#quin's school adventures

[polaraaace]

I did linear algebra for 4 hours straight while eating an entire bag of sea salt and vinegar potato chips by myself and now I'm shakign and tummy hurty

[kurtisthesnivy]

So about six years ago, I created a homebrew system for a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon tabletop game. It didn't quite pan out, so I migrated to a heavily homebrewed version of DnD 5e (also designed by yours truly.) Until about 4 months ago, I was running two different campaigns as well as a handful of smaller adventures. I can't take full credit, my boyfriend has been a massive help with running games and coming up with homebrew. Over the last half decade, I've kept a record of all of the characters that have played in our games. And as a celebration of finishing such a long journey, here's all 72 characters that have been played in PMDnD. 

Also, I recorded the timelapse of the whole process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0b3rYlGvFU

All characters in rough order of being drawn 

Xaio, Oshawott Rogue (old system) 

Byron, Nidoran Mercenary (old system) 

Qyzen, Litten Fighter (old system) 

Tobu, Oricorio Black Mage (old system) 

Argaveus, Scyther Zealot Barbarian/Blood Hunter 

Tovu, Togedemaru Grave Domain Cleric 

Issac, Riolu Gunslinger Fighter 

Lest, Arcanine Pyromancer Sorcerer 

Dolon, Sylveon Life Domain Cleric

Blaze, Charizard College of Swords Bard 

Skye, Zoroark School of Illusion Wizard 

Ludwig, Dartrix Oath of Redemption Paladin 

Noelani, Floatzel Life Domain Cleric 

Roger, Monferno School of War Magic Wizard

Joshua, Hakamo-o Gunslinger Fighter 

James, Toxicroak Arcane Trickster Rogue 

Micheal, Pachirisu Ancestral Guardian Barbarian 

Koishi, Oricorio Dancer Bard 

Clay, Lycanroc Battlemaster Fighter 

Grace, Comfey Totem Master Fighter 

Gabriel, Auroros Hexblade Warlock 

Elena, Floatzel Horizon Walker Ranger 

Allen, Scizor Way of the Kensai Monk

Haku, Zoroark Assassin Rogue 

Alex, Weavile Thief Rogue

Stella, Chesnaught Fortune Teller Astrologian 

Iona, Cinccino College of Valor Bard/Trained PKMN 

Akira, Kekleon Alchemist Artificer 

Shift, Eevee Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer 

Justin, Sceptile Oath of Ancients Paladin 

Arin, Roserade Pact of the Deep Warlock 

Zhang, Smeargle Eldritch Knight Fighter 

Firokhan, Houndoom Way of the Kensai Monk 

Camilla, Gardevoir Divine Soul Sorcerer 

Hyargrum, Alolan Marowack School of Necromancy Wizard 

Lilliana, Audino Spiritmaster White Mage 

Koko, Thwacky Dawnbringer Warlock 

Aiden, Lopunny Path of Wild Magic Barbarian 

Dex, Sableye Echo Knight Fighter 

Jae, Banette Order of Scribes Wizard 

Minet, Cinccino Way of the Kensei Monk 

Ergin, Houndoom Arcane Trickster Rogue 

Audra, Manectric Circle of Wildfire Shaman 

Tristan, Goodra Cavalier Fighter 

Kasi, Frogedier Way of the Dragon Monk 

Mobius, Decidueye Gloomstalker Ranger 

Rook, Krokorok Inquisitive Rogue 

Jack, Decidueye Drakewarden Ranger 

Guinness, Haxorus Path of the Totem Barbarian 

Kadmos, Sceptile Way of the Kensai Monk 

Pluto, Delibird Oath of the Ancients Paladin 

Meryl, Golurk School of Abjuration Wizard 

Penicillin, Meganium Life Domain Cleric

Cleo, Ampharos Celestial Warlock

Quin, Quilava Drakewarden Ranger

Rheda, Hisuian Sneasel School of Illusion Wizard

Rian, Zangoose Path of the Beast Barbarian 

Lucas, Delphox Knowledge Domain Cleric/School of Divination Wizard 

Rubix, Typhlosion Arcane Archer Fighter/Soulfuse 

Henry, Kecleon Storm Sorcerer

Floss, Delibird Spiritmaster White Mage 

Cassandra, Absol Celestial Warlock/Soulfuse 

Calvin, Archeops Oath of the Crown Paladin 

Ballard, Azumaril College of Whispers Bard/Hexblade Warlock 

Adachi, Toxicroak Way of the Open Palm Monk/Barbairan 

Zeish, Lucario Swashbuckler Rogue/Celestial Warlock 

Sol, Charizard Gunslinger Fighter/Artificer 

Thalnor, Charizard Oath of the Ancients Paladin 

Ariana, Nidoqueen College of Swords Bard/Fighter 

Clade, Absol Hexblade Warlock/Soulfuse 

Jace, Luxray Battlesmith Artificer

[1spy]

1991 | Matthew Sweet - “Girlfriend”

In the fall of 1991, I saw a video on MTV that changed how I thought about music and shifted my tastes significantly toward what would become known as alternative music.  No, not THAT video. I’m not talking about Nirvana and “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It was Matthew Sweet’s anime-infused video for the title track of his third album, Girlfriend.

I’d sometimes wake up and watch MTV in the upstairs den before going to school, and I remember it was morning, and I stood there in front of the TV transfixed throughout the entire thing. I wish I could go back in time and see it again for the first time. Or see the dumb look on my face as I  heard the first strains of feedback while watching a spaceship emerge from the ocean, and then watch as a sexy, sophisticated space opera takes place over the next three minutes, interrupted only by Matthew Sweet’s disembodied head and voice.

Another version of me might have gone down the anime rabbit hole and become obsessed with manga. And I was intrigued, of course. Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie looked like the Voltron cartoons I loved as a kid, but seemed to contain nudity and adult situations. That movie looked incredible! But this was pre-internet and I had no idea where to go for softcore cartoons. Or even how to find out what movie it was. It’s been more than 30 years, and I still haven’t seen it.

Music though, was something I was learning how to investigate. And hearing Sweet’s precise stabs of dry rhythm guitar and 18 layers of harmony vocals be absolutely ripped apart by multiple unhinged guitar solos, well, that blew my mind. I had never heard anyone play guitar like that, and I wanted more of it immediately.

The “it” was Robert Quine who was, prior to this, most famous for playing with Richard Hell and the Voidoids, one of the first American punk rock bands to come out in the mid-70s. He also played with Lou Reed on his classic album, The Blue Mask. The pairing with Sweet was odd, because Sweet’s first two albums were polished, shiny pop albums that sounded like…a less exciting version of the Bangles or Cyndi Lauper. Sweet’s third album stripped away all the, uh, sweetness, but doubled down on Sweet’s layered harmony vocals while letting his guitar players go wild. 

I didn’t know it at the time, but Quine and the other main guitar player on the record, Richard Lloyd from the band Television, were actual punk pioneers. Punk rockers who played early shows with the Ramones and pre-dated british bands like The Clash and Sex Pistols. They were from a generation before Nirvana and Sonic Youth, and they specialized in the kind of guitar that rock critics called “searing” and “angular”. Together, they just kicked all kinds of ass all over this record and were a key reason why Matthew Sweet’s third album isn’t just a power pop classic. It has frequent moments of ecstatic, blistering fury and jazz-like bursts of melody. And those sounds were thrilling in the context of Sweet’s sophisticated, Beatles-soaked songwriting.

The whole album really is a power-pop masterpiece. Sweet wrote it after he was divorced from his first wife. It has big divorced guy energy. Half of it is consumed with recriminations and regrets from his dissolving relationship, the other half are wistful fantasies about finding new love. The love songs included one named for Winona Rider and one called “Evangeline” about a girl who cares more about God than she does about Sweet (btw, my parents were going to name me Evangeline had I been a girl). There’s a surprising amount of theological content on the record, and Sweet has said the record captured his emergence as an atheist. It’s his lyrics about searching for a God who seems frustratingly absent that are the album’s most consistent and compelling lyrical theme.

