#the raccoon hat is so legendary

[cowboycyns]

This will never not be fuckin funny

clip of the raccoon hat lore when wife @cowboycyns and I were playing RDR2

[xxmia0wm4yh3mxx]

GLOOZE

(Chapter: two)

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Part 2 of my crap fic of my comfort au

Everyones kinda ooc Sorry :(

Its also kinda bad and Cringe

Part 1

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Caine: Today's Adventure is... HUNT FOR THE LEGENDARY ALIBEARMOOSECOON!

Caine announced Today's Adventure with usaul grander and gusto

Caine: The Legend says that Deep in the Forest Of Mount Allapackawape Is a Terrifying Monster with the Head of an Alligator, The body of a Bear, antlers of a Moose and The tail of a Raccoon!

Bubble popped out His hat

Bubble: A Big scary Monster? Sounds horrifying!!

Caine: Extremely Terrifying!

Bubble: ...Sounds kinda Hot-

Caine popped Bubble before he could say anything else

Caine: Your Job is to Hunt down this Hideous Helicopter and Save The People of AllapackaWape! Good Luck!

Caine snapped his Fingers and Summoned a Portal, As the Cast starting heading for the portal when Caine stopped them When He saw The Boy following them

Caine: Woah, Woah, Woah! Where do you think your Going Son?

The Boy: I dunno, Mount ally-backy-wamp Or whatever dumb thing you said

Caine: ....Are you sure you want To go? I mean, I don't want to Ruin Your Circus Experience but its quite Dangerous for a Child like you to go without A Parent or Guardian

Jax: C'mon Caine let the Kid come, Isn't This a Place for "All Ages?"

Caine: I-I Know, It's just my responsibility to Keep you happy and sane, And I'm afraid This Adventure Might be To Extreme for him

The Boy: pfft I'm notta Baby, Crapface!

Ragatha: Woah! Hey! Caine's just trying to help, Theres no Need to be Angry!

The Boy rolls his Eye

The Boy: I don't need his Help because He's an Idiot! And I don't Anybody else!

The Boy Jumped through the Portal

Caine: wah- HEY! That is no way to speak to your Ringmaster!

Pomni: Don't worry Caine I'll talk to him, Kid! Wait!

She Jumped through the Portal followed by the rest of the cast, Caine watched the portal closed, He was Worried about the Child and was definitely worried about Him possibly getting lost or scared

Caine: Tsk. Tsk. what a Troubled Boy...

Rogerg popped out of a trash can, eating a apple

Rogerg: Don't you have your own kid to worry about?

Caine: GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY! ENOCKS STILL HIDING AND I HAVEN'T SEEKED HIM YET!

He poofed out and Rogerg rolled his eyes

Deep In the Forest of Mount AllapackaWape, The cast Was hiking on the Allapackawape Trail Taking in the peaceful Sights of nature, Expect for Pomni who Was Trying to catch up to The Slime Boy trying to escape

Pomni: Hey! Kid! Wait Up!

The Boy: Go away Loser!

He tried to slink away but Pomni grabbed him by the back of his neck, He was trying to squirm away from her grasp like a Cat or a gelatinous Snake

Pomni: Would You cut it out?!

The Boy: @#$% Off Lady!

He flung his body away from her grasp and face planted on the Dirt Trail

Pomni: Done Now?

Boy: Fine. Whatever. Just don't tell me what to do

The boy reluctantly joined the Rest of The cast

Pomni: look...I know your only a kid and you don't know any better, But you really shouldn't Talk To Caine Like that When he only wanted to keep you safe

The Boy: *Raspberries* I Talks How I want to Clown Lady!

He slithered away from her

Pomni: HEY! Look, kid, I know its Scary, Being so far from home, trapped In a world that your not used to, stuck in a body that isn't yours, Being So far away from your parents... You must miss them alot...

The Boy: Hmmm.... Nah, I don't

He slinked away

Pomni: Wait, What?

Ragatha: Isn't This Nice? I Almost Forgot How Peaceful The adventures can be! Right Jax?

Jax Was staring at a white baby Rabbit Chewing On a leaf

Jax: Huh- What- Uh Yeah sure, cool... (it kinda looks like Patches)

Queenie: Oh Darling Look! Forget-met-nots, and delightful! And a.... Whats that Bug Near It?

Kinger: It looks like a Monarch Butterfly Dear!

Queenie: *gasp* A fellow monarch!

She Let the Butterfly climb unto her Fingers, Both admiring the white spots and black Stripes

Zooble Picked Up a Red feather

Zooble: Hey You Think Niku would Like this? Like maybe It could be and antenna or a finger or something

Gangle: Oh its Beautiful! Maybe we can Find more... Oh look!

She pointed to a Blue Feather stuck in a Tree

Gangle: Its even Their Favorite Color!

Zooble: I dunno... Its kinda High up

Gangle: Don't worry I got It!

Gangle climbed up the Tree And reached Out for the Feather, before she could grab it The Branch Started to creak and break and she Fell down a ditch

Zooble: GANGLE!

They slid down the ditch

Zooble: Gangle, You alright?

Gangle was face down in the dirt, Her Comedy Mask broken

Gangle: ...Did...Did I get it?

Zooble: Don't worry about it, what matters is you're okay, ...wait, Whats that?

Zooble poked their head out of the Bushes

Zooble: hey Guys, I Think I found Something

The Rest of the Cast Slid down the Hill and saw The trees Covered In giant Claw marks

Kinger: We must be getting close!

Jax: Okay, heres what were gonna do, One of you guys Will Be bait, And Then I sneak up behind it and Stab repeatedly

Zooble: Oh wow, Great idea Jax, and What happens when in stabs you back?

Queenie held up Her Axe

Queenie: I SAY WE BEHEAD THE BEAST!

Ragtha: Wait! We don't have to kill it! Maybe Theirs a way we can trap it and release it far away from the mountain, what do You think Pomni?

Pomni: Um... Well maybe... Wait a second, where's the New guy?

Jax: I dunno, your the one who told Caine who'd watch him

Pomni: Oh God, We lost him!

Ragatha: D-don't Worry! He couldn't have gone far, We just have to Find him!

Later, The Boy was Walking in the forest by himself, using his Gelatinous body to Easily slither past the thrush

The Boy: Watta Bunch of Freaks... I don't need them! I don't need anyone! Im going to punch that Stupid Bear-Moose in the face and show them How brave and awesome I am! And If that Teeth face guy or those Psycho-Aid-Lia-Losers will know if they start acting weird, Im gonna Beat there #$@%es!

Twig snapped and The boy shrieked like a Girl

The Boy: *Cough* I mean- WHO GOES THERE?!

The Boy: God thats stupid, Who Goes their? Who shes that? What am I a-

A shadow loomed over the Boy, with Giant Antlers and a Alligators Snout

The Boy: Is it raining or Something- OH MY GOD-

Pomni: God, Why'd he have to Wander off? Anyone find anything?

Kinger: I think I found Some Green Stuff!

Zooble: Thats just Moss Kinger

Kinger: Oh

Gangle: M-Maybe We should Split up?

Jax: Well then everyone gets lost Stupid!

Zooble: Watch Your Mouth Jack@#%

Ragatha: Guys Stop! We shouldn't be fighting with eachother when A Kid is Lost in the forest with a Monster on the loose, We should Just stay calm and-

AAAAAAAA-

A blood curdling scream rang through the Forest

Pomni: Oh God! Thats him!

Queenie: OFF WITH ITS HEAD!

Queenie took out her Battleaxe and Sprinted towards the Screaming, Kinger eagerly following behind her

Kinger: Wait for Me Love!

Everyone Ran to the Screams of the Boy, And Found The Boy cowering against a rock with the Alibearmoosecoon, Cornering Him, The Beast Let out a roar which sounded like a mix between a Bear and a Moose

Pomni: DON'T WORRY, JUST STAY THERE WE'RE GONNA GET HELP!

Jax: I Got This!

Jax Took out his Pocket knife and Jumped on the back of the Beast and jammed the Blade deep in Its back, The Beast led out another Roar and Fell on its back before getting back up on its Giant paws, Leaving Jax Squished like a pancake, Gangle snickered at this

Jax: Ow...

Zooble: Nice going Dumb@#$

Queenie: STEP ASIDE, I'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS BEAST!

The Alibearmoosecoon rushed towards her, She Used her axe to Parry against the beasts Antlers

Kinger: Woo! Go Queenie!

Kinger Clapped his Hands excitedly, Cheering for His wife, Pomni Snuck Past the Monster and Made her Way To The Boy

Pomni: Kid, Come with me! I'll get you out!

The Boy formed his hand to reach Pomni for a moment, before Retracting it back into himself

The Boy: I Told You! IM NOT A BABY!

The Boy lauched himself like a Spring and Jumped on the Beast's back and started punching it weakly, The Monster Flung its Head to the side, trying to Reach The Boy, Queenie went flying into the forest

Kinger: QUEENIE!

The Boy Grabbed the Alibearmoosecoon's antlers holding on like it was a Mechanical Bull Ride

The Boy: WA-HOO! DIE STUPID MOOSE, DIE!

Pomni: KID GET DOWN FROM THERE!! GUYS, DO SOMTHING!

Jax: What can We Do?!

Pomni: I Dont Know!? Something!?

Gangle Looked around Looking for something to Help, She Picked up a small Rock and Threw it at the Monster, The Monster Looked over to The rest of the cast and Started charging towards them sending them Running into the woods

Jax: Nice Going Ribbons! Now were all gonna Die!

Ragatha: NO ONE IS GOING TO DIE!

The Boy still holding on for dear Life and still punching The Monster on the Head, Poked the Beast in The Eye getting slime stuck in it, It scream in Pain and Flung the Boy off of It, Throwing Him against a Tree, The beast went charging at him and Started vigorously Clawing at the poor Child

Pomni: NO!!!

The boy Was nothing left put splatters of goo across the forest, The Creature turned back to Finsh the rest of the Cast, When the goop on its Alligator face started moving down its body and Towards where the boy was Previously cowering

Pomni: Huh?!

Gangle: Whats happening?!

The Slime splattered on the leaves, bushes, trees and rocks slithered towards eachother and formed a pile and into a small tower and into The boy, His Bright Orange Eye shooting across the area

The Boy: Im alive? IM ALIVE!

The beast roared at him again, and the Boy Ran launched himself into the forest with the Monster charging towards him, The boy Grabbed unto branches to push himself futher

Ragatha: HANG ON! WERE COMING!

Infront of him the Boy saw a giant ravine and stopped and clung to a tree branch right before he could fall, The Alibearmoosecoon ran right into The Ravine, it levitated in the air for a Moment Before Quietly saying "Uh Oh" and fell to its demise

Everyone Just looked down into the ravine completely expressionless

Jax: Huh, Can We go back now?

Later, everyone was exiting the portal and Into the Circus

Caine: Welcome Back you Malpracticed Mangos! I hope you all had a Wonderful experience!

Caine floated down to Pomni

Caine: So Did You talk To him?

Pomni: Well kinda-

She was cut off By the Boy Screaming and Falling from the ceiling and splattered on the floor and Reformed without a scratch

The Boy: COOL!!

The Boy intentionally sprinted into a nearby wall

Ragatha: um... What are you doing?

The Boy: I'M INVINCIBLE!! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!!! I gotta see what else I can Do!

Pomni: Hey Wait!

Caine: Well At least he doesn't seem mad at me anymore!

Pomni gave him the side eye

Caine: What?

The continued to Test his New indestructiblity with increasingly More dangerous acts, He ran up To Gangle who was Gifting a Red feather to Niku

Gangle: I'm sorry I couldn't get you a Blue one

Niku: Quite Alright!! Much appreciated Muma!

Niku Stuck The Feather on the Side of Their head

The Boy: Hey Guys Look!

