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keefwho · 10 months

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July 24 - 2023 Monday

10:43 PM

Today I felt very bleh, like my head was empty. Might be due to the missed sleep the past couple days so I’ll be sure to get to bed on time tonight for real.

For breakfast I had half a totino’s pizza, a pear cup, and a couple oreos. I spent my brief free time playing Neopets games.

The stream went okay. My warmup kinda sucked because I’m trying to figure out a way to do sketches on my sketch sheet then finish those on a new canvas while still retaining the feeling that everything is real loose. For a little bit I was just finishing them as low res thumbnails on the sketch sheet itself but the point of the sheet is to be a collection of incomplete and experimental things. Having completed drawing in it does not sit right with me but taking a sketch and moving it to a new canvas makes it feel more important than it is. The point is to make a little doodle that turned out good enough to post, not a pre-planned successful kind of drawing. Im sure I’ll figure something out. I feel there is a lot I need to improve on with my process and how exactly I color including the actual brush settings. There will be lots of experimenting in my future. Also on stream we finally got to watch more episodes of Rugrats because we watched the movie that ties seasons together this weekend in Discord. We also watching Courage and I’m thinking we will watch 1 episode of each show a day. I only did half commission time today and spent a little more time finishing an emote commission I had.

After stream I did my workout in it’s entirety despite how physically tired I felt. I really had to push through this one but that’s kind of the point isn’t it. I meant to clean up first but I forgot so I cleaned up after my shower. In the shower I was about to ask my friend straight up if I had permission to think about them while I took care of myself but I decided to do it to something else intentionally. I’ve briefly brought this up to them before. I think it’s given that sometimes we jerk off to each other without the other knowing. However I know how she feels about being sexualized and sometimes I can’t help but wonder if she would actually appreciate me thinking about her like that on my own time sometimes. It bothers me enough that I do think it would good to ask permission beforehand or have a brief discussion about it. This might be weird of me but I’m just listening to how I feel. I respect her tremendously and want to exercise expressing that.

For lunch I was excited to make a hearty helping of Rice a Roni with lentils, meatballs, broccoli, green beans, and onions. It turned out okay as usual but I was hoping it came out better. It was still a solid meal. I invested more time into Neopets while it cooked. I’m enjoying some of the minigames.

I feel I did a poor job on today’s request. The whole time I was thinking about how I want to make something I can be proud of but it just wasn’t coming together. It came out okayish but I wanted to do better. Next I spent an hour working on a TOTK pic of my otter and my friend’s sona. I mostly tidied up the sketch and then completely lined it, taking extra care to do a good job so thats why it took so long. After that work was officially over but I wanted to do more so I briefly setup the new horse avatar I got so I can start turning it into my most recent horse sona.

I spent time in my friend’s server where there was a lot of negative talk about one of my other friends about his overly sexual behavior. I felt sort of bad because it was more or less shit talking them behind their back and I was just going along with it. Usually if I talk about him with others, its coming from a place of at least mild affection. Some of this was just mean though.

Tonight I watched my friend give me a sort of rundown of the Neopets website and some of it’s history, I liked listening to her about it. I love hearing her be passionate about anything. After that we hopped on Pony Town for a tiny bit and looked at characters people made before checking out my little house and giving each other horse kisses. I started dinner while she headed up to bed and we chatted a bit.

Today I wasn’t proud of much. Just the usual amount of proud for doing things to the best of my ability. I did well on my workout especially, and doing that little bit of extra avatar work.

For some reason my self perspective was very lacking today. I kinda just wasn’t there, at least not in a great capacity. Looking back there were moments that would have benefitted me being more involved in the present. Spending time with anyone is a good example because it only becomes truly meaningful if I am offering my full attention and appreciation. Tomorrow will be another day to exercise my awareness and put it to good use.

#journal #diary #self awareness

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3d10fire-damage · 1 year

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Colors That Run Highlights 39

acab

On their way to Fort Silver, Valor did her best to act as a food provider for herself and Calypso. In the interest of efficiency she mostly just shared trail mix for every meal until Calypso started complaining about acorns (they were actually cashews) and Valor had to educate her a bit on types of nuts.

Slim, Kattie, and Egg were all placed into separate interrogation rooms and had to wait a bit before being questioned. For these rounds of questions, two of the players and our resident observer/tech person/gamer took up the role of Shifty Fort Silver Guard.

Kattie was questioned by a skinny tiefling individual that beat around the bush for a while and didn’t really seem that concerned (or even aware?) of the pirate ship that shot down the boat with Ikarene and the undead aboard. Kattie gave them the runaround and offered up no one’s names or descriptions, and eventually Lerali came in and dismissed the guard. Lerali apparently had also not been told of the ship being shot down. Bro this fort sucks

Slim was questioned by a southern-talking human guy in a long coat who was unable to comprehend Slim’s full Spanish name. Slim remained uncooperative and generally classy, more or less handing the guard his own ass (though the guard did suggest he might go looking through Slim’s confiscated journal... too bad it’s all written in Spanish 😏)

Finally, Egg was up for questioning. A dark-haired elf woman sat across from him and seemed pretty confident she could get the information out of him that she wanted. This woman was apparently something of a “rat whisperer” and claimed that rats (perhaps regardless of their actual race) all have one thing in common-- they eventually squeal.

Egg gave her the runaround as best he could, accidentally dropping Fea’s name at one point (or two) and maybe giving up some info on account of him needing to praise the party for the gods that they are. He also admitted that he was from Barnesville, though due to his lack of geographical knowledge, he couldn’t really tell where it was. This interrogation was goddamn hilarious and iconic and could’ve been its own TV special.

With the interrogations over, the group was allowed out of their cells and given back their belongings. Eventually, the rest of the party arrived at the fort. Fea remained quiet as everyone caught up and discussed the interrogations on their way the hell out of the fort.

There was some tension among the group as they traveled and set up camp for the night-- during Kattie’s watch she opted not to speak to Fea whatsoever. Slim woke up (from this now habitually troubled sleep) and started making breakfast, at which point he had a civil talk with Fea about slowing down a bit and trusting the party a little more in dire situations like what happened at New Port. Afterward, Fea got up and started pacing around the camp, notably abstaining from her usual morning prayer routine.

Rather soon after their conversation, Calypso got up and started doing her monk warmups. She exchanged a look with Slim and started following Fea, and asked her about the morning routine, which Fea didn’t seem to want to do right now. So instead, Calypso prayed for her, and hoped she’d be alright. Slim nearly burned breakfast in his observing of them, and Eva indulged in much of the bread made available for the meal. She just like me fr

Egg expressed concern for the safety of Barnesville, and it was decided that the next time the party was near that area they would check in on the place. Plus Egg could show himself off to all the rat ladies. A little later Slim checked in with Kattie, who claimed to be frustrated and was choosing to say nothing to Fea because she didn’t have anything nice to say.

Once back in Guild City, the party noted that the entire garden outside their cabin was picked clean. And also... the cabin had been egged. Recently. Fea and Eva set to work cleaning the place up, Kattie went inside and crashed immediately, and Slim sat down to read a letter from a certain tiefling in Norsum-- and what a letter it was! Calypso delivered a letter to the post office and visited another guild to set a plan into motion. Valor started an hours-long bathing session at home, eventually falling asleep in the bathroom.

Calypso went next door and spoke to Mishon, who had no idea who might’ve egged the Breakfast Club’s cabin. After taking his offering of a cranberry muffin, Calypso also asked Thedda about it, and she didn’t know either. Also, her daughter Percy has a new look post-White Lady-ing, with a lock of white hair and something like vitiligo happening.

Upon her return to the cabin, Calypso wrote a brief note and left it on the front door: “If you fuck with this cabin, I will fuck with you.” She then spotted Fea on the roof, trying to clean eggs from the shingles even though she had no way of perceiving it. Calypso called her down from there and dragged her inside for bed.

(can you imagine spooning with someone you have a crush on and still not actually being in a relationship with them)

Slim discovered Valor in the bathroom in the morning, which was a somewhat strange and awkward encounter. Slim later set about making pancakes for everyone, and Calypso managed to get Fea out of bed and into the usual morning prayer ritual. She also admitted that she had no idea what she would’ve done if Fea hadn’t come out of the ocean in New Port and was glad she was okay. Despite the moment, Fea seemed out of it, quiet and reserved.

Kattie requested to speak to Slim in private, so Slim made a grocery list and gave it to Calypso, telling her to collect everyone else and go out shopping in his place (because “she’s been responsible lately” 😭💕). Once everyone was out, Kattie informed Slim she had written to Maria about the whole Teresa situation. Basically Kattie was trying to convince Slim that the whole group has his back and he doesn’t have to go through this shit all alone, though it’s a hard thing for him to internalize. She gave him a photo of Teresa and her “parents” that Slim’s family had given her to-- Slim would get more value out of it, partly because he can actually see it. Afterward, the two of them had a nice venting session about recent events.

In the market, the rest of the party realized quickly that many of Guild City’s populace seemed... wary of them. Unwelcoming, even. When they approached their usual veggies and seeds vendor, Sadie, she seemed shifty-eyed and avoidant. She even charged them twice the amount they normally pay, though she just claimed it was the current price of the goods. Calypso got the distinct feeling she was lying, and feeling afraid.

From there, the group proceeded to the butcher. Fea seemed to believe the city’s new attitude toward the group was her fault, though Valor and Calypso denied that, since the undead were traveling with the whole group. Fea’s just... not doing too hot today

At the butcher’s shop, Valor took point in ordering the meat and paying for it. Again the butcher seemed unusually distant, and handed over less than ideal cuts of meat seemingly on purpose. Valor, in a small girlboss moment, informed him that the undead were all very dead and gone now, so they wouldn’t be causing any problems to anyone now.

When Slim and Kattie learned of this predicament, they agreed that the best option for the group was to just be cool and not agitate anyone any further-- hopefully things would die down soon, and in the meantime the group could do their shopping elsewhere.

The party teleported to Marstis and ran literally into Liz. Which was lucky, since Slim and Kattie had her gift ready-- a pixie-sized guitar in the shape of a leaf. Liz was delighted and promised she’d have a song prepared for the next time they all met up together. Nearby, two blink dogs eyed the party, which Calypso hooked onto immediately. Naturally, she played with those dogs, happy as a clam.

Eventually the group left for Whismal, where their next mission awaited them. Once there, the group was quickly met by a fox who then turned into a (naked) man. He introduced himself as Sadao, the leader of Whismal. He led the group to a more private area, cloaked in fog, and explained that fairies had been going missing lately. He knew that there were a group of mortals nearby that were responsible for stealing them away (and perhaps selling them) but, due to the Iron Laws, he was not allowed to confront them himself.

Sadao’s plan then, was for him to bolster the party with his illusory magic so that the party could fuck with them, and hopefully scare them away. This would involve each member of the party impersonating one of the archfey-- and upon Slim’s suggestion, lacing the mortals’ food with Ethi’s magic mushrooms so they would hallucinate. Sadao left the group to rest for the night, and they’d set the plan into motion the following evening.

That night, Calypso sat up with Fea and asked her what was going on. Fea explained she felt very responsible for how people are treating the rest of the group for their involvement with the undead. What if it got worse, what if it got them into danger? First it’s higher prices and egging, what would be next?

Calypso struggled a little with her words, but at the end of the day, Fea had been trying to help, and people’s bigotry is their own fault and their own problem. They could handle little things like what happened in the market. She vowed steadily that if anyone fucked with them because of their issues with undead or with Fea’s monstrous attribute herself, she’d beat their asses. ‘Mess with one of us, mess with all of us’ kinda thing. Fea seemed to respond at least somewhat to this, and settled enough to lie down for “bed.”

At some point in the night, Slim awoke with a scream due to more nightmares. Kattie tried to calm him down a bit, and played a Song of Rest to aid him in returning to sleep. Fea, who had sat straight up at the sound of the scream, did her best to lie back down and help Calypso back to sleep too (wasn’t too hard; that goober is great at sleeping).

In the morning, Fea stepped away for a bit to do a proper morning prayer in the sunniest clear she could find in the dense Whismal Woods. Valor noted how most of the rest of the party kinda looked like shit. Soon enough Sadao returned and announced the roles he’d picked out for each member of the party for the mission at hand. Slim would play Ethikot, Calypso would play the Queen of Air and Darkness, Valor would play Queen Titania, Sven would play (the role of) Tag, Fea would play Oberon, and Kattie would play Verenestra.