Finally, let me add that the ballads are killer on this album. “You Don’t Love Me”, “Your Sweet Voice” and “Nothing Lasts” provide a break from the punk rock guitar heroics in favor of pedal steel guitar from one of the masters, Greg Leisz. 

Two weeks ago, Matthew Sweet suffered a massive stroke while he was on tour in Europe with Hanson. He’s returned to the states and is now undergoing treatment and therapy towards what I hope is a full recovery. You can donate here:

[dwellordream]

Nothing Can Hurt You by Nicola Maye Goldberg. Thriller/mystery. On a bitterly cold day in upstate New York, the body of a college student with a slit throat is found in the woods. Her boyfriend confesses to having murdered her in the midst of a psychotic break after going off his medication, and is eventually acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity. Years later, those involved with the case- the depressed housewife who discovered the corpse, the angry half-sister of the victim, the obsessive reporter who helped catch a local serial killer, the wife of the acquitted killer- are still reeling from its impact.

Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt. Historical fiction/drama. Raised by an elderly relative after the death of their parents, sisters Charlotte and Lucy have always known it's them against the world. And in 1969, the world is changing rapidly, to both their terror and delight. But as bookish, practical Charlotte prepares to leave for college, dreamy and artistic Lucy is lost- and finds comfort in the arms of her rebellious young English teacher, who convinces her to run away with him to rural Pennsylvania so they can live life on their own terms. As Charlotte fights to find her sister, Lucy's vision of a happily ever after begins to crumble.

Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang. Sci fi/dystopian. In the wake of widespread environmental disaster, crops and animals disappear, and the world becomes a darker, blander place. A struggling chef gives up her floundering career in London to join an exclusive commune in the mountains of Italy, where a life of decadent luxury is promised to the very wealthy. The unnamed chef finds herself trapped between the whims of the commune's capricious, calculating founder and his cruel, playful daughter, and must reckon with what she is willing to sacrifice to acquire the future she believes she deserves.

Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin. Half a lifetime ago, a brave, adventurous young wizard rescued an ignorant, enslaved priestess from a life of servitude to an evil god. In the decades since then, he became a legend- the all-powerful Sparrowhawk, or Ged- while Tehanu chose a simple life as a wife and mother. Reunited in a strange series of events, they find their situation reversed- now it is Ged who is weak and frail, having lost his powers, while Tehanu must find the strength to save both him and a mysterious child who is destined to change their world forever.

Payback by Mary Gordon. Historical fiction/drama. Heidi, an angry, lonely teenage girl at an elite boarding school in 1970s New England, has only found friendship and connection with her idealistic young art teacher, Agnes. Hoping to encourage Heidi to break out of her shell, Agnes arranges a trip to New York City- but there Heidi is groomed and raped by an older man. In the moment, Agnes reacts with anger and judgment, not kindness, and Heidi flees. Fifty years later, Heidi has become the infamous Quin Archer, who runs a reality TV show called Payback, designed to help victims gain revenge on their bullies and abusers. Agnes, now a widowed grandmother, is the latest target of the show.

Cujo by Stephen King. Horror. Cujo is man's best friend- a lovable, gentle Saint Bernard who adores his family and chasing rabbits. One day, he is bitten by a rabid bat. His family leaves on vacation, none the wiser to his growing madness, and when a woman and her small son become trapped in their broken-down car, their encounter with Cujo spirals into a battle for survival.

All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg. Realistic fiction. A recovering drug addict entering her 40s, Andrea Bern still feels far from 'grown up'. Increasingly frustrated with a series of failed relationships and artistic endeavors, and grappling with her decision to remain unmarried and childless as her friends flee NYC for family life in the suburbs, Andrea is forced to finally confront her traumatic childhood and her relationship with mortality when her niece is born with a terminal illness.

A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley. Historical fiction/mystery. After her abusive husband is killed in a saloon gunfight, widowed, pragmatic young Eliza Ripple decides to make a living as a prostitute. An avid fan of mysteries, when young women begin turning up dead in sleepy 1850s Monterey, California, Eliza and her friend Jean decide to investigate the murders and bring the killer to justice.

Books Recs of 2024

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. Mystery/fantasy centered around Din, a young assistant investigator assigned to help an eccentric and infamous detective, Ana Dolabra, solve a series of murders. Din is an engraver, his brain altered so he has a photographic memory. However, no one is quite sure how he got his current position, since he failed every single one of his final exams except the combat portion. Ana is an exceedingly odd woman who refuses to go to any crime scene in person and often performs mad science experiments in her spare time. As Din struggles to keep up with the case, which revolves around a bioweapon being unleashed on a series of the empire's best engineers, he also worries what will happen when Ana finally uncovers his secrets.

Highfire by Eoin Colfer. Urban fantasy (very comedic fantasy) about a dragon called Vern (short for Wyvern), who teams up with a juvenile delinquent named Squib (real name Everett Moreau) to take down a corrupt sheriff who is plaguing the Lousiana bayou. Vern is a very small (seven feet long) dragon who is the last of his kind (as far as he knows). When he is spotted by a local troubled teen, his first instinct is to hunt Squib down and kill him, but he quickly realizes the two of them have a common enemy- the murderous sheriff who is running drugs through their territory.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi. Magical realism about a romantic-minded art historian who is swept off his feet by a mysterious and charming heiress. After a whirlwind courtship, the happy couple return to her childhood home; a Gothic manor on a lonely island. The more time our narrator spends around his wife's past, the more questions are raised- increasingly sinister ones about who she is and what exactly she is capable of. Once upon a time, she was best friends with an equally odd and dreamy little girl named Indigo. But no one has seen Indigo for many years now- and the Flower Bride may be behind her disappearance.

Chlorine by Jade Song. Horror/magical realism. Since childhood, Ren's entire identity has been wrapped up in swimming. If she can be strong enough, fast enough, special enough, success is sure to come her way. As the end of high school approaches, Ren's passion for swimming becomes less about her future, and more about past legends of mermaids and sirens dragging sailors into the deep. School, friends, and her parents' expectations all fall away- Ren will make her home in the water, no matter what she has to do.

We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo Piazza. Realistic fiction. Jen and Riley have been best friends for as long as they can remember, despite their vastly different childhoods. Riley is from a middle class Black family; Jen was raised by an impoverished white single mother. After twenty years of doing almost everything together, their lives are at a crossroads- Riley is a news anchor about to take Philadelphia by storm, while Jen is expecting her first child with her police officer husband. When Jen's husband is involved in the murder of a Black teenage boy by a fellow officer, Riley finds herself expected to cover the story- and Jen finds herself expected to answer for her husband's actions- and her own beliefs about what racism looks like.

Queenpin by Megan Abbott. Crime thriller/noir. Our nameless heroine lives a mousy existence working as a bookkeeper for a rundown local night club, but her life is turned upside down when the infamous Gloria Denton, a gun moll and smuggler, takes her under her wing. Gloria transforms her young protege from a timid girl to a sophisticated, cunning woman capable of handling gangsters, conmen, thieves, and bookies, but when she falls for the wrong man, her relationship with Gloria is strained, and they must decide just how far they can trust one another.

Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen. Historical fiction. Based on the real life trial of Katharina Kepler, mother of the famed Johannes Kepler, Imperial Mathematician to the Holy Roman Empire. Katharina is a busybody, a domineering and devilishly clever woman with a particular talent for healing. She is also a fiercely loyal mother to her adult children, but when an old neighborhood grudge flares into accusations of poison and witchcraft, Katharina is determined not to meekly confess and beg pardon. The more she lashes out at her neighbors and the authorities, the more charges begin to pile up against her- despite her son's desperate attempts to save her from torture and execution.

Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott. Crime thriller/noir. Based on a real life murder case in 1931 Phoenix Arizona. Naive and sheltered Marion Seeley is deposited in Phoenix by her disgraced doctor husband, who is forced to take a job with a mining company in South America after his medical license is revoked. Marion befriends the vivacious Louise and Ginny, two fellow nurses, who introduce her to the underground party scene in Phoenix. Politicians and businessmen flock to the secret parties held by them, and it's a quick way to make money on the side. Drawn in by the luxury and thrills, Marion falls in love with Joe Lanigan, a powerful local politician, but as their affair intensifies, her friendship with the other women fractures, culminating in a gruesome crime.

