#I ABSOLUTELY WILL BE LOOKING TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS IN OUR AREA

[emathevampire]

Oh HELL no.

My local city park here in Florida used to be a great place. We held sparring practise for our foam fighting group on one of the fields every week, and the wooded area was a GREAT habitat for all kinds of fungi.

However, they added a disc golf course. Which, and I do not exaggerate in the slightest, slowly systematically destroyed these areas and made the park actively hostile for anyone else who wanted to use it. That wooded area had bike trails and walking trails, people held birthday parties and easter egg hunts, and we had our practise in one of the fields, with a pretty sizable group. When it rained enough, TONS of fungi popped up, which mostly fed the squirrels but I sometimes took home a few for dinner too.

Now? Almost the entire park is damn near unusable unless you’re there to play disc golf. They tore up the mushroom habitats to plant those damn chain nets everywhere, as well as concrete slabs, and the massively increased foot traffic in the area has degraded all the rest of the wooded space. The disc golf course has people throwing across the walking trails and fields, making them unusable without the risk of getting whacked in the head with a frisbee. More than once, our sparring group ran into conflicts, and usually we would just hold our battle so people could have their throw and move past, but that was IF they were considerate enough to ask to borrow the space. Frequently, they did not, and we not only had injuries from frisbees thrown into the field but also people harassing us (including threatening and stalking me specifically) because they felt entitled to use the space for disc golf and that everyone else was simply in their way. We eventually had to move our practise elsewhere, as did the Tai Chi group that did their sessions in the same field. And needless to say, an actual golf course would be even worse.

I am dead serious, if you value your parks, DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO THEM. Speak up before it does. Find out if similar plans are being proposed in your area, and put a fucking stop to them.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) announced an initiative yesterday proposing major changes to various State Parks throughout Florida.

Today, with only one week's notice, FDEP announced public meetings throughout the state scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27th. The meetings will consist of a presentation and an opportunity for public comment, but with only an hour allotted, they do not appear to include a question-and-answer period.

To voice your concerns about these proposals and the lack of public participation, send your customizable email to the Governor, the Secretary of FDEP, and your state representatives. Adding your connection to Florida's State Parks in the email can help them understand how important this issue is to you, their constituent.

if you are able to make it to one of these, i strongly recommend you do. otherwise please send a message. we dont need fucking golf and pickleball in our already threatened natural areas

[shadykazama]

Hello! Your headcanons on Wukong/Destined One had me giggling so much 😊 they're so great, couldn't stop rereading.

Um, if it's alright, can I ask for some Wukong/Destined One x Reader with their baby? Feral daddy monkey in his nesting phase with his mate and baby is so— 🤭

Absolutely! I have a lot of thoughts and the people demand more monkey business- so let's get down to it.

❤ Wukong

Starting with the pregnancy~

He is ELATED.

The idea of a proper heir had never crossed his mind because well- he's immortal. He doesn't need one. But that doesn't mean the idea of his own flesh and blood isn't positively exciting.

There's a chance he knows you're pregnant before you do. What with all of his special powers and heightened senses.

Celebrates privately with you of course but it becomes a mountain-wide event very quickly.

You are showered with praise and blessings by all the monkeys.

He will never miss a chance to brag that he's going to have a baby. And he's definitely smug about it too, thinks your child is going to surpass even his power.

When you start showing he gets more smothering.

Don't forget our king's fatal flaw! He thinks he knows what's best.

Will limit how much you travel and makes sure you always have at least two attendants by your side while he's gone.

Which, once you get further along, isn't often. There were plenty of superstitions about pregnancy in ancient China, as well as a high infant mortality rate- and that's not even counting what complications could happen due to the magical nature of your child. So he'd be stressed.

He expresses stress through aggression (canon), though it's never pointed at you. He'd be fiercely protective over the mountain, but especially any of the areas you regularly stay in. He'd be very snappy at everyone for the entire second half of the pregnancy, except you of course, who he'd be showering with praise and reverence.

Likes holding your stomach while you rest and tells your baby about the great lineage they're being born into, recounting his titles and strength and promising them they'd be greater.

He's hoping for a boy, but he's assured his child will be spectacular regardless of the gender.

When you give birth he will be extremely focused. He can't afford to be weak in a moment when you need him most. (Though your cries of pain and effort will certainly make his heart ache.)

As you're holding your baby for the first time, his teasing, smug attitude is nowhere to be seen. He just looks at you as if you'd given him the universe itself.

Cutest baby ever might I add 👆.

It's a Chinese tradition that only immediate family is allowed to meet the baby for the first 100 days after it's born, so it'd just be you and him for a majority of three months unless you invite your family to meet them.

In traditional fashion, on the 100th day a banquet is held to officially introduce the baby to everyone. And MY GOD would it be an event...

Besides all of the monkeys on the mountain who want to celebrate their new prince/princess, I can't even imagine how many celestials and demons would come to pay their respects and blessings- be it out of fear or respect.

Either way, expect a very long day and a LOT of gifts.

^ Wukong doesn't leave your side for the entire day. I dare someone to try and pull something.

You'd expect with his trickster personality that he'd be a very lenient dad, but Wukong is surprisingly dutiful in making sure your child doesn't turn out lazy or ignorant.

That by no means is to say he wouldn't be a wonderfully playful father. He'd have a wonderful connection with his child, and his most important lesson to them would be to respect their mother ;)

More of a one kid kind of guy, so he'd probably stop after the first, unless you had twins or triplets.

As protective as he was with you when you were pregnant, he's pretty chill with the actual kid. He knows they're durable and will let them get roughed up doing dumb stuff.

Carries them around hanging off his tail and will pretend like he doesn't know where they went.

It's like how cats will let their babies 'sneak up on them' to encourage them to keep trying. He does the same thing with your kid when they try to trick him.

Your baby would be the most respectful little shit ever. A little shit nonetheless, but would do anything for you or their father.

All the monkeys on the mountain help keep an eye on the little sage so you'll never feel lost or alone in parenting. It's very much a joined effort and your baby will see the other monkeys as their family as well!

This wonderful piece of Sun Wukong was done by @kanade-howl here on tumblr! They post their work on Twitter as well at @kanaade_ and @_liehuzuo please support them!

💙 The Destined One

Give him a bunch of babies I beg you.

He'd get addicted, he wants a big family for SURE.

When you first tell him you're pregnant he'll probably take some time to fully soak it in.

You'll be used to being patient with him at this point, but I imagine something like this is really nerve wracking so don't feel bad if you rush him for a response.

He'll put a hand on your stomach as if he's checking for himself before picking you up and smothering you with love.

He's not a chatty guy but he'll let you know how happy he is!

^ That being said, during your pregnancies is the most talkative he'll ever be.

He doesn't want you to stress about communicating and knows your body is going through a lot so he pushes himself to talk more to make sure you get everything you need.

That doesn't mean he'll be a chatterbox by any means. More than nothing is still very slim :')

Expect a lot of one word questions.

Trusts you more than he trusts his own instincts. His instincts tell him you shouldn't be climbing or moving around much- but if you want to, who's he to tell you what to do? He's not the one pregnant 🤷‍♀️

Follows you around like a guard dog when you do though, doesn't matter what you're doing.

Somehow even more physically affectionate than normal. Will insist on holding your hand when you walk so you can lean your weight on him.

When you start showing he'll be amazed. It's not that he's never seen a pregnant person before but like... That's his baby in there and he can't believe it.

His favorite thing to do is lay his head against your stomach while you're resting. Will kiss your skin and adore the life you're making.

You can catch him whispering things to your baby while he's resting his head on your stomach.

Your body is going to ache and he is more than happy to massage it for you. He doesn't even need an excuse to touch you, but he'll find them anyway.

Once you get further along and it gets harder for you to get around, he'll pick you up and take your wherever you want to go- within reasonable distance from your home of course. Not because he can't take you further, he just doesn't want to in case something happens.

But he wants to make sure you get fresh air and still see the beauty outside of your bed.

Doesn't trust anyone to watch you. It's him or nothing.

Makes offerings and prays to the goddess of childbirth. He does this a few times before you catch him and start helping.

He's a bundle of nerves when you're giving birth. If you weren't preoccupied, it'd probably be painfully obvious how nervous he was.

Holds you while you hold your baby and will not stop telling you how much he loves you and how perfect the baby is.

Gets baby fever bad.

Baby will be spoiled, and so will any other baby after that.

Huge advocate for carrying the baby. If you're not opposed to it, he probably carries them more than you.

Has the most deadpan look on his face as he looks at this baby but he has so much adoration for his little miracle.

Stressing over your baby crying in the middle of the night? Not with him! He's at that babies beck and call.

Watching a nearly mute man deal with a curious child is definitely amusing and you get a front row seat.

Your children kind of just accept that their dad doesn't talk much, but he'll always tell them he loves them if they say it to him.

Takes them everywhere with him so he can teach them. Is SO proud when the oldest starts helping teach the younger ones.

He's proud of them in general honestly.

Your kids are going to be super loving and curious. I think he'd foster really healthy relationships between all of them.

You'd have a whole team taking care of you if you ever got sick.

[metallicaislife]

Hey Jealousy

Requested by: Anon

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Word Count: 684

Warnings: Jealous pouty James

The after party for the award show was well underway. James left to use the restroom, and I found myself talking to Duff from Guns 'N Roses. He’s a nice guy and we’ve bonded over the few times we met over cute dogs. 

