#Monica Garrison

[antidrumpfs]

President Joe Biden’s fiery Thursday night State of the Union speech was bad news for the preferred narrative from pro-Trump commentators that Biden is a dementia patient on the brink of death. So they responded by baselessly claiming he must have been on performance-enhancing drugs.

OutKick’s Clay Travis, 9:44 p.m.: “What drugs have they shot him up with tonight? This is not how normal people talk.”

Right-wing cartoonist Ben Garrison, 9:45 p.m.: “They really jacked up Joe with the drugs tonight- think there's a IV bag under his jacket?”

TownHall’s Kurt Schlicter, 9:49 p.m.: “Maybe the paramedic who called into @HughHewitt this morning and told me Biden would be on cocaine was right!” 

Podcaster Monica Crowley, 9:53 p.m.: “Biden, pumped full of god-knows-what drugs to make it through this pack of lies, blasts Pharma.”

Fox contributor Mollie Hemingway, 9:54 p.m.: “Plot twist: It was Joe Biden's cocaine in the White House!”

RealClearInvestigations’ Mark Hemingway, 9:57 p.m.: “The rushed jittery pace of this speech is the drugs, right?” 

Fox host Greg Gutfeld, 10 p.m.: “Think we found out who that coke belonged to.”

[xprojectrpg]

This Day in X-Project - August 18

Marie-Ange Colbert's birthday.

2015: Maya introduces herself on the journals. Monica emails Adrienne to thank her. Artie and Maya meet.

2016:

2017: Maya posts that she is able to go home and visit her family. Matt posts asking if there’s anything going on for the eclipse. Matt and Ev have a different type of sparring session. Clea posts her NY Comic-Con costume.

2018: Sins of the Father: A drugged-up and French-speaking Marie-Ange wants a pirate themed party for her birthday; Topaz texts Amanda wondering what sort of birthday gift says “sorry you lost an eye rescuing me”; Ty emails Topaz suggesting Marie-Ange should meet his parents; Amanda heads down to medlab to visit her best friend and talk over what happened.

2019:

2020:

2021: Artie posts in disgust about scientists doing Stupid Science. Amanda leaves Marie-Ange a throwback birthday present - the same wine they used to steal from the professor as students.

2022: Gabe texts Clint to compliment his new look. Felicia shares her good deed makeover. April asks who made Clint up and offers them something for their service. Following their Danger Room session, Clint and Forge talk the mansion, other agencies, and a little science.

2023: Hope A. emails Illyana to offer a meeting if she'd like, to welcome to the insanity that is working for Warren. Hope A. then texts Sue to bemoan Warren's actions. While exploring the mansion, Jess stumbles across Sooraya who is able to answer some of her questions. Maya teaches Sharon S. how to throw an axe. Illyana meets with Madin at Warren’s request to speak with them about a job. Transian Public Library: To achieve their goal Garrison and Wanda reach out to Silver Sable International; the team ambushes the envoy carrying the much sought after books; and as nothing's ever as easy as it seems, the creatures that were summoned by their attack give them a run for their money; Amanda and Wanda's combined abilities find a way to stop the summoning device; following the mission Marie-Ange receives a lovely birthday bouquet, which Doug later texts her about; Wanda meets up with Kevin and shares a drink.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 6.30

Beer Birthdays

Louis J. Hauck (1866)

Larry Berlin (1961)

Nick Funnell

Hildegard Van Ostaden (1975)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Bo Carter; blues musician (1892)

Stanley Clarke; jazz bassist (1951)

Susan Hayward; actor (1917)

Lena Horne; singer, actor (1917)

Brendan Perry; rock musician (1959)

Famous Birthdays

Florence Ballard; pop/soul singer (1943)

Robert Ballard; oceanographer (1942)

Fantasia Barrino; singer-songwriter and actress (1984)

Thomas Lovell Beddoes; English poet (1803)

Madge Bellamy; actress (1899)

Paul Berg; biologist (1926)

Harry Blackstone Jr.; magician (1934)

Brian Bloom; actor (1970)

Lizzy Caplan; actress (1982)

Murray Cook; singer, "Wiggles" (1960)

Man Mountain Dean; wrestler (1891)

Vincent D'Onofrio; actor (1959)

Georges Duhamel; French author (1884)

Nancy Dussault; actress and singer (1936)

John Gay; English writer (1685)

Alicia Fox; wrestler, model, and actress (1986)

Archibald Frazer-Nash; English car designer (1889)

David Garrison; actor (1952)

James Goldman; screenwriter and playwright (1927)

Winston Graham; English author (1908)

Rupert Graves; actor (1963)

David Alan Grier; actor (1955)

Larry Henley; singer-songwriter (1937)

Barry Hines; English author (1939)

Joseph Dalton Hooker; English botanist and explorer (1817)

Allan Houser; sculptor and painter (1914)

Mario Lanfranchi; Italian film director (1927)

Hal Lindes; American-English guitarist (1953)

Czesław Miłosz; Lithuanian writer (1911)

Kelsi Monroe; adult actress (1992)

Raymond Moody; parapsychologist (1944)

Tony Musante; actor (1936)

Clive Nolan; English musician (1961)

José Emilio Pacheco; Mexican poet (1939)

Brendan Perry; English singer-songwriter and guitarist (1959)

Michael Phelps; swimmer (1985)

Monica Potter; actor (1971)

Julianne Regan; English singer-songwriter and guitarist (1962)

Andy Scott; rock guitarist, singer (1949)

Harry Shields; jazz clarinetist (1899)

Glenn Shorrock; English-Australian singer-songwriter (1944)

Thomas Sowell; economist (1930)

Stanley Spencer; English artist (1891)

Mark Spoelstra; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1940)

Ron Swoboda; New York Mets OF (1944)

Eleanor Ross Taylor; poet (1920)

Mike Tyson; boxer (1966)

Dave Van Ronk; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1936)

Horace Vernet; French painter (1789)

Friedrich Theodor Vischer; German author, poet (1807)

Brian Vollmer; Canadian singer (1955)

Rich Vos; comedian (1957)

Heinz Warneke; German-American sculptor (1895)

Mark Waters; film director (1964)

Philip Adrian Wright; rock keyboardist (1956)

Ed Yost; hot-air balloon inventor (1919)

[abcnewspr]

HIGHLIGHTS FOR ABC NEWS’ ‘GMA3: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW,’ DEC. 11-15

The following report highlights the programming of ABC’s “GMA3: What You Need to Know” during the week of Dec. 11-15. “GMA3: What You Need to Know” is a one-hour program co-anchored by Eva Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan, with Dr. Jennifer Ashton as chief health and medical correspondent. The news program airs weekdays at 1:00 p.m. EST | 12:00 p.m. CST on ABC, and 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. EDT on ABC News Live.

Highlights of the week include the following:

Monday, Dec. 11 — Gift wrap artist Alton DuLaney (“Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge”); Money Monday with financial expert Scarlett Cochran; actress and Daytime Emmy® Lifetime Achievement honoree Susan Lucci

Tuesday, Dec. 12 — Musical artist Kim Petras; chef, TV host and restaurateur Yia Vang (“Feral”); actor Dermot Mulroney (“Anyone But You”)

Wednesday, Dec. 13 — Podcast voice actor Sean Astin (“Scrooge”); Deals and Steals with ABC e-commerce editor Tory Johnson

Thursday, Dec. 14 — Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.); Podcast of the Month with podcast host Brad Mielke (“Start Here”); actress Cate Blanchett, producer Coco Francini and entertainment industry equality activist Dr. Stacy L. Smith; actor Jason Momoa (“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”)

Friday, Dec. 15 — Black Girls Do Bike founder Monica Godfrey-Garrison; Faith Friday with pastor Dr. Michael Carrion

ABC Media Relations Brooks Lancaster Brooks.Lancaster@abc.com

Jordan Littlejohn Jordan.Littlejohn@abc.com

-- ABC --

[pghbabesonbikes]

FBX Results

The tenth anniversary Frigid Bitch was a celebration of a decade’s worth of toughing out any shit the world had handy to throw your way, grabbing your bike and slogging through the elements with whatever ragtag badass crew you managed to scrape together. Vet racers worth their salt noticed that the checkpoints on their home-printed manifests were labeled by year instead of the classic cheesy conundrum codes. What could it possibly mean???