[yangrdn]

hiiii! if you're still taking requests for joaquin, can you do a fluff oneshot of him with a fem!s/o with adhd?

moments

pairing: joaquín torres x fem!reader with adhd

a/n: first joaquín one-shot! now, i had to do research to find symptoms in girls and adults to write this and tried to be as accurate as possible.and if this is inaccurate, i'm ready to take criticism and learn. i hope u enjoy reading this <3

summary: moments with joaqo.

w/c: 1.6k

warnings: none

my m.list

request | my taglist

growing up, you hadn’t had it easy. facing issues kids your age didn’t struggle with made it hard to make friends, focusing in class became a problem, fidgeting became a routine.

when you started school, that was the first time your mom noticed. your teachers had called your parents in, telling them about your different behaviour. at first, it got excused as excitement. you had just started school, being excited was normal. and the fidgeting wasn’t uncommon for children your age, as they also couldn’t sit still. but as you grew older, it got obvious that this wasn’t just you.

not being able to stay on one topic in a conversation and constantly being impulsive made it hard to communicate with others. to some, you were seen as arrogant or mean. to the ones willing to educate themselves and having patience, you were just a normal girl who liked to talk.

due to all the energy inside you, you’re also hyperactive. activities that were physical were the ones being chosen over the typical things girls like, as your teachers liked to call it when they explained it to your mom. calm activities are still having a good effect on you, too.

but still, you didn’t get the diagnosis until you got older. different doctors had told you before that you’re good and don’t need help. a reason for the misdiagnosis was the fact that in girls, symptoms of adhd were seen as a character of your personality. it wasn’t until your mom complained more than once to your doctor and explained to him that not being able to focus in class and getting distracted easily wasn’t normal. after running many tests and being asked questions, they finally had a picture of your symptoms and could give you a reason behind it all.

they also say that adhd in girls is much different than in boys, which is why you didn’t get a diagnosis with it until a couple months after you turned 17. after that, you were happy you had the knowledge of what’s been happening for years, but it still made it hard to communicate and brought its problems into your everyday life.

like right now.

the doodles at the side of your book page long forgotten, you stare at the tv screen. adventure time is playing, yours and joaquín’s favorite show. normally, you’d watch it together. but today you feel like reading instead, so you’re seated next to your boyfriend with his arm draped around you. you hum along to the theme playing, nodding your head slowly. when you look down, you grab the pencil placed next to you on the sofa and start drawing doodles on your book again, still humming along to the theme.

you hear joaquín’s stomach grumble, raising your head to look at him. he’s already looking at you, lips pursed in an attempt to stifle his laugh. you giggle and set your book down next to you, marking the page you’re on with your pencil.

“i��ll go make us something to eat, i’m hungry anyways,” you say, getting up and stretching out your limbs. “do you want muffins? i think there are still some from yesterday.”

“sounds good,” he hums, kissing your hand before letting go of it and letting you leave the living room. you leave him watching tv, walking into the kitchen. once you’re there, you halt in front of the cabinets.

where are the muffins again? you look through the different cabinets, searching through them and moving your hand inside them, in case joaquín put them at the back of them, hiding them from you. nothing.

you sigh and look around you, grabbing a glass and the bottle of water laying on the counter before walking back into the room to your boyfriend.

upon seeing you, joaquín frowns, but still opens his arms and welcomes you back in a warm hug.

“weren’t there any left?” he asks, kissing your temple. you shake your head and give him the water bottle to hold. he takes it.

“no, i didn’t find them,” you state.

“what? but i saw you putting them in the fridge yesterday before we went to sleep,” he notes. you let out a breath and turn your head to him, frown resident on your lips.

“did i?” he nods. you huff and stand up again.

“i think i forgot again,” you whisper and make your way back to the kitchen. there, you open the fridge and feel your eyes widen and a smile creeping up your face as a gasp leaves your mouth. “i found them!” you shout, letting joaquín know. you grab the pack of muffins and walk back to your boyfriend.

“i think i put them there in fear of having them melt overnight,” you remember and take one out, handing the other one to the boy next you. you plop down at his side and start eating, reverting your eyes back to the screen in front of you.

“they taste so good.” joaquín’s voice comes off muffled by the food in his mouth, crumbs of the chocolate muffin falling down his lips and landing on his lap, some on the sofa. you groan and throw your head back.

“amor! you’re leaving everything on the floor and the sofa!” you complain. he only laughs in response, prompting more crumbs to fall down.

“ugh,” you groan and roll your eyes, leaning closer into his arm.

~

“did you find it?” you look over joaquín’s shoulder, glancing at the amount of dvd’s in his hands and biting your lip nervously.

“y/n, i’ll find it, don’t worry,” he assures you and lowers his head back to the dvd’s.

sam and bucky are coming over today for lunch and a movie. they let you decide the movie, so you chose to watch the maze runner and have been searching for the movie inside your house all day long. at some point, you got anxious that you lost it and couldn’t watch it.

“yes but they’re almost here! what if you don’t find it by then!” you sigh and throw your head back.

“i’ll find it! if you want you can go and already take some snacks out,” he offers with a soft smile. you nod hastily and leave him.

there’s chips, popcorn and some cake. you decide to take everything into the living room and place it on the coffee table, letting joaquín know you’re back.

“ok, i think everything’s made. did you find the movie?” you step closer to joaquín, grabbing the dvd’s left on his left side and looking through them. “remind me why we decide to buy movies almost every month.” the boy next to you chuckles, nodding along.

“y/n?” you only hum, staying focused on the movies in your hand. “i- i think you found the movie,” he says. you frown, looking up at him and back down at your hands. shaking your head, you frown again.

“que? no, i didn’t fi-” you stop yourself from talking when you focus on the movies in your hand, giggling when you see it. “i think i didn’t see it.”

~

your leg is shaking, going up and down as you wait for your ice cream with torres sitting next to you. it’s warm outside, so you chose to sit in the shop today, since it’s cooler in there. the lady at the register calling different names, every sound ringing in your ear as you wait for your order to be finished.

“you good?” joaquín asks, glancing at your nervous fingers. you’re picking at your skin, again. you hum, not really listening. he sighs and takes your hand, drawing your focus back to him and making you look up.

“you need the pencil?” he takes out a blue pen, rolling up his sleeves as you nod and take the pen from his hand, starting to draw flowers on his arm and the palm of his hand.

“does this tickle?” you wonder out loud, stopping to glance up at him.

“no tanto, but it feels good, don’t worry.” he pecks your lips.

~

it’s late, the rain outside pouring and the moon casting a glim light in your room. you’re laying in bed with him.

“‘quin?” you whisper into the dark, wanting to know if he’s still up. you hear him shuffle behind you, raising his head from where it was resting in the crock of your neck. he hums in response.

“are you up?” you feel his hot breath hit your neck when he laughs.

“i am, now,” he croaks out. you turn your head a little, staring at his face.

“you know, i was thinking about this dog we saw earlier. can we get one?” you ask. he frowns, coughing.

“uhm, yes if you want. but now we’re going to sleep, i’m tired,” he mumbles and cuddles back closer to you, pulling you into his embrace, pressing your back to his front. you hum, closing your eyes.

“oh and earlier you said you were going to explain to me how that one blue game works. i forgot the name,” you trail off at the end of your sentence and frown, what was it called.

“what blue game?” “the one from earlier.”

“what game from earlier?” you roll your eyes and free yourself from his hug, sitting up.

“the one sam told you about! he showed you a picture, too!” you throw your hands up.

“babe, that was monopoly, the game you’re talking about isn’t even blue. now come back i was about to fall asleep,” he answers and pulls you down. you nuzzle into his chest, laying your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes again.

“ok ok, i think i keep forgetting the games he’s shown us. night,” you whisper and raise your head to kiss his chin, humming in content when he lowers his head for you to kiss his lips instead.

