#open to exhange culture

[labyrinth-lavie]

Hello, newbie here but I have many writings (poems) kept in my notes that I will share here, hope you read them :)

[unopenablebox]

beach day 😊😊😊

first time attending a boston beach. have learned it’s full of sludges

have also learned that 🌸 is a wimp about sludges and (we knew this) very cold water, due to california girl problems

[asharri-lakefire]

Character Info: Asharri Lakefire

the basics –––

NAME: Asharri Lakefire-Kelanthis

AGE: 241

RACE: Blood Elf

GENDER: Female

SEXUALITY: Heterosexual 

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married to @kelanthis.

physical appearance –––

HAIR: Blonde

EYES: Fel Green

HEIGHT: 5′6"

BUILD: Athletic

DISTINGUISHING MARKS:

Nothing too defining outside of a few scars here and there from hits and near misses in battle over the years. Her palms and the pads of her fingers are also a little rough from years of bow use.

COMMON ACCESSORIES:

Bow and a quiver of arrows.

Couple of daggers hidden under her clothing or armor.

Compass, satchel of survival equipment and other odds and ends needed on the field.

Ledger book.

Wedding band usually worn on a necklace around her neck so it doesn't get lost.

personal –––

PROFESSION: Retired Farstrider Captain. Proprietor of Dawnstide Harbor Exchange.

HOBBIES: Honing her skills with target practice (close ranged and distance), drinking and playing various card games - sometimes for gold. A new found joy tinkering with engineering projects.

RESIDENCE: Dawnstide Harbor; Eversong Woods

BIRTHPLACE: Silvermoon City; Quel'Thalas

FEARS: Not a fan of being out on the open seas over the deep dark waters of the unknown.

relationships –––

SPOUSE/PARTNER: Married to Pyranthios Kelanthis ( @kelanthis )

CHILDREN: None.

PARENTS: Kamus Lakefire (father; deceased). Adihel Fairsun-Ambergin (alive; Alliance sworn)

SIBLINGS: Novalein Ambergin (half-sister; alive)

OTHER RELATIVES: Unaware of others still alive.

traits –––

extroverted / introverted / in between.

disorganized / organized / in between.

close minded / open-minded / in between.

calm / anxious / in between.

disagreeable / agreeable / in between.

cautious / reckless / in between.

patient / impatient / in between.

outspoken / reserved / in between.

leader / follower / in between.

empathetic / unemphatic / in between.

optimistic / pessimistic / in between.

traditional / modern / in between.

hard-working / lazy / in between.

cultured / un-cultured / in between.

loyal / disloyal / unknown / in between.

faithful / unfaithful / unknown / in between.

RP hooks –––

Retired Farstrider Captain. If you served or still serve, you may know of her. She had a fall from grace during a brief period in time and found herself demoted but was restored her captain ranking with the help of Magistrix Brightfall of whom she worked for for a period of time. There may have been some shady things she had to do in service to the Magistrix in exchange. Some might still be stuck on her brief demotion, while others have put it behind them.

Proprietor of Dawnstide Harbor Exhange. She specializes in trade and can often have her services hired for aid in the retrieval of various goods and services. She is particularly picky of clientele.

She happened to marry a demon hunter, so there may be some who may find that particularly disagreeable.

Contact Information and OOC tidbits  ––– –

I live on EST time. I have a family. I work. I live with a chronic illness. I am not really looking to dive in deep to heavy RP at this time. Tumblr and Discord RP is best for me usually as getting into game to consistently RP is a bit hard for me, but I can swing it on occasion for RP events, although when I am in-game I prefer to run content.

Reachable in-game on Asharri on both WrA and MG.

—

All follows, likes, asks, reblogs, etc., come from @astarmaux.

[grandpayaoi]

Still counts as a headcanon when it's your own oc, right? Sure.

Visneç ■ -  Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

wait so this is neat bc visneç is like 500 so you can track his situation entirely by how he lives

visneç's mortal days were punctuated by long stretches of living in the wilderness as a local guide to adventuring types ; isolated by doldrums on their shores and a massive faeforest to the northwest, tadriil is the only county where adventuring is a viable source of income, since they're culturally more open to this old-fashioned sort of exhange. tadriil was also known for its small, isolated city-states and self-sufficient villages (the gvts of which were not consolidated until after his turning) so being a person with any larger concept of the county was massively useful. when not making money as an armed escort, he stayed in an inn run by his elder sister and her husband. [visneç is the middle of 6 siblings, two elder brothers, two younger, and a sister a year his elder]

when he became a vampire, he took over his sire's life. lucan had property - something of a tadriilian vacation home when he was off the vampiric archipelago - and when lucan turned visneç [and visneç killed him for it] visneç took. he became, legally, lucan's estranged brother, heir to his affects, and lived as a Statilius, and garden-variety serial eater, until he slipped up with his taxes and got found out as not only a prolific killer with trophies kept in the basement, but as a member of the previously-unknown-about undead. these quarters were always more lucan than visneç, elaborate and decorated and baroque, made for show, save for the slaughterhouse down below.

his quarters in firlinsgrav were kept at first at distance. the norwestcount kyrbälenin doesn't sleep, and gave his ward a wide berth of freedom regarding such. his rooms (a sleeping quarters, living quarters, bathing chamber, and a small garden off the sleeping room, originally built in isolation for a sickly wife of a previous count) were meant to get him comfortable and used to the living situation. over time, this became the main living area as adalrich became more of a welcome presence as opposed to a benevolent captor. visneç's rooms have not been touched since he left, not since the evening he was gone.

he has his own home, of course. it's in digoxia, within a day's travel of weldspring chateau to be within communication lines of lady zenosera - it was gifted to him as a reward for a particularly difficult mark, and was her rival's property before turning to his ownership --- before this, he was (and still is) considered welcome at any foxglove gang member's home, as zenosera's (now former) personal retainer and executioner.

it's the equivalent of a victorian, but when you view it from any angle but the front, that gets questionable. it becomes apparent when you step inside that visneç is the sort to keep to small spaces. every room in his home is clearly his, but each inhabited in a different era, with it being clear he's abandoned the room for a new one every time it strikes his fancy. the decor styles, furniture, and at times even minor architectural changes reflect the era he used the room in, and he does not clean well before he closes one door and opens another. there's even a clear room where he lived when he raised amlin, including a small room of theirs as well, now abandoned. walking through his home is a museum of his past 200 years, and it’s perhaps a reason why he's seldom there.

visneç far prefers to be moving. funny he's my most explicitly divorced oc, because he sure has an issue settling down.

