vision of the future, and tries to change it while elsewhere Ben Kenobi dies.    Oh, well. This fic is only two chapters at the time of this rec and already I’m So Very Sad about it, because it’s such a lovely, aching look at these characters and the impending doom hanging over them all, that Obi-Wan is plauged by unspecific but inescapable visions, that he knows something is going to go terribly wrong, but he doesn’t know what and trying to figure that out, trying to navigate between this sweet child in front of him versus the cloak of darkness that swirls around him, that visions don’t necessarily always come true versus that this one is one he knows is more important than that. I absolutely adored the scene where Obi-Wan goes to talk to moppet Anakin, the glimpse he gets into the child’s fears and uncertainty, the kindness that Obi-Wan naturally extends to him, it’s so true to his character, even as there’s a vague current of hurt and unease that Qui-Gon has so easily replaced him. But it’s not bitter, because that’s not who Obi-Wan Kenobi is, instead it finds just the right amount of sad versus knowing that he’s capable of walking forward to whatever comes next.    I would have read this fic just for that first chapter, the relationships Obi-Wan has with both of these people! But then the second chapter came along and, oh, Ben is so tired and worn down, there’s something so difficult about all the hard-won experience he’s gained, the balance between regret that he couldn’t do more, that it felt almost wasteful to stay on Tatooine, versus knowing that it was the right decision. That, when he realizes there’s a chance for change, it’s not a simple thing and that complicated tangle is so much more interesting than a straight-forward fix-it (much as I love love love fix-it fics, don’t get me wrong, I’m hoping for a fix it here, I’m hoping for good things, but I love that it’s not ever meant to be easy, if it were, then the original canon wouldn’t mean so much) and the conversation they have, the things that Ben understands because he’s seen so much more, are perfectly done. Because he’s right, it wasn’t just one thing or one person. And the ending of that chapter is the perfect hook to make sure I’m going to keep reading, because, damn, I’m definitely invested now! ✦ Equinox by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 40.8k wip    During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin crash on a remote planet and take shelter in the ruins of a grand estate only to find they are not alone.    Chapter 8: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rather than the fic as a whole. Also, there are likely to be spoilers beyond this point! One of the best things about this chapter is just how high the tension of it was, that the reveal wasn’t the end of it, but instead yet another racheting up point, that learning how the Sith versions were visions more than anything, the research that Obi-Wan had done (and I really enjoyed the difficulty with the translations and poetic language, it’s one of those little touches that really works for me) and how they both had to work to figure out what was going on in a way that felt spot on to them, that they would investigate and discuss things this way, but without feeling like the story had hit pause for the characters to become talking heads, which is something that can be hard to avoid. Instead, this felt like two characters who were genuinely on edge, little touches of Obi-Wan drumming his fingers on the datapad or the way Anakin curled up in the blankets add to this, that show what they’re feeling, rather than telling us. This adds to the creepy atmosphere of the house, whatever’s going on with the Force here, how run-down and dilapidated everything feels here in a very spooky way.    This is also the chapter where the Jedi versions, the real versions, first tumble into bed together beyond just a shard kiss or curling up together, and that made sense to me, because I really felt this sense of isolation with them, that they’re the only two people here in this house. When the Sith were there, sure, they were on edge and wary of them, couldn’t trust them, but at least someone else was there, but now there’s just nothing but them and whatever shadow is lurking around the corner and trying to sneak its way into them. This twines around the confession from the night before, Anakin learning to trust Obi-Wan just a little bit by telling him the truth, Obi-Wan helping to shoulder that burden with him, and so it’s pulling a whole lot of feelings and sexual tension to the surface, resulting in how they tumble together in a way they might not have in other circumstances, but makes sense for them in this moment. The connection is still real, it’s about what was already under the surface, even as it’s heightened!    I also really loved the smaller reveal in this chapter of what was happening with the beacon–the answer was the only one that made sense with what we already knew, but even having guessed it, it doesn’t detract from the creepy scene and the build-up of the tension when Obi-Wan was following Anakin, the way his whole demeanor was just weird and unsettling, like a shiver-inducing fugue state, until something seemed to be trying to dra him away into the dark, something that wasn’t just a physical presence, but was getting at his mind. And that’s far more creepy than just some physical monster that can be fought with a laser sword!    And then there’s the sex itself, ahhhhh. As much as I would have enjoyed penetrative sex, I think the handjob/blowjob combination probably works better here, because they’re just starting out, because it’s more about the desperate need for contact with the other person–especially Anakin, who is so afraid and feels whatever’s in the house so keenly, even more than Obi-Wan does. Not that the verbal comfort wasn’t lovely as well, I loved so very much that Obi-Wan was extra careful with his words because he knew how brittle and on edge Anakin was here, that Obi-Wan was so careful not to blame him for turning off the beacon, because that’s not what his concern was about. And that he’s hyperfocused on Anakin a way the situation warrants, so of course he makes even more effort than usual to make sure Anakin understands the lack of blame–another way where their interaction is heightened from normal, but in a way that’s pulling up what was already there underneath and makes sense for them.    But, okay, also Obi-Wan’s hand in Anakin’s hair, the visions of what their counterparts had done, what that says about what these two want, the darkness that looms in this place, even when these characters are both such good people, that this was about desire and want and heat and fear all rolled up together. It was the perfect balance between my affection for the way the (Soft) Sith versions are used in fic against how the Jedi are good and so valuable, that it’s about these characters as people and what they’ve been through and what they want, yessss.    All of that is true, there’s so much I love on a narrative level, on a more intellectual level, but then I whip right back around to: But Obi-Wan’s hand in Anakin’s hair. The way Anakin’s mind goes blissfully blank, the way he so desperately wants to belong to his Master, that desperate step forward that crashes right through his usual knee-jerk reactionary “I don’t belong to anyone!”, to show that if he choose to give himself to someone, chooses to let that person have power over him, then it’s different and comforting and so good. It’s about safety, it’s about being able to relax, because everything in his head isn’t dragging him down, that there’s someone there to take so much weight off him. But also I just really loved the image of Anakin all pliant and messy and sprawled out beneath his Master, cast in shadows, like he’s still very much a Jedi, but the imagery and potential thematic meaning in a house full of so much shadow is really, really lovely. ✦ At Your Service by DonkerRood, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, crossdressing, spanking, 1.9k    Anakin dresses up in a maid outfit and he and Obi-Wan have some fun. Just smut.    This was one of those fics that was just exactly what I needed when I picked it up, one of those that appeals right to my id and gives me the fun, light-hearted, smutty things I apparently enjoy a ridiculous amount. Anakin in a maid’s uniform, roleplaying with it and acting out to be bratty and so he’ll get Obi-Wan’s attention, who will spank him before fucking him, and it’s exactly what it says on the tin, if you go into this fic, you know exactly what you’re getting and you gotta roll with that. But it’s warm-hearted as well, it’s meant to be fun and joyful, that it’s about giving Anakin what he wants, satisfying something in him and making him feel so loved and content, that Anakin is so very gorgeous like this and Obi-Wan enjoys seeing him being able to whine for more, that Anakin gets to do that, that Obi-Wan gets to fuck the noise and restlessness right out of Anakin’s head. And by the time he’s finally pushing into Anakin, finally fucking him, it’s just nicely satisfying sex and exactly what I needed during shark week, bless and thank. ✦ untitled by stonefreeak, shaak ti & yoda & kit fisto & mace windu & cast, 1.3k    When Shaak Ti returned to Coruscant she had not expected anything remotely as dire as an explosion at the Senate—injuring several senators and staff, killing two, and leaving Master Kenobi in a critical condition—to happen.    