#salmon run tip 28

[midnightmoonbeams]

KS/Hubba is back with Salmon Run Tip 28! Steampunk drew a Dumbo octopus!

November 13th, 2019

[lolo3h]

Splatoon OCs

Character bios and references for my Splatoon OCs. Images are from a Splatoon Picrew that can be found here

Taylor the Eggsecutive VP

Birthday - December 27

Height - 6'

Age - 28

Backstory - An Inkling who grew up in the suburbs of Inkopolis, she drifted through most of her childhood without much ambition. She was good at school and working for her family’s business was nice, but she never found anything that she was genuinely passionate about. When she was 14, her parents advised that she should move to Inkopolis in order to find herself and see if anything would interest her. Taylor tried many things, from competing in Ranked Battles to playing music and taking classes, but nothing quite stuck. Eventually, she ran low on cash and needed some way to make money. That’s how she found out about Grizzco and accepted a job from them. She didn’t think much of it at first, it was a decent job with some suspicious circumstances, but Taylor saw it as temporary like with all her other pursuits. As she worked more and became familiar with her coworkers, she and others shared tips amongst themselves. Taylor had fun with Salmon Run employing strategies shared by others and talking about her experiences. Taylor felt as if she was part of a community and was looking forward to working and discussing what she liked and disliked with others. She decided to move long term to Inkopolis and stay working Salmon Run Jobs.

Personality - A laid back Inkling who is responsible like an older sister. She’s also patient, able to tolerate change and adapt to the situation. However, she is indecisive and struggles with self motivation, mostly relying on others to make decisions and push her.

Likes - Fries, cooperation, scenic locations, comfy clothes, sharing good experiences 

Dislikes - Lone wolves, working while tired, people getting upset over small things, loud noises, not having a purpose

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Matt the Profreshional

Birthday - August 10

Height - 5'4''

Age - 19

Background - He was born in the underground Octarian domes and went to military school from a young age, similar to most of his peers. He wanted became part of the Octarian army as a reserve soldier because he wasn't interested in engineering or any other war effort-related jobs.  After the battle between Octavio and Agent 3 he saw many soldiers defecting and his siblings decided that they would leave with them as they though they would find more fun above ground. He and his siblings went to the Splatlands to settle down, where Matt has stayed ever since. He met Taylor after she moved to the Splatlands during a Salmon Run job and the two formed a fast friendship.

Personality - Cheerful and upbeat, Matt can get excitable over the things he likes. He loves to make others smile, either through his jokes or his cooking. He doesn’t take things too seriously and doesn’t get too upset when he or others fail, he just wants to have a good time.

Likes - Cook-outs, high scores, good teamwork, celebrations, making his friends laugh

Dislikes - Uncooperative people, close-mindedness, overpriced ingredients, arbitrary rules, letting his friends down

[that-little-zebunny]

Win Win

Pairing: Robert Laing x Reader

Warning: Alcohol consumption, implied smut, making out, grinding.

Note: How bout some Robert Laing action? 😉😉😉 Been listening to the High Rise Audio book read by Tom while working (Yeah sorry end up working on a weekend again oTL) but hey back to Laing xX hope you'll enjoy this. This is for @the-th-horniest-book-club 's Lucky in Love Day 28 Upper Hand.we can all agree that as fucked up as the story is Tom in HR is freaking delish 🤤🙈🔥

Tom Hiddleston & Characters' taglist: @jewels2876 @jobean12-blog @curleyred2020 @lookalivefrosty (taglist open)

You tried to hit the tennis ball for the unknown time but failed. As expected. Robert didn't even gave you the upper hand even once.

Looking at his smug face with your failed attempt of a deadly glare you went to his side of the court to smack his firm shoulder like the sore loser that you are.

"I hate that you won gain! I've been practicing!" You whined and he just laughed loudly while offering you a drinking water.

"How will you learn if I wont give me best?" He said and winked at you.

"Oh shut your face!" You said stumping your right foot. "What's the price this time?" The two of you are now walking towards the elevator. You silently prayed that its working today because all the tennis playing you did had your legs a little shaky.

"Hmm..." He hummed. His eyes squinting a little like he always do when he's thinking. You had always find that look on him adorable.

"What you've won so much you ran out of ideas? You really should have let me win." You said bring your teeth at him.

"Well I do have an unopened wine in my fridge. How bout dinner at my place?" Your face lighten up upon hearing his price but sanked as quickly. "You'll be cooking of course." He winked at you and went inside the now opened elevator.

You stared at him with annoyance but got in yourself. Well good thing you're a Chef but ugh cooking for this man and his tons of opinions? Its kinda scary.

Lucky that you're always well stocked woth ingredients incase you're in a mood to invent new dish so preparing for dinner for Robert went smoothly.

You've got some freshly baked bread too. Carrying a tray of dish you went out of your apartment and walked to the door across yours. It's already slightly opened so you didn't have a problem knocking with your hands full.

You got in and found a quiet apartment. Where did he sneaked into again?

"Robert? Dinner's here!" You shouted.

"I'll be there in a minute." He called out somewhere. Must be in his bedroom. You went to his dining room and fixed the table while waiting for your host.

He popped in after a minute and went to the sink to wash his hand. You can smell paint on him.

"Are you changing your wall's paint again?" You asked and he nodded his head.

"Got tired of the grey." He said and sat down infront of you. Putting down a wine bottle. "Hope you dint mind I opened it already and took a sip while I was waiting for you."

"Its fine." You said and served him the Honeyed Garlic Glazed Salmon you cooked. He closed his eyes and smelled the aroma of the dish and let out a quiet moan. Your legs tightens hearing the sinful noise he made. Working out with him is already a bad idea now you're dining with him in his private space.

God, you hope you wont spill your heart over dinner or you'll end up broken just like the other ladies of the High Rise.

Drinking your fifth glass of whine while laughing at something Robert said. The two of you had moved from the dining room to his living room. You know you should have stopped on the third but you're enjoying chatting with him that you lost yourself.

The two of you might annoy each other from time to time but it didn't stopped you from finding him attractive. He's smart, sexy and a mystery but you're lucky enough to had the chabce to step in his invisible wall and that was what sparked your feelings.

He was laughing too with his head tipped up and you saw some paint on his well sculptured jaw. Unconsciously you tried to wipe it away but looks like its already dry.

Robert stopped laughing when he felt you touch him. He looked down to your adorable frowning face as you tried to wipe something in his jaw but seems to fail.

What is it?" He asked.

"Uhm...you got some paint in you." You said giving up on your mission.

"Yeah I tried to be as clean as possible this time but looks like a failed a little." He said emptying his glass.

"Are you changing your gray paint with a darker gray?" You asked amused. He just proudly nodded his head and stood up pulling you with him.

He brought you to his messy bedroom. News papers are covering everything except the walls that are now half light gray and darker on the other half.

"What do you think? Darker is better right? It'll highlight my light colored stuff." He said and walked towards his painting tools. With a wobbly hands he started applying paint on his wall. You went to him and took the brush on his hand and attempted to apply a straight line but failed. You did it again but your new stroke was worse than the first one.

You met Robert's eyes and the two of you end up laughing hard. Seeing his handsome face even wheb dying from laugher annoyed you so you dipped your fingers on the paint and applied them on his face. He stopped laughing looking at you like a deer in front of an incoming car.

"You didn't..." He said.

"Oh I certainly did." You said laughing proudly at you masterpiece. You saw him dip his huge hand on the paint and sprinted out of the room to try and save yourself from turning gray. Robert was hot on your heels.

He was able to catch you from behind when you tried to run back to his bedroom his arms wrapped around your shoulder.

"You've never been a fast runner darling." He teased and spread his paint cobered hand on your shoulder down to your collar bone. Shrieking at the cold sticky feeling it left you tried to shake him off of you but failed. Looking up you saw your reflections on his balcony's glass door and saw that Robert is also staring at it. Him behind you with his arms holding you close to his body.

You saw the shift on his eyes. The playful look now replaced with a hot glares as he looked you body up and down. Pulling you more close to his body.

"Robert..." You whispered as you turned your head towards his.

"Yes Y/N?" He asked his arms slowly fell towards your midsection.

"Kiss me Robert." You breathed out and his face slowly went down to meet yours. You both moaned as you felt each other closely. Your left hands went to touche the back of his head to full him down closer. Opening your lips to grant him access to your mouth. His tounge danced with yours in a hot but slow kiss.

"I've been wanting to do this." He said breathing heavily as he let go of your lips. He turned you around to face him. The both of you kot bothered by all the paints that are now all over your clothes and skin.

"Hmmm...so do I." You said licking your lower lips savouring his taste mixed with the delicious wine. He growled and pulled you close again. His head went down to nip at your exposed neck. Teasing you with his little bites and kisses.

"God I want you so bad." He said and hurriedly pushed your dress off you. He groaned seeing your matching lace underwear. He brought down his fave near your chest, rubbed his nose from the center up to your earlobe. "So, so bad." He whispered and suddenly lifted you up his arms.

Startled by his sudden move and roughness you wrapped your arms on his neck your legs around his waist moaning when your needy core felt the bulge on his trousers.

"Robert..." You moaned, grinding your pelvis on him. He grunted and his steps faltered but he continued carrying you towards his bedroom.

"Darling stop teasing me or I won't last" He moaned, quickly kissing your lips and it made you smile wide knowing that in bed you can actually have the upper hand. But you wont want that. You let Robert show you how good he is and how much you'll crave for more.

[afni-fics]

Elder Scrolls DC - A Reluctant Dragonborn: Chapter 29: Leaving Whiterun - Magic and Bandits

Elder Scrolls DC - A Reluctant Dragonborn: Chapter 29: Leaving Whiterun - Magic and Bandits (38503 words) by C_R_Scott Chapters: 28/? Fandom: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Red Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics), Batman (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Characters: Tim Drake, Lucien Flavius Additional Tags: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Skyrim/DCU crossover, Reluctant Dovahkiin | Dragonborn, Not Beta Read, Alternate Universe - Skyrim Fusion, Modded Skyrim, Skyrim Spoilers, Tim Drake is Dragonborn | Dovahkiin, Tim Drake-centric, Trope: It sucks to be the chosen one, Trope: Trapped in another world, Trope: Kidnapped by the Call

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Summary:

Tim and Lucien finally set out from Whiterun towards the town of Ivarstead, on their way to visit the Greybeards of High Hrothgar. Along they way that morning, there is learning about magic and dealing with bandits.

The sun was just cresting over the horizon as Tim and Lucien made their way past the outer walls of Whiterun. Despite himself, Tim paused as they reached the stables to look back at the city, trying to commit what he saw to memory. Who knew when, if ever, he'd return to this place? He may not be very fond of the leadership of this place, but the citizens he'd interacted with seemed to be good, generous, hardworking people. If it wasn't for them, especially Irileth and Danica, he'd probably be dead.

"What do you mean, you can't take us to Iverstead?"

Tim turned his attention to the conversation taking place between Lucien and the carriage driver.

"Is something wrong?" he asked as he walked up to the pair.

Lucien sighed. "Apparently this carriage has already been commandeered by Honningbrew Meadery to take a large shipment of mead up to Windhelm, so we can't hire him to take us to Ivarstead."

"I'm sorry," the Nordic man said regretfully. "If I were to take you Ivarstead, it would delay my shipment to Windhelm by a couple of days, and transporting this quantity of mead is riskier the longer I'm on the road due to the bandits."

"Hmmm," Tim murmured as he pulled out his map and studied the space between Whiterun, Ivarstead, and Windhelm. "Well, could you at least take us halfway?" he asked as he showed the map to the carriage man and Lucien. "Just take us to where the road forks off here." He shrugged at Lucien. "We'll have to make the rest of the trip to Ivarstead on foot, but at least we're not walking the entire way."

"That shouldn't be a problem," the Nord said with an agreeable nod. "and I'll only charge you half the usual fee since I'm only taking you halfway."

Lucien sighed again. "I suppose it can't be helped. At least we can follow the river to the town from there and don't have to worry about getting lost in the wilderness." He regarded the map critically. "We may have to camp for a couple of nights though. Do we have the supplies for that?"

Tim nodded. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," he replied. "I got enough supplies I think we'll be ok for a straight week of camping. Especially if we follow the river, we won't have to worry about water, and we can hunt or fish for food if rations get low."

"Salmon are starting to make their migration runs to their spawning grounds this time of year," the carriage man offered. He inclined his head toward Tim's bow. "If you've got decent aim with that, catching fish with it won't be a problem along the Darkwater River. You will have to be careful of bears, though. Also, make sure you have a strong line tied to the arrow shaft when fishing. Because of the spring melt off from the mountains, the rivers are running deeper and faster and will send your catch downriver before you can blink."

"Alright," Tim said with as he folded his map back up. "We've got a plan. How soon can we leave?" 

"As soon as you fellas hop into the cart, we can be off."

The carriage driver's name is Bjorlam, and for the first part of the morning the ride is pleasant enough. Riding on the cart is definitely faster than walking the path on foot, but still slower than Tim is used to back on Earth, which is frustrating. He wished they could afford to purchase horses so they could travel at a faster pace. However, the stables back at Whiterun wouldn't sell for anything less than one thousand Septims apiece. So for the first hour that morning, Tim sat brooding as he watched the landscape pass by.

At least until Lucien pulls out a book and taps Tim's knee with it.

"What's this?" Tim asks as he takes the thin book and examines the cover. The leather is dyed yellow and has what appears to a bird symbol stitched on the front.

"It's a book on novice Restoration spells," Lucien explained.

Tim looked at Lucien with surprise. "You want to start teaching me magic now?"

"Why not? Didn't I say back in Whiterun that I was going to teach you? Besides, we've got scads of time to kill."

Tim's heartbeat quickened a bit and any boredom and frustration he had been entertaining was immediately forgotten. He listened intently as Lucien started to explain basic spell theory and Magicka.

It was a few hours past sunrise and while Tim had no problem absorbing the more technical explanations of spellcasting that came from the book and Lucien's own clarifications, actually tapping into Tim's own pool of Magicka in order to bring the basic healing spell into existence had been a far greater challenge. Lucien was starting to be concerned that perhaps Tim just didn't have access to Magicka, being from another world and all. It had been frustrating for the both of them. For Lucien, accessing Magicka was something innate and natural, like breathing or blinking. He never had to try and explain "how" to tap into it to someone who was completely unaware of its existence until recently. Mentally, the scholar likened it to trying to teach a fish how to drink water while they were swimming in a pond.

Then, the young man had suggested something that Lucien had never heard of before.

"What is 'meditation'?"

Tim had shifted to sit on the floor of the cart, so he could adjust his posture into a cross-legged seated position that Lucien found curious. "It's a little hard to explain," he said with a slight frown. "It's a kind of mental training... Limiting distractions... Focusing inward... Maybe... If I can just clear my mind and adjust my awareness I can find this Magicka pool you say I should have?"

So Lucien watched as Tim adjusted his hands into very specific poses before resting them on his knees, closed his eyes, and breathed in and out with slow measured breaths. He watched as Tim's face relaxed into an expression of quiet concentration. After a bit, Lucien wondered if perhaps Tim had fallen asleep, but the fact that the young man kept his posture intact, even to the precise position of the tips of his thumbs resting against the tips of his ring and pinky fingers while his other two fingers were extended reassured the scholar that more than just slumber was taking place.

For about an hour, it was quiet and peaceful in the cart. While Tim meditated, Lucien had pulled out a different Restoration spellbook to study, this one containing Apprentice level healing spells. Healing Hands was a slightly more complex spell since it was used to heal other people, not just the caster, but it was not beyond Lucien's grasp as a mage. However, out of the corner of his eyes, a movement broke his own concentration. 

Timothy's posture had changed. While his left hand was still resting on his knee, his right hand was slowly rising upward and towards his chest, fingers still held in the same position though his first two fingers were now pointing upward. His eyes were still closed, though his brows were furrowed slightly. Then his right hand shifted. His ring and pinky fingers stretched to join their brothers, and then his hand went through a motion as if scooping something gently from the air in front of him, curling his fingers around something intangible. Lucien's eyes widened as slender tendrils of light began to swirl around Tim's hand. Then, when Tim opened his hand, those tendrils coalesced into a small glowing sphere of golden light.

"Oh my..." Lucien whispered as a smile formed on his lips. "You did it!"

Slowly, Tim's eyes opened. His gaze seemed distant at first, but soon he focused wide-eyed at the golden spell cradled in his right hand.