[elwynten]

New Universes 1

Introduction:

Monster Musume, the daily life of monster girls, takes place in Japan. For years the government has hidden the fact that Monster Girls/mythical creatures exist. Three years ago, the government passed the "Interspecies Cultural Exhange Act". In an effort to bring limina's (monster girls) into the mainstream of Japan. Each liminal needs a host family to stay with. The liminal must have their host with them when they leave the house. Humans can not harm limina's and limina's cannot harm humans.

Chapter 1

Finding a place to live in Japan.

The portal I opened was to the Monster Musume, Life of Monster Girls Universe. I made sure the Universe was the mix between the anime and Panga. That means they speak English, and anything written in Japanese script had English translation overlayed the Japanese writing. That would make it a lot easier for me, even though I could learn the Japanese language and writing fairly quickly, if I wanted to. It would be a lot easier if everyone else spoke English. It would also allow me to extend my story beyond the Anime if I want to and allow me to choose between the manor variations between the Anime and the Manga.

I opened a portal to just outside Kimihito Kurusu's house. I timed it so Ms. Smith was at Kimihito's house because I wanted to talk to her about becoming a host family using Kimihito's house as my address/residence.

I knocked on the door and waited with Taima beside me. A few moments later the door opened and Kimihito stood in the open doorway. "May I help you?" He asked me.

"Yes, you can. I would like to talk to you and Ms. Smith, if I may." I said.

"Ms. Smith and me? Why?" He asked.

I grinned. "That's what I want to talk to you about." I replied.

"Who is it Darling?" Ms. smith asked from inside the house.

Kimihito turns his head and called out. "Someone wants to talk to both of us."

"Come in." Kimihito told me and stepped back so I could enter the house.

"Thank you." I told him.

Kimihito led me and Taima into the dining room where Smith was sitting and drinking coffee.

"He says he wants to talk to us." Kimihito repeated.

"Hello. Yes, I would like to talk to both of you. First, I'm Eilwyn (pronounced el-win) Tengee and this," I indicated Taima. "Is Taima, my Companion." I started.

Ms. Smith spoke for the first time since I arrived. "I'm Ms. Smith, Interspecies coordinator. And this is Kimihito Kurusu. Now what do you want to talk about?" Smith said.

I grinned. "What I want to talk about is helping both of you out. First I would like to be a host family. I'm sure in the next few days there will be several limina's that will be needing a host family." I started.

Smith looked at me a moment. "I believe I could arrange for you to be a host family. Where do you live?" Smith said.

"That is where Kimihito comes in. May I call you Kim? It's much easier." I said looking at Kimihito.

Kimihito stared at me. "Um… well… I guess you can." He stuttered out.

"Thank you. The second thing is for Kimihito. You see I don't have a place to live in town. If you would give me a small space, I could live here without taking up any room." I said.

Kim looked at me bug-eyed. "H-how can you live here without taking up any space?" He asked confused.

"I can show you how. I was thinking of the hallway." I said and headed out of the room.

In the hallway I looked back at Smith and Kim. They were looking at each other. Finally Smith shrugged her shoulders. "Why not. Let's see what he's up to." She said to Kim. Kim just followed Smith's lead.

I went out the door from the kitchen and took a few steps down the hallway and waited for Smith and Kim.

When they were standing beside me in the hallway, I made a sweeping motion with my hand and arm. In the middle of the wall in the hallway under the stairs, an opening appeared. "This is how I can live here without taking up any room." I said and pointed to the new opening into a pocket plain. "It has a five-mile radius with a nice big house in the middle. There's a three-foot-deep stream that leads to a good-sized pond or small lake." I started describing the pocket plain. There was also a paved platform beside the creek just inside the opening to the pocket dimension, where Someone could get into and out of the water from a wheelchair. That part I didn't explain yet because I'm sure just having a pocket plain in the house was strange enough without going into how I know there would be a need for a mermaid to be able to enter and exit the creek.

"And the nice thing is, there will be plenty of room for Miia to run around without you having to be right beside her." I added.

Kim looked at the door to the pocket plain with his mouth open and his eyes bugged out. "H-how did you do that? How is that possible?" He asked dumbfounded.

I pointed at Ms. Smith. "How is limina's possible, and some of those limina's can perform magic. And no, I'm not a liminal, I'm full human. I just have some abilities most humans don't have." I told them.

"I need a drink." Ms. Smith stated and headed back to the kitchen.

I chuckled at Smith's reaction. I turned back to Kim. "And as a bonus the kitchen has enough food to feed fifty people three meals a day, and it restocks itself every day. So, there will be no need to buy any more food. Unless you want to. And by the way, Ms. Smith forgot to tell you. If you keep your grocery receipts and turn them in, they will reimburse you for your food expenses." I added.

"Oh, really? She did forget to tell me that. That's good to know." Kim said. "I-I guess you can stay here." He looked into the pocket plain then back to me. "It won't be like you're taking up any room in the house."

Miia walked/slithered up to Kim. "Hi Darling, who are they?" She asked Kim.

"This is Eilwyn Tengee and his Companion Taima. They are going to move in." Kim told her.

Miia looked at Taima and I. "Where are they going to stay?" She asked.

Kim pointed to the opening to the pocket plain. "They're going to live there most of the time." Kim replied.

"That's interesting. How did you get such a big yard like that." Miia asked Kim.

Kim just pointed at me.

