#jeb jogging

[satureja13]

Saiwa and Jeb agreed to start their new relationship 3.5 by spending more couple time together. So they went to the beach to go jogging. We already learned that it does Sai good to run off his anger and that it calms him down. And Jeb goes jogging almost every morning anyway. (And Sai stretches (again) in front of Jeb to show off, to accellerate things a bit, lol. After reading all those gay romance books and seeing Jeb in his hot goth outfit, Sai can't wait to get physical again with Jeb.) And it seems Sai is successful, by the way Jeb looks at him <3

Later, they all gathered to do the homework Leander assigned to them. Collecting all their abilities and weaknesses. Poor Ji Ho has to watch how Vlad and Jack are chatting and laughing together... The Bond is silent since they arrived here to study beyond the Veil. And Vlad barely looks Ji Ho's way. Let alone says a word to him. Is Vlad really convinced that their love was just caused by a spell to get a grip on Vlad's powers? To avert the prophecy?

Skully has joined them. He brought Vlad's logs and the notes from the Little Goats to help the Boys remember all the occasions they used their magic and unique abilities. Which only caused Jack and Vlad to chat and laugh more together, as they remembered the exciting times they had together. Ji Ho is boiling. Now, that he finally got his feelings back and discovered his true, deep love for Vlad, Jack got struck by lightning and spreads his pheromones on Vlad! (The painting behind Ji Ho matches his anger ö.Ö')

A few hours later, Ms Coombes arrived for their Defense against the Dark Arts lesson. She divided them into two groups. Sai, Jack and Ji Ho started. They were supposed to use their (magic) abilities to hit the jugs, and if that turned out successful, try to hit the mannequin as well. Sai failed and Jack, as the strongest of them, could easily shatter the jugs and the mannquin to dust, but he has none of the magic abilities to do any harm from a distance. Ms Coombes: "That was to be expected. But don't worry, you have other ways to attack. Now you, Ji Ho." Usually Ji Ho also doesn't have any ranged attack powers. But Ms Coombes encouraged him to use his new found feelings and scan through himself to fathom unknown powers hiding in the dephts deep inside of him.

The only way he knows to influence someone are his Siren's Songs. But he doesn't know if this could also work with things that lack feelings he can influence... Ms Coombes told him not to hold back. It's only some old jugs and a mannequin... And so Ji Ho unleashed all his anger in a powerful song.

'There is no escape and that's for sure This is the end, we won't take anymore Say goodbye to the world you live in You've always been taking and now you're giving

Running, on our way Hiding, you will pay Dying one thousand deaths

Searching, seek and destroy

Our brains are on fire with the feeling to kill And it won't go away until our dreams are fulfilled There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away 'cause you're the one we will find'

And really, all the three jugs burst from Ji Ho's voice alone! No one expected this. Not even Ms Coombes. Ji Ho felt powerful! He channeled all his anger and jealousy and helplessness - and let it all out. And it felt good!

Ms Coombes seemed a bit shocked, but she - hesistantly - told Ji Ho to proceed with the mannequin. And Ji Ho couldn't wait to feel the power run through him again! It felt even better than doing bond magic with Vlad. Now that he has his feelings back, everything felt so much more intense! Ji Ho hit the statue with all his anger. But it didn't burst - just lit up. Maybe he's already spent?

Ms Coombes: "Eh. Very well done, Ji Ho!" She looked at Jack: "My time here is limited, as you know. So quickly leave and let the other group enter." Jack: "Yes, Ms Coombes. Come on. Let's not waste their time." If Ji Ho weren't so excited about his new found powers, he might have found this very weird. Ms Coombes puzzled, her and Jack not quarreling and Saiwa utterly silent... And did the mannequin just tremble?

Sai, Ji Ho and Jack left the building and Jack hurried them down to the Screaming Mandrake to prepare dinner while the others are supposed to have their lesson. They didn't see Vlad, Jeb and Kiyoshi around, though...

Meanwhile, Jeb and Kiyoshi ran down to the Dark Arts classroom. Just where the mannequin stood just a few seconds ago, Vlad fell to the ground. Jeb: "Gods, Vlad!" Ms Coombes was near to tears, Vlad is her favourite: "Quick, help him get up and bring him to the hospital wing! Ji Ho was stronger than expected. Oh I shouldn't have allowed this!" Oh no! They hid Vlad in the mannequin to test if Ji Ho has the power to influence or hurt him! They knew Ji Ho would never attack Vlad purposely with all his power. No matter how angry he was at him ö.ö And that's why Ms Coombes had sent Wesley the other day - to prepare everything!

Kiyoshi and Jeb are excellent healers. Kiyoshi helped Vlad get up while Jeb reassured Ms Coombes. Vlad moaned. He wasn't able to get up by himself. Kiyoshi: "Don't move. Let me help you."

Is this the evidence that Ji Ho is under a spell from his grandfather and a danger for Vlad? We'll try to find out in the next episode!

The song Ji Ho sang shouted out was Seek and Destroy by Metallica MV is from a live concert from 1983! Still with bassist Cliff Burton (he died 1986 in an accident). TMI: I remember back in the days, my then-boyfriend and I discussed who was good looking in the metal scene, and he was utterly convinced that James Hetfield was the, by far, hottest of them all and all the girls were after him ^^' I surely wasn't! But maybe he was ;)

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Who killed Jack?' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-28

[corrieander]

City Girls and Wind Shear

I haven't posted here in forever, but I saw Twisters and had to write a Soulmates AU. Specifically, a first words soul-mate identifying marks. Tyler was so caught on New York, and city girl... I felt like he'd been thinking about it for a while. Enjoy!

***Chapter 1 Excerpt

The sounds of the truck stop died away and it was only the clouds and the warm wind rustling the grasses along the road, carrying the smell of rain.

“I used to do that, too,” a man said. “Compare the direction of the wind with cloud movement.”

That deep breath she’d taken stayed in her chest. She felt oddly still and calm at something she’d long dreaded. Her words.

She’d wondered over the years if Jeb had no words because he was going to die. Philosophers disagreed on the subject.

If so, it was the cruelest thing in the world. She would far rather have had Jeb’s words for the rest of her life than some stranger’s.

She turned slowly to look at the man behind her. It was the YouTuber, Tyler Owens, who’d tipped his cowboy hat at her earlier.

He smiled, gesturing to the vans. “So, you work for Storm Par?”

As easy as falling, Kate exhaled. Bless him for asking a yes or no question. “Yeah.”

His breathing didn’t stutter, but she caught a slight pause and a momentary furrow of his brow, as if kicking himself for asking a stupid question. “Where you coming in from?” he asked.

She wondered how many of her words he had. “Yeah,” was a complete sentence, but you never could tell. “New York.”

He didn’t clutch his chest or whoop or do any of the things you saw people do in viral soulmate meetings caught on video. He just raised his brows. “City girl, huh?”

Kate felt a swoop of relief. “I guess. Excuse me…”

Another man jogged up. “Tyler, have we decided which storm we’re going to chase yet?”

Tyler pointed to her, “Maybe we should ask…”

Kate hesitated. It felt dangerous to give her name to her supposed soulmate—but it would be weirder to refuse. “Kate.”

“I’m Tyler.”

“And I’m Ben.”

She shook Ben’s hand, relieved that Tyler had not offered. Some people claimed there was a tingling warmth, a knowing when you touched your soulmate the first time.

“I’m writing an article about American storm chasing,” Ben said. “Tyler is kindly allowing me to ride along.”

“Yeah, he just had to promise to write nothing but good things about me.”

“Good luck with that.” Kate turned away. Why had the universe tried to match up her and this guy—?

[kopykunoichi]

Christy, by Catherine Marshall. Chapter 35 Excerpt (part 2)

Over the doctor’s shoulder I saw that Jeb Spencer had set the fiddle against his chest and was tuning up. Wraight Holt had joined him with a banjo. With twangy chords sliding into a fast jog and Jeb’s bow singing across the strings the music started. As in the past Uncle Bogg was in the middle of things ready to call the figures. I marveled that from all appearances the old man had recovered so quickly from his son’s murder. Or, I wondered, was this just another example of Uncle Bogg’s callousness? “Scrooch them settin’ chairs against the walls, boys. Gonna need a heap of room.” The old squire was clapping his hands. “Gyarner ’em in, folks. In—a—cir-cle. The Tenn’see Wag-on Wheel. Here—we—go!” The tune was the familiar “Skip to My Lou.” The music snaked across the floor, swirled around my ankles, set my toes to tapping. Dr. MacNeill saw. “Come on, Christy. Into the circle we go."

“Cir-cle left!” . . . Cir-cle right! . . . Swing your partner . . . Now . . .” The doctor was surprisingly nimble. I had never done much square dancing, so did not know all the intricate figures. But by whispered instruction and skillful leading, he was steering me with scarcely a step missed by either of us. The rhythm beat and surged around us. The man must have learned this dance in his cradle! “La-dies back . . . Gents to the cen-ter . . .” Close up, some of these men were a little pungent. Out behind the cabin or somewhere the jugs were being tilted. “With a Right Hand Wheel . . . And back the other way . . . With a Left Hand Wheel! . . . Pick up your partner!” The doctor’s strong arms lifted me off the floor as easily as if I had been a child. Whirl and twirl . . . bend and swing . . . round and round. The music was so delicious. It ached behind my eyes and pulled and titillated. “Swing your part-ner!”

