#Rio Sport Center

[averagewriter-inthedark]

You Got It Bad 🏸 | Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd Headcanon

Edit posted on 2 Sep 24: omg when I posted this a few days ago America had yet to win a medal in badminton (Olympic & Paralympic) and today Team USA’s mixed doubles in badminton won the silver medal!! Congrats to Jayci Simon & Miles Krajewski for their win and making history!! The first ever medal in badminton for USA!!

Being married to Bob & becoming Olympians for the sport of Badminton would look like:

You and Bob met in flight school following your respected commissions into the Navy in 2011, became friends and colleagues, which them bloomed into lovers about a year later. You were the pilot, and he was your back seater---so it is no surprise your relationship worked so well considering you two were partners in the sky. After about two years of dating, Bob popped the famous question and you guys were wed within the year--the Navy sending you guys to bases as a package deal.

As most military instillations, there's a community gym and recreation center where active, reserve, and their families go to participate in intermural sports and activities. Many go for the typical bowling league and softball team or try a hand at flag football and ultimate. For you and Bob, badminton called yall's name.

Originating in British India and popular among countries in Europe and Asia, badminton made its Olympic debut in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Now while at first glance badminton may look easy in comparison to other court sports with a net like tennis and volleyball, but badminton requires just as much speed, agility, and precision. Especially when the shuttlecock is flying at record speed from one opponent to the other. The better the motor skills, the better you are.

Of course in the beginning you guys were a little rusty. Figuring out the rules and the best way for you and Bob to coordinate moves. You were the better server, but Bob was better handling the back while you stayed close to the net.

What started as a fun, leisure activity became more serious as you continued to play. Like we're talking you put up a net in your backyard. Whenever you hosted gatherings, you can expect that at some point in the night people migrated to the backyard to play a game or two. And boy would it get intense whenever you and Bob were on opposite sides of the court. "I hope you enjoy losing, pretty boy." "Darling, I know you're always right....but tonight you are wrong."

Not only did you build a sweat when a game got intense, but you looked forward to spending time with your husband outside of work. Not having to deal with the stress of flying or anxiety of running missions. Badminton was a great way to relive the tension and stay active. After every game you shared a sweet kiss with your husband, exchanging praises of 'Great job,' and 'We'll get 'em next time."

You both were competitive and roughly a year after playing you drew attention when you decided to join a local circuit outside of intermural on base. Winning match after match, you guys came in second in your first tournament. A great introduction to the start of your athletic career in mixed doubles badminton---which by the way, shoutout to RedBull and Dunkin Doughnuts for the caffeine supply when balancing a military and sports career.

Now the Olympic Games....the greatest sporting stage the world has ever scene...was never something you envisioned when you and Bob picked up your rackets for the first time. You'd only been playing badminton for a few years, having started in 2014. By the time the Rio Games came around, you guys were no way in Olympic level standings. Sure you'd been in a handful of local tournaments, making the podium in all, but you'd only recently won your regional title for mixed doubles, set to compete in nationals. You had yet to play an international tournament.

That time would come in 2017, and while you came home with third place at you guys were motivated to do better. You wanted to win a World title. Especially to prove to people who thought badminton was not a sport of high popularity like tennis or volleyball--and something you only play as a unit in high school P.E. You and Bob were motivated to bring more eyes to badminton in America. And what better way than to dominate a world tour.

So, when you guys weren't in the sky you were on the court. In the gym. Coaching each other, studying competition, working on technique, rewatching matches from previous Olympics. The Tokyo Games became a goal. And you were determined to make them. The pressure was on considering the United States has never won a medal in any event in badminton. "So, the Olympics...pretty darn big if you ask me." "Baby, you should know that when we put our mind to something, we make it happen."

It got to the point where your family members and friends were asking y'all about progress and even buying you equipment as birthday presents. And with the amount of shuttlecocks you go through monthly it was a blessing to a whole bucket of them in your garage. Your rackets had y'alls callsign's on them and of course you had matching outfits. And soon you guys had to invest in a nice cabinet to display your medals, plaques, and trophies from your competitions. Having the 2018 BWF World Championship right in the center.

You and Bob became a household name in the sport in the American circuit. Not only because you two were dominated the competition, but also the fact you guys were married and Naval officers brought a lot of attention. People who followed the sport became fans and viewed you guys as a love story out of romance books. Friends/coworkers-to-lovers who become teammates and an unstoppable duo in their sport. Yeah, it wrote itself.

When the 2019 detachment came though that became the priority. As much as it pained you to put training for the Sudirman Cup on hold, you had an obligation to the Navy. Nonetheless, you packed up your equipment and made the drive down from Lemoore to San Diego. Once settled, you both were spending any free time at the base rec center, practicing even for 30 minutes if you had it.

Soon the rest of the team picked up your love for the sport and became intrigued. Natasha especially, who became invested in watching you two play against each other. Shocked to see how heated it got and the fact you were able to move so fast to save a rally. "You guys are really into this, huh?" "Yeah. We just started for fun years ago and well..it took off."

After the whole shit between Jake and Bradley where Mav did damage control by taking y'all to the beach for dogfight football, you and Bob whipped out the equipment and soon all 12 of ya paired up to play games. It pretty much turned into a bracket situation where duos were eliminated until two remained for the final round.

And who's suprised....you and Bob won. And because you guys were so good, the team practically interrogated you two to which the reveal of your side career surfaced.

"You mean to tell me," Jake squinted against the sun, "You two are pretty much famous badminton players and are on the road to making the Olympics next year?" "Yep, that's about right. We want to be the first Americans to win a medal in the sport."

Fast forward to the success of the Uranium mission and unexpected world pandemic that followed, you and Bob are homebound due to the Navy restricting all work to remote settings, leaving you all the time in the world to perfect your craft. You won the Sudirman Cup, putting your names once more as contenders for the Tokyo Games and had one more year to train due to the postponement. In that time you and the rest of the Top Gun detachment transferred to Fightertown permanently, further bonding the friendships formed and the team became y'alls biggest supporters.

Qualifying for the Olympics had to have ranked in your top three moments in life. Right in the middle between marrying Bob and the Uranium mission. You jumped in his arms, screaming in joy while he spun you around and let the tears flow, bringing his lips for a passionate kiss not caring who watched. Never had you thought picking up a random badminton racket to pass time and relieve stress after a long work day would lead you to competing in the greatest sporting event alongside the love of your life. Experiencing it with Bob made it all the better. "We're going to the Olympics, baby!!'

Stepping onto the court in Tokyo officially titled you and Bob as Olympians, and while you competed for the gold across the pacific, back home your friends and family gathered to watch it unfold decked in red, white, and blue. The Hard Deck, your hometown, Bob's hometown, the rec center back in Lemoore where you first began playing badminton, the entire damn Navy was cheering you on.

Goal #1: Become Olympians - Achieved. Goal #2: Become the 1st Americans to win a medal in badminton - Achieved. Goal #3: Become the 1st Americans to win a gold medal in badminton - Achieved.

Yeah, you read that right. Not only did you and Bob accomplish everything you set your eyes on, but you cemented yourself in history as the first Americans to win a medal in any event in the sport of badminton and it was the gold. You guys became Olympic champions. And you can best believe the whole world was shocked to their core during the intense, heart pounding, sweat inducing, on the edge of your seat gold medal match against the #1 team in the world. You had already proven yourself to be the team to watch out for after knocking out the other leading pairs in the quarter and semi-finals, but to walk away with the gold after losing the first match, winning the second and tying the score each time until it ended with you scoring the golden point of 30.

Put it in the history books.