The Boy took three Knives and threw up in the Air, Letting them land On his Head and Niku and Gangle Screamed in horror and Shock

Niku: How could anyone do Such a Thing?!

The Boy: Calm down, Im fine! Wanna See it Again?

Niku: Nononononononon! Please no!

The boy rolled his eye and oozed away, and climbed up slithered up The giant Blocks unto the top

The boy: BEHOLD! THE MOST SPECULAR STUNT YOU HAVE EVER SEEN!

Princessa: What on earth Is he Doing?

Patchricia shrugged and they both looked up at him

The Boy leaped down the blocks, Splattering himself all over the Floor getting Bits of himself all Over the Two Girls, causing them both to Scream

Patchricia: EEEEEEEEWWW!!!

Princessa: GROSS, GROSS GROSS GET IT OFF!

They boy reshaped himself not leaving a single drop

The Boy: Pfft Losers

Patchricia: FREAK!

The Boy: Whatever, You can go Get Stabbed!

The Boy continued his Self-injury spree, each one becoming more and more dangerous, Squishing himself under Blocks, Letting Gloinks try to tear him apart, Even setting himself ablaze, Making Every person with morals concerned

Princely: STOP IT! YOU'RE GONNA GET HURT!!

The Boy: Calm Down dude! I won't get hurt!

Princely: Why is He doing this?! Isn't he scared?!

Princessa: He doesn't have A real body Princely, Just pure Glop

Princely: I know, but still!

The Boy carried on to injure himself through the week, Testing the Limits of his Resistance to pain, stabbing himself with Darts, Beheading himself with Queenie's axe, and even shooting himself with a Gun He found, even Making the most nonchalant cast members and Pals uncomfortable

The Boy: THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!! IM GONNA LIVE FOREVER!!!-

He was cut off when he Felt a Sharp, pricking sensation shoot through his Eye, He couldn't See what it was Because He went completely blind, He screamed in pain as loud as possible, calling For help

Enock dropped the Bow

Enock: OH MY GOSH! MOM! MOM!

Pomni was Helping Him get the Arrow out of his eye, pulling on it Causing more Pain For the Poor boy

The Boy: OW! OW! OW!-

Pomni: Hold still!

Pomni was able to yank the Arrow out of His eye, letting The Boys vision return

Pomni: Maybe you shouldn't play with Arrows...

The Boy: Yeah Okay..- Wait No- Im mean- YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!! I DO WHAT I WANT!!

The Boy Raspberries at Pomni and Sprung away

Pomni: HEY!

The Boy slithered away from Everyone

The Boy: Whatta bunch of loser dorks...

Enock: GREENIE GUY! GREENIE GUY!

The Boy: Oh great...

Enock ran Up to him, Crying profusely

Enock: IM SO SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO SHOOT YOU IN THE EYE ITS JUST YOUR FACE LOOKED KINDA LIKE A TARGET AND I GOT CONFUSED I KNOW YOU ASKED ME TO SHOOT YOU WITH A ARROW BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE AND MY AIM IS REALLY AND I'M SOOOORRRYYY

Enock continued to Apologize to him over and over, nearly incomprehensible due to his Crying, The Boy Just stared at him like he was bathing in peanut and jelly in public naked

The Boy: Dude- Dude- Dude calm down its fine! Im okay! God!

Enock: Are you sure?! You're not upset?!

The Boy: Well.. I mean...

Enock out stretched his Arms and The boy back away from him

The Boy: Weirdo...

Enock: *sniffles* sorry...

The Boy oozed away from Enock, leaving him crying by all by himself and alone

Caine: Heya Sport! I found a Rock that kinda looked your Mother and-

Caine Noticed His Son was Crying

Caine: Enock what's wrong son?

Enock: *sniffles* I accidentally shoot the slimy guy and He's mad at me now

Caine: You shot him?!

Enock: Yeah... With a Bow

Caine: Well You go around bull's eyeing your friends Ennie!

Enock: I know! But he asked me To!

Caine: He asked you... To shoot him with a arrow..

Enock: Yeah! A-and earlier I saw him Eta Bomb!

Caine: He ate.. A Bomb..

Bubble: A Delicious Gourmet Meal!!

Caine: As he been Hurting himself for a while now?

Enock: yeah 'vrebody tells him to stop but he doesn't lishen! I kinda... scared for him...

Caine: hmmm... I need to Go talk to You're Uncle about this, Here play with Your giraffe! Love you kid!

Caine poofed away and Summoned a yellow Balloon Giraffe splotched in colorful spots and Two Big googly eyes That could Stare into your soul lovingly, The Giraffe-puppy Barked happily and Licked Enock's Tears away

Enock: Nanner!!

Enock squeezed Bananer gently

The Next morning The Boy slowly opened His to Be Jump scared by Caine appearing at of nowhere and screaming at him causing the boy to scream back

The Boy: AHH-

Caine: AHH-

The Boy: AHH-

Caine: AHH-

The Boy: WHY ARE YOU HERE?!

Caine: THATS A GOOD QUESTION- *Cough*

Thats a good Question!

Caine: Ive been Told that You have been expressing yourself In harmful ways, And its making everyone very... Disturbed...

The Boy: Yeah, But, I Can't get hurt so what?

Caine: Well I'd hate to interfere with Your Self expression, But maybe You Could find another way to make yourself entertain-

The Boy: I DO WHATEVER I WANT! YOU DON'T CONTRIL ME, DENTURES!

The Boy sprung away but Caine stretched out his arm and pulled him back to Him, Holding him like a Hissy Kitten

The Boy: LET ME GO YOU @#$%!!

Caine: Now, Now son theres No reason to Get explicit, I've Come to Bring You Good news!

The Boy stopped thrashing and looked at him

The Boy: Really? What?

The Caine: Your gonna go to School with your new Friends, The P.A.Ls!!

The Boy: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-

END OF CHAPTER 2

Part 3

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

_Art Book of Naruto Uzumaki_ Part-3

This appeared on the front cover of the issue of Weekly Shonen Jump in which the serialization of Naruto began. I mainly wanted to establish that this character is a ninja and convey his personality by doing things like putting a leaf on his head, having him make a hand sign, making him look cheerful...but putting all these elements into one picture ended up making it appear jumbled. Also, I used a coloring pen called a COPIC marker here for the first time, and because I wasn't used to it yet, I colored little by little as if I were using a brush. As a result, the coloring came out oneven.

Here's another one I drew for a shonen jump commemorating the second anniversary of the Naruto series. Naruto's making peace signs, but holding up two fingers also represents the number 2, for the second anniversary (laugh). When I was drawing this picture my schedule was so tight that my editor suggested, "Maybe it'd be easier to do a design where Naruto is appearing out of smoke!" As it turned out. It was difficult drawing the right amount of smoke to cover Naruto's body (laugh). I just couldn't decide how much of Naruto should be hidden or visible, or how to show him emerging from the smoke. The bluish color of the smoke was used to make Naruto stand out. I usually use this kind of color scheme so that Naruto's orange outfit will "pop".

In this volume, Tsunade appears along with Jiraya and Orochimaru, and Naruto gets tangled up with them. So I drew those Three Legendary Ninja on the book cover. I put Naruto on the cover became I had to, more than for any other reason (laugh).

I wanted Naruto in some kind of pose, so after some agonizing, I had him make the formal greeting of the yakuza from the movie Jingi. I've seen many of the flims in the Jingi movie series, and I like those kinds of Japanese modes and customs. [ Jingi is a Yakuza series that describes humanity, justice, and moral relationships between a boss and his henchman, or a master and his pupil. ED]

This dragon head actually exists in China.

There's a dragon on top of the roof tiles of the wall of a house or something.

That image was so impressive to me that I wanted to put it on top of a roof, not just a wall.

The top of the roof tiles form the backbone of the dragon, and it connects the dragon's tail and face. Naruto and the other three on the roof are wearing sashes. Naruto's sash ties his sword to his back, and the wind is making all the sashes float on the air.

I created this piece based on the catchphrase "Hide your appearance, but don't hide your dream" (the winner of a catchphrase contest held by Weekly Shonen Jump in 2003). Naruto is hidden but his dream is not... I had a really hard time coming up with a composition that would express this idea while sticking to the Naruto style. Boy, this was a handful (laugh). [Naruto's banner reads "Number one under the sun! Hokage Naruto." -Ed.]

I wanted to draw Naruto's hands creating a sign, so l designed this to emphasize his hands. Also, I wanted to show the sign from the side instead of straight on. I like drawing hands, fingers and toes. But they're difficult...and I can't do them very well. Actually, I could've chosen at the beginning to have Naruto wear boots instead of sandals, but I picked sandals because I really wanted to draw toes. It's a major headache for the animators (laugh).

I actually like drawing animals, too. Partially because of Akira Toriyama-sensei's influence on me, I've always felt that a manga artist has to be good at drawing animals. So I've practiced them since junior high school. In this picture, I paid close attention to balancing the layout of the animals. I also wanted to draw some small object to spice up each animal, such as an apron for the dog, a hat for the tanuki (raccoon dog), a bandage for the monkey and a scroll for the weasel. But actually, the bird doesn't have anything... (laugh).

I spent a lot of time drawing this because it was for the cover of the first volume of Naruto. It took me a week just to do the rough draft and about a day and a half to color it. One reason it took so long to color is that I used gouache (a kind of opaque watercolor paint) I had had since college. I personally like gouache because you can use it to give a lot of depth to the colors. I ended up having to redraw the main lines with a precision pen because the paint covered them up. How's that for double work? (laugh).

[raccoongamejournal]

Pokémon X Chapter 1: The Beginning

The adventure has begun...

The title screen showed off the graphics style (a change from what I was used to with either gen V or gen IX) as well as Xerneas (the box legendary) so I watched it for a bit before I remembered to actually press the Start button.

Starting the game, I was shown Professor Sycamore, who explained the basic idea of Pokémon with a nice cinematic cutscene.

(I promise I won't be doing a play-by-play, I just want to set the scene properly).

...and right off the bat the game asks me to choose one of two gender options. Hmmm. Time to google the character models.

Oooh, there's some customization later, and it looks like the female protagonist has way more hair options (according to serebii.net):

So yeah, guess I'm a girl for this run because I want more customization options, even if those only get unlocked later.

I'm naming my character for this playthrough "Procyon", after the scientific name for raccoons, Procyon lotor, because I kind of have to do something raccoon-related (see: the blog name). Since there is a (small) chance that people I don't know in person will read this I don't want to use my typical Pokémon character name, which has some personally identifying info in it. Internet safety is important.

With setup over, Sycamore stands in front of a glowing door and gives a big speech before...

...a bird (more accurately, a fletchling) flies into my room and wakes me up.

One costume change later, I now have a stylish hat. My character's mom (I think that's who the adult in the house is) tells me to go talk to the neighbors since we just moved here, so off I go...but I have to say hi to the fletchling first. Gotta be polite.

The neighbors introduce themselves as Calem and Shauna. Apparently Sycamore knows who I am and has a task for 5 kids. Instead of escorting me, however, the neighbors say they'll wait in the next town over. So of course I wander around Vaniville Town for a bit first. The plot can wait, right?

I love in-game controls explanations.

Vaniville Town isn't that big, so I'm on my way pretty quickly. Route 1's music is very bouncy. I do kinda want a way to control the camera perspective though, and keep using the right stick on my controller by instinct (it doesn't do anything to the camera).

Very quickly, I'm in Aquacorde Town. I meet up with the other kids and meet Tierno and Trevor. Oh, and they want to give me a nickname:

...how about something else?

Lacking any other ideas, I went with "Procy".

Next, I picked my starter, a fennekin who I named Browser. This was too good of a joke to pass up (because fire...fox. no I will not apologize). Shauna gets chespin, and Calem gets froakie. Then we get Pokédexes. Standard start-of-Pokémon-game stuff. Oh and the Professor wants to send 5 kids on quests to complete the Pokédex (never mind that sending 5 kids to just go off on their own and catch Creatures sounds like a terrible idea as an adult, but just roll with it). Also Sycamore has a letter for Procyon's mom (no, I'm not saying "my mom", that feels a bit weird).