I was spun through the air, blood racing with the music, aware of the doctor’s face close to mine, sometimes half-smiling, sometimes laughing, drawing me to him. “Right—left, Right—left . . . Right—left, Right—” “And now, once a-gain, swing your part-ner—Prom-e-nade!” We were making an arch with our raised arms and the couples were coming through. “Bend low! Through the tunnel. Follow the leader . . . Now for the Bas-ket . . . All to the center! . . . Ladies stay in and the gents come back!” This one was really ingenious. Soon I saw how “the basket” was made. Women in the inner circle joined hands raised; men in the outer circle ducking under. We were joining arms at waist level to circle the basket. As complicated and delightful as an old quilt pattern, I was thinking. The American frontier had its dangers and its hard work but it also had a rare talent for making its own fun. “Off the floor . . .” And the Tennessee Wagon Wheel ended.

I half collapsed against the wall. “You aren’t—breathless—a bit—” I chided Dr. MacNeill. “Used to it. Anyway that was only a middlin’ fast tune.” More music . . . Jeb had itchy fingers for his fiddle bow today. But no one was dancing this one, so I took it to be an in-between tune. In a rich baritone the doctor started singing the words:

Cheeks as red as a bloomin’ rose,

Eyes of the deepest brown,

You are the darlin’ of my heart,

Stay till the sun goes down.

All around us, voices picked up the song. Such an enigmatic look on the doctor’s face! What did that look mean?

Shady Grove, my little love,

Shady Grove, my dear,

Shady Grove, my little love,

I’m goin’ to leave you here.

Only a song, but why did he keep his eyes on my face? “I’m thirsty,” I said abruptly—and turned toward the one sawhorse table left pushed against the wall. There were pitchers of spring water and what looked like several kinds of fruit juice. I poured a little of one and gingerly tasted it. Raspberry juice, I thought. It was refreshing. So I poured a full glass.

[agentofmischief]

Birthstone Legacy Part 7

We're coming to the end of Pink Tourmaline and starting on Citrine. A lot happened during this play session, and I'm 2 days from aging up Aelia. So, here we go.

First, Azalea finished the final children's book and reached level 7 in her career. This was just before Thanksgiving where ...

Aelia cooked an excellent Grand Meal!

And the kids dealt with gnomes.

After that, I worked hard on Azalea's charisma, since she was 2 points away from completing her aspiration. And ...

So, with that out of the way I worked on Azalea's work needs for another promotion (spoiler alert, it hasn't happened yet, even though I've met all needs 3 work days before calling it). So, Azalea and Aelia went to the city so Azalea could gather donations, and Aelia tried some food stall food.

I also changed the house by building a basement and fixing the upstairs. And updated everyone's looks.

After that I focused on the teenagers' love lives. You'll notice Will's looking quite different. He's had a glow-up. Well, I changed his hair, because I noticed his beard would grow in much darker than his hair, and it made him look like an npc. When I checked his eyebrows, I noticed his hair is more brown than red. So, I changed his hair to a reddish brown, which works with his complexion better, I think. He's also slimmed down, which was all him. Shortly after growing into a teenager, he began to fall in love with fitness, frequently wanting to either jog or box. He's now obsessed with fitness, and is on level six of the fitness skill. He's done most of that without me telling him to do it.

So, Will was the first to find someone, although not entirely serious. I'm not sure what's up. I said in the previous post, I randomize likes/dislikes/attractions. Neither Will nor Erik find anyone attractive. The most they find their peers is basic looking.

So, Will went on a hangout date with a girl named Nani, which turned steamy.

However two days after this, Nani aged up into a Young Adult, so this is as far as it went.

Next there was Erik. There was a girl he did find attractive, but then he found out she was evil, and she started trash talking him and Aelia on Social Bunny.

Realizing his taste isn't great, he opted for a blind date from Simda. Her name was Chana Springer. While he found her basic looking, he couldn't deny that they were fairly compatible. So, he asked her to prom as friends, and she agreed.

Lastly, Aelia. For the longest time, she had a crush on a boy named Alijah and then another boy named Sidney. But, after checking out their attractions, they both turned out to be gay. She had a big crush on Sidney, that took her a while to get over.

Yet, the best love story was slowly unfolding. There was one boy Aelia found strikingly beautiful at school. Jeb Harris.

At the start of their school years, they hated each other. She was shiny and happy, trying to be friends with everyone. Jeb had never met anyone so nice, and assumed she had ulterior motives. Eventually, they struck up a conversation in class, and she told him about the new gourmet recipes she learned in the city, and he admitted that he wouldn't mind trying it, but doubted he could, because his family isn't well off. She immediately offered to make it for him if they hang out. Jeb realized he'd been wrong about her, and she was genuinely friendly.

He agreed to add her on Social Bunny, and they became fast friends. They traded jokes. She told him about her two failed blind dates and resigning to be single forever. She invited him over for that promised meal, and they got to talking. She accidentally let slip he was the cutest guy in school, and he couldn't believe it, because he thought she was the prettiest girl in school.

So, he asked her out, and she eagerly agreed. He took her to Salty Paws Saloon to get to know each other better.

She asked him to prom, and he agreed happily, surprised she even asked him. He struggled to find a suitable outfit, and decided for the night to lose the bag and show his face.

They danced, kissed, and admitted they loved each other, and traded promise rings.

Erik won Prom Jester, while Aelia was made Prom Queen.

After such a wonderful night, Aelia invited Jeb home, since he didn't want to wake his father so late at night. And ... well ...

At this point, they are two days away from becoming Young Adults, so I think Jeb is more than just Aelia's high school sweetheart. They are both completely smitten with each other, and consider each other their best friend.

Aelia has already been contemplating him moving in, since he hates his home so much. But that is for later.

We end with Traeth finally becoming a teenager. I had a feeling Traeth was going to be gay, or at least bi, from some of his interests as a child, but as I randomized his attractive interests, his sexuality solidified. He's less punk, and more boho. He likes outdoorsy, family sims, and he's a bit of a prankster. He loves pink and black, and hates blue. And he's attracted to sims with small butts, pink hair, jewelry, and beards.

So we embraced his identity. He's pretty.

So, as far as the challenge goes:

Pink Tourmaline Goals:

-Complete the Politician career as a Charity Organizer. (7/10)

-Complete Friend to the World aspiration.

-Adopt 2 kids (Do not have to be legacy continuation).

-Max out friendship/be best friends with 4 sims before becoming an Adult. The friendship must be maintained throughout life.

-Have a rose garden.

-Write 5 Children’s books.

-Volunteer with family 5 times. (5/5)

Citrine Goals:

-Complete Culinary Career. (Start at YA)

-Complete Culinary aspiration. (1/4)

-Master Cooking and baking skills.

Cooking (9/10) 

Baking (2/10) 

Gourmet Cooking (1/10)

-Own a fruit and vegetable garden with every possible fruit and veggie in your game.

-Own a Bakery or Restaurant. (YA)

-Cook an Excellent quality Grand Meal.

-Learn 10 Food Stall recipes. (2/10)

And the family looks like this, for now.

Again, Aelia and Erik are two days away from Young Adult. Aelia will live with her parents until Azalea completes her career, under the guise of saving up to buy a house, like Azalea did in the apartment. So, should be only one more post for Pink Tourmaline Gen, and next post will be the first official Citrine.

I do have a lot in mind for Aelia and Jeb, from where they'll live to where Aelia will have her restaurant, and when pet they will get when they move into their house. But, until then, Happy Simming!

[rogesims]

Flower Day

Good morning! It's Flower Day in the Harris House. Moe woke up along with the sun to go jogging along the coast. 

Tito as the chef he is, started preparing all the barbecue ingredients very early. There would be 14 sims to feed! 

A little before noon, Tito lit up the grill just as everyone started arriving!

It's been a while since so many of the family got together like this! You could only listen to bits and pieces of the conversation:

"... and that's on you, Jeb! You're still owing me that fishing trip to..."

"And she thought the infants would patch now LMAOOOOOO she even told me..."

This was also the event to make it official to the whole family.

"This is Marcos, mom! He's Leo's boyfriend."

"Hi, Marcos! It's nice to meet you." "Hi, Mrs. Harris. Leo told me only the best things about you!"

"Marcos, I heard you're River Tang's great-grandson. It's nice to have @TheBlkPlumbob's legacy finally joining the family!", Moe said.

"It's the least he could do", Marcos replied. "After all, he broke you guys up on his save! Poor Leo grew up and got lost in the Household Bin."

Tito was also very happy, seeing his baby so in love.

"It's OK Marcos, it's a whole other saveverse! I hope we can get to know your parents soon."

"I'm sure they'll love that, sir."

AAAAAAnd time for another family portrait! This will look great on the Harrises wall.

[ikea-sims]

Stargazing.

◇◇

Aubrey would work from home a lot, she'd garden, jog, take care of Bandit... Jeb would get home from work late and when he did, he'd get busy making dinner since Aubrey had never been good in the cooking department.

The routine worked well for them. Or so he thought. But sometimes he'd call for her to come to dinner and she wouldn't come. He'd find her laying outside, stargazing. He'd always join her.

◇◇

[madness-in-the-flesh]

How would Church and jorge hunt down their s/o?