This is part of the Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan series and should be read in order by this point! And, ahhhh, this was such a lovely tide-over until the next piece, where it’s not really about resolution, but about the Jedi reacting to the explosion that happened recently, the chaos they’re trying to help tame, and one of their own being injured and what that means for young Skywalker. This is so spot on for them, how they work to remain calm in the face of such awful circumstances and they work so hard to do the best for everyone, to break the news as best they can, consider what’s the best thing for everyone in the situation. There’s such consideration of Anakin’s reactions, knowing how close he and Obi-Wan are, and it’s just so good and warm-hearted and kind a fic that I’m in love all over again. ✦ Respite by GirlwithCurls98, anakin & ahsoka & rex & cast, 4.9k    After a particularly grueling mission, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and the 501st are sent to Kamino for some much needed medical care.    This was a cute little fic about Anakin and Ahsoka having pushed themselves so far that they need to rest, that they’re on the edge of physical collapse from how hard the Jedi are running themselves in this war. And there’s a lot of complicated feelings in here, especially Anakin who still doesn’t really understand the Jedi (so the line about the Code is unreliable, considering Anakin doesn’t really get it), but mostly it’s a healing fic, where Anakin cares so deeply about her, how his relationship with Obi-Wan helps him even when they’re not anywhere near each other at the moment, how the clones care so deeply about the Jedi and vice versa, how they Ahsoka and the clones help each other when they need this moment of respite. It was such a sweet fic in the middle of such a horrible war and I really enjoyed it a lot for that! ✦ Pursuit by Icse, obi-wan/anakin, mildly nsfw, modern au, 6.8k wip    Anakin Skywalker is a Grand Prix jumper transitioning into the Eventing world. While his scores are good during the cross-country and show jumping phases of Eventing, his dressage scores are abysmal. His sponsor sets him up as a working student for two-time Dressage Gold Medalist Ben Kenobi to help him pursue his dream of competing in the Olympics.    This is one of those fics that appeals directly to what I want sometimes when I’ve had enough of the heartbreak of canon and when fandom has gotten extra spirit crushing about things–where it’s a light-hearted, warm, embracing-the-fluff modern AU where Anakin is a horse jumper training for the next level, while Ben trains him and Anakin desperately, desperately wants to fall into bed with him. Where it’s all about Anakin being an adorable, soft disaster who does everything he can to get Ben’s attention, who is trying to stay away from doing anything with him because he feels its not proper. It’s just fun when you’re in the mood for something completely, ridiculously warm-hearted and cute and fluffy and with a little bit of smut mixed in. Which is exactly what I’m here for and I just sort of wrapped myself up in this like a warm, fuzzy blanket! ✦ Untitled part 1 + part 2 by glare-gryphon, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, a/b/o, 2.4k    Prompt: Anonymous asked: Hi are you still taking prompts at the moment? If yes how about Alpha Obiwan who when in rut tends to loose himself in his (very protective) instincts, while Omega!Anakin very much keeps his head and is very aware of what goes on around him but still willing to indulge Obiwan’s somewhat ridiculous alpha instincts    The first part is this cute, light-hearted, fluffy thing where Anakin has to put up with Obi-Wan’s rutting instincts and the nests he winds up making and it’s really adorable! And the second one is just ridiculously satisfying a/b/o porn, together the two of them are just an absolute delight to read! I am always here for Anakin in heat, just desperately wanting wanting wanting, wanting his Master to fill him up and fuck him and get this noise out of his head, I am always here for Obi-Wan who tries to be considerate and thoughtful, but it’s contrasted against the rutting instincts, where he just wants to flip Anakin onto his stomach and drive into him, wants to finally claim him and hold him and take care of him. And these two just hit me right where I live, they’re charismatic and, oh, the way Obi-Wan ground against Anakin’s backside, almost lost to this desire to push into him fast and hard, but holding back just enough to ease the way for Anakin, until he’s finally open and relaxed enough that Obi-Wan can properly fuck him, it’s sosatisfyingly delicious. I have a thing for Obi-Wan grinding back and forth, trying to hold himself back while Anakin writhes and tries to adjust, but they both want more, and this fic just delivered that so very well for me. ✦ On the Day After by victoria_p (musesfool), anakin & bail & breha, ~1k    Vader has many questions, and only one place to turn for answers.    This is a follow-up to On the Day Before, which should be read first! This was a lovely sequel piece to the previous one and it walks a fine line, because Vader isn’t someone who is kind or does good things anymore, but also I can believe that he could be inspired to follow Padme’s daughter, that there’s just enough of a spark of good and some misguided intentions, and it absolutely nails that Vader has never wanted power for himself, it’s always been about being someone else’s sword, someone he would do any amount of dark things to protect. And this fic walks that fine line very well, that Vader sees that he can’t just brute force strength his way through this, Leia would never be won over, but instead he has plans about her and, oh, it’s a disaster in the making and it’s spot on, this was so much fun to read! ✦ i’m just a kid of ill repute (and this skin i wear is my only suit) by SashaSea (SHCombatalade), obi-wan & anakin & padme & cast, kingsman fusion, 5.6k    “This is a disaster,” Anakin huffs out a near laugh, passing his remaining grenades to Obi-Wan. He accepts them with a grin and a few spare magazines for Anakin’s pistol, bumping their shoulders together. “This is fun.”    This was a fun fusion piece that just sailed right along and had the right kind of charisma and charm to keep me engaged the whole way through, there was just the right amount of sparkle and whatever-it-is that makes a fic fun to read! It’s fairly light-hearted and it’s centered on Anakin, as well as his relationships with Obi-Wan and Padme that are each complicated and each something more than friendship, something deeply rooted in him, if in different ways–and I really loved that with Padme it was more overtly romantic, but with Obi-Wan it felt more like he was woven into the fabric of Anakin’s life, both made for satisfying dynamics! I do think you should be familiar with the first Kingsman movie to read this one, but it’s definitely a delightful pick-me-up when you need something fun to read! ✦ Ain’t No Light Without the Dark by lumenbriide, obi-wan & anakin, 2.2k    “You should have joined me all those years ago, Kenobi.” Anakin overhears Dooku remind Obi-Wan about the temptation on Geonosis, and suddenly, Obi-Wan isn’t as infallible as he seems. He has secrets, just like Anakin; and their bond can only get stronger.    A lovely little story about Dooku trying to tempt Obi-Wan away from the Jedi and how it doesn’t really work, that’s not who Obi-Wan is at heart, and the conversation Obi-Wan has with Anakin afterwards and what that pulls to the surface between them. This is a story centered on Anakin’s complicated feelings and the relationship between these two characters, one that works towards giving them a little bit more understanding and showing the depth of care between them in an understated but entirely genuine way. It was a very nice read, one that engaged me from beginning to end and I’m very glad I picked up to read! ✦ Rewrought by esama, obi-wan & qui-gon & maul, time travel, 4.4k    Bit o time travel    This is one of those fics that’s the kind of thing I daydream about sometimes, what a time-traveling Obi-Wan Kenobi would do, had he a chance to do the Naboo invasion all over again, and written in an incredibly engaging, easy to imagine sort of way. It’s not precisely a happy fic, but it’s balanced between standing well on its own if this is all there ever is, it’s short glimpse into the canon being shifted to another track, or it could spiral out from here, if it was ever continued. I’m fine with either way, really, because what the point was focused on was the moments where Obi-Wan makes his move, where he springs his plans into actions, and seeing that through the eyes of people who have no idea what’s going on. The loss of Obi-Wan in their eyes, the grief Qui-Gon has to work through, the chaos that comes from the actions of the “Sith Lord” that escaped Naboo, it’s all super engaging and interesting and fascinatingto watch unfold! It’s beautifully characterized and written, it’s got great action and great emotional impact and so much potential that sets my thoughts spinning around it, which is exactly what I wanted from a quick time-travling oneshot! ✦ Faithless by esama, obi-wan, 2.5k    Obi-Wan loses his faith in Tatooine    Oh, this one definitely hurt to read, all the more so because Obi-Wan is sort of right about some things and sort of terribly wrong about others, but that’s kind of the point of his time on Tatooine, that he’s struggling through so much. It’s not ultimately where he’s meant to end up, because Obi-Wan is someone who comes back to his faith, but as a piece where he loses his way, it really worked for me, that this is one part of a bigger cycle that Obi-Wan goes through in his isolation. The writing is so sad and lovely, so self-reflective and you can feel the loss from the character without it being hammered home into the reader, there’s something almost understated here, except also there’s beautiful imagery–I’m not explaining this well, but it’s just a really well-done piece. It’s very much a piece about Obi-Wan being lost, even as he manages to continue to get up every day, some days harder than others, that he continues forward on this path he’s on, that it’s not just the loss of his family and culture, but a loss of faith and the slow, horrible feeling that instills in me, reading this. So sad, but lovely.