The start being remote, cyclists all over the city strategized their initial locations and prepared their maps, gear, & breakfast buffets. Clogging up cafe floors, squeezing into friends’ conveniently located apartments, or heading to the highest place they thought in likely proximity to a checkpoint; email inboxes were repeatedly refreshed as they waited for the location drop.

Then bam, there they were - in chronological order, the 9 best checkpoints from previous years’ races starting with the heart of the city and cycling down through social hubs, cliffside staircase intersections, riverside punk spots, aggressive cobbles, off road hike-your-bike sites, and of course: big ass hills. The tenth checkpoint was this year’s addition, the crown on the brow of FBX: The House of Raging Women.

The Point

The heart of the city that everyone knows, the only location to have already been used twice before including in the first Frigid Bitch frozen fountain race.

photos by Alex Diese

OTB

Longtime sponsor of the race and the original South Side cyclist social hub, home of the unforgettable Go Red Gold Sprints; the volunteers at OTB set up a Trek mechanic station stocked with all the typical tools of the trade.

photos by Murphy Moschetta

Romeo

One of the best/worst checkpoints of all time, anyone following the hand drawn manifest map found themselves riding down a deserted-lookin dead end street, discovering a set of steps apparently running through resident’s backyards and flowing into a massive staircase culminating in a full-on street-signed intersection in the middle of the urban wooded cliffside and then back up the adjacent staircase to find a host of members of Yinz Run Club cheering and slinging snacks & shots. Anyone clever enough to approach from the other side had to run or ride down and up one of Pittsburgh’s infinite steep cobbled hillsides.

photos by Matt Desmond

Rialto

The best known urban Dirty Dozen hill, clocking in at about a 20% grade average but hitting over 30% in spots. The narrow near-one-lane road shoots straight up into Troy Hill from Route 28. A brand new set up steps was a life saver for the racers not brave enough to attempt the ride up, while others resolutely blocked astounded drivers stuck behind them. Bike Pgh staff met them at the top with a hard cider reward.

photos by Monica Garrison

The Button v2

The last time the actual Button down the train tracks from 43rd street was a checkpoint for the Frigid Bitch, race day had it completely submerged by the icy floodwaters of that winter’s thaw. This year the stop migrated slightly west and featured a mechanic and ride-your-own-margarita station sponsored by SweetWater Bikes in front of a steep gravel descent onto rocky Allegheny Riverbed that only one cyclist dared ride down. A few others bypassed the gravel entirely by scaling the weedy cliff behind the margarita machine. Volunteers waited under the glorious looming presence of the 40th St Bridge, smoke-set with tiki torches and watching to make sure no roadie-shoe-shod babes slipped into the river.

photos by Ben Filio & Joel Levine

Grandview Overlook

The classic photo spot of the city, it is, of course, up a big ass hill.

photos by Himanshu Dedge

The Schenley Lake

Train tracks criss cross all over this town, and racers had to cut through another set in Schenley Park to get to Panther Hollow Lake. Volunteers at this checkpoint made all the early arrivees throw down their bikes and wait til go time before cowbelling them off in a run for their manifest stamps. Many ran, some jogged, a few sauntered, and one was heard to say “I’m not running just because some dude told me to.” Rock on.

photos by Evan Burlew

Melwood Steps

Oh hello, it’s another set of steps. Carrying your bike is a skill, they say. A couple racers self-penalized their time on this one by blasting down the Herron Ave S-bends without catching the turn to the Melwood Staircase just across the street from the RockRoom.

photos by Scott Kowalski

Climax St

Probably the best checkpoint of all time, back again from last year for double the fun. This time the overgrown sidewalks directed riders straight up to a crew of Venture Outdoors volunteers stationed at the apex of the small but mighty cobbled bump in our South Hills.

photos by Valerie Beichner

The House of Raging Women

The premier checkpoint of FBX! The HORW was never before used as a Frigid Bitch checkpoint but was once included in the first alleycat we ever hosted: the infamous Ladies’ Night race. Transformed to a surreal and dada-like celebration of the Frigid Bitch director, Bananna-LenaVille could only be found by the semi-secret back-alley entrance behind a flush of rowhouses under the shadow of Children’s Hospital. One group of riders spent precious clock time sniffing around up and down the hill block on 44th before the local post man hollered “Yinz looking for a party??? It’s in the alley!!”

photos by Keith Watson

The Finish

Back at the Wheel Mill a rush of racers threw their bikes on the ground and their bodies up the stairs to find the race official and fling their manifests into her hands. They celebrated, they chowed down on Revival Chili, they gabbed, changed clothes, grabbed a Necromancer Brew, and hunkered down to wait for the results. When the darling FBX MC picked up the microphone though, it was to announce something else first....

The Pittsburgh Babes on Bikes Racing Team Debut

There’s a brand new team in Pittsburgh and it’s pulled from the crew of women and under-represented gender identity cyclists that make up the massive pool of Frigid Bitch bad-asses. Powerhouse hitters in the cycling scene, the team is ready to rejuvenate racing in Pittsburgh and beyond. These babes are here, some of them are queer, and they’re out to have a damn good time racing bikes and taking you with them.

from left to right: Anna-Lena Kempen, Bonnie Gilbery, Laura Davidson-Brienza, Sara Khalil, Sawyer Sidelinger, and Shequaya Bailey.

The FBX Podium

If the debut of a brand sparkling new team of killers wasn’t enough, FBX was ready to pull out the celebratory stops with the first podium announcement. ALK took over the mic to haul up the best, the brightest, the bitchiest - the longest running Frigid Bitch contenders of all time.

In first place, with ten years under her belt, having booked a back-up airplane ticket just to make sure she had a way to get to the race:

1 - Ngani Ndimbie

In second place, having missed only the first frozen fountain Frigid Bitch, here cuz she cut short a California vacation with her wife:

2 - Katharine Jordan

In third place, holding an 8 race record starting with the 2015 Frigid Bitch that only *6* people raced, the gorgeous MC:

3 - Alexandra Korshin

Honorable mention going to the 8-race record holders starting in 2016:

- Two-time tandem contestant Lauryn Stalter

- Masters category killer Frankie Montenegro

- Uncontested holder of the 9-month pregnant record and half of the banana tandem Alyssa Crawford.

And finally, the moment the crowds were waiting for: the official announcement of the category podiums and results.