This made me do the thing where you lay on your tummy and kick your legs at the idea. Anyways thanks for requesting those two after I asked for some. Appreciate it <3

CHURCH AND JORGE HUNTING DOWN AN S/O HCS

GENRE - ROMANTIC

TRIGGER WARNING - Kidnapping implied, Manipulation, Intimidation, blackmail mention, Violence, amputation mention

If them being able to follow Sanford and Deimos to the strangest of places, then you KNOW you are probably not gonna go far whether your running from them or you've just escaped them.

I feel like they're both VERY skilled at tracking people down. It's not much of a chore when they can find tracks aka they're tracking you down via sightings. You're gonna need to play it safe or you are FUCKED.

You can't trust anybody with the info on your whereabouts and avoid anyone that could see you. Gonna have to move around like Jeb in that one part of Project Nexus if you want to get out and stay out of their grasp but that's not what we're here for.

They ask around, Asking and bribing people if they've seen you. They're also not afraid to use intimidation if it helps jog said persons memory.

They also have all your family and friends ( if they haven't taken them out ) along with your favourite spots / go-to places you'd go to help which is where they start. They had stalked and bribed enough information before they took you or even in some cases, black mail.

They catch up quickly because of this and the combination that is the greedy fucks of Nevada. They might even put out a reward for sightings of you but that's a last resort.

They'll find you at every twist and turn, usually popping up in their usual fashion: Smashing through the nearest barrier between the three of you or just jumping out of nowhere.

Not afraid to harm or hurt you but they make sure to play it out carefully. Usually WILL already somehow incapacitate you from a distance and just play it off as them just finding you and saving your ass from your supposed attacker.

Not against breaking your limbs / popping them out the sockets if it means you can run. Might even debate amputating them so you can't get away again.

Might even get them to stage a kidnapping, basically helpless until they come along. maybe it'll teach you to appreciate them but at least you will definitely have nothing on you to fight back as Church picks you up and throws your over their shoulder. No matter how much you kick and scream.

I think they're with MERC, with their first appearance being before you meet them, so It wouldn't strike me if hey got people who owed them favours to harm you themselves so they can swoop in and proceed to ( pretend to ) beat the shit out of them, taking them out.

Which only works for a couple weeks until you see the same guys that attacked you, hanging around the area with them. Maybe they should give them disguises next time because it'll start getting to you eventually.

You bet your ass your getting punished badly when your " home " with them. Don't except to be left alone ever again. Like ever. Not even the bathroom, you lost those privileges according to them

The worse part though about tracking you down is no matter how much you escape, no matter how high you climb or how low you dig, No matter how far you travel or even if you try hiding in plain sight. They won't rest until they find you and are hellbent on making you theirs. This is just an inconvenience is what they tell each other

They will not stop hunting you for any reason. Not even if the other were to die, might even make them worse since then you're the only thing they have left.

[rosehilda]

morning jog & quick stop at the quarry.

now that jeb is an adult. he wants to ensure he stays fit.

[100talberts]

The kids are so blessed to have Jeb as their father!!! He had a day off today, and he’s spending it playing chess with Tanny!!!

Nothing can keep Oliver down!! He’s mastered the Fitness skill, but he insists on jogging in a thunderstorm anyways!!! Discipline and willpower like this will turn him into a truly Godly headship and father!!!!

All of my girls are big helps with the toddlers (PTL!!!) but Naomi deserves a special mention!!! Aaron and Bethany are both potty trained thanks to her!!! She’s already so good at mothering and I just know her kids will grow up happy and Godly!!!! Amen!!!

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

Christmas at the Museum

Summary: Ahkmenrah discovers the traditions of Christmas, and Y/N gets him a special gift.

A/N: This is SO disgustingly fluffy that it may actually kill you. I made five incoherent noises of cute as I wrote it, so be warned. 

A/N II: I’m still working on requests ☺️ The muse bit, and I just HAD to get this one written. 

“We can’t put the Christmas tree in your display.”

“Behind the wall—no one will see.”

“People walk all through your display during the day. They are going to notice a Christmas tree.”

“But I want one just for us! I do not wish to share the big one in the lounge.”

“You sound like a—"

“Call me a brat and you will face my wrath, Y/N.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at Ahkmenrah’s frustration, knowing damned well he was all bark and no bite now that he didn’t have an empire at his fingertips to command.

“We have the tree at my place, too. That tree’s just for us.”

Ahkmenrah looked at you for a long moment before sighing, “I suppose you are right.”

“I am known to be on occasion. Besides, don’t you want to know what magical Christmas tradition I have planned for us this evening?”

Ahk’s posture straightened and for a moment, you were reminded he was once a king—still, technically, a king.

“Tell me,” he commanded, his voice barely able to contain the awe despite its authoritative lilt.

“Gingerbread houses!”

Ahkmenrah turned, his golden cape flashing as he ran to the notebook he kept in a secret compartment under his sarcophagus. He flipped through the pages and jogged back, practically shoving the notebook under your nose.

“Yes,” you giggled as you lowered the notebook and looked over his notes and illustrations on Christmas Tradition #52. “That’s the one.”

“This one looks most complex,” Ahk said as he pressed his lips together and reexamined his notes.

“Don’t you trust me? Haven’t we pulled off at least some version of every tradition you’ve researched so far?”

Ahkmenrah looked up again and narrowed his eyes, mentally tallying the results of each of your efforts.

“Tradition 15 did not go so well,” Ahk said quietly, his mouth turning down as he remembered the attempt to form a group of Christmas carolers. After rehearsing for a few hours, you hit the streets only to be heckled as Atilla belted out “Silent Night” in a very broken version of English and in a very gruff voice that startled most of the passersby.

“But what about Tradition—” you trailed off and grabbed Ahkmenrah’s notebook, quickly flipping back a few pages—“Tradition 23. A kiss under the mistletoe?”

Ahk looked up with a wicked grin, his eyes clouding with desire as he pulled the notebook out of your hands and tossed it on the floor. He grabbed your waist and pulled you directly against him, not a breath between you.

“I think that was my favorite,” he growled before kissing you with the same intensity as the night you tried Tradition 23. The mistletoe kiss had led to such a raucous bout of lovemaking that no less than five of the exhibits walked by the storage closet and yelled for you to keep it down.

You probably should have waited to explain mistletoe at your apartment.

And now, you were once again minutes deep into a kiss with Ahk, his hands roaming your body and yours mirroring him, grasping his ass with one hand while the fingers on your other pressed into the back of his head—

“Hey!” Larry interrupted. “What is it with you two? Mistletoe again?”

You and Ahk broke apart, hazy and not quite remembering that you were standing in the middle of his exhibit.

You cleared your throat, swiped at your mouth, and smoothed back your hair.

“Right. Gingerbread. Kitchen. Thanks, Lar. Off we go,” you said as you grabbed Ahk’s wrist and yanked him forward.

The kitchen was perhaps the most festive of all the rooms in the museum, the daytime staff wondering at first if they’d been the butt of a practical joke but instead of tearing down the gaudy decorations, they succumbed to the Christmas spirit and added even more of their own.  

Christmas lights of all shapes and sizes were winking around the steel countertops as the museum’s night-time occupants spread out to gather up their icing and their candy decorations. The gingerbread houses ranged from the extra-large to the traditional to the tiny—you were sure to include something for everyone.

As much as you wanted to sit with Ahk and make a house together, you ended up acting in the role of a teacher as you walked around to help everyone avert a crisis. You sighed and sent a longing look in Ahkmenrah’s direction as you fished out one of Jeb’s cowboy friends who was nearly drowning in a vat of icing.

Ahk was meticulously lining his perfectly constructed gingerbread house with gumdrops alternating in a green, white, and red pattern. His tongue was poking out and his brow was furrowed, but what caught your attention was the streak of white icing on his jaw, just under the corner of his mouth.

You smiled and made your way over to him, letting out a sigh of exasperation as you sat down for the first time that evening. He glanced at you and flashed a quick grin before returning to lining his rooftop.

“You’ve got a bit of icing,” you said, leaning into him and pressing your lips to the sticky mess, “right here.”

A red gumdrop fell from Ahk’s fingertips as you nibbled along his jaw.

“The mistletoe incident was quite enough of that, thank you very much,” Lewis said as he leaned over to pluck some M&Ms out of a dish.

“Quite right, Y/N. We’re all happy Ahk has a somebody but try to reign in the open displays of affection,” Clark added, surveying his crooked house before deciding that licorice might make it look a little less haphazard.  

“Americans. Brits. You are all so squeamish when it comes to exhibiting fondness,” Ahkmenrah muttered as he cocked a critical eye at his gingerbread house.  

“Probably because they’re all so old.”

Ahkmenrah gave you a pointed look.

“They are old? What does that make me?”

“You know what I mean!” you laughed. “Ancient Egyptians were more socially ahead of the times than the oh-so-enlightened ‘modern’ civilizations that cultivated my society.”

“Quite right,” Ahk said as he turned to you, clutched your chin with sticky fingers, and kissed you.

Lewis and Clark sighed in defeat as Ahk returned to his gingerbread house, carefully shaking iridescent sprinkles over the roof of his house to make it look like fresh-fallen snow.

“I think they’re both just jealous of your perfect gingerbread house,” you said, shooting them a wink as Ahkmenrah beamed with pride.

