#Who gave her the name Mexes

[sammichiart]

Like Mother, Like Daughter

[vixen-woman]

I was just 20 years old and I had been transfer to another city where it happened. A friend of my mother was living with her. Her name was Elinor and she had 3 kids. Her husband was in the military and stationed abroad for one year. She had invited me to her home for supper on Friday night. After we had eaten she asked would I mind taking her daughter Mona to her school dance. Mona favoured her father who was a Tex-Mex with dark hair and skin. Well we went to the dance and sat with her school friends and danced with each other where I held her close and we rubbed each other’s bodies as we danced. Well her friends decided it was time to go and we left also.In the car I leaned over and kissed her passionately and we French kissed for about 5 minutes and then drove home.When we arrived home I gave her mom back her husband’s jacket and she asked if we had a good time. “Yes but I would rather be with you”, I said.“I am married so that can't happen” she said and then kissed me on the check saying that is so sweet. Monday I came home from work and took a shower and when I finished I heard a knock at my door. I put on some gym shorts before seeing who was there. To my surprise there stood Elinor.Let me describe her. She has blond hair tied in bun, blue eyes, gorgeous face with a full figure though not over weight but filled out in all the right places. She wore a black leather skirt to her knees with matching boots a white silk top that covered her full 38 inch breasts. She smelled delicious and like a mid-age model. I led her into the room and we sat on my bed. Elinor said,” Sara

we need to get some things out in the open. I find you very attractive but I am married so if we have a relationship it will be on my terms.” “Anything you say” I told her.“No one can ever know about us, don't call me I will call you.” She stated “When a woman is kind enough to let you enjoy her body take it slow and make sure it is enjoyable for everyone. Women like to be kissed held and made love to very tenderly.” She continuedI looked into her beautiful blue eyes and kissed her lips very softly. Then I kissed her neck, working my way down to her cleavage.I unbuttoned her top and kissed her milky white breast.  I unbuttoned her blouse and took it off very carefully. She reached behind her and undid her bra for me. Her breast sagged a little but she had rosy pink little nipples and a big circle around them a little darker with little bumps on them. I used my tongue to taste her nipples and took as much in my mouth as I could hold, sucking them a little harder.I loosed her skirt and she stood up to let it slide down her long sexy legs. She wore red lacy bikini panties.  I kissed and licked my way down her belly and then licked her panties right where her pussy was as she was standing. She grabbed and held my head as she moaned. Her panties were getting wet from my saliva and her juices. She lay back falling on the bed saying “take them off please.”I tossed them aside. I kissed the sides of her legs licking and kissing all around her pussy teasing her. She grabbed me by the hair and pulled my head into her pussy which smelt awesome and tasted even biter.

She was humping and grinding her hips into my mouth. It only took a few minutes and I could feel her tense and start to shutter. She came her juices coving my face like a fresh mango.When she returned back to earth, I took off my gym shorts and rubbed my 8 inch thick cock against her pussy then placed the head against her. She used her finger to spread her lips apart and I pushed my cock in gradually.“I didn't realize you were that big” she said,“Go slowly.” She moaned I kept control as asked and just kept pushing and forcing more into her bit by bit untill my balls were touching her ass. Then I started to fuck her slowly at first following her bucking rhyme then faster and faster being led by her unbridled lust Patten. Her nails now digging in my back. “Cum, cum but not inside me I want your hot cum on me, cover me in it”. She screamed I lost control. Her words were my commands, I grunted hard as I ejected a weeks’ worth of cum all over her. She closed her eyes and thrashed about under my streams of man Juice. Using her fingers to finish her orgasm off as I showered her in my cum as required. “Yes fuck yes …. So good” she said as her body came to a Holt. I lay beside her on the bed and tried to kiss her a few time, each time she moved her face. “No that’s not for you”. She got up and walked to the shower as I laid back down in the ecstasy I just experienced. 

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

A Timeline of the Gabby Petito Case

June 2021

Petito and Laundrie embark on a cross-country trip. They planned to travel in Petito's white Ford van to the West Coast and visit state and national parks across the western United States. Petito had been excited to share her journey with her family and others on social media and maintained regular contact with her family members during her travels; however, that communication abruptly stopped around the end of August.

August 12, 2021

Moab, Utah, police have an encounter with the couple on August 12, where officers describe them as having "engaged in some sort of altercation." Although the two are described as getting into a physical fight following an argument, "both the male and female reported they are in love and engaged to be married and desperately didn't wish to see anyone charged with a crime," a report from officer Eric Pratt says.  At the officers' suggestion, the couple separated for the night, according to the report, which describes Petito as "confused and emotional."  “After evaluating the totality of the circumstances, I do not believe the situation escalated to the level of a domestic assault as much as that of a mental health crisis," officer Daniel Robbins writes in the report. No charges are filed. The couple each had their own cell phones in case of emergency, the report adds. In a 911 audio recording from that day provided by the Grand County Sheriff's Office, a caller tells dispatch he wanted to report a domestic dispute and described a white van with a Florida license plate. The caller said as they were driving by, "the gentleman was slapping the girl. "Then we stopped," the caller added. "They ran up and down the sidewalk. He proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car and they drove off."

August 17 

Laundrie flew to Tampa, Florida, from Salt Lake City on August 17, according to Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino. Laundrie "flew home to obtain some items and empty and close the storage unit to save money as they contemplated extending the road trip". 

August 23

Laundrie returned to Salt Lake City to re-join Petito, the attorney said, adding, "To my knowledge Brian and Gabby paid for the flights as they were sharing expenses. 

August 27

On August 27, a Louisiana couple vacationing in Jackson, Wyoming, said they saw Petito and Laundrie involved in a "commotion" as they were leaving The Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant. Nina Angelo, who was at the restaurant with her boyfriend, said Petito was in tears and Laundrie was visibly angry, going in and out of the restaurant several times and showing anger toward the staff around the hostess stand. A restaurant manager told CNN she saw "an incident" at the restaurant but declined to give her name or describe what happened, and said the restaurant did not have surveillance video of the incident. 

Last week of August 

Petito's family told police they were last in contact with her during the last week of August. Before that last communication, Petito is believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, police say. In a news conference in September, Petito family attorney Richard Stafford says the family's last communication with Petito was August 30, but they do not believe the message they received was from her. Stafford shares a timeline of events on September 17, as the family knows it:

On August 24, Petito FaceTimes with her mother and tells her she is leaving Utah and heading to the Teton range in Wyoming.

On August 25, there are multiple texts between Petito and her mother. The young woman's family believes she is in the Tetons on this date.

On August 27, there were more texts between Petito and her mother, during which her family believes she remains in the Tetons.

On August 30, her family receives their last text from Petito. They doubt she wrote that text. According to Stafford, the message read, "No service in Yosemite."

Also in September, a woman publicly claimed she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride on August 29 in Wyoming -- and Laundrie claimed he'd been camping by himself for multiple days while Petito was at their van working on social media posts. In a series of videos posted on TikTok, Miranda Baker said she and her boyfriend picked up Laundrie that evening while he was hitchhiking in Colter Bay, Wyoming. Laundrie told them he had been camping at a site outside the Grand Teton National Park, near the Snake River, she said. Once Laundrie found out Baker and her boyfriend were going to Jackson Hole instead of Jackson, he got agitated, asked that the vehicle stop, and got out near the Jackson Dam, according to Baker. Baker said she spoke to law enforcement about the interaction. North Port police confirmed Baker spoke with the department before posting the videos on TikTok. "Her account is plausible, it appears," North Port police spokesperson Josh Taylor said. Additionally, Norma Jean Jalovec, a seasonal Wyoming resident, told CNN she picked up Laundrie not far from Jackson Lake Dam on August 29 and gave him a ride to the Spread Creek dispersed camping area, where Petito's remains were later found. According to Jalovec, Laundrie told her he and his fiancée had a travel blog, she was in their van at the camping area working on the blog, and he had been hiking along the Snake River embankment for a few days. Jalovec said she later provided the FBI with that information. Jalovec said when they arrived at Spread Creek, she dropped Laundrie off before the gate at the entrance of the camping area. She said she offered once or twice to take him farther, but he was insistent that he be dropped off at the entrance. Laundrie then offered her gas money, but she declined, she said. Jalovec said she picked him up around 6:15 p.m., which was just a few minutes after Baker had said Laundrie had departed her vehicle.

September 1

Laundrie returns to the couple's North Port home, where his parents also live, on September 1.  According to an affidavit attached to a search warrant request, a license plate reader shows the vehicle exited Interstate 75 into North Port at 10:26 a.m. ET. The white vehicle Petito and Laundrie had been traveling in was later recovered by police at the home. It was processed and "there was some material in there" authorities will be going through, Taylor, the police spokesperson, says at a news briefing.

September 6

The Laundrie family goes to a campground about 75 miles away from their home in early September, according to county officials. Roberta Laundrie, Brian Laundrie's mother, was checked in at a waterfront site at the Fort De Soto Campground from September 6 through September 8, according to a Pinellas County Parks campground check-in report. The Laundries were at the campground from September 6 to September 7 and left altogether.

September 11

After not being able to get in touch with her, Petito's family -- who lives in New York -- reports her missing to police in Suffolk County, New York. North Port authorities go to Laundrie's home that night and ask to speak to him and his family.

September 16

In a letter read by the Petito family attorney at a news briefing held by police, the missing woman's family begs for Laundrie's family to help in the investigation. "Please, if you or your family have any decency left, please, tell us where Gabby is located," Stafford says. "Tell us if we are even looking in the right place. All we want is for Gabby to come home. Please help us make that happen." Petito's family reached out to Laundrie's family earlier in the month for information on Petito's whereabouts, but his family refused to answer. “We haven't been able to sleep or eat, and our lives are falling apart," the Petito family's letter adds.

September 17

After several days of both Petito's family and police pleading with Laundrie's family to cooperate in the investigation, Laundrie's family requests the police come to their home, where they share they haven't seen Brian since September 14, according to Taylor, the police spokesperson. "We've been trying all week to talk to his family, to talk to Brian, and now they've called us here on Friday, we've gone to the home, and they're saying now they have not seen their son, It is another twist in this story." Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, says "the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown. The FBI is currently at the Laundrie residence removing property to assist in locating Brian. As of now the FBI is now looking for both Gabby and Brian." Local and federal authorities kick off a search for the 23-year-old man.

September 18

North Port police say authorities are conducting a search for Laundrie at the Carlton Reserve, a nature area with more than 80 miles of hiking trails in Venice, Florida. Roughly 50 law enforcement officers from five local agencies and the FBI are searching for Laundrie, Taylor, the police spokesperson, says at a news conference, adding Laundrie has an "enormous amount of pressure" on him to provide answers to what's going on. Meanwhile, the FBI announces the agency and its partners are also conducting ground surveys in Grand Teton National Park relevant to Petito's disappearance. The national park is where Petito is believed to have been before her last communication with her family.

September 19

Human remains discovered in Teton County, Wyoming, are "consistent with the description of" Petito, FBI officials say in a news conference." Full forensic identification has not been completed to confirm 100% that we found Gabby, but her family has been notified of this discovery," Charles Jones, FBI Denver's supervisory senior resident agent in Wyoming, says.

September 20

The parents of Brian Laundrie are questioned at their home by the FBI. Christopher and Roberta Laundrie are escorted from their home and return after federal agents executed a search warrant, according to Taylor, the North Port police spokesperson. Authorities search the home for hours. Police say they have exhausted search avenues at the nature reserve and the search area has shifted.

September 21

The Teton County coroner confirms the human remains found Sunday in the Bridger-Teton National Forest were those of Petito. "The cause of death remains pending final autopsy results," the FBI says.

September 23

While authorities continue their search for Laundrie at the Carlton Reserve, the FBI announces the US District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for him. The warrant was issued pursuant to a federal grand jury indictment for the "use of unauthorized devices" related to Laundrie's activities after Petito's death, the FBI says." While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito's homicide," Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider says in a statement. "We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie's role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI." Laundrie is suspected of using a debit card and PIN for accounts that do not belong to him for charges of more than $1,000 sometime between August 30 and September 1, according to the indictment.

September 26

A funeral is held for Petito in Holbrook, New York, and her family launch a charity to help parents find missing children

September 27

Manhunt for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve is scaled back after a 10 day search doesn't find him. Information released that Laundrie and his parents stayed at Fort De Soto Park from September 1-3 and September 6-8 - and that on the latter visit only the parents left

September 28

Laundrie's mom is accused of using a burner phone to contact her son 

September 29

Documents reveal Laundrie's mom cancelled a reservation for the Fort De Soto Park campsite for two from September 1 to 3 and booked for three from September 6 to 8; FBI seizes surveillance footage from site; FBI investigates lead Laundrie bought a burner phone on September 14.

September 30 

Bodycam footage from a second officer at the August 12 incident is released showing a distressed Petito admitting Laundrie hit her; FBI agents collect more evidence from the Laundrie home

October. 1 

It emerges Laundrie's sister had contact with him after she said she did.

October 2

A hiker along the Appalachian Trail claims to have seen Laundrie near the border of Tennessee and North Carolina

October 3

Investigators searched the area on the Appalachian trail for any signs that Laundrie had been there  

October 4

Laundrie's sister told protestors outside her home that her family has been ignoring her after they rebuked her story and that she does not know where her brother is.

October 5

Laundrie's sister appeared on Good Morning America to say she would turn her brother in if she knew where he is; The Laundrie attorney says his parents now 'believe' he went on the run one day earlier than they first claimed (September 13 not 14) meaning he had a four-day head start before they reported him missing to authorities; The attorney also says Laundrie flew from Utah to Florida on Aug. 17 without Petito to clear out a storage unit then returned on Aug. 23

source

[foodieforthoughts]

Journey through time - Part 5

Summary: Your relationship with Syverson over the years.

Warnings: fluff and only fluff.