Valor tried to make one additional fun plan with Sadao, something involving teleporting to the center of the mortals’ camp. The others started thinking of how they’d play their respective roles, though some of them were more prepared than others.

this will totally go really smoothly, yep

#dnd #colors that run

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allycryz · 3 years

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Thancred x Nerys x Haurchefant for either Spring Prompt 4 or Spicy Prompt 10

I went with Spicy Prompt 10 (Praise Kink). For some background context the loose timeline right now is

Lakeland Invasion -> Emissary Haurchefant goes in disguise to infiltrate Eulmore as a soldier -> Amh Araeng- -> Thancred and Nerys get back together -> Than and Nerys hook up with Emet -> Save Eulmore/Haurchefant -> Reunion Sex with Haurche turns into Thancred and Haurche Hooking Up for First Time

This is set after that while they work on the Ladder

Rated E, not for Everyone, Haurchefant gets praised and pampered

"Early tomorrow," says Thancred, wiping a forearm over his brow. His coat is a long abandoned pile on the lumber. "Should be ready to go by then, I think."

"Well ahead of schedule then." Nerys sits on the ground, propping her back against said lumber. They'd made her rest during the morning but she had made up for it during the afternoon.

Better to have the distraction of work while she processed her earlier conversation with Emet-Selch.

"Come sit." She curls a finger at him. He looks...magnificent in the tight black shirt, his muscled arms shown to advantage. More than one of the laborers gives him an appreciative glance.

"If I sit, I might not stand." He grins. "Did you see everything Chai-Nuzz had me haul around today?"

"Oh come now, you've had far more taxing days."

"After you and Haurchefant wore me out two days and nights in a row?" His grin grows bigger now and she can't help but return it.

She had imagined of course–what it might be like to have them both. Especially after she and Thancred reconciled. But she hadn't dared hope the two men would fit together as well as they did.

"So what was everything we did up until then? A warmup?"

"Well...Haurchefant is a wellspring of energy. Speaking of..."

The man himself strides towards them, clad in the golden armor bestowed upon him when he became the Crystarium's Emissary. There are appreciative glances for him too, but also double-takes.

There was a fairly recent addition in Eulmore; one of the soldiers who defected from the Crystarium after Vauthry's attack on Lakeland. A tall, black-haired, friendly fellow named Edmont Grey.

The glamour on his features is gone but there were enough similarities between the two handsome profiles. Those who didn't know must wonder if this man is related to the affable soldier.

"I hoped I might find you together," he says. "Am I allowed to steal you away yet?"

"We were about to discuss that," says Nerys. "Thancred worries he cannot keep up with you, my lord."

Thancred nudges her arm with the toe of his boot. "Don't go spreading lies, sweetheart."

"If anything it should be the reverse. You two have been at work on the ladder all day while I have been spent the past hours in meetings or traveling via Amaro and Aetheryte." Haurchefant steps closer to Thancred, running a hand down the front of the tight black material. "Never fear, where I'm taking you has all the amenities to unwind."

Thancred watches the path of the gauntleted fingers as they stroke over his midriff. "And where is that?"

"You'll see." Haurchefant turns to Nerys, extending a hand. She takes it and finds herself hauled up, tugged against his chest to receive a soft kiss. "Hello."

"Hello." She slips her arms about his neck, shivering as Thancred presses a hand to her lower back. "You may take us away, my lord. Alphi will tell the others where we have gone."

"Hm?" Haurchefant glances around, till he spots what Nerys had a few moments ago: Alphi trying not to get flustered seeing three of his comrades positioned as they were. He is a good ten yalms away and Haurchefant lifts a hand to wave emphatically. "Hello Alphinaud! I shall be borrowing these two, take care of the others!"

"Right," the youth calls back. Looking pointedly at their faces and not their hands. "Good evening!"

"When I was his age," Haurchefant says to the other two. "It had stopped surprising me when the knights retired to a single bunk, two or three at a time. We squires just made ourselves scarce for the evening."

"He admires you a great deal," says Nerys. "Maybe that's part of it."

"And you. And Thancred, of course."

"Mm, do not try to flatter me. That boy saw me at all my absolute worst and at best thinks of me as a wayward brother." Thancred sighs. "At least he doesnt delight in spilling about my past like Urianger and Alisaie."

"Sweet Urianger is an imp," says Haurchefant. "However, he did help me secure our destination. Please hold on tight."

They do and it is no hardship to embrace thus. Haurchefant wraps them in teleportation magicks, whirling them away from Kholusia…

...and to the colorful wilds of Il Mheg. They stand before a little cottage Nerys recognizes from her hunting ventures. Abandoned, not all that far from Lydha Lran. Or–it had been abandoned but looks freshly cleaned and aired out.

Haurchefant holds up a hand and opens the door. "The game was that if they did not touch anything, I would give them something fun and sugary."

"And we did not!" A voice giggles above them. Three pixies hover above, watching expectantly.

"Yes, it look quite well looked after.." He produces a handful of colorful paper straws sealed at both ends. "Tear off whichever end you like and you can eat the treat inside."

"...Haurche," Thancred says, eyes gleaming with mirth. "Are those-"

"We thank you Haurchefant," one of the pixies cooes. "It is too bad you won't play with us to-day…"

"Ah, but another day I should like to. Hide and seek the next time I am here?"

They nod, flying away with a burst of magic. None too soon because Thancred has to duck into the house and explode with laughter. The sound is like a balm to Nerys' heart–it has been too long since he made a sound of pure and utter delight like that.

"Well," Haurcefant says, grinning. "There must be a reason the Crystarium merchants call it that. The fae love sugar."

"Good gods, Haurchafant," Thancred leans against the small dining table for support. Careful not to muss the place settings though it is a very near thing.

"It was a good idea," Nerys says, stifling her giggle. "It's no tricking them into making your tea but…"

“I prefer honest bribery with pixie sticks rather than elaborate ruses." Haurchefant grips her hand, urging her to take one of the chairs. The ache is getting worse the past few days, the churning of the light in her belly. So she doesn't protest.

He steps over to a small ice chest and gathers up items for the table--cheese, cold cuts, fruit, a bottle of sweet Kholusian white. Butter to go with the loaf of bread he takes from a cabinet. "I...may have had a bell or two prior to bring things here, after my meetings."

"Look at that." Thancred steps over to him, laying an almost tentative hand on his arm. "You're a good man, Haurche."

Haurchefant beams under the compliment and the touch. Nerys watches the pull between them in silence, the hesitation before Thancred curls a hand in his hair and tugs him down. Kisses him soft and sweet, his murmur barely audible. "Very good."

She knows well the shiver that goes through Haurchefant. Nerys stands, needing a moment of support from the chair before walking over to them. Burying her hands in the soft fabric of Haurchefant's blue cape. "This was lovely of you, finding a private place and preparing this food for us."

"Truly, it is the least I might do." Haurchefant turns his head towards her. "And all I did was cut up some of the offerings."

"Still." Nerys finds the clasp of his cloak and removes the bilious garment. She peers over his shoulder at Thancred who gives her a minute nod. "Its exactly what we needed."

"Perfect." Thancred looks around the small space–the kitchenette, the table, and the largish bed in the corner. They'll have to huddle but that is fine. His gaze returns to Haurche and he smirks a little. "You're perfect."

"I know what you two are doing," Haurchefant says in a sing-song way. He moves his arms to let Thancred remove his cuirass. Sighs when his shoulders are bare and Nerys rubs soothing fingers into his shoulders.

"But it's working," she sing-songs back. "Let us take care of you, please."

"My love…" He turns in the circle of their arms, pressing his palms against her cheeks. His bright eyes bore into her and there is no hiding from him. There never is. "You need care as well I think."

"I do," she admits. "It will make me feel good to do this."

"And with that you have trapped me," he presses his forehead to hers. "As you take care of me, please let our Thancred also take care of you."

Our Thancred. Her heart flutters at that and she kisses him, her gratitude and joy permeating the contact.

Haurchefant's armor disappears piece by piece until he is pressed between them, cloth the only barrier left. Thancred tugs his lips down, dropping praise against his ear. "You're gorgeous in the armor and even better like this. And those hands-"

Those hands slide over Thancred who groans in appreciation. The three of them move in a tangle to the bed. Nerys feels hands on her own hips and chest, though it’s hard to tell at first who is touching what. Only that they're petting her, peeling off her leathers and tugging loosely at her short hair.

She finds Haurchefant's ear and sucks lightly at the tip. "Do you know how beautiful you look right now? You almost never blush but…"

At that, the faint pink across Haurchefant's cheek grows. He sighs, turning his body to face hers and rubbing her hip. "This is the effect you have on me, beloved."

"Not just her, I hope." Thancred slips his arms about him from behind.

"Not just her. You're an attractive man, Thancred."

"Indecently so." Nerys adds. "He could bat those eyelashes at a king and receive half a kingdom."

"You forget, they called me Thancred of the Silver Tongue when I was a young and wild bard." That same tongue traces Haurchefant's jaw. "I am more than a...what did you say once? Infuriatingly handsome face?"

Nerys grins. "Alright then, please demonstrate how good you are with that silver miracle."

"Verbally or..." He slides his tongue into Haurchefant's mouth, kissing him into a pliant puddle of limbs. They're dazzling together–Thancred half-propped over the other man, hand curled about the knight' cheek. He directs Haurchefant's limbs upward, above his head. "Good boy."

Haurchefant groans. "What wickedness do you have planned for me?"

"No plan, moving as we are inspired to." Thancred presses a hand over his chest, kneading Haurchefant's pectoral through his shirt. "You're so beautiful Haurche, you drive a man wild. Whenever I look at you I think seven hells, how can we mortals be so lucky."

"Ha-I thought you were the pretty one," Haurchefant gasps, hands flexing above his head. "There-keep rubbing right there."

Nerys cannot hold herself back anymore, adding her hand to the ministrations. Slipping it beneath his shirt to cup the other pec, circle the nipple with her thumb. He starts to jerk forward, to reach for her-and then keeps his hands where they are above his head.

"You're so obedient for us," she says, kissing the underside of his jaw. "So good and sweet "

He sighs. "I would do anything for you."

"We know." Her lips travel to the column of his throat. The words fumble a little--Thancred and Haurchefant are good at reciting a litany of praises. She doesn't talk quite as much during.

As if he senses her doubts, Thancred grins at her and picks up where she leaves off. "How lucky we are, to have someone this giving and beautiful in our bed. Will you do us a favor, lovely one? Will you let us suck your cock?"

Haurchefant groans like a man wounded. "Fury, you don't even have to ask-"

"Of course we do." Their hands are quick at Haurchefant's laces, shoving down the supple leather leggings and the smalls all at once. They draw him out: already hard and in need of their succor.

"You look amazing like this," Nerys says. "So still and good, and needing us to take care of you. And one of the prettiest cocks I've ever seen."

"Agree," says Thancred. "And we've both seen enough to know. Yours is by far one of the best."

Haurchefant groans, disobeying so that he might cover his eyes with a forearm. "You two will destroy me before I even feel your mouths on me."

"Look at us," Nerys begs and he lifts the arm. His lips are parted, his cheeks flushed, his eyes blown wide with desire. "There. I want your eyes on us, and not just because they're exquisite."

Thancred nods his approval at that. "And promise to be vocal, so we know when we're doing a good job."

"You have my vow."

"Good boy." Thancred licks a stripe along one side of the shaft and Nerys the other, meeting in an open mouthed kiss at the head. Haurchefant obliges them with a moan and some very improper Ishgardian curses. "Nerys, suckle him."

She obeys without hesitation, drawing the swollen head into her mouth. A gentle but insistent hand cups the back of her neck, lips brush her cheek and whisper, "Good girl."

Nerys shivers. If she isn't careful, Thancred will have her as overwhelmed as Haurchefant is.

The pressure increases until she takes more of Haurchefant, savoring him with the flat of her tongue even as her jaw aches and he slides further into her throat. She watches as Thancred changes his angle, drawing the heavy sac into his mouth while she bobs up and down the shaft.

Haurchefant gasps, hands once again reaching for them before he returns them above his head. Thancred draws himself up and murmurs something into his ear-too quiet for Nerys to parse but Haurche’s cock twitches in her mouth with each syllable.

She looks up and can see Haurchefant's eyes shut tight, his breathing growing faster. Nerys takes a shallow breath through her nose and takes him deeper. It is never an easy feat, big as he is, but she wants this for her dear knight.

Haurchefant gasps, pressing his face into Thancred's shoulder. The words become louder, probably for her benefit.

"Look how she takes you, big boy that you are. That's how much she wants to make you feel good. You deserve to feel good-"

"Thancred," Haurchefant pants. "Nerys, I don’t have much control left-"

"Yes you do. We know you do." Thancred slides back down, tugging Nerys away with gentle hands. Putting his own mouth upon Haurchefant's straining cock.

"There you go," Nerys says, cupping his sack with gentle fingers before subtly increasing the pressure. "Our lovely knight has so much control left."

"Yours," Haurchefant sobs. "Yours, I'm yours-"

"Ours," she hums, lips pressing to the base of his shaft where neither of them can manage to swallow. "Our wonderful, perfect Haurche."