"It's a long story that I don't fully understand so, don't worry about it. And by the way, you're welcome to use the yard anytime you want and feel free to visit us in the house. Since we'll be coming and going through your house, there's no reason to not let you come into my house as well." I told them.

"Thank you. That's nice of you." Miia told me.

"You're very welcome. Now I believe I need to talk to Ms. Smith about me being a host family." I told Miia and Kim, then started to the kitchen.

About halfway down the hall I stopped and looked back at Kim and Miia. "And don't worry, Taima has no interest in Kimihito. She's totally devoted to me." I added to alleviate any fears Miia might have of having another girl in the house. I turned back around and headed to the kitchen.

"Ms. smith, what do I need to do to be a host Family?" I asked her.

Smith looked over her glasses at me for a moment. Then pushed her glasses back up on her nose. "We do need more host families and you do have a place to live that's big enough. I'll put in the paperwork and get you signed up. You will need to read the 'Interspecies Cultural Exchange Act'." She told me.

Kim and Miia walked into the kitchen, listening to what Smith and I were talking about.

"Thank you. I already know a lot of the 'Interspecies Cultural Exchange Act'. The important parts anyway. But what I've seen already, there are many changes that need to be made to prevent abuses of the law. As in, a liminal can commit a crime and get away with it because humans can't hurt limina's. But that's something we can deal with later." I replied. I didn't add that I know about the MON Team, but that would wait until later also. We exchanged phone numbers so we could contact each other when needed.

Smith looked at me then to Darling (as she and Miia call Kimihito). "By the way, I was here to make sure Darling was not in violation of any prohibited activity. The demi-humans are here for cultural exchange. In accordance with the Interspecies Exchange Law, anyone who harms the demi-human will be severely punished. Since you are a host family." She said to Kim, then she looked at me. "And you want to be a host family. I wanted to make sure you both fully understand the rules." Smith told us.

"Ms. Smith, I already told you. You brought Miia here by mistake, remember? That does not make me her host family." Kim said to Smith.

"I don't recall that." Smith replied.

"Eeeggg?" Kim gurgled at Smith's reaction. "For an Exchange operator you sure are sloppy." Kim told Smith.

"Well, anyway." Smith retorted.

"Nice segway."

"Miia said she would like to stay permanently, and that means I'll need you to know the law in great detail. It's a good thing your parents were transferred overseas." Smith stated.

"Good for you maybe."

"More coffee please."

"Yes ma'am." Kim turned to the counter and started making another cup of instant coffee for Smith. "I'm not going to hurt her, you know."

"You're not allowed to deflower her either." Smith stated.

"Wwwwww wha-what do you mean!?" Kim exclaimed.

Smith sat down at the kitchen table. "They can do it if they want to. They've got the parts that matter. Has she propositioned you? The girls can be rather frisky you know. However, the demi-humans are meant to be representatives of their entire species. If she was defiled by human hands. Well let's just say there would be a diplomatic issue. You'd be arrested on the spot, and your beloved guest could be deported back to her homeland. Boo Hoo." Smith told us while acting like she was whipping her eyes with a hanky. "Tragic but that's the world we live in."

"Wait, you haven't already done it?" Smith asked Kim.

"No! Of course not! I'm not crazy!" Kim replied with some irritation.

"Sure, you've thought about it at least. Haven't you?" Smith asked. "She may be a snake from the waist down, but she's got charm, a great rack and beautiful features to boot… Not to mention, she's smitten with you." Smith told kim.

Smith stood up to leave. "I'd better be on my way now. I have a lot of work to do. I'll be talking to you later Eilwyn. And I'll see you later Darling." Smith said and walked to the front door and left the house. As she reached the door Smith stopped and turned back around. "As long as you don't break any of the rules, I'm sure you'll be just fine." She said and left the house.

Kim and Miia were looked at me after Smith left.

"That was… interesting. Oh, well, back to my house. As I said you are free to use the yard around my house all you want. There is more than enough land for you to run around in and to play in. Plus there is a creek or two and a small lake as well as an ocean beach you can swim in. And the water is warm enough that you, Miia, should not have to worry about it chilling you. In fact, if you would like I can give you a tour of the yard and house right now." I told them.

Miia was the first to speak up. "A tour of the house and yard? Sure, I'd like that. How about you Darling? Do you want to see the house?" Miia asked Kim.

Kimihito was still shocked about everything. "Sure, I'll go with you to see his house and yard that's inside another house… Why not." He said not sounding sure of himself.

"Ok, let's go then." I said cheerfully.

We walked back to the hall and entered the pocket plain. Entering we stepped onto a paved path. About five feet in there was a ramp that led to the creek. "This is so anyone that needs to get into and out of the water with a little help can do so. The ramp makes it easier for someone in a wheelchair can get in and out of the water fairly easily. I've had friends that were handicapped, and this makes it easier for them to go swimming." I started. I didn't say anything about mermaids because I didn't want them to know what would happen in a few days or weeks. "As you can see there is plenty of open land so you can run around." I looked at Miia as I said that and grinned. "Literally and figuratively speaking that is. Over there," I pointed off to the left. "Is a good-sized patch of woods. In fact, the closer you get to the edge of the pocket plain the more trees you find and the thicker they get. The creek flows past the house to a two-acre pond or small lake, and then another creek flows out of the pond to a small ocean a little way beyond that." I told them pointing in the direction of the pond and on to the ocean.

By this time, we had walked to the house. "And now the house." I opened the front door. The door was actually a double door, where when you opened one door the other door opened at the same time. Giving plenty of room for something large like a centaur to enter the house with ease. "I love the door; I don't know how many times I was carrying something large and with this door I don't have to shift it into an awkward position to get it in the house." I told them.

Miia looked at the double doors as they opened. "That makes since. It would be easier for someone that is big to get in as well. Like an Ogre." She added.

