#(( its on my English keyboard NOT my German and yet

[fruit-of-infidelity]

// Richter and I are lowkey gatekeeping smol Ryuuto :/

[betterhomesandhozie]

started reading my first ‘for fun’ german book and i actually understand it so much better than I expected I’m excited

[cherryseptacone]

Intro Post

(I guess??)

Hello, I am currently cherryseptacone, but just Cherry is fine (there are plans to do a "rebrand" of sorts in the near future). I prefer she/her pronouns but any exept it/its are fine. My motherlanguage is German, though I mainly speak English (as you can tell). But that, combined with my usuall difficoulty writing and just mistakes with the keyboard, will result in frequent spelling/grammar mistakes. If that is a turnoff I understand compleatly.

I am, infact, not neurotypical or heterosexual (who would've guessed). I'm diagnosed with anxiety and mild depression. I am also a lesbian and support the lgbtq+ community (So any homophobic asks/comments that are send to this blog will either be ignored and/or deleted).

I am a young artist and mostly like to draw my ocs. While I'm in several fandoms, these are the main ones: Pokemon, Undertale, Warrior Cats, Cotl, RotTMNT, Hermitcraft, Lifeseries, Guess the Build (Can you tell who my fav cc's are?). I am also on Artfight, under the name CherrySeptacone!

I'd love to hear anyone ramble about their ocs and worlds they've created!

(And if you ever want to play a game, my messanges are open (•v• ))

About the blog now:

I mostly repost things, but I will post some art sometimes or interact with others. Sometimes I might post about a new game I'm playing aswell, though it is very likely that updates on that will be slow or drop compleatly due to loosing of interest or personal stuff on my end.

You can find oc art under the tag #cherrydrawsocs or find my rambles of them under #cherryramblesocs (there might not be anything under those tags yet, but hopefully there will in the future). Interactions will not be specificly tagged. Game post will be tagged under #cherryseptaconeplays (I know there are alot of cherrys on tumblr, so full username to avoid confusion). If there are any other kinds of post that I do, I will most likely not specificly tag them aswell.

I hope you have a nice day/night and your favourite weather outside :)

[linuxgamenews]

Unleash Your Creativity in Dawnfolk: A Uniquely Dark City-Builder Demo

Dawnfolk minimalist survival city-builder game has a new updated Demo on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the creativity of developer Darenn Keller. Available to play now on Steam. Astra Logical is teaming up with solo developer Darenn Keller to bring you Dawnfolk — a uniquely dark, minimalist survival city-builder for Linux. One that’s due to keep you hooked. In this title, you’ll gather resources and build your realm one tile at a time. All while guarding your settlers from the lurking shadows that threaten your progress. Just in time for the upcoming Wholesome Steam event. This updated Dawnfolk demo now includes two exciting new modes: Puzzle and Challenge. Puzzle mode offers a fresh experience for those who enjoy solving complex problems. While giving you something to chew on beyond the core strategy. Meanwhile, Challenge mode sticks to the survival strategy vibe. But also spices things up with specific objectives and unique twists that’ll keep you on your toes. Darenn Keller, the mind behind Dawnfolk, is eager to have signed with Astra Logical. “I was really excited to sign with Astra Logical and their approach of being developer - first with indie - friendly terms,” said Keller. “They’re a new publisher, but with their support, I can take my time to finish my title without the dreaded crunch. Their help with marketing, dialect, and QA means I get to focus on what I love — making the title itself.”

Dawnfolk - | Survival City-Builder Updated Demo

Heather Jackson, Managing Director of Astra Logical, is equally eager about the partnership. “We started playing the updated demo for Dawnfolk and could not stop,” she said. “We’re thrilled to publish titles that offer unexpected, novel discoveries through deep and interesting systems. Darenn’s title is a perfect example of peak discovery in short gaming sessions.” Jackson’s favorite find in the title so far? Pirates! And let’s not forget the fishing mini game. Since, as she put it, “every good title has a fishing mini game.” Dawnfolk design is due to feel familiar yet very different from any building strategy you’ve played before. Whether you’re at home or on the go, you can unwind and play with ease using your gamepad, keyboard, or hand held console. This title takes you back to the roots of gaming. Where exploring and trying new ideas are the keys to having fun. Step into the eerie darkness and build your way to survival, success. Or just a chill time — it’s up to you. Take on this title on both macro and micro levels as you manage your buildings and resources. While diving into mini arcade games to gather what you need. As you explore, you’ll also reshape the world and uncover its hidden story. When the survival city-builder launches in 2025, Dawnfolk will release on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC via Steam. Along with full support in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese. So get ready for an adventure like no other. Try it now!!

[hydralisk98]

Grand Strategy Manifesto (16^12 article-thread ‘0x1A/?)

Broken down many times yet still unyielding in their vision quest, Nil Blackhand oversees the reality simulations & keep on fighting back against entropy, a race against time itself...

So yeah, better embody what I seek in life and make real whatever I so desire now.

Anyways, I am looking forward to these... things in whatever order & manner they may come:

Female biological sex / gender identity

Ambidextrous

ASD & lessened ADD

Shoshona (black angora housecat)

Ava (synthetic-tier android ENFP social assistance peer)

Social context

Past revision into successful university doctorate graduation as historian & GLOSS data archivist / curator

Actual group of close friends (tech lab peers) with collaborative & emotionally empathetic bonds (said group large enough to balance absences out)

Mutually inclusive, empowering & humanely understanding family

Meta-physics / philosophy community (scientific empiricism)

Magicks / witch coven (religious, esoteric & spirituality needs)

TTRPGs & arcade gaming groups

Amateur radio / hobbyist tinkerers community (technical literacy)

Political allies, peers & mutual assistance on my way to the Progressives party (Harmony, Sustainability, Progress) objectives' fulfillment

Local cooperative / commune organization (probably something like Pflaumen, GLOSS Foundation & Utalics combined)

Manifesting profound changes in global & regional politics in a insightful & constructive direction to lead the world in a brighter direction fast & well;

?

Bookstore

Physical medium preservation

Video rental shop

Public libraries

Public archives

Shopping malls

Retro-computing living museum

Superpowers & feats

Hyper-competence

Photographic memory

600 years lifecycle with insightful & constructive historical impact for the better

Chronokinesis

True Polymorph morphology & dedicated morphological rights legality (identity card)

Multilingualism (Shoshoni, French, English, German, Hungarian, Atikamekw / Cree, Innu / Huron...)

Possessions

Exclusively copyleft-libre private home lab + VLSI workshop

Copyleft libre biomods

Copyleft libre cyberware

Privacy-respecting wholly-owned home residence / domain

Privacy-respecting personal electric car (I do like it looking retro & distinct/unique but whatever fits my fancy needs is fine)

Miyoo Mini+ Plus (specifically operating OnionOS) & its accessories

BeagleboneY-AI

BeagleV-Fire

RC2014 Mini II -> Mini II CP/M Upgrade -> Backlane Pro -> SIO/2 Serial Module (for Pro Tier) -> 512k ROM 512k RAM Module + DS1302 Real Time Clock Module (for ZED Tier) -> Why Em-Ulator Sound Module + IDE Hard Drive Module + RP2040 VGA Terminal + ESP8266 Wifi + Micro SD Card Module + CH375 USB Storage + SID-Ulator Sound Module -> SC709 RCBus-80pin Backplane Kit -> MG014 Parallel Port Interface + MG011 PseudoRandomNumberGen + MG003 32k Non-Volatile RAM + MG016 Morse Receiver + MG015 Morse Transmitter + MG012 Programmable I/O + "MSX Cassette + USB" Module + "MSX Cartridge Slot Extension" + "MSX Keyboard" -> Prototype PCBs

Intersil 6100/6120 System ( SBC6120-RBC? )

Pinephone Beta Edition Convergence Package (Nimrud replacement)

TUXEDO Stellaris Slim 15 Gen 6 AMD laptop (Nineveh replacement)

TUXEDO Atlas X - Gen 1 AMD desktop workstation (Ashur replacement)

SSD upgrade for Ashur build (~4-6TB SSD)

LTO Storage

NAS RAID6 48TB capacity with double parity (4x12TB for storage proper & 2x12TB for double parity)

Apple iMac M3-Max CPU+GPU 24GB RAM MagicMouse+Trackpad & their relevant accessories (to port Asahi Linux, Haiku & more sidestream indie-r OSes towards… with full legal permission rights)

Projects

OpenPOWER Microwatt

SPARC Voyager

IBM LinuxOne Mainframe?

Sanyo 3DO TRY

SEGA Dreamcast with VMUs

TurboGrafx 16?