(Look, I know I said I wouldn't do a play-by-play, but the beginning stuff sets up the story, and a lot of the actual gameplay is battles, so I want to be sure to set the scene appropriately. That way, hopefully reading this feels like an actual journal entry, and I don't have to explain who characters are later.)

I need to deliver the letter first, so back I go...oh wait, Shauna wants to battle, so I guess that's first actually.

My cute little fire fox has a type advantage and wins with two Embers. I feel slightly bad. Back to delivering the letter (I think this bit with having the player walk back was just so that they could show off the art style and 3d road tbh). Apparently Sycamore does need parental permission or something though, which is encouraging, and Procyon's mom is supportive of the idea.

This is France. I was right.

Also I'm slightly concerned I'll get burned by my new friend (I want to pet its ears!)...it's cute though.

And back (again) to Aquacorde Town.

I know this is game navigation advice, but it feels a little like they don't like my hat :( I like my hat.

Soon, I'm at Route 2...without any Pokéballs. I wasn't sure if this is intentional or if I missed something, so I doubled back to check. And yep, there are stores selling Pokéballs and Potions, plus a library (?) where Pokémon can be healed. There's a full Pokémon Center later on though, apparently.

With 10 Pokéballs, 1 Premier Ball, and 5 Potions in stock, I'm now ready for Route 2. First encounter: a pidgey who I named "Agent Jones" (perfectly normal thing to call a bird, what are you talking about). Then I got a weedle, who I originally wanted to name "Worchestershire" just for laughs (but that wouldn't fit) but ended up calling "Thesaurus" because...I don't even know. Look, I panic a bit when I don't have a good name in mind immediately.

After Agent Jones gets knocked out by another pidgey (I forgot how brutal early-game leveling can get) I decide to heal up before returning. I can see someone standing at the top of the screen, just past the patch of grass, but the plot can wait, I want more Littol Guys.

I catch a fletchling of my own, who I name "Batman" because the Pokédex calls it a "Tiny Robin Pokemon" and I don't know enough DC Comics lore to give it a better name (like one of the names of the actual Robins). Also, calling a tiny bird "Batman" is funny to me. Batman is then joined by a bunnelby who I name "Basil" (Redwall reference), and a scatterbug who I was about to name "French Fries" before I go with "Frites" instead. We are in Pokémon France, after all.

I then catch a zigzagoon, the "Tiny Raccoon Pokémon" (yippee!) who I name "Henry" because she looks like a Henry for some reason. I don't really pay much attention to Pokémon's gender when giving them names; names are gender neutral anyway. Henry is the first Pokémon to go into the boxes; she'll be there for a bit I guess because I haven't seen a way to access that yet.

For added context, at this point in the journal entry I am still in the first patch of grass. After typing that sentence out, I convince myself to leave the dang grass patch alone and move forward. I can focus on Pokédex completion later, I'm still really early in the game even if I'm used to late-game level grinding and Pokémon hunting from finishing up Pokémon Black just a few days ago.

Shauna and Calem give me a tutorial on how to catch Pokémon (very useful, since I've been doing that for the past 20 minutes, but hey, never hurts to get a refresher). Calem then gives me some Pokéballs, which is nice of him.

There you go, that's basically Pokémon games summed up in one sentence.

I level up my team for a little bit as I move down Route 2. I keep thinking about type matchups and then remembering it doesn't really matter since they're all just using Tackle most of the time anyways. I don't know what plot points and battles will occur next, but I might as well be ready (and also I don't want to have Browser outlevel the rest of the team by that much (it's going to happen anyway)). I think I've found all the Pokémon here though (unless there's a rare spawn), so I move on once my team is all at least level 5...

...to where my first trainer battle (Youngster Austin) waits by the entrance to Santalune Forest. Austin's single level 5 zigzagoon is no match for Agent Jones and Browser, so that goes quickly.

At this point, it's been about 2 hours of gameplay, and it's 1am for me as I write this, so I'm calling it a night here. It's been a lot of fun, and I'll get back to it soon. I don't have a set schedule for this, but look out for chapter 2 this week at least, probably in the next few days.

As always, Pokémon name suggestions are welcome (and now you've seen why).

Stay safe everyone, and see you next time.

[mikiruma]

im gonna talk abt tf2 and pokemon again bc i can.

scout of course would dig fast pokémon!!! he's probably got a jolteon he loves dearly, maybe even a crobat he was given (as a zubat) in childhood. from who? eyes emoji there are faster pokémon, sure, but a lot are legendaries or bugs- and he's still trying to warm up to bugs. when/if he did, you KNOW he'd be all over ninjask or accelgor. he usually fawns over pokémon he thinks would make him look cool or fit his fight style (ie hit ur opponents the hardest first & dont get touched) but has a weak spot for some of the "cuter" ones. probably tried to lick a vanillish. as staunch a believer i am he'd be from castelia city, i like the idea that he used to be a rocket grunt, or someone who wanted to join team rocket at one point. i was trying to decide if he'd have a type preference but i like to think he's a mixed bag, mostly because every pokémon is cool and exciting to him! if you did ask & he did have to pick, it'd definitely be electric. wait, dragon, obviously... nah, fighting is good. no wa

soldier's partner is obvious! zigzagoon! mostly bc its a raccoon-like lil dude... he probably gives nicknames to every pokémon he sees, not necessarily just the ones he tries to catch. because lets face it, his zigzagoon is the ONLY pokémon that matters to him. well, that and any that catches zhanna's eye. his zigzagoon carries an everstone and is probably stupid high levelled but nobody really keeps track. soldier does initiate a lot of battles, but they're more fun when zhanna's with him too! theyre an inseperable group who probably wreak enough havoc to be considered their own team of hooligans, but who's to stop a happy couple with their adorable op pokémon? also i kinda wrote all that down super quick buuuut zigzagoon also works as a support pokémon for him when his stability gets extra rough, laying on his lap and helping to keep him grounded. he doesnt have any desire to keep more pokémon since he's fine with just 1, but if he had more i think he might get along with loudred or chatot. (chatot would DEFINITELY take some warming up to on his end but i LOVE THE THOUGHT)

pyro loves fire types of course!!! theyre probably the only one brave enough to pet their hotter ones. engineer probably made em special gloves just so they could play with their slugma... its hard to pick favorites, but the ones theyre closest to are slugma and monferno. they also have a solosis who just loves to play! unlike other people who usually just have one pokémon walking with em at all times, pyro tends to keep all three of theirs out of their pokéballs. they worry about them getting cramped or bored, and while its good exercise, sometimes its difficult to wrangle them when solosis has someones hat and slugmas melting through the furniture and monferno found spy's disguise kit.. theyre a big happy family though!! i think pyro would also like fairy types a lot, but if they got a fourth pokémon, theyd probably keep it at a daycare for the sake of themselves and the rest of the team. just in case, they might really want a sylveon or snubbull.

demoman and any pokémon knowing any explosive moves is an obvious fit! i initially liked him and electrode for this, but since part of their biology is exploding unpredictably... maybe that ones saved for battling. or at least not kept at any of the bases. i like the idea of him keeping his battle partners & normal team separate. when he's not drunk, he's a very skilled trainer and actually took a handful of gym challenges when he was younger. of course it started getting tough to balance work and training, but he never intended to get far in gyms anyway- to him it was just a fun challenge where he got to bond with his pokémon. other than his electrode, he's probably also got a charmeleon (whos either causing mischief with pyro's monferno or keeping demo company while he works/naps) and a honedge (who he will spar with sometimes). he used to have several other pokémon, but he eventually didn't like keeping them all abandoned in pc boxes, and ended up rehoming a lot of them. scout probably has a meowth from him, but he wont tell you.

heavy never cared too much about setting up huge teams or amassing a large collection. he never carries pokéballs, but his party is made up of some impressive pokémon. unlike most of the team who catch their pokémon through normal means (trade/gift, fishing, etc), he befriended his naturally. its easy to say one is ursaring, so of course im going to say it. he wont share how they met, but i wanna say he found its egg abandoned and raised it from there. they probably wrestle a lot but theyre always careful not to seriously injure each other. he befriended his mamoswine (then swinub) shortly after, then his abomasnow much later, in between him busting his family out of the gulag & leaving to find work. he left all three in siberia in the care of his family, but has a teddiursa from his ursaring to think of them all by. probably spoils the crap out of em all every chance he gets though, he loves his pokémon as much as his human family and saves recipes for poképuffs & poffins.

engineer wasn't always on board w the idea of a partner pokémon, mainly because he was always into engineering and was sure he'd be too caught up in it to focus on.. well, anything else. sure, when he was younger, he was like most kids and dreamt of being a league champion, but it always seemed to fall through.. until he discovered steel types. he started his journey later than most, but more than anything he's thankful because they help immensely with his work and lighten the load. he has a magneton who.. isn't that bright, but he's cute and thats what matters. he's also got a rotom who occasionally helps experiment with new machines, but mostly just possesses dispensers and rubs itself on everyone and everything. yum, static cling! engie didn't get into battling as much as he thought he would, but he's essentially working his dream job with his best friends (and 8 other dorks) so things are pretty good. this doesnt mean he wont go for human help when hes stumped or burnt out, though! other partner thoughts i had were torkoal, raichu and porygon2.

sniper is probably the biggest pokémon expert out of everyone on the team (well, aside from medic probably.) he's basically a walking pokédex and can tell you all about type matchups. he's also way closer to his pokémon than people realize, and especially closer than any real people. this is especially noticeable with his baby kangaskhan- although with a heavier origin than simply "abandoned", he ended up bonding with heavy over the ordeal. even with more technical aspects memorized, raising this baby was a completely new venture- not one he hated though! he also collects bug pokémon (that he lets scout get close to,when he tries to get over his fear) & has a slakoth that just kinda.. fell asleep on him one time and just never went away. other choices include koamala or krokorok.

medic is like a pokémon professor but fucked up. while he was primarily a human doctor, after losing his medical license, he started to dedicate time to studying pokémon. he doesnt run inhumane experiments on them because i said so. he's working on filling up his pokédex more than anything, and loves listening to others talk about their partners or other species theyve seen. he has his own pokémon too of course! as the team healer its only natural he has healing pokémon like audino and blissey, but he has a soft spot for flying types, specifically the birds. he has way too many pidove. he probably has a massive aviary separate from his medical lab where he keeps more birds, namely pidgeotto, fearow and some starly. he used to travel a lot (especially after being chased out of his hometown), but he saw it as more chances to discover new pokémon. probably has a very illegal form of the pokémon boxes with no storage limit. also probably heard the stories about mew and mewtwo and actually got inspired. probably owns the most pokémon merc, specifically stationery- hey, if ur getting some unethical experiment performed on you by the german guy you tried to rob earlier that night, are you going to pay more attention to his shit eating smirk or his cool ass holographic pikachu pencils??? or perhaps the cutesy eeveelutions stickers on the back of his clipboard???? thats what i thought.

spy looks like the guy who would probably be the least into pokémon, but that couldn't be further from the truth. he's not as wild as scout or medic by any means, but back in his day he was "pretty decent" (a gym leader.) i like the idea of zoroark being his partner, but you know who else is cool??? cofagrigus. gengar. banette. probably the only one on the team to actually get into mega evolving. and the only one with a shiny, but its gengar so we dont talk about that. i wont imply he loves his pokémon over his own family, he's just had a lot on his plate. remember scouts crobat? while hes got a more methodical approach to battling, he doesnt do it nearly as often as he used to. he still keeps his gym team, and though they tend to be more serious than the other pokémon in the base, they do on occasion get into trouble with others, namely pyro's solosis and scout's jolteon. not misbehaving on purpose, just being curious :0 probably uses luxury balls to catch all his pokémon and has an unused love ball with scouts moms name engraved on the bottom. (either for the novelty, or maybe hes trying to find the right one to catch for her??)