I nodded my head in agreement. "Very true." I took them into the living room. "This is the living room. Down the hall is the kitchen, and the other way is some bedrooms, and there are several bathrooms as well. And like the front door the hallways are extra wide. That way someone in a wheelchair or power chair can turn around in the hallway if they need to, without banging into the walls. Feel free to look around all you want." I told them. "It was also set up with monster girls in mind." I added.

Miia was all smiles and giggles. A new house to go through to her heart's desire.

While they were looking around my house, I gave Kimihito Durability, so Miia won't be able to crush him anymore. And the other girls won't be able to hurt him either. I also gave him regeneration, Sustenance so it will save on food and even if Miia is able to crush him some or Mero takes him underwater, he won't have to worry about breathing. Because with Sustenance, you do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. But you can if you want to. I also gave Miia Substance and both of them Weather Proof, which means no matter what the temperature is she won't get too cold or too hot. That way if she goes swimming in Mero's swimming pool she won't shut down from the cold because she is a cold-blooded creature. And because Kimihito will have a few more monster girls living with him, I gave him "Harem". With "Harem" all the girls living with him will not fight over him or get jealous that other girls want to be with him. They might argue over who gets to sleep with/beside him each night or who gets to hold his hand each day, etc., but the arguments will be mild. I also gave Miia 'normalization' so no one would take any notice of her being a lamia.

The next day, Kimihito and Miia were going to go on a date or outing. Ms Smith showed up to give them instructions.

I didn't think it would be a good idea for me to tag along. So, I stayed at home. Besides with Miia's normalization no one would take any notice of her or think there was anything unusual about her.

[papermonkeyism]

Hi Paper. I look up to you a lot when it comes to crafting fictional species and cultures, and I've been wondering if you'd be open to reviewing and critiquing somebody's own fantasy stuff regarding this? In exhange for some kind of a compensation for your time of course.

Uh, I don't know. Maybe? I don't claim to be any kind of expert, I just have fun when I do my own stuff. I mean I can try, but I'm not sure if I'm any good at giving actual critique.

[racingtoaredlight]

Weekend Eve Opening Bell - Thursday 7th, 2019

Adventure Time. 

Happy Weekend Eve. 

The Dog of the South is an excellent book. 

We need to try fossil fuel companies for crimes against humanity. 

Recommended hangover dish is very close to my new go-to: Cobb salad. 

The Rebranding of Georgia Tech Football. 

Sensible chuckle. 

Billionaire “philanthropy” is a failure of taxation.  American infrastructure is omnishambolic. Generally the only efficiency Privatization brings is concentrating tax dollars in private hands. All these factors helped create the overwhelming popularity of The Green New Deal. 

South Carolina set $9 billion on fire being morons. 

The death of job stability is rough for a political class that thinks only white collar employees deserve access to healthcare. 

Hawaiians can’t afford to live in Hawaii.  “Will bleed for food.’ 

Millennials are burnt out on capitalism because they are working harder and longer for less wages. 

Ikea will rent furniture,  an American Insurance company offers some student debt in exhange for surrendered vacation time because our life is perpetual debt bondage. Is this the value of an education having to chose between debt and a holiday while working full time? 

Verizon throttled responders during the California wildfires than had the gall to pinkwash themselves with a Super Bowl commercial. 

Headline of the week: Corey Booker hates public schools. 

Sex censorship is killing the internet, which I would attribute to the consolidation media companies with misguided anti-sex work bills. Meanwhile on behalf of the largesse of old media Article 13 will destroy the internet in the EU. 

How Baylor Happened.  Conservative religious Baylor fetishized virginity, blamed victims and with the ignorance created by Abstinence Only Education created Waco’s rape culture. The Purity Movement was a major contributor. 

Have a nice day. 

[jezreeltriesblogging-blog]

Post Number 8: Facebook & Social Gaming

Last post! Woooohoooo!!!!

With the rise of social networking comes the growth of social gaming as its extension to platforms like Facebook. The site provides a space for presenting and sharing information and also for connecting users, friends, family and communities. Traditional video games are all about immersion - dedicating long hours to playing. Facebook popularised a form of game design where users can keep coming back and forth throughout the day. This structure not only allowed people to use games as a quick diversion amid other tasks, it also cleverly turned the games themselves into "to do" lists, so they resembled work, and therefore provided similar levels of satisfaction. But in a fun way (Stuart 2014). 

In 2009 (a long long time ago), Farmville had more monthly active users than a site that may sound familar to you: Twitter.  With a daily player count of 26.5 million, up significantly from 11 million just 3 months prior, peaking at 85 million users (Dybwad, 2009). Even if FarmVille has declined in popularity, social gaming has become a part of the digital age. In the game, you can purchase seeds, trees, animals, buildings and vehicles in exhange for coins through selling crops and acquiring experience points. The social aspect lies in inviting friends and your entire social network to join as well.

The magic circle is a term coined by Johan Huizinga to draw the line between the space of gameplay and the norms of everyday life. The inside of the magic circle has its own set of rules, norms, and practices that are entered into upon crossing the threshold of the barrier (Burroughs 2014 p. 153). It is described to be the theoretical structure of all game designs. There is a thin line between the game world and the world outside the game.

In many ways, Facebook opened up social gaming to a new audience. Its accessibility attracted millions of people and got them hooked to the system. It was the first platform to sneak in to almost everyone’s lives and delivered games for free. Virtually every one can be called a gamer.

References:

Burroughs, B 2014, ‘Facebook and FarmVille: A digital ritual analysis of social gaming’, Games and Culture, vol 9 no 3, pp.151-166.

Dybwad, B 2009, 11 million Facebook users flock to virtual farming daily, Mashable, viewed 20 January 2018, <http://mashable.com/2009/12/02/farmville-bigger- than-twitter/>.

Stuart, K 2014, 10 ways Facebook changed gaming for ever, The Guardian, viewed 21 January 2018, <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/04/10-ways-facebook-changed-gaming-for-ever>.