Atari Jaguar CD

Nuon (game console)

SEGA's SG-1000 & SC-3000?

SEGA MasterSystem?

SEGA GameGear?

Casio Loopy

Neo Geo CD?

TurboExpress

LaserActive? LaserDisc deck?

45rpm autoplay mini vinyl records player

DECmate III with dedicated disk drive unit?

R2E Micral Portal?

Sinclair QL?

Xerox Daybreak?

DEC Alpha AXP Turbochannel?

DEC Alpha latest generation PCI/e?

PDP8 peripherals (including XY plotter printer, hard-copy radio-teletypes & vector touchscreen terminal);

?

[amainoyuki]

Globi and the Stolen Shadows

Okay, I don't actually know if this counts as lost media but at this point, I've been searching for it for years and have not yet been able to watch it, so I'm hoping the online community can help.

Globi and the Stolen Shadows (original title: Globi und der Schattenräuber, also known as Globi und die gestohlenen Schatten) is a feature-length animated film released in 2003. The story follows Benji, an aspiring rock star who plays guitar with his friend Lucinda on keyboard. A villain known as Maestro steals Benji's shadow and, in doing so, steals his ability to play music, which will cause Benji to gradually fade out of existence. Maestro has stolen the shadows of numerous musicians in an effort to rule the world, and it's up to Benji and Lucinda to stop him with the help of a talking parrot named Globi.

Globi is a children's character of Swiss origin dating back to the 1930s. Originally created as the mascot for a department store, he would go on to star in various comic strips and picture books as well as loads of toys and other merchandise. As I understand it, Globi and the Stolen Shadows was an effort to modernize the character by starring him in an anime-inspired adventure film, to capitalize on the worldwide boom in popularity anime was experiencing in the early 2000s.

This film sounds absolutely bonkers, and I desperately want to see it for myself. The problem I'm running into is that the film has limited to no availability outside of its' countries of origin. Globi and the Stolen Shadows was a co-production between Germany, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. Two German dubs were made, one is Swiss German and one in German German. According to IMDB, an English dub was also made, but I don't know the format of that release or if it's still available.

JustWatch lists the film as being available on several streaming services which are a). paid subscriptions and b). region locked. I would be able to get past either of those problems, but both at the same time is a bit beyond my skill set. It's also worth mentioning that the DVD still appears to be available through German Amazon, but it doesn't ship to the US and I haven't found a proxy service that works on the German version of the site.

I feel like this movie is not actually that hard to get a hold of, but I'm out of my depth. If anyone has tips on how I could finally see it, I would greatly appreciate the help.

[a-typewritten-blog]

Finished product:

Came together really nicely! Took me an hour to get the labels on the keys then the keys put STRAIGHT on the keyboard. I'm happy with this product! But of course, I have a list of goofy points...

If this is a manual typewriter with a return lever on the left side of the carriage... what does that big red button do?

The keyboard is shown in all the illustrations is laid out as English QWERTY but the keys provided (namely the Ö and Ü, but not Ä) is from the German QWERTZ layout. Thus my trying to follow that layout from a photo from the web, but compromising by putting the minus / equals key and the half key where they would be on an American keyboard rather than using the umlauted letters there as they would be on a German keyboard. And on that note...

In what universe do you find comma sharing question mark or period sharing half? Must be the same universe where plus shares a key with an umlauted letter rather than some non-letter and the keyboard randomly contains a section sign §.

Beside the big red Return key, another inexplicable item is the handle sticking out of the left side in back. What's it do?

Upper left corner of the keyboard are two large round things on angled connectors. Again I am not sure what's up since Tab and Shift Lock don't look like that IRL but let's just go with it.

And then there's the design choice of putting the left side of the paper bail on the carriage yet the right side of the paper bail on the back of the machine. As in, the bail bar is diagonal by nearly a centimeter! Why wasn't the right bracket on the carriage also?

Nevermind the obvious that the bail is thereby behind the roller instead forward of center to do its job of holding the paper in place as the hammers strike it, but at least the result is the bail holds the writing sample in place against the back of the carriage.

I'll tell you how this turns out. It's surprisingly petite!

[southern--downpour]

can japanese like... chill, with its writing systems please? why does there need to be three. katakana and hiragana are basically the same thing just that katakana is used for foreign words. why are there so many kanji. what the fuck. how do native speakers do this daily.

[tofallinlovewithshadows]

Liveblog — St. Paul, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, 1999

Thank you to @theelliottsmiths for the recommendation!

Ah, is this the infamous drunk show? I suppose we’ll find out

WARNING: It’s a lot of me thirsting after Till. But I gotta be me, right?

Spiel mit mir

God, I love “Spiel mit mir” a little more every time I hear it.

The burning drum opening is the level of extra I have come to expect in my relatively short relationship with Rammstein.

Why do I love pigeon-toed Till so much? Such a masculine man, such child-like behavior—oh, there he is sucking his thumb again.

Watching Schneider drum is a sight to behold. That is all.

Tier

Aww, I always feel so proud of Till when he interacts with the audience. As someone who got a C in her public speaking class in college, I empathize with the stage fright.

I see you bobbing your head there, Oli.

Is Reesh wearing that coat or is the coat wearing him? Hard to tell.

Oh, Flake, when you dance, you remind me of one of those toy birds whose only function is to dip their heads in the water.

Intermission as I watch the Bachelor. Trust me, I’d rather be liveblogging this concert, but I’m in a group chat with my friends and it’s a complicated situation lol

Bestrafe mich

Okay, but that “OHHH” at the beginning did something to me.

I’m fairly vanilla, but there’s something about Till whipping himself?? I felt it for the first time when I watched the Rosenrot video and making of??

Fuck, his body. So nice. So foine. I love Chumby Till, but Ripped Till is gorgeous as well.

Sorry to be so thirsty...

Weisses Fleisch

The sparkler shoes. I would cause mass destruction if I ever dared wear those.

FLEISCH FLEISCH FLEISCH

Honestly, being at a Rammstein concert would be a hell of a way to find out you have epilepsy.

Schneider’s hips and Flake’s legs. That is all.

Sehnsucht

Yet another song that I enjoy the more I hear it.

Till standing still onstage always makes me feel like he’s mid-panic attack and I just

Is it the lighting/quality of the video or is Oli (supposed to look like he’s) covered in blood?

Not complaining, but why do Paul and Oli swap places onstage? Is this song more bass-heavy than I’ve ever noticed?

I love this bridge with the clapping; it makes me happy for reasons I cannot articulate.

Fuck, he just wrecked that microphone.

Asche zu Asche

It makes me happy when Richard and Paul stand in the middle of the stage and riff :’)

I can’t say this is one of my favorite songs, but I appreciate its energy.

FLAKE IS BREAKING IT DOWN AT THE KEYBOARD FUCK I LOVE HIM WHAT A CHARACTER

Yeeees, spotlight on Oli. So underrated. I see you, Lars.

Why was I surprised to see the mic-stands on fire??? There has never been anything to lead me to believe that something like that wouldn’t happen?

Ooh, the slow-down of the drums. I am a fan.

Seemann

Okay, this is one of my favorites. I absolutely love the softer side of Rammstein. Also, way before I even knew what the lyrics meant, this song made me want to cry. And I rarely cry over music. I did two years of German in high school and I vaguely knew what the line “mit Tränen im Gesicht” and it just

It me

It me mit Tränen im Gesicht

Okay, I feel like some people are not fans of the Slow Hammer, but I am a fan of Till’s back, and it highlights it, so I’ll take all the Slow Hammer I can get.

“HELLOOOO”

God, this song is fucking beautiful.

Was not expecting the🎵La-la-lalaaa🎵 but I am here for it.

Stripped (intro)

Let me see Till stripped

So sad this was cut short, it’s one of my favorites.

Someone’s string broke, correct? A shame.

Du riechst so gut

Another one of my controversial “not favorites” I’M SORRY

I keep thinking Flake and Schneider have 16-pack abs, but it’s just their outfits.

Why does this sound so off to me? Is it because they’re shit-faced or am I just tired after watching the Bachelor? There is no reason that show needs to be TWO HOURS LONG, but I digress.

Flake’s doing his toy-bird dance again lol how does one have so little rhythm, yet is such a compelling dancer?

Oh no, fucked-up guitar. Can’t blame the Bachelor on that one.

And the spotlight shines on Richard’s torso. As it should. Fuck, he has a lovely chest.

Du hast

Okay. I know. “It’S oVeRrAtEd AnD oVeRpLaYeD.” But I could not give less of a fuck???

