#meanwhile in previous years id maybe like. make 6. 8.

[cachememory]

hello lgbts <3 i did a lot of art this year (except in september apparently) and for the first time ever can do this summary of art meme :) wahoo! 💛💛

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

President Trump’s quest to win a second term is not in good shape. He entered Tuesday night’s debate with roughly a 7- or 8-point deficit in national polls, putting him further behind at this stage of the race than any other candidate since Bob Dole in 1996.1

If we look at potential tipping-point states, the race is a bit closer, but not that much closer. After a couple of strong polls for Joe Biden earlier this week in Pennsylvania — the state that’s currently most likely to decide the election — Trump now trails there by 5 to 6 points. He’s down by about 7 points in Michigan and Wisconsin, meanwhile. Those states, along with Minnesota, Maine and New Hampshire — where Biden has also polled strongly lately — suggest that Biden is winning back some of the Obama-Trump white working-class voters who flocked to Trump four years ago. Indeed, Biden is as close to winning South Carolina or Alaska as Trump is to winning Michigan and Wisconsin, based on recent polls of those states.

At a time when Trump desperately needed a boost, the debate probably didn’t help him either — it may have hurt him. Every scientific poll we’ve seen had Trump losing the debate, some by narrow margins and some by wide ones.

That includes the poll FiveThirtyEight conducted with Ipsos, which surveyed the same group of voters before and after the debate. While the poll didn’t show a massive swing — most voters stuck to their initial preferences — more voters did rate Biden’s performance favorably, and Biden gained ground relative to Trump based on the number of voters who said they were certain to vote for him, roughly tantamount to a 3-point swing toward Biden in head-to-head polls.

Now, I’m not predicting this will happen, but if Biden’s national lead were to expand to 9 or 10 points, which is consistent with the sorts of polling bounces we’ve seen in the past for candidates who were perceived to win debates — especially challengers debating an incumbent for the first time — Trump’s situation could become quite desperate.

To be clear, none of this means that Trump’s chances are kaput. As of this writing, our forecast still gives him around a 21 percent chance of winning the Electoral College. That’s not great, but it’s a lot better than zero.

But it’s possible Trump’s chances may decline further after post-debate polling begins to roll into our forecast. Furthermore, the mere passage of time helps Biden in our model, because every day that Trump doesn’t gain ground is a day when his fate becomes slightly more sealed. (Lots of people have already voted!) Case in point: In an election held today — Trump has no more time to make up ground — his chances would be 9 percent, not 21 percent, according to our forecast.

Then again, there are some possibilities that our model doesn’t account for, and they have become more pertinent after Trump has repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and declined to commit to respecting the election results. As we wrote when launching the forecast:

We assume that there are reasonable efforts to allow eligible citizens to vote and to count all legal ballots, and that electors are awarded to the popular-vote winner in each state. The model also does not account for the possibility of extraconstitutional shenanigans by Trump or by anyone else, such as trying to prevent mail ballots from being counted.

Let’s back up for a second. This is FiveThirtyEight’s fourth presidential election campaign. And in the previous three, there was at least some question about who was ahead in the stretch run of the race. John McCain, for instance, briefly pulled ahead of Barack Obama following the 2008 Republican convention, and Obama didn’t really solidify his lead until early October. In 2012, national polls were very tight between Obama and Mitt Romney following the first presidential debate, and remained fairly tight thereafter (although Obama always maintained an Electoral College edge). And people forget how close the 2016 race was for stretches of the campaign; it was not such a huge upset. In fact, Hillary Clinton led by only 1.4 points in our national polling average heading into the first debate that year.

But there isn’t any of that ambiguity this time. Since we launched our general election polling averages on June 18, Biden has never led by less than 6.6 points nationally. Literally only one national poll — a Rasmussen Reports poll that put Trump ahead by less than a full percentage point — has shown Trump leading by any margin during that period. It’s been an exceptionally stable race.

But, amazingly, that hasn’t really shaken people’s confidence in Trump’s ability to win. In our own poll with Ipsos, we found respondents thought Biden and Trump had roughly equally likely chances of winning. And maybe that boils down to three perpetual sources of anxiety I hear in conversation with liberal friends or liberal readers:

Trump could win the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote by a wide margin.

There could be a large polling error in Trump’s favor.

Trump could somehow steal the election.

All three are legitimate sources of concern for Biden backers. The first two are relatively easy to quantify, however. Indeed, the whole purpose of a model like FiveThirtyEight’s presidential forecast is to answer questions like those. The third one, however, is harder to get a handle on, so let’s talk about No. 1 and 2 first..

The Electoral College could still help Trump, but it only goes so far

The possibility of an Electoral College, popular vote split remains a point in Trump’s favor. In fact, there’s an 11 percent chance that Trump wins the Electoral College but not the popular vote in our forecast (but less than a 1 percent chance the other way around). At the same time, Biden’s strength in the Upper Midwest relative to Clinton’s — at least, if polls are correct there — potentially mitigates this disadvantage to some extent. The table below shows Biden’s probability of winning the Electoral College given various popular vote margins, according to our forecast as of Wednesday afternoon. And as you can see, Biden is only truly safe to win the Electoral College once he has a popular vote margin of 5 points or more! But, he’s a fairly heavy favorite with a 3- to 5-point margin, and has roughly break-even odds with a 2- to 3-point margin.

Biden’s favored, if he wins the popular vote by +2 to +3 points

Chances of Biden winning the Electoral College under different popular vote scenarios, according to the FiveThirtyEight presidential forecast, as of Sept. 30

POPULAR VOTE MARGIN scenarios Biden’s chances of winning the ELECTORAL COLLEGE Biden +6 to Biden +7 >99% Biden +5 to Biden +6 98 Biden +4 to Biden +5 93 Biden +3 to Biden +4 77 Biden +2 to Biden +3 54 Biden +1 to Biden +2 29 TIE to Biden +1 11 Trump +1 to TIE 3 Trump +2 to Trump +1 <1

So, for practical purposes, you can take Biden’s lead in national polls and subtract 2 or 2.5 points from it to infer his margin in tipping-point states. In other words, if he’s ahead by around 7.5 points in national polls, that’s more like the equivalent of a 5-point lead in the Electoral College. That’s still a reasonably large advantage; empirically, it’s not that easy to overcome a 5-point deficit at this stage of the race.

A big polling error could help Trump … or Biden

One of the misconceptions I hear about FiveThirtyEight’s forecast is that “it assumes that polls are right.” Actually, in some sense the whole purpose of the forecast is to estimate the chance that the polls are wrong. In 2016, the polls did show Clinton ahead, but between tight margins in tipping-point states and the large number of undecided voters, there was a fairly high probability — around 30 percent, according to our forecast — that Trump was going to win anyway.

So while a polling error is possible — indeed, our forecast assumes there’s likely additional error this year because of an uptick in mail voting — it would still take a bigger error than in 2016 for Trump to win.

Assume that current polls hold until Election Day, and subtract 3 points from Biden’s margin in every state (roughly the average error in swing state polls in 2016) … Biden still wins Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin fairly comfortably, and therefore, the Electoral College; he’d also be a slight favorite in Arizona. And as our friends at the Upshot have calculated, even if you had a polling error of the exact same magnitude in the exact same states as in 2016, Biden would still win, albeit narrowly.

Of course, nothing intrinsically rules out a larger polling error. We had one in 1948 — when Dewey didn’t defeat Truman, after all — and in 1980, when Ronald Reagan won in an epic landslide instead of the narrow margin that polls predicted.