A/N1: Last part to this mini photo series. Thanks to @agniavateira who has provided me with so much inspiration. Also thank you to everyone who read and liked and commented. You guys make me so happy. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

A/N2: I'll be taking a small hiatus from posting fics for now. But I'll be back soon. ❤️

As much as Sy adored his daughter, secretly he had always wanted a son. Two years after Adeline was born, when he was back from his oversees tour for three weeks, Sy took it upon himself to get you round and plump with his kids again. He was overjoyed when you told him over a call that you were pregnant. Although it saddened you both that this time, Sy wasn't going to be around when you gave birth to your child. When you told him he was going to be a father to twin boys, Sy had hollered with glee, making a couple of his men come knocking at his door to see if he way okay. That was a very awkward call, where you were waving at his men while they congratulated you. You sent him a copy of your sonogram, along with a picture of you with Adeline in a care package. "Mini me's," He would say while looking at the picture, "And my princess with my queen." Your heart would flutter like the very first time he had kissed you; upsetting you at the distance and yet also filling you with love. Sy asked his parents to come live with you, help you with Adeline, as you got big and started experiencing difficulty in moving around. When you went into labour, his mother tried to get him on call, just like he had requested. But they were unable to connect to his phone, wondering if he was safe and sound or just away doing things that were expected of him to do as a captain. Your emotions were unbounded when you gave birth to your sons, worrying about Sy and going through the long process without him. The next day, Sy saw his sons for the first time over the video call, happy tears springing in his eyes as you cradled the two boys in your arms. "They have your eyes, Sy. Have you thought of names yet?" You had asked, having decided long time ago that since you had named your daughter, Sy would name his sons. "James and Noah." He had sniffed out, smiling at you lovingly.

Captain Syverson retired as Major Syverson after serving 20 years of active duty. Sy joined as a coach for Little League Baseball team, becoming a favorite amongst his players and their moms. Every morning you would kiss Sy goodbye as he walked out the front door, holding little Adeline's tiny hand in his to drive her to her school on his way to work. Your days were filled with less worrying about Sy's safety and more on providing a loving family for your kids. It helped that at the end of the day, your dining table was occupied with your children and your loving husband, sharing their day's events. Weekends were spent in parks with the whole Syverson clan out for picnics, you watching your husband running around with James and Noah, Adeline who was a spitting image of her father, perched on his strong shoulders. Somedays you couldn't believe your life turned out the way it did, mostly when you would walk inside the living room to find Sy sprawled on the sofa with Adeline curled on his side, James and Noah snoozing on his chest. You would wake him up, carefully peeling your daughter away from her father and take her to bed, while Sy got both boys in his arms with little to no effort and took them to their own room. At the end of the day, when parenthood and responsibilities left you both weary, you and Sy found solace in each other's arms while drifting off to a peaceful slumber.

It was the most devastating day in Sy's life when his teenage daughter told him she wanted to pursue modelling. Adeline was stubborn and opinionated, graced with Sy's beautiful features. He had stared at his daughter with wide eyes, cup of coffee stopping midway to his mouth. "You want me to be okay with grown men gawking at you?" He had gruffly replied, anger evident with his eyebrows knitting together and his lips forming a frown. You had learned over the years to not interfere with Sy's ways of parenting. James and Noah had awkwardly slid off their chairs, both of them avoiding what was to come next. The discussion had ended with father and daughter, arguing with each other, eventually Sy sending a crying Adeline away to her room. Neither of them had spoken to each other the rest of the day, Adeline refusing to eat dinner and Sy drinking too many glasses of whiskey. "I cannot believe she thinks modelling is a career choice." He had scowled later in the night, you both staring at the ceiling while lying in bed. "Didn't you once tell me you had hated your father for sending you off to military school? Do you want your daughter to hate you?" Sy had sighed, turning on his side to face you. "That's different. Adeline's our little girl, it's my duty to protect her." Understanding completely what Sy was feeling as a parent, you had too turned on your side and placed your hand on his scruffy cheek. "You taught her to be strong, independent. She will always be our little girl. Don't you trust her to take decisions for her life? And even if she fails to do what she desires, don't you want to be there for her when she would need her dad?"

The next day you had watched from your kitchen window as Sy and Adeline talked while sitting on the swings in the backyard, ending with long hugs and lots of tears.

While Adeline roamed around the country for fashion shows, Sy groomed his sons to join the army someday. It was not an acceptable behavior, but both of you had your favorites when it came to the twins. Noah, the stronger of the two was decidedly his father's favorite, adding to his delight when by the end of high school, he wanted to go to a military academy. James, the apple of your eye, on the other hand, wanted to become a doctor, much to Sy's dismay. But lessons were learned from the time with Adeline and for that reason only, Sy did not oppose. Noah was sent off to Virginia to a military academy, going on to join the air force as it was affiliated with his school; while James buried himself in studies, moving to Connecticut to attend medical school. Weekends that were spent with picnics in the park, now consisted of video conference calls with your three kids spread out over the country. "It's just going to be you and me in the end." Sy would say, shutting the computer off and looking at you pensively. Wounding your arms around the love of your life, you would rest your head on his shoulder and agree, "Till death do us part."

On your 30th wedding anniversary, Sy gave you an unexpected surprise. He had been missing from the house since morning, only to send a vague text with "Pack your bags and come out in ten minutes." When you walked outside on the front porch, you were left stunned to find Sy dressed in riding gear on a super bike. "I think we need to relive our days from the time we were dating. Come on, I've planned a road trip for us." And with that, Sy had driven all the way to San Antonio for the weekend. With a hotel room on the river, Sy pampered you with all his love and the best Tex-Mex food he could find for you. You spent the day shopping and exploring, while in the night he made love to you with unbridled passion. "My better half," he had called you, kissing your hands while cradling you to his chest. When you both came back home from your trip, you had another surprise waiting for you: Your three children all under the same roof again, holding up a sign board with "Happy anniversary, mom and dad."

Noah had successfully climbed the ranks in the airforce to become Lieutenant at an age younger than when Sy was one. But it was when James, inspired by his twin, decided to join the armed forces as a field doctor, you saw Sy's chest puff in pride. "Syverson men always join the military." He had told his friends over dinner one night, soaking up the praises for his children. Adeline joined a major modelling agency that speared her career forward. She roamed around the globe, sending her old folks trinkets from the new city she was in, and one day added a picture of her and her boyfriend in the mail. Sy turned into a protective father quickly, inviting her and her man to have dinner. "I like him." Your old man had chuckled, when he had scared Adeline's boyfriend, making him blabber incoherently with nervousness. You could only watch in a haze as one day Adeline's boyfriend showed up to your house unannounced, to ask Sy for his daughter's hand in marriage. "Listen boy, Adeline is precious and if you hurt her, you know there wouldn't be anything worse than us. You don't want to be on the bad side of the Syverson men, is that clear?" You had heard Sy warn, a shiver running down your spine listening to his commanding tone, even if the threat wasn't meant for you. A few weeks later, when Adeline was in Paris, she had called home only minutes after the proposal, screaming on the phone that she said "yes." The rest of the night, Sy had you looking at Adeline's baby pictures from old photo albums. "This little bundle would be getting married soon. Can you believe that?" He had laughed, wiping the tear at the corner of his eye and throwing his arm around your shoulders when you couldn't hold onto your own tears.

The day after Adeline, Sy's little girl, was married, he threw a brunch for the newly weds and their families. James and Noah, back from their deployment in time for their sister's wedding, had introduced their own girlfriends to both of you before the ceremony. You knew Sy would never admit it, macho behavior of his never fading, but you could see his eyes glisten watching his family grow. He had tried to keep a straight face throughout the ceremony too, but he had let go of his tears when Adeline had laid her head on his shoulder during their father-daughter dance. Halfway through brunch, Sy pulled you away from the crowd and took you towards the orchard outside the country club. He held your hand while taking you to stand under the shade of a massive tree. "It's like I'm living in a dream." You admitted, looking out at the sprawling orchard, thinking about how you were a mother-in-law to someone. Sy pulled you close to him by your waist, encircling his arms around you. Gray hair on his temples and his face beginning to be marked with wrinkles and yet for you, Sy looked like he had never aged. "I know I don't tell this to you very often, but darlin' running into you, falling in love with you, building a life with you, is the best thing that could have happened to me." He kissed the top of your head, taking your face in his hands before planting a soft kiss on your lips. "I love you and thank you for everything, Sy." You whispered as the birds chirped on the branches above, a whistling breeze blew by carrying the sweet fragrance of fruits in the orchard and you stared at the brilliant blue orbs of the man who had owned your heart and soul since many years ago.

The End.

[jarmes]

Beating Pokemon Sapphire with (almost) no damaging moves

Last year, I decided to beat Pokemon Leafgreen without using any damaging moves. It was hard, but doable. A few weeks back, I decided to try and find out if you can beat Pokemon Sapphire under the same ruleset. The answer is no. You can’t. It is physically impossible. Let me explain why.

I started the game up, fast-forwarded through the introduction, and chose Mudkip as my starter. Unlike Leafgreen, which features Bulbasaur, one of the best stall Pokemon in Gen 3, all of the starters in Hoenn are terrible for this run, lacking any real way to stall. I went with Mudkip because it’s the most defensive. Tackle is a damaging move, so Mudkip is unable to use anything but Growl. Fortunately, the Poohcheyana is programmed to run away before it beats you.

I named Mudkip GarbageBoyStinkman (technically GBSM because of character limits) and traveled to Route 103 to meet with May. Having no way to deal damage, I ran from all wild Pokemon along the way. Unfortunately, this is the point the run becomes unwinnable.

You cannot beat May without dealing damage. It cannot be done. None of the starters have any moves that can take out opponents through status moves. Now, you may be thinking, what if I caught another Pokemon on the route? Well, you can’t. You can’t buy Pokeballs until after you beat May. And you can’t trade because you only have one Pokemon. We can’t beat May because her Torchic takes us out in a few hits, and we can’t level up before May because all of the wild Pokemon around do the same. So, the run is over. Game over.

Hence the “almost” in the title. Because May is impossible, we’ll try to beat the game without attacking anyone else. It takes four tackles to take out her Torchic. Technically, because criticals do double damage, two criticals could take May out in two hits, setting our minimum attacking moves at two. Getting two crits in a row only happens one percent of the time, but it is possible. I opted for four hits because the battle was already a wash and moved on.

Birch gives us five Pokeballs and we finally have a little breathing room. Our best strategy, for now, is going to be stalling until enemy Pokemon struggle themselves to death. Mudkip lacks the bulk needed to take a few dozen hits and would end up struggling before the opponent, so I need to get some reinforcements. I caught five Zigzagoon: Chocolate, Caramel, Taffy, Lolly, and Liquorice. Full party in hand, I marched to Route 102 and ran into Youngster Calvin, a six-year-old with a single level five Zigzagoon.

Calvin is the hardest trainer that I’ve ever beaten in any challenge run. Calvin is so insanely difficult that he made me question if the run is actually possible.

At level five, Calvin’s Zigzagoon knows three moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, and Growl. Combined, these two moves have 75 PP, meaning I need to stall for 105 turns before the Zigzagoon will struggle. Growl and Tail Whip are fine, but Tackle deals damage, and my team needs to shrug off 35 of them, plus however many struggles it will take for the Zigzagoon to knock itself out.

Even when my team has used Growl six times and Calvin has avoided all uses of Tail Whip, Calvin’s Zigzagoon can take a member of the Candy Squad out in five hits and GBSM out in six. Now, looking at those numbers, it seems that Zigzagoon should just barely be beatable. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Cal’s Zigzagoon is able to take out the first two of its brothers before they minimize its attack and tail Whip lowers the number of hits we can take. Plus, Struggle does just as much damage as Tackle but only does half as much in recoil, meaning that, if my math is right, it’ll take ten struggles for it to die, meaning that even in the absolute best circumstances, we’d need to survive 45 hits when we only have enough HP to take 36.

Now, there are a few random factors that make me think this battle may be technically possible at this point. Zigzagoon chooses its moves at random, meaning that it could in theory save all of its Tail Whips until after wasting its Tackles. And, as previously mentioned, Tackle can miss, which gives us a free hit to survive. But, at the same time, Zigzagoon can get criticals which effectively doom us. After two more tries, I decided that this battle wasn’t winnable, at least not yet.

So, we can’t beat a level five Zigzagoon. But, the question is, can we beat a level two Wurmple? Because if we can beat some wild Pokemon on Route 201, we can get some EXP and become strong enough to beat Youngster Calvin. Unfortunately, my team right now is just barely too weak to survive a single battle.

Fortunately, I bought a couple of potions. If I use a potion right before the Wurmple can take out Mudkip, I can just barely survive. Now, I only had a few potions, but I wasn’t too worried. After each battle, Zigzagoon has a 10% chance to give a random item after battle, including Super Potions, Rare Candies, and things like Nuggets and Full Restores that I can sell for money. With five Zigzagoon, I had a ~40% chance of getting an item after each battle I won.

But, luck wasn’t on my side. By the time Mudkip reached level eight, I was completely out of items. And Mudkip still wasn’t tough enough to survive a battle without a potion. Game over.

So I completely restarted. This time, I was smarter with my Pokeballs. Instead of throwing them willy nilly and having to buy ten more after running out, I saved and reset until I caught five Zigzagoon using the five balls Birch gave me. I also avoided Calvin until I was ready for him, because losing to him wasted money. The extra money this run gave me was enough to start my grind with ten potions instead of three. Also, I made sure that all of the Zigzagoon I caught were level three this time, hoping that the one extra HP would help. I made a save state and started grinding.

I also switched to hunting Poochyena instead of hunting Wurmple. They deal the same damage at level two and don’t know string shot, which made things go quicker. After my first Poochyena defeat, one of the Zigzagoon picked up a Full Restore, which I was able to sell for five extra potions.

Finally, after hours of grinding, Mudkip hit level ten and was able to survive a battle without a potion. I was ready. I marched up to Calvin and stalled. The battle came down to the wire, with Mudkip being the only team member standing when Calvin started struggling.

And then I ran out of Growls. I could not switch out, I could not attack. I was at full health from the last potion, so I could not use another. Calvin was struggling and I was without any means to beat him. Fortunately, one of the Zigzagoon picked up a Revive while I was grinding and I was able to use it to revive a Zigzagoon and switch to it. Still, I came dangerously close to losing.

After Calvin was defeated, I knew the run was possible. There were half a dozen trainers between me and Petalburg Woods, but fortunately, all of them could be avoided. Petalburg Woods contains two things that were useful for me: Cascoon and Silcoon, who only know Harden and can be trained on easily, and Shroomish, the first member of my actual team.

I caught the Shroomish with an Ultra Ball one of the Zigs picked up and named it Plus Ultra. Shroomish didn’t have any status moves yet, but it did have the ability Effect Spore, which could in theory be used to poison opponents. Effect Spore was too unreliable to rely on, though. I trained Shroomish up to level ten, where she learned Leech Seed. Finally, I had a consistent, controllable means to deal damage. Leech Seed drains one-eighth of the target’s health each turn, giving me a way to slowly whittle down opponents. It doesn’t work on grass types, and it’s slow, but it works well enough for now.