[goddessofphilosophy]

The Opening of the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum was a success. Visitors flocked from all over the country. There were a lot of millenials who were admiring the exquisite works of art depicting the terrorist attack that robbed some lives, fifteen years ago. The New York Times didn't miss how Andréas empathized with the survivors. He even called Hyacinth on the stage and introduced her as the biggest influence in his life who made him a better person simply by loving him right. She was extremely delighted at his bold declaration of affection in front of an audience, it was the first time. She kissed his cheek and this was the photo in the headline of the newspaper the next day, in a special edition. Hyacinth has taken cared of their family's publicities by controlling the media. She was after all the Chief Operating Officer of The New York Times. This helped them maintain their social status and protect their secret. Any of her family members was never under the scrutiny of the public eye. And this is how they have managed to live peacefully in New York City. A few celebrities and politicians tarried to exhange pleasantries with them. Some are Hyacinth's clients when she was still a full-time attorney at the law firm, before she passed on the leadership position to Leah. There were also business partners of the Houghton Enterprise and Descartes Corporation. They were all glad the proceeds will be donated to charity. Druella, Astoria, and Amberleighn were too busy with Fashion Week and never had the luxury of time to take even just a glimpse of the artworks. Keeva dropped by on the fourth day, congratulated her parents and updated them about the whereabouts of their grandkids. Later that day, Annicka freshly arrived from the airport and brought Japanese goodies. The Descartes-Houghton couple had to excuse themselves and go home early in order for Annicka to rest. On their way back to the Descartes Mansion, Hyacinth received an e-mail from Andrei, her youngest son. Andrei Heinrich is currently finishing his degree in Psychology in Harvard University located in Cambridge, Massachussets. He is a bright kid, graduating this semester, after only three years. There was no need to hurry but he was so excited to take Masters and Doctorate degrees while practicing his profession. And she was way too supportive in acheiving his dreams. Andrei: Hey Mom! Thanks for arranging our accomodation at The Ritz Paris. You're the best! Our flight's tomorrow afternoon. I know you're too busy, don't surprise me at the airport. THAT IS UNNECESSARY. It's funny I don't miss Paris at all. How many years has it been since we left? And oh yeah, how was it being the curator at the 9/11 memorial museum? Haha! Just kidding! Tell pops I'm proud of him. Love you both. She read it silently and asked herself the same question: How many years has it been since they left? How many years had passed since he returned in their lives? How many years had gone since she sold that apartment full of Andrei's childhood memories? She never came back to Paris. She wants to forget what happened in Paris. Andi realized her change in demeanor, "Who was it?" She needed to repress her emotions, "Oh it's Andrei. He said he's proud of you," and smiled. "So is he coming to visit on Friday after his class?" "I don't think so," she responded leisurely. Before he can ask why, they were already home. Fortunately or unfortunately, she didn't have to explain ... yet. Annicka went straight to her room and reminded them to wake her up for dinner, "I've been missing family dinners for such a long time!" She had three hours to sleep. It was too early to retire but Hyacinth wasn't feeling well. She also went straight to bed after kicking off her shoes. She decided to send a reply to her son. Hyacinth: No worries, not coming at the airport, you spoiled brat! Never knew being a curator is so much fun! Are you sure you don't want to drop by and see the paintings for yourself? Enjoy your weekend at Paris! Call me when you get there. Missing you! We love you too! xx After checking her other notifications, she placed the phone in her bedside drawer. She was staring at the elegant ceiling when Andi laid beside her. The silence was defeaning yet comforting. He stretched his arm to cuddle and kissed her shoulder. Then he whispered, "Thank you." He wanted to say more. He wanted to say thank you for supporting him in this project, for understanding the nature of his work, for patiently waiting for him to come back home, for giving him another chance, and for giving him a wonderful family. Truthfully, the list is endless. "No, thank you," she responded fervently. "You were saying Andrei won't be able to come and visit, why?" "He's going to Paris this weekend," she stated, a little bit worried because Andrei is such a playboy. "Why is he going to Paris though?" "I honestly don't know but that's the trend nowadays: millenials exploring the world." "Alright. It's good he wants to see the world like you do. But who's he with?" "With his friends, I guess." "Where is he staying?" "At The Ritz, I've booked their rooms." "Doesn't he want to stay at your apartment there? Where he grew up?" That was it. She was done entertaining his questions. He didn't know she sold the property. She remembered the last night she was in Paris with a six-year old Andrei. Hyacinth loved Paris the most. She had countless happy memories of his father in its lovely streets. Nothing compared to the magnificence of Paris, not Madrid or Prague or Amsterdam or London. She loved the gothic churches and the legends behind their names. She loved the museum and the rich culture they hold dear. She loved the history of the courageous people inhabiting the city, how they fought for liberty. She used to love Paris more than anything in this world. And that love was tainted with misery when she returned with a baby inside her womb, fatherless. Andrei was frustrated they had to move, "Why are we going to New York City, Mommy?" She was restless, "To see your father." "But why can't he come here to see us?" She was taken back and stopped what she was doing. It was an innocent question from a little boy and she didn't know how to respond. "Come here," she instructed him. She hugged him tight and whispered, fighting back tears, "Because he can't." "But Mommy, he can't just be my father when it's convenient for him. So why did he abandon us? Why isn't he here with us? I have never seen him all my life. Is that how it works? He can leave and come back when he wants to? What if he leaves us again?" She was speechless. It was overwhelmingly heartbreaking to hear those words from her son. "Why don't you ask your son?" she snapped, walked away and slammed the door behind her. Andrèas was utterly shocked at her reaction. He tried to follow her but she was gone. She took her car with her but she forgot to bring her phone. Good thing she had spare shoes in her car. She went to the law firm and was greeted by one of the interns. She learned that Leah was still on a meeting so she decided to leave a note for her. Meet me at The Raines Law Room, it says. Urgent. While waiting for Leah, several men offered her drinks and struck a conversation. She was so used it: boys thinking she isn't married, without kids, still in college or recently joined the workforce. They were bewitched by her beauty. She politely turned down each one of them if they ask her to go somewhere else, "I can't, I'm waiting for somebody." After an hour, Leah finally arrived. "I have ten missed calls from Andi. What happened?" she asked, making it sound like Hyacinth did something wrong. "Stop accusing me of starting trouble in paradise for once," Hyacinth retorted. "Damn it, Cinth," she glared at her. "Just talk to him, okay? You are smarter than me, my goodness!" Hyacinth suddenly felt stupid she went to Leah but who else would she confide with? Of course, Andi knew all the possible places she might go to or all the people she would contact. They were both silent for a moment. Maybe she just needed time to think, Hyacinth thought. She requested for two glasses of white wine to the bartender and handed a glass to her friend, "Sometimes I wonder why I married him, despite his being away all the time." Leah sighed, she knew Hyacinth needed someone to listen, not comfort her or tell her what to do. "Sometimes I wonder if he's only doing those sweet gestures as an apology, to make up for all those years he was not around. Do you think he'd leave us again? Is he doing it on purpose? But why? It's just a matter of time, Leah. I better be prepared this time if one day he doesn't come back, right? All those years I asked myself if I failed to read the signs. I kept wondering what I did wrong. Am I not a good wife? "Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision to take him back. I was fine in Paris with Andrei. I was damn fine on my own, without him. But my mother kept telling me how important family is. She's so traditional it's bothersome sometimes. I can't blame my mother though, after what he put me through, he was still the only person I loved so damn much. "Sometimes I wonder what if I aborted Andrei then? We won't have any reason to stay together. I can say to all our friends that our marriage failed. That we loved each other but it wasn't meant to be. That love was never enough and we couldn't make things work. That some things are meant to fail. And people like me can't have it all. "Sometimes I wonder if I should file a divorce. He would probably hire you as his lawyer. And Leah, remember this, that if you accept his demand, our friendship is over. I will take the law firm back. But then I see him with my siblings and my mother, how he respects them and think where would I get someone better than him?" It was not new to Leah that Hyacinth keeps on blabbing when she's so upset. Overthinking is her drug. She could practically finish a novel. "Are you done with your declamation piece? Here's your husband on the other line," she handed the phone to her. "Hello?" Silence. "Hello, love?" Silence. "Where are you?" She was both surprised and irritated he asked. "Love, please." No, she won't cry. "I can hear you breathing, please." She needed to stand her ground. "Talk to me, please." How does one stop the tears from falling, she thought. She did not want to say a word. She did not want him to know she was crying. "Just please come back home," he was pleading. And she did. She faintly smelled of alcohol but he didn't mind. "I prepared dinner, your favorite," he smiled sheepishly. She wanted to say she's sorry. She's sorry she can't forget the things she needed to forget when she kept forgetting where she put her glasses or her phone or her keys. She's sorry she's still afraid he'd leave them one day, for good. Also, she's sorry, no matter how trivial it is, that she doesn't know how to cook. But she didn't say a word and they both ate in awkward silence.