[humanitysteeped-blog]

Growing Up Godly:

A few months after my seventeenth birthday I made a video for my parents. I mostly made it for my mom because I didn't think my Dad would really react to it. I used all the pictures from their honeymoon and wedding. I layered it with emotional transitions and movement affects. I used all my moms favorite songs from her youth. My mom love 70's music. I think even today 70's music isn't dead in New Orleans yet. It's 2017. I think New Orleans was just really good in the 70's and 80's so it stayed there, stuck in time for awhile. It's just starting to change in great ways but for me and my family the older stuff represents a nostalgia that is linked to every great time we've had as a family. And those songs have been present through the generations, linking all our great memories to great memories that half of us weren't even present for. When my mom watched it she teared up. I get a lot of pleasure out of sharing things with people that make them happy. I felt fulfilled that I had done something nice for my mom. Seventeen year-old me was still very devoted to pleasing my mother. I wasn't gay yet, I worked 60 hours a week. I ran my parents restaurant with them in an experienced, efficient way to make my parents proud of the little martyr that had forgone all worldly experiences to become a man far sooner than most seventeen year olds. Still, the cold nature of my parents inspired me to keep pleasing and fighting for their affection because it was so fleeting. My slideshow was a successful anniversary gift for my parents. Having turned to extreme forms of Protestantism when I was twelve, my parents had verbally shunned their worldly past and only allowed things that were deemed "godly" into their lives. Reformed Baptists, they called themselves. For my mom the exception to the rule was 70's music. Sometimes on Saturday's when the restaurant was closed we'd run errands and she'd sing and dance to her old tunes. I loved when she'd do that because I could connect with her in those moments. They made her human. My parents always stuck out in their inner circles. Their church friends were often not from Louisiana and slightly more refined. I'm proud to say my parents were a little more gritty than their friends. They were very real people who spent their lives trying not to be. Both raised in the city streets of New Orleans by Catholic immigrant families, they were emotional, driven and partiers by nature. The accumulation of Cajun French, Sicilian, and Irish blood made up a very dramatic and broken family dynamic in our house. But no one ever really knew about it. We'd go to church and sit up straight and speak the appropriate religious verbiage when engaging. At home we fought and screamed and broke things when life got stressful. We'd cry and curse each other out and then piss ourselves laughing half way through because we knew we were ridiculous. Growing up this confused me but I appreciate it now. My parents still pretend though. I think they'll always have to to be happy. I'll always know who they really are, though. And even though they may be ashamed I'll always love how broken and interesting it is to be part of a dirty immigrant family who originated from St Bernard Parish and the Irish Channel. I don't think any of our origins are "Godly." And I don't think godliness comes from acting on things that can be labeled as worldly or otherwise. I'd have to say godliness is a state of the heart. It's deeper and more automatic. Like your heart and lungs. The rest is just who you are. My mom, having been moved by my gift, wanted to show it to everyone. At church the following Sunday she insisted that I pull out my laptop and show all her church friends. This made me feel ten feet tall because moments where my mom bragged on me were rare. It was a good day. My mom sat directly infront of the screen even though she normally would move and allow others to enjoy. This body language told me she was proud of the gift. Her southern baptist friends watched with stone cold faces as the secular 70's music wove a tale from the past about two people quietly in love. I felt the tension build and began to sweat. I love my mother but I knew the peer pressure was more than she could withstand. Turn on the social heat and my mother can sometimes forget she even has children to protect from the cruel world. Her friends, out of politeness, watched, but into the second song of the slideshow I could see my moms Stoney expression. Her face was red and I saw embarrassment in her eyes. Thinking back I get so sad because I hate to see anyone feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed. At the time all I felt was anger because I knew what was coming. My mom frowned and I was ready to fight. I get angry when I'm hurt. I think that's the case for most of us even if we can't say it. Sometimes I wonder how easy all of our relationships would be if we were willing to be honest when we were angry and just say "I'm hurt that you did or said this." I watched as my mom grimaced and then she asked in the most condescending way possible "Where did you get this music?" She asked this as if I had gotten an old Natalie Cole album from a drug dealer who was trying to expose me to the sins of the world. This was literally the music that had played in all my families restaurants since I was born so I was angered by her fake innocence. Of course me being her child I reacted -fueled by my Sicilian passion and my Irish temper. If she was going to throw me under the bus I was going to embarrass her. This was our relationship; a constant pissing match. Needy and dysfunctional. My reply was nonchalant but only she knew what I was doing. "Oh, this is just what I listen to all the time on my iPod." She may wanted to be viewed as the embodiment of what mainstream conservative reformers defined as motherhood but I was going be damned sure that everyone knew I was the dirty teenager that listened to non Christian music on an iPod unsupervised. She sarcastically rolled her eyes and said "oh, well that's nice." as she shut the laptop and changed the conversation. It was in this moment that I experienced a fury so powerful in my chest that I had to go to the bathroom as I fantasized about burning the building down. I was so angry. The truth is I was devastated and extremely hurt but emotional regulation and being in touch with your feelings isn't something we were raised with. Looking back now it's funny to me. I love my mom, she's funny and broken like everyone else. I don't blame her for how she handled that. I know how susceptible she is to the pressure of her version of society. She's a conformer to her own social subculture even if she thinks her lifestyle is her being bold and brave. She is who she is and I love almost everything about her. Remembering this story got me thinking about how so many children of the extremely religious end up leaving their parents faith for awhile. I've seen kid after kid break their parents hearts. I was one of those kids. And while leaving was the best thing I could have done for my relationship with myself and with my parents, I sometimes wonder how different the transition from dependent teenager to independent adult would be if a parent placed a higher value on the relationship with their child than on the lifestyle choices the child adheres to. Many kids leave and make themselves new only to return to the original lifestyle but with more healthy relationship habits. Some leave and the bond between parent and child is broken for good. I notice this more in extreme fundamentalist families. Also the rate of personality disorders, addiction and impulse control problems is rampant in fundamentalist children. Why is this? What makes the difference between a kid leaving his or her parents religion but growing/ figuring themselves out and a child leaving and falling apart. I sometimes think this has to do with bonding. As human beings we all have an innate need to bond. It's said that if we can't bond with the people around us, we'll bond with something less savory. I think back to my parents and what they valued. Not what they said they valued but what they actually priced with high worth. It's wasn't relationships. It wasn't kindness or humility. It wasn't their children. It was their lifestyle. All the checks and balances that were proof of their security from whatever in their past haunted them. It wasn't morality. It was things that represented a predefined and structured replacement of values. It doesn't require heart, just commitment and a lot of pride. This was why it was it was so easy for my mom to humiliate me in front of her church friends. She placed a much higher value on the lifestyle she had adhered to than she had placed on me as her child or her relationship with me. I think kids leave their religious roots when they know deep down inside that their parents faith isn't real. That their love for them wasn't real, or best very selfish and needy. It's a narcissistic thing for parents to require a growing adult to meet their egos needs in order to be loved and excepted. When people ask me if I'm bitter or resentful of my parent for prioritizing my heart last on their list or not supporting me because I'm gay. My stock answer is no because I don't want people to know that I, like everyone else, am slightly broken and a little messed up in my own way. But the truth is nobody goes through life untouched and it's important to share these things because they may help someone else. The truth is, it is possible to be healthy and move on and forgive all while still being a little angry or sad. I wouldn't expect my parents to change their beliefs for me because I wouldn't want them to expect the same of me. I value their independence and what they have done for themselves and who they are. I also value these same things in myself. And because of that I hold people accountable for how they treat the people around them, including myself. Growing godly taught me one thing. It taught me about false morality. It taught me to judge and be arrogant and I could be bitter about that if I wanted to. But I'm not. I'm not because growing up godly gave me a perfect representation of how easy it is to throw people aside and what pain can come of living in a bubble of your own arrogance and lack of empathy. In a way, I'm now hypersensitive to to the needs of others and wrestle with flaws in my character rather than flaws in my lifestyle. I don't remember anyone I went to church with caring about their character or their heart as much as they cared about gay guys getting married or women daring to speak up for their rights. I think the way I grew up was labeled as godly but actually the farthest thing from godly. I think I want to raise my kids to be godly. To love the hurting, feed the hungry, and defend the marginalized. I think I want to be godly in that way. To love without expectations or requirements. To know what I believe and who I am but not be so insecure and unsure that I have to belittle or shake my head at someone who isn't just like me. I'd like to teach my kids to love even those who don't agree and to not require compliance with their ideas in order to embrace and support people. That seems like a godly endeavor to me.