And three years later in a sold out crowd with your friend and family in the city of love, you and Bob continued your romantic journey of love, dedication and partnership when you defended your gold medal, adding a second to your cabinet with the promise of a third when the Games return to the Los Angeles 😉

[dailytomlinson]

369 HOTSPOTS:

Africa: Asia: — Saranrom Park, Bangkok (3PM—5PM) — New Delhi, Lodhi Garden (1:30PM—3:30PM) — Tennis Indoor Senayan, Jakarta (3PM—5PM) — Bengkel SCBD, Jakarta (3PM—5PM) — Cross Maidan Garden, Mumbai (1:30PM—3:30PM) Europe: — Wizink, Madrid — La Riviera, Madrid — Razzmatazz, Barcelona — Palau, Barcelona — Miribilla, Bilbao — Scala, London — Shepherds Bush Empire, London — O2 Manchester Apollo, Manchester — O2 Arena, London —Atlas Arena, Łódź (12PM—2PM) — The Dome, Doncaster — Utilita Arena, Sheffield — Tauron Arena, Kraków (12PM—2PM) — Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie, Poznań (12PM—2PM) — Meo Arena, Lisbon (3PM—5PM) Latin America: — Rioarena, Rio de Janeiro (12PM—2PM) — Allianz Parque, São Paulo (12PM—2PM) — Espaço Unimed, São Paulo (12PM—2PM) — Liggo Arena, Curitiba (12PM—2PM) — Movistar Arena, Santiago (12PM—2PM) — Estadio Bicentenario, Santiago (12PM—2PM) —Pepsi Center WTC, CDMX (2PM—4PM) — Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, CDMX (2PM—4PM) — Auditorio Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Queretaro (2PM—4PM) — Auditorio Telmex, Gudalajara (2PM—4PM) — Arena V.F.G., Guadalajara (2PM—4PM) — Parque Fundidora, Monterrey (2PM—4PM) — Auditorio Citibanamex, Monterrey (2PM—4PM) — Parque Centenario, Guayaquil (2PM—4PM) — Coliseo Live, Bogotá (1PM—3PM) — Movistar Arena, Bogotá (1PM—3PM) — Movistar Arena, Buenos Aires — Velez Sarsfield Stadium, Buenos Aires

North America: — Skyla Credit Union Amphitheater, Charlotte (12PM—2PM) —MGM Music Hall, Boston (12PM—2PM) — House of Blues, Boston (12PM—2PM) — AZ Financial Theater, Phoenix (2PM—4PM) — Merriweather Post Pavillion, Columbia, MD (12PM—2PM) — Kemba Live, Columbus (12PM—2PM) — Oprheum Theathe, Vancouver (2PM—4PM) —Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Vancouver (2PM—4PM) — Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh (1PM—3PM) — Budweiser Stage, Toronto (12PM—2PM) — Greek Theater, Berkeley (2PM—4PM) — Fox Theater, Oakland (2PM—4PM) —The Anthem, DC (1PM—3PM) — Michigan Lottery Amphitheater, Sterling Heights — Fillmore Auditorium, Denver Oceania:

— Spark Arena, Auckland (7PM—9PM)

All times are LOCAL

*If you have information on more hotspots, feel free to send an inbox or add a comment with the exact place and time window

*Most hotspots are at venues Louis has played before, on tour or other separate gigs so if you're at a city Louis has been before, those places are most likely the ones you'll find. If not, there's still some hotspots in countries he's never visited so keep an eye out.

[earlycuntsets]

mcr shows on youtube pt. 3 (2007 - 2011)

-> pt. 1 (2002 - 2005)

-> pt. 2 (2005 - 2007)

-> pt. 4 (2011 - 2023)

07/31/2007 coors amphitheater chula vista ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/03/2007 verizon wireless amphitheater selma tx - effvee

08/04/2007 smirnoff music center dallas tx - mrsmoore710

08/05/2007 cynthia woods mitchell pavilion the woodlands tx - allyhr80

08/11/2007 ford amphitheater tampa fl - DAK

08/13/2007 walnut creek amphitheater raleigh nc - ddr2nite

08/18/2007 darien lake performing arts center darian lake ny - megaphone25

08/19/2007 nissan pavilion bristow va - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/21/2007 molson amphitheater toronto ca - Taylor & saofan20

08/22/2007 dte energy music center clarkston mi - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/24/2007 tweeter center for the performing arts bostom ma - ricola7 & the academy is my beautiful romance

08/25/2007 tweeter center camden nj - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/26/2007 new england dodge music center hartford ct - blackmariah224

08/28/2007 mohigan sun grandstand new york state fair syracuse ny - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/29/2007 pnc bank arts center holmdale nj - darkxdisco

09/01/2007 first midwest bank amphitheater tinley park il - jeana k

10/04/2007 coca cola auditorio monterrey mexico - stagglp

10/07/2007 palacio de los deportes mexico city mexico - my chemical romance official youtube

10/24/2007 maxwells hoboken nj - my chemical romance official youtube

10/30/2007 sportová hala pasienky, bratislava, slovakia - kiss955

11/04/2007 x-tray zurich switzerland - waylien87

11/11/2007 metro radio arena newcastle upon tyne england - moshmocyanide

11/12/2007 aberdeen exhibition and conference centre aberdeen scotland - t3hOutlaw

11/15/2007 o2 arena london england - the academy is my beautiful romance

11/17/2007 king's hall belfast northern ireland - xxeternalflamexx

11/28/2007 brisbane entertainment centre brisbane australia - skejemer281

12/03/2007 adelaide entertainment centre adelaide australia - zsazsalahore

12/09/2007 stadium merdeka kuala lumpur malaysia - ffillusionseb

12/11/2007 singapore expo max pavilion singapore - msliveformusic

12/14/2007 neal s.blaisdell arena honolulu - xdegrassilover92x

1/25/2008 eastwood open park manila phillipines - the academy is my beautiful romance

1/27/2008 national taiwan university sports center taipeh taiwan - the academy is my beautiful romance

1/29/2008 asia world expo hall 10 hong kong china - MCRThePatient

01/31/2008 plenary hall jakarta convention center kota administrasi jakarta pusat indonesia - mhit2

02/15/2008 vio rio rio de janiero brazil - the academy is my beautiful romance

02/17/2008  hellooch curitiba brazil - elle10one

02/19/2008  via funchal são paulo brazil - hicao182

03/29/2008 rialto theater tuscon arizona - raven pictures

03/30/2008 the joint at the hard rock hotel las vegas nv - Biancha Hidalgo

03/31/2008 the joint at the hard rock hotel las vegas nv - Donanae Dunwoody & rnm1947ebe & nachocheesechips & justsleeep

04/02/2008 san jose civic center san jose ca - daylinmychemrocks

04/06/2008 bamboozle left verizon wireless amphitheater irvine ca - jackiejackiebootysmackie

04/09/2008 crystal ballroom portland oregon - mcdreamysgirlXOXO

04/12/2008 autodromo hermanos rodriguez coca cola zero festival mexico city mexico - the academy is my beautiful romance

04/18/2008 congress theater chicago il - Ashley Tara

04/19/2008 the fillmore detriot mi - stephanie roose

04/24/2008 house of blues new orleans la - megan williams

04/25/2008 baton rouge river center baton rouge la - sam

04/28/2008 stubb's bar b cue austin tx - sue nellis

05/02/2008 beale street music festival tom lee park memphis tn - the academy is my beautiful romance

05/04/2008 lifestyle communities pavilion columbus oh - christine steele

07/31/2009 the roxy west hollywood ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/08/2009 maishima osaka japan - the academy is my beautiful romance

10/26/2010 backstage werk munich germany - song des tages

10/30/2010 melkweg the max amsterdam netherlands - the academy is my beautiful romance

11/22/2010 house of blues west hollywood ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

11/30/2010 p.c. richard & son theater nyc ny - the academy is my beautiful romance

12/1/2010 maida vale studios london england - the academy is my beautiful romance

12/2/2010 fuse tv studio nyc ny - koi no yokan

12/05/2010 1-800-ask-gary amphitheater tampa fl - the academy is my beautiful romance

12/06/2010 rockefeller plaza nyc ny - heather the human

12/08/2010 the midland by amc kansas city mo - the academy is my beautiful romance

12/09/2010 the daily habit los angeles ca - koi no yokan

12/11/2010 spike tv video game awards la convention center la - hidden gems & the academy is my beautiful romance

12/11/2010 kroq almost acoustic christmas gibson amphitheater universal city ca - kroq

12/15/2010 q101 twisted christmas house of blues chicago il - the academy is my beautiful romance

1/17/2011 conan burbank ca - JuanPI

1/21/2011 lopez tonight burbank ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

01/21/2011 the hollywood tower hollywood ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

02/10/2011 xfm radio studios london uk - the academy is my beautiful romance

02/22/2011 metro radio arena newcastle on tyne england - ZoneMum

02/23/2011 o2 academy brixton uk - emzlouise90

02/24/2011 o2 academy islington uk - emziixmcr

03/09/2011 kesselhaus munich germany - the academy is my beautiful romance

03.12.2011 ciutat de les artes i les ciencies valencia spain - CarlosCapBlanc3

03/20/2011 hartwall areena helsinki finland - the academy is my beautiful romance

04/23/2011 terminal 5 new york city ny - the academy is my beautiful romance

05/15/2011 carlisle lake district airport carlisle england - the academy is my beautiful romance

06/24/2011 universidad complutense de madrid madrid spain - pamyale24

06/26/2011 autodromo internazionale enzo e dino ferrara imoli italy - denis rossi

07/02/2011 coke sound up stuttgart germany - the academy is my beautiful romance

07/03/2011 dyrskuepladsen roskilde denmark - søren thomsen

07/07/2011 passeio marítimo de algés oeiras portugal - the academy is my beautiful romance

07/09/2011 roundhouse london england - slavka941

-> pt. 1 (2002 - 2005)

-> pt. 2 (2005 - 2007)

-> pt. 4 (2011 - 2023)

[discendia]

Is there a profile about Yamamoto Rio? really looking forward to learning more about her, her story and how it relates to canon

Hi, Anon! Welcome to my blog! ☆ I hope you like it here~

To answer your question, I have a rough profile I started writing some time ago. It doesn't have all the information, but I'll copy it under the cut since you're interested (and it's a bit long).