It’s overplayed because it’s fucking catchy? And it’s a lot of people’s gateway into Rammstein, and I think people should let people enjoy it.

Anyway

I love when Till laughs :’)

The reverberating phone cracks me up and I’m not sure why?

Till spitting up that water like a fucking whale and its blowhole.

Lol what is Oli doing? Whatever he wants? I love it. And I love him.

Bück dich

Don’t be mad at me, but I like the Woo-Machine part better than the actual song

Woo-w-woo, indeed

Oh, there’s Flake on the leash.

Are Flake’s legs even real?

Oli’s over there looking like he just climbed out of some radioactive waste and is going to be a comic book villain.

Okay, yes, simulated anal sex, but Till’s little wiggle to distribute the “semen” was adorable.

Aaaand Oli’s getting a drink. Gotta stay hydrated??

Engel (cut)

I absolutely love Engel. It’s one of my “let me listen to this on-repeat for ????” songs

Sad that it’s a bit chopped up :’(

Till directing the fire always entertains me.

YES SPARKLER DRUMSTICKS

I fucking LOVE how extra these boys are. Like, I know it’s because they know a lot of their fanbase doesn’t speak German and it’s for entertainment purposes. Honestly, I feel, as an American who only speaks English, the music can stand on its own. But the spectacle is still MUCH appreciated.

I’m not sure if that last bit made any sense, but we’re running with it.

I love Flake’s extended outtro. (Is that a word? And is it the right one? I’m running on fumes at this point.)

Rammstein

This song gives me so much nostalgia, but I honestly don’t remember the first time I heard it?? I just remember knowing it.

Watching Till stand there in that coat with his arms out makes mine HURT.

The way the coat lit up made me happy in a way I cannot explain.

Yes bb show it OFF

Those drums. Simple, but effective.

In my limited experience, I feel like this a song that Till is pretty hit-or-miss on live. I think this is a hit. But what do I know?

This is the first time I’ve ever noticed/paid attention to the harmonies on this song.

Aww, Paul and Richard are doing the riff thing again, I just love it.

OLI and the giant stomps. God, I love him. And I just realized he’s wearing short-shorts???

Also, not hating Paul’s hair?

Laichzeit

Loving Paul and Schneider’s head-banging.

Also, Till looks zoned out? Drunk?? Panicked???

🎵AUUUGENNNN🎵

This is usually one I skip over when I’m listening on my phone, but I’m super digging Flake’s contribution tonight.

Till ululating was not something I thought I would ever hear??

Yes, Flake, earning that spotlight.

This auditorium must reek of sweat and fuel at this point.

But mostly sweat.

Ssssssllllloooowwwww eeeeeennnnddd

Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen?

Ah, one of many songs where they chant their own name.

I’m trying REAL HARD not to say that Till can set my bed on fire whenever he wants.

I love this song, but the Doom noises just

Richard, I adore you, but I am not a fan of the bell-bottoms. I know it was a different time. But please.

Till’s ruffled hair is...lovely.

Is this the show they played before that elevator clip?

Aww, the sparklers. I don’t think it’s supposed to be as cute as I find it??

Paul is adorable.

Fuck yeeees, I love when the flamethrowers get brought out.

Especially when used so phallically. I see you, Till.

“We love you. Thank you.” I LOVE YOU TOO AND YOU’RE WELCOME.

Well, it happened. I have no regrets and if you made it this far, then I hope you have none either.

[haledamage]

OC Questionnaire

I was tagged by @actualanxiousswampwitch and not so much tagged as challenged by @queen-scribbles​ :P 

I am tagging/challenging you both back if you have more OCs you want to talk about, plus anyone else who has an OC you want to talk about! really, I want to know about your muses, please share them with me <3

I decided to go with Lexi from Mind Blind because she’s currently my most vocal muse, as well as Ari because I realized I’ve never done one of these for her? not sure how that happened

Lexi Wiseman

GENERAL

name: Alexandria Jane Wiseman

alias(es): Lexi, Lex, Button, Cadet Wiseman

gender: cis female

age: 20

place of birth: Chicago, Illinois

spoken languages: English, sarcasm, probably some coding language? took Spanish and German in high school, but really only remembers how to count to ten and ask where the library is

sexual orientation: bi bi bi

occupation: student at Unity’s Aeon Academy

APPEARANCE

eye colour: hazel

hair colour: brown

height: 5′8”

scars: not any major ones? She scars really easy, so even little things like paper cuts leave a scar, but except for things like that and old scars from scraped knees and elbows as a kid, Lexi doesn’t really have any scars worth mentioning. (or as Lex would say, “my scars are all mental ;)”)

burns: not really many burn scars either. a small and perfectly circular one on the inside of her right ring finger (accidentally bumped into the lit end of a cigarette), a faded line on her right calf from grazing the exhaust pipe of a motorcycle, but that’s really it

overweight: No

underweight: No

FAVOURITE

colour: green, especially darker ones like hunter green or forest green

music genre: loves music, all kinds. most of the covers she does are older pop songs, the songs that have made it into the collective consciousness, but she will listen to or sing anything :)

movie genre: action. loves a superhero movie and not afraid to admit it.

tv show: don’t think she’s much of a tv person. more likely listens to podcasts or watches twitch streams/youtube shows. I feel like she’d be a big Buzzfeed Unsolved fan. occasionally enjoys a cooking competition show like Chopped or Iron Chef, something you can enjoy without having to commit to it. Watches them with Nick because his commentary is the best part.

pastime: music (plays guitar and piano/keyboard, and knows her way around a sampler/MIDI controller), video games (especially fps, co-op or team-based online games preferred)

food: anything Nick cooks, but especially cinnamon pumpkin cookies

drink: cherry coke, sweet iced tea, iced white mocha

book: she’s not a really big reader (not that she doesn’t enjoy it, she just has other ways she’d rather spend her time), but she’ll read just about anything on the occasion she has time to. adventure, romance, mystery, poetry, whatever. really enjoys sci-fi especially, and comic books!

HAVE THEY

passed university: she didn’t go to college per se, since Aeon isn’t technically a college so much as a very particular and multi-year job training course, but she took a few courses at the local community college. Computer programming, music theory, whatever struck her fancy. Probably found something weird that she’ll never need in real life just for the hell of it.

had sex: no

had sex in public: no

gotten pregnant: no

kissed a boy: yes

kissed a girl: yes

gotten tattoos: no, but she wants one. eventually. once she settles on a design

had a broken heart: sure, in lots of different ways. the situation with her mom could certainly be considered heart-breaking...

been in love: she would deny it if you asked her, but yes. Very yes.

stayed up for longer than 24 hours: sure, yeah, why not? sleep is overrated anyway

ARE THEY

a virgin: yes. look, when you live with your brother who is a mind-reader and you have literally no way to stop loudly projecting your thoughts, sex is a tricky and awkward situation. better to just avoid it until someone comes along that’s worth it.

a cuddler: yes, very much so. Maybe a little touch-starved, despite Nick and Sally’s efforts. Someone please give her a hug.

a kisser: sometimes

scared easily: startles easily, but doesn’t actually frighten easily

jealous easily: not really. envy, on the other hand...

trustworthy: yes, but she’ll be the first to tell you not to tell her any secrets. She can’t promise what people can hear from her thoughts

dominant: not really. Can be assertive, but prefers to kind of go with the flow

submissive: not really submissive either, though maybe leans more toward it than toward dominant

in love: with her brother’s best friend. Has been for years now, expects she will be for the foreseeable future. She accepts that she will spend her life pining from afar. It’s not like Gray could ever feel the same, right?

single: yep

RANDOM QUESTIONS

have they harmed themselves: nope

thought of suicide: I don’t think so

attempted suicide: no

Wanted to kill someone: no

rode a horse: nope

have / had a job: her situation makes it a little difficult to work normal jobs. I would imagine she makes money through patreon with her music, and she will eventually have a job at Unity as a MIV, once she finishes at Aeon

have any fears: loss of control (again), not being good enough, abandonment, rejection (specifically being rejected for things she can’t change; she’s fine if people don’t like her for her personality, some people just have bad taste)

FAMILY

sibling(s): older brother Nick, relationship status: besties against all odds

Parents: John and Hope Wiseman, relationship status: fucking complicated

children: none, she is baby

pets: none

---

Aurienne the Sparrow

GENERAL

name: Aurienne the Sparrow. She had a last name once, but she doesn’t remember it.

alias(es): Ari, Little Bird, The Sparrow Queen

gender: nonbinary female/demigirl

age: 23

place of birth: Andoran, she assumes. It’s the first place she remembers living, at the very least.