  Masters 60+

1 - Laurie Plummer 2 - Lynda Stucky 3 - Cheryl Ritts

Masters 40+

1 - Hazel Shockey 2 - Jen Damon 3 - Melissa Celani 4 - Suz Falvey 5 - Courtney Ehrlichman

Single Speed/Fixed Gear

1 - Sky K 2 - Stevie Gallo 3 - Lavender Sedlock

Out of Town

1 - Kirsten Hoogenakker 2 - Adelaide Kelly 3 - Betsy Lewis

Mountain Bike

1 - Natalie Boehm 2 - Jodi Rafalko 3 - Betsy Lewis

Tandem

1 - Sol Moure & Lauryn Stalter 2 - Alyssa Crawford & Mo Riddle 3 - Ru Emmons & Tahel Axel

Open

1 - Acadia Klain 2 - Paige Anderson 3 - Bonnie Gilbery 4 - Eva Kloiber 5 - Hazel Shockey

check out the full rankings at Road Results

THANK YOU to everyone who came out to race, to all the volunteers that are dead set on making sure the annual stoke level chart runs exponential, thank you to the Wheel Mill for being such incredibly gracious and helpful hosts and to Necromancer Brewing for once again slinging our signature can, to Jarrod from Hope Cyclery for running the sag vehicle, to all of the photographers for immortalizing the race in 2 dimensions, and Brad Q for the portaits I can’t show yinz yet, kudos to Courtney E who smashed her bike into a car and broke it but finished anyway, and to Caitlin L who flew in FROM ALASKA and borrowed a bike from a stranger, to Judy D who was that stranger and also competitively raced in a BOOT, to Beth L and Deanna G who met at Frigid Bitch 9 and celebrated their anniversary by winning the SweetWater Bikes’ E-Bike, to SweetWater Bikes for donating an e-bike to raffle!, to Kiki who come in fron Minnesota, the Baltimore Bicycle Works team and all the other out-of-towners, to Christine Y who accidentally took a crew of those out-of-towners up Logan St instead of Rialto, to Two Frays Brewing for hosting all the winter training rides, THANK YOU to all of the sponsors who stack the prize table for us every year and HELL YES TO THE NEW TEAM! We can’t wait to race with you!

see you next year

[danvilleareacc]

DACC Lists Fall President's & Honors Students

Danville Area Community College has released a list of its honor students for the Fall 2022 Semester.   A student must carry 12 or more credit hours and a straight A (4.0) average on a 4.0 scale to be included on the President’s List. To be included on the Honors List, a student must carry 12 or more credit hours and have a B+ (3.5) grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

Danville Area Community College Fall 2022 President’s & Honors Lists

Danville Area Community College PRESIDENT’S LIST – FALL 2022

Alvin, IL

Nicholas Garmon.

Armstrong, IL

Olivia Logue.

Bismarck, IL

Allison Bostwick, Ryan Bostwick, Dianne Trimble.

Bloomington, IL

Brennon Reed.

Catlin, IL

Jaiden Baum, Holden Dunavan, Joseph Kedas, Kylee Pate, Rebecca Rogers, Monica Vasquez.

Chicago, IL

Lauren Crawley.

Chrisman, IL

Lindsey Franz.

Covington, IN

Alyssa Cheuvront, Margo Galloway, Hailynn Herzog, Briley Peyton, Alexandra VanVickle.

Danville, IL

Noah Acree, Wariya Alhassan, Gracie Arnett, Amber Atkinson, Xitlally Bonilla, Jasmine Brown, Ne'Kedra Cain, Devontay Carpenter, Rowan Clawson, Jeremiah Cooper, Isabella Courson, Brandon Cox, Mariela Cruz, Debra Cummings, Joel Cundiff, Olivia Edgington, Robin Farr, Brenda Fisher, Nicholas Fuentes, Teagyn Goodwin, Meghan Gross, Logan Hall, Marlee Harper, Jadyn Hess, Lindsey Janssen, Tamara Jimson, Josephine Kamwela, Christopher La Combe, Trenton Lewis, Layla Martinez, Kalia Mason, Ashlynn Pinnick, Ethan Rayburn, Chelsea Reeves, Kearby Robinson, Vivianna Ruffo, Veronica Sasseen, Yoo Bin Seo, Maxeen Smart, Shania Smith, Maria Sobany Bosch, Frederick Soderstrom, Elmonia Taylor, Lewis Towne, Kayce Wagle, Charlene Walsh, Grace Ward, Donald Wills, Mia Yant.

East Lynn, IL

Abigail Walder.

Evansville, IN

Matthew Bunnell.

Fithian, IL

Codey McMahon.

Georgetown, IL

Jacob Maskel, Hunter Way.

Hillsboro, IN

Lauren Highland.

Hoopeston, IL

Charis Allen, Tori Birge, Gage Hopkins, Morgan Keith, Skyler Morgan.

Mahomet, IL

Ahmad Al-Heeti.

Marine, IL

Alixandria Grenzebach.

Milford, IL

Abigail White.

Mooresville, IN

Blake Nigg.

Muncie, IL

Dominyq Gritten.

Oakwood, IL

Madison Doan, Jarron Fleming, Natalie Garrison, Raiden Jackson, Kimberly Montgomery, Tannar Pouilliard, Carlie Reitz.

Osgood, IN

Elizabeth Pavy.

Paris, IL

Drew Pinkston.

Philo, IL

Kyleigh Weller.

Potomac, IL

Destiny Fitzsimmons, Violet McCool, Mason McMasters, Seth Pollitt.

Ridge Farm, IL

Matthew Coleman.

Rossville, IL

Heidi Goble, Morgan Miller, Abigail Ryan.

Troy, IL

Caleb Durbin.

Tuscola, IL

Alexis Koester.

Westville, IL

Laney Crawford, Jack Duensing, McKenzie Meinders, Joshua Miller, Emma Myers, Zachary Troxel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Danville Area Community College HONORS LIST – FALL 2022

Armstrong, IL

Justin Wilken.

Bismarck, IL

Trenton Spicer.

Catlin, IL

Naomi Dolan, Emily Fier, Lillie Hannan, Macallister Hill, Autumn Lange, Grace Niedzwiecki.

Champaign, IL

Lilian Eziefule.

Charleston, IL

Ashlynn McPeak.

Columbus, OH

Brianna Hamilton.

Covington, IN

Jacob Eells, Hannah Hunter, Calvin Springer, Katie Woodrow.

Danville, IL

Nora Abdelghani, Joan Applegate, Michele Budnovich, Anna Carrion, Christine Daniel, Benjamin Dickerson, Ian Dukes, Jayla Greer, Chelsey Haga, Dalton Hagley, Diego Hightower, Aryanna Huckstadt, Lexi Hudson, Matteo Janzen, Ginaveve Jessup, William Landis, Chayton Lawrence, Lezlea Lowe, Julieanna Morse, Amanda Nelson, Candela Nevares Garcia, Aaron Olmstead, Destiny Parker, Lilliana Perez, Tah'yah Rose, Ruth Salazar, Woodley Scholz, Andrew Sentelle, Sebastian Skinner, Braeden Skoog, Jennifer Stovall, Dylan Taylor, Rylie Terrell, Kendra Tucker, Cassie Warren, Zoe Wilson, Ella Wolfe, Jacob Xiong.

Evansville, IN

Ryan Caddell, Adam Evans.

Fairmount, IL

Aaron Dean.

Findlay, IL

Dirk Bruyn.

Fithian, IL

Reed Sperry.

Georgetown, IL

Brooke Robertson, LaVonte Taylor, Madison Wilson.

Hoopeston, IL

Maria Alvarado, Vanessa Blackburn, Ashley Cadle, Marissa Garcia, Brady Woods.

Indianaola, IL

Lacee Darr.

Ingersoll, Canada

Lucus Forbes.

Kingman, IN

Lydia Van Huysen.

Liberty Township, OH

Keiara Gregory.

Mattoon, IL

Raven Morrison.

Mentone, IN

Owen Kirchenstien.

Milford, IL

Craig VanHoveln.

New Market, IN

Samuel Endicott.

Oakwood, IL

Lane Bensyl, Gaven Clouse, Koby Fletcher, Travis Goodner, Hayley Mascari, Katherine Reffett, Charles Rieches, Isaiah Ruch, William Sandusky, Brevin Wells.

Potomac, IL

Casey Grant, Leanne Rogers.

Quincy, IL

Luke Mettemeyer.

Richland, IN

Jackson Raaf.

Ridge Farm, IL

Savannah Davis, Gentry Howard.