“can we go get more ice cream tomorrow?” you hear him sigh and chuckle, knowing that he’s probably trying his best to ignore you.

translation:

amor - love

que? - what?

no tanto - not much

taglists

permanent

@bi-lmg @aayaissaa @fandomxreaders

joaquín torres

@samscaptain @jades-tea-shop

[unsimspirational]

Chapter 71

Quin? Hmm? Were you really a pirate? Yes, I’ve already told you so. Was there no other job you could do? Of course, there was but I was young, stupid, and wanted adventure. I’d finished school at 16 and had no thought of returning home to an angry old man. 

Your father? Daffodil asked. He hated me and later I found out the reason why. I am illegitimate which my mother failed to tell me. I’m so sorry Quin. Would you tell me more about your life before? 

Life at sea seemed a good place to start my adventures so I signed onto the first ship that recruited me. I learned a lot on that ship and I was promoted quickly to the first mate.  The crew resented taking orders from a 20-year-old. The captain was old and he often talked of giving me his ship. But it wasn’t to be.

The crew resented taking orders from a 20-year-old. The captain was getting old and he often talked of giving me his ship. But it wasn’t to be. There was a mutiny and I had to fight for my life and was left for dead. Oh, Quin, that’s terrible. Saewulf found me, and his family took care of me.  It was Saewulf’s family who showed me the love my father couldn’t give. You don’t have to tell me anymore if you don’t want to, Daffodil said, noting that her husband seemed melancholy. No, I want to tell you, you’re my wife and I want no secrets between us.

[hasbbdoneanythingwrong]

Roles switched!

An AU for fun! It's probably gonna be another series updated once in a blue moon.

Today was super boring! It was summer break for BB, being in her second to last year of college she still got summers off from school. The purple-haired lady just sluggishly moved around her house that morning, a far cry from her normal chaotic personality. It's only been a week and she was done with all the things she felt like doing for that summer. Really, being such a hermit and just messing with people makes one not have very many friends.

Letting out a groan as she sees her younger sibling, Melty, going off to stalk that one teenager who's name starts with an R or something just made BB all the more annoyed. Lip was off doing who knows what, probably trying to pet the animals in the shelter she worked at, Violet was busy off at her office sewing or some shit, Protea attended a summer camp with some other children, and no one cares about Kazuradrop. The day just got even worse! BB didn't even have anyone to harass at home now! Though when in doubt of what to do you, bullying noobs in games was always fun.

Thinking about it a little more, that new MMO-RPG was came out recently. It was a full dive VR thing with crazy customization. Gaining a new plan in her mind, she quickly shot up and got to work. First BB needed to get the hardware and the game. Is she gonna buy it? No! Of course not! Breaking into the purchase history of the people within a 5 mile radius from her house, she quickly finds the perfect person to steal from!

After a small heist from a few streets over, the headset and game is now obtained! Putting a sticky note on the door to tell her siblings to fuck off. BB gets ready to dive straight in!

In her opinion the character creation section is stupid. Why would she want to look like anything other than her amazing, majestic, and devilishly cute self? After just recreating herself, it's time to pick a class! With out a though, BB goes straight to the mage classes and picks one that focuses on buffs and debuffs. What? It's the easiest way to break a game!

Making sure everything is all good, BB loads into the tutorial. From what she read before, this is when each player gets their own personal helper AI/party memeber. They actually function more like a pet from other MMOs. Quickly speeding through the tutorial BB finally gets to me her own personal AI to torment! Walking over to the humanoid form at the end of the pathway, she was internally cackling. Before she can even get to the end of the path, the humanoid figure is running over to her... that's odd. Aren't they supposed to be AIs with like rules and stuff? Eh whatever. It doesn't really matter! The woman, now that BB can see, runs but then slows and awkwardly shuffles closer towards her.

The woman has red hair pulled into two buns and wore glasses. For her outfit, it seemed to be kinda like a hunter with a long cloak and lighter armor. She did have a sword on her hip, so she wasn't completely useless. The woman did a shy bow towards BB and went to speak but was cut off.

"You're mine now! It doesn't matter who you are or what you are! Let's go fuck with some idiots! Kill steal and PK!" BB says while grabbing the woman's arm and running with her into the now open field. Little did the pure haired girl know, Quin the AI assigned to BB had a heavy blush on her face and was very happy.

This was the first player to actually accept her as their AI companion, the rest just threw her away since she looked weak or didn't have a good class combination. Even if what her player said was a bit concerning, maybe this adventure wouldn't be all that bad.

[micahweissberg]

when he was still thinking about moving to blue harbor, it was inevitable to think about quintana weisz and that wild look in her eyes whenever she talked about all the places she'd lived in—granted, most of the details were murky, and micah had learned to suspect that she was just making shit up—including that cardboard box of a neighborhood in illinois where life really started. he hadn't heard from her much, or at all, since his mom's friends had reopened her case and got her out of the slammer. he knew his mom and quin were in contact, though, and at the risk of sounding like he knew the redhead more than he claimed he did, he chose not to inquire on her whereabouts for good measure.

his first few weeks in town were spent lowering his expectations that she'd found her way back to the cardboard box and decidedly not hoping, everytime he turned a corner, that he would run into her there. all these made-up scenarios were eventually shelved, the letters he deigned to write kept as drafts in his head, and he stopped thinking about her. not altogether — sometimes, she'd pop into his head whenever he'd come across her favorite beer or when he'd happen into weaver ridge and wonder which building she used to call home.

not unlike now, outside this little pierogi shop, where she actually popped up.

verifying her identity isn't some multi-factor authentication process. it's hard to forget that face. and that voice—which he'd once lovingly likened to wheezy the penguin from toy story 2 while stoned on her living room floor—had maintained its brambly quality over the years as micah listens to her place her order in that brusque way she asks for stuff like she owns the damn place.

god, he missed her.

as one last measure, he musters up the courage to walk over to her table, his presence greeted by her classic nonchalance. he catches the back of the chair as she kicks it out for him, a little offended that she didn't recognize him right off the bat. granted, he had slightly longer, shaggier hair dyed some dirty shade of blonde but still.

"quin... it's me." you cunt, he wants to add. he also wants to throw his arms around her and tell her about how he'd taken her advice and went on his own adventure, just like she did, and how he's still in law school, but he's also following his dreams of being funny, just like she said he should.

but it's also hard not to blame her for the kind of fucked up shit he saw that night at the penthouse, for being made to sit in a cold metal chair, all puffy-eyed and snot-faced as he tries to convince some mutton-chopped cop that he was innocent.

"it's micah. micah weissberg? new york?"

who: Quintana & open! where: The People's Pierogi ( capping at 5 ) ( 1/5 )

Man, you never really know how little there is to do until you're stone cold sober. Quintana wasn't complaining. No, it was nice enough to be outside, enjoying the fresh air and a pierogi, but if chainsmoking outside the dumpling stall was the beginning and end of her night? Jeee-sus. That's tough shit. Brushing a trail of crumbs off of her chin, Quintana crumbled up her napkin and plopped it onto the plate. At least the sunset was nice.

Quinnie sucked on her cigarette, watching people mill back and forth with their friends and families, everyone with somewhere more important to be than this. Except maybe... the stranger hovering near Quin's table. It's not like the pierogi stand was, like, bustling with people-- but maybe they didn't want to be alone either. "You wanna sit?" she offered, stretching out her leg and pushing the chair back with her foot. "I'll even throw in a cigarette, free of charge," she raised a brow, waving her lit cigarette in the air.

[polaraaace]

woooo guess who's on track to have 3 associate's degrees by the time they're 21!!!

[zahra-kha]

Dear Diary 18

Tamala and Tala came to visit! It's always wonderful when friends drop by. Looks like they weren't traveling together, since Tala tried to get the drop on Tamala when I opened the door and I ended up startling her. She ended up surprising her anyway so mission accomplished?

Those two girls...really. They're a handful but fun, I like it when they're around. I invited them in and went right to getting them something to drink and eat. I figured something simple like sandwiches would do, so I put a kettle on for tea and went right to getting some bread toasted and cutting up everything for the food. Meanwhile we chatted.