[the-labyrinth-of-me]

When you want to hunt a specific kind of animal: aimlessly riding around, rabbits and squirrels jumping on the road (except you wanna hunt THEM), quiet, calm peace. Regular camping, eating and sleeping. Horse is fed and fit like a fiddle. Beard reaches into boots. 3 baths necessary bc of massive amount of dirt. Started to talk with your hat at some point bc you're so goddamn lonely.

When you just wanna ride from point A to point B: bison. everywhere bison. 3 cougar attacks per minute. Constant flight from wolf packs. Massive deer, bird and rabbit roadkill. More falling from horseback under attacks than actual riding. Foxes and raccoons everywhere. Eagles accompanying you on your way. Wapiti carrying your luggage. Owls offering you to light up a cigarette. Legendary animals greeting you as you ride past them. The swamp ass White Alligator sings you a lullaby. Your horse plays poker with the white Arabian horse, a wild Nokota and the Tiger striped mustang while you're asleep. Tatanka makes you a fresh cup of coffee in the morning.

[djerinyes]

Goblin Acquired

As of a week ago, Daejun viewed cats, dogs, and other domestic animals as small, hairy, fat pillows filled with allergens and annoying noises which induced a hypnotic mastery over owners, driving previously level-headed people to find it funny when the beasts so much as stared at a wall for too long. 

He had distant experience with both species. A group of alley cats lived behind the house growing up, but there was never room in the budget for kibble (mother scolded that they didn’t need to feed half the city’s raccoons when they could scarcely feed themselves), so Daehwan and Daeseong’s hopes of luring them over to pet went unfulfilled. Dogs were vividly represented as broad, bulbous-headed animals with crocodile teeth and foamy maws, kept as feral guards to herd, maul, and cripple intruders who foolishly ventured into the mob’s base, kept bloodthirsty by one of his underlings in Ashford River. Certainly, he’d never touched any beast until, prompted by Noah with the hope that it would alleviate the persistent guilt which refused to be shaken away or ignored, he visited a shelter. 

Strategically avoiding the dog area, he made his way into a dingy linoleum-floored square room where rows of cages were stacked full of cats of every shade and size; after careful consideration, he picked a quiet, solid one with a square face and bored expression.

Admittedly, the sensation of dull fur prickling and embedding into his jacket and skin would later lead him to scrub both the cloth and his skin clean, but for the moment, he could stand it. The handler demonstrated how to hold it properly, and after a minute of gentle stroking, it started to purr like a choked old truck, and he nearly dropped it. 

The boys would like this cat. It was ragged enough to resemble a stray, but confident enough to stay still as he held his breath and swirled his fingers through its pelt. It’d be patient through whatever antics they thought of, like prodding its whiskers or dressing it up in ridiculous little scarves and hats. However, Daejun wasn’t so easily charmed. Its little forearms rested on his wrists, back paws dug into his thigh, completely balanced, but somehow he got the impression that it was squishing down into his body, ready to fall off his lap at any moment, like he was holding sentient jello that would drop its shape on a whim and wobble right through his fingers. The whole thing was too unsettling.

However, the tom made a decent first impression, and as he left the shelter catless once more, he found his mood inexplicably improved. He was still guilty, and covered in shed, so he wasn’t setting foot in that building again, but the general concept of having one for himself didn’t seem so laughable. 

He caught himself thinking about how nice it was to hold a living, breathing thing again that evening, and then again in the morning. He absolutely wouldn’t allow some furbeast to go roaming around his clean house. He wouldn’t. But he also couldn’t quite shut down the idea that there might be another option. 

And, according to the internet, there was, in the form of a specially bred hairless cat. Most of the ones he saw were kittens who hadn’t even been weaned, which he didn’t want for the weeks-long wait until adoption was possible, or for the responsibility of raising an infant, so he turned to rescue sites, and found a few older animals who’d been given up by their previous owners. With a simple call to a breeder named Patricia, the matter was settled, and he agreed to purchase a three year old Sphynx. 

Apparently one acquired cats in the same way they did drugs: sitting in the parking lot of a run-down diner, in the car with an ungodly sum of cash, judging each other’s ride (she drove a gleaming grandma-white Nissan of all things), and sizing each other in the time it took to shake hands and exchange greetings. Patricia was a kindly, tall woman with ginger hair, freckles, and a smile that beamed brighter than a naked florescent bulb. Held up to her breastbone was a prune of a creature with gray-blue skin that darkened to black around its points, with a few white spots scattered around its pointed nose and chin. It looked a little shell-shocked from the ride. 

Daejun offered the money, and Patricia pressed the warm, fleshy bundle into his arms so she could count it. This close, he could see her bone-colored canines poking ever so slightly from her lower lip, creating a scraggy, rough sort of air which was at odds with the way she curled up to his chest, unsheathed her claws, and clung with a friendly yet determined manner to his knitted top. She was, as promised, hairless, covered only by a velvety layer of peach fuzz, extensive wrinkles, and a baby pink and white polar fleece sweater. 

Her eyes, the same faded teal as cheap tile lining the pools in seedy motels, were narrowed, gazing up at his face for a split second before lowering to dart left and right as cars passed in the distance. She was skinnier, smaller, and more haggard than the portly tom he’d met earlier that week, steadily nosing into the lapel of his jacket for shelter from the wind-chilled air and vast world. He found himself pressing his hand, a limb which brought destruction, ruin, blood, and death in its grip, over her back to keep her in place. Her spine, cottoned by the fleece, was stiff, about as strong as a pencil, ribs as fragile as shatterglass as little overwhelmed huffs left her. 

She was possibly the tiniest thing he’d ever seen, dropped into his killer palms like bird shit, yet an unfamiliar, sickening sort of fondness unfurled in his gut. She was... endearing. His dead brothers would laugh themselves silly if they saw her coiled in Daejun’s arms, probably complaining that she looked like an uncooked chicken in a dress, but he liked her for himself, and that was enough. 

He tickled her triangular ear. She made no noise, but further gripped him with her dagger-claws, relaxing slightly. Hopefully he wouldn’t hurt her unintentionally by rolling over and squishing her in his sleep (which was less of an issue since she wouldn’t be allowed on his bed), or stepping on one of her eldritch toes with his sharp formal shoes, squeezing her neck too hard, or boiling her in bath water. He needed to be vigilant with her. He needed to protect her, both from himself and any outside force that dared try to touch his gremlin. 

But if she was really going to be his, she’d need better sweaters than polka dotted fleece which clashed with her complexion: cool tones, blacks, deep greens, wine reds, and plums would be the colors of her future! And of course, what was a well-dressed cat without an expensive collar? She’d have one gem-encrusted with pure silver tags before the weekend!

Patricia cleared her throat, pocketing the money, and he shut his mouth, affixing his cracked poker face into place once more, but she stilled looked ready to vomit happiness at the sight. “Alright! Now that payment is out of the way, here’s a folder with some care instructions and pet insurance information. She’s already protected in case you ever need to take her to the vet, and she needs vaccines every year.”

Daejun nodded, paying closer attention than he really needed to as she shuffled a stack of stapled papers. Google had the answers to everything these days, but he still wasn’t willing to risk doing something wrong between now and when he got around to reading a Wikihow article. 

“But she still needs to go to the clinic frequently to have her ears cleaned. She also needs to be bathed once a week with cat or baby shampoo, and her eyes, face, and feet should be done every one or two days. She’s a great little lady! I’m sure you two will get along great!” 

“Thanks.” Surprisingly, he meant it. “Why did her previous owners give her up?” 

Patricia’s legendary grin flickered. “I’m not really supposed to say, but her family got a dog and a baby, and she didn’t get along well with either of them. In fact, she’s shy of most other pets. Is that going to be a problem?” 

The cat sneezed dismissively. “Not at all. She’s the first and only cat I’m taking in.” 

“That’s what I said with my first Sphynx,and now I’m breeding them for a living! They grow on you, that’s for sure!” 

He sat through a neon giggle, lips twitching. 

“So, I just need your signature here,” she said, holding up a clipboard for him to pen it in one-handed. “What’re you going to name her?” 

“Gremory.” After Gormory, a legionnaire, duke, and legendary maiden-magnet demon. “It suits her, don’t you think?” 

“O-oh, that’s... interesting. Definitely not one I’ve heard before.” Patricia blinked, lashes fluttering against her red fringe, avoiding the question. “Right, you’re good to go! I wish you all the luck in the world. If you have any questions, feel free to email or call.” 

As it turned out, Gremory wasn’t the type of animal to cry or scream for attention instead butting his shins with her dusky forehead and begging with her eyes to be held, fed, or played with. She was exceedingly gentle with her talons even when kneading or climbing onto his shoulder, where she’d sit and purr in his ear like Pinocchio’s missing conscience, rat tail flicking against his temple. She seemed to be powered by body heat, leaving his side to explore part of the house, then returning to warm up under his hands or in his lap as he sat as his computer or made phone calls. She wasn’t a bother, as he feared, but a presence to check and focus on when he needed a break. 

The only thing she did wrong was refusing to stay on her cat pillow when it came time to sleep, hopping up with him just as he was settling in, and trying to crawl under the covers. He got up, set her back on her cushion, and laid down once more, but as soon as his back was turned, she was at his side again. Firmly, he placed her down again, sweetening her nest with a soft blanket, and telling her in a stern voice to “Stay.” After all, what was a relationship between cat and person without boundaries? There were certain rules in this house, and he needed to establish some discipline so he wouldn’t become some frivolous cat nanny for the rest of his days. She refused, waiting for him to lay down again before jumping again onto his bed. A glance at the clock told him he’d regret staying awake any longer, so, begrudgingly, he let it happen, and the ridiculous thing nosed into the space between his arm and ribs, curling there in an unobtrusively intrusive way. They’d train tomorrow.

[legendshub-blog]

Super Spooky Legends

Stories that can be told about legends. When people talk about legends, they usually mean stories that are specific to that people's country or time period. For example, you would hear about a legend from American Indians about a white horse, but most people would not think of it as a legend because it is based on actual events. Stories about stories that inspire our imaginations and the imagination of others.

Legend time: The legend of Bigfoot comes to mind for many people, but this legend has been around for decades. There are some people who feel that there is proof that Bigfoot exists, but it is still up in the air as to whether he really does exist. Many of the scientists do believe him to be real, and he could be roaming around somewhere in the world, but he also could be dead. His existence has been known by many people since the early days of civilization, but until this day we have never really seen him.

Zebra: Another one of the most famous legends is the story of the Zebra. It was also widely known as an animal. This legend tells how a young lady was taken by the Zebra and then married to a man.

Raptor: A legendary nature where a bird attacks a person and they turn into a raptor. This is used in the movies like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park.

King Arthur and the Holy Grail: One of the most famous legends has a really interesting history. It is based on a lot of different mythologies, and has its roots in Europe, but it has been incorporated into other mythologies, cultures.

The Guy In The Yellow Hat: It is a legend where a guy with a yellow hat happens to pick up a chick, which ends up ending up giving birth to a baby boy with the same hat. She is said to be the mother of all babies. She lives to be a thousand years old.

Milk Crow and the White Hen: These two legends are quite similar in the fact that they are both about a female. They also involve an egg and a white hen. The milk crow is about how a chick needs milk to survive and if it doesn't get it then it will die, but if it is able to find a way to find the milk then it will live.

Dead Animals and Feathers: One of the oldest legends would be the one of a dead woman who is now an animal. This happened when a man was at war and thought of making it so that she could have a place to stay and her daughter could grow up without her. However the woman then died and became an animal.

Bird and horse legend: One of the oldest legends is the one of a "Bird and Horse." This is a legend about a man who comes across two of them who will then provide shelter for him.

