#october is usually my favorite month but this year it just feels deserted

[tiny-feisty-gay]

it’s 5am, i’ve been up for an hour because body decided it’s time for Awake and now i’m just sad about my lack of sleep

[sad rambling in tags, feel free to ignore]

[boojersey]

☕ fave mcr eras and albums?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OKAY OKAY I LIKE THIS ONE AND HOPE NO ONE HATES ME FOR MY ORDER BUT

1. revenge (obviously i mean look at me i am drenched in black and red at all times and gerards hair was just so nice) specific parts include flour face gerard and that photoshoot with the blood covering his hand in a building with brick walls and arches it looked like a church basement and the vampire one for kerrang where its a girls back and theyre covered in blood and hes biting her neck hehe, reasoning for it being my favorite is it has only one song i skip (ghost of you) and every other has a lot more that i usually do and just how theatric and dramatic but also edgy everything was, tbp is more theatric BUT theres more Hope vibes and this is that but with despair and blood and guns and coffins and that just appeals to me fundamentally way more especially when im in my bag. it probably has my most favorite songs too, like to the end cemetery drive jetset life and HANG EM HIGH OR MOTHERFUCKING DIE. maybe my favorite mcr song but im not thinking too hard when i say that

pic of my closet below lmao two of my favorite drawings ive done (theyre for sale wink wink! dm me if interested anyone, gerard is blacklight reactive)

2. bullets, its just so suburban i feel like I'm back in Jersey its October and im walking past cul de sacs and the sunset is bright fucking orange its fantastic its art in every sense and its full of sorrow bc its the closest album chronologically to 9/11 and gerard had the least sureness in the future but he was so confident and it just bleeds into everything so hard, my favorite moments in life are majorly moments similar to what i described. wearing a hoodie and jeans and converse and observing the way the streetlights color the concrete and asphalt, especially if theres been rain. chinese food from family restaurants and rolling rock beer and sitting at neighborhood playgrounds on the swingset rocking back and forth with the carbonation buzzing in your brain. favorite moments include the pic of frank and gerard smoking on pool chairs and that pic of them in some grandmas house with wooden walls and a china and tchotchke cabinet and lace curtains and im pretty sure mikeys sitting on the leg of a couch.it was my desktop bg for a year or two.

3. black parade; i really appreciate the death topic and i will admit i struggle to get on the Hope wavelength throughout esp in famous last words ykno the keep on living part but there are some of my favorite fucking demos like emily and all the angels and im Pretty surE desert song but smack my ass and call me a moron if its wrong. i will say visually other than the marching band outfits its the least interesting era, the white hair was just kinda there to me and no one else had anything outstandingly russling my jimmies. frank did have some cute hair curls on his bangs tho sometimes. i do rlly like the whole haunted vibe tho bc of the paramounts effect on them tho, when i notice it in songs and lyrics it is pretty effective in makin my spine straighten with the hollow eyed, sleepless and frankly a little scared nervous energy. house of wolves has been in my rotation the past month or so bc it reminds me of trevor gta a lot. wttbp i skip every time just about. i save that song for when people are trying to be emo allies and queue it on the aux or when it comes on the radio or in public. blood is AMAZING and reminds me a lot of the song air from the hair soundtrack, and i wonder if gerard was trying to specifically mimic that songs vibe because if u ask me thats very gerard. i think overall the concept and the lore of the album's fruition appeal to me more than anything else, i also love mother war and some of the other various character designs.

4. current era; im saying this because foundations of decay is literally that promising of a single and the shows' outfits are so wonderful and the energy and love and happiness is just so fucking palpable that i already know this is where the new album is gonna sit for me. its gonna be so fucking good. we all know this so well. favorites include nurse gerard the mikey fuckin way shirts and that slicked back hair gerard mmf yum

5. danger days; im SORRRY i just. the songs only appeal to me on a surface level aside from destroya and i always just get rlly bad feelings when i see pics of gerard bc i know he said he was starving himself and it makes me :/ more than anything else seeing him. i feel Bad saying he looked hot. this is also the only album with songs i actively dislike within. i will say that when i say i like destroya. i fucking Love destroya. its so good its so fucking good its everything to me. OH and im gonna include the killjoys comic in this and say that even though i love it so fucking much its not enough to put it above current era. its not that i dislike danger days. its that every other era is so strong compared in my mind that since something has to be last it will be this. favorite moments include the videos of them behind the scenes for na na na laughing and having fun the photoshoot with the backdrop where they're all underneath it and gerard looks like a fucking otherworldly being level insane like hes made of porcelain and the mv shots of them in the trans am at night especially going in the tunnel speeding ass out of town. i will add that i discovered mcr thru sing bc it was on a rhythm game i owned at 11 and i still remember the two days before mcr broke up when i finally remembered to give them a listen and openly cried watching them all die in the killjoy vids so theres a nostalgic rawness that part of me wants to leave preserved like an artifact at a museum.

anyway novel over those are my full thoughts on the mcr eras

things i didnt mention that i shouldve include the bat buckle the infamous stage kiss the spitting and gerard palming his cock through his jeans on stage lmao

oh also dewees is great and needs more recognition

[twwpress]

Creator Spotlight: Week 3

Welcome back to our TWW fandom Creator Spotlight! For every spotlight, we’ll ask each featured creator the same ten questions as well as questions submitted by you. This week, we’re chatting with @sinistercherubs on twitter // thababes on ao3.

All answers come directly from Connor, who creates gorgeous edits and also writes fic! Let’s dive in:

1) What are your top 5 desert island TWW fics?

the still feels good series by thotsandfeelings (also, affectionately known as yale au) https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895503

gOD. What’s not to love about this series? It brings me such great memories of FINALLY being able to get into the tag after I finished the show in October 2020. It’s a classic for the “renaissance” of tww fics that came flying in.

aftershock by greatesheights https://archiveofourown.org/works/4786607/chapters/10952567

I know this was just recommended by aleena, but it bears repeating. It’s absolutely a must for everyone’s post noel watch and also for anyone who loves general senior staff.

 I fall apart (and i thought i was so smart) by roseyposeypie https://archiveofourown.org/works/30626918/chapters/75559058 

Oohhh, the journey this was. I have Rosie and this fic to thank for most of the very close fandom friendships I formed from us spiraling and speculating about this story for months.

where the oleander grows by kairach https://archiveofourown.org/works/27211249/chapters/66468748

Cue me just yelling “THE FLOWER FIC!” I’m pretty sure I have recommended this to absolutely everyone that’s watched the show in the past 2 years lmao. It’s about the found family

 nothin’ like you by sam_writes_fics https://archiveofourown.org/works/40285125/chapters/100907319

My poor samjosh summer camp au heart. This fics makes me muppet scream after every single line. Also background cjtoby, my beloved. The cutest concept ever. 

2) Do you have a favorite character to write/edit? Favorite ship(s) to write/edit? Are there characters or ships you'd like to write/edit more of?

Joshua…I think for both? Ballet AU has fortunately let me get a chance to explore writing all of them, so that’s been fun! I like to write up lots of dialogue and meta, but to actually play with them for real is interesting. I’ve only “publicly” written Josh’s POV, so time will tell if I ever get comfortable enough to move on to someone else. Editing Josh/Brad is also always a hoot. Obviously, editing j/d is a good time, but i do like the challenge of when i get the inspo to edit cjtoby, those edits end up being a lot more heartbreaking. I loooove doing friendship edits and writing about those relationships as well, (chaos twins !!!) but im looking forward to doing some studio 60 edits soon. 

 3) Tell us about your creative process (setup/location? Night or day? Snacks/beverages? Computer/phone/notebook? Music or silence? Anything else you want to share is welcome!)

I like to call it “going into my edit hole” where I will clip/airdrop, edit, color, and then post all in the same sitting. I do like to outline edits (and now fics) on my notes app because most of my outlining and planning happens from 6am-2pm when I’m not home. This usually ends up being why I start editing at 7pm and finishing 3 hours later. Most edits usually take me 3 hours from beginning to end if I have it really thought out. For edits, I do like to be home alone or locked in my room to really pay attention to the music and voice overs. I have a Ballet AU playlist that I usually play while writing that. 

 4) What video editing/writing advice do you have for others who may be reading this?

This is for editing, but practice practice practice?? I made 40 tww edits in 2021 and you can definitely see when I started to get more comfortable with coloring/lighting this hell show. Voice overs were also kinda tricky for a bit, but I just played more and more with it for different edits, and you start to see what you like and what works. I think working with the same clips and show for so long provided something to work up to. My writing advice would be to open up google docs, advice that I myself should take ;) 

5) From where do you usually draw your inspiration? (Other forms of media, music, tropes, etc?)

MUSIC!!! For about 5 years, I made gifs almost everyday for Tumblr (follow me at @karenandthababes if ya want!) and most were lyric sets. Gifs were my alternative for not having the proper programs back then for edits. I saw these characters and ships through music. Music either puts choreography in my head or it flows out an edit lol 

 6) What is the fic/edit you've written/created that you're most proud of and why?

I’m still really proud of having an almost 9k unfinished fic (i’m so sorry) published? Ballet AU started as a joke and ended up being REAL, and that freaks me out. The noel edit to Ave Maria is one I think I’m still most proud of from a creative standpoint? It wasn’t one i had planned AT ALL, came out of nowhere and ended up doing really well and hurting a lot of people, which really is my biggest joy hahaha. 

 7) What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd read 1000 of? What's the fic trope/concept/AU you'd write 1000 of? And/or, are there any editing tropes/artists/themes you can't get enough of?

I’m team angst (derogatory) but I love hurt/comfort. (which this show gives you plenty of reasons for it) I love reunions. I love found family. I love people feeling and being loved! For edits, I’m back to just adoring a good friendship edit. Nothing beats just seeing some of these duos or trios be absolute ding dongs. 

 8) Is there anything you'd like to try writing-wise/video editing-wise that you haven't yet?

I would love to try to write my angst feelings and hcs down for tww. I’ve been really proud of stuff I wrote for another fandom and OCs that were really DARK, but I just won’t have that chance for that in ballet au (which I think people would be grateful for). 

 9) What's your go-to Starbucks/coffee shop/other drink order?

lavender oat milk iced coffee wink wink (I also swing for hazelnut most of the time)

10) Do you have any current projects you'd like to promote or anything upcoming you'd like to tell us about?

Ballet AU!!! There’s a bunch of surprises coming in ACT 2 that I think a lot of people that haven't caught up or started yet would really enjoy, still saving quite a few tags for secret plot lines. There’s definitely more edits coming :) 

Submitted questions:

From @sam_writes_fics: one song you really want to make an edit to? how long have you been making edits?

Pretty much everything on my j/d playlist lol. I think there’s just so many songs to pick from at this point for any character dynamic and ship that now it’s just when inspiration really hits. I’ve been making fandom edits since 2019, but my first tww edit was in 2021. 

From @jessbakescakes: What do you think is the easiest part of editing? The most difficult part? What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

The easiest is getting the concept most of the time? Usually, it’s a song that hits my shuffle that I never thought of using and then suddenly my brain is just providing the scenes or vibes for me. After an hour of repeats, it’s an edit. The most difficult part for me usually is starting. The program I specifically use (InShot on IOS) doesn’t let you drop and move things around like working on a desktop program would, so if my beginning doesn’t work like I wanted it to but I know how my middle and end works, I just have to keep at it until I find a way that works lol. 

From @jessbakescakes: What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

This is a hard question. I went to school for multimedia in high school and focused on the post production of whatever we were making that week, so it’s less of what I wish I knew and more of what I wish I had. Studying graphic design in college threw me off from my video editing, so finding a way to just do it again, even on this level, is great.

From @claudiasjeans: what’s your fave tww rarepair? what got you into fandom, either editing or writing? how did you get exposed to tww?

For a rarepair, I’ll probably say andy/cj/toby and cj/kate? I’m a huge multishipper, so my end point is always a poly relationship lmao. I think samjosh might be too popular to be a rarepair, but I’ll put that down just in case. God, if we want to get real deep, my fandom writing background comes from twilight roleplay when i was a tiny teen. It wasn’t fic, but it was definitely years of writing. Gifs led to edits. Roselle (mskimwexler) and Di (onourownside) pulled me into watching tww completely blind and it was a magical time. I just celebrated my 2 year anniversary! 

From @kennysroys: Since you’re an editor (a great one at that!) what scene or scenes from the show do you think are well edited?

What a compliment :’) Noel as a whole, jfc. It’s the only episode of it’s kind and nothing can beat that Emmy winning masterpiece. I think that’s what was so fun about editing noel, because you have to work a little bit harder with the therapy scenes because it’s already edited so well. I would love to add that I have a love/hate with editing the cold kiss hahaha. I have at one point even tried to clip the matching shots together to make longer kisses and no dice!! The cold kiss is filmed and edited like an fandom edit, the 360 is amazing for the drama of editing, but sometimes you just WISH we got some more transition type single camera kisses lmao 

From @joshatella: When did you make your first edit/how did you start editing?

I posted the Humble Josh edit Christmas Day 2020, but I think my first twitter edits were Star Wars related from 2019. I just know Bea (schiff0rd) and I both started our tww edit journey around the same time, and it’s been really fine to work back and forth with her. Remi (piketrickfoots) was a godsend and actually clipped all of j/d for us back when it was still on Netflix, so without her and my season files, there’s no way I would have been able to edit at the quantity I was last year. The Humble edit and the Silver Fox Bradley edit were my firsts, which led to the red dress edit. The rest is history lol

Lightning round from @S4MWILSON: fave fic you wrote ? fave edit you made ? would you ever make an edit to a fic ? what app/software do u think is best for editing ? fave ship you have yet to write ? most underrated tww dynamic ?

I know I’ve talked about Ballet AU a lot, so I’m gonna say you know that i'm fallin’ was a really fun start to my tww fic journey. Ofc my first published fic was santos 3, which i would really love to do a little ficlet sequel to soon. The chaos twins or santos 3 edits i hold very dear to my heart, but the he's the man edit for josh was my real big break into making things as a whole I was really happy with. We’ve actually discussed doing a fic/edit/art collab event, so maybe soon! This is really a personal preference for me who’s used every editing software besides Vegas, but I prefer editing fancams on my phone. I use InShot for general editing and Prequel for coloring. I was originally trained with ​​Premiere Pro, but anyone that’s used that program knows it’s the devil. I would love to write some cjtoby at length. As the one of the spokespersons for underrated tww dynamics, I could list for hours, but any dynamic with Abbey involving a member of the senior staff is so special to me.

Thanks again, Connor!

If you’re interested in being featured for a future spotlight, please drop us a line here on tumblr, on twitter, or email weeklypressbriefing@gmail.com.

xx,

What’s next?

[cinnella]

Name: Libelle Abrams (chosen name); Varda Lesedi (birth name)

Age: 22 years old

Sex: Female

Sexuality: Demi-homosexual

Zodiac sign: Libra

Birthday: October 7th

Patron Arcana: Justice (Major); Queen of Swords (Minor)

Occupation: Magician, healer, painter and gardener

Height: 5'9" (1.76 m)

Weight: 194 lbs (88 kg)

Relatives:

Briella Lesedi - mother (deceased)

Abanus Lesedi - father (deceased)

Gushvin Basu - distant family friend

Origin: Born in the Catclaw Desert, grew up in Vesuvia

Race: African-American

Powers: White (purification) and healing magic, as well as telekinesis and precognitive dreaming

Intelligence Level: On a scale from 1 to 10, she's a strong 8.5

Backstory:

During the beautiful sunset of the Catclaw Desert, little Varda was born not far off from their home, where her parents had built their sculpture selling stand.

About 7 months later, while they were enjoying their time at home, their friend, Gushvin, hurried to tell them that an unexpected aggressive sand storm started heading their way.

They made sure to give Varda to him as he was faster and went ahead of them. They tragically got swept away by the storm and inhaled too much sand. They were found without breath or pulse hours later.

As selfish as it was of him, Gushvin didn't want to take care of a child, so he made sure to find someone willing enough to do that, soon running into a person who said they specifically searched for orphaned children that needed care.

After a couple of days of traveling, they arrived in sunny Vesuvia, where Varda was brought to the orphanage in the South End. There she was cared for and raised like promised.

She grew up to be one of the sweetest but most naive kids there. One day during lunch, she noticed a kid was sitting alone at his table, sulking and not eating. She approached him and offered to eat with him.

He had silverish eyes and ash-blond hair and the kindest smile she'd ever seen. She'd heard the adults call him Lucas and she knew he was kind of a troublemaker, but he seemed so lonely. They became best friends almost instantly, and always spent time together.

Some years later, when both of them were around 5 years old, they befriended three other kids, all significantly older than them. She learned that their names were Eris, Syro and Morana, and immediately became worried.

They were the biggest scoundrels in the entire orphanage, and quite honestly, all of South End. But Lucas insisted that they join their group. And she trusted him.

She didn't think that these four kids would become so important to her, that they'd become her family. But they did, and she couldn't be more thankful.

When it became clear enough to the adults that they couldn't raise nameless kids, the more capable ones took to teaching them the importance of knowing how to read and write and then they could choose a name for themselves, on their 7th birthday.

Soon enough, her sweet 7th rolled around and after months of searching, she found a name that would complete her.

And so, Varda Lesedi became Libelle Abrams.

Lucas, not much later, also changed his name, to Calyx. Libelle thought it was such a beautiful name for him.

Many years passed by with the four causing as much trouble as possible, to her unfortunate luck. But once she approached her preteens, devastating news came with them. When they'd reach the age of 17, they would need to leave, one by one, and search for a different home.

They discussed about it, made plans and set goals to find their homelands, their roots and possibly their families.

Obviously, Eris was first in line to leave as the eldest between them. Then Morana with Syro. It was only her and Calyx left. She made the promise to not abandon him there and take him with her when the time would come.