* * * * *  

Before you knew it, the hushed anticipation of Christmas Eve had fallen over the occupants of the museum. You had all agreed that everyone would “sleep” until midnight, and at 12:01 am, you would wake up as if it were Christmas morning, which technically, it really was.

Many of the museum’s occupants, including Ahkmenrah, had bunked together in the lounge with the Christmas tree, making Larry’s job of playing Santa Clause rather difficult. It didn’t help that Nicky wanted to open his presents at the museum, too, so while Larry was struggling to very quietly place presents under the tree, you snuck off to Ahk’s exhibit to work on your surprise.

You were reluctant to leave his present alone for long, but after checking on it for the tenth time, it was 11:55 pm and you had to get back before you were missed.

Nicky was already “waking up” everyone in the lounge by the time you got back. Ahkmenrah gave you a curious glance, but his attention was diverted by the pile of presents under the tree. It truly did look like a magical scene, especially to see the displays dressed up in varying degrees of Christmas outfits.

Ahkmenrah and you were dressed in matching pairs of dark green pajamas patterned with tiny reindeer. However, someone had thought he needed to look more Christmassy and had adorned his curly hair with a bobbling headband that had a pair of red and green ornaments attached to the top.

You smiled to yourself as you watched the bobbles moving while Ahk helped Nicky locate all his gifts, the two of them laughing over the fact that Santa Clause had managed to find his way to the museum so early in the night.

As soon as you were able, you pulled Ahkmenrah away from the chaos and up to his exhibit.

“What is this about, Y/N? I have not yet even given you—I mean you have not yet opened your present from Santa.”

“Only Nicky believes in Santa, Ahk. Well, Atilla and Jeb probably do, too. Anyway, I did a thing—just trust me.”

You stopped right outside of the opening to Ahkmenrah’s exhibit and asked, “Close your eyes?”

He gave a lopsided grin and complied. You took his hand and led him into the exhibit.

“Open.”

You watched, a smile on your face, as Ahkmenrah’s eyes reflected the white lights of a little Christmas tree all decorated in golds and silvers to match the hieroglyphs that adorned the walls of his display.

Underneath the tree was a single, mid-sized present, wrapped in golden paper. However, the present couldn’t remain quiet and a tiny, warbling “mew” emitted from the box beneath the tree.

“Damnit,” you said under your breath, but Ahkmenrah’s mouth had already dropped open as he shot you a glance.

“Y/N,” he whispered, rushing to the tree and dropping to his knees as he reached for the box with shaky hands.

He pulled back, looking to you for permission, and you quickly nodded, biting your bottom lip to stifle your grin.

“MEW!” came the box, this time much more insistent.

Ahkmenrah’s head whipped back in the direction of the golden present, the bobbles on his headband almost rotating in a circle from the ferocity of his movement.

He scooted a little closer to the box before gently lifting the lid. You took a few steps forward, your hand over your mouth as you watched.

Ahkmenrah leaned over and just as he lined himself up parallel to the opening, a tiny, grey, furry head poked up over the edge of the box and looked up, taking in his new owner.

Ahk greeted the little kitten in ancient Egyptian, speaking softly before he offered the little guy his hand to sniff. The kitten reached out, his dark nose touching Ahkmenrah’s proffered hand.

“Mew,” he once again stated.  

Ahk made a strangled noise in his throat before turning to look at you again.

“It’s a little boy, and yes, he’s yours—I thought you might like an heir,” you said chuckling as you kneeled next to Ahk and looked into the box.

“He’s mine?”

“All yours. I’ve worked it out with Rebecca and the museum is excited to have a ‘museum cat.’ Apparently, it’s all the rage now. Aaand you know I’m here during the day at work, so I’ll be able to keep an eye on him until you wake up. We want to keep him in this area, though, until he gets big enough to roam on his own.”

“Oh, Y/N. How did you know?”

“I listen, Ahk. To everything you say. I tried my best to find a kitten that looked like yours.”

“He does,” Ahkmenrah said, his eyes a little misty as he watched his new kitten climb out of the box.

“What are you going to name him?”

“That will require some thought,” Ahk said as he shifted his position and the kitten crawled onto his lap, mewing intermittently.

You smiled and watched him pet the little ball of grey, his eyes 4,000 years away. You hung back and watched the pair bond, smiling softly and thinking about how nice it would be for Ahk to have something of his own.

“You’re in love,” you said, smirking.

Ahkmenrah looked up and held your gaze, his eyes serious.

“I am,” he said with a finality that made you straighten up, and you knew he wasn’t talking about his Christmas present.

You swallowed, your tongue too heavy to form words.

“Thank you. I’ll never forget this Christmas,” Ahkmenrah said. 

“You mean the past 25 days of Christmas?”

Ahk chuckled, “Have they not been magical?”

“Every day—well, night—with you is magical.”

“I would kiss you but Azizi is so comfortable.”

“Azizi? That was fast.”

“It means something akin to your word for ‘precious.’ And nothing is more precious to me than you, Y/N, so it is only fitting that what you have given me holds the same status.”

“You’re too good for this world, Ahkmenrah. How did I get so lucky?”

“Well, 4,000 years ago, my brother stabbed me in the heart—”

“Too dark for Christmas, my love,” you said laughing softly and moving to sit next to Ahkmenrah, your body snuggled next to his as you reached over to stroke the softly purring Azizi.

[limelocked]

“So I’m the only one that’s heard it“ his tone was exasperated and extremely exhausted.

“Sorry dude, if I hear something I’ll say something” 

“Thanks“

Maybe this is what Bdubs was so scared of in the night? Was this what caused him such intense stress over getting into bed first as to not spawn in the horrid creature there was no known visual for yet? Was the man truly a war hero against this terrible threat, protecting every hermit silently from the shadows, suffering without any companions to tell this horrible tale to.

Beef laid back in the small boat, hanging his legs over the edge. He could sleep right now but it’d make it harder to sleep later if he wanted mobs or phantoms gone, not to mention the legitimate risk of trident related injury and his non-existent insurance wouldn’t cover his own lazing around if that was the cause of death.

Many nautical miles away the terror flapped its wings, dust and sand blowing everywhere around it.

And far from the jungle but not too far, just too far from Iskalls tree to meet up with Beet for interrogations, laid another man, splayed out on the weirdly textured floor of his home. Bad sleep wasn’t anything new for him but this took the cake and ate it right in front of his face, strangely taunting him.. this metaphor was getting out of hand.

He rolled over and into the shadow of one of the monstrosities archways just enough for his eyes to not be squinting from the sun anymore, just the sleep deprivation. The ground under him was soft, almost like a pillow or grass but with more demonic whispering from the souls trapped in the brown dust. Wouldn’t it suck to have your soul be trapped in sand for all eternity after you die, is that where villagers go as an afterlife?

The white noise of whispering made his thoughts further into nonsense as another nap rolled over him.

---

“Dude you look like a mess!“ The voice of the Goatfather was instantly dropped as legitimate concern for his friend rose, Doc jogging over to the spot where Etho had crashed straight into the front wall of Bdubs half house.

“I’m fine“ he wasn’t fine “there’s people with way more phantoms after them than me“ vest and headband forsaken white hair was spilling out over his face as if to hide the dark bags under his eyes. This was normal for Mumbo and Grian sure but not Etho, right?

“Are you not sleeping? What the heck?!“ Doc wasn’t listening, maybe that was for the best.

“No, I am.“ a very direct answer but also clear as ice set-up “There’s something waking me up like every two hours though“

“You haven’t put lights up around your base?“

A light shake of his head, hair now truly covering his whole face.

“It’s not a hostile mob, it’s a noise machine but I can’t find it anywhere to turn it off“ 

Even after Doc offered to help look they never found it but that night Doc woke up to the stars and a very unfamiliar sound.

---

The sound was maddening but not finding the source was worse. It was somewhere around his hasienda but that’s all the information that was available. When he brought a bed with him to sleep on the go the noise didn’t follow him... usually, and he’d started hearing the sound more during the day and early mornings, having decided to stay awake for a while when working on the town.

The breeze was warmer than usual on his walk through the shopping island towards the Bone Zone and Spits but it didn’t stop the chill running through his exhausted body begging for proper sleep. It was like his body was demanding rent but there was a bodyguard in the form of that noise that stood in the way of the bank where good sleep was kept. The idea made no sense but he snickered quietly to himself anyways.

“Good morning Jeb“ the sheep didn’t respond.

---

“So what do we think happened here?“

“A fierce battle to the death over the tag that neither of them have resulting in an exhausted falling together that caused enough cranial damage to knock them both out“ a long beat “or this weird chicken ruined their sleep for too long“

String and banners had been used liberally on the goose held under Joes arm, binding its movements to a point where Cub now probably could adopt it into his pyramid as a still living mummy.

“I think Doc said that he’d told Etho and Beef to meet up but I have a feeling they might not’ve talked too much“

The second goose had met the business end of a mad scientist mobsters crossbow after the third night of searching, frustration got the better of him before thinking to examine and breed them in a contained unit.

Silence filled the air.

“We’ll come back later, they need the rest“

“Well the way they’re sitting I imagine they’ll both have some neck pain when they wake up but yeah“

When Xisuma and Joe left the only thing left was the two men leaning against the wool shops counter and each other, safe from rain and phantoms thanks to the small roof and finally, safe from the early morning honking sound.