spoken languages: Common, Elvish, a little Celestial thanks to her sister

sexual orientation: bisexual

occupation: Queen of the Stolen Lands, somehow

APPEARANCE

eye colour: light gray

hair colour: black

height: 5′10”

scars: a thin but deep and ragged scar across her throat that she normally keeps covered by a scarf or choker or high collar; arrow puncture in her left shoulder; long line on her inner right thigh from a greatsword that almost cut her leg off entirely; a few other minor ones

burns: a few on her fingertips from accidents with her flaming crossbow

overweight: No

underweight: No

FAVOURITE

colour: gold

music genre: punk and all its subgenres :)

movie genre: she loves a musical, all musicals

tv show: dramas and monster of the week shows. wants a tv show that’ll make her cry

pastime: music (when she’s feeling confident enough to give it a try again, which is… a work in progress), reading, silly but harmless pranks. Loves to meditate a surprising amount, just sit in silent contemplation.

food: samosas, lemon macarons

drink: matcha latte with white chocolate syrup

book: has a deep and unending love of poetry

HAVE THEY

passed university: nope, didn’t go to school

had sex: yes

had sex in public: …...perhaps

gotten pregnant: nope

kissed a boy: yes

kissed a girl: yes

gotten tattoos: yes, seven sparrows down her spine. recently, the one on the back of her neck got a tiny little crown over its head :)

had a broken heart: yes

been in love: yes

stayed up for longer than 24 hours: yes, but rarely

ARE THEY

a virgin: nope

a cuddler: sort of? I think she wants to be, but is scared to let herself be vulnerable like that. Will happily cuddle with anyone who initiates, though

a kisser: not really, unless she’s in a mood

scared easily: yes, but hides it well

jealous easily: nope

trustworthy: very

dominant: not really. Prefers to let others take the reins (probably not the best trait for a queen, but as she is quick to tell people, being in charge was never her idea)

submissive: most of the time. Probably a big part of why she and Tristian took so long to get together...

in love: yes, with a literal angel

single: she’s not sure??? like, they haven’t really made anything official yet, but no one would ever look at the two of them together and not think they’re a couple. they should probably have a talk about that soon

RANDOM QUESTIONS

have they harmed themselves: no

thought of suicide: yes

attempted suicide: no

Wanted to kill someone: yes

rode a horse: yes

have / had a job: former mercenary/adventurer, former baroness, currently queen of the Stolen Lands? She’s still not entirely sure how that happened

have any fears: helplessness, losing those she loves, being silenced (again)

FAMILY

sibling(s): twin sister, Auriel the Dove

parents: both deceased (I should probably name them at some point…)

children: none. Maybe someday...

pets: an owlcat named Headchomper, a red panda named Ember, an orange tabby cat named Tiger, a giant black wolf named Baron who is technically her sister’s animal companion and also technically her nephew

[dudewithastick]

i was tagged for the nosy games again by @honeybeezgobzzzzz thx <3

Tea, Coffee, or Soda: i would go for a cheeky chocci milk but for the sake of this i choose tea

Dogs or Cats: i am a cat, but if i could have a pet, i would get a dog. but i would also get a cat. i don’t discriminate. but i need a cuddle pet, if I’d have a moody kitty cat, I would probably cry, bcs I’d think she hates me

Can you play an instrument?: nope, i have the musical talent of a grape. neither patience to learn an instrument nor the motor skills tbh... i tried learning the guitar once, didn’t work out. so the closest to playing anything was the baby keyboard i had when i was 6 and i played a lullaby.

What is you sun sign?: I’m a scorpio through and through

First song lyrics that pop into your head: “we stand hand in hand like corpses”

Do you have any tattoos?: sadly not yet, my social anxiety wont let me get in contact with an artist so I will just dream about it for now

Favorite place you’ve had traveled?: Venice. My dad says its dirty and smells but when I was there it was pretty amazing.

What was the last movie you watched?: Hitman 

What language do you speak?: Started with german, bcs thats my mother tongue but Ive learned english since first grade and now I use it almost more often than german. Once you learn a new language and speak it fluently, your own will be sooo so cringy.

Do you have hobbies?: Well I like to say I’m a writer, but i haven’t written in a long long time, so maybe i should rather say i am a book plotter. I read a lot. A long time ago, i drew a lot, not anymore. I while ago, I made book covers for people on Wattpad, haven’t done that in a minute either. I like watching birds and watching streamers play games. I sometimes try playing games myself and sometimes I have fun. Mainly when i can ride a silly little horse in an open world setting. My main hobby would be wasting time doing nothing.

You can hang out with one fictional character for an hour, who do you choose?:  Given that most characters i simp for would intimidate the living shit out of me, I can eliminate them... which doesnt make it easier, because an hour is so little time. I need like 5 to 19 business days to warm up to anyone, I have to study someone before knowing how to act around them... I think I will pick Spence Reid, he could rant to me about random topics and I would just sit and listen for an hour and dissapear again.

Compliment yourself: Well, I guess you are the perfect amount of chaos in your online adventures, congrats. 

Not tagging anyone bcs I will always tag the same people. i know noone else and I dont wanna annoy anyone.

Toodles. 🦐

Was tagged by @gaminggirlsstuff. Thank you!

Tea, coffee, or soda: I'm almost always drinking tea

Dogs or cats: Both

Can you play an instrument: Violin

What’s your sun sign: Cancer

First song lyric that pops into your head: "Well, I can dance with you, honey, if you think it's funny. Does your mother know that you're out?" From the Mama Mia sound track.

Do you have any tattoos: I have a skull on my arm -- it's from an authors signiture.

Favorite place you've traveled: The moors in my county, (specifically, the one that has giant rocks in it, lol).

What's the last movie you watched? Constantine (2005)

What languages do you speak: English

Do you have any hobbies: Sewing, writing, walking, etc...

You can hang out with one fictional character for an hour, who do you choose: Probably Cisco Ramon.

Compliment yourself: I'm a better writer than I think I am!

No pressure tags : @queenofthehobos @ageless-aislynn @fishandchips321 and anyone else who wants to do this

[student-by-day]

back-to-school tools

‘tis the season again, so here are some handy websites and browser extensions i’ve discovered over the past few years that’ll hopefully make this year a bit easier for you. i’m taking high-school-level classes, but a lot of these should help with college/uni work, too!

feel free to reblog and add your own recommendations :)

the only ones you have to install and/or sign up for have an asterisk, but note that they’re all free either way.

L A N G U A G E   A R T S

planet ebook

this is my go-to for digital (and legal!) classic literature. i download the pdf files and upload them to places like one note to annotate, but epub and mobi versions are also available if you prefer those. no need to break your back over hauling textbooks and your required readings!

audible stories

this doesn’t have the widest selection of audio books, but it definitely has its uses! there are a lot of classics on there, which could come in handy for a literature or english class.

easybib

this is the best citation tool ever. i love that i can choose which style i want to use and what kind of media i’m researching with (books, journals, websites, etc.). if i need to, i can go in and edit any (citation) category i want, but that isn’t usually necessary because it can find stats that even i can’t while looking at the source. enter some info, copy ‘n paste the works cited list to your paper, and you’re done!

i recommend the web version and not the google docs add-on because the add-on doesn’t let you customize your citations

gradeproof* or grammarly*

these are both grammar/spelling checkers that provide plenty of stats, which are most useful for speeches. you can use these to see your character count, word count, number of sentences, syllables per word, words per sentence, readability, grade level, reading time, speaking time, etc.

wordcounter

this is a great alternative if you can’t/don’t want to install gradeproof or grammarly.

powerthesaurus

this is my go-to thesaurus... it has a ton of features if you go on the website (it’s not just for synonyms, though those are seemingly endless!). plus, if i don’t want to open a new tab, i can use the extension in my toolbar to see a brief list!

just a word of caution: look up any words you don’t know (because if you go far enough down the list, they’re not completely relevant anymore).

onelook

i use this reverse dictionary to find the word that’s on the tip of my tongue but i just can’t name (though it has a lot more features than that!).

cueprompter

this is the perfect teleprompter for any speeches you need to record (maybe for an online graduation? a virtual debate?).

xodo*

this is a great digital annotation tool (right in your browser) for those of you who don’t have an app like goodnotes on your ipad. you can upload files from your google drive, your device, or dropbox and draw on them, type notes, add comments, highlight, choose different underline patterns, add shapes/arrows, etc. all while customizing opacity, thickness, and colors. you’re also able to zoom in/out, change page width, rotate the page, change your layout (pdf, book, magazine), and choose a transition style.