And she did. After celebrating her 17th birthday and talking with the one that had found her so many years ago, they set out to travel towards the Catclaw Desert. The journey was a couple of days long and it took them almost as much to find the one who knew about her parents.

Gushvin was sat on the bench in front of his home when they approached, and when Libelle called out to him, he recognized her immediately. There was some confusion with her name at first, but they quickly caught onto everything.

He told her everything that had happened the day she became an orphan and although he was hesitant, he confessed how selfish he'd been back then, something he regretted deeply and hadn't let him sleep properly since then.

All of the discoveries shocked her beyond belief, so much so that she wanted to go back to Vesuvia right away. After a while of mulling over everything she found out, she decided to focus on helping her best friend.

Luck had seemed to smile upon them, because Eris insisted on tagging along with them. After all, they had to travel across the sea all the way to the Macawi Port.

After even more shocking reveals about Calyx' parents, none of them wanted to know anything more, so at dawn they started back home.

Now, Libelle could focus on the things that she wanted to do most. She learned how to become a professional healer and magician, so she would help people in need. Around that time, her secret powers slowly surfaced as well.

She realized she could move objects with the will of her mind and at night, she would have visions and dreams of the future. After consulting with an expert in healing magic, she discovered that most people have these gifts and adviced her to learn to control them.

Everything was fine in her life until the Red Plague rained upon them and they each made the decision to leave Vesuvia. Well, all except for Eris. She wanted to help the doctors with the dead, confided to Libelle that she'd taught herself necromancy and wanted to reverse their deaths.

Eris had been too stubborn to listen to reason, so they had no choice but to leave her behind. Syro and Morana left for the Southern Spines, while Eris specifically told Libelle and Calyx to go to Venterre and find her brother, Sethos. He would shelter them until the nightmare would be over.

So they did, they took the first boat straight to the west coast of Venterre, where they ran into the young man in question.

When they finished explaining everything to him, he insisted they go back and get her too, but there would have been no use in doing so. His sister would have been way too stubborn to listen to anyone.

Days later, a letter arrived in their mailbox and all three were devastated to find out Eris died from the plague. Libelle and Calyx were sobbing messes and Sethos almost thrashed the room before collapsing too.

They informed the other two through a letter as well, but they figured there would be massive delays because of the distance, so they didn't expect an answer right away.

Suddenly, about 6 days later, Libelle had a dream, of Eris being alive. It had felt so real she woke up in a cold sweat and with tears in her eyes, she went to wake up the other two, shaking them hard.

She couldn't form clear words but Calyx caught onto it right away, and while with shaky hands, Libelle explained that she could sense Eris' aura and presence in the real world.

Although Sethos was very skeptical about it, he would have rather held onto the tiniest string of hope that she was indeed alive than live with the thought of losing his sister a second time.

So they wrote another letter to Syro and Morana and immediately packed their things and headed back to Vesuvia in plain midnight.

True to everything Libelle said and sensed, Eris was alive. How, they didn't know, until they spoke to Asra, one of her older friends and apparently, the one who brought her back. She was shocked to find it involved a deal with the Devil. She'd heard of the sacrifices needed to make such deals.

After about 3 years of total absence, Syro and Morana also arrived in Vesuvia and the shock cycle began again.

Not much later, when Eris got assigned to solve the mystery of Count Lucio's murder and catch his fugitive murderer, everyone offered to do something to help her out.

Though she was shy about it, she could sense that the Countess, Nadia, needed help as well. So Libelle suggested assisting her in whatever Nadia would need.

She didn't expect to catch feelings, but she didn't complain either.

Personality: shy, sensitive, kind-hearted, gentle, imaginitive, creative, generous, loyal, honest, trustworthy, observant, reliable, cheerful, too forgiving and sometimes naive

Interesting facts:

Although it isn't very noticeable, she does have a white lotus tattoo on her left middle finger.

Her wrists are littered with past self-harm scars, which the others love to kiss just to make her feel better about them.

She is very insecure about her body, but she has the others to lift her moods up when she's down.

Has an entire collection of earrings, but her favorites are the peacock feathers.

Even though she wakes up early in the morning, she usually takes a nap in the afternoon.

Her thighs and hips are full of stretch marks.

Has the biggest sweet tooth in the world.

Can play the clarinet, but you would have to really indulge her to get her to sing on it for you.

Appearance: Dark espresso skin tone, neck-length curly chestnut brown hair, dyed periwinkle blue halfway down, jade green eyes, chubby slight hourglass body shape, D cup breasts

Familiar: Lumi, a cute and sweet stoat but a sneaky little thief all the same

Voice claim: Dana Gourrier

Full sprite:

WOOOHOOOO I FINISHED ALL MY MCS' BIOS AND I'M SO HAPPY!!

My girl turned out so damn beautiful too and I'm just hhnnnnn- 😖💜

PLEASE SHOW HER SOME LOVE AS WELL!!! ✨

[sinceileftyoublog]

Riot Fest 2021: 9/16-9/19, Douglass Park

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Much like Pitchfork Music Festival earlier this month, this past weekend’s Riot Fest felt relatively normal. Arriving at Douglas Park every day, you were greeted by the usual deluge of attendees in Misfits t-shirts and dyed hair, the sound of faint screams and breakneck guitars and drums emanating from nearby stages. The abnormal aspects of the fest, at least as compared to previous incarnations, we’re already used to by now from 2021 shows: To get in, you had to show proof of vaccination and/or a negative test no older than 48 hours, which means that unvaxxed 4-day attendees had to get multiple tests. Props to the always awesome staff at Riot Fest for actually checking the cards against the names on government-issued IDs.

For a festival that dealt with a plethora of last-minute changes due to bands dropping out because of COVID-19 caution (Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.) or other reasons (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle because of concerns around Mike Patton’s well-being), there were very few bumps in the road. Whether Riot Fest had bands like Slipknot, Anthrax, or Rise Against in their back pocket as replacements or not, it very much felt like who we saw Thursday-Sunday was always supposed to be the lineup, even when laying your eyes on countless “Death to the Pixies” shirts. Sure, one of the fest’s main gimmicks--peeling back the label on Goose Island’s Riot Fest Sucks Pale Ale to reveal the schedule--was out of date with inaccurate set times and bands, and it still would have been so had Faith No More and Mr. Bungle stayed, since Fucked Up had to drop out last minute due to border issues. But the festival, as always, rolled with the punches.

The sets themselves offered the circle pit and crowdsurfing-inducing punk and metal you’re used to, with a few genre outliers. For so many bands of all styles, Riot Fest represented their first live show in years, and a few acts knew the exact number of days since their last show. For every single set, the catharsis in the crowd and on stage was palpable, not exactly anger, or elation, but pure release.

Here were our favorite sets of the festival, in chronological order.

WDRL

Last October, WDRL (which, amazingly, stands for We Don’t Ride Llamas) announced themselves with a Tweet: “y’all been looking for an alt black band,, well here you go”. A band of Gen Z siblings, Chase (lead guitar), Max (lead vocals), Blake (drums), and Kit Mitchell (bass guitar), WDRL is aware, much like Meet Me @ The Altar (who, despite my hyping, I couldn’t make it in time to see) that they’re one of too few bands of POCs in the Riot Fest-adjacent scene. Their set, one of the very first of the weekend during Thursday’s pre-party, showed them leading by example, the type of band to inspire potentially discouraged Black and brown folks to start punk bands. Max is a terrific vocalist, able to scream over post-punk, scat over funk, and coo over slow, soulful R&B swayers with the same ease. The rest of the band was equally versatile, able to pivot on a dime from scuzzy rock to hip hop to twinkling dream pop. Bonus points for covering Splendora’s “You’re Standing On My Neck”, aka the Daria theme song.

Joyce Manor

Joyce Manor’s self-titled debut is classic. The best part of it as an album play-through at a festival? It’s so short that you can hear it and you’ll still have half a set for other favorites. So while the bouncy “Orange Julius”", “Ashtray Petting Zoo”, and ultimate singalong “Constant Headache” were set highlights, the Torrance, CA band was able to burn through lots from Never Hungover Again, Cody, Million Dollars to Kill Me, and their rarities collection Songs From Northern Torrance. Apart from not playing anything from Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired (seriously, am I the only one who loves that record?), Joyce Manor were stellar, from the undeniable hooks of “Heart Tattoo” to the churning power chords of “Catalina Fight Song”. After playing “Christmas Card”, Johnson and company gave one final nod to the original fest cancellation, My Chemical Romance, who were slated to headline 2020, then 2021, and now 2022. If you ever wondered what it would sound like hearing a concise punk band like Joyce Manor take on the bombast of “Helena”, you found out. Hey, it was actually pretty good!

Patti Smith

Behold: a full Patti Smith set! After being shafted by the weather last time around, a sunglasses-laden Smith decided not to fuck around, leading with the inspiring “People Have The Power”, her voice as powerful as I’ve ever heard it. Maybe it was the influence of Riot Fest, but she dropped as many f-bombs as Corey Taylor did during Slipknot’s Sunday night headlining set. After reluctantly signing an adoring crowd member’s copy of Horses, she quipped, “I feel bad for you have to cart that fucking thing around.” It wasn’t just the filthy banter: This was Smith at her most enraptured and incendiary, belting during “Because The Night” and spitting during a “Land/Gloria” medley, reciting stream-of-consciousness hallucinogenic lyrics about the power of escape in the greatest display of stamina the festival had to offer.

Circa Survive

“It feels good to dance,” declared Circa Survive lead singer Anthony Green. The heart and soul of the Philadelphia rock band, who cover ground from prog rock to post-hardcore and emo, Green was in full form during the band’s early Friday set, his falsetto carrying the rolling “The Difference Between Medicine and Poising Is in the Dose” and the chugging “Rites of Investiture”. While the band, too, can throw down, they’re equally interesting when softer and more melodic, Brendan Ekstrom‘s twinkling guitars lifting “Child of the Desert” and “Suitcase”. Ending with the one-two punch of debut Juturna’s introspective “Act Appalled” and Blue Sky Noise’s skyward “Get Out”, Green announced the band would have a new record coming soon, one you hope will cover the sonic and thematic ground of even just those two tracks.

Thrice

Thrice played their first show since February 2020 the same day they’d release their 11th studio album, Horizons/East (Epitaph). To a crowd of fans that came to hear their favorite songs, though, the Irvine, California band knew better than to play a lot of the new record, instead favoring tracks like The Artist in the Ambulance’s spritely title cut and Vheissu standout “The Earth Will Shake”. Yeah, they led with a Horizons/East song making its live debut, the dreamy, almost Deftones-esque “Scavengers”, and later in the set they’d reveal the impassioned “Summer Set Fire to the Rain”. But the set more prominently served to emphasize lead vocalist Dustin Kensrue’s gruff delivery, on “All the World Is Mad” and “in Exile”, the rhythm section’s propulsive playing buoying his fervency. And how about Teppei Teranishi’s finger tapping on “Black Honey”?!? Thrice often favor the slow build-up, but they offered plenty of individually awesome moments.

Smashing Pumpkins

William Patrick Corgan entered the stage to dramatic strings, dressed in a robe, with white face paint except for red hearts under his eyes. He looked like a ghost. That’s pretty much where the semi-serious theatricality ended. The Smashing Pumpkins’ first Chicago festival headlining set in recent memory was the rawest they’ve sounded in a while, counting when they played an original lineup-only set at the United Center a few years back. It was also the most fun I’ve ever seen Corgan have on stage. Though they certainly selected and debuted from their latest electropop turn Cyr, Corgan, guitarist James Iha, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and company more notably dug deep into the vault, playing Gish’s “Crush” for the first time since 2008, Adore’s “Shame” for the first time since 2010, and Siamese Dream barnburner “Quiet” for the first time since 1994 (!). Best, every leftfield disco jam like set opener “The Colour Of Love”, “Cyr”, and “Ramona” was quickly followed by something heavy and/or recognizable, Chamberlin’s limber drum solos elevating even latter-day material like “Solara”. At one point, Corgan, a self-described “arty fuck,” admitted that years ago he would have opted for more experimental material, but he knew the crowd wanted to hear classics, the band then delving into a gorgeous acoustic version of “Tonight, Tonight”. And while Kate Bush coverer Meg Myers came out to sing Lost Highway soundtrack industrial ditty “Eye”, it was none other than legendary local shredder Michael Angelo Batio who stole the show, joining for the set closer, a pummeling version of Zeitgeist highlight “United States”. Leaning into the cheese looks good on you, Billy.

The Bronx

Credit to L.A. punk rock band The Bronx, playing early on a decidedly cooler Saturday early afternoon, for making me put in my earplugs outside of the photo pit. Dedicating “Shitty Future” to Fucked Up (who, as we mentioned, had to drop out), the entire band channeled Damian Abraham’s energy on piercing versions of “Heart Attack American” as well as “Superbloom” and “Curb Feelers” from their latest album Bronx VI (Cooking Vinyl). Joby J. Ford and Ken Horne’s guitars stood out, providing choppy rhythms on “Knifeman” and swirling solos on “Six Days A Week”.

Big Freedia

The New Orleans bounce artist has Big Diva Energy, for the most part. After her DJ pumped up the crowd to contemporary Southern rap staple “Ayy Ladies” by Travis Porter, Big Freedia walked out and showed that “BDE”, firing through singles like “Platinum” and “N.O. Bounce” as her on-stage dancers’ moves ranged from delicate to earth-shaking. At this point, Freedia can pretty much do whatever she wants, effortlessly segueing between a cover of Drake’s “Nice For What” to “Strut”, her single with electropop DJ Elohim, to a cover of Beyone’s “Formation”. Of course, the set highlight was when she had volunteers from the crowd come up and shake and twerk--two at a time to keep it COVID-safe--all while egging them on to go harder. Towards the end of the set, after performing the milquetoast “Goin’ Looney” from the even-worse-than-expected Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack, she pulled out the beloved “Gin in my System”. “I got that gin in my system,” she sang, the crowd singing back, “Somebody gonna be my victim,” a refrain that compositionally not only leaves plenty of room for the thundering bass but is thematically a statement of total power--over sexism, racism, the patriarchy--even in the face of control-altering substances.

Les Savy Fav

During Les Savy Fav’s set, lead singer Tim Harrington at various points--*big breath*--went into the crowd, deepthroated an audience member’s mohawk spike, found a discarded manikin head with a wig on it, revealed the words “deep” and “dish” painted on his thighs and a drawing of a Red Hot on his back, rode a crowd member like a horse, made a headband out of pink tape, donned ski goggles, surfed on top of a door carried by the crowd, squeezed his belly while the camera was on it to make it look like his belly button was singing, and referred to himself as a “slippery eel.” Indeed, the legend of Les Savy Fav’s live show starts and ends with Harrington’s ridiculous antics, as he’s all but out of breath when actually singing dance-punk classics like “Hold On To Your Genre”, “The Sweat Descends”, and “Rome (Written Upside Down)”. We haven’t heard much in terms of new music from Les Savy Fav in over 10 years--their most recent album was 2010′s Root For Ruin--but I could see them and the extremely Aughts genre in general become staples of Riot Fest as albums like Inches, The Rapture’s Echoes, and !!!’s Louden Up Now reach the 20-year mark. Dynamic vocalists, tight bands, and killer grooves: What’s not to love?

State Champs

This set likely wins the award for “most immediate crowd surfers,” which I guess is to be expected when you begin your set with a classic track 1--album 1 combination. “Elevated” is the State Champs number that will cause passers-by to stop and watch a couple songs, the type of song that can pretty much only open or close a set. And because they opened with it, the crowd immediately ramped up the energy. It’s been three years since the last State Champs full-length, Living Proof, so they were in prime position to play some new songs. As such, they performed their bubblegummy “Outta My Head” and “Just Sound” and faithfully covered Fall Out Boy’s “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago” (releasing a studio version earlier this week). But the tracks from The Finer Things and Around the World and Back were, as usual, the highlights, like “All You Are Is History”, “Remedy”, “Slow Burn”, and set closer “Secrets”. At the end of the day, it didn’t entirely matter: The crowd knew every word of every song.

Bayside

Putting State Champs and Bayside back-to-back on the same stage made an easy decision for the many pop-punk bands at Riot Fest. Bayside’s been at it for twice as long, so the breadth of their setlist across their discography is more variable. Moreover, they’ve thrice revisited their discography with acoustic albums of old songs, so even their staples are subject to change. They provided solid versions of Killing Time standouts “Already Gone” and “Sick, Sick, Sick”, Cult’s “Pigsty”, and older songs like their self-titled’s “Montauk” and Sirens and Condolences’ “Masterpiece”. For “Don’t Call Me Peanut”, though, they brought out--*gasp*--an acoustic guitar! It was a rare moment not just for one of the most popular pop punk sets but the festival in general, a breather before Vacancy shout-along “Mary”.

Rancid

“Rancid has always been anti-fascist and anti-racist,” said Tim Armstrong before the band played “Hooligans”. It was nice to hear an explicit declaration of solidarity from the street punks, reminding the crowd what really matters and why we come together to scream and mosh. The band expectedly favored ...And Out Come The Wolves, playing almost half of it, and they perfectly balanced their harder edges with more celebratory ska songs like “Where I’m Going” from their most recent album Trouble Maker (Hellcat/Epitaph). My two favorite moments? The breezy, keyboard-laden “Fall Back Down” from their supremely underrated 2001 album Indestructable, and when they asked the crowd whether they wanted the set to end with “Time Bomb” or “Ruby Soho”. “We have 4 minutes left, and it’s disrespectful to play over your set time,” said Armstrong. It’s easy to see why Rancid continues to make an impression--instrumental and moral--on touring bands new and old.