But there’s no guarantee such an error would favor Trump. Historically, the direction of polling bias has not been predictable from cycle to cycle; the same polls that underestimated Trump in 2016 tended to underestimate Obama and Democrats in 2012, for instance. If anything, to the extent there are polling errors, they sometimes come in the opposite direction of what the conventional wisdom expects.

I want to spend more time on this topic in the coming days, so I won’t go on at too much length here. But for now, know that a 7-point Biden lead on Election Day could, indeed, turn into a 2-point Biden popular vote win where Trump narrowly wins the Electoral College.

As I wrote earlier in the piece, our forecast gives Trump about a 9 percent chance of winning an election held today despite his current deficit in polls — not bad when you’re 7 points down! But it’s about equally likely that a 7-point Biden lead could translate into a 12-point Biden win, in which he’d not only carry states like Georgia and Texas, but would also have a shot in South Carolina, Alaska and Montana.

Trump’s comments on respecting the election outcome are deeply worrisome, but it’s hard to estimate his chances of overturning the result

Hoo, boy. At some point I’m going to have to write a column about this too, I suppose. As I said at the outset, our forecast assumes that the election is free and fair — at least to the extent that past elections that we used to train the model were free and fair. (Throughout American history, there has always been plenty of voter suppression and voter disenfranchisement.)

But for now, let me advance a few propositions:

Even a small probability that the U.S. could become a failed or manifestly undemocratic state is worth taking seriously.

There are a wide range of things that Trump could attempt to do, many of which would be quite damaging to the country, but they are not necessarily equally likely to succeed.

Trump’s actions are much more likely to actually change the result of the election if the outcome is close, and right now, the most likely scenario is that Biden wins by a not-so-close margin.

Beyond that, it’s hard to estimate the probability that Trump could steal the election to any degree of precision. It requires, at a minimum, some knowledge of the probabilities in a free and fair election plus some knowledge of election law and how many votes could realistically come under dispute plus some theory of the institutional incentives of the Supreme Court and various other courts plus some opinions on how Congress might interpret the Constitution in the event of a disputed election. Maybe a panel of experts could get together and try to put together some reasonable bounds on the probability of various scenarios, but I don’t know that any individual could — certainly not me.

After Trump’s actions over the past few weeks, though, I wonder if there’s some tradeoff between Trump’s chances of winning legitimately and his willingness to engage in authoritarian rhetoric and behavior, even if it probably wouldn’t succeed at stealing the election. It’s not like this is coming entirely out of left field; Trump also said in 2016 that he wouldn’t necessarily respect the election results. But his recent statements have come at a moment of increasing peril for his campaign. It’s hard to know for sure, but I think Trump’s comments might be more tempered if he were 2 points ahead in Wisconsin instead of 7 points down.

It’s not easy to see which cards Trump has left to play or which contingencies could work in his favor enough for him to win — other than if the polls have been wrong all along.

Consider that Trump’s convention produced, at best, a very meager bounce in his favor. His attempt to pivot the campaign to a “law and order” theme fell completely flat in polls of the upper Midwest. He’s thrown the kitchen sink at Biden and not really been able to pull down Biden’s favorables. His hopes that we’d turn the corner on COVID-19 before the election are diminishing after cases have begun to rise again in many states. His campaign, somehow, is struggling to hold on to enough cash to run ads in the places it most needs to run them. The New York Times and other news organizations are likely to continue publishing damaging stories on his taxes and personal finances from now until the election. And now he’s seemingly lost the first debate.

If Trump intuits that he’s unlikely to win legitimately — it’s not hard to imagine him escalating his anti-democratic rhetoric and behavior. It’s also not hard to imagine this rhetoric further eroding his position in polls. It’s highly unpopular in focus groups (yes, take those with a huge grain of salt) and Trump’s polling over the past several days has been particularly bad (although there’s been a lot of other news, too).

So we could be headed for a vicious cycle where Trump increasingly gives up on trying to persuade or turn out voters and voters increasingly give up on him. But from a polling standpoint, this is one of the clearer elections to diagnose: Biden isn’t home-free, but he’s in a strong position. Nonetheless, the outlook for what’s actually in store for America has rarely been more cloudy.

[incarnateirony]

I was wondering if you're aware that the GLAAD stats you're using are outdated, and the current stats rate the CW #1 in network TV for LGBTQ+ rep, #1 for female rep, and #2 for minority rep. The CW's LGBTQ+ rep is 16%; higher than the percentage of LGBTQ+ folks in the irl US population. So maybe for transparency's sake, its time to amend that "still pitifully low" tweet.

Hi Jess! So nice to see you hiding on an anon account. You mean from this year that just completed in television? You know. The TV season that literally just ended. The TV year that we are currently ending. Seeing as, you know, those “outdated” specs were last year. As in only one year ago. Oh, and I take it you’re missing the fact that two of the shows vastly increasing their count happen to be ending, as in, say goodbye to all related characters. Congratulations! We’re back to bottom of the barrel again in *checks* exactly six months. Aka, next TV season. And *checks* Ah yes, All American, that the world is surprised got a belated re-order because it’s about to go Belly up too. But hey, it’ll hang in there another year!

 So nice of you to also overtly choose to mis-quote “the actual LGBT population” too. I’m sure you’ve not done your math, as you’ve never been prone to do, to recognize you’re talking as an overall sum, and not about the actual population by age bracket actually represented on TV, which is generally not remotely related to those numbers you’re intentionally skewing! It’s a cute try though, try to diminish the presence of LGBT people a little more. Smile while you do it. Tell them to go watch shows where they encourage suicidal ideation in LGBT people.

CW’s numbers are 16% LGBTQ characters right now. So if you think it’s “16% above” you think the world is 0% LGBT people. Good game. Of that, 24 characters are about to go up in smoke to never return, a chunk of which were already recurring characters – I won’t imply they all were – but they existed. And some were. Period.

Even the most conservative 18-34 polling puts the number at 20% IDing. Other studies, as talked elsewhere, 33%~ (close to 35% tbh), with the scaling up from 18 moving in at almost half. So settle your own internalized phobic pants down and stop telling other LGBT people to settle.

The numbers you are citing about the LGBT Population include a 47% population count of people from more regressive periods that identify at halved rates every ten year bracket or so, an unquantifiable 12% that are young enough they don’t actually answer the question at all, and only 40% of the target demographic for TV and most characters being representated – actually, that’s being generous to your bad skew, as ages 10-19 at 13% of the US population generally aren’t the center of the primetime TV you’re trying to bang on about, but the upper end of that spectrum/generation DOES actually identify at more than 50% LGBT, with some of that bleeding into the 20-29, the later end of which by 30-39 identifies at over 33% LGBT. 

Our target bracket should be about 33-50% LGBT characters for people in the age bracket of typical primetime TV leads, but in your desire to save face over your very bad understanding of what you’ve encouraged lately, you’re going to miss that. 

Now, seeing as this is a shift due to their VERY VERY NEW OPEN TO ALL CAMPAIGN, that we are seeing change ACTIVELY, surely you aren’t out here to shade a tweet talking about their RECENT METRICS and somehow projecting the idea that Supernatural shouldn’t become part of this very, very recent shift that is still finishing its TV system and about to lose multiple shows that add to this balance. Which, if we STOP pushing on the endeavor, guess what – it puts us right back where we were last year! IMAGINE that.

This, in no way, Jess or Jess-fanatic, would be you implying the show should continue to be about Straight White Dudes while you’re trying to flag around GLAAD and a bunch of bad numbers about weighted older audiences not actually in the primetime TV representation demographic we’re talking about, right?

You wouldn’t be out here concern trolling to make that point, would you?