-

-

For now.

[satureja13]

After Ji Ho opened his Pandora's Box stuffed with all the feelings he'd hidden deep down inside to survive, they all got kicked out of the game. After Vlad and Kiyoshi, who hadn't been ingame, helped them up and checked if they were unscathed... Vlad: "Where is Ji Ho?!" They couldn't ask Tiny Can - the overload has blewn his circuits ö.ö Saiwa: "Gods - is Ji Ho stuck ingame? How are we supposed to get him out when Tiny Can's broken?" Jack was shaking: "It's all my fault. I wanted the investigations to continue."

Before Vlad could take something - or someone - apart in his grief and anger, they heard an incoming call from the computer, which luckily hadn't been destroyed, like poor Tiny Can. It's Noxee! And Greg. Noxee: "Babies! Ji Ho is save! Don't worry, he'll be fine. We need you to leave Tomarang for a while. Pack your stuff together and take the train tomorrow. I'll send you the tickets."

And - as always - before they could ask or say anything: Noxee: "Huh, already that late! We have to... prepare *winks*. Bye Babies! See you there!" Jack: "Argh! Can't they keep their hands to themselves! Turn that off! He stole my girl in this world and even ingame!" As if things weren't worse enough!

So Ji Ho is safe. But Noxee said he will be fine. Means he isn't fine right now? Vlad was still raging. He wasn't even able to feel Ji Ho through their bond! But Noxee wouldn't lie to them. Ji Ho is safe. Even though Jack was at the verge of loosing it himself, he dragged Vlad (and Kiyoshi - as counsel ö.Ö) over to his houseboat, to watch a Star Wars movie. This always calms them down and distracts them - at least for a while. And Jack hopes Diety Kiyoshi has one of his 'here' days and could cast a little soothing aura on Vlad... or whatever he was able to do. Little Goat: "I wonder where we are going to go?" Kumo: "Who knows? The poor Boys." Little Goat: "Who could have forseen that, though..."

When they entered the houseboat, Jack's TV was running? Jack: "Huh, I don't remember leaving it on. And I never watch the X Files..."

Skully: "Hey, Buddy! Come join us!" Skully? How the hell did he make it out of the game! ö.ö And what is Malfoy doing here?

Jack isn't able to deal with anything else today. So he just shoved in a bigger sofa and they watched the X Files together... Skully: "Everything's gonna be alright, you'll see."

'Good friends we have, oh, good friends we've lost Along the way, yeah In this great future, you can't forget your past So dry your tears, I say, yeah'

Bob Marley - No woman no cry

Leaves Saiwa and Jeb, alone together for the first time since... uh it's been months! To make it less awkward - and because Jeb knows that it helps Sai to run when he's upset (usually Jack says/does something stupid so Sai runs after him ^^') - he urged Sai to accompany him. It's raining, but they didn't bother.

Saiwa looked at Jeb and he was thankful he was acting somewhat 'normal'. They ran quietly for a while. Even though Jeb must hurt from their separation just as much as he does, and must be upset about the latest happenings - he's Ji Ho's best friend after all -, he's still solid like a rock and devoted to him and tries to help him where he can. And Sai remembered of one of their happier days, running together through the rain... How he wants those days back. Jeb: "Look forward or you'll trip ^^' We can't have another of us injured." Right, forward it goes...

Sai couldn't stand going home yet - back to all the madness that awaits them there, so they went to the Night Market. Sai: "I'm going to ask Ms Coombes to replace me. I failed utterly as our leader. I'm too weak for this - even broke down." Jeb: "None of us could have avoided what happened. And no one else could have brought us this far. Look at all the things you've already achieved, hm? How well you did. And we already promised we'd carry the burden together with you. Just let us. We need you." He wanted to add 'I need you' but it's neither the right time nor the right place for this.

Jeb: "Van... (It's not the right time and place to call Sai 'Vanië', Jeb's nickname for Sai, either) uhm, I don't want to upset you any further, but the monolithic figure on the platform Jihovere stood on and raised the storm - it was the same as in the cave Ji Ho's grandfather held him capture with his brother... I noticed it when I freed him." Sai: "What? No way he made it into the game, did he?" Jeb: "I hope not. We'll have to discuss this tomorrow with the elders from the Resistance. Even if it 'only' was a 'reminder' for us from Tiny Can to finally start to learn how to protect ourselves against the Siren's Spells. It's too severe to ingore it any longer." Sai: "I'm not sure if I can lead you through all this, Jeb." Jeb: "I know you will. Together with us, hm? Don't give up on us." He also meant Sai shouldn't give up on them - and their love. But he didn't say it out loud either.

No one noticed yet, but Skully wasn't the only thing that made it out of the game. The sword Jihovere pulled out of her King's statue's heart was lying on Ji Ho's memorabilia rack ö.Ö'

This is the last post from the 'Who killed Jack?' chapter! 🗡 I hope you enjoyed it! I had so much fun! (I already told you how much I love these Crime Games ^^') So following the Boys solving a case was the perfect combo for me :3

Does this mean game over for the Therapy Game? ö.Ö' Who knows? If you want to learn how it all started with the Therapy Game: - the development of the Therapy Game (chapter 26) -> here - their therapy sessions (chapter 27) -> here - and the Murder Mystery (chapter 28) 'Who killed Jack? -> here

The Therapy Game Master Post with the sessions and places so far is -> here

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: 'Who killed Jack?' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 6, Number 2

Grisha Shakhnes

Time for another collection of short, sharp reviews, covering a gamut of styles. Our most tireless contributor, Bill Meyer, turned in a record eight Dusts this time, so if you like jazz, improv and experimental music, this is your edition. Other writers included Ray Garraty, Jennifer Kelly, Justin Cober-Lake, Tim Clarke and Ian Mathers.

Max B — House Money (Self-released)

Max B is doing 75 years in prison, yet before his bid he recorded a lot of music to be used by trusted collaborators. Last year’s Coke Wave 5 with French Montana felt authentic enough to be confused with Max’s pre-prison mixtapes, only a bit more polished. This new EP is no less wave-y and goofy, but too many guest verses dilute the fun. If French, with whom Max B recorded a lot of mixtapes together, seems like a natural collaborator, the rest of the guests are an uneasy fit. House Money is a Frankenstein-y affair exactly because Max himself wouldn’t invite them to his booth (not that they are lousy talents, they are just on a different frequency with Max B). It is probably mixed and produced by someone who thought that these collaborators would attract additional audience, yet the result is the opposite: Max B’s fans would feel alienated by impostors in his own domain.

Ray Garraty

 Jeb Bishop / Jaap Blonk / Weasel Walter / Damon Smith — JaJeWeDa (Balance Point Acoustics)

Pioneer Works Vol. 1 BPA 19 by JeJaWeDa (Jeb Bishop / Jaap Blonk / Weasel Walter / Damon Smith)

No matter how big the stage they occupy, it isn’t big enough for Jaap Blonk and Weasel Walter. Both men are masters of strategic exaggeration. Put them together and a clash is inevitable. Blonk not only spews sound poetry like a symphony of pan-lingual news broadcasts and surreptitiously recorded mouthwash experiments, he manipulates electronics with a video game controller that looks especially ridiculous in his gangly hands. Walter mugs and wallops, each movement lunging simultaneously at your ears and your funny bone. Perhaps you’re wondering, “isn’t this a record review? How will these visual descriptions clue me into the sound?” Play this record and you will know. And you will also marvel at the way bassist Damon Smith and trombonist Jeb Bishop balance the other half of the band’s nuttiness with seriousness so unfailing, you might put your money on them against Roscoe Mitchell in a game of poker.

Bill Meyer

 Ben Carey — Antimatter (Hospital Hill)

ANTIMATTER by Ben Carey

Sydney-based electronic musician Ben Carey played saxophone before he took on modular synthesizers. This may explain the quivering, palpable presence of the sounds he devises; he makes static pulse and shake like swollen lips engaged in the act of vocalizing. His deployments of attenuated tones, sudden swells, and insistent chimes are discontinuous and episodic, but also quite thoughtfully planned out. Both the sudden shifts and the long considerations of discrete elements feel as essential as the unforgettable bridge in a bubblegum cart hit, and the qualities of the sounds Carey ponders amply reward the attention required to follow their shifts in and out of audibility and back and forth across the stereo spectrum. If you’re inclined to get well acquainted with Antimatter, consider springing for the LP. Since both Carey and his label are situated in Australia, it might take some looking and spending, but Rashad Becker’s cut and the 45-rpm playing speed guarantee maximum presence.

Bill Meyer  

 John Chantler — Tomorrow Is Too Late (Room40)

Tomorrow Is Too Late by John Chantler

From the pig’s ass on the sleeve to the titles of the album’s two tracks, John Chantler’s Tomorrow is Too Late promises to deal with endings. But when you put the record on, you find yourself adrift in events that defy linear description, let alone the definition of a final point. Oh, sure, both of them end, but they don’t spend the time leading up to those terminations making sure that you know where they’re going. The title track was commissioned for the 2018 iteration of the French electronic music institution INA GRM’s Présences Électronique festival, and most of its sounds were obtained from a François Coupigny synthesizer that is over 50 years old. Rare earl synths are like worlds unto themselves, and the listener is adrift with Chantler as he invites sounds to converge, dispel, and recongregate in winking, restless masses. On “We’re Always at the End,” the electronic sound convergence make way for a pipe organ, which coheres into a solid sonic presence, but when it disappears, the piece does not. This is music to inhabit, over and over again.