His back arches and she can feel the control shaking through him, the strain to hold back and be good for them.

Nerys' eyes meet Thancred. He pulls off with a gentle pop and their twined hands replace their mouths, their mouths hover close to the head.

"Come for us," Thancred says, drawing their hands quick over the spit-slicked cock. "We need you."

"Please," says Nerys and it seems to be the last straw for Haurchefant, who comes with a desperate yell. Painting their faces, their open mouths. He babbles through it–declarations of love and need that twine with the other two's fervent praise.

He sags into the mattress, as if it might cocoon him. Tugs at their hair and arms until they rise to meet him with slow, tender kisses.

"You did so good," she tells him and he smiles.

"So did you. And you, dear Thancred. Silver tongue indeed."

"He's very good with it." Nerys says, curling against her love. And then seeing the mischievous glint in his eye. Uh oh.

"Oh really?" Haurchefant smirks. "I think I need to see it again, on a willing test subject. Do you volunteer?"

Her own need pulses between her legs and she nods. Swallows. "Yes, I think I do."

"Good girl," says Thancred, as he crawls over to her, a leg swinging over her waist. "Shall we?"

#lemon #nerys eluned #haurchefant greystone #thancred waters #haurchefant x wol x thancred #///////////////////////////////nsfw #food cw #COMPERSION #ally writes

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #363

(one more that’s a late upload from way earlier in the day, and i yet again don’t feel like updating the answers)

What brings out the worst in you? When I'm very anxious or having a PTSD episode, I can become very snappy and just not a joy to be around. What all did you eat today? This morning I had oatmeal, I had a rice cake as a snack, and lunch was ham and cheese on a tortilla. Some people were really destructive as a child, were you? No, I was a good kid. Who was the last person you were in a car with? My mom. Who was the last person you cried in front of? It was probably Mom. Do you talk about your feelings or hide them? I usually talk about them somewhere, like in surveys if I feel I can't with anyone else. Please be vocal with your feelings. It is so destructive to let them build up. Who was the last person you were with that smelled REALLY good? I'm unsure. Do you know anyone that is gothic? A good number of people, myself included at least in spirit. ;~; I can't really afford good attire, nor do I have the patience for so much makeup maintenance. Have you seen UP? I actually haven't seen the full movie, but I'd like to. How is your mom? Stressed as fuck and tired of everything. What color hair does your mom have? She recently dyed it black. Her hair is growing back totally gray now and she hated it. She's gotten so self-conscious as she's aged. When was the last time you were told you were cute? Idk. Do you feel comfortable getting up and giving speeches? FUCK NO. Have you ever dipped french fries in a frosty? I tried it once and did not get the appeal. Did you have school/class today? No. My school endeavors are done. Do you have any paintings in your room? If so, of what? Yeah, I have my big painting of meerkats grooming above all my 'kat plushies. Have you ever had your photo professionally taken? As a child and by school photographers, anyway. Would you prefer eating jello or pudding? Pudding. After washing your hair, do you put any products in it? No. Last time you ate a salad? Like a week ago when we went to Ichiban for my sister's bday. Do you know how old your house is? No, I don't. Have you ever been described as ”adorable”? Yeah. Have you ever given a lap dance? No. They seem incredibly awkward to me?? Would you accept a boring job if it meant you would make mega bucks? No. I can't do a job I hate for anything. I would be so depressed. Are you a moody person? Yes. What are you listening to? I'm watching Gab Smolders' new episode of Resident Evil 8: Village. I'm deadass watching four different LPers play it, I'm only moderately obsessed lmao. What video game could you waste the most time on? WoW, given it has like a zillion different things to do. Yet I still get bored lmao. What is your favorite condiment? Maybe Ketchup? I think I use that for the most things. What is the worst thing that you have ever done? I don't feel like getting into this. How old were you when your parents gave you the "birds and the bees" talk? They didn't; I learned in my school's sex ed in the 5th grade. Have you ever questioned whether or not you'd benefit from therapy? I have benefited from it. What would you like it to say on your gravestone? Hypothetically, idk. But I'd rather be cremated. Would you ever wear real leather or animal fur? NO. Have you ever completely failed a year of school and had to repeat a grade? No. Have you ever been bitten by an animal that wasn't a cat or a dog? Which? I think my old baby iguana bit me once or twice, not that it was very painful at her young age. I can't recall another animal. What type of literature are you most likely to read? (book, magazine, etc) Books. Do you prefer using candles, wax melts, or incense? Incense. Are you someone who actually doesn't have a Facebook? No, I have one. What kind(s) of Facebook groups are you active in, if any? I'm not really *active* in any; I just observe them and interact via "like"s. I'm actually in a whole lot of groups, though. Do you enjoy any herbal or fruit teas? What kinds? Neither. Do you hear any animals right now? No. What are your thoughts on Avenged Sevenfold? I know and like a few songs, especially "Dear God." Do you like Batman? Yeah, I like his "refuse to murder" ideology. The only thing is I kinda have a bad connection attached to him, because Batman was Jason's thing. Have you ever played fetch with a dog? Yes. Does your house have a fireplace? Yeah actually, but it might be fake? I don't even know lol. Have you ever pet a stingray? No. Have you ever dissected a baby pig in a class at school? Oh my god, no. I literally could never. I did dissect a frog in the 7th grade that wound up to be pregnant, though... I wasn't happy about it, but at the same time it was very interesting. Who is the last baby you held? My niece. Do you like Sunkist? The orange kind is fine, but the STRAWBERRY flavor? Jfc I love that shit. Would you ever consider being a cannibal? UM NO Do you have any scars from an animal? I have a lot of scars on my hands from playing with Roman. I scar extremely easily, so just his little scrapes leave marks. Have you ever seen an Igloo? No. Do you like Korn? Love 'em. How many animals do you have? Really two, but we have three in the house right now. Idk when this dog is going away. Are you more afraid of tornadoes or hurricanes? Tornados. Ever rode in a helicopter? No. Do you like rabbits? Yes, they're adorable. Do you like mushrooms? NO. What was the last movie you cried at? I want to say Logan, but I'm not sure. I watch movies so rarely that I really don't know. Would you rather work for a small or large company? Small. I'd feel more useful. What is the rudest thing a guy has ever done to you? I don't know. Have you ever read the book 13 Reasons Why? Yeah. I thought it was good, but now I don't remember like... anything about it. What did you have for breakfast this morning? I had apple and cinnamon oatmeal. How many times have you read your favorite book? Just once. I don't re-read books. Have you ever been on Omegle? No. Are you still in love with one of your exes? "In love," no. Do you think being born was a mistake? Yeesh, no. Has a relative ever been arrested? My psychotic uncle (by marriage) has been. Was it a serious crime? Quite honestly, I don't remember. I just know he's an angry and dangerous motherfucker. Do you think the Fountain of Youth exists? No. How about in a parallel dimension? Doubtful. Do you believe humans are part of a giant alien experiment? I ponder over the possibility of being a research simulation, kind of like a much advanced version of The Sims, but I honestly doubt it. Have you ever been suicidal? Yes. Was it a passing phase or is it something controlled by medication? Therapy and medication saved me. Is there a holiday you wish no one celebrated? Which is it? Why do you feel that way? Fight me about Christopher Columbus Day. He didn't discover shit. Have you taken any writing classes? How about art? I've taken a writing course in college, and I've taken loads of art classes. What’s your all-time favourite band? How about all-time fave singer? Ozzy Osbourne; Freddie Mercury. What three songs do you want played at your funeral? Why those particular songs? "Like A Woman" by Alice Cooper, "Life Is Beautiful" by Sixx A.M., and "Angels on the Moon" by Thriving Ivory. I just like them and find them suiting. Do you think most mythological creatures exist? No. Have you ever had lice? No. What is one superstition that freaks you out? Why is that? I’m not superstitious. Are either of your parents retired yet and if not, what do they do? No. Dad is a mailman, and while Mom doesn't ~officially~ work yet because she's recovering from intense cancer treatment, she very recently resumed lightly cleaning a church for a small payment. Kinda like a warmup. When did you or do you want to move out of your parents’ house? I wanna move out once I'm in a long-term, stable relationship with someone so we can live together. Me living alone is NOT a good idea. How do you like your current job, or if you’re unemployed, have you been looking for employment? I don't have a job, but when I go to my tattoo appointment, I'm going to ask them if they'd be interested in hiring someone for the front desk. I think it's def something I could do because I love the environment, there's really not that much I need to know (like where the Doritos are, dealing with exact change, answering a dozen unique questions), it's not insanely busy, and the occasional phone call would challenge my anxiety and just be a minor inconvenience to me until I got used to it. My partial hospitalization program really got me wanting to fight back against what gives me anxiety, to truly expose myself to what scares me, while not going totally overboard with it. It was encouraging to hear my therapist there thought it was a magnificent idea for me. I decided I wanted to ask while at the parlor getting work done to show serious interest (like I'm not just some random chick walking in and asking for a job), as well as let the people warm up to me. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but damn am I wishing. I want it so badly. What kind of booze did you last take shots of? I've never taken shots.

#survey #surveys #questions

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atvie · 5 years

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all of the artist ask meme because i can and i love you ;)

ilusm!!!!!!! i’m putting them beneath the cut cause.. Long.

🖍️ when did you start drawing? do you remember? when i was born????? idk i have a huge memory lapse from a lot of my childhood so! i really don’t know, but i’ve been told i took to it pretty quickly

✏️ do you prefer traditional art or digital to relax? traditional! but it’s hard cause it’s not as pretty / more stressful when i’m not using lined paper / when i’m using lined paper it makes it harder to upload / i can’t use cool colors (i’m terrified of using colors on real paper……) but!! idk it’s just kind of soothing

📏 what’s your go-to canvas size? that’s been changing recently.. but either 900x900 or 2500x2580! and then just cropping near the end

☕ do you do warmup sketches before drawing? (bonus: do you have any to share?) yeah! except they really are just. normal sketches i guess. they’re usually the ones that i end up not finishing even part of the face.. but i generally share All of my art (except the ones i’m really anxious about… see below) so i don’t really have. any to show except for.. uh. here)

🙃 which is easier: faces facing left, right, or front view? front view?… out of those options. i’m just really bad with noses from the side, but generally i hate doing a perfect front view or side view… i like to kinda play round w it

📚 how many layers do you typically use? 80+? but when i use a bigger canvas it limits me at around 45, so then i start merging the ones im ok with. i just like having a lot so that it’s easier to clean up cause i’m paranoid (but i usually end up merging them a Lot towards the end)

🐻 your go-to things to draw when you need comfort? people? i don’t really draw for comfort.. at least in the way that i think the question means. i basically only draw people anyway so. yeah. (that’s another thing i’m working on;;)

🎁 do you prefer drawing fandom stuff or your own characters? my own characters……… but no one’s really interested in them? i mean i know my friends are and some of my mutuals but realistically y’all can’t be invested in them as much until i release the actual story? (or like with you, rubi, where you’ve met them through rp smgksd) so it’s kinda been .. boring? because i like showing them to people to make people happy and when it’s my character it really is just For Me. like…. a lot of the things i draw are for me, but often i think of ‘oh x mutual might like it if i drew their favorite character’ even if i don’t tag them in it……. but then, those are usually the ones i don’t post, because my standards raise hugely when it’s For someone. (like with you! i’ve drawn a lot of kaya, but it’s never Enough for me, so i only end up posting any of them for my own art progress.) also my friends’ ocs. but again it makes me p anxious

🌈 do you use more warm or cold colors? warm!!!! cold colors scare me SMDGJS… even when i use cold colors i tend to use warm undertones (is that the word? idk)

🎼 your favorite music to draw to right now? i have a playlist!! um but usually i like drawing best to bastille.. 21 pilots (yes i unironically like them), khalid!!!!!!, my chemical romance, AJR, marshmellow, alan walker, coldplay(?) and imagine dragons! just the kind of. mystical soothing tone? it’s hard for me to describe but it’s really good for background for me!! oh and lizzo, pentatonix & the greatest showman’s soundtrack are fun to draw to!!

🙌 draw a doodle with your non-dominant hand i regret everything

📐 whats your favorite kinds of lines to draw? i literally have. no idea what this means sry? fsdkfdf

💐 do your drawing suit your aesthetics? no :/

🦋 do your drawings resemble you? no..? not really i mean.., i’ve done self-portraits sometimes, but even then those are more.. my idealized self? cause atm i’m really….. self-conscious i guess,, so i don’t like looking at myself much To draw..