*checks* oh, Life Sentence got cancelled this year too and had two LGBT women. Arrow, 8 LGBT characters, final season, only a few of which will continue to be actively represented in LoT. Jane the virgin, ending, 8 LGBT characters. 6 characters. *counts on fingers* So CW made a move to import a few extra gay folks right before roasting 24 LGBT character options on the network and you’re giving them candy for it.

*continues to flip pages* Ah yes. Let’s stop trying because old people won’t admit they’re kinda queer and weight the overall demographics, and we won’t run into a gaping void of *checks* What is it, like 24 evaporating LGBT characters. Because Jess logic not seeing past the immediate.

Of characters that made a dent, 11 are already obsolete as of this year, and 13 more will be in the next year. Good try though.  So unless you have faith that within the next year the CW will sling dick in with 24 new LGBT characters all at once, say goodbye to the concern troll numbers. Of 857 LGBT characters on all primetime TV, CW is axing about 20 within the period of a year. I want you to think about that. Sit and spin before you tell LGBT people to stop hoping for more.

Let’s talk about the new REPORT you tried to “correct me” with,

“While the year’s numbers are up from the previousreport, they must also be put into context. Thirty-onecharacters will not return in next year’s report due toseries cancellations, announced finales, anthologyseries format, or characters who have been writtenoff but who appeared as a regular or recurringcharacter during the stated research period.

Representation of bisexual+ women droppedagain this year, down to 19 percent (40)of LGBTQ characters on cable, which is adecrease of three points from the previous year’sreport. Meanwhile, for the first time in threeyears, representation of bi+ men on cable hasincreased. Bi+ men account for eight percent(16) of all LGBTQ characters on scriptedprimetime cable.“

Bi Men are a whopping 8% of all LGBT rep and that’s considered up. That whole “they constantly run at half the rep”? Yeah. Stop pretending like this isn’t an intersectional issue too.

“Again, gay men make up the majority of theLGBTQ regular and recurring cable charactersat 43 percent, or 90 characters. This is anincrease of one percentage-point and 18characters from the previous year.”

And we’re going to pretend that’s totally not problematic characters nested in there.

And of course,

While year over year the numbers ofLGBTQ characters on broadcast have risensignificantly, many of these charactersremain part of a larger ensemble or on thefringes of the core characters. Many showsalso only include one LGBTQ characteramong a group of straight, cisgendercharacters. GLAAD and Harris Poll’sAccelerating Acceptance study shows that20 percent of Americans 18 to 34 – akey demographic for networks – identifyas LGBTQ. When viewers have moreoptions for entertainment than ever before,Hollywood should be sure that they areincluding lead LGBTQ characters whosestories are told with nuance and depth thatreflect the real world that audiences know.  

There’s that conservative 20% I mentioned. 

Among the 208 LGBTQ regular and recurringcharacters on cable, 31 are not expected toreturn next year due to series cancellations,announced finales, anthology series format, orcharacters being written off but who appearedas a regular or recurring character during thestated research period.

Re: all of cable. 31 recurring (for ALL of) cable LGBT are getting axed vs… how many CW? *flips through pages*

Now do a little digging and realize how many of CW’s 24 LGBT characters on the axed and dying series were still considered recurring or regular.

Roll over in embarrassment.

Laud their gayness again.

Give them brownie points as the gayest for shuttling a few in early so they didn’t look EMBARRASSINGLY low while the network is about to have the highest LGBT cull rate in TV if they don’t keep up a forward march.

I know y’all are desperate to have a dialogue about CW being open and inclusive but things need to be put in perspective here. They knew multiple major shows were on their way out and plugged early. This angle of “shut up and stop wanting more gay” that you think is backed by data? This ain’t it, fam.

[sarakuper]

New York, New York

Stop #28, Sept 28-Oct 6

We arrived in Connecticut to meet my dad and Denise, his parter, who graciously offered to keep our truck and trailer on her property while we spent time in NYC. My dad gave us a ride into the upper east side of Manhattan to stay with my mom for the night. She came downstairs with my childhood dog, Rocky, so we could introduce him to Jaxon and get them comfortable with one another. While walking them together up and down the block Mikey and Laura arrived and the 5 of us had dinner together. It been so long since we were all together for something as casual as dinner. It was so nice to all be together! Mikey and Laura slept in Inwood (upper Manhattan) that night at my Aunt Frema’s while me Sean and Jaxon got comfortable at my moms place.

Sunday morning we slept in, ate breakfast together, then my dad picked me Sean and Jaxon up to head to my Bubby’s in Queens for the first night of Rosh Hashana. Aunt Frema was preparing chicken soup and side dishes while also panicking about the caterers who had yet to arrive with the food they ordered for our meal. We helped set the table and get organized, meanwhile everyone else started to arrive. Denise and her son, Mikolo, Michael and Laura, and then Aunt Alane, Uncle Lew, and my cousins Aaron and Jack (who are like brothers to me). We were a total of 14 in my Bubby’s apartment and she couldn’t have been happier to have everyone there, although we missed Shelly who flying back to the states from Israel. By 6:30pm the food had finally arrived only 6 hours later than they originally called for. 

Rosh Hashana was always one of my favorite Jewish holidays growing up. It celebrates the new year and we get to dip apples and challah in honey to represent a sweet year ahead. Not to mention, the main food is always delish! To our surprise, even though we catered this year, everything still tasted home made. There were FOUR types of kuggel, which is not surprising considering this is a Kuper gathering. But seriously, four!? My dad made the classic potato kuggel in addition to the cauliflower, broccoli, and noodle kuggels. There was also chicken soup with matzo balls, chopped liver (which sounds totally gross but is SOO delish), brisket, chicken cutlets, and way more dishes that I couldn’t begin to name. 

I haven’t been with my family for this holiday since I moved to Colorado, and quite honestly it was so great to be together again for a happy occasion. We drank lots of wine, yelled conversationally across the table, and ate until we were stuffed. We could have had a second seating with the amount of food that was left, but again, this is typical for our family. We have major portion control issues! 

As the night came to a close Bubby handed out goodie bags to all the “kids”. She usually bakes for everyone, but with her current health and age she decided it was time to buy the cookies to give out. Everyone left one at a time leaving me, Sean, Jaxon, and Aunt Frema; we all slept at Bubby’s. 

On Monday morning I woke up to join my Bubby and Frema relaxing on the couch. My Bubby has the most comfortable couch in the world and I take a shloof (aka nap) on it almost every time I’m here. So, as per usual, I made myself comfortable with them. 

An hour or so later my Dad arrived to go to shul (aka synagogue) at Young Israel, my Bubby’s local soul. After he gets back we  have a “lighter” Rosh Hashana lunch with the many leftovers from the previous night, but before we that Aunt Frema and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood with Jaxon. My dad got back and we had a late lunch that ended around 4pm. We were so full, and I couldn’t believe that Sean and I were going over to Lew and Alane’s for yet anther Rosh Hashana meal with Alane’s side of the family. We were having ANOTHER massive meal only 2 hours later. I found Sean laying down on the couch in the room we slept in and he stared at me as he said “I… can’t… do this… again” referring to the large amounts of food we’ve eaten in the last 20 hours. Well, we did!

By the time we got to Alane’s, also on the upper east side, Sean and I decided to go very slow. Eventually we were able to eat another full meal of chicken soup with matzah balls, brisket, and lots of side dishes leaving our bellies stuffed once again. Most of the Jewish holidays are like a marathon of eating, and Sean certainly got to experience it first hand. 

We slept in the next morning, still totally full, and hung out with my 13 year old cousins Aaron and Jack who actually look 16. We brought over pizza and then walked to the park to play basketball. I love these boys so much, they are like my brothers! They are also my favorite people to hang out with when I come to NYC. 