Thank you for asking! Wishing you a lovely day ♡

────── 〔✿〕──────

- PROFILE -

Name: Yamamoto Rio (山本 里桜)

Age: 14 (Canon Timeline), 24 (10YL)

Birthday: April 24

Nationality: Japanese

Height: 1,72 m. (Canon Timeline), 1,77 m. (10YL)

Family: Tsuyoshi (father), Ran (mother), Takeshi (brother)

[ 🔒 There’s information to be added here ]

- PERSONALITY -

Unlike Takeshi, who is like a beacon that attracts everyone's attention, Rio prefers to go unnoticed, but once you meet her, she is a sweet girl, warm and optimistic.. She’s dedicated to her friends and very family-oriented.

Growing up in the restaurant environment, surrounded by customers who come and go, has helped her develop skills to deal with people; she quickly grasps others’ limits and knows when not to push them.

She is the type of person who believes that conflicts can be resolved without fighting, although she will not hesitate to raise her weapons if her attempts to defuse the situation do not work.

[ 🔒 There’s information to be added here ]

- NAMIMORI MIDDLE SCHOOL -

Class: 1-B; 2-A

Extracurricular activity: Student Council

Within the Student Council, Rio is part of the Sports Committee that is responsible for the organization of the school's sports clubs. Among their duties are reviewing inventories and responding to material requests, collecting files from students participating in tournaments and events, and organizing other internal sports activities.

Her work is done religiously at each council meeting, but she is not usually there to answer questions about the reports they deliver, especially if the meetings are in the morning... Luckily, no one seems to notice this.

- LA FAMIGLIA (10YL) -

Afiliation: Vongola Family

Position: Family Liaison

As a diplomat of the Family, her duty is to establish and maintain communication with the different divisions and allied members. From simple contact between the guardians when they are dispersed to calming things down when there is something to discuss with different squads, she intervenes in the establishment of new alliances and the peaceful resolution of internal and external conflicts.

Rio’s office is an information center where messages constantly come and go. It is not surprising that part of its workers are dedicated to collecting this information through not so legal means.

- TO THE BATTLE -

Dying Wil Flame: Rain

Equipment: Iron fan and katana. A-Rank Rain Ring and B-Rank Rain Ring (10YL).

Fighting style: Shigure Soen Ryuu: 9 + 2 forms (10YL)

[ 🔒 There’s information to be added here ]

- RELATIONSHIPS -

[ Oops, I never started this part 🔒 There’s information to be added here ]

- TRIVIA -

Her least favorite thing is getting up early.

Her favorite drink is milk, just like Takeshi, but she can't stand cold milk.

Her favorite dish is chirashi sushi, and her preferred kind of fish are salmon, bonito, and shrimp.

Her hobbies are scrapbooking and cardmaking.

In the future, she would like to be her father's apprentice and inherit the restaurant.

She has good intuition to know what to study for an exam and usually doesn’t care about the rest.

[bloodpen-to-paper]

Heya, I don't plan to talk about it much but due to what happened with forever, who was my fav and really the heart of the project for me, I'm probably not going to post about Qsmp much anymore. Or if I do, it'll take a while. But please read if you're in the same boat as me, its kind of a ramble and you can skip certain parts but I'd like to hear your thoughts. The last couple of paragraphs touch on some stuff that I hope can help be worth your while, whether you're here for the Qsmp stuff or the mental health part.

Now this is absolutely not to say the rest of the project doesn't matter or that people should give up on it. The Qsmp is incredible and should be known for what it has achieved: breaking language barriers and uniting communities. Its wonderful, unique, and still has so much to offer in terms of content creation, so please don't let the whole of it be tarnished for what happened with one creator (we've seen that before already and it sucks). Personally, it got me back into streaming content/mcyt and I'd like to stay more present this time, its so much fun and its nice knowing I can sort of drift back and forth when new things pop up. If you're in the same boat, I encourage you to not feel like its all over immediately if you still feel a passion for this kind of work, maybe you won't get back into it but maybe you just need a bit of time. Whatever you feel, as long as you're happy and having fun you're doing it right.

So, personal feelings (which I suck at but its better than bottling my thoughts and I encourage others to do the same). I'm fucking devastated lmao. His character was my absolute hyperfixation, I'm talking 24/7 brainrot for months. I haven't felt this passionate for a character since dsmp, I honestly didn't know I could still do it. But there's another layer. I live in the U.S., and I'm Brasilian-American. In the U.S., you don't hear anyone saying shit about Brasil. You hear a lot about Mexico, but nothing really south of that, and if you do its usually about sexualizing Brasilian women or narcotics and gang stuff. Not the best representation for little me, admittedly. When you-know-who won the Qsmp Election, y'all I felt something in me spark to life that I hadn't felt since we won the Olympic soccer tournament in Rio in 2016. I'm proud to be Brasilian, I've always been proud of it, but its a pride that's been limited to sports and my own personal experiences. To see myself represented, to see Brasil naturally enter the conversation for a piece of media I loved that I didn't know would have us, and to see us win something, phew, shit got me higher than my wisdom tooth removal. We Brasilians banded together to secure the win, and what's more, my fav cc on the project was the one at the center. I felt so happy, for my country, my community, and for myself. And I know recent events might taint that memory for some of us, but I refuse to look back on my feelings from back then negatively. That was one of the best damn moments in my chronically online life, and I will always remember it with pride and joy, along with the many other moments when this wonderful server made me proud to be me.

So, naturally, when the news hit I was pretty fucked up over it. Still am tbh, but better now that I've had sleep (though it took me a while to fall asleep because of course my sleep gets ruined by bad feelings, bleh). All this to ultimately say it sucks. Like, it really fucking sucks. The anxiety, the disappointment, the sadness, and the uncertainty of "what now?". Might be sounding dramatic but again, 24/7 brainrot/serotonin supply for months that connected me to my culture abruptly cut off because of pedophile allegations. C'mon Satan, I already have to go to therapy, you didn't have to kick this horse while it was down. Joking aside, if you feel as absolute dogshit as I do and have that kind of anxiety where the world feels like its about to end because moments like these leave you with the rug pulled out from under you and the uncertainty leaves you not knowing what to do with your life after this... well, welcome to the boat, bathroom's on the lower deck and snacks are in the lobby. And also I'm here, and everyone else who's been left in the same crummy place emotionally. We're here together, and I hope that can help you, cause I know for me the worst part is feeling alone in it all, but I'm not, and neither are you. We're here, holding hands and cursing existence for putting us here and making us so sensitive and giving us something great only for it to end up hurting us. We're here, and if you wanna say anything, my DMs, comments, asks, whatever you'd want to talk through, are all open.

Now comes the hardest part: acknowledgement and playing the waiting game. Like I said, if you're feeling like me, this kind of anxiety and disappointment has you feeling like its all over. So now's when you gotta remind yourself that the only thing that's over is this moment in your life when you enjoyed a Thing. That Thing can have meant a lot to you, it could have gotten you out of really dark places, and it could be something you'll still think about down the line. It can be something like minecraft cube people that you (I) got way too emotionally attached to. And for whatever reason, that Thing could have meant the absolute world, whether other people would've understood it or not. Its not your fault it ended the way it did, life just does that sometimes, as unsatisfying of an answer as that is. But its true, and its an important lesson. The Thing is over.

You know what's not over though? You. You're life. Whatever the hell you are doing and will do in the future. If this was the best thing in your life you had going for you, I am so fucking sorry. You deserved to be happy with it, we both did. But I promise you, this Thing is a moment in your story, not the whole story. This really was the source of my joy for the past few months, and if its the same for you, I see you. We can feel like shit together, along with the rest of this wonderful community who understand it too. And you know what else we're gonna do? Live, and move on. Not now, maybe not for while, but we're human beings, we persist (sometimes that might look like you're dragging your battered self out of a trench smelling like depression and expired cheese, but you'll get out of the trench, we both will). There's too much to life for this to be what stops you from finding the rest, whether that's some dramatic life change that completely changes the world as you know it for the better... or just figuring out what comes next. Taking a shower, watching that movie you were waiting for the right moment to watch (I'd say this qualifies), setting up a therapy appointment maybe. Whatever you do to feel like a person again, you have that to do, and later down the road you'll have new Things that give it all meaning. So keep yourself going, hit up me or others who would get it, and do what you gotta do to let it pass. Because it will pass.