Duff was in the middle of gushing about his girlfriend who was unable to attend when I felt a pair of eyes on us. I glanced around the room and my eyes landed on James. It was hard to read his expression from here. 

“It was really good chatting with you, Duff. I’ll see you around.” I smiled at him. He smiled back and gave me a quick hug. When I turned to find James again he was gone. 

“What the hell, where’d he go?” I mumbled to myself as I began searching for him. 

James and I met in the late 80’s, it was like something out of a fairy tail, we both fell hard and fast. All these years later and I’m still absolutely crazy about him, I don’t think there is anybody else out there for me. 

I finally found him, he was sitting outside in a garden-like area. 

“Is this spot taken?” I asked. He glanced up at me, his brow was furrowed. He went back to looking ahead of him and mumbled out. 

“No.” 

My heart sank, I sat next to him. 

“What’s going on?” I asked him. 

“You looked real cozy with Duff.” James said, his voice low. My brow furrowed in confusion. 

“Are you jealous?” I asked. He didn’t say anything. “James, look at me.” I said. He slowly turned his head, his gaze meeting mine. “If you’d have come over, you would’ve heard Duff gushing about his girlfriend he’s getting ready to propose to.” I said with a soft grin. James looked down and wrung his hands together. I reached over grabbing one, interlocking our fingers. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about, James. I’m just as crazy about you as the day we met. You should be more trusting of me, of us. I would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship.” I told him in a soft yet stern voice so he knew I wasn’t just saying that to say it. “I love you.” I said and he looked back up into my eyes. He finally cracked a ghost of a smile. 

“I know, and I love you too. I just worry sometimes, you’re far too good for me. I’m afraid you’ll realize that and find someone else.” He shared his thoughts with me. I placed a hand on his face. 

“I won’t find anyone else because I’m not looking. You make me so happy, I feel so valued and loved. I’m not too good for you, we’re both good for each other. I wouldn’t put my time and energy into this relationship if I didn’t feel that way.” I said. James' eyes began to soften as I hoped the words I said were penetrating his heart. 

“I’m sorry.” He said softly. 

“Don’t be, love. Your feelings are valid, you’re allowed to feel them, just come to me when you do feel that way and I’ll be there to reassure you I’m not going anywhere.” I smiled. I cupped his face and dipped his head down so I could place a kiss on his forehead. He moved closer and wrapped his arms around me in a warm hug as he buried his head in my shoulder. I held him tightly. 

“I’ll do better to trust you more.” He murmured. I rubbed his back in response. We remained in our embrace a while before we pulled away. 

“Do you want to go back in, or home?” I asked as I caressed his hand with my thumb. 

“Home, I’m ready to just relax and snuggle with you.” James said. I giggled. 

“Sounds like a plan.” I smiled. He smiled back at me and leaned in for a sweet kiss. 

James is my rock, my solid foundation in life. I’ll spend the remainder of my years proving I can be the same for him.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to request or chat :)

-Isa

[togrowoldinv]

Booked

Florence Pugh x Reader

You meet Florence at a bookstore event and spend a whirlwind evening with her

Note: I just love Florence and bookstores so here’s this. Enjoy!

Florence Pugh Masterlist, Main Masterlist

You knew it was going to be a good day when you woke up the morning. The sun was shining for the first time in days and you had plans to attend an event at your favorite bookstore.

When you got to the bookstore, you settled in with your favorite fall drink and a wave to the employees that you know well. You listened with rapt attention to the author as she spoke about her new book.

You paid so much attention to her that you didn’t notice the woman sitting two seats from you. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of you. In fact, she was having a hard time doing anything but smiling at the way your face was contorting in thought.

After the discussion, the crowd began mingling and refreshments were served.

You are drinking a glass of champagne when she approaches you. You know who she is, but you feel like pinching yourself to make sure she’s real.

“Hello,” her sweet voice falls from her lips. “I couldn’t help but be absolutely enamored by you.”

You’re sure she can tell you’re flustered by her words. You don’t know what to say.

“What are you drinking there?” She asks.

“Oh, um- champagne?” You phrase it as a question. She chuckles.

“May I?” She gestures to your glass.

You hand her the glass and her fingers brush against yours. The feeling is cosmic. You watch as she drinks a sip of the champagne. You probably spend too long watching her throat as she swallows the liquid.

Looking away when she catches you staring, you grab the nearest book and pretend to look through it.

“I’m Florence,” she finally says.

Her hand goes to shake yours. In an act of politeness, you reach for her hand quickly. But in the process you drop the book.

“Oh, sorry sorry,” you ramble as you bend down to pick up the book.

You look up before you stand back up. Florence looks down at you from her standing position. All you see is her hands gripping the glass and her alluring chest. You stand up again.

“Good choice,” Florence says. She takes the book from your hand.

“So, you’ve read it?”

“Little Women? Do you not know who I am?”

“Oh, I know,” you say quietly. “I just didn’t know you would read a book for the movie.”

“I’m always prepared,” Florence says. “What’s your name, darling?”

The term of affection makes your heart jump. What had she meant earlier when she said she was enamored by you?

“I’m y/n,” you tell her.

“Y/n,” Florence says. You love the way it sounds with her accent. “Tell me, what’s your favorite book?”

You tell Florence your favorite book and walk her around the store to show her more. Her attention is completely on you. You can sense she’s the type of person that makes everyone feel like they are the most important person in the room.

It’s hours later when you realize that at some point you got comfortable with telling Florence pretty much everything. Maybe it is the champagne. Maybe it is the way she looks at you.

“Y/n, we’re closing soon,” the owner addresses you. You and Florence had found a comfortable seat in the children’s reading area.

“Thank you ma’am. We’ll be on our way,” you say.

“Hello,” Florence introduces herself to her. “I’m Florence. I love this place so much. Thank you for keeping books alive in this world.”

The owner smiles at her words and thanks her fervently. Even before she finds out that Florence donated thousands of dollars to the store tonight. She leaves you with Florence.

“So, I guess I better be going,” Florence says. “Thank you for an amazing evening, y/n.”

You stand and walk her to the exit. Outside, you keep pondering how to spend more time with this woman. You are falling for her.

“Hey, do you want to get some ice cream or something?” You ask. Florence chuckles and you rethink your words. “Or something else or nothing, I just don’t want this night to end.”

“I’d love to get ice cream,” Florence replies. “I know just the place.”

You wonder how she knows an ice cream place in this part of town, but you go along with it. She takes you to a sweet little hidden spot where they seem to know her.

Florence refuses to let you pay for the ice cream and you settle into a booth opposite of each other.

“So, what’s it like?” You ask her.

“What’s what like?”

“Being you,” you answer. “Being Florence Pugh.”

Florence thinks for a moment before she answers with a glorious smile.

“I’m just me. I’m the same Florence I’ve always been,” she says. “The media fucking sucks, but I’m still me.”

You nod along, appreciating her candor.

“What’s it like being you?” She challenges. You laugh.

“Some anxiety, some shyness, but mostly I think I’m alright,” you joke.

“I think you’re amazing,” Florence says. She reached across the table and puts her hand over yours.

The ice cream order is ready soon. You walk to the counter to get it before spending another few hours talking to Florence and enjoying the treat.

You still feel the longing to see her for more time. Florence takes your hand as you stand up to leave the ice cream shop. Her hand fits perfectly in yours.

She stops short of getting into her car and turns back to you.

“Y/n, forgive me if I’m being too forward,” Florence begins. “But would you want to go out on a date with me?”

“I would love to,” you say quickly, not even pretending to care you said it too fast.

Florence chuckles her glorious laugh and hands you her phone to put your number in. You do so and she sends you a message with her name and a heart next to it.

“I look forward to seeing you again, y/n,” Florence says. She steps closer to you. You take a deep breath.

“You too, Florence,” you say.

Neither of you know exactly what to do next, but Florence takes the lead. She leans in and hugs you tightly. You feel like you’re at home in her arms.

Florence pulls away just slightly and gazed into your eyes. It’s like every romantic comedy movie. So cheesy but so perfect as she leans in and kisses your lips softly.

“I’m so glad I came to the bookstore today,” you mumble when the kiss is paused for air.

“I’m so grateful you did,” Florence says.

She kisses you again and a few more times before you finally say goodnight. Before you get home, she’s already texted you to ask if she can see you again soon.

Who needs cheesy romance novels when you’ve got the perfect girl in your sights now? It was the perfect day.