A R T

canva*

i love this site to death---if you haven’t heard of it yet, what are you doing?? i can design everything from a resume to a powerpoint to a school dance flyer on this thing! there are beautiful templates to choose from, but if that’s not your thing (it isn’t mine either), then there are millions of photos, doodles, graphics, fonts, borders, backgrounds, etc. to choose from. plus, you can even upload your own content. (i designed the header for this post on there!)

F O R E I G N   L A N G U A G E S

typeit

i hate having to remember all the keyboard shortcuts for special characters, so i just copy and paste from this international keyboard. choose a language, and you’re good to go. :)

audible stories

did i put this in two different categories? yes. audible stories has free audio books in english, spanish, french, german, portuguese, italian, dutch, and japanese! i recommend finding a children’s audiobook on there in your target language and pulling up an ebook online so you can improve your listening and comprehension skills. there’s no need to download any content, and it still saves your spot (even once you close the tab), which is a lifesaver!

duolingo*

i think we all know by now that this site is good for practicing your sentence-writing skills and gaining a little extra vocab. keep in mind that this only helps if you take notes on your mistakes and type answers out yourself as opposed to mindlessly clicking through multiple choice questions! duolingo stories are also great for working on your listening comprehension skills and some immersion.

linguno*

i use this site for conjugations because that’s its main asset, but there are other things you can look into if you like. i love that i can choose a section and a level (ex: a1 level one, a1 level two, a1 level three, etc.) or add my own list of words. the rest is super customizable too! you can also choose which tenses you want to work on and what set of pronouns you want to focus on (for example, european spanish uses “vosotros” while latin american spanish does not).

S C I E N C E

molview

build your own molecules or search ones that already exist to explore what they’re used for, their structure, their composition, 2-d/3-d models, formulas, molecular weight, etc.

ptable

this dynamic periodic table has a million features for each element, which makes it perfect for researching and figuring out why the table is laid out the way it is.

phet

this is basically a virtual stem lab---atom-builders, circuit-builders, wave simulations, and interactive tools galore! it covers physics, chemistry, biology, math, and html5, though i’ve only used first three categories, so i can’t exactly recommend the others.

M A T H

geogebra or desmos

these babies are graphing tools perfect for checking functions and all that jazz (they’re basically the exact same except geogebra has a couple more bells and whistles).

symbolab

use this to check your answers and review the steps if you’re stuck! when it gets into some nitty-gritty stuff, you have to have the paid plan to see some of the steps, but i think it’s helpful enough that you can stick with the free version. it covers pre-alg, alg, pre-calc, calc, functions, matrices & vectors, geometry, trig, stats, physics, chem, finance, conversions, etc. (i use this to avoid silly mistakes and the ixl rage that follows haha).

mathway*

this is very similar to symbolab except that it doesn’t show any steps at all unless you pay for a plan. you can use this for basic math, pre-alg, alg, trig, pre-calc, calc, stats, finite math, etc. as a cross-checker in case symbolab is being funky.

[sastrugie]

my christmas break starts this friday as well! what’s up with your coworker? have her test results come back? is she doing okay?

alright, so my fav topics include:

- the russian revolution, as already stated :D

- the cold war (mostly from the east european point of view)

- the tudors

- victorian era england

i also really love peaky blinders (the show) and i occasionally enjoy reading about how different gangs operated back in those days but i don’t know much lmao

also, monarchy is just such a terrible system but i completely get your interest in the people! for example, i also adore reading and learning about the tudors and the romanovs but only as a part of history and not because i’m such a big fan of the monarchy? lmao if that makes sense.

and like, i lowkey get why the bolsheviks thought they needed to assassinate the whole family but it’s also really sketchy, dude ://

i think i like britain’s history just because it’s so rich and influential, but like we simply can’t ignore the fucked up shit they’ve done through the centuries. so again, i enjoy it but mostly because i love judging them for their actions lmao

and to answer your question, i don’t really know if i have many historical favs? i feel like i enjoy way too many problematic people lmao. nevertheless, the ones i’m most interested in atm are: lenin (shockers), anne boleyn, anne bonny, malcolm x - this list shifts constantly depending on my mood though.

oh shush you, i’m sure your style is bombing based on everything i just read :)

lmao i actually do that sometimes, but mostly in my mother tongue! but i also just love shakespearean insults in english, those are impeccable

and merci beaucoup! good luck with russian; maybe you’ll be able teach me a few phrases in the future :D

ooh what are you studying atm? if you don’t mind sharing, that is.

and me, i’d like to become a psychologist some day, so that’s pretty far from history as well haha but i never want the enthusiasm to die ever and i’m really loving how the two of us can just scream to each other about history in every single ask/answer :D

thank you so much for these beautiful recommendations, i’ll definitely check them out!!

here are some of mine:

books:

- maria stuart by stefan zweig (german author, so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to find it!!)

- red crosses by sasha filipenko (fiction about the stalinist regime)

- the age of light by whitney scharer (historical fiction again lmao; tells the story of photographers lee miller and man ray’s romance in the 30s with little snippets into wwii through lee’s pov; the writing was stunning)

- sapiens by yuval noah harari (basically the history of mankind; so informative and enjoyable, i adored it)

- the real peaky blinders by carl chinn (what the title says, really; the actual gangs of birmingham and their not so shiny careers)

these are the best ones i read in 2020 but i’ll let you know if i remember any of my other reads!!

i also haven’t read any actual books about the 1917 revolution because i haven’t really had the chance to go to the library yet and i’ve been busy doing my research on the internet haha (it’s a fairly new hyperfixation of mine, to be frank). however, i’ll hit you up if i find anything worthwhile <3

documentaries:

- the russian revolution (the title speaks for itself lmao)

- genius of the modern world (3-part docuseries about marx, nietzsche and freud)

- world war ii in colour (lmao just a classic, innit)

- secrets of great british castles

- the last tzars (tho i’m pretty sure you’re quite familiar with this one haha)

- forbidden history

- secrets of the six wives

- anything by lucy worsley, tbh

these are all off the top of my head but again, i’ll let you know if i remember any more!!

oml i apologise for the long message and i hope your week is going well :D

dont apologize for long messages! <3 im always happy to talk to you 

sadly her test was positive UGH which means i have to get myself tested too (today) and if the worst case happens: i´ll have to spend christmas alone in my student flat bc then i obviously cant go home to my family (my grandparents live there..) so yeah, today 14:20 o clock... i have the test :( cross your fingers for me pls huhuhu

thats cool that we have the russian revolution and vicxtorian era as common interest ^^ i read a book recently its called “the ordeal” and its a triology written by alexej tolstoi during the times of the revolution. its a story about two sister and their love interests during the war times and its really good!!! 

oh i barely know anything about the tudors! pls hmu

ah yes.. the cold war... i have to admit im rather interested in the music and sociology of the cold war times but the political stuff is super interesting too! esp as you said from an east european view, so we can talk about that too!

yep. monarchy sucks! i understanbd from like a logical point of view why they shot them all, but the human side of me thinks its just cruel.. i mean yeah tsar nicholas wasnt a good politician but he wasnt a bad person either. but yeah, a difficult topic.. tbh he´s the only romanov im really interested in (i really dislike his wife alexandra tho lmao) hbu? 

leninnn :D i kinda excpected that! i havent really read much about him but he seems to be an interesting person! and who is anne boyd? malcom X yes! im really interested into the civil rights movement as well. I really like martin luther king jr.

englands history really fascinates me, and i honestly cant tell you why... but it is what is is hahhaa! nand duuudeeee omg they fucked so many shit up.. the british are a funny nation. but honestly none is unproblematic and every nation screwed up big time once:D judging is really important when youre intereste din history! like im interested in king george and queen mary but not solely for political reasons, more actually for their personal lives and victorian times and how they were as a couple, but i know... they did bad stuff too!

omg teach me some shakespearean insults pls! i only know a few victorian ones! and a bit of sixties slang :D 

im gonna reblog this and add some russian phrases bc my russian keyboard in on my phone :) but i use duolingo so the sentences are ... really weird lmao

im studying physical geography in Erlangen right now and am in my 7th semester.) im actually writing my bachelor thesis rn UGHHHHHHH

ohhhhh psychology is cool!! im really intersted in it, sadly i cant ever be one bc i suffer from poor mental health too much myself, in fact i have an appointment my therapist in a few minutes haha BUT i think youre super trustworthy and nice and easy to talk to so these are really good qualities for a therapist <3<3<3<3

AHHHHHHHHHHH THANKS!! 

i already read sapiens! its so good! and i know maria stuart by schiller haha but oml i love stefan zweig so imma add it on my list

ok and i will watch ALL of these (except the last tsars bc yeah i already saw it! and liked it ... kinda .. i didnt like the actor they chose for nicky, he didnt remind me of him at all)

i have alot of historical fiction books to recomment too: 

if you like ww2 “a time to live and a time to die”

ww1: “all quiet on the western front”

russian revolution and war time “the ordeal”

“intrige” by robert harris is also good (france 1896)

oh and documentary wise:

they shall not grow old is a coloured ww1 docu!

thank you so much for everything again i love talking to you :) have a nice day <3 (sorry for typos i was in a hurry)

[bscully]

Protecting yourself against the Corona Virus

So the death toll reached 1300 people recently. I'm not here to spread panic but rather educate.