I stormed my way through the early game, beating Roxanne without issue. In Dewford Cave I got the TM for Flash and taught it to Shroomish. Flash is actually a decent stall move; the lowered accuracy does wonders to help Plus Ultra survive while waiting for Leech Seed to kill. I also grabbed the Everstone and gave it to Shroomish to keep her from evolving. Brawly was tough. His Pokemon hit hard, especially after a few Bulk Ups. I managed to get lucky and beat him on my second attempt. All of what I’ve said so far happened in a single six-hour play session, by the way. After beating Brawly, I saved the game and went to bed.

I booted up the game the next day and, for some odd reason I was back in Odale town. That’s weird. Also, I didn’t have any badges. And I didn’t have Shroomish. And all of my Pokemon were as weak as they were before the grind. That’s really weird.

I’m sure I saved after Brawly, but for some reason, it didn’t go through. I reverted to my last save before that. So, naturally, I did the only sane thing: redid everything until I got back to Brawly. It was...fun.

I went through Slateport without much issue; I ran out of Leech Seed PP against a Marill in the Seashore House and had to struggle it out, but that only took an eternity. North of Slateport I caught a new team member: Tex Mex the Gulpin. Gulpin had a decent bulk and comes with Poison Gas and Yawn, giving me a second way to take out opponents and a way to deal with Grass types.

I ran into a trainer with a Roselia on Route 110 and was reminded that Grass/Poison Pokemon are nightmares. Fortunately, I was able to walk around her. I mean, in theory, I could either take a Roselia out with a Zubat that knows Supersonic, by struggling it out, or getting it to kill itself by using Mega Drain on Gulpin because of her Liquid Ooze ability, but none of those plans are worth the effort.

May was, like before, annoying. I took out her Wailmer and Numel easily enough, but her Grovile took out Gulpin with Quick Attack. Fortunately, it poisoned itself thanks to Effect Spore. I made my way to Mauville, grabbed the Mach Bike, and made my way to the Day Care. I abused the Day Care to get both of my main team members up to Level 28. Gulpin evolved into Swalot and gained the new, fantastic moveset of Toxic/Poison Powder/Encore/Amnesia.

Leech Seed and Poison Powder both kill in eight turns. Toxic kills in five, making it our new method of taking things out. Also, I kept Poison Powder because it has a lot of PP making it a good move to waste time with.

I also evolved Mudkip, hoping the new Ground typing would help me beat Wattson. I ended up not needing it, because Shroomish and Swalot took him out with ease. I kept moving through the game until I reached a roadblock on Route 112. An unavoidable trainer with a Roselia. Fortunately, I had a plan.

In the Fiery Path, you can find wild Slugma. Slugma has the ability Flame Body, which has the ability to burn your opponent if they hit you with a contact move. The roadblock Roselia knows Poison Sting, which is a physical move. So I caught a Slugma and named it Sheers. Unfortunately, it has Magma Armor instead of Flame Body. So I caught a second one and named it Sheerz. It also had Magma Armor. The third Slugma, Shers, did have Flame Body. I took it to the Roselia, let it get pounded by Poison Sting, and...it fainted. Turns out Poison Sting doesn’t do contact.

So anyway I released the three Slugma and struggled out the Roselia. On Route 113 I caught a new team member: Punji the Skarmory. Skarmory is a famously bulky Pokemon, with great defensive stats, fantastic typing, and access to the interesting combination of Spikes and Whirlwind. Unfortunately, it doesn’t learn Spikes until level 42. And I caught it at level 16. So, he’s going to be wearing the EXP share and working as a tank for a while.

I stormed through the game until reaching Lavaridge. Lavaridge features cheap herbal medicine, which I used constantly throughout this run. Flannery’s fire Pokemon were a nightmare for Shroomish and Skarmory, but Swalot saved the day, using Amnesia to boost her Special Defence and tank Torkoal’s Overheat. After Flannery, I ran to the desert and grabbed the Sandstorm TM, which I taught to Skarmory to give him a way to deal damage. Sandstorm kills in sixteen turns, which isn’t great, but it does give us a way to take out Roselia. I also caught a Baltoy. I named it Tick because the first two I tried to catch Self Destructed. Baltoy doesn’t learn any status moves until 31, so I taught it Flash and kept it on the bench for a while.

Norman was tough. Poisoning his Pokemon allows them to decimate me with Facade, so I was forced to rely on Leech Seed for damage. Even then, he was able to use Focus Punch flinching, making the battle brutal. Fortunately, Truancy gave me time to heal my team and Norman eventually went down.

I ignored Wattson’s pleas for help and made my way to Fortree City. Along the way, I picked up an Absol I named Obama. His only good move at that point was Taunt, meaning that I had another near useless Pokemon to babysit. Wiona was tough, but Skarmory’s bulk and Swalot’s toxic helped me survive. I had my new Absol Taunt her Altaria to keep her from spamming Dragon Dance. Her Skarmory ended up being the most frustrating one to take out, because it kept killing Shroomish before I could get a Leech Seed off.

After Wiona, Baltoy learned Sandstorm and I taught it Reflect and Light Screen via TM, giving it a use. I caught a Duskull and named her M87. She started with Confuse Ray and Disable, making her a good Pokemon to shut down opponents while waiting for Toxic to kill them. Tate and Liza hit hard, but they only had two Pokemon, both of which Swalot was able to Toxic before going down. At the end of the battle, only Duskull and Baltoy were still standing, but the twins were down. I saved the game and ended another lengthy play session.

And I ended up back at Norman. It was at that point that I learned a fun quirk of my emulator. If you make a Save State, then play for a few hours, then make a battery save, it deletes the battery save and instead opens the save state next time. This also explains the weird issue with me ending up back at Odale Town.

This time, I didn’t have the patience to go through the game fighting trainers. Instead, I snuck past trainers until I caught Absol and Duskull again then abused the Daycare to get all of them up to level 42. This left the team without EVs, but I considered it a good sacrifice for not having to sit through dozens of slow battles.

After my Day Care abuse, I had a few new toys to play with. Duskull evolved into Dusclops, learning Will-O-Wisp and Curse along the way. Baltoy learned Cosmic Power and evolved into Claydol. Finally, Skarmory learned Spikes which, when combined with the Roar TM, gave him a reliable damage method. I also taught Obama Protect from a TM. I stomped the rematches against Wiona and the twins and made my way to the undersea cave.

The Undersea Cave was annoying, both because I had to leave Claydol and Absol behind for HM requirements and because the grunts kept using Taunt. Archie revived Kyogre and I went to Sootopolis to defeat it. Kyogre, the monstrous God of the sea, went down in four turns thanks to Dusclops’s Curse.

Wallace’s Milotic’s spamming of Recover was annoying, but I taunted it and stalled it out. With my eight gym badges, I was able to take on Victory Road. But I wasn’t ready, not quite. The late game battles had been getting harder and harder, so I decided to do a bit of prep work. I fought one hundred different Marill to give my team some HP EVs. I was going to do the same with Cascoon/Silcoon, but decided that I value my own time too much. I grabbed the Focus Band from Meteor Falls. I also made my way through the Ruined Ship because I remembered that the Leftovers were located in a trash can; they aren’t, they’re on the boat that you unlock by beating the Elite Four. Finally, I went back and fought some of the trainers I skipped so I could get money for healing items. My prep work done, I marched through Victory Road.

The trainers were tough, but beatable. I did have to keep leaving to heal my team at the Pokecenter, which was annoying. Waiting at the end of Victory Road was Wally. He sent out his Roselia, that devil, and I took it out with Dusclops’s Curse. I did some quick grinding before the Elite Four and Absol learned the move I caught it for: Perish Song. Perish Song essentially allows me to automatically win if I can get an opponent down to a single Pokemon. Going into the Elite Four, this was my team:

Plus Ultra (Shroomish)

Leech Seed/Flash/Stun Spore/Toxic

Tex Mex (Swalot)

Toxic/Amnesia/Protect/Attract

Punji (Skarmory)

Spikes/Sandstorm/Roar/Sand-Attack

Tick (Claydol)

Sandstorm/Cosmic Power/Reflect/Light Screen

M87 (Dusclops)

Will-O-Wisp/Confuse Ray/Disable/Curse

Obama (Absol)

Perish Song/Double Team/Taunt/Protect

I started out my battle with Sidney with some Spike/Roar comboing from Skarmory. After Skarmory went down, I switched to Swalot and took out a few Pokemon with Toxic. His last Pokemon, his Absol, went down to my Absol’s new Perish Song.

Phoebe’s team of Ghosts abused status moves, forcing me to keep switching out Pokemon. None of the team was knocked out, but the whole team had to step in to get rid of Phoebe.

Glacia was a challenge. Her super effective Ice Beams and Shadow Balls cut through my team. Worse, she managed to freeze Swalot twice. Her Walrein hit like a truck and would have taken out the entire team without Perish Song. At the end of the battle, all I had left was a red health Absol.

My plan for Drake was to have Swalot use Toxic then switch to Claydol. Unfortunately, I was out of Toxic when the battle started. Shroomish managed to take out Shieldon, but was one-shotted by Drake’s Flygon. I sent out Dusclops to use Will-O-Wisp, which missed three times in a row. Dusclops went down to a super effective Crunch, but I revived it and took out both Flygon and the Salamence with Curses and heal item spam. Altaria went down to a Perish Song, opening up the Champion battle, but I knew I was far from ready.

I used my Rare Candies I’d collected over the run, thanks to my Zigzagoon, to get a few last minute levels in. Shroomish finally learned Spore. I took off the Everstone and my boy finally evolved into Breloom. Would it have been easier to just forget about Spore and evolve at 23, as opposed to carrying around a near useless Shroomish for half the run? Yeah, probably. But whatever, I wanted the cool 100% sleep chance.

So, how did my fight with Steven go? Well, I recorded it and uploaded it here.

By the ingame timer, this run took 72 hours. But, I used superspeed. In reality, it only took 17 hours, mostly done during college lectures. I enjoyed this run, it was a fun challenge. I’ve already started on another run, this time in a much more difficult Pokemon game, so look forward to that. Thanks for reading.

[percontaion-points]

Thorn Queen chapters 9 & 10

Click to read the rest of the snark as well as see image descriptions

Chapter 9

My mother, who didn’t know about Kiyo’s heritage, couldn’t gush over him enough. I think she’d nearly given up on me ever dating anyone, so me landing a veterinarian was quite a coup as far as she was concerned.

In the first book, Eugenie mentioned that she'd just come from a bad break-up after seeing her long-term boyfriend putting his dick into another woman.

But consistency is for squares, I guess.

“The easiest way—and I use that term loosely—would be to find a gentry who could summon water demons. Put them with fire demons, and they’ll all turn on each other.”

“Somehow I’m not optimistic about finding someone like that.” Yet, even as I said that, I wondered if I could do it. As far as I knew, that wasn’t part of my storm magic. I could summon water and had once controlled air, bending those forces to my will.

Eugenie's Level: Water Magic for Dummies

Demon Summoning level required: Water Magic, masters degree

“He did, actually,” said Shaya. Rurik was smiling, which I took as a bad sign. “Today.”

Chapter 9 summary: After getting some rest, Kiyo and Eugenie head over to have dinner with her parents. After the meal, Eugenie and Roland get into a huge argument over Eugenie's “continuing work in the otherworld”. She hasn't told him about how she was forced to accept a kingdom. But she asks about the towns where the girls were disappearing from, but he's kind of refusing to help her.

Eugenie then takes Kiyo to a poetry reading of Tim's. Nobody there likes Tim, and calls him all sort of fun names. The poetry that he's reading is basically ripped off from various tribal legends, none of which he's trying to pretend to be that night. All of it is reported as being awful.

Eugenie and Kiyo return home and bang in the sauna.

The next morning, Roland calls Eugenie and tells her where the crossroads let out. In some town in Texas, where there are two shamans. He says that the crossroads is an insanely thin spot and they need the extra protection for the things that wander through. He promises to give her the number of both of the other shamans.

Volusian shows up, and says that she's needed in her kingdom, so she goes. There, the captain of her guard tells her that the original missing girl showed up, babbling nonsense about escaping, but otherwise not making too much sense. However, upon hearing that Eugenie would be called, the girl freaked out even more and literally took off. They're still searching for her.

Shaya also tells Eugenie that since she “failed to respond to Dorian's request in a timley way”, he's rescinding his offer for trade. Eugenie doesn't think that it's that big of a deal, but Shaya insists that the only other kingdom who had opened up trade for copper has been the kingdom with Prince Leith. Eugenie is pissed off that Dorian is putting her into a tight spot because of his wounded ego.

Chapter 10

“I mean…I hope I don’t need any more help. I hope things will just work themselves out in the Thorn Land.”

Considering how completely and utterly uninvolved that Eugenie has been, and how little she seems to care, the problems aren't going to instantly fix themselves just because she gave them a children's menu from a Tex-Mex restaurant featuring the five C's of Arizona. (Copper, cattle, climate, citrus, and cotton.)

“Of course, I will obey, your majesty. With great pleasure.”

Chapter 10 summary: So Eugenie goes to Dorian's kingdom. She watches as Dorian cheats to win at chess with some guy.

After the guy leaves, Dorian basically flings some agreement at Eugenie. She's like “This is a lot of stuff. How do I know what I'm signing here?” Dorian assures her that it's a great trade deal. And like a fool, she just kind of takes him at his word and signs.

He then chides her over how she's kind of given up on advancing on her magic. He eventually says that if she refuses to have him as a teacher anymore, that he has somebody else who could help her with her air magic. She agrees to this, especially since Dorian says that the instructor is female.

But then Eugenie is upset when Dorian comes back with the arm candy he'd been parading around at Maiwenn's babyshower. Neither Eugenie nor Ysabel like the idea of Ysabel going back to Eugenie, but Dorian orders the lady to go tend to Eugenie. Ysabel agrees, under great reluctance.