"Wow," Tim breathed out in awe. "It's like holding a star." He brought his other hand up and brushed his fingertips along the outer edges of the spell, watching as small embers of light broke off from the main sphere to chase after them.

"So, you can access your Magicka now?"

Tim nodded. "I think so. It's... different. Definitely not intuitive like you describe it. It's kinda like flexing a muscle I never knew I had. I have to make a conscious effort to tap this... energy." 

He furrowed his brow in concentration again and actively channeled energy into the spell. Larger golden tendrils of light swirled around him for a few seconds, and he could feel a comforting warmth coursing through his veins. But before too long those tendrils disappeared and the light of the spell in Tim's hand winked out suddenly. He winced as a slight headache twinged behind his eyes.

"Ow..."

Lucien watched this with great curiosity, wincing along with him in sympathy as he immediately recognized the sign of Tim expending all the Magicka at his disposal. "Interesting... It appears your Magicka pool might be quite small at this point even compared to novice mages just starting out." He fidgeted thoughtfully with his beard. "I wonder if the reason your pool is smaller than normal is because you aren't from this world to begin with?"

"That might make sense," Tim said as he tried to massage away the remains of the headache. "Theoretically, if Magicka is something heavily present in the environment here, like in the air you breathe or the food and water you eat, native people would be passively absorbing Magicka since the day they were born. Since I'm not from here, I've only been taking in Magicka for a few weeks at most, so I'm starting at a disadvantage." Tim couldn't help the edge of disappointment to his voice.

Lucien smiled reassuringly at him, though. "Well, fortunately with time and practice, that shouldn't be the case for long. It's a known phenomenon that the more spells a mage learns and practices the larger their natural pool of Magicka grows. There are also potions and enchantments that can be used to artificially boost a mage's mana pool as well."

Tim smiled a little. "So it is like exercising a muscle. That's good to know." 

"Indeed," Lucien agreed with a nod. "Let's have you rest for a bit, and then you can check your Magicka pool to see if there's enough to practice with later."

The sun was halfway across the sky when unexpectedly their carriage came to a halt.

"Damn it," the carriage driver cursed.

"What's going on, Bjorlam?" Lucien asked.

The Nord shook his head. "The damned bandits are still occupying the Valtheim Towers," he spat out in frustration as he pointed to the two stone towers coming up ahead with a bridge that spanned the river. "Last time I came by here, the bandits demanded a one hundred Septim 'toll' for me to pass without getting mugged. I'd hoped by now Whiterun's guards would've run these bastards off, but I guess they haven't made it this far east yet. The moment those thieves see all the mead I have, they'll demand that along with the Septims." Bjorlam sighed. "I'm sorry fellas, but I think I might not have a choice but to turn back to Whiterun to fetch the guards or hire one or two of the Companions."

"What?" Lucien squawked. "No! We can't go back now! It took half a day just to get this far!"

As Lucien argued with Bjorlam, Tim was peering at the towers and bridge between them. "One... Four... Six..." He squinted "Maybe seven?"

At that, Lucien and Bjorlam had stopped arguing and had turned their attention onto him, the carriage driver with confusion and the scholar with a frown. 

"Seven what?" Lucien asked Tim suspiciously.

"Bandits, of course," Tim replied as he checked to make sure he had some potions in his belt pouches and added a few metal throwing stars he'd had the blacksmith in Whiterun make for him before they left the city to a simple leather holster that was strapped to his right thigh.

"Wait... You're not going to--"

Tim had grabbed his new metal quarterstaff and hopped off the back of the cart. "I needed to stretch my legs anyways. Might as well clear out the garbage while I'm at it." He looked to other two men. "Why don't you both stay here? I'll wave you over once I've cleared them out."

Bjorlam looked at him like he was crazy, and Lucien's expression was laced with concern. "Are you sure, Tim? I can come along to help."

Tim shook his head. "I feel better than I have in months and honestly I need to figure out where my baseline is now that I'm healthy. This is the perfect chance."

"Your baseline?"

Tim's smiled in a coy way before he started making his way to the Towers on foot. 

Ten minutes later, Lucien and Bjorlam were watching with amazement as commotion erupted at the Tower. Tim had quickly taken out the three bandits that had been guarding the first tower and was now making his way across the bridge towards the second. Though some of the bandits in the other tower tried to snipe him with arrows from the other side, Tim managed to either deflect those arrows with spins from his quarterstaff or dodged them with effortless grace even as he attacked the two bandits that were in the middle of the bridge. The bandits on the bridge seemed utterly outclassed, and frankly Tim seemed to be toying with them before he sent them flying down to the waters of the river below with a few well placed blows and kicks. The moment he was close enough to the second tower, the young man sent two of his new throwing stars flying at the remaining bandits. One bandit got tagged by the sharp metal star on the back of his hand and howled in pain before he could send another arrow flying. The other had the string to his bow sliced through, rendering it absolutely useless. They both stared at Tim warily.

"Okay fellas! This is going to end one of two ways!" Tim yelled at them warningly. "Either you two take a dive--" he pointed to the river with his staff. "--Or I am coming over there to beat you down and throw you in! Either way, you're both going for swims. Which is it going to be?!"

One of the bandits decided to take his chances. They pulled a sword out and tried to rush Tim while he was still on the bridge. Unfortunately for then, Tim could see the attack coming a mile away and the smile that lit up his face was practically feral. "The fun way it is then," he muttered as he held his staff in a ready position.

He let the bandit get close enough to try and get a swing on him. Unfortunately for the bandit, Tim's reach and momentum with the metal staff was far greater than the sword. Tim met the bandit's sword with a downward swing of his staff. The sword was immediately parried with enough force to disarm the attacker completely and the unfortunate bandit found the end of Tim's staff was aimed squarely at his face. A quick thrust forward was all it took for Tim to knock the man off balance, and a flashy flying tornado kick sent the bandit completely off the bridge before he even realized what was going on. 

Once that bandit was in the river, Tim looked pointedly at the last one standing. Wisely, the final bandit decided to take the dive himself.

As soon as Tim was certain the towers were cleared, he stood there on the bridge in a bit of a daze. That fight was child's play compared to what he used to deal with back in Gotham. The bandits were clearly not skilled fighters, firearms were not a threat he had to worry about in this place, and bad luck for them he was completely healthy to boot. All in all it was a pretty fun exercise for him. 

But still... something about that fight and its aftermath felt odd to him, like something more was out of place or forgotten. He didn't realize it until he lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. Then the thought struck him out of the blue, and he froze. 

He wasn't wearing a mask.

Here he was in this strange world. He was fighting with all the skills and strengths he had developed as a child soldier of Gotham, first as Robin, then Red Robin. 

However, Timothy Drake-Wayne wasn't supposed to be a fighter. He name and face was that of a teenager from a wealthy set of families. A child of privilege and influence. Tapped to lead the family business, even ahead of his older adopted siblings and the younger biological son of his father. His civilian identity was supposed to be a separate person from his vigilante one. Never were the two supposed to intersect.

And yet, at an intersection is where he found himself. Tim's civilian name and face had collided with his vigilante identity, strengths and skills. Even if he had a mask to wear, there was no real reason to do so here. But he still had to fight, both to survive and to safeguard those under his protection in the moment, he realized as he watched the carriage with Lucien approach the towers.

And on top of that he was now learning magic as well as trying to find answers to this whole Dragonborn mystery that was swirling around him. 

Who was he now?

"That was amazing to behold!" the carriage man said as Tim emerged from the first tower, a satchel full of recovered valuables from the bandits stash slung over his shoulder. "The way you took out all those bandits, just on your own! I've never seen anyone fight like that before!" 

The Nord's smile grew even wider as Tim handed him a bag of Septims. "There's probably a bit more than a hundred Septims here, but you don't mind, right?" Tim smiled and graciously accepted Bjorlam's profuse thanks.

"Are you alright?" Lucien asked Tim made his way to the back of the cart.

Tim nodded. "Yeah. I think so." He hopped in and settled in before Bjorlam set the cart in motion again.

"While it was amazing to see you fighting in peak condition, I couldn't help but notice you seem a little troubled after it was all said and done," Lucien observed. "Did something happen at the towers we weren't able to see?"

"No," Tim said with a dismissive shrug. "Just thought of a question I don't have any answers to yet."

"Anything I can help with?"

Tim smiled and deflected. "Actually, I think I banged up my knuckles a bit on those bandits. Might be the perfect chance to practice that healing spell. Can you show me again how to cast it?"

Lucien shook his head with a sigh. "Sure. Let's take it from top."

NOTE: Though Tim has a lot of hand-to-hand combat experience, the longer he stays in Skyrim the more I see him taking up magic as his primary go-to for offense and defense. While growing up in Gotham he wasn't the best student and even dropped out of high school due to his vigilante lifestyle, here in Skyrim the study of magic is something he can dive into whole-heartedly. The subject matter is fascinating and the practical applications both in combat and even daily life are nearly endless. I don't see him ever going full blow magic-only. Sometimes, you just need to hit something with a blunt/sharp weapon or a clenched fist, and I don't see Tim ever really giving up the protection of at least a suit or several of light armor for cloth robes, no matter how enchanted they are.

I'm also using the mod "Carriage and Ferry Travel Overhaul" (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/8379) that allows my characters to hire a carriage that actually transports them overland from one destination to another, and allows for stopping and starting inbetween those locations. I'm trying not to use the Fast Travel function unless absolutely necessary so that I can include more opportunities for role-play as my characters are journeying.

Finally, I am also using a pair of mods in conjunction that allow for the use of throwing weapons (specifically in this case throwing stars - because Red Robin): Throwing Weapons Skills & Perks Tree (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/39499) and True Spear Combat (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/78347?) which adds the throwing starts among other weapons you can throw. This same mod author also made the Spears Skills and Perks Tree I'm using for Tim's quarterstaff fighting (https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/99303?).

#elder scrolls dc#fanfiction#tim drake#skyrim fanfiction#red robin#batfam#crossover#lucien flavius#wip#afewnovelideas

[mothercareguide]

How do you lose weight in 2 weeks?

A lot of people struggle with losing weight and just can’t find the right path to follow for their weight loss journey. But what if I tell you how to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks. It almost seems impossible right?

Losing weight not only is going to boost your confidence, but it will also help you stay healthy and make you live longer.

Here are simple tips and tricks on how to lose weight: We all know that our day starts in the morning, but so does your weight loss journey:

1) First thing to do when you wake up is to consume some warm water with lemon juice. It will boost your metabolism and aid in faster weight loss.

2) Eat at least 5 times a day! I know allot of people think that eating fewer meals will help you lose weight, but that is all wrong. If you eat small portions throughout the day, it will help your body to take good nutrients from food and reject bad ones.

3) Another simple trick to lose weight is to drink loads of water every day. And if you don’t like the taste of bare water, you can always squeeze some lemon juice in it. This will also help you get closer to lose 20 pounds.

4) Cut out on the carbs! Your bodies need carbohydrates to survive but only good ones, not chocolate or hamburgers. Fat and grease from these foods sticks to your body and doesn’t leave for a long time. Soon they gather in layers and you start gaining weight.

If you really want to dedicate yourself to weight loss, you can follow these simple ways on how to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks:

5) Drink apple cider vinegar on an empty stomach. This simple fluid will boost your metabolism and fill your stomach like crazy, you don’t ever need to be afraid of not losing weight ever again.

6) Drink green tea after every meal. This tasty tea will help you in achieving your goal in less than a month. It also has other great nutrients that will help you in maintenance of your health.

7) Run before your first meal. This is very important because it boosts your energy and it is also a more effective way of burning calories.

8) Replace one meal with fruits.

9) Eat healthy carbohydrates. Carbs like nuts or avocado are great for weight loss.

10) Drink water while eating If you drink water while eating a delicious slice of pizza, it is proven that eventually, you’ll get bored of it and stop eating.

11) Don’t stay calm for your metabolism to work at its best, you should be in movement constantly.

12) Make your own food If someone else makes your dinner it is more likely that you are going to eat it all.

13) Stop making excuses Don’t think you can make excuse for eating unhealthy or not exercising. It will all stop you from achieving your goal. Mistakes happen, but you should never stop.

14) Motivation: Lastly, the most important thing is to be motivated through entire weight loss journey. Find some inspirational quotes or pictures to keep you motivated. But remember you, yourself should be your biggest motivation.

15) Avoid fat burners and any kinds of steroids, They might bring you immediate effect but can surely cause you long time consequences.

16) Your breakfast should be heavy, lunch a little bit less and the dinner should be the lightest. Night time is for sleep and because there is no physical activity at rest time, so the dinner should be light.

Related: Here is a free video with a 2 week diet plan to help you lose weight in 2 weeks.

17) Consume oats. They are rich in fiber and favor fat loss.

18) Avoid egg yolks and stuff like butter, ghee, fast foods, etc.

19) Consider exercise, if you go to the gym, you can go for sit-ups, ab crunches, squats, deadlifts, etc. for losing weight, especially your belly fat. And if you are not a student in the gym, you can go for crunches and sit-ups along with the plank exercise, some running, some jumping, etc.

Summarizing all these, the important point to note is that you should try to give at least an hour of exercise daily to lose weight quickly and safely.

Here are some diet and exercise tips to make you stay on track

Diet:

20) Have 1 cheat meal per week. You are not going to gain all weight back if you eat 1 cheat meal per week. It is just going to remind you that there is something waiting for you.

21) Ginger is amazing for weight loss, and you can drink it as an ingredient in your daily cup of tea or even slice it into a fruit salad.

22) Replace snacks with nuts as the are a tasty alternative for all those unhealthy snacks that you are used to eating. They fill you up quickly and have loads of healthy benefits.

23) Don’t starve yourself, if you don’t eat anything for some period of time, your body will go into starvation mode and once you start eating normally you will gain all the weight back again.

Exercise:

24) Cardio has always been known to be the best type of exercise for burning fats and calories. Exercises like running or cycling will show great results in no time.

25) Light weights If you want to tone certain parts of your body, lifting light weights will help you lose weight in places that you want.

26) Don’t overdo yourself This is very important because a lot of exercising in once can lead to muscle pain or even worse. Do as much as you can and stop when you need to.

Now you might be thinking, what are some healthy food items that will help you to lose weight. Many of us might be vegetarians and many, non- vegetarians. So, combining foods for both the category of people, we can prepare a huge list of healthy foods.

These include green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, fish, chicken breast, beef, beans and legumes, tuna, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, almonds, avocados, cottage cheese, etc.

Choose a High Protein diet, Less Fat & Avoid Bad Fats

27) Choose food with high protein content and less fat. There are two types of fats, one being good fat and the other being bad fat. Good fats are monosaturated fats. Their primary source is olive oil. It helps to reduce bad fat in your body.

Good fat also includes polyunsaturated fats found in fish, sunflower oil, nuts and corn. Lastly, good fats include Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats that are found in fishes like salmon or in vegetable oil.

Avoid Bad Fats

28) Avoid bad fats, which include Saturated fats and Trans fat. Saturated fats are found in butter, hard cheese, coconut oil, etc. And Trans fat is found in Dairy products, margarine, etc.

What to Eat to Lose Weight

A lot of people ask the same question: What to eat to lose weight. Some think it’s all about calories, but that is not the case here.

Here is a list of foods you should eat if on a weight loss regime:

29) Fresh fruits: Fresh fruits, especially the ones with loads of water content are great for weight loss as they provide you sugar as well and your body needs it to be fully function.

30) Raw vegetables: Even though some raw vegetables are not as tasty as they taste after being cooked or fried, raw vegetables have all important nutrients that your body needs for its healthy functioning.

31) Nuts: Nuts are the best thing you can eat while on a diet but do not consume nuts excessively.

32) Fish: Fish is a great alternative to meat, and it is way healthier than red meat or bologna.

33) Eggs: There are a lot of diets that include eating even up to 12 eggs a day. But to keep it healthy, one egg a day is probably the best way to go. It has a lot of great benefits and will also help you with weight loss.

34) Cinnamon – If you only put 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in your cup of green tea then you can see a major difference in your weight in less than a month.

35) Honey: Last but not the least, honey. It is a great sugar alternative for your hot beverages or even when you need something sweet. It is healthy and tastes well mixed with cinnamon and ginger. Honey can be used as a substitute for sugar in majorly all delicacies.

Conclusion & Recommendation

Finally, a word of recommendation would include the fact that eat small meals at regular intervals and do not be lethargic in your daily routines. It will not only help in weight loss but, will also make you feel healthy and stress free.