---

Update: I originally created this post in 13rd February. It’s 23rd February now and there are 2300 dead and 77000 infected. The virus managed to take foot abroad:

[source]

It has become a real danger at this point. 

----

Infection rates strongly depend on our performance as collective. Currently it does still have potential to grow into a pandemia with today's international travel. (When I typed this out 3 days ago (Update: on 10th Feb), a day later the German Robert Koch institute voiced the same concerns... Lol)  If we don't take this Virus outbreak seriously enough it's gonna spread even more. Taking it seriously does not mean panic. There are things you can do. You’re not helpless. Please protect yourself.

Also do not ever trust the government with this shit. THEY HAVE BEEN NEGLIGENT in handling this.

Update: What we currently know about the virus:

The virus spreads via droplet infection

Incubation time was corrected from 14 days to up to 27 days (consider that and think about how people from many different countries were sent home). To me it seems like the virus has a very long “dormant” phase and lingers inside of your body until it manages to destroy your immune system

The virus is sneaky because even if you are infected, you show no symptoms and can still infect others in that state

It multiplies inside the throat which explains its high infectiousness (the SARS virus multiplied in the lungs)

Symptoms include breathing troubles, coughing, fever. It causes the lung to transfer less oxygen into your blood which can lead to cardiac arrest.

The death rate is supposedly about 2-5%

Supposedly around 80% of coronavirus patients only have mild symptoms while 20% have the serious form which can potentially lead to death

(This is what I managed to read in my local, non-english news, I will provide english sources later)

How to protect yourself:

Avoid large groups of people

If you use public transport (metro, bus) you might be at a high risk due to the confined space. Even more so if those transport systems are connected to international airports. In that case make sure to wear appropriate breathing protection (see below)

Cancel your travel plans, especially regions affected by the Virus

Avoid travelling to China or countries bordering to China. Ideally avoid asiatic countries altogether. Cancel your travel plans if you have any. (There was this person from Britain who infected many people in many different countries, e.g. Spain/Mallorca) 

In fact, the less people travel, the better.

Take care of yourself

Because the Virus appears to have a large incubation time and might be slowly draining out its host until they become sick, take breaks, take off from work, take care of yourself. Especially if you’re feeling signs of exhaustion, or are struggling with a cold or fever. You might be struggling with an infection, or worse, the corona virus itself. Do anything that helps you recover and spare yourself.

Boost your immune system

You can boost up your immune system by

a healthy, varied diet (lots of veggies and fruit e.g. broccoli, carrots, sweet potato, citrus fruits, tomatoes, to name a few healthy crops)

dietary supplements work as well, but a healthy diet is preferred

frequent outside activities, no matter the weather

taking cold showers and breathing exercises (e.g. a la Wim Hof method)

Wash your hands frequently

20 to 30% of influenza infections can be avoided by washing your hands frequently, e.g. after using the toilet or every time you go outside, use public transport etc. etc.. It might help against the corona virus as well.

Desinfect your electronics 

Tablet, cellphone, keyboard and mouse are touching our hands frequently and we hardly ever clean them (at least I don’t). Now is the time to change that. However, make sure to use the right disinfectants (see below)

Wear Breathing Protection

If you get protection masks, make sure you get the right ones. Paper masks without filter won't help. There are filtering classes that protect against different particles and need to fulfill certain norms, EN 149:2001+A1:2009 in particular for europe.  You will need at least FFP3 class masks to effectively protect yourself from viruses. Surgical masks also provide FFP3 class protection IF they fulfill that specific norm (very important!!!) If it’s not normed, its not gonna help you.

Most FFP3 masks go with a ventile and are meant for single shift usage (8hours), they are marked properly with a N in that case. I have seen FFP1/2 masks being sold out in my local craft stores - lol those aren't gonna help ya much... Maybe against large dust particles, e.g. from busy streets, at most.

Use Desinfectants

Just like with breathing protection, there are different grades of desinfectants. I personally do not think that desinfectant tissues or spray you can get at most grocery stores will also kill off the Corona Virus. Desinfectant supplies intended for medical usage (surgeries) most likely will, they particularly have to fulfill the norm EN14476 in order to protect against viruses. [more info]

Stockpile on Breathing Protection and Desinfectant Spray

I keep hearing in my local news that desinfectant spray is useless and there is no point in using it at all (lol the stuff at the grocery store maybe, yes). Don’t listen to that shit. Governments and News Agencies are trying to manage the high demand and control public perception. Protect yourselves. Breathing masks and desinfectant spray are usually sold out in many online stores and local stores alike and you should get them when you see them. You don’t have to buy a 5 months supply (yet), but they’re good to have until production rates meet the high demand.

[perogipoj]

all this before coffee

Dedicated to my black sheep family, who will always be golden.

 Barbed wire, blank walls and an empty sky. Cocoa Beach.  Brevard County, FL. Jail.  Also known as SHARPS.  Tammy walked into the classroom with an air of bravado coupled with the eyes of a child. I never met a teacher before she said shyly, glancing at her handcuffs on the uncomfortable chair.  Even … I hesitated, even in school, I asked gently. I adjusted my own hips to adjust for the cold hard beneath me.  I mean, a teacher for real.  Her eyes looked down, and I implored with my eyes this time to the corrections officer to remove the handcuffs.  Her shoulder length hair was marred by black roots and mustard colored ends.  There were scars on her arm from cutting.  Her teeth were perfect when she decided to smile. Opening the GRE materials, I joked that I am useless at math but fairly good at grammar.  Tammy looked beautiful.

 Some of us take many things too far.  That has seemed to be my pattern.  Even healthy habits turned into obsessions.  Jogging turned into running which became marathons and a cruel treatment of my body.  Some can run into their seventies without injury as some people live to a hundred while smoking and drinking whiskey to the end.  Mindful eating became anorexia and bulimia.  Going organic made me broke with the kombucha and hemp that flowed through my veins.  Being tidy led me to compulsive house cleaning, often with bleach scouring my hands and my eyes colored in pink tears.  Personal grooming turned to hours and dollars of hair coloring, clothes I could not afford, Botox, and breast augmentation. Wanting affirmation led to dangerous and toxic sexual situations.  

 Jaylen, I was warned, was “special.”  I would normally groan inward, used to so many parents highlighting their children as such, usually to explain poor grades.   The volunteer walked all twelve years of Jaylen, his mannerisms large and chaotic, into the room in which all toys and colors were removed.  I hate reading, he said, standing with his arms crossed in front of him like a knight.  Why? It’s stupid.  Can you read, I asked, opening the second-grade reader I was given. I don’t need to read, I can dance.

 I met The Peruvian on a last minute, pathetic online date.  I was at a job expo to acquire my first teaching job after finishing my master’s degree at a world-famous university.  I almost flunked out.  I could not focus.  I cried over social histories in German, a language I lacked grammatical skill in, dreading the meetings with just my professor and another grad student. Black tea, discussions of Marx I got lost in, his approval nodding at the stout Russian girl I already had difficulty understanding in English, never mind in German.  In college, I was stellar.  On time to each class, writing papers late into the night with a gusto of my fingers and a smile on my face.  The world looked bright. On a sweltering day with an incompressible and unimportant commencement speaker, we burnt in the sun and passed around a flask of vodka under our graduation gowns.  Life is beginning.  I held the parchment color graduation schedule. My name had a star next to it.

 I saw that Tammy was no longer shackled when she entered the gray room.  Since the week I met with her, she had elevated herself to the trusted inmates who could clean, deliver meals, and hand out the dog-eared pages of books on a squeaky cart.  So, you scored extremely high on many levels, Tammy.  Let’s take a look at the reading comprehension packet I assigned on The Scarlet Letter.  She smiled more brightly.  I pressed her for intrigue. Ma’am, she said glowing, my commissary is so lit now I don’t have to eat the garbage they give us.  They try to pass off expired food when I deliver it.  I wanted to call them out on those pistachios.  I don’t have time to answer these packets you give me. But I read the book.  What did you read, according to you?  We clasped hands.  Of course, the minster got off and Hester had to wear the giant A over her pilgrim costume.  I dipped my head. Of course.  She could read Hawthorne.  