I joked about how I had hidden away my naughty stuff (alright, it wasn't a joke) and Tamala decided to dive right on into that by asking me how much of it I had. Poor Tala tried scolding Tamala 'You can't just /ask/ someone....!' but it was funny. I mean, if Tamala really wanted to know she could have just gone looking. I did tell them they could make themselves at home and look around. It's not like I would have been offended. We're all girls. It was funny to tease them though, Tala blushes so easily, it's really cute.

I asked them what they'd been up to. Tamala had been on a camping trip with her school, Tala had been taking care of family business and training for the Coconero Cup. I forgot to ask how they were doing on that. I had to drop out to take care of some troupe business - with Armand still not at 100% I have to take his spot for performances on the tour now that they're resuming. Armand is at least good to move but he needs to practice more to get back to where he was since he was out for so long. I can't slack on my duties to the troupe, the entire reason I'm even in Eorzea is because of them.

I got the food and tea ready for them. I used the tea set and tea Jasper got for me and made a bunch of ham and turkey sandwiches on toasted bread to bring over. I wish I'd had some bacon to cook up, that would have been the best finishing touch. But I joined them and we ate and chatted some more.

Tala asked me what drove me to start wanting to adventure. It was an interesting question, and I tried to answer as honestly as I could. I wanted to expand my knowledge and experience and I wanted to meet people and learn their stories. I wanted to have it inspire me for my performances. I didn't want to limit myself to just being with my troupe when I'd heard so much about what adventuring was and what it meant to others. I asked them why they got into it as well. Fair's fair!

Tamala got into it to meet new people and see new places. Also it looks as if some of her family were adventurers so it's a family thing! We got a bit into Tamala's life and her clan's dynamics, so I'm not sure if I ever caught why Tala got into adventuring. But I hope Tamala gets to continue doing what she wants to do in life.

We somehow got to talking about children! Hells if I even know how that happened, but it looks like both Tala and Tamala would like a family someday. I...don't know. I'm young, it feels like I'll be young forever, you know? I mean, I know eventually I'll grow up and get old, but right now it just feels like I have my whole life ahead of me, it's hard to think of myself as a mom someday.

I could see my little brother Cahil having a bunch of kids once he got older. He'd be a great dad. He's a little shit now, but he's also loyal and loving to his family. He's a lot like dad in that sense - he just does things differently than dad does.

And it might just be me, but it looks like Tamala has a thing for Tala. It's cute! I think they'd be cute together, but who knows?

Then we started teasing more about kids which somehow morphed into sexy voices. I don't even know how that happened but I think it was my fault that time. I said something about 'panty melting voices' and it went downhill from there. In my defense! IN MY DEFENSE! If the voice is sexy enough and drops that note at just the right level...it can be a powerful force for good or evil okay. I will die on that hill.

So then we started talking about hot voices. Namely the type of voices we thought sounded hot to us. I admit, someone whispering sweet nothings in my ear is very attractive if they have the right voice. No one can judge me. 

It then went into the type of people we like/are attracted to, because of course it would go into that. I...might have used that opportunity to voice something that had been on my mind since last night - what if you're attracted to someone you don't want to be?

Tala's answer was curious and made me wonder if maybe she should avoid seeking advice from Quin's bodyguard. Apparently, she'd been told you can just shut feelings off. That's not...wrong, under extreme circumstances, but if it were so easy to shut off emotions, people wouldn't have issues developing feelings in the first place. They'd just stop it before it starts.

Tamala's answer was interesting but after thinking on it, not surprising from someone who worships the love goddess. Basically, just embrace love in whatever form it comes. That's simplistic if love was simple, but if it were, we wouldn't have so many songs about broken hearts.

Of course, it wasn't like they could help me with specifics when I wasn't being specific. They can only help me with what they're being given. So I told them that basically I came to the realization that I liked someone more than I thought I did, and when it hit me I was very upset about it. I don't want to jeopardize my friendship with this person since I value it a lot. Plus, while it doesn't really matter, I'm pretty sure they don't like me in that way (That's more of an ego thing, but hey).

Tamala suggested that I should maybe say something. Outside of it being awkward, what was the worse that could happen?

No Tamala, me saying anything would be the personification of awkward. Really awkward. Really, really, really awkward. The very idea gives me a headache. There are just some things you can and should keep to yourself. This is one of them. Gods. I mean I did ultimately ask for advice and they're looking out for me and to be fair, it's the same advice I'd give to anyone if I sit and think about it.

Right, let's not.

Anyway, I told them to be careful on their way home and opened up about how I felt someone had been following me around the last few suns and I was afraid they could still be lurking around. Maybe they were robbers or something skulking about the neighborhood. Both girls got upset and started drilling me with questions about what happened, when did it start happening, why didn't I say anything sooner, etc.

So I explained (without telling them about how I had noticed), that I had picked up on some people trying to follow me only a few suns ago, but they had recently stopped. I figured maybe they were neighborhood stalkers, trying to pick out people they could rob and since they'd stopped, maybe the authorities had grabbed them. But still, I wanted them to be careful just in case and look out for each other on the way back. Tala especially scolded me, which was surprising. She can be really passionate!

They made me promise to call them immediately if the robbers show back up, which I did of course. I mean, it scared the hells out of me too so I don't want to be alone if they show back up.

And then Tala, that little pot calling the kettle black, admits she'd had someone break into her apartment and turned the place upside down! I just...! I mean, I'm glad her family got her a drake to protect her but still! She'd only told Tamala! And yes that's a step above me but still!

Still! POT! KETTLE! And then had the audacity to say it wasn't a big deal and it was probably random! POT!!! KETTLE!!!

I couldn't help but laugh, it was hard to be upset when your friends are just like you.

The girls left shortly after that but it was nice having them over. I'm glad they enjoyed the food and tea too. I hope they come by again sometime. It was nice to sit and just chat about nothing and everything.

[nprfreshair]

Tegan And Sara Find Pain — And Unexpected Joy — In 'High School'

High school was a tumultuous time for Canadian identical twins Tegan and Sara Quin. They both, separately, were coming to terms with their sexuality — and they were also beginning to write and record songs together.

"Almost right away, we started to weave our voices together. That was something that we had an instinct to do," Tegan says.

The music Tegan and Sara made in those early years helped jump-start their career. In 1998, when were 18, they signed a contract with PolyGram Records, which eventually led to a tour with Neil Young. They've since won awards for their music, including three Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy.

Now, the sisters revisit their early years with the memoir High School, along with the companion record, Hey, I'm Just Like You. The new record features songs they wrote as teenagers — but re-recorded as adults.

Sara was initially reluctant to listen to the songs they recorded in high school. "I was afraid that I would hear something that I that I would be embarrassed by or ashamed of," she says.

But, she adds, "When I finally did listen, I was struck by the joy in our voices in our early recordings. ... We were great, and we were writing these really sophisticated, adventurous songs as teenagers. And that was why we ended up signing a record deal as teenagers and starting our career."

Tegan likens finding the balance between their teenage and present identities to mixing a cocktail: "We threw in a lot of different things from the last 20-some years, and hoped that if Tegan and Sara from 1997 could get in a time machine and hear it, that they wouldn't be embarrassed by how we changed it."

[randomikemendegen]

I'm excited for the game to finally come out (even if I live in North America😅) but the tension is killing me on the waiting list, how about you and your ocs, are they excited to attend the school and adventure as well? (-From Kaiyahna Meeks🙂)

(A/N: F*ck, I got the wrong ask earlier- ALSDJSADLKASJDASKD I’m so very sorry holy hell- there’s quite a bit in my inbox that I got confused lololol- I rly should clean up owo;;)

LOLOLOL I’M SO LATE TO GETTING TO THIS I’M SORRY ASJDASKDJASLD (I rly gotta clean up my asks/inbox sooner or later qwq)

Quintin is feeling pretty nervous!! It’s his first day after all, though luckily enough Seisear is in Heartslabyul too so he’s not feeling too much dread. Quin just wants to get through the entire school years by without anything drastic or problem happening…. (Well, he won’t exactly get his wish due to the dumbass group lol)

Seisear on the other hand is quite thrilled to be going back to school, since it means that it will be another year that he gets to “fulfil [his] wish”.… that, and he’s just generally excited seeing the school and being able to prank on his dorm mates again~. (And it’s another year again of being a thorn on Riddle’s side yet again, *sigh*)

Lala is NOT happy. Like. AT ALL. She’s pouting as Shir is trying to remind her about their deal that they made during their death match. Lala doesn’t wanna go to “this stuck-up school full of know-it-alls”…. But she IS a king of her word, and a deal was a deal. She just sighs and immediately sets a goal of taking down whoever is her dorm leader. (She actually did challenge Leona. It ended in a draw, of sorts.)