To conclude, diet and exercise do not exist only for people who want to lose weight. These do have a major impact on your overall health and your entire appearance. People who eat healthy and exercise regularly, usually have a healthier life, longer hair, cleaner and glowing skin, longer nails and obviously a much longer life span. Also, since it is proven that people with healthy lifestyle live longer, so it is now your responsibility and job to decide, whether you want to continue living your life as you are living now, or do you want to improve yourself as a person and give your body a chance to shine in its full glow and live longer.

Related: Here is a free video with a 2 week diet plan to help you lose weight in 2 weeks.

[salmonruntips]

Salmon Run Tip #287

After a bit of testing (and a consultation with the Inkpedia Wikia to confirm), we have discovered that bosses typically stop spawning after the 28 second mark. As a result, if you are particularly efficient at killing bosses, you can end a wave boss-free. As you can see in the video, the last maws spawns in at the 28 second mark and we kill it at 20 seconds. After that, only chum spawn in. As a result, we spend the rest of the wave only cutting down chum, without a single boss reappearance! 

This is useful to keep in mind when you’re being overwhelmed in the last couple seconds of a wave. After the 30 second mark, it’s safe to assume that no other bosses will spawn in, so you can start identifying which bosses to take out to reach quota or to keep your team alive without worrying about them being replaced. 

[antiquechampagne]

Chapter 28 - Sleep Walking

The rest of the trek back to Goodneighbor was unusually silent.  Payne found her mind playing the whole disastrous return trip over and over as they avoided super mutant patrols and raider nests. Not only was she worried about how much damage she had caused with Hancock confidence in her, but rehashing her past had dredged up old baggage she thought long since buried. She started to second guess every interaction with him, over analyzing her word choices, how he reacted to her.

She adjusted the new knife strapped to her thigh for no particular reason, trying to break herself free from her intrusive thoughts. The long elegantly curved blade extended from below the wrist, ending in a viciously pointed tip. She found a deeply scratched “D” in the handle when they made a pit stop, wondering what significance the letter might have had.

Fahrenheit met them at the door to the Old State House, ushering Hancock in with a disgruntled look, several papers in her hand.

“No rest for the wicked!” Hancock shrugged before disappearing inside.

Payne took her leave, needing to clean up after the trip. For the next week, she went through the motions: guarding Hancock, patrolling, even half-listening to Magnolia sing in The Third Rail. She found her mind under assault by random memories at random times that clung to her and spread like a poisonous vine.

Walking back to her hotel room one morning in a fog, mentally exhausted after a night of slow drinking. As she rounded the corner, she found the Memory Den looming in front of her. She had never given much thought to the wares the establishment pedaled. The past was something she rarely thought about. She found it not worth disturbing the long settled dust… but now? The past pressed up against her mind, bleeding through to the present. Before she had realized it, her hand was pushing open the doors.

Irma looked up in surprise. “Well, good morning to you, sweetheart! Isn’t it a bit early for a social call? Kent’s probably still in his pajamas.”

Payne looked around nervously. “This… isn’t a social call, Irma.” She paused, unsure how to proceed.

“Just last week we paid our…oh.” Irma caught Payne eyeing the closest memory lounger and thought a moment. “Let me go see if Dr. Amari’s up, dear. Give me a minute.” Irma rose from her chaise lounge. “I’m not promising anything. Amari’s pretty stringent when it comes to screening new clients.” An easy smile curled her rosy lips. “At least I know you’re good for the caps.”

Alone, Payne listened to the strange rhythmic humming emitted by the machines surrounding her. She pressed her hand to the cold glass, peering inside. She was contemplating walking out, embarrassed to even be standing in the lobby, when Dr. Amari appeared.

“The memory loungers are complex pieces of equipment. Please don’t lean on them,” chided the doctor. Payne straightened up and quickly removed her hand. “Irma says you’re interested in our services. She also seems to think you could endure the procedure. Reliving memories… can be quite jarring if you haven’t prepared properly.”

“I been in here enough to know the spiel, Amari. I’m not going to live in a pod like Kent. I just want to... see some family I haven’t seen in a long time. That’s all.”

“Memories with people are easier, especially ones with loved ones,” Irma said. “Just focus on them, and you should do just fine.”

“Fine.” Amari said curtly. Money changed hands. “Just sit down in a lounger. Focus on a strong memory while I lock onto it.”

Payne laid down on the plush reclined chair of an open pod. She was glad to see a lack of restraints as the glass dome lowered around her. A television monitor suspended inches from her face, crackling with static and snow.

“All right. I’m scanning the hippocampus now. Good. Synchronizing the temporal lobes…”

“Let the show begin!” Irma chimed cheerfully.

Payne felt the hum of the machine grow louder as her vision went a snowy white.

“We’re almost there. Your memory is loading now.” Dr. Amari’s voice sounded tinny and distant, like she was whispering through a metal pipe. “We’ll be monitoring you.” Payne felt her heart rate jump at the phrase. Why was she doing this to herself? Putting herself in the hands of a doctor, of all people. That didn’t go so great the last time…

“Just relax, please. Focus on the memory.”

Payne forced herself to calm down, remembering the last truly happy time she had with her family.

Suddenly she found herself standing on a sidewalk, a bright blue sky above her head. The gentle rays of the kind fall sun warmed her skin. She could not suppress a wide, genuine smile. In front of her stood the perfect salmon-pink house of her childhood, complete with her mother’s concrete birdbath front and center in their yard. She could detect the delicate sweet smell of her mother’s baking wafting through the air. The house was decorated for Halloween, with black bats hung from the eaves and grinning carved pumpkins on the front porch. She was home!

Payne felt as if her heart stopped. Looking through the living room’s giant plate-glass window, two familiar silhouettes sat, lit only by the movie playing on the television set. She noticed it was her mother’s favorite horror flick, Dementia. And there they sat, her mother and brother, sharing popcorn as they watch their family’s annual horror movie marathon on her birthday. She froze, terrified that if she dared to move, the whole fragile world could disintegrate before her. Tears welled in her eyes seeing the two talking and laughing jovially together. Silently, the shadow of her brother got up and moved out of the room. Finally, Payne broke out of her trepidation and raced up the walk.

As she reached for the door, a single gunshot shattered the bucolic peace of the pristine pre-war neighborhood. Time dilated and stretched. Payne could hear her mother’s blood-freezing scream behind the door. Looking down, bright red blood seeped under the front door, oozing past the toes of her shoes.

“MOM! ADEN!” she screamed, pounding on the door that would not budge no matter how much she pushed. Somewhere close, a deafening claxon began blaring. This wasn’t right, this wasn’t how this happened… and yet it was happening…everything, all at once. In the sky, missiles streaked across a darkening horizon, choked with strange glowing green clouds.

“What the hell?” cried the tinny voice, far away from the horror unfolding around Payne. “Get her out. NOW!”

Ignoring the voice, Payne renewed her assault on her front door, cursing in frustration. She had to get to her family, needed to protect them from the horrors only she knew were coming. Her heart pounded in her chest, dread making bile rise in her throat.

Suddenly, Payne felt hands wrap around her arms and begin to pull her away and down the sidewalk. Skeletal figures wearing soiled and tattered nursing uniforms dragged her, their long needle-like fingers digging into the flesh of her arms, dripping glowing green ooze. She kicked and shoved, trying to twist from their ironclad grip. The bombs exploded in the sky. Payne screamed as the whole world went white.

“Just calm down, sweetie.”

She could still feel hands holding her down. In full panic, not knowing where she was, Payne threw off her attackers with a violent shove. Then, she did what she always did. She ran.

__

Kent arrived at the second-floor landing of the Old State House, huffing and panting. The closest guard on ran to his side.

“Hancock…” He puffed. “Payne…”

The noisy commotion brought Hancock out, followed closely by Fahrenheit. “Kent? What’s going on?” he asked.

Still winded, Kent took a deep breath. “Payne went to the Memory Den.” Hancock’s eyes went wide. “I don’t know what happened, but she freaked out…”

Before Kent could finish his sentence, Hancock rushed out the door and into the street. It didn’t take him long to find where Payne had run to. A crowd of drifters and Neighborhood Watch had gathered a cautious distance around a small metal shack at the end of the barricaded street past the hotel.

He stopped next to a watchman. Without having to ask, the man issued a report.

“From what I hear, Payne ran out of the Memory Den like a bat outta hell. Never saw anyone move that fast… but she’s holed up in Randy’s shack there. Blocked up the door and screams if anyone gets close. Thank God Randy wasn’t in there when she busted in… They says Irma’s pretty banged up. Amari’s helping her out right now. We’re not really sure what to do next.”

Hancock clapped him on the back, a wordless thanks. “Wish me luck.”

“What? Boss… you can’t go in there!”

“Don’t worry about your old Mayor. Did you forget I have a silver tongue?” He popped a Mentat in his mouth. “A little extra boost couldn’t hurt, either.”

Hancock strode through the crowd. He stopped to ask an onlooker to borrow a sack hood hanging from their waistband before walking up to the small shack. He peered through the spaces between the table and bed that had been hastily thrown into the doorway. He could see Payne pressed between the wall and a tall dresser. She rocked as she rubbed her arms, her head down and eyes pressed closed.

Quietly, he asked, “Payne?”

“GO AWAY!” she roared in response, not even looking his direction.

“Come on, Payne. It’s me...” Something glass shattered as it hit the upturned table, so close to his face he had to brush a few shards off it. He thought for a moment.

“Dahlia?” he offered, almost whispering. Payne stopped rocking. “Dahl, listen to me. It’s Hancock. All I want to do is talk.” She slowly turned her head and finally looked at him, her eyes squinting as if she was trying to focus on something far in the distance. Her face was red and angry, burned by her run into the daylight. He carefully moved some of the furniture aside, mindful to reduce any noises that might startle her. Walking into the one-room shack, he stopped as Payne tensed up.

“Alright, I’ll just sit right here until you feel like saying something.” Hancock sat cross-legged on the dirty floor and watched her, a calm and patient expression on his face.  This wasn’t the first time he had talked someone down, though normally it was from some drug-induced haze. He studied her as she anxiously watched him. He wasn’t sure if she was actually seeing him at first. Her eyes darted all around the room, following unseen phantoms. Eventually she squirmed so that she faced him, still wedged partially in her protective corner.

Finally she asked timidly, “Hancock? Is that you?” She scrutinized his face. “Are you really here?”

“It’s me, sunshine. Looks like you’re in a bit of a bad way.” He didn’t move as she tentatively stretched out her hand to gingerly touch his knee. She found it solid and unwavering, firm in its existence in time and space. Some of the tension released from her shoulders.

“Where am I?” She put her hands to her temples, the specter of a claxon reeling in her ears. “When am I?”

“You’re in Goodneighbor. It’s 2287. The bombs fell over 200 years ago. Specifically, you are squatting in Randy’s place… well, what’s left of it. He might not be too fond of your redecorating the place.”

Payne looked around the disheveled room, frowning as if seeing it for the first time. She hung her head between her curled up knees. “I fucked up pretty bad, didn’t I?”

Hancock scooted closer, resting his back on the wall next to her. “Nothing an apology or two won’t amend.” Hancock remembered the one time he had run afoul of Amari, spilling a full bottle of vodka on one of her machines. “Maybe caps, too. That helps.”

An uneasy silence settled between them.

“What happened in there?” he cautiously ventured. “I didn’t really peg you as a Memory Den kinda gal.”

“I…” Payne choked on her words. She had no idea how to formulate what had happened into a coherent thought. Nothing made any sense to her. She started again. “At first everything was fine… I was in front of my mother’s house, but then…” Her mind stumbled. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. “It was like the most horrific nightmare you can imagine, tailor-made for me. Everything happened at once… my brother shooting himself… the bombs falling… the nurses pushing poison into me.” She folded in on herself again, hugging her body desperately.

“I’m sorry. I messed up,” she whimpered. Hancock could see tears well in her eyes. “I just… I just wanted to see them again. My mother. My brother. I wanted my last memory to be a happy one… not…” The words caught in her throat.

Payne found Hancock’s hand unexpectedly on top of her own. Instinctively, she curled her fingers around his, clinging to his steady presence.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffed.

“Nothing to be sorry about. Even dream girls have nightmares sometimes.” He smiled weakly, and to his surprise, Payne returned the gesture.

“I suppose so,” she said. “At least the air raid sirens have stopped.”

Hancock gave her hand a gentle squeeze. To him, she seemed over the worst of it. “I think you might want to see how Irma’s doing. I heard you roughed her up a bit right before your impromptu ‘hide-and-seek’ session.”

“Oh shit,” Payne spat and stood up. She was a bit shaky, but moved towards the door.

“Hold on. You’ll need this.” Hancock tossed her the sackcloth mask. She nodded in thanks before slipping it over her head. They carefully put as much of Randy’s possessions back where she had found them.

“Time to go mend some fences.” Payne stepped out into the daylight with Hancock.

The crowd murmured. A sallow-looking man trudged out of the throng.

“Nothing better be broken in there!” Randy huffed.

Hancock pressed a few caps into his palm. “Get yourself something nice, okay?” Payne raised a hand in protest. He waved it away. “You’ve got bigger fish to fry. Let me handle this one.”

Back inside the Memory Den, Payne removed her mask gingerly. Kent rushed up to Payne’s side as soon as the duo entered.

“Oh my god… Are you okay, Payne?” he asked, worry tight across he sinewy features. “You gave us all quite a fright.”

“Kent, I…” Payne started, but as she looked up, the sight of Irma reclining on her chaise lounge with her arm wrapped in bandages and suspended with a crude sling arrested her thoughts.

“Irma!?” she started to rush to her friend’s side. Dr. Amari, kneeling next to the memory lounger Payne had been using, glared at her. Payne slowed her steps as she drew close. “What… did I do?”

“You damn near ripped Irma’s arm off!” Dr. Amari exploded, pointing an accusatory finger her way.

“Now, Amari, stop being so dramatic. I’ll be fine… unless you think your bandaging isn’t up to snuff.” Amari huffed. Irma turned back to Payne, wincing with the effort. “You pack quite a punch, gal. When you threw me off and ran, I landed badly. Amari says I broke my collarbone and pulled some ligaments.” A pained look passed over Payne’s already downtrodden features. “Hey now, I knew it was risky grabbing you while you were in there… in the state you were in.”

“I’m sorry, Irma. I’ll make it up to you, somehow.”

“Don’t worry about me, dear.” Irma cooed.

“Irma might let you off easy, but I certainly am not. Look at what your little ‘brainstorming’ session did to the lounger!” Amari still knelt beside the machine.

“I’m sorry. I will find some way to fix this. I’ll get the caps…”

Dr. Amari was keenly examining the egg-like glass dome of the pod. Large spidery cracks radiated out from a single point of impact. “How the hell did you manage to crack nano-carbon infused industrial safety glass? It’s not like I can just put in an order to get a replacement shipped here!”

Payne just stood looking at the floor. She had nothing she could say or do, so she did nothing at all.

Finally standing, Dr. Amari turned to face her. But Amari’s anger seemed to cool slightly upon seeing the silent pain written in Payne’s down-turned eyes and ridged frame. “But we’ll figure out something.” Amari’s analytical eyes scrutinized Payne’s rosy complexion. “What happened out there? You’re as red as a boiled mirelurk!”

“I’ll be fine.” Payne mumbled.

“No. You need a thorough post-procedure examination. From what I saw on the monitors, your hippocampal and amygdalar synapses lit up like a Christmas tree. Cross firing and mistiming like that could cause extreme neural fatigue! I need to make sure you aren’t suffering from a stroke or some other kind of brain injury. Just give me a moment and I’ll perform the tests.”

Payne stood stone-still. Dr. Amari waited for some kind of answer or response. None was forthcoming.

Hancock cleared this throat and put a hand on her shoulder.“Payne?” he cautiously ventured.

“No.” She didn’t even move her head. Amari looked confused, unsure how to proceed.

“Oh, come on, honey. Amari will use her best bedside manner.” Irma tried coaxing her.

Payne seemed rooted to the spot.

“Right…” Hancock remembered. “No doctors.” Amari’s nose wrinkled, offense blooming on her cheeks. Hancock put a hand out, waving Amari to give him a moment. “Payne?” Her eyes shifted to him. “Would it be okay if stay with you? I’ll make sure nothing goes south, watch her the whole time. You won’t be alone.”

Amari gave him a sideways look and almost dismissed him, given there were already several people in the room, but Payne’s posture began to relax.

Payne thought. After a few seconds, she nodded. She quickly added “No needles.”