[petitalbert-blog]

Tangential thinking about Chumbley thoughts: When I came up in the 90s and 00s, they hadn't figured out how to monetise the internet yet. Most people has disconnected personal websites, which they maintained for pleasure and rarely had expectations of others reading. Later, this became blogging - something which was still decentralised, where readers were rare and interacting with them uncommon. In my lifetime, those things have gone. Now, central microblogging platforms like tumblr and twitter make connection with readers immediate and interactive - and made "attracting more followers" a goal in a way you really didn't before. I've definitely lost my ability to write happily for an audience of one, content without knowing whether or not i am read. And one is able to monetise what one makes and offer it for sale. Bear with me: I'm sad about this. A sharing culture has vanished. I'm into historic dressmaking, but when you look for tutorials and free patterns online they are all on blogs not updated since 2013. What changed? Where did the people writing incredible free content and sharing their work with the world go? The only people who seem to be maintaining blogs are people running a brand. And I've followed plenty of great blogs which, at some point, have launched a small business - and diminished, either through loss of pleasure or a greater need to be private and middle-of-the-road. Look at Sidney Eileen's website - there is no way anyone would produce a comprehensive free guide to making corsets nowadays. Some of Eileen's most recent posts talks about being ill, so I hope she is still well wherever she is - but where are the next generation like her? The current corsetmakers mostly write for a paywall-locked site. The site does as well as any could: it still offers a lot of free articles, it pays contributors, and I know several of their authors who have reuplodded their work for free on personal blogs with permission after a period of time has elapsed. It's about as open as any site can be while still generating a profit, and I have gratitude for that; but it's still a change from Eileen's generous sharing culture. Something which made all the drama particularly irritating is: I am full time working artist. I am pretty acutely aware of the importance of paying people for work, and have to explain why I cannot lower my prices once or twice a month. And yet - and yet. It's making my grief for the early internet all the more acute. I put 100 hours into a crochet pattern and maybe three people buy it. At that stage, is it really worth me charging anything? People can and do make their own working wages online, and that's great. And yet - and yet. Maybe the culture where i was sharing my patterns for free and downloading them for free from others was better and more optimistic, than one where everyone charges £10 for a pattern and once a year £3.67 minus PayPal fees slinks into my account. Barely anyone is making much more than pocket money, and everyone is disadvantaged. I probably lose more money in a year now paying for patterns than I do by producing them, and so does everyone else. It's definitely causing me a tug of war where, I hate this new norm and I miss the old culture even as it's the only way for me to make rent. And I barely do that. The only place where this sharing culture still exists is the programming community, where it's a core value. You can generally download programming languages and full guides and documentation for free, and people are keen to help. That culture then translates into big tech workplaces who have both the money and the ideology to give employees paid time off to work on personal projects. I love that. Imagine every company gave a months paid leave to everyone each year, imagine the world we could build if underpaid and tired people had those gaps to be creative and explore, or even to spend that month at home with their children or supporting their parents. Changing the culture to recognise the value of this unpaid labour, and then finding a way to support people doing it. I also think a lot about the Universal Basic Income - where the government reinvests the national revenue in giving every citizen a poverty-line yearly wage. I dream about the way this would revive the open culture. I don't need much to survive, and I think a lot about how much happier I was blogging for pleasure and producing content for free than I am now, maintaining a bland blog for my brand and making less back in revenue than I spend buying online content from peers; more aware than ever of the importance of supporting niche artists, but ironically, too broke to do so. If I didn't worry about buying food, if the government took that worry away from me, I'd have the freedom to embody my ideal and share what I make for free. I like youtube's model, where sufficiently large creators get a share of advertising revenue. It enables people to make free content, and be paid for it. I think a lot about how a collectively-owned tumblr, where high traffic posts earned a proportion of ad rev, would work. Or perhaps tumblr's profit could be divided by each user, who could then choose to gift it to bloggers they wished to support. Economically speaking, running a tumblr is working for free: it generates revenue for the site owners. I think patreon is ok, but it still creates too direct a link for me between "producing middle of the road content acceptable to backers on a regular schedule" and "being able to afford gas". And I liked models where things are released for free and for pay simultaneously. I have ordered Dver's books, which republish free blog articles, because I like them. I own Joan Bunning's Tarot book because her website "learn tarot" made the whole book available for free, and I wanted it enough to read it in hardcover. I buy my fave musicians LPs every time, but he still releases them on youtube for free. Perhaps this economy is governed by the same economics of piracy. Studies have shown that people who pirate books and films are people who were never going to buy them anyway; people who would have bought your content still do. For spellbooks, can you even doubt that if creators released them for free online, sufficient people would still want that gorgeous hardback to make a good profit? In short - while I have some specific red flags about religious information being locked behind a paywall, I'm also at a place in my life where I'm thinking a lot about the value of releasing things for free. About that lost culture. About how existing online for profit as a content creator has made my life, the lives of my customers, and the culture of the internet generally - worse. Where I'm turning the idea of "artists should be paid" over and over in my head, and I guess trying to find radical alternatives where people can still support themselves, yet also work for free on things they want to share with the world. I'm not in a place where "more exhange of money for goods and services and survival" sounds like a great ideal to promote. Like most things I blog about, I'm not yet at an answer, and I don't really have a great solution or the power to implement the ideas I do have. And i am up for feedback, though not of the shouty and snarky kind. I just know that when I was a teenager, many people were able to share knowledge and produce outstanding resources online for free, and now they do not. I miss that. It was a better way.