Run the Jewels

The brilliant hip hop duo are masters of balancing social consciousness with the desire to fuck shit up for fun. Live, the former tends to come in between-song banter, the latter with their actual charismatic, tit-for-tat performances of the songs. However, Run the Jewels also are probably the clearest live performers in hip hop today, Killer Mike and El-P’s words, hypersexual and woke alike, ringing in the ears of audience members who don’t even know the songs. (Looking around, I could see people smiling and laughing at every dick joke, nodding at each righteous proclamation.) Some of the best songs on their most recent album RTJ4 (Jewel Runners/BMG) are perfect for these multitudes. Hearing both RTJ MCs and the backing track of Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha chanting “Look at all these slave masters posin’ on yo’ dollar” on “JU$T” as the rowdy crowd bounced up and down was the ultimate festival moment. For those who had never seen RTJ, it was clear from the get-go, as Killer Mike and EL-P traded bars on “yankee and the brave (ep. 4)” that they’re a unique hip hop act. For the rest of us, it was clear that Run the Jewels keep getting better.

The Gories

It felt a little weird that legendary Detroit trio The Gories were given the first set of the final day--I’d have thought they’d have more draw than that. No matter what, they provided one of the more satisfying and stylistically varied sets of the festival, showcasing their trademark balance of garage punk and blues. Mick Collins and Dan Kroha’s guitar and vocal harmonies were the perfect jangly balance to Peggy O’Neill’s meat and potatoes drumming on “Sister Ann” and “Charm Bag”, while folks less familiar with The Gories were treated to their fantastic covers of Suicide’s “Ghost Rider” and The Keggs’ “To Find Out”. Smells like time for the first Gories album in 20 years!

FACS

I thought it would be ill-fitting to watch a band like FACS in the hot sun, early in the day. Their monochrome brand of post-punk seems better suited for a dimly lit club. But the hypnotic nature of Brian Case’s swirling guitar and Alianna Kalaba’s slinky bass was oddly perfect in a sweltering, faint-inducing heat. Just when you thought you might fade, squalls of feedback and Noah Leger’s odd time signatures picked you back up. Songs from their new album Present Tense (Trouble In Mind) such as “Strawberry Cough” and “XOUT” were emblematic of this push-pull. And everything from the band’s red, white, and black color palate to their lack of stage banter suggested a cool minimalism that was rare at a festival that tends to book more outwardly emotional bands.

Alex G

On one hand, Alex G’s unique combination of twangy alt country and earnest indie rock makes him an outlier at Riot Fest, or at the very least a mostly Pitchfork/occasional Riot Fest type of booking. On the other hand, like a lot of bands at the festival, he has a rabid fanbase, one that knows his back catalog hits, like “Kute”, “Kicker”, and “Bug”, as much as if not more than hyped Rocket and House of Sugar singles, like “Bobby” and “Gretel”. Backed by a band that knows when to be loose and when to tighten up--and the instrumental chops to do so--Alex G was better than he was a Pitchfork three years ago. He still sings through his teeth, making it especially hard to hear him on louder tunes such as “Brick”. But when the honesty of his vocals combines with the dreamy guitars of “Southern Sky” and circular melodies of “Near”, it’s pure bliss. 

HEALTH

The formula for the LA industrial noise band has pretty much always been Jake Duzsik’s soft vocals contrasting John Famiglietti’s screeching bass and pedals and BJ Miller’s mammoth drums. Both in 2018 and Sunday at Riot Fest, the heat affected Famiglietti’s pedals, which were nonetheless obscured by tarp. Or so HEALTH claimed: You wouldn’t know the difference given how much their sound envelops your whole body during one of their live sets. Since their previous appearance at the festival, the prolific band has released two new records on Loma Vista, Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear and collaboration record Disco4: Part 1. Songs from those records occupied half of their excellent set, including battering opener “GOD BOTHERER”, “BODY/PRISON”, and “THE MESSAGE”. It was so wonderfully loud it drowned out K.Flay’s sound check drummer, thank the lord.

Thursday

Last time Thursday played Riot Fest, Geoff Rickly was battling heroin addiction, something he talked about during the band’s triumphant late afternoon set on Sunday. He mentioned the kindness of the late, great Riley Gale of Power Trip in extending a helping hand when he was down and extended his love to anybody in the crowd or even the world at large going through something similar. To say that this set was life-affirming would be an understatement; after 636 days of no shows, Rickly was at his most passionate. He introduced “Signals Over The Air” as a song the band “wrote about men beating up on women in the pit,” that a record exec at the time told them that it wouldn’t age well because he thought--no kidding--sexism would eventually end. Rickly’s voice, suffering from sound issues last time around, simply soared during Full Collapse’s “Cross Out The Eyes”, No Devolucion’s “Fast to the End”, and two inspired covers: Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” and Texas Is The Reason’s “If It's Here When We Get Back It's Ours”. The latter the band played because TITR guitarist Norman Brannon’s actually on tour with them, though Rickly emphasized the influence the NYC post-hardcore greats had on Thursday when they first started. Never forgetting where they’ve come from, with self-deprecating humor and radical empathy, Thursday are once again a force.

Devo

Much like the B-52′s in 2019, Devo was the set this year of a 70′s/80′s absurd punk band with some radio hits that everybody knows but with a swath of die-hard fans, too. It’s safe to say both groups were satisfied. You walked around the fest all day wondering whether the folks wearing Devo hats were actual fans or doing it for the novelty. By the time the band actually took the stage after a career-spanning video of their many phases, it didn’t really matter, because it was clear the band still had it, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale’s vocals booming throughout a massive crowd. They ripped through “Peek-a-Boo”, “Going Under”, “That’s Good”, “Girl U Want”, and “Whip It”, which caused the fans waiting for Slipknot (and presumably some Devo heads) to form a circle pit. And that was all before the first costume change. Mark passed out hats to the crowd, fully embracing converts who might have only known “Whip It”. The feverish chants of “Uncontrollable Urge” and synth freakouts of “Jocko Homo” whipped everyone into a frenzy. And the band performed the “Freedom Of Choice” theme song for the first time since the early 80′s! I had seen Devo before, opening for Arcade Fire and Dan Deacon at the United Center, but the atmosphere at Riot Fest was more appropriately ludicrous.

Flaming Lips

“The Flaming Lips are the most COVID-safe band in the world,” went the ongoing joke, as throughout the pandemic they’d give audience members bubbles for their bubbles to be able to play shows. The normally goofy and interactive band scaled back for Riot Fest. Before launching into their traditional opener “Race For The Prize”, Wayne Coyne explained that while the band is normally proud of where they come from--Oklahoma City--they’re saddened by the local government’s ignorant pandemic response and wouldn’t risk launching balloons or walking into the crowd because they might be virus spreaders coming from such an under-vaccinated area. To his and the band’s credit, they wore masks during the performance, even when singing; Coyne removed his only when outside of his bubble that had to be deflated and inflated many times and that sometimes muffled his singing voice even more than a mask. Ever the innovative band, they still put on a stellar show. Coyne autotuned his voice on “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1″, making it another instrument filling the song’s glorious pop melodies. Less heavy on props, the band favored a glitchy, psychedelic setlist that alternated between beauty (”Flowers Of Neptune 6″, “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate”, “All We Have Is Now”) and two-drummed cacophony (“Silver Trembling Hands”, “The W.A.N.D.”). They’ll give a proper Lips show soon enough, but in the meantime, it was nice to see them not run through the motions.

Slipknot

Apart from maybe moments of Slayer, I’ve never witnessed a headliner at Riot Fest as heavy as Slipknot was. Even the minor ethereal elements present on their most recent and very good album We Are Not Your Kind, like the chorus of voices during “Unsainted”, were all but abandoned live in favor of straight up brutality. Sure, there were moments of theatricality--Corey Taylor’s menacing laugh on “Disasterpiece” and pyrotechnics in sequence with the instrumentation on “Before I Forget” and “All Out Life”--but for the most part, Slipknot was the ultimate exorcism. Taylor’s new mask, with unnaturally circular eyes, seemed like it came from a particularly uncomfortable skit from I Think You Should Leave. They bashed a baseball bat to a barrel during the pre-encore performance of “Duality”. And the songs played from tape, like the gasping-for-breath “(515)”, were designed to contrast Slipknot’s alien appearance with qualities that were uncannily human. For a band whose performances and instrumental dexterity are otherworldly--who else can pull off tempo changes over a hissing, Aphex Twin-like shuffling electronic beat on “Eyeless”--the pure seething emotion on songs like “Psychosocial” and “Wait and Bleed” shone through. Like Smashing Pumpkins, and like so many other successful Riot Fest headliners, Slipknot abandoned drama for pure, unadulterated dirt.

[lovemesomesurveys]

Thought I Couldn't Top It, Huh? OVER 2000 Questions! (Truly the Longest!) Created by distortedcognition

Part 4

.Favorites. Color: Pastels, rose gold, sea foam green, coral, yellow. Number: 8. Store: Boxlunch and Hot Topic. Book: I have way too many. Story: Uhh.

Magazine: None. Television program?: I have several of those, too. Movie: Those as well.

Series: I’ll tell you the authors of the several different book series I’ve been into/read the past couple of years, which are Willow Rose, AJ Rivers, Mary Stone, and Elle Gray. Apart from AJ Rivers, they each have a few different series and from what I’m read so far I’ve enjoyed them all. If you’re into the murder mystery and psychological thriller thing, you should check some of ‘em out. Poem: I don’t have one. Onomatopoeia: I don’t have one. Verb: Sleep.

Paradox: *shrug* Idiom: Noun: The beach. Adjective: Blah. Adverb: Bleh. Work of fantasy: Classic work: Contemporary work: Writer: The authors I listed previously are some of them. Fairy tale: Is Alice in Wonderland one? Dictionary brand: Webster is good. Summer scene: The beach. Winter scene: Snow. Spring scene: Rainy days. Fall scene: Orange, yellow, red, green leaves. Season: Fall and winter. Planet: Earth. Space feature: None. Thing about summer: Being able to go to the beach is like the only thing I like. Thing about winter: The weather and Christmastime! Thing about spring: The rain. Thing about fall: The weather, the smells, and ~spooky~ time. Mammal: Giraffes. Insect: NONE. Arachnid: NONEEEE. Fish: I don’t have one. Reptile: None. Amphibian: None. Science: Psychology. Thing to do during summer: Go to the beach. Type of weather: Fall and winter weather. Bird: I don’t have one. Thing to do during winter: Celebrate Christmas and enjoy the coziness. Thing to do during spring: Enjoy the rainy days. Thing to do during fall: Watch scary movies. Nature sound: Rain. Real location: The beach and Disneyland. City: San Francisco is one. Culture: Hmm. State: Out of the ones I’ve been to (California, Idaho, Arizona, Georgia) I’d choose California. There’s several states I’d like to visit that could possibly take that spot. Island: I don’t have one. Landscape: Beaches, mountains, lakes, streams. Place to go in your neighborhood: I don’t go anywhere in my neighborhood except for my house. Italian food: Pasta. Mexican: Burritos and quesadillas. Indian: None. Chinese: Chow mien, potstickers, egg rolls, chicken in foil. American: Chicken tenders and boneless wings. French: Some pastries. Snack: Chips and dip. Pasta: Pesto and spaghetti. Desert: Milkshakes, ice cream, donuts, muffins, cookies, cupcakes. Ice cream flavor: Strawberry, mint chocolate chip, birthday cake, cookies and cream. Soup: I’m a ramen gal. Salad: Caesar. Pancake: Blueberry. Restaurant: I don’t have one, unless Wingstop counts. Fruit: Bananas. Vegetable: Spinach, potatoes, broccoli, green onions. Dinner: Wingstop, spaghetti and meatballs, other pasta, salisbury steaks, pizza. Lunch: Chicken tenders, sandwiches, pasta salads, pizza. Breakfast: Over-easy eggs, waffles, eggs and country gravy, hash browns. Cereal: All the sugary yummy ones, basically. Pop tart: The frosted strawberry and brown cinnamon sugar. Candy: White chocolate. Artificial flavor: Banana and strawberry. Cookie: Sugar, shortbread, Oreos, peanut butter. Yogurt: None. Clothing store: Boxlunch and Hot Topic. Outfit: I like my graphic tees and leggings. Shoe: Adidas. Shirt design: Hmm. Brand name: Adidas. Top: All my graphic tees. Pants: My leggings. Skirt: None. Pair of socks: My Baby Yoda ones. Color [of clothing]: Black. Subject in school: English. Music: I like variety.

Tree: Pine. Flower: I don’t have one, but so many are pretty. Quote: I have many. Scent: I have a lot of those as well, like the smell of rain, coffee, the ocean/beach-y air, coconut, garlic, fruity scents, sweet scents, vanilla, cinnamon, pine, peppermint, sandalwood, cedar wood, patchouli, my favorite foods, desserts, autumnal scents from Bath & Body Works, that wood/fire smell during the fall... Adage: I couldn’t choose just one. Television channel: My TV is usually either on The Hallmark Channel, CMT, MTV, UPtv, or TV Land. Day of the week: They’re all pretty much the same for me. Perfume: I like ones with patchouli in it and some sweet ones. Radio station: I don’t listen to the radio anymore.

Cologne: Ones with sandalwood and cedar wood. Sound: The ocean waves crashing in and out, rain, fire crackling, various ASMR sounds, music. Feeling: ASMR, that first sip of coffee, that satisfying feeling from a good meal, the beachy air on my face, the feel of fall in the air. Emotion: I mean, feeling happy is a nice emotion. Haven’t truly felt that in a long time. :/ Song: I have a lot. Music artist: I like several. Month: October-December. Religious holiday: Christmas. Fun holiday: I think Christmas and Halloween are fun. Obscure holiday: Hmm. Videogame: Mario Bro games. Computer game: The Sims. Sport: None. Athlete: None. Instrument: Piano. Composer: I don’t have one. Singer: I have several. Website: YouTube and Tumblr. Word: Hmm.

Slogan: *shrug* Commercial: I don’t have one. Shampoo: I’m currently using Dove shampoo. Conditioner: I’m using the Dove conditioner as well. Body wash: I don’t use body wash, I use bar soap. Soap: Caress body soap. Lotion: My current favorite is Into the Night from Bath & Body Works.

[devourer--of--books]

I’m mad about Hunter being written off and here’s why you should be too

You: wasted potential.

Me, an intellectual: ah, Hunter and Nicola’s friendship

I have strong opinions about Hunter.

Yeah, you heard me right.

Look, I have strong opinions about many, many, things. Today, we are taking a dive on Hunter and Nicola. First I’d like to blame this post on Kate, as I decided to make it after I tried to articulate why Hunter being written off TCY makes me so angry in a huge comment under her latest OTK post but it ended up being too big and messy so I deleted it. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone elaborate on it, so if you were also mad about this, bro, not to be intense, but like, are we soulmates or...??

Before anything else, as I usually do with my text posts (which I haven’t done in a while, opsies), I shall provide you with arguably unnecessary context. Sit down, grab yourself some snacks, make yourself at home, I’m about to rant you into oblivion.

Since I know many accounts weren’t around back then, I’ll also give you the socio-political vibes of the time period, as any self-respecting half-baked essay written last minute should.

POV, you’re 14/15 year-old me. You flat iron your hair, you don’t use sunscreen, you think you’re straight and your school makes you wear those horrid low rise uniform pants, but at least you can somewhat do your make-up decently now that you grew out of your emo phase.

The year was 2016. The Ever Never Handbook has just come out. You re-watch the handbook trailer on youtube for the fifteenth time. Everyone is losing their minds over OcTObeR 14tH and “a student named Agatha ~ now Agatha of Camelot~”, as well as the portraits and the teasing for a new SGE book. Quests For Glory is announced just a few days later. 2016 tagatha ship week happens a few months down the line. 

This is the SGE Tumblr Fandom Peak.

Now, let’s start right there, two-ish weeks after the release of the Handbook, right as the QFG announcement comes out.

We all knew Soman wasn’t done with SGE after TLEA. He definitely had been teasing something in his weekly blogs (lol, remember when I used to check the blog, what a time to be alive) and once we got the ENH, we got quite lot of info to theorize. Here’s some that I can think off the top of my head: 

- The coven was going on a mission to find a new School Master.

- Tedros and Agatha were struggling financially in Camelot but were going to get married soon (even if Sophie doubted Tedros would have asked Agatha yet, as of the time of the Ever Never RoundTable, but we’re taking that with a grain of salt, because she was written to sound jealous here, and I won’t acknowledge that kinda of bs, she is happy for her friends okay, we’ve been though this-)

- Sophie had completely remodeled the School For Evil and was getting on Dovey and the rest of the faculty’s nerves (except for newly hired history teacher, Hort).

- The rest of the supporting cast had just graduated third year and was to be off in quests soon.

- The School was now accepting applications, and two of those applicants are Nicola and Bogden.

Now, I’m not even gonna bring up how it was mentioned in a video in EverNeverTv that Bogden would be an important character in TCY, and yet, I can’t think of anything relevant about him other than the fact that he knew tarot apparently, or how his application had more personality than him in the entire series, or how he was basically there so we could look at him and Willam and be like “oh, representation”, or how he’d be a good insight on how Galvadon perceives Sophie and Agatha post-TLEA, or- I’m just not gonna.

Oh, no. Instead, we are here to discuss Nicola’s application.

If your memory is foggy, let me remind you:

Nicola’s application is submitted, according to the Handbook, by her friend, Hunter. For convenience sake, we’ll assume Hunter is a guy (I’ll tell you why Hunter being a guy works better for me in a bit), but his gender is not mentioned anywhere in the ENH. I don’t think he has been gendered in any version (correct me if I’m wrong) or if there are any pronouns for him during TCY, but I’m fairly confident he isn’t mentioned at all.

Hunter tells us he is applying on Nic’s behalf, as she’d never apply for herself. He mentions that she is more or less the Galvadon equivalent of an activist for women’s rights, founding a rugby unisex team and campaigning for pants instead of skirts for the local school uniform, as well as having a feminist sounding book as her favorite book. It’s heavily implied that she is a jock, as he lists that, if marooned on a desert island, Nicola would want to have a soccer ball, a hockey stick and a set of dumbbells (“and none of this 5-lb nonsense”) with her.