Bill Meyer 

 Richard Dawson — 2020 (Weird World)

2020 by Richard Dawson

This sixth full-length from cult songwriter Richard Dawson unspools like a series of linked short stories, the characters sharing a blighted, latter-day English backdrop and perhaps avoiding one another’s eyes as they pass on the streets. Sung in Dawson’s wavery tenor — with flights up into a very uncertain falsetto — and backed with the most straightforward of rock-ish instrumental arrangements, the songs flourish in their specificity. The metal-riffing “Jogging,” for instance, tells the story of a mid-life crisis with startling exact-ness, an ex-school counselor, laid off and too anxious to leave the house, advised by a doctor to take up jogging. The story is told first person, in the most straightforward way possible, with minimal embellishments. If it weren’t for the crashing guitar chords, the squiggly lines of synth, you might be listening to a friend over coffee.  The scenarios are mostly dreary, of people stuck in soul-sucking jobs, in towns where things go wrong through neglect and inertia. Yet, once in a while the sun comes piercing through, and life, however stunted and bare and grey, turns ever so slightly hopeful. I’ll leave you with verse from lacerating “The Queen’s Head.”

“The guy from the vape shop Ferrying his chocolate labs Waves to us cheerily From a leaky kayak ‘I've lost everything apart from what counts’ Pointing to his dogs and then at his heart.”

Now that’s a pre-chorus.

Jennifer Kelly

 Frank Denyer — The Boundaries of Intimacy (Another Timbre)

On The Boundaries of Intimacy, composer Frank Denyer explores volume dropped to a soft level. The approach produces a sort of intimacy, nearly everything sounds hushed, although it remains unclear whether, as listeners, we're leaning into a confidant or cupping our hand to a wall to eavesdrop. Regardless of our position as listeners, Denyer continues his work with unpredictable instrumentation, highlighting sneh and koto playing in various places (including two version of a koto piece), and combining flute and electronics for a strange tonal study called “Beyond the Boundaries of Intimacy.” When he works with a more traditional set of instruments, as on “String Quartet,” the ostensibly comfortable sounds become unfamiliar, an experienced aided by Denyer's play with dynamics, turning from a crescendo to a near disappearance. Denyer presents those sorts of challenges across these pieces (written over the past 40 years). He requires attentive, patient listening, but rewards it with unsettling experiences.

Justin Cober-Lake

 Avram Fefer Quartet—Testament (Clean Feed)

This record is credited to the Avram Fefer Quartet, and it’s true that the Brooklyn-based alto and tenor saxophone wrote the tunes and leads the band. But he’s not necessarily the guy you will listen to every time that you play it. Not that there’s anything wrong with Fefer’s playing, which combines Sonny Rollins’ muscularity with an affinity for bold melodies rooted equally in soul jazz and West African pop music. He’s got ideas, emotion and chops to spare. But damn, what a band! Fefer and bassist Eric Revis have an association going back to the 1990s; no matter which way the music rolls, the foundation is solid. Drummer Chad Taylor is a regular member of a trio with Fefer and Revis which made a couple records a decade or so back, and he’s also a member of bands led by Revis and guitarist Marc Ribot. Taylor never misses a chance to turn the music up a little closer to a boil, and the blues-rooted tone that Ribot favors here adds steely sentiment to the blues, mass to the Afrobeat repetitions, and confident complexity to the free interludes in this music. So, if your attention wavers from the saxophone for a second, it’s probably because you’re listening to how one of his accompanists is playing off of another one. Wotta band!

Bill Meyer  

  Roc Marciano — Marcielago (Self-released)

In “Saw” Roc Marciano says, “Sometimes I pinch myself in disbelief,” referring to a level of fame he’s achieved after 20 years in the rap game. The listeners are pinching themselves as well, but for a different reason: Marciano doesn’t repeat himself. Roc Marci works with his lyrics on two levels: line by line as well as bar by bar. As defined by Marci, his songs are “poetry over beats.”Marcielago is a quieter effort, closer to Rosebudd’s Revenge 1 and 2, than to 2018’s KAOS and Behold a Dark Horse. To rephrase the poet himself, on Marcielago he’s more like a pimp than a mack. The standout here is “Ephesians” which starts with early electronica and then explodes into a full-scale attack. Marci’s long time collaborator Ka spits here a verse which does an impossible thing: Marciano is murdered on his own turf.

Ray Garraty

 Machtelinckx / Badenhorst / Cools / Gouband — Porous Structures (Aspen Edities)

porous structures by Machtelinckx/Badenhorst/Cools/Gouband

This quartet comprises two steel-stringed acoustic guitarists, one percussionist prone to placing stones on his drums, and one clarinet and a saxophone player who likes to sing. The album’s title implies permeability, and the music delivers by creating the impression of actions happen in different places at the same time. Ruben Machtelinckx and Bert Cools’ guitars create structures made of slow-moving, finger-picked patterns. Toma Gouband and Joachim Badenhorst often sound like they are playing in some resonant space outside of the guitars’ sanctuary, where their sounds can spread a halo of echo around and occasionally blow through the dry, close-miked string sounds. The former’s rattling rocks create more texture than motion; the latter’s distant croons and spare tones create a sense of distance. In their own quiet way, these musicians have arrived at a sound that can’t be mistaken for anyone else’s.

Bill Meyer

  Salim Nourallah — Jesus of Sad (Palo Santo)

The narrators of Salim Nourallah's songs don't often find things going so well. Nourallah's taken that point to its logical conclusion on new EP Jesus of Sad. Rather than indulging depressive tendencies, though, the songwriter brings his sense of humor for a parodic take. “So, you think you've suffered?” he sings to open the disc. “I sip the tears of the world from my coffee cup.” The hyperbole might immediately develops his exaggerated character. Accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Billy Harvey, Nourallah moves on to “Born with a Broken Heart,” a funky number owing something to Soul Coughing while providing one of the best bass lines in his catalog. The cut's full of wit while addressing serious questions about faith, gender equality, and more.  

“This Doesn't Feel like Peace, Love, or Understanding” (the second track here to echo a Nick Lowe title) sounds like quintessential Nourallah, with a pop-rock sound that would have fit on any of his last few records and a relatable sentiment conveyed in smart lyrics. Two versions of “Misanthrope” close out the disc. Nourallah co-wrote the song with Rhett Miller, but here he turns away from the Old 97's' bouncy version (called“She Hates Everyone”). Nourallah slows it down, building complex feelings; he can't fully enjoy his strange love now under his anxiety about the future. It closes the EP well, being yet more honest emotion that manages to misdirect and complicate things, the true heart covered by the knowing satire of “Jesus of Sad.”

Justin Cober-Lake

 Parashi—Tape From Oort Cloud (Sedimental/Skell)

When a record provokes images of a Captain Beefheart lyric turned inside out, you know its makers are on to something. The squelchy sounds that usher in “The Vanishing Coast,” which is the first of this LP’s four tracks, does not bring to mind synthesizers, even though that’s what Mike Griffin (that’s Mr. Parashi to you) probably used some time them. Nor does it bring to mind someone else’s record. Rather, I hear the words “slow and bulbous” as the music sinks slowly into its own swampy stealth. “Broadcast Failures” leaves even those alinear coordinates behind as it pings its way woozily into the depths. The titular malfunctions might be echoed calls which fail to distract the sonar-like main body of sound, or the squashed, distant carousel that follows. Or maybe it doesn’t. File this under best practice befuddlement, but be sure to tape a bookmark to the plastic outer sleeve to remind yourself of the necessity of playing it.

Bill Meyer 

Tom Redwood — The Glue (self released)

The Glue by Tom Redwood

With The Glue, his fourth album, Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Tom Redwood has tapped into a rewarding strain of country/folk that pulls hard on traditional roots, while adding a knowing wink, flowing performances, and plenty of tuneful song craft. As in Jim O’Rourke’s beloved series of Drag City albums, the music-making is taken seriously but is undercut by self-deprecating humor. On “Easy Love” Redwood sings, “When I was young I was easy loving / But now that I’m old, I’m not so dumb,” and on the title track he makes a playful reference to “round, gorgeous thighs.” He’s not afraid to play it straight, though, such as on the haunting “Cold Mother Night,” and reflective closer “Shut the Door.” There’s superb lap steel playing by Kier Stevens, smart counterpoint on guitar and “cheesy keys” from producer Matt Walker, and ethereal backing vocals from Rosie Luby, which contrasts nicely with Redwood’s aw-shucks delivery.

Tim Clarke

 Grisha Shakhnes — Being There (Unfathomless)

being there by grisha shakhnes

Being There presents the listener with a document of actor, action and the arena in which the former enacts the latter. Essentially, Grisha Shakhnes recorded himself recording and recorded the room in which he was recording. Sometimes a recording device filters the subjects of his inquiry on the way to the recorder; while the sounds were captured by a Zoom digital recorded, some of them went through a Rvox reel-to-reel tape deck along the way. Equipped with the knowledge that you’re hearing Shakhnes making recordings, you quickly find yourself making decisions about what sounds to follow, and then dealing with the consequences of the choices you made as your act of following draws you into the chain of events that made the album in the first place. You are present with Shakhnes, sharing in the creation of Being There.