Deep breaths friend, I'll be cheering for you when it does

[tortiefrancis]

Rio Grande do Sul History (Day 1)

Boleadeiras

PT: Boleadeiras /End PT

ID: Close up photo of a saddle on a brown horse, with a boleadeira strapped on the side. The boleadeira consists of two balls with metal plates on the ends attatched to a thick rope. /End ID

Disclaimers: Abya Yala is the name for the land known as "America" in the kuna language, adopted by other indigenous groups. Pindorama is the name of the coast of the land known as "Brazil" given by the tupi-guarani people, but also used to talk about the entirety of the modern country. I'll be using these terms throughout the posts.

The boleadeira is a type of weapon used in the south Abya Yala for centuries, first used by the indigenous people of the land (Charrua, Minuano, Guarani, etc) for hunting and in battle as well. This first version of the boleadeira is somewhat different to the modern one.

ID: Two photos of different pre-colonial boleadeiras made out of rock, on a white background. The first is oval and has a hole on the top and a large sort of slit in the middle. The second is circular with a small and a large point, a number painted in white on it. It also has the same sort of slit. /End ID

Pre-colonial boleadeiras were made out of rock and usually circular or oval, the slit in the middle occurring due to the rope that was tied around them (as is speculated by archaeologists) causing a sort of friction. Some boleadeiras had points, the ones with several points being called boleadeiras mamilares.

ID: Two photos of boleadeiras mamilares made out of rock, against a white background. They have several points, similar to a star. /End ID

It's believed the oval and circular ones were used for hunting; similar to its modern use, the hunter would raise the boleadeira, spin it, then throw it towards the legs of the animal. The animal would then fall, being completely immobilised. This was used mostly with large animals such as emus.

The ones with points, however, are believed to have been used in battle, in a much similar way, but thrown in a way to hit the other person instead of immobilise them, as the points could cause great harm.

ID: Photo of a circular rock boleadeira with a slit in the center and numbers in black painted on it. A ruler below it shows it's about 5 centimetres in size. Background is blue-ish. /End ID

Another example of a pre-colonial boleadeira, this time a properly circular one. All of these were, as far as I can tell, found in Pindorama, in the land known as 'Rio Grande do Sul' nowadays, but as mentioned, other territories of Abya Yala had boleadeiras, such as, but not limited to, Argentina and Uruguay.

Modern day boleadeiras look differently and serve a different function as well. They were used on horses and cattle to immobilise them, however, not for hunting, but for capture and sometimes for sport in rodeos or dances. They are made of leather, metal or rock and tied to ropes of equal length. This rope is either tied around the balls or around some sort of ring that is attatched to them. Usually there are two or three balls in a boleadeira.

Rio Grande do Sul flood funds:

Paybox/doare (Humanitarian help) . Apoia-se (Food) . Pix (RS Archives)

Image sources:

Figure 1: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bombeador/2691536389/

Figures 2-5: Julio de Castilhos Museum Archive. https://acervos.museujulio.rs.gov.br/colecao-etnologica/boleadeira-de-ponta/

Figure 6: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Figura-55-Boleadeira-com-desgaste-na-marcacao-Sitio-Pedra-Grande-Sao-Pedro-do-SulRS_fig33_319882044

[proton-wobbler]

White-crowned Sparrow - (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Rio Grande Nature Center (State Park) - Fall 2023

An adult White-crowned Sparrow (WCSP). This is a subspecies called Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow, as told by the yellow-orange bill and white lores (the space between the back of the bill and the eye). A young WCSP was featured earlier in the season from my last station, sporting a head of dark and light brown feathers. This adult show the black and white striped crown, which both sexes have. I personally love the brown-black-white striping of the back feathers. They give a sort-of pixelated look to the back, which likely helps with camoflouge in the shade-dappled understory of scrub they forage in.

All banding, marking, and sampling is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey's BBL. Permission to share these images was given by Rio Grande Bird Research, Inc. (Instagram: @ birdbanderdude_nm)

[scratchybongvt]

All locations of Sidemascots episodes

Here are all canon locations where the Sidemascots episodes take place.

Note that an asterisk (*) denotes a fictional place.

Trailer

- Sumi’s bedroom*, Whistler, BC, Canada

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada (where all intros and outros take place)

- The Canucks’ Bar*, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

- Thunderbird Sports Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada (where all Sidemascots boxing matches take place)

- Whistler Amateur Recording Plant*, Whistler, BC, Canada (where the diss track was recorded)

Auditions

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

- Sumi’s bedroom*, Whistler, BC, Canada (where Vinicius and Sumi auditions everyone via video calls

- Miraitowa and Someity’s Apartment*, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

- Wenlock’s flat*, Stratford, London, England

- The Phryges’ House*, Paris, France

- Soohorang, Bandabi, and Moongcho’s wooden house*, PyeongChang, Gangwon, South Korea

- Aokigahara Forest, Honshu, Japan

- Lee Garden Service Apartment, Beijing, China

- Powder’s bedroom*, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

- Copper’s bedroom*, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

- Borobi’s house*, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

- Chenchen, Congcong and Lianlian’s Apartment*, Hangzhou, China

- Mascot Academic Growth and Integration Center*, Mascotverse*

- Roy E. Disney Animation Building, Burbank, California, United States

Episode 1

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada (intro and Outro)

- Manchester Regional Stadium, Manchester, England (100m sprint challenge)

- Elstree Film Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England (Winner stays on challenge, the set is the same as Who Wants to be a Millionaire)

- Thunderbird Sports Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Boxing challenge, the only event not to be held in England)

- University of London Canteen, London, England (Bingo challenge)

- The Boleyn Tavern, Upton Park, London, England (Foosball challenge)

Episode 2

- Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

- Sumi’s bedroom*, Whistler, BC, Canada

- Toronto Chess Club*, Toronto, BC, Canada

- The Hotel*, Pyongyang, North Korea

- Thunderbird Sports Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 3

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

- Another leased studio facility (formerly owned by CTV)*, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Episode 4

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

- Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (the planning segments)

- The Rubro-Negro Pub*, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

- Sumi’s bedroom*, Whistler, BC, Canada

- Central Park, Manhattan, NY, United States

- Bloor Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

- Toronto Courthouse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

- Another, more larger studio facility (formerly owned by MrBeast), Greenville, NC, United States

Episode 5

- Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Ile-de-France, France

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 6

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 7

- Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Poll results, 100m sprint, Finish or forfeit, follow the car, meditating challenge)

- Elstree Film Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England (Who wants to be a Millionaire)

- London Stadium, Stratford, London, England (Pole Vaulting challenge)

- Wembley Way, Wembley, London, England (Eating challenge)

- Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan (Reverse Boccia challenge)

- The O2 Arena, Greenwich, London, England (Darts challenge)

- Thunderbird Sports Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Boxing challenge)

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 8

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

- Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

- Borobi’s house*, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Episode 9

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada (intro, outro and fake courtroom)

- Sumi’s bedroom*, Whistler, BC, Canada

- Thunderbird Sports Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada

- Ebisu Bridge, Osaka, Japan

- The San Siro pub*, Milan, Italy

- Another, more larger studio facility (formerly owned by MrBeast), Greenville, NC, United States

Episode 10

- Local park*, Whistler, BC, Canada

- Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 11

- Studio 130, Saint-Denis, Ile-de-France, France

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 12

- BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 13

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 14

- Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Episode 15

- The O2 Arena, Greenwich, London, England

- The leased studio facility (formerly owned by Warner Bros.)*, Vancouver, BC, Canada

[dustedmagazine]

The Hard Quartet — s/t (Matador)

“Leave yourself behind and go into something where you’re actually listening to others and trying to come up with a solution to whatever kind of esoteric thing you are attempting to do in your life. You know what I mean?” — Emmett Kelly

Dragging on supergroups is practically a spectator sport among critics. So too is the idea that music that sounds like something from an ever-shrinking notion of the past is inherently suspect. The Hard Quartet explodes both canards on their debut recording for Matador. Emmett Kelly (best known for playing in The Cairo Gang), Stephen Malkmus (Pavement, The Jicks), Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf), and Jim White (Dirty Three), have a combined discography that could practically fill a mack truck with LPs. The performances in the Hard Quartet are reflective of their prior associations, true, but the amalgamation of these creates something fresh and distinctive.