[lilac-masquerade]

CountryHumans, Shot In The Heart Chapter 1

Ships- Rusame, CanMex, Gerpol, Sk x Japan, Nk x China           America grinned widely at the other band members as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair, “Yo dudes! We totally rocked that!” Germany sighed as he took his bass off his neck and set it down, “America please stop talking like that.” America pouted and jumped up to sit on his amp, “Aw, come on Ger-man, lighten up a little.” Germany rolled his eyes and grabbed a bottle of water. Nada sighed and stretched, “Come on you two settle down, we need to put up our stuff and move out before we go to the after party.” America rolled his eyes, “Easy for you to say, you don’t have anything to pack.” Nada chuckled and pulled America in to ruffle his hair, “Yeah yeah.” Japan giggled, “Really Ame? At least you don’t have a whole drum set.” Germany sighed as he re-entered the room, already having put his bass and amp back in the van, “You guys are insufferable.” Mexico grinned, “What kind of band would we be if we weren’t?”                                    “You guys might wanna hurry it up, the other band is getting impatient, here I’ll help you Japan,” Australia said from the doorway. America crossed his arms and pouted, “Oh come on bro, you’re not even going to help your own brother?” Australia rolled his eyes, “You can carry a guitar and an amp just fine.”America stuck out his bottom lip and rushed out of the room, carrying his equipment, “Race ya Nada!” Canada grinned and jogged after the American. Japan nodded at Australia as a thank you before bouncing out of the room with her own equipment. Once they reached the van the two laughed at the sight of America yelling at Canada that he was obviously the winner. Canada was just raising an eyebrow before gently pushing the smaller country, causing him to fall.” America looked up at him with a small pout before jumping to his feet, “Woohoo! We’re all here! Let’s hit a bar or something!”           Canada sighed, “Are you going to be responsible with your drinking this time.” America grinned, “When have I ever?” The group let out a collective amused sigh. Out of the corner of his eye, Germany noticed Japan acting nervous, “What’s wrong Japan?” Japan looked down, her ears flattening against her head, “I uh, have something to tell you guys.” America leaned against the van and gave the female his full attention. Canada dropped his teasing and the rest of the group gave her a worried look. Canada spoke up first, “Is everything okay?” Japan nodded, “Yeah, I was just thinking of quitting this band and joining SK’s.” America nodded, “You’re boyfriend right?” Japan nodded, “I’m sorry guys.” America shook his head and hugged the female, the rest of the group joining in soon after. “There’s nothing to apologize for, we’re still friends,” Canada comforted. America gave a vigorous nod, “Yeah! You get some, girl!”                Japan pulled back, tears in her eyes, “You guys are great, thank you.” Australia nodded, “Of course! Now let’s go to that bar Ame was talking about, for your goodbye party!” Germany sighed, “Am I going to be the designated driver this time.” Mexico shook his head, “Naw I’ll just call Poland to come get us, we know how much you like your beer.” Germany’s face flushed red, causing the whole group to laugh. America jumped into the driver’s seat, “Let’s go!” …           Everyone let out a cheer as they reached the bar. America slammed the door and grinned at everyone as they sprung out of the van. America wrapped one arm around Canada and the other around Japan, “Let’s throw this fucking party!” Canada chuckled, “Language Ame.” America rolled his eyes, “Yeah whatever. Let’s get wasted!” Everyone cheered while Canada gave an exhausted sigh. The group of six entered the bar and America raised a hand. “My treat!” He called to the bartender. The bartender nodded, America came by regularly and he usually brought friends.            After about two shots each Canada excused himself to go to the bathroom. America let out a loud laugh, “Okay! Just don’t stay in there long texting your boo, Ukraine.” Canada’s face flushed red, “Yeah okay Ame, as long as you don’t get distracted by your ‘Ruski’ over there.” America looked up and his face curled in mild disgust, “When did the commie get here?” Canada rolled his eyes and left. The bathroom was in the back so he wasn’t surprised to see a couple of couples kissing, until he saw a familiar blue and yellow flag. Canada froze and took a step back. He felt his shoulder’s drop and tears prick his eyes. He slowly lowered his head and rushed back to the group, maybe a couple more drinks would help.           Suddenly he felt someone grab his hand and spin him around. Canada looked down in shock to see his girlfriend there looking at him in fear and horror, “I’m sorry Canada, you weren’t meant to see that!” Canada felt his eye twitch, “You’re not helping yourself here Ukraine.” She bit her lip nervously, “It didn’t mean anything, I was just experimenting to see if I’m bi!” Canada gave her a slow nod, “Well you wanted to experiment with your sexuality now you are free to because we are no longer together.” Ukraine stared at him in shock and her grip on him loosened, allowing Canada to pull free and walk back to his friends.”             America shot his brother a grin, “I was just joking around, you didn’t have to rush.” Canada shrugged and plopped down beside him, “Whiskey, not a shot, just the bottle.” Everyone looked at him shocked as the bartender opened and handed him the bottle. “You good bro?” Canada shook his head, “No.” Canada leaned his head back and chugged the alcohol, wincing as it burned his throat. Australia pulled out his phone as Canada gasped and raised his hand, asking for another bottle. The bartender gave him a worried look but gave him another bottle anyway. Australia frowned, “Do you want me to call Mex.” Canada lowered his half empty bottle, “Noo, iz good. I’ll call him myself.” America decided to lighten the mood, “And you told me to be responsible with my drinking, what the fuck happened in the bathroom.”            Canada shrugged and pulled out his phone, “Nothing.” Japan looked at her friend worried as she ordered another shot of Sake, “Well something had to have happened, you look upset.” Canada frowned and scanned the room, “Where is Mex, didn’t he come with us?” Germany nodded, “Yeah but he left shortly after you went to the bathroom.” Canada nodded and pulled out his phone before clicking his friend’s contact. The phone dialed before someone picked up, “Yo, what’s up Maple?” Canada let out a low grumble and took another drink of his whiskey, “Ukraine cheated on me.” The whole group went quiet before Mexico responded, “Alright man, I’m on my way, my place or yours.” Canada thought for a second, at his own place he’d be asked to many questions, “Yours.” Mexico nodded, even though Canada couldn’t see him, “Okay, once we get home operation burrito wrap is a go.” Canada sniffled, “What?” Mexico sighed, “I’ll explain when I get there, just hold on okay?” Canada nodded and drank the last of his whiskey, “Okay…”           Canada hung up and put the phone back into his pocket before burying his head into his arms on the counter. His group of friends looked at him sadly, having overheard what had happened. America growled and tapped the counter asking for another shot of beer, “Fucking commies thinking they can hurt my brother and get away with it.” Suddenly the sound of tires screeching down the road met the ears of the group… and everyone who was in the bar. Australia laughed, “There’s Mex, looking out for his ‘bestie’ huh.” Canada raised his head at the mention of the smaller country’s name.            Mexico slammed the door open, gave an apologetic look to the bartender, and rushed to his heartbroken crush. “Hey Maple, I’m right here, don’t worry, we’ll get home, put on a movie, and eat some maple syrup ice cream okay?” Canada smiled sadly and nodded, “Okay.” Mexico gently wrapped his arms around the taller country and helped him stand before leading him to the doors. The others watched him go before Japan spoke up, “You guys can talk to him in the morning, but you know he’ll feel extremely guilty if you chase after him and end the party.” Canada’s siblings nodded in understanding before America called out, “Hey another round please!” …           Mexico gently placed Canada in the passenger seat of his car and gently moved the hair out of the kind country’s face. Canada smiled at Mexico and let him buckle the drunk country in before moving to the driver’s seat. Canada let out a low mumble, drawing the smaller country’s attention as he started the car, “What was that Maple?” Canada looked down at his hands, “Sorry for making you baby me.” Mexico felt a searing pain rip through his chest, “No no no! Don’t say that! This doesn’t bother me at all, I just care about you. A lot.” Canada gave a sleepy smile before resting his head against the window.           Mexico stayed silent, trying to calm down the harsh blush on his face as he pulled out of his parking spot, which in his haste, was actually two parking spots. It didn’t take long to get to Mexico’s place from the bar, but Mexico hated the wait, desperately wanting to comfort his ‘friend.’ Mexico was anxiously biting his lip as he pulled into his driveway. He quickly glanced at Canada to see that he was resting, a peaceful look on his face. The short country unbuckled himself and quickly got out of the car before rushing to Canada’s side.           Mexico gave a small smile as he opened the car door and gently shook his crush. Canada’s eyes slowly fluttered open, “Wha-?” Mexico hid a chuckle as he unbuckled the half-asleep country and gently helped him out, “Come on, we gotta get you inside.” Canada gave a small nod and hid his face into Mexico’s neck, causing the country’s face to erupt into a very visible blush. He carefully dragged the other country to his house and pulled him inside, making sure to lock the door behind him.            The two walked over to the couch and basically fell down onto it. After making sure that Canada was comfortable, Mexico stood back up and grabbed the ice cream and his favorite tortilla blanket before heading back to the patient country. Canada looked up and his eyes brightened when he saw what Mexico was carrying before reaching up and making grabby hands. Mexico smiled and handed Canada the blanket first, his smile growing bigger as the drunk country wrapped himself in the blanket, turning himself into a burrito. Mexico then sat down next to Canada and handed him the maple ice cream and a spoon, allowing him just this once to eat directly out of the carton.           Canada smiled and leaned into Mexico. “Thank you Mexi.” Mexico’s face flushed red but he opened his arms, allowing Canada to happily snuggle into him. Once done, Canada let out a happy hum of contentment, “You’re warm.” Mexico’s face heated up even more but he stayed silent as the colder country continued to eat his ice cream. After a couple minutes of silence Mexico decided to bring up the dreaded question, “So what happened?” Canada puffed out his cheeks angrily, “I don’t wanna talk bout it, can you put on a movie.” Mexico sighed, but the damn puppy dog eyes were irresistible, “Fine, but only if you tell me afterwards.” Canada pouted slightly, “Okay, but I wanna see Up.” Mexico looked at the country confused, “But isn’t that super sad?” Canada nodded, “But sometime I wanna be like them, growing up old with the person I love, and knowing that our love will never fade. I thought Ukraine was going to be like that, but I guess I wasn’t enough.”            Mexico panicked, “Of course you’re enough! She just doesn’t know what’s good. You’re so kind and sweet, you have the best smile ever, you’re funny and cute and super attractive. There’s so many things to love about you, she’s just blind.” Canada’s face went red and he buried his face into Mexico’s chest. Mexico smiled and gently ran his hands through the Canadian’s hair. Suddenly he heard soft snores coming from the maple obsessed country causing him to chuckle, “You got away this time, but you're talking to me about it in the morning.” He smiled and gently kissed Canada’s forehead before relaxing and going to sleep himself, the movie playing softly in the background. Look I know it’s a bit cringy, but, i’m obsessed and I had good ideas soooo this happened. If you like it, enjoy, if you don’t ignore. I don’t care about hate but I’d like to avoid it as much as possible

[chromecutie]

Not A Ghost - part 18

A/N - Multi-part fic. Colossus x OC where OC has come home after being wrongfully imprisoned in the Icebox. Warnings for whole fic - references and flashbacks to harsh prison environment, including various types of abuse. Takes place shortly after events in Deadpool 2. Whole thing will end up on my AO3 eventually.

Taglist: @emma-frxst  @ra-ra-rasputiin  @holamor ​  @empressme-bitch  @marvel-is-perfection  @hazilyimagine ​ @marvelhead17 @rovvboat @angstybadboytrash ​ @whitewitchdown ​ @master-sass-blast ​ @mori-fandom @mooleche @dandyqueen . Wanna be added or removed? Holla at me.

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Piotr had made a massive platter of tacos for lunch. Piotr, Ellie, Yukio, and Rhonda sat around the table and had just started eating when Wade and Cable showed up.

Wade gasped in dramatic mock-offense, “What the fuck, Colossus? You made tacos and didn’t bother to invite me?” He pulled his phone from a pocket and after some taps and swipes, showed the table an Instagram post--Yukio’s smiling face in a low corner, holding a taco, while Ellie and Piotr were behind her, assembling more tacos. “I gotta hear about this shit from Yukio’s adorable Instagram! -- Hi, Yukio!” he waved cheerfully at her.

“Hi, Wade!” she beamed and waved back. “Happy to see you!” When she gestured toward the tacos, Wade snatched one up and started crunching away.

Piotr hesitated and almost turned them away, but he checked Rhonda’s face. She held her head tall, shoulders down in a posture that didn’t look nervous. Her eyes had the slightest squint in a reserved smile, but she didn’t look afraid like she had when she first met Cable.

Turning his attention back to his boisterous friend, Piotr said firmly, “A plate, Wade. Hello, Cable.”

Cable, quiet as ever, got plates for himself and Wade to join the table for lunch. He gave everyone his typical curt nod, but gave Rhonda an actual verbal greeting with his nod, “Rhonda.”

“Hey,” she returned politely between bites. It might be surprising for a Russian to be good at cooking Tex-Mex, but Piotr certainly made some fabulous tacos. The seasoning was flavorful and spicy, without being overbearingly hot.

“Oh, heyyy!” One of Wade’s cheeks bulged as he eyed Rhonda. “Look at you! Less Shawshank, more spank bank. I like it.”

Piotr’s eyes bulged and he nearly choked on his food. Rhonda almost spat the drink she’d just sipped. She checked her clothes, scoffing. “What about sweaty hair and old hoodie says spank bank?” 

Wade shrugged, “Ask the Venom fans, I honestly don’t know.”

As she thumbed away the little spot of sour cream on her lip, Rhonda shot Ellie a look, hoping for an explanation for what the hell he was talking about. Ellie rolled her eyes and shook her head.

This visit was going much better than the last one. Cable usually matched Ellie for hard scowls and pretending nothing has ever been fun ever, but even both of them had some laughs. The group generally caught up and shared news.

“So wait,” Wade interrupted Piotr in the middle of some updates about the school. “Who did your wife try to stab last week?”

Yukio and Ellie hesitated, Piotr tried to shut down that line of questioning, but before he could, Rhonda thumped one hand on the table. “Okay, look,” she said, defensive and irritated, “Kurt did his bamf-out-of-nowhere thing, like he always has, because he thought it would be funny to startle me, like he always has.” She huffed. “It’s just that my...startle reflex is no longer jumping or shrieking--it got re-trained so I now go straight to stabbing a motherfucker. But I did not actually hit him.”

In truth, the fact that Rhonda had almost stabbed a close friend had scared her as much as Piotr. The look on Kurt’s face when he’d bamfed away to avoid the shiv, however, was priceless. Who’s startled now, bitch?

Rhonda grumbled into her taco, “It was nice to see him get scared for once, though.”

Wade’s face was lit up with pure joy as he slapped at Cable’s shoulder, “Oh my god. We gotta take her to a haunted house in the fall!”

A worst case scenario flashed in Piotr’s brain that involved several people missing their kidneys and his wife shaking in a corner. “Absolutely not,” he said. 

“We’ll see!” Wade insisted.

Cable did his best to rein him in and shift the subject. “Rehab, though?” he asked, “The music helping you?”

Rhonda brightened. “Yeah! Well, sort of. It helps me focus.”

Yukio beamed, “Have you listened to Hozier yet?”

Ellie and Rhonda exchanged sly smiles before Rhonda answered, “Next on my list.”

Piotr beamed proudly, gesturing to his wife, “She had wonderful breakthrough yesterday! Lit a bulb so bright, it shattered.” He said more quietly, “Though, perhaps don’t hold it so close to your face next time, sladkaya.”

