#. by will

[gilliverse]

CRAZY HANDFUL OF NOTHIN'

Breaking Bad - Season 1 Episode 6

[lover-of-mine]

People complaining that Mike is being written inconsistently it's hilarious to me cuz he's clearly a middle child from a loveless marriage that desperately wants to be needed.

[aboyandhisbot]

    Soft brown paint smears, carefully and freely, beneath their forefinger.

Back in the cave, all they had was that curious red clay. It was hard to curl into lines, terribly staining, and they never really liked how their pieces turned out. But this paint (Will called it acrylic, but they don’t understand what that means) flows and follows their hand closer, more forgiving than the clay. 

      A head dips into four legs, spaced by an abdomen decorated in decor. Flowers spill across the flank, made by dabbing fingerprints of brilliant shades over where a terrible wound would be. They tilt a finger, drawing only the edge of a silicone pad for long strands might burst out. 

      Their mark, a faintly-coloured handprint, presses into the paper beside their drawing. Carefully, they peel the thin paper away from the easel and set it to hang, magnetizing it against a easy-to-clean wall. 

      “Y’know,” Will pipes up from his spot against the wall, tablet in hand. “When we get to Alpha Centauri, your art will probably be pretty popular. It doesn’t have to be if you don’t want to to be, of course, but I bet enthusiasts will love your glyphic style. It’s really unique.”

     They tilt their head to that. It doesn’t make much sense, just like so many of these tales of Alpha Centauri, but Will seems happy with the idea. There must be something good to all of it if he likes it. 

[juniebeebug]

and maybe tonight is the night I have to cry until I can't anymore, But tomorrow the sun will come out, And the tears I shed tonight, Will have cleansed my soul.

tonight's just not great

[wheredoesthisfit]

[neurodivergentwitchcraft-moving]

i’ve been thinking a lot about glamours in relation to mental illness recently.

i have severe agoraphobia, and leaving the house is a challenge. being in public spaces can do any of the following: give me severe anxiety, make me dissociate, make me incredibly paranoid or give me a panic attack.

something i’ve noticed however, is that these can be avoided or lessened by casting a glamour before i leave the house. for me, glamours are a way to control attention directed toward me. knowing that i have a safety net of magic saying “don’t notice me, i am not here” or “act kindly toward me” is reassuring.

the way i think of glamours is less that they are about changing the way something looks, and more about changing the way people perceive it. i’m not physically making myself unnoticeable. i’m putting a layer of energy around myself that is charged with the idea of not being noticed.

[inthecomments-blog]

Playmakers: An All-Inclusive Look Inside the NFL

by Will Barboza

To quote the one-time herald of Monday night pigskin programming, “Are you ready for some football?” Are you ready for the thrilling passes? The daring interceptions? The concussions and the domestic abuse charges?

Millions of television-viewing Americans are. They are putting on their overpriced replica jerseys, spending salaries on bank-emptying cable sports packages, and shelling out the shallow remains of their child's college fund for that new plasma TV to watch Jay Cutler throw interceptions. Batten down the hatches, and hide your impressionable sons and daughters, it’s concussion season. These are the truths of the NFL. Players cut years off their lives taking vicious shots to the dome, steroids are passed around the locker room like a well-torched roach at a frat party, and men who could be in prison find salvation on the gridiron. Roger Goodell and the cronies of the NFL won't shed light on these dark secrets. However, back in 2003 ESPN produced a television series that did.

The Cougars play pro ball. They have a quarterback who’s suffering kidney failure from overusing anti-inflammatories, a marginalized coach who’s pissing blood, a running back facing domestic abuse charges, and a linebacker with PTSD. This is the reality of the men on the show Playmakers. But hey, isn’t it all worth it to play ball?

Created by now executive producer of The Blacklist, John Eisendrath, Playmakers followed the trials and tribulations of a pro ball club. The show ran for a season on ESPN before the NFL forced ESPN to spike the ball and cancel the series. More than a decade later, the themes and storylines are more topical than ever. Many of the shocking secrets coming to light about the NFL (the concussions, domestic abuse charges, steroids, etc.) were central topics during Playmakers’ brief run. Even the topic of homosexuality within the league, brought to the forefront by Michael Sam, was covered in one episode.

Playmakers was well-received, but aired at the worst possible time, with the NFL renegotiating its contract with ESPN near the end of the show’s first season. Much like Mike Webster or Junior Seau, Playmakers became a casualty of the NFL. Now, the series has been forgotten, save for some kind soul posting the entirety of it to YouTube.

