#this is a very long post. hope y'all have that shorten long posts thing on

[doctorbrown]

I have a lot of thoughts about Doc & Marty and their time in the 1985A timeline tbh. We get to see a lot of Marty's time in that timeline (obviously) but almost none of Doc's besides when he shows up at Oak Park Cemetery and when he shows up again to save Marty on the roof of the Pleasure Paradise.

And despite the fact that Doc never shares what he saw during his own investigation nor his complete thoughts on the situation behind the obvious and pressing, we get told so much with so little, especially as they're preparing to leave Hell Valley for 1955 again.

In the DeLorean, when Marty asks what if we don't succeed, you can see it on Doc's face even before he says anything. Failure's not an option because he knows what's going to happen if they screw this up; this will be his reality when the time bubble bursts and they'll lose any and all chance of making things right if that happens.

"What if we don't succeed?"

"We must succeed."

And that's that. No consideration for the what-if, no room for doubt or misinterpretation. They might only get that one trip to the past to do it and there's no exact science behind how quickly the timeline will move to correct itself in situations like this. Marty had a week after nearly erasing himself from existence after screwing up his parents' meeting and they barely made it. They might only have a few hours. They could have three days. They just can't risk it.

Doc's normally a very expressive individual, but you don't often see or hear the genuine fear in his voice the same way you do in this interaction. Concern, sure, confusion and excitement and surprise and bewilderment, absolutely, but he's never visibly this rattled. He's clearly in a rush, more so than usual. He'd normally never leave behind someone in another time, certainly not Jen or Einie, but there's simply no time to waste and he's banking on that, their success.

Like, Biff's an idiot, sure, (at least when it comes to book smarts; he's clearly street smart) but we also know he's manipulative, vindictive, and self-serving and if he's got it in his head that Doc's going to be a threat to his empire and the ruse he's been keeping up for decades, he'll do whatever it takes.

So what did Doc actually see while in this timeline? I've got my own personal headcanons about this and I imagine everything he saw just got progressively worse and worse. This won't be an exhaustive list, just some of my thoughts particular to how I see the timeline and what I'd write as a sequence of events happening behind the scenes.

Doc's first order of business is a disguise—he doesn't yet know what's happened to him in this timeline or where he is and he's certain his name will be as well-known here as it was back home; he can't run the risk of someone finding out his identity and asking questions. He's not proud of it, but haste and urgency prompts him to steal the clothes.

He wants to go visit his own home, but without the assurance that his counterpart won't be there, he decides to make for the library instead, after spending a little time inspecting what Hill Valley has turned into. The degradation, vandalism, chaos, and obvious neglect causes the hair on his arms to stand on end and he's suddenly extremely worried about driving the time machine around so openly, hover conversion be damned. He stashes the DeLorean in the garage of an abandoned, dilapidated old home and shuts the door, believing it will be safer in there than him trying to drive it around and attract attention to himself.

Breaking into the library is easy enough. Windows are smashed, it has been boarded up and left to decay with a graffiti-laden sign proudly announcing this to be the newest location for another BiffCo addition; nobody's around to see him go in and so he helps himself. He's in the library a few hours sorting through all the disarray, but he finds several noteworthy articles: Biff's highly suspicious, meteoric rise to fame and fortune, his buying out of Hill Valley, reports of crime on the rise and the police abandoning the population, George McFly's death, Lorraine's marriage to Biff, the police having to close the case on the murder of George McFly several months later due to 'no leads', BiffCo purchasing Lone Pine Mall, the ongoing hunt for the group looking to topple the Tannen Empire, detailing the most recent siphoning of electricity and other resources, the list continues. Doc gets a clearer and clearer picture of what Biff has done to Hill Valley since his older self went back in time to give him the sports almanac.

Then he finds articles about himself—several—with the most recent and most damning being '83's front-page declaration that he has finally been committed indefinitely at the County Asylum and is filled with an icy dread. Now armed with the chilling knowledge that there's no possible way he can run into his alternate self, Doc retrieves the DeLorean and hurries off to 'his' home.

The lab is beyond saving and Doc spends a considerable amount of time rooting through all his upturned belongings, looking for any further clues or hints his alternate may have left behind, namely in the form of journals or audio recordings. Thinking where would I hide something if I was being targeted by a madman? Doc eventually manages to find some of the writings his alternate had left behind. Much of it was weather-damaged and heavily redacted, especially the parts detailing any of the specifics of time-travel, but Doc was able to glean enough of the story of the life his counterpart had lived.

The time machine was never completed due to power constraints, a shifted timeframe, and Biff and the authorities constantly hounding him. Alternate Doc had started growing suspicious of Biff after his third consecutive big sports win and began to suspect foul play via time-travel, thus fuelling his desire to complete his own research to do some investigation of his own. Something had always felt off. He'd been siphoning power on the down-low to keep his experiments going, never able to achieve the 1.21 gigawatts of power he needed for proper time travel. He could manage a few hours at best with this small amount of power, but that wouldn't do. He'd never gotten his hands on a DeLorean; his time travel device more closely resembles Doc's own early prototype for travelling through time, the TFC. The authorities began harassing him more and more, especially as protests against Biff began to pick up. He had secretly encouraged and even supported those with sense enough to stand up against Biff and his perverting corruption. His final unredacted entry was a short, cryptic line: It's safe.

Doc's an hour early to Oak Park Cemetery once he finally collects himself and he's waiting around with Einie, talking to him and trying to process everything he's just learned. What he'll tell Marty. He opts to keep everything but the most pertinent information a secret. It's only when he hears Marty screaming at George's grave that he knows he's there and makes his presence known.

When Marty goes back to the Pleasure Paradise to confront Biff, Doc uses the time to, against his better judgment drive to the County Asylum, where he's supposedly been locked up. Still in disguise and posing as a relative of his, he walks up to the check-in desk and inquires after himself, one Doctor Emmett L. Brown and receives news that he's in no shape to meet anyone, as he's currently in recovery. Doc hurries out.

Marty dies. He resolves never to speak of this to the boy so long as he lives, but the very first time, he's too late to be there to save him during his confrontation with Biff. Doc is frozen over the body of his friend while the world fades out around him and it takes a while for him to come to his senses enough to get back into the DeLorean and prevent this tragedy from ever happening. At that moment, he doesn't care that a crowd of people sees the time machine take off in flight; they won't remember in a minute anyway.

Anyway, long post over—these are some of the major thoughts I've got about this timeline.

[mandos-mind-trick]

The Wolf Pup

Summary: It’s no secret within the 104th that the stern Commander is soft for the Pack’s so-called Wolf Pup. After a close call on a combined mission with the 501st, Wolffe takes it upon himself to remind her they'll always be there for her, no matter what.

Pairing: Wolffe & Padawan!OC (entirely platonic)

Warnings: Substantial injuries, violence, blood, panic attacks, fluff, soft!Wolffe, whump cause I like torturing my characters.

A/N: So this was originally going to be part of a whump series that I was going to write and never got around to. I was actually going to post something else with these characters but then I was like...wait. Y'all have no clue who Lexa is so I'm posting this one first.

Some background:

Lexa is Plo Koon's padawan. She's a Twi'lek, around 16 years old when this happens in the timeline. She's a year or two older than Ahsoka, and of course they're like BFFs naturally. Lexa is a shortened version of her name cause she has a traditional Twi'leki name that's very hard for non-native speakers to pronounce so she goes by Lexa. She has light purple skin (Cause I can) with darker purple spots (like think Kit Fisto's spots in the CW show but all over her body) and our girl is tall. Like she almost be looking the clones in the eyes. (I swear I'm going to learn how to draw eventually so I can properly portray my OCs.)

MASTERLIST

Her body aches. 

It’s the first thing she notices when she wakes. 

She feels like she’s been hit by a speeder. Her head is throbbing, something trickling down the side of her face. Her arm is throbbing, a deep painful throb that only means one thing. It’s likely broken. She opens her eyes, fear beginning to well inside her. 

She can’t see. 

She presses her hand to her face, not feeling anything covering it. She still can’t see anything. She reaches for her hip, feeling along her side until she hits her belt. She trails her fingers along it until she hits metal. She breaths a short sigh of relief, wrapping her hand around her lightsaber. She ignites it, glad to see its familiar green glow in the light of the cave. 

It is a cave she’s in. She can’t see anything but darkness above her. No sign of daylight. The only other explanation could be that it’s nighttime, but she doesn’t think she’s been unconscious that long. 

It had been morning when they’d attacked. 

They were trying to prevent a droid battalion from setting up a base on this remote planet. If they got their communication tower online, it would cut off one half the Republic Army from the other. 

Master Plo and Master Skywalker had taken half the army one way, and she and Ahsoka had led the other half the other way. Things had looked like they were going well, until something had caused the ground to shake and it had opened practically under her and Ahsoka’s feet. 

Ahsoka. 

She pushes herself to stand, breathing through the pain. She does a quick scan with the force, feeling every bruise, nick, and cut. Her left arm is broken, likely from her landing. She disengages her lightsaber, engaging the com in her vambrace. 

“Master Plo?” Her voice is weak and shaky, her heart thrumming in her chest. 

Nothing but static. 

She tries again, getting the same result. 

Had their mission failed and the droids powered up the communication tower? Or had the fall damaged her comm? It was possible, as she had landed on her left side. 

Ahsoka was her only hope, that her comm was still working. 

“Ahsoka?” She calls into the darkness, hearing nothing but her own voice echoing. 

She reaches out with the force, feeling for Ahsoka as she shines her lightsaber along the ground. She shouldn’t be too far. They were close enough they both were swallowed up by the crack in the ground. 

She feels something, a weak pulse in the force a few feet ahead of her. She moves carefully, not wanting to trip over any rocks. That must be why she hurts. The ground is very uneven with many large rocks sticking out. 

The air leaves her lungs when she finds Ahsoka. 

She’s fallen on a small pile of rocks, her body bent over the beak. She’s still, having been knocked unconscious in the fall. For a moment Lexa thinks she’s dead, but she can feel the weak force signature still. She can heal her. Lexa was always good at using the Force to heal. 

First, she needs to get her down though. 