Ophiou is extremely anxious to the point he doesn’t wanna go to school at all, but he does anyways since he promised his mom he would do his best. Like Quin, he doesn’t want to get involved any trouble during this year, and/or the next, either… so his solution to that is to simply try his absolute best to blend into the crowd and draw as little attention as possible. (Again, with the dumbass group around, impossible :P)

Cirnu isn’t sure if she feel excited or something, but assumes that it’s like that. She can’t wait to see the same old faces, but even more so simply cannot wait to see the new junior students. Sure, they may test her patience every now and then, but she always forgives them in the end since that’s how children are~. (Once again, she ends up trying to remind everyone again about inviting Malleus to any occasion/party while Lilia is finding this amusing all over again)

Berebis is totally 100% neutral, well, to be specific… HE COULD NOT GIVE A SINGLE SHIT. Bel doesn’t expect this year to be exciting or thrilling or whatever in the slightest; it wasn’t last year, so why should he expect the same of this year? … well, the only thing he’s looking forward to is the Potions class and snoozing off in the library again, so that’s that. (His attitude quickly irritates Sebek despite being the latter’s senpai, to which Bel clearly doesn’t give a fuck about)

Fuyume… has no idea how to feel. I mean, sure it’s her first day at NRC, but she doesn’t feel anything at all… well, not entirely. There’s a tiny part of her that’s feeling… what she thinks is nervousness, though even then she’s largely detached from it. Fuyu just patiently deals with everything, unemotive as usual. (Though even she is quite surprised at how…. Many “unique” people there are; and by unique she means, loud, noisy, all over the place, etc.)

Viviane is super excited to be going back to school~! The amount of new faces she’ll see and meet, the old faces she’ll reunite with, the new and potentially exciting school activities… she simply cannot wait! Viv just wants to make friends with and get to know all the new students while also rekindling old friendships~. (MC interests her the most due to their unique circumstance)

Leviotan is being Leviotan as usual; he doesn’t care. Well, not entirely— Lev minds about whether or not the newbies/juniors will be either even slightly fun or a complete waste of time, and keeps a close eye on Viviane to ensure nothing bad happens to her. (He’s watching over MC and Grim like a hawk whenever they interact with Viv; he’s not the type of person to judge based on word of mouth, but he can’t help it when his sister’s involved somehow)

Orchis is… well… unknown. Though they can’t help BUT feel thrilled at being “back at school”. They do remember that they once attended NRC in the past, but Orchis can’t remember what their school life was like; was it exciting? was it depressing? Who knows. But at any rate, for Orchis, this is a second chance in of its own– a second chance to relive the time lost to them~! (They’re MC and Grim’s only other dorm mate, if only due to their circumstances)

Hokusai is, funnily enough, DREADING another year. Sure he’s already long gotten used to being a teacher at this point, but it still doesn’t mean that he can’t help but internally face palm whenever the students do something stupid. Hoku still thinks they’re all cute though, even the most headache-inducing ones, and will continue to genuinely watch over them… unlike in the past. (He takes GREAT INTEREST in the MC and Grim, since they’re unknown factors that Crowley let stay)

Shir is already graduated so he doesn’t have to go to school anymore, though he does remember his very first day and longingly looks back on it with a chuckle as he’s telling Lala about NRC and what she can expect from there. He occasionally visits the school whenever he’s not busy to check up on Lala and perhaps catch up with the Savanaclaw dormitory. (Leona jokes that Shir should attend again since he seems so attached to the school; he declines, saying it would be too embarrassing and he already has his responsibilities)

[adrianodiprato]

+ “Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space. Invite one to stay.” ~ Maya Angelou

Brave & Afraid

After a long and tenacious battle with a chronic lung disease, in 2019, as many of you are aware, my father passed away. His lungs could simply no longer expel carbon monoxide, blocking the much-needed oxygen the body must have to thrive. This was particularly traumatic for me, not just for the obvious loss of my dear dad, but I was the one that found him, late at night, gasping for air as he lay on his bed, while on his BiPAP machine. Seeing your father, your hero, struggling for life was hard to witness. Paramedics arrived swiftly and by morning he was sadly gone.

Toward the end of 2019 I took some personal leave as I didn’t believe I had properly processed my loss. During this time, I started to reflect on what truly matters in life and I discovered that I was prioritising everything else over quality family time and my personal wellness. I was very driven in my role to serve the Marcellin community, often pushing out 80hour weeks, and being on campus six days a week. No one put this pressure on me, but myself. I no longer wanted to live that way. I wanted to be present for my fragile elderly mother, especially during the transition to her now living without her life partner reality. And I want to cherish the moments I still have with her.

I’ve been very blessed in my career, the two times I was privileged to be a Deputy Principal, I got to work with two amazingly generous Principals, Michael Quin at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, Braybrook and Mark Murphy at Marcellin College, Bulleen. I believe that Mark and I, in particular, developed an outstanding professional partnership. He is a person I greatly admire. This is an extract of a tribute I wrote about Mark: Mark is an educational leader that operates from the deep construct of love and permission, backing in his team, believing in their capacity and empowering each member to co-produce our community, in support of each young man and their families in our care. Mark was finishing up his time at Marcellin to take on a new Principalship in 2020 at another Catholic boy’s secondary school. Mark’s departure felt like another deep loss to me. Not only was I no longer going to work alongside this remarkable leader, a person that always had great faith and belief in me, I felt I was losing a dear friend, a champion of me and although the gap between our ages isn’t that great, I saw Mark as a father-like figure. I learnt much from this very kind and decent educator and family man.

In addition to all these goings on, in late December an attractive commercial enterprise opportunity was presented to me, which was most appealing, not only for the type of innovative education work I’d undertake, but the flexible work arrangements would allow me to be more present for my mother. So, I made the brave (some may say crazy!) decision to resign from Marcellin College. This was a difficult decision, one I made with a very heavy heart. Having your Principal and Deputy Principal leave at the same time isn’t an ideal situation, especially when you are about to roll out a new and future-fit learning ecosystem. However, my decision was made a little more easily, as I had the confidence that all would be well, as the Leadership Team at the College is made of extremely talented, faith-filled, industrious and highly committed and creative educators. On a personal level, I was giving up a regular income, the psychological security of a stable job and a community I deeply loved. Nonetheless I needed to prioritise and place my wellness first, for once. I needed to give myself space to grieve, and space to consider my worth and purpose for the next phase in my life.

I am very grateful to Dr Philip SA Cummins for initiating a phone call, born from this conversation is Game Changers, an educational podcast I’m extremely proud off and a new educational enterprise – a School for tomorrow. Both vehicles have provided me the opportunity to share educational thought leadership from a cross section of industries, as we, collaboratively craft a new social contract for our COVID Children and the generations to follow, doing schooling differently.

This start-up space is very foreign to me, nevertheless the people that know best, know I love to travel and going on this adventure is another type of discovery, feeding my forever deeply curious mind. I’m learning lots, which is life giving and loads of impostor syndrome moments. I love this quote, from the great Jedi Master – Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try" as it is a simple lesson in commitment and the power in giving something you are passionate about your all—not just giving it a try.

Maybe one day I shall return to a school community, if a school board has the courage to appoint an educator that is often described as a “risk” by some, mainly those who have never worked with me, passing judgment from afar – on style of dress, pocket squares, height/size, profile on social media, and “large” personality. The only risk I see in education, is schools, school leaders and systems who continue to be wedded to the one-size-fits all industrial delivery model. They are risking young people’s holistic growth and achievement and perhaps even their future, in this new world environment we all find ourselves in.