It’s easy to get lost in the fun of Aaron Rodgers throwing a game-winning pass to Jordy Nelson, or watching Malcom Butler steal the Super Bowl from the Seahawks’ talons. Playmakers was a reminder that the NFL is not all glory and sportsmanship. It highlighted the bad, but that’s what made it good. If you have some time in between your fantasy football mock drafts and Sunday tailgates, Playmakers is a great watch.

At a time when the only question being asked was, “Are you ready for some football?” Playmakers dared to ask, “Is it worth it?” It’s a question I’m still not sure anyone knows the answer to.

[oldsoulparadise]

Common saying. "Real Men treat Women with respect." Few people would disagree with that. Let's flip it. "Real Women treat Men with respect." Bit more controversial. I know a lot of people who avidly disagree. My Personal favourite. "Treat everyone with respect."

[gilliverse]

GILLIVERSE 1 YEAR CELEBRATION Will (@quincybf) — Favourite Symbol: Zafiro Añejo

[laurabl0op]

Can i send you random compliments?

no go away i already know im the best dont need you 

[aboyandhisbot]

    “I swear, if I hear one more quiet comment on how robots are untrustworthy and creepy, I can’t be held responsible for what I’m going to do.”

[monorailcms-blog]

DrupoomlaPress

Back In The Day

Highly skilled technicians would use things like text editors and FTP clients to magically produce static HTML files. cgi-bin was the heart and soul of contact forms the world over. And this wizardry was controlled by a choice few, fueled by the nectar of Mountain Dew, with lofty dreams of engaging in reciprocated, prolonged, and delibrate eye-contact with the opposite sex.

Since then, in a quest to find time to improve their eye-contact skills, a few brilliant individuals found ways to write programs that would generate HTML files and how to store “content” in databases. Not long after one of us actually got a date, WYSIWG editors started making appearances so other people could write “content”, store them in databases, enabling scripting applications to render HTML.

Now it's possible in many solutions to create dynamic email-forms, manage user authorization, and create virtual objects with relationships and attributes that once required a dedicated professional to create, deploy, and maintain that functionality.

The trend seems obvious. What used to be the work of a developer is being abstracted away to checkboxes, plugins, and one-step installers.

Enter DrupoomlaPress

The top three CMS' in the world: WordPress, Joomla!, and Drual. Each has their fans and detractors. Each can point to various high profile sites and sizeable developer communities as evidence they are the preferred choice. And they very well may be.

My primary contention with these solutions (and others like them) is not the languages or technologies utilized. But that they try to do too much. They intend to be the "Be all, end all" solution, suffering from what I call the DrupoomlaPress syndrome.

There will always be an growing level of automation and abstraction happening in technology. But when does that mean we have to “bake” every ounce of logic and functionality into frameworks, plugins, gems, and libraries?

Seth Godin has observed the growing trend wherein the middle man is dying. Could the same be true for developers? Are developers a relic of a bygone era? Is the future merely developer-turned-power-users, manipulating web-based GUIs to create functionality and experience? Is the future of web development wrapped in a form tag?

I don't want it to be. And I don't think that will be the case, because developers are not middle men. Middle men are about control, and monetizing that which they haven't created.

On the contrary, developers create, design, innovate, and enable progress. And therefore, developers will be in demand for some time to come.

True, not every website needs a developer. There is a place for such frameworks as Drupal, and WordPress. But as useful as a hammer is, it's not the perfect tool for every job.

Monorail CMS (or whatever we call it) is not intended to replace developers. It will be designed for editing content. It will provide an admin interface. It will deal with URLs and 404s. It will be designed with opinions (some with which you'll disagree). It will have some measure of a learning curve. It will have conventions.

But it will not seek to be your application. You will not become a Monorail CMS developer. There will be no such thing. You are a Rails developer will code Rails applications. And should you choose, you can add Monorail CMS to it. You will be able to extend and overwrite the CMS code. Your code will not live in the form of database records manifesting themselves in a series of drop downs, checkboxes, and inputs.

Monorail is not a framework. It's a tool to help manage content and the various aspects associated with that. I won't lie, there will be scenarios where the line between "CMS" and "Framework" will become blurred. In fact, we may cross that line. Hopefully, we will have very good reasons for doing so.

But one thing is for certain, Monorail CMS will let developers develop.