“What?” Amari balked.

Hancock shot her a quick irritated glare, screaming ‘get on board, sister!’ with wide black eyes.

“Gah, fine. No needles.” Amari motioned to a lounger. The muscles in Payne’s jaw tightened. “Of course… no chairs too?” frustration saturated her words.

Hancock pulled over a disused folding chair. “What about this?”

“How do you expect me to diagnose anything if I can’t even check for proper brain function? I can’t wave my hand over her head and see an fMRI!”

“No needles and no loungers. Take it or leave it.” It was clear Payne was not going to budge.

Dr. Amari threw her hands up in. “What a waste of my time. If you drop dead of a hemorrhagic stroke, don’t blame me!”

Hancock unfolded the chair. Payne gingerly sat, her palms balled in her lap. A grumbling Amari pulled out a battered doctor’s bag, pulling equipment out on a nearby computer bank. She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Payne’s upper arm. Hancock watched as Payne looked away, her eyes wide, darting around the room as she fought to stay in the chair. Her hands clenched, kneading her thighs.

“Sit still, please,” ordered Amari.

Hancock leaned against the boxy metal mainframe. “Hey!” Payne looked up into his mischievously sparkling eyes. “What did the necrophiliac say to his girlfriend?”

Payne scrunched up her face. “What?”

“What did the necrophiliac say to his girlfriend?” he said again.

“How the fuck should I know?” Annoyed, Payne blinked as Amari took a light and looked in darting eyes.

“I really dig ya!” Hancock snickered.

It took a moment, but a weak smile broke Payne’s frigid features. A few scrawny laughs broke through her fear-heightened panic. “That’s a horrible joke.”

“Yeah? How about this one?” Amari brought out a small hammer, tapping Payne’s knees and elbows. “A ghoul walks into a bar. The bartender tells him ‘We don’t serve ghouls here!’ The ghoul says to him ‘That’s fine. Is the human fresh?’”

“Jeezzzus!” Payne shook her head. “Don’t quit your day job. Stand-up doesn’t suit you. At least not with those dad jokes.”

Amari stood up and addressed them. “From the little I can tell, you are okay neurologically… but your blood pressure is sky high.” She looked to turn away, but returned to face Payne, her severe eyes a bit softer than before. “If you ever feel like you might be able to stomach a proper examination, come back.”

She paused again.

“You know, everything experienced in the Memory Den is kept strictly confidential.” She finished cleaning up her tools.

Payne mulled over the exact import of her words. How much did she actually see in those monitors?

“You should go get some rest, and that is my professional opinion. Whatever happened to you in the lounger, it put you through the wringer.”

Author Notes: This is my first beta read chapter. I hope I can start improving my writing. Be patient, but I hope it will be worth it!

[csnews]

What Would It Take to Save Southern Resident Killer Whales From Extinction?

Howard Garret - October 10, 2018

As I write this on October 3, I’m listening to members of J pod of Southern Resident killer whales calling to one another off the west side of San Juan Island. The calls, heard over the Lime Kiln hydrophones, are clear and crisp and so familiar. They’re the signature J pod S-1 calls, including a variety of chirps, honks and sounds like squeaky doors. The thumping rumble of a freighter overwhelms the calls for a few minutes, but eventually sweet orca voices once again pierce the static. All too soon the whales move out of range.

They came in from the Pacific overnight, appearing in Haro Strait along San Juan Island. We fervently hope they’re finding the food they need and can eat — mainly Chinook salmon — but we know not many salmon are in the Salish Sea this year.

Over the past dozen or so years the three pods of these genetically and geographically isolated whales have gotten thinner and thinner. Some have weakened and died when the fish aren’t there in sufficient numbers. And we know that due to starvation and high levels of toxic chemicals like PCBs, 70 to 80 percent of their pregnancies in recent years have ended in miscarriages and early neonate mortality.

Now at only 74 family members, with no surviving offspring since 2015, the Southern Residents are on a precipice, tipping precariously into reproductive extinction. Some may survive for a few more decades, but viable new births will not match deaths, and soon all the survivors will be post-reproductive.

These orcas have been in the public eye more than ever lately. In early August a whale we call J35 or Tahlequah carried her deceased baby for 17 days in a tour of grief that was broadcast worldwide for weeks. This was followed immediately by the visible demise of J50/Scarlet, not yet four years old, once an acrobatic youngster who wasted into skin and bones before expiring and drifting to the bottom.

Although new to many people, the problems for these whales began many years ago. The warnings have been flashing red since the late 1990s, when 20 percent of this cohesive orca community died in just five years, at a rate tightly correlated with an extreme El Niño over the North Pacific that decimated already scarce Chinook populations. The sudden mortalities triggered the orcas’ “endangered” listing by federal and state agencies a few years later. This helped to fund field studies and confirm that Southern Residents depend on viable Chinook runs. Not much was ever actually done at state or federal levels to restore salmon runs, although local and regional habitat restoration projects have continued to repair countless rivers, shorelines and estuaries to help salmon survive.

One of the most anticipated measures came in March of this year, when Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee declared an executive order to marshal Washington’s resolve to help the orcas. The order created the Orca Recovery Task Force to focus on how to recover this dwindling orca clan. About four dozen people joined the task force, representing a range of diverse interests — commercial, governmental, tribal, scientific and environmental.

Many expected that task force to take an immediate role. As J35 grieved and J50 weakened and died before a world audience, Gov. Inslee was deluged with calls and letters about the urgent need and easy feasibility of breaching the four lower Snake River dams, which I and many other experts feel is the best and quickest way to provide the most Chinook for Southern Residents. In late August the governor sent a note asking his task force to consider dam removal, although only one member had ever mentioned dam breaching prior to that.

Public pressure continued to mount to breach the dams, and it was finally mentioned at a task force meeting on August 28.

But at the same time a complex web of pro-dam public-relations messaging arose to counter the public sentiment. The messages say there are plenty of salmon; that dam removal is unnecessary and uneconomical; and that it’s impossible any time soon anyway, as dam removal is blocked by unbending bureaucratic hurdles.

This wasn’t a new tactic. Even before this, Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers had taken this pro-dam messaging to the legislature. This past April she sponsored House Bill 3144, which would forbid even studying the four dams’ removal. The bill, dubbed by critics the “salmon extinction act,” is currently stalled in the Senate, but the message was reinforced when another representative held a hearing in Pasco, Wash., on September 8 that was dominated by testimony claiming economic benefits provided by the dams. Similar messages appeared in blogs and articles authored by the pro-dam lobby.

All this obfuscation, and luckily also some facts, came out most recently in a 2-hour webinar held by the task force on September 27 to address potentially undamming the lower Snake River. On the panel were representatives from a long list of government, environmental and energy organizations and agencies.

For the most part, the participants shared reasons not to remove the dams, often using scientifically questionable information. Among the highlights:

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Fish Passage Center all referred to a chart of 15 rivers important to Southern Resident killer whales, and claimed no single river is more important than any other.

NOAA raised concerns that salmon hatcheries might cease to operate if the dams were breached, which its representative said could affect Chinook recovery.

NOAA also claimed the survival rate of salmon that pass through the dams is high, although it acknowledged that the rate of juvenile salmon that are weakened by the experience and die soon after entering saltwater can’t be measured.

Northwest River Partners (a pro-dam PR firm) said hatcheries would certainly disappear if the dams were breached and that the benefits of the Columbia hydro system are awesome, although the webinar was only about four Snake River dams.

The Army Corps of Engineers emphatically stated that breaching or removal of the dams “will require Congressional authorization,” without mentioning that decommissioning a project does not require authorization.

There were also some, although fewer, comments in support of breaching the dams:

Save Our Wild Salmon confirmed that five federal court decisions have ruled that the previously chosen options to help the salmon have failed, that their survival is not improving, and that we could save salmon and the orcas if Gov. Inslee would come forward and urge the Army Corps to breach the dams. The group also argued that the rise in renewable energy makes the dams redundant, that irrigation could be easily retrofitted with more pumps, and that breaching would result in hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits for the region.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife explained that the Snake River watershed has the most remaining natural habitat anywhere, and that the dams are less valuable and their benefits are more replaceable than the Columbia River dams.

The Fish Passage Center confirmed that adult salmon would increase substantially in orca habitat in the second year after breaching.

DamSense said it’s impossible for the Army Corps to require authorization to decommission projects, as shown by a 2016 letter stating it has the authority to breach. They added that the Bonneville Power Authority’s $16 billion debt and responsibility for 92 percent of maintenance expenses require it to breach the dams to save money and that total expenses to breach and mitigate any issues would come in at about $400 million and could be done with two bulldozers.

What comes next? The Orca Task Force is drafting its recommendations to Gov. Inslee, but the options to date seem to perpetuate some of the misleading points heard in the webinar, such as creating a stakeholders’ forum to discuss removal of the dams; asking the Army Corp to stop operating the dams and seek authority they don’t actually need to breach the dams; developing mitigations for stakeholders; and funding hatcheries. Another suggestion is for Gov. Inslee to issue an executive order in favor of Lower Snake River dam removal and replacement with carbon-free alternatives (a trend that’s already happening).

Regardless of how those draft recommendations shake out, the governor’s job now is to sort out the static by federal agencies and lobbyists to see the reliable information from mostly regional organizations, and choose the best path toward orca recovery and sustainability. The governor may find it awkward to act against the wishes and words of the Army Corps, BPA, NOAA and the formidable commercial and political lobbies to breach those dams, but all evidence continues to show that it must be done — and soon.

J, K and L pod orcas will likely flicker into the night if he doesn’t.

[megadavestewart]

WFS 323 - 9 Great Movies about Fly Fishing with Robert Thompson - Spey Daze, Musky Country

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/323

Presented By: Bearvault, Reyr Gear, Dette Flies, Anglers Coffee

Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors

Robert Thompson is here to take us on a wild ride, producing great movies about fly fishing. We discover how he found himself producing a number of full-length fishing movies focused on conservation, warm water, cold water - all forms of different species. We even dig into a few audio tips in this one and a talk about some of the gear he uses. We find out why he's faded a bit on the scene and some of the movie production stuff he's doing.

There's definitely going to be some required movie watching after this. Grab your favorite snack and let's sit down with Robert Thompson from Third Year Fly Fisher.com

Movies About Fly Fishing Show Notes with Robert Thompson

03:10 - Robert has movies that have been on Fly Fishing Film Tour like Spey Daze and Summer Haze

07:30 - April Vokey was on the podcast back in back in July 2018 at WFS 030

09:00 - Robert talks about a musky guy named Brad Bowen with a pen name, After Angler, who was always posting on a fly fishing message board

11:15 - Rick Kustich approached Robert about the movie, Spey Daze - Rob tells the story of how they came up with the idea to highlight the issues regarding the invasives and call people to action

17:05 - Howard Tanner, who was a fisheries director, introduced Pacific salmon to the Great Lakes to deal with alewife - he created a billion dollars sports fishing industry (1950s)

21:00 - Lake Huron lost all its species and became a dead lake but later went back to life and regained its species - the DNR just left it alone to let it recover on its own

24:45 - Alpena Michigan has the longest-running fishing tournament - the Alpena Brown Trout Festival

28:10 - The DNR is a good resource to get involved in some of the conservation groups

29:45 - The first movie that Robert produced was the Night of the Hex - Robert talks about the other movies he produced in order

36:20 - Rob has been working in the film business for over 20 years

40:40 - Rob uses a Sony FX9 camera which ranges from about $11-15k including the paraphernalia

44:30 - The editing software that he uses is called Flame

51:00 - Rob did a short film with one of Tim Landwehr's guides about bass fishing - Tim was on the podcast at WFS 273

51:50 - Rob worked with Mike Schultz during Spey Daze - Mike was on the podcast at WFS 229

52:30 - Rob tells the story of how Summer Haze came about - he called Tim and Mike to work on this film

59:30 - We talk about the movie, River Runs Through It and Robert Redford

1:00:45 - Rob used to watch Joe Humphrey videos all the time - he considered them as his fly fishing bible. He later on had a chance to sit with Joe at a fly fishing show and talk about the videos. Joe was on the podcast at WFS 073

1:02:55 - We talk about Fly Fish TV hosted by Kelly Galloup or Jack Dennis - Rob grew up watching their shows

1:04:25 - Gene Hering, producer of Fly Fish TV was on the podcast at WFS 023

1:09:30 - Chicago is a busy filming location

1:15:00 - We talk about musky fishing in Michigan

1:19:20 - Robert is a big Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd fan

Conclusion with Robert Thompson

So there you go. I hope you discovered a lot of great movies today. If you have not seen those 9 films that we talked about yet, then you're missing out on some good stuff. I haven't watched them all too but going to get myself some popcorn before I go on a movie marathon. 

Rob is definitely an awesome producer and I hope he continues to make more films. If you've seen his films and enjoyed them, let him know. It's always good to tell someone if they've done a good job, letting them know that you appreciate their work. It fuels them to do greater things and become more passionate.

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/323

Check out this episode!

[kepbefit]

How to lose weight naturally by mum of five who dropped 40 kilos without giving up pasta or KFC

After giving birth to her twin daughters, Hannah Pech tipped the scales at 111kg.

The mother of five, from South Australia, lived off an unhealthy diet of sugary treats and convenience foods.

“My typical lunch was either three hotdogs or two microwaved frozen meat pies,” she tells 7Life.

For more Weight Loss related news and videos check out Weight Loss >>

“My afternoon hit would include half a block of chocolate often washed down with a litre of soft drink.

“I would drink very minimal water and my portion sizes were through the roof.

“I would often eat enough for two.”

But the size 20 mum knew she needed to overcome her bad eating habits to become healthy - after she was bedridden with a severe chronic back pain at just 31.

📷Determined to get on top of her weight, Hannah Pech dropped 40kg without giving up her favourite foods. Credit: The Healthy Mummy

Determined to get on top of her weight, the high school teacher, now 35, slimmed down to a size 12.

Hannah dropped 40kg naturally without giving up her favourite foods like pasta, chocolate and KFC.

She decided to see a doctor in early 2018 after suffering excruciating back pain with “no warning”.

“The doctor prescribed me a medication to help, but said I had to have another adult present with my children if I was to take it, as it was highly sedative,” Hannah recalls.

📷Hannah dropped 40kg naturally without giving up her favourite foods like pasta, chocolate and KFC. Credit: Healthy Mummy📷The size 20 mum knew she needed to overcome her bad eating habits to get healthy. Credit: The Healthy Mummy

“This was my wake up call.

“If I couldn’t be a mum to my five kids then something had to change.”

Chevron Right Icon

‘This was my wake up call,’ - Hannah

She took the prescription home and stuck it on her fridge.

“It was my motivation,” she says.

📷Before her astonishing body transformation, the busy mum of five said she never prioritised herself. Credit: The Healthy Mummy📷Over two years, the mum went from a size 20 to a size 12. Credit: The Healthy Mummy

The following day, she signed up to a one-month trial of The Healthy Mummy, a holistic health program offering an app with simple meal recipes and exercise plans on a 28-day challenge.

Three months later, she was 10kg down after she ate calorie-controlled homecooked meals.

“I threw the unfilled pain killer script in the bin, never to be filled,” she says.

📷Hannah signed up to a trial of a holistic health program offering simple recipes and exercise plans on a 28-day challenge. Credit: Scott Ehler/The Healthy Mummy

While breastfeeding her twin daughters, she was eating 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day.

“I would cook all my meals and snacks from the app,” she says.

“I went on to lose 25kg in 12 months, and a further 5kg in the next 12 months.”

Once she reached her goal weight, she started running.

“I now run three times a week, swim, ride a bike - after not getting on one for 17 years - and thrive off being an active mum,” she says.

📷The 35 year old says she now “thrives off being an active mum”. Credit: The Healthy Mummy

Hannah, who now weighs 75kg, says she feels healthier and happier than ever.

While her typical diet now includes healthy, home cooked meals, she still treats herself every single day.

“I’ve learnt that if I eliminate foods, I want them more,” she says.

“I eat chocolate every single day, just a fun size bar not a family block.

“I usually get takeaway once a week, like KFC, but I ensure it’s more portion friendly than I would have previously consumed.

“I also ensure that when I do have times where I overeat or overindulge I don’t let it get to me, I enjoy it.

“It’s all part of life.”