Upon asked why Nicola should go to the school, his answer is: “because there’s a greater place for her in the world, where she can learn a girl’s true worth, and I don’t think it’s here.”

Then you have a note from (*rolls eyes* *suppresses a gag* *tears hair out*) the very late, long, long gone, absolutely dead, August Sader, telling the Deans to accept her application, despite having no reason to do so, as Nicola was to “play a crucial role in it’s [the school’s] survival.” Dovey and Sophie agree to flip a coin to decide which school will take her, which Sophie must have lost, as Nicola is accepted into the School For Evil.

By now, I think we all agree that Nicola was done dirty. If you check my QFG re-read you’ll notice that I complained about her there. As I had to go though her introduction chapter again to make this post, let me tell you why: Nicola wasn’t written to be likeable.

She simply wasn’t. That’s the one conclusion I can draw. Whether that’s intentional or not, I can’t tell, but the backlash she received was fairly useful, as it meant Soman could write her off the main story without much backlash from his target audience (aka, not us, pesky pretentious older readers).

The Nicola I was introduced to, not only in the Handbook but on her trailer for QFG was not the girl on QFG. 

Nic is there to be the smart  girl™, and while I do appreciate having a character who is a bit cocky about their brains, it just doesn’t work well there. Because her bond to other characters and the way she earns their respect feels so weak, she just comes across as pretentious. Characters like Hester and Agatha, who are supposed to be smart, feel dumbed down to show us how clever Nicola is. Agatha is supposed to be the resourceful thinker and Hester wanted to be class captain, you bet she studied like crazy, she probs knows every fairytale in existence. 

Then you add that to the (*rolls eyes* *suppresses a gag* *tears hair out*) Nicola and Hort fiasco and Nic feels like a weirdly written OC insert.

Handbook!Nicola sounded like a smart jock kind of character (read, more Gryffindor than Ravenclaw). Handbook!Nic was a Reader who read the tales as a hobby, but her favorite book is not a tale, it’s a non-fiction book (as far as I can tell). She might not be the fairytale expert, but she sounds like a practical thinker, as sport requires strategy, which is not Hester’s strong suit, given she is rather impulsive, or Agatha’s, given she is often unwilling to make hard decisions due to her Good nature and her own insecurities. C’mon, Handbook!Nic would have taken one look at Hort and sent him running to hills, because she would be able to smell his bs three miles away. She’s no one’s replacement, least of all Sophie’s (whom she probably would not have gotten along with (at least they got this part right) given Sophie’s “my prince will sweep me away from an ordinary life” phylosophy). To be honest she doesn’t sound like she’d be interested in dating at all.

But this post is about Hunter right? Let me remind you, Hunter is not mentioned in Nicola’s introduction, when she talks about her life in Galvadon. Canon!Nicola tells us that she has two brothers who want to inherit her father’s pub in order to sell the place, but Nicola is close with her father and likes working there to some extent, even if she has bigger ambitions. She believes her brothers sent her application as a way to get rid of her.

Back when I still had some faith that Soman had an arc for Nicola that included resolution, I had my theories as to why she wouldn’t mention Hunter: maybe he was to appear in later books and they’d have a huge backstory explaining their friendship, as well as a dramatic confession that Hunter sent her application because he felt Nicola deserved to live an adventure, and Nicola would either realize that she was meant for something more or that she wanted to live a quiet life, honestly either would be nice. I would have taken anything. Truly, if Nicola’s k-pop boyfriend in the OTK epilogue had been replaced with Hunter, I might be able to hate it less.

Especially if they came to the (*rolls eyes* *suppresses a gag* *tears hair out*) school wedding as friends. Because you know what?

We are starved for male-female friendships in the SGE universe.

Tedros’s only female friends (all his friends in general) are Agatha’s friends (who all tried to get rid of him at some point, save for maybe Dot) and his actual friends are all dead (Bettina/Chaddick). Hort could be counted as Agatha’s friend, if only he didn’t bash her every five seconds like a moron (he literally pitched the idea that Agatha should be executed by Tedros in OTK, just because he was envious or her relationship with Sophie (not jealous, envious, because Sophie wasn’t his to begin with)) over his delusional sense entitlement of Sophie’s affections (which I hate, but as this is not a Hort-bashing post, I won’t get too much into), but the coven, Beatrix, Renna and co. would not touch him with a stick. Merlin’s friendship with Lady Of The Lake is gone, and Dovey is dead. Rhian and Kei both had that frenemies thing with Sophie in ACOT/beggining of OTK, but I think it was supposed to be romantic? It wasn’t ew (I hate Rhian but he’s also wasted potential, and so was Kei, whom I liked, rest in peace). Japeth hates women for??? Whatever. Willam and Bodgen are such background characters I could not care less about them. The new students weren’t memorable enough for me to remember their names. I think this about covers the main male cast.

There’s a lack of male friendships too, but we kinda have (*rolls eyes* *suppresses a gag* *tears hair out*) Tort and whatever was that rushed Tedros/Chaddick friendship.  Rhian and Kei were gay friends (yeah, right, sure, very platonic). Tedros and Rhian could have been friends if Rhian redeemed himself, but otherwise no. Tedros and Filip… gay. Japeth literally killed Rhian, so also not very good friendship between brothers. Hort has no friends, because Ravan would so not be here for his bs. Willam and Bogden are a couple and (*rolls eyes* *suppresses a gag* *tears hair out*) so were Aric and Japeth, I guess.

Still don’t believe Hunter was wasted potential? Okay, let me tell you what my ideal Nicola arc would be, mixing Handbook!Nicola with some canon!Nicola and including Hunter.

- Nicola is the one inheriting the pub (once she gets married), despite Galvadon’s pre-TLEA sexism and conservative views, because she is her father’s only child and her brothers are actually her older half-siblings from her mother’s previous marriage.

- Her mom died at some point early in her childhood. Not a childbirth tho, because Callis, local witch gynecologist (have you checked my post on this yet? no? you should) was there for her, even if it was a high risk pregnancy because the mom was already older.

- Because of that, Nicola’s father actually sells bread to Callis for cheaper prizes, but don’t tell the elders, shhh

- Anyway, because her mom was gone so early, Nicola was raised by her dad, brothers and by the employees (mostly men, as I don’t think it was all that common for women to work jobs in Galvadon) of her father’s pub. Due to being a girl, most guys weren’t willing to befriend her (sexism, am I right), but because she was a tomboy she had difficulty bonding with the other girls at school, even when they weren’t outright hostile (cof cof Sophie). 

- Example: she and Belle had a tentative bond over their love of cooking, but often ran out of things to talk about and the conversation fell flat.

- Which is how she ends up befriending Hunter. 

- Hunter is the only boy in a family of many girls and his father works all day. He has a good heart and is rather emotional, but he always feels like he has something to prove, which leads him to being rather impulsive. Both Nicola and Hunter love sports and are very competitive people. Once Nicola gains his respect, he feels very protective of her and often feels the need to stand up for her, even if she doesn’t need it.

- Nicola knows Hunter feels overlooked in his family, so she is always inviting him over and taking care of him, keeping him out of trouble. Her father begins to see him as his own son, and soon he spends more time at Nicola’s house than at his own.

- Everyone thinks they’ll get married some day. His sisters tease him mercilessly about it, and so does Nic’s father, but frankly, Nic and Hunter see each other as family.

- You can bet Hunter is the one teaching Nic about periods after asking his sisters, so she wouldn’t have to suffer with Galvadon’s horrid Sex Ed. (go check the Callis headcanon’s okay, give me clout, that it my favorite post I’ve ever made)

- They tried to kiss once. Nicola vomited and Hunter gaged.

- Hunter is Nicola’s number one supporter and fan, 100% had those gender-equality pins she made for her campaigns all over his bags and jackets.

- Since most wedding matches are arranged by the elders before girls even graduate, it was settled that Nic and Hunter would get married to each other and then inherit the pub. It would of course, be a secretly platonic match and they would suspiciously have no children (Nicola even had a plan to visit Callis to get a potion for infertility, just in case the elders wanted to check on her... okay, I’ll stop).

- Hunter doesn’t tell her, but Nicola knows he wants to marry for love and have a family of his own. She tries to talk him out of marrying her, but he insists that he would be doing it out of love for her, even if not romantic, because Nic didn’t deserve to be matched up with some stranger she barely knows who would no doubt be less tolerant of her more radical views.

- She tells him it’d be fine for him to have a affairs then, but he insists he would never do that to her, because people would talk about Nic if that was the case and her reputation would be ruined.

- The night of Sophie and Agatha kidnapping Nicola tells him she would rather be taken to the School than to stay there and make him live an unhappy life.

- Hunter is horrified (remember, everyone thought going to the school was a fate worse than death) and makes her promise to never treat her life so fickly.

- Sophie and Agatha get taken, come back, but during Tedros’ reign of terror in Galvadon, right before they return to the Woods, Nicola’s father grows very very sick.

- Nic thinks he’s going to die, and she frets, not only because they’re close but also because she can’t inherit the place if she doesn’t marry Hunter. But, well, she sort of always knew, but now that feels very real, she thought she had some more time before that.

- They set a date for the wedding, but thankfully, Tedros and Agatha’s escape ends up causing the ceremony to be delayed.

- By the time the new date is set, there’s no more elders and Stefan is now mayor.

- But just because he is the mayor doesn’t mean the law and the sexism is gone overnight.

- Nic’s father is getting somewhat better, but she is still very worried about him, because of his old age.

- Once SGE starts having applications and has been proved to be, well, somewhat safe, Hunter suggests that Nicola applies, but after the scare that she might lose her father sooner rather than later, she tells him she can’t bring herself to leave him.

- Hunter doesn’t want her to throw her life away, specially now knowing that in the Endless Woods there were people like her and that progress would get there before it ever got to Galvadon 

- (He also wants to not marry someone he views as a sister, pls).

- So he files her application in secret.

- Nicola gets accepted, upon Sader’s request and Sophie’s bad luck, into the School For Evil. She and Sophie still don’t get along, the Evil castle rejects her and she gets pushed to Good, becoming an Ever, but she’s only staying until Christmas, because she is worried sick about her father.

- She thinks the application was a plot from her brothers because she doesnt think Hunter would ever betray her trust like that, after she specifically told him she wouldn't go.

- There’s no Hicola, instead, she and Hort become friends and she talks him out of his delusions with Sophie, because as much as Nicola dislikes her, Sophie was a girl too, and deserved to have her feelings respected. 

- She also punches Hort into giving up his envy of Tedros and Agatha while at it, because she is just that efficient.

- Everything else up to OTK can be pretty much the same because I can’t remember what happens, other than everytime Nicola is smart girl™, it’s not “because she reads”, but because she is practical. 

- Example: on the boat scene where she very pretentiously sasses Agatha for not saying hello to her (canon!Nicola, girl, she just suffered six months of loneliness at Camelot because Tedros shut her out and is now on a quest to save her happy ending, probs didn’t get much sleep, maybe cut her some slack) and then tells her how to sail a boat (despite the fact that there are no boats in Galvadon and I’m sure you can’t just read Peter Pan and learn to sail a boat, unless I did it wrong or something, maybe the storian version comes with a crash course). Here, instead, Nicola presses Hort (who is a pirate’s son) to remember literally anything to help them (therefore making him not completely useless on this quest), and he does and they tell Agatha and she’s like sure and does it.

- Now, in OTK, I literally can’t remember where Nicola was for most of it and I read that book not too long ago, so I’m worried. 

- Okay, so, have the Knights Of Eleven actually serve some purpose, include a scene where Tedros and Nicola stress-play rugby and get her some internal conflict.

- Nic now loves this world. She just spent the last few weeks fighting to protect it. She is now a Knight, and she loves the adventures and the new friends she made. Can she really go back to Gavaldon to take care of a pub? Well, she needs to, doesn’t she? That’s what a good daughter would do.

- After Japeth’s execution, Nic goes straight home.

- Her father’s condition is stable, as he is being treated by Hunter and his new wife.

- Oh boy, Hunter has some explaining to do.

- Nicola is furious that he broke her trust, but at the same time, she’s happy he’s happy and well, Hunter what do you have to say for yourself?

- “Damn, Nic, nice armour- ouch, my arm!”

- Apparently, since Nicola was taken, Stefan approved a law for people to be able to leave their inheritance to whomever they wanted. And since Nic was gonna be at the Woods, her father was more than happy to leave it to Hunter. Of course, unless Nicola wanted to stay at Gavaldon. 

- Does she? She’s not sure.

- Hunter and Nicola attend the tagatha wedding at Camelot (what, like I wasn’t gonna fix this part?), Hunter is Nic’s plus one.

- There, Hester, Anadil and Dot show her Sader’s note, and ask her, not to become School Master, but to become Dean Of Good, because she would be perfect for the new brand of Good to match Sophie’s Evil. You know, since she is all for gender-equality, good manners, practicality and was particularly good at dealing with Sophie’s bs.

- Since Tedros has the Storian Ring, the pen doesn’t need actual protection, well, not more than it can get from Nic and Sophie.

- Sophie herself insists that Nicola accept the position, not because she doesn’t want to be alone at the school now that Hort and Dovey are dead, no, of course not, since when did Sophie ever need anyone, she was just asking cause… cause Nicola looked lonely. The pretty boy who came with her was not her boyfriend, was he? Sophie was prettier than him anyway. Who needs a boy when they can have her?

- Whether they become a couple or not, I’ll let you decide.

- Bonus: years later, Hunter’s eldest daughter is accepted at the School for Good. Nicola is her godmother, and her favoritism shows.

There, if nothing else, the reason you should be mad about Hunter and the Handbook in general is because this didn’t happen.

[etraytin]

Quarantine, Day 223

October 20 Caught another disaster case today since it's my on-call week, but this one was at the considerably earlier hour of 6pm. A little awkward since I had just put a tuna casserole in the oven, but not too bad. It was a super-complicated case for a single family fire, tons of kids in the household and a tough language barrier, so I had to do the interview in person instead of virtually. (When the firemen can't get a phone number for the client and their best guess for the language is "African," you're not going to find anybody in the division who can do a virtual intake.) So it took a long time and we were working in the pitch dark of a lightless backyard for awhile, but we got them some resources to get through the next couple of days, at least. Nobody will have to sleep in the yard or the car, and that is good.  The other big thing I did today was walking over to the voter registration office to get sworn in as an election official and cast my own ballot. The Voter Registration office for our county is so close that I can see it through the trees when I stand in front of my house, so it wasn't a long walk. Last year, when a fire knocked us out of our usual high school gym location, my precinct had to vote out of the voter registration office. I saved a parking space by walking over there with a full crockpot of soup for our potluck at 4:45am. This was much easier! There were three or four other people voting while I was there, plus more people dropping off absentee ballots. The registrar told me they'd been very busy. Voting was easy-peasy, no snags at all, and I got sworn in and signed my affirmation so I'm all set for November 3.  Okay, quick break there because the kiddo heard on his podcast that the McElroys were doing a livestream of playing Among Us, which pretty much checks all his favorite boxes. Unfortunately the stream was today, fortunately there were still about twenty minutes left in the game. So I let him stay up and watch the last bit, and have now sent him back to bed. The whole thing will be available tomorrow, but as someone who has stayed up all night watching Desert Bus For Hope on multiple occasions, there really is something about seeing things live. Hopefully he will go to sleep now!  I got a short video from the new foster mom of Menolly getting cuddles and purring up a storm. Looks like the kittens are settling in and feeling good already, which is great! My rescue coordinator called me today and asked if I could take on a medical case, a singleton with pneumonia who needs daily fluids. I had to tell her that Husband would end my life if I brought home another kitten right now, as I have been promising for months that we would take a break after all those kittens all in a row. Plus I really am tired and have so much to do. I said that I might possibly be able to do one weekend with the kitten or something like that, but she's hoping that another fosterer will be able to do the job. Man, I loved raising Latte last year, but it was hard, hard work to raise a sick single baby. I haven't even gotten the kitten room clean yet from the Harper Hall fosters, I can't take another one right now anyway.  Not too much else happened today. I made a tuna casserole for supper, something we haven't had in awhile. You take a cup of dry rice, cook it, and put it in a casserole dish. Add two cans of drained tuna, a can of cream of mushroom soup, around a quarter cup of grated Velveeta cheese, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. If it's still bland, sprinkle on some seasoning salt. Stir it all up really well, then bake it at 350 for around 15 minutes. It's good, even if it's not good for you. Sometimes I also add frozen peas, but the kiddo is not a fan. We opened and ate our pineapple, always cause for rejoicing. I've got one of those spiral pineapple cutters, which wastes a lot of pineapple but much less than is wasted when I let a pineapple go bad because cutting it with a knife takes so much time. Plus, pineapple rings are fun! Kiddo had kind of a rough day, but hopefully tomorrow will be better. Still need to get that Halloween costume, and I have no idea what to do for it. I may have to brave the wilds of Pinterest. Wish me luck! 

[eldritchsurveys]

1054.

What was the last thing you spent under $5 on? >> I don’t think there’s anything I’ve spent under 5 bucks on in recent history. I haven’t really bought anything extra at all, considering how little money I have. I did get a book off Google Play Books recently that was about 3 bucks, but I used Google Rewards for that, not real money.

How many times have you cried in the past week? >> Many. 

When was the last time you saw a rainbow? >> It’s been a while. I remember the circumstance, because it was a really bright, clear rainbow -- like something you’d see in a movie -- but I don’t remember when it was.

Have you ever had feelings for someone your best friend was dating? >> ---

Have you ever used your cell phone as a light source in the dark? >> Yep, because it has a flashlight on it, by the camera.

Is there anything written on the shirt you're wearing? >> I’m not wearing a shirt (just an undershirt), but the hoodie I’m wearing has the Welcome to Night Vale logo on the back and front right.

What is your relationship with the last person to comment you? >> ---

Would you rather spend 2 days in London or a week in Finland? >> A week in Finland, if only because two days is far too short an amount of time to spend anywhere, for me. Not if I want to actually enjoy myself and see some things.