Badger and Raccoon legends: The legends of the badger and raccoon are usually used in urban legends, where many people believe that there are actually these creatures. This is probably where the raccoon came from.

If you like to have a nice long read before bedtime, I suggest reading a few of these legends. No matter what kind of legends you choose the more you read the more your imagination can run wild. Plus you might learn a little something new too.

[coyotemarked]

So because I’ve seen a few other people do this, I’m gonna make a list with all my RP blogs on it listed by fandom. List will be subject to change so feel free to come back and check up on it if necessary or curious!!! Under a cut because I’ve got so damn many.

FANDOMLESS

ABADDON . GOD OF DESTRUCTION

ANUBIS . GOD OF DEATH AND BURIAL

DRUSILLA . VAMPIRE QUEEN

MILLER . WENDIGO

REMI . ANGEL OF MERCY, COMPASSION AND LOVE

HUEHUECOYOTL . AZTEC TRICKSTER GOD

LEON . POLISH MERCENARY / ASSASSIN

KING . SHAMELESS SELF INSERT WOOPS

COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG

MAD DOG . ABUSIVE LEAD GANGSTER DOG

DISHONORED

DAUD . ASSASSIN WITH SUPERNATURAL POWERS

DREAM DADDY

ROBERT SMALL . CRYPTID HUNTING DAD DOING HIS BEST

UNDERTALE

UNDERFELL!SANS . UNDERFELL AU OF SANS

DOGGO . ROYAL GUARD FROM UNDERTALE

LEFT 4 DEAD

ELLIS . ZOMBIE KILLING MACHINE FROM L4D

KYLE . L4D HUNTER OC

LILLY . L4D SURVIVOR OC

ZOEY . HORROR MOVIE FANATIC FROM L4D

SUPERJAIL!

LORD STINGRAY. NARCISSISTIC FISH TYRANT

SUPERNATURAL

LUCIFER . LUCIFER FROM SUPERNATURAL

MERCURY . ROMAN GOD FROM SUPERNATURAL

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

SCOURGE . FROM THE ARCHIE COMICS

INFINITE . MASKED CLOWN CRYBABY FROM SONIC FORCES

STARFOX

LEON . STARWOLF KILLER

PANTHER . STARWOLF PILOT

GENERAL PEPPER . GENERAL AND MILITARY LEADER

CAPTAIN SHEARS . CAPTAIN OF RESEARCH BASE AND TRAITOR

JAMES MCCLOUD . LEGENDARY PILOT AND HERO

FOX . LEADER OF STARFOX

REDD . STARFOX OC

ROZA . STARFOX OC

JAMES . STARFOX OC

OVERWATCH

SOLDIER 76 . EX-OVERWATCH COMMANDER TURNED VIGILANTE

OFF

THE BATTER . SAINT

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

ROCKET RACCOON . HALFWORLDER. BOUNTY HUNTER

VILLAINOUS

BLACK HAT . LEADER OF A WEAPON ORGANIZATION FOR VILLAINS.

[kernewekgever]

Chronicles of Silverhoof: General Information

Most ideas following are from Books/Movies and Video games. Do not use without Permission.

Chronicles of SilverHoof Episode Titles 12th Guardian The Promise Claydon’s Quest

Main Characters Name: Silverhoof Species: Alicorn Gender: Male Class: (Clyde knows)Weapons: • Melee; Horn, Hooves, [Sword (Only used in Anthro/Bipedal form] • Ranged; Magic {Clydesdale’s/ Picoclyde’s department}

Background: (To be filled in by Clydesdale/ Picoclyde) Items: Halter; given to him by his Mother (Silvermane) Personality: (Pico’s department) Family: Silvermane; Mother, Father: (again Picoclyde’s info needed) Special abilities: Can morph into a bipedal horse and use his sword in combat [This Character is Property of Clydesdale/ Picoclyde] Name: Whitehorn Species: Alicorn Gender: Female Class: Fighter Mage/Druid Weapons: Same as Silverhoof but either cannot or will not morph. Background: Grew up in the same Refuge as Silverhoof, yet she was taught how to fly when she was old enough. Items: (Never thought to give her any) Personality: Cheeky bordering on rude; can have a cold, distrustful attitude around strangers and non Pegasi Unicorn, acts tough yet underneath she cares deeply. Family: Tripod; Brother (Lost his front left leg in battle), Brokenhorn/ Brownhorn: Grandfather (deceased) [My Idea] Name: Tiggarius/ Tiggs Gender: Male Species: Felinus Sapian (Anthro/ Bepidel cat) Age: 4 cat years (28 in human years)Weapons: ● Melee: Claws, tail to trip enemies, may use knives or fists if declawed ● Ranged: When first met; none… but that may change

Background: At first has amnesia, must be taken to refuge for memories to be awakened. Items: sling of pouches, anything he thinks might be useful Personality: Loyal ,fierce, can hold his own in battle Special abilities: Discovered by accident; the usual cat like reflexes, ability to climb trees in the blink of an eye. [My idea] Name: Magnar Species: Felinus Saipan Gender: Male Age: 12 cat years (that’s around 85 in human years)

Weapons: Wooden staff (mostly used for walking nowadays, but can be used as a Melee weapon, however is used to channel magic mostly)

Items: Healing potions, Spell book (unless left in the forest cottage) Clothing: Sky blue robe, no hat Personality: Kind, caring yet if provoked will send a flurry of spells at anyone who crosses him or his friends, prefers to use magic in combat.

Additional information: Had a mount/ friend horse by the name of Taklit (deceased) was killed in battle protecting Magnar, there is a plaque in the stables next to Magnar’s Cottage that commemorates him. [Obviously this character is like Merlin, Gandalf or any other Wizard]

Name: Claydon Species: Capranian (Bipedal goat) Age: 5 goat years (each goat year is 6 human so he’s 30… 5x6 = 30, made is this up… no such thing as goat years… I think… )

Class: (Cleric/ Paladin not sure) ● Melee: Mace (Horns and head if he head-butts or charges, punches and kicks if unarmed) ● Ranged: Sling and bullets* (*stones) Shield: Kite shield; Defends with his left arm, when not defending usually worn on his back, has a goat emblem in the center with a mace in the middle.

Background: Sent by his Mother to find his Sister (Alisha) who left his village to find a hidden monastery where a great monk with knowledge of magic resides, she hoped that he would further her teachings as a Mage. Items: A locket around his neck which contains a picture of his Mother in one half and his Sister on the other, a few healing potions.

Personality: Noble, honorable, shows concern for others (especially his sister) [This is my Main character]

Gods/Goddesses/Lords/ Ladies Name: Artroth Gender: Male Species: Pegasi Unicorn Title: Lord

Name: Galaha Gender: Male Species: Capranian Title(s): Lord, The Great Goat Notes: Claydon’s battle cry “In the name of Galaha!” There maybe a connection of friendship between Arthroth and Galaha, While most goats have horizontal rectangular pupils he has horizontal infinity shaped one’s.

Name: Tac Gender: Male Species: Felinus Saipan Title(s): Lord

Name: Enile Gender: Female Species: Felinus Saipan (Forest) Title(s): Lady of the Forest, Lady Notes: Loves all forest’s; Guardian Forest and the Crystal Forest are her Favorites.

Important Characters • Alisha: Claydon’s younger Sister. • Avrela: Female Forest Feline Ranger; linked with Tiggs • Cooperhorn: Pegasi Unicorn; Elder’s Son • Elder/Snowhorn: Eldest, Wisest of Alicorn • Garnet: Male Forest Feline Ranger, linked with Tiggs • Silvermane: Alicorn, Silverhoove’s Mother

Notable Characters • Brokenhorn/Brownhorn: White’s Grandfather and teacher, horn was broken in battle (Killed by Capranian Outcasts [when on a scouting mission?]) • Chestnut: A mare Silverhoof meets whilst traveling with Magnar. She reminded him of Whitehorn. (Though free-spirited and friendly) • Taklit: Magnar’s steed before Silverhoof, an honorable stallion (Killed in battle) • Azerim: A wizard friend of Magnar • Brownclaw: Male brown dragon • Compass: Blue male Fairy, generally quiet, good at giving directions (heh, yeah obvious name talent, opposite to navi :P) • Fenrus: Bipedal wolf, Class unknown • Gravis: A necromancer and rival of Magnar. • Greenhorn: A young Pegasi Unicorn mentioned by the Elder to lead you to Raithgar, however because of his lack of combat experience and excitable nature Silverhoof chose Whitehorn, who he recognized. • Greenscale: Male green dragon • Greyhoof: Alicorn, male; a good friend of White’s Grandfather (Brown/Brokenhorn) was chosen by Broken to replace him to serve the Warrior Salas. • Gwendeline: female, vixen, ranger; usually calm • Havoc: Male, (species undecided) An axe-wielding warrior he takes delight in death and destruction. (Taken from the Axes of Blood Omen Legacy of Kain) • Iora: Female red Squirrel thief, feisty attitude, wields a quarterstaff • Lowarn: Male Fox thief/bard, friendly attitude, wields twin daggers and a bow (if he is a bard his instrument is a flute) • Malice: Havoc’s Brother, also wields an axe, alone these guys are bad enough but together they can cause extreme damage. • Nub: A fairy like creature, more irritating than dangerous (The male version of Navi…) tends to give creatures electric shocks, which he see’s as harmless fun. • Pyros: A warrior wielding a flaming sword[phoenix blade]; burns and scorches forests, towns or anything that takes his fancy. • Salas: Broken/Brown’s rider for 60 years, honorable warrior, they parted as friends • Skywing: A male blue dragon • Stonescale: A male, Ancient stoneskin dragon • Urgon: Beast Master of the town of Milden • Zoltan: Raccoon thief/ bard, holds info on Alisha Species • Aquatics: Like the Sea Zora in Legend of Zelda not the hostile river zora. • Capranians: Claydon’s kin, mostly noble and honorable creatures • Capranian Outcasts/ Pariahs (CO’s/CP’s): More violent members… cast out of the village for harming or even killing other Capranians. • Capranian Nomad: This is what Claydon thinks of himself… he’s on a quest to find his Sister and has resolved not to return home until he does. • Dragons: Brownclaw, Greenscales, Skywing and Stonescales • Horses: Chestnut, Taklit… • Felinus Sapian: Tiggs, Magnar (Tiggs is a Forest Feline) • Lupinites: Fierce, bipedal wolfs, sometimes called Howlers • Pegasi: Winged horses, refered to as No horns by Alicorns, some live in forest refuges similar to Silver’s kin however there are rumours of a Mountain refuge • Procyons: Raccoons; Zoltan the thief, many coons become bards, thieves or warriors or any other profession… as long as it pays well… • Vulpinites: Vulpes/ Foxes; Lower, most are Thieves/ bards like coons they branch out into the other classes too… again mostly for money. • Alicorn: Silverhoof, Whitehorn fellow kin Important Locations • Abacus Mountains: On the way to Guardian forest (Northwest of the Alicorn refuge?) • Bead Lake: A lake on the south side of Abacus mountains • Barlow Village: Claydon’s and Alisha’s place of birth (Far to the South West) • Calu Forest: Forest that surrounds Bead lake. • Crystal Forest: A legendary, magical place where time is said to stand still. • Drunken Duck Inn: Like the namesake the proprietor is a duck that is usually drunk on his own brew. • Guardian Forest: Tigg’s home • Hammer n Anvil: Blacksmiths • Keyhole Inn: This Inn seems to house a lot of thieves so watch your money pouch… • Milden: A run down slum of a town, slavery of beasts and creatures of all sizes and species is common place here. • Portas Forest: This is where Magnar’s cottage and Taklit’s stable are. • Mountain Monastery: This is where Alisha is found, the Crystal forest is nearby and protected by the monks of the Monastery. • Rusty Anchor: Dockside pub, order a number 36 • Scar Prison: Where Silverhoof and Tiggs wake up at the beginning of the 12th Guardian. • Sword n Axe: The Inn that Claydon and Silverhoof stayed at on the way to the refuge. • Owl Inn: An old friend of Magnar runs this place.