📷Hannah showing a week’s worth of home cooked meals she prepared. Credit: The Healthy Mummy Healthy day on a plate

Breakfast: Espresso smoothie

Lunch: Salmon and salad

Dinner: Homemade dish like pasta bakes and sausages with vegetables

Snacks: Weet-Bix slice, banana, muesli bar or Cruskits

After her weight loss, the mum completed three half marathons last year.

“I’m currently training for my first marathon in May,” she says.

“So my training schedule is fairly full on and I love it.

“When I was 105kg, I would struggle to walk 1km - now I’m planning to run 42km.”

Typical exercise weekly schedule

Monday: Rest day or lap swimming/walk

Tuesday: 7km speed run

Wednesday: Swim or strength

Thursday: Rest day

Friday: 8km speed run

Saturday: Exercise with the kids - swim, bike ride or walk

Sunday: Long run day usually 15-18km

Reflecting on old pictures of herself, Hannah says she can’t help but “feel sad for my older kids”.

“My twin girls (now aged four) will never remember me as unhealthy and overweight,” she says.

“But I wish I had made this lifestyle change earlier so I could have been more active with my three older kids when they were little.

“I don’t have many photos of when I was at my biggest because I hid from the camera, lots of memories that weren’t captured because of my size.”

📷For those looking to lose weight, Hannah says, “Do it for you, not anyone else.” Credit: The Healthy Mummy

For those looking to lose weight, Hannah says her best advice is to find exercise you love and roll with it.

“Have solid goals you want to achieve over time,” she says.

“To avoid injury and long term damage, don’t underestimate rest days.”

Start small

She adds: “Do it for you, not anyone else. Don’t focus on what others have achieved.

“You are you. Focus on becoming healthy by changing habits, as opposed to losing weight to be skinny.

“Make simple habits and start small.

“You don’t need to get it right all at once.

“We can learn just as much from our successful moments as our failures.”

[graywyvern]

( via prentiss riddle on fb / "Time stops at the intersection of A & D" west lima by miekal and on fb )

Sunset with Awakening Dragons.

"Thanatopolis"

pyramid of sand · is void to my sight labyrinth of cant · is void to my sight

i know too much swarf · a black rock out of sky falls and this taiga · is void to my sight

chatoyant my moon · as i walk slowly down furious hazard road · is void to my sight

(6-28-05)

They Awakening.

"Volcano Commando Tsuka"

halcyon mountain daring · on a suicidal path skulls in sand bright glaring · on a suicidal path

toys and candy swirling · all i want is truthful words lost among clowns blaring · on a suicidal path

soon will know a trying · much will crash and many fail halcyon furry faring · on a suicidal path

(9-26-05)

Vines on a Magical Moonlit Wall.

    fall stars across chill again changing goad tsar storm     as it madly adds

dimna furious smirk fang schismatic stomp bungalow

    rally all flaring ryotwar Ishtar shaping     royal sport apart

find any aground abort gulf slilu swarming fatwa

    crisply akimbo osmium skirl gumbo flalu     all us bright folk back

among oblong fragrant silk usurps skiff · fallow asthma

    spasmodic clasp · moist song lost in bringing it back     lost all that tumult

drug cupboard in which fluoric acid lay in a wax tomb

    pray for no pardon cyborg laughing thick damp grass     orphan octopus

calmly about to drown talk can play back now from victims

    filch tchukor stars silt amok tsantsa · affords nil blurb     scratch ghost stadium

actually shopping · bulwark skulls roam brisk as stilb fathoms

    crino is asking sidbo flimsy Atlantis     laughs smog cough skari

starry Osiris calx snag starts as a bag of offal

    sorrowing brumous addiction isthmus and rill     glamour abolish

blood lungfish frica abrupt Iscariot ichor wraith

    a lost acronym adorns cardboard and within     i would stow dark plans

am i misty for this flow piloting an iron rhino

    closing lids on stars unmindful of scorpions     in transit · ago

grinding sound and carbon tip toward its last point spiralling

    glimpsing from a coign prior to our gravity     our acts laid out plain

into a swamp of robots sifts mild algorithm

    frigid dusty world with rusty sands · winds stirring     around a solid

all this art about making a god of dissolution

    tcidu now manku only two hours · not from     bomb plot · from stupid

first of last bards shiny book about · not oft so bright such

    for an instant words bob up in a music flow     vacuous · twinkling

and dull gray noon is burning i pass my turn and go back

    salmon-apricot sky this morning as prior     and will blossom again

nilca and gnomic salmon kodak turncoat apricot

     a tiny lizard gold porchlight · lotophagoi     dog collar tinkling

in a dark livingroom mix two kinds of granola

    sunny and dark clouds and words fail · furious shift     sands · a body floating

crimson glow on a building turns cobalt as i slog back

    its windows as bright as that day of wild watching     folk running from dust

my own past has but scant sign of tracks · contrails gold against

Lojban words

nilca (Loglan)- contrary of on top of; tcidu- city; manku- dark; crino- viridian; sidbo- thought form; skari- color; frica- dissimilar; dimna- Wyrd; slilu- go back and forth; flalu- law

(9-19/22-05)

The River Styx.

[theoneguitarguy]

Get To Know Me!

So my name is Devin! Here are some facts about me! Stats:

- I come from Canada. - My birthday is on February 1st. - I'm Aquarius Sun, Taurus Moon and Scorpio Rising. - I'm 28 years old! - Pronouns: He/Him and also They/Them! - I'm a plus-sized individual! - I've got blueish-green eyes!

Hobbies:

- I've been playing guitar for about 18 years! - I love to play video games, be it on Nintendo Switch or on PC! - I love to walk around the city! - Watching shows such as Cobra Kai, Steven Universe and Close Enough!

Aesthetics:

- Flannel (Specifically red flannel.) - Metalhead (Ripped jeans, leather, band shirts, patches...) - Goth/Scene (Extremely straight hair, dyed outlandish colors, tight jeans...) - Gamer (LED Lights, RGB, Video Game Shirts, Video Game Collection Libraries...)

Likes

- Music (This could vary on mood, but generally, I like Fusion Rock, Progressive Metal, Math Rock, Djent, Pop Punk and Video Game Music.) - Music Theory (I'm only just getting into it myself.) - Computers - Cooking - Video Games - Bo Burnham's "Inside" Special - Physical and emotional intimacy

Dislikes

- Emotionally neglectful people - Being yelled at (Warning, I will either shut down, run off, yell back louder or cry.) - Cleaning my room (I too, am messy.) - Spiders - Fire (Like actual fire, not just heat.) - Confrontation - Clashing loud sounds (especially for long durations of time.)

Favorite Food and Drinks:

- Chocolate Milk - Soda - Burritos - Ramen - Burgers - Chicken Pot Pie - Chicken Caesar Salad - Bacon - Bagels (With Cream Cheese and any sort of deli meat or raw salmon.) - Sushi

Least Favorite Food/Beverages

- Most fruits (My body will reject them.) - Avocados (I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to them.) - Quinois - Kale - Anything with cilantro in it. (I have the OR26A gene which makes it taste like soap.) - Cabbage (Specifically the purple one.) - Jell-O - Marshmallows - Caramel - Eggs (More specifically, any type of egg that isn't scrambled.) - Foods with strange textures

I am:

- An autistic person (Hello! That's me!) - Someone who will spout random facts, tips and cool places to eat at you! - Kindhearted (I try to be, anyways!) - Affable - Passionate - Overwhelmed by the world - Afraid of confrontation - Someone who enjoys emotional and physical stimulation So if you like any of these things, feel free to give me a follow and interact with me!

[travelingtheusa]

VIRGINIA

2021 Jul 7 (Wed) – We have been working furiously on finalizing plans for the NY Caravan.  We have had to change some things.  One restaurant said they are changing their prices every week because of the high price of chicken.  Really??? How do you run a business like that?

     We set off for NY tomorrow, traveling through PA.  Joe & Diane and Rick & Brenda will travel with us.  Ed & Sue were supposed to go with us but they are stuck here getting their rig fixed.  Maybe they’ll be able to join us in a day or two.  Hank & Brenda will be meeting us at the next campground in Intercourse, PA.  We will be there for 3 nights.  The pre-caravan is on!

 2021 Jul 4 (Sun) – We took Ed & Sue and Joe & Diane over to the PX and Commissary this morning.  Neither of them is retired so they are not entitled to shop in either store. We show our ID and they get to buy what they want.  

       After lunch, we did laundry.  Sheba hawked up a hairball last night and left it on the sheet.  So we pulled the sheet off and took it along with the rest of the dirty clothes, over to the laundry room.

      We all enjoyed a barbecue for dinner.  Afterward, we watched the fireworks that people were setting off across the bay.  There was quite a bit.

 2021 Jul 3 (Sat) – The four of us went to Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill.  It was quite interesting.  Washington had to be convinced to put the stills on his farm but once he did, he had five installed.  His first year of operation, he made more money from whiskey sales than he did from all of his other endeavors combined.  With his gristmill, he was producing flour, grits, cornmeal, and livestock feed.  He was quite the entrepreneur.  

      We stopped at the post office to pick up a package the Rick & Brenda have been waiting for, but it hadn’t arrived.  Then we shopped at the Commissary.  Brenda made hamburgers and baked beans for dinner.  We put out hors oeuvres and drinks for happy hour.  Joe & Diane and Ed & Sue came over to join us for dinner.  (Ed and Sue were supposed to be here but their RV and car both broke down on the way to Fort Belvoir.  They are currently staying at a hotel on base while they wait for repairs.)

    After dinner, we all gathered around for a campfire.

 2021 Jul 2 (Fri) – Joe & Diane lent their car to the couple that broke down.  Not only did their motorhome breakdown, but their car did as well.  Both are getting worked on today.  Since Joe & Diane lent their car to their friends, they needed a ride to the commissary.  We took them at 9 this morning.  They picked up some items at the PX, then food at the commissary.

     At 1:00 PM, we met Rick & Brenda and drove to the Pope-Leheighy House.  It is a home that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was a beautiful architecture and we enjoyed the tour.  Located next to the house was Woodlawn.  This was a beautiful colonial home built by George Washington for his nephew and granddaughter-in-law.  He gave them the house and 2,000 acres from his Mount Vernon property. Unfortunately, we were not able to tour the house.  They were just finishing up a needlepoint display and they had taken all the house decorations down for the display.  They will be putting everything back together and opening to tours again after July 25.

     At dinnertime, I cooked zucchini chips and Paul barbecued an Alaskan salmon. Rick & Brenda made the salad and cooked up some scallops.  It was a good meal.  Afterward, we had a campfire.

 2021 Jul 1 (Thu) – We went food shopping at Amazon Green today. It was a near digital experience.  They have a shopping cart with a scanner.  You dial up the app on your smart phone.  Then as you pick up each item you want to buy, you scan it on your phone.  Shopping bags are already located in your shopping cart; you put the items you scan in your bags.  When you are done, your credit card is charged (Amazon has that info on file) and you leave.  You have no need to go to the cashier.  We changed our minds at the last minute and did not use the app.  I do not like anything that holds on to the information about my credit cards or bank accounts.  We shopped the old fashioned way.

     I went to Great Clips for a haircut.  I tried to talk with the hairdresser but she spoke very poor English and she was hard to understand.  After I got home, I did more chopping on my bangs as I felt they were still too long.

     We stopped at Baja Fresh for lunch.  It was a kind of Mexican fast food place.  The food was ok.  I cooked an elbow macaroni dish for dinner which we shared with Rick & Brenda.  

     I drove to the campground office to pick up the check-in documents for 3 folks coming into the campground.  The office closed at 3 and they still weren’t in.  George & Sue arrived and I gave them their paperwork.  Joe & Diane arrived later around 6; the couple traveling with them had a breakdown and they left them on the road waiting for a tow. Joe & Diane will be traveling with us through Pennsylvania to the New York caravan.

2021 Jun 30 (Wed) – We drove over to WalMart to get an oil change in the truck. While it was being serviced, we walked across the road to Panera Bread and had bagels for breakfast.  We then walked next door and wandered through the World Market then Home Goods looking for new rugs for the RV.  We didn’t find what we wanted.  

     When the truck was done, we drove back to the base PX and bought a new grill.  Paul and Rick had priced the grill on the internet last night and the PX was the cheapest price.  Add to that the fact that they don’t charge tax in the PX and we had a real good savings.

     Merlin came by us wearing his face mask.  He said he started feeling bad last night and worse today.  So he went to the base hospital and got tested for COVID-19 . . . just in case.

     Bonnie has had diarrhea for on and off for the past five days.  We cooked chicken and rice for her one day.  It seemed to help then things got worse again.

     Two rigs have dropped out of the New York caravan. That brings us down to 16 paying rigs. One more drop out, and we will be at the threshold for canceling the caravan.  Hope we don’t lose anyone else.

 2021 Jun 29 (Tue) – The four of us went to the National U.S. Army Museum.  It is new and we haven’t been here before.  We spent over 3 hours wandering around the displays.  There was so much to read and look at.  We had lunch in the cafeteria.  During our visit, we found out that the museum only opened in October last year, 2020, then closed a month later.  They just reopened 2 weeks ago.  

     After we got back, we had dinner together.  Brenda made pasta and I made salad.  Everything was very good.  Merlin was too tired to join us.

 2021 Jun 28 (Mon) – We went into town to look for a grill. We couldn’t find what we wanted. We went to the PX and looked for an RV dealer nearby but there were none.  We picked up pet food at Pet Smart and found a toy for Sheba.  We were delighted!  Lunch was at Famous Dave’s.  I had ribs and Paul had burnt tips.  The food was on the spicy side.

     Rick & Brenda came over for drinks.  We made margaritas.  Another SMART member, Merlin, pulled in today.

 2021 Jun 27 (Sun) – We went into Washington, D.C. for a 12:15 p.m. admission to the International Spy Museum.  Brenda & Rick drove.  We had been there in 2013.  The building and entire area was totally different from when we were last there. The place was huge!  You could easily take 3-4 hours to see everything. The museum was very crowded and it was difficult to get near much of the displays.  But we all managed to enjoy the place any way.

     When we got back to the campground, Rick & Brenda brought their grill over and we enjoyed steak, potatoes and salad.  We visited afterward as it was too breezy to work on the travel guides. We have time to get to them. There’s no hurry.

 2021 Jun 26 (Sat) – We did our laundry early this morning. The laundry room was full of gnats and other flying insects.  We brought wipes to clean off the tables and machines so we could fold our clothes. It was gross!

     We also drove to Food Lion to pick up some groceries and to Office Depot to get the printed copies of the Travel Guide.  We stopped at McDonald’s for lunch; something we don’t do very often.

     We drove to George Mason Gunston Hall with Rick & Brenda this afternoon for a 2:00 p.m. tour  It was an 1800th century home of one of America’s founding fathers.  Mason wrote Virginia’s Bill of Rights, which Jefferson later modeled to write the Bill of Rights for the new nation.  It was a lovely home and had several outbuildings on the property to explore as well.

     Afterward, we stopped at Fair Winds Brewing for beer and BBQ.  We all sat out on the patio and enjoyed beers (except me since I don’t care for beer) and food.  When we got back, we started work on putting the travel guides together. It was slightly breezy and made it difficult to work but we were able to get 11 books done.    

 2021 Jun 25 (Fri) – We finished up the Travel Guide this morning. Brenda and Rick picked us up and we drove first, to Office Depot, then to Occoquan, the quaint little town we discovered a few years ago.  We had lunch at a restaurant on a patio overlooking the Occoquan River.  There were several people in kayaks and on paddle boards.  

     After lunch, we walked down the picturesque street with its historic buildings. We popped into a chocolate shop and had a wonderful visit with the owner of the establishment.  He gave us quite an education on cacao beans and the chocolate process.  We all bought chocolate bars.

     More walking and exploring, then we stopped in to the VFW Lodge.  We sat at the bar and ordered cocktails only to be told they only serve wine and beer.  It didn’t fit the bill so we left.

     We went to a Tiki Bar on the river and had cocktails on the patio then returned to the campground around 5:30 p.m.

 2021 Jun 24 (Thu) – We pulled up stakes and left Fort A.P. Hill at 10:15 a.m.  It was an easy two hour drive to Fort Belvoir.  We had our site number already so we drove directly to the campground rather than stop first at Outdoor Recreation.  Oops!  There was a gated entry into the campground and no room to turn around.  I called the office and got the gate code and we parked on our assigned campsite.  After set up, we hurried over to Outdoor Rec, got checked in, got our permit and other paperwork, then rushed to the main gate to help Brenda & Rick get passes onto base.  They were already there and walking out of the visitor center with their passes.  We got in front of them and led the way to the campground.  Since we had the gate code and they knew their site assignment, we led them directly to the campground.  We advised them to sign in at Outdoor Rec after they were set up.  They didn’t hear (or understand) what we said and took their time setting up.  By the time they went over to check in, the office was closed (open from 9 to 3).