Kelly’s explosive guitar solo kicks off album opener “Chrome Mess,” which is centered around an undulating modal tune that is both played and sung. “Rio’s Song” and “Our Hometown Boy” have group vocals nearly throughout on memorable power pop tunes. “Renegade,” on the other hand, is a visceral alt-rock offering, with a wall of guitars, powerful drumming from White, and exuberant vocals from Malkmus.

“Heel Highway” changes the mood significantly. A Bay area ballad, it recalls both the sixties and nineties. These tropes combine in Malkmus’s rangy lead vocal, dulcet vocal harmonies, arcing guitars and syncopated drumming. “Hey” is one of the album’s standout songs, with Malkmus’s laconic vocals, lead guitar breaks, layered rhythm guitars, and a chorus that draws on the appeal of slacker anthems.

The center of the album sees the band stretch out on “Six Deaf Rats,” with stream of consciousness lyrics in a soaring vocal melody that alternates with equally effulgent guitars. In a marked contrast, “Action for Military Boys” channels rhythmically charged second generation prog, with intricate scales in the guitars and martial drumming. There is an oasis in the middle where White lays out and a vocal bridge ensues. White returns and the music drives towards its former intensity.

“Jacked Existence” is the most delicate song on the recording, with hushed vocals and economical, Latinx-inflected rhythms. “North of the Border” has a loose, jam-inflected arrangement and Malkmus’s most emotive vocal, with backing vocals once again supporting him. The improvisatory nature of many of the band’s arrangements provides imaginative qualities to the music. “Thug Dynasty” has a terrific arrangement, with repeated synth notes added here and there and guitar breaks abounding. Malkmus makes the lyrics about lost time in his role in Pavement. The final track  ambles through the last five minutes of the album, with flurried music for the guitars, White’s inimitable drumming support, and another vocal where Malkmus tests the limits of his voice.

The Hard Quartet is one of my favorite recordings of the year, a strong collection of songs made by established artists who refuse to be hemmed in by anyone’s expectations.

Christian Carey

[original-character-championship]

Bracket G Round 1

Poll 4

Amber Rio (@cosmik-koto) vs. Chess (@concealeddarkness13)

391. Amber Rio (@cosmik-koto)

She/Her             

She is the literal definition of a sunshine character. Always happy, always helpful, always ready and able to put a smile on even the grumpiest person's face.

After being the center point of a tragedy that costed the lives of basically everyone she knew and love (including herself- it's a long story), she got reborn into the wrong dimension. Did that stop her? No way!

She studied magic every day in a world that didn't allow it so she could hop dimensions just for a CHANCE to see the love of her life again. Even when she got drafted onto the villains' side for a solid few months, she never once forgot about her mission. She doesn't need no man, but she would go to the ends of the earth and beyond for hers! You can't find dedication like that anywhere else, folks! And if that wasn't sweet enough for you, her favorite food is literally candy (honey sticks specifically).

I freakin' love my little sunflower and I think you guys will too! Thank you for your consideration. 💙💛

She has elbow-length, bright yellow hair that's always tied back with ribbons. She has light brown eyes and is almost always sporting a ":3" face. While she is a human, she does sport pointy, elf-like ears, and a yellow heart symbol on the back of her right hand.

(She's also one of the only characters in my roster with a warm color scheme so she tends to stand out easily in group pictures.)

392. Chess (@concealeddarkness13)

she/her

Chess has fire magic that hurts her in the beginning, but soon she is able to control it completely and can use her magic to give her dragon wings made of blue fire. She is chaotic and flirty and will punch people in the face. She is also pansexual and has low self esteem.

She has long, wavy, bright green hair, dark pink eyes, dark tan skin, tons of freckles, and she has a prosthetic right arm and left leg.

[sxphhicgalaxies]

So my lesbian ass is now obsessed with Women's Soccer so I've developed a few characters using some awesome players.

Under the cut is my list of current characters as well as some FCs I'm thinking of bringing in.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE message me if you are interested in doing WLW sports plots!!! While soccer is my main thing, I'm open to any and all female athletes (for me, I'd consider wrestlers and dancers in this category!!!)

Please note: I am currently only playing on Discord

Note: their teams aren't solidified in any way. They can play on real or fictional teams.

Joey Fields - Laura Friei.gang FC. 26 . Lesbian. Forward. Arrogant little jerk who gets a lot of yellow cards and never has had a real relationship.

Daniella "Dani" Vega. Ona Bat.lle FC 23 years old. Lesbian. Fullback. Purest baby, dated a fellow teammate for like 5 years but they just recently had a really amicable breakup. So fucking loyal.

Ariel "Rio" Valerio. Mapi Le.on FC. 28 years old. Lesbian. Center back. Not quite arrogant but really self-assured. Loves her family and her country so damn much. Is going to grow up to be a cat lady.

Maria Juana "MJ" Campos. Angelina Alonso Constan.tino. 25 years old. Fluid. Midfield. The calm in the storm. She has a really relaxed demeanor which makes a lot of her teammates gravitate toward her. Has such a goofy, fun-loving side but can give hella good advice. As laid back as she can be, she'll go to the mat for one of her girls.

FCs immediately on my mind to play or play against, but I'm not at all limited to them. There are just way to many I like so I wanted to make a "current top 5" so to speak

Ale.xia Putellas

Ali Kri.eger

Sophia Sm.ith

Leah William.son

Ingrid En.gen

[goldenheartgirl1]

Ch.10-Clovers and Consultation TWST Mafia AU

“I’ll have their heads for such impudence!” Riddle shouted loudly as he looked over the news on his office computer, before abruptly standing from his chair and taking a dart from his jar of darts and throwing it directly in the center of his dart board across the room. Trey had opened the door as the soft thunk sounded from the board, the medallion yellow eyes gazed at the red and white feathered dart that was stuck in the cork material. 

“Riddle, is there a problem?” He questioned as he walked closer to the seething casino owner, who finally sat down after seeing his friend.

“You could say that, come take a look at this.” Riddle huffed as he pointed to the computer screen that was lit up with news on a scandal of one of their clients.

Trey adjusted his glasses before reading the news out loud to himself. “Jacob Rios was discovered to be handling the exporting and importing of Laurel berries and Lambent flowers, along with several other endangered plants and protected species. He claims not to have anything to do with this and blames the evidence was planted in his vehicle while visiting the Royal Rose Casino. I think I see the problem now.”

“I need to go give a brief statement and show some video proof, unfortunately I know who was the one to collect information from him.” Riddle grumbled as he flipped to the camera surveillance from the previous night that showed a familiar blonde man buying Mr. Rois drinks that night. “Rook Hunt, a loyal friend and second in command to Vil..Even if I show the tapes the judge won’t do anything.”

“Luckily though the judge would also never dare to shut us down. You handle the case and I’ll take care of Hunt.” Trey replied happily before adding. “Cater can take care of the Casino while we’re taking care of this.”

“I hope so, I do not care what you have to offer Trey, but try to at least come up with a way for Vil’s community to not besmirch our casino.” 

The young owner and second in command left the office, with Trey immediately seeking out Cater to give him an update on the situation before questioning the man. “Do you have Rook Hunt’s number? I know you are not that close to him but-”

“Sorry Trey-man, I don’t have any numbers in Vil’s group, you know how hush-hush they are.” Cater replied with a shrug and then started scrolling through his phone. “But, I know someone that might have his number or can get you close.”

“Oh? Who would that be?”

“Kalim, he’s friends with everyone, and considering he owns many banks I’m sure he would have his number. Want me to give him a call?”

“No, I think I’ll go see him myself, more than likely they’ll just say that they can’t “divulge” client information over call. It would be faster to drive down myself, but if you happen to see any of Vil’s companions do not hesitate to call me.”

“You got it big man!” Cater chuckled before walking down the stairs to the casino lounge.

Trey made quick time getting to his red sports car, while he was not much of a car guy he figured he should look the part of a casino owner's right hand man. Traveling from the Rose district to the Golden Sands district was not a grueling drive, Trey found himself always amazed by the culture involved in creating the district and the historical buildings that were preserved. After parking the pine green haired man made his way inside to the luxurious bank and immediately was spotted by Jamil, a man that was hard to get by no matter how busy the place was. Trey waited patiently until he got to the counter and greeted Jamil politely with a smile. “Hello Jamil, is Kalim here?”

“Why do you want to know that?” Jamil questioned, biting back any tones of suspicion or impatience. 

“Well I have a question for him and then I will be out of here, it’s in regards to a mutual friend of ours.”

“Kalim has no time for such things, he’s busy enough running this bank that he can’t afford any distractions-”

“Trey?! Is that you?” 

Both Jamil and Trey turned their heads to the office doors where Kalim was walking out of with his bright smile, Jamil was very annoyed but Trey only smiled in amusement and greeted back. “Hello Kalim, sorry that it has been a while.”