Right now, I’m really enjoying the energy of starting something fresh, creating a dynamic online learning community of inquiry and practice, where all in education benefits, especially our students. And I will continue to use my “profile” in the sector to stimulate conversation around much needed change in schooling. I’ll continue to use social media – not for boosting said profile for personal gain or ego (as some see it), but as a powerful platform to connect, converse, share, learn and unlearn, agitate, lift others up, provide real viable options and challenge the binary thinking that dominates so much of our educational institutions in Australia.

I will finish with this passage I love from Brené Brown’s in her book, Dare to Lead:

As you think about your path to daring leadership, remember Joseph Campbell’s wisdom: “The cave you fear to enter hold the treasure you seek.” Own the fear, find the cave and write a new ending for yourself, for the people you’re meant to serve and support, and for your culture. Choose courage over comfort. Choose whole hearts over armour. And choose the great adventure of being brave and afraid. At the exact same time.

I look forward to the remainder of 2020 and beyond with much optimism and excitement for what new adventures await - both professionally and personally. And I look forward to the great adventure of being brave and afraid. At the exact same time. I choose courage over comfort, hope and love over fear. It’s exhilarating. Its life affirming. You should try it.

[what-if-rpg]

Welcome to the family, VIVI! Your application to BRADLEY JACKSON was accepted. I am really happy to have you around! Make sure to read the beginners checklist, and remember, have fun! I can’t wait to roleplay with you! Have fun!

IN CHARACTER

CHARACTER NAME: Bradley James Jackson CHARACTER AGE & DATE OF BIRTH: 29 October 18 th OCCUPATION:  Pilot at the Los Angeles Airport. FACE CLAIM: Zac Efron HOMETOWN & CITY WHERE LIVES NOW: Born in LA and still lives there cos why not? SEXUAL ORIENTATION & GENDER: Straight and CIS male RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single POSITIVE TRAITS: Funny, daring and adventurous NEGATIVE TRAITS:  brash, self-destructive and immature CHARACTER QUOTE/LYRIC: “Mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than you were before.”

HEADCANONS

First Headcanon: Bradley has always been the crazy Jackson twin. Whenever people spoke about these two, Bradley would always be the one that was in trouble, always having bad grades, always wanting to party, always just having a good time and not really caring about anything else. That was his main goal in life, just have a good time and forget about the problems. Bradley would have time to deal with those as soon as he was old enough. The question is, when will he be old enough to start thinking about his life problems as an adult?

Second Headcanon: His passport is full of places where he has been during his twenty-nine years old. There is not a single country where he hasn’t been, and he is very proud of that. From China to England, from Brazil to Australia, Bradley knows a little bit about every single place and knows tons of languages to communicate with the people from there. Has he ever gotten into any problem while traveling? Yes, Bradley was always arrested for drugs consume, or just drinking too much while being inside a plane. Of course, that all changed while he was in the Army and even more now that he’s a pilot.

Third Headcanon: Nowadays he is trying to get a little bit better, and also trying to focus on his career, but, he knows that he will never be the perfect son like his brother. He was sent to the Army when he was 18 years old by his father, they couldn’t control him any longer, he was not focused on school, and he was just doing bad stuff with his life so, what better than the Army to actually help him find a good way, right? And Bradley did find a way to have a good life, get money for his trips, and also get girls.

Fourth Headcanon: What he did not count with was that he would find one girl that would change his whole view of life. Frannie changed his life. He had taken a break from the Army and tried giving a normal college life to spend more time with his brothers. He never thought he would meet the girl on his dreams there. Everything was perfect for a year and a half but of course nothing Bradley had to go and mess up the one thing that was going well for him. The more time he spent with Frannie the more he realized that she was the only one who could really make him change his ways and break his heart like no other. He began to act out and eventually they broke up. Bradley went back his own way but he always wondered what his life could have been had Frannie still been in it.

CONNECTIONS

MRS. & MR. JACKSON (Parents): His mother was always a sweet and nice person, but his father was an Official from the Army, and he would always try to control his kids the best way as possible. Bradley was just a hard to kid control. Ever since he was just a little baby that they had problems controlling him, and maybe that is why he has such a difficult relationship with his parents. As soon as his father sent him to the army, Bradley stopped speaking with him and promised himself he would never ever see him again or even say a single hello. JORDAN JACKSON (Twin Brother): Bradley is the oldest twin and as the oldest you would believe him to be the mature one but that wasn’t the case with these twins. Jordan was always the mature of the pair while Bradly just thought about having a good time and living life to the fullest. Their father always told Bradley he wished he were more like Jordan or the rest of his brothers, but instead of making him hate his brothers, he only hated his father even more. Sure, he might seem like a guy who only worried about himself but he cared about his brothers and his mother more than anyone would know. However, as much as he loved his family there, he was closet to Jordan. Not only were they twins but they were the best of friends. There’s probably no other twins in this world that get along as well as these two get. As kids they would do everything together. If one is sick, the other gets sick, if one is sad, the other gets sad. They are inseparable and no matter how busy their lives are now they are still close to one another. CONNER, ZED & JUDE JACKSON (Siblings): Bradly loves all his brothers sure they fight at times or get a bit competitive with one another but no matter what he knew they will always have each other’s back. Bradly was always that annoying little brother who would bother his older brother Connor and even know he still does, he would admit it but he looks up to him more than his own father. With Zed and Jude, they were the youngest maybe not by much with Jude but he was very protective of them. He wanted to be the best older brother he could and always made sure that no matter what he did in life that his younger brothers knew what was right and what was wrong. He never did drink or took drugs in front of them since he never wanted his brothers to be as disappointed in him as their father is. FRANNIE FABRAY (EX-Girlfriend): Bradley was the most popular guy at Harvard, and of course, he was able to catch Frannie’s attention with his smirk and his perfect blue eyes. While everyone fought for his attention, Frannie was able to get with him in a blink of an eye. To this day there are still moments where he wonders what life with Frannie would be like. He didn’t like commitment, but he still wondered if they would get married and have kids? Quin Fabray (Frenemies): While he was dating Frannie, he got to know Quin. Though they argue and call each other names, Bradley saw Quin as the sister he never had. She was the annoying little sister, but he would want to be there for her. When Frannie and Bradley broke up, he also stopped talking to Quin because she reminded him too much of what he walked away on. He also knew that she would most likely hate him, she was never a big fan of his to begin with.

[grifalinas]

(Crossposted from Dreamwidth)

A few days ago, I was playing around with a draw of Eurig and inverted his color pallet for funsies, and thought it looked cool and made him look like an ice elemental. Last night I decided to play with the idea, so I drew him goofing off with some of my elemental dnd characters.

Which has me thinking of them again, and how I'm probably never gonna get to do anything with them and definitely won't get to do anything with ALL of them, so I'm going to make a little world to keep them in. I'm also sprinkling in a few of the Crescendos, because I want Eurig to be there and I can't bring him over without Axel and Saul, and etc. I think all told it's the main five? Because the only other two I've decided to bring over are Raptorr and Howl.

Anyway! Need to do a bit of organizing of thoughts and characters. The story/world is called Mosswall, for the area where they live, with Safepoint being the name of the specific village. (Funnily enough, Mosswall is a part of the Abyssal Crescendo setting. Hmm.) Rather than start off as a big group, the characters are sorted into smaller groups, and the stories are about their mundane (to them) day to day lives as inhabitants of an inherently magical world. Over time the groups start to overlap, because Mosswall is a small area, and everyone knows everyone.