     At 4 p.m., Brenda and Rick came over and we had happy hour until 5:30 p.m.  When they were gone, I popped a pizza in the oven for dinner.  Gene (President of the Nomads) and Sharon stopped by.  They are only here for the one night.  After pizza, we played card games.  SYN (Screw Your Neighbor) and Kings in the Corner were a lot of fun. They left when the sun was going down and it was getting cold.

     Tonight was the last Supermoon of the year.  It is called a Strawberry Moon, because it is when the strawberries are in season.  It was a beautiful sight.

 2021 Jun 23 (Wed) – We stayed in the campground all day working on the Travel Guide for the caravan.  We are pushing to get this done so we can get it copied at the next town. There won’t be any big towns after we leave Fort Belvoir.

2021 Jun 22 (Tue) – We packed up and left Verona at 9:25 a.m. It rained on and off during the drive to Bowling Green where we are caped at Fort A.P. Hill.  It is a fairly new campground with full hookups.  The campground is about half full.  We have a pull through site with no shade.  We are only here for two nights.  We will try to finish up the travel guide so we can get it copied while we are at Fort Belvoir.  We don’t think there will be any big cities between there and when we start the caravan in New York.    

2021 Jun 21 (Mon – First Day of Summer) – We stayed in the campground all day today, working on the travel guide and maps of the NY Caravan.  We only have a few days left before we start to join up with other members of the caravan in D.C.  We are almost done. 

2021 Jun 20 (Sun) – We drove to the Grand Caverns this morning. I bought a two-for-one ticket on Groupon and $40 tickets wound up costing us $19.99.  That’s a pretty good deal!  The caverns were fantastic; every bit as phenomenal as Mammoth or Carlsbad Caverns.  The rooms were huge and there were lots of speleoforms to admire.  In addition, they had formations called shields.  No one knows how they form but they seem to be unique to these caverns.      

      We went to Rack ‘Em Smack ‘Em for lunch.  It was a ribs place.  They were OK. Paul had mac & cheese.  Still pink like them put ketchup in it.      After the caves, we went to the Barren Ridge Winery.  We were supposed to make a reservation ahead of time but didn’t. They were able to seat us out on the patio any way.  I didn’t like any of the white wines.  Paul liked one of the reds and we both enjoyed the port.  So we bought 2 bottles of port and one bottle of the red wine.      

      I cooked some meatballs for dinner that we had bought at the supermarket the other day. They were so spicy hot!  I took one bite and pushed them aside.  We wound up heating up a pizza for dinner.      

      The campground pretty much emptied out today.  I am glad we left for the day so we didn’t get caught up in all the activity of so many trailers moving out. 

      One of the campgrounds we will be going to upstate during the caravan tried to call but I told them to get back to us on Tuesday when we move.  Hopefully, the cell phone signal will be better. 

2021 Jun 19 (Sat) – We worked on the travel guide.  At noon, we packed it in and drove into town for lunch at the Edelweiss Restaurant.  It was a German restaurant with an authentic German waitress.  The food was good, as was the wine and beer.   Next stop was at PetCo to pick up dog food then to Kroeger for groceries and cat food.  Since the cell phone signal is so bad in camp, we made a couple of calls to friends and our grandson while we were out and the signal was good.      

      The campground is chock full of campers.  There is a lazy river that runs next to the campground where they have tubing. Groups of tubers walk by with their big tubes on the way to the launch point.  The day is very warm and muggy.  I bet the water feels good.      

      Bonnie woke Paul up at 2:30 a.m.  She has diarrhea.  She’s been good for a long time.  We stopped giving her the supplements and goat’s milk when we started making sure the food we give her is AAFCO approved.  That seems to have been good enough.  We’ll see if this is one day or another bout. 

2021 Jun 18 (Fri) – Work on the travel guide is going slow. The problem is the very poor internet signal here in the campground.  We just can’t connect which makes it impossible for Paul to get the maps done.        

      We finally took a break at noon and drove into town for lunch.  Staunton (pronounced STAN-TEN) is a very lovely, historic town with lots of brick buildings and round towers.  We had lunch at the Clock Tower Eats & Sweets. The food was bland and unappealing. And the waitress was slow.      

      After lunch, we walked down the block to the Camera Heritage Museum.  What a fascinating place!  The museum, if you could call it that, was a small store front jam packed with cameras from all eras.  The owner followed us around the store as we admired all the cameras, regaling us with stories of cameras and pictures.  His collection was amazing, yet he said it only represented about 25% of his total collection.  He is trying to raise money to buy a building that can house his collection.  Trip Advisor voted him among the top world attractions.  Quite an honor.  Unfortunately, he needs to raise millions of dollars before he can reach his goal.  He only has four years left to do it.      

      When we returned to the campground, there was a long line of RVs coming in.  We sat in our chairs and watched droves of campers arrive all afternoon long.  The campground of more than 200 sites filled up almost completely.  There are lots of children and golf carts.  The smell of outdoor cooking and campfires fills the air. We tried to have a campfire but it was too hot sitting in the sun in front of the fire.  We got up halfway through and went back in to the air conditioning to watch the fire through the window.  Lol. 

2021 Jun 17 (Thu) – We went to the Augusta Military Museum. When a soldier returned home after the Civil War, he found all the schools burned down.  Wanting the boys/men to have a decent education, he built a school.  It later became a military academy when it was obvious that better discipline was needed. But it was not intended to be a preparatory school for military service, although many of the boys went on to service in the military.  The school remained in service until 1984 when it closed due to financial difficulties. The museum was in the home of the former schoolmaster and exhibits were displayed in four small rooms on the first floor.  We also watched a half hour video about the school and the men who attended.      

      Next, we went to a local restaurant for lunch.  The interior had tables and booths arrayed around a large, open room. The waitress was very fast and efficient – a delight down here in the south.  The food, however, was terrible.  I had a chicken salad wrap that had too much vinegar in it.  Paul had a mixed wrap that was very dry (it was ham, turkey, cheese, tomato and lettuce).  It needed mayonnaise.  His mac & cheese was pink, making us think they put ketchup in it.      

      After lunch, we went to the Stonewall Brigade Museum.  It was all about the history of a local unit from the French & Indian Wars to today’s Gulf War.  It was small compared to many other museums we have been to but it accomplished its purpose.      The campground is filling up.  It will be full this weekend.  The camper next to us has two large dogs that they don’t leash.  In addition, the owner doesn’t pay attention to what his dogs are going so that means he’s not picking up after them.  We will have to make a complaint.      

      The Verizon cell service around here sucks!  I can’t open the mail and other postings just sit there.  The Internet is inaccessible at this point.  Even in town, the service is severely limited. This town must be down in a big hole. **sigh**  Not even the cell phone booster we bought is helping. 

2021 Jun 16 (Wed) – We rode to Staunton today. First stop was at the Yelping Dog for lunch.  It was a pizza and taproom.  We each had a glass of wine and a sandwich.  After lunch, we walked up and down the street.  The town was very quaint and had lots of historic buildings and shops.        

      Next, we went to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum.  There were three buildings.  The first one we entered was the home that Woodrow Wilson was born in.  He only lived in the house for 18 months then his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. There was lots of family in Staunton though, so they came back to visit often.  Woodrow Wilson always thought of Staunton, VA as his home even though his family moved several times.  He was the only president to earn a doctorate despite the fact that he had a learning disability that made it very difficult for him to read.  What an interesting character he was!      

      The middle building was a private home where they placed the ever popular gift shop. The third building was the museum. There was a display of a WWI trench. That kind of thing always makes me shudder.  It was thought to be so cutting edge in its day yet it was so barbaric.  Ugh.  We walked through rooms with lots of plaques to read and artifacts to view. 

2021 Jun 15 (Tue) – We packed up and left Fancy Gap at 9:30 a.m. The weather (finally) was clear with blue skies.  It was a long drive.  We stopped at a humongous truck stop.  They had 500 parking spaces for trucks with a truck wash, medical testing for drugs, a clinic, a steak place, a fast food eatery, and fuel station.  We just parked to use the bathroom and walk the dog and then were on our way.  We arrived at the campground at 1 p.m.        

      This is a KOA.  It is a large campground spread out over low hills with lots of grass and trees.  It is very pretty to look at.  There is a river and waterfalls at the back of the park. They rent tubes for campers to float on the river.  There are lots of things to do – a large pool, four hot tubs (currently closed), pool tables, a video arcade, horseshoe pits, etc.  We have a 30-amp and water hookup but no sewer.  The bathrooms are pretty far away.  There are rabbits everywhere!  They even have signs us warning not to pick up or chase the rabbits and they sell food to feed them.      The cell phone signal in this campground is the pits!  I can’t post on Facebook and it is difficult to research anything on the internet.  This will be a tough week since we have to start coordinating with the various campgrounds and venues for the caravan.      

      We spent the afternoon and evening working on the travel guide.  Things are starting to come together nicely. 

2021 Jun 14 (Mon) – We took a ride into town for lunch at the Gap Deli.  The food was pretty good.  Afterward, we drove around the area for a bit.  This a beautiful area.  Lots of greenery and well built homes. 

2021 Jun 13 (Sun) – We stayed in the campground today, working on the paperwork for the caravan.  We did the laundry and bought dinner from the office.  The smoker was going all day and the smell was very appealing.  

2021 Jun 12 (Sat) – We took a break and went for a drive, stopping at 13 Bones for lunch.  The ribs were not that good yet the place was packed.  We figured it must be something pertinent to this region.  We also stopped at WalMart to do some shopping. Returned home in the worst rainstorm. Ugh.  Thunderstorms rolled through and poor Sheba spent the day hiding in the closet. 

2021 Jun 11 (Fri) – We stayed in the campground all day working on the documents for the caravan.  Our tail gunner had put together maps but we couldn’t get the program he used to mesh with the program we are using to create the Travel Guide.  Paul wound up having to recreate all the maps.  Ugh.  What a waste of effort!

      We had lunch and dinner at the KOA BBQ office.  We met a couple parked to us from NC.  We had a very interesting conversation until our dinner was delivered.  Ray asked for information about SMART.  Paul gave him a magazine.  We would have given him a brochure but it got rained on the other day and we lost all the brochures we had sitting out for people to take.  We will have to send for more.

 2021 Jun 10 (Thu) – We went food shopping at the Food Lion today.  Before then, we stopped at Aunt Bea’s Dining Room for lunch.  It was a kind of cafeteria.  You picked your food from a variety of items on a hot table, then sat at a table in the dining room.  It was ok.

 2021 Jun 9 (Wed) – We took a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway today.  There are so many lush, green trees in this state.  We stopped at the Mabry Mill, an historic Appalachian homestead on the parkway.  It had a mill, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, and other artifacts.  A ranger was working in a shed on a weaving loom.  She explained the process to us and showed examples of her work.  It was an interesting stop.  Also along the Blue Ridge Parkway was a rail fence exhibit that showed several different types of fence made by wooden posts and poles.

      We stopped at a winery in Floyd.  You could only have a tasting if you were fully vaccinated.  Since I am not vaccinated, we sat out on the patio and had a glass of wine with bread, cheese, meats, and fruits.  Neither of us enjoyed the wine but the experience was nice.  It rained pretty hard most of the day.

      The program for the Max Air Fan in the kitchen arrived.  Unexpectedly, it worked!  The fan is now in action again.  How wonderful!

 2021 Jun 8 (Tue) – Well, I am back from New York. It was a long 3 weeks.  I had originally planned to help out my sister, Susan, after knee surgery but she changed her mind and cancelled the surgery.  My plans were already made so I left them alone.  I stayed at her house and borrowed her Tesla during my stay.  That is quite a car!  Great for a speed demon like my sister.

      I had a PET scan at Memorial Sloan Kettering.  The results were spectacular!  There were no metabolically active lymph nodes.  Unfortunately, my oncologist moved to Texas and a new doctor was assigned to me but could not fit me into her schedule.  I will see her at my next appointment.  I asked the nurse if I could stop the chemotherapy but she said to continue as usual until I talk with the doctor.

      I also saw the cardiologist.  He ordered a stress test which I passed with flying colors.

      I got to visit with my brother, Chris, and brother and girlfriend, Dennis & Denise, over the holiday weekend.  I took my grandson, Caiden, out a few times and visited with my daughter and husband, Lilah & Kenny.  I also stopped over my Cousin Claude’s house and visited with him and his daughter, Kathy.  I also caught up with our friend, Jan, who happened to be outside in her garden when I drove by.  She had knee surgery and is recovering nicely.  And I got to have dinner with my daughter, Gina.

      Susan volunteers at a wildlife rescue center and I was able to go with her twice.  That place was overrun with raccoons, squirrels, and ducklings.  Wow!  There were many other types of animals and birds there as well.  Susan’s daughter, Sharon, flew home for a few days and we went into the city for a day.  Sharon has ongoing dental treatments at a specialist in New York City.  Except for less people and cars, everything looked the same. 

      My flight home was disrupted by thunderstorms and I wound up spending a night at a hotel in Baltimore.  But I ultimately made it home to my honey.  While I was gone, Paul got the Spyder Control program fixed and we are back on the road!  We were afraid that we would have to cancel the caravan if we didn’t get the problem resolved.  Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

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News, scores as bubble basketball underway at Disney

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SportsPulse: Need a refresher on where we left off with the NBA before play was halted? Mackenzie Salmon hits the rewind button and gets us up to speed.

USA TODAY

The first two days of the NBA’s restarted season tipped off Thursday and Friday, with two overtime thrillers highlighting the second night of action.

What does Day 3 have in store for NBA fans? There are five games on tap, and Miami defeated short-handed Denver 125-105 in the first game of the day. The Nuggets played without three starters and are in danger of losing control of third place in the Western Conference.The Oklahoma City Thunder took care of the Utah Jazz 110-94.

The Los Angeles Clippers made a franchise-record 25 three-pointers in their easy 126-103 victory against New Orleans.

The Indiana Pacers handled the Philadelphia 76ers 127-121, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) capped the night. 

Remember, playoff spots and seeding are on the line in the final stretch, no matter how much it feels like the beginning of a season.

Keep it here for updates throughout the day and into the night from Jeff Zillgitt, Mark Medina — on the ground at Disney — and the USA TODAY Sports NBA team, including analysis, news and highlights:

POPOVICH:Spurs defend coach for not kneeling during national anthem

EASTERN PREVIEW:Do the Celtics have the talent to beat the Bucks?

Saturday’s key performances

Indiana’s T.J. Warren scored a career-high 53 points, the first 50-point game of the restart. He had 29 in the first half and helped negate Philadelphia center Joel Embiid’s 41-point, 21-rebound performance. If the Pacers can play like that, count them as another team that can outperform its seed.

Oklahoma City guard Chris Paul proved why he is still an All-NBA caliber point guard. He had 18 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and the Thunder outscored Utah by 27 points while he was on the court. He just dominated the game, and the Thunder are another team that could surprise teams in the playoffs.

Miami forwards Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each scored 22 points with Adebayo adding nine rebounds and six assists and Butler contributing seven assists and three steals.

Paul George had 28 points and made 8-of-11 three-pointers for the Clippers, and teammate Kawhi had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Leonard had 18 points in the first half, and George had 15 in the second half.

Sixers teammates exchange heated words

The Philadelphia 76ers are a trendy sleeper pick to make a deep playoff run, but their first game of the restart got off to a rocky start against the Indiana Pacers.

After the Sixers jumped out to a quick 14-7 lead, the Pacers responded with a 17-0 run to take control. Indiana led 35-29 at the end of the first quarter when tempers appeared to boil over a bit on the Sixers bench.

Joel Embiid and Shake Milton were seen exchanging some heated words during the timeout. Matisse Thybulle had to hold Milton back from engaging Embiid after some initial shouting.

Joel Embiid and Shake Milton exchanging some heated words at the end of the first quarter 😬 (via @gifdsports) pic.twitter.com/fCm6r839cR

— matt eppers (@meppers_) August 1, 2020

The Pacers took a 61-55 lead into halftime behind 29 points from T.J. Warren. Embiid led the Sixers with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Embiid is key to the Sixers’ playoff hopes after he missed the final two scrimmages with a sore right calf for “precautionary” reasons. Indiana and Philadelphia entered the restart tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference, with the Pacers holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Thunder kneel despite OK lawmaker threat of tax penalties

In a statement Friday, Rep. Sean Roberts (R-Hominy) threatened to pull tax benefits for the Oklahoma City Thunder if players were to kneel during the national anthem before Saturday’s game.