Where were you living in 1997? >> New Jersey.

How long have you known the first person in your phone contacts? >> ---

How was your first kiss? >> ---

Do you still talk to the person you shared it with? >> ---

Are you the oldest of your siblings? >> ---

What are your initials? >> MSD.

What does that middle initial stand for? >> Shadow.

When was the last time you kissed someone? Do you regret it? >> It was Inworld at some point, and no, I do not.

How long is it until your next birthday? How old will you be? >> Seven months. 34.

What was the last song you heard? >> I don’t remember.

Do you have any tattoos? >> Yes.

How would you react if you found out you were pregnant right now? >> With profound confusion and distress, because that should not be possible.

What is your mother's maiden name? >> ---

How many people do you know with the same first name as you? >> Zero.

Are you related to a Johanna? Have you ever hugged an Eric? Have you ever ridden in a car with a Brooke? Have you ever kissed a Jesse? Have you ever worked with a Heather? Have you ever dated a Ryan? >> No to all of the above.

Which of your friends would be most likely to become a stripper? >> ---

How long has it been since you showered? >> Little over 24 hours.

Who were you last on the phone with? >> ---

Who was your last text from? >> Sparrow, as usual.

Where did you/do you go to High School? >> I went to four different high schools.

What is the nearest red object to you? >> There’s a red and black striped sweater hanging from the clothes rack.

Do you have a birthmark? If so, where? >> No.

Who was the last person to let you down? >> ---

When was the last time someone gave you flowers? >> I don’t remember.

Would you ever consider getting back together with an ex? >> No.

Do you like it when someone takes you by surprise and kisses you? >> This is a thing that’s only allowed to happen Inworld. Like most things involving touch.

Can you name a movie that makes you cry? >> I can name a lot of movies that make me cry. Like Interstellar.

What is your natural hair color? >> Dark brown.

Do you sleep naked? >> Absolutely not.

Is smoking a turn-off when it comes to being interested in someone? >> ---

Have you ever dated someone who had kids? >> Yes.

What was the last book you read? >> The last book I read from is The Self-Acceptance Project.

Have you kissed someone 4 or more years older than you? How about younger? >> Yes to both.

Were your parents married when you were born? >> No.

What would you do if you were stranded on a desert island with an enemy? >> ...

Were you born before 1990? >> Three years before.

Is your hair longer than your shoulders? >> No.

Why did you miss the last call you missed? >> I don’t answer my phone at all, so all calls that come through are “missed”.

Have you ever been pulled over twice in one day? >> ---

When was the last time you went out of state? >> January.

When you need to vent, who do you turn to? >> Can Calah. I don’t have anyone outworld. I mean, I complain about some things to Sparrow, but usually little things. Nothing heavy.

When was the last time you went to the movies with someone? >> Whenever it was that Sparrow and I went to see Birds of Prey.

Would you have gone to Woodstock if you'd been around for it? >> I can’t imagine being any person but the person I am at this moment in time, so I can’t just project myself as I am at this moment in time back to a completely different moment in time. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Are you comfortable in your own skin? >> I have glimpses of what that must be like sometimes.

Have you ever been told you're a flirt? >> No.

Are there any candles in the room with you? >> No.

Does the last person you kissed have tattoos? >> ---

Do you live within 20 miles of where you were born? >> Nope.

Do you think marriage is an old fashioned tradition? >> I mean, it’s been around for a very long time, so, yes. But I don’t think it’s obsolete or archaic, if that’s what you mean.

Is it after 5pm? >> No.

Is there someone you always call/text when you're drunk? >> ---

Have you ever been engaged? >> Yes.

Has anyone seen you naked in the last week? >> No.

Were you dating anyone in October 2008? >> I don’t remember, dude.

Where was your current profile picture taken? >> ---

Is your birthday in April? >> Month after.

Are you a Libra? >> Obviously not.

If you found $20, what would you spend it on? >> Why do these questions always assume I would instantly spend found money on something...

What did your last text say? >> The last one I sent said “laumbdry” because I was reminding Sparrow about getting the washing started (and adding “m” and “b” to random words like that is just a funny thing we do).

What is your favorite holiday? >> Christmas.

Do you believe the saying experience is the best teacher? >> I don’t know if it’s the best. Some other forms of learning can be better -- as in, they can cause less suffering. I’m pretty sure experience is the worst teacher when it comes to things like “some humans are dangerous and should be avoided”. Would much rather learn that by, like, reading a book or something.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Movie 1: Broly (1/2)

This ended up taking longer than I expected, so I decided to break it up into sections.     The first Dragon Ball Super movie premiered in Japan on December 14, 2018, and then in the U.S. and Canada on January 16, 2019.   

After Resurrection F, just about every episode of Dragon Ball Super aired, and this movie takes place after all of that.    So just to get everyone up to speed: Beerus had a friendly tournament with his counterpart in Universe 6, and the King of Everything liked the idea so much that he threw his own event called the Tournament of Power, which saw eight universes square off in teams of ten.    But our universe was short-handed, so Goku arranged for Frieza to be brought back to life for one day so he could participate, and then Whis revived Frieza for keeps after Beerus was pleased with Frieza’s performance.  

This movie is important for a few reasons.    First, it features Aya Hisakawa as Bulma, the first time the role has been recast following Hiromi Tsuru’s tragic death in 2017.  

Second, this movie reintroduces the Broly character.   In the DBZ films, he was a side-story, non-canon villain, but this movie works him into the main canon.    Well... as canonical as Dragon Ball Super gets, I suppose.    Similarly, this movie also does the same thing with Gogeta.   

Third, this one currently stands as  the highest-grossing Dragon Ball movie ever, and one of the top-grossing anime films of all time.    I looked at the Wikipedia list, and it’s at #12.    But Resurrection F is at #19, so I think it’s safe to assume that any future Dragon Ball movies might break the record.     Even so, I knew this one was a bigger deal when I went to see it.   Res F only played in my town for three days, I think.   Broly ran for maybe three weeks and I couldn’t see it on the first try because it was sold out that night.   If it’s true that Akira Toriyama came out of retirement because of how bad Dragon Ball: Evolution was, then I think it’s safe to say that he’s exorcised that demon.

Fourth, this movie’s box office success and popularity led to the downfall of American voice actor and sex pest Vic Mignogna.   Vic has played Broly in all of his past movies, as well as the video games and any other localized Broly media.   But he’s also garnered a reputation over the decades for creeping on women and girls at fan conventions.    DBS: Broly put him in the limelight again, and I’m pretty sure this caused a lot of people to ask why we’re still putting up with this perv in the year 2019.    A few weeks after the movie premiered in the U.S., RoosterTeeth cut ties with him and re-cast all the parts he played for their shows.   A week later, Funimation did the same thing.   Quite stupidly, Vic tried to sue his way out of this mess, taking Funimation and two of its voice actresses to court for defamation and conspiracy, and the case was dismissed with prejudice on October 4.    The last I heard, he was doing public appearances in the basements of creepy malls.   Maybe there’s still venues willing to do business with him, but as I understand it, most anime conventions have recognized that he just isn’t worth the bad publicity.  

Anyway, it’s kind of weird to be doing this with a movie that just came out eleven months ago.     This will probably be more text-heavy than usual, since I have a lot of things to say about this movie that I never got around to earlier in the year.  

For example, what the hell is this thing?

All right, so the first... I dunno, fifteen minutes?... of this movie is a flashback of what Planet Vegeta was like before Frieza destroyed it.    For clarity: the main story of this movie is set in Age 780, the same year as the Tournament of Power in the DBS TV series, while this flashback takes place in Age 739.... I guess?   The Dragon Ball Wiki contends that Goku and Broly were born in Age 737, and they look about two years old in this part, but I dunno.   

Anyway, King Cold has come to Planet Vegeta to inform King Vegeta that he’s retiring from the space-villain business and putting his son Frieza in charge.   This was always very satisfying to me, because I never quite understood King Cold’s role in the Frieza organization.     Turns out he used to run the whole thing, and then he handed it over to Frieza, which allows him to retain a lot of power without actually having to run things directly.  

It also explains why the Saiyans lasted as long as they did under Frieza’s rule.   Conquering the Saiyans happened under King Cold’s regime.    Once Frieza took over, he spent some time reconsidering that decision.    Anyway, Frieza hands out scouters to King Vegeta, explaining that they’re the new latest and greatest technology for detecting and quantifying powerful fighters.   He even shoots down some Saiyan snipers just to demonstrate how well they work.

King Vegeta doesn’t like this turn of events, maybe because he had hoped King Cold would grant the Saiyans independence when he retired.    But there’s no much he can do about it, so he consoles himself in his son, Prince Vegeta.   The tests show that Vegeta has enormous potential, and the King is certain that his son will one day grow powerful enough to overthrow Frieza and rule the universe himself.   

Then he sees another life support tank with another Saiyan baby in it, and he throws a hissy fit about it.    See, Saiyans in this era raise their newborns in these tanks, and this particular tank farm is for babies singled out for having elite fighting potential.    The guys who run the place explain to him that Colonel Paragus’s son had exceptional test results, which may even exceed Prince Vegeta’s.   The King tries to see for himself, but the measuring device overloads and explodes.   

Then this lady walks up and tells him Broly might possibly become the next Legendary Super Saiyan, which doesn’t exactly put the king at ease.    

So King Vegeta orders Broly to be shipped off to the planetoid of Vampa.   When Paragus learns of this, he demands an explanation, since you only do that sort of thing for weaker, low-class Saiyan babies.    That’s what Raditz said way back in DBZ episode 2, you know, but Broly’s already been shown to be far stronger than this.   Also, Vampa’s a dump and everyone knows it, so even if Broly subjugates the planet, no one would want to buy it, so what’s the point.    King Vegeta explains that Broly is probably some kind of mutant, and no matter how strong he may be, he’ll eventually lose control of that power and become dangerous.   At least this way he’ll be on Vampa instead of being dead.    But Paragus thinks the king is only doing this out of jealousy.    He can’t handle that a mere colonel’s son tested better than the prince, so he’s sweeping Broly under the rug.  

So Paragus hijacks a spaceship and flies to Vampa himself to rescue Broly.   His plan is to desert King Vegeta and the Frieza Force and raise Broly on some other planet until he can make Broly into a great warrior.    Another Saiyan named Beets tries to talk him out of it, but ends up getting roped into the hijacking.    Paragus foolishly crash lands the ship on Vampa, and when Beets says he can’t repair the ship, Paragus shoots him so the rations will last longer.    I like this scene, because when they first arrived on Vampa, Paragus made Beets come with him, fearing that he’d take off and leave them if he stayed behind.   Beets swore he’d never do that, but Paragus doesn’t believe in trustworthy Saiyans.    So his shooting Beets is just proof of his cynicism towards his own people. 

Then we flash forward another five years.    That seems kind of fishy to me, but okay.  

Bardock and his comrade are on their way back to Planet Vegeta, because Frieza ordered them all to come home.    Bardock is suspicious, because if Frieza had orders for them, he could have just relayed them by radio, and if he has weapons to distribute, then there’d still be no need to have every Saiyan on the planet at the same time to hand them all out.   

I know people don’t care much for the Dragon Ball Minus version of Bardock, but it does make a lot more sense than the “Father of Goku” version.   This movie expands on the Dragon Ball Minus comic by explaining Bardock’s reasoning in greater detail.    The other Saiyans simply can’t believe that Frieza would do anything drastic to them, mainly because they work for Frieza and do what he wants.    But Bardock knows that the Saiyans dislike Frieza, and that the feeling is probably mutual, and he might just be planning to do something about it.  

Then one of his pals mentions that Frieza’s administrators have been asking around about the Super Saiyan legend, and that’s the final piece of the puzzle.   Bardock realizes that Frieza’s worried about a Saiyan uprising, which normally wouldn’t be a threat, unless a Super Saiyan emerges.  

The point I’m driving at here is that he doesn’t really need psychic powers to see all this coming.    He just happens to be smart enough and paranoid enough to figure out how Frieza thinks.   It’s not as dramatic as “Father of Goku”, but it’s still effective.  

The thing I tried to do last year was to write a fanfic that combined this version of Bardock with the “FoG” version.    Basically, to have Gine in the story and have her cope with her husband having doomsday visions.    I really ought to get back to that sometime.   

As for Frieza, his people report that the Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan God are nothing more than old stories, but Frieza insists that he had to be certain.    Even so, he plans to blow up all the Saiyans anyway, since he’s got them all together in one place.    I don’t know, maybe he only asked about Super Saiyans because he was afraid this upcoming attack might provoke a Super Saiyan survivor.  

Moving on, if you know the story of Dragon Ball Minus, you know what’s coming next.    Bardock meets up with his wife Gine, and I dig this chubby Saiyan working at the meat-packing place.    I think that’s my favorite part of this movie, really, just seeing all the diverse kinds of Saiyans running around on this planet.    Fat ones, thin ones, weak ones.    That one lady looked like some kind of scientist, and the guy in King Vegeta’s court looked like a butler or something.    It’s a nice change from DBZ, where every Saiyan extra ended up looking like Raditz, more or less.    And every Saiyan from Universe 6 looked like they were made of noodles.   

Bardock asks about their kids, and Gine explains that Raditz has been assigned to off-world duty with Prince Vegeta.   As for Kakarot, he’s still in his tank, which just sort of sits in the middle of their home.    Bardock plans to steal a space pod and send Kakarot to another planet, since he thinks Frieza’s going to blow up Planet Vegeta soon, because he believes the Legendary Super Saiyan might appear.

Gine is upset with this, obviously.    What really threw me when I first watched the movie was how all these characters speak of the Legendary Super Saiyan.   No one seems to quite believe in the idea, or maybe it’s more accurate to say that they don’t particularly care if it’s true or not, since it would have happened so long ago.    But there’s a forboding sense that it could happen again.    King Vegeta are looking forward to it, because they think their sons could fill that role.   But Bardock and Gine dread it, because that dumb story convinced Frieza to kill them all, and it’s going to get their son shot into space.   Anyway, anytime someone mentions the Super Saiyan in this movie, someone else always goes “You mean the Legendary Super Saiyan?”   No, mate, I was referring to the ordinary kind you see on every street corner.

Anyway, this was why I started writing my fic, because this legend was such a big deal in early DBZ.    No one in-universe seems to know anything about the previous Super Saiyan.   Even if the guy never existed, you’d expect there to be some details.  My assumption is that this was all lost over the past thousand years, to the point where all anyone remembers is that some Saiyan got tired of being nice and decided to go ape shitt.   And that run of destruction was so memorable that people still talk about it a thousand years later, even after everything else got forgotten.    For me, that’s a writing prompt, and I’ve spent the last four years trying to write a story and build an OC who could make Frieza nervous enough to blow up an entire planet of his own henchmen.  

So when I watched this movie, I sort of worried that one of the characters might drop some new, unwanted lore about the Legendary Super Saiyan.   Up to this point, all we knew about the legend was what Vegeta recalled, but for all I knew Gine studied up on the subject when she took that mythology course at Saiyan University.   “Super Saiyan?   You mean like Topotay, the seven-foot-tall heteronormative man who hated cooking and never left his home planet?”   

So Bardock prepares the pod, and when Gine asks him why he’s bothering, especially when they can’t save themselves, he explains that it’s because he spends all his time fighting that he wants to try to save something for a change.    I like that a lot, because so much of the Saiyan culture in DBZ is extrapolated from Raditz and Vegeta’s perception of it, which is slanted towards ultra-violence and ruthlessness-as-virtue.   And sure, there’s plenty of that.   We get a lot of it in this very movie.    But there’s two sides to the coin.   Paragus was genuinely worried about his son, and Beets seemed to be sympathetic to him as well.    Bardock embraced his wife in front of someone, and now this.   Character traits aren’t hard rules.   It isn’t out-of-character for a violent man to crave peace once in a while, or for a brutal warrior to finally appreciate compassion, especially when he thinks he’s about to die.

The big twist here is that Bardock sent Goku to Earth to save his life.  He was not, as Raditz assumed, deployed to Earth by the Saiyan government to conquer it.    In fact, Bardock chose the Earth specifically because it was far enough out of the way that he didn’t think Frieza would bother with it.   Gine would later contact Raditz to inform him of all of this, but she left out the details of why they did this, probably for fear of being overheard on the communicators.  

In orbit, Frieza’s aides point out that the Saiyans make up half of their fighting force, but Frieza doesn’t care.   He knows the Saiyans aren’t going to quietly tolerate his rule forever, so it’s better to deal with them now.   That’s how afraid of the Super Saiyan he is.   He’d rather blow up half his military than worry about it.    Presumably, King Cold never cared in the first place.   He could barely rememer what a Super Saiyan was, even while he was watching Trunks turn into one.   

Anyway, Frieza does the fingerbang thing, Bardock tries to stop it, but he fails and gets zapped back in time to the Episode of Bardock special, and the planet explodes.    We’ve seen this moment maybe a dozen times by now, but I do like the part where Frieza monitors the destruction on his scouter, and the number of power signals coming from the planet count down to zero. 

Elsewhere, Prince Vegeta’s group hears about this, and they find the whole thing suspicious, because the official story is that the planet got hit by a meteor.    Vegeta and Raditz don’t particularly care.   They both have brothers off-world, but they dismiss them as unimportant weaklings. 

Then we finally flash forward to the main story of the movie.   Baby Kakarot has grown up into Son Goku, the hero of Earth, and Vegeta lives here too, and he’s married the richest lady on the planet.   They both turned into the next Legendary Super Saiyan, and recently they just got done teaming up with Frieza to win the Tournament of Power, proving that their universe deserves to exist.   But Goku and Vegeta still want to get stronger.   Goku, because he wants to fight all those strong guys he met from the other universes, and Vegeta because he’s convinced that Frieza will attack the Earth again now that he’s returned to life.     Also, Beerus and Whis are here, for no particularly good reason.  That seems to be the Dragon Ball Super brand in a nutshell.    What made Movie 14 so good was how they introduced them as new characters, made them the focus of the story, and had them shake things up.    Since then, they just hang out on the sidelines and eat snacks.    