Important information Taklit’s Epitaph: To the one who graced this stable, under the servitude and care of the wizard Magnar for many years, his servitude is forever etched into the minds of other steeds to come and no less Magnar his loving Master and friend. Tiggs Inscription/Note: To my friends, thank-you for bringing me home, our journey has been long and hard. I know I’ve caused you much annoyance so thank you for your patience. You will always be in my heart and mind. Your friend and companion. Tiggs

[gaybluesargent]

Please provide me with every detail about these beautiful raven girls. i've got a notepad to fill with ink and nowhere to be in the morning...

this is very very late, so that morning has passed, but hopefully you still have some room in that notepad! just a note that all my raven girl headcanons are trans girl headcanons! & for the sake of my raven girls aus, aglionby is co-ed!(also, /tagged/all-your-favs-are-trans-girls!)

gansey:

generally Proficient at preforming femininity - looking and acting in ways everybody traditionally expects from a girl - but only really feels the need to be read as very Traditionally Feminine when she’s around her family

has very little physical dysphoria (she doesn’t rly want hormones or surgery) but her social dysphoria can get rly bad & lead to panic attacks if she doesn’t pass well enough in public

but with her friends, it’s not typically too bad!

i think she probably came out when she was like 14 or 15? she started transitioning when she was off traveling by herself!

so her family was kind of Shocked and gansey still. Has Trouble with that sometimes. but they’re not outright terrible about it. just. not rly Good either. 

she’s got shoulder-length hair in a clean-cut bob (that gets a little curly in humidity), but she puts it up into a ponytail or a hat as much as possible because she doesn’t like the way hair feels on her neck 

(it’s reminiscent of hornets)

post-trk she definitely chops her hair off and gets a rly cute pixie :’)

is Skilled at makeup and uses it to hide all the evidence of sleepless nights

paints her nails religiously because she finds the act of painting them very calming and likes the way it feels!

often paints them orange to match the camaro, even though helen tried to tell her that it looks a little juvenile to have bright orange nails

daily wardrobe (polo shirts, khaki pants, boat shoes) is virtually unchanged tbh… geek… i love her….

and for formal occasions, helen lets gansey borrow from her wardrobe if she wants!

(ps! more trans girl gansey content here!)

i looked all over for the post cuz i think i stole this idea from someone else so link me if u know it, but someday gansey marries blue and legally changes her name to Gansey Sargent :’)

ronan:

butch! trans! lesbian! ronan! niall! lynch!!

(she loves her full name because her parents gave it to her and she doesn’t plan on ever changing it)

came out when she was 15, and once niall was killed, she started physically and socially transitioning All At Once

still has her head shaved. im in love with her. 

has and will punch a bigot without hesitation

she has 100 earrings in each ear and wears lots of rings

paints her nails to pick it all off the next day

when gansey’s extra anxious, she paints ronan’s nails for her, and it’s Soft :’)

her wardrobe is 100% unchanged from canon - rich tired punk farmer - and she looks gr8

she generally can’t walk in heels at all but she’s got this one pair of heeled boots that make her absurdly tall and she Loves It!

makeup skills are limited to making her look as Pissed Off as possible (meaning middle-school emo raccoon eyeliner and black lipstick probably)

typically not super dysphoric unless verbally misgendered

& isn’t rly comfortable with how deep her voice is but also isn’t willing to try to talk higher because she thinks she sounds silly, so she stays quiet a lot around new people

dreams up some fuckin miracle hormones for everyone and it’s Wonderful!

adam:

came out & transitioned later than everybody else because she wouldn’t even Consider her gender while she was still living with her parents

tbh gender probably plays into the whole Feeling Unknowable even to herself thing

but all her friends are trans as heck so she’s got a rly solid support system to help her once she starts to figure it out!

is rly reluctant to publicly transition because she’s worried abt how it might affect her future - being a trans girl makes life so much harder than just staying a cis boy - but, over time, she starts to make peace with it and realizes that Being Herself is worth the risk!

she fiddles with gender rly subtly at first: not really changing the style of clothes she wears, but buying t-shirts from the girl’s section instead of the boy’s section… growing her bangs out but keeping the rest of her hair short… wearing lip gloss… 

and these little changes help her comfort immensely, and eventually lead to more obvious changes in presentation!

tbh she probably comes out as A Girl first and then realizes she’s actually maybe a demigirl/a nb girl/something like that because being feminine feels Way Better than being masculine, but being A Girl doesn’t feel totally right either

and ronan helps with this, both as a role model for Not Giving A Fuck and also as a butch girl who shows adam that gender and gender expression don’t have to always align perfectly!

every now and then, adam puts on a skirt, and everyone in a 5 mile radius falls in love because she looks Damn Good!

especially with knee socks? like! shit!!!

noah:

noah is a ghost! you think ghosts care about gender? nope! noah’s agender or genderfluid in every universe and thems the facts 🙏🏻

but when noah was alive… he had some Gender Stuff

like, nothing as concrete as actively identifying as something other than a boy, but i think he definitely dabbled in gender presentation as a “haha jokes isn’t it funny” but secretly and quietly because it Felt Right

like… he definitely stole adele’s skirts a few times and his friends were like “czerny r u gay!” and he’s like “haha” but it was definitely actually subtle Gender Feelings that he didn’t have the vocabulary to express

anyway! once he’s dead he has no body and his presentation as Ghost Illusion can change with his comfort

so some days, he manifests looking more femme, and his friends know when to switch up pronouns and make him feel better!

similarly, he can read everybody’s mind, so he always knows what to say and how to comfort his friends when they’re feeling down about anything, including gender stuff!

henry: 

stylizes her name to ‘henri’ to be a little more femme!

Fashion Icon! 

she’s inexplicably stylish. like. the outfits she puts together are Ridiculous and no one in their right mind would wear them and they look Amazing?

sometimes more femme, sometimes comfy being a little more butch, sometimes splicing styles completely! There Are No Rules!

also her Hair. legendary. she grows it out and does all kinds of things to it. she’s known for her elaborate braids. :’)

makeup took the longest to master but now she’s great at it and helps the rest of the girls do their makeup too cuz she’s easily the best at it!

absolutely unapologetic? henri “kiss my trans ass” cheng. henri “down with cis” cheng. 

once henri is fully integrated into the group and gets access to the Dream Hormones, she’s like “!!! idk why my mom is wasting time trading magical artifacts when we could just sell this shit! we’d be set for life and it’d be a great cause!!”

blue:

let’s make her a trans girl too cuz why not!

when maura was pregnant and they found out blue was a boy, calla and persephone were like ‘…sounds fake but okay’

so when blue gravitated toward femme stuff and insisted she was a girl from a young age, they were all like ‘ah that makes more sense!’

there wasn’t a lot of money around 300 fox way for hormones and stuff, but there’s lots of love to go around and they always make sure blue is supported and as comfortable as possible!

blue gets into sewing and making her own clothes during middle school, once puberty starts to wreak havoc on her ability to seamlessly shop in the girl’s department! 

this is a skill that she shares with the rest of the girls once she meets them – she helps them tailor and tweak all their clothes to fit more comfortably!!

she and henry become Fashion Buddies and they make outfits for each other all the time!

300 fox way is kind of a sanctuary for all the girls – surrounded by women who easily and immediately accept them as women too, surrounded by the magic they’re all so in love with… maura, calla, and persephone are their adoptive moms! they have sleepovers at blue’s all the time, individually when they’re having bad days and group sleepovers for fun!! 

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

The last thing standing in my way of the Platinum for Ghost of Tsushima was a hidden Trophy called Cooper Clan Cosplayer. The description was cryptic, but not especially confusing: "Dress up as a legendary thief." Though I'm not a fan, the GameSpot team and I figured out the reference immediately: Tsushima developer Sucker Punch's Sly Cooper franchise. I googled some pics of Sly Cooper, a raccoon who does heists, and went to work figuring out what items in Tsushima might constitute cosplay.

The trouble is, there are a lot of cosmetic items in Ghost of Tsushima, and none of them look particularly like what Sly Cooper wears. Several sets of in-game armor have unlockable color schemes similar to those in that game--Sly wears a blue tunic, a yellow scarf, and a red belt. But there are about eight armor sets and none of them look like sneaky raccoon thief gear. Also, the "raccoon" part feels important, so does "cosplay" require Jin to, uh, dress up as an animal?

This sent me spinning my wheels for a couple days. I got a few items that seemed essential to unlocking the Trophy, but I wasn't sure I was getting the combination right, or if I was missing something. After a while, I started to suspect there was more gear I needed but didn't yet have. Ghost of Tsushima tells you what rewards you get for each set of collectibles, and I'd gotten all the Vanity Gear that would seem to be part of this Trophy. But I didn't have all the Sashimono banners that unlock new horse saddles. I hadn't purchased every single armor dye. I didn't have full 100% completion--maybe that's what I needed to unlock some kind of Sly Cooper samurai armor or raccoon mask or floppy hat.

Continue Reading at GameSpot from GameSpot - All Content https://ift.tt/2OHLX1V

[kansascityhappenings]

The history behind Kansas City-style barbecue and its star burnt ends

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Several regions throughout the United States have fanatics devoted to their local brand of barbecue, and Missouri is no exception. Kansas City is the birthplace of dry-rubbed barbecue drizzled in tomato-molasses sauce. Kansas City is also known for adding the sticky, finger-licking condiment onto a range of meats, veggies, and fruits.

Origins of barbecuing in Kansas City

Globally, people know Kansas City for its barbecue. Jazz, the Chiefs, the Royals, fountains, speakeasies, and President Harry S. Truman also top the list for what puts the metro in the international limelight. Even still, barbecue is often the first item tourists ask about when they hear about our city.

Smack-dab in the center of the first edition of The Kansas City Star (then called The Kansas City Evening Star), published on Sept. 18, 1880, appeared a story with the prophetic headline “The Grand Barbecue.”

On that day, Kansas Citians held a parade following the completion of a long-delayed railroad connection. The parade ended with an old fashioned barbecue attended by more than 3,000 hungry locals.

On July 3, 1869, Kansas Citians celebrated the historic opening of the Hannibal Bridge — the first permanent railroad bridge to cross the Missouri River. It also followed with a celebration parade and a large barbecue party. Before widespread modernization and cooking gadgets became mainstream, barbecuing food was one of the easiest ways to feed a large group of people.

It’s not surprising that barbecue took off in late 19th century Kansas City. Meat was relatively cheap and plentiful thanks to the city’s stockyards. After the Civil War, many freed slaves left the deep south for new destinations: Kansas City was often picked as a new home for its thriving river and rail hub and dominate meatpacking industry. These jobs promised a new life. The new residents brought with them their culinary traditions, and the city’s love of barbecue created a demand bound for profit.

Barbecuing in the modern times

Henry Perry is considered the Barbecue King and credited with starting and spreading the Kansas City barbecue trend on a wide-scale. Today the Kansas City metro has more than 100 barbecue dining options with a variety of sauces and dishes.

Kansas City-style barbecue makes use of different types of meat including: pulled pork, pork ribs, burnt ends, smoked sausage, beef brisket, beef ribs, smoked or grilled chicken, smoked turkey, lamb ribs, and sometimes fish. Occasionally, Kansas City-style barbecue includes vegetables or fruits.

The barbecue is often rubbed with spices, slow-smoked over a variety of woods and served with a thick tomato-based sauce. There are several different takes on the sauce, but the staple flavor people are familiar with blends both sweet and spicy.