✨ how often do you draw? whenever i can!!!!!!!!!! i doodle all of the time! though, recently i haven’t had paper to access, so i’ve brought my tablet around & drew on it!! it’s a lot easier to

🌗 is night or day better for drawing? mmmm.,,, not really either? just whenever i feel like it, which is basically all of the time. nighttime is often worse though just cause i’m more tired / it’s harder to see

🍭 what’s your main art blog / what do you tag your art with? this is it! and i usually tag it with ….. the most-used name of the character. other than that, i’m unreliable ;;; i try to do the fandom too um but i don’t have any specific tags? come to think of it .. i should probably make a tag for all of my art to go under…. but also i don’t want to look at my old art, even to add tags to the posts mkfsdjg 😔

🍀 you wish your art was more..(fill in the blank) good???? sgsjdf i just really look up to a lot of artists (a lot of whom are my friends) and so it’s just. idk. i guess i wish my art was more well-rounded. like.. i’m getting good at faces and such through practice, but i don’t have .. basically any experience with backgrounds / animals / things like that. so it’d be nice to be able to draw what i imagine without problems.

🌊 what’s the hardest thing for you to draw? animals, because i tend to make them hyperrealistic which doesn’t merge with the rest of the piece(s). ;;

🙊 share your latest silly doodle with no context

#surrepoiuvenisdomina #atvie asks #i guess this counts as atvie art AJDISJFJG #anyway ilusm and i hope you are doing GREAT !!! sorry this took so long though 😭#zoro

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panticwritten · 5 years

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Writing request! Carl and Sawyer (some version of you, I’m not sure where Carl usually fits in) have stumbled into the same dungeons and dragons forum and become closer through battling together (not 100% sure of Carl’s personality, be him not the type for this or totally the type). This can be a silly throw away or warmup up one since it is me.

Okay, so Cherry sent me this like forever ago. I wrote it, they read it because they live with me, but I forgot to actually post it! The name change to Kane is going smoothly, and I’m ready to never think about that asshole as Karl again lmaooooo

So, yeah, Kane and I play some DnD and he’s not subtle about anything ever at all.

I’ll have to wait until after I post this to change the colors of the different people in the text chats because lord knows I look at those strings of chat-text and have a time sifting through it. Homestuck has spoiled me.

Word count: 2270

@asinwolves @avi-burton-writing @infinitelyblankpage @no-url-ideas-tho @jade-island-lives @ravenpuffwriter @spirit-wizard-nerd @steakfryday @alextriestowritestuff @cataclystr0phe @perringwrites @davidvalencia323 @fluffpiggy @dont-trust-the-clogs @authorkimberlygrey @aclassilighthouse @cherrytying

I don’t think Kane knows I know.

If the smattering of ‘kid’ in our correspondences hadn’t tipped me off, it would definitely have been the way he made his character. I doubt anyone else would get the joke or see what he’s doing, but seriously? His character isn’t anything like him, of course.

If he were to be himself, he’d be a tiefling fighter. Either scout (ha) or cavalier archetype. He’d be a faction agent. Making a call between the chaotic alignments might be a shaky one sometimes. His attributes terribly skewed toward charisma and dexterity.

But he’s chosen a true neutral urchin. A mastermind rogue. An eladrin. The attributes are fairly balanced, save for dexterity always hovering above the others and strength a little lacking. Nothing like Kane. Not at all.

No, that’s the point.

He made a character that is exactly what I end up presenting myself as in the damn Cube. How I always play in console RPGs. Behavior just not erratic enough to be chaotic. Snarky and angry, never overtly because of the need to cover every goddamn emotion up. Inconsistent.

I’m not sure when I realized it was him. I thought it might be a member of the Collective when I first got the invitation from an unknown player. With Haz, j355, Hal, and Jax as mods of the server and tag-teaming as DMs, I slowly caught on to Kane’s game.

He’s making fun of me. He must have been playing with this character for some time, with their high level, and I wonder how long he’s been planning this.

It took me a little bit to even realize most of the similarities between myself and the character. My own character, a homebrew ice genesai, a brawler, bonded fairly quickly with them because they’re both urchins and saved each others’ asses when their time in the city overlapped.

He uses my lines, though. The whole ‘I’ll be fine’ shtick and his character has mentioned being a poet several times. After that, it took a few more days of play to start realizing it was him. That it was Kane playing such a long game.

The first time it occured to me, it was a bad call on what the endolin would do. We were looking for the deed to a seemingly abandoned manor. We hadn’t run into anything but low-level scavenging animals. In short, any good player would be a little on-edge and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Halexander (MOD): Alright. The second you both clear the door, it slams shut behind you.Match (SeeSaw): Crap.Videre (ANON): whats in the room?Halexander (MOD): It’s a pretty nondescript room. Pretty small, almost looks like a study with three desks lining one wall and a bookshelf on another. There’s a couch shoved into a corner, looks like it was slept in recently.Match (SeeSaw): Can we roll investigation real quick?Halexander (MOD): Go for it, dude.Match (SeeSaw): 5Halexander (MOD): You notice that, unlike the rest of the place, there’s no dust. The whole room is swept clean of it. That’s it. The epitome of observation.Match (SeeSaw): Okay. Videre?Videre (ANON): nah im goodHalexander (MOD): You sure? Just gonna barge in there?Videre (ANON): the doors locked right what else can we do?Match (SeeSaw): Whatever. I’ll get a closer look at the couch.Videre (ANON): imma look at the closest desk while the kid does thatMatch (SeeSaw): Fuck youHalexander (MOD): I’ll put some form of that exchange as being in character.Match (SeeSaw): GoodMatch (SeeSaw): Now, the couchHalexander (MOD): To clarify, you’re both investigating different areas of the room?Match (SeeSaw): YesVidere (ANON): yeahHalexander (MOD): Excellent.

I was so used to the DMs at least pretending to need time to formulate responses that Hal’s immediate block of text took me by surprise.

Halexander (MOD): The two of you cross the room in different directions, as if by silent agreement. Match is slower, being more hesitant, so Videre gets to the desks first. Before you can do more than peer at the desk, however, there is a cry behind you. The bedding on the couch lashed out and has taken Match captive. Match, a blanket has one wrist and a facemask has bound itself over your eyes due to your proximity when the animation first occurred. Roll Initiative.Match (SeeSaw): Whaaaaat. Not cool. Okay, 16.Halexander (MOD): Enchanted Bedding got 12.Halexander (MOD): Videre?Videre (ANON): am i far enough away that i can stay out of order and keep looking through the drawers?

Uh.

Match (SeeSaw): What the fuck. I’m being attacked here, your rapier would take care of this in like two seconds.Videre (ANON): you dont know that. i have a feeling the deeds in here just give me a minuteHalexander (MOD): You can stay out of the fight if you want, but you still need to roll so we can keep this orderly.Videre (ANON): fineVidere (ANON): 8Halexander (MOD): Thanks for cooperating.Match (SeeSaw): Okay, first off, Match is never going to trust you again.Videre (ANON): he doesnt even know im helping yet. he cant see rememberMatch (SeeSaw): WHATEVERMatch (SeeSaw): Is the blanket pulling on me or just holding me there?Halexander (MOD): It’s tugging something fierce. The rest of the pile of blankets and pillows are writhing as if alive.Match (SeeSaw): I guess I’ll attack the blanket with that dinky little knife.Match (SeeSaw): “you should empty your bag in case you find good loot” THANKS VIDERE NOW I DONT HAVE MY GOOD WEAPONSVidere (ANON): hey you should know better than to listen to me by now kidMatch (SeeSaw): When we finish this, I will find you and kill you.Halexander (MOD): Also canon, in-character dialogue.Match (SeeSaw): YEET, crit. 5 damageMatch (SeeSaw): Don’t think you’re off the hook here, HalHalexander (MOD): I resent that.Halexander (MOD): And that’s including your proficiency?Match (SeeSaw): 6 damage.Halexander (MOD): That’s what I thought.Halexander (MOD): You slash blindly at the blanket. You manage to cut the corner holding you clean off. You’re still blinded, but you’re free to move.Match (SeeSaw): OKAY YEAH I BACK THE FUCK UP AND ASK VIDERE WHAT THE FUCK THEYRE DOINGHalexander (MOD): You stumble back into the door.Match (SeeSaw): Hold up just a fucking second

I scrolled up to reread the chat.

Match (SeeSaw): Can I try opening the door?Halexander (MOD): Unfortunately, you’ve exhausted your turn. The mass of blankets shoots out another piece but cannot quite reach you in its haste. Obviously, you don’t actually see this because: The blindfold begins to tighten around your eyes. That’s it for that, what’s next on the agenda?Videre (ANON): how many of these drawers could i search in one turn?Halexander (MOD): Two.Videre (ANON): how many drawers in each desk?Halexander (MOD):Three.Videre (ANON): ill search two drawers in the first deskHalexander (MOD): Alrighty then. The first drawer is full of vials and tubes. Most of them stand empty, but there is a vial each of blue, red, and orange liquid. The second contains a weathered journal.Videre (ANON): ill snag those three vials and pocket the journalHalexander (MOD):Of course you will.Match (SeeSaw): Can I open the door now.Halexander (MOD): Since Sherlock Holmes over here can’t do much else, I’ll bite. The door, amazingly, shockingly, opens once you manage to find it with the blindfold currently limiting your sight and putting increasing pressure on your skull.Match (SeeSaw): Okay, we’re dumb.Match (SeeSaw): Videre, the door’s open, let’s get the hell out of here!Videre (ANON): im not doneMatch (SeeSaw): Are you serious right now.Halexander (MOD): Better make the rest of your turn good.Match (SeeSaw): K. I cut the string on the blindfold and join that IDIOT at the desksHalexander (MOD): I’m honestly just gonna take that as a free action.Match (SeeSaw): Sweet. Can I search a drawer?Halexander (MOD): You definitely can.Match (SeeSaw): I’ll start on the middle desk, I guess.Match (SeeSaw): I’ll deal with YOU later, VidereVidere (ANON): looking forward to itHalexander (MOD): The drawer holds a dusty lab coat. That’s it.Match (SeeSaw):Why the fuck not, I’ll take it.Halexander (MOD): You done?Halexander (MOD): Just kidding, I know you are. The blanket wraps around your ankle to pull your feet out from under you. Roll for acrobatics to see if you eat shit.Match (SeeSaw): Jesus fuck.Match (SeeSaw): 10Halexander (MOD): You slam your face into the desk on the way down. Take 1d4 damage for that, and your nose is bleeding.Match (SeeSaw): Why are you doing this to me.Halexander (MOD): You chose to let me design this campaign. What did you think would happen?Match (SeeSaw):2Halexander (MOD): While you’re down, another blanket catches you by the wrist. Again. Go, Videre.Videre (ANON): two more drawersHalexander (MOD): The first is full of pieces of metal. Mostly junk, nuts and bolts. The second is empty, so I’ll knock the action down and let you open another one.Match (SeeSaw): IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR HANDS AFTER THIS YOU WILL HELP ME RIGHT NOWVidere (ANON): yeah ill open another drawer. that leaves three left right

They searched every single drawer before helping me, by which time I was almost dead and being smothered by a pillow. They found the deed and I chewed them out on the way back to town. They said they knew I would be fine, they needed to find the deed, and there was no harm done.

Having already seen the parallels this anonymous player was making between their character and myself, I bristled at my computer.

Match (SeeSaw): Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. You won’t stay anonymous forever.Videre (ANON): oh im so scaredVidere (ANON): are you gonna come kick the shit out of me over a dumb game? give it up and find something else to obsess over if youre gonna be like that kidVidere (ANON): im just staying in character

And I had a good idea who was on the other side of the computer after that. Especially after I found out he’d done a covert investigation check with Hal instead of sharing with me. He knew there was an enemy in the room before we even entered. Was likely planning on using me as a distraction from the beginning.

The next time he surprised me, we were working for the owner of an orphanage to find ways to exploit parents interested in adoption. Match goes along with it because why not. Also because fuck adults.

But Videre surprised both me and Jax.

Jaxabandit (MOD): u want to what?Videre (ANON): buy the orphanageMatch (SeeSaw): We won’t get paid if you do that.Videre (ANON): im gonna assume that was in character and not in this whole ‘ooc’ space or whateverMatch (SeeSaw): Duh. The guy’s slimy and gross. But just because you have money doesn’t mean Match does. He needs the paycheck.Videre (ANON): think of it this wayVidere (ANON): if dicks like this werent in power match wouldnt have grown up on the streetsMatch (SeeSaw): That’s not how he thinks about shit and you know it.Videre (ANON): and hes not the one holding a huge sack of gold right now

I didn’t know what to think. By this point, I knew it was Kane. The fact that I asked Haz helps, but I know the way he talks to me. He’s the only one that would do this and keep up with it for so long.

So now, I’m not exactly sure what to do.

Match just died, like D-E-D, dead, and Videre is flipping the fuck out. The two of them had become fairly close friends. They were snarky and prickly toward each other, but they were partners in crime and would likely kill for each other.

Videre gets really scary in the final stretch of that fight.

I didn’t realize Kane thought so highly of my intimidation skills. I didn’t think he thought highly of me at all, not outside of work. I was just a tool and a weapon and something to either give orders to or take orders from.