Rossville, IL

Madalyn Goble, Hunter Howe, Sabrina Koenig.

Sheldon, IL

Julia Bushnell.

Sidell, IL

Madison Farrell.

St. Joseph, IL

Kelsey Martlage.

Tampa, FL

Briana Hernandez.

Westville, IL

Jason Cotten, Gage Lange, Christopher Miller, McKenzie Montgerard, Douglas Reffett.

Wheaton, IL

Ian Johnson.

Williamsport, IN

Ethan Hickman.

[lboogie1906]

Zina Lynna Garrison (born November 16, 1963) is a former top-five professional tennis player. She was the women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 1990, a three-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, and a women's doubles gold medalist and singles bronze medalist in Seoul at the 1988 Olympic Games. She turned professional in 1982 and skipped her graduation at Ross Sterling High School to compete in the French Open, her first tournament as a professional, where she reached the quarterfinals. She was awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 1982. The highlight of her career came in 1990 at Wimbledon, as she defeated Samantha Smith, Cecilia Dahlman, Andrea Leand, Helena Suková, then French Open champion Monica Seles in the quarterfinals 3–6, 6–3, 9–7, and defending Wimbledon champion and world No. 1 Steffi Graf in the semifinals 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 to reach her only Grand Slam singles final, becoming the first African-American woman to do so since Gibson. Moreover, it ended her record 13-time streak of Grand Slam finals. Then, she lost to Navratilova 6–4, 6–1, who thus won her record ninth women's singles title at Wimbledon. She claimed her third mixed doubles title at Wimbledon that year. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha https://www.instagram.com/p/ClBQOKzLPpY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dragynride]

"I think it really comes down to inexperience. Or not knowing what to expect. Or thinking that they don't have the skillset to ride. Or thinking that [a] one-mile is not as important as a ten-mile ride. And when you're just starting out, that one mile is a powerful mile, you know. And you have to start somewhere. It could even be less than a mile. But that's the goal - is to show people that whatever you can do - because in my mind, if you can turn the pedals, you're a cyclist."

[ukrfeminism]

Black Girls Do Bike: Meet the group breaking down barriers for Black female cyclists in London

“Black women can have joy, happiness and peace through cycling,” says the founder of Black Girls Do Bike London

Cycling has long been known as one of the most white and male sports in the world.

Just last month, British Cycling published a strategy that reported there are “not enough Black and ethnically diverse people racing, volunteering or in the cycling workforce”. It came after a 2018 report suggested that only seven per cent of London’s cyclists are from ethnic minority groups. Along with the fact that males made on average three times more cycling trips than females in 2019, it’s clear that there are still many barriers that Black female cyclists face.

Karen Safo-Barnieh launched Black Girls Do Bike London at the start of 2021 because she saw hardly anyone that looked like her cycling around the streets of London. Originally founded by Monica Godfrey-Garrison in America, BGDB welcomes cyclists of all levels to go on inclusive and fun rides. Since Safo-Barnieh set up the London branch, the group now has 100 members and it has been on seven rides.

“A woman emailed us once saying she saw us riding around in Hyde park and explained how it warmed her heart to see so many Black women cycling together,” Safo-Barnieh tells The Independent. “It showed us that BGDB London is a necessity. A community of women who empower each other to challenge themselves to ride and hold space in places they would not normally see themselves.”

Explaining why she thinks cycling has traditionally excluded Black women, Safo-Barnieh says: “Black people have been socially excluded from participating in sports that cost money. Due to the systemic economic barriers that Black people face on a day to day basis, it follows that many Black women were never taught how to ride a bike simply because they couldn’t afford it. As a result, Black women have been taught to survive and not thrive.

“Also, most of the existing cycling clubs are dominated by white men. Black women often feel that they don’t belong in that space, they [can] feel intimidated and unsafe.

“Black women face microaggressions at work and in various other white-dominated spaces on a day to day basis, they do not want to have to experience this in a space where their aim is to experience leisure and joy.

“That is why BGDB London is a necessity. Its aim is to provide space for Black women to just ‘be’ and to change the narrative, that Black women can have joy, happiness and peace through cycling.”

Safo-Barnieh’s plans for BGDB London include getting an official kit and organising a winter social. She also hopes to plan sessions that focus specifically on the needs of Black women cyclists, such as one on hair care while cycling.

She also hopes to collaborate with other clubs in the city – Black Girls Hike, Black Girls Run and Black Girls Dig – to curate events that encourage Black women to thrive and cultivate joy.

“Black Girls Do Bike London is not just a club, it’s a sisterhood,” Safo-Barnieh says. “It’s pure joy; a safe space to meet like-minded people. Many of the sisters have said it’s a form of self-care for them.”

[elgaberino-mcoc]