[jali-writes]

[headcanon] celebrations in the poke-verse

I’ve based my opinions largely around Japanese Shinto, generalized pagan rituals, and whatever’s been outlined in the anime/movies of the Pokemon franchise to date, without outright naming any holidays specific to our world.

In Roommates, Thanksgiving is glossed over as an unnamed holiday/long-weekend thing where people have family dinners. This is just a general harvest celebration. It’s a time where kith & kin pretty much just get together to share the bounty. Historically, it was also a good way for young, marriageable single people to meet others of their kind and potentially kindle a romance.

Halloween is just Halloween. It seems nobody can pinpoint a specific reason for it existing, and by most pagan calendars, it symbolizes the new year and/or yet another harvest celebration. So young kids go out to harvest candy, and the older kids stay in to hand out candy, and the parents get a break for a few hours.

They don’t have Christmas because Christ and Christianity never existed. They do have several successive commemorations and holidays, including the big winter solstice, and the turning of the calendar year. There’s generally nonstop partying during this period, so most employers give their staff the 2-3 weeks off. It’s common practice to drink alcohol during this time as, yet again, it’s another facet of the harvest season come to a close. Historically, you’d have all your ale or meade or whatever you specialized in making all fermented and ready to go, and everyone would celebrate your craft by sampling it. This became a generalized excuse to drink. Due to the darkness implied by the winter solstice, it’s also a time to remember the past and think towards the future, making plans and learning from or correcting mistakes as the year rolls over. Couples wanting a child thought conceiving during this period would bring about a healthier child and a safer pregnancy because maligned spirits would be left behind in the old year. So yeah, there’s a lot of sex going on. It’s a holiday about plenty: plenty of food, friends, family, fun, and fucking. :D

The turning of the year is just the same as we typically observe it. It’s still technically part of the greater solstice festivities, so same practices apply.

About Weddings

Historically, boy meets girl, they fall in love, they decide to get married. Engagements basically lasted from whenever one partner presented their lover with a token of material affection and a declaration to marry, until all the premarital ceremonies had taken place and they were declared married. (Sometimes both would exchange tokens.) This meant engagement could be anywhere from a few days, to a few years long, depending on the couple’s commitment to tradition, and their families’ willingness to participate.

Before the wedding, the parents (or facsimile thereof) of each person willing to be married would meet in a public setting and exchange gifts, signifying their acceptance of the engagement and willingness to peacefully collaborate with the other family. Doing it in public meant nobody could go back on their word, or claim they were slighted. The engaged couple ideally were there, just to make it look more official, but they weren’t necessary. Gifts would be negotiated upon and were generally agreed to be of equal value, so that nobody felt like they were sacrificing too much, or being paid off. There is no typical gift; anything goes, as long as both parties accept the terms.

The next ritual is to have the engaged couple battle each other’s kin (or whoever chooses to step forward as their proxy, in the event they have no family, or nobody has any pokemon). This is a display of their strength and commitment to each other, and declares their ability to protect and support their mate. Historically, everyone had at least one working pokemon, but as industry expanded, many people took paths outside of being trainers. Modern couples might rent trainer proxies, or if committed, will take up battling crash courses to learn how to do it themselves, if only for the wedding. With the advent of formalized gyms, if your mate was a gym leader, you could choose to battle them, or have any number of your kith and kin step forward on your behalf to battle them. Traditionally a battle of 10 matches was the maximum, but some* gym leaders like to show off as a matter of prestige and pride.

*One particular couple from Kanto relentlessly battled each other for two straight days. The battle was ended in a draw when they and their vast teams collapsed. It was estimated they had battled over 300 matches.

The wedding itself was traditionally held in a natural setting, in the spring or early summer before the solstice, as a symbol of fertility and new beginnings. The village would gather to observe, but in modern times, people typically invited their colleagues, friends, and family, and wedding ceremonies became a less public affair. There would be an area for audience to one side, facing a fire pit, and immediate family on the other side, all to symbolize inclusivity. The fire pit became a candle-lighting ceremony over time, as many brides complained about their clothes catching fire.

The couple would be walked out from opposing sides of the fire, brought to each other by their parents (or facsimile thereof). If they had any pokemon, they would walk with them; traditionally one or two, depending on size. It was meant to remind both parties (and the audience) of their roots; where they came from and where they were going, and to indicate support and community. 

Each would toss a handful of herbs or wood chips into the fire pit (later, they would each light a candle) to symbolize those who had not been there to witness the marriage, as a way to include friends and family who were away on journeys, or who had passed away.

A piece of jewelry was the widely accepted token of marriage, although additional gifts were at the discretion of the couple and their parents. Wooden or leather pendants or bracelets were historically favored, but as manufacturing became easier, jewelry of semiprecious or precious metals became the norm. In Alolan tradition, the couple are tattooed the same image on the same part of the body, symbolizing unity of spirit and body. Many elderly couples have matching armbands, though popular trend is blending with mainland propensity for hand jewelry, so young couples are opting for matching tattooed bracelets or finger tattoos. In Kalos, the sudden trend for ornate gold rings caused scandal and nearly bankrupted the region. In Kanto and Johto, finely-braided silk bracelets were popular for hundreds of years, and in Hoenn, a hand-carved stone pendant for the bride, and a woven leather necklace for the groom were thought to be ideal.

The officiant of the ceremony is usually the village elder, or a paid professional. They mainly keep everyone quiet when necessary, and guide the couple through the steps. No one else is directly involved.

The couple introduce themselves formally, usually following a script. They are asked to state their purpose (marrying so-and-so) willingly and with great affection. It’s very important to note this, because arranged marriages, weddings to those who could not speak for themselves, or forced marriages were extremely frowned upon. It was thought that with a lengthy, public, inclusive premarital and marriage ceremony, any suspicion of foul play or weak nerves would be worked out, and the wedding could be canceled at any time.

The couple exchange tokens and join hands, and the officiant loosely ties ribbons or silk rope around their hands, visually symbolizing their bond. Historically, the couple were not allowed to remove the ropes themselves; they would have to fall off naturally from wear. It was considered the worst omen to befall you if your hand-fastening had to be cut loose. As such, brides would wear specially-designed dresses with only one sleeve and open lacing down their exposed arm’s side so their imminent husband could undress them for their wedding night. After the ropes naturally fell off (a few days later, though many couples discretely removed them before retiring for their wedding night, because trying to perform toilet functions was embarrassing), there would be another ceremony to announce the marriage’s success and they’d be thrown into an eager crowd of unmarried youngsters, hoping to catch its good luck for their own future wedding. 

The rope toss later became a bouquet toss from the bride, and a garter toss from the groom. The bride was considered fertility incarnate on her wedding day, and anything having lain on her skin was considered sacred and vital. In some regions, the bride wears several additional veils or tied-on skirts, and discards them during the after-party. The groom was also thought to embody male fertility and protection, therefor a ceremonial knife became a standard accessory for many regions’ grooms; the phallic shape being obvious, but the knife’s capacity to be used offensively, or in a productive and creative sense (ie: to prepare food or help build shelter) became desired traits a groom would want to present. In addition to a token to signify the marriage, grooms touting ceremonial knives would present their weapons to their brides in good intent.