[musicoftheheart]

as promised, i present: “missed connections”

im still quite ill and my voice absolutely died by the second verse so the high notes sound awful, but i didnt want to make you guys wait any longer (im also not looking for criticism so id appreciate noone pointing out any flaws—its still a work in progress. and a reminder my pronouns are they/he/she :) )

i plan to wait until im properly rested and recovered before i send the song to her, but when i do you guys will be the first to know!

lyrics and context below the break

lyrics:

weve had a thousand missed connections but i still made it through to you

in other worlds we met before but no such luck for you—

and i, weve only just had our beginning

but im hoping that our end is years to come

both born part raised in england, both moved up here at just three

go to the same school but ill join six months after you leave

we share friends, but we're never introduced

so our lives two lines remain apart, side by side but never cross

we'll carry on without each other's heart

weve had a thousand missed connections but i still made it through to you

in other worlds we met before but no such luck for you—

and i, weve only just had our beginning

but im hoping that our end is years to come

now weve both moved onto high school but weve still missed one another

you almost joined me in our last years but one thing led to another

and you, you moved away to the big city

while i stayed here all alone

chasing loves who never loved me

not realising that ive yet to meet the one

weve had a thousand missed connections but ive still made it through to you

in other worlds we met before but no such luck for you—

and i, weve only just had our beginning

but im hoping that our end is years to come

i was an arrogant ass

you were loud and bold but hiding

somewhere along the way we changed

and suddenly we're minding—

our own business, when one day we met the one

now im sitting in my bedroom, writing down this song

weve had a thousand missed connections but i still made it through to you

in other worlds we met before but no such luck for you—

and i, weve only just had our beginning

but im hoping that our end is years to come

yeah im hoping that our end is years to come

background:

so, as the song says, throughout our lives weve had a bunch of 'missed connections', where we were a hair's breadth from meeting but just missed each other.

we were both born in england and moved to the same area of scotland at the same age, but i attended a different school at first. by the time i moved to the other school, she had just left six months before.

despite that, we shared some of the same friends, moreso as we got older but still a few when we were young.

in high school, i had to transfer again because the school i went to didnt have the final two yeargroups, and she went through the same thing. it was planned that she and i would attend the same school, but there were some issues between her and a few other students that meant she had to go elsewhere.

now, we've both left school and ended up meeting online. we got talking and realised just how much in common we had (both took drama for only one year, in the same year [so if we'd have gone to the same high school, we wouldve definitely, no doubt about it, interacted through class], both enjoyed the same hobbies, had similar music taste etc) and then realised how many times we almost met.

then i went and had a crush, got overly attached, and wrote a song :)

[bloodsworn-marshal]

Writing Prompt: Horizon Word Count: 1061 ---> masterlist

Following the aftermath of Garlemald’s fall and their castrum’s surrender, it was up to each residing nation to clean up the pieces that were left behind in their conquering. Ul’dah the worst afflicted of Eorzea with multiple former holdings all across the land, with one of the castrum’s having been built on their very doorstep next to Vesper Bay. But a stone’s throw away from encroaching!

As the war drew to a close proper and the military returned home to face this aftermath, it was high time for the Immortal Flames and Brass Blades to coordinate in this juncture by the will of the Syndicate. With many a task on his shoulders since returning to Ul’dah, this missive became yet another burden on Pipin Tarupin’s shoulders to ensure all was coordinated with proper care.

As much as it pained him to make nice with Lord Lolorito of all persons and the other monetarists still residing in the Sultanate, it was of import that he was a part of the plan in all governmental measures that were being put in place. Regardless of what little fondness he had for them behind closed doors, it bade him well to work together and keep things in line.

Whether that be with managing the Immortal Flames, securing their borders, negotiating with the Amal’jaa, weeding out remnants of corruption, attending many a meeting pointless or no, not to mention the piles and piles of reports—

Anyroad. 

Today’s particular dealings brought the Flame General over to Horizon to speak with the captain of the Brass Blades of the Rose… Fufulupa. He who is acting captain and in charge of the western parts of Thanalan.

“I presume you have looked over the missive plans and already have your men in place?”

“Well in order, Flame General Tarupin sir!” Fufulupa answered in an earnest, almost exaggerated salute. “All men are in position and ready at a moment’s call!”

Pipin quite liked Fufulupa. One of few men he could call honorable amongst those of the Brass Blades whom actually kept their word and acted their part dutifully. He may be one of Lord Lolorito’s men… but he’d heard well the tale that Fufulupa had acted against his own captain back in the day on account of corruption and working with local bandits. Anyone willing to stand up to that kind of authority and improve the state of their impoverished area was well worth their salt in Pipin’s books.

“Then we can proceed apace and demolish that hunk of scrap for all its worth!” Pipin smashed his fist into the palm of his other hand. “We shall reclaim the land rightfully ours and be rid of our scars once and for all.”

Fufulupa absolutely brimmed with pride and excitement, echoing Pipin’s sentiments and mimicking his exact motion. The shine in his eyes showing true—this man was an open book and wore his emotions true. Much like himself. It took all of his will for Pipin not to chuckle at his earnesty… were he not a Brass Blade, equally important in their role of protecting Ul’dah, he would have offered for Fufulupa to consider changing occupations.

All the better to have good people in more than one place. Ones he could count on in times of need.

While orders were given to the Blades already positioned at the castrum via linkpearl, the pair would still make their way over to survey the operations. In that time of silence as they rolled out from Horizon, Pipin couldn’t help but break the silence at some point during their venture.

“You seem tense. Yet I’ve heard great word of your deeds. Is aught amiss?”

Fufulupa nearly about recoiled in fear! Shoulders tense and face sweating bullets in mere seconds! Nervous was an understatement.

“W-W-What makes you think that, sir? Heavens, no! Naught amiss at all! Splendid even!” The man fumbled with his chainmail and acted as though he were looking over his armors for any specks of dust or denting.

…Pipin had a clue as to what the captain was thinking. As did most think in his presence. Likely intimidated and worried of the slightest misstep. One may even wager…

“Don’t count yourself unworthy yet, Captain Fufulupa.” Pipin offered a genuine smile in response. “I’m not here to inspect your character. You needn’t worry.”

Tale of Fufulupa’s past also told that he’d passed up the opportunity of promotion consistently until there were no better options than he himself. And at the behest of another region’s captain vouching for him no less! In that, he and Fufulupa were cut of the same cloth. Ever worrying if they were worthy of the shoes they filled. Though Pipin had well ceased those doubts of himself over time, he could see such similar doubts in the man before him.

Still. Fufulupa shook his head and waved his arms as they strode on, as if he couldn’t quite believe the words he was hearing from whom he considered superior.

“I dare not fall short of your expectations still—I’m only acting captain of the Roses—”

“And yet they’ve yet to replace you.” Pipin nudged his elbow into Fufulupa’s arm. “Which means your Lord has seen it fit to keep you permanently on board. Replacement of positions of import as yours is difficult—you are no less than mine own Captains in trust.”

Fufulupa looked about right ready to die on the spot. Praise? From the Flame General himself? If this were any other person of varying position, he would have shot down such platitudes as unbefitting of himself. As mere nonsense that, somehow, he’d truly earned this position that had been thrust upon him! But if Pipin Tarupin of all people, who’d been entrusted with so similar a situation said as much, then…

The Brass Blade clapped his hands over his cheeks as though ensuring he were awake and not dreaming of this interaction. When faced with the truth of the matter, he simply saluted once more in that excited but nervous, “Sir, yes, sir! Tis gladdening to know you find me qualified! A-And… And I’ll make sure not to let you down, sir!”

A simper of a smile formed on Pipin’s lips. Mayhaps when all was over with this missive, he’d invite the Brass Blade out for a few drinks. And over time, loosen Fufulupa’s uptightness while he was at it.

[crabussy]

Hi robin hope you're doing good!! Are there any places to see or things to do you'd recommend for someone visiting Aotearoa for the first time?

hi its actually francis but I'm just as (if not more but don't tell him I said that hehehe) fanatic about aotearoa!!! I'm happy to help out. I'm gonna write a bit and leave this in drafts and then rob can finish it off cause its reaaaally late!! eek!! I gotta sleep because there's hiking happening tomorrow!

waitomo glowworm caves are great but ACTUALLY!!! I DON'T RECOMMEND THE SUPER FAMOUS ONE!!!! it's nice but it's not so long and the photos you see online are usually better than the experience you get. try out ruakuri caves in waitomo instead!! they're pretty much right next to the most popular caves, but they're longer, deeper, contain more interesting formations AND glow worms as well!! not as many as the main one. it depends on what you're looking for!!! there's a SUPER COOL motel called woodlyn park where you can stay in an old boat, an old tram, an old plane or a hobbit house that have all been converted into rooms. it's really cool!! might be a bit costly though

SWIM SOMEWHERE IF YOU CAN!!!! a river, an estuary, a beach. check water quality first!! beaches are probably your best bet! one of my favourite things in the world to do is swim at the beaches in aotearoa. I have yet to see a beach that makes me happier than the ones here!

some REALLY COOL TOWNS include rotorua (super stinky geothermal hotspot!!! so cool!!!!! bright green lakes!!!) and ahuriri (art deco town!! they actually hold a 1920s inspired festival there yearly if I'm remembering right!), <- francis went to bed at this point HI its robin now. what the freak is up guess I'm writing the rest of this post. also I'm DEFINITELY the bigger fanatic don't listen to her. liar liar pants on fire etc

UM!!! DEFINITELY hike/do a day walk if you can. I fucking LOVE hiking here it's always beautiful. in te ika-a-māui (north island) I really enjoy the waitākere ranges, there's currently a rāhui for some areas but I went hiking last weekend and the trail I went on was really lovely. there are quite a few to choose from!! I went along exhibition drive and the beveridge track, entering from titirangi village.

we're well known for our native birds, but as many of them are endangered you might have trouble seeing many of them. I'd recommend tiritiri matangi, an amazing conservation island off the shore of tāmaki makaurau. it can be pricey to visit but the sheer number of birds to be seen there is wonderful!!! you can even see takahē, as well as kiwi at night. the cost of the ticket goes towards the conservation being done on the island.

if you have a chance to experience a kapa haka performance or attend a māori festival GO. GO GO GO. it's always incredible, the power and just. joyous fierce pride people put into the waiata and haka is amazing. if you go around june-july, you'll be there for matariki celebrations!!! experience them. there'll be lots of events happening in major cities like tāmaki makaurau and pōneke.

if you're up for a bit of camping, motutara farm is an absolute gem. it's in whananaki, and needs to be booked WAY in advance but my god its marvelous. the beach is wonderful the rockpools are fascinating the walks are incredible and the camping sites are so lovely. you will have to deal with long drops.

genuinely, and I'm so serious, if you end up in the north island LET ME KNOW!!!! I love meeting up with people and if you end up in the city I live in, I'd love to show you around!!! there's a walk I really love in my town that I'd be happy to take you on.

there's so much more but these are my (and francis's) top picks!!!! I love these islands so much. there's so much to be experienced. I WILL ALSO SAY!!! the public transport is very good. you can mostly rely on it especially in cities.

