#theyve gone through... a lot of changes over the years to say the very least haha

[andromedasummer]

is there seriously nowhere to buy textbooks in person anymore for vic uni?? wow that really is horrible. fuck all the "protestors" and their lingering sentiment. what's your opinion on vic uni as it stands now? i've heard from a lot of people that in recent years it has changed (in a negative way), and even tho the uni wasn't responsible for the protestors, i heard from some people that they weren't so keen on the uni in the aftermath. whether it was due to the proximity to parliament or i also heard the uni's response towards students was basically "tough luck" when their finances and studies were impacted due to the "protestors"

yeah we got emails and the response was straight up "nothing we can do, avoid coming in if you feel threatened" which was like. yeah?? we feel threatened? 12-18 yr old girls at the local high school had to add like 20/30 mins to their commute because if they went past the protests they would be harassed. my 19 yr old coworker was reduced to tears by a man screaming at her at the train station about her mask. she had to come into work using uber to avoid it happening again. she lived over an hour away, it was NOT cheap.

i walked past or through the protestors a lot because i had to go in that way to study, home was too busy and our internet was spotty. i had to get very used to ignoring the shouting. but the public were at boiling point by the end assaults/harassment of the general public had gone up, local businesses being invaded happened more and suddenly people were driving past the protestors throwing milkshakes or yelling at them, which only made them more aggressive.

as for whats up at vic im not sure im the best person to ask. i dont pay attention to too many of the changes and rarely participate in clubs (i did help with classical theater and uniq in my first 2 years)

what i can say is the million dollars spent on the new science centre was useless, as the reason the science department needed a new building was because their lecture halls and labs were too small. the buildings rooms are the exact same size as they were in the other building. so the science faculty are fucked if they want anything for the next decade because "oh well you just got a new building." i dont know why theyve bought that massive bloody abandoned building down the hill and dont see how paying for its destruction is going to help with costs, god knows what they plan on putting there. at least first years will stop breaking in and cutting themselves on broken glass and nails/falling through broken flooring.

i adore pretty much all but one or two lecturers ive had at vic, the good ones are exceptionally good and make attending class a joy. and because nz is so small they know everyone in their subject worth knowing and are happy to make connections with them possible which is a lifesaver. also as someone who restarted their degree cos health problems + changed subjects ive had a LOT of lecturers from psych to classics to media studies to polsci. my main problem is the problem is the treatment of lecturers.

a close friend of mine from high school works as a tutor there and as much as he adores it, every time hes ever gotten his paycheck its because his union pressed vic to send it on time. recently theres been protests by staff for better pay, which i fully support, i even attended some protests because quite frankly for the experience, knowledge and ties these people have they are paid a pittance.

as for the book stores, we have multiple bookstores here but most are secondhand. the ones that arent dont stock textbooks, because the dedicated textbook place for 50+ years has been vicbooks. i dont know who it will fall to. unitybooks maybe? or we'll just have to order online like i said before.

but with the protests, people likely got turned off heading to vic because, ultimately, parliaments down the hill from from it. literally you just gotta walk up the terrace, turn right and then walk another 5 minutes. takes 20 minutes if youre fit enough. getting into uni was near impossible for most people because you had to go through or past the protest camp to get there (unless you were lucky enough to live on the other side of the city and go up the terrace the other side). also, because the main city train station and main city bus station are/were on the other side of the camp, it made confrontation if you used those modes of transport unavoidable.

ultimately the protest is not vics fault, not by a mile. if i were to blame anyone it would be 1. the protestors themselves 2. the police, who, when i walked past on day one, had only sent a cop car and 3 cops to watch over the situation, which is how they managed to pitch all the tents/blockade the traffic/take as much ground as they did. police were woefully, woefully unprepared. 3rd blame goes to the tow companies who all refused to remove the vehicles blocking the street because they were sympathetic to the group that were spraying nazi symbols on the war monument and calling for execution of our politicians. fuck them.

honestly im just glad that its over, even a year on. my dad was coming home when the fighting broke out and he could see them throwing bricks and starting fires a street away and the riot police bearing down on them and using hose. it was incredibly unnerving to watch, esp as i had friends and family working in the buildings around there.