The officiant would present the now married couple to their family on one side, and the community on the other. At this point they were free to dash through the crowd, but many took to kissing beforehand, so it became a tradition of the guests trying to grab the bride or groom’s free hand and kiss it for luck or well-wishing. (Modernly, people mostly just hi-five and call it even.)

At the after-party, any gifts from the community are accepted and the couple are encouraged to drink and dance and kiss as much as anyone can coerce them to. The bride will toss her bouquet (or veils or additional skirts) and the groom will tease around under her skirt for a stocking garter; if she doesn’t have one, a pair of light gloves or handkerchief tucked into her bodice during the ceremony will do. Those who have yet to marry are most incensed to catch any of these artifacts, but those hoping to conceive a child are also willing to participate, hoping to imbue themselves with the borrowed fresh fertility.

Same-sex couples tend to carry out similar rituals, as it’s considered a community event, more than simply the couple in front of an audience. Community and inclusivity are the foundation of the Pokemon world, the way I see it.

[blackdogpanopticon]

Music = Life

So when I began to think about what I would like my first post (other than my introduction) to be about, I think the topic quite quickly jumped out at me. Or to use a related term, its caught me like an ear worm. Music for me has always dominated my life, in the best possible way. I personally can't live without it. To get the cliche out of the way, because it needs to be said; music is life. Its in everything we do. Its in the beat of your feet as you walk down the street. Its in the voices of young children who are learning how to form their first words. Its the very context in which my life is set i suppose; or at least a large part of the context.

It goes right back to the parents doesn't it. My dad was and always will be massively into music. And he really knows his stuff in my opinion. From the Ramones to Sandy Denny, Bob Dylan to Nirvana, Led Zep to Bright Eyes (one of the few acts we have seen together, amazing gig, don't get me started! Ha!). Even my mother who has never been massively into music has her favourite artists and things, Adam and the Ants, Van Morrison etc. So that's where it starts doesn't it, they set and create your first influences by showing you their interests and in this way you develop your own. You draw from your friends, acquaintances and enemies alike.

When I was younger my first big musical taste/love/subculture of my own was emo, punk rock, mosh and hardcore. I was an emo kid I will proudly say. I don't care what you think of that, but you should know it about me. And so it went that from a young age I learnt to play drums and always played in bands. I never did any serious gigs, a few here and there. All my bands always fell out even before it got to that point! Ha. But I was a competent drummer and I used to love playing, practising and jamming. I spent a lot of time on it and it was a big part of my childhood. But we shall come back to this topic in a future article I am certain.

For now I want to try to talk about the influence of music on issues of mental health and vice versa. As you know, music and mental health have a massive interlink, an intersection, an intrinsic bond. I will always remember my dad showing me Nirvana (my little bro got them before I did to give him credit actually, props). And then he told me about Kurt (RIP). And I think from that point onward I think I always realised that music was more than just a something, its a higher power essentially I think.

And it got me thinking about the tunes from my past that instantly make me think about the bond between music and mental health. The first one that jumped right out at me was “Med’s by Placebo”. Now if you know this song the chorus is very blatant almost blunt and its clear to me its probably about schizophrenia, psychosis or bipolar etc. But in it are some beautiful poises, for instance:  “I was confused by the powers that be, forgetting names and faces, passers by were looking at me, as if they could erase it”. Now I didn’t realise, but our Brian Moloko has suffered from depression himself, and he does work to try and help break the stigma around the issue. I mean the song itself does that, but he also does other stuff http://www.nme.com/news/music/placebos-brian-molko-need-break-stigma-around-discussing-mental-health-2146515.

“Numb” by Linkin Park is another one. I obviously never realised when I was a child because I never really used to think about anything because i used to be daft! But its so blatantly obviously an ode to himself about the person depression has forced him to become, Chester Bennington (RIP) that is. An it goes; “I've become so numb, I can't feel you there, become so tired, so much more aware by becoming this all I want to do, is be more like me and be less like you”.  Deep. And when I was listening to this the other day I almost shed a tear, I felt a build up of emotion inside me. Which is a complete double edge sword. On the one hand it was nice, in fact it was more than nice, to be able to feel the emotion. The emotion that someone who helped shaped me in my younger days felt so numb he had to leave this world. But the fact that Chester is gone, is tragic beyond words. Seriously one of the nicest and most amazing singers ever. Mad love.

Now that I am a bit more grown up and urban (lol!) in my musical taste, I love it when I hear songs that are about mental health issues specifically or loosely. For instance “Lovesick by Mura Masa featuring ASAP Rocky” goes:  “Cause I'm sipping Pro, yeah, that meth is pro, Promethazine, yeah, a stepping stone. Oh, they acting up? Get your weapon drawn. They only killing time, another second gone. I heard your man ain't home, now you melatone. But you acting young and you hella grown”. And whilst this song is clearly about his love life (it was originally about his [ASAP Rocky’s] sex life according to Mura Masa https://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/09/30/asap-rocky-mura-masa-lovesick/), it is also clearly about the impact that his love life (or its demise) had on his ability to sleep and therefore his mental well being. The lyrics are actually very clever and subtle to be fair; they say that a love life is clearly something to be desired (i mean who doesn’t want to share their life with some one else?) but that it can also have negative ramifications.  

Stepping towards current (ish! gimme a chance I am currently in the process of updating my music library after my latest wrestle with the black dog!) and more direct songs about mental health we have “Voices by Disclosure featuring Sasha Keable”. I can’t seem to find any information on this one but even if you haven’t heard it (I think you would have been living under a rock or something) its very clear what it is about. I like this one though because it actually names and shames some of the issues that you might experience when you are suffering, for instance: “You bring out the darkest side of me, chased up from a place that I can't reach, I would love to practice what I preach, you bring out the good girl side of me”. Its that whole thing of wanting to be able to do something or change something but you can’t because you are ill.

And I think for me that’s the crux of this article. When you are ill, your life is taken away from you, you loose control of it and you can’t do anything or engage with anything. For me, when I am ill, I stop wanting to listen to music. And that is tragic in my opinion. Because, as I say, music is life. So its indicative and highly illustrative of the main problem that depression causes. Man, I listen to the radio, such as BBC Radio 4 (because I am super middle class ja) instead but I think that is mainly to block out the silence and try block my negative thoughts. I’ve never really questioned why I don’t want to listen to music when I am unwell but now that I have thought about it, I think on a subconscious (controversial word!) level its to do with the fact that music reminds me of when my life was going well. Music is the sound track to every good moment I have had in my life, its the events around which the seminal moments of my life has revolved around (gigs, festivals etc) and it makes you happier when you are happy. But for me, it doesn’t make me better when I am unwell, it just makes me more numb. Which as I say, is tragic and forces me to push it away.

So, on a final note, now that my life is back to where I want it to be, now that I actually have control, I have been rinsing the tunes so to speak. My Spotify Prime (if you don’t have it are you actually a person? lol I joke) library has grown exponentially in the last few months from a piddly few artists to a vast and diverse plethora of current music which I can use to frame and shape the coming moments in my life. I love being into music, they say that the people that show you new music in your life are the important ones. And its so true. That’s why I am a total music fiend and I love being up to date with whats going on the world of music. From Rudimental to Kendrizzy Lemar, from DJ Seinfeld to Four Tet, from Grimes to Aluna George. The more you educate yourself the happier you can make yourself and the people around you! You can meet some amazing people through music as well (idea for an article maybe?! ha lol), it brings people together man. Which is why I have got so many gigs lined up in the coming months. Now when I see a gig I am interested in I try and buy the tickets straight away so I don’t miss out. I get bad FOMO! Coming up gigs wise I have got Knower, Charlie Parr, Lets Eat Grandma and Mansion of Snakes. I am excited about all of these gigs. I am excited to create new moments in my life, I am excited to experience new things, but above all; I am excited to be in control of my life and the things that are entering my ear drums! =)

And its great to be able to say that.

[allineednow]

<p>The Ultimate Survival Guide For Dealing With In-Laws: Dos And Don'ts For A Peaceful Life</p>

Relationships psychologist, writer and Relate ambassador Anjula Mutanda clarifies the in-law dynamic as "a tug of love and a power struggle". She informs HuffPost UK: "What often gets in the way is that, with in-laws, the parents see their child as a child and continue to deal with them that way even when they're in a relationship. They see it as: you follow in line with us, these are the rules."