[lyranova]

A Halloween Ball to Remember

Hiya guys! This is my initial post for my 1k/Halloween event for @blackclover-emc !

I welcome interactions in this post 🥰!

Summary: Just some small talk and maybe a bit of teasing and joking as they go into the ball to meet some people! Also brief mention of their children and of Zera (my other OC)

Pairing: Yuno x Neva (OC)

Yuno’s Suit Neva’s Dress

Word Count: 934

————

“ Remind me again why we were attending this ball?” Yuno asked his wife, Neva, as the pair walked up to the Clover Castle.

“ Because it’s good to maintain our international relations with Clover,” Neva replied with a small smile as her gaze shifted to her left.

Yuno raised a skeptical brow.

“ So it’s not because Zera convinced you to come and ‘have fun’?” Yuno asked, and he watched as her gaze shifted away and a very small pout appeared on her face.

“ It wasn’t just because of that; Kya also made a convincing argument for us to attend the ball.” Neva muttered.

Yuno slowly shook his head as a soft sigh escaped his lips; of course Kya, their youngest daughter, would make a convincing argument. She loved any excuse to come to Clover to be with her family and friends, and this Halloween Ball was a perfect example of that.

But as he gazed down at his beautifully dressed wife, with her long, flowing purple dress and her platinum blonde hair elegantly styled in a loose braid with small diamonds weaving through it…he couldn’t help but think that maybe coming to this ball wasn’t such a bad idea.

“ You’re thinking again,” Neva suddenly said in an amused tone, which pulled Yuno out of his thoughts.

“ Hm? How did you know that?” He asked with a confused frown, and she let out a soft giggle.

“ Yuno, we’ve been married for over a decade now; I probably know you as well as I know myself.” She replied.

Yuno smirked a bit and slightly raised his brow in curiosity.

“ Is that so? Then tell me; what was I thinking about?” He challenged as he looked down at Neva, who hummed in thought for a moment.

“ You were thinking about how beautiful I am tonight, right?” She asked playfully as the two stopped and stood in front of the doorway that led to the loud and bustling ballroom full of people.

Yuno stared at her in surprise.

“ How did you…?” He asked, and a small frown appeared on his face again when she giggled.

Neva slowly walked up to him, glanced around the area, before gently placing her hands on either side of his face.

“ Like I said, I know you as well as I know myself,” She leaned forward and placed a sweet, gentle kiss against his lips.

Yuno reciprocated her kiss, and as he pulled away he smirked a bit.

“ So, you were also thinking about how beautiful you looked?” He playfully joked.

He watched with an amused glint in his eyes as Neva narrowed her gaze and lightly shoved his shoulder.

“ Absolutely not!” She exclaimed as she crossed her arms.

“ I was thinking about how handsome you looked tonight,” She told him as her purple eyes looked her husband up and down in his white and green suit. “ And how much fun you seem to already be having even though we haven’t even entered the ball yet.”

Yuno’s eyes narrowed at her.

“ I’m not having fun.” He told her in his usual deadpan tone, making her giggle in response.

“ You could’ve fooled me.”

She let out another giggle as she leaned up and placed another chaste kiss against his lips.

“ So, are you ready to go in and have some actual fun?” Neva asked with a slightly raised brow as she reached up and fixed Yuno’s hair a bit.

He slowly nodded as a quiet sigh escaped him.

“ I guess so.” He replied, causing her to playfully shove him again.

She took Yuno’s outstretched arm, and the two turned before walking into the loud and bustling ballroom.

Pumpkins, fake bats, and fake spider webs hung all across the grand, gold ballroom. Fake skeletons and ghosts were hung on the wall or were stood in various corners; along the side of one wall stood various tables lined with Halloween themed food, drink, and desserts, while on the other wall there were tables for guests to sit at and enjoy their meals or to just stand around and talk in.

But in the center of the room was a vast space full of people laughing and dancing the night away.

As the couple walked down the staircase they could see various familiar faces as well as some new ones. The Clover Kingdom really did go all out for this ball!

“ Your Highnesses, if you would please each take a mask.” A man dressed in an old styled butler’s uniform said as he held out a tray full of different colored masks.

It was a masquerade ball it seemed…

Without hesitation Yuno reached out for a beautiful purple mask, and he watched as his wife reached out and picked up a green one.

As the butler walked away, Neva couldn’t help but smile.

“ It seems we both know each other well,” She said with a small smile.

“ It’s like you said, we know each other as well as we know ourselves.” Yuno replied softly as he held out the purple mask towards her face.

He quickly put it on her and gently tied the white ribbons around the back of her head, being very careful not to mess her hair up, and when he was done he turned around and let Neva do the same with his mask.

“ So, shall we get something to drink and possibly mingle with some of the other guests?” She asked as she linked her arm through her husbands.

With a small nod, the two began to make their way to the refreshments; both curious as to who they may possibly meet that evening…

[pettyprocrastination]

I turn 23 in 30 minutes

(discussion of mental health, depression, and body image/body weight).

I'm queuing this post ahead of time in hopes that by midnight I will be asleep like a responsible adult because I do in fact have work in the morning (fixing my sleep schedule is a slow and steady race I promise you all) but this is just a sort of. reflection? on my year and my thoughts on reaching another big age.

nobody needs to look at this- I'm just using this as a journal because I'm pretty sure mine is still in the trunk of my car from when I went on vacation.

anywhoo. I turn 23 in 30 minutes. And its. weird?

But still nice.

I started this year off in a horrendous spot.

I was 112 lbs, still working my shit retail job where i'd go and cry in the bathroom just about every single shift for the next two months. I didn't want to eat, sleep, shower, or interact with anybody. I hadn't felt like this since my stepfather died and even then it wasn't as severe. I hated myself and blamed myself for everything wrong in my life, I felt like a ghost in my own body.

But slowly, things began to improve.

I have a new job now, a 9 to 5 that I enjoy yet I'm unfortunately going to have to return to the job hunt soon so I can find one that gives me benefits as I can't stay on my family's health insurance forever (the joys of adulthood) but It still feels good to have that dedicate schedule where I get to work with my hands and get paid for it every Monday through Friday.

I'm spending more time with my friends. Last week I spent a week at the beach with a dear friend of mine and a collection of her own friends, none of which I had met before. I was absolutely petrified initially but had the time of my life with them all, ending the wonderful experience with going to my first ever concert and crying from the joy of it all. (it was hozier.)

I'm pushing myself to do more and go out- I'm in a coaching position for my roller derby league, I recently attended a practice scrimmage with players who have been in this sport for 8+ years and while I fully believed I didn't belong in this space, I was able to hold my own and had so much fun getting to play with all of them. I don't know if i'll be able to try out for the state league because of scheduling- but maybe some day further down the line.

I took a day trip out of state to go to an all women's gym with friends at my university before I graduated. One thing to know about me is that I go to the gym alone about 99.9% of the time. I'm not good at social situations, especially ones in new areas so the notion initially was one I was ready to dismiss- but how often do you get chances like that?

I've signed up for my first ever powerlifting meet. I'm still very new to the gym with less than a year of weight lifting under my belt, but i've told myself this is the year to push myself and become somebody I'm proud of nobody how hard it is going to be. I've always loved powerlifting and want to get into the sport so bad but I can't afford a coach nor do I want to sign up for a full competition without knowing the ins and outs of the first event. I found a local deadlifting competition for a pride foundation next month and signed up for it with the goal of increasing my deadlift by at least 10 lbs by then. I'm simply competition against myself and trying to see how much I can progress during that time, which is something I really love about the sport. I'm still a fucking lightweight loser when it comes to heavy lifting- but at least this way I'll be able to see what a meet is like and learn what to expect.

I started going to therapy beginning of February/late January. It's been a saving grace honestly. Having an unbiased professional I can sit and talk and cry to has been quite the saving outlet. I rent a private study room at the library once every week for our meetings and it's become a little ritual of my own that i'm quite fond of now. (take this as your reminder that your local public library has so many amazing resources that even if you don't read often you can still use!!) though I've only been going for a few months, it's helped me drastically in how I view myself and letting others in during moments of weakness.

I'm allowing myself to rely on my friends. It isn't easy. And honestly sometimes I fucking hate it and feel pathetic for it- but my friends have been there for me so goddamn much within the past few months I honestly don't know where I'd be without them. There are days where I'd rather curl up In my bed and not speak to a single soul about how I feel because there's nothing I fear more than being a burden to those I love- but I have to remind myself that they want to be there for me the same way I want to be there for them. If they need me to pull back they'll simply communicate that desire and I will do so, but I can't keep assuming the worst when I need to rely on somebody for love and support. It's hard to not feel like a burden in those moments, that I'm exhausting those I love- but I also know I would do the same for them any day of the week. "Shared joy is double the joy, shared sorrow is half the sorrow".