“No, that's alright! But I have not seen you in months, how are you?”

“I am well, we have been very busy at the casino and I have been training a lot of new staff, which is why I barely have time to visit.” 

“While you’re here we should catch up! Maybe I can get some snacks prepared and-”

“Actually,” Jamil cut Kalim off, narrowing his eyes a bit as he explained. “Trey has a question for you then will have to go.”

“Oh really? Such a shame..” Kalim frowned a little but perked right back up as he said. “Well then I will just have to make time to see the casino, does that sound good?”

Trey chuckled slightly and nodded, fixing his hat back into position. “That sounds perfect, Kalim, we will be happy to have you visit. What I am trying to find though is Rook Hunt’s phone number.”

“Rook Hunt?” Kalim’s ruby eyes widened a bit in surprise before taking Trey’s arm and leading him to his office, closing the door before commenting. “Trey, you know that he is part of a special group.”

“I know, but this is a business deal and emergency. Please, I need to speak with him.”

Kalim hummed softly to himself and stared at the floor with sudden interest and thought. “Whenever I need to talk to them or they need to talk to me it’s normally sent by letter for a meeting. But I was told that if I needed to get a hold of them quickly that I should meet an operative in the Islet Maze, which is in-”

“The Pyroxene district.” Trey finished with a sigh, if he was to be discovered working at the casino then he would have trouble with any wandering gang members in the territory. The Islet Maze was also a great tourist attraction of famous actors and historical leaders in the land of Nirvana Steel. “Very well, thank you for the information Kalim.”

The bank owner smiled a bit as he walked to his desk and handed Trey a small golden viper pin. “Here, this should help you through the territory as a messenger of the bank. Speaking of which! Can you deliver this to Rook if you see him?”

With the pin, Trey was surprised when Kalim handed him a bag that had a bizarre shape, almost a pentagon with the handles at the top and was wrapped in bubble wrap and red thread. “Uh, sure. I’ll see if I can deliver it.”

“Thanks a bunch Trey!”

The vice casino owner was not sure what to make of the odd gift, but brought it back to his car and put the gold pin on his jacket and drove to Pyroxene’s district. Much like Golden Sands district, the Pyroxene district was full of culture and beautiful buildings. Nirvana’s history could be found in the museums and famous landmarks as well, along with great theater performances and a grand park in the center of the district. Cars were harder to navigate through the crowded area so Trey had to park his vehicle and walk to the central park, Islet Maze was exactly as it sounded, with linings of beautiful flowers and an entire maze of stone figures and other remarkable plants that were constantly cared for. The park was not really a maze all things considered, the first half of it was just a walking path with the statues in plain view then the second half was the real maze with several entrances and exits so no one could really get lost. The hedges of the maze were neatly trimmed and some shaped around the historical figures, and occasionally rabbits and birds would build their homes in the hedges as well. Trey was thankful that none of The Gang members were around, they are easy to spot whereas the spies of Vil are not so easy to discover, but he would have to make this a quick visit.

As the pine color haired man stepped into the maze he wandered a bit before noticing a lone bench in the center of the maze, the bench had a small metal plaque with the words “In honor of the creator of Islet Maze, Erik Venue.” Trey took a seat and leaned back on the smooth wood, waiting patiently for a sign of Rook or one of his men. While he sat there, the birds provided plenty of peaceful background noise along with the exhilarating smells of wild flowers of all shapes and colors. Trey felt his shoulders drop in relief but before he could enjoy the peace longer a man came into view from Trey’s left, the person dressed in a casual but beautiful navy blue suit but wore sunglasses to cover his eyes. At this man’s presence, Trey calmly set the package on the bench and stood up, briefly saying. “I’m looking for Rook Hunt.”

“Well he’s not here.” The man sneered before stepping closer to Trey, having the gall to reach out and grab his arm. Trey simply took hold of the man’s wrist and noticed the fancy light shade lilac gloves, the only group to wear these types of gloves are under Vil’s employment. The henchman growled and attempted to punch Trey with his freehand, but when Trey moved it only let the man’s knuckles knock his glasses off. With quick succession, Trey launched his knee into the man’s stomach before driving his elbow into the spine of the man to drop him to the ground, with a small glare from the medallion eyes Trey picked his glasses up and turned his attention up to one of the walnut trees that loomed over the maze. 

From above there was an amused grin by the man Trey was looking for, Rook Hunt smiled down at Trey before commenting and clapping his hands, standing on the strong limb as if he weighed nothing at all. “Merveilleux! You certainly do not waste time asking questions. But that is to be expected from a casino man.”

“Rook Hunt I presume? Sorry for kicking down one of your men, but he is rather..nosy.” Trey replied back with a smile of his own.

“No need to apologize, my men are not as good of fighters as Vil would wish.” Rook replied and jumped down from the tree, smoothing out his clothes.

In most video’s they caught of Rook, he was always in a suit or wearing an altered violet kimono that reached to his knees, and he always wore a hat that covered his face in surveillance videos. Today his clothes seemed more casual with a black tracksuit and a black cap with camo white patches, paired with black gloves and black combat boots. Rook took no time to walk closer to Trey, and for some reason the man seemed to give off a pleasant yet cautious approach. “Now, what can I do for you? This is my day off and I would like to get back to my training.”

“I’ve come to talk to you about a situation that happened at the casino, a man by the name of Jacob Rios may have been framed by one of your men. He’s not our highest paying client, but losing a customer along with our name being slandered is a problem.”

“Rios..Rios..Ah! Bien sûr! Yes I remember that mission. Rest assured Rose Chevalier, that man was only framed by his own hubris. However, he was not our original target, the man Vil was hunting for did not arrive so we only could get rid of his henchmen. But we’re hoping to make a trap to meet the head of the organization.”

Trey brushed off the odd name that Rook called him, although was interested in the information since it could pertain to another scandal. “And what exactly is their business, because if you plan to use the casino again there might be issues with your boss and mine.”

“I understand your worry, but we will be setting a trap at the nearby theater house, the boss apparently loves going to performances.” Rook smirked and his eyes narrowed a bit upon noticing the package on the ground. “Excuse-moi, what is that?”

“I’m not sure, Kalim asked me to deliver it to you.” Picking up the package, Trey handed it off to Rook and the spy took a moment to unwrap it and open up the package, he chuckled as soon as he looked inside.

“Ah, always so kind Kalim.” Rook commented out loud and sat on the bench as he took out a box and opened it to show many round puffy cookies. “Would you like to try some Rose Chevalier?”

It was surprising how friendly Rook was being, Trey nodded his head and sat next to him before asking. “What are those?”

“They’re from Kalim’s home town, the cookies are called Maamoul. Delicious cookies filled with nuts that are soaked in honey, it has a delectable fluffiness to the outer shell~” Rook replied with delight before handing one to Trey. “When I saw Kalim last, he wanted to know if I wanted anything from his hometown, I’m glad he was able to get some of these.”

“And you do not mind sharing these?” Trey asked curiously and took a bite into the cookie, smiling at the sweet taste that greeted his tongue.

“Of course not, even if we are from different agencies, that does not mean we cannot be civil to each other.”

“That is true, I’ll have to try making these myself.”

Rook looked at Trey with curiosity and smiled. “Oh? You are a baker?”

“Baking is a hobby of mine, but I do not get many chances to bake with how busy I am.” Trey admitted before adding. “Helping out the casino takes up most of my days and nights, which is why I wanted to resolve the issue with Mr. Rios quickly.”

The spy went silent as he took a bite of one of the cookies, both sat together and ate quietly before Rook spoke up again. “If you are worried about the casino, I can promise you that the news will have its eyes elsewhere very soon.”

“You can promise that?”

“Absolutely. I understand the lack of freetime and how sad it is when you barely have the time to yourself, that is why my day off is important to me. But I assure you, Vil is working as fast as he can and the attention of Mr. Rios will be dragged away.”

“Being a spy does sound interesting.”

“Spy? We call ourselves informants.” Rook chuckled slightly and then stood up while wrapping the package back up. “I should go, but do not worry about the casino. Thank you for delivering the package as well, your kindness is much appreciated!”

“Just a favor for a friend, but it was nice of you to share.” Trey replied and stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry about your guy too..he’s been on the ground for a while is he alright?” 

“Huh?” Rook glanced back to one of his men on the ground before chuckling and calling out to him. “You can head back now!”

The man slowly stood and nodded his head, fixing his shades before leaving the maze and leaving Trey in confusion. “Wait, he could get up this whole time?”

“Oui! We train our people to fight, but if they cannot and they have the chance to get information or survive, we encourage them to play dead.”