Lexa’s left arm is throbbing painfully. She’d need to fix that before she can help Ahsoka. She focuses the force, knitting the bone back together. She nearly passes out when she’s done, both from the pain and the exertion. She forces herself onward, though, knowing she needs to help Ahsoka. 

She uses the force, carefully lifting her body from the rocks, lowering her down to the small divot where she’s standing. She kneels next to Ahsoka, looking over her with the light of her saber. She doesn’t look hurt, but she knows she could be fatally wounded internally. 

She grabs Ahsoka’s comm, calling out to her master once more. 

Again, nothing but static. 

“Master Skywalker?” She tries, getting nothing but static again. “Wolffe?” She whimpers, panic beginning to settle in as realization dawns on her. “Captain Rex?” 

Nothing but static. 

Tears run down her cheeks as she begins to panic. She tugs at her lekku, a nervous habit she had yet to break. They’re entirely alone in this huge cavern with no discernable way out, and no way of contacting anyone. They at least knew they were missing above. Someone had to see them fall. This cave system could be huge. How were they going to find them? 

She’s hyperventilating, losing herself to her panic as she shines her lightsaber in both directions. The light disappears into darkness both ways. Which way would she even go? She can’t carry Ahsoka. 

She curses, slamming her fist against one of the rocks. 

She needs to get a hold of herself. 

First she needs to check Ahsoka, and try to heal as much as she can. Then she can worry about trying to find a way out. She’s not going to let Ahsoka die. Ahsoka is like a sister to her, and she’s not going to let anything happen to her. She had promised Master Plo. 

Lexa closes her eyes, taking deep breaths. She centers herself in the force, pushing down the fear and the panic threatening to take over. She can do this. She can be stronger than her fear. 

She puts a hand on Ahsoka’s stomach, focusing the force through her. She holds on as long as she can, healing as much as she can. 

She nearly blacks out, her body falling limp from exhaustion. There’s a headache thumping in her forehead, slowly getting stronger. She’s overdone it, but at least Ahsoka won’t die from her injuries. 

She wraps an arm around the young Togruta, pulling her close. She needs a nap. Just a short one. Maybe she’d wake up and they’d be rescued already. 

**

She wakes in the cave. It’s cold, her body already shivering. She curses, scooting closer to Ahsoka. She wraps her arms around the Togruta, holding her close to try and share any warmth they have left. She reaches for the comm, calling out again but once more, there’s nothing but static. 

She grabs her lightsaber, igniting it. The ground glitters with frost, her breath visible in the darkness, and so is Ahsoka’s. She’s shivering as well. It’s cold. Very cold. It must be night now, or at least close to it. She doesn’t want to think about it getting colder. Neither of them will make it. 

Lexa closes her eyes, reaching out in the force, trying to feel anything that might be close. She doesn’t get far, already feeling the exhaustion pulling at her once more. She can’t exhaust herself completely. Ahsoka needs her, and she couldn’t possibly get them out of here if she’s too exhausted to move. 

Lexa forces herself awake, trying to keep them from freezing to death, too. 

It’s a long and miserable night. 

Lexa is starting to feel the effects of her hunger and thirst by morning. She hasn’t eaten in almost a full day, and she’s beginning to feel it. Expending her energy using the force isn’t helping either, but she has to keep healing Ahsoka. Even if it’s foolish, she refuses to let her die when there is a chance. 

She also continues trying to reach someone on the comms, but she has no luck. 

Until that luck changes. 

It’s a garbled signal, barely audible but she hears it. 

“Master Plo?” She asks, listening to the static. 

More broken voices. It’s not her master. Those are clone voices. 

“Wolffe?” She asks. “Anyone? Can you hear me?” 

It’s quiet for a few moments and she rises to her feet. Maybe if she moved somewhere else in the cave, she’d get a better signal. 

She uses her lightsaber as she walks, pausing every time she hears a sound other than static from the comm. 

“Ahsoka, come in.” 

Master Skywalker. She’s never been so happy to hear another voice, pressing the button on the comm to reply when something swoops down out of the sky, hitting her. The comm link drops from her hand, her body falling back against the rocks. 

She gasps as the air is knocked from her lungs, the attack taking her by surprise. She pushes herself to her feet, shining her lightsaber to try and see what it was. Something swoops at her again, but she ducks just barely getting grazed by it. Whatever it is, it’s very big. 

She’s panicking again. What if there’s more than one? What if they find Ahsoka? Why were they now just attacking? 

She doesn't see it until it’s right on her, talons sinking into her chest as she’s lifted off her feet. She just manages to hold onto her lightsaber as she’s lifted into the air. She can feel skin tearing as the creature holds onto her, blood soaking her robes. She swings her lightsaber at it, catching one of its wings. It hisses out a horrible scream and she readjusts, slicing its feet with her saber. 

It’s a good move, until she’s falling. 

She braces herself for impact once more, only to hit water. It’s shockingly cold, almost stealing the breath from her lungs. She pushes herself to the surface, choking in a breath. Something glides along the water and she ducks down, holding herself under as the creature passes overhead. She keeps herself under until her lungs scream, pushing herself to the top. 

She takes in a big gulp of air, looking around. There’s no sign of the creature. She hopes it’s not because it’s found Ahsoka. 

She drags herself out of the water. She’s shivering, the water icy cold. She’s not going to survive another night with wet clothes. 

She also doesn’t know where Ahsoka is. 

“Help!” She screams, uncaring if it draws the creature, or more of them to her. She’s desperate. She’s lost Ahsoka, she’s soaking wet, and she's going to freeze to death. They both were, if she doesn’t get help. 

She continues screaming until her voice is hoarse, walking around the cavern in the direction she thinks Ahsoka is. She finally finds her again, dropping to her knees on the rocks. This is it. She’s going to die. They both are. She’s failed Ahsoka, and she’s failed her master. 

There’s a loud sound from somewhere above, rocks falling from the roof, clattering on the ground. Bright light suddenly fills the cavern, Lexa holding her arm up at the painful intrusion. 

“Help!” She screams again, putting everything she can into it. She falls back, nearly crying as clone troopers begin dropping into the hole using jetpacks. “We did it.” She breathes, huddling next to Ahsoka. “We’re saved.”

She does begin crying as Wolffe runs up to her, falling to his knees next to her. 

“Wolffe.” She whimpers, squeezing her eyes closed as his fingers prod at the wounds on her chest.

“Easy, ad’ika.” He says, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s get you two out of here.” 

****

Lexa can’t sleep. She’d been freed from the med bay a few hours ago. Ahsoka was alright, making a full recovery thanks to her. Master Skywalker had already expressed his gratitude for what Lexa had done. Master Plo was proud of her and her bravery, even if she didn’t quite feel like she deserved it. 

She wanders the halls, something she does when she can’t sleep. She’d tried meditating already, but her mind is loud with memories of the last couple days. She holds the ends of her lekku in her hands as she walks, tugging on them absentmindedly. It’s a bad habit, it really is, but she’s never been able to break it. 

She nearly walks into a body, a hand reaching out to steady her. She blinks up at Wolffe, meeting the Commander’s naturally stern stare. It softens just a bit as he looks at her, his hand falling from her shoulder. “Sorry, Wolffe.” She says, dropping her hands from her lekku. 

“Careful, ad’ika.” He says. “You just got out of the med bay. Hate to see you have to go back.” 

She makes a face, scrunching her nose. “I hate that place. It smells bad.” 

A small smile tugs at the corners of Wolffe’s mouth. “What are you doing up so late?” 

“Just walking.” She answers simply. 

“Just walking.” He repeats, raising his eyebrows. He’s known her long enough to know when she’s hiding something. She’s good at hiding her emotions from her voice and her words, but her body language gave everything away if you knew what to look for. The subtle shake of her lekku, the little frown pinched between her brows, the tenseness in her shoulders, the way her hands can’t stay still. Wolffe can read her like a holonovel. 

“Well, it’s been a long couple days...” She shrugs, avoiding his gaze. Another sign something’s up. “Lots to think about.” 

“It has been a long couple days.” He says. “You should be resting.”

“Easier said than done.” She murmurs. 

“Come on.” He puts a hand on her back, starting to walk her back towards the barracks. 

It’s no secret within the 104th that the stern Commander is soft for the Pack’s so-called Wolf Pup. She’d wormed her way into their ranks and their hearts not long after the General allowed her to accompany them on missions. She already knew some of their names, and the others she learned quickly. She’s just as kind and caring as her master, and was not afraid to jump in to save one of them on the battlefield if she could. 

The boys loved their little pup as much as they loved their General. The absolute fear they’d felt when they’d been helpless to watch both her and Ahsoka disappear during the earthquake. Boost had been smart to mark the area as they marched on, forced to leave the two padawans behind. They had to get to the base before it could begin broadcasting, and that meant leaving the two padawans and hope they survived long enough for them to return. 

Wolffe had been terrified of what they might find when they finally broke through the thick crust of the planet. It was a long drop into the cave, and he’d thought the worst until he’d heard her screaming. It had broken his heart, how scared she looked, how much blood she had been covered in. Both padawans had lived, thanks to his little pup’s bravery and determination. 

He steers her towards his own barracks, her mind so distracted she doesn’t even notice until the door opens. He’s glad the others are still mostly dressed, not having thought that through very well. He nudges her inside, the others greeting her. Boost and Sinker squish her between them in a hug, their normal greeting for her outside of more formal instances. 

Her muffled voice sounds from between them and they release her, letting her take a deep breath in. The others greet her, despite having seen her only a couple hours ago upon her release from the med bay. 

“Boys,” Wolffe addresses them, setting his helmet on someone’s bed. “I think our ad’ika needs a cuddle pile.” 

They share looks before they all begin moving, grabbing blankets and pillows. Wolffe steers Lexa to the open space against the far wall, sitting down on the floor. He catches a pillow tossed at him, setting it in his lap before tugging her down. She rests her head against the pillow, the others arranging blankets and pillows around them. They all settle in, surrounding their pup with warmth and comfort. 

Wolffe gently massages the space between her lekku, her body practically melting into the floor. He’s not good with comforting words, not like the General, but he can offer her this kind of comfort. Remind her she’s not alone, that they would always be there for her. They would never leave her behind, no matter the odds. He can imagine the kind of fear she had felt, and he hates he couldn’t be there to protect her from it. 