I'm back at 124 lbs. I know it may not seem like much to others but gaining back that 12 lbs over four months has been such an uphill battle not only due to my own genetics+metabolism that makes gaining weight a fucking pain in the ass, but also keeping myself accountable when my mental health is at an all time low to still eat full meals and take care of my body. The moment I stepped on the scale and saw those numbers I cried real tears. I still want to gain more weight, but seeing that improvement helped me realize I am in fact improving and not just staying in this permanent transition period of stagnation for the rest of my life as I've feared.

I'm kinder to myself. At least, I'm trying to do so. I've found that the reality of life is that it's infinitely easier to blame yourself for everything and rot in self loathing rather than take a step back to go "actually- that's not true" and find the strength to go forward while also being aware of what you can do to better yourself as a person, not just for others, but for your own sake at well.

That being said- not every day is meant for self-analysis and introspection. Some days it's okay to just cry and eat some fucking candy bars on the couch my friends.

I'm slowly finding the joy and energy to write again. It's been a hassle to do so- working a 9 to 5 while also going to the gym and then doing chores leaves very little time and energy for other passions- but I've found it's annoying but meaningful work to dedicate time for the little things that make you happy. I've started by promising myself to limit my screentime by not using my phone as much during the day- my lunch breaks at work are spent typing away on a little e-ink word processor I treated myself to instead of doom scrolling on my phone. I've written three short little stories on it, some of them fanfiction others are not- while also beginning a horror project that i've thought about for a year now and want to see where it will go in the end. It's nothing as grand at the 10k beautifully written fics you all create- but I'm finding my passion again and it feels quite nice. I'd like to create something submission worthy this summer, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

I'd like to set myself the goal of being able to afford an apartment next year. My family plans on moving cities within a year so it will give me time to save up more money and maybe even get back to making little things on the side to help earn some extra pocket cash for that dream while also paying off my student loans.

I'm not anywhere near the woman I thought i'd at 23 when I was 18 years old. I still live at home, I'm not using my major for my career, nor am I doing anything particularly astounding in my life. But I think that it's okay- and I'm proud of the progress I have made to get myself to this position.

Tomorrow I will spend my birthday at work. Then I will go for a walk (or perhaps a skate?) listen to some music, treat myself to a little sweet drink in my budget and then go see the challengers movies. Maybe with my friends, maybe by myself. I'm not sure yet. I will likely cry at some point during the day, I always do on my birthday.

But I know that I am growing. Even if Its hard to see.

[darexirepublic]

Some important news to share today, friends! We do apologize for the delay in our updates, but things are so busy here in the Republic that it's very hard to keep up. So many cabinet meetings and Assembly committee notes!

-To commemorate the anniversary of first contact between us and the Rixi, Travuu will be hosting a "Celebratory Spiritual Festival" one week from today. We're told that Travuu's leadership has made sure that the planet's desert temperatures are modified thanks to our weather control network, allowing for an optimal setting of maximum comfort for all!

The festival will showcase a history of relations between our two peoples, including our first interactions and interventions together more then a century ago. Several @elepharchy minds have volunteered to assist with the exhibits, allowing for a historically accurate virtual reconstruction!

In addition, visitors will get to sample the various dishes of our avian friends, many of which are quite delicious! Watch out for the Agope Peppers, though - they sting!

Honestly, everyone should attend! The Rixi throw great parties.

-The Ministry of Defense has had several new additions arrive within the last few weeks! I'm told that three @pactargent officers of high rank are acting as "tactical advisors" to the Ministry, allowing for closer cooperation between us and the Pact in our hunt for more of these pirates.

Minister of Defense Ka'plet reports to the Chancellor, but all their notes are classified. Which only makes sense!

-The final botanical upgrades have been finished across Laxtara! All previously closed parks and recreation districts are now fully re open and, with great care and work from @guildsre and their Botany guildmembers, blooming with life from dozens, if not hundreds of new plant species!

Reflection areas and private solitary spaces are also in place, and able to be used to unwind and relax if one is looking for some quiet time. I've seen the plans and, they are absolutely incredible. So much work and effort has been put into this!

I hope all is going well for you out there, friends. Even in tough times, remember - we're here for you! You can always count on the Darexi to be in your corner.

[hexpea]

Ch. 9 - A Father's Determination

Toji kept careful as he crept through one of the side courtyards of the Zenin estate. His usual route kept him out of the eyes of family members and attendants. He was used to this kind of sneaking around, but this early in the evening was different for him. With the family still awake, he was creating quite a risk for himself.

With this in mind, he deviated from his usual route with the idea of a warm, familial visit.  He crept toward the master suite of the estate, where he knew his uncle would be at this time of night. Keeping a careful eye on the attendants, he waited until the last left the area before sliding in. 

Naobito sat up in his bed, glasses perched upon his face as he read what looked to be an older book of jujutsu technique. 

"Uncle!" Toji gave a wide smile to Naobito who quickly made eyes with the man at the far end of his bedroom. "Just who I wanted to see."

"Toji," Naobito immediately put his book down and removed his glasses. His tone was that of anger and defense. "You aren't to be on the premises, explain yourself."  Naobito continued to get out of bed, swinging his legs over the side of the mattress. He stood with the same defensive stance that Toji took, closed fists and apart legs - ready for any type of movement.

"I'm here to see my son," he answered directly, walking closer to his uncle who was becoming easily cornered. This, however, meant nothing to Naobito considering his jujutsu technique involving speed. Toji was merely attempting to intimidate the old man. 

"You sold that right," Naobito declared, tone still angry yet in control. His fat, crooked index finger pointed in Toji's direction. "That damn nanny!" He cursed. "I'll have her-"

"You'll do nothing to her," Toji began to steadily walk toward his uncle, the large room creating enough of a gap for several strides. "That's what I'm here to tell you."

"And why on earth would I listen to you?!" Naobito was flabbergasted at Toji's request. "You've broken our contract repeatedly, and that damn nanny is no different than the others!"

Toji scoffed and rolled his eyes, "out of everyone within this damn estate, I'm the one who understands your technique the best. I'm the only one here capable of killing you...and I won't hesitate to do so." 

He moved even closer to his stunned uncle so that his figure nearly stood over him. Naobito continued scowling, understanding that if he were to use his technique on Toji at that moment it would be fruitless.  Toji had always been one step ahead of Naobito, his next second always planned out before Naobito could touch him and activate his FPS technique. Should Naobito activate his technique, Toji's next 24-frames would clearly be to annihilate him. The only way Naobito could succeed against such a trained assassin would be to catch him off-guard, something nearly impossible.

"So if anything happens to Y/N, I'll come for you," Toji leaned toward his uncle's ear, his voice in a threatening growl. "In fact," he continued, pulling away, "I want you to help her in any way that you can." This kind of request was absolutely obnoxious, but knowing the hold Toji had over Naobito, the man stayed silent as Toji spoke. "And if you don't, I'll know."

"What happened to you?" Naobito suddenly stood straight, nearly ramming his head into Toji's nose. "Since when do you stand up for others? You're supposed to be the monster that we cast out, the shame of the Zenin family." He used a particular tone to attempt to get under Toji's skin. He slowly turned to meet Toji's gaze, a single eyebrow raised as if to judge his thoughts. "Don't act like you care about that child or that wretched nanny."

Toji's jaw flexed out of irritation. "Listen here, old man," Toji moved swiftly to grab his neck. Naobito struggled out a smile, attempting to be bigger than the threat before him. Toji's grip slowly tightened around Naobito's jugular, the pulsing, purple veins begging for mercy beneath his fingertips. "Don't worry about who or what I care about, just worry about your own head. If you don't listen to me, I'll be sure to remove it from your possession." 

Toji released his uncle to which he let out a gasp and used his bedside to hold his body up. The threat began to walk out of the room.

"Don't put blood in the water, Toji!" Naobito shouted toward his nephew who was halfway out of the shoji door. "You kill me, it'll only mean your downfall!"

But instead of paying any mind to Naobito's final words, Toji continued on his way out, making a point to spit on the gravel in front of his door before casually and confidently meandering back into the courtyard.

Though he didn't look it, Toji's blood was boiling. This happened each time he paid his dear uncle a visit. But this visit was unlike Toji. He had vowed to never return to face his uncle since he was disowned and he wasn't one to break that kind of vow. 

He continued on until he reached downtown, twiddling the end of a toothpick between his incisors after a quick stop at an izakaya. At this point it was late into the night with the sleaziest, drunkest of the bunch left on the sidewalks.  Finished with his toothpick, he flicked it onto the ground in front of a hot and heavy couple too into it to care for the rude gesture. His mind was busy thinking about your brief conversation.

Something within him broke a little bit when he heard what Masaru did; it was something else that was unlike Toji. He wasn't necessarily a faithful man to previous relationships, but for his late wife he was true.  He wouldn't want to admit it, but something behind the look in your eyes that night reminded him of her. She wasn't in the best situation either when they met, in fact that was something she and Toji had in common when he was recently disowned; it was what sparked their relationship to begin with. When he found her, broken, he felt not only as if it were love at first sight but he felt defensive of her. And it seemed as though he had found himself in that situation yet again.

This night, instead of his usual pickup and love hotel, Toji meandered toward an internet cafe. Not only were they a cheap way to spend the night, but he needed to know the type of guy who'd broken his son's caretaker's heart.