However, it doesn't - and shouldn't - have to be this way. To assist you navigate life with 'the in-laws', we spoke to household relationship experts and compiled a survival guide of dos and don'ts. You're welcome.

Do talk about your family dynamic before fulfilling them

Mutanda says one of the main things for avoiding family feuds is giving your spouse a heads up about what your family members are like before they even meet them. Address the simple things such as: Why are they huggers or handshakers?

It's important to give your family a whole run-down on your spouse too, letting them know about what they are comfortable and uncomfortable with.

"Those kind of things really set the scene and build the boundaries," she explains. "Steer clear of hot button issues - such as Trump - and determine beforehand whether you would like to talk about things like politics."

Do put on a 'united front' when broaching difficult topics

One of the greatest - and most volatile - issues that Mutanda comes across is when couples don't stand by one another while dealing with the in-laws. "If, for instance, you've got pushy in-laws and you have determined that you and your spouse don't want to go to their home at Christmas, you want to address it together," she says.   "You have to agree what you are going to say and stick with it."

What you shouldn't do, however, is turn up to your parents home and rely on your spouse to do the talking. Similarly, don't backtrack and end up agreeing with your parents over your spouse. Remember: you are in this together.

Do stick up for your spouse

Couples therapist Michael Kallenbach says you should always back your spouse in any dispute with the in-laws. "You don't have to curry favour with the in-laws, impress them or make them like you," he adds.

Don't criticise the in-laws

It's one thing siding with your spouse, it's another berating their family members in front of them. Mutanda recommends avoiding criticising them altogether. She says that instead you can ask your partner about the things you don't quite know about their parents (your in-laws). It's certainly a more diplomatic approach.

Don't get hammered in their existence

At family parties it may be tempting to drink excessively so as to handle the situation. But Mutanda states, in her experience, it's best to avoid getting drunk as smoking will inevitably loosen the tongue and you are 98% certain to say something you'll regret.

Don't take your in-laws for granted

Yes, your spouse's parents will probably want to participate with your kids, but it doesn't mean you can assume they're going to drop everything and babysit whenever you want them to.

Mutanda says it's super important to forward plan so parents and family members "feel included and that their feelings are being taken into consideration".

"Don't leave communication plans to the last minute, it's best to plan three months in advance," she advises. Otherwise, you're going to end up with a fight on your hands.

Relate counsellor Rachel Davies adds that it's great to show appreciation for your in-laws when they provide advice about how to look after the children. "You can always do your own thing when they're not there," she says.

Do remember special dates

It's a small thing but recalling your in-laws' anniversaries and birthdays can prove crucial.   Kallenbach says it's also great to instil this tradition from the kids throughout their childhood. "As the kids get older it is going to be easier for you to remind them to remember the occasion with flowers and cards," he says. "Remember, your connection with the in-laws will not be just like the relationship your kids have with their grandparents."

Do put boundaries in place when it comes to your kids

If both sets of grandparents would like to be involved with your child's upbringing, that's perfectly fine. But equally, don't be afraid to put your foot down.

Firstly, when it comes to babysitting, you will need to lay down some golden rules.   Katharine Hill, UK Director of Care for the Family, offers her advice: "Do accept all of the help you can get, particularly if it's your first child. But don't be afraid to put down some borders  -- for instance, it's ok to suggest times when you would most appreciate help and to explain that, as new parents, you would also like to have some space to get acquainted with your little one by yourselves."

When it comes to raising your kids, you should also be firm but fair.   Kallenbach advises: "Remember you have a certain set of rules and regulations as to how you bring up your kids. Your in-laws might be from another generation and have their own perspectives on such subjects.   Be polite and hold your ground, but don't be pushed around."

Hill says you ought to discuss some points of friction with your partner first, so that you are in full agreement with one other, before broaching the topic with your in-laws.

Do limit the time you spend with them (if desired)

If things are particularly strained with yours and the in-laws' connection, don't be afraid to speak to your partner about it and negotiate the amount of time you spend in their company.

"Be very clear with your spouse that it's a difficult relationship," states Mutanda. "Limit the amount of time you spend together. Sometimes your spouse can visit their parents on their own.   If you do go to visit them, make sure it's only for a few hours and agree this beforehand. Be respectful of that time."

To smooth things over, she urges sending a message following the visit letting them know it was nice to see them.

Don't be hard on yourself if you don't bond straight away

You might want to develop a strong bond with your spouse's mum, but you can't rush these relationships.   "It will most likely take some time to get acquainted with their family and build a strong connection," says Davies.

Don't see them as being responsible for your spouse's ways

Davies adds that occasionally you might see your in-laws as responsible for things that need improvement in your relationship. But while your spouse was once a child being parented by them, that's no longer the case - and they can't be held to blame for their offspring's actions.

In a similar vein, comparison is never a great idea - especially when reflected in a negative light. "Don't say things like 'you're just like your [mum/dad]'," says Davies. "Comparisons generally speaking don't make others feel good."

Don't see them as 'the in-laws' 

It might go against every grain in your body but Relate counsellor Rachel Davies says sometimes it's good to concentrate on your partner's parents as individuals who have strengths and weaknesses, as opposed to just "the in-laws".

"Take an interest in every one of them as people in their own right," she adds.

"Do make an effort to be kind, respectful and generous as it's in everyone's interests in the event that you're able to get on."

Princess Eugenie's engagement announcement  today was swiftly fulfilled by a gushing mommy tweet from Sarah Ferguson, who not only proclaimed her love for soon-to-be son-in-law Jack Brooksbank, but also described him (rather bizarrely) as "a son, a brother and a best friend".

Whether over-familiar or downright difficult, relationships with the in-laws can be a real rollercoaster. And they don't always get easier to deal with as time passes, either.

[reputablehqs]

G A L L U S.

(adj). | ˈɡaləs |

bold, cheeky, or flashy

NAME: liliana ‘lily’ reyes

AGE: twenty-two

PRONOUNS: she/her

OCCUPATION: photographer and film student at Columbia

SECRET: She first entered the U.S at 17 with a tourist visa, but in order to stay in the country she managed to fake some immigration papers in order to enroll in Columbia and be able to work. She’s trying to figure things out and become a legal resident, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult for her. It terrifies her the thought of being deported and losing everything she’s accomplished.

FC: Camila Mendes

R E L A T I O N S H I P with S T E L L A

Lily and Stella were never really friends, actually, for the most part they barely got along at all, and avoided interacting as much as possible. They had one class together in Columbia, some elective they both took, but surely enough they found themselves debating each other in most classes, her opinions clashing and their more thank obvious backgrounds surfacing.However they tried to always keep it cordial, there was no reason to feud over something as silly as a class. Stella finding out about Lily’s immigration status was purely a coincidence, wrong time, wrong place. One day, she overheard the girl speaking over the phone with Francesca, discussing all about her illegal immigration status and just overall stressing about it, and the paperwork, after a while she noticed Stella’s presence and confronted her about it. She ended up spilling the beans to her in a weird bonding moment, Stella listened to everything Lily  had been holding back, her parents, and her concern for the future, and in that brief moment, she seemed for the most part interested in her story, she even offered to help, but Liliana knew better than to involve any more people, the less people  knew about it the better. Stella swore not to tell a thing, and for some weird reason, Lily believed her, she trusted not to say a thing.

After that Stella and Lily’s dynamic in class didn’t change much, they still debated all the time, but there seemed to be some kind of unspoken understanding, some complicity that wasn’t there before, with secretive smiles included. So, when Stella disappeared Lily never thought much about it, after all she had basically ghosted her parents in Brazil, so she initially thought Stella was doing something similar, as time went by, and the buzz surrounding Stella grew stronger Lily started worrying just the tiniest bit, however she was far too busy to engage in the subject any more. What happened next she could never see coming, Stella seemed to be back, and for some outrageous reason she was coming for Lily, the girl could not believe this was actually happening, her entire world could crumble down if the truth ever came out.