“That’s..I’m not sure if that’s really smart or boring.” Trey smiled as he lightly chuckled. 

“It’s both. Now, if you do not mind I need to head ba-”

The informant stopped suddenly and his eyes glared in the direction of one of the paths to the maze, Trey became on edge when the informant put the package down and reached for one of his pockets. Before the green haired man could react, Rook immediately tackled him down as a gunshot went off and there was now a hole through one of the hedges, Rook quickly got back up and took out a small pistol from his pocket before firing back. Everything went quiet that moment and Trey’s ears thudded with adrenaline as he slowly got to his feet and followed Rook’s gaze to the hedge, the vice casino owner was not used to this kind of interaction. There was movement the next second, a figure in all black stepping out with a pair of shades and their short brown hair tripped to sharp points. 

Trey then realized what was going on and demanded. “What is a member of the assassin’s doing here?”

“That’s none of your concern.” The man hissed back before aiming his gun at Rook. “Rios sends his regards.”

Another shot sounded off as Rook and Trey parted in opposite ways before Rook took a shot back, the assassin was fast enough to only be grazed in the cheek but Trey did not want to risk being shot and ran further into the maze. With all the noise the assassin and Rook were making it would be no doubt that someone would be calling the police soon, without some form of weapon Trey did not know how he could even assist. The green haired man however did not get far when he heard a shout of pain and stopped in his place, the shooting stopped and there were no following noises made, it made him on edge. He slowly made his way back and when he peeked around the corner, Rook was on the grass and blood stained the grass, the assassin above him had a bleeding hand and was no longer holding his gun. It was then Trey gritted his teeth and ran over, the assassin noticed quickly but as he moved to take out a new weapon, Trey wrapped an arm around the man’s neck and under his right arm to hook him and slam him into the ground. With the man’s arm pinned up and his neck held at such a miserable angle there was not much the assassin could do besides struggle. Trey grunted as he kept holding the assassin down, trying to think of his next move, then suddenly the body went limp and Trey slowly lifted his head to see Rook smiling at them while moving a cloth away from the assassin.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-yes but..what did you do?”

“Chloroform rag of course, he had it in his upper pocket. I noticed it when he dodged my first shot.” 

“That’s impressive..” Trey replied and stood up, flinching as he noticed Rook’s hand moving to grasp his left side that was bleeding. “You’re bleeding badly. Come on, we need to get you to a hospital!”

“N-no need.” Rook chuckled and casually walked to the package by the bench and picked it up. “I already sent a message to Vil for extraction when I played dead on the ground. Although, I am surprised you came back.”

“Fighting is not really a strong suit of mine. But I can handle someone at the casino if you’re getting rowdy..” Trey explained and watched as Rook sat on the bench, sympathetically the casino man removed his jacket and wrapped it around Rook’s side, tying the arms of the jacket together tightly to keep pressure on the wound. “Here..”

Rook almost looked intrigued by Trey’s intuition with the wound. “Oh? So you have seen wounds like this?”

“All the time. You would be surprised how many people get shot or stabbed in a casino.” Trey replied with a small smile, then he fixed his glasses and said. “I should be heading back. Riddle and the others will be worried.”

“Of course,” Rook nodded with a chuckle and added. “But, we should discuss more of our delectable tastes when we can.”

Now Trey had to chuckle but agreed. “I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

After they parted ways, Trey immediately went to the casino to wash up and take a nap, the moment he woke up he was invited downstairs to greet Jamil and return the pin he had borrowed. Jamil did comment on how Trey did not need to disturb Kalim for a while and that Kalim would visit sometime soon, the vice casino owner only smiled and apologized for the trouble before the dark haired man left. It was several hours later, now about 1 AM, and the casino was packed wall to wall with people, Trey commenced his normal patrol of each floor while listening in to others conversations.

Deuce suddenly ran up to him, narrowly avoiding a walking by customer before stopping in front of Trey. “Trey! This just came for you.”

Trey looked at the fancy black box and opened it, he froze a bit when he noticed his jacket, cleaned and pressed with a lavender card on the top of it. He smiled and took the box before looking at Deuce. “Thank you, but who delivered it?”

“I’m not sure, some purple haired kid, he did not look much older than me though. He just said to deliver this to you right away.” Deuce’s eyes narrowed as he muttered. “I honestly thought it was a trap.”

“I see. Don’t worry, I know who sent this.” Trey said with a smile before excusing himself to take his jacket up to his room, then he opened the card and read the decorative cursive.

“Rose Chevalier, I hope you are doing well. My friends and I took care of Rios’s companion, I imagine this will release some tension from your boss. Also, thank you for the coat. I hope you don’t mind but it was stained with my blood and I took the liberty of cleaning it and scenting it with a popular fragrance. Have a wonderful evening, a friend from the garden.”

Trey’s brow furrowed in confusion before taking a sniff of his jacket and cringed at the rose scent. “Of course..what did I expect?”

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil calls for crackdown on racism in football

The Brazilian Football Confederation said Friday it had sent a letter to FIFA calling for a crackdown on racism in the sport, after a series of incidents targeting players including Brazil star Vinicius Junior.

The CBF told AFP it had also addressed the letter to European football's governing body, UEFA, and the South American confederation, CONMEBOL, urging stronger action to fight racism and raise awareness about a problem that has long dogged the sport.

The letter comes after an effigy of Vinicius Junior, who plays for Real Madrid, was found hung by the neck from a bridge near the Spanish club's training center ahead of their derby against crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid last week.

The player -- who scored a goal in his team's 3-1 win that day -- was also the victim of racist slurs at a league match between the two clubs in September.

And Spain's High Council for Sport said Monday that Real Valladolid fans who racially insulted Vinicius Junior during a match in December would be prosecuted for hate speech.

"It's essential to wage an absolutely firm fight against racism. Cases like the recent ones involving Vinicius Junior and so many other athletes are unacceptable," CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues said Thursday at the opening of a FIFA seminar in Rio de Janeiro.

Continue reading.

[insomnia-arts]

I posted 151 times in 2022

83 posts created (55%)

68 posts reblogged (45%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bymyblackhand

@autistpus

@baddyzarc

@gxmonth

@lindleland

I tagged 151 of my posts in 2022

#insomni reblogs - 53 posts

#my art - 50 posts

#zexal - 27 posts

#by my black hand watches zexal - 21 posts

#insomni and my bro - 21 posts

#ygo gx - 18 posts

#yugioh gx - 17 posts

#fanart - 12 posts

#cosplay - 12 posts

#gxmonth2022 - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 79 characters

#i swear it comes to claim me twice a year and if i dont answer the call ill die

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

It’s day 3 of @zexalweek and the prompt is Mer/Maid

Cliche’ as it is, I just really wanted to draw merman Shark and attempt aquarium vibes

34 notes - Posted May 31, 2022

#4

I finally finished my Razer cosplay, and he was a pain to make, but worth it!!

I also love how my makeup turned out, though it's hard to see in this mirror selfie.

Side note....those shoulders were the biggest problem to figure out/construct and I'm a little peeved they're off center....

40 notes - Posted April 5, 2022

#3

It’s day one of @zexalweek 2022! and the prompt is Sports Day!

Spike Spiegel once said “I love a woman who can kick my ass” and this is true for me as well, so how could I not draw Rio and Anna doing roller derby!

HAPPY ZEXAL WEEK EVERYONE!!!!! I hope we all have a great time!!

41 notes - Posted May 29, 2022

#2

Had this WIP sitting on my computer for around a month and finally finished it

There's just not enough fanart for this pair...

Hard to believe it's my first time actually drawing Tania

43 notes - Posted June 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I'm curled up in a Yami Yugi blanket, wearing my Yami Yugi beanie and trying not to cry.....

Goodbye Takahashi-sensei, we will all miss you...so so much...

92 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[discendia]

Omg yaaaay!!! So happy you reblogged this, Junie!! Gonna do this for Rio and Stella! [Also hope you're doing well! I'm happy to see you on the dash!!]

🍁- What's this oc's favorite genre of movies/tv shows/books/etc?

🌾- How does this oc get along with people they just met?

🌟- Is this oc good at expressing themself through words or do they have to use other means?

Hehehe, anything for you, sweetpea! I’m so happy you asked for Stella too, you truly are Stella’s number 1 fan! And I hope you're doing well too, I missed you so much this week.

《 OC Emoji Ask Game 》

─────── ⋆⋅✿⋅⋆ ────────

Rio

🍁- What's this oc's favorite genre of movies/tv shows/books/etc?

The void would watch or read anything you offer her to get to know her own tastes. She often watches the sports channel because Takeshi likes it and baseball matches are interesting. 

🌾- How does this oc get along with people they just met?