Once settled and logged in, he quickly searched up old newspapers of small towns just outside of Tokyo to find wedding announcements. It took quite a bit of digging, not something foreign to Toji,  but he eventually found it.  It was a small column with a picture of you and your husband at the altar the size of Toji's thumb. The two of you had big smiles and wore the traditional black tux, white dress. It was clear you had a small bump in the image, already several weeks along with Tsumiki. The column listed your happiness and how local friends and family attended. It listed both you and Masaru's current occupations at the time and future goals as well as the fact you were pregnant and due in January. The cheesy journalism nearly made Toji gag. He was happy that he and his late wife decided to keep things informal, considering the circumstances. 

He zoomed in on the photo to get a better look at your husband's face, his body hunched over toward the screen glowing in the darkness. As soon as he got a close enough look, he gave a single chuckle and leaned back in his chair, arms over his head and foot on the desk in front of him. Needless to say, he was unimpressed.

[soloh]

Reminders and advice for the Wellington protest against "Posie" tomorrow:

-If KJK pulls out, there is still a peaceful pro-trans rally going ahead to show that people don't just show up looking for a fight, and Aotearoa genuinely loves and supports our trans community

-Wear a mask. Please. There are likely to be plenty of disabled and/or immune compromised people in attendance, it's for their health and safety (Also they have the added bonus of making you less identifiable by neo-nazis)

-Do not instigate violence. You absolutely have the right to defend yourself and other protesters, but KJK and her team are already trying to twist the narrative around what went down in Auckland today, and we need to make it incredibly difficult for them to do that here by standing it back and making it damn clear who started the fight if her supporters do start another one

-Bring water and snacks. Even if KJK runs away after 20 minutes again, her supporters will likely linger. You could be there for a long time.

-Wear sunscreen, even if it's overcast (that's general "living in Aotearoa" advice anyway tbh)

-Bring a raincoat. Would not advise an umbrella given that it's central Wellington near the harbour and there's currently a wind watch.

-If you, for any reason, feel the need to take photos or videos, do not include any protestors who have not consented to being in them- blur out their faces after filming if need be. Do not livestream yourself or other protestors, it puts people in danger.

-Have an escape plan, and make sure there is at least one person not going to the protest who knows you are going and can come and get you if something happens. Have something pinging your location privately to an emergency contact (I know Google maps on android allows this via a txt alert, unsure about Apple devices).

-Do not go to, or leave, the protest alone. If you must, meet up at a pre-event beforehand (vic uni are hosting a free sign making session that will conclude with attendees walking to the protest together), and when you leave, follow within another group of protestors until you reach a further away area where you can safely split off.

-Consider bringing a change of clothes to make yourself harder to identify post-protest. I know a lot of people will want to wear pride colours and whatnot, but this will make you stick out more once it's over, so if you're staying in town, you might need to cover up.

[stuckincoolsville]

7/23/24: what's my name?

i absolutely hate these things. 

intros, blogs; it's all stupid, really. it's not even worth the effort of capitalizing, let alone proper grammar. 

who's gonna read this? who's gonna care about some random weirdo teenager moving to some random weirdo town? in OHIO, of all places. the meme is writing itself and dying as we speak.

but my therapist says this will help me. somehow. he says we don't meet enough, so he has no way of knowing how i'm truly doing or feeling. starting a little blog will, supposedly, help me get my feelings out.

i feel it's just another way for him to keep tabs on me, but whatever.

don't worry, i'm not dumb enough to reveal my actual name. just call me V. 

i recently graduated from a high school in New York. yes, i lived near bodegas. yes, i'd rather attend NYU, or a CUNY, or anywhere else besides Coolsville Community College. yes, i walk wherever and whenever i fucking want. yes, i miss the bagels. and the pizza. and the water.

so, that being said, what am i doing in Coolsville, Ohio? 

moving into the house i inherited from my mom. who i have not seen since i was...twelve? yeah, about twelve. i still have this vague memory of watching her pack up her car with all her stuff. her mouth, pressed closed. how she kept refusing to look at me, at my dad. and then walking back in the rain so she can get in her car and drive out of our lives.

yeah, that's rather grim...but it's also relevant. 

surprisingly, she's not the main reason i'm in therapy at the moment. well, not because she left. children are abandoned by parents all the time. most divorces are the result of a parent walking out on a family. i'm not special because i'm another statistic.

i'm in therapy 'cause of the other thing.

anyway, the relevance of this is that i haven't seen my mom in six years. no one seemed to know where she went. it was like she literally dropped off the face of the earth. and yet, a few months ago, my dad and i got a visit from a lawyer. my mother's lawyer.

he said my mother died of a tragic...accident (spoilers: i don't think it was an accident), and that the ownership of the house she lived in recently transferred to me. a house in Coolsville, OH.

if this was last year, i would have slammed the door closed in the man's face. or had my friend Johnny do a prank call and scam the guy out of his money. or maybe had Marcy

...

i think you get the idea.

but this year...it was like the guy handed me the solution to all my problems on a silver platter. after everything that had happened this year, all i wanted was to disappear. to go to a place where no one knew my name or who i was. 

you'd think that'd be easy in New York, a city of several million people on its own. but when you've gone through what i've gone through, when your picture has been published in enough NYC newspapers or blogs or anything with readership, it becomes difficult to be invisible again. 

i had to argue about it with my dad, but it was weak on his part. i think everything was starting to strain on him too.

so with a few bags packed and a rather emotional goodbye with dad & the few friends i have left, i hopped in my car and headed for Ohio.

took me a little bit to find this place. Coolsville is pretty obscure, even by most small town standards. if you can get past the sense of dread you get from Toledo—with all its emptiness and boarded up houses & buildings—you're already on the right track. 

go past the long highway. head east, towards where the trees gather most. down that long, long road that seems to be an entrance to another realm. towards the faint sound of rushing water flowing from a place you can't see yet. and suddenly, you're there. in a town stuck in time, struggling to embrace modernity as we understand it. a place that is just outside the border of the area considered to be part of Appalachia. 

it's like i walked right into the 1960s...or maybe early '70s. every house is painted in bright colors, the grass never seems to brown; and the flowers are always in bloom. and all the people seemed to dress like they go thrifting on the regular, their clothes are so...retro? vintage? any of those words work? and they always seem to have a smile on their faces. typical welcoming committee, wholesome small town edition, i suppose.

i was a bit wary at first. still am. but it's been a couple weeks since i moved in. no one's asked the questions i've expected yet. no mob is calling for my blasphemous head. everything and everyone i speak to actually exists, which is a relief. so things are okay. 

for now.

no idea what the future holds, but i recently registered for classes at the community college here. it's much more affordable than the schools in NY, even for a newcomer like me. (guess enrollment must be pretty low over here.) no friends, but the few neighbors i've met seem friendly. there seem to still be teens my age over here, so that gives me some comfort. the house my mome left me is already paid for and has all the furniture and appliances i need. i just need to pay for utilities and maintain the house.

that's why i got the job at the bookstore. it's pretty cool, run by this weird old lady who likes to cackle and rant about the new age occult scene. says my generation doesn't know how to properly communicate with the Old Ones, and that will lead to our ultimate downfall. 

things like that. 

she has a lot of weird takes, now that i think about it, but i'm not gonna argue logic and reason with the crazy lady signing my paychecks.

not much else to say at the moment. i mean, there's more but. this was just supposed to be an intro. i don't wanna vomit out everything in my head. not yet. 

(Dr. Dimaggio, if you're seeing this, you already know. so there's really no point anyway.)

so i guess i'll be signing off. i'll update this when something happens or if there's something i wanna get off my chest.

later.

signed,

V.D.

[studioahead]

Artist Spotlight : Nobuto Suga

It will surprise no one that Studio AHEAD loves walking through the deep forests of Marin. So it was a delight to speak this month with Nobuto Suga, a Japanese-born woodworker who shares with us not only an appreciation for Northern California's forests, but a willingness to allow the natural world to influence and guide his creative work. To look at a Suga piece is to read, behind each block of wood, the tree that gave the piece its form and the landscape that gave home to the tree: "We are not separate from our natural world. Nor are we separate from each other." We were happy to speak of creative partnerships with those we cherish: in our case, Elena and Homan; with Suga and his partner Amy.

Studio AHEAD: Share with us some of your journey in arriving to California. Did you grow up here? What was your introduction to woodworking?

Nobuto Suga: I grew up in the countryside of Hiroshima, surrounded by forest and farmland. I started playing around with wood when I was sixteen. I remember one day my father brought some pieces of milled lumber home. The pieces came from trees that had been cut down on one of his landscaping sites. I was fascinated by the grain patterns in the wood and I wondered what form I could shape from the wood. I made a towel rack and some shelves, those were my first woodworking projects. They are still in my family home, and whenever I visit there, I see the living element of memory in those early pieces. 

In 2000, I went to upstate New York to study ecology and gain a wider understanding of ecosystems. On a visit to the West Coast my eyes were opened by the majestic landscape of an old-growth forest. When I settled in San Francisco in 2014, I reconnected with the forests and woodworking. I have been deepening my appreciation ever since.

SA: Does the region where the tree grows affect how you work with it? Does a tree in Japan necessitate a different way of keeping its integrity than does a tree in California?

NS: Yes, absolutely. It does affect how I work. I had an opportunity to work on the edge of the coast recently under an old cypress canopy. I felt a direct connection with the surrounding elements—the wind and the rocky landscape. Connectivity to place is a very important part of my process when forming and laying out a vision and a direction. Without that connection, I can not make work. Relationship to place is extremely meaningful for me.