Bill Meyer

 Six by Seven — Dream On (Cargo)

D R E A M . O N by six by seven

One of the great shoulda beens of 1990s British rock (on the other side of the Atlantic, it’s doubtful anyone not reading something like the NME at the time would have heard much of them), Six by Seven are also one of the few from that era to keep going in a way that’s not just repeating old glories. Now almost entirely just frontman Chris Olley (his son Charlie drums here, but otherwise it’s a solo show) you wouldn’t guess it from the massive, warmly analogue psychedelic/motorik drones and drifts here. Stylistically speaking, Olley can be a restless guy, never really revisiting the glory of Six by Seven’s first three albums (what you might call their classic period, and well worth checking out) but also covering an astonishing breadth during the years since. The recent Dream On is as good a place to dip into his stream of work as any, boasting three massive soundscapes (the best of which might be “And No One Knows Your Name” as well as briefer, dreamier song like “Hey Kid” and the title track. Both his muse and the demands of making music your day job keep Olley forever moving, though — even writing up this release was marked by the appearance of a double album-length Dream On 2, so anyone on Olley’s wavelength can expect a lot to keep up with.  

Ian Mathers

[nenestansunsthings]

Jelene steals a jerapy jog for Jeb!

the jog jloves them both.

meanwhile, back at the jite, the jsychologists are panicking that one of their jogs is jone /j

[bejtables]

HOW TO PREVENT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

SOME WAYS TO PREVENT SOME CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IS THE  52100 METHOD BY THE PHILIPPINE HEART ASSOCIATION 5 SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES A DAY 2 HOURS OF MAXIMUM SCREEN TIME PER DAY 2 GRAMS OF SALT PER DAY 1 HOUR EXERCISE PER DAY ZERO SMOKING ZERO SUGARED AND ALCOHOLIC DRINKS YOU CAN ALSO ADD: AT LEAST 8 HOURS OF SLEEP PER DAY 8 GLASSES OF WATER PER DAY

Patients are advised to get regular health screenings. A consult to a cardiologist for asymptomatic male patients aged 35y/o and above and for females 40y/o and above can yield results for the following basic physical examination findings: - Vital signs include blood pressure monitoring, heart rate per minute, respiratory rate per minute - Neck vein enlargement, prominence of the thyroid gland - Chest auscultation of breath sounds - Examination of the heart would reveal if it is enlarged, and if there are abnormal heart sounds known as murmurs - Examination of the extremities will reveal if the pulses are equal or if there is swelling of the lower extremities

According to the latest Guidelines of the American Heart Association, which is also being used by the Philippine Heart Association:

Heart Healthy Diet The physicians educate patients on a heart healthy diet which is low in salt and fat, rich in fruits and vegetables. A heart-healthy eating plan includes : Vegetables and fruits Beans or other legumes Lean meat and fish Low fat or fat – free dairy foods Whole grains Healthy fats such as olive oil Limitation of salt, sugar, processed carbohydrates, alcohol and saturated fat.

Regular Physical Activity

Regular, daily physical activity can help control a patient’s weight, and reduces conditions that may strain the heart such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. The minimum aim would be 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking. Further,  moderate intensity exercise  of an hour a day is advised. Simple exercises like walking, gardening, taking the stairs and jogging, can lower the risk of having cardiovascular diseases. The patients are followed up after 2 to 4 weeks and if the blood pressure does not normalize, several medications can be prescribed to get to the goal blood pressure. Treating patients with hypertension, getting to goal blood pressure and optimum cholesterol levels, lowers the overall risk of stroke, myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, and overall mortality.

Maintaining a Healthy Weight Maintaining the ideal body weight is also advocated. The formula for Ideal body weight is males IBW=50kg+2.3kg for each  inch over 5 feet. Females: IBW= 45.5KG+2.3KG for each in over 5 feet. Patients must aim to achieve their ideal body weight. Waist circumference should be maintained below 40 inches in males, and below 35 inches in females. Obesity also places a patient at higher risk for insulin resistance, which may lead to diabetes . Using a food diary  to understand what, how much, and being mindful of one’s eating habits aids in attaining goal. Management of portion sizes and making smart choices is also wise.

Smoking Cessation

Smoking cessation is necessary. Chemicals in tobacco can damage a patient’s heart and blood vessels. Cigarette smoke reduces the oxygen in a patient’s blood, which increases the blood pressure and the heart rate because the heart has to work harder to supply enough oxygen to a patient’s body and brain.

Getting Good Quality Sleep

Patients are advised to get good quality sleep. People who don’t get enough sleep have a higher risk for obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression.

Stress Management

Finding alternative ways to manage stress such as relaxation, exercise, meditation, reduces the chance of resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as overeating, drinking or smoking. Lifestyle modification measures such as transferring to a less stressful job or transferring to a less stressful neighborhood may sometimes be necessary.

B13DANIEL MOSES E. VILLANUEVA 7-BULACAN - made the content of blog

B3 JEB ESGUERRA-7BULACAN - made the Tumblr account and posted the blog post

Source: Philippine Heart Association, American Heart Association

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #357

“The Lonely Clown”

[Lie] Is out working in her garden after having tended to her animals-

[Ever] Comes by at a quick lope- Oh hey Lie! You doing okay?

[Lie] - For the most part, my back is getting sore though

[Ever] his little cat ears perk up- oh! That sucks! Here I'll help you. - he hops over the fence- I've got so much energy. This place is amazing. I've been working since dawn and I'm not even tired.  

[Lie] Laughs a little- That's good, and I'm betting Karla's taken advantage of some of that energy too?

[Ever] strokes his tail tip a little and blushes- oh yes. I'm enjoying the new additions too, but it still feels a bit weird to have my tail grabbed.

[Lie] - It may just be a more sensitive part of your body

[Ever] Oh yes! I uh... I came over to get the horses. We should be out of your hair pretty soon- he's harvesting and replanting as they talk-

[Lie] - I don't mind having you guys here at all.  And although he will never admit it, currently it does give CP a little ease of mind having Karla around.  He understands that, not only a man but as a digital entity as well, he has no fucking clue what I'm going through and will go through

[Ever] Just between you me and the garden, Karla is rather fond of Cp. Theres definitely some respect from one professional griefer to another there.

[Lie] - You forgot murderer in there

[Ever] Well.... Yeah. These days i think it's a  more or less a revenge thing rather then a random habit... She gets so frustrated when people treat her poorly right off the bat. Her temper gets the best of her....

[Lie] - For CP it's just a habit

[Ever] She still hasn't been in town, I think she might be af-

[Gk] Hops over the greenhouse with Cp on his back- Husband delivery! Sorry he's still a bit drunk. Hah!

[Ever] Poofy tail-

[CP] - I'm not drunk you idiot!

[Lie] - Thanks GK, I figured he could use a break

[Gk] Just laughs- We had a good time anyway.

[Ever] Is staring at the dragon-

[Lie] - Oh, Ever, I don't think you've been introduced.  This is GK.  GK?  THis is Ever

[Gk] Hey it's a... little cat guy?

[Ever] Gk? That is a big dragon... And so metal! I love the horns.

[Gk] So... hows the bun?

[Lie] - Growing, but my back does start to hurt every once in awhile...

[CP] - Why didn't you tell me?

[Lie] - Because sleeping with my back against you helps it go away

[Gk] Aww, do you just need warm Lie? I could hang around more often. - He minces into the yard and flops down on the cobbles-

[Ever] Sets about finishing Lie's yard work while she's distracted.

[Lie] Laughs a little- Sometimes, but I can't just sit about neglecting my work either

[Gk] Nonsense! I'm here to help. I want to play with the little bundle when they're big enough. - his gaze is slightly abstracted and a thought floats on his mind high enough for Cp and maybe Lie to pick up on. It's a twinge of longing for the little sister he hasn't seen in forever.

[CP] - A sister?

[Gk] Hmm, what?

[Lie] - You have a sister GK?

[Gk] ducks his head - Yeah.... she helped me a lot when I was in my reincarnation cycle...

[Lie] - What was her name?

[Gk] Says it very quietly- Brina...

[CP] - Is she still on your old seed?

[Gk] Scuffs his hooves a little. - No... she had some drug problems... Steffan and Bro actually helped her get clean...

[Lie] - Do you know where she is now?

[Gk] She intervened on my behalf to have me released from the End and then she went to the aethers to live with my stupid asshole of a NOTCH....

[CP] Growls-

[Lie] - Are you sure she's still there?  Maybe she returned to try and look for you?

[Gk] I don't know. But he's basically a god. If she knows where I am, he'll shortly know too. And that could be bad.

[Lie] - Well, I'm sure no matter what, she misses you

[Gk] Puts his chin on the ground - She probably thinks I'm dead.

[CP] - Nah, I think she knows you're still around

[Gk] Why do you say that? Since Jean vanished?

[CP] - Uh, because I have a sibling?  And even before I became glitched I just...  Knew if Stevie was in peril or if he were safe

[Gk] Maybe. I still care about her.

[Lie] - You two are lucky.  My brother was never anything but an ass to me

[Gk] Nobody can fuck you up like family...