[monotone-artist]

been kinda missing these dudes, so!

dragon is edmunathy (he/him), elf is skynel (she/her), cat person is bevalon (she/her), sword is erald (he/it). i havent done much with them in a long time but what little info i got for em is under read-more

skynel and ed are adoptive siblings, with ed being the lil brother <3 they’ve grown up with each other, and as soon as they were old enough they left their dad’s travelling merchant-town caravan to explore maekrenia and scout through its ruins.

bevalon is of a race called the prruma, which are basically cat furries with antlers. she’s also travelling maekrenia with her brother aeron, best friend (and aeron’s boyfriend) kolaus, and their steed sylvania. though while skynel and ed are treasure hunters of sorts, bev and her lil group are kinda searching for a purpose in life?

erald is a magical sword bev has. it cant talk per se, but because of [insert convoluted magic stuff here], it can sing to communicate instead. and also look around and give you the nastiest stink eye ever.

skynel and bevalon actually know of each other, since skynel briefly dated bev’s older sister pine, but they’ve never met in person.

[ghostlypawn]

im just gonna babble about riley n cairo okay? okay. its mostly from cairos perspective. its 3am this could be garbage mama idk.

we all know that cairo and riley knew eachother since they were babies and grew up together,, like the spent every minute they could with eachother. as time went on they began to drift yet still call eachother friends simply because they dont have anyone else. they know everything about eachother from their favourite colour to deep secrets about their insecurities. their lives revolve around eachother so much that they dont know what life would be like without the other. they began to drift a lot when riley got on the cheerteam as a freshman,, riley for once has a interest that cairo didnt and she liked it. cairo however didnt; she felt scared and angry due to the unknown of the future, she relied so much on riley and now all her time was spent cheerleading which left cai alone. she made ‘friends’ with others but could never fill the hole that riley left; those friends led her to parties where she would get drunk to forget riley for a few hours. she would over-use socials to almost prove to herself that she did have friends other than riley and she could survive without her. she still remained friends with riley during the school day (they sat next to eachother in every non-designated seat class) but would find herself getting angry when riley had to practise at lunch/after school ultimately leaving her alone). sometimes people would make fun of rileys commitment to cheer which led to fights in the hallways after someone made a snide comment about her bow (though she’d never tell riley the actual reason for the fights). 

riley saw this change in cairo and ultimately felt bad for her, this was the girl who had helped her through middle school breakdowns and her first freshman year break-up which led to riley asking cairo to join the team. when riley proposed it to cairo she couldnt help but breakdown. she thought riley had started to forget about her. she felt stupid for wanting riley to be such a big part of her life but she truly doesnt know how to be without her, nonetheless she vowed to herself that she would try to become her own person. riley said that she’d always be by cairo’s side. as the years went on riley kept her focus on training to be captain whilst cairo kept up her social presence which ultimately led to her being crowned prom princess. she didnt enjoy cheerleading but kept to it to keep riley in her life. riley started to rely less and less on cairo which cairo noticed when riley didnt have a complete breakdown over the viral stunt (she was upset and disgruntled but not the the extent that cairo expected from her). she wasnt sure if it was because riley had become happier in life and didnt need help or it was because she didnt trust her but cairo reciprocated the action by bottling up her feelings instead of sharing them with riley. 