This works out, though, because Bulma gets a call from Trunks about someone breaking into her lab and stealing the six Dragon Balls she had collected, as well as the Dragon Radar.    They quickly realize it was Frieza’s henchmen who did it, and so they head off to find the 7th Dragon Ball before they do.   Whis wants to tag along, but Beerus doesn’t, so she leaves her baby behind and asks him to keep an eye on her.   D’awwwwwwwwww.

On the way to the ice continent where the last ball is located, Goku asks why Bulma was collecting the Dragon Balls in the first place.  She admits that she wanted to ask Shenron to de-age her by about five years.   Just five?   Bulma figures that if she makes herself too young all at once, people will think she had plastic surgery.   Why not just get plastic surgery?     Wait, I’m asking the wrong question here.    Don’t people already think Bulma already had work done?   She hasn’t aged since the Cell Games.

So what does Frieza plan to wish for?   When he first appeared back in early DBZ, he wanted to become immortal.   His aide, whose name I have forgotten, asks if he’s going to try that again, but Frieza says no. 

I’m confused by his reasoning, but Frieza explains that while he was dead and in hell, he realized that it was torture being unable to die or move, so immortality holds no meaning for him.   Okay, but that only happened to you because you died.   Does Frieza think that becoming immortal would leave him unable to move?  Or is he just afraid of getting trapped in some situation where death would be the only release, like when Garlic Junior got trapped in the Dead Zone?

At the very least, I’ll give credit where it’s due: it looks like Toriyama finally gave Frieza a bit of character development to play into his resurrection.   My big complaint about Resurrection F was that Frieza came back to life and immediately went right back to doing all the stupid shit that got him killed in the first place, and it seemed like the 15 years he spent in hell had no effect on him whatsoever.   He wasn’t afraid of dying again, nor was he dismayed by the knowledge of what awaits him on the others side.   Now, in this movie, he at least has some perspective.   Shenron could make Frieza immortal, but he can’t make him stronger than Goku, so maybe he’s worried that Goku might throw him into a black hole or something. 

Even so, it was weird to watch this movie and see a Frieza who utterly does not care about becoming immortal, because he seemed so obsessed with it back on Namek.  But now that I’ve watched DBZ in Japanese, I’ve noticed that Frieza never seemed all that concerned about it.    He’s not Voldemort, who was terrified of death and sought to conquer it, or Kars, who wanted to eliminate his few remaining weaknesses.   Frieza only seemed to want immortality back then because it was the only thing he could think of that he didn’t already have, and maybe to screw with Vegeta, who saw the Dragon Balls as the only way to beat Frieza.    Still, I find it odd that Frieza isn’t even a little worried about what’ll happen to him when he finally kicks the bucket.   His aide suggests that he might wish for an invincible-but-still-mortal body, and Frieza says that would take all the fun out of “the game”.   So I guess he’s adopted an Android 17 outlook on life?   Well, so be it, but he knows he’s going to get hung up on the happy fun tree again whenever he dies of old age, so why doesn’t that weigh on him?    In Movie 15, he seemed to think he only ended up there because he died on Earth.   Does he think if he dies someplace else, that he’ll go to a better hell with free wifi and room service?    If I were Frieza, I’d be doing some serious churchin’ up.

Anyway, his other, cooler aide, Berryblue, already has this figured out: Frieza wants to wish to be taller.  Specifically, five centimeters taller, so that it won’t be too conspicuous.    I really like Berryblue, even though this is about the only thing she does in this movie.   Both of these aides appeared in the flashback, implying that they’ve been with Frieza for decades and somehow survived his fifteen-year death.   There would have been no need for someone like her on his Namek campaign, but the absence of characters like her was exactly why I never cared much for Frieza’s classic henchmen.    They were all jacked up thugs constantly licking Frieza’s boots and not much else.    Berryblue’s not afraid of this guy at all, probably because she changed his space-diapers when he was little, and if he kills her, he won’t have anyone to bring him space-wine from the ship’s space-cellar.   

So why doesn’t Frieza just use his second form, the one he used to fight Piccolo on Namek?   That form was like eight feet tall, but also fuck Frieza’s second form.   He only had those forms to regulate his power, and these days he doesn’t even use them.   He wants to be taller in his default state.   But he doesn’t want to be too tall all at once, or it wouldn’t look natural.   This from the guy who went out of his way to turn mustard yellow at full power.

Personally, I’m torn on this whole gag.    It is kind of funny that Frieza is after the same dumb kind of wish that Bulma was, but it’s also kind of stupid that Frieza is after the exact same thing that Commander Red wanted way back in the original Dragon Ball.   The problem with bringing Frieza back is that no one knows what to do with him.     They already had him attack Earth again, die again, and come back again.   We’ve even seen him team up with the good guys.    But DBS ended with him going off on his merry way, and it looks like he’s rebuilding the Frieza Force, but that feels kind of hollow while he has Goku and Vegeta on his mind.     Having him make another go at the Dragon Balls is a solid move, except the Dragon Balls alone aren’t a motivation because you still need to have something to wish for.    This whole “5cm taller” thing just feels like a gag to cover the lack of an actual answer to the problem.  

  Meanwhile, let’s check in on these two.  The green lady is Cheelai, and the orange guy is Leemo.   They’re in the Frieza Force, but not as warriors.   Leemo’s just a transport pilot, and I don’t really know what Cheelai’s official job is, but their current assignment is to search the galaxy for strong warriors to recruit for Frieza’s army.    When you think about it, Frieza’s pretty bad at this whole “private army” business.   King Cold left him the entire Saiyan race, the Ginyu Force, Zarbon, Dodoria, and whoever else.   First, Frieza wiped out the Saiyans, which made up half of his soldiers.    Then he deployed his finest troops to Namek, where they al got taken out by Goku and Vegeta, two of the Saiyans he neglected to kill.    Then Frieza gets himself and King Cold killed on a pointless revenge mission, leaving Sorbet to try to keep the whole thing going.    Across a fifteen year period, Sorbet probably loses a lot of good soldiers to insurrections and desertion.  Then Frieza comes back and assembles an army of 1000 warriors, and he kills all of them on another pointless revenge mission.

So yeah, in this scene, Cheelai laments that there just aren’t many warriors out there with a power level greater than 1000.   Well there used to be, until Frieza got them all killed.  Now he’s down to scrubs like Leemo, who’s worked for Frieza for decades, but can’t fight worth a damn.    According to Cheelai, she only joined up because she stole a spaceship or something, and knew the authorities wouldn’t chase after her if she was in the Frieza Force.    Really?  I don’t think Frieza would go out of his way to personally avenge or rescue her if the Galactic Patrol caught her.   

There’s a cute gag here where Cheelai mentions how Frieza turned out to be shorter than she expected, and Leemo warns her never to say that again if she values her life, recalling how Berryblue mentioned that Frieza used to execute some of his men for mocking his height behind his back.   Gee, why could Frieza have a staffing problem?    This is why Cell is the best villain.   He’s plenty tall, and he’s not so friggin’ insecure, and he can handle his own shit.

Anyway, the pair pick up a distress signal and it turns out it’s coming from Vampa, where they find Paragus striking... a pose.   Yes.   It’s like he knew he’d be wearing a shower curtain over his legs for the rest of the movie so he wanted to flaunt his goodies now while he still had the chance.

Paragus is now old and grey-headed, but he still has a power level of 4200, which is weaker than Nappa, but still good enough that Leemo and Cheelai are thrilled to take him back on their ship.   But then they get attacked by the giant head lice on Vampa, and Paragus calls for Broly to save them...

...And Cheelai is astounded by his power, which is too high to measure on the scouter.   That... doesn’t mean a whole lot these days, unless they increased the scouters’ range since the Freiza Saga.   Hers doesn’t explode, at least, so they managed to improve that much in the past twenty years.   

So on the ride back, Cheelai spends some time with Broly and gives him ration bars, or maybe it’s just candy, I dunno.    Paragus tells Broly to thank her, but she finds it too formal, and teaches the “Okay” sign as she tells Broly to just say “thank you” and leave it at that.    

Aboard Frieza’s ship, Paragus explains that he had to cut off Broly’s tail because he was getting too powerful, and that Broly would have these surges in power where he would lose all control of himself.   To deal with these, he put a shock collar on Broly’s neck, and he keeps the remote in his fanny pack.   He demonstrates how it works, and Leemo and Cheelai are horrified.

But they’re not so horrified that they balk at their reward for finding these two.  Apparently everyone in DBZ outer space gets paid in ball-point pens.

After Leemo and Cheelai leave, Frieza explains to Paragus that Planet Vegeta was destroyed a long time ago, though he neglects to mention that he did the destroying.   Not that Paragus cares, since he gave up on ever going back there because of King Vegeta.   Frieza mentions that Prince Vegeta is still alive on Earth, and offers to help him get revenge.   

Notably in this scene, Frieza refers to Prince Vegeta as “Vegeta IV,” which makes his dad King Vegeta III.   It’s nice to finally have that settled after all these years.    

I hadn’t noticed this until now, but there’s another lady on the ship besides Cheelai and Berryblue.   Probably not that remarkable, since Cheelai already explained that Frieza was hiring more women now that he couldn’t afford to be picky.   There are sources that say Frieza’s organization just didn’t allow women, period, but I always find those sort of absolutes hard to believe.   There’s also been talk that Frieza’s species has no gender, which is entirely plausible, but then why should Frieza bother with making sexist hiring policies?   

Wait, maybe Frieza got frustrated with it.   Like, he kept misgengering his staff, and he didn’t like looking foolish, so he just went, you know what, no women.   That actually makes some sense, especially in light of this movie, where he’s on a hiring spree for his ultra-important campaign to grow two whole inches.

Oh, wait, I just remembered that tough-looking lady they introduced for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.    I guess she was working for Frieza the whole time, but maybe he made special exceptions for quality talent.    Or he separated his crews by gender, so whenever he boards a different ship someone has to tell him which pronouns to use.    This is why Cell’s the best villain, because if you tell him your pronouns, he’ll just fucking remember instead of being a jackass about it.    All thanks to Piccolo’s cells.   Also Nappa’s.  

When Broly and Paragus come down for some food, Cheelai invites them to their table, but Paragus isn’t interested in chatting, and Broly doesn’t seem to know how.   Cheelai asks him why he’s still wearing the green fur around his waist, but when she tries to touch it he flips out, and she backs off.     Mostly, I just like this shot of Cheelai here.  

Also this one, where she gets upset with Paragus for not allowing Broly to tell his tragic backstory.   But we’ll have to save that for the second half of this review.

[hollyyoussef-blog]

Holly Youssef

Professor Robert Lunday

English 1301

9 October 2019

                                             Is Moving Really an Exciting Adventure?

                 “Again??”I asked my mother as she sat me down in a familiar setting and told me all over again that I had to say goodbye to all my friends and the new home that I had just gotten comfortable with because we were moving again. This was the second time my parents have told me we were moving to a new country thousands of miles away. I was very upset and mad at my parents. 

                    Many people around the world have to move to different countries for different situations. Some of them have to move because they want to live in another country. Others move because they are looking for new opportunities to succeed or because of violent situations in their country and they are trying to escape to another country. However, my family had many reasons to move, but the main reason was because of my father’s business being moved to another country. 

                My dad owned his own advertising and marketing company in Egypt called H&J, which was very successful for a long time; however, there was a period of time where the business was reaching a plateau. The market place was not doing so well in Egypt since not many companies wanted to advertise their brand. Therefore, my dad’s company was going downhill and money was not coming in. Despite the difficulties, my dad never gave up on his business. He was always a hard working man who tried his best to achieve what he wanted. He was always looking for alternative ways to fix what was going on in his company, but it was not in his hands and nothing seemed to work. That is when my dad had the “talk” with my mom that we had to move to another country. My mom was the most upset out of all of us about this situation, because at that time my mom had just had me. She did not have a job and was a stay at home mom. Family kept her company and busy, or else my mom would have been really lonely. Meanwhile, my dad worked really hard to get his company where it is right now.

I have never experienced the feeling of living in my home country, since I moved from Egypt when I was two. I always wondered what life would have been like there with all my extended family, because I have no recollection of my home town. Even though I visited Egypt quite often later in my life to see family there, visiting for a month or two was not the same experience as physically growing up and living there with family.

Typically, people like to think that getting up and moving to another country is as easy as it sounds. People see moving to a whole new country as an exciting adventure. I did find it adventurous from attending a new school, to exploring a new country, or getting a new house, and meeting new people, etc. However, the reality of the experience is nerve wracking and unanticipated. Starting to build your life from scratch again, as if you have not done so previously, is more difficult than many may think and takes a lot of flexibility to adapt. Each country has its own culture, religion, ethics, and history, which makes moving laborious and inconvenient. People tend to not see this perspective of moving to a new country, unless they have personally experienced it themselves.

My mom and dad did not come from a rich family in Egypt, nor did they come from a poor one. They were just normal middle class citizens living in their native country, surrounded by their huge family.  My parents had never moved before, since they were born and raised in Egypt. That’s where they also had me. I was born in 2002 in Cairo. I was surrounded by affection, devoted people who had cared about me the most- my amazing, generous, loving family. The only significant memory I can recall from Egypt was my kindhearted household.  The thousands of fond memories of my childhood make evident that my relatives were extremely understanding and considerate of me growing up. I can recall specific situations rather than holistic experiences that make me realize how much I miss them, as well as how different my life would be if I had stayed in Egypt. Thinking about it now, I used to view my childhood memories in my home country as a movie, when in reality, they are only a few scenes and parts that I remember clearly. However, these memories are muddled and I can only recall  various faces and voices, but not the bigger picture. For instance, my grandma would constantly peek in my room daily and ask me if I was hungry or if I had eaten yet. Because of her constant concern for my appetite, I was never hungry. That is why many of memories were of her delicious home cooked meals that could not be replaced by any fast food restaurant. My grandma never failed to satisfy the entire family’s hunger. One of the most important values that my family holds is the significance of home cooked meals. 

The thought of not being able to have another one of my grandma’s savory meals any time that I wanted makes me feel even more miserable about that fact that I moved away at such a young age. Family to me means comfort and brings me to a place of peace and security; my comfort zone where I feel the most nurtured, protected, and adored. I will never forget what it was like being surrounded by them, seeing them everyday, experiencing the unconditional love that they gave me every second, knowing they would never let anything bad to happen to me.

Unfortunately, all this happiness and the feeling of comfort with ended in 2004 when I had just turned two. My parents decided to move to the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) because it held a better future for all of us, especially me. My parents always put me first.  For example, everything I needed my parents provided me with, even though they had financial problems at the time and were going through a rough stage in life. My mom later told me that I would get sick twice a month. They never left me unattended, even though they had to take turns working and watching over me. For as long as I can remember, my parents had always wanted what was best for me and to see me happy in whatever I was doing. They did everything in their power to give me the opportunity to do my best. Since I had just turned two, I had to start attending school, and my parents knew that educational circumstances and safety issues in Egypt was nowhere near the standard they had set and dreamed for me. This however, was not the only issue. My parents wanted to provide a better environment for me to grow and develop, not only in academics, but also in everyday life. 

Dubai became the new destination for the rich and famous during the recent years. Arabs who made millions of dollars have invested their fortune into a new city to put them on the map. But, with the hard economic climate, which is usually very hot and humid, Dubai necessary in the current economy of the world. Dubai has built some of the world’s prettiest buildings and other amazing feats that felt impossible to be accomplished in the desert, but they somehow did it. For example, they built the tallest building in the world in the middle of the desert, and the world 's first 7 star hotel on an island in the Persian Gulf.  They have also built the two biggest malls in the world.

In order to give me superior future than their own, my parents knew they needed to get higher paying jobs. Since my parents did not have the prestige of a well-known university behind them, finding new jobs in Dubai was not going to be an easy task, for the work field was very competitive. Jobs were sacred the new place that I had to learn to call home, and they knew that most of the higher salary jobs were taken by most of the well educated and experienced people. They were most likely not going to find a well fitting career to give me the potential of being successful in the time to come. 

The lengthy flight from Egypt to Dubai was around 4 hours. When you move to a different country and not have anyone to talk to or relate to, it is hard to find someone close enough to you to help you out in times of need other than your parents. After several years of living in Dubai, my sister, Joyce, was born in 2006. This event had a great impact on my mental and physical health especially at that time. Even though I was four at the time and my sister was still a newborn, I still talked to her about my day, what I learned in school, if my teachers were nice to me, what I had for lunch; I told her everything as if I was telling her a bedtime story. She would often fall asleep listening to my boring stories, as if she could actually hear me and relate to me. When I was alone, my desperate need for entertainment prospered. Having a sibling gave me a friend to talk to and someone to play with all the time, it kept me busy. I remember being so astounded for her to grow up so she could actually talk to me in real words. I was always teaching and encouraging her to imitate me and repeat words back to me so she could learn to communicate with me faster.  My mom depended on me most of the time to take care of my younger sister, since she was always out searching for a job and attending many interviews. I changed Joyce’s diapers, fed her, read her bedtime stories to the best of my ability, for I was only four years old at the time, and played peek a boo, which was her favorite game of all time. I always seemed to make her laugh while playing that game. Me and Joyce were so attached because of all the time I spent caring for her in the absence of my mom and dad.