All he can do now is remind her that it’s over, that she’s tucked in safely with her pack.

Taglist: (I know more of you have asked to be on my everything taglist but I was dumb and forgot to mark people so if I have forgotten you please let me know 🫣)

@bobaprint, @star-trekker-0013, @rosechi

[bubbleweirdo]

Alegría

Chapter: 5/?

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Summary: A wild night for Joy.

Words: 2.917

Main relationship: Javier Escuella/OC

Other relationships: Charles Smith/OC, Arthur Morgan/OC

Characters: Van der Linde gang

Author's note: Hi, I'm back... For now, at least lmao

While trying to write chapter 6 I realized I never posted chapter 5 and that... maybe... it was time to do it................. Anyways, hope y'all find it enjoyable!

The same day she and Javier returned from the stage robbery, Dutch arrived at night with a boy riding behind him. Joy was on duty when The Count appeared with the two men on top of him. After greeting her, Dutch took him to the entrance of the camp, where they both dismounted. She followed them with her eyes curiously, but immediately focused back on her task. However she could hear from where she was how Dutch presented him to the others: Leonard Summers -“But you can call me Lenny!”-.

The next day after lunch, Dutch called her to his tent, where the newcomer was too.

“Miss Joy, would you be so kind as to take Mr. Summers into town? And by the way help him choose a good mount, I know you have an eye for it.” He asked with a charismatic smile.

“Sure, why not?” She replied looking at the guy. “Let’s go?”

“Uh, sure, let’s go.” He said with a kind smile.

Joy walked over to where the horses were grazing looking for Berry, who was rubbing her head against the body of Old Belle, Karen's mare. Before guiding her to the beginning of the road, she walked over to the Nokota and patted her on the neck. Once there she mounted and held out her hand to Lenny, which helped him up.

They trotted through the grove that led to the main road and headed for the town.

“And what has Dutch seen in you, Mr. Summers?”

“He saw me running away from bounty hunters and helped me avoid them. After that we talked, and well, here I am I guess.”

“Sounds like Dutch.” She chuckled.

“I’m very grateful. Since I was fifteen I’ve been alone, running from one place to another.”

“How old are you now?”

“Eighteen.”

Joy turned her head and looked at him, incredulous. It had seemed to her that he was at least twenty, like Sean or Mary-Beth.

“What?! That young?! I thought you were older.”

Lenny laughed out loud.

“That flatters me.”

“Now I feel like I'm babysitting.” She said playfully.

“That’s rude Miss Joy!” She burst out laughing and kept teasing him along the way. He was complaining but seemed to be having fun too. They arrived at the town stable and asked the stable keeper to show them his horses for sale. After taking a look at each one, Joy selected two: a grey Kentucky Saddler and a palomino Mustang.

“These babies are in great shape and look pretty sweet.” She said, stroking the face of the first. “I think you could use a horse like that, affable.”

He watched them both thoughtfully.

“I think I will keep this one.” He decided, pointing to the Mustang. The man nodded and while he went to look for the mare's documents his assistant began to prepare her to saddle and bridle her. When he returned, she was ready and Joy paid the corresponding amount while Lenny kept the papers.

“What are you gonna call her?” She asked once they were out.

“Maggie, I think.”

“Suits her. As sweet as her.” She smiled.

“Will you accompany me to the general store? I want to buy chewing tobacco. Then we can have a drink. He said walking towards the establishment.

“Okay!” The two of them entered the store and while Lenny picked up the box, Joy peered through the products. A fishing rod caught her attention. It looked consistent and was definitely in a better condition than the one Tommy used. He didn't complain about it but many times when she accompanied him to fish she could see how the reel wasn’t working exactly as it should. She remembered that it would be his birthday soon, maybe she could give him one. She had enough money to afford some of the more expensive ones but she didn't have much idea of which one would fit her brother better so she decided that she would ask Javier to accompany her when she went to buy it, he had more idea about that.

Lenny paid and they both headed for the saloon. There were quite a few people and a man played a happy tune on the piano. They ordered their drinks and sat at a table to talk.

“So you like horses?” He asked her, drinking from his glass.

“Yeah. My family used to have quite a few, we would sell them at Valentine's and Strawberry's stables, but when my parents passed away I couldn't deal with so many anymore so we just kept Berry. What do you like?”

“Reading, I guess. A lot of things can be learned.” Joy rested her chin on her hand.

“I envy you. I know how to read but it’s so boring…”

“That's because you haven't found one that you like.”

“Maybe. My mother started buying me romance novels when I was twelve and let me tell you, they were tedious. At first they were fine but when I grew up I realized that they were just absurd fantasies.”

“I heard they’re quite corny.” He commented.

“They are.” She huffed. “I suppose I am resentful because they put an idea in your head about what love is that in the end doesn’t match reality...” She took a drink from her whiskey.

“Hadn’t thought of that. Not that I have read any.” Lenny said with a shrug.

They continued talking for another couple of hours, they had gotten along well. Then Joy realized that a girl who was leaning against the wall behind Lenny kept looking at him. She was young, perhaps of his age, and had her brown hair half tied. It was clear from her gaze that she wasn’t exclusively interested in the money she could get out of him. She probably hadn't tried anything because Joy was there. She leaned across the table to whisper to him.

“Pssst. Pretty girl interested in you behind you.” He looked at her confused.

“What?”

“Good luck.” She rose from her seat and raised her voice enough that the girl could hear her well. “Sorry boy, I'm not interested in you, you're too young for me.” She sighed theatrically and walked away to the bar under the stunned gaze of her new friend. Out of the corner of her eye she could see how the girl sat in the seat that she had just left and began to talk to Lenny. He was nervous but she seemed to like that. After a while they both got up and went upstairs. Joy smiled to herself.

A man stood beside her at the bar. He was tall, because of how his clothes adapted to his body, he didn't seem very muscular, but neither was he untrained. His short black hair was slicked back but some strands fell on his forehead.

“Hello Miss.” He greeted her, fixing his green eyes on hers. Joy raised an eyebrow, amused. He was handsome.

“Hello Mister.”

“Can I invite you to a drink?”

“Sure. A whiskey for both of us.” She asked the waiter.

“I see that you have good taste.”

“So it seems.” She said raising the glass to her mouth without breaking eye contact.

“What would you say if after this you and I go somewhere else?” He asked doing the same. Joy almost choked on the question. Trying not to laugh, she replied.

“You are very direct, aren’t you?”

“I don't have time for games.” He said winking at her and shortening the space between them.

Normally going so fast would have been a reason to reject him, but it had been a long time since she had relationships and honestly? That man was very attractive. She drained the glass in one gulp and set it on the bar.

“Alright.” She agreed, walking out the back door of the saloon. There was nobody there. She turned to look at the man but he put her against the wall and kissed her passionately. She gasped when their tongues began to play with each other. He continued to kiss her neck, as he unbuttoned the buttons of her shirt and lifted the chemise, revealing her freckled breasts. He grabbed one eagerly and twisted her nipple, causing a moan in her. He pulled down her pants and bloomers and brought his mouth to her crotch. Joy sighed, anticipating the contact, but what she felt was... discomfort. The stranger used his tongue at full speed at her entrance, causing more discomfort than pleasure. She cursed in her mind, she had to stop him but she didn't want the meeting to end.

“Didn't you say you didn't have time for games? Fuck me!” She said between mock gasps.

“How rude. What do you say?” he replied, continuing whatever he was doing down there.

“Please! Please…!” -Please stop.-

“Well then…” He got up, quickly pulled down his pants, lifted Joy by the legs, and inserted his member into her. She welcomed him willingly, clutching at his shoulders as he rammed her faster and faster. The man, between grunts, pulled out to come. When he caught his breath, he lowered her to the ground and began putting on his clothes.

Joy followed suit, somewhat disappointed but not entirely dissatisfied. She wished she had an orgasm, but she had missed the feeling of being full of someone and had enjoyed it.

“It was good.” He commented.

“Yeah. Lucky that no one was here.” He smiled.

“Well, I’m leaving. Miss…” He said goodbye with two fingers to his forehead. She replied the same, amused and went back inside the establishment.

After an hour chatting with the bartender, she checked that Lenny was still with the girl -she asked her coworkers and also put her ear to the door of the room they were in to make sure- and decided that she wasn’t going to wait any longer for him, who knew when they would finish. Before riding Berry and heading back to camp, she stroked Maggie's neck. She couldn't help it, if she had a horse nearby she needed to pet them.

When she arrived Javier was on duty.

“Who’s there?”

“The joy of the house.” She answered dismounting.

“How come you are so late? And hadn't you go out with the newbie?”

“Oh, don’t worry, we went drinking and then we parted to have our own fun. And it seems he was having a greeeeeeat time.” She giggled and winked at him. Javier cleared his throat, uncomfortable. Weird. Normally he would joke back. Maybe he didn't like Lenny? “Anyway I was wondering if these days you could come with me to choose a fishing rod for Tommy, his birthday will be soon.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you!”

Once at camp Joy changed her clothes, putting on her nightgown and loosening her two braids to collect her hair back into one only. Going to her bedroll, she noticed that her brother was still awake.

“How come you're not asleep yet?” She asked lying down facing him.

“I was worried you weren't coming back.” Joy smiled bitterly.

“I'm sorry I worried you.”

“I know you can defend yourself but... I'm afraid something like what happened at home will happen again.” Tommy confessed, his eyes watered.

“Oh, Tommy, my boy…” She kissed his face and when she pulled away she started stroking his hair. “I love you, you know that, right?” He nodded.

“Me too.” Joy smiled.

“How about I sing you a lullaby to sleep?” He nodded again. She cleared her throat and started:

“Hush, little baby, don't say a word,

Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don't sing,

Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass.

And if that looking glass gets broke,

Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat,

And if that billy goat get cross,

Mama's gonna buy you a rocking horse.

And if that rocking horse turns over,

Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.

And if that dog named Rover won't bark,

Mama's gonna buy you a horse and a cart.

And if that horse and cart fall down,

You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town…”

And they both fell asleep.