Answered [ here ] hehe~

🌟- Is this oc good at expressing themself through words or do they have to use other means?

Rio is a dichotomy. She has a way with words to negotiate, it’s her most important skill as a liaison after all, but she can only do it in Italian or English. While she’s not that bad in Japanese, in more friendly and casual settings you can see her babbling in the Yamamoto siblings’ secret language (full of onomatopoeia). At least, she can translate it into normal words better than Takeshi.

─────── ⋆⋅⚝⋅⋆ ────────

Stella

🍁- What's this oc's favorite genre of movies/tv shows/books/etc?

She’s into American teen romance comedies and dramas, and reality shows. She's the type that would watch CCTV recordings of your mafia high school au with popcorn and keep up with all the gossip, hehehe.

🌾- How does this oc get along with people they just met?

Stella doesn’t change the way she behaves at the first meeting with anyone, which means she either charms them with her charisma or comes across as a pushy spoiled girl who strives to be the center of attention.

In this second case, if they tell that to her face, she won’t deny the accusations and justify them by saying it’s her nature as a Leo and that she deserves the spotlight more than bitter people like them.

🌟- Is this oc good at expressing themself through words or do they have to use other means?

Words don’t work by themselves, you need attitude, and Stella has it. Of course, it’s important what you say, but she finds it more important how you say it and the body language you use to get those words through and obtain the result you seek.

[jiraaubreysalen]

WELCOME TO PARACALE : A Golden Paradise of Camarines Norte

Tourist Destination Information

An island with a sea view that is well situated in the southern eastern region of Luzon, in the northeastern region of Camarines Norte. There is so much gold in Paracale that the town's name itself alludes to its mining past. "Canal Digger" is the meaning of Para Cale, from whence Paracale was formed.

A thriving fishing and small-scale mining community existed in Paracale before the Spanish colonial era. Because of its rich land and natural beauty, Paracale attracted Spanish colonists by the time Juan de Salcedo arrived, and in 1863 it was formally founded as a town.

It comprises 27 barangays with a total land area of 197.90 square kilometers. Agriculture and small-scale, frequently gold mining and ore processing are the main drivers of the economy. In addition to its reputation as a gold mining destination in Camarines Norte, Paracale is a proud Bicol paradise with stunning beaches and breathtaking natural landscape.

Transportation : How to go to Paracale?

Manila to Paracale

(Via Commute)

Ride a bus from Manila to the Paracale/Panganiban route through Superlines or Philtranco. The terminals are found in Cubao and PITX. (Recommended Bus: Philtranco over Superlines)

(Via Own Car)

If you are driving by car, opt for the Manila-Bicol route. Don’t miss the junction after Tagkayawan, Quezon. Go straight to Sta. Elena and follow the road that leads to Talobatib in Labo. Roads are quite jumbled in Talobatib so make sure that you are heading to the direction of Panganiban.

Transportation Budget

Budget traveling via bus commute can range from 400 - 600 Pesos (depending on the bus company range) with 7 hours or less than the bus fare.

Accommodation : Place to Stay at Paracale

Paliza del Rio Tourist Inn

Finding a place to rest? No need to worry, Paracale offers you Paliza Del Rio Tourist Inn located in Sta. Rosa Street, Barangay Poblacion Norte, Paracale, Camarines Norte. Offering different accommodation rooms that ranges from 500 to 3,500 pesos. While providing the warm and cozy stay as you venture and have fun to the heart of Paracale Municipality and enjoy different tourist attractions that is near the Accommodation site such as Pulang Daga Beach (7 minutes distance), Gumaus Beach (19 minutes), Mount Bagacay (35 minutes), Cribe Cocofarm and Beach Resort (7 minutes) and a walking distance to beach port to Calaguas Island.

The picture below are the different Room Rates and Essentials that you need to know and the Tourist Inn's facebook page link for more information.

Facebook Page Link: https://www.facebook.com/palizadelrio?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Things To Do in Paracale

Visit Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de Candelaria (known as Our Lady of Candelaria Church)

The oldest and earliest church in the province of Camares Norte was founded in 1611. Featuring the miraculous picture of Our Lady of Candelaria, it was constructed by Franciscan friars. This historic stone church is situated in the heart of Paracale, a third-class municipality in the Camarines Norte region. The church endures several natural and man-made disasters and observes the province's rich cultural legacy. As if protecting the entire town, the image of Our Lady of Candelaria welcomes guests by occupying the center of the church. According to locals, the picture is visible to both visitors and the townspeople even from a distance.

Pulang Daga Beach

An Hidden Treasure in Paracale, Camarines Norte. Beach enthusiasts can enjoy a clean and tranquil retreat at this lovely and remote beach. With its 500-meter length, Pulang Daga offers plenty of room for relaxing strolls and beach sports. Named for the reddish brown rocks and cliffs that surround it, the beach is renowned for its pristine beauty and peace, lending a special charm to its gorgeous surroundings. Snorkeling and exploring the undersea world are popular activities because of its rich marine life.

Amenities:

Bathroom Facilities

Free Parking Lot for Visitors

Activities:

Swimming

Snorkeling

Beachcombing

Picnicking

Restaurants:

Pulang Aga Beachside Restaurant (offers seafood and local filipino dishes)

Sunset Beach Restaurant (offers international and filipino specialities)

Entrance Fee:

Entrance Fee varies differently for Adults the entrance fee is 30 pesos while for children entrance fee is 10 pesos.

Hotels/Accommodation:

Paracale Beachfront Resort

Macolabo Island

As the main stopover on the way to Tinaga Island, Macolabo Island is a barrio of the town of Paracale and a part of the Calaguas Group of Islands. Locals live on portions of the roughly four-kilometer-long island, where farming and fishing are the primary sources of income. Visitors are greeted by this island's excellent white beach and clear turquoise to emerald green sea water, which is only a 45-minute boat ride from the town of Paracale. Even though Macolabo is a side excursion to Calaguas, its splendor will undoubtedly win over a beach lover.

How to get to Macolabo Island:

From Paracale Town hire a boat to Macolabo Island that approximately costs 1,000 to 1,500 pesos with 45 minutes of trip.

Golden Trail with RRC ATV Motors

Enjoy Paracale by riding and visiting Golden Trail with RRC ATV Motors; fun and adventure are in store. Due to the uneven terrain of Golden Trail, it would take 20 to 30 minutes to reach there, depending on your level of competence. Despite this, novices can explore the area with the assistance of guides while taking in the breathtaking views. With mountains lining the horizon and water coves and lagoons, the location offers breathtaking 360-degree views. You can have a picnic with your loved ones while on the route, which is best done about 4 p.m. or during the golden hour.

How much can it cost?

900 pesos per unit to get to Grotto (with ATV, including gears and guides) and the Buggy cost 1,200 pesos.

Gumaus Beach

Offers travelers a peaceful respite from the bustle of everyday life along its kilometers of glistening golden dunes. The cultural and historical context of Gumaus Beach is important. A major aspect of Paracale's character for centuries, the town is well-known for its lengthy history of gold mining. This distinctive feature adds a deeper level of significance to the beach's natural beauty and enhances the tourists' experience as the golden sands of Gumaus Beach appear to reflect the town's rich mineral past.

Activities to do:

Swimming

Sunbathing

Beach Volleyball

Leisure Walks

Amenities:

Street Parking

LifeGuard on Duty

Pet Friendly

Restaurants:

Kusina ni Tita (offers authentic Filipino Dishes)

The Beachside Cafe (offers international to local dishes)

Hotels:

Gold Coast Inn

Paracale Waters Hotel

Entrance Fee:

40 pesos

Traveler Tips

If you're thinking when is the best time to go to Paracale, I can suggest during the month of March to May. But if you don't have time between that month I can also suggest Mid June to Mid July.

If going to tourist attractions like, Pulang Daga Beach, Macolabo Island, Gumaus Beach I suggest to bring light and easy to wear clothes and don't forget to bring a sunscreen for the screen protection.

Paracale is minutes to hours away from the municipality of Daet, Labo and Panaganiban. I can suggest that you can also visit their tourist attractions if you ever want to visit as many places in Camarines Norte.

If you're on a commute, it's better to know where you really want to go, pay for the exact amount of transportation fees, and always ask for help if you feel like you are lost since terminals in different towns can be challenging to sight.

Contacts

Paliza del Rio Tourist Inn

Email: Palizareumir@yahoo.com.ph

Contact: 0929 716 2222

RRC ATV Motors

Email: RRCATVMOTORS@gmal.com

Contact: 0929 478 5711

Personal Contacts:

Email: salenjira@gmail.com or main.jiraaubrey.salen@cvsu.edu.ph

Number: 09094039448

Facebook: Jira Salen