Steri-strips still criss-crossed her face over the nicks as she gave a halfhearted eye roll. She only kept the strips on so Piotr didn’t force something more drastic like a cone of shame.

Scooping up little taco remnants onto her fork, Rhonda admitted, “It’s not like when your abilities are new and you’re just trying to do better than running on raw emotion.” She tapped one of the steri-strips, “This caught me by surprise while I was venting about something, but otherwise...I know exactly how I used to control it, I just...it’s like I can’t reach it.” 

That just-out-of-reach feeling itself was frustrating, but what made it even worse was not knowing how to make her friends understand. Why would they, if they’d never experienced something like this themselves? She gestured, struggling for words, “Like if you...took a ton of piano lessons as a kid, didn’t keep up with it, and tried years later to play piano.”

Yukio nodded sipping her water, “You might remember a few of the easy songs, but nothing fancy?”

Rhonda nodded and shrugged, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess that’s close enough.”

“So what I’m hearing,” Piotr teased with a gentle smile, “Is that perhaps we don’t have to worry about you frying all the wiring in the house?” At his wife’s sigh and snicker, Piotr clarified for the rest, “When we were young, this one would blow the circuits in half the house every time she got nervous.”

Glancing around the kitchen, Rhonda added, “I did get pretty good at fixing the wiring.”

Lunch was wrapping up and Ellie, Yukio, and Cable moved dishes to the kitchen. Wade playfully poked Rhonda’s arm, shoulder, and face. “Well, come on, show us what you got!”

Rhonda glanced at her husband, then back to Wade, swatting his hand away, "I dunno, um...there’s really not much to see yet." She shifted in her seat, folding her arms and pulling her hoodie tighter.

"Last time we saw you,” Wade gestured wildly, “you could do the human sparkler thing." He waited, and when she was still narrowing her eyes at him, he added, “PLEASE, what the fuck, COME ON, I just wanna do the Uncle Fester thing!”

“Who?” Ellie asked in disgust. 

Rhonda leveled a disbelieving sneer on Wade. “You want me to light a bulb in your mouth?”

Cable’s face fell. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” he murmured to himself.

Pointing at the steri-strips on her face, Rhonda said, “You realize that’s dangerous, right?”

Wade just laughed. And laughed and laughed.

Rhonda turned to her husband and shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the stupidest thing I’ve done.”

--

Piotr wasn’t happy about it, but they all went into the backyard to see if Rhonda could actually light a bulb held in Wade’s mouth.

Yukio was earnestly excited. With some electrical abilities herself, she liked finding new party tricks, even if this one seemed risky for her taste. Ellie started recording a video, not because she doubted Rhonda’s control, but anything involving Wade had potential to go hilariously wrong. 

Cable and Piotr wore matching exasperated frowns, both crossing their arms as they watched their respective partners. Leaning his head just a bit toward the Russian, Cable asked, “Any advice for how to rein him in when he’s a jackass like this?”

With a halfhearted shrug, Piotr said, “With her, sometimes I just have to wait until she falls asleep.”

“And?”

Piotr blinked and shook his head, “And then she is asleep. Wade is like that too, in my experience.”

Rhonda carefully considered between two light bulbs which she would use for Wade. The lower watt one was more likely to shatter if she accidentally hit it with too much power, but the higher watt bulb might be tougher to sustain a light.

“I want the big one!” Wade pointed, eyes and smile wide with glee.

Hoping it was the right choice, Rhonda handed the smaller bulb to Yukio. Wade looked directly into the camera on Ellie’s phone and made his best Christopher Lloyd impression, “My name is Fester! It means...to rot!” He was practically bouncing with excitement as he beckoned Rhonda, “Okay, okay, put it in me!”

“Wow,” she said simply as she set the fitting in his mouth. She backed away a few feet to get clear of Ellie’s shot, and focused. 

Rhonda could feel the electricity that was in the air and pulsed through everyone’s bodies. It pulsed and flowed through her, stronger than through other people. Carefully targeting the bulb in Wade’s mouth and nothing else, she sent a pulse. At first it flickered. For about ten seconds, flicker was all it did.

“All right, Wade,” Cable grumbled, “You had your fun--”

Wade indignantly waved him off. Rhonda was about to give up when she decided to push just a little harder. To her surprise, and everyone else’s, the light suddenly grew stable and bright.

Yukio clapped, Piotr beamed with pride, but Wade made an alarmed sound and dropped the bulb into his hands. Rhonda immediately dropped the pulse and reached for him to see if he was okay.

“My mouth started buzzing!” Wade yelled. “Fuck! That was--that was like doing a BUNCH of cocaine, and then eating pop rocks! Or sucking off a Tazer.”

Rhonda took back the bulb and chided, “We said it was a dumb idea.”

Wade’s voice came out smooth and sultry, “I didn’t say I wasn’t into it.”

Unsure what to say to that, Rhonda turned to head into the house. Behind her, she could hear Ellie’s quip, “Yeah, I’ll get some good memes out of this one.” Piotr caught up to Rhonda, with Yukio and Ellie behind him and Cable and Wade bringing up the rear. 

--

A trio of teenage boys were getting snacks in the kitchen when Rhonda and the rest came back in from the yard. A particularly chunky boy narrowed his eyes at Rhonda before pleasantly smiling in recognition. “Hey! Guestbook! I didn’t know you live here!”

Rhonda’s blood went cold and she froze. Piotr stopped short to avoid bumping into her. She recognized this kid as the one who had tried to pick fights and assert dominance over the same thugs she avoided at all costs.

“Russell!” Wade yelled excitedly from behind Ellie.

Russell, for his part, wasn’t particularly good at reading people, but he knew he’d said something wrong when the strange woman’s smile turned to a murderous glare. She crossed the room, not too fast, but certainly full of intent. She stopped slightly outside of arm’s reach.

“Sladkaya?” Piotr asked behind her.

She ignored her husband and looked Russell directly in the eye. In a low growl too quiet for anyone else to hear, she said, “My name. Is Rhonda Rasputin. And you do not call me by any other name.” Her dark eyes were hard like onyx as Russell swallowed, trying to look less afraid than he was.

Before he could answer, or apologize, Rhonda spun and headed for the hall, calling over her shoulder, “Yukio, I heard you wanted to play with some hair dye? Let’s go.” 

Elated, Yukio practically skipped after her, tugging Ellie behind her.

Piotr watched his wife stalk off, deciding he would have to see Wade and Cable out as soon as he could before he could ask her what that was all about.

[purplesurveys]

496

Why are you taking a survey? Because I don’t want to do anything else and generally, I’m trying to do as many surveys as I can before the school year starts and I won’t have time to do these again for six months. When’s the last time you were grounded? I was a freshman in high school and I kept failing all my algebra exams...it was a combination of not liking my teacher’s teaching technique, having a worsening eyesight, and having to sit at the back row of the classroom with said worsening eyesight. My mom thought it was because I spent too much time on the computer, so there were times that she grounded me.

I ended up passing the class, but I’m pretty sure the teacher just gave me a pity passing mark so that I didn’t have to take summer classes. Anything exciting taking place today? It’s Midsommar’s first day in cinemas sooooo if I’m feeling spontaneous, I might go out and watch it. But other than that it’s a really chill day for me. What are you craving? I can really go for a burger from Pound right now.

Is there anyone in the room with you? Nope, I’m alone at home with just my dog.

Who did you last hit? My brother, before I stopped talking to him altogether.

Do you like kool aid? I’ve never tried it. Are you currently reading a book? Nope. Haven’t read a book in a while. How do you do in school? In grade school and high school, I chose which subjects to give a shit about and performed well there, but I put in a lot of effort for the others. But grades start mattering in college so I do well in all my classes now, whether I like them or not. What’s your biggest goal? At the moment? To finish my thesis. Who have you texted today? I haven’t texted anyone yet, but I’ve already sent emails and talked on IM.

What was the last thing you did before bed last night? I was watching Friends to help me fall asleep.

What’s your biggest fear? Failing, in general. Laptop or desktop? I’m on a laptop right now and have always preferred this over a desktop. Do you have an iPod? I technically still do because I’m sure it’s just somewhere in the house, but I haven’t used it and it hasn’t been charged in a very long time. Do you have a fan on in the room you’re in? There’s an electric fan, but my mom, sister, and I wanna start nagging my dad to get an air conditioner here in the living room. It can get so embarrassing when we have guests over and they start to sweat like crazy and there’s not much else we can do other than set the fan at the highest level. Do you have a wallet? Yes, I do. What are you sitting on? I’m sitting on our couch in the living room. What’s the last thing you had to eat? I got a paella fajita mix and chicken nachos from one of my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant, but I wasn’t able to finish the former because my small stomach didn’t make me. Do you like grapefruits? I don’t think I’ve even seen one before. Sweet or sour? SWEET. I hate hate hate all sour food.  Have you ever had the Reese’s PB Candy Bars? I haven’t tried their candy bars, no. I’m happy to stick with their peanut butter cups. Do you know who Shawn Michaels is? LMFAO, this is so random that he’s the name that showed up on an otherwise perfectly normal survey...yes, I know him very well. I’ve looked up to him for as long as I can remember. Who do you turn to if you need help? My two best friends. Are you more dependent or independent? DEPENDENT. I always ask other people to make choices for me. I know that’s gotta stop soon. Does the time 2 o'clock have any significance to you? Yes, quite a bit. When I was a kid, 2 PM meant we needed to be in bed for our siesta. My lola was very strict about it too and would get mad if we didn’t start sleeping by then. Do you like bagels? Sure, but I don’t get to eat them a lot. Are there any stuffed animals in the room you’re in? [continued from yesterday because I got laaaaazyyyy] Nope, I’m in the dining area. What do you think of guys who wear eyeliner? I think they can wear as much eyeliner as they wish, it’s 2019. Favorite tv show? I have several: Breaking Bad, Friends, and Queer Eye. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? I’m talking to Gab on the phone right now cause I’m helping her edit an article she just wrote. Where’s your mother? She’s in her workplace. Do you know who the strongest man in the world is? I know Mark Henry was billed like this for a very long time, but I dunno who has this title now. What’s the best time you’ve had in the past week? It’s been a whole week since it happened, but it would be my trip to the National Museums of Fine Arts, Anthropology, and Natural History with Gabie last Thursday. We also went to Greenbelt after and had dinner at Italianni’s :) Have you ever been in a fist fight? With my cousins when we were like 5, yes. Can you cook? Not at aaaaall. What time is it? 9:54 AM. Do you love animals? More than I like people. What color are your eyes? Black. I used to answer this with dark brown but fuck it, let’s go with black. Who’s one person you care about more than yourself? Gabie. How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Like three hours. No matter what I do, my body will ALWAYS wake me up automatically at 7:30 AM at the latest, and it just so happened that I fell asleep at 4 AM earlier. Are there any pets you’re wishing for? Not right now. Whatcha gonna do now? =] I have no clue. Maybe get some breakfast, watch Friends, take another survey (this never happens), who knows.

[katherinodum962-blog]

Add Your Music Here

Portmanteau class holding categories that symbolize styles or classifications of music, helpful in identifying and organizing comparable musical artists or recordings. Imagine heavy metal blended with anime and horror tropes—that is Cute Metallic. A combination of metal and J-Pop (Japanese pop), Cute Metal emerged in the early 2010s, and mixes the latter's melodies and idol personas with the darker imagery of the former. The band that's credited with pioneering Cute Steel is the Japanese trio Babymetal, who additionally show musical parts familiar to EDM, with electronic beats that skitter, construct, after which after all drop. Listed below are 10 music genres present in Colombia, along with the region of origin, or where it was imported from and subsequently improved upon. Performance is the physical expression of music, which happens when a tune is sung or when a piano piece, electric guitar melody, symphony, drum beat or other musical part is performed by musicians. In classical music, a musical work is written in music notation by a composer and then it's carried out once the composer is glad with its structure and instrumentation. Nevertheless, as it gets carried out, the interpretation of a track or piece can evolve and alter. In classical music, instrumental performers, singers or conductors may progressively make modifications to the phrasing or tempo of a chunk. In standard and traditional music, the performers have a lot more freedom to make adjustments to the form of a tune or piece. As such, in standard and traditional music styles, even when a band plays a canopy music , they'll make adjustments to it corresponding to including a guitar solo to or inserting an introduction.

Take a crew of Yes-obsessed Canadians, apply an English prog sensibility and top ten best music genres you've got one of the vital successful rock acts to interrupt out of Canada - selling over million records bought worldwide. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson grew up near Toronto and came up in the native membership circuit before occurring to type the illustrious prog-rock trio often known as Rush Whereas the band's sound would evolve through the years since their 1974 debut, their expert musicianship, complexity of their compositions and vivid lyricism would remain unparalleled. While Rush had been the ones to hit it massive, let's not forgot different Canadian prog-rockers Saga, Klaatu and Triumph. Nietzsche apart, philosophy of music has been dominated by the view that the best music is autonomous and formally complex (John Dewey is sort of alone in defending the vitality of fashionable artwork during this time interval. Unfortunately, Dewey mentioned little or no about music.). As just lately as 1990, philosophy of in style music consisted of variations on a single theme. Philosophers defended the dual assumptions that well-liked music is essentially completely different from critical" or artwork music, and that the previous is aesthetically inferior to the latter. Consequently, most philosophers who bothered to debate fashionable music focused on figuring out the aesthetic deficiencies inherent in such music. Tejano can also be referred to as the 'tex-mex'. Norteño gave delivery to this musical genre as well. The origin of tejano lies close to the Mexico-Texas border. Tejano is a gift of the Mexican people who moved to Texas, particularly within the Central and the Southern Texas. It's a mix of a wide range of musical genres across the continent, together with the blues, rock and cumbia. It also has the hip-hop and disco adding extra vigorous flavors to it. Ozzy Osbourne teamed up with fellow Brummies Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Tony Iommi in the late 1960s to type the vastly influential Black Sabbath and pretty much invented heavy metallic within the process. The group released period-defining classics like Paranoid, War Pigs and Iron Man, and influenced the outlook of British rock music more than most bands earlier than or since. Narcocorrido first appeared within the Nineteen Seventies earlier than going mainstream within the Nineteen Nineties. Musicians often give attention to cartels that get the most media coverage. So the extra the cartel's crimes make the news, the extra musicians honor these criminals of their songs. Nonetheless, narcocorrido musicians usually avoid excessive glorification of the drug lords and cartels as a result of their criminal competitors in the drug world may take offense. Different deaths have rocked the music world as well. Can any fan of hip hop or R&B every really get better from the Audio Transcoder blog Aaliyah's death in 2001? She was only 22 years outdated when her plane crashed within the Bahamas, killing not only her but in addition eight others. This gifted musician died earlier than reaching the age of 40, and the world of R&B will not be the identical for her loss.It is a excellent thing, culturally talking. The national music scene has by no means been this diverse. Too typically, especially in rock's heyday, it was dominated by acts that made their bones from taking nonwhite music and sanitizing it for white audiences. That custom undoubtedly lives on, in musicians like Justin Bieber, however the pop charts and critics' notebooks precisely replicate the American mosaic in a method that they actually haven't before. We may be in the midst of a gigantic leap backward as a rustic, however at the least the music is good. Even the country charts are fairly woke.Cognitive neuroscience of music is the scientific study of mind-based mostly mechanisms concerned in the cognitive processes underlying music. These behaviours include music listening, performing, composing, studying, writing, and ancillary actions. It is also more and more involved with the brain foundation for musical aesthetics and musical emotion. The field is distinguished by its reliance on direct observations of the mind, utilizing such strategies as useful magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), and positron emission tomography (PET).Individuals could seek advice from some or all of a small group of classes when utilizing interval as the criteria for a music style. These embody Early Music, Medieval Music , Renaissance Music, BaroqueMusic, Classical Music , Romantic Music, and 20th Century Music. The definitions of those musicperiods are open to interpretation. For example, the Classical period might be defined as lasting from 1730 to 1820 or from 1750 to 1830. Others may say that it began in the late 18th century. All of those interpretations are current right now.For the album broadly thought of the primary commercial LP to be composed of electronic music, musician Jean-Jacques Perrey's synthesizer prowess was harnessed by arranger Gershon Kingsley's pop sensibilities. They positioned themselves as nothing lower than messengers from the future: "Here is the digital 'Au Go Go' that might be heard quickly from the juke boxes at the interplanetary approach stations the place spaceships make their rest stops," learn the liner notes. Because it turned out, they had been right. Effectively, not concerning the spaceship rest stops, however about what giddy, playful compositions like "Electronic Can-Can" and "Computer In Love" presaged — namely, a future where Daft Punk and Dr. Luke outlined the parameters as much as any axe-wielding rocker, because of the Moog, the Ondioline and their digital descendants being just as more likely to create chart-topping hits as guitars.