MCOC Wishlist Poll Snapshot: Entire Rankings

001 Mystique 002 Quicksilver 003 Beta Ray Bill 004 Sandman 005 Adam Warlock 006 Kitty Pryde 007 Lizard 008 Morbius the Living Vampire 009 Kraven the Hunter 010 Cloak & Dagger 011 Spider-Man 2099 012 Black Cat 013 Bullseye 014 Jessica Jones 015 Ares 016 Shang-Chi 017 Gladiator (Kallark) 018 Baron Zemo 019 Lady Deathstrike 020 Enchantress 021 Valkyrie MCU 022 Knull 023 Morgan le Fay 024 Scorpion 025 Captain Britain 026 Galactus 027 Dazzler 028 Silver Samurai 029 Black Knight 030 Dracula 031 Hobgoblin 032 Pyro 033 Fantomex 034 Spider-Woman 035 Jean Grey 90s 036 Silk 037 Polaris 038 Silver Sable 039 Sif 040 Anti-Venom 041 Mister Negative 042 Crystal 043 Legion 044 Shocker 045 Malekith the Accursed 046 Destroyer Armor 047 M'baku the Man-Ape 048 The Mandarin 049 Emplate 050 Multiple-Man 051 Shuri 052 Banshee 053 Onslaught 054 Warpath 055 Sunfire 056 Cannonball 057 Dark Phoenix 058 Blue Marvel 059 Prowler (Aaron Davis) 060 Okoye 061 Mockingbird 062 Spiral 063 Madame Hydra / Viper 064 Hydro-Man 065 Red She-Hulk 066 Agent Anti-Venom 067 Blackheart 068 Gorr the God-Butcher 069 Songbird 070 Quasar 071 Absorbing Man 072 Whiplash 073 Armor 074 Daimon Hellstrom 075 Wendigo 076 Nimrod 077 Graviton 078 Gwenom 079 Deathlok 080 Firestar 081 Vulcan 082 Wonder Man 083 Selene 084 Blob 085 Klaw 086 Rachel Summers 087 Thor (MCU Stormbreaker) 088 Shadow King 089 White Tiger 090 Tombstone 091 Jack O'Lantern 092 Valkyrie Classic 093 Toad 094 Moonstone 095 Weapon H 096 Jocasta 097 Dani Moonstar 098 Monica Rambeau 099 Wolfsbane 100 Franklin Richards 101 Ancient One 102 Arnim Zola 103 Exodus 104 Forge 105 Supergiant 106 Madelyne Pryor 107 Hank Pym 108 Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) 109 Negasonic Teenage Warhead 110 Spider-Man Noir 111 Phantom Rider 112 Blink 113 Sebastian Shaw 114 Clea 115 Black Tom Cassidy 116 Kurse 117 Danger 118 Daken 119 Omega Sentinel 120 Grim Reaper 121 Radioactive Man 122 Shatterstar 123 Darkstar 124 Werewolf by Night 125 Hope Summers 126 The Magus 127 Union Jack 128 Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) 129 Crimson Dynamo 130 Pixie 131 Conan 132 Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly) 133 Azazel 134 Jigsaw 135 Boom-Boom 136 Swarm 137 Xorn 138 Machine Man 139 Black Widow (Yelena Belova) 140 Madame Masque 141 Misty Knight 142 Chamber 143 Mistress Death 144 Skaar 145 Morlun 146 Thanos (Endgame) 147 Leader 148 Sleepwalker 149 Deacon Frost 150 Black Swan 151 Agent 13 (Sharon Carter) 152 Fin Fang Foom 153 Ka-Zar 154 Arcade 155 Iron Spider 156 Dust 157 Gorgon 158 Lash 159 Namora 160 A-Bomb (Rick Jones) 161 Ikaris 162 Nick Fury (Classic) 163 Rescue 164 Nico Minoru 165 Volstagg 166 Weapon Hex 167 Stingray 168 Maximus the Mad 169 Cyttorak 170 Skurge the Executioner 171 Doc Samson 172 Maverick / Agent Zero 173 Sauron 174 Baron Blood 175 Captain America Falcon 176 Wong 177 Mantis 178 Whirlwind 179 Firelord 180 Magma 181 Molecule Man 182 White Fox 183 Nova (Sam Alexander) 184 Satana 185 Dum Dum Dugan (LMD) 186 Holocaust 187 Shiklah 188 Valkyrie Moonstar 189 High Evolutionary 190 Bloodaxe 191 Magus (Technarch) 192 Nighthawk 193 Punisher: War Machine 194 Goliath (Bill Foster) 195 Nova (Frankie Raye) 196 Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) 197 Dr. Cecilia Reyes 198 Sentinel X (Shogo Lee) 199 Thena 200 Hellcat 201 Cosmic Spider-Man 202 Attuma 203 Shroud 204 Doctor Nemesis 205 Siryn 206 Nate Grey 207 Iron Monger 208 Black Mamba 209 Agent Carter 210 Kluh 211 Tiger Shark 212 Purple Man 213 Snowbird 214 Ice-Thing 215 Lilandra 216 Superior Spider-Man 217 Thane 218 Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur 219 Jackal 220 Jean Grey (X-Men Red) 221 Punisher: Frankencastle 222 Puck 223 Rockslide 224 Red Ghost and his Super-Apes 225 Deathbird 226 Hydra Supreme 227 Strong Guy 228 Zarda the Power Princess 229 Sage 230 Quentin Quire (aka Kid Omega) 231 Prowler (Hobie Brown) 232 Slapstick 233 Stardust (Lambda Zero) 234 Titanium Man 235 D'spayre 236 Colleen Wing 237 Thunderbird (John Proudstar) 238 Iron Maiden 239 Gorilla-Man (Kenneth Hale) 240 Jack of Hearts 241 Titania 242 Avalanche 243 Toxic Doxie 244 Death’s Head 245 Impossible Man 246 Worthy Captain America (Mjölnir/Endgame) 247 Outlaw (Higgins) 248 Scarlet Spider II (Kaine Parker) 249 Beetle 250 Typhoid Mary 251 Bloodscream 252 Serpent (Cul Borson) 253 Ms. America Chavez 254 Ghost Rider (Reyes) 255 Hummingbird 256 Mercury 257 M (Monet St. Croix) 258 Black Tarantula 259 Spitfire 260 Wizard 261 Superior Octopus 262 Maria Hill 263 Minotaur (Dario Agger) 264 Echo 265 Morph 266 Karolina Dean 267 Zarathos 268 Thundra 269 Smasher (Kane) 270 Hyperstorm 271 Boomerang 272 Stature (Cassie Lang, AKA Stinger) 273 Meggan 274 Caliban 275 Hollow 276 Abyss (Styger) 277 Silverclaw 278 Red King 279 Doctor Druid 280 U.S. Agent 281 Sersi 282 Molten Man 283 Zzzax 284 Singularity 285 Agatha Harkness 286 Blastaar 287 Korvac 288 Citizen V 289 Carter Slade the Satan-Stomper 290 Post 291 Shuma-Gorath 292 Sin 293 Triton 294 Quasar (Kincaid) 295 Martinex 296 Iron Man (Mark I) 297 Wiccan 298 Speedball 299 Paladin 300 Amanda Sefton 301 Overmind 302 Diamondback (Rachel Leighton) 303 Feral 304 Charlie-27 305 Rom: Spaceknight 306 Juggerduck 307 The Uranian 308 Blazing Skull 309 Starfox 310 Living Laser 311 Hiro-Kala 312 Namorita 313 Jack Flag 314 Stormborn 315 Doctor Bong 316 Crescent & Io 317 Gamora mcu 318 Wave 319 Ironheart 320 Venom Rocket 321 Doctor Spectrum 322 Davos the Steel Serpent 323 Lady Hellbender 324 Falcon classic 325 Bloodstorm 326 Tempus (Eva Bell) 327 Voyager 328 No-Name the Brood 329 Demon Bear 330 Moondragon 331 Arachne 332 Aero 333 Andromeda 334 Speed Demon 335 Phyla-Vell 336 Xemnu the Living Hulk 337 Aleta 338 Araña 339 Human Torch (Jim Hammond) 340 Constrictor 341 Iso 342 Arkon 343 Genis-Vell 344 Shanna the She-Devil 345 Volcana 346 Batroc the Leaper 347 Arclight 348 Scientist Supreme 349 Yukio 350 N'kantu the Living Mummy 351 Gentle 352 Caiera the Oldstrong 353 Beetle (Janice Lincoln) 354 Penance (Baldwin) 355 Super-Adaptoid 356 Ajak 357 Future Colossus 358 Moses Magnum 359 Vampire by Night 360 Superia 361 Puppet Master 362 Chimera 363 Count Nefaria 364 Stick 365 Hellion 366 Agent May 367 Mister Hyde 368 Spot 369 Cobra 370 Doop 371 Lyja 372 Wrecker 373 Stargod/Man-Wolf 374 Stilt-Man 375 Machinesmith 376 Spider-Bitch 377 Madame Web 378 Corsair & Sikorsky 379 Thor (Groot) 380 Balder 381 Random 382 Power Man (Alvarez) 383 Starhawk 384 Sun-Girl (Selah Burke) 385 Arcanna 386 Scream 387 Kree Sentry 388 Agent Phil Coulson 389 Thunderstrike (Kevin) 390 Talos 391 Carmilla Black 392 Uatu 393 Jennifer Kale 394 Warwolf 395 Enigma (Aikku Jokinen, AKA Pod) 396 Belasco 397 Swordsman 398 Trevor Fitzroy 399 Dazzler Thor 400 Hepzibah 401 Atlas 402 Ogun 403 Yellowjacket (DeMara) 404 Hala the Accuser 405 Entropy 406 War Machine (Infinity War) 407 Animax 408 Captain Universe 409 Whizzer 410 Hogun the Grim 411 Cottonmouth (Clemens) 412 Blizzard 413 Storm (Queen of Wakanda) 414 Silhouette 415 Immortus 416 Beast (Hex-Men) 417 Solo 418 White Rabbit 419 Aurora 420 Equinox 421 Hellcow 422 Owl 423 Arsenic & Old Lace 424 Beetle mk iii 425 Valeria (Age of Conan) 426 Trapster 427 Throg 428 Mimic 429 Hulkling 430 Iron Lad 431 Angel (Black Vortex) 432 Marionette 433 Phastos 434 Hobgoblin 2099 435 Razor Fist 436 Asp 437 Baymax 438 Captain America (Peggy Carter) 439 Sp//dr 440 Tarantula (Kaine) 441 Silver Scorpion (Barstow) 442 Midnight Angels of Wakanda 443 Demolition Man 444 White Wolf (Hunter) 445 Synapse 446 Kingo 447 Grey Gargoyle 448 Gilgamesh the Forgotten One 449 Justice 450 Atlas Bear 451 Iron Fist (Orson Randall) 452 Victorious 453 Lincoln Campbell 454 Luna Snow 455 Zadkiel 456 Crystar 457 Husk 458 Gravity 459 Kaecilius 460 Marrina 461 Ghost Rider (Circle of Four) 462 Nighthawk Supremeverse 463 Fixer 464 Cardiac 465 Capwolf 466 Kull the Conqueror of Atlantis 467 Noh-Varr 468 Korath the Pursuer 469 Miss America (Joyce) 470 Blackjack O'Hare 471 Bi-Beast 472 Vance Astro 473 Bushmaster (Quincy) 474 Krugarr 475 Poundcakes 476 Yo-Yo 477 American Son 478 Mister M 479 Cottonmouth (Stokes) 480 Manphibian 481 Infamous Iron Man 482 Paibok the Power-Skrull 483 Shatter 484 Daredevil Shadowland 485 Nakia 486 Garrison Kane 487 Makkari 488 Elloe 489 Northstar 490 Spiderling 491 She-Hulk (Lyra) 492 Proteus 493 Grey Hulk 494 Doorman 495 Toro 496 Nuke 497 Acroyear 498 Blonde Phantom 499 Drax MCU 500 Orrgo 501 Marvel Girl NPC 502 Fandral the Dashing 503 Spider-Girl 504 Ms. Thing 505 Captain America 2099 506 Veranke 507 Haechi 508 Mulholland Black 509 Mighty Destroyer 510 Eclipse 511 Powell McTeague 512 Druig 513 Copycat 514 Terror 515 Ahab 516 God-Emperor Doom 517 Doombot (V Series) 518 Sword Master 519 Cyclone 520 Black Mariah 521 Zenzi 522 Thor: Herald of Thunder 523 3-D Man 524 Hulk Endgame 525 Tetu 526 Doctor Octopus (Liv Octavius) 527 Margali 528 Molly Hayes 529 Sinara 530 Aldrich Killian 531 Goldballs 532 Mindless Ones 533 Nikki Gold 534 Foolkiller 535 Darkwing Duck 536 Thunderstrike (Eric) 537 She-Thing (Ventura) 538 Killmonger (Emperor Symbiote) 539 Iron Duck 540 Ms. Marvel II (Ventura) 541 Spymaster 542 Scalphunter 543 Spider-Man (Miles Morales Movie) 544 Karn 545 Gun-R 546 Terminus 547 Achebe 548 Llyra 549 Bushmaster (John) 550 Sugar Man 551 Great Lakes Avengers 552 Xarggu 553 Human Fly (Deacon) 554 Shogun 555 Plantman 556 Brawn 557 Elixir 558 Litterbug 559 Smasher (Rokk) 560 Bug 561 Mammomax 562 Synch 563 Anaconda 564 Wolvie 565 Dirk Anger 566 Captain [****] 567 Ezekiel 568 Diamondback (Stryker) 569 Unworthy Thor 570 Master Mold 571 Masked Marauder 572 M.O.D.A.M. 573 Hellsgaard 574 Hulkbuster 2.0 575 Forgetmenot 576 Ghaur 577 Arcturus Rann 578 Ultimate Green Goblin (Movie) 579 Dragoness 580 Porcupine 581 M-11 582 Taskmaster MCU 583 Dansen Macabre 584 Lady Bullseye 585 Harpoon 586 Unicorn 587 Bushwacker 588 Loki variant 589 Night Nurse 590 Psyklop 591 Mack 592 Eel 593 Water Snake 594 Chaos King 595 Red Hulk (Maverick) 596 Kaluu 597 The Russian 598 Geena Drake 599 Jimmy Hudson 600 Slayback 601 Mentallo 602 Skull the Slayer 603 Karkas 604 Dominic Fortune 605 The Buzz 606 Doctor Crocodile 607 Ox 608 Dorrek VII 609 Needle 610 Krang 611 Dino-Thor 612 Stegron 613 Zeitgeist 614 [VACANT] 615 [VACANT] 616 [VACANT]