Our dinner plans with friends got canceled, and so Sean and I decided to have a night downtown to ourselves. Sean also wanted to stop by Soho Ink, a tattoo shop not far from Chinatown where we planned to eat dinner, and at the last minute decided to get the tattoo right then and there! He has lots of gaps between his current tattoos that he “needs to fill” and so this time he got an axe. It turns out the artist who was available to tattoo him was a finalist on the most recent season of Ink Master, a TV show.

After the tat Sean and I walked through Little Italy and Chinatown to get our “must eat while in NYC” soup dumplings. Usually we eat at Joe Shanghai for soup dumplings, but we wanted to try something new. We headed to Tiny Shanghai and ordered 2 rounds of soup dumplings, cold sesame noodles, scallion pancake with sliced beef, and chicken broccoli with white rice. Overall the food was delish but way less authentic than Joe’s. Since we were in the neighborhood we went to some of my old stomping grounds like Whiskey Tavern and Ryan’s daughter. At both places, to my surprise, someone who worked there when I still lived here still remembered me and welcomed us with free drinks and a good time. It was a fun date night for me and Sean! I kind of got the feeling Sean would like to live here for a little bit, maybe just a year or two. I would never do that again! But, I really do enjoy visiting. 

Wednesday morning was a lazy morning until my mom got out of work early to spend the rest of the day with me, Sean, and Jaxon. We walked around the upper east side en route to a nearby park, but it was so hot walking on the streets we decided to sit in the shade at an outdoor table for coffee and ice cream. The rest of the late afternoon was spent prepping my favorite dish that my mom makes, fried pork cutlets with sweet cabbage and potatoes. Sam came over to join us for dinner before heading out to meet her friends. Theres nothing like a home cooked meal from my mamma <3

Thursday was meant to be spent hiking with Sam somewhere upstate but because of the cold rain we decided to skip it. Instead Sean and I met her downtown and went straight to Joe Shanhai’s for a soup dumpling lunch! Yes, soup dumplings again… we could never eat too many of those. We ordered 5 rounds between 3 of us for a total of 40 dumplings. Sean only had about 8 and the rest were split between Sam and I…. yeah…  :) We continued to walk around downtown heading to the lower west side and got ice-cream at a Japanese style ice-cream spot called Tayaki on the way. Sean and I had a war of throwing shredded coconut at each other. 

^^ This is what the entrance to Joe Shanghai’s looks like ^^

We walked to a place in the west village called Uncommon which had coffee, drinks, and snacks but offered endless games! I immediately thought how much the Elser’s would love it here! We paid for an “all day” pass which was $10 each or $5 if you have a student ID which Sam does. Sitting for almost 2 hours we played Ticket to Ride and Phase 10. Eventually Sam had to leave to head to class and Sean and I went uptown to take care of the puppers at my moms place. Almost immediately we all went back downtown to Uncommon to spend the rest of the night gaming. This time Tomo, Sam’s partner, met us and we started a new game of Phase 10, which really is so similar to Kaluche. For the first time in what feels like forever I won!!!! :) AND I whooped everyones butt. FINALLY! It was killing Sean, which gave me so much joy. He was trying so hard to get everyone to come after me so I would win, but Sam has been reading my posts and while she didn’t help me win, she definitely wasn’t going out of her way to try to make me lose. What a friend! 

Friday morning I had brunch catching up with my friend Sarah, whose getting married just before Thanksgiving! In the evening Sean and I went to Hoboken to go to visit my life long bestie Toni and her husband of 1 year, Ross. They have a lovely apartment and welcomed us with a beautiful Shabbat dinner. After dinner me and Tone spent the rest of the night watching youtube tutorials of how to do the shuffle (dance moves) and were sad by the realization that we don’t have the same dance skills we once did. Ross and Sean were watching sports but were totally amused by our efforts to nail these dance moves. Sweaty and tired, we did not reach our goal, but we did laugh our butts off. After saying goodbye and being sent off with a bunch of goodies we headed back to my mom’s apartment for a short night of sleep; we were waking up at 4:30AM to go on a fishing trip with my pop and two cousins.

4:40AM quickly came and me and Sean got ready for a long morning on a boat. We walked to my cousins place only 15 blocks south where my dad picked us all out to head to Sheepshead Bay. We fished from 7-12pm and had such a blast! After I took a quick nap on the boat I woke up with enough energy to fish and caught 5! At one point I caught 2 at once, and in total only 2 of them were keepers. Sean caught more than 10 fish, 1 being blowfish which was so fun to see!!! My dad and cousins caught a few too, and the ones we kept were filleted on the boat and packaged to take back for my aunt and uncle to cook for dinner. On our way back to the city we stopped for lunch at Roll and Rooster, an old school place thats been around for a long time! On the drive back in me and my cousins all fell asleep in the back seat, and of course Sean snapped a picture. 

The rest of the day was spent napping before one final dinner out with my dad and Denise. Being exhausted from the long day we didn’t stay out long and went to bed shortly after. Both Rocky and Jaxon put us to bed that night. I think they had the best time together! And Jaxon certainly loves his grandma Annette (my mom) because maaaaan did she give him a lot of food and treats!

Sunday morning my dad gave us a ride back to Denise’s house in CT where we packed up our stuff, prepared the trailer, and hit the road to head back to Colorado for Taylor and Ej’s wedding! It will take us 4 days to get back to Colorado, but we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the love and marriage of two of our best friends!!!! 

Thanks for reading fam, love you all! 

[wesonerdy]

Emma agrees to help Gideon and Rumple take down the Black Fairy. Meanwhile, Henry experiences a scary shift in his Authorial powers. Get a sneak peek of tonight’s Once Upon a Time!

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

In last week’s Once Upon a Time, we came full circle with Jasmine and Aladdin’s story! In “A Wondrous Place”, we flashed to Agrabah several years ago with the Sultan (Jasmine’s father) meeting with several princes. He showed them one of the crown jewels of the city, a ring. Whoever Jasmine picked to marry would get the ring as her dowry. Jasmine dismissed the group because she wanted to marry for love, even though the Sulatan told her that duty came first. With Jafar threatening Agrabah, they needed a prince with an army. She tried to tell her dad about the hero she found, Aladdin. However, Jafar interrupted, and he said the only way to save the kingdom would be for Jasmine to marry him. She would have until sundown to decide and if she refused, Agrabah would be destroyed.

While on a walk through the bazaar, Jasmine came across a woman about to be punished for stealing… it was Ariel! When the shop owner took Ariel’s enchanted necklace as payment, it turned her back into a mermaid. Jasmine intervened and helped Ariel to get her legs and voice back. Why was Ariel in Agrabah? She was looking for Prince Eric, who was in town on business. Jasmine had an idea… she would help Ariel find Eric and then he could use his navy to defeat Jafar. The magic carpet ride was an awesome way to do some exploring!

When they found Eric, it turned out to be Jafar in disguise! Now Jasmine was truly trapped. Out of desperation, she proposed to Jafar and gave him the ring. But it was all a trick. Jafar didn’t mean to marry Jasmine…Agrabah was under a protection spell that was tied to the ring. And now that he had it, he could destroy the kingdom. When Jasmine looked back at the skyline, Agrabah was gone.

Meanwhile, in the present, Killian was on the Nautilus, which (thanks to Gideon) crash landed in another realm. Everyone was alright, but it was very important to Killian to make his way back to Storybrooke in order to be with Emma. According to Captain Nemo and Liam, the only way they could return was via Kraken’s blood. There was some pushback (who in the world wants to go looking for a giant sea creature?!) But Killian was determined to get back to Emma and tell her the truth: “Gentlemen, let’s go hunting.”