[pbandjesse]

Oops I deleted my post. Thankfully I was only talking about last night and hadn't really gotten to write much of the day because I keep getting distracted.

I'm really glad to be in bed. I'm very tired. And I don't feel 100% but I do feel a lot better than I did yesterday. Today was really a good day and I do feel very happy.

Last night was a different story though. I was miserable and I couldn't sleep. I ended up going through Facebook and try and figure out who was married for my graduating class. Because this year is 10 years since I graduated from high school. Which is Wile to think about. I can't believe that that used to actually matter. My people would have reunions and things. You couldn't pay me to go to a reunion for my high school. And then I woke up in the middle of the night with horrible pain. It was like a charlie horse from my side all the way down my leg. I got up a few times cuz I thought I was going to be sick. I was up for a while and eventually I was able to take a Motrin and feel okay enough to lay down. But I was still in pain. James is 1000000 degrees all the time so his body heat lulled me enough to go back to sleep.

I woke up briefly when James was leaving for work. I didn't even feel him get out of bed. But he came and gave me a hug before he left. I really needed to keep sleeping though.

I let myself sleep in until almost 10. And that's been kind of normal right now just because it's cold and I'm tired and haven't been feeling good so I haven't been sleeping well. But it's not like I had a lot to do today. I got up and I got dressed. I had a bagel. I watched videos. I'm most of them watching those SCP read through ones and I've been really enjoying those. They're the perfect amount of Creepypasta but they don't have to have a conclusion which is always the weakness in a creepypasta. So it's been very nice just Mindless sort of creepy and fun.

I left here around 11:30. I biked over to dickblick to get Sharpies for the kids. Which are way more expensive than I thought they were. But ended up getting a great deal on 12 pen Sharpies for like $7. The woman said they were actually mislabeled because they should have been $12 but I want out in the mist occurring and she still let me have the price.

I left there and I went to 7-Eleven. I got lunch. And then I grabbed the bus to go to work. When I got there I found that a whole bunch of stuff I've been knocked over in our storage closet. I went to go talk to coach Banks who sort of runs lunch time. But parent was yelling at him about her child being suspended. So I noped out of there. I found another t-shirt at all. But I just cleaned it off it was fine. I ended up having a funny conversation with health aid because she wasn't sure if I was a student or a teacher. And I explained who I was. And she was just like I've never seen you here before. It was cute.

I found some new organizational tools for our cart. So now each table has their own basket with their own supplies in it. So there'll be no more arguing. So is very proud of myself for that and then me and Chelsea were able to just chill. There wasn't a lot that we needed to do.

And we had a really nice day. It was really small class today we only had about 11 by the end. Just with the snow that was coming in and there's cheerleading tryouts in basketball practice. I think the robotics team also just started up again. But that was nice. It was nice to just be able to connect with the couple kids that were there on a one to one level. And they made good art and that was really nice to see. We talked about foreground middle-ground and background. And how you can use line weight to show those different distances.

We also have the art store today. And the kids are already raised enough money to have a pizza party. I was very proud of them for donating to each other. And they got to have a cool thing over it. Will probably save it for next week. But I'm so very proud of them.

When I woke up this morning it was very heavy on my heart but I wanted to talk to Damien's mom. When he was brought to our class for the first time. The couple days before. I was warned that he was really tough to have in class. That he was on the Spectrum and that teachers found him very difficult. But his mom is great and that if there was ever an issue she would come and get him right away and not to worry about it. But that's not been my experience with Damien. He's wonderful. He's a sweet loving little boy. Sometimes he has breakdowns. Sometimes he can't focus. But he is always first to help me and he has a really sweet temperament. And so I really felt like I needed to say something to his mom today. She came early to pick him up because his sister was doing some kind of presentation at an event. And I pulled her aside and I was like Hey I just really want to let you know how much I enjoy Damien. And I told her everything and she started crying and gave me a hug. And you can just tell she works so hard with those two kids. She's a really good mom and I'm glad that Damien was able to be in our class. He's a good boy.

We finished up today. We did vocab in Jeopardy Style. Where they had to say the definition and then someone else had to give the vocab word in the form of a question. Only about half of them understand that but it was so fun. We played a game and then we wouldn't have snack and then it was time to go home. Me and chelsi got to get out of there by 5:30 which was awesome.

I got the bus and I was able to get back to my apartment only a couple minutes after 6. I packed up some stuff for dinner and then I went to James's place. He made Tex Mex and use some of the stuff that I brought with me. And we watched videos and we talked. He explained the game he made to me. Which has a whole lot of numbers in it is hard for me to get but seems to have a really nice system of rolling dice that I hope this DND friends enjoy. And we hung out for a while. And we talked. And then he walked me home.

It had started snowing and he likes walking in the snow so it wasn't completely one-sided. We just enjoy each other's company and we talked and had a nice walk back to my apartment. He said goodbye and he went back to his.

When I got here I checked the mail and Not only was my new rabbit phone case here. The old one was very matted and I wasn't able to brush it out like I was hoping. My new reindeer Furby arrived as well. I'm not sure what to name him yet but he's very soft. He doesn't seem to work. His he won't turn on. But that's okay. He's still very cute. He'll probably get packed away with the Christmas ornament ones as well once the winter is over so he'll be a nice new face to have out next year.

I'm in bed now. Just enjoying that it's actually nice and toasty in my bedroom for once. I'm going to plug in my phone though because it's dying. And then I'm going to try to go to sleep. I am working at constellation all day tomorrow and I'm hoping to do lesson plans. And then me and James are going to go see a play about Johnstown. And I am really looking forward to it. Because I love Cults. Especially murder cults.

I hope you all sleep great tonight. I hope that your animals are nice to you. And that you have a really nice day tomorrow. Good night everyone.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Taco the Town

How’s it going everyone! Here’s part 3 of my current Modern AU Series - The Part Timer. If you’re looking for the first two parts jump down and check out the tag “The Part Timer Series” or you can scroll through my Master List that houses all my other Ikesen works. 

Credit for the title/name for the UT forces’ restaurant goes to @ikesenhell who talked through these concepts with me over some nourishment. They’re very clever and I appreciate all the idea bouncing we were able to do.

As a brief reminder Zhari is @one-eyed-captain-kinky ‘s character and Akiharu belongs to @elievalentine. 

Gonna drop it under the cut for clutter purposes :) have a great night honey bees! You all deserve it! 

Tagging @little-mini-me-world 

Keep those ‘Trick or Treat’ requests coming in! There’s still plenty of slots open :) If you have no clue what that is check out my previous post here.

Taco the Town - p3

You had been putting in hours almost regularly at Azuchi, and you finally had a Saturday afternoon off to go grab a meal with your friend who was in town to visit her parents.

“This place is amazing!” Ginny purred “Very Tex-Mex.”

“You’re sure I’m not underdressed for this?” you cocked an eyebrow looking over at your friend. Her blonde hair was styled, so it laid in neat waves, make-up done, smelling faintly of roses. To top the look off, she was in a pair of very short waist high jean shorts, a loose fitting crop top with an unknown logo on the front, and the most pristine white sneakers you had ever seen.

“Not at all, you look fine!” exclaiming as she smiled to herself.

“Last time I checked, fine, wasn’t a sought-after description Ginny.” you were now profoundly regretting your wardrobe decision. In a simple pair of black shorts, a lilac cotton tee, and your favorite pair of flip-flops that was not complimented well by the mess of a ponytail tumbling down your back you sighed and followed your friend around the corner.

You were led to a large yellow and red adobe building with “TACO THE TOWN” in bold letters hanging above a window that showcased, is that an antler chandelier? Oh heavens, how dose she find places like this?

“I know what you’re thinking,” she laughed and continued on reaching for the heavy glass door in front of us, “and the answer is my mom recommended it.”

“Your mom? I didn’t think she liked places like this.”

“She usually doesn’t, but apparently the staff is totally gorgeous!”

Before you could protest, she walked over the threshold. Following your friend dutifully, the crisp air from the air conditioner hit you as fast as the scent of fajitas and citrus. Weird combo, not bad, just weird.

“What lovely ladies. How many will we have the pleasure of serving today?” the host purred.

Ginny openly swooned next to you, and you had to admit, the tall redhead gave Hideyoshi a run for his money in the friendly greeting department. He was tall and broad with a smile and stance that oozed confidence.

“Just the two of us.” Ginny giggled, and you fought a blush

He grabbed two menus out from what you surmised was a shelf inside the podium he was standing at. Picking up a pen he tapped a button on the wall, as he pulled away a small light was visible underneath. I wonder if that’s how they let the wait staff know what tables are active. That’s pretty clever.

You followed the host to a small booth for two along a wall of windows. Placing the menus down he stepped back so gracefully he had to have been floating, there was no other way to describe how he moved so fluidly. You took your seat and grabbed one of the menus, flipping it to the back page where the drinks were located.

“Might I offer to get you started with something to drink?”

“I’ll have a Coke or a Pepsi, whatever you’ve got is fine.” your friend chirped across from you, giving her best smile.

“Of course, and for you princess?”

What? Princess? Was he talking to you? There was no way, not with Ginny dressed to the nines right across from you. You felt their collective gazes burning holes in you as you struggled to give an answer.

“Uh-um, can I just- Can I have a glass of water please?” you forced yourself to make eye contact while you placed your drink order. Was it warm in here? You had to be blushing, there’s no way you weren’t.

“Absolutely. I will have Yukimura bring that right out. My name is Shingen, please let me know if he gives you any trouble.”

“What?” A voice rang out from the opposite side of the restaurant “If anyone's giving people problems it’s you Shingen. You flirt. Leave those poor girls alone already.”

The host whose name was Shingen winked at the two of you before making his way back to the front of the restaurant. Not even a beat later drinks were being thrust in front of you.

“Water?”

“That’s me.” you smiled and sheepishly raised your hand.

He placed the glass down with a thunk following quickly with Ginny’s drink, dropping straws down between you. “Are you two ready to order or do you need a minute?”

“Can we get a minute please?” Ginny smiled up at him from behind the menu.

“Sure. I’ll be back in a bit. My names Yukimura just give a shout if you need me.” and then he was gone, stomping back towards the kitchen.

The moment he was out of earshot your friend lowered her menu and started using it as a fan. “Wow, both of them were soooo hot." She whispered through her teeth.

She wasn’t wrong. The young man, Yukimura, who had just waited on you was shorter than the host but was still tall in his own right. He had soft brown hair and eyes that matched. He may have been a bit brusque, but he seemed friendly. You found yourself smiling.

The food had come out in a timely manner, and Ginny and yourself had decided to split two dishes to better spread the wealth of flavor. So one large order of empanadas and another plate filled with chimichangas stuffed full of pulled pork and you should have been sufficiently stuffed, but that had never stopped you from dessert before.

“The Chocolate Pecan Pie for two?” a young man appeared seemingly out of thin air beside your table with your dessert, two spoons, and coffee for the both of you. This particular waiter wore slim black frames and had hair the same color as the chocolate on your pie, sporting a smaller frame than anyone you’d seen working here so far he looked approachable and slightly familiar.

“That’s ours' thanks.” Ginny, nearly squealed across from you as the man gracefully placed the desert between us.

“Yukimura stepped away for a bit, unfortunately, so I will be taking over until he returns. My name is Sasuke. Please don’t hesitate to call-” Sasuke was nearly through his introduction when there was a commotion behind us grabbing everyone's attention.

“What do you mean it wasn’t cooked all the way?” A young man with ice blonde hair and hetero-chromatic eyes, one the color of the deep sea and the other a vibrant shade of jade stared down the young couple at a table across the restaurant.

“Like I said!” the patron raised his voice “I wanted it well done. This is pink.”

“How can you tell? You haven’t even cut into it yet?” the blonde brought the large kitchen knife he was carrying up above his head before swiftly bringing it down into the man's dinner.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Sasuke bowed and scurried towards the commotion. “Kenshin!” calling after the man.

As it would turn out Sasuke had gone to high school with you and Ginny, he informed you that the four you saw today had been college friends of his and were all co-owners of the restaurant. Which you never would have known had Sasuke not come back after he de-escalated the situation with Kenshin. While they each have a stake in ‘Taco the Town,’ they all prefer to assist in the ways they can. It doesn’t always go smoothly since their such big personalities, but it had still been a good time, and the food was great. 

Leftovers in a bag Ginny and yourself walked back towards your houses. Maybe you’d go back together sometime, or you’d take your new work friends with you. You were sure Zhari or Akiharu would like the food there.