Four days had passed and on the last one it had rained. Far from being uncomfortable, Joy had appreciated it. It was a hot summer and as soon as the first drops hit the ground they were very well received. The next day had stopped raining, but the smell of damp earth was still there, the ground covered in puddles. That's where the game started for her. After finishing all her tasks Joy looked for Tommy. He was behind the camp with Jack, drawing strokes on the ground with a stick.

She sneaked up from behind making a silent gesture to Strauss, who was sitting on a log doing the math and could see Joy's intentions perfectly. He only looked at her for a moment with a polite smile and turned his attention back to his work, ignoring her.

When she was close enough she flexed her knees and jumped into a puddle without any regard, splashing at Tommy and Jack.

“Hey!” the older boy yelled, falling forward in shock. Jack started to laugh and plunged into the puddle, jumping over and over. Tommy pounced on her and they started a fight, splashing and pushing each other.

“Stop! What are you doing?” Abigail exclaimed, hurrying over to them. Tommy stopped dead in his tracks and jumped up, straightening up.

“I’m sorry Miss Roberts.” He apologized, embarrassed. Beside him Jack had stopped jumping.

“Oh, come on Abby, we’re just having fun.” Joy said pouting.

“Y’all are getting dirty and that’s just more work for later!”

“Come on Abby!”

Abigail looked at her impassively. She sighed.

“Okay, help me up.”

As soon as she held out her hand Joy pulled her and dragged her along, staining her with mud.

“Joy Collins, you are…!” She screeched before splashing her. Joy laughed and Abigail followed suit, never stopping her attacks. Realizing that his mother had joined the party, Jack allowed himself to keep jumping and Tommy joined him.

They had made quite a fuss, and an authoritative hawk took them out of the game.

“Miss Collins, Miss Roberts, set an example for your children and clean yourselves immediately! We are a gang of outlaws, not one of savages.”

They both nodded and Grimshaw walked away to speak to Pearson. Abigail tapped Joy on the shoulder in a friendly way and stood up.

“Come on, we have to clean us up.”

They took spare clothes and soap and approached the river, moving away from the camp a little to have privacy. They cleaned themselves thoroughly and helped the children to do it as well. When they were done, the boys ran out to grab a plate of stew.

"Be careful!" Abigail warned them. She turned to Joy. "I must admit that I had a good time."

She smiled.

"That was the plan! We all need a moment of fun sooner or later."

"You’re right. Being a mother is difficult and even more so if there isn't..." She stopped and sighed.

“I understand.” She put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “If you need anything you know I’m here.” Abigail nodded and put her hand over hers before leaving.

“So mud fights, how mature.” Daniela said sarcastically.

“Yes, you should try, it's fun.” Joy replied with a smile, rolling her eyes.

“I pass. I prefer to see them. I liked how you fooled Abigail.”

Joy laughed. She picked up a plate of stew and sat next to her. Laughter drew her attention from the main fire. Javier was telling one of his adventures to Jenny. Since that conversation they had in the cabin, the two of them spent more time together. They had always been close but now they were almost inseparable. Joy supposed that he had decided to turn the page on his love from Mexico and start something with her. She was envious of how well they got along. She also wanted a relationship like that and she had long since given up hope with Mary-Beth, you could tell she only had eyes for men.

She sighed and Daniela giggled.

“What?”

“No, nothing…” She replied with a certain sarcasm. Joy eyed her suspiciously, but decided to let it go.

They continued talking quietly until Javier's voice caught their attention. He was still sitting by the main fire, Jenny was gone and he was singing in spanish.

“What do the lyrics say? Sounds sad.” Joy asked Daniela curiously.

“Oh, it is. He sings it once in a while. Talks about a man who feels betrayed by the woman he loves because she’s in love with another man.”

It wasn't difficult for Joy to understand why he sang that song. It wasn't so easy to get rid of those feelings even though he was now with someone else, she supposed.

“Sometimes I would like to know what his songs say.”

Daniela giggled again.

“Seriously, what's wrong with you?”

“Nothing, nothing... If you want to know what they say, I can teach you spanish.”

“Would you really do that?”

“Uhuh, why not?”

“Because right now you’re the most suspicious person I've ever seen.”

Daniela laughed out loud.

“Calm down bonita, I'm serious.” she held out her hand.

“Mm…” She looked into her eyes before shaking her hand. “Alright…”

“It’s settled then.”

[engineeringecosystems]

One mussel, two mussels, brown mussels, blue mussels

Walking through a meadow calling the plants by name is like entering a room of friends instead of strangers. -John Hildebrand

Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms based on their shared characteristics. Although we probably started purposefully grouping things together around the same time that we developed language, the first physical record of classification dates to around 3000BC in China, with the Father of Chinese medicine, Emperor Shen Nung. It wasn’t until the 1700′s when a Swedish botanist came along and developed the system of classification that we use today. Known as the “father of modern taxonomy”, Carolus Linnaeus dedicated his career to classifying plants and animals (and minerals). Carl’s catalogue was a continuous piece of work, constantly being added to and revised as he identified and classified new organisms. In 1758 Carl published the 10th edition of his massive taxonomic collection in a book titled Systema Naturae - and I mean truly massive, by its 13th edition it was 3000 pages long! 

With the introduction of animals, the 10th edition of Systema Naturae is widely accepted as the start to “modern” taxonomy. Carl classified organisms into a hierarchy - which we know as the Tree of Life. From trunk to leaf, least to most exclusive, it goes: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Carl also developed and popularized the use of binomial nomenclature which shortened long-winded Latin names down to two terms, the first denoting the genus and the latter the species. However, circumstances of the time heavily influenced Carl to describe the world as created by God which led him to classify organisms based on morphological features, such as the shape, size and placement of bones in a skeleton. This was very helpful at the time because until then we thought whales were fish! But, as technology has progressed, especially in the field of genetics, we began to learn that just because two organisms look alike or behave in a similar manner doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the same organism, or even closely related, if at all. This, of course, led to a reorganization of Carl’s work (and occasionally to the dismay of stubborn scientists). If you’re keen to learn more about Carl or taxonomy check out this video.

As useful as it is, identifying and classifying organisms can get a bit overwhelming, especially when everything looks the same (yeah, I’m talking about you mussels!). I am going to do my best to break this post down into bite sized pieces. So, without further ado, lets classify some mussels.

I figured it’s probably best to start with the common blue mussel, Mytilus edulis (credit: British Antarctic Survey), first described by Carl in 1758. 

Quick shell fact: although all Mytilus edulis, the shells above are from high to low latitudes (left to right) and show subtle morphological changes due to environmental factors like temperature and salinity.

Despite looking like a rock (there, I said it first so you don’t have to feel bad), Mytilus edulis is an animal, and therefore in the kingdom Animalia. Like many members of the phylum Mollusca, from squids to snails, Mytilus edulis has a radula, a mouthy bit that creates a current drawing in water and food, a fleshy covering that holds their body together called a mantle, and a shell made mostly of calcium carbonate. Mytilus edulis has two shells, or valves, which are held together by a strong muscle called a foot (which also makes them so dang hard to open and eat), situating it among others like clams, scallops and oysters, in the class Bivalvia. We are first introduced to the “true” mussels in the order Mytilida, which are characterized by having long asymmetrical shells covered by a thick, adherent layer of “skin” called the periostracum; they attach themselves to solid substrate, like rocks, rope, or piers, using a secreted bundle of filaments, referred to as a byssus or byssal threads. The only extant (not extinct) family in this order is the family Mytilidae which contains some 52 genera. One of these is the genus Mytilus which contains most of the edible marine mussels. Finally, we arrive at our friend the common blue mussel or the Atlantic blue mussel, known by its species name Mytilus edulis.

And there you go. 

Mytilus edulis occupies the coasts of the North Atlantic, including the United States and Canada, as well as France and the British Isles across the pond. When its range overlaps with others in its genus, like Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Mediterranean or Mytilus trossulus in the northern parts of the North Atlantic, Mytilus edulis will sometimes form a complex and hybridize with them. 

Other members of the genus Mytilus include:

Mytilus californianus, the California mussel (credit: Sharon Mollerus)

Mytilus coruscus, the Korean or hard-shelled mussel (credit: Conchology, Inc.)

Mytilus galloprovincialis, the Mediterranean mussel (credit: Andrew Butko)

Mytilus planulatus, the Australian blue mussel (credit: Javier Couper)

Mytilus platensis or chilensis, the Chilean blue mussel (credit Schnecken & Muscheln)

and Mytilus trossulus, the bay or foolish mussel (credit: Conchology, Inc. ).

I imagine many of you are looking at these mussels and thinking, “yeahhh uhhh Matt, they all look like the same”. Maybe with this face

(or maybe even this one).

But stay with me. 

You’re right, they do look very similar, which is why classification can be troublesome when it’s based off how an organism looks. Classification based off morphological features can be useful, but up to a point, and may be useless at finer-species level-scales. But advances in science and technology have led us into the new age of taxonomy - classification based on genetic sequencing, using a technique called Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR.  Like reading a recipe, scientists can sequence the genome of an organism and reveal hidden secrets like the evolutionary age of an organism, which can help us construct a more accurate representation of the Tree of Life. Along with advancements like data storage, genetic sequencing has revolutionized the way we classify organisms. And it’s showed us that there is in fact a difference (albeit small) between the members of the genus Mytilus. 

I hope you learned a lot this week! I really enjoyed putting this post together, even though I didn’t cover all the mussels that I wanted to. And I know I promised y'all last week that we would visit the some of the deepest parts of the ocean and we will! Next week will be less lecture and more *let me show you all the pictures of my children that you didn’t ask to see*. Until then, try to be a little less selfish and more shellfish. Cheers, y’all!

[zombiiesque]

Nocturne Alchemy Seth's Dinosaur Collection - PART ONE

Originally published on 6/27/2017

Hello, everyone! I've been wanting to write some reviews for a while now, but we moved, and then I promptly came down with a really bad case of bronchitis, that did not seem to want to go away. I ended up with two different antibiotics and almost went to the hospital at one point, but it's mostly dissipated finally. Well, then I had to put my house together and get everything situated here, and I'm sure anyone that has moved understands how much effort that takes. I haven't moved in over four years, and I felt really bad about not getting my house organized! And here I am, going on and on. Anyway, I had intentions of reviewing Seth's Dinosaur Collection for quite a while, but I think it's particularly relevant now. Nocturne Alchemy is reopening in 4 days, on June 30th! *squeeing and flailing* I'm so excited to see the site redesign. Also, they've been working on new label art, and from what I understand, they'll be adding new scents to the various Permanent Collections. So much fun. I'm sure it's going to be beautiful. If you'd like to keep up with them in the meantime, they have been posting fun things on their Facebook Business page, including a sneak peek video of the new logo, which is absolutely elegant.