[xprojectrpg]

This Day in X-Project - July 29

2015: Operation: Wonderwall: Cecilia texts Wade, asking him to pick up dog food, but gets his “away at work” message; Clint texts Gabriel, but doesn’t get a reply; Tuesday again, but this time it’s Jubilee answering Williams’ call and Doug going with Wanda to the bail hearing feeling that something is definitely Wrong. Alison posts from Miami, where she is doing a final appearance. Bobby has junk food cravings and Ty takes a group out to eat. Tandy posts the Fall Fashion Week schedule and announces that she has tickets for those interested.

2016: Sooraya emails Angel telling her she got an internship she really wanted. Darcy makes a journal post sharing a video of the original Pokémon theme singer. Nica makes an angry journal entry about an article in the NY Times.

2017: Jubilee makes a journal post asking people to discuss their biggest screw-ups. Jubilee and Kevin discuss burn-out and their respective solutions to curing same.

2018: Sins of the Father: Topaz wakes up; Tandy emails Julian letting him know she’s awake; Topaz and Amanda talk, and finally some progress is made; Topaz apologizes to Kurt and he is far too kind. Jubilee makes a journal entry letting people know she’ll be at Harry’s drinking heavily if needed; Cecilia makes a journal entry advising everyone that curse is broken, and visitors are allowed if they can keep quiet. Wade checks up on a very stoned Molly.

2019: Julian finds Tandy on the rooftop and they talk about the Dweller and what comes next.

2020:

2021: Marie-Ange divines Darcy's future from a can of pasta, probably.

2022: Artie posts, for Doug’s attention, an article about scientists using dead spiders as necrobiotic grippers.

2023: Clint sends a text to Darcy, Kyle, Alani, Doug, and Topaz about the Sam situation. Darcy texts Clint about Quentin. Alani texts Fi about checking in on Sam. Kane and Bobbi catch up in the city. After a group Danger Room session, the X-Men team hit the pub; Monica and Haller do a little off-campus powers training; April, Haller and Pyotr take some time to speak; Sooraya and April talk shop; Maya rescues Haller from Garrison’s wolf; Jean-Phillipe and April get to know each other over darts; Nica, April & Maya comment on people’s karaoke skills. Kyle and Darcy talk about the unfairness of the Quentin threat response - or non-response.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 6.30

Beer Birthdays

Louis J. Hauck (1866)

Larry Berlin (1961)

Nick Funnell

Hildegard Van Ostaden (1975)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Bo Carter; blues musician (1892)

Stanley Clarke; jazz bassist (1951)

Susan Hayward; actor (1917)

Lena Horne; singer, actor (1917)

Brendan Perry; rock musician (1959)

Famous Birthdays

Florence Ballard; pop/soul singer (1943)

Robert Ballard; oceanographer (1942)

Fantasia Barrino; singer-songwriter and actress (1984)

Thomas Lovell Beddoes; English poet (1803)

Madge Bellamy; actress (1899)

Paul Berg; biologist (1926)

Harry Blackstone Jr.; magician (1934)

Brian Bloom; actor (1970)

Lizzy Caplan; actress (1982)

Murray Cook; singer, "Wiggles" (1960)

Man Mountain Dean; wrestler (1891)

Vincent D'Onofrio; actor (1959)

Georges Duhamel; French author (1884)

Nancy Dussault; actress and singer (1936)

John Gay; English writer (1685)

Alicia Fox; wrestler, model, and actress (1986)

Archibald Frazer-Nash; English car designer (1889)

David Garrison; actor (1952)

James Goldman; screenwriter and playwright (1927)

Winston Graham; English author (1908)

Rupert Graves; actor (1963)

David Alan Grier; actor (1955)