The most majestic tree I have ever encountered is at a Shinto shrine in Hiroshima. It’s wildly branching. The tree is covered with moss and lichen. It hosts so much life. It is a living historical artifact. Typically the trees around shrines are given the most respect in Japan. But a tree is a tree and deserves deep respect no matter where it grows.

SA: Tell us more about this respect. How does a designer go about respecting the material? Does this play into or get in the way of innovation, of using materials new ways?

NS: I’m keen on using urban salvaged and reclaimed wood to extend the life of the source elements. Understanding resources and bringing out the best characteristics of the material are very important to me. Working with resources from this perspective can help lessen our consumption flow which is excessive and problematic. It is important to build awareness and have respect for our natural environment that we depend on for life. We are not separate from our natural world. I’m fortunate to have access to urban salvaged wood and reclaimed materials in the Bay Area. I’m just one of many here who works respectfully and consciously with wood. I’m glad to be part of this community of woodworkers.

SA: You helped repair Sol LeWitt sculptures in New York. What ways do repair and creation intersect or diverge?

NS: My plan at that time was to attend a landscape architecture program, to explore physical interaction with space as a way of connecting with nature. But instead, I was fortunate to meet with a few Japanese artists who worked with Sol LeWitt for many decades. I participated in two executions of his Open Cube Structure, learning directly from a lead fabricator/artist, Kazuko Miyamoto. It was a very repetitive process, and it was pleasing to see the progress of structure and various visual effects that appeared in each step. 

LeWitt’s sculptures are based on numbers, laying out a grid and a score, and the structural form emerges like a sound. The visual effects appear within the open cube from many different angles. I appreciate his vision, playfulness, endless curiosity, and openness to discoveries. LeWitt’s system of composition and application has a heavy impact on my practice. 

Over time, I have developed an interest in kiwari, a traditional Japanese method of proportion or a co-relationship with each structural component. There is an underlying interconnectedness that I experience in nature, and when I make something, as I put pieces together I am always trying to respond to this feeling.

SA: Can you elaborate on this? Is this harmony of proportion what you are trying to achieve, or are you purposefully distorting these ideas of proportion to evoke certain emotions?

NS: Woodworking gives me new challenges all the time. The harmony of proportion is a starting point and a structuring principle of a concept and a process. I’m not distorting these ideas, I’m searching for the best way to accommodate the material and honor what it is offering.

SA: Your partner, Amy, is your collaborator and you've built a home, studio and practice together. Tell us about how you work together.  We [Elena and Homan] are creative partners and are grateful we have each other to move through creative life together. If one of us feels unbalanced, the other brings us back or carries the baton for a while.

NS: Amy and I have been interacting and influencing each other with our creativity and sharing our appreciation for the last 15 years. She and I first met each other when we were both involved in the retrospective installation for Sol LeWitt at MASS MoCA in 2008. We had a spark and a similar appreciation of nature and have been together ever since. Our cultural backgrounds are different, but our attention to detail is the same. We’re both interested in the qualities of line and the negative space between things. And we both have a lot of respect for the untouched elements of a place or a material. We have been cultivating a shared language for the last fifteen years. 

We tend to take turns supporting each other’s passions and projects. When I was pursuing ecological restoration, I assisted Amy’s art practice by helping with installation and gathering materials. Five years ago, Amy set up our family woodworking business, Suga Studio.

I enjoy and appreciate her vision, playfulness with elements, and I admire her ability to transform an indescribable emotion to visualized formations. Our practices blend with regular and creative existence in a way that gives us energy and flexibility. Pursuing the passion and our listening hearts is filling me with gratitude and compassion. Our next direction is making an even deeper connection with nature. It inspires us both to the core of our being.

Photos by Ekaterina Izmestieva

[countessofravenclaw]

El Lugar más Feliz de la Tierra: Chapter seven

To all that come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. - Walt Disney

Luna had never heard these words before, nor had she heard of the man who had said them... well until she and Mateo end up having a movie night and Luna comes up with an idea. If there is really a place that can be called "the happiest place on the earth" she wants to see it for herself. So she and all her friends leave on an adventure ... an adventure over to a place where you can leave today and enter the world of the past, future, adventure, and fantasy.

The song of the chapter v ¤

Nothing can stop us now

“Uuuuu, uuu, what do you think he’s gonna be like?” Luna was skipping ahead in the queue, “I mean I read like that he’s like the boss.” 

“I don’t know if I could ever work for a mouse,” Matteo joked as he walked behind her with Gastón and Nina. 

“Well, good thing you don’t have an employer,” Gastón patted him on the shoulder. “You could never survive with my boss.” 

“I thought you liked your boss,” Matteo rolled his eyes at Gastón, “Or. Don’t you have like multiples? I will never understand how that works.”

“I mean, there’s my direct supervisor who answers to the division manager Mr. Gomez. We all contribute to things the executive works on, and they are under the CEO’s direct management.” 

“Stop talking about work!” Luna turned around frustrated and linked her arms with Nina and then went to grab Ambar as well. She started dragging them further along the queue. 

“I think it’s safe to say that this Disney obsession of hers won’t end anytime soon,” Gastón noted as he and Matteo kept on walking as well. 

“As long as she is having fun,” Matteo shrugged and look ahead at Luna. 

“Okay, next group!” The character attendant yelled and opened the gate. Luna could almost burst from excitement. The rides were awesome, of course they were, but she absolutely had loved meeting all the characters. It was so cool seeing them basically come to life, with the costumes and everything. 

Obviously, she knew that they weren’t real, she wasn’t stupid, but it was fun to pretend. The characters with the big head—Nina had called them something fur—were especially adorable. They were fuzzy with big eyes and mouth… In short, extremely huggable. 

“Hello my friends!” A high-pitched voice was heard as Luna entered the area where Mickey Mouse was standing.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Luna was suddenly taken aback. “You talk?? He talks? This is so awesome!”

None of the other characters that had these big heads talked. 

“It is so nice to see you!”

“It is so nice to see you too Mickey!!” Luna started jumping up and down before hugging a ginormous character.

“Have you had fun at my home!” 

“Absolute best!” Luna continued, “We’ve been here for a long time now. We’re going home tomorrow, but I don’t want to leave.”

“Where are you from?” Mickey kept asking Luna questions.

“Buenos Aires!” She responded enthusiastically. 

“Thank you for coming so far to see me.”

“You’re welcome! But like, it’s not that far,” Luna started, “Or is it? The flight was very long, let me tell you…” 

“Have you visited that one house on New Orleans Square?” Mickey started asking.

“What house?” Luna looked at him confused. 

“I once went there, and I think it was haunted.” 

“Oh!” the realization hit Luna, “YES!! We went there on our first day here! It was spooky.”

“I think a ghost tried to follow me home from there,” Mickey continued.

“Oh me too!” Luna looked over her shoulder, “Hopefully it didn’t happen… Matteo! Has there been a ghost chasing me this whole time?”

“Not that I have seen,” Matteo laughed and walked up to where Luna and Mickey were standing and offered his hand. “Hello, Mr. Mouse.”

“Mr. Mouse?” Luna looked at Matteo.

“Well, he was the boss, wasn’t he?”

***

“So, my Jaz-fans, today we start our day with some culinary delights—”

“Jazmin were going to be buying churros,” Delfi noted as Jazmin kept hyping up the snacks to her camera. “I don’t think you can really call them the most exquisite culinary delights.”  

“How do you know?” Jazmin turned to her after shutting the camera off. “Have you ever eaten churros?” 

“Literally the last time we went to Costa Park, but you didn’t want one because, and I quote “they would destroy your outfit.” So, yes, I have had them,” Delfi rolled her eyes. “You surely have too, they’re super common, you probably had them at ours. Those were Aaron’s favorite dessert.” 

“I mean maybe I have, but these are Disney churros,” Jazmin shrugged, “So must be better and make better content.” 

“Delfi just shrugged and laughed as they received their long treats. 

“Uuf, all this cinnamon is ruining my outfit!” Jazmin started complaining.

“I tried to warn you.” 

“Anyways,” Jazmin grabbed a few selfies with her churros and then pulled her camera out, “So, who guessed right? The answer is Churros! So, all my Jaz-fans, you get to see me take my first bite of a Disney churro.”

“Can we get these for the wedding?” Pedro asked as he was munching on his own churro. 

“So, a finger food buffet isn’t enough for you?” Delfi raised and affectionate eyebrow at Pedro. He had been surprisingly involved with the wedding planning, especially when it had come to the food.

“Isn’t this finger food?” He countered, “I don’t see forks.” 

“We’ll see what we can do once we’re back in Argentina.” 

***

“Where are they?” Luna was tippin on her toes as they were waiting on for the others in the middle of Toon Town. 

“Delfi texted me that they are on their way now,” Ambar looked at her phone, “Now that they’re done with their churros.”

“I wanna churro,” Luna stopped on her tracks, “Matteo! Why haven’t you gotten me a churro?”

“Because you literally had three macarons and an ice-cream sundae,” Matteo responded, “No one wants to deal with you while you’re hangry. But wait like an hour, because you’re really hopped on sugar right now. You’ll get your churro.” 

“I’d better…” Luna rolled her eyes. 

“We’re here!” Suddenly they saw Jim, Yam and Ramiro jog toward them, “We almost got kidnapped by pirates!” 

“Only because Ramiro neglected to tell us about the drops,” Yam scowled at Ramiro. 