[wheredoesthisfit]

by Will

[neurodivergentwitchcraft-moving]

do you have any resources/advice for making sigils?

when i initially started creating sigils, this sigil-making guide is the one I found the most helpful. but that being said there are a lot of methods to crafting sigils and not a single one is the through-and-through “right” way. 

the method shown in that guide is completely valid but you can definitely make sigils out of singular words. you can also just draw how you feel and tidy those shapes up into a sigil. sigils are personal and your own intent while creating them is what matters most! they don’t have to look a certain way, or follow any specific rules. 

the #1 word of advice i would have when it comes to sigils is to just remember that, and remember what you’re feeling as you create the sigil. focus and keep in mind your end goal as you create. the sigil is an extension of your own intent and what you want it to do.

~Will

[lets-make-a-mess]

by will alone, we set our minds in motion

Who was the last person to call you baby/babe?

Arrison.

Have you taken anyones virginity?

Guilty.

Has anyone ever sang to you?

Yup.

What did you do yesterday?

Got up, showered and packed, watched A Simple Wish with Jess in the hotel :D Walked to the Hilton, worked registration with Jim for about 2 hours at APAP, then met up with Brian and a bunch of us struggled with our luggage through the subway to 33rd and 7th where the MegaBus picked us up and took us home :) Hung out with Arrison last night and almost finished Shutter Island, haha.

What is your favorite color(s)?

Neon green and blue, aqua, and yellow.

How tall are you?

5’1” ! :)

Any thing sore on your body?

My whole body, pretty much. Ryan's massage didn't do shit, those beds at the hotel were so uncomfortable! (And I can sleep freaking anywhere.)

Do you secretly love someone?

It's not really a secret?

What is the last thing you watched?

Shutter Island.

Last reason why you were in trouble?

I'm never in troublee, I can't stand getting in trouble.

Are you cold?

Not really.

What was your New Years wish?

You can make a New Years wish? I mean I guess you can. But I didn't have one.

Did you kiss anyone when it turned 2010?

I did. It was kind of funny because we were mad at each other, outside at his front door in the freezing cold, but stopped fuming for the minute to makeout, and then went inside and continued being mad.

Do you have your belly button or tongue pierced?

Negative.

Do you have a tattoo?

Nope!

Do you think hooking up with an ex is bad?

Yeah.

Something you are looking forward to?

Mmmm anything fun :D Just seeing and catching up with friends, since I don't believe I have anything planned for a while. Oh, and I guess I'm excited for Valentine's Day, now that I think about it. Is that lame? That's so lame.

Last thing you ate?

The last of my cheese friessss, now I need to find something sweet.

What was last thing you drank?

Cherry Pepsi.

Are you happy right now?

Very :) Whoa it feels so good to say that.

Last thing you spent money on?

Fooood, duh.

Do you miss having a girlfriend/boyfriend?

I baaaaaasicallyyy have one? ish? sort of? So no, I guess not haha.

What do you hear right now?

Motion City Soundtrack, as always.

Are you single?

Hahahhahaha uh, yes.

Someone tells you you’re beautiful, what do you say?

I say thank you because my mama taught me toooo.

Do you ignore people when you’re mad/upset with them?

No. I can't be mad and upset with people.

Is it okay to kiss people when your single?

Of course.

Have you ever seen the movie Superbad?

Luvit.

What are you doing tomorrow?

Classsss from 11 - 5.

Do you want to get married & have children one day?

Yeah.

Ever had a teacher that you wanted to punch in the face?

Yes.

How many people with the name Taylor do you know?

One? 

Do you wear makeup?

Yeah.

When is your birthday? Do you like that month?

July 27 and of courseee, it's the best month, and not even because my birthday occurs then!

Would you rather go to Greece or France?

I'd be totally down for either :)

Would you rather be able to not talk for a week or not hear for a week?

Not talk.

Are you one of those people who hate crying in front of others?

Ugh, so much.

Is more expensive makeup really worth it?

Not at all. (But if you get the cheapest they offer.. well that's not worth it, either.)

Would you consider yourself to be a good cook?

Haha, or the absolute opposite.

Do you look at the keyboard when you type?

Not since like, the 5th grade, homie.

Do you eat ranch with your pizza?

YUSS.

Could you go out in public looking like you do now?

Yeah.

Have you ever thought about getting your lip pierced?

Yes haha. I could never pull it off.

Do you walk around the house naked/in your underwear?

If no one's home I walk around in my underwear.

Do you know anyone named Josh or Patrick?