 I will be the gladdest thing

           Under the sun!

I will touch a hundred flowers

           And not pick one.

 I will look at cliffs and clouds

           With quiet eyes,

Watch the wind bow down the grass,

           And the grass rise.

 And when the lights begin to show

           Up from the town,

I will mark which much be mine,

           And then start down.

-          Edna St. Vincent Millay  

 Jaylen came running into the room from the play center and basketball court which I assumed was a courtesy to me.  He needed to get the wiggles out.

 Nassau Point in the summer at Aunt Tillie’s, driving the Long Island Expressway until it ended to countless grey and white mottled roads.  Passing vineyards that used to be potato fields, cramming my mouth with the last bit of contraband Doritos which were called a Special Treat to nullify us on the vast expanse from New Jersey to the tiny white house.  Decorated in “Early American” with a front glass porch smelling oddly pleasant of moth balls and sunlight.  The huge lawn rolling into the bay with a dock that appeared and disappeared with the tide.  Kids took showers in the dank basement, carved out of a space teeming of a hoarder. A crusted bottle of prell shampoo and a withered sliver of ivory soap.  I met Man-Boy With Very Hairy Legs for the first and last time.  Stroking my legs up and down, he asked if I had a boyfriend.  I was ten, and smug that I could run through poison ivy and never get a rash.  Do you want to fool around, like do stuff?  He whispered into my ear everything I did not know yet.  That’s what married people do!  With his laughter, I leapt my long legs and ran, up the hill, to the driveway where my father was shucking corn.  I got away. This time.

 I was so excited to see Tammy.  But she was not in attendance.  I left the CO the beat-up copy of Antigone for her. I never saw Tammy again.  “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when his course is wrong and repairs the evil.  The only evil is pride.” This quote was for my betterment, not for Tammy’s.

 A time of reckoning, and a time of complete growth.  A time of a schedule not placed by us.  A journey into us through the connection of others, who became best friends.  Vitamin fusions, lining up for medication in ribbed short paper cups, and Group.  Totally released from responsibility, my linens and clothes were washed, returned the same afternoon in compact squares surrounded by plastic wrap.  Jokes of communal constipation. So, this is my brain mapped.  Here is what displays depression, here anxiety, this is insomnia, that part shows a lack of memory and concentration.  What is that big blue of the Pacific Ocean?  She looked at me, clicked her keyboard.  PTSD.  

 I want to draw a Parrot! P-A-R-R-O-T and speak like one! Wordless, I handed him the blue and black expo markers for the old white board.  With precision, he drew the bird.  I need more colors, he explained in one breath can I talk like a parrot.  I smiled at him at led him to his desk. Let’s try to pay attention today, and I will get you more colors and you can show me how a parrot talks. I began my lesson, and his eyes drifted into imagination.  I needed to get him more colors.  

 I told The Peruvian I was pregnant.  Now I can never afford to divorce you he muttered, enraged.  Married two months earlier, I realized our honeymoon baby was not welcome.   The protesters were angry, and I felt sick. Him on his laptop, me crying to a social worker.  Do not sedate me, I plead, I need to feel this sin.  Sliding my shoes off in the car, my trunk grinding with mountain rolls of cramps and uncontrollable sobbing coming from a divine place, I declined lunch in West Palm.  I never want to do anything fun.  Changing my pad alone in a car beneath the ceiling of the parking garage in City Place, I then tilted my head and fell asleep again.  My birthday came and went.  You didn’t remember my birthday.  With that evil glint in his eyes, he turned his head and told me that was because he did not love me.

 I purchased a ream of paper and a new box of 42 colors Crayola, legit, sharpener in the box, for Jaylen.  He immediately sat down and drew and drew.  Can we put some words to these if we use the colors you want?  He looked up at me shyly and wrote down five words from the fifth-grade reader.  How did you know that?  Easy, my Grammy teaches me.

 I did not smoke to fit in. I smoked because it felt good out in the parking lot, vying for shade, with the Tech supplying communal cigarettes and a light.  The wave went through me and my lips burned with the dirt and smoky taste.  You look like Strawberry Shortcake trying to smoke a cigarette!  My mother was a sophisticated Virginia Slims smoker, sitting on the brick steps in her tennis skirt, so beautiful, watching my brother play in the backyard waiting for my father to return from work.  I sat next to her in awe, breathing in the sprinkler water and counting its pattern, hum hum-hum-hum, hum hum-hum-hum.  

 I took a cigarette break on my Uber ride home.  I knew I would not smoke much when I got home.   However, I did not consume much except cigarettes and black coffee.  I felt Parisian.  The house got messy, and my thighs grew softer. Investing only in ponds cold cream and drugstore mascara, I laughed deeper and threw myself into work more than ever, with determined concentration, forgetting my posture, hunched over in zeal working sixty hours a week.   Anxiety attacks did not make my head and hands shake while driving. I binged watched Law and Order.  Being unhealthy never felt so healthy.  

 I called the jail to let them know I am available for other inmates if they needed me.  I went the next day to help a young man learn English as a second language. All went well until he stood up screaming asking for a guard then switching to Spanish.  

 Here is your key, you can find your mailbox in the teacher lounge.  Here is the form to join the union, Mr. Pescatelli will most certainly find you about that.  Do you know what a block schedule is?  In the morning you will be teaching Advanced Placement European History to our magnet students.  After lunch, you have sophomore World History in the fourth wing. The afternoon will have different challenges.  If you ever need assistance, security is just down the hall.  Welcome to Ft. Lauderdale High School.  Welcome to my first year of teaching.  

 …

 I met the Sophisticated Scandinavian Man in Boston in the Spring.  A PhD candidate from a social democracy intrigued me.  I was twenty-two and he was twenty-eight.  I felt like a puppy taken in from the cold.  There is a long story for this, maybe later.  The times in which he devoured me, lavished upon me, he loved a short story I wrote, “All this before coffee.”

 Sonya met me in the prison classroom.  In anticipation of a new student, I posted Jaylen’s parrots, travel posters, pictures of presidents listing their failures before they took office.  Hello, she said, reaching her cuffed wrists out to me.  I am Jaylen’s mother.

 All this before coffee.  All this after a DUI.

[idonthaveanaccent]

Just a little rambling and then a few bands I really like and you should totally check out, so expand it if you wanna see them :)

I know this isn’t a normal update, I just have to talk about this with someone.

Music is a vital part of everyday life for me. Everything I do has a backtrack. If I’m not watching a show in my room, I have to have music playing. When I write I have headphones in, blasting music, like right now. To go to sleep and sleep easily I have to play music, ever since I was young I’ve done it. I can’t remember not falling asleep without music playing. Music even helps inspire what I write. 

Point is, I love music. 

However, I am extremely uncomfortable with sharing my music. My freshman year I was made fun of the type of music I listen to, which has evolved a bit in the 3-4 years since that time, however it hasn’t ventured too far. 

When I was eleven my parents gave me a windows phone with no sim card, but it had a music app. They downloaded a bunch of child friendly songs and it was the first time I could control what I listened to. Before I had an old MP3 which was filled with Disney songs, Anamaniacs tunes, and ABBA’s Golden Hits. I can sing all them by heart, dances are a fun time for me. Now, I could look up songs. 

My best friend was into the alternative scene as her sister is six years older than us and as such had a more ‘adult’ music sense. She introduced me to the classic bands, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, etc. I loved their music, we’d listen to it on the bus to middle school. However, as time went on, I began expanding my music taste. I got into My Three Days Grace, Shinedown, and other similar bands. Then, Freshman year came.

I remember the moment clear as day. I was working on my photography notebook the week before finals like the dumbass I was am, with Pandora open and listening to one of the many radios. Then, a song came on. It was by a band I hadn’t heard of before. It was called Bad Company, and the band was called Five Finger Death Punch. Now, little fourteen year old me was a little shocked by the name but the song wasn’t unlike anything I’d heard before. I decided I liked that song and favorited it.

A little while later more of their songs began popping up, but they were a little different. Heavier. Angrier. And I loved it. I don’t know what it was about the gruff vocals or pounding drum beats or glorious guitar solos, but I was hooked. I then moved onto Spotify and listened to their albums, headbanging all the way. This was my first experience with Metal, and you better believe I was a fan.