when riley became captain, cairo found out by a social media post. what she didnt expect was riley asking for cairos help preparing for the sleepover; cairo thought that mayb the old riley had come back now that she’d gotten what she wanted: to be captain. cairo obviously said yes and went to her house with the mentality of ‘act like it was before as if nothing happened and we remained close throughout the years’. she starts to feel happy and pokes fun at the viral video bc she thinks riley isnt overly bothered about it and she feels like her old self. its only when everyone arrives and riley gives her welcome speech that she realises this isnt gonna be like old times and riley is gonna be the kinda cheer-focused captain go-getter she turned into over the years. she, however, tries to make this fun for everyone (aka truth or dare) but riley is not about that and just wants to get on with the cheering. cairo spends all night trying to cater to rileys needs (finding annleigh, getting the pizza, being the first to put her phone away etc.) but riley doesnt notice or seem to care. in fact the only time riley doesnt talk about cheer is when shes talking about eva; which we know cairo isnt the happiest about,, she just wants riley to appreciate her like she does eva. i think at this point we start to truly notice cairos urge for a friendship with meaning because she begins to obsess over kate/chess (”trouble in paradise” she quips knowing full well its her and riley who’s having trouble). enter mattie covered in blood: cairo notices riley’s warning signs to her freakout so she follows her out. this is when cairo verbally mentions that she doesnt like the way riley treats her to which riley brushes her off because at this point she has no feelings for cairo and is only keeping her around because she has no one else. the defense scene is the last attempt and cairo holding onto the shred of their friendship hoping that if she can do this then she’s still of worth to riley and worth her time (and obviously it works,, kinda)

we know that cairo tried to contact her after that night to which riley straight up ignored her. she just wanted to know if riley was coping well and if they were going to rely on eachother during this hard time. she never knew how riley was dealing bc she ignored her but at least she knew she was in this alone. this was when she began to overthink that night, all the possible scenarios that couldve played out and all the culprits. she came up with many possible answers but the feeling in her gut was telling her it was the one she least wanted it to be. none of her previous ‘friends’ like her anymore after that night and dont want to be involved with the girl who was apart of the murder squad. when she finds out evas on the team her first thought is that this is truly the end of her friendship and shes going to be replaced by eva. but when she sees the state rileys in her heart cant help but feel bad for the girl knowing shes not in the best state of mind. and we see her try to comfort her throughout phoenix. (“you dont have a relationship with chess, kate” she cries subconciously knowing that, although very different circumstances, her relationship with riley is also dead and gone). at this point she only had herself to look out for so she gets super defensive when kate says shes going to the police and kinda threatened eva. then we get to the scene where cairo suggests that riley wouldve been blamed and rileys first instinct is to go no they wouldve blamed you; cairo sounds so hurt when she says this bc this is the moment she realises that riley has zero trust in her and riley has changed and outgrown their friendship. she cant even fathom the girl who she helped all throughout the years and the girl who helped her would blame her without reasonable suspicion. she tries to work out why riley is just letting this slide bc it just Doesnt make sense to her and the perfectionist captain riley she knew. for a short moment her thoughts go flying and before she knows it shes accusing everyone and everyone because it CANT be riley it just CANT. but when riley begins to breakdown she just knows that her gut feeling was right and it tears her apart to think that if theyd stayed closer friends this couldve been prevented,, if perhaps cairo still relied on riley then she would realise that cairo was there for her too but it doesnt matter bc its too late for that so she doesnt what she knows best and tries to deesculate rileys breakdown. she hates to admit that she misses riley sometimes and is scared that she will forever but she still goes on one day at a time becoming a better person than she couldve been if riley had still been in her life.

bonus: i like to think that due to their closeness they did harbour some romantic feelings during their middle school years however they didnt actually realise they were in love it was just what they knew/thought all friendships were like that. it wasnt until high school when they would think back on those memories that they realised perhaps there was something there but it doesnt matter now because theyve became too seperated for it to be anything.