G A L L U S is currently closed.         BIOGRAPHY FOUND UNDER THE CUT.

Liliana “Lily” Reyes was born in Brazil to a less than privileged family, her parents had her at sixteen and being kids themselves they were not particularly apt to take care of another child. Money was a struggle for sure, specially given the fact that most of what they got was spent in alcohol and drugs. Thankfully she could count on most of her neighbors to help her get by, but specially the Russo’s, they were a young couple of Italian adventurers who fell in love with Brazil and happened to live in the apartment next door. They knew all about the struggles of the Reyes, hell, everyone in that building knew about it, but the Russo’s made sure Liliana had everything she could possibly need, they would drive her to school, buy her new clothes, teach her to to speak English, they made sure she had cake on her birthday and even helped her with school projects. She was like the kid they never had. Plus, the Reyes never complained about it, it was great for them having someone else watching their kid while they were out in some corner getting drunk and high.  Since Lily would spend a lot of time at the Russo’s, she picked up a lot of things from them, like her passion for film, music and photography, it was Francesca the first person to ever give her a camera on her tenth birthday and who taught her all the basics about photography, the fact that Lily had a natural talent to make things look beautiful through the lens made it all more easy for her. While on the other hand Angelo turned her into an absolute film junkie, they would watch movies almost every night after finishing her homework, and they even made some short little homemade films of their own, Lily would come up with the story, Francesca would turn their living room into a set and she and Angelo would act it out while Lily directed and filmed. It was probably thanks to the Russo’s that Lily grew up as a happy, fun and loving person, her home life was far from perfect, but in a weird little way she found a family.

Despite the Russo’s generosity and affection, Lily still had to deal with her actual home life. Growing up with negligent parents turned Lily into a fiercely independent girl from a very young age, she would cook meals and clean after the mess, while also keeping up with school, and as she grew up she took care of more and more things, like making sure the bills were being payed and that her parents made it home at night. It was hard, and took a tole on her emotionally. She grew up believing that this was all she was ever going to amount in life. Until one day, it wasn’t. By the time Liliana turned 17 she was about to graduate high school, and although she was good with academics it was art what stole her heart, she was an amazing self-taught photographer with an outstanding portfolio, and more than anything she wanted to study film, She wanted to make movies, and she just knew that wasn’t possible to achieve in a little town in Brazil. By some miracle’s luck, Columbia University had actually liked her application, they liked her so much they even offered her a full ride scholarship, she was so close she couldn’t believe it, but how on earth could she possibly afford to live in New York? It was the Russo’s who convinced her, it was a one in a lifetime opportunity, and she was not about to waste it. So she made a decision, she was leaving, leaving her deadbeat parents and her low-life. She gathered all she could, all her clothes and important belongings, some equipment she’d manage to get her hands on (A couple of used cameras, some lenses, etc), some forged papers, and with the help of Angelo and Francesca she bought a one way ticket to New York. She landed in the U.S with 1500$ and a suitcase, from then on it was an adventure.

Flash forward five years and Liliana has climbed her way up to the top, she’s had an extremely successful run at Columbia, her professors praise her art and her work ethic, she’s already made two short films and a documentary that drew attention to her work.  Finally for the last couple of years (and after having had to take several jobs in order to settle down and get her footing) her work as a photographer has been finally recognized in the “real world”, she started working as a fashion photographer for several magazines and brands and she was named one of the up-and-coming artists to watch this year. Although she’s finally getting her big break, Lily is barely enjoying having a somewhat stable life in New York, she still has one more year to go in Columbia, and she was able to rent a small but comfortable apartment in  Brooklyn. However she is far from being on the same level of the extremely rich people that surround her, something that quite frankly doesn’t bother her at all, it’s almost as if she was meant to live that kind of life, without having lots of designer clothes and cars and money, she goes through parties, galas and events like it’s nothing, she sweet talks her way with the press, and she moves almost effortlessly through the crowds.

In a sea full of people you’ll be able to find Lily, whether it’s because she’s wearing a glamorous outfit straight from the 70′s, or because she’s looking straight into your soul with a  Nikon D850, But most likely it’s because she’s clumsily laughing way too loud, she’s cracking an inappropriate joke to a figure or authority, or because she’s flashing a cheeky smile to you across the room. That’s just who she is, against all odds Liliana has had a serendipitous life, and that shines through her personality. She’s bold and brash, hard working and passionate, she lives for her art and her craft, ever since moving to the U.S Lily has become a free spirit, free from her past and its struggles, she’s happy, adroit and just overall effulgent to whoever meets her. Her personality is fun, cool and adventurous.

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Required Reading

Andy Warhol’s first photo booth self-portrait, “Self-Portrait” (1963–64), is going to auction at Sotheby’s London. Priscilla Frank writes: “Sotheby’s describes the piece as a ‘turning point,’ as it’s the first time Warhol incorporated his own image into his work.” (via Huffington Post)

Carolina Miranda of the LA Times scored an important interview. She talks to Sam Durant about his “Scaffold” project that was dismantled at Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center. He reasserts that he doesn’t feel censored:

Censorship is when a more powerful group or individual removes speech or images from a less powerful party. That wasn’t the case. The Dakota are certainly not more powerful, in political terms, or in terms of the international art world. I could have said at any point, “No, I want the work to stay up as it is, end of story. Walker, you deal with it.”

But I chose to do what I did freely. For me, it was that the work no longer fulfilled my intentions. I always hope my work would be in support of Native American struggle and justice. To hear that it was harming them, I felt terrible. I had to change it.

When [the mediation session] ended, the mood was good. From my perspective, I was like, “Oh, wow, I just did something that has never been done. And what does this mean? I hope I made the right decision.” I had those kinds of feelings. But as time went on, I know I did the right thing.

On the morning of April 24, Delhi’s architecture community was shocked that, in the middle of the night, the city’s Hall of Nations and the four Halls of Industries had been demolished. The Hall of Nations was the world’s first and largest-span space-frame structure built in reinforced concrete. It also holds special significance in India’s postcolonial history — it was inaugurated in 1972 to commemorate 25 years of the country’s independence. Here are some thoughts on the tragic history of architectural preservation in India (images below):

The demolition was met with widespread condemnation by architects and historians alike, not just because of the loss of an important piece of Delhi’s heritage, but also for the clandestine manner in which the demolition was conducted.

… There are two significant questions that beg to be asked at this point. First, how in a city with several heritage preservation agencies does a situation arise where the judiciary is left to make calls on the fate of structures widely viewed as having heritage value? Second, what exactly constitutes the architectural heritage of a city with a history spanning more than two millennia?

‘Tearing down an icon’ Hall of nations was one of the most iconic buildings of Indian modernism and engineering skill. ‘It represented a young nation’s optimism and belief in progress through science and innovation.’ The idea of a national building was achieved here by sheer architectural and engineering merit being the first concrete space frame in India and probably one of its kind in the world. Title and Excerpt-Indian Express At Pragati Maidan With @dhwani_._ @shahkunth Picture courtesy – @shahkunth @s__nilay #delhidiaries #capital #monochromeemotions #concrete #iconic #hallofnations #leewardists #indiapictures #_soi #tearingdown #deathofmordernism #engineering #marvel #indiantravelsquad #incredibleindia

A post shared by nilay (@s__nilay) on May 17, 2017 at 11:45am PDT

Theodore Kerr writes about the six New York activists who changed the face of LGBTQ and AIDS activism with their “Silence = Death” slogan:

The origins of Silence = Death, which stands alongside We Shall Overcome, Sí Se Puede, We Are the 99%, and #blacklivesmatter as a touchstone of social justice movements, can be traced to a New York diner in 1985. Nights earlier, Socarrás recalls, he was “walking down Broadway towards Astor Place and having this irresistible impulse to throw myself on the sidewalk and pound my fists on the ground. I had to stop myself. I wanted to wail to heaven.” Over the previous few years he had lost so many men he loved that he stopped writing down their names after his list reached 100. That night, he remembers, he “watched that potential scenario [play out in my mind] and thought, ‘I can either do that or I can try to do something with this energy.’ ”

He reached out to Finkelstein, whose boyfriend had recently died, in hopes of connecting with someone who could empathize. They made a plan to meet, and Socarrás invited his friend Johnston to tag along. The three bonded over how their straight friends, as caring as some could be, had no comprehension of what gay men were going through during the epidemic. “It felt like we were in a movie,” Finkelstein remembers. “The depth of field shifted and everything went out of focus, because I felt so engaged by being able to talk publicly about something that no one else talked about publicly.”