As time went on I explored more bands. Alesana, Asking Alexandria, Crown the Empire, A Day to Remember, Halestorm, Ghost, etc. I tried showing people my favorite bands but they made fun of my music taste, mimicking their screams whenever I looked up. It was disheartening, and I never wanted to share it again. Not until I knew they were okay with it. I had people tell me they were scared of that music, and asked me to never play it in front of them. You can see how that would make me never want to tell anyone about it, right? Well, I kept it to myself, electing to share music with only a few people, one being my friend. She always jokes about how she showed me Fall Out Boy and all them and then lost me along the way. 

During Junior year I discovered even more bands, including one of my favorites, Ice Nine Kills. Amazing band, you should definitely check them out, but the advertising comes later. My music taste also diversified a little and I began listening to softer bands, like grandson and The Ghost Club. 

Now, to the main show. My recent music taste.

It all began with one Instagram video. A meme video that really isn’t all that funny. I was actually just looking through what I saved and it happened to be in a  really small folder, so I clicked it. Here is the exact video

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by positive memes (@positive_and_negative_memes) on Feb 23, 2019 at 6:14pm PST

So I was interested the song and band and decided to look them up. What I found was simply...amazing.

Okay, here comes the advertising of my favorite bands :)

I. Gloryhammer

The first Power Metal band I discovered and still my favorite. Here’s how Gloryhammer describes themselves:

“And lo, Planet Earth had been destroyed by the Hootsman, with an explosion so powerful it ripped a hole in the very fabric of spacetime. And yet, Zargothrax was still not defeated, for he managed to use his last shreds of power to escape through the dimensional rift. Vowing to defeat the evil sorcerer, Angus McFife XIII followed him into the portal, with no idea where it might lead…“

That may seem confusing, and it is, but trust me, when I tell you a bit more, it will all make sense. 

So Gloryhammer is one of the best bands I have ever heard before. Their concept is absolute gold and is the only of its kind I’ve seen before. Basically, every single one of their songs tells a story of the Land of Fife. The Lead singer (Thomas Winkler) is Prince Angus McFife (the 1st and 13th), keyboard/backing vocals (Christopher Bowes) is the Evil Sorcerer Zargothrax, guitar/backing vocals (Paul Templing) is Sir Proletiues, leader of the warriors of Crail, drums (Ben Turk) is the Ancient Hermit Ralathor, and last but never least is bass/backing vocals (James Cartwright), the Mighty Hootsman! 

Each album follows a part in the epic saga, with three in total. The first album tells the story of the original Angus McFife the I whereas the next two follow his ancestor, Anguc McFife XIII. I don't want to give too much spoilers but let's just say that all three are filled with so much creativity and twists that it’s like listening to a movie! I cant even express how if you are looking for something to listen to that has dragons, goblin kings, evil sorcerers, hammers, and space, then this is the band for you! 

I am going to put one song by them down because you can only have five and I’m big mad about it.

Gloryhammer - Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex

So yeah, that’s band numero uno!

II. Sabaton

What is there to say about Sabaton that hasn’t already been said... 

Unlike Gloryhammer, Sabaton is older, formed in the nineties. Here’s what they say about themselves on their website:

“In the nearly two decades since their launch, Swedish metallers Sabaton have carved out a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in the business – gaining a legion of loyal fans across the globe, delivering eight highly-rated studio albums (including two certified platinum-sellers), and scoring multiple industry award wins and nominations… not to mention launching their own annual festival and cruise.

Combining soaring power riffs with vocalist Joakim Brodén’s instantly-recognisable gruff baritone, the band refuses to be simply slotted into a genre. Fans need only know them as Sabaton: the heavy metal band that sings of real life wars and the people who played a part in them – of gruelling campaigns and dazzling acts of bravery, of magnificent victories and touching personal struggles – true stories more fantastic than any fiction,”

Sabaton is, as they stated, a band dedicated to sharing stories of true battles throughout history. On their website they even have a whole calendar dedicated to historic events, so you can see what happened in history on whatever day you’d like! 

As a huge history geek, this band is amazing. I would watch the World War documentary series before I went to bed in middle school because I thought all of that stuff was so interesting. If I didn’t love writing and English as much as I do then I’d go into a career where history was involved. They were actually a part of my Spotify Wrapped this year where I explored 27 of their songs, listened to six of their albums, and spent over 39 hours listening to just them this year. 

Unlike what I did before, I am just going to showcase three of my favorite songs by them because they have way too many albums and I’m sad to say I didn’t listen to all of them. 

The Lost Battalion - The Last Stand

Now, onto the third band and a good one too!

III. Powerwolf

I’m not a religious person, I grew up being taught all that stuff but I consider myself to be more agnostic rather than Christian or any of that stuff. But, if there’s one religious thing I don’t mind bumping its the Priests of Metal, Powerwolf! Here's what they have to say about themselves:

“After spilling gallons of blood and fighting tirelessly, after only two albums with Napalm Powerwolf shot straight to the pole position of the official German album charts (and another album made it into the top three!). After selling out venue after venue and thrilling bigger and bigger hordes of fans, the time is right for a new chapter: The Sacrament Of Sin which offers eleven metal psalms forged for all eternity!

Powerwolf entered Fascination Street Studios in Örebrö, Sweden starting in January 2018 to work on their seventh manifesto together with renowned producer Jens Bogren (Opeth, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth). The result is brimming with the Germans` trademark sound, and yet the band have recorded their boldest and most adventurous album to date! ‘Where the wild wolves have gone‘ even marks the first ballad in Powerwolf history – whereas ‘Nightside of Siberia‘ does the exact opposite and turns out to be one of the heaviest tunes the fivepiece have ever written. ‘Incense And Iron‘ simply MUST be part of every future setlist with its folky nature and anthemic catchiness; and epic single ‘Fire & Forgive‘ brilliantly melts infectious melodies into timeless, heavy shredding. The Sacrament Of Sin overwhelms both with sophisticated songwriting and sheer aggression – and proves once more why Powerwolf are the one and only true high priests of heavy metal!,”

The band is made up of vocalist  Karsten Brill as "Attila Dorn", lead guitarist Benjamin Buss as "Matthew Greywolf", bassist/rhythm guitarist David Vogt as "Charles Greywolf", keyboardist Christian Jost as "Falk Maria Schlegel" and drummer Roel van Helden. 

They’re really awesome and here’s my favorite song by them.

Army of the Night - Blessed and Possessed 

Now onto the fourth band ;)...

IV. Brothers of Metal

Oh boy, if you thought the bands might’ve mellowed out a little then you are sorely unprepared for this glorious group...

When I was younger I was one of those Percy Jackson kids, but my love for mythology started long before I read one of those books. As I grew older I expanded my knowledge, moving away from Greek and Roman and into Norse and other mythologies. You can imagine my joy when I found Brothers of Metal. They have no Wikipedia or website so here’s what Spotify says about them:

“BROTHERS OF METAL consist of eight powerful Viking warriors that originates from the glorious kingdom of Falun, far up in the north. Falun is a mighty town that lies within the dark iron woods where only true metal warriors reside. BROTHERS OF METAL are known to most as the strongest metal band in the nine realms. 

Before time, our eight warriors would travel through the realms and protect the good folk against evil. It was one of those nights that the legacy of metal was born. They came home from some pretty intense giant slaying and felt the common urge for mead and entertainment. The mead was generously flowing from the teats of Heidrun, but the music was really bad. The warriors took what instruments they could find and started playing, thus they wrote their first song Son of Odin, creating a tribute hymn to the strongest god they knew. 

The mortals of the kingdom was so impressed with the music that they couldn't get enough, our warriors looked at each other and so a band was formed. Together they swor an oath to keep the flames of true metal burning and to continue to play until the earthlings had worthy entertainment of their own, it's yet to come,” 

They haven’t released a ton of music when compared to the bands I listed before them, but they are absolutely amazing! All their music videos make me chuckle and when I watch Q&A’s they’ve posted they feel so down to earth that a person whos probably a decade younger than them if not less/more can relate to them. All their music has to do with Norse Mythology, but here’s my favorite music video yet:

The Mead Song - Prophecy of Ragnarök

And yeah, that’s it!

I hope you all weren't too bored and I hope you at least somewhat enjoyed this. It feels good to talk about my favorite bands. I’d love to put more videos in but Tumblr won’t let you so I guess we’re stuck with only one per band. I planned on doing three each but I guess that’s dead in the water. 

Oh well.

If you like any of this music/band honestly just reach out and talk to me, I love chatting about music. I don’t know a ton about the logistics or anything like that but we can share bands or songs or whatever. I sound really lonely which is true but please don’t feel shy.

See you all later! 

-Paige