[moonchildhcs]

parkjin hcs

friends to lovers au

youve accumulated an interesting and lovely friend group over the years !!! from felix, your aussie meme supplier to persi, your chaotic fool ! 

but honestly? youre most grateful for your lovely (ahemboyahem)friend hyunjin !! bc honestly,,,

you two have been friends since diapers and have been together through thick and thin, from bad haircuts to weird crushes ! 

you guys binge watched random shows together, cried together, camped out for concerts together, and so much more !!

he always without fail, knows what to say or do to make you feel at least a bit better and to regain enough energy to get through your day no matter how bad its been going

hes always been a pillar of support, and even when you called him at 4am because you cant sleep and youre exhausted and sad he sings you back to sleep and talks you through whatevers got you buggin

and it means so very much to you because youve had the misfortune of meeting some nasty people in your life, and theyve come and gone but hyunjin has consistently been there for you ! a lovely friend and your #1 supporter

and the same applies to him ofc!!! when he cries because he doesnt know if he can pursue his dreams, when he stresses over examinations, when hes craving jack in the box at 2am youre right there with him (even if you might be tired oops)

and youre quite the romantic so sometimes you look at your friendship like There Is No Way Our Friendship Is Real ! but it IS and its marvelous !!!

but ,,, on the topic of you being quite the romantic,,, your heart gets the BIGGEST dokis when youre around him

like youre absolutely enamored with his passion, his dedication, his energy, just, everything about him has you head over heels !!

and it doesnt help that hes also just incredibly cute. but also he represents the duality of man and you just generally feel attacked on all fronts like he is Cute And Hot And TALENTED He Is The Whole Package

but like,, over your dead body youd let him know you have a massive crush on him

bc above all else hes been one of the few people consistently by your side and you dont know what you would do with yourself if you somehow messed it up? but little do you know hyunjins thinking the exact same thing

but anyways

you and the gang go camping !!! it is summer break so it is warm and nice and although there are bugs you also dont have to worry about a storm carrying off with your tents

however,,, a miscalculation has occurred bc persi was initially VERY against going camping so bang chan only brought ten tents but ultimately they came after much convincing from minhos end

so,,, someone is either going without a tent or two people are sharing

and there was a Lot of discourse going on about who would be sacrificing their sleep to share a sleeping bag (incredibly close and pretty intimate) or sacrificing their sleep to the elements

however, seungmin was like :^) how about the last people who are awake can decide if theyll share or if one of them goes without the sleeping bag ! and everyone agrees

but you,, stay silent,,, because you notoriously stay up super late

“sleep is for the weak”

ah how your ideologies bite you in the ass now

first the youngest kids start to knock out like jeongin and jisung and felix and seungmin

and then bang chan and woojin who stayed up all night before producing and practicing singing, respectively

and then changbin, who was just rlly tired

and then minho and persi, who passed out after an Intense game of uno

which left you and hyunjin and youre internally freaking out bc even if you Insisted on sleeping ad facing the elements hyunjin is stubbornly nice and would make you take the sleeping bag

so you blurt out “do you want to just share the sleeping bag? its not much different to the sleepovers we had as kids”

and hyunjin looks calm and collected and goes “sure :^)” but internally hes SCREAMING in glee because hes exhausted but he Needed to stay up so it can play out the way he wanted it to which was : cuddle you

so you two separate to change into some pjs before slipping,, into the sleeping bag together

and it takes some shifting and adjusting but then !! hyunjin is big spoon and you are small spoon and you are so tense and awkward because HECKHECKHECK HES SO CLOSE

but then hyunjin kinda sleepily breathes against your neck

“relax”

and you just,,, turn into mush on the spot because thats so cute but incredibly attractive

and you two fall asleep, cuddling like that

and you wake up in the morning to bright lights and the sound,,, of people LAUGHING and you open your eyes to someones camera pointing directly at you

and as you wake up a bit more you realize,, that you and hyunjin shifted and you are lying down ON HIM, head tucked into his neck and his arms wrapped around your waist and you want to shriek

and then you feel hyunjin shift and you are MORTIFIED as he whispers a husky good morning and you zip zip that sleeping bag open, say a hushed good mornin before NYOOMING away from the hyunjin and your friends, currently crooning over the pictures of you and hyunjin cuddling on persi’s phone