Very many.

Have you ever watched the show iCarly? Did you like it?

Freaking love that show hahaha.

Be honest, do you like people in general?

Hm.. I have an optimistic view of people in general, and I like them all when I don't know them well. Haha. I don't really know how to go about answering this. I guess I'll just go with yes.

If you had to get another piercing, what would you get? 

Getting my cartilage as soon as I can pay for it :)

What’s your homepage?

The Drexel RA homepage, otherwise I'd keep forgetting I'm trynna apply..

Have you ever slept on a couch with someone else?

Yup.  

What is the latest you’ve stayed up in the past week?

Like 3 a.m.

Is it easier to pretend everything’s okay for you?

I don't like to do that. I want to deal if something's wrong.

Have you held hands with someone in the past 2 days?

Nope.

If someone looked ON your bed, what would they find?

Haha everything right now. Me, my laptop, two purses, all my school notes, candy, ranch dressing and the lid from the cheese fries I was eating on my bed, my phone, pajama pants, and two shirts, and my ipod, in addition to my sheets and pillows.

What’s the greatest thing that happened to you today?

Boss gave me some contacts for a part time job :)

How has the week been?

Fabulouusss.

Do you curse in front of your parents?

Nooo.

Would you eat a cockroach for your last ex if they asked you?

If he was about to get an arm sawed off or something.

Are you single, or taken? or is it complicated?

Haha, it may be complicated.

Was last night terrible?

Not at all.

Have you ever snuck someone over to your house?

Nope.

What color are your eyes?

Greeeen.

If you could have one thing right now what would it be?

A joobbbb at this market research company pleaaseeeee.

What were you doing at midnight last night? 

Haha, definitely passed out with Shmoo.

How do you feel about your hair right now?

Kind of not liking it right now, but that's okay.

When meeting someone new, are you afraid they won’t like you?

Yes, if I'm in a really informal situation. Not if it's for business or work or they aren't the same age as I am.

Could you go a whole year without cursing?

Haha, unfortunately no.

Do you find it in your heart to forgive?

Almost always.

Are there certain things that can’t be joked about with you?

Yes, although I never tell people that it bothers me, so I can't blame them for making those jokes lol.

Is it ever too late to apologize? 

No. Apologies are always (or should always be) accepted.

Is life good?

Yuppp!

Did you wake up in the middle of the night last night?

No, first in like four nights that I wasn't being woken up by drunk kids or way-too-early alarms.

Would you hook up with the last boy you texted? Mike Arrison? Definitely xD

when was the last time you were told you were cute? Either this morning or last night. :)

what does your last received text message say? "No because we ate what we shot. It wasn't bad. Just not what I was in the mood for by far.”

When was the last time you were truly, completely happy with your life? Dis second :).

What are you most looking forward to tomorrow? Ah.. seeing EAM people in class, I guess?

Ddo you think you will be in a relationship two months from now? Whooo knows.

What is your background on your phone? Me & my Shnicky baby :)

Have you ever had someone pick you up off the ground and carry you? People like to do that often since I'm so small haha.

Do you still pinky promise? Fuck yeeeah.

Your best friend has sex with your ex, what happens? They get a high five, since he's supposedly saving himself for marriage.

Your friend kisses the boy you like? Depends on the circumstance. If I'm there I'm sure it wouldn't be a thing.

Do you ever get ‘good morning’ texts from anyone? Yessss, Shmoo sends them to me now ever since I said I missed getting them :D!

In the past week, have you cried? Nope!

Are you the same person as you were this time last year? NOPE.

Do you like your phone? I love my little blue pudge.

[aboyandhisbot]

    A quick disconnect of the wires on the Hub’s lighting array sets the stage. Unlike Earth, where there’s always light pollution, space tends to set things into an inky, strange sort of blackness. 

     There’s light here, yes, but it’s intermittent. A quick blackout sheet hides the other source of light, from Engine-Glimmer to screen. Little Will even wrapped a bit of cloth around his wrist, to mask his comms.unit. 

      Someone walks by, patting the switch to flick the lights on. The sound of that attempt grows louder, from a soft pap to an almost thud. On the third attempt, they spring into action.

    Bam go the lights, shining bright enough to piece the blackout curtains. The effect is rather spooky, what with the light dulled into this ethereal, filling shape around their head and chest. 

     It’s very disconcerting, really. Will hopes that whoever just got hit with a straight up UV-grade LED has a good sense of humor.