-Group One: Ash and Bron. Ash is a local schoolteacher, and Bron is her boarder and general dogsbody. To all appearances, they're two ordinary people in a slow burn domestic romance. What people don't know is that both of them are ex-soldiers- Bron fell in battle during a war between the bigger kingdoms to the west of the largely unsettled area that Mosswall falls in, and Ash was a general in the same war, on the opposite side. (Ash may be a demigod, I need to think this through.) Bron was restored by a goddess who was moved by his sacrifice, and he now serves as her cleric, putting good in the world to atone for the wickedness he was responsible for before (which I need to come up with the details to). Among these includes discovering that the war was not a case of good vs evil and more a case of politics vs politics with gods involved. Ash, on the other hand, was created by her father to help them take care of the people on their side of the war, because he realized that the god he served saw them as mere tools and he loved them. Ash is biding her time regaining power so that she can look for her father, who was diminished after their defeat but, being a god, not actually destroyed. Right now she and Bron are doing their best to put more good back into the world, in part by helping people, in part by getting people to help each other, and in part by teaching the next generation to be a little more kind.

-Group Two: Rall, Seven, and Poe. These three are the only ones to remain adventurers in the carry-over; Rall and Seven are both thrill-seekers, while Poe is seeking his missing lover, who vanished in the area several years ago while doing work as an adventurer himself. Rall is a water-elemental who was raised by turtle-people, and after finding out a few years ago that she was adopted ("What do you mean I'm adopted?!" wailed the five-foot-tall mammal with no claws, no shell, and humany flesh), she set out into the world to find out what, exactly, she IS. (What she is, for those curious, is the daughter of a human (?) and a minor water god. Since such beings are relatively common but also manifest in lots of different ways, she's never actually met anyone like her and has no idea what she is.) Seven is a bird-person, who was kidnapped by pirates after his colony was raided, and then after leaving his ship went on to become an adventurer instead. (By the way, the pirates weren't the ones who raided his colony, they happened to come along afterward and found him while they were searching for survivors. The pirates rescued him.) Poe, as mentioned, is seeking his lost lover; they were a case of a rich boy falling in love with a woodsman's son, and Poe's parents were against the union. His lover, Cadius, went out to seek a fortune by helping tame the unsettled land to the east, and vanished. Poe was at school at the time he received word of Cadius's death (the news was fudged by his parents), and after he shut down in grief, he was visited by a divine entity who offered him power and help in finding his lost love in exchange for fealty, and he accepted this. So now he's a magic user, and he works as an adventurer (called "for hires" in this verse, since they're essentially people for hire to do pretty much anything, whether that be typical mercenary work or something else entirely). Cadius will eventually be found in the forest, magically transformed into a bear and needing the curse on him broken.

-Group Three: Cylev and Raptorr. Cylev is a friar in the forest, as well as being a werewolf, and Raptorr is his young... ward? roommate? boarder? Well, he lives there, anyway. Like in the original Crescendo story, Raptorr is a unicorn who ran away from home when his father refused to recognize him as a boy, and he ended up in Mosswall, where Cylev gave him a place to stay. He alternates between learning Cylev's healing arts, and just being a general nuisance to the populace at large. Cylev, contrasting his brash young ward, is a gentle and quiet soul, and is seeking the inner peace needed to live at harmony with the wolf within him.

-Group Four: The Branu. Yeah, them again. Too many to name here; the relevant members are Axel, Howl, Quin, Jackdaw, Merla, and Jay. The Branu are in this instance a group of entertainers, who during spring and summer travel to the various villages in Mosswall to perform. In this verse, Howl is a foundling, who was taking in by Quin and is now studying to be a stage magician. She also may have accidentally killed her family but she doesn't want to talk about it.

-Group Five: Eurig and Saul. Both members of the Knightguard, a knight order who have been charged to protect people within the boundaries of Mosswall. Eurig also happens to be an ice elemental and Saul has cool sand powers, so they've got that going for them too. While not adventurers, the sort of jobs they have to do overlap in type with the for hires in group two.

At some point these stories are going to start overlapping (this is one reason I deliberately but Eurig/Axel and Raptorr-Howl into separate groups). Also I didn't realize until I started typing it up how many of them have a direct connection to deities, or were set on their path specifically by a deity of some kind, and now I'm wondering how much overlap there is. Maybe all of them were put into place by a single string-pulling deity? It's an intriguing thought that would point to something bigger at play, but if I don't have much to do with it I might leave it alone. That said, the more deities there are between them the more I personally have to create.

(Also, I have two defunct deities sitting in a folder somewhere that could either/or be perfect for this, so. Something to consider.)

Anyway, I don't expect to do much with this idea, I just want to have a world where my characters can exist and enjoy themselves. Also, it feels like the sort of setting you'd use for an animated show, so it'll be nice to have it here in case I ever get the chance to pitch a show idea to an animation production company who will be all "ooh that sounds cool, let's run with it!"

[paddypikala]

August wrap up

I read so many things in August, so let’s jump right in.

Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie

9/10

Finished on August 3, 2019

The truth is, I read almost all Agatha Christie’s books as a child (but in Polish, duh), so everything I do now are re-reads. In this case, it was a re-listen(?), because I listened to the audiobook read by Dan Stevens. Well, that boy sure can read.

A Discovery of Witches by Autor: Deborah Harkness

6/10

Finished on August 8, 2019

The title and the cover suggested it’s a book about witches. It’s not. Its about vampire yoga, vampire science, and instalove. Just because the main character is over thirty, doesn’t mean her relationship with a 1,500-year-old dude is okay. Especially that he’s so angry all the time.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

9/10

Finished on August 9, 2019

Well, that was good. I really like Le Guin’s books, because she makes her words very real, like she’s an anthropologist observing something real. It was interesting and serious and fun.

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

5/10

Finished on August 13, 2019

No idea what this book was supposed to be about. An asshole dude? Two families so big and boring I no longer knew who’s who? I didn’t feel like there was any depth to the caracters, it wasn’t interesting, it wasn’t amusing, and the reviews I read suggested it was supposed to be funny. I just don’t get it.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

5/10

Finished on August 15, 2019

I read it again, because I wanted to finish the series and I only had book 5 and 6 to read. It was okay, but honestly, it felt like a transition book—not much happened, people talked about their feelings a lot, and it set the stage for the two next books.

I Before E (Except After C): Old-School Ways to Remember Stuff by Judy Parkinson

9/10

Finished on August 16, 2019

It was fun, relaxing, and I felt like it taught me so many things I was supposed be taught at school, but my teachers focused on making me feel inferior instead.

City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

8/10 and 7/10

Finished on August 19-20, 2019

The two last books in the series were okay. I think the biggest advantage of Clare’s writing are the constant plot twists, which keep you focused on what’s happening even when Clare is trying to sell you the weirdest shit (incest, am I right?). And of course, I enjoyed Magnus the most, because he’s the coolest soul out there.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

10/10

Finished on August 24, 2019

V.E. is the coolest person ever, one of my favourite writers, and I was excited to read a children’s book written by her. it was fun, felt a little like The Graveyard Book, although V.E. has her own writing style. BTW are Cassidy and Lara ExtraOrdinary?

Alice in the Country of Hearts (v. 1-6) by Quin Rose and Soumei Hoshino

8/10

Finished on August 25, 2019

It’s a manga and a re-imagining of Lewis Carroll's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. And it’s lovely. As always, I had trouble differentiating between some of the characters, because I didn’t see that many physical differences between them, but I had fun reading it, because it was funny and cute and interesting.

Colour of Happiness (v. 1-2) by Hakuri

7/10

Finished on August 25, 2019

I'm not sure what to think about this manga. The story is: an abused teenager is kidnapped by a twenty-something stalker and she’s thankful, because he’s saved her from her abusive parents and perverted teacher. The problem is, the relationship between them is supposed to be romantic—or going in a romantic direction—especially that the girl demands they get married someday, but I have trouble accepting a romantic relationship in which one person has more control or power than the other. And given the age difference, the girl’s past and the fact that he kidnapped her, this is not a relationship between equals.

But the pictures are pretty.

A Series of Unfortunate Events 1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

10/10

Finished on August 26, 2019

I can’t possibly be critical of these books. I read them for the first time as a child and I still remembered so much about them, including some stylistic devices the author used.

Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe

7/10

Finished on August 29, 2019

It’s the second time I read the book. It was fine—now it was a bit clearer than the first time I read it. it has raised enough questions to be discussed during a book club meeting.