In the Enchanted Forest, also present-day, we joined Jasmine and Aladdin who were still searching for Agrabah, without any luck. Maybe Jasmine’s wish didn’t work…? Aladdin suggested that maybe they should return to Storybrooke and try to make a new start, together; however Jasmine didn’t want to hear it. Though, she noticed that there was something new in her possession, something that wasn’t there prior to her wish: a ring that the wish put in her pocket(the same crown jewel of Agrabah). Jasmine recognized the ring as a reminder of how she had failed Agrabah.

Jasmine and Aladdin (wanting to get rid of Aladdin’s lamp) took a boat out into a lake and were attacked by a Kraken! Before things got out of control, Killian and the Nautilus showed up to help. Killian was upset because Jasmine and Aladdin had scared the Kraken off. Killian thought that he might be able to use one of Jasmine’s wishes, but no go, since it didn’t help find Agrabah. Jasmine finally confessed that Jafar was the reason her home was destroyed. But why weren’t they looking for Jafar instead? Jasmine revealed that she was afraid of seeing Jafar again and failing. Since Jafar was a man with revenge in his heart, he could be found with a compass on the Nautilus. Then Jafar might be “convinced” to help Killian move between realms.

A little later, during a conversation, Killian asked Jasmine why she wouldn’t let herself fall in love with Aladdin. According to Jasmine, after all the mistakes she made, she didn’t deserve it. Maybe she had always been a coward. Interestingly, Killian (who was busy trying to plot the course of their trip) had a similar conversation with Aladdin about the need for better communication with Jasmine. In the midst of this, the Nautilus had major technical difficulty. Nemo was sure that the vessel was done for. But thanks to Jasmine, she wished them all to a nearby island. Nemo and Liam returned to the Nautilus (a Captain should always go down with their ship), while Killian, Jasmine, and Aladdin continued to find Jafar.

They tracked him down to a hut, which turned out to be a museum of sorts for Ariel and her collectibles. Ariel did have a lamp from Agrabah and Jafar was a genie trapped inside. Jasmine was nervous, but let Jafar out anyway. However, Jafar had broken the genie spell and was now free to wreak even more havoc. Before he left, Jafar showed Jasmine that he had trapped Agrabah within the ring, which was now in her possession. Jafar mocked Jasmine, calling her a coward and failure. This time, she wouldn’t be deterred. She used Jafar’s magic to turn him into a staff (walking stick). And with Jasmine and Aladdin’s true love’s kiss, Agrabah was restored and Aladdin was free!

Could Killian find someone in Agrabah to help him get back to Storybrooke? Well, Ariel did have something to help… a shell phone! And Killian had one like it at home…

In Storybrooke, Emma confessed to David that Hook had killed his father. David was upset, but was clearly more agitated by the fact that it seemed Killian had left town on the Nautilus and abandoned Emma.

Emma was trying to stay busy at work, when Regina approached her with an idea. They could have a girl’s night at the new pub in town, Aesop’s Tables. Snow could even come too! But Emma really didn’t want to go out. Besides, she was on patrol that night.

At home, Emma put Killian’s things away, but before she could take them out to the shed, she was called to break up a fight at the pub. However, it was a trick by Regina and Snow to lure her for their girls’ night. And Snow was already drunk (lol!). Things got super interesting when Snow interrupted some Vikings trying to leave the bar without paying their tab and challenged them to a game of darts.

Emma had a conversation about lost love with the owner/mixologist Aesop, who was from the Land of Untold Stories. She shared her disappointment with Killian’s leaving. Emma even cried a little. But maybe this was what she needed to move on.

When Emma returned home, she was moving Killian’s things to the shed, she heard Killian’s message from Agrabah, via the shell phone. He told Emma everything, how he didn’t mean to leave, that he loved her and was trying to get home to her…and to watch out for Gideon!

In the midst of this, Aesop arrived with the napkin that Emma had used to dry her tears… but Aesop was really Gideon! He promised to bring Killian back to Storybrooke, but only if Emma helped him kill the Black Fairy.

DRAMA!

  In tonight’s episode, “Mother’s Little Helper” (teleplay by Paul Karp, story by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, directed by Billy Gierhart):

EMMA FINDS COMMON CAUSE WITH GIDEON, AND HENRY’S POWERS GO HAYWIRE, AS HOOK GETS BACK TO HIS ROOTS LOOKING FOR A WAY HOME TO STORYBROOKE—Gold and Belle convince Emma to help Gideon, explaining that together they can stop the Black Fairy. Henry experiences a disorienting shift in his powers that forces Regina to seek counsel from the previous Author. Meanwhile, in Fairy Tale Land, Hook attempts to win the assistance of an old adversary by betting his most prized possession on a game of cards. And, in a flashback, the Black Fairy tortures young Gideon in hopes of molding him into the perfect apprentice. (via ABC)

Take a look at two clips from the upcoming show. In the first, Emma and Snow talk to Rumple and Belle about Gideon’s ultimatum and learn who the Black Fairy really is. And in the second clip, while Henry is trying to help Regina break the Snow/Charming sleeping curse, he does into major distress.

All the darkness they've ever known lies in one soul. #OnceUponATime pic.twitter.com/Vy0n874aiR

— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) April 9, 2017

The Evil Queen is gone but Regina has one more big spell to break. #OnceUponATime pic.twitter.com/YjZmcs05bQ

— Once Upon A Time (@OnceABC) April 6, 2017

  Poor Henry! What a scary experience… although, I’m not sure I like the idea of Author Isaac (Patrick Fischler) returning to possibly cause trouble.

And I don’t mean to be a downer, but Belle’s incessant optimism in Gideon’s ability to be good makes me nervous. What if he can’t be a hero? In any event, he can’t be as bad as the Black Fairy who is supposedly the origin of all dark magic *SHIVERS*

Check out 12 images from “Mother’s Little Helper” and make sure to live tweet (@WeSoNerdy) the new Once Upon a Time with us tonight at 8:00pm ET on ABC!

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

Courtesy of ABC/Jack Rowand

PREVIEW: ‘Once Upon a Time’ Season 6, Episode 16 “Mother’s Little Helper” Emma agrees to help Gideon and Rumple take down the Black Fairy. Meanwhile, Henry experiences a scary shift in his Authorial powers.

[nicheinvader2504-blog]

The “Why” Signing up for Konpai! Con in Omaha NE was a direct result of subscribing to the YOLO way of life Katie and I (My name is Tim) adopted about 1.5 years ago, this consisted of the following mantra: “Question no decisions and make no second guesses”. Of course, we both had an idea of what we were signing up for; an ambiguous, yet purposeful collection of strange events, strange people, and strange would-be memories all squashed into a 10-12 hour event at as convention center connected to a children’s waterpark. We thought we would go for the sake of people-watching and humorous snap-chats – almost like wedding crashers: in it for the food and shock-value, and nothing more than that. We thought we would be outsiders; little red blips on the BS-tracking heads-up display that every one of these “Kon” people shared and that Katie and I lacked. We thought the Ash and Misty costumes were novel but under-prepared. We picked them up in 20 minutes off Amazon and dawned them for the first time 10 minutes prior to the event. From the people, we anticipated a judgmental, but kind-on-the-surface facade that usually comes from the typical business-man in a corporate office: friendly, but with the potential – and likely intention -  to stab you in the back at the moment it benefits him. Lastly, we had no intention of doing anything more than videotaping interesting happenings, eating Japanese food, and trying our best to blend our orange-hat-selves with the green-bill of the convention. These were our expectations. Below is our story.