But Videre is a force of nature toward the end. Being a mastermind rogue, they confuse the ice devil as well as fighting it. They show a lot of skill they didn’t before, turning a few unlucky rolls into happy mistakes. Even they seem surprised when they win.

Videre (ANON): wellVidere (ANON): i guess i know what its like to be you nowThe Old Hazzle Dazzle (MOD): Are you done now, Kane?Videre (ANON): wow cats out of the bagMatch (SeeSaw): You’re awful at hiding who you are, though.Match (SeeSaw): Also, you’re an assholeThe Old Hazzle Dazzle (MOD): Did you want to make a new character and keep going? Or call it quits for now?Match (SeeSaw): I think I’m done. I gotta go challenge Kane to a fist fight.Videre (ANON):gotta find me first

- Videre (ANON): has left the chat -

He’ll have to try a hell of a lot harder than that to get out of actually hanging out with me like a person.

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ninemoons42-lestallumhaven · 7 years

Text

This was supposed to be a snippet, @voxiferous! What the hell happened to my brain! I am so sorry! (And if you’re okay with this I’ll post it to AO3 later?) (Also yes, that’s the song for today, from me)

Credits: Lisa Macuja in La Bayadere // Cross My Heart by DAY-BREAK

ninemoons42 writes: cry havoc and kick up your heels

Spring, coil, flex, and he literally hears the words in Ignis’s voice and he can’t be mad, can’t fault the other man, because the words really do help, but -- maybe not when he suddenly switches back from the kind of thinking that lives in his bones and nerves and pure skin-knowledge to the kind of thinking that lives mostly in his mind, and that not always attached to the rest of him: he’s coming down, he’s falling fast, the high evaporates, and he hits the floor on flexed feet and bent knees and -- he growls, and says, “Stop playback,” and the music in the room cuts off on the voice command.

Fuck’s sakes, Noctis Lucis Caelum thinks, and very carefully keeps his gaze locked on his turned-out feet. It’s just a delay. It’s just a small setback, all things considered. It’s a damned accident, and nothing more. The world will keep, and he’ll keep going. It’s bad fucking luck. Ravus Nox Fleuret will make a full recovery in two months. Things will get back on track.

So now Noctis can’t dance and now Noctis can’t concentrate, either, not long enough to hang on to the same damned warmup routine he’s been following for the past year.

Beneath his feet the wooden planking creaks gently, softly, almost reassuringly. Dark-gray knots and burls in fine-planed honey-colored wood, the grain still mostly free of the little cracks and craters left behind by too many practicing feet, too many hard landings.

He sits, hard, and curls up into a small tight knot of misery and muscle, and in the process he catches sight of himself in the three mirrored walls and he sees a small boy, a miserable boy, hunched over and trying not to cry, reflected and reflected again. Infinity of images, his own childhood instead of who and what he is now, every other step like distilled agony as he learned to get back on his feet, and this is bad, if he’s flashing back to that part of his life when he’s here in a safe space.

Maybe Luna is right, after all, and he has to stop dancing for a few days.

He certainly isn’t going to do himself any favors, if he winds up injuring himself through careless practice, and then he’ll go down as Ravus did and for the same damned reasons, and he might as well forget about doing the show completely, and that will be six years of groundwork and heartbreak and joy and pain and truths with teeth in them, all gone, all gone forever, worse for having missed its moment.

He sobs, once, and tells himself he’s okay.

Thump, from somewhere nearby.

Thump. Thump. Again and again and again.

He leans into the sound, grateful, trying to figure out what it is, and the synapses in his mind fire and fire again, filtering, and -- definitely a human body, he thinks, someone is definitely moving around and making those sounds. Resilient, for the most part, except when there’s a harder or a softer sound and, and. It sounds like being out of practice, and Noctis hides his smile in his knees and his crossed arms, his smile and his sympathy, because: whoever is making those sounds is expressing exactly how he feels right now, and he’s grateful.

Grateful enough that he realizes he’s being rude, using someone else’s dancing practice to sort his own tangled knots of feeling out, and that person entirely unknowing, therefore being used.

Noctis has been used too many times in his life -- short as that life is and has been -- and he’s not going to keep on using this person.

He’s going to get up and thank them, now.

And he glances at himself in the mirror, and there’s nothing to be done for the sweat and the spikes in his hair, the remnants of an outbreak of zits below his right ear, the gnarled knots in his hands, the ruin of his feet with the callouses and the too-visible veins.

Soft bedroom slippers on, fuzzy fur lining and houndstooth check, and he wraps the dark green fleece blanket that he carries around with him everywhere around his shoulders. Damned drafty dance studios anyway. Out the door of his practice room, and he closes one eye, follows the thumps as they peter off and --

There’s the only open door, halfway down the corridor. No one is mad enough to come to this place on the outskirts of the city at some ungodly hour just past sunrise, and he’s only here himself because he’d gotten out of his bed and the clutch of the nightmares and he’d refused to go back to sleep, and he has keys to this place and he knows the owner, because that owner is named Ignis Scientia.

He’s actually half-expecting Ignis himself to be at the barre. Wouldn’t put it past him.

But he steps into the open doorway and -- that’s not Ignis, not even by any stretch of the imagination.

For one thing, it’s been years since Ignis hung up his pointe shoes.

For another, Ignis doesn’t wear his glasses when he practices.

The guy in the room is dressed in such a strange clash of everything that Noctis almost forgets to breathe, cataloging.

Splash of red-green-black-yellow in the unbuttoned plaid shirt over white dancing clothes, but the thing that catches Noctis’s attention is the clean line of the man’s body, as he breathes and balances and lifts himself, all his weight on one leg and then he carefully rises on to his toes, so he would actually be addressing the door and the people watching near it, if he were looking up.

Noctis watches him straighten his knees and shoulders, and flick out the hand he’s holding over his head, so the fingers fan out into a sort of winged shape. His other hand he holds just at the level of his own eyes, and he flicks that, too, fingers splayed out.

Steady, steady, one foot on the ground, and the one in the air moves, hair’s-breadths, up and up and the man bends a little at the hip to accommodate that rise, to stay gracefully balanced, till that leg in the air is straight out and the top of his foot is turned completely in Noctis’s direction.

Irrationally Noctis thinks of the impossibly petite maestra he’d only met once, at fortysomething only thinking of going into retirement, and still able to wring joyful tears from her adoring audiences -- Kitri had been one of her signature roles, one she’d recently and tearfully had to leave behind, and the man in the practice room has almost got the right tilt in his head to be playing that tragic role, if only it hadn’t been for the clench in his jaw line, and the heavy frames of his eyeglasses.

But as if the man had been reading his thoughts: the man wobbles, and his nose scrunches up, and he suddenly sneezes -- the sound echoes in the practice room, and the man groans, laughs, falls easily out of his pose. “Fucking,” the man begins, with a soft snort.

And his eyes come up.

Noctis is treated to a bright blue-eyed stare that the glasses can’t hope at all to contain, and a red flush appearing all at once in freckled cheeks and -- shoulders, of all the things.

But those eyes sweep up and down and he’s not ashamed of his blanket or his slippers and -- the man laughs, bending back a little over his feet in fifth position. “Nice outfit.”

Hearty and sweet and not unkind at all.

“Same to you,” Noctis says, and allows himself a grin. “With that plaid and all.”

“It keeps me warm. I’m cold all the time.” That flush surges again. “You watching long? You gonna tell me something’s wrong with, I dunno, my knees or my shoulders?”

He’s smiling, but his shoulders are coming up, moving up, and Noctis holds his hands up, palms facing out. “Critique is not what I came here for. Who wants to do that at fuck o’clock in the morning anyway? I came here because I wanted to -- thank you.”

Blink. Blink.

Those blue eyes are very distracting, he thinks, with the emotions he can almost see clearly.

“What’d I do, except -- fuck up Kitri?”

“I never said anything about fucking anything up. You were practicing,” Noctis says, honestly. “And I was -- fucking everything up my own self. So I listened to you. You sounded like you knew what you were doing.”

The man laughs again.

But this time it’s a broken small laugh.

“You’re a little late, aren’t you? That was me pretty much five years ago. So not the me of today. I don’t know what I’m doing. I didn’t even know why I wanted to try and do Kitri, a little. I haven’t danced in five years.”

“With your form like that?” With difficulty Noctis swallows his surprise.

Shrug, that only looks careless.

And the way he turns away, the corner of his lip coming crooked and sad.

Noctis clenches his hand into a fist.

And says, “I’ll be right back.”

Runs back to his practice room and picks up his music player and hustles, and he throws the little device at the blond -- he picks the heavy square and its trailing wires out of the air, easily, and tilts his head. “And?”

“Play,” Noctis says: voice command.

Swish and flurry of cymbals and synths, and a driving rhythm of electric guitars, and the music is enough to fill up this half of the practice room.

Maybe enough for the two of them.

Noctis steps into the room, fully, and tilts his head as the melody develops and the vocalist begins to sing: “Come on, just – move.

“Dance with me.”

He begins with the sweep of his leg and his hand, whirling, trying to express the song -- he only knows what it means because he looked up a translation of the lyrics -- and he’s leaping and twirling into the deceptive chorus, even-keeled but there are such currents beneath the words, and --

On the last line of the refrain the blond pushes into his space, catches up his hands, and into the bridge -- they’re dancing, together, and one moment Noctis leads, the next he’s easily yielding, the two of them leaping and breaking together, freestyling without any form of second-guessing, and he breaks away to fly out into a series of jetes and his partner leaps beautifully after him --

When the refrain rolls around again he takes the man’s hand and whirls him around, guides him through an improvised pas de deux, and -- the moment is broken when he fumbles the last step and the blond just laughs and springs away into one more pirouette -- apparently just for the hell of it.

And Noctis is grinning, and feels the stretch of that grin all the way down into his toes. The warmth of the man’s hands, the flyaway lines of his hair. “That form,” Noctis says. “That’s what I was talking about. You’re good, and more than that, you’re talented.”

“And I know who you are, and what you mean when you talk about form,” is the response. “You’re not bullshitting me, are you? Noctis Caelum?”

“I really am not. I have literally no reason to,” he says, as open as he can make himself be. “And I don’t know who you are, so I don’t have any reason to be an asshole, either.”

“I’m no one,” is the response, sliversharp grin still fixed on that mouth. “Just -- someone from out there. Prompto Argentum’s the name.”

“Well you need to dance, Prompto,” Noctis says. “Seems you can’t not. Five years is nothing. You’ve got something in you that you need to let out and this is the only place you can do it.”

To his relief, Prompto’s rigid smile falls away, relaxes, into something more real. Freckles stippling the corners of his mouth. “You probably know that one just as well as I do.”

Noctis nods, once.

Wills him to believe it.

#fic: mine #voxiferous #dance for your life AU #pairing: promptis #character: Prompto Argentum #character: Noctis Lucis Caelum

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goodlawdmaude · 4 years

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Southeast Asia 2018

I honestly thought I would give up on detailing my travel adventures by blog, but revisiting the indelible record of my old posts about previous adventures has inspired me to write a cursory summary of our more recent (... a relative term) trips.

SO, respecting chronology, let’s start with our Southeast Asia trip of 2020. Jarod and I left for Bangkok, Thailand on 2/7/2018 and returned to San Diego, CA on 2/28/2018. A lot of the notes below were taken throughout the trip and are arguably a bit too circuitous and detailed. Regardless, here it is:

DEPARTURE: 2/7

Our travel day was roughly 30 hours, involving layovers at SFO and Tokyo/Narita. It was pretty torturous, but we did technically eat ramen (airport ramen) in Japan (and admired the fun KitKat flavors). We arrived late on 2/8, exhausted from the travel. After landing, we took a taxi to the hostel, showered in the shared restroom, and went to sleep.

BANGKOK: 2/8 (late) - 2/10

2/9 (Day 1)

We woke up tired and had breakfast at the hostel with our dear friend Ben before setting out to explore old town. We grabbed some BOMB street food (40baht per plate), then wandered into a small wat (thinking it was the Grand Palace) and eventually into the Grand Palace -- brimming with the craziest swarm of tourists imaginable. From the palace, we walked to Khaosan--where we met our college friend, Alison, and her sister--for local food and beers. The street was lively and vibrant - full of henna stalls, carts pedaling fried scorpion, and vendors with brightly colored clothes and jewelry. After finding a taxi driver who would use a meter, we drove home and rallied for dinner at a local seafood spot (the menu was extensive and almost overwhelming). From there, we stopped at a cozy bar and drank grapefruit Sculpins before walking home and crashing.