Burnt ends are the crusty, fatty, and flavorful pieces of meat cut from the ends of a smoked beef or pork brisket — these are popular in several different restaurants in Kansas City from Q39, Char Bar, and sometimes Chicken N Pickle. Burnt ends used to be seen as the throwaway part of a brisket, but not anymore. It’s now a shining star of Kansas City-style barbecue.

Staple side dishes include: baked beans, fries, coleslaw, potato salad, cornbread, and vegetables.

Henry Perry brings a new style of barbecue to Kansas City

Henry Perry, the Barbecue King

Henry Perry famously cooked and sold his meats out of an old trolley barn at 19th & Highland in the historic African-American neighborhood around 18th & Vine. He served slow-cooked ribs on newspaper pages for 25 cents a slab. Perry came to the Kansas City area from Shelby County, Tennessee near Memphis. He started serving barbecue in 1908.

Before moving here, Perry spent the past 15 years earning his way in the world as a cook on riverboats tugging along the Mississippi River. He began cooking for Kansas Citians in an alley at the corner of 8th and Banks in the Garment District. He sold the meat from a stand. He also operated Perry’s Barbecue at 17th and Lydia Avenue before moving to his most well known site. 

Compared to Memphis-stye barbecue, the Kansas City kind tends to use more sauce and more meats. Customers said Perry’s sauce was somewhat harsh with a noticeable peppery flavor. His sauce had more  vinegar and was spicier than what people are familiar with today. He pit-smoked his meats, which included pork ribs and beef along with wild game — like opossum, woodchuck, and raccoon.

Perry preferred tradition over creative nuances or innovation. He was quoted in an article in The Call as saying, “There is only one way to cook barbecue, and that is the way I am doing it, over a wood fire, with a properly constructed oven and pit.”

The Call reported in Perry’s heyday that there were more than a thousand barbecue stands in operation throughout the city.

Perry’s restaurant became an icon during the city’s Jazz renaissance and during the “wide-open” days of the Pendergast Era in the 1920s and 1930s. Jazz pianists Count Basie and Mary Lou Williams along with saxophonist Charlie Parker all loved the smoked meats Perry served at his eatery.  Kansas City was known then as the Paris of the Plains.

Charlie Bryant worked for the Barbecue King. He brought his brother Arthur Bryant into the business. Charlie took over the Perry restaurant in 1940 after the legend died.

Arthur then took over the business in 1946, renaming the restaurant Arthur Bryant’s.

The Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque Era

Arthur Bryant’s BBQ | Wikipedia

Arthur Bryant’s moved to 1727 Brooklyn Avenue. In the new neighborhood, it became the rendezvous for baseball fans and players in the 1950s and 1960s — it was close to the Municipal Stadium, where the Kansas City A’s played their home games. The team moved to Oakland, California in 1968.

In 1972, journalist, food writer, and author Calvin Trillin wrote an article for Playboy designating Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque as the best restaurant in the world.

The restaurant today serves smoked meets with Wonder bread and fries in plain self-service digs. Some of its top items are smoked ribs, brisket, and burnt ends.

Presidents Harry S. Truman, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan all stopped by to eat some grub there. Count Basie reportedly spat on his ribs to keep his bandmates from eating his food while he performed. Actors Jack Nicholson and Robert Redford also have stopped by for a meal.

In Trillin’s widely read Playboy essay, he wrote about Bryant’s legendary burnt ends, the crispy caramelized edges of smoked brisket:

“The main course at Bryant’s, as far as I’m concerned, is something that is given away free — the burned edges of the brisket. The counter-man just pushes them over to the side, and anyone who wants them helps himself. I dream of those burned edges. Sometimes, when I’m in some awful, overpriced restaurant in some strange town, trying to choke down some three-dollar hamburger that tastes like a burned sponge, a blank look comes over me: I have just realized that at that very moment, someone in Kansas City is being given those burned edges… for free.”

Shortly after Christmas in 1982, Bryant died of a heart attack in a bed that he kept at the restaurant.

His niece, Doretha Bryant, sold the restaurant to Bill Rauschelbach and Gary Berbiglia.

Gates & Sons

Gates BBQ Headquarters on Brush Creek in Kansas City | Wikipedia

In 1946, Arthur Pinkard, who also worked for the legendary Perry, joined with George Gates to form Gates and Sons Bar-B-Q. The first restaurant was in the same neighborhood as Perry’s famous eatery. When visiting baseball teams and sportscasters came to Kansas City, they fell in love with the barbecue scene, and they would go home to preach about the food they devoured. They had a huge hand in spreading the word about Kansas City cuisine to the rest of the country.

George Gates initially bought the restaurant for its liquor license, intending to turn it into a pub. His wife didn’t agree with this — she was a devout Methodist and disapproved of whiskey, so barbecue became the venue’s main focus.

Ollie Gates was in high school when his father bought the restaurant. He grew up working alongside his father. After college and a stint in the U.S. Army, Ollie actively worked at the restaurant. He now owns it. Three of his five children now preside over the small empire.

Gates barbecue sauce doesn’t contain molasses. The ingredients include tomatoes, vinegar, salt, sugar, celery, garlic, spices, and pepper. 1/10th of 1% potassium sorbate preservative is added into the mix. The additive is a white salt that is highly soluble in water. The sauce is available in several different varieties.

Gates expanded in the metro with restaurants all displaying certain trademarks — the red roofed buildings and a recognizable logo — a strutting man donning a tuxedo and a top hat.

The chain consists of six area Gates Bar-B-Q restaurants: four in Missouri and two in Kansas.

The American Royal

Kansas City is home to the American Royal, a nonprofit that debuted in 1899. It featured 541 registered head of Hereford cattle, the event was held in Kansas City’s flourishing stockyards. Around 55,000 people visited the show tent that year. The annual event grew to include goats, hogs, horses, and sheep. The annual event inspired the name for the Major League Baseball team the Kansas City Royals.

The American Royal in the present helps create scholarships, educational programs, and community outreach programs. It is the world’s largest barbecue competition.

Joe’s Kansas City

Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que traces back to barbecue competitions in the 1990s and the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

Jeff Steheny accompanied some friends to the American Royal and The Great BBQ Battle and this inspired him to start cooking his own meats. The first smoker he purchased was an Oklahoma Joe’s 24” smoker, christened in April 1991.

By 1993, Jeff, his wife and business partner Joy, and Jim “Thurston” Howell had made noticeable traction in the KCBS competition circuit. Their competition team, Slaughterhouse Five, ended up winning eight Grand Championships, including the prestigious American Royal BBQ, three Reserve Grand Championships, and the KCBS’s Grand Champion “Team of the Year.”

Jeff and Joy opened Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Que in a gas station in Kansas City, Kansas in 1996. It was later renamed to Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. There are also locations in Olathe and Leawood.

Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain listed Joe’s original Kansas City, Kansas location as one of “13 Places You Must Eat Before You Die.”

It’s probably the best gas station barbecue one could ever hope to find. Slaughterhouse Five continues to compete at the American Royal. They continue to take home awards too.

KC Masterpiece

In 1977, Rich Davis capitalized on the growing reputation of Kansas City-style barbecue sauce. He created the KC Masterpiece, which evolved from his “K.C. Soul Style Barbecue Sauce.”

He sold KC Masterpiece to the Kingsford division of Clorox in 1986. It now claims to be the number one premium barbecue brand in the United States. The KC Masterpiece brand tastes sweeter than the classic Bryant’s or Gates sauces.

Davis held KC Masterpiece barbecues on the White House lawn for President George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

The History Channel stated Dr. Davis bucked the trend of KC BBQ restaurants by developing his sauce first, then creating a restaurant. The History Channel also found that KC is the crossroads of the BBQ community, in part due to the influence of the early railroad system.

When Davis sold the rights to his sauce, he announced plans to build a barbecue franchise. New restaurants popped up around the country, but all KC Masterpiece restaurants have closed. The Overland Park location was the last to close in 2009.

Jones Bar-B-Q

Jones Bar-B-Q is an independent barbecue joint on Kaw Drive in Kansas City, Kansas owned by sisters Deborah and Mary Jones. 

In 2001, Doug Worgul featured Jones Bar-B-Q in the afterword of his book The Grand Barbecue: A Celebration of the History, Places, Personalities and Techniques of Kansas City Barbecue.

The sister pitmasters do not participate in the barbecue competition circuit. 

In 2018, they appeared on an episode of Steve Harvey’s Steve in a segment titled “The Queens of Barbecue.”

In March 2019, the sisters and their famed barbecue appeared on the third season of American television series Queer Eye. The television celebrities gave the restaurant a makeover, and the sisters started bottling their famous sauce. They had to put in a second barbecue pit to handle the new demand.

Innovations in the present

Competition over who serves the best barbecue is fierce in the present. Even President Barack Obama, when visiting Kansas City in 2014, refused to comment on which restaurant served the best grub.

Recently, restaurants have gotten really creative with barbecue. Q39 is known for its salivate-inducing sauce. The restaurant is owned and operated by Rob Magee, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Magee captained Munchin’ Hogs, one of the most successful competitive barbecue teams in history. They’ve won more than 50 Grand Champion titles at dozens of contests across the United States.

Magee and his team elevated barbecue as a cuisine with unique sides and genius flavor combinations like jalapeño-cilantro slaw, bacon-onion marmalade, Béarnaise butter, to drop donuts with chocolate and raspberry sauce.

At the restaurant Rye, they have created a burnt ends hash. For those that want a meatless option, Char Bar has an option worth trying. The JackKnife sandwich contains smoked jackfruit with a taste and texture close to pulled pork.

Kansas City Barbecue Society

The Kansas City Barbecue Society has more than 10,000 members worldwide. It is the largest organization of barbecue and grilling enthusiasts around the globe. KCBS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “promoting barbecue as America’s cuisine and having fun while doing so.”

KCBS sanctions nearly 300 barbecue contests across the country each year. It offers assistance to civic and charitable groups through the contests.

KCBS also offers educational programs, consultation services, and civic organization presentations to help spread the word about tasty and perfected barbecue.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/11/23/the-history-behind-kansas-city-style-barbecue-and-its-star-burnt-ends/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/11/23/the-history-behind-kansas-city-style-barbecue-and-its-star-burnt-ends/

[goldcoastalmanac]

GARP III - Codfish Hollow - September 28th & 29th, 2018

The 3rd Installment of the Garp festival invaded Codfish Hollow to close out the month of September; and given the distinct chill which filled the final weekend of the month that closes out the 3rd quarter of the year, Garp seemed to also represent one last musical blowout as summer 2018 found its conclusion. However, the cold surely didn't keep any attendees away, and as we entered the grounds the cow pasture (which doubles as a parking/camping space during shows) greeted us with several coat and hat-clad revelers with beers perched in their gloved hands as they awaited Marv's arrival with the "Hay Rack Ride" which transfers them ever-so-swiftly from the pasture to the barn.

As we made our way onto the grounds to get the weekend in motion, the classic country sound of Minneapolis' The Cactus Blossoms beckoned us to the barn. The warm tones and inviting harmonies spilling from the stage courtesy of this brotherly duo resonated within the warmth of the wood. However the barn wasn't the only space this weekend where one could immerse themselves within the healing ambiance of music, though it was surely the warmest. Just southwest of the barn, beyond the art and food vendors and a caged off dilapidated home older than most in attendance, sat the Valley Stage.  It was at this stage where we heard the breathy folk stylings of Small Houses. Part way through his set, due to unforeseen issues with the equipment on stage, he requested the crowd to "bring it in" and finished his set without the assistance of amplifiers, which allowed us all to experience a very unique and intimate performance that made the stage feel anything but secondary.

Continuing on through the night through dropping temperatures, a partially concealed moon began to rise over the fields surrounding Codfish creating a beautiful night outside, as the illustrious Barn Stage was graced by Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts, followed by Matthew Logan Vasquez, and Nathaniel Rateliff. Miles, a Rockford native, and the son of founding Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, brought his own blend of classic rock and soul to Codfish, resembling an inverted wooden ship, carrying the passengers somewhere far more magical than the exhausted early Autumn Iowa fields would suggest.