Larry Henley; singer-songwriter (1937)

Barry Hines; English author (1939)

Joseph Dalton Hooker; English botanist and explorer (1817)

Allan Houser; sculptor and painter (1914)

Mario Lanfranchi; Italian film director (1927)

Hal Lindes; American-English guitarist (1953)

Czesław Miłosz; Lithuanian writer (1911)

Kelsi Monroe; adult actress (1992)

Raymond Moody; parapsychologist (1944)

Tony Musante; actor (1936)

Clive Nolan; English musician (1961)

José Emilio Pacheco; Mexican poet (1939)

Brendan Perry; English singer-songwriter and guitarist (1959)

Michael Phelps; swimmer (1985)

Monica Potter; actor (1971)

Julianne Regan; English singer-songwriter and guitarist (1962)

Andy Scott; rock guitarist, singer (1949)

Harry Shields; jazz clarinetist (1899)

Glenn Shorrock; English-Australian singer-songwriter (1944)

Thomas Sowell; economist (1930)

Stanley Spencer; English artist (1891)

Mark Spoelstra; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1940)

Ron Swoboda; New York Mets OF (1944)

Eleanor Ross Taylor; poet (1920)

Mike Tyson; boxer (1966)

Dave Van Ronk; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1936)

Horace Vernet; French painter (1789)

Friedrich Theodor Vischer; German author, poet (1807)

Brian Vollmer; Canadian singer (1955)

Rich Vos; comedian (1957)

Heinz Warneke; German-American sculptor (1895)

Mark Waters; film director (1964)

Philip Adrian Wright; rock keyboardist (1956)

Ed Yost; hot-air balloon inventor (1919)

[multimusesblog]

Muse List: South Park

Alex Glick

Annie Knitts

Bebe Stevens

Betsy Donovan

Bill Allen

Bradley Biggle

Bridon Gueermo

Carol McCormick

Clyde Donovan

Craig Tucker

Damien Thorn

David Rodriguez

Dougie O'Connell

Eric Cartman

Esther Stoley

Ferrari Jones

Fosse McDonald

Georgie "Firkle" Smith

Heidi Turner

Henrietta Biggle

Herbert Garrison

Jason White

Jimmy Valmer

Karen McCormick

Katherine Queef

Katie "Bloodrayne" Gelsen

Katie Queef

Kelly Gardner

Kenny McCormick

Kevin McCormick

Kevin Stoley

Kyle Broflovski

Lexus Martin

Liane Cartman

Lizzy D'Amico

Lola Reyes

Mark Cotswolds

Markus ("Hummels and Heroin")

Mercedes Benson

Mephesto

Meagan Richards

Michael McAllen

Mickey Mouse

Mike Makowski

Mimsy Barnes

Monica Ryland

Mrs. Testaburger

Nathan Davidson

Nelly Peterson

New Kid

Nichole Daniels

Pete Thelman

Phillip Argyle

Phillip "Pip" Pirrup

Porsche Jameson

Rebecca Cotswolds

Rebecca "Red" Turner

Sally Bands

Sally "Powder" Turner

Scott Malkinson

Scott Tenorman

Sharon Marsh

Sheila Broflovski

Shelly Marsh

Sparky

Stan Marsh

Tammy Warner

Terrence Stoot

Terrence Mephesto

Timmy Burch

Token Black

Tweek Tweak

Wendy/Wendyl Testaburger

[galahdanblade]

“ sure as shit beats the hell outta dyin’. ”

his temper had always been closer to the surface than dave’s. his tongue had always been sharper, always moving faster than his thoughts even, but roaring and shouting had never been his way, not unless something had gone drastically wrong or someone had fucked up enormously. this was neither of those things, this was sheer and utter panic making itself a new home in his chest. he’d given an order for the back room to be cleared out and had been met with some half-cocked excuse about the prince and his retinue using it. the prince  could wait … no disrespect, but he’d had his home torn away and had been on the road for how many months? the lad would hardly take offence to his room being offered to another in dire need of it?

’ i don’t give a shit - plans fucking change! ’ 

kaleb looked around at the dumbfounded faces staring back at him, relief peaking its head up when the far door opened and he spotted petra. nodding his head to gesture for the guard to get his ass over here, kaleb shifted his weight to try and shoulder more of dave’s weight, ’ help me get him upstairs. ’ another quick survey of the room as some more faces filtered in from the back door; the prince’s shield - clarus amicitia’s son, his sister iris, monica, sarah, pelna, crowe, selena, talcott, kim … fuck. petra was at his side, tommy ducking beneath his arm to taking some of dave’s weight as they brought him up to the back room, leaving kaleb to try and manage the fallout of realisation clicking into place; talcott looked terrified, kim had clicked out of her shock and only for pelna standing next to her and grabbing her around the waist, she would have bolted up the stairs after her father.

’ someone get the kid and kim out of here now! ’ that came out harsher than he’d meant, he didn’t want to issue orders like that, but the last thing they needed was talcott traumatised any more than he already had been and kimi was only just starting to come round to herself. grabbing a radio off the table, kaleb headed for the stairs, still issuing orders as he went, 

’ gladio, i don’t think he was followed, but get yourself and someone else down to keep watch  by the road … selena and crowe, go with kim, i need pelna here. sarah, take talcott to see the boat or something - monica, check in with the marshal and cid. this place is under lockdown until we’re sure we’re in the clear. ’

taking the last two steps two at a time, kaleb was vaguely aware of pelna’s footsteps at his heels - okay. petra and seifer were here, intact too. dave was the last one who’d been taken to formouth. cindy had called him to let him know what was going on down her way - the garrison was out of action, nif ships were still looming overhead and landing across the weaverwilds to deal with the fallout. 

standing back out of the way to let pelna do whatever he needed to do, kaleb nodded for petra to go back downstairs, tommy could keep watch up here too. a hand on the ex-guard’s shoulder and kaleb gave a quiet word in his ear, asking him to go check up on kim and selena. shutting the door behind him, kaleb stood in front of it, barring anyone else exit or entrance for the time being - blue eyes wandering to rake over his brother; he was alive. battered and bruised, bloodied and exhausted, but given what he was hearing about the explosions at formouth, alive would do. 

sure as shit beats the hell outta dyin.

he wanted to kick him for that comment. but kaleb couldn’t bring himself to do that - not when dave tried so hard to force a ghost of a smile. not when his voice was raspy and low like that … not when he looked like death warmed up. swallowing thickly, kaleb shook his head, arms folded across his chest as he shot tommy a knowing look before answering dave,

 ’ reckon we’re even now dave - we’ve both played knock-knock at death’s door. ’

[ferairia]

Business as usual

September 11th/Day 2: Loqi as a spy

Loqi Tummelt, Cor Leonis, Monica Elshett. Mentions of the Chocobros and Caligo Ulldor

Rating: General

Word Count: 1656

Warnings: Disguises, mentions the Fall of Insomnia, mentions of the fight at Norduscaen Garrison, vague spy network, vague spy codes and code names. Picking lines directly from the game

Summary : Loqi is a spy for Lucis under Cor Leonis. Before the Treaty, Cor was already in trouble with the King. Now that Insomnia has fallen and Niffleheim side of the network is slowly and quietly being weeded out, Loqi has decisions to make. Thankfully, he didn’t need to wait long for answers.

AO3 Link : Business as usual

Loqi was sweaty and hot under all the hunter’s coverall that he managed to snag at the Prairie’s Outpost. He prayed to all the Six that the black hair dye or whatever he was wearing won’t get worn down with his sweat as he busied himself with a sword. He needed a temporary dye since he is now being posted beyond Niff territory. Had it been Gralea, all he had to do was style his hair differently and maybe some contact lenses.

Cor was supposed to meet him up at the Prairie Outpost but he hasn’t appeared yet.

He sighed to himself at the thought of the day being wasted but it’s a common enough not to cause him worry. Just annoyed.

“Sure is melting hot, out here.” A woman came. She was in full hunter’s garb as well.

Pausing in his blade sharpening, he looked up to the one who uttered it. That was the code. “With all the sun, can’t expect it to be freezing, Felicia.” He responded with a relieved smile. It wasn’t Cor but it was one of Cor’s subordinates, Monica Elshett.

Felicia nodded in response before settling beside him. She unsheathed her sword and set it before her, signaling for Loqi to continue what he was doing.

Rummaging through her pockets, she lets out a grouse. “You have an extra whetstone on ya, Al?” She asked. “I think I lost mine.”

Loqi gave her a knowing smile the whole time as he shook his head. He took a small box and gave it to her. “What’s big bro doing?” He asked as he watched Felicia fussed with the box and with a sleight of hands changed it with a proper box of a whetstone.

Felicia sighed. “Dad said told him to do some business out of town. Big bro didn’t want to budge so he’s trying to deal with dad and have someone else go for the business trip.” She explained, her hand barely moved as she explained. “It’s just that…” She began, trying word her thoughts properly. “Dad is pretty old, Al.” She said in a worried tone but the look on her face was more scrutinizing than worried.

It was Loqi’s turn to sigh. Long story short. Cor is on the verge of insubordination. Not that it’s the first time but as ‘Felicia’ said, the King is pretty old. And old people tend to not like it when their orders aren’t obeyed. Since it’s the King and not anyone else, Loqi smelt trouble.

“So, is big bro in trouble?” He asked frankly.

Felicia shook her head as she returned to whetting her blade. “Don’t know. Haven’t heard from him ever since. The Treaty is going to start this week. Just hope big bro is not going to get into too much trouble with everything’s that going on.” She said softly.

Loqi couldn’t agree with her more. If anything happens to Cor, he’s going to be in a pinch. Being a Brigadier General wasn’t easy and trying to escape is going to be a mess, if he survives it.

“Anyway.” Loqi began. “How’s the children?” He asked with a straight face. Knowing Monica, she had cats. Loqi never seen them but Monica had told enough of them to know how they were doing.

Monica or ‘Felicia’, snickered. “As rambunctious as ever. Broke a few of my plates just the other day.” She said. The two ended up talking about the cats for a while. Mission completed. Just to kill time until they could leave without suspicion. Being so near to a garrison and wary hunters had their difficulties. If the Niffs didn’t get them, the Hunters might just give them away accidentally.

Before their time was up, Felicia got a call. “Felicia.” She said curtly as she stopped fussing over her sword. “Uh, yes. Right at the old ruined house.” She informed whoever it is. “Ok. See ya.” She said as she ended her call.

“The client’s coming.” She said. The cold military discipline leaking into her voice before she cleared her throat and recomposed herself as a lighthearted Felicia. “No need to look like you’ve seen a ghost, Al.” She quipped.

Loqi shrugged. He paused in thought. “Do you think Big Bro got into trouble?”

“Don’t know, Al.” She answered as she turned to pack her stuff. “But my transport is just a short ride from here.” Code for – Cor is coming over as a Client. Act accordingly.

Al or Loqi, went about to pack his stuff, too.

They barely had gotten to their feet when a truck pulled towards their place. In it was Cor, waving at them.

“Hey, Felicia, Al.” He regarded with a nod. The two gave a nod back and Felicia got into the truck. “Melting hot here, huh?” He said as he gave Loqi a onceover.

Loqi replied with a tight smile. “If it’s freezing cold, it’ll be the end of the world.”

Cor gave a small smile at that. “Anyways, borrow Felicia here for a job. If I need more people, I might need to call you in, too.”

“Sure. Just make sure, you take care of her.” Loqi answered back amicably.

With that, they parted ways.

Almost three weeks passed since then.

Insomnia fell, the network collapsed and names were being brought up within the ranks and silently taken care off. Caligo made sure of that.

And Loqi, now without any form of communication, went after the only Lucian he knew that was on Niffleheim’s radar, other than the Prince. The very Lucian that his accolades in warfare were more or less based on. He went to confirm Cor Leonis’s status. Two birds with one stone, really. This way, he can decide whether to continue his work or get rid of everything.

He received word that the Prince was to escape via the Norduscaen Garrison. Even as he got on his ship towards the said drop site, he started to feel lost. Would he be forced to kill off the Prince? Something in him was screaming to back off and stop. But he was a soldier. He had his orders. He…could only pray he was doing the right thing.

The garrison came into view along with a slew of dissipating MTs. With them, he saw the iconic black coloured garb donned by the Crownsguard. Taking point was the Prince and Cor.

He was wildly relieved at that sight alone. Cor was alive! The Prince would be safe in his care, too. That feeling dimmed considerably.

He hovered over the opened courtyard. “Stay right where you are.” He declared imperiously from his ship. “Well, well. If it isn’t Cor the Immortal. So you’ve survived the Citadel.” He said before turning to man his Magitek Armour.

“But you won’t survive what I have in store for you. It’s past time your legend came to an end.” He declared grimly, knowing people from Niffleheim, especially, Caligo is listening through the comms.

The fight was more grueling than he thought and the ejection system was unpleasant despite saving his life.

Seeing off the prince, Cor dismissed Monica and returned to ‘watching the Niffs.’

Once he heard a truck and a car passed, he finally cracked opened the charred cockpit.

He was surprised to see Cor nearby, looking for him from the looks of things.

“Thank the Six, you’re still alive.” Cor said in relief with a smirk of satisfaction.

Loqi only managed a huff as he got himself out with Cor’s help.

Thankfully, the worse injury on him was a split lip. His armour seriously helped.

As the two recovered from the effort on the floor next to it, Cor held out a Potion for him.

He refused it. “It’ll get suspicious if I escape literally unscathed.” He explained.

Cor nodded in understanding. “How goes for you since the fall?” He asked as he made it dissipate into the ether.

“Unnerving to say the least. There was a leak in the network. Caligo has been on the hunt ever since.” Loqi explained. “Did not help that there was only static on my communicator.”

Cor’s lips pulled into a tight grimace. “At the very least, we’re confident that the leak is taken cared off with the fall.” He said cryptically.

“Well, for the time being, there won’t be much activities. If anything, I think I’ll be the only one going beyond enemy lines to meet up with you.” He said as he scratched his head. “Other than the Prince and his retinue, of course.”

Loqi raised his eyebrows at that. “Ah, the chamberlain is there too?”

“Yes, indeed.” He answered. “He was the one with the glasses.” He added, gesturing two fingers over his eyes.

“Well, then. The Prince is in good hands.” He said in an impressed tone. “A member of a network is with him after all.”

“Still, one must be cautious in times like these.” He said with a tired huff.

Loqi only chuckled in response.

“Well, then.” Cor said as he got to his feet. “It’s best we get moving.”

Loqi got to his feet as well. “As always, it was an honour to fight you.” He said as he stood straight and held out a hand, a proud look present on his face.

Cor mirrored him and shook his hand with a tight smile. “Likewise. Glad to still have you on board with us.”

At that Loqi lets out a mirthless cackle. “Careful there. You assume too quickly.” He warned. A gentle reminder that this could all end suddenly.

Cor’s smile turned into a knowing smirk. “If I was wrong, we won’t be standing here.” He said as he passed. “See you when I see you.” He said with a wave, not even looking back if it’s returned.

Loqi merely shook his head before getting his emergency beacon. When the ship came, it was already dark and none of the Lucians were in sight.

[julienpoulidor]

Zina garrison, the fifth seed, celebrates after defeating the third seed Monica Seles. Sport. Tennis. Women.