The transition from Egypt to Dubai was not a drastic one. The most recognizable change that I noticed was the increased safety in Dubai, it is one of the safest destinations in the Middle East. Whereas in Egypt my mom would never have left me alone in a mall, in Dubai my friends and I would take a cab or even a metro to the mall for the day. Street crime, including pickpocketing and bag snatching, is very uncommon, due to the many cameras placed in every corner including the streets and highways. Individuals feel safe enough to leave their car running while grabbing something from a gas station, and no one would even think about stealing it. Whereas in Egypt, you can not walk alone in the streets past 9pm, especially girls, because they can get kidnapped and sold back to their parents for large amounts of money. In Egypt, women are expected to respect the modest dress code, which is considered conservative by western standards, and it is respectful to obey the code. If women did not obey the dress code, of being covered or not revealing so much skin, there were more likely to get harassed by older men or even get kidnapped. Due to the dominant Islamic faith in Egypt, discrimination pervaded the workplace. Managers, for example, would sometimes refuse to hire you just because you are Christian. Although Dubai was a predominantly Muslim country as well, it had more freedom in religion and dress code, which resulted in very little to no discrimination at all. 

Unlike almost any other country in the world, Dubai has an incredibly high number of expats and immigrants annually from all over the world. It is one of the most diverse and international countries in the world, around 80 percent of people who live there are immigrants, which leaves only 20 percent Emiratis (local people from the UAE). The first question anyone would ask me in school or at a mall was always “where are you from?”. 

I started my elementary school in  first grade at Victoria English School, a private school in Dubai. I noticed that schools in Dubai did not separate elementary from junior high or High School. Everyone was all in the same school building, which was a new and interesting experience for me. To be in proximity with so many older kids allowed me to  engage myself with a greater variety of individuals, which I enjoyed. I loved the school ,all my teachers, and my many new friends that I made. 

Have you ever had that one special friend that was there for you through thick and thin? That special friend who can read your thoughts, finish your sentences, and make you smile when you are feeling blue. Someone who is honest and you can trust. Someone who is always there when you need them. That person for me is my best friend Youstina. She is the kindest, most outgoing person I have ever known. I met Youstina at a family Christmas event in Dubai when I was in the 5th grade and she was in the 6th grade. As soon as we met, I had a feeling that we would be best friends. Our families would always meet up every weekend to go out to eat and spend time together at the Mall, Youstina and I spent a lot of time together. 

Dubai was an amazing dream to live in for the past 14 years of my life. It was known as a place where high salary jobs and education there was very professional, which allowed my family and I to live in a high-end lifestyle. However, the economy has come under considerable pressure in recent years due to falling oil prices, which has led to a slump in the real estate sector and a squeeze on salaries. My parents noticed the struggle of their business by the end of 2015 when my mom lost her job at her company that she had been working for over 8 years. My dad's company were also not selling as much product as they used to. The economy was declining due to inflation, so businesses were at low profit and workers began to leave to workplace. Which forced my family and I to leave the country to fulfill our dreams. My parents had to get their jobs back while continuing to meet the lifestyle standards they expect for us. 

In conclusion, my family and I had our many ups and downs. Whether it was not being able to pay the bills when we were in Dubai to when my mom lost her job in 2015. We always stuck together and supported one another. To answer the question “Is moving really an exciting adventure?”. Yes and no. Yes, because I met my childhood best friend and got a far better education in Dubai. No because it was a long and depressing process to leave my home country, my family, my friends and move to a different country.

[wanderlust-and-road-dust]

RULES: Repost, do not reblog. Tag 10 blogs! (Or as many as you’d like)

Tagged by: @lightofthecrystal​

Tagging: Anyone who is interested. BASICS.

FULL NAME: F’nor Azril

NICKNAME: None

AGE: Looks like a mature adult viera, about 87 years of age.

BIRTHDAY: Sometime in Autumn

ETHNIC GROUP: Rava Viera

NATIONALITY: Exile

LANGUAGE/S: Eorzean, Broken Hingan, Vieran.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Pansexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Polyamorous

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:  Single

HOME TOWN / AREA:  Golmore Jungle

CURRENT HOME:  Currently a small camp on the edge of the Sagolii desert

PROFESSION: Reluctant Healer, Cartographer, Newly Minted Gun for Hire.

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Short, Coppery Red

EYES: Green

FACE: Spade shaped

LIPS: Expressively full

COMPLEXION: Ashen Grey

BLEMISHES: None, unless you’re one of those people who think freckles are blemishes. In which case prepare for a fight if you mention that.

SCARS: A fair few cover her body in various locations.

TATTOOS: None

HEIGHT: 6′3

BUILD: Lithe and limber

FEATURES: Tone, whipcord, seasoned by the elements

ALLERGIES: None

USUAL FACE LOOK : Absentminded woolgathering, intense look trying to figure something out, lit with exuberance while listening to a new tale.

USUAL CLOTHING: Obnoxiously flashy orange poncho, knee high or ankle high moccasins. 

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Large crowds, snakes

ASPIRATION/S: Learn everything, anything and all. 

POSITIVE TRAITS: Open mind, Non-judgmental, Honest to the point of being blunt, Curious 

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Antisocial, Obsessively Curious, Temperamental

TEMPERAMENT: Inquisitive and soft spoken, though prone to talking peoples ears off once she warms up to a person.

SOUL TYPE/S: Explorer

ANIMALS: Raven

VICE HABIT/S: Occasional use of pipe tobacco, nightly glass of whisk(e)y

FAITH: Reluctant acknowledgement 

GHOSTS?: Yes

AFTERLIFE?: Yes

REINCARNATION?: Yes

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Doesn’t care as long as it leaves her alone.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Self Educated

FAMILY.

FATHER : N/A

MOTHERS : N/A

SIBLINGS : N/A

EXTENDED FAMILY: N/A

NAME MEANING/S: F’nor liked the way the Miqo’te had their names spelled, not realizing the first letter denoted a clan. Upon realizing the connotations, she kept her name the way it was, especially after learning that the F tribe was in regards to bears.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: N/A

FAVORITES.

BOOK: History, folk tales

DEITY: N/A

HOLIDAY: Any that are currently going on, she’ll partake in. Belief in? A bit more sporadic as she’s figuring things out and experiencing different things.

MONTH: October

SEASON: Autumn

PLACE: Mountain forest or Desert washes

WEATHER: Fog

SOUND / S: Wind through leaves, particularly autumn leaves. Shishi-odoshi, rain, thunder.

SCENT / S: Loam, petrichor, sage

TASTE / S: Citrus

FEEL / S: Wool, parchment, ink on her fingers.

ANIMAL / S: Ravens and toads.

NUMBER: Eight

COLORS: Orange, earth tones, autumnal colors. Not Yellow.

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Healing, cartography, exploring off the beaten path without getting lost, navigating by the stars, writing, whittling, cooking, good at taking a beating. 

BAD AT: Socializing, people, depth perception, not taking a beating, bartering, responsibility, following a schedule, organization.

TURN ONS: People with boundless enthusiasm, crooked grins, book worms.

TURN OFFS: Willful Ignorance, Narrow Mindedness, Antagonistic

HOBBIES: Collecting mushrooms, writing an exhaustive chronicle of all flora and fauna she encounters, making bad life decisions.

TROPES: uuuuuuuh, Book Worm, Absentminded Woolgatherer.

QUOTES : “ I can resist everything except temptation.” -Oscar Wilde

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?

A1 :  Something eldritch and occult, pursuit of knowledge into ever darker avenues. Feverish pursuit, madness, secrets best left unexplored. Inability to back off from clearly psyche rending horror lurking on the fringes of understanding. Mental fortitude and the willingness to not use said information for ill gotten gains. Filmed like The Mummy (1999, the one with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz). Titled... oh I don’t know... Query Not. Maybe.

Q2 : What would their soundtrack/score sound like?

A2 : Probably a mix of songs by Vast, Beats Antique. Toss in some David Arkenstone and that’d probably be good.

Q3 : Why did you start writing this character?

A3 : F’nor’s an old hat of mine. Something comfortable and easy to play, no muss no fuss. Natural, like breathing.

Q4 : What first attracted you to this character?

A4 : Who doesn’t like an explorer? Who doesn’t want to find out what’s over the next hill? It’s basically just curiosity manifest and I love it.

Q5 : Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : F’nor’s a very solitary person. So reasons to socialize can sometimes feel a bit contrived.

Q6 : What do you have in common with your muse?

A6 : Overwhelming curiosity. Beyond that not a whole lot, playing a fantasy character is an escape from the mundane. Why have a lot of similarities?

Q7 :  How does your muse feel about you?

A7 :  F’nor’s a character more so than a muse. Might share residence in my head, like an old friend. But I’ve got strong table top roots. Played D&D since Advanced and really heavily 3.5. So the whole idea of them being a muse is weird. Since muses are supposed to inspire. As a DM it’s more like, here’s an adventure hook, go have fun in this sandbox. I don’t know, weird question to be honest.

Q8 : What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?

A8 : Literally no-one. Three years and almost no contact. Not for lack of trying, I’m just personally bad at making connections.

Q9 : What gives you inspiration to write your muse ?

A9: Going to sound like a broken record, but curiosity. It’s an incredibly easy thing to fall back to and is the main driving force behind F’nor. What’s this? Why does it do the thing it does? What’s over there? What’s this book? Why? What? How? When? They’re great seeds and it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Q10: How long did this take you to complete ?

A10: I worked on it off and on throughout the day, sick and kind of in a fog of medicine so apologies if I waffle on.

[djseaward]

a year of life & travels: 2017

today is new year’s day and it’s time for a recap of last year! it was another great year of being based in southwestern czech republic, feeling like home both here and back in my home country (and realizing that “home” is just a construct), and going to some magical places.

let’s revisit them, shall we? i changed the title of this year’s post to “life & travel” because, as i learned last year, travel isn’t everything and it is also important to capture what else was going on in one’s life. although for this post, it still remains the focal point. (don’t worry) so without further ado....

in january, we had the coldest and snowiest month that i have ever experienced with low low temps that froze over all of the ponds in south bohemia. you know what that meant? checking off my life-long dream to ice skate on a frozen pond! i ended up getting a cold promptly after that day, but it was so worth it. now i am too much of an ice skating elitist to ever skate on anything man-made ever again! (kind of joking, but...)

i also cooked a several course vegetarian dinner for burn's night! (why? we are hopeless "scot-ophiles” who love any good excuse to drink an islay malt and celebrate the the works of burns on a cold, dark winter’s night) that veggie haggis was definitely worth coming back to this month... ooh, i hope i can remember the recipe. it was actually make-again delicious.

in early february we took the first of what would be many many days in the big city (prague). we brought ferdie for his first ever trip on a train, he stayed with a dog-sitter while we saw the vaclav havel exhibit at dox, and generally had ourselves a perfect holešovice day, trudging through slush to get to our favorite cafes and enjoying brunch near the marina. (did you know holešovice had a marina?) i feel like i know the district quite better now!

we also had a very memorable valentine's day tea at born in london and i introduced my favorite students to the british tradition of pancake day -- what better than a lesson where you're making pancakes?!

in early march, my mother-in-law came for her first ever trip to europe and we were so excited to travel with her and take her to all the best spots in prague, český krumlov, and crossing the border into germany to visit bamberg! i had been in bamberg ten years ago during my studies in germany and it just does not disappoint for a low-key trip with excellent food and beer and historical sights. we may have brought two kegs and a few bottles of rauchbier home with us....

april first is always a strange day as the weather is usually quite wacky -- sure enough this year it brought our first forays into summer temperatures, if you can believe it. we marked that day by visiting the beautiful terčino údolí right here in south bohemia - a valley full of blooms, trails, a waterfall, and loads of other cool things to explore. we ate schnitzels while sitting on the terrace of a chateau, because we are in europe. and it was grand.

in mid-april for our long easter weekend, we rode the train into the šumava mountains to the train station with the highest elevation in the country! there we spent our time in a cozy mountain-style house, hiking and relaxing. we couldn't believe our little ferdinand walked 22km in one day! i think this trip is when we realized hiking with him (off-leash) is one of our favorite things to do.

glorious may brought beautiful cherry blossoms, garden parties, and outdoor festivals. i spent my birthday in český krumlov, staying the night there for the first time in over ten years and realizing how magical the town is by night... and how we miss out when we go back home to budejovice before dusk falls! it was brilliant to do all those tourist things like take a coffee in the square, walking around with an ice cream, and doing a bit of shopping in shops i don't usually even bother to set foot in. with our sweet accommodation south of the center right on the river (above), i truly never wanted to leave.

we spent a nice day in june in prague's vinohrady and vršovice districts to celebrate our wedding anniversary with the best mexican food in the country and doing all those big city things. sometimes it's just nicer to avoid old town altogether! (although sometimes i do quite the opposite - there's a time for everything)

at the very end of the month, we shrugged off the long spring and school year with a night in mariánské lázně - a beautiful town in the hills of northwest czech republic that is well-known for its spas and hosting many a famous guest over the past hundreds of years. we danced to jazz in the colonnade and took a hike the next day in the rain... because when you only have a limited time in a new place, you're not going to let a little rain dampen your plans!

at the beginning of july, we woke up and found ourselves in karlovy vary again for our fourth film festival. this time we took it way easier than in past years by staying directly in the center of town and felt so extremely spoiled! it was a great festival, albeit a bit cooler in temperature than every other year. when we got back, we stayed for a weekend with friends at a cottage deep in the wilds of sobo (erm, south bohemia) to have a nice rest before summer camp ramped up.

at the end of the month, we bid czechland goodbye and said hello to chicago! what a city -- i planned to do so much and ended up doing none of the things i thought i would, but instead discovered a whole new side which ended up being one of our favorite parts of our united states trip.

we were in michigan at the beginning of august visiting family and attending a wedding before flying to portland and staying with my dear friend, megs. i can't tell you how good it felt to have landed in the northwest after so long! i felt so at home immediately in that airport terminal. we rented a car and took off for central oregon to be based out of bend for the wedding of another dear friend, julie. we floated the deschutes river, visited many local breweries, and just generally enjoyed that central oregon high desert vibe.

the second half of the month was spent back home in washington -- i was so pleased to make it to my brother's birthday party at his new house as well as a family camping trip near mt. baker, much-needed karaoke nights, hikes, and of course, visiting all the beaches and eating seafood whenever possible... i even learned how to shuck an oyster! we enjoyed our time so thoroughly that it was almost as though i forgot i had to leave again...

(but i missed this little guy quite a lot)

the beginning of september was a bit rough going, but there are so many fun things happening right in budejovice that it is hard not to enjoy being in south bohemia. we spent some lovely, lazy afternoons in český krumlov, our first czech wedding, and then at the end of the month took a "wine vacation" to south moravia -- znojmo, to be exact! staying right on the square in a spacious apartment and hiking through podyji national park to a winery was a highlight, as well as checking off another thing on my "life to-do list": drinking wine in a vineyard. 

we even moseyed on down into austria for a morning (as it was just across the border from znojmo) and hiked up to a famous windmill as well as toured a huge underground wine cellar. it was a beautiful weekend!

the weather was absolutely gorgeous here in october. we popped off to prague to spend time immersed in the beautiful old town as well as stop at some farmer's markets and get the obligatory annual pumpkin spice latte. we walked to the very end of the street we used to live in (in malá strana) which leads directly up petřín hill -- a fine time of year for a walk amongst the changing colors of the leaves, clear views, and good weather.

november was about "home" in south bohemia if i had to give it a theme -- we focused on home improvement -- we got a new couch, as well as other appreciated upgrades and went to two big dinners: our first st. martin's dinner as well as hosting thanksgiving for the second time. 

on the first of december, we found ourselves in prague yet again for a farewell party of the last of our fellow TEFLers still left in the country -- i can't quite believe that we are the last ones still here of our group from five years ago! it was an emotional time but it's was so good to reconnect with our prague buds. i visited some of the christmas markets there including an attempt to visit old town square, but y'all -- the tourist situation is out of control compared to five years ago (when it was still quite heavy). although there is something special about the market there during advent time... i will probably continue to return despite the crowds!

for christmas, as you may have read, we were in southeastern bavaria (near the austrian border) in the heart of the bavarian alps -- a fantastic and memorable time.

the top five most popular posts on adventurings this year...

-- what i've learned about language learning after +4 years-- best tips & tricks!

-- slow pace or rat race? -- reconciling the relaxed south bohemian lifestyle with what i think i “should” be doing

-- back from the usa + 10 things i love about home -- i was a bit homesick, could you tell? 

-- the expat's guide to christmas away from home -- so many tried & true tips and ideas here

-- musings on identity and being an american -- what i've made of my national identity after five years away

these happened to also be my favorite posts i have personally written this year. funny, that.

i also posted two delicious recipes: a deliciously autumnal pumpkin miso soup, the perfect springy weekday cake, & i shared my fool-proof meal planning strategy.

so, where will we go in 2018?

i am so excited that we are planning a real, actual vacation this year! not a trip. just a lay by the pool somewhere beautiful, visit wineries, eat bread and cheese from a local market, hike and bike ride through the beautiful countryside... this is likely going to take us to provence, france. i think a week or so of living the provençal life will be just the thing, and perfect timing after the school year finishes. (time to brush up on my non-existent french!)

i am also pleased to say we’re planning to head to berlin for a month this next summer! it will be the longest consecutive time i’ve spent there for ten years, and i’m looking forward to greatly improving my language study (actually being in the country should sure help!) and finally doing some berlin things i haven’t yet managed in the past decade. ‘tis time.

everything else is up in the air, so we’ll see where the year takes us! i feel oddly optimistic and ready for this new year. how are you feeling about it? where are you headed this year? if you have any provence tips, i am really all ears.

thanks for being around this year! i have loved & appreciated your comments, shares, connecting with you elsewhere, and the fact that you are here reading this right now. happy new year!

keep up with me in 2018 on bloglovin, twitter, instagram, or facebook.

this post is part of the january travel link-up.

ps, you might like ‘year of travels’ recaps of past years: 2016, 2015, & 2014.