You smiled and chatted all the way to Seventh Street where you and Ginny took off in separate directions. Her parents lived on the other side of town from your current home. Passing by Azuchi on your way back to your place Mitsuhide crept up next to you.

“You should take more care than to walk these streets alone at this hour little mouse.” he eyed your bag before slowing his pace to match yours. “On your way home from dinner?”

“I am, a friend is in town so we met up and went to get food.” you smiled up at him “Isn’t Azuchi the other way? I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble for being late.”

“You act as if Hideyoshi would be mad at me for making sure our new employee gets themselves home safe.” a mischievous grin graced his features “besides I enjoy teasing them and this is the perfect bait.”

“I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that but thanks for walking me back.” you turned to him once you reached your driveway. “This is me so I can take it from here. See you tomorrow?”

“Mhh,” he hummed a response. “Not going to invite me in for my trouble?”

“I know better than that.” you wiggled your eyebrows at him. “Unless you actually need something that is?”

“No little mouse, not tonight. Enjoy your evening.” He turned and started walking back down the road before you pulled your keys out. Stepping into your kitchen, you placed your leftovers in the fridge and headed off to watch TV before bed.

After all, tomorrow was the start of another busy week.

[plungermusic]

“Kinda bent, but we ain’t breakin’… in the long run”

Maverick Saturday stretched out before us like a challenge - thirteen hours is a long time on your feet for a couple of oldsters, but we’d give it our best shot…

We didn’t catch all of Dan Walsh’s opening Barn set, but his closing number, a lyrical, backwoods folk-flavoured instrumental that peaked in an increasingly frenetic celtic reel to the whoops and stomps of the crowd, was enough to impress us with its fleet-fingered dexterity.

Kelly Bayfield made her second barn appearance with another stylish set drawn from the new album: Kelly taking to the piano to give us a new short number Sing which was twinned (“well, they’re a similar flavour, and in the same key!”) with her last single Hitchhiker, both oozing classy 70s chanteuse vibes and the latter closing in some great Telecaster work from Andy Trill in a majestic closing solo.

There’s not much that’d drag us away from a Kelly performance early, but having spotted his programme picture (“Long hair, Les Paul? That’ll do!”) we pottered down to the open air Green Stage for David Banks and his band. He did exactly what we thought it said on the tin: lots of Springsteen/Petty influenced muscular Americana with a dash of Molly Hatchett topped with excellent southern-fried guitar and classic ‘big endings’… marvellous.

He was followed by Simon Stanley Ward (another ‘old fave’) who brought his Jonathan Richmanish irreverence and wit to Old Time Country in Excuse Me While I Feel Sorry For Myself; the Graceland-African-style I’m A Worrier (”…that’s worrier, not warrior”) a swinging rock’n’roller Bigfoot, Baby (Eddie Cochran meets cryptobiology) and Rocket In The Desert (the salad leaf not the projectile) with its Lawrence Of Arabia theme tease. While lampooning his own assumed-Nashville twang in American Voice the accompaniment was as echt as you could want, and the deadpan humour of Beluga Whale was sung to a properly stirring Journeyesque anthem.

As it wasn’t raining The Green seemed the place to stay, where Forty Elephant Gang came next. Reviewing their album we were a little sniffy about their ‘crowd-pleasing festival songs’ but aside from the field holler-meets-O Brother Where Art Thou-style Songs Of Praise, this set was mostly the ones we’d liked: the relaxed Tex-Mex of Strange Things Happening with three-part harmonies and intertwining mando’n’guitar lines; the melancholic waltz of Young Man’s Game and the Squeeze-y domestic wit of Drunken Promise Song. A final ‘crowd-pleaser’ came in the chugging bluesy Hands Out Your Pockets, an instruction the assembled masses eagerly followed to add the required clap-along.

Sam Chase Trio made another appearance at The Green, wooing the larger crowd with both edgy humour (including praising UK portaloos in comparison to US versions, and introducing Everyone Is Crazy But Me as “a children’s song... now, what they mean is that it’s simple, since kids are generally at the dumber end of the spectrum”), and songs as varied as the fiery protest of What Is All The Rage and the haunting, wistful Lost Girl, (from the “Faustian Spaghetti Western Of Epic Proportions Known As The Last Rites Of Dallas Pistol”) sung by cellist Devon.

Now Plunger do like a bit of bluegrass, whether it’s grainy b/w Flatt & Scruggs clips from the 50s, through Sam Bush and New Grass to Béla Fleck and Greensky Bluegrass so The Folly Brothers should have been our kind of thing… however what we heard of them was more My Old Man’s A Dustman than anything Appalachian so we wandered off…

Back at The Barn Dean Owens and the Southerners drew a large and attentive crowd, but the popular Scot also left us a bit underwhelmed. Mellow, melodious troubadoury country that wouldn’t have been out of place on a mid-afternoon 70s Radio 2 show, the kind of thing that takes a deep listen in your bedroom to appreciate the stories told: very easy on the ear for sure but without any particular thing to grab us at a festival.

After an abortive attempt to catch Ella Spencer and her accompanist at The Moonshine (an extremely long soundcheck with problems with feedback from pretty much everything they touched meant we gave up) we caught a snatch of Los Pistoleros as we rounded The Green: probably the most C.O.U.N.T.R.Y. thing of the weekend, complete with draggy fiddle, pedal steel and old time vocal harmonies… if I’d not left my cowboy boots at home I’d have been out line-dancing with the best of them.

Plunger had only just seen Alyssa Bonagura (with Tim De Graaw’s band) less than a week since. Here at The Barn she was nominally solo but Tim joined her to add sweet harmonies and mellow guitar to Alyssa’s polished Cali-country: her strong yet ethereal vocal equally at home in slow emotional confessionals or giggly upbeat Big Yellow Taxi-style big strummers.

Listed only as ‘Dogs Play Dead’ it was only a lucky guess that took us down to The Green for what turned out to be Friday’s headliners Black Eyed Dogs playing a set of Grateful Dead classics. Mainly those with a countryish twist to them already, like Casey Jones, I Know You Rider and Friend Of The Devil; and bringing that flavour with fiddle and pedal steel to others like Truckin’, China Cat Sunflower, Playing In The Band and the epic closing Franklin’s Tower. All done with the right degree of loose, shambling rhythms and discursive noodling on guitar (and fiddle!) Fabulous stuff for grooving on the grass under what by now were glorious sunshine-filled blue skies.

Brooks Williams’ jangly sonorous acoustic and warm, smooth higher register vox was ideal early evening fare at the barn, in covers like Dave Alvin’s King Of California, traditional numbers like Deep River Blues and originals like the Gordon Lightfootish melancholy of Frank Delandry, and the damp-eyed nostalgia of Palomino Gold, aided toward the end of his set by some more excellent banjo from Dan Walsh.

The USP of Eddy Smith & the 507 is Eddy’s gravelly soulful voice, ideal for their bluesy-edged material, like the harp-led strut of It Don’t Feel Much Like Living and the new single Ticket Out Of Here, a bustling two-step with impressive three-part harmony vocals. They definitely have moved up a level since we last saw them a couple of years back.

Somehow we managed to miss Sarah Petite with her band completely on Friday, and almost all of her stripped-back Moonshine set on Saturday. Which was definitely our loss gauging by the brief snatch of crackling husky vocal over restrained bass and reverb laden guitar that we heard while hunting for a still-open toilet (a water supply problem having rendered all loos unusable for a considerable portion of the late evening... pretty much the only fly in the ointment all weekend!)

As the sun set the two-month date differential was beginning to tell: clear night skies in September aren’t quite the same as July and the growing chill was testing our stamina a bit. We headed for The Peacock and the tribute show to John Prine, hosted by Rich Hall. Pretty much every act who was on site came to do a turn in honour of the recently-deceased songwriting legend, with their own favourite from his oeuvre. Kelly Bayfield band gave us Hello In There, Tim De Graaw with Alyssa did That’s The Way The World Goes Round, Alyssa gave us the obligatory Angel From Montgomery, and Simon Stanley Ward (plus Kelly) gave a fantastic rollicking Lake Marie. Entirely in character, Sam Chase Trio broke the mould and gave us their own tribute song John Prine.

Rich Hall had to skip out on MC duties to attend his own set at The Barn: sacrilege to say, but the appeal of stand up (even to music, even from such a big name) palled a little. It was getting bitterly cold (you could see your breath hanging in the air) and given that what we could hear of his set was the same as we’d heard last time he was here we spent much the time attempting to warm up with piping hot beverages. However it was by far the rammedest set of the weekend, with the tightly-packed crowd spilling out of The Barn for some distance.

Jon Langford was unsurprisingly somewhat hindered by the draw of Rich Hall (which left The Peacock a bit underpopulated!) His spiky, punky approach wasn’t entirely our bowl of chilli, although the rendition of Eddie Waring (originally by Help Yourself with Deke Leonard and BJ Cole, who was sitting in with Jon tonight) was very good.

The programme description of headliner Jerry Joseph did its best to weaken our staying power too: with our deep suspicion of any write-ups that include the ‘p-word’, and somewhat incredulous of the mention of ‘jam bands’, Jerry looked like he wouldn’t be our kind of thing at all. However he didn’t live down to expectations (wholly). A very animated stage-prowling audience-provoking figure in shorts and no shoes, there was no shortage of energy even if it was largely unchannelled and could get a little wearing… (maybe it was that, maybe it was the chill, but The Barn steadily thinned out during his set, ending less than half full). War At The End Of The World was the pick of the bunch, although like most of his material it would probably have sounded better with a band (like, erm, Stockholm Syndrome, which he co-founded; or, erm, Widespread Panic who he has written for… so much for our ‘jamband incredulity’!)

While it might have ended as a bit of a test of endurance, there were more than enough high points to make Saturday another enjoyable Maverick experience.

“Did we do it for love? Did we do it for money? More like stubborn dumb persistence and hot chocolate, honey…”

[krispyweiss]

Emmylou Harris and Los Lobos at Rose Music Center at the Heights, Huber Heights, Ohio, Aug. 7, 2021

There weren’t a lot of fans at the Rose Music Center Aug. 7 for Emmylou Harris and Los Lobos - the place was probably one-third full - but that was enough for the headliner, who’s just returned to the road after the pandemic layoff and marveled every time the house lights came up to reveal the fans.

The sound quality had dipped since she sound checked in the empty venue in the afternoon. But “I’ll take the people,” Harris said as she mused about being back on stage.

Having live music available again is wonderful. Yet there was something disquieting about seeing only a single-digit number of masks among a four-figure audience in close quarters under a roof. Staff were fully unmasked.

For 80 minutes, Harris and her Red Dirt Band played a combination of originals and covers - the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Wheels” and Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty” among them - as wide-ranging as the co-bill with Los Lobos. The Wolves played first and, with David Hidalgo back home for the birth of his first granddaughter, turned in a hard-charging, blues-rock-Tex-Mex set led by Cesar Rosas and augmented by auxiliary keyboards and accordion, making for a unique performance that was better than it should have been.

Harris opened her 80-minute set appropriately with “Here I Am,” before settling into a slow, sad rendition of Gillian Welch’s “Orphan Girl.”

As the set unfolded across a cappella and bluegrass spirituals like “Calling My Children Home” and “Get Up John;” James Taylor’s “Millworker;” and the original and deeply moving “My Name is Emmett Till” - inspired by a story on “that bastion of liberal bias they call the truth,” NPR - the Red Dirt Band shifted instruments accordingly, the musicians sometimes playing two - fiddle and mandolin, for example - within one song.

Piano gave way to accordion and acoustic slide guitar. Electric guitar tangled with upright and electric bass and the drummer switched from brushes to mallets to sticks to give the music a multi-colored palette.

At 74, Harris has lost just a touch of her upper register and her voice occasionally faltered. But as she commanded center stage - white mane spilling over black, sleeveless top - strumming an acoustic guitar and singing her favorite songs, the clock turned backward at least temporarily.

Lobos, for their part, were firmly in the present during their 55-minute set. With southpaw guitarist Rosas, cool in black and omnipresent shades, in command, this was perhaps the only Los Lobos set in 40 years that didn’t include any of Louie Pérez’s lyrics, as Hidalgo wasn’t there to sing them.

Instead, this show revolved around Rosas’ blues (“Wicked Rain,” “Don’t Worry Baby”) and cumbias and covers including traditional Mexican numbers and a segue of “Papa was a Rolling Stone” -> “I Can’t Understand” -> “Oye Como Va” that included a rare - if not unprecedented - Conrad Lozano bass solo that ran so long it simply petered out.

Pérez looked like a hippie lumberjack with a white ponytail running down the back of his flannel shirt. Lozano, meanwhile, was ready for the beach as he grinned widely in long shorts, button-down shirt and a hat.

With Hidalgo - and all his songs - unavailable, Los Lobos did a lot of jamming. “Chuco’s Cumbia” was extended to eight minutes as Rosas directed traffic and cued a raucous baritone sax solo from Steve Berlin, a guitar solo from Pérez (he also played jarana and drums) and keyboard and accordion breaks from their friends.

It’s a testament to Lobos’ power as a live band that even with their nominal leader missing, the performance elicited standing ovations and the loudest audience reactions of the evening.

Grade card: Emmylou Harris and Los Lobos at Rose Music Center at the Heights - 8/7/21 - B+/A-

See more photos here.

8/8/21

[mca-attack21]

117 Part 2

Part 2 of the Stiles Sis Fic based on Season 4 Episode 2. Check out the rest of my Stiles Sis Fic series, more teen wolf imagines, and the rest of my writing in general here.

You, Scott, and Stiles had stopped by the site of Derek’s house but it was abandoned. You decided to go to the police station, at this point you needed all the help you could get. The three of you were very surprised to see your dad staring at a young Derek Hale. Your dad immediately pulled you into his office. “I want you to be honest with me, absolutely and completely honest...have you been time traveling?” your dad asked. 

You laughed, you couldn’t have heard him right, “What?” you asked. “If time-travel is a thing, I’m done, I’m out you will be driving me to Eichen house,” he said. 

“We found him like that” Scott replied. 

“Where, swimming in the fountain of youth?” your dad demanded. 

“No, we found him buried in a tomb of wolfs bane, in an ancient Aztec temple in Mexico under a church destroyed by an earthquake,” Stiles responded. 

You and Scott both rolled your eyes. “You told me you were going camping,” your dad said in disbelief. 

“We did go camping...in Mexico.” 

Your dad was on the verge of a mental meltdown when you spoke up “Derek has been aged backwards, he doesn’t remember anything, we just need to talk to him.” 

 Your dad gave up sitting back in his chair, “Well so far he hasn’t talked to anybody,” he replied. 