“I thought it was obvious.”

“We’re very close to banning you from third wheeling us ever again,” Jim continued. 

“And now we have entered the world of cartoons…” Everyone turned around as they started hearing Jazmin’s voice. Low and behold, she was walking toward them—camera in hand—with Delfi and Pedro. She directed the camera toward Luna, “So, tell us. What are we doing here?” 

“So, we were just meeting Mickey and heard that he has his own ride here.” Luna started, “I can’t believe that I almost completely missed that while doing research. It was called a run-away way or something like that, so basically a train ride! Now we just need to find it.”

Luna started scrolling through the map. She had never been good with maps—that had been very proven when she and Matteo had once taken part in a city orienteering event at Buenos Aires, because it had sounded cool. They had gotten pretty lost. She finally found the attraction she had been looking for after swiping around for at least 5 minutes. 

“So, we need to be heading toward a theatre of some sort,” She looked up and started looking around, “I have no idea where that could be though…”

“Right there,” Nina pointed behind them. Luna turned around and saw a cartoonish looking movie theatre. It had a billboard that read: “The grand World Prem-Ear”. “Huh, what does that mean?” Luna stared at the sign. 

“A mouse pun?” Gastón shrugged. “Are we gonna stand here the whole day?”

“Lets go in.”

As they entered, they walked over a carpet that said: “El Capitoon Theatre”. Then there was a display that read: “Mickey Mouse and the Perfect Picnic”. It looked like one of those shorts that Luna had watched on the plane.

“High School Goofical?” Luna read off one of the posters. “What does that mean?” 

“I guess it's a parody of High School Musical,” Matteo had appeared on her side. 

“High School what now?” Luna looked at him. “Why would someone make a musical of a high school? Imagine if someone made one of Blake, it would be ridiculous.”

“They made three movies,” Ambar remarked as she came behind them, “And a streaming series. I used to love those movies, but they were a bit silly.” 

“Those movies had the best songs,” Ramiro suddenly started doing some random choreography, “I’m not gonna stop, that’s who I am…”

“Has everyone heard of the High School musicals except me?” Luna looked around. “That’s it! Matteo, we’re watching those movies on the plane back.”

“Sure,” Matteo made a few faces that very clearly tried to convey a message called “help me”. It would be a very interesting flight back. 

They walked forward in the queue and Luna tried to look at all of the posters. They all seemed to be some sort of parodies of movies… not that Luna had ever heard of any of them. Maybe she really should ask Nina to hold some sort of an old movie marathon, so she could get more up to date. But at the same time… She had terrible track record with falling asleep during movies if she was even tad bit bored—one of the reasons why the Star Wars thingies would never work out with her. 

Next, they walked under a banner that read “It was all started by a Mouse”. Since Ambar had apparently read multiple books on the Walt Disney guy who was the founder of all of Disney, she and Nina—who just had known about the history, because of course she did—had given her a crash course on some of the history. The whole company really had been started by a mouse, Mickey to be exact. 

The queue continued onto the next room which looked like a museum display. There was a helm of a ship and a plane hanging off a ceiling. It looked very cool.

Luna stopped in front of a mannequin that looked like Mickey. It was wearing a red rope and a pointy blue hat. Why she had stopped was because the hat just spoke to her. It had a white moon and stars on it. 

“Oh!” Luna staggered back. “It flew! Everyone else saw that right?”

“What are you talking about?” Matteo looked at her confused. 

“The hat just flew off the head of the doll,” Luna pointed toward the mannequin. 

“It’s a hat. You sure you weren’t just dreaming like you usually are?” Matteo looked like she was trying not to laugh, “Those don’t float—Ah, what was that?!”

The hat had started levitating again. Matteo jumped back scared like a bunny. 

“See, I wasn’t just inventing things,” Luna laughed at him. She looked at the hat again. It was floating and she could see sparkles around with some magical sound effects. “This is actually really cool.” 

“Whatever you say,” Matteo nodded, “Let’s move along.”

“Hey, this mirror is haunted!” Jim seemed to be yelling from further up the queue. “I swear I saw a ghost!”

“Nope, not even gonna comment on that,” Matteo shook his head and turned to grab Luna by her shoulders. “Come on…”

“Wow! A beanstalk!!!” Luna had already dashed away, “Mom always used to read me that story.” 

“Here we go again.”

Soon, they were standing in front of the double doors which had three circle windows, making a Mickey shape on the door. The doors opened up and they walked into a space that looked like some sort of a movie theatre. 

“What are we doing here?” Luna was bouncing on her toes excitedly. From what she had learned of the ride, it was supposed to be some sort of a train, so she didn’t fully understand why they were in a movie theatre. 

As they all had entered the room, the screen lit up and started playing a cartoon. 

The cartoon depicted Mickey and Minney apparently going to take a picnic. They came across Goofy who was driving a train. Then something weird happened…

The train that Goofy was driving suddenly rode into a barn and then exploded. 

The weird thing was that the screen they had been watching the cartoon on exploded too. There was a concrete hole in there and now they were directed to go through it. 

“What is going on?” Luna looked around intrigued.

“We’ll just have to see,” Matteo took her hand, and they started walking. 

***

“No.”

“Well, what about this?”

“NO.”

“Why not?”

“I am not buying that.” Matteo sighed as Luna showed him at least a hundred silly looking hats. 

“You can’t be that grumpy all the time,” She rolled her eyes at him. “You promised me that you’ll buy me ears.” 

“Yes, for YOU,” Matteo countered. “I’ll buy you ten pairs of ears, but I will not be wearing any sorts of hats.”

Luna was holding a giant green hat in front of him. As far as Matteo was able to deduce, it was Mad Hatter’s hat. 

“You’ll need some sort of a souvenir,” Luna gave him her best puppy eyes and Matteo almost gave in… He really needed to stay strong, otherwise that hat would end up in their next Christmas card. That would be a field day for his fans. 

“I have a souvenir,” Matteo continued, “The lightsaber. That’s enough… Okay, you can pick something else, but not a hat. Okay?”

“Yayyyy!” Luna jumped on her feet and dashed toward the next display.

“Don’t get lost in here,” Matteo yelled after her. “Our flight leaves in five hours!”

“I am trying not to think about it!” Luna yelled back at him. “Oh, I listened to some of that High School music yesterday while you were asleep. I want to walk down the aisle to one of the songs.” 

“Fun.” Matteo didn’t know if he wanted to cringe or smile. 

The past days had been so much fun but also exhausting… he was looking forward to just crashing on the plane. 

And if Luna had already picked the processional music, maybe they should now actually get some wedding planning done.

All that said, this had really been an adventure. 

{}

So, our journey come to an end, but yours continues on... Anyways, the story is done now. I gotten be honestly, writing this time to time has kind of been mentally taxing on me. It's probably because this idea is years old, and part of those cookie cutter ideas I for project post MOT. This story is very reactionary and nothing really happens so it's not that exciting to write. That being said, I'm not unhappy about how this turns out and I'm hppy this exist. We can move onto some more wacky projects and I hope everyone enjoyed the adveture.

[niigata-division]

Lyall's Thoughts on Kanazawa Division

Wataru Sasaki

“Why I didn't know the Chief had a brother out there.” Lyall laughs as he stares at the photo of the police officer. “I’m kidding but from what I know Sasaki-san and the Chief have known each other since their training days in the police academy. I can see why Sasaki-san is just a shorter version of the Chief. Personally, I've worked with Sasaki-san only a few times, and every time I am reminded of a line of poetry that goes  “Cold had sunk to my soul, and there kept hold” and while I understand that the job of a law enforcer is a heavy one Sasaki-san seems to have completely hardened himself to the world.” 

Kyler Aaron

Lyall whistles. “An FBI agent huh? Didn't think I would ever meet a real one. Can't say I have much against the U.S. Feds but Kaoru….well saying she dislikes them is putting it lightly. The mere mention of them makes her go absolutely feral.” Lyall smirks. “However she has told me why Kyler is over here in the first place beyond his role guarding the U.S. Ambassador. All I have to say is that good luck you’re going to need it if half of what Kaoru tells me about “The Commission” is true.” 

Joey Kurusu 

Lyall smiles at the photo of the blond detective. “Oh, it's Joey. We go way back ever since both of our stints attending rehab. He was in for his gambling addiction and I was in for my drug addiction. Usually, we wouldn't have met considering we were in different areas of the rehab center but I guess Joey got lost while looking for his room and well I found him. I’m pretty sure Joey thought he was dreaming because the famous model and actor Lyall Shiba was in front of him.” Lyall smirked at the memory. “But once he got over being starstruck it wasn't too hard to bond with each other, especially over our desire to be homicide detectives and our shared love for the macabre. We’ve even managed to work on a case together recently although I could've gone without the car chase.” Lyall sighs. “No, but when Joey first told me he was joining the DRB I was concerned especially when he told me the reason why he was joining. Now, it appears that we’ve swapped spots he's the one worried for me and to be honest?” Lyall rubbed his arm. “...He might have reason to.” 

Justice Shield

“Like I've mentioned before Kanazawa is one of our allies in this tournament. Don't get me wrong I'm pretty grateful.” Lyall sighs. “It’s just….I know we’re here to help Sasaki-san with his case but it's pretty obviously why I joined. Anyone with half a brain cell can tell you that. I also know that the Chief has his own reasons for entering something that I'm not privy to. I just hope this doesn't blow up in all of our faces when it finally comes down to it.”