The Thunder played their first game of the restarted season against the Utah Jazz in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. During the national anthem, every Thunder player, coach and staff member on the sideline kneeled.

In the statement, Roberts equated the Black Lives Matter movement to “Marxism” and said it tried to “destroy nuclear families.” 

— Jeff Patterson, The Oklahoman

Thunder players kneel for the national anthem before playing the Jazz. (Photo: Ashley Landis, Pool photo via USA TODAY Sports)

Oladipo will play in the bubble

Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo didn’t want to risk re-injuring his ruptured quad tendon so he indicated earlier this summer he would not be part of the NBA’s restart.

However, after multiple practices and feeling more comfortable, Oladipo will play for the Pacers and play no more than 30 minutes against Philadelphia Saturday. As recently as Friday, he had not committed to playing. He finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in the Pacers’ victory against the Sixers.

McMillan on Oladipo: “He is in the lineup. He’ll be starting tonight. He’s playing and ready to go…. There is a minute restriction. We want to keep them around 28, no more than 30 minutes tonight. ” #PacersSixers

— J. Michael (@ThisIsJMichael) August 1, 2020

Stand or kneel for anthem?

Miami’s Meyers Leonard, whose brother Bailey is a Marine and served at least two tours in Afghanistan, stood for the national anthem but wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.

“Some of the conversations I’ve had over the past three days, quite literally, have been the most difficult,” Leonard told The Associated Press. “I am with the Black Lives Matter movement, and I love and support the military and my brother and the people who have fought to defend our rights in this country.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the team understood and respected Leonard’s reasoning after having “a great team meeting about it where everybody expresses their support for him.” 

“He has the backing of everybody in the locker room and everybody knows where his heart is. He’s fully behind this movement just like everybody else in our organization and the association,” Spoelstra said. “This is not a political discussion. This is not an either/or discussion. This is an ‘and’ discussion. This is about fighting for basic human rights and equality. I truly do feel it is an ‘and’ proposition. He wanted to peacefully protest and support this cause and honor the flag and how he respects that.”

Denver’s Michael Porter Jr., who praised Orlando forward Jonathan Isaac’s decision to stand and not wear a Black Lives Matter T-shirt on Friday, knelt and wore a Black Lives Matter shirt.

In 2 now-deleted posts last night, Michael Porter Jr. supported Jonathan Isaac’s decision not to kneel for the national anthem. This is important because Michael Malone reiterated to his players that the decision is a personal choice and they’d have support of org. either way. pic.twitter.com/D7y4UM6ii1

— Mike Singer (@msinger) August 1, 2020

Not everyone is kneeling, including Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon.

NBA ensures Butler changes jersey

Miami All-Star Jimmy Butler wanted to leave the back of his jersey blank even though that wasn’t an approved option for players wishing to put a message on the back of their jerseys.

Butler tried to start Saturday’s game against Denver with no message or name listed on his jersey, but league officials made him change into a jersey that had his name on it.

Why?

I don’t know. I don’t care. I didn’t have a name on the back of the start. But I decided to change because my teammates probably need me tonight.

Butler wanted a blank jersey to be a representation that society gives him name value because of his ability on the basketball court but without the jersey he is a representation of every person who looks like him and until everyone has equal value, no one does. 

“Displaying no name or message on the back of a player’s jersey was not an option among the social justice messages agreed upon by the Players Association and the NBA as modifications to the rules regarding uniforms,” an NBA spokesperson said in a statement. “Per league rules, the uniform may not be otherwise altered and anyone wearing an altered jersey will not be permitted to enter the game.”

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[henyome]

Dynamic Chord Love U Kiss Series – Apple-Polisher Volume 14 UK

Sorry for the long delay in getting this out. So many things came up in the meantime, it’s actually been mostly finished for the past two months but I just never had a chance to go back through it. I hope you guys enjoy it though, Yuki is my favorite guy from Dynamic Chord.

Note: This is an epilogue to Yuki Aoi’s route in the game, each track is a different episode in Yuki and MC’s relationship. You can purchase the CD on Amazon JP or CDJapan.

Track 1 – Daring

0:31 – Mm…? Mm… Morning? Ah, ‘kay… No, I don’t wanna wake up yet… I’m tired…  Mm, you knew, huh? I was up ’til dawn. When I saw your sleeping face, I got a melody stuck in my head and I wanted to write it down before it disappeared… and then before I knew it…

1:17 – So just a little bit… Can you let me sleep a little longer? Huh…? A good morning kiss? Ahh… *kiss* Mm… One more? *kiss* Good morning… And good night.

1:55 – Sorry… I’m happy for the invite, but I’m tired… I’m lonely, hold my hand. I feel at ease when I hold your hand. It reminds me that you’re with me. I’m being selfish? Only with you. So let me have my way a little. Thanks…

3:00 – *laughing* It tickles! Ahaha… What are you doing? I said it tickles. Huh? You were bored so you were counting my moles? Don’t do that, they’ll just increase. You want to see my back? No way, I won’t show it to you. I get it, I’ll get up. I’ll get up, so stop counting my moles. *sigh*

3:44 – It’s morning and I’m already tired. So? What? You don’t usually do this. Are you wanting attention? Why aren’t you saying anything? If you don’t tell me I won’t know. Hey, come here.

4:16 – You won’t come? Are you pouting, or do you want my attention? Pick one. If you’re going to be like that then I’m just going to go back to sleep. *chuckle* So that’s it. It’s true, we’ve both been busy so we haven’t had much time for each other. Sorry.

4:45 – Then why don’t we start over. First… *kiss* Good morning. *footsteps* Hey, where are you going? *rustling* What are you doing…? *footsteps* Oh, you’re back. Hey. What are you holding in that hand? Stay still? Hey, you couldn’t be… *marker noises*

5:38 – What are you writing on my face? This will come off, right? *sigh* Okay, are you satisfied now? Hey, that laughter is a bit much. What did you write? I’m going to go wash my face and see– *kiss*

6:06 – What’s with you all of a sudden, kissing me… Whoa. Ah… Well, now that you’ve pushed me down, what are you going to do next? Is this it? Mm… I won’t be satisfied with just a kiss. Do you want me to hold you?

6:43 – You’re cute when you’re honest. *deep breath* Hey… What time do you have to go to work today? Oh… So we have two more hours. Then we have plenty of time… So… *flips over*

7:20 – You’re fine with me interpreting this as permission to continue where we left off, right? *chuckle* Your invitation sure was cute… Seriously… *kiss* This is how an adult does it… Don’t forget, okay?

7:58 – No, I’m not going to let you run away… Let me do what I want this time. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it… Hm? You’re worried about the light? Then… *closes curtains* Is this better?

8:28 – There’s no reason to be embarrassed. You’re beautiful. It’s fine, so just be quiet… *kiss* Seeing your face up close… Just I said, you’re beautiful. And your expression is seducing me. I’m the only man you’ve been with, so where did you learn to make that face?

9:08 – I see, that’s right… I taught you it… In that case, I’ll show you how I show my love… Pay close attention. *kiss* I love you.

9:54 – Hey, do you want to use the shower first? Not going to move? Then… I’ll use it first, okay? Are you thirsty? Do you want me to bring you water? You’re fine? Alright. Then take it easy and get some sleep. *kiss* I’ll be back soon.

10:56 – Huh… What is this.. “I… love you…” This is what she wrote?  How cute. Wait, that means… I had sex with her looking like this…  *sigh* That’s way too lame. I’ll have to punish her later.

Track 2 – Ringo wo Muite Kurenai ka?

0:04 – (talking to someone else) *chuckles* If we have time, we should do it together then. Ah, my plans for tonight?  I’m a bit busy… Yeah, our band is having a meeting at the vocalist’s house tonight. (to you)Oh, you’re finished? (back to the other person) Sorry, we’ll talk again some other time.

0:29 – I just saw Ogasawara-san a little bit ago, he said you’d be done soon so I decided to wait for you. It’s a been while but do you want to peel an apple for me? Oh? Why are you in a bad mood? Aha, before you go misunderstanding, let me just say that there’s nothing going on between me and that woman just now.

0:55 – It’s true that I have women like her approaching me sometimes, but it doesn’t matter. I have you. So how about it? If you don’t have anything else to do after this, do you want to come to my place? You don’t feel like it today? Alright. Then at least let me take you home. Even if it’s just for a little bit, I’d at least like to be able to talk to you.

1:29 – Then it’s decided, I’ll go get my car. I’ll give you a call when I pull up in front of the studio. You can come out and meet me then. *pat* And in the meantime, try to cheer up a bit for me, okay? I’ll see you in a few.

2:02 – *sigh* So? When are you going to stop being grumpy? Ha… There was nothing I could do in that situation. You don’t need to worry about it. I was just trying to be polite about it. We’re not going to be alone together.

2:31 – *exhale* I get it. I’ve reflected on my actions. Even if I’m being polite, I need to make sure not to give the other party the wrong idea, right? So are you going to cheer up now? *chuckle* Good girl.

2:51 – I’m glad we were able to resolve it before we got to Narumi’s house. It would have left a bad taste in my mouth to leave things like that. What is it? Are you feeling bad about getting jealous now? I admit, I’m grateful for you getting jealous over me, but if it affects your mood then that’s another story…

3:14 – When girls would get jealous with me before, I could only think it was a bother or just outright annoying. This is different though, I really am happy about it. It shows how much you must love me.

3:34 – *rustling* Ah-ah… Come to think of it, I need to keep my promise. The promise to make sure you feel loved enough. Should I do it now? Or do you want me to do it after we get to Narumi’s house? Oh? You’re not listening to me? *chuckles*

4:04 – Okay! We’ll go to my house then. *laughing* (getting punched by you) Okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It was just cute watching you lose your composure. *chuckles* I’ll be sad if you won’t peel an apple for me. Alright, I apologize. Then we’ll go straight to my house, okay?

4:55 – Thanks for peeling it. *bites into the apple* Mm, it’s good! Just as thought, when you peel it for me, it tastes better. Thanks. *chuckles* Are you still sulking? *chuckles* You can say no but you’re still making that face.

5:24 – *sigh* (using a cutesy baby voice) It’s time to be happy-happy, okay? (normal voice again) Ah… Now you’re sulking even more. Seriously though… I never get tired of seeing all the expressions you make.

5:47 – I caught you. *rustling* Of course you can’t move. I’m making sure you can’t. I’m going to fulfill my promise, so listen closely, okay? Eh… *clears throat* (using a cutesy voice) I wubb you. I wubb wubb you. *rustling* (normal voice) No good?

6:21 – *laughing* I was just joking, I wanted to make sure you were really listening first. Let me try that again then… I love you. From the bottom of my heart. Do I need to say it more before you believe me? Ah, I’m glad you believe me…

6:52 – I think everything you do is cute. When you act childish, when you lose your composure, when you pout… All of it. Hey, do you want to kiss? That’s unfortunate, because I want to kiss you. But I guess there’s nothing for it, I’ll just hold back for now.

7:26 – *kiss* Did it tickle? Then how about here? *kiss* Does it tickle here too? In that case, then let me kiss your lips? Turn this way. Thanks… *kiss* You already know one isn’t enough to satisfy me, right? *kiss*

8:24 – As I thought, I like kissing you here the most. Hey… Let’s do it some more.

Track 3 – xoxo

0:03 – *humming to himself* No, that’s not quite right… *resumes humming* Tch… I wonder what’s wrong with it… *sigh* It’s not good, the melody has already left me. Dammit… *sigh* I guess I’ll leave it there for today. *stretches*

0:48 – When did it start getting dark outside? Hm? Onigiri? Ah, this one has kelp… And salmon… All of my favorites. *rustling* Huh? Ah, you came over. *footsteps* Sorry, you came and I didn’t even notice.

1:35 – *kiss* When did you come? An hour ago? Good, then it hasn’t been that long. Ah, I’m done with it for today. The goddess of music has rejected me. Oh, thanks for the onigiri. I’m hungry, so I was happy you made them.

2:12 – Aha, you found me out. I got caught up in what I was doing and forgot to eat. How about you? Can you stay over tonight? You’re off until noon tomorrow? Alright. Hey, would you like to go for a walk sometime? There won’t be many people out at night, and they wouldn’t be able to recognize us anyways.

2:43 – This is compensation since we haven’t been able to go out for a date lately. I’m not just trying to be nice. I want to hold your hand and walk together. Oh, you finally have a happy look on your face now.

3:04 – Just let me eat this before we go on our date. Thank you for the food. *eating noises* Ahh, it tastes good. The flavor is comforting… Thanks again for making it.

3:43 – *footsteps* Brr… There’s no doubt about it being winter… Aren’t you cold? The tip of your nose is getting red. Yes, yes, you’re very cute… *mumbling* Around here should be good, I don’t see anyone around…

4:13 – It’s fine now, right? Let’s hold hands. *takes your hand* Your hands are getting cold. It’s proof that you have a warm heart though. And that means that the fact that my hands are warm is proof that my heart’s cold…

4:42 – The only person who would disagree with that is you. Thanks. Oh? What is it? You’re still worried about the blisters on your hands? I like your hands. They’re smaller than mine. It makes me feel like I need to protect you…

5:09 – Normally you’re strong-willed, self-centered and reckless, but… The truth is you’re shy, reserved, and just pretend to be strong. I think that part of you is cute. I’m being awfully honest?

5:31 – If I’m not honest occasionally, I’ll lose sight of what matters to me. Since I met you, I’ve started to realize what’s important to me. The joy of coming back to reality after being completely focused on music, only to find onigiri stuffed with my favorite ingredients… The precious moments when I can hold the hand of the person I love… The warm feeling of laughing together and being able to see our breath because it’s so cold…

6:07 – Just like this… walking together… is enough to bring me happiness. *takes you in his arms* Don’t worry, no one is going to come. I made a promise to Ogasawara-san that I wouldn’t let your talent go to waste by causing a scandal.

6:41 – You’re important to me, so I remember my promise. Before, I thought as long as I have music… As long as I can live and do music… But that wasn’t enough after all. I met Narumi, made a band with Shinobu, and invited Yuusei to join our band. We became Apple-Polisher together. I thought that was the peak of my life, but there was still a step higher.

7:21 – I want to keep aiming even higher in the future… In music and with you. Although I still don’t think I’ll be able to catch up to someone like you, someone who is like the sun for me… But someday I’ll show you. I’ll catch up to you.

7:46 – You really do cry easily, don’t you? But I guess that shows the extent of your feelings. I find that side of you appealing too, you know. Hey… will you continue to stay with me?

8:15 – Hm? Yes, I’ll stay beside you too. *kiss* I do think that someday… Someday it might be nice… for us to become a family together. *chuckles* I love you.

Track 4 – non-non-alcohol

0:02 – *beer can opening* Well then, cheers! *cans bump* *drinking sounds* The beer is good today too! Hm? Ah, yeah I’m really happy. Getting to perform the best live show ever with the guys, then getting fired up with all of them during the after party, and then getting to be alone with my cute girlfriend, drinking the beer I love.

0:40 – If this isn’t happiness, then I don’t know the meaning of the word. Yes, I think you’re cute. *drinking* I need another beer. *bag rustling* Thanks. *more drinking* So good! *beer spilling* Ah… I spilled it.

1:31 – *chuckling* Thanks. I’ll be careful not to spill it again. It’s not like I did it on purpose, I wouldn’t waste good beer like that. It’s just my hands are…. you know. *sighing*

1:58 – *sets drink down after drinking again* Ahh, so yummy. *rustling* I’m going to get a beer belly? No way, it’s fine. Even though I drink like this, I’m still working out enough. Do you want to see for yourself?

2:16 – You know… Narumi and Yuusei saying it is one thing, but you should know me best… I mean you see me in bed all the time. Or are you saying you want to see me naked right now? *Yuki getting shoved away* What’s with that? It’s not very cute of you.

2:39 – That’s the part where you’re supposed to get embarrassed and say yes. Wrong answer! I’m not drunk! I can still drink more. So give me some more. Ehh? Yeah, I drank at the after party but it wasn’t enough.

3:02 – No way! I wanna drink more! Besides, why aren’t you drunk? Did Shinobu tell you to look out for me? Am I a child? And anyways, why are you and Shinobu tag teaming on something like that?