[toolsnotrules-blog]

Interview: Baba Israel

I almost never bump into Baba Israel in NYC but the past two times I've been in Amsterdam I've seen him on the street. The same street, outside a cafe called Baba's. He's like that. He gives and receives creative energy equally and, as a consequence, things just seem to happen around him. He manifests opportunity and, as a poet, an artist, a teacher, an emcee and a beatboxer he's always involved in something interesting.

How would you describe you what is it that you do?

I am an artist, producer, educator and an improviser. I was raised in NYC and found my creative voice in Hip Hop culture. I was raised in political and community based theatre and that is a big influence on my choices and focus. Specifically I am an emcee, writer, beatboxer, beatmaker, and theatre director. 

Have you always done this for a living or did you transition from something else? What triggered your decision to make a change?

I have always been an artist and spent the early years doing a lot of free and street performance. When I moved to Australia I learned more about both the commercial industry and the arts sector. After many years as a freelance artist and educator I made the move to the UK and got a position as the AD/CEO of a venue called Contact. I spent 3.5 years running the org and learned a lot about the other side of the arts. My focus was programming, curating, artist development, producing, and directing. In 2011 my father passed and it meant a return to NY and a return to being a freelance artist. I learned a lot about what it takes to be a sustainable artist during my time at Contact.

What is the most challenging thing about practicing your craft? How do you deal with that challenge?

The greatest challenge for me is balancing the time it takes to raise funds, book gigs, and build audiences with the actual process of creating and performing work. I am dealing with this by building a team and creating infrastructure to support the business of being an artist. In the past I tried to do everything by myself- management, marketing, fundraising, booking, networking. This did not leave a lot of time to be an artist and limited my reach. I have spent the last year building producing infrasture for my theatre show in collaboration with Leo Kay and his company Unfinished Business and have secured a manager/publicist for my music project. I am starting to feel the real benefits of this.    

Do you still practice? If so, what do your practice sessions look like?

I practice beatboxing all the time. I practice while walking down the street, on the subway, while cooking, and looking after my daughter. I practice freestlying as an emcee in a similar way. I am starting regular practice sessions with my collaborators and its been great to get back in a rehearsal room with a live band. I have built a relationship with Funkadeilc studios in NYC which is a great space to jam.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration through improvisation.. I recently  finished  a music video shoot with Emmy award winning director David Barnes. We decided to make a video.. there were not storyboards.. no long meetings.. we hit the street and worked with the environment..Rhyming in a snowstorm at 4am will get you some great shots.. we developed the Snow Graffiti technique. I also get inspiration from collaboration.. from a meaningful connection with a fellow artists. I like to build community and collaborate with my community.

Where are you when you have the most a-ha moments?

• Shower • Train • Plane • In between sleep and waking • Walking

What do you do to maintain a creative flow?

I think stress and anxiety are challenges to creative flow- I have been practicing tai-chi and trying to be more disciplined about exercise. I also try to read interesting articles and books, travel, and make a point to connect with older and young artists who give me great perspective. It is also important to go see other peoples work or take time to listen to other music.

How much do you rely on feedback from other to help shape your ideas?

I like to share my creative process informally in conversations, or at open mics and jam sessions, as well as structured feedback sessions. Feedback can be useful but I think its important to ask for it when you are ready to digest it.

What is the greatest obstacle to creativity?

Mindstate.

When you complete a project, how often does it resemble your initial concept or conceived idea? How important is this for you?

I try to keep open and wants whats best for the project- if it radically transforms and it feels like the most creativity and intgreity have been achieved! I am cool!

How do you know when you’re done?