CHIANG MAI: 2/10 - 2/13

2/10 (Day 2)

Jarod, Ben, and I flew in uneventfully and took taxi to our room - a little loft above a local bar. We grabbed lunch two doors down, then went for a run/work out at a nearby flower-filled park. When we returned to shower, we found it impossible due to low water pressure. We had to ask the staff to turn on the pump 3x to get through our showers. Clean, we headed to a nearby square for the Saturday night market. We purchased potstickers (40b), spring rolls and kebabs (50b), and soups (40b each), and feasted family style. From there, we took a tuk tuk to The North End jazz bar and coop, where we watched two jazz bands playing while the crowd overflowing into the street. We met Allison and her sister, Jess, back at the night market for 11pm crepes and divised a plan to hike Monk's trail the next day.

2/11 (Day 3)

After waking up around 7, we met Alison at her hotel and then drove off to the Monk’s trail. The trail was clear and hot and peaceful--clearly demarcated by orange ties of fabric. We arrived at a (pretty low key) temple buried in the hillside with a stream running through it. From there, the trail got quite steep and the hike became reasonably vigorous. We eventually arrived at our summit - another temple. It was grand and gold and gorgeous, but also pretty packed with visitors who had driven up. We bought some fresh orange juice and snacked in the shade, overlooking a valley/neighboring hillside. We spent some time exploring, then headed back. We got a delicious lunch at a restaurant near Alison’s, then returned to our Airbnb, went through another saga of showers, and took naps. We went to scope out the Sunday night market, which was huge and overwhelming - packed with people and hand-made goods. We met Alison at Dash! for dinner, shared a carafe of wine, and ate the best khao soi ever while enjoying live music. From Dash! Alison and I went back to the night market, where we saw a group of men playing exotic instruments. We headed home and called it a night.

2/12 (Day 4)

In celebration of Ben's birthday, we had a gluttonous breakfast at German bierhaus. Ben had to take some work calls, during which J and I met Alison and drove to Mae Sa waterfall. Swam in the 10th fall - deserted - hiked back, and lunched on the ground in a little hut. That evening, we were picked up at 4 for a cooking class. We toured an amazing local market, then to cooking school where we made 6 courses, but had to leave before dessert to avoid being late to a lady boy show. Took red truck to Warmup and got cocktails and a beer tower. Took a "taxi" to another club but it was closing so we went home.

LUANG PRABANG: 2/13 - 2/16

2/13 (Day 5)

We took a tuk tuk to the airport, got through security without an issue, and were on the ground in LP around 4 in the afternoon. We got a ride from the airport (courtesy of our guest house), checked in, then hit the town for a run. We joined a public Zumba class (led by a random person in the park), then ran back and showered. We dined at the restaurant on our block - including amazing chocolate fondue for dessert. Luang Prabang was breathtakingly beautiful; I was already obsessed.

2/14 (Day 6)

We woke up early to see the monks’ almsgiving and to exercise. After a large group passed through, we did a circuit in the open yard of our guest house, then showered and got breakfast. From breakfast, Ben went to do some work, and Jarod and I went to find our way to Kuang si falls. We took a bus from the lobby of our guest house. The aquamarine falls were gorgeous, but busy. After a short but steep climb, we arrived at the top. We opted to extend our trek (2km) to "spring water cave.” We jogged there, sweating profusely, and found an oasis of quiet as well as the cave. After exploring a bit, we headed back and descended the way we'd come, stopping half way down for a quiet dip in the freezing water. We dried off and hurried down, grabbing a mango shake and egg crepe before hustling into the van in the nick of time. When we returned, we showered, rested briefly, then headed out to grab a sunset drink with a view of the Mekong before hitting the night market for dinner. We grabbed mini potstickers, spring rolls, pork bun, and delicious wholesome soups, then crowded around a crooked table to eat. After dinner, we got dessert at a neighboring pastry stand, then went for drinks - a free shot and 20k 2 for 1 cocktails. "Drink like a fish for the price of water," they said.

2/15 (Day 7)

We woke up around 730, got breakfast at our place, then got ready to hike Chompet! We took a boat across the river (loaded with locals, motorbikes, and a couple cars). There was a small strip of town by the port point on the other side, but it was much different than the side from which we'd come. There were chickens everywhere, locals on dirt bikes and front porches, and very few tourists. The hike took us down a remote dirt road with gorgeous views of the Lao country side. The people we walked past stared (and often smiled) at us. At one point, we encountered a herd of water buffalo roaming the trail. They also stared at us. We forked off the road onto a footpath, continuing to weave through the jungle. We passed several temples, paying entry to see one of them (Chompet), and admiring others from a distance. The Buddha there was flanked by a sign for donations for "water, electricity, and education. We went back to grab lunch and to recoup before heading out for evening massages. Afterward, we wandered into a family-owned restaurant - run straight out of their house and had delicious "bo bun" and spring roll lettuce wrap style appetizer with greens and noodles. From there, we went to the night market for some shopping, where I had my first taste of Lao coconut pancakes (OMG!!)

HANOI-->CATBA-->SAPA: 2/16 - 2/23

2/16 (Day 8) Lao --> Hanoi

We woke up around 6 and tried to get ready quietly. We made it to Hanoi uneventfully, dropped our bags at the hotel, and went to walk around. There were lots of families out and about for Tet, wandering around the lake, dressed nicely, taking photos, and getting very annoyed if you walked through their photo. There were balloons and street vendors everywhere as well as people praying and burning incense at temples. We stopped for lunch on our way back, splitting a bahn mi and a tofu rice in tomato sauce as well as crepes. For dinner, we went to a place recommended by our hotel. We sat in children's plastic seats on the sidewalk, waiting for service. There was no menu; the waitstaff brought their one dish to us immediately. We went to bed around 10pm and got the best sleep ever. The room was cozy and clean and we (thought we) were all set with our 11am ride to CatBa the next morning.

2/17 (Day 9) Hanoi --> Cat Ba Island

We slept great and got up around 7am. We ate breakfast at the hotel, then went up to the room to get packed and ready for our bus pickup at 1030. Our bus never came. Around 1115 Jarod whatsapped them to ask if someone was coming. They replied that there was an issue with the bus and asked if we could take the 2pm. Our concierge called them for us, ultimately only to confirm that we would take the 2pm bus. With that, we left our bags and walked to west lake. Most places were still closed for Tet, so the city felt a bit unwelcoming. On the way, we got a 25k dong banh mi to share for lunch. We got back to the hotel around 130, to be informed that a bus had come for us at 1.... but would be back at 2. We sat patiently. At 3, there was still no bus. Jarod whatsapped once again, and was told the bus WAS on its way. Around 315, a sweaty, stressed out guide burst in and ushered us to the bus. The bus was crowded, and we had to sit in he back with our knees smushed into the seats in front of us, but the ride was beautiful - flanked by rice patties (with ornate graves in them) and fields of green and lakes. When we finally got dropped off at our hotel, we were met with a surprise. "Did you book through booking.com?" A ~12 year old girl asked on behalf of her family. Yes, yes we did. She said the electricity was out but that they would put us somewhere else for $10/day. They then walked us across the street to a hotel with a Vietnamese name and non English speaking staff. We went out for dinner at one of the few open restaurants, then watched a little tv and went to bed, sandwiched between two fuzzy red blankets.

2/18 (Day 10) Cat Ba Island

We woke up around 7, went down for breakfast, then hurried over to Asia Outdoors to book a kayak tour on the bay. We were loaded onto a big boat with a dining area and an upstairs deck. We sat on the deck, admiring the incredible views of the bays... floating villages with dogs running around... green water... giant limestone cliffs... We continued for about an hour before we stopped and were loaded into our kayaks. We rode around to seahorse lagoon where we sat quietly in hopes of seeing a langur. We continued paddling around and talked to our guide some about his background, learning that he makes $6/day kayak guiding. We headed back to the big boat, jumped quickly into the ABSOLUTELY FREEZING BUT AMAZING water and had a delicious lunch of tofu, chicken, fried fish, rice, steamed cabbage, potatoes... etc.. After lunch we got on a separate small boat back. Jarod tipped the guy 200k dong (<$10) and he exclaimed "bloody hell!!!" In excitement. He also warned us that our taxi back "might be a bit inconspicuous.... but I'll phone them"... luckily, it ended up being pretty conspicuous. We made it back to our hotel and showered in our weird (but amazingly warm) bath/shower combo. From there we went to an "early dinner." We failed to be served at two different restaurants (did manage beers at the second one), went to a third restaurant, starving now and a bit drunk on our empty stomachs. This restaurant was also a mess, but we managed to get dinner here. We went back to our room, dropped off laundry for $2/kg at our hotel, (told it would be done in 5h), and went to bed.

2/19 (Day 11) Catba-->Hanoi-->Sapa

We woke up around 7 to pack, eat, and be ready for the bus at 9. When I went to get the laundry, the woman tried to give me someone else's laundry and had a hard time understanding that it wasn't mine. She finally showed me to the laundry line, where our clothes were hanging- still quite damp. I collected them and blow dried what I could, but it was a mess. The bus came for us around 915 and was much less crowded. In Hanoi, We walked to Lilly's travel agency, dropped our bags, double checked the details for our trek, got cash&paid. We then got a 3 course lunch (~$20) and met up with Ben. For dinner, we went to a restaurant down the street where I had my best meal of Vietnam ("dry noodles" with lots of peanuts and mint). Lilly’s called us a taxi, which took us on a short drive to the train station, where we had to meet someone to get our tickets. The ticket holder was sitting inconspicuously in a corner texting, but we found her. We had to wait a bit, then boarded the train which had really awesome 4 person compartments. We pretty quickly went to bed, leaving the light on the bunk above Jarod on, for our 4th member. He came in shortly thereafter, got into bed, left his light on, and started snoring. He left it on all night. The beds were hard and the train was noisy, but it was definitely a great travel option.

2/20 (Day 12)

We woke up to a knock on our cabin door. We got ourselves together and got off the train, expecting to find someone with a "Jarod backens" sign who would drive us from lo kai to sapa (~1h). We had to wait awhile, but finally some young punky looking guy showed up. He walked us around a variety of vans before gesturing for us to climb in one. Once inside, a woman solicited "money?" For the ride. We had paid for our agency, so we refused. The ride up was beautiful but very windy and I felt quite car sick. When we got to sapa, the driver said "three people" and pointed out to a hotel/restaurant. We uncertainly got out and headed in and sat down. Luckily, our guides found us. There was a table of 4 other women who were a part of our group. We got breakfast (eggs, pancake to share, and tea), paid for the extra pancake and drinks, then embarked on our trek with a group of 5 women (French mother and daughter, 23yo Swiss best friends, and a Canadian girl with heavy black makeup) led by a group of wiley guides, dressed in black home made cloaks, long shorts, and fabric wrapped around their legs between their ankles and knees. Some wore simple sandals for the trek; all of them were tan, wrinkled, spunky, and dirty. The climb up was steep, and the views were incredible. On the way up, we climbed above the clouds, finding baby puppies, piglets, horses, etc. We stopped several times to breathe and once for lunch, where we were served heaping piles of fried rice or fried noodles. From there we hiked a while longer, our entire trek taking approximately 6h. When we arrived at the home stay--which was a newly built building with quite nice amenities--we sat outside and were served tea. We showered and got dressed and dinner was served around 7pm. The whole day, the tribeswomen had been talking a lot about "happy water" (rice whiskey) and how much we would drink. They weren't lying, but they DIDNT mention how much we would EAT! They served us (a table of 8-joined by a bohemian 37yo woman from Oakland) pork, chicken/duck on the bone, pork with lemon and mint, mushrooms, green beans, spring rolls, and white rice. They had a large family gathering of 15 or so at the table behind us. Different women kept coming to our table and urging us to eat more, often times plopping rice into our bowls. Later in the evening, the happy water came out in a jug with an angry birds logo on it. Mama Sho insisted we all drink, so we did. Jarod, the bohemian, Erin from Canada, Ben, and I sat around drinking a good long while. At one point, concerned I may be sick if I went on, I proclaimed THIS IS THE LAST ONE, took a shot, then went to the bathroom. When I returned, another one had been poured for me, but Jarod took it for me. We were spilling everywhere and it was a festive amazing mess.

2/21 (Day 13)

We woke up to Ben's knock around 850am, letting us know breakfast was happening. I felt horribly nauseous and hungover, but went down and managed to eat one pancake before going back upstairs and collapsing in bed. Eventually, I managed to get dressed and out the door for our hike. It was a warm and sunny day. We hiked to a waterfall where I put my feet in. We hiked to lunch--at which point I was feeling significantly better but not great--then hiked home. We laid on the ground for a bit and decided to have a push up contest instead. While we were doing our silly contest and rolling on the dirt, a new, large group of guests came in. We felt like idiots but continued our work out. After, we sat outside with some tea and met the 3 new guests - very nice German policemen. We talked about politics and gun control, then excused ourselves to shower. Dinner was served a little later that evening. Many of the same dishes were served, but our group was much larger, the family did not eat with us, and the pressure to eat and drink was greatly diminished. (Everyone admitted at one point or another that we drank too much the night before.) After dinner, we went to sit outside with the German boys and were joined by the Swiss girls. We went to bed around 930. I thought a lot about how close I was to the animals on the farm that were composing our dinners

2/22 (Day 14)

We woke up around 8, after sleeping quite hard for quite a long time. We went and sat outside and drank some tea/coffee with the German boys. Ben came and joined us - he had been up a while walking and playing with the friendly dog that was tied up. One tribeswoman came to peddle her goods, finding willing buyers in the Germans. We had a big breakfast of eggs and pancakes with honey, then got dressed, said farewell to the Germans, and embarked as a group of 5 on our last hike. It was a bit challenging-we had to walk on some narrow edges and I was worried about falling into mud pits. We walked to lunch and got soups, agreeing as a group to walk the 9k back to town rather than be shuttled there. It was a steep climb - our most physically difficult day by far. We made it back to the coffee shop we had started at. Mai showed up and gave us bracelets and hurried away -"Um Mao, so what about the bus??" Ben asked as she tried to get back in her car. She told us it would come at 5. We said goodbye to MamaSho and went inside to get something warm to drink. We wiped down with baby wipes and changed, then waited. Our shuttle came, and we quickly learned our driver was an absolute maniac, driving super aggressively and honking an insane amount as we picked up other travelers. We finally started driving down - during which he was much more careful. On the way down, we inexplicably stopped at a vegetable market and some people bought goods. We continued the slow descent and got in around 7pm. "Oh, you can get your tickets in that restaurant," the driver mentioned as an afterthought. We went to the restaurant, got the tickets, and ate dinner. We boarded the train and (once again with an awkward 4th-man interloper) went to bed.

KOH LANTA: 2/23 - 2/27

2/23 (Day 15)

We woke up on the train, walked briskly to Lillys with Ben, and said quick goodbyes before taking a taxi 40 minutes to the airport. At the airport, we got Burger King breakfasts for the perfect amount of dong we had left (the cashier actually asked for 2800... to which Jarod responded "I have 2700?" which was accepted.) We had a layover at DMK, and eventually made it to Krabi. With some trouble, we found our driver, got in a big ass luxurious van and hit traffic immediately. We arrived at our hotel on Koh Lanta around 8pm, showered, and then got dinner at the hotel restaurant. I got salmon, Jarod got pineapple fried rice, and we had chicken satay and a fabulous brownie with ice cream. We went to bed, planning to wake up early and exercise.

2/24 (Day 16)

We woke up around 7 and went down for breakfast. They had an assortment of delicious Thai food (leftovers?) as well as eggs bacon pancakes toast yogurt fruit etc. We ate our fill, then went on a little run. It was so hot I felt like dying, and our stomachs were a little upset. After, we spent some time by the beach/pool, then headed out to walk to lunch. We got lunch at Greenland - the owner turned on the fan when we arrived and was very nice to us. Really good massaman curry. For dinner, we walked to ShantiShanti down the road where we ate curries and crepes with cinnamon and toffee ice cream.

2/25 (Day 17)

We woke up around 7 and went down to breakfast before our work out. We did a circuit followed by a short run, then went straight to the beach. We hung and read for much of the afternoon, taking a break in the afternoon for a light lunch. After several hours in the sun, we walked to The Salty fish for sunset drinks. After sunset, we walked to Coconut grove for dinner. After finishing a carafe of wine and our meal, we went to our hotel bar to catch their happy hour. We got mai thais and sipped them on the day beds. We went to bed early.

2/26 (Day 18)

We woke up around 630 and went straight into our workout--starting with a jog after seeing there was someone in the gym. We did our most intense circuit while the other girl (still in the gym) did some VERY lame exercises with zero intensity... while pointing the only fan directly at herself. We finished our work out and went down for breakfast. We sipped coffee by the ocean and read for a while before going up to get serious about sunscreen and water. Around 1130, we walked into town to book our ride to the airport and get our nails done. I got the worst gel manicure ever and Jarod got his first pedicure. All in all, very fun and worth the small expense. We got lunch at a Rastafarian place on the beach, then walked our way on the beach back to our place. We sunscreened up and went to sit by the water. Around 6 we showered, changed for dinner, and drank some beers on the porch while checking in on 2018 goals. We walked across the street to get a taxi to klong khong beach (kwans), and accidentally haggled up the price of a crazy motor bike cart ride. There was live music at dinner and good khao soi. We walked home and went to bed.

2/27 (Day 19) --> Back to Bangkok

We woke up around 630, ran, stretched, got breakfast, and packed up. Our shared van to the airport came early (?!), arriving just as we were checking out. We went to pick up several more people, often making incorrect stops (to ask for directions?) and struggling to find the correct passengers. We arrived at the airport around 230, and though no monitors showed our flight, we found our correct terminal. We snacked on wafers, dried mango, and peanut M&Ms, then boarded with our bags ;). Upon arriving, we spent a low key evening in our hotel, getting mentally ready to end our glorious vacation.

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nyutheatrepractices2020 · 4 years

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Fault Lines: Political and Real -Days 1 through 3

Welcome to the NYU Theatre Practices 2020 blog! We are a group of eleven graduate students from the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development studying applied theatre through the lenses of physical theatre and mask work under the direction of Puerto Rican artists Javier Cardona Otero, Deborah Hunt, Alejandra Martorell, and Awilda Sterling-Duprey, with the guidance of Dr. Amy Cordileone. For those readers unfamiliar with “Applied Theatre,” it is a term that serves as an umbrella for theatre works that are focused on creating social and political change within a community setting.

Most of us arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico on the morning of January 6th, the holiday of Día de Reyes (or Three Kings Day in English) shortly after the island experienced a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. We spent the evening on the roof of the Hotel Miramar where we broke bread and enjoyed one another’s company as we got to know our instructors and discussed the political and economic reality in which the island currently exists, which has kept the people in poverty and has maintained a colonial system of oppression. At 4:30 in the morning we were jarred awake by a devastating magnitude 6.4 earthquake and the aftershocks that rocked the southern part of the island—destroying numerous homes and leaving one confirmed fatality. As I write this blog, more than two thirds of the island remains without power. The inequity that islanders face on a daily basis, and the juxtaposition of that oppression to the privilege that we hold as NYU students is not lost on us, and many of us are working to find ways in which we can help our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters. Our hearts ache for them, and we want to help.

Given the state and current trajectory of our country and our world, the study of applied theatre practices in Puerto Rico (although PR is a US territory) strikes me as a prescient case study, especially as I believe that our duty as artists is to serve as awakeners of the human spirit and illustrators of what an ideal world can be. I recently took a course with a renowned American theatre artist who stated that she did not believe that theatre or art could change the world. And yet, art has been vital to the political landscape of Puerto Rico for a very long time. CircoFest, an annual circus arts festival featuring street performances serving crowds which number in the thousands has ensured that the inefficient and corrupt government has kept the streets clean and navigable for the general public. In a larger capacity, artists of every discipline participated in demonstrations, using their art form, that played a major role in getting Governor Ricardo Rosseló to resign in the wake of the government’s ineptitude, which revealed itself in the wake of Hurricane Maria. I believe that the artists of Puerto Rico, who create profound and polished work with very little financial support, are proving my renowned American friend wrong in many ways, and I am grateful to be in Puerto Rico studying with artists that stand at the vanguard of art and politics—making real change in their community and the world.

Tuesday the 7th marked our first full day of training. The majority of the group began the day with a long and beautiful hike from our hotel in the barrio Miramar to the city of Old San Juan—traversing the sea wall and taking in sweeping views of the ocean and colorful vestiges of European architecture. I began the morning with a solo breakfast at 5:30 am at Los Pinos Café Miramar, which has become a regular haunt for me as it’s open 24 hours and serves a mean café con leche, as well as delicious yet cheap meals. I was unaware at the time that they were one of the few restaurants open because they were drawing power from a generator. Following breakfast, I too joined the group on the scenic hike to El Bastion (our main training studio) which is at the west end of Old San Juan.

Above: Views of the ocean along the walk from Miramar to Old San Juan.

Above: Colorful buildings and cobblestone street in Old San Juan.

Below: A bar called “Aqui Se Puede,” which means “Here We Can,” the name seemed very apropos for our endeavors in Puerto Rico.

Our training at El Bastion commenced with a lovely physical warmup led by Alejandra Martorell which drew heavily on developmental movement, a methodology that focuses on training and expanding one’s proprioception and fine motor skills (chiefly in babies), and body contact/weight sharing. Everyone seemed most intrigued by the vestibular portion of the warm up, in which we made ourselves dizzy in order to reorient ourselves and holistically awaken our bodies. Our time with Alejandra was then followed by an introduction to mask work with Deborah Hunt. Before we ever gazed upon a mask, we practiced the simple task of pretending to be skilled fisherman throwing a fifty pound net into the sea, all the while exercising the “magic if” and carefully observing our peers movement qualities. After many attempts at throwing the net, carefully stealing from our peers, and accumulating the knowledge, we were finally able to try out the masks. Deborah set out a series of masks from which we each selected one that seemed to call to us. We then took the masks to our own private part of the space, studied the emotion on its face, and transformed our bodies and movement patterns to match the mask.

Above: Students engage in a physical warmup using partnering and weight sharing techniques.

Above: Students move through the beginning stages of the “flocking” exercise.

Above: Artist Deborah Hunt gives instructions to students during an introduction lesson on mask work.

In the afternoon, we began our exploration of Applied Theatre with Javier in an intense conversation about the pedagogies of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal, the nature of education, the necessity of building a safe space, and then moved through a handful of Boal’s exercises.

Above: JW and Daniel participate in the “magician” exercise.

Above: The whole groups participates in the centipede exercise.

On Wednesday morning, the participants focusing on mask work joined Deborah at the studio Casa Taller, while those working on physical theatre met Alejandra at El Bastion. As I was in the group at Casa Taller, I will speak to that experience, which was quite rigorous and surprisingly physically exhausting. We began the session with a tour of Casa Taller, which was then followed by a series of warm up stretches in the upstairs studio—beginning with our feet and working our way up the body, ultimately ending with facial and eye muscle stretches, discerning between “big eyes” and “bright eyes.” We moved into an exploration of different centers of physical lead (knees, thighs, belly, chest, head, etc), which we used to locomote through space while exploring different character archetypes. This is an exercise derived from the work of French theatre practitioner Jacques Lecoq. Once we had warmed up and explored different characters, we moved into mask work, again letting different masks speak to us, putting them on, and transforming our bodies to match their qualities. Eventually, we moved into the study of counter masks, which is the alter ego of the mask that embodies, in some ways, its opposite, though in reality it is a hidden emotional quality belonging to the mask.

Above: Physical Theatre students work with Alejandra in the dance studio at El Bastion.

Above: Student Daniel Leeman Smith explores the possibilities of a mask in front of the class.

In the afternoon, we returned to El Bastion, where we joined the physical theatre students for another session of applied theatre with Javier. In this session we continued our discussion of the nature of education and the oppression of conformity that is often thrust upon students. We moved through several of Boal’s exercises, which address power dynamics and reframe the ways in which participants think about certain experiences by providing them alternative views. Perhaps the most exciting activity was the creation of still images based on impossible tasks. The participants were split into two groups which then devised images in which the person making the “proposal” (offering an idea or suggestion) had to be lifted off of the ground while maintaining the picture. One group presented the image of sleeping on a cloud, while the other presented the image of jumping into the sky and never coming down.

Above: Aaron holds the pose of “jumping into the clouds and never coming down” with the support of Carey, Kasey, Shari, and Daniel.

In the evening, post dinner, we returned to El Bastion for a public performance of work by our teachers Alejandra Martorell and Javier Cardona Otero, which was followed by a stirring talkback with the audience. Alejandra’s work was centered on the history of dance in Puerto Rico, and the renowned teacher Petra Bravo, while Javier’s performance was centered on his identity as a person of color who is also queer and from Puerto Rico, and what it is like to shed the labels and hurt that others force upon us, while also exploring the complicity of the audience in the perpetuation of oppression.

Three days of the program has passed, and already it seems like we have been here for a month, and I mean that in absolutely the best way. I am looking forward to continued growth, to performing with our teachers in the festival of San Sebastián at the end of next week, and to further supporting our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters.

Until next time.

Signing off.

Daniel Leeman Smith

NOTE: Videos are posted below with captions.

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Above: Students participate in a partnering and weight sharing exercise led by Alejandra.

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Above: Student Daniel Leeman Smith explores character through body and mask work.

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Above: Aaron explores the mask and counter mask of one of Deborah’s creations.

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Above: Group 1 performs the impossible task of “jumping into the clouds and never coming down.”

Below: Group 2 performs the impossible task of “sleeping on a cloud.”

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littleharpethcrossfit · 2 years

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Saturday, 19 February Warmup.....Power Clean + Squat Clean Thruster.....10 Round WOD.

Bright and Sunny. That’s the good part. Temp in the mid 30′s and slightly breezy. That’s the not so good part. Yet, a great group came to play.

The Admiral started us off with some mobility/ flexibility moves.

Warmup:

25 Reps Each

All Together With A Leader.

Average Dave was the leader for the Pushups,

and Chase led the Squats.

Synchronized Pushups

Synchronized Squats

Strength WOD:

1 Power Clean Followed By 1 Squat Clean Thruster

E 2 M O M For 12 Minutes ( 6 Complexes )

Shane=205 Armando/Chase=185 Timmy=145 Dana=125 Smoothie/Dyer=115 Coach/Linda/Sue=75 Shannon/Angel=65 Sandy=55

Rodney/Warren A/Annie/Kati/Lew/Tom/Joe/Zac/

Average Dave/Nathan=either skipped, was late, or didn’t post.

Metabolic Conditioner:

10 Rounds

4 Shoulder To Overheads ( E-115 / 95 / 65 )

6 Single DB Box Step-Ups ( 24 / 20 ) ( E-50 / 30 / 20 )

8 Burpees

(E-15 / 12 / 10 ) Calories Any ERG

Elite:

Shane=25:51+ Dana=26:46 Armando=27:30 Chase=30:11 Average Dave=30:25 Timmy=32:32 Kati=35:00

RXers:

Annie=27:35 (Kids RX) Zac=31:02 Lew=33:21 Warren A=34:02

Scalers:

Sue=28:21 Linda=30:34 Rodney=30:40 Coach/Old Joe=31:30 Angela=33:13 Shannon=34:10 Angel=35:16 Tom=37:30 Sandy=42:22 Nathan=DNF

Notes:

We suffered a 15 minute delay in the action this morning as we felt it necessary to explain to everyone Miss Sandy’s recent successes at her work place. She’s pretty slick, hood-winking her Nephrologist’s into coughing up a fat raise, more vacation, and other un-named benefits. Now I have to get her to pay some attention to my son, who needs a motherly woman who earns a good living.

Robert is out of town. I know you noticed, but were afraid to say anything. He is in Scottsdale, staying at the fancy Camelback Resort, likely putting it on the Basic Sport’s Network Gold Card. He is dropping in at Camelback CrossFit, where he will be teaching their coach’s all his many secret CrossFit Kung-Fu moves. Lordy how I would love to be the old “fly on the wall” at Camelback CrossFit. Maggie Glassman trains there, but unfortunately they are not in town. I checked. I wanted her to get a load of Butler.

A sweet looking couple visited from the Arboretum after you guys had left. Since I’m not an adequate Coach for the competitive youngsters, I must always be on the lookout for prospective athletes in my age group. Chicago retiree’s, I told them they would feel right at home speaking their Polish accented Yankee-talk with some of our members. Yes, Robert, they are on Medicare. And no, Robert, I forgot to give them the anticipatory LHCF T-shirt. But they did get the tour and the official invitation.

Apparently the secret is out that we have a secret unscheduled workout every weekend morning at 0730. It started with just me and Miss Linda enjoying a conjugal workout, and then others sneaked in like ants to a picnic. We had 9 this morning. Now you know.

Did we fire Brendan or did he quit on his own? It it true that Brendan got a scholarship to CrossFit Nashville? Does Shane get his feelings hurt when I call Armando “The Admiral”?? Is Robert going to compete as a woman in the CrossFit Games? What color will his wig be? Will that put him head-to-head with Dr. Strnad?? Does anybody ever read this blog? I worry about such things.

Sunday at 1 PM.

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auburnfamilynews · 7 years

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The Tigers had some sensational throwers on hand, including Sean White during warmups!

(All photos by Acid Reign)

War Eagle, everybody! It’s time now for the Acid Reign Report on Auburn’s 2017 A-Day game. I’ve been to a number of these spring shindigs over the years, and I really think this last one was the best I’ve seen! There was much to like, and some of the things in recent years that I did not like disappeared. Reports that Auburn would throw the ball more and better are definitely true! I also loved a starting Auburn defense that limited the second unit to just 3 yards per play in the first half.

This year, I think I had the best seat in the house. I lined up before the stadium opened in an express line and was one of the first dozen or so let in at 11:00 AM. I made a bee line for the 50-yard line and got a seat right over the tunnel. This meant no spectators in front of me and a railing to rest my camera on. I hope readers enjoy the shots I got!

One of the main complaints one hears about A-Day is vanilla schemes. While there wasn’t a ton of razzle dazzle, the offense didn’t shy away from running combination routes and slinging the ball around. The defenses did some blitzing, particularly in the second half. Coach Kevin Steele really sent the house after the young quarterbacks at times, and it was fun to see how they reacted. While most folks are raving about all of the deep throws, I saw a well-executed short- to medium-range game plan as well.

Stidham finds Hastings underneath. Opposing defenses are going to get sick of seeing this!

I was also extremely pleased with the short-yardage game. Auburn has blown a lot of games in recent years by not picking up the first down and settling for the field goal. At A-Day this year, things changed. On 3rd and 1 or 2, in came both Jalen Harris and Chandler Cox. They lined up together next to right tackle Braden Smith, and the handoff was unstoppable, even with little running backs like C. J. Tolbert and Kam Martin toting the rock. I was very much reminded of the late 2013 triumvirate of Robinson, Prosch and Tre Mason.

I complained bitterly last season about Auburn’s route drills and how the receivers had to stop for the quarterback to target them. Those drills were gone, this year. There was a real emphasis on hitting guys in stride during warmups. We saw some great 7-on-7 drills where everyone was running full-out on their routes. I liked very much that the defensive backs were out there at the same time, and everyone was competing. I don’t think a skeleton drill has nearly as much benefit.

Auburn is going to be nasty in the front seven, once again. And, they will likely be deeper than last season. The second unit even had success at times limiting the starting offense on the ground. The second offense got nothing done on the ground against the top unit. Both defenses surrendered passing yardage, and frankly the second unit was porous. Every quarterback that played was mobile in the pocket and able to avoid rushers. I don’t think Auburn has ever had 4 guys at quarterback that can run!

I do worry about the second unit secondary. A top defensive priority in the coming months has to be to develop some depth. Much ado was made about a lack of safety depth in pregame stories, but cornerback play was the real problem on A-Day. Nate Craig-Myers and Darius Slayton got behind them, repeatedly. It was left for safeties Nick Ruffin and Michael Sherwood to clean up loose receivers, usually well after the damage was done.

I was worried during warmups when the only punter I saw working was Daniel Carlson. Was Ian Shannon hurt, or in the doghouse? It turned out that Shannon was attending a family funeral. Our condolences to him and his family. I was looking forward to seeing Shannon punt. He has looked good in the past couple of A-Day warmups.

I got a big kick out of the new field goal net in the north end zone. I’m really not sure why it was installed. Are visiting fans stealing footballs? Or is it a liability issue if some fan gets clobbered? I watched Daniel Carlson practice kicking field goals, and nearly every one of his attempts went over the net. It wasn’t till Carlson made a field goal from 45 yards that the ball hit the net. What a waste of money! The net is also, quite frankly, an eyesore.

Unit observations after the jump!

As mentioned above, the starting defensive line is going to be nasty. Dontavius Russell and Derrick Brown started at tackle spots, and folks, that’s about 650 pounds worth of mean muscle for interior lines to have to deal with. Then, you’ve got Marlon Davidson as the strongside end, and he was able to flat out dominate any tackle he went up against. Buck end is still a work in progress, I think with Jeffery Holland and Paul James, III we’ll be solid there. Holland played only limited minutes, and James got a chance to make some plays. There is quality depth all the way across this unit, as well.

Malik Willis has only taken a 3-step drop, and the pocket has already collapsed!

Quality linebacker play went more than two deep, especially against the run. Handling short passes wasn’t as good, particularly the play of the backups. Deshaun Davis has the look of an All-SEC player now. Tré Williams was a force out there as well, and he nearly came up with an interception. The starting unit really did a good job on the edge, stringing runners out for nothing on sweeps.

I thought the starting secondary played pretty well. They were only allowed a couple of base coverages, and the White team had the route concepts to test them, so some catches were made on them. However, the guys still did a good job of turning catches into incomplete balls by jarring the ball loose. There was one play when Carlton Davis and Tray Matthews collided with one of Auburn’s young receivers, and I was afraid he wasn’t going to be able to get back up! Jeremiah Dinson played well at the nickel spot, too. He appeared to injure a hand in the first half, and I was worried that his long return to action was going to be over too quickly. Dinson shook it off and got back in the game.

Daniel Carlson was the story of the day on special teams. I think he missed all of one kick in warmups. He hit an upright during the game on one attempt, but it bounced through for the points. It was amazing watching him hit that 60-yard pressure kick at the end with the whole team surrounding him and yelling.

Mr. Automatic. What an amazing weapon!

There was some mixing and matching at times on the offensive line, but basically the starting lineup featured Austin Golson at center, Mike Horton and Kaleb Kim at guards, and Braden Smith and Darius James at tackles. About the only thing to complain about regarding the starters was a holding call on Mike Horton. Braden Smith is going to be a nightmare for SEC defensive ends. The backups are still a work in progress. They had their difficulties going up against a good defensive line.

As mentioned above, I liked what our starting H-back and tight end did. Jalen Harris looks the part of an SEC tight end and had several passes thrown to him. We also saw a lot of newcomer, Sal Cannella, but not much with him in tight. Auburn lined him up wide and mostly used him as a blocker for quick screens. Cannella did a nice job with that and also caught a contested slant pass for a 15-yard gain. I guess the backup I saw in this spot with the most playing time was Robert Muschamp.

Sal Cannella (80) can lock ’em up!

I saw a few drops during warmups by the receivers and a couple of bobbles during the game. As much as Auburn threw the ball this game, that’s going to happen. There were some great catches, too. Nate Craig Myers had the best one, late in the game down the southeast sideline. He was well covered, but shielded the DB off and snatched the ball in at a bad angle. Having Craig-Myers and Darius Slayton to either side creates a problem for secondaries. They either have to be given a cushion, or safeties have to be committed to help out. I really enjoyed the TD catch by Marquis McClain. He caught a medium-range pass over the middle, shook off a would-be tackler, and was off to the races. It was really a nice display of running ability and using his blockers. I liked the use of Will Hastings as a thorn in the linebackers’ sides, too. I did not like the fumble, though.

Color me disappointed not to see Kamryn Pettway nor much of Kerryon Johnson, who went out with a twisted ankle. I liked the play of the backup runners, if not the one fumble by Kam Martin. Auburn seemed to be able to get these guys open on flare routes at will. I liked the running of C. J. Tolbert. He’s got a burst and a knack for picking out the tough yards. We didn’t see as much of Malik Miller, but he was a wrecking ball when he was given carries. It’s nice to see him back in action!

To say I was pleased by the quarterback play is an understatement. Jarrett Stidham had a great day. For the most part, he hit receivers in stride and threw masterfully into some tight windows. He’s also quite mobile. I’ve seen some commentators whining about the missed fade route to a wide-open Jason Smith. My take was that it’s a timing route, and Smith was jammed pretty hard at the line. Smith broke free, but the QB has to release the ball on that play before he knows for sure. A fade route is a gamble. It is thrown up, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

It has been proven pretty convincingly the past two seasons, that this offense can go into the toilet pretty quickly if the starting quarterback doesn’t pan out or gets hurt. I think Auburn has at least 3 viable options this season, which is a huge relief to me. Freshman Malik Willis looked great at times but stuffed a couple of balls into ill-advised spots. I really enjoyed seeing scout team quarterback Devin Adams get a long touchdown pass! I didn’t see enough of Woody Barrett to judge. He hit a couple of crisp passes, then took a bad sack, and didn’t get back in the game. I enjoyed watching Sean White throw during warmups. He can still find the open man and get it there accurately.

It was a fine A-Day all the way around. My only regret is that I didn’t bring either my hat or the right sunblock. I had a bottle of Bullfrog Mosquito Coast and reapplied it several times during the game. It wasn’t enough at 30 SPF to combat a cloudless Jordan-Hare sun! I’m a little cooked today!

We saw some different entertainment, this year. A girls’ flag football championship was played very early, and that was a lot of fun to watch! No pads, no helmets, and there was some brutal blocking going on at the line of scrimmage. Those girls are TOUGH! Congrats to the winning team, “Try ‘n’ Beat Us.” There was a cornhole bout. Then at halftime, we got to see a baby race. The most entertaining thing was the presentation on Auburn’s All Americans. Those are some awesome Auburn guys! The loudest applause went to Chris Davis! The kick-six lives on!

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