“He’ll talk to me,” Scott said.

“Hello Derek, My name is Scott McCall, this is Y/n Stilinski and her brother Stiles. We are her to help you, you just have to come with us,” Scott started.

“Why would I go anywhere with you?” Derek asks innocently. 

“There was an accident, you lost some memory, but we can help you get it back” Scott continued. 

You were sitting at your father’s desk fiddling with papers when you noticed that there were bills from Eichen house and the hospital. Both had second notice written in thick red letters. You hid them out of Stiles’ sight. 

“How do I know I can trust you?” Derek asked. Scott bent down and flashed his alpha red eyes. "You're an alpha” Derek exclaimed. 

“Not just any alpha, he is a true alpha” Stiles noted. 

“Are you going to come with us now?” Scott asked. 

“No” Derek said shifting in his seat. 

"Listen here, we are the guys trying to keep you out of jail. You almost attacked two officers out there. You need to come with us and absolutely no claws, fangs, or wolf stuff, got it?” Stiles said authoritatively (he always liked to play bad cop.) 

“I’m fine as long as it isn’t a full moon.” Derek replied. “

You still struggle with control?” Scott asked genuinely curious. 

“I said I’m fine” Derek snapped back. 

“Are you coming with us or not?” Stiles asked heading to the door. 

“You want me to trust you? Tell me where my family is.” Derek demanded.

Both Scott and Stiles looked to you. Oh god, how were you supposed to tell Derek Hale that his family was dead. He was still young and hopeful, knowing this would crush him. But ultimately you knew that you couldn’t lie. After all, he would be able to hear your heartbeat and know anyways. “Stiles, Scott, can you give us a minute?” you ask. They leave the two of you alone. 

“Derek my name is Y/n. I want you to focus on my heartbeat so you know that I am not lying to you,” you say taking a seat next to him. He nods, letting you know he is listening. “Before you lost your memory, the two of us were pretty close. Scott and I were the ones who found you. And believe me when I say that the two of us and even Stiles would do just about anything to keep you safe. Something bad happened to your family, and you not knowing is a good thing in my opinion, but if you want me to tell you I will, the decision is yours,” you say.

“I have to know” he answers staring intently into your eyes. A single tear rolls down your cheek as you begin. “There was a fire and most of your family was trapped inside. A few people escaped, but we don’t know who made it out or where they are now except for Peter. This fire was set by a hunter, she is the same one who caused you to lose your memory. She is after you now. That is why we need you to let us help you. We need to protect you from the hunter,” you finished.

Derek’s face was void of emotion. You had just told him his family was dead, you destroyed the light in his eyes. After a minute he looked up to you and said quietly “Okay, let’s go.” You stood up embracing him. Your dad filled out the paperwork and you left. You plugged in your music and stared out the window, you avoided returning glances from Scott and Stiles. You couldn’t believe what you had just done. Tears began to silently trace your cheeks. You got dropped off with Scott. You and him were going to see Peter, after all, if anyone would be able to help you it would be him. Stiles took Derek back to Scott’s house and was waiting for you and Scott to return.

Stiles was startled to see that Scott’s dad was home. He asked where Scott was and Stiles said he would be on his way shortly. He asked if Stiles or his friend wanted food. Derek said yes immediately having not eaten anything since he woke up. To Stiles protests, the three of them sat down to eat Chinese. “I don’t believe I’ve met you,” Scotts dad stated. 

“I’m..” Derek started before being cut off. 

“This is my cousin Miguel from Mex-i-co” Stiles answered. Mr. McCall started speaking to Derek in Spanish. Stiles face paled as he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. Just then Derek answered in fluent Spanish. Stiles took a bite out of his egg-roll, this was going to be a long night.

Meanwhile: 

You and Scott were riding to Peter’s house. Scott wanted to ask you if you were all right, something had seemed off since you returned from Mexico. But he decided that he would focus on the matter at hand and see to you later. When you got to Peter’s, Scott had directed you to stay behind him. He pulled the door open, unsure of what to expect. 

Both you and Scott were startled when Peter spoke, “Scott have you completely lost your manners? First you come in my home without knocking. And then you bring a cute little friend, and don’t bother to introduce her?”. Peter stood rolling his eyes at the young alpha. 

“Peter this is Y/n, Y/n this is Peter Hale.” 

“The pleasure is mine” Peter says. 

Scott than speaks up “What do you know about people being turned by a scratch?”

 Peter turns to Scott, “You didn’t scratch someone did you Scott? No worries the scratch would have to be super deep and even then it is almost impossible.” 

“But hypothetically it’s possible, like if you clawed out a certain hunter’s throat?” you asked waiting for Peter to catch on. 

“Well yeah, it’s possible, but we are talking beyond rare like one in a…..” he stopped realizing who and what we were talking about. In frustration he threw the book had been reading across the room. “Why can’t anyone in this town just stay dead?” he growled. 

“While that is a valid question, I think the better one would be why did Kate turn Derek into a teenager?” you explained. 

“What color were his eyes?” Peter asked. “Blue” Scott answered. 

“So this was after Paige, which could mean around the time Derek first met Kate,” Peter revealed. “Derek and Kate knew each other?” Scott asked completely shocked. 

“Biblically” Peter replied. “So Derek knows Kate but doesn’t know that she is the one who set the fire,” you said starting to connect the dots. 

“So right now, Derek trusts Kate” Scott realized.

At Scott’s house:

Stiles had only went downstairs for a minute. He wanted to call Scott and see what was taking so long. When Scott received the call he explained to Stiles what they had figured out. He told Stiles that he couldn’t let Derek out of his sight. Stiles told Scott that he was overreacting and that Derek was upstairs waiting for him and everything was fine. When Stiles returned to the room he found that Derek was nowhere to be found. While Scott and Stiles were frantically trying to figure out what to do you received a call form Lydia. She, Kira, and Malia were on there way to Scott’s when they stopped for gas and discovered a body. Kate had been there, she had killed the man. Lydia sent pictures. The murder wasn’t planned Kate had merely lost control. This gave Peter an idea, “Kate is new, she can’t control it. But she thinks that Derek can” Peter says.  

“So she wants him to help her?” you asked confused. 

“No, she wants the Triskelion.” he said. You wanted to ask what that was, but you figured that you would be told if you really needed to know.

[livehealthynewsusa]

An American dream, of family, future and good food | Colorado Springs News

It was the place you passed, perhaps paused, on your way to another location as you marked the time at the traffic lights at S. Academy and Hancock in Colorado Springs.

A squat place with fast food bones from the 80s, on a sandwich toss from two main thoroughfares (“excellent signage and traffic!”), But only accessible by car via a winding path behind a church parking lot in a street that doesn’t have a name because technically it’s not a street.

Wasn’t it a gyro joint before?

I remember tacos. And chinese food. And burgers. (All true).

The story of 3008 S. Academy Blvd. is a global culinary crawl of startup hopes, good food and job vacancies. Then one day in early 2021 you see the building freshly painted and put on a new sign, and you ask yourself: Who would open a restaurant there, especially at a time like this?

29-year-old former firefighter Robert Felipe Velasquez is that guy. He knows he is facing an uphill battle, but he also knows what he is fighting for: family and future.

“Yes, it is a bit of a chore to get in here … but God was good to us. We keep getting loyal people who were with us when we were in the truck and still come to support us, ”he said in early March, a month after the Felipes 109 moved from a food truck to his own new brick-and-mortar base.

Failure is certainly a concern, but it’s not an option.

Robert Velasquez works in the kitchen of Felipe’s 109 with his grandmother Evelyn Tilden Friday 23 April 2021. The name of Velasquez ‘restaurant was inspired by his family and beliefs and is a combination of his grandfather’s first (and his own middle) . ) and Romans 10: 9, a Bible verse about the power of faith. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Christian Murdock / The Gazette

“When all the other doors are closed and you only have one way to go, just walk through the door and believe you will make it,” he said. “You have to believe that somehow, or somehow, the American dream will come true and we just have to find out.”

Knowing where you are going is important even if you’re not sure how to get there – or what it will be like when you get there. For Robert Velasquez, the goal has always been “something entrepreneurial, something successful,” said his wife Jenna.

“He’s always been very generous, kind, really funny – and really upbeat too,” said Jenna. It was these traits that first attracted her to her future husband when the two met and became friends in church as teenagers. However, after eight years of marriage and three children, Robert’s world-class optimism has led to some tough and emotional conversations.

“He really is a dreamer. Every day he says, ‘Oh, we could do that’ or ‘That would be such a great invention or this is such a great business idea …’ He doesn’t like being told ‘No’, “Jenna said, in contrast tended to live in the moment and be overwhelmed when she thinks about what’s to come. “I think we complement each other well. My job is to support him, but to say: ‘These are great ideas, but maybe you shouldn’t do all of them.’ “

Growing up in the Springs, Robert and his sister Shanity had discussed opening a restaurant with their grandmother Evelyn Tilden, a natural cook who had attended cookery school but had to give up her calling. When he was 18, Robert and Evelyn even started a grassroots burrito business, making the wraps, and selling them to office workers at companies around the Springs.

Robert Velasquez works in the kitchen of Felipe’s 109 with his grandmother Evelyn Tilden Friday, April 21, 2021. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Christian Murdock / The Gazette

The experience got his entrepreneurial juices flowing, but after graduating from high school in 2010, another burning passion topped his list.

“One of the things I heard as a kid was, ‘I let go of my dreams to raise you,'” he said. “I always knew I wanted to be a firefighter … and if I didn’t follow my dreams, what should I say to my own children?”

Meet Robert Felipe Velasquez, the owner of Filipes 109 and a versatile family man.

Robert and Jenna married in 2013 and Charlotte was born in late December. Robert had worked in construction and they had saved their money to buy a house. The following year he applied and was inducted into the City of Fountain’s eight-month Fire Academy. In October 2016, he completed his studies and went straight to EMT training. He finished this program in May 2017 when Baby Leo arrived.

All of these plans – and the world as he knew it – changed forever.

“Leo had all of these complications and was in and out of the hospital for about eight months, and three months in the summer,” said Robert, whose young son did not gain weight and had difficulty breathing. “He choked and turned blue. And we didn’t know what was going on. Nobody did. “

It would be almost two years before Leo received an official diagnosis: a rare syndrome caused by a genetic mutation that causes microcephaly and severe developmental and neurological delays. Leo also suffered a brain injury at birth that left him with cerebral palsy and visual impairment.

His and Jenna’s life now revolved around caring for a critically ill child with special needs. Dream jobs had to wait for now.

“The fire department has been great for us as (colleagues) donated sick hours to us during his hospital stay so we could keep getting paid,” said Robert. “The fire brigade was a dream for me, and it is a dream come true.”

It was a dream that didn’t last. Dealing with medical trauma at home and back at work would soon prove to be too much.

“He was having a really hard time getting back into the groove after our son,” Jenna said. “He’s always had such a big heart and is kind to everyone. He just wants to take care of everyone … “

Suddenly he couldn’t. The universe had said, “No.” Or at least “not like that”.

“How can I help someone else if I can’t even help my own child at home? That’s how I felt then. I loved firefighters, but I just couldn’t juggle both of them, ”said Robert, who was working on his 26th gap-building job after high school.

That’s what he did when planning his next move and spending as much time as possible with Jenna, Charlotte and Leo when the pandemic broke out.

“People are on leave, every week there is a conversation, ‘Are we going to close?’ Or: ‘This guy has COVID and he’s in the hospital,’ “said Robert, whose son is immunocompromised and particularly susceptible to the virus. “There were so many variables. I figured I could either be out of work next week or do something else. “

By then, however, he had already figured out what the next step would be. He and Shanity’s old plans to start a restaurant were back on the table, and the wheels were turning.

Robert applied for a loan in February 2020 but couldn’t get enough money to fund a start-up restaurant. He had “never run a food truck before, had no food truck friends” and had no idea how to promote a business on social media. They would work these details out later.

“We thought we could afford a food truck … so we looked for a used food truck,” said Robert.

At first Jenna said she was pushing back.

“I understand why he left the fire department but then jumped straight into a food truck … I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is crazy. This guy is so optimistic that I can’t even handle it, ‘”she said.

As long as there was room for hope, she knew her husband would find him. She also knew he wasn’t going to give up.

“I finally realized that this was the beginning of his dream and probably a step in the right direction,” she said. “People said he was crazy to open a food truck during a pandemic, but he said, ‘It’s the perfect timing.’ We learned a lot in less than a year. “

Among these lessons: Don’t make a hard turn in a food truck if your cabinets are unlocked.

Also, if you’re looking to buy a stick-shift food truck, make sure that if you ever want to take a day off, you’re not the only one who can drive it.

“Let’s just say the food truck business was a little more overwhelming than we thought,” Shanity said.

With a willingness to work more than 17 hours a day, perform last-minute appearances, and adhere to flexible hours, Felipe’s 109 “New Mex” offerings gained a following and a growing presence within the first few months of operation in Springs. Things were “insanely busy” but Robert looked up, said Robert.

Then came another fulcrum that had nothing to do with pandemics.

Jenna gave birth to the couple’s third child, Georgiana, on October 9, 2020. As a newborn, she showed many of the same symptoms as Leo, albeit less severe. She still has trouble swallowing and needs to be fed through a catering tube.

Robert’s search for a stationary location was a top priority.

“At this point I call Shanity and say we have to let the food truck go. I can’t drive around everywhere, find a place to go next, be up day and night, ”said Robert. “We need a place that we can call home, where at the end of the day, when everything is crazy, my family knows where to find dad. We do not give up our dream and we do not give up our family. “

After a number of potential locations and businesses failed, Robert asked someone at his Victory World Outreach church if they knew anything about the empty restaurant on the stamp corner of the huge parking lot.

Sure, other stores there hadn’t made it. But they weren’t him.

He got the number of the owner, called and explained his “situation”. The man asked about a relapse plan.

“‘There is no plan B. We will do this and this is how we will do it,'” Robert told him. “He said, ‘We can work with it.'”

Despite initial concerns about the location and its track record, Robert said he finally stopped by.

“How’s it going? Are you taking a risk or trying to find a different game plan? If you’re working on Plan B, how are you going to work on Plan A?” He said.

However, the new Plan A is much bigger than just a business model.

And the restaurant is more than just a restaurant serving taco burgers out of this world.

“Yes, we do serve food, but we are also here to serve in the community and to raise awareness and support for the community with special needs,” said Robert. “That’s where God put us there for some reason.”

A place that may not be the easiest to get to, but is well worth the trip.

source https://livehealthynews.com/an-american-dream-of-family-future-and-good-food-colorado-springs-news/