3:23 – Have you been asking Shinobu about me? You don’t have to ask him about anything, I’ll tell you myself. Go ahead and ask me if you have any questions. But before that, another beer please! *bag rustling* Thanks. *drinking* So? Go ahead.

4:02 – I like meat, but I hate celery. As for a place that I like, the Amagi’s house. And a place I hate, hm… Well, let’s leave that one alone. My favorite music is rock, and there’s no music that I dislike. I’ll listen to most anything. I’m good at the guitar and… because it was the family business, tea ceremony. But now I don’t really even like looking at tea.

4:40 – After that, the people that I cherish are… Narumi, Shinobu, Yuusei, Tatsuo, and Narumi’s parents. As for the person I like… you. The person I love is also you. Is there anything else you want to ask about? I decided I wouldn’t lie to you about anything, so I’ll tell you whatever you want me to.

5:14 – So? What else is there? Oh, how I feel right now? Hm… Let’s see. *leans closer* I want to hold you. How about you? A kiss? Okay, let’s do it. Close your eyes. Yeah, just like that… *kiss*

6:12 – What do you mean what? I want to get you drunk too, so I made you drink some.　When you get drunk your cheeks go red, your eyes go moist, and you start staring at me. I can’t get enough of that face you make when you’re drunk… so I wanted to see it. Plus, when you get drunk you’re more honest with me and let me spoil you.

6:42 – You still haven’t had enough alcohol, right? I’ll help you drink. Open your mouth. *kiss* Ah… Some of it dribbled down your lips. So lewd…  Me? I’m not drunk. I was waiting for you to get drunk.

7:24 – That’s right, adults are cheaters. Shall we continue like this? Or do you want to go to the bed now?

Track 5 – Everything by… which music is you

0:23 – About time I head back… *footsteps* Oh, the moon. Hm? Nice work today. What’s wrong? You came out here to get a breather? That’s too bad. Here I thought you were lonely and came out to see me while I was smoking.

0:57 – Yeah, I already knew your answer but asked anyways. I told you before that I’m conceited. Well, I’m done with my smoke and was about to return anyways. But now that you’re here, I think I’ll linger and talk with you before I go back.

1:24 – I didn’t think you’d show up at a drinking party that Kippei invited me to. Yeah, I heard already. You met them at the studio and they dragged you along. Kippei is pretty pushy after all, huh? Seems like you guys were having fun at your table. But please, don’t let Narumi drink too much. Even though he doesn’t show it on the outside, he gets drunk before you know it.

2:02 – It’s not me being overprotective, I’m just worried. Am I worried about you? Nope… Did you think I’d say that? Of course I am. Worried that you’re getting along too well with Narumi, that Yuusei is getting too close, that Yuuki is being too touchy with you…

2:29 – *sigh* What are you grinning about? Yeah, I’m jealous. It’s fine that you get along, but getting along too well is… Oh! Don’t grab onto me without warning like that. You don’t know who might be watching?

2:51 – Just a little, huh? If someone comes we have to let go. Okay, good girl. My table? It’s a total mess. I’m busy enough between Kippei’s drunken grandstanding and Shinobu’s lecturing, and then Tasuku’s downing drinks like it has nothing to do with him. Why do I have to drink with those three?

3:27 – Isn’t it weird in the first place that when I try to sit beside you, Yuusei and Yuuki both get in my way? Then when I try to drink a beer, Kippei snatches it from me. I try to eat a snack and Tasuku takes that from me. Then beside me, Shinobu is drunk and trying to eat nut shells. It’s incredibly tiring.

3:51 – It seems like fun? Really, you… I’m not pouting. Like a child? I’m an adult, you know. Should I demonstrate that for you? She rejected me… Ungh… I guess I have no choice but to just hold you while I can.

4:27 – You… smell good. Yeah, I’m drunk. I get like this when I drink. Ahh, just holding you like this calms me… I enjoy how loud and exciting it can be drinking with everyone, but… I also like it when it’s just the two of us.

4:56 – I’d never thought that way before now. Oh, since you made me jealous, can you say it for me? That’s right, tell me that you love me. Yes, right here. You will when we get back to the room? So that means you’re going to stay over at my place today?

5:28 – Are you off tomorrow? Okay, then I’ll be patient for now. Well then, shall we head back? Otherwise they’ll start making fun of us. I don’t mind it, but you don’t like it, right? I know, it’s embarrassing. And I also don’t like watching them tease you either.

6:06 – Before we head back… *kiss* I want to hurry up and wrap you in my arms. *sigh* You stay here a little longer, I’ll go on ahead. You’re asking why? Because I don’t want them to see the expression you’re wearing right now. Then, see you after.

7:09 – Go in. *sound of the door locking* I don’t have to hold back anymore now, right? *kissing* No way, I can’t hold back anymore. Right here, right now… *peeling clothes off* Dammit… How do I take off these clothes? *kissing* You won’t run away, huh?

8:10 – Sorry. *sigh* I just can’t… I lose my composure when it comes to you. I get too jealous, because… I don’t want anyone to take you from me. Yeah, I guess that’s it. I’m worried. I mean, the way the two of us started off… wasn’t all that good.

8:59 – I guess it would be better to say it was the absolute worst way to start off. I hurt you and treated you horribly for the sake of my own ego. Just so I could get you away from Narumi, I lied to you, and I even took your first time.

9:21 – And yet you told me that you loved me. I was sure you had to have hated me, so there was no way you could feel that way, but… Maybe it’s because I’m the only guy you’ve been with, so that’s why you can say you love me right now– *slap*

9:44 – Sorry. It’s not that I doubt your feelings. I even feel conceited about the fact that you even looked my way in the first place. But… I can’t change the past. And I don’t think… I have the right to be loved by you.

10:10 – But… I don’t want to let you go. The more I got to know you, the more time I spent you, I fell in love with you. I can’t give you up now… The fact that music is my number one still hasn’t changed. If someone asked me to pick between you and music, I’d pick music.

10:45 – But… I love you enough that I would hesitate and have to think about it. You feel the same? Yeah, I guess we’re both like that. Hey, could you let me do things over again? I want to love you the right way. Want to get in bed now?

12:03 – You’re blushing… It’s cute. Don’t hold back, let me hear your voice. That’s right… Just like you did a moment ago. Do you love me? Me too, I love you. So cute… *sound of bed sheets moving* Oh? *Yuki humming to himself* No, not that phrase… Come on, don’t disappear on me… *continues humming, footsteps as he heads to his computer*

13:25 – And done. Now just to save it… So bright… Ah, crap… I did it again. She’s sleeping soundly. I better apologize to her when she wakes up. I’m sorry. Thank you, for loving someone like me.

14:20 – Get some rest. *kiss* Good night, my one and only.

Track 6 – Kiss me before I rise

0:05 – You’re sleeping sound… Such a cute sleeping face. What are you dreaming about? You’ll probably forget it by tomorrow morning. *gets up and heads for the balcony, taking out a cigarette to smoke*

1:00 – *sound of sheets moving as you get out of bed* You’re awake, huh? *Yuki puts out his cigarette* It’s fine, your health is more important. It’s cold over here, let’s go back inside. *sound of the door closing*

1:37 – You look like you’re still tired. Want to go back to bed? Me? I’m going to stay awake a little longer. I’m not going to go anywhere, I’ll stay right here. Nn…? What’s wrong, hugging me suddenly? It’s rare for you to act clingy like this.

2:09 – You thought I left? What are you saying, there’s no way that would happen, right? I’m right beside you. Yes, yes, there, there, spoiled girl. I’m not making fun of you, in fact I want to pamper you right now.

2:48 – Let you pamper me? I’m more the pampering type than the type to be pampered. I’m treating you like a kid? Of course I am. *sound of Yuki getting punched* Don’t get mad, I have a good reason for it.

3:14 – What reason? You won’t know if I don’t tell you? The way you keep looking at me is so arousing, I’m treating you like a kid to try to distract from it. If I don’t… then I’ll want to have sex with you again tonight… Okay?

3:41 – *laughing* Don’t hit me. But you’re not completely against it, right? You are? Hm, I wonder. Can I test that theory? You want to know how I’m going to do that? Like this. *kissing* See, your body is being honest.

4:15 – If only your mouth could be as honest… *struggling sounds* Ow, don’t bite me out of nowhere like that. Are you a dog? Huh? What are you disappointed about? Of course there’s only teeth marks, you bit me. Wait, were you trying to leave a hickey? Come on, don’t turn away.

5:00 – Look at me. I was right, wasn’t I? A hickey is a way to prevent cheating? Who told you that? Of course it was Yuusei… I’ll have a word with him tomorrow. Hey, you don’t have to do that. I won’t cheat on you anyways.

5:30 – I may not seem it, but I’m sincere. Even when I had a girlfriend in the past I never cheated. Sorry, that’s not really a pleasant topic either, is it… But anyways, as long as you’re beside me, I’m happy. Yeah, that’s right, I need Narumi and music in my life too… And beer.

6:04 – Don’t laugh, seriously… Oh yeah, let me teach you something. If you want to leave a hickey… *kissing* You do it like this. You don’t bite down, you just suck. Understand?

6:35 – It’s fine, no one will notice if you have a hickey here. Now, if you understand how to do it, go ahead and try. You wanted to put a hickey on me, right? You sure you don’t want to? You really don’t want to? *chuckling* It’s a little late to be getting embarrassed, you’re cute.

7:04 – Come on, it’s fine. Just try it. …It hurt a little, but you did it. Do you feel a little better now? Then I’m glad. In that case, there’s no reason for me to hold back anymore, right? What am I holding back on? *kissing*

7:56 – I want to feel you. Hm? You have a favor to ask? What is it? You want me to get up before you in the morning and wake you with a kiss? *deep breath* I wonder if I can wake up that early… You’re going to go to bed now if I won’t agree to do it? That’s not fair.

8:31 – Okay, we’ll have it your way then. *kissing* I want to hear you cry out for me with that sweet voice. I love you.

[shirlleycoyle]

My Community Is Warming Three Times Faster Than the Rest of the World

Indigenous peoples and people of colour are disproportionately affected by our global climate crisis. But in the mainstream green movement and in the media, they are often forgotten or excluded. This is Tipping Point, a new VICE series that covers environmental justice stories about and, where possible, written by people in the communities experiencing the stark reality of our changing planet.

Canada’s North is warming three times faster than the global average. Nowhere is this more acutely felt than in places such as Old Crow, the northernmost community in Yukon and home to the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. Earlier this year, Vuntut Gwitchin became among the first Indigenous communities to declare a climate emergency. Last week, Whitehorse, Yukon's capital, also declared a climate emergency.

An area encompassing Old Crow has seen one of the largest warm-ups in the country, with the average annual temperature rising by about 3.5 C between 1948 and 2016 compared to the national average of 1.7 C, according to a recent government report.

Vuntut Gwitchin member Paul Josie tells us what it’s like living through a climate crisis, how Old Crow has changed, and how science is just starting to catch up with their traditional knowledge and observations.

My name is Paul Josie. I am 33. I am a Vuntut Gwitchin member and Old Crow is my home. It is the most northwestern community in Canada and has a population of 280 to 300, depending on the season.

Just recently, our chief, Dana Tizya-Tramm, declared a climate change emergency. Over the past few years, we have been seeing a lot of changes on the land. I guess a lot of it comes with being above the Arctic Circle. We are the front lines of climate change and we’ve known that for a long time.

In the 1960s, ice used to break up on the river in the first week of June. Now, we’re looking at sometimes the first week of May. And the run-off used to come after the ice break-up. Now you’re seeing them coincide; the spring melt is happening at the same time as the ice break-up.

A flyover a lake in Old Crow in May revealed visible holes in the ice. Photo by Paul Josie

I remember growing up, they would take me out in October, and we would set nets and fish the coho salmon under the ice. Now, we’re looking at December and it’s not even safe to go on the ice in some places. We are learning to travel on the land again as opposed to using the knowledge that was passed on to us from our elders on which way to go, which time of year to go.

Even just this year, we had -4 C in February when usually temperatures are at least -30 C or -40 C. I was dog-sledding in February and it was warm enough to just mush in a sweater.

Dog-mushing in more temperate weather. Photo by Paul Josie

In March, we had rain. We usually don’t see rain until June. A few years ago we actually had thunder and lightning at the end of May, which we’ve never seen before, where the storms were so powerful.

We’ve also been noticing the organic material that settles at the bottom of lakes is melting and creating methane bubbles. Those create holes in the frozen lakes in spring that are covered by crusted snow, so you have to be very, very cautious when you’re travelling over lakes in the spring. And spring is when people trap muskrat. I remember when I was growing up, May was still a time that we would return from Crow Flats, and now, in mid-April, it’s dangerous to travel because everything’s melting so fast.

In June and July, it’s become so warm. There’s some rain but not enough to completely soak the land, so it leaves the areas dry and then the lightning hits, and now we’re starting to see more and more wildfires, not only in our traditional territory, but all across Canada.

One of 28 wildfires in the area in July 2017. Photo by Paul Josie

With the warmer summer season, a lot of the permafrost is melting. A few years ago, I started to see a lot of mudslides in the Porcupine River, which runs next to Old Crow. There was a huge mudslide that almost blocked Crow River, which leads north into Crow Flats which the Vuntut Gwitchin are named after⁠, “the people of the lakes.” The erosion from the high water and the melted permafrost has made the river wider, and the land is being washed away.

About 160 km upriver on the Porcupine is a giant mudslide, a result of melting permafrost. Photo by Paul Josie

A longer warm season has been causing a lot of rapid growth in the shrubs and the willows, so a lot of the areas we used to travel are growing in faster now. This is actually having an impact on the animals; the caribou have used the same trails for thousands of years but the trails are growing in, so they’ve started to change how they’re migrating.

Vuntut Gwitchin coexist with the Porcupine caribou herd. They were called the Porcupine caribou because they would always cross the Porcupine River to go to their wintering grounds. Climate change has changed their migration patterns. The past few years, we’ve noticed that they’ve been going over to Alaska and not even passing the river. They have even started to change when they’re migrating. Sometimes they’ll come a little earlier.

Evidence of a wolf close to the Old Crow community in the fall. Photo by Paul Josie

When the caribou haven’t crossed into the wintering grounds, the wolf population starts to get hungry. When the wolves are hungry, they move into our community. There was actually a small pack hanging around our community all winter. The wolves have to find something to eat and Old Crow being the one community in the area, they got curious. They killed a few dogs this past winter.

The different weather patterns are also putting a real strain on the salmon. The sun heats up the water and when it reaches a certain temperature, salmon will not swim upstream because their internal clock tells them the temperature is too high. We’ve been noticing that they’ve been going into different waterways in our traditional territory that they haven’t spawned in before.

Paul Josie holds up a large whitefish (left) and a chum salmon (right). Salmon used to spawn at 7-8 years but now they are spawning at 3-5 years. Photo courtesy of Paul Josie

We hear our elders talk about when they used to spend time in Crow Flats and they would see the return of migratory birds. They would talk about hundreds upon thousands of ducks, all coming back to Crow Flats to nest. Now, there have been very few migratory birds that come back.

With the climate emergency declaration, we want to get across how important this really is, that the land is changing, the Earth is going through this change. We want to get the word out, create a sense of urgency. And hopefully, it’ll start a ripple effect, one that creates change.

We’re making change, too. Old Crow is a fly-in community, and we use diesel generators for electricity, so it just made sense that we looked into renewable energy. We looked into solar. We have 24-hour sunlight in the summer; you’d generate 900 kilowatts in a day. During the summer months we could probably turn off the diesel generator and save up to 17 percent of diesel flown up. And you’ve got strong north winds in the winter that that we could use to generate wind power.

When we’re thinking about making a plan, I think not only about the next generation, but the next generation and the generation after that. We live a subsistence lifestyle because the cost of food and everything is so high, so it’s very important that we keep our waters clean and our animals healthy.

We always hear about the scientific reports on climate change. But we also have our traditional knowledge, which we’ve been trying to say is important because who else knows the land better than us, the stewards of the land?

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Paul Josie is a lifelong resident of Old Crow. He served as a Vuntut Gwitchin councillor for seven years and now runs his own winter tourism business, Josie’s Old Crow Adventures.

Jackie Hong is a journalist in Whitehorse. Follow her on Twitter.

Have a story for Tipping Point? Email TippingPoint@vice.com

This article originally appeared on VICE CA.

My Community Is Warming Three Times Faster Than the Rest of the World syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/