Sometimes you just have to be brave and say that's it! sometimes it an intuitive feeling, sometime its simply times up!

How do you resolve creative differences with clients or creative partners?

I try to take a process approach, a lot of self-reflection and then get clear on both sides of the issue.. Listening is key and building awareness about the others perspective. Ultimately though you can find some compromises but you have to a line that you wont cross.

What keeps you motivated even if you don’t connect personally with the project?

Sometimes to be honest its the money I am earning but I always try to find something I can learn from the project.

What do you do when you are stuck and have some sort of deadline or other pressure?

I like pressure.. but when it becomes to much I have mentors I can reach out to and also release energy by playing b-ball

How do you achieve your creative vision with a limited budget?

Utilise the resources that are free or based on exhange- I live in a city full of possibilty and have such a talented and creative community I am not afraid to call on their support when the time is right.

What are the top 3 tools in your creative tool kit? ie. software, pencil, paper, journal etc.

Google drive, headphones, iphone.

What are the top 3 creative habits that have proven to be the most useful for you in your career?

Developing my memory, focusing on the fun of it all, and building community.

If you could offer a single piece of advice to a budding professional, what would it be?

Develop a team and learn how to delegate while maintaining a long terms vision and strategy.

[bradmack]

Interview: Baba Israel

I almost never bump into Baba Israel in NYC but the past two times I've been in Amsterdam I've seen him on the street. The same street, outside a cafe called Baba's. He's like that. He gives and receives creative energy equally and, as a consequence, things just seem to happen around him. He manifests opportunity and, as a poet, an artist, a teacher, an emcee and a beatboxer he's always involved in something interesting.

How would you describe you what is it that you do?

I am an artist, producer, educator and an improviser. I was raised in NYC and found my creative voice in Hip Hop culture. I was raised in political and community based theatre and that is a big influence on my choices and focus. Specifically I am an emcee, writer, beatboxer, beatmaker, and theatre director. 

Have you always done this for a living or did you transition from something else? What triggered your decision to make a change?

I have always been an artist and spent the early years doing a lot of free and street performance. When I moved to Australia I learned more about both the commercial industry and the arts sector. After many years as a freelance artist and educator I made the move to the UK and got a position as the AD/CEO of a venue called Contact. I spent 3.5 years running the org and learned a lot about the other side of the arts. My focus was programming, curating, artist development, producing, and directing. In 2011 my father passed and it meant a return to NY and a return to being a freelance artist. I learned a lot about what it takes to be a sustainable artist during my time at Contact.

What is the most challenging thing about practicing your craft? How do you deal with that challenge?

The greatest challenge for me is balancing the time it takes to raise funds, book gigs, and build audiences with the actual process of creating and performing work. I am dealing with this by building a team and creating infrastructure to support the business of being an artist. In the past I tried to do everything by myself- management, marketing, fundraising, booking, networking. This did not leave a lot of time to be an artist and limited my reach. I have spent the last year building producing infrasture for my theatre show in collaboration with Leo Kay and his company Unfinished Business and have secured a manager/publicist for my music project. I am starting to feel the real benefits of this.    

Do you still practice? If so, what do your practice sessions look like?

I practice beatboxing all the time. I practice while walking down the street, on the subway, while cooking, and looking after my daughter. I practice freestlying as an emcee in a similar way. I am starting regular practice sessions with my collaborators and its been great to get back in a rehearsal room with a live band. I have built a relationship with Funkadeilc studios in NYC which is a great space to jam.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration through improvisation.. I recently  finished  a music video shoot with Emmy award winning director David Barnes. We decided to make a video.. there were not storyboards.. no long meetings.. we hit the street and worked with the environment..Rhyming in a snowstorm at 4am will get you some great shots.. we developed the Snow Graffiti technique. I also get inspiration from collaboration.. from a meaningful connection with a fellow artists. I like to build community and collaborate with my community.

Where are you when you have the most a-ha moments?

• Shower • Train • Plane • In between sleep and waking • Walking

What do you do to maintain a creative flow?

I think stress and anxiety are challenges to creative flow- I have been practicing tai-chi and trying to be more disciplined about exercise. I also try to read interesting articles and books, travel, and make a point to connect with older and young artists who give me great perspective. It is also important to go see other peoples work or take time to listen to other music.

How much do you rely on feedback from other to help shape your ideas?

I like to share my creative process informally in conversations, or at open mics and jam sessions, as well as structured feedback sessions. Feedback can be useful but I think its important to ask for it when you are ready to digest it.

What is the greatest obstacle to creativity?

Mindstate.

When you complete a project, how often does it resemble your initial concept or conceived idea? How important is this for you?

I try to keep open and wants whats best for the project- if it radically transforms and it feels like the most creativity and intgreity have been achieved! I am cool!

How do you know when you’re done?

Sometimes you just have to be brave and say that's it! sometimes it an intuitive feeling, sometime its simply times up!

How do you resolve creative differences with clients or creative partners?

I try to take a process approach, a lot of self-reflection and then get clear on both sides of the issue.. Listening is key and building awareness about the others perspective. Ultimately though you can find some compromises but you have to a line that you wont cross.

What keeps you motivated even if you don’t connect personally with the project?

Sometimes to be honest its the money I am earning but I always try to find something I can learn from the project.

What do you do when you are stuck and have some sort of deadline or other pressure?

I like pressure.. but when it becomes to much I have mentors I can reach out to and also release energy by playing b-ball

How do you achieve your creative vision with a limited budget?

Utilise the resources that are free or based on exhange- I live in a city full of possibilty and have such a talented and creative community I am not afraid to call on their support when the time is right.

What are the top 3 tools in your creative tool kit? ie. software, pencil, paper, journal etc.

Google drive, headphones, iphone.

What are the top 3 creative habits that have proven to be the most useful for you in your career?

Developing my memory, focusing on the fun of it all, and building community.

If you could offer a single piece of advice to a budding professional, what would it be?

Develop a team and learn how to delegate while maintaining a long terms vision and strategy.