Now you know what filter to use when you visit Joshua Tree — Gingham (enjoy):

Not everyone knows this, but the park was named after the cover of a 1987 U2 album that featured a shaggy Yucca brevifolia. None of the band members are wearing sunglasses in the cover photo, and they all look a bit grumpy, like someone wasn’t paying attention and they missed the exit for In-N-Out. Today, they would be hungry for something more vegetarian. Joshua trees have a shallow root system, not unlike the travellers blown here by wanderlust, and can be found scattered across the desert floor. Bono can be found—I don’t know. Davos, maybe?

Please go ahead and take a free foldout map of the park. These circles denote areas where you might like to park your Gulf Stream, climb on the roof, and extend your arms to the heavens, backlit by a solar flare. These circles are toilets.

English novelist Zadie Smith has written a controversial essay on the question of “who owns black pain?” It discusses the Schutz controversy at the Whitney Biennial extensively:

But there is an important difference between the invented “nigger” of 1963 and the invented African American of 2017: The disgust has mostly fallen away. We were declared beautiful back in the Sixties, but it has only recently been discovered that we are so. In the liberal circles depicted in Get Out, everything that was once reviled—our eyes, our skin, our backsides, our noses, our arms, our legs, our breasts, and of course our hair—is now openly envied and celebrated and aestheticized and deployed in secondary images to sell stuff. As one character tells Chris, “black is in fashion now.”

To be clear, the life of the black citizen in America is no more envied or desired today than it was back in 1963. Her schools are still avoided and her housing still substandard and her neighborhood still feared and her personal and professional outcomes disproportionately linked to her zip code. But her physical self is no longer reviled. If she is a child and comes up for adoption, many a white family will be delighted to have her, and if she is in your social class and social circle, she is very welcome to come to the party; indeed, it’s not really a party unless she does come. No one will call her the n-word on national television, least of all a black intellectual. (The Baldwin quote is from a television interview.) For liberals the word is interdicted and unsayable.

The editor of one of the only newspapers to endorse Trump for president writes about what people in his city think about the new occupant of the White House. They appear to still like him:

Last weekend I covered the opening of an exhibit at our historical society that pays tribute to a school desegregation saga that unfolded here in the 1950s; the event honored surviving members of the African American community who lived through a chapter in local history too long ignored. A big crowd, white and black, was on hand. Steps toward racial harmony happen even in Trump country.

While Trump carried Highland County heavily, there are people here who did not vote for him and who do not care for him. But overall, despite the avalanche of negative news stories, Trump’s support remains firm. Hillsboro’s mayor mentioned recently that he has noticed Trump yard signs popping up again, either in a show of support or a sign of defiance.

Mattel released the new “diverse” Ken dolls this week, and everyone is having a blast with them. My two favorite reactions:

“75 Lesbian Ken Dolls, Ranked By Lesbianism” (Autostraddle)

“Mattel Just Released a New Line of Ken Dolls and They’re All Fuckboys” (Betches)

Surprise, surprise … war profiteers are also refugee profiteers:

“I believe the influence of the military and security industry on the shaping of the [EU’s] border security policy is quite big, especially on the securitization and militarization of these and on the expanding use of surveillance technology and data exchange,” Stop Wapenhandel’s Mark Akkerman told Common Dreams. “Industry efforts include regular interactions with EU’s border institutions (including high ranking officials and politicians), where ideas are discussed that later turn up in new EU policy documents.”

“For example, the industry has been pushing for years to upgrade [EU border agency] Frontex to a cross-European border security agency,” Akkerman added. “The new European Border and Coast Guard Agency the European Commission has proposed, which has a lot more powers (has its own equipment, direct interventions in member states, binding decisions forcing member states to strengthen border security capacities) than Frontex has now, is exactly that.”

“If the establishment of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency proceeds,” the report notes, “this would mean a fundamental shift to an EU-controlled system of border security, with the possibility of bypassing the member states and forcing them to strengthen controls and purchase or upgrade equipment.”

“It is not hard to predict that this will lead refugees to use increasingly dangerous routes, strengthening the business case for traffickers. For the military and security industry, however it means the prospect of more orders from the agency itself and from member states,” the report continues.

The protests against what people are calling Trumpcare started this week, by ADAPT and other important activist groups. This image of Dawn Russell in DC has already come to represent the spirit of the protests:

Dawn Russell being loaded onto police bus for processing with her fist raised in POWER! #ADAPTandRESIST #SaveMedicaid #FreeOurPeople http://pic.twitter.com/HY7TTMLrhd

— DC Metro ADAPT (@DCAdapt) June 22, 2017

What’s next for New York’s High Line, and how has it influenced other park designs?

The 19 projects in the High Line Network represent a number of different adaptive reuse projects in various stages of progress, including Rail Park, a plan to turn three miles of disused railway in Philadelphia into a linear park; the Bentway, a proposal for a cultural hub beneath an expressway in Toronto; the 11th Street Bridge Park, a pedestrian walkway that will span the Anacostia River in southeastern Washington, D.C.; and Buffalo Bayou Park, a Houston initiative to make the city’s waterways accessible to the public. The inaugural group of members joined by invitation, based on some of the relationships the High Line had formed over the years.

While the projects vary in type, scope, and location, what unites them is an attempt to remake heavy-duty infrastructure into public space. Cities no longer have swathes of open space to build parks from scratch as they did 100 years ago, and the very definition of a park has changed. Cities now have to be more clever about where they find opportunities for public space. Because public space is in short supply–and real estate is expensive–these spaces have to pull double and triple duty to serve their communities. Meanwhile, cities have whittled their parks’ budgets down to virtually nothing, so securing development and long-term maintenance financing becomes a challenge.

This is depressing — “Women owe two-thirds of student loan debt“:

Women’s debt inequity is compounded by the gender pay gap; college-educated women working full-time earn 26% less than their male peers – and the gap widens over time.

The reasons for the income inequality vary, from job discrimination, to interrupting work due to childbirth. Whatever the cause, as the researchers explain: “When you combine higher debt with lower incomes after graduation, you get a recipe for financial hardship.”

Even with a degree, the debt burden can make it impossibly hard to navigate other challenges, from pursuing further graduate education, start saving for a future home or your own business, or leave an abusive relationship.

It’s Pride Day! Read about the “unsung history” of gay male circuit parties:

By the early 90s, some cities were having a “circuit party” every weekend, in places like the Roxy in New York, Probe in Los Angeles, clubs in San Francisco. Then it began expanding abroad, in places like Montreal and Europe, with the opening of megaclubs like Heaven in London.

By 1992, the Miami White Party had become famous because celebrities discovered South Beach. This is where the Latin influence came in as well. In 1996, arch-conservative Representative Bob Dornan, a Republican from California, condemned on the floor of Congress a party held at a federally-owned ballroom for the main event of the annual Cherry Party.

No question, the 90s were halcyon days for the circuit. Parties spread to mid-sized cities, like Cleveland’s Dancing in the Streets; Detroit’s Motorball; Louisville’s Crystal Ball. Most couldn’t sustain themselves. The circuit had reached saturation. People wanted to save up for the really big events—like White Party Palm Springs and the Black Party in New York—that were spectacular. The other parties would come and go.

And this went viral this week:

Quite possibly the best pair of T-Shirts i have ever seen http://pic.twitter.com/40R3K6DmjA

— Brad (@MovesLikeZagger) June 22, 2017

Required Reading is published every Sunday morning ET, and is comprised of a short list of art-related links to long-form articles, videos, blog posts, or photo essays worth a second look.

The post Required Reading appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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