Preparation:

The day started out with high hopes for an interesting experience. We were excited, but by no means rushed to get to Konpai Con. The tickets were a mere $20 each and even though the event was scheduled from 10am to 2am, I don’t think either of us were confident we’d stay that long. Katie and I are the kind of people who can make the most of almost any situation, and if we come across the rare situation that isn’t quite jiving, we can sacrifice the initial investment of time and money and find something exponentially better to do for peak utility. After an hour or so of eating an entire loafs-worth of toast, we decided it was time to dawn our Ash and Misty costumes and try to make the most of an event we knew nothing about. Katie took all of 5 minutes to prepare her clothing, with another 5-10 minutes dedicated to make-up. Meanwhile, I tried to figure out how my red Misty-themed suspenders worked. We had some last-minute alterations to the overall costume design which included making the over-sized yellow Walmart tee into a cutoff and ditching the 4-inch booty-shorts for jeans for a more masculine touch on Misty (this was so I felt less homosexual and self-conscious about my skinny pale legs – and probably ass cheeks too). When the costumes were perfected, we grabbed out all-so-important plush-Pokémon companions and took the token bathroom-selfie before hitting the road. On the way to the convention center, we thought it be wise to stop at the local Walmart. Our excuse for the trip was finding Velcro patches so the Pokémon pushes could sit on our shoulders; in reality, we just wanted to test the impact out costumes had on the general public. We didn’t get the reaction we thought we would. The first person who spoke to us was an older woman with a small group. She looked at Katie, with the Ash-Ketchum vest, signature red hat, Pikachu in hand – then she looked at me: torn up yellow cut-off, jeans, an orange wig, and Togepi and she asks us…”Excuse me, do you work here?”. Looking back, I wish I would’ve responded more cleverly, but we were both so taken aback by the question, all we could mutter was a polite “no, sorry”. In what universe did this woman come from to ask if Ash and Misty worked at Walmart? I guess a question like that is conducive to the stereotype Walmart carries. We found our Velcro straps and were ready to leave this world now.  A few funny looks, and loving, nostalgia-fueled smiles later, we were headed to the world outside of Walmart doors; there was a kid handing out free cupcakes which was odd but welcomed. The cupcake provided us the good-vibes needed to venture to Kon.  We got in the Mazda, pulled up the Pokémon them song on Spotify, and blasted our anthem proudly as we pealed out. The girl selling girl scout cookies out front approved.

We entered the convention center on the swanky, freshly renovated end. There were some average family-type people along with well-dressed business people giving us puzzled looks as we stood in the foyer in a confused silence. After muttered discussion, we began to leave. A nice employee of the convention used her skills in common-sense to determine we were there for the event. This was the first test: do two 20-somethings dressed in orange wigs, a blue vest, a cartoon-inspired hat, and holding a pair of Japanese-designed plush animals belong to the nerd-fest that is Konpai! Con... YES. Yes, we did. The Con was on the other end of the building. We went from high-class corporate America to pure nerd-utopia as we descended the 6-8 steps into the mostly-unknown. We were complete outsiders – or at least we thought we were. On the surface, we looked good– but it felt like we were spies infiltrating a foreign land. No one gave us a strange look, no one made any comments, it just felt like we had no chance in fitting in. There was a big secret – an elaborate inside-joke, like a humorous innuendo hidden in a kid’s movie – and were the seven-year-olds in the audience reserving our laughter and poor taste for the tacky fart-jokes and over-acted theatrics. Just then – something happened – something we never thought would happen. A girl, dressed very nicely as an anime character Katie and I didn’t recognize -  asked us for a picture – US – What?? Did she not get the memo that Katie and I didn’t belong here? Was there not a digital ticker in her Heads-Up-Display that read “outsiders, stand-clear”? No – it was just a girl – dressed as an anime girl – and she wanted our picture, because she loved Pokémon and thought we looked great. Katie and I were elated; “of course we’ll take a picture with you!,” we exclaimed.

It was at that moment our confidence began to rise; it was by no means full grown, but it was now a sprouted-seed. We gleamed like children at a local toys-r-us with a blank check and no parental supervision. Someone took our picture – our costumes were a success. We proceeded to venture into the “vendor room” to see what wares come with a Japanese cultural appreciation convention.

The Girl with the Box

The vendor room was pretty cool. Maybe 20 tables full of everything from traditional tea sets, to pins, to plushes, to authentic Japanese treats. The first girl on the right invited us to her booth for some Halloween-themed Sweet-tart “bones” I got those. Katie opted for the orange box of nerds in the candy dish. There was sign to the left of the dish that read “For the pervert in your life, ask about our 18+ items”. Fascinated, we referenced the sign. She smiled and motioned to a large, blue, mysterious metal box to her right. The box came complete with duel compartments, latches, and locks  She told us in order to see what’s in the box, we needed ID and had to pick up our badges from the check-in counter. We meandered around until we found the check-in counter and were given our official ID bracelets: “Stylistic Giraffe Spot” for me and “Erotic Porcupine” for miss Katie. We made our way back to the mysterious girl with the box. She welcomes us back and checked our ages on the badges. With an affirmative smile, she began unlocking the box. The first drawer opened and in it were 3 varieties of…. penis-themed pins. That was it. On the pins, was a quote that said something along the lines of “for my little dicky’s”. I think it was our lack of a real response that prompted the next reveal. “Wait, there is another compartment,” she eloquently teased. Still fascinated, we eagerly awaited the reveal of …. small one-inch rubber penis things…. interesting, but not what we expected. It wasn’t the product Katie and I needed in our lives, but we thanked her for her pitch and headed to the next vendor. We saw a dude selling Japanese imported candy, some girls selling stuffed animals, and a cool business man with a giant 3D-scanner. This man scans your body and transforms the image into a statue via 3D printer. Katie, being the computer engineer genius she is, asked the man questions using a lingo way over my head and flashed a pic of the brochure. It was a sweet business idea and I’m sure it was a major success for weddings and conventions alike. If Katie and I had $200 on us, we probably would have gotten it done. Next, Katie started a conversation with a vendor selling a spell book. She asked him if the spells were effective and told him how she once attempted to summon a demon to terrorize the Earth. Katie expressed her disappointment in previous spell-books and asked what kind of spells the man was successful at casting. He consoled her with the now-so-obvious fact that she probably didn’t have the right herbs to compliment the demon-summoning mantras and that is why nothing happened. Come to think of it, later in the day, Katie came across a boy selling vials of ambiguous liquids. She asked him if any of them were strong enough to poison her enemies. In retrospect, I probably should have had a conversation with her about all that.  