you sneak into persis tent and change into some of their clothes because it Does Not Matter You Need To Yeet And Get Over The Embarassment

so you head down to the lake nearby and sit down on a log and just,,, repeat the scene of you looking up at hyunjin as youre laying on him, remembering the heat he radiated, the way he smelled, and youre like u//w//u but also :OOOO oh no youve got it bad

and you dont realize it but a few hours pass and everyone else is kinda like hm we might have made her mad lets give her some time to herself but hyunjin feels bad because what if youre upset at HIM poor baby

and so he goes down to the lake and he sits down next to you

“sorry if i made you uncomfortable. i know you said we should share the sleeping bag but i probably embarrassed you this morning”

and you,,, youre not only in love but also WHY IS HE BLAMING HIMSELF and you just,,, profess your love

and you just go on and on about how you really had a crush on him since you were tots and how hes just too nice and too sweet and his heart is too big for his chest and how he needs to look out for himself just as much as how he looks out for you but hes such a DUMMY for never realizing that youve had heart eyes for him this entire time

and youre just ranting about how uch you love him and you dont see the love in his eyes and so he shuts you up by giving you the sweetest kiss youve ever had in your LIFE

and hes like “i love you too angel :^)”

and you two walk back to camp, hand in hand, as persi SCREECHES and screams that theyll send you the photos that sparked this beautiful relationship

everyone is hollering but you and hyunjin just smile at each other, content

[melondots]

I prepped some refs for my ocs for Artfight! which is currently down lmao! Add me tho when you can here’s my linkhttps://artfight.net/~Melondots !! These guys were  previously named the good kids gang for those who’ve seen some of them before but Prisim fits better and ye i know its not spelt right lmao

Seven years ago Winona, inari, onari and Brenna had gone on a hike to find some items to build a fort, they’d all gotten lost in the woods and at sunset they’d reached the creek. Across the creek they saw Anne, Roy, Nova and Sasha. 

Anne, Roy, Nova and Sasha. were out exploring as per sasha’s usual antics and after getting lost they’d reached the creek at sunset. Nova had been against going out that day.

When both groups locked eyes the sky erupted in a thunderous sound, a second explosion followed. Something plummeted into the creek. A prism slowly rose from the crater it created spinning slowly, it quickly gained speed as everyone tried to recover and run away, stopping abruptly bursting and cracking into a kaleidoscope of colors, stabbing into each kid haphazardly. After that it collapsed in on itself pulling in everyone into the center of the creek.  ( I’ll post what their old colours would look like on them now later)

That day they each gained powers from Ultra. The tester of planets. Ultra sends nine shards to create elements to better the planet and get it ready for Ultras return as Artlu.  Artlu will test how the shards have done in restoring the planet, not even the shards know what happens if they pass or fail. They’re not even sure what  Artlu is. When all nine shards come together they’ll create one.

Nova took it the hardest. The change was too much.  The fear of failure and pressure. She doesn’t talk to anyone from that night and has worked tirelessly to control her powers. She still slips now and then. She hates fire more than anything. She has nothing to do with Prisim. Though she still has to go to school with all of them.

Sasha and the rest went on to create Prisim they were ten and nine of course they spelt it wrong, the name grew on them all. 

Prisim did stealthy missions for the good of the neighborhood, finding lost pets, getting cats out of trees you name it. As they grew older they began to do good deeds done by less than nice means. You could say it’s a robin hood sort of situation now. 

Prisim is the top crime syndicate in the country, orphanages and food banks are booming. Homelessness is down by 25% and houses are being rebuilt. produce and cattle are on the up. Restoration of forests are doing so well. The government is still after them sadly. 

The real fight has only just begun! Prisim isn’t only missing Nova, someone else was at the creek......Prisim needs to find them in a year before the next touchdown