[topfygad]

11 Things You Should Know Before You Travel to Chile

If you happen to requested me which South American nation is my favorite, it might positively be Chile. The historic previous, various landscapes, world-class points of interest, welcoming locals, and the European aptitude has made me return there time and again. I initially deliberate to journey to Chile for one month, after which I discovered myself staying there for 3 months. As I’ve travelled extensively in Chile, I’ve discovered an entire lot in regards to the nation. If Chile is in your listing, listed here are 11 issues you need to know earlier than your go to.

Santiago is Protected to Go to

Earlier than my go to to Santiago, nearly everybody I met instructed me Santiago is harmful. Two British travellers even mentioned that they didn’t really feel protected on the subway and left the nation shortly.

I visited Santiago thrice, stayed in three completely different neighborhoods, and took the subway in the course of the rush hour and nothing unhealthy occurred. All I skilled was individuals who genuinely wished to assist me and their ardour to share the tradition and details about their nation with me.

In truth, Santiago is likely one of the most secure cities in Latin America and you may stroll round in some neighbourhoods at evening. Simply maintain your wits about you and don’t showcase your wealth and you’ll certainly have a memorable go to.

Chile’s Spanish is Not as Onerous to Perceive as it’s Made Out to be

Many vacationers to Chile are likely to get pissed off, as it’s a completely different Spanish from those discovered in class and different Spanish-speaking nations. Chileans have their very own slang (for instance, cachai?) and communicate quick and with an accent. Their Spanish takes a while to get used to however it’s not tough to speak with them as all people says it’s. When you get used to their Spanish, you can see them cracking jokes and making you chortle on a regular basis.

Chile Has So A lot to Supply

Chile is the longest nation on the planet; it stretches 2,653 miles from the north to the south and solely 110 miles from the east to the west, with the arid Atacama Desert and the Pacific Coast within the north, and mountains and valleys within the central, various landscapes in Patagonia, and ends its territory north of the Antarctic Circle.

Because of this, Chile has completely different climates, landscapes, tradition, meals, and topography in several areas. Every area comes with completely different cities and neighborhoods that help you be taught various things in regards to the nation and discover gorgeous locations to discover. Chile is just not a rustic the place you possibly can keep for every week and be carried out with it. It’s a big place the place you journey for a number of months and nonetheless end up scratching the floor of it.

Be Ready to Drink A lot of Wine

In case you are a wine fanatic, Chile is your paradise. With 2,700 miles of shoreline alongside the Pacific Ocean, a central valley, and year-round sunshine, Chile has the sources and wealthy soil to supply wine with distinctive high quality.

Some wines are fruity, others dry and herbaceous, and linger in your tongue for lengthy. Concha y Toro, San Pedro, Lapostolle, and Santa Rita are some prime Chilean wine manufacturers. The most effective of all, wine in Chile in all fairness priced and a bottle can price as little as $4.

Out of the Main Vacationer Spots, Most Elements are Untouched

When you get out of San Pedro de Atacama, Santiago, Valparaiso, Pucon, and Torres Del Paine, nearly in all places you go, you will notice solely nature and some vacationers and locals.

In Patagonia, you may be surrounded by mountains, glaciers, aquamarine waters, forests, and colourful homes with out costly excursions and hordes of individuals. In Locations like components of Carretera Austral and Puerto Williams, you possibly can take pleasure in unimaginable views with no one round.

Chile is an Costly Nation to Go to

The frequent conception that South America is reasonable to journey doesn’t apply to Chile. In my expertise, the meals and transport are usually costly when in comparison with Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It often prices $10 and extra for a meal, and the fare for taking a long-distance bus is larger than its neighbor nations as nicely.

The costly price to journey in Chile is particularly true in Patagonia the place the inhabitants, meals, and transport are scarce, so be ready to pay a better price to eat, take the bus and the boat, and go to the nationwide park.

Be Prepared for the Totally different Climatic Zones All through the Nation

Chile has a number of climatic zones. If you happen to go to Santiago and Valparaiso, a shirt, shorts, and a jacket are sufficient to get round. When touring via Patagonia, it may be sunny in a single hour, raining in one other hour, and the temperature is often between 5-15 Celsius in the course of the day and colder at evening.

If you happen to go to Torres De Paine, Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas, or Puerto Williams, be ready for wind gusts of as much as 180 kilometers per hour – sturdy sufficient to blow a hiker away.

In Some Areas, Border Crossing to Argentina is Extraordinarily Troublesome

Chile and Argentina have had territorial disputes prior to now. Though the scenario has eased through the years, some borders between Chile and Argentina have imposed numerous difficulties for vacationers who attempt to cross via.

The immigration workplaces between the 2 nations are miles aside, and the border in components of Patagonia doesn’t have public transport to undergo so it’s essential stroll or hitchhike. On the border between Villa O’Higgins and Argentina, automobiles are inaccessible and also you want a mix of taking the boat, getting a horse, and strolling 22-miles within the forest to get to the Argentinian aspect.

Chileans Often Have Tea as an alternative of Dinner

In case you are invited to an area’s home after work time, don’t anticipate to have a giant dinner. As a substitute, you can see your self having tea time with bread, espresso, and lightweight refreshments.  The portion of the meals is mild. In case you are used to having a giant dinner at evening, you’ll want to eat one thing earlier than or after tea time.

Pack your Personal Meals When Taking the Lengthy-distance Bus

In Colombia and Ecuador, I bought so used to the long-distance bus stops on the roadside eating places that give passengers high quality time to eat.

In Peru, I used to be spoilt by Cruz Del Sur and Oltursa offering free meals onboard. So, in Chile the bus journey might be lengthy and exhausting, and stopping someplace to allow you to eat or offering free meals is just not a factor. In truth, on a 20-hour bus journey, the one meals you’ll get is mild snacks and boxed juice, they usually actually don’t final lengthy.

You Do Not Should E book your Lodging in Advance when you Journey within the Low Season

December to February is the height season to journey in Chile, and lodges and hostels might be offered out rapidly, particularly when you plan on visiting common points of interest reminiscent of Santiago, Vapalaiso, and San Pedro De Atacama.

The most effective time to go to Chile is in the course of the shoulder season from October to November, the place it’s not crowded with vacationers, the local weather is average, and it’s straightforward to seek out lodging on a walk-in foundation (the one exception is Torres Del Paine, the place it’s essential e-book the campsites a number of months prematurely).

I want these journey ideas and recommendation will aid you plan your journey to Chile. If you happen to visited Chile earlier than, be happy to share your ideas and experiences under.

This submit was initially printed in Might 2018

from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/36JbbUR via https://ift.tt/2NIqXKN

[the-heat-of-the-moment-gabe]

Tagging game

ASDFGHJK Thank you so much @oftrickstersandmoose for tagging me and saying that about my blog!! That’s sooo sweet <333

I am going to do this thing, even though no one probably cares that much... Still, I will use this opportunity to tell everyone that reads this that THEY ARE AWESOME AND SIMPLY SOME ADORABLE CUTE LITTLE ANGELS ^-^

Nickname: Riri (no one actually calls me like that, but I found out it’s another abbreviation of my name so I love it =)) ) Gender: Fangirl (that’s it. That’s my gender. Forget about female, I am a fan-femme ❤︎)    Star Sign: Libra ^^ (the most indecisive person ever, I admit it)  Height: a bit more than 5ft 1′ I think? (I know, I know... I am literally a shrimp! But at least I get to stay in front of tall people and watch better everything XD) Time: time...time is irreversible.. the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole... But, yeah, it’s about midnight here, if that’s the question =)   Birthday: Oct 1st  ❤︎ Favourite Bands: *pulls out powerpoint project* Are you sure of this?? *brings pictures and merchandise* jk XD My favorite band EVER will forever be Fall out boy I love them SO much,my wonderful adorable obsession!! <333 I also love mcr (my babies asdfghjk), p!atd, bvb, Green Day, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Rolling stones, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Skid Row, The Offspring, The Beatles, Journey, Metallica, Gnr, Whitesnake, Foreigner, Boston,CCR, Van Halen, BOC, Asia, lynyrd skynyrd, alice cooper, Eagles... The list can go on till tomorrow :)) Also, a special mentioning would be Abba and Modern Talking <333 and, of course, my second favorite band (I shamelessly admit I have 90 songs of them on my phone device), QUEEN XD Favourite Solo Artists: hard to choose, uggh... My favorite singer used to be Celine Dion, so... I also love Kylie Minogue, Michael Bolton, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Adams, Barbra streisand, Amy Grant, Bob Dylan, Elvis, too many to think of right now... Could I add Richard too?? =)) (even though he always says he is NOT a musician, his voice is wonderful aaaahh *sighs*)  Song Stuck in My Head: “All star” by Smash Mouth! It’s kind of making me feel more confident though, but it’s annoyingly catchy... Oh and yeah, how could I forget about “anyway you want it” by Journey, it got stuck in my mind for a whole week, I am so glad I got over it  Last Movie I Watched: Forrest Gump =) (watched it today, I admit I have cried a lot to it, and now I have only southern accents stuck in my head heeelp) Last Show I Watched: Big Bang Theory <33 (I adore sitcoms) I was trying to see if I can get to watch more Star Trek on tv, but instead I saw this :) When did I create my blog?: umm...My main one, I think around October last year?? And this secondary little thing that made my life better, I think sometime in May :)) What do I post? Post or reblog?: Both? =)) I reblog brilliant posts and I write anything that comes into my mind about Gabe <3 Also, I just simply adore making photo edits, gifs and stuff like that with him, so... Last Thing I Googled: it’s actually “sunburnt” because I got one during hiking yesterday, so I needed to know how to treat it better XD (I am so glad I didn’t have to do this game earlier, when my last thing was “how to burn people”, I assure you I am not a psychopath hehhe... Even though it was annoying that google was showing results for “good comebacks”, not actually burning people alive...) Any other blogs?: Hells yeah. Not many though. My main one where I haven’t posted anything for six months, a side blog with nice book quotes and nature landscapes that finally turned into a fandom one (oops!!) and one with song lyrics where I make photo edits and post mostly fob and mcr lyrics because when I don’t find them on google I must make them by myself :D  But here I have most of my followers <33 Do you get asks?: Umm...Nope, never got one, only messages, but happily waiting for some =)  The Story Behind My Username: *coughs*......it was, my darlings, the summer of 2017 when me meets the other inner me and I’m like “yo, I know about music” and the other me is like “yo, I know more about music!! ”, “that’s impossible! Do you wanna start a side blog? We’ll call it after your new favorite song ever that makes your heart sing and melt in the same time because of the most adorable mellow sweet feathered golden angel, that small tiny muffin who ruined your life” and I was like “yeah that’s cool” and that’s it XD Actually, I came up with the idea of this blog when I realized how obsessed I was with Gabe and at 2 AM I was creating gifs just to post them here, and the only logical username that came in my mind was this, I just love the heat of the moment!!! <33 *starts humming while eating a candy bar and sobbing in a corner* Following: 155! ;D Followers: 563 AAAHHH MY BEAUTIFUL RAYS OF SUNSHINE I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH THANK YOU FOR BRIGHTENING MY LIFE EVERY TIME YOU PRESS THAT “follow” button I JUST WANT TO WRAP YOU ALL IN WARM BLANKETS  ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ *hug attack to everyone who reads this* Favourite Color: GREEN! Grass green, cyclam, turquoise, that coral red-orange wonderful thing, blue violet, sunflower bright yellow (guess why ;)))... Average Hours of Sleep: probably eight hours. Sometimes 6, sometimes 11... Two weeks ago I slept only one hour, yesterday 12, so it depends XD Lucky Number: 111 <3 Not lucky, but favorite one I guess :)) But usually all my lucky numbers contain “1” so... I also love 21, dunno why Instruments: Fountain pen. JUST KIDDING! If it means musical instruments, I used to play piano and violin, but now I only know a bit to play the national anthem, that’s all... Currently I am into guitar, I have been trying for six months to learn how to play it from youtube tutorials, I can play couple of chords ;D What I’m wearing right now: whoa easy there, tagging game! (just a joke again, sorry ^-^) It’s actually only a dress with green and pink floral print because summer nights when you don’t want to go to sleep, just to stare at the stars, hum songs and spend time on tumblr, that’s why :) I just find dresses easier to wear when the heat outside overwhelms you How many blankets do I sleep with?: umm... Like now, during summer? Only a white sheet, it’s too hot (even though I sometimes want to go back to my warm blanket in case of monster night attacks). But on winter I can sleep with two wool blankets or even more... :)  Dream Job: Cardiothoracic Surgeon or any kind of doctor in general :)) It’s been my dream since I was two, I just love anatomy...<3 (probably I shouldn’t add my temporary dreams too, like becoming an actress, a Broadway singer, a detective or a novel writer and artist, should I?^^)  Dream Trip: aaah hard to say, but I think it would be a road trip in Arizona or any western desert part in general, while driving an old rusty convertible car (preferably an impala, of course), watching the ruby sun going down into the lakes painted on the azure sky and the stars sparkling brightly at night, feeling the freedom air and humming old rock songs (and singing “take it easy” when I get to Winslow, AZ :D)... Also, another dream trip would be in my favorite cities: NYC (to see Tiffany’s and Broadway :)), Paris (mainly the opera house and get to sing “bonjour Paris” like in Funny Face) and Rome (driving  a scouter or riding a vintage bike on the old streets, while picking ruby geraniums and singing Dean Martin songs aahh). Also, a trip to provence where I can dance through the lavender fields, the Alpes with warm small cottages or Greece would be wonderful (as long as I can admire the landscapes and the local culture with not so many people around... ^^) Favourite Food: grilled chicken with french fries and any kind of dessert (chocolate especially)<33 Also a bunch of sour soups, pasta, fish, meat, pizza and hamburgers, jam with butter and honey, cereals with milk, bacon and eggs, meatballs, chicken soup with dumplings, boiled potatoes with butter and parsley, pancakes, and this list could go on and on.... (now I got hungry ugh...) Nationality: Romanian :) (this should explain the “sour soup” thing)  Favourite Song Right Now: umm...*trying to make up my mind while sweating nervously* Probably still the heat of the moment, or Tiffany Blews by fob... But right now, I mean really RIGHT NOW, I think it would be “don’t stop believing” it’s so uplifting and purely...gorgeous :)

Sorry for the long post, in real life I never speak up, yet, here, I am a chatter box oops >.<

Now, the ceremony of tagging people! *drums beating*... Aaaand the nominees are....LEONARDO DiCAPRIO!! (SOORY just a silly joke ^^) Now, for real, I am tagging :  @scarlettwinchester23�� ( ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ) , @sabriel-fanboy-83, @akhuna01, @hunters-hiraeth, @tricksterxangel, @lisiblack, @chaotictrickster, @quaker-wtf-lass and any other cinnamon roll that wants to do this, but I know you won’t do it unless I tag you, so, here you are : @that-sweet-person-who-read-my-ramblings-and-wants-to-do-this-game-too  ❤︎  You have been officially tagged ;) 

I love you all so much!! <3

[neighborhoodcryptid]

ALL OF THE AUTUMN ASKS DEAR GOD PLEASE I LOVE IT

pumpkin spice: what’s your drink of choice?

honestly i really love anything mocha. its just always so good

wool socks: what’s something you look forward to in fall?

crisp mornings drinking coffee, breathing in the air and watching the leaves fall

falling leaves: you’re stranded on a desert island and here’s the twist; what three things do you NOT bring with you?

a portable vcr player, a grand piano, and a gnome knickknack

smelly candles: what’s your absolute favorite scent?

my dude, okay, i have a coffee candle (bath and body works) and a hazelnut cream candle (walmart) and when they burn together its so fuckin good

big sweaters: do you prefer the cold, warmth, or a perfect in-between?

i like the cold tbh. i love having an excuse to wear layers and use soft blankets

halloween: if you could dress up as anyone/ anything and pull it off absolutely flawlessly, who/what would it be?

it would honestly be so cool to become an alien but like with super cool and professional sfx makeup, like sign me the fuck up

cozy blankets: where do you feel the most safe and at home?

wherever my friends are

hot tea: when was the last time you kissed someone (if you haven’t had your first kiss, who would you like that first someone to be?)

it was like 3ish years ago i think?? idk that person is my ex and she treated me like shit so i try not to think about it

flannel: what’s your favorite day of the year? is there a reason it’s your favorite?

i don’t think i have a favorite day? but i love the month of october because spoop

chilly air: what’s your least favorite and favorite type of weather?

least favorite is anything above 75 degrees (f) or if it’s super humid. my favorite is probably cool autumn mornings when the sun is shining but you can still see your breath

scarves: if you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life what would it be?

hoodie and sweatpants. hands down

apple cider: if you could throw a party, and invite absolutely anyone, who would they be?

probably just invite my gang of friends and hang out like we usually do lmao

haunted houses: what’s your scariest memory? (if you don’t have one/ don’t want to talk about it, what’s your biggest fear?)

i used to live in a house that had a really creepy basement and one time i was down there getting something out of the freezer down there and some big, heavy suitcases fell off the shelves they were on and it was terrifying

fuzzy boots: if you could live in any year/era, which would it be and why?

i would probably just fast forward a few years to when im not living with my mom and i have a cute apartment and a good job and a cat

thanksgiving: what is something/someone you’re the most thankful for? any particular reason?

im definitely most thankful for my small group of super super close friends because honestly i wouldn’t be here without them tbh

black friday: what is one thing, if anything, you would sell your soul to own?

its lame but probs a ticket to hamilton (what can i say, im trash)

apple picking: if you could go anywhere, where would it be and why?

i’ve always wanted to go to france and explore the countryside and just experience the culture

corn mazes: do you have any secret talents/abilities?

lmao i have no skills

hay rides: if you could pick absolutely anything to be your form of transportation, what would it be?

definitely a griffin

the color orange: do you have a specific song that reminds you of autumn? what is it?

honestly it sounds lame but “uwa!! so temperate” from undertale. dont ask me why

windy nights:if you could go to any concert whose would it be?

does the dear evan hansen musical count as a concert by the cast?

holding hands: do you believe in soulmates?

i believe everyone has multiple soulmates, both romantic and not