Growing Confidence: Signing up for Stuff

After the vendors, we decided to look around the convention center for more interesting events. By now countless people had commented on our clever reverse-gendered Ash and Misty costumes. We had taken pictures with half a dozen people and shared great conversation with all of them. There was a reoccurring topic that came up regarding another Kon event in Kansas City next month. Several people invited us to come along. We felt good – like really good. This was an event we intended to view from the perspective of wall-flowers and we were truly becoming part of the action on the floor. Still, something was missing. We still hadn’t become “one of them,” and maybe we never would, but the overwhelming amount of picture request, invitations, and compliments encouraged us to at least switch the days mission from “observe” to “participate”. We channeled out growing confidence and pulled out our ever-so-helpful Konpai-Con guide book. It was time to schedule some panel-room events. Events that peaked out interest included:

6:00PM – 7:00PM: Masquerade – a Cosplay modelling and Performance competition

7:00PM – 8:00PM: Erotic 18+ Fan-Fiction public reading

10PM - 2AM:  Rave

At first glance, the rave seemed like it be the most fun; the cosplay contest seemed self-explanatory, and the erotic fan-fiction session was something I think Katie and I would have regretted missing – because, wow. Just then we hatched an idea: We had costumes people seemed to enjoy, Why the hell can’t we enter the Masquerade contest? Our YOLO lifestyle would have been completed tattered if we didn’t sign up. We ventured to the Masquerade sign-up counter. Katie grabbed the sign-up sheet, filled out the typical info and then paused at the “will you be performing a skit?” section. Without a second thought, she gave me a WTF not smile and put Yes. We had no intention or plan, but why not. It be fun. To be honest, I would’ve put “No” but that is why we make such a good adventuring pair. If there is any doubt in one of us, the other pushes the doubt to “eff it why not”. By now, it was 3:00PM. The practice for the Masquerade performers was at 5:00PM and we were starving. We decided to take a break from Kon-land to revisit the outside-world for a trip to Olive Garden.

The Plan:

As we got in the Mazda and headed down Dodge street, we both felt a bit of a disconnect. Have we finally adapted to the anime-filled, furry-frenzy that is Konpai Kon? Things in the outside world were duller, less colorful; more sterile. It was an interesting feeling, but Olive Garden has bomb-ass breadsticks so there was no time to question our decision to leave. As we pulled into Olive Garden, we noticed it was pretty packed for 3:00PM We went into the packed lobby to a confused party of people wondering what Pokémon we intended on capturing in the sort-of fancy, but not really, restaurant environment that is Olive Garden. Knowing we only had 2 hours, we crossed the street into an Applebee’s to eat and discuss plans for our big show.

The people at Applebee’s loved us. Kids laughed, baby’s smiled, the guy from the Jose Cuero poster raised his glass. The interesting thing was the lack of people asking the obvious question of why were dressed up. As a pair, we seemed to create an impenetrable force, blocking the average person from questioning us. When Katie left the table, our waitress rushed over and asked what was going on. She seemed genuinely interested. I think people like her are surprised when someone so different can be so personable and familiar. In her defense, Katie and I were probably in the smaller percentage of people who fit in more with the outside world than the Kon world, so it really made our waitress’s day hearing about the “other side”. Katie returned and then I went to the restroom, only to return to the Manager of Applebee’s having an engaging conversation with Katie this time about her Ash Ketchum costume and the fun event just a few miles East of there. I feel like I have a pretty good vibe with people – being a Marketing major with nearly a decade of people-facing work experience on the resume, but Katie, a Computer Engineering math genius ironically has me beat. I’m convinced anyone in any setting could sit and chat with this girl for hours and never get bored. As for our impending presentation, we decided to reenact the classic season-one plot line of Pokémon when Ash steals Misty’s bike and promises to “bring it back someday”. It was genius. Surely everyone there would know the scene, it took no props to execute, and it had a small enough amount of lines to (hopefully) memorize in the next hour. Instead of practicing much at all though, we enjoyed our mozzarella sticks and Mac & Cheese.

The Run-Through

After amazing hospitality from Applebee’s, it was time to face our fate as actors. In the car, we ran through our lines a few times, arrived back into the alternate-reality that was Konpai Con, and went into the practice room. We were one of about 10 acts. Most of them were simply modelling – with about 2 other performers – and a “halftime-show” performer in a purple wig, equipped with a yellow recorder (yes, that instrument we all learned in grade school) and a Team-Rocket shirt.  We’ve seen this guy before and considering the theme, it made sense to sit with him. He was a cool guy. He explained to us that he has won so many Cosplay presentation awards with his recorder, that he respectfully declined the right to participate in the competitive arm of the event just so that someone else would have a chance to win the prize. Two things here: one – what confidence this recorder-playing James displayed. He didn’t just think he would be a shoe-in; he knew. 2 – What humility to drop out for the benefit of others. That’s one major theme Katie and I saw throughout the whole event so far; empathy. Whether out of self-confidence, or what, people here genuinely cared about each other. It was a family. I’m a pretty jaded dude, but after meeting a handful of people, I can honestly say I’d trust anyone there if I lost my wallet or phone or house keys; just good people. Anyway, he told us about his impressive library of recorder-translated covers from “Cake by the Ocean” to “Bad Romance” to the “Pokémon Theme”. He was very proud; we respected that.

As we waiting for instruction, a girl – tall, attractive, darker skinned was talking to the judges about her cosplay costume. It was 100% hand made in a rubber/plastic/paper material and very detailed. She had a level of self-confidence unmatched by most people in the outside work too. This girl was as close to naked as I’d seen at the event. The smallest skirt, nearly 75% of her breasts showing, and yet it totally made sense here. It was skanky, it wasn’t controversial. It was Cosplay and in this setting, if the character has her ass and tits hanging out of armor, it only made sense to replicate it accurately. The costume – and her weapon – were pretty breathtaking. She crafted all of it by hand and even had the time to craft another suit of armor for her friend – who didn’t complete but was there for moral support. Katie and I were seated with that friend and were asking questions about their characters and background. The friend was in the Airforce (crazy, right?) she moved to Omaha recently due to an altercation with mother who tried to exercise her (yes like perform a demon exorcism on her). This girl was quite friendly, so either the demon exorcism worked or the devil is a real nice guy because she made good company. The instructions for the perforce were simple enough; the competition was fierce though. Speaking at a Cosplay performance seems like a non-typical activity based on the amount of background tracks used by the other performers. The themes were elaborate too. One group of girls personified Mew and Mew-Two and reenacted a battle scene with a “faith-in-humanity-restored” theme where human-Mew-Two found out that people were mostly good in spirit. Another girl combined live-voice with a really dark background track as she spoke to a flower growing out of her shoulder. For whatever reason, the girl had to slay her shoulder-flower in order to live. It was pretty dark, but passionate. Katie and I were not at all discouraged though – we got up there as our goofy selves, acted out our scene perfectly and came off the practice-stage with new-found life. Of the 500+ people at the convention, only 10 acts were performing in front of the masses, and Katie and I were one of them.  We faked it until we made it, and we were making it just fine. Still no one in the practice area really clapped when we concluded, but I think it was out of indifference and not distaste. Surely the 500+ people in the audience at 6:00PM would be entertained. Once practice ended, I was sure there would be some sort of waiting-period before the show; nope – the entire crowd came right through the door and found their seats. It was real now.

The Big Time:

The folks running the contest wasted no time. Introductions were short and sweet. The first modelling contestant was on stage almost instantly. With only a handful of other performers, we knew our time was coming fast. Before I knew it, Katie and I were in line and our names were announced. I jumped on stage, took position with my imaginary fishing pole and began to project my voice to the crowd. Katie came on stage right on cue as I “caught” her and Pikachu with the rod. We recited out lines in a fashion we considered flawless and it was over a quickly as it began. The crowd cheered – nothing over-the-top, but they liked it and we felt amazing. A hug, a high five, and 2 very happy smiles later, we were back in our seats relieved and proud. Our friend with the recorder was now on stage, entertaining the crowd as the judges made their decisions. Katie and I didn’t win any of the awards, but everyone who did win totally deserved it. The preparation, craftsmanship, and drive these people had absolutely called for some recognition. Katie and I didn’t need any physical prize; we felt on top of the world and no physical object would have topped that feeling. A few Pokémon fans in the crowd asked for our picture with them and then we were back in the lobby with a whole new energy. This was pure euphoria. We belonged at Kanpai Con without a doubt and we were loving it. Every “weird” thing suddenly made sense. Any feeling that may have otherwise been judgmental or confused turned into acceptance and appreciation. The endorphins unleashed performing in front of the unknown crowd gave us a high that couldn’t be lowered. The best part? All the people from the crowd that greeted us, shook our hand, and expressed per joyful nostalgia regarding our little performance. We made their day and they made ours. Everything was perfect. By now, it was time for a break, so we headed into the video-game room for some Sonic the Hedgehog. We paused the game when a mysterious figure in red came up and began to chat. He enjoyed the show and made small talk before standing up, looking at some inked-text on his wrist, and telling us, “Hey, you guys should go to room 127.” He left pretty quickly, and of course we were ready for a new adventure. Room 127 was down a little corridor outside of the main convention. It was a room with lights, alcohol, video games, and people in the party mood. Next to it was an all-ages hotel room complete with Ramon noodles, rice, chips, soda, and more – all for free, out of the goodness of someone’s heart. Katie and I refueled here while watching a DVD of Zootopia. Appropriately enough, we would soon be accompanied by a pack of furries there for the show. Everyone seemed chill as fuck; there was another mention of the next Kon – taking place in KC in March. At this point, I’m thinking it be a good idea to sign up. For now, though, the clock was striking 8:00PM and we had an 18+ panel to attend. We thanked everyone for the food and headed out to Panel Room 1. Unfortunately, the erotic fan-fiction reading was cancelled in favor for an “anything goes” Q&A with Greg Ayres.  This was a good time though. We got to sit and relax while we listened to sexually-explicit questions and stories from Greg and fans alike. It wasn’t 100% my humor, but we both found things to laugh at, and I think it was a success overall. Nothing much else to say about the panel. It took about an hour and that meant we were only 1 hour away from the rave at 10PM.

New Ventures:

We had pretty high expectations for the rave – spoiler alert – it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. But hey, at the time, it sounded like something we needed to get turnt for. Here’s the funny thing folks, I’m a 23 male – id call myself pretty “normal” went to public high school, a popular university in Lincoln, worked jobs in retail, had a few close friends and a bunch of close acquaintances, etc. etc. Well my thing is, I literally never consumed a lick of alcohol: Ever. Like one time when I was a little kid, I took a sip of beer by mistake, but I’m fairly certain I spit that out real quick. My avoidance of alcohol went as far as refusing to drink the Champaign at the countless weddings I’ve attended in high school and college. Some of the people in my family have what I’d call a drinking problem – but nothing like serious: no DUI’s or jail time; honestly, in the grand scheme of things, I don’t know anyone with a real quantifiable issue; I just always avoided the stuff out of random fear. Well, I had the same relationship with marijuana, and I told myself I’d try that once in my life. That moment was reserved for a trip with my little brother who I took to Colorado this past fall. We smoked weed on a mountain for the first time in my life. That story deserves a book of its own, but can be summed up as: a “hot mess” Anyway, as a self-described YOLO-lifer, I knew one day would come I’d have to give alcohol a try. I never intended on getting drunk – the headaches and vomit just never appealed to me. No, instead I knew at some point in my life, I would have to get what insiders call “tipsy”. This particular experience was forever reserved in my heart to take place with Katie. I never knew when or where it would go down, but Kanpai Con in Omaha, NE in February of 2017 seemed like the right setting. In full disclosure, I was terrified; I’d imagine 99.99% of people reading this are perplexed; but after my first substance-encounter (the weed) I had fair reason to fear doing something else unique. Katie rightfully encouraged me that weed and alcohol are not in any was similar and she accurately reminded me that I took about 6X more THC than was recommended for an experience weed smoker. That being said, she was kind a patient enough not to pressure me too much, The YOLO life shouldn’t be stressful. In the end, though, I needed a “Just fuckin go for it” from her and decided I’d listen. We travelled back to the mysterious corridor with the hotel-room parties and I turned to her for some sort of pep-talk (I know dramatic, right?) I repeatedly asked her for advice on what to ask the bar tender for and how to ask for it. I feel like this was likely similar to explaining sex to a 40 year old virgin. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay her for the patience and understanding here. She told me to ask for a “Rum and Coke” I have heard of this before, this would be okay. She pushed me into the room and leaned back against the hallway. I was alone now (btw, she is only 20 so she couldn’t get in). I awkwardly trotted over to the bartender and did what I was good at: started a conversation with him. We talked for about 5 minutes until he asked what drink I wanted. At this point I turned around and gave Katie what I’m sure was a goofy-ass inquisatory  smile. I’m not sure how long I was turned away from the man, but when I turned back around to face him, I exclaimed, “Rum and Coke please!” as if I answered some kind of challenging riddle on a game show. He handed me a concoction I could only describe as fascinating. I took it, walked over to a group of guys, and instead of being a normal, social human, I did the next-most-popular thing and pulled out my phone. I texted Katie – who was literally 15 feet away from me – and gave the simple “Hi” text – just to make sure reality was still in check. After a few nervous sips and unnecessary text messages, she texted me, “I think you can come out to the hallway”. I unglued by eyes from the glass screen and moseyed on back to Katie. She asked how things were going and honestly the experience was fairly underwhelming. I guess when you think a first-Rum & Coke will have a similar effect as 60 MG of THC, things are sure to be underwhelming. Still, after the cup was empty, I began to feel different. The world took on a strange “filtered” view. I felt more talkative than usual and things were funnier. I think this was part placebo, part alcohol, but nonetheless it was a cool feeling. While sipping my drink in the hall, 2 employees of the hotel appeared and spoke with us. They were entertained and partially confused by all the action and found pleasure in talking to us. Looking back, I feel like I was probably a bit over-friendly and talkative due to the alcohol but it was a great conversation. Katie was basically pulling out all the stops in her conversation with one of the boys, trying to convince him to take us to the roof of the building. I’m honestly surprised it didn’t work out – it seemed so possible at the time based on my perspective – and she is a convincing person; I would’ve done it if I were that kid. In the end though, we simply invited the employees to join us in the rave (which has now been going on for about 45 minutes). While this pseudo-tipsy feeling was at peak, Katie and I made our way to the rave. The crowd was extremely slim, but the lights were amazing and the music was LIT. Despite the lack of people who showed up, I felt absolutely pumped. This was a rave. This was a party. Anddddd that was it. The alcohol – or placebo effect – or both wore off almost in an instant and as I looked around I realized there really wasn’t much a rave going down. Honestly, it was lame. Katie and I don’t really dance all that well without a dense crowd to hide our skill-less bouncing around. It was fruitless to stick around any longer. We left the rave about 2 hours prematurely, but never looked back. This event had been life changing. One of the greatest days of both of our lives, and there was nothing either of us did – or didn’t do – that could have take away from that. Things were perfect.  Well, we were about 98% satisfied. There was still one thing we didn’t quite understand yet…

Closing Time:

The night came to a close in a bowling alley parking lot across town – we were parked there for about an hour holding an iPhone in seclusion playing “furry porn” because neither of us knew what the hell that was after our entire night at this convention. We watched a small handful of videos, jotting little metaphorical notes in our brains that I’m sure will never really be needed (you never know though) When we felt we had a grasp on the furry-sex-fetish, we were NOW 100% satisfied and ready to go home. We summed up the day, we played guitar, and we drank tea. Sleep was sure to be deep tonight. With  the laundry list of interesting accomplishments and knowledge-gained, our brains would need a good night’s rest to process everything. In the end, I can sum up the night in one cohesive thought: we entered a completely unknow realm with the sole intention of people-watching and concealing ourselves well enough in the crowd.  By the end of the convention, we were not wall-flowers, were part of the garden; a garden with a shitton of exotic plants and colorful produce.