The energy Miles brought to the stage laid the groundwork for Matthew Logan Vasquez. Known originally as the co-founder of indie rock darlings Delta Spirit, Vasquez and his trio brought a palpable vivacity to the barn that was not only echoed through the edgy rock sounds they emitted, but was seen in the rhythmic shifting of the ever-expanding crowd. The walls of the barn seemed to be closing in as those in attendance began to fill the floor, and soon there would hardly be space to breathe as shoulders pushed up against one another.

Taking the stage in a jacket emblazoned with the words "The Future Is Voting", Rateliff was there with a message, and as the crowd erupted with excitement upon his appearance it was clear that they were ready for him to deliver. As the spotlight illuminated the man so many traveled to see, his voice cut through the pulsing mass, and he struck the first note of the set that would carry these revelers through the conclusion of Garp III, night one.

Day two of GARP III started off rather gray, and the fires that kept the crowds warm at the entrance as they awaited the ride back to their camps the night prior were already dancing from the metal ring enclosing the flames as we arrived Saturday afternoon. Our day started with exposure to another new artist, Kirby Brown. Brown took the stage with the Texas Gentlemen, who would later wow the crowd with their own set (where interestingly enough Kirby would join back up with them for a moment). His performance of country soaked ‘Americana Rock’ was a great start to the Saturday barn performances. Indie rocker Sam Evian then brought a change in atmosphere following the Texas-tinged tones of Kirby Brown. A song-writer reminiscent of Kurt Vile, who played this stage himself in 2016, Evian was a stand out surprise. Prior to GARP I, I had no knowledge of his work, or the merchandise he displayed inspired by the logo from the water company which he shares a name with.  

As the afternoon unfolded the overcast morning soon turned to rain, which drew many into the barn for Michigan Rattlers. Another weekend highlight, I saw them perform at the Raccoon Motel in August and was looking forward to their performance for weeks. They surely didn't disappoint, and seeing them with a full band was an experience exceeding that first slightly stripped down set in Davenport more than a month prior. As the rain continued to fall on the hollow, drawing several in for Campdogzz and free from the chilling mist, an equal crowd was gathering around the Valley Stage to take in the ethereal sound of LOLO. While this was my first LOLO show, she's a familiar face for the Codfish crowd, and the swarm of people gladly standing in the rain for a chance to witness the soulful soundscape she creates stands as testament of the true acclaim she deservedly receives.

The Dawn followed on the valley stage, and it was nice to take in the recognizable sounds of a group of artists that also made the trek from the Quad Cities. The Dawn had one of the most impressive light shows I saw outside the barn all weekend, and it was a welcome change from the muted tones that the soon-to-cease rain brought on. As the lights from The Dawn illuminated the slowing rain, the barn was beginning to fill up for the Texas Gentlemen's turn at transferring this once quiet barn into a full-blown party. They had no problem doing just that, filling the space from the floor to the rafters with their infectious Texas-sized Americana sound.

The party initiated by the Texas Gentlemen left the barn buzzing with the energy and excitement necessary for the blistering Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats set which was about to close out the 3rd installment of GARP. It has become well known Rateliff's love for this Midwestern musical mecca, as well as the legendary shows he puts on within the walls. This crowd came to be one with that legend, and Rateliff couldn't possibly disappoint. As he and the Night Sweats, all clad in matching denim jackets with "The Night Sweats" adorned on the back, performed song after infectious song, singing  to a crowd that was widely returning the favor.

As the festival came to a close, and those not camping for the night made their way back to their respective homes, I turned left, opposite of my normal direction when returning from this place. Uncertain exactly where this road would lead, it just seemed like the right call, as we weren't quite ready for this adventure to end.

Matthew Terry matthew@matthewterryphoto.com

Please see more of Matthew’s photos from GARP III in the November issue of the Gold Coast Almanac published by Davenport, IA indie publisher, Paradisiac Publishing.

[julietlofarophoto]

Jay Petersen

  I visited Jay Petersen and his daughter Robin on a frosty December afternoon at his home in Bearsville. I became friends with Robin in third grade and clearly remember her mother Donna; tall and thin with short blonde hair and a warm smile. They lived in brick house with avocado kitchen appliances. Jay was a technician for Sears until retiring in 1999. As he recalls it, I love how distant his childhood in Bearsville seems from the town of Woodstock. Bearsville is a hamlet of The Town of Woodstock, just a couple of miles from town’s center.

Juliet:  What brought you to Woodstock?

Jay: My parents. I was 6 months old. They moved to Piney Woods Road. It was a summer house. They started coming up from the Bronx and renting a room at the Shultis Farm. “Brigadoon" they call it now. I’ve been up here since 1937.

During war time, my father was working for the Office of Price Administration. He was on Wall Street but during the war his firm went under, like most of them did. While he worked for the O.P.A., he’d come up on weekends. There were three of us. I had two brothers.

Juliet:  What is your first memory of Woodstock? 

Jay:  Well, I didn’t get to Woodstock very much. I went to the Bearsville School. Miss Stone was my teacher until 1948 when my father’s boss came back from the war and started up a new firm. We moved to Forest Hills, Queens.

My first memory in Woodstock … The Seahorse probably. (We all laugh)

Robin:  It was a bar where the Elephant Emporium used to be. (Now it’s Rock City Vintage.)

Jay:  My father used to bring me to the Seahorse when I was nine or ten. They had a ping pong table in the wintertime. They also had a pinball machine. Donna’s father used to give her money to play the pinball machine and my father never gave me any money so I used to watch Donna play pinball. (more laughing)

I met her again in 1957 at the Irvington (now the Landau). It was owned by Bill Dixon and it was more bar than restaurant. There were so many bars. Nobody had time for food.

 Juliet:  Was Donna a local?

 Jay:  Oh yes, she was a Riseley, some of the founders of Woodstock. The Riseleys owned several farms throughout Woodstock and up Ohayo Mountain Road on both sides.

Donna came to the city with me for a period of about 2 years. We had gotten married at the Dutch Reformed Church October 12, 1958.

Robin: Didn’t you tell her you were going to marry her after your first date?

Jay: No, I told her I was going to marry her when we were at the Irvington, before the first date.

Juliet:  When did you make the choice to move here and get settled?

Jay:  I came out of the Navy and went to school in Manhattan. Donna worked at CBS.  We moved back in 1960, after we had Anthea, to this house. I drove a school bus for a while and worked at a meat packing house up here before working for Sears.

 Juliet:  What’s changed about Woodstock over the years?

 Jay:  Oh, Woodstock was the greatest right after the second world war. A lot of people went to the Art Students League on the GI bill and came up here in the summer time. This was a real wild town. Like I said, there were eight bars from 375 all the way up through Woodstock. People used to go from one bar to the other to see who was around. There was a place next to the Seahorse, two houses away. Four artists rented it and called it “Hopeless Towers.” It was next to Heckeroths, set back, a two-story cottage.

Juliet:  So what was going on there?

Jay: (Laughing) What wasn’t going on there? Well, the Seahorse had a long bar with a right angle turn that the bartender couldn't see if he was at the center. These guys would lean over and grab a bottle of gin before they went home. Dick Stillwell, who was a real character, owned the bar and got wise that inventory was not right. He made an unexpected trip to the Hopeless Towers on a not too early Sunday morning. He rapped on the door and he walks in. There are about 20 empty bottles that they had taken and lined up all along a shelf. So he walks in and sees the Gilbey’s gin bottles and he takes one off and he knew by the serial number that they were his. “Hmm”, he says, “I see. I expect all the other ones are mine too. You gentlemen owe me…” (laughs) He had it all figured out. No arrests were made, everything was fine because the tabs that these guys had at the seahorse were astronomical. You know, three or four hundred dollars back then was like two thousand today! So, they got together and paid him.

The American Legion seems to be the only place I can find somebody who remembers the Seahorse around here. I mean, this bar was known from coast to coast, by everybody who was a writer or an artist. Back then, you really knew everybody in town.

Robin: Were there a lot of people who migrated from the city, even then?

Jay: They were from all over. The Art Students league in New York brought a lot of people up here. (The complex now houses The Woodstock School of Art)

Juliet:  Any other highlights?

Jay:  I was an apprentice at the Maverick Theater. That was when Jose Quintero was the director and Lee Marvin got his start. I was in the play.  They knew what they wanted, it was before Marvin’s first play which was called “Roadside”, and Teddy Ballantine who was David Ballantine’s father was an old silent picture actor. They needed a big gruff guy with a voice to play the part of the sheriff. They didn’t have anyone, they had all these small guys. So, Teddy says “Well, my son has this friend who is a plumber assistant and if we can just teach him to learn a few lines, the part isn’t that big. He could play the part.” Lee came down and then brought the script home. The next day he came to rehearsal and he was a natural right off the bat. This guy, he was something. That was his debut to acting. From there Lee went to Broadway.

Robin: The Library Fair, didn’t your dad win a car?

Jay: Oh yeah, the Library Fair. My mother won the car. She paid a dollar for the raffle. In 1953, she won an English Ford. A little American Made but British car.  A wonderful thing about the library fair is we had John Pike who whipped up a band with Bill Moor, a guy who played a wash tub. 



I remember once I was at Kenny Reynolds’s gas station, which is now the pizza place. I used to stop there on my way home and talk to Kenny and the guys who worked there. One day it’s raining like crazy and here comes Joan Baez riding a Triumph motorcycle with Bob Dylan hanging on the back! Dylan used to have Kenny fix his car, so he was there a lot.

Robin:   What about the bakery? Wasn’t there a bakery in Bearsville?

Jay:  There was a bakery in Woodstock – Kirschbaum’s. He bought The Bearsville School and moved it there at the foot of the hill. Across from Oddfellows Hall.

I guess my first memory in Woodstock would be my mother bringing me to the Woodstock Guild and she enrolled me in a leather working course, making belts and learning the tools. The teacher was Stephenson. That was probably 1951.

Juliet:  Robin, what’s your first memory of Woodstock?

Robin:  Probably going to Folk Art and getting the penny candy. And the parrot, Charlie. Or going to Laray’s while my mother got her hair done.

Jay: Did you ever see the five and dime store? Where the General Store was, and Houst, naturally. I bought my first pair of Levi’s there at Houst, which were outrageously priced at $3.50 for a pair of Levi’s! But I had to have them, so…

 We had a scanner radio that Donna used to listen to religiously. There was a murder up here, right up the road. Sam Shirah was a guy in town who wore a triangular hat with a raccoon tail. He was visiting this lady who was married, but the husband was in New York working or something. The woman had a daughter at home while she went to Holly Cantine’s place which was a log cabin just up the road here. There was some kind of affair. The husband comes home and asks the daughter where her mother is. She tells him she was with Sam Shirah. He went down to Big Scot and bought a gun and went up there and shot Sam Shirah. They put Sam on the hood of the car because he realizes he screwed up and they’d already called the cops. He was still alive. But when they got to Cooper Lake Road, he hit the brakes and Sam went flying off so by this time, he was dead. Everyone is calling my wife to find out what was going on.

Juliet: What’s your favorite thing about living here?

Jay: Well this time of year is rough. I was the only house down here when these kids went to school. My oldest daughter Anthea used to listen for the school closings. She was like 12 years old. When she knew the schools were closed, she would start my big tractor and plow the whole road so I could get to work. I missed Anthea when she left. Robin, forget about it.

Robin:  Yeah, I wouldn’t, but Sylvia (Gersbach, their neighbor back then) learned.

Jay:  Yes, I did teach Sylvia how to drive the tractor and plow the road. But it is beautiful here. It’s just gorgeous. I love mountains. This is my kind of place to live.

 ............

For further reading, get your hands on “Legendary Locals of Woodstock” to learn more about the characters Jay Mentions, and for more great Woodstock stories.