[Lie] - I didn't understand for the longest time.  He was jealous...  Jealous that I had a healthy body and he didn't

[Gk] What happened to him Lie?

[Lie] - He was born with very fragile bones, left him confined to a wheelchair.  I never realized how much he hated me until I accidentally broke some of his bones just from trying to hug him

[Ever] Pauses in pulling carrots- Ironic that you're the one who gained a night-indestructible form. Too bad he wasn't nice to you. You could have brought him along.

[Gk] Grumbles, having long ago grudgingly realized the value of being nice to people.

[Lie] - I don't even know if he's still alive

[CP] - Do you even care if he's alive or not?

[Gk] Yeah, he kinda sounds like an ass.

[Ever] Same.

[Lie] - I...  Don't know

[Gk] It's okay to not know.

[Ever] Yeah, I don't care if my asshole dad is alive or dead either. I'm done being told what a dissapointment I am.

[Lie] - I suppose it would just bring back all of the worst memories if I were to find out

[Gk] Then just let it go. You have a family here.

[Lie] - Yeah- She glances down at her belly- And it's just gonna get bigger

[Gk] Yeah. One more Herobrine, and a native with a double dose of genetic derived power. This should be interesting.

[CP] - Jeb probably wakes up terrified of it every night!

[Gk] Eh, she'll likely have her moms nice disposition just to shock everyone.

[Lie] - I wouldn't be so sure, she's already started griefing.  Scared TLOT just by moving

[Gk] Barks out a little gout of fire with a belly laugh- Just didn't want to get my hopes up. That's funny as fuck.

[CP] Grumbles-

[Lie] - Yes, well he was a little more focused on the fact that she currently only has one heart

[Ever] But humans do only have one..?

[Gk] Here humans have ten. But small animals have fewer. The others will likely grow in in time.

[Lie] - Yeah- She winces a little as a twinge goes through her back

[CP] - Lie...

[Gk] Pats the ground with a hoof - Come over here kiddo.

[Lie] Laughs a bit as she gets closer- Technically you could say I'm older than you GK, if we're going by how long the game has been in existance

[Gk] I can call you that if I want. I've lived hundreds of lifetimes. Also. You're small. - He grabs her gently with the tentacles of one wing and sets her down on one of his back legs so she's leaning against his chubby side. He's just as hot as Cp and his scales are small and smooth.

[Lie] Hums happily at the heat-

[Deer] Is enjoying the late afternoon sun out by the koi pond-

[Buff] Comes jogging up looking slightly annoyed- Hey! Are you busy?

[Deer] - Hm?  No, what it?  Is everything alright?

[Buff] Oh good! Here! - He reached behind him and dislodges Lj from the spot where he was clinging to Buff's shirt and plunks him on the ground in front of Deerheart before running away very fast.

[Lj] Gives her a sad look, he's got his box under one arm- I guess he doesn't want to play anymore....

[Deer] - LJ?  What's wrong?  Are you hurt?

[Lj] No just... empty... I didn't want to be by myself. - He's holding the box close like a security blanket- Home is too quiet right now.

[Deer] - Oh LJ, well you know you're always welcome in the castle

[Lj] I was going to ask... Can I do something with you today? Anything is fine.

[Deer] - Well I was planning on making some pies for Yaunfen

[Lj] That would be nice. - He goes quiet and then suddenly gets a rather haunted look- Tell me something. Anything. I need noise!

[Deer] - Uh...  Ummm...  Why?  What's wrong?

[LJ]  I don't want to talk about it. Tell me a story. Please.

[Deer] - What type of story would you like?

[LJ] I don't know! - He looks distressed. - I need to do something.

[Deer] - Alright then, follow me, we can walk and talk- She begins recalling her first memories of being on the server

[LJ] Follows her a bit too closely, listening intently-

[Basil] Is swimming out around the lava fountains and makes a loud bellow-

[Deer] Jumps a little as the noise before shaking her head a little at her own response- Where was I?

[LJ] You were talking about Yaunfen....

[Deer] - Right, when they were born...  I'd never seen Doc so happy- She opens the door to the castle and holds it for LJ

[LJ] Goes inside, his fingers drumming a light tattoo on the box. His question is barely a whisper - how do you stand it...?

[Deer] - How do I stand what?

[LJ] Being alone in your mind?

[Deer] - I wouldn't necessarily say I am.  The first time I truly had my mind to itself, well, it was when Flux had to take over the seed so I wouldn't be reclaimed by it.  My mind is always being filled and churned by everything happening on the seed

[LJ] I'm almost jealous.... This feeling is so... I'd say I was going mad but I've been there done that- he breaks into an uneasy and too- loud laugh that trails off into silence and frightens most of the horses into the back corner of the pen.

[Deer] - It's alright LJ, I've had Aven mention to me that BEN still has panic attacks when he realizes just how quiet his mind has become

[LJ] Extends his arms to give himself a twice over hug- you said something about baking?

[Yaunfen] Comes up from downstairs, worried by the laugh- Um?

[LJ] Can't meet their eyes- Yaunfen...

[Yaunfen] Gives LJ a bit of a hard look. - Mada says you couldn't help yourself. And I got in trouble with Big Fire for not listening. But if you hurt mada again; I'll stomp on you. - They notice Deerheart standing behind him and blink a little before ducking with a guilty look. - Sorry mama...

[LJ] I... I understand...

[Waffles] brushes past Yaunfen and sits next to them on the floor in a regal pose before washing a paw.

[LJ] That's uh... a really unusual cat...

[Yaunfen] Smiles proudly- I did science with mada and we brought them back from a fossil!  

[LJ] Shoots a weirded out look at Deerheart. - A fossil from where? Prehistoric Candyland???

[Deer] - They're been a bit of bleeding between seeds

[Deer] - And Yaunfen, you should know better than to be threatening people

[Yaunfen] But mom... I've seen mada threaten people if they thought they might hurt us.

[LJ] What's wrong with being defensive of your family anyway?

[Deer] - There's a time and a place Yaunfen.  Mada only threatens other when they are currently a threat, note, they never threatened LJ because they knew it was a moment that would pass, because they knew they were talking to a friend who had momentarily lost control

[Yaunfen] Yes mom...

[LJ] there's something to be said for anyone who will defend their kin with all their might. I've seen Slender rescue the other members of our household lots of times. And if it's the SCP... there is no mercy, and generally no survivors.

[Deer] - Exactly, but for now, we have some pies to make

[Yaunfen] What's a SCP?

[Deer] - A very bad group of people who like to capture entities like us and the pasta's

[Yaunfen] Hugs themselves uncertainly- why??? That's terrible!

[Deer] - Because that's how some human's are about things they don't understand.  That's why we have to be careful when we go irl

[LJ] Well... Its not just that... Creepypastas do kill humans... It's a compulsion. The Slenders have no choice. They are apex predators and humans are their prey.

[Yaunfen] But mada goes out all the time! Does that mean they're always in danger of the bad people catching them?

[Deer] - Yes it does, that's one reason why when they're going someplace new they ask Big Fire to go with them

[LJ] Even taking Herobrine it's still risky...

[Deer] - But still safer than if they were alone

[LJ] True. - he takes out a bit of hard candy and instantly has Waffles full attention.

[Waffles] Mow???

[Deer] - Careful, Waffles loves candy

[LJ] heh. Kitty kitty?

[Waffles] Pupils a bit dialted-

[LJ] Waves the candy around as the cats eyes follow it and then flicks it into the horse pen- [Waffles] sails high over the fence and the horses scatter as the huge cat jumps among them, batting the tiny round ball around and then flinging it in the air-

[Deer] - LJ!

[LJ] Snorts and then laughs, just a little, and more genuine and less desperate then before-

[Deer] - That's better sounding

[Yaunfen] Silly cat!

[Waffles] Tosses the candy into their jaws and crunches it up-

[Gir] Stand over the cat and snorts a full snoot of graveyard dust out of its nostrils in annoyance

[Waffles] cat sneeze-

[LJ] Still laughing-

[Deer] - Come on, kitchen is downstairs

[Yaunfen] Whistles for the cat and they follow the others down-

[LJ] snickering quietly -

[Deer] Heads over to the lemon tree and starts harvesting- Yaunfen, why don't you find a record to put in the jukebox

[Yaunfen] Okay. They dig around and puts in one of the ambient C14 tracks- nice and soothing

[LJ] kinda sleepy, you guys really are all about lulling your players into a trance

[Deer] - It helps

[Yaunfen] it's nice, it feels safe. [LJ] meh. I still can't believe this is Herobrines game

[Deer] - If you feel like you need to sleep, then go ahead LJ

[LJ] No! I mean... That's too quiet... I need noise...

[Deer] - We can keep the record playing

[Yaunfen] Oh! I have something noisy! - without thinking they pull out the curly shell and blow into it. There's a moment of pregnant silence and then the room goes entirely black as Basil lays down on the glass above them with a loud aggravated bellow and a baleful eye on them below-

[Deer] - Oh dear...

[Yaunfen] Basil is noisy!

[Basil] Sound like a whale with flatulance.

[LJ] Is just smiling, just a little bit-

[Deer] - He comes whenever Yaunfen blows on the shell

[Yaunfen] Proud smile.

[LJ] Something else prehisoric I presume?

[Deer] - No actually, from the real world

[LJ] How strange.