Well, I started this last night, and ended up having things to do that needed my immediate intention - so I had to put it down and come back to it in the morning! It seems like that's the way things have been going lately, so now this review is even more timely. Before I delve into it, I want to make mention that I had an email conversation with the NA crew, because I wanted to address some of the rumors I'd seen going around since they'd been closed. I saw that folks were concerned that they wouldn't be reopening, because they've been gone so long, and I also saw that many were worried that the catalogue as it was known might not be returning, so I wrote to see if they'd give me something to share with people - and they did! Such lovely, kindhearted people, and that is the reason I am such a huge "fangirl". I mean, don't get me wrong - they make the most exquisite perfume oils, and of course that drew me in, but once I began to see how much heart they pour into their company, and how much they care about their customers, that really made me fall head over heels. Honestly, in the world of indie perfumes, NA is a pretty good sized company. They've been making perfumes for 10 years now - actually, as it's June, they're into their 11th year, and they have a pretty extensive catalogue! So in their own words, I'll use a direct quote here from Nocturne Alchemy.

NA will return June 30th. We asked our customers last year what they thought of the old NA site. Constructive criticism concluded that it was dated. The truth is, we knew this and had been looking for the right host site for the past two years. We knew it would take time to migrate and create a new site but we'd have to be 100% involved and the focus of a new site would mean we'd have to shut down the old site. In the process, we decided to recreate the art for the labels of the Permanent Collection (we call it the PC because we view perfume as you would at an art gallery, where there is a Permanent Collection and a Limited Collection or the temporary exhibit if you will). In the past six months we've taken some much needed time off after a decade of perfume making, perfume soul-searching, travel for more unique perfume, and also back in the Studio for months now working on new PC, new art for new labels and a new look for NA. It took two years prior to opening NA in 2006 creating a small collection of PC and Limited perfumes, designing labels, the site...the fact that we can do this in six months, means we are at the top of our game. We know what we want to create but you can't rush art. NA will return June 30th. Find us on Facebook to stay up with current information. The PC and Studio Limited will return, as well as the beloved VApothecary line that has been rebranded under Nocturne Alchemy to facilitate cohesiveness at the new site.

So, there you have it! In addition to completely redesigning the site from the ground up, including a different type of "shopping cart", they've been working on all kinds of wonderful things. I am not sure I will even know where to start on Friday! I'm certainly looking forward to digging through the new site - bad pun intended? And now, I have to apologize. As I said, I'd meant to get this posted a few weeks ago, but life sort of threw me under the bus, and I just couldn't give it the proper time it deserved, as the Dinosaur collection, and the eNVie review, both deserve a bit more depth than just reviewing a single perfume. I'll be working on the latter today, to get it posted up hopefully by tomorrow.

So, roughly two summers ago, Nocturne Alchemy released the original Dinosaur collection, which was Seth's baby, as his other passion, from his early childhood, was dinosaurs, and he wanted to do a collection with that theme. I must tell you, it's been one of my very favorite collections, and I'm only missing a few of them. Last summer, they released a Resurgence, and added some new perfumes to the collection. It's alternatively been called the Prehistoric collection, but the name "Seth's Dinosaurs" has kind of become the popular name among the fans, and often gets shortened to "the Dinos". A little note about this collection: "These dinosaur perfumes are created with the beauty of resin in mind for each of them. The concept to this perfume, the label and the respect of the dinosaur is built on imagination. If you look at the label, there is an egg to the left. It is the same color as the Dinosaur. Apply the perfume on wrist and inner elbow and allow the scent to bind with your chemistry. Once this has occurred, inhale. This conceptually, is the egg. To allow the dinosaur to hatch, we wanted you to go to your Studio Limited Library and pull as many as you want, especially your favorites. The magic in layering the dino's with your Studio Limited Library will give your library a new NAVAlchemy aspect of layering and creating your own personal Dino scent. The fun in NAVAlchemy and hatching the dino eggs is all up to you!" - note from Seth. So, I've seen a few comments floating around the internet that say these oils seem to be rather linear, or flat - and I hope that people will read this, because if they don't realize that these were created specifically to be layered, then they'll miss the beauty of these. I do like them on their own, but I find that when they are layered with other perfumes, the beauty and versatility really shines through. I was never adventurous about layering until I was introduced to these beauties, and they really taught me to branch out, because the possibilities are quite endless. What's interesting is that a lot of the SL (Studio Line) is also fantastic for layering, so I'll make some suggestions for these together for you to try. I believe, from the hints that they've been dropping on the Facebook page, that we'll once again be graced with new Dinos this summer. I don't know if it will be happening with the grand reopening, or at some later time in the summer, but it seems that we'll be getting new Dinosaurs to play with! I cannot wait.

So, let's get started! I'll go with the first round of Dinosaurs that I have, and then the second round will be in a separate post. All of the Dinosaurs also make this mention: "*tiny bits of resin may occur in the Dino blends, these will only enrich the blend even more with aging!"

Cryolophosaurus: Resinous Amber Accord, Limestone Amber, Aged Organic Studio created Patchouli, Black Patchouli, SL Crimson and only a drop of fine aged Egyptian White peppercorn eo. So, this was my first love of the Dinosaurs. I was pretty new to NAVA at the time the first collection came out, so I was still trying everything via decants before I sprung for full bottles, because I hadn't learned what worked on me and what didn't yet. I think I ordered decants of everything but Spinosaurus, because I had learned at that point that black honey and I don't get on. Still salty about that! Anyway. The decants arrived, and I tried them all out - and fell madly in love with Cryolophosaurus, and promptly ordered a full bottle. It's....what are words! I feel as though I'm going to be repeating myself here with this collection, but I'll do my best for y'all. The patchoulis in this blend are bright and sort of herbal, almost minty? I don't know if that's a proper patchouli trait, but as a bit of a hippie, I've been a lifelong fan of patchouli (thanks, mom!) and was exposed to the dark and dirty hippie type patchouli early on in life. This was the first time I was exposed to patchouli as a more herbal note, and I was absolutely blown away. I often find NAVA ambers to have a "fresh" sort of quality, and the two ambers used in the Dinosaur collection definitely seem to have that, so it keeps any of these blends from being overly dark. There's definitely a depth and a sort of stoney feel to each one of these, but as I've mentioned, that seems to come out more once you layer them with another perfume, and Cryolophosaurus is no exception. I can wear this happily alone, it's quite different than say Hessonite, which can be a little overwhelming if you're new to patchouli, the ambers lift this up and seem to give the patchoulis a different nuance. You don't get the red musk (Crimson) or pepper aspect very much until you wear this one layered, but those aspects come out and shine once you pair this with another oil. Also, this oil is red! As I've had my bottle for 2 years, there's definitely some resinous bits forming now, but I couldn't seem to capture a picture of it.

I could rave and rave about this one. Goals: If they bring this back as a Resurrection again this year, GET A BACKUP BOTTLE. Hah!

TL;DR A fresh, sort of bright, herbal patchouli. The nuances of the ambers, red musk, and pepper come out to play when you layer this, but you probably won't notice them while wearing it solo.

Layering suggestions: Try this with Kashmir, Crystalline, Amethyst, Santalum, Crystal, White Ambre Ombre. If you have Labyrinth Oudh, this pairs beautifully with that. If you are a patchouli fiend, you might try hatching it with Patchouli Ombre or Hessonite. I like it with Sekhmet Amber and Black Raven, also.

Diplodocus: Resinous Amber Accord, Limestone Amber, a drop of Cacao, Boswellia carterii Frankincense from United Arab Emirates and a drop of steam distilled Oman Frankincense tears we picked from the actual Frankincense tree.

Believe it or not, although I tried all of my decants the summer that the Dinosaur Collection came out, I did not really pursue full bottles of any except Cryolophosaurus. When I heard that the collection was to be resurrected last summer, I decided I needed to try my decants again, and came to the conclusion that I would have to acquire full sizes of all the originals that I had decants of - oh boy! And then there were new ones joining them. I was in trouble. So, I was trying to decide which of these I absolutely had to have, and at first, I had decided since I had Holiday Egyptian Frankincense, I probably didn't need Diplodocus. Well, I fell pretty hard for HEF last summer and found myself layering it with everything, and before I knew it, I had gone through a half a bottle. Panic set in, and I decided I was probably going to need an alternative frankincense, as it was a note I was falling more and more in love with. Diplodocus became a must have, and I am glad I was able to sneak it in my last order before the collection came down. As a stand alone perfume, this is pretty much a linear frankincense - albeit a lovely one. Beautifully woody, you could wear this alone if you were in the mood to wear a sort of single note frankincense, but this lends a wonderful aspect with so many perfumes, I prefer to layer it. Once I layer it with another perfume, the bright, resinous, stony amber comes out to play with the woodiness of the frankincense, and it's heavenly. The cacao is not a starring note, I can find it with my nose only if I keep sniffing, but it plays a lovely supporting role.

TL;DR A perfect frankincense layering note, it does well with adding a sort of grounding to perfumes that might ordinarily be too bright or feminine for my particular tastes, and is lovely paired with the SLs as well to create a duality.

Layering suggestions: Kobalt Dark, Santal Ombre, Egyptian Musk, Crystal, Diamond, or even to add a tad more frankincense to Ember. I've also paired this and love it with Gabriel, Eternal Egypt, and Ozymandias. I love it with several LC perfumes as well; Black Velvet, Black Crystalline Black Fig, Vamp, Anticipation, Blue Lotus, Snow Amber.

Pteranodon: Resinous Amber Accord, Limestone Amber, a drop of Cacao, Pure Sandalwood left to age in the perfume, Santalum Gold, Santalum and a drop of Blue Santalum.

GODS. Gods. This was the one that made me sit up and take notice, why had I missed out on ordering a full bottle, and I need to rectify this immediately! All of the Dinosaurs are fantastic, versatile little workhorses when playing with layering, but Pteranodon became a quick favorite of mine, and dare I say? Yes, I dare, it became my favorite sandalwood thus far. Don't get me wrong, you'll be prying my gloriously aged bottle of SL Santalum out of my cold, dead hands, I absolutely adore Santalum White, especially when spring and summer roll around, but really I can see using it all year...but this, this is special. Samantha tells me that's because it has the most precious of precious, Santalum Gold. Since she sent me a little sample of her precious bottle, I can understand the obsession - there's something pretty amazing about Santalum Gold. It's a little more woody and resinous, more fully sandalwood than the new version Santalum. I love mine, don't get me wrong, but I can see why Santalum Gold is so popular that if one pops up in the secondary market, it is gone within minutes. Ah well, one day I will be quick enough! Until then - Pteranodon. Yes, I can and have worn this alone, and I absolutely adore it. I like it in my hair, it's one of my favorite layering components when I pair it with something and add a few drops of unscented hair oil and run my fingers through my hair. Hnnnnggg. It's hauntingly familiar, it reminds me of when I lived briefly in Minneapolis in the early nineties and I hung out in the head shops and the kitschy little knicknack shops of uptown and the fantastic thrift stores....ahhhh the nineties, it brings me a feeling of nostalgia, for that's when I discovered how glorious sandalwood was. Oddly enough, my mother is a darker creature, and I don't remember her wearing sandalwood during her hippie days, mostly patchouli and musk and especially dragon's blood. She was missing out, I tell you. This. This really evokes some strong emotions in me. So, once layered, again the ambers come out to play, and the cacao is there as a supporting note, but the star is the variety of sandalwoods. You really get a sense of the four once this is layered. I don't know what to say other than IF THIS COMES BACK AND YOU DON'T HAVE IT YOU'D BETTER GET ONE. I'll be picking up a backup. I might not be able to get my hands on Santalum Gold, but this will do.

TL;DR HNNNGGGG GORGEOUS INCREDIBLE SANDALWOOD.

Layering suggestions: Gods, it goes with everything. Seriously. One of my favorite things is to hatch this with a combination of Diamond, Crystalline, and Tibetan Crystalline. Alternately, I'll do Bloodstone, Egyptian Musk, and this (maybe some Amethyst too). It's fantastic with Ember Vanilla or from the LC, Phantasm Kiss. I love it with Egyptian Temple Oudh. Umm, Eternal Egypt, Bastet Amber, Raphael, Black Raven. Ambre Ombre, or even Santal Ombre. I love it with the OPs, Baba, Tawaret, Pakhet, Hathor. I've got a smidgen of my sample of Egyptian Peach Blossom left and it's lovely with that. Polichenelle. Cecilia, Adele, Music, Snow Amber, Patchouli Ombre. There hasn't been a layering combination with this one I haven't loved, so be adventurous. If a perfume seems a bit too sweet or floral, this makes a nice "grounding" effect. Just do yourself a favor and nab this if it comes back!

Tyrannosaurus: Resinous Amber Accord, Limestone Amber, a drop of Cacao, Dracaena Draco of Morocco (Dragon's Blood resin) and Sangre de Grado Dragon's Blood.

One of the things I don't think I've talked about a lot is exactly how much I love NAVA's dragon's blood. I seem to like dark, red, resinous things quite a bit, I mean, Kashmir is practically my signature, followed closely by Bloodstone. So, what is their dragon's blood like? It's that perfect mixture of spicy and fruity. It's so, so well balanced. I don't really like it when a db note veers too much into either territory, leaving the other territory well behind. I want that combination, just a little spicy, just a little fruity, almost delicious. This is another workhorse. Alone, it's a beautifully resinous, juicy dragon's blood with a little kick of spice. It might be too dark alone if you're not into db, but layer this big boy - did Seth name this one well or WHAT? Layer Tyrannosaurus, and it becomes bright and lifted with the amber, and it's possibly even more beautiful than Bloodstone. Wait, what? Blasphemy. Okay, maybe not my bottle of aged, thick, glorious Bloodstone, but it's pretty amazing. Worn alone, T-Rex is a hint of the amber, and the two dragon's bloods. Layered, and he comes into his full glory, the amber comes out to really play, and that lovely supporting cacao becoes just a little bit evident, to give it a little more depth.

TL;DR: T-Rex is a big boy, and this perfume more than lives up to its name. I find it apropos that his scent is dragon's blood. Layered, he is just the right amount of resinous, spicy, juicy dragon's blood and glorious, fresh stony amber. Mmmm. Mm. It makes me hum with happiness.

Layering suggestions: Ember Vanilla, Ambre Ombre, Patchouli Ombre, Santalum, Ember, Black Raven, Mists of Arcacia, OP Anubis, OP Pakhet. From the LC, try it with Phantasm Kiss, Blood Moon, Egyptian Temple Oudh, Copal Oudh, or Pandora.

Utahraptor: Resinous Amber Accord, Limestone Amber, hungry chomps of Kashmir and Black Musk Absolutes, Egyptian Musk and a drop of Crimson and Sri Lankan Black Peppercorn eo.

Oh, Utahraptor. I've listed this last, but not because I love it least. In fact, I adore it, and it's quite versatile - different layering options bring out different facets of this one. I'm sure I've made mention of the fact that I really, really love NAVA musks. Kashmir is probably one of my favorite perfumes. So naturally, I had to have this. Worn alone, this comes across as mostly Kashmir, with a breath of Black Musk underneath, and the amber lifts it up - it might seem like a heavy blend, but it's saved from that by the beautifully clean Egyptian Musk and ambers. Start playing with layering, and while Kashmir, a bold red musk, remains the star, Black Musk and Egyptian Musk come out to play a bit more vocally, and I love that little kick of spiciness in the background of peppercorn. I'm a big fan of pepper in perfumes - Music is a great example of this, I feel, and it's kind of a surprising note, I think that many people would envision it from a cooking spice standpoint, but it's a bit different when added as a component of perfume. It adds a little kick, and it's quite fun. If you've never had the experience, I highly recommend giving it a chance. Anyway, enough about pepper, it's a supporting note here, and gives this "egg" a bit of pizzazz when you hatch it with another perfume.

TL;DR: Kashmir, a bold red musk, is the star here but plays beautifully with the other two musks, Black and Egyptian, when layered. Don't be afraid of the pepper. Despite the musk heavy blend, it's not nearly as heavy as you might think, the ambers lift and brighten this perfectly, and it's quite fun with a variety of different types.

Layering suggestions: Crystalline, Tibetan Crystalline, Santalum White, Egyptian Musk, Ozymandias, Pharaoh Anniversary, OP Baba, OP Set. For LC options, I absolutely am nuts over hatching this with California Redwood Crystal Musk. Also, Underlord Akhenaten, Pyewacket Cat, Pumpkin #2, Copal Oudh, Enigma, and it's amazing with the Byzantium Amber from their 9th Anniversary perfumes.

Okay, whew! That was pretty extensive, I am sorry for the wall of text, but I do hope you'll find my "hatching" suggestions helpful. This really did provide me with the courage to really branch out and become a layering fiend, and now I will layer various perfumes in with my unscented hair oils too, and I get a lot of compliments about how amazing my hair smells. Tomorrow, I'll get the second half of this posted for you, with last year's additions. From the first year, I do not have Spinosaurus, Stegasaurus, or Styracosaurus. Feel free to offer up your own layering combinations with these amazing perfumes! I want to mention one more thing in closing, these are another collection that do even better with age, they become richer and seem to come into their own even more. Have a wonderful evening!

Editing to add a note, and a link to part two! I forgot to mention previously, is that these are lovely when you pair them together! And I've done this several times with different combinations. Pteranodon with Protoceratops or Deinonychus, Velociraptor with Utahraptor, Diplodocus with Giganotosaurus, Protoceratops with almost anything! Hah.

Another thing to mention, if you have eNVie Saphir, many of these are stunning when hatched with Saphir. Definitely worth experimenting with - I have Saphir, Ambre Saphir, and Encens Saphir, and they all do well with the Dinosaurs.

[colorfultrichild-blog]

Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga Race Report May 21, 2017 Swim(1.2 miles shortened to .8 miles)- 17:14   Bike(56 miles)- 2:37:57   Run(13.1 miles)- 1:46:15 Total- 4:47:26     10th 25-29 Female

Chatty 70.3! My favorite Half Ironman! I love this course, I love this town, I love how close it is to Atlanta, and I especially love how so many Atlanta Tri Club peeps are there to race and cheer! Running through a tunnel of people wearing luau attire while cheering you on through the hardest part of the day is so rad! All the high fives and smiles for meeee! Alright, so let's get down to it:

Jason and I left for Chattanooga nice and early the morning before the race so we could meet up with my coach, Carrie, for the usual check in and pre race spin/run. So you guys may remember from my previous race reports that I've had some issues with my bike fit/ lower back problems. Well let me start by saying I'M A BIG DUMB DUMBASS…because I decided to try and wiggle my saddle down just a smidge, about a week before the race, in an attempt to ease some discomfort downstairs. Just a tiny bit! That's all! Well, naturally I ended up moving it way more than I intended. Then I couldn't tell if it was anywhere near where it had been before. Whoops! On our pre race spin I could tell things definitely weren't right, but at that point- the day before the race- I thought, f*ck it! Time to smile through it and just hope things don't fall apart!

That night we attended the annual ATC pre race dinner and had some pasta, laughs, and a beer just to calm the nerves. We headed back to the hotel (luckily coach hadn't cancelled her reservation when we offered for her to stay with us at our Air Bnb that ended up being a super weird situation that none of us wanted to stay in…) got all our things together and hit the hay just in time for the GNARLIEST storm to hit. I mean it was bananas out there. Raining like crazy, lightning, you name it. I suck at trying to sleep any earlier than midnight and I also hate storms sooooo let's just say I didn't get as much sleep as I had hoped. SMILE THROUGH IT! WOO!

One major difference between this race and Florida 70.3, which I blew up during in April, was that I was planning on giving it my all while smiling and having as much fun as I could. No pressure. No goals. Just fun. After weeks of post Florida bummed outness, I had a little "come to Jesus" with myself. I absolutely love triathlon. It's my happy place and I had totally lost sight of that. The pressure I put on myself had absolutely made me fall apart during Florida 70.3. Chattanooga was going to be my redemption. My return to racing for the love of it. Ok I had 1 goal: HAVE SOME DAMN FUN.

Shortly after Fla I decided to stop training with numbers and focus on feel. I still wore my Garmin and uploaded all the info for coach, but I didn't look at it while training. I would focus on how I felt and how happy I was while training…and my numbers IMPROVED. Since I had been training by feel, I was planning on racing by feel, but with little number checks here and there to make sure I wasn't over doing it. I was ready to race!

RACE DAY: Woke up earlier than any human should and choked down my peanut butter toast and crappy hotel coffee. Eating before race has gotten way easier for me. I used to only manage 1 or 2 bites, but now I can knock out 1 or 2 whole slices of pb toast with some Gatorade. Score! Finished breakfast, obsessively checked my gear about 600 times, paid the potty a visit (don't even play like pooping before a race isn't crucial..we're all humans here) and headed out!

Got to transition nice and early, set up our spots, and somehow managed to get our little crew together before hopping on the bus to the swim start. A few days before- myself, Coach, and a number of other wonderful gals all aiming for around 5 hours decided we would start together in the hopes we'd be able to cheer each other on out on the course. I LOVED THAT IDEA, of course. Racing with friends makes everything better! This was possible because Chatt 70.3 is a self seeded race with a point to point swim. This year they tried to divide the line into certain time estimates. We almost ended up in the 50 minute section before realizing we were waaaaaay further back than we wanted to be.We seeded ourselves kind of near the back of the "faster" section and got our wetsuits on.

Swim: The cannon went off as the male pro's started their day. We watched as they seemed to be taking their time getting to that first buoy upstream….uh oh…the storm the night before had made the current craaaazy strong. The lady pro's started next and it was the same situation where it seemed like it sure was taking them a long time to get to that first buoy…. The first age groupers are supposed to go in about 15 minutes after the male pro wave, but they hadn't started filing in. We were all anxiously waiting to see what the hold up was. After a bit more waiting, we heard the announcement that the upstream part of the swim had been cut. Instead of going up stream to turn right, go across stream for a bit, then make the right turn down stream- we would now hop in and make a diagonal dash across stream to the next closest buoy. We were told it was about .4 miles shorter than usual. I honestly wasn't even bummed. Even though the swim is my "strength", a shorter swim down a fast current sounded super fun! More energy for later!

I was walking down the dock with some of my best friends and favorite ladies around me, ecstatic to start my number 1 race. I turned and yelled "Love y'all! See ya at the end!" and hopped in the water! No time to mess around- shorter swim means harder pace so I got down to it. I love this swim because there are no waves and its cool swimming under the big bridges down stream. Nothing stands out about the swim this time. It wasn't crowded so I pretty much had open water the majority of the time and made my way down stream as fast as I could. I made it out of the water in 17:14 and sprinted towards the closest wetsuit stripper I could find. She yanked that bad boy right off. I ran up the ramp to see Jason cheering and taking photos and made my way past as many folks as I could while sprinting to my sweet lil Orbea- which thanks to the AWA section was in a way more convenient spot than last year!

Bike: So like I said…I'M A BIG DUMB DUMBASS…and hopping on the bike I could tell things weren't perfect, but I honestly didn't care! I was so happy to be at this race and to be racing with my heart.

Things were going as usual as I was taking in nutrition and hydrating on schedule for the first 25 miles or so. I was feeling pretty solid.  Then, like always…I started feeling my lower back getting angry. I was staying positive, though. I still felt good. Plus, it was overcast and not very hot! My back started getting angrier. STUPID BACK! I hit mile 30 and could tell I was losing power and had developed a pain shooting down my inner thigh into my knee. The pain wasn't as bad as it had been in the past, but I was also constantly having to shift my butt back on the saddle because of my genius adjustments. Things were uncomfortable, but I was still smiling. I was trucking along when some of my gals started speeding past! I don't mind if my friends pass me going at what seemed like the speed of light! Any and all smiles and cheers of encouragement help when the race pain starts setting in.

I settled in, put my head down, and just kept on going.  Despite my back pain, it was a crazy fast kind of day. I looked at my power average after the race and it was quite a bit lower than it should have been, but I ended up with an 8 minute PR! I mean I felt like I was trucking along like usual, but apparently I was zoomin' and so was everyone else! I'd heard the 2015 bike splits were way faster than 2016 for some reason. Well, apparently the stars had aligned, like in 2015, and it was a speedy day for all.

My run had improved a lot this season so I was looking forward to getting off that damn slip'n'slide of a saddle. I was ecstatic when I rolled into transition in the 2:30's! I had never even broken 2:45! I was chanting, "I'm getting off my bike! Yay! I'm getting of my bike! Yay!" in my head when I hopped off and sped through transition to snag my saucony's!!

Run: Yaaaay! Run time! I came off my bike ready to get my leggies movin'. Knocked out a speedy transition and was off! I've simplified my transition strategy this year so I was in and out. A number of ATC peeps were there to cheer us through transition and I just could not stop smiling. I made a point to try and actually smile as much as possible during the run. I had a guy come up to me after I finished and say, "did you know you smile while you run?" And I said, "I sure do! Gotta get through it somehow!"

I did a quick pace check within the first mile to make sure I wasn't hitting it too hard from the beginning and I was running a little hot. I decided to reel it in a bit, hoping I could hold a stronger steadier pace throughout instead of slowing down as the mileage increased. I got my tail up that big ass hill at about .8 miles and was welcomed by the ATC cheering crew and my amazing boyfriend. I LOVE THIS GROUP. I smiled even bigger and tried to high five as many people as I could without losing time. Things were good in my world and I was actually running some folks down. This is new to me, because my run had really kind of plateaued last season. So I was getting all kinds of pumped. I caught up to my lovely friend Deirdre and gave her a much expected smack on the tush before continuing on.

I came through the first aid station and got my usual swig of water, swig of gatorade, and some water over my head. It was still over cast-ish, but things were definitely heating up. Even though I wasn't feeling super hot, I wanted to avoid even coming close to overheating. I hit the next porta potty for my usual pee break and fell right back into stride. I mean, even though my back was a turd on the bike, this was pretty much my dream run. Oh, and I didn't forget my Base Salt in transition like I did last year…so that was a plus! No cramping for me!

So Chatt is a 2 loop course with a variety of surfaces and hill intensities. Mostly little rollers, but a couple of nasty climbs too. It's just challenging enough, I'm my opinion. I love the riverside wooden walkway. It's a nice change from pavement and it's just cool running by the river while totally shaded by big trees.

I was smiling, taking in nutrition and fluids right on schedule, so things were great! I caught my amazing friend, Meg, who literally destroys souls on the bike and she was looking strong as hell. We shared a quick little chit chat with lots of love. I love racing with my friends…have I said that enough times yet? Because it's dope.

I held my pace right around 8 minutes for both laps and came flying down that final hill to the finish with a BIG BIG grin. Crossing the finish like of a 70.3 feeling like I had conquered the world was such an awesome change from my last half. I was back. Honestly, I'm glad I raced Florida and had such a shitty day, because it was the wake up call I needed. I have raced so much harder and happier since then. When you have a crappy race-learn from it. Don't dwell on it and give up. Let it teach you something. It taught me that racing with your heart is so much more powerful than anything else in triathlon. Chattanooga 70.3 was my dream race and I have 0 complaints. I am beyond ecstatic with my time, my place in my age group, and my overall positive mentality throughout the race. SMILE Y'ALL! GET THROUGH THAT RACE BECAUSE YOU LOVE IT!

Cheers, friends! CJ

[elsnark]

@miss-ruin I felt it would make my initial response more lengthy and disorganized if I brought up your tags.  So I have decided to make a second post to address you.  Since there’s an image involved, I felt it best to make an entirely new post so there’s no issue in reading it.

You say no shade, but your tags say otherwise.  So FailureMaster and I are going to respond to each and every one.  Congratulations!  You’ve invoked elsnark’s first ever dual response! =D

Sourcream (will be shortened to S):   okay so first thought is: "on the subject of ap requirements, the reason they're often so high is that PEOPLE ARE SUPER STUPID!  INEXPERIENCED PEOPLE OFTEN DO NOT DO MECHS OR EVEN KNOW THEM OR EVEN WANT TO BE BOTHERED TO LEARN THEM!  It's fucking frustrating!  They just want to be carried and do nothing!"

FailureMaster (will be shortened to FM):   Now this isn't a strong point, but "They want to be carried and do nothing" might be because they're trying to learn how to do it? I don't see how you're supposed to do something by doing it 100% perfectly the first time. You all wouldn't want them to do anything anyways because they "do not know the mechs".  So which is it? Don't do it? Do it?

S:  Also, calling people "stupid" is... rude?  Like why call new or casual players "stupid" for not knowing mechanics?  You were there before.  By your own logic, you were stupid.

FM:   How is calling a huge group of people stupid not throwing shade?   Like.....That's the same as saying "Many Americans".   Like what does that mean?

S:  It’s a game.  There’s no reason to make a big deal about it.

FM:  One thing I'm still confused about is....Why is it such a big deal?   BnS has no stamina system.  You can do this dungeon again.  And again.  Tomorrow and the next day... Spare one run to teach your community??  Just one run.  What’s the problem?   You can get TONS of those if you have SUCH A GOOD WEP.   Inexperience?  How else do we get experience?   In fact, what is THEIR plan to get more people to learn?  Videos don't do much. I could watch several tutorials on how to disassemble and assemble a car and I promise you I could not just go out and start assembling cars.  You are not automatically the best player just from watching good players.  So where do we start?

S:  Kick out the new and casual players and only have old, experienced, hardcore people sounds like what miss-ruin wants.  Not to mention that's the impression the community gives off.

FM:  And then when the old people get bored because the game is so dead?  They will quit and then the game dies early.  "But how? The game had great content, fair story, nice graphics, interesting system!"

S:   You can't just keep a game alive by relying on the oldies who'll quit when they get bored or when they get frustrated by the content pushed through.  MMOs constantly need new blood.  New individuals who'll buy items from the Item Mall and tell their friends about the game.  If the game doesn't get new blood, the game dies.

The new blood that comes in is going to quit.  Why?  The community.  It's only been a year and a half and the community is so elitist it's insane.  No matter how good a game is, especially a MMO, if the community isn’t welcoming to newcomers, they’re going to quit.

There’s literally no reason not to help new and casual players learn mechanics.  Any reason you come up with is just an excuse because you were in the same boat before.  Hell, if I was looking to learn mechanics and was greeted with this type of attitude, I wouldn’t bother learning either and would just stand there and do nothing.  Would you, FailureMaster?

FM:  Of course not!  Even if they are standing there and doing nothing, what does it matter to you with your AP?   If you can ignore the entire mechanics with such a weapon, then what is the big deal of having someone stand there?  Of course, I’m being annoying by constantly bringing AP back up, aren’t I?

S:  Like the entire community.

FM:  Not very fun, is it?  Also, how does lower AP equal lower skill?  It’s a terrible assumption.

S:  It doesn’t.  I’ve read on the forums there are lower AP people who are very skilled.

FM:  So what’s the problem?  Clear the dungeon a bit slower?

S:  Can’t waste their precious time on a dungeon they’re familiar with.

FM:  And, I will be honest, I didn't make it to the end-game crazy weird stuff.  But.....Watching videos....I'm really not sure how it's helping. 

S:  The videos I've watched seem too crazy to know for sure what's going on?  Like... I don't know the boss.  I haven't experienced the boss myself.  How am I supposed to know what's happening?

I think they get the point.  Shall we move on?

FM:  I hope they get the point.

S:  Same.  Okay, so... “High AP requirements are either 'cause they ran the shit before and won't fuck mechs or they're so strong they just ignore mechs if they happen to fuck them”.  We covered this already, yeah?

FM:  Pretty much!  I feel like if I, a newer player (quit early on shortly after B&S released, came back recently) had like a 1000AP wep, people would think I'm a veteran.  Because it looks like I ignore the mechs but really, I don't know a single thing.  At least by THIS logic?

S:  I think the highest back then was like 450?  So they would've had to cash to get to 1k.   So you're saying the returning player came back, cashed, got >1k AP?

FM:   Let's say that happened!  Could probably easily ignore the mechs and complete stuff and be praised for that.  Because, you know, that's all that matters!

S:   Okay, so... this returning player... yeah... Most likely.   As long as they know how to play decently, I can't see them being called out for not knowing.

FM:   Don't care about what you do or how you do it, is that 900AP?  Come on in!  And yes, I'm being annoying talking about only AP, right?  Just saying.

S:  XD

I don’t think we have anything else to say on this topic because it’s so... it’s... it’s just plain dumb.  Shall we move on?

FM:  Yes!

S:  Their next tag thought is:  "no one likes wasting time running a dungeon then wiping".  Hold up.  I thought this wasn't an issue because of your high AP?

FM:  I thought it wasn’t either?  Weird.

S:  Damn!  I guess we’ve been bamboozled!  AP doesn’t equal skill.

FM:  Oh, no!  How could this be?

S:  Truly amazing.  Shall we move on?

FM:  Lets~

S:   Alrighty... “like, of course, this doesn't apply to all lower geared players though.  It's just these lazy dumb people that ruin it for y'all”.

Damn, they backtracked.  “It's not all lower geared players, just (some/most) of them”?  In their post, they made it seem like ALL low AP people were the issue.

FM:   But what if I'm lower geared, don't know the mechanics, but am not dumb or lazy?  Or does not knowing the mechanics make me dumb and lazy?

S:  Sorry, still can't come.  Don't know mech.  That's what they said.

FM:  Oh dear me.....I must be dumb and lazy for running something for the first time.

S:  I know!  It's almost like a baby boomer's thoughts on our generation.  See how fucked up that is?

Moving on?

FM:   Oh! Sure! There isn't much else I can say on that topic, I don't think.

S:  Me neither.

FM:  Oh how fun it is to be a bitch.

S:   "Also it's hard for me to find a party on my alts even though I know mech".

FM:  Why is that?  Is it because you’re undergeared?

S:  wait wait wait... IS THIS THE TOXIC COMMUNITY WORKING AGAINST THEM?!  I WONDER!  HMMMMMM... IT’S ALMOST INVISIBLE!  IT’S ALMOST LIKE THERE’S A PROBLEM?!

FM:  REALLY?!  DID NOT KNOW!

S:  WAS NOT OBVIOUS!

FM:  Sourcream, this is shocking!

S:  GOT A LIGHTBULB STUCK IN MY NOSE TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT, BUT THEY JUST POINTED THIS OUT!  WAIT!  THEY’RE DENYING THE PROBLEM THOUGH!  ARE THEY THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO’D GET THEIR DICK STUCK IN A CEILING FAN BECAUSE THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE “UNCLEAR”?!

FM:  TRULY, THIS IS STRANGE!

S:  I like how this makes their entire elitist attitude fall apart  ."Can't get party because no AP".  "Everyone should know mechs".  That's contradictory.  Low AP people who know mechs can't get parties.

FM:  I think we see the problem, doctor.

S:  They got their dick stuck in a ceiling fan.

FM:  That would definitely cause trauma, yes.

S:  But enough trauma to get them to contradict themselves?

FM:  As it does appear!  The B&S community at its finest.

So from this, we can conclude that even our high AP friends can't play anyone other than their high AP character.  Which limits them to one character, one server, one group of people, same dungeons.   Over and over and over again.  Waiting for new content.

S:  Just proving our point.  The community is toxic and the toxic individuals are blind to it.

Moving on?

FM:  Let's move on, yes. I hope and pray they got the idea.

S:  I do, too.

Ooooooooooooh, a direct assumption about me from my post!  “A lot of this reads a bit like:  why won't these strong people let me do things with them?  What do you mean run with folks with my AP?  Why would I want to do that?  lol” I... Lemme handle this.

First of all, I've established so many times that this community is toxic as fuck.  Why would I even TRY to run end game content?  News flash:  I wouldn't.  You're making yourself look like an idiot by making all these assumptions about me and what I'm trying to achieve.  Yes, I have a lvl 50, but she's HM 1.  I got her to level 50 because my friends were playing and then we all... stopped.  Why did we stop?  I wonder... Could it... Could it be because the community is disgusting?  Could it be because the community isn't welcoming to newer players?  I have tried making two new characters (one's around lvl 35 while the other is below lvl 20).  Guess what though?  Seeing everything saying, "must be 900 AP or higher to join" isn't appealing.  It feels like I'm being alienated due to not meeting some requirement that isn't obtainable without months and months of grinding with a party.

How am I supposed to get a party when I'm ready to start grinding though?  It's not happening.  No one does the dungeons needed to upgrade gear that I’d need to upgrade, do they?  The population is small.  Everyone's off doing dungeons to upgrade their own gear.  How would I be able to find a party in the first place?  And to be expected to know mechanics on top of that?  Not happening.

Anything to add, FailureMaster?

FM:  Nothing to add!  You said everything needed to be said.

S:  Okay.

The next topic is:  "I have so many hours in this game, I am so sorry.  I just have a lot of feelings".  Good for you.  I'm not like this with Elsword, a game I have spent countless hours in.

FM:  As you can see, we have a lot of feelings on this, too.

S:   Also, just gonna say, your apology means little when you're hellbent on tearing new and casual players down.  Learn you're part of the problem.  Improve yourself.  Then maybe I'll take your apology seriously.

Next part is just baby boomer-esque bitching.  Shall we cover it anyway like the filthy millenials we are?

FM:  Let’s!

S:   “The game actually gives new players SO MANY HANDOUTS!  You finish story, you're at like 700 AP.  DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET THAT STRONG BACK IN THE DAY?!  MONTHS AND MONTHS OF GRINDING”

Congratulations, Debra.  You're officially a baby boomer now.

FM:  I....Umm...Don't see why this is a problem. The game is trying to get new players accepted by people like you?

S:  “But!  We had to grind!  Waaaaaaaaah!”

FM:  Why is the game trying to fix this?  Why aren’t YOU trying to fix this?

S:  The devs wouldn't have to try to make new players on par with people who grinded for months if, oh, idk, the community helped them?

FM:   Also, just to say....You'd have to be pretty skilled to make it to the end of the story, there really isn't a crazy huge ton to learn if I may be so gross.  Don't make this harder for yourself.

S:  I remember this time before you fight Jinsoyun that there's this gross ass boss and he has crazy range and damage.

FM:  Exactly!

S:   Like... if I could hardly deal with THAT boss back in the day, what makes you think I can deal with the entire story NOW?  ESPECIALLY when we can't get accessories through the story anymore to my knowledge?

FM:   Exactly!  And eventually you will get through it as the story is supposed to be a single-player experience perhaps with a couple of others to help, but you have to be good to get through it.  So...... With this difficulty, the new players should be pretty smart, is that not right?

S:   Also it's even harder to exchange for Soul Shields unless you use the Wheel of Fate?  Soul Shields cost Naryu Silver now I think?

OH, BUT WAIT!  TO USE WHEELS OF FATE, YOU NEED TO FIGHT FIELD BOSSES WHICH TAKE SKILL!

Sure, you can still get dungeon Soul Shields, but you need a party.  You need to know the mechanics and have high AP for any party. =D

FM:  How should we learn mechanics?  Perhaps by watching an experienced player before us?  Oh, no, we’d be standing there doing nothing!  That is a no-no.

S:  Oh wait... They can't take time out of their precious day to teach us.  You're assuming too much by even THINKING someone would take us along, FailureMaster.

FM:  Oh, right!  How foolish of me!

S:  I guess it's about time we wrap this up, don't you think?

FM:  Perhaps so, we'll probably get pitchforks and torches our way.

S:  As always with me~

FM:  It’s a bit delightful in its own way!  Lining up as a mob for us?~  How kind, how very kind.

S:  I can't wait to see the discourse!  This toxic community coming after us would only further our point, though!

FM:  Indeed!

S:   Anywho!  Thank you SO MUCH for proving our points, miss-ruin!  This is Sourcream and FailureMaster signing off!

FM:  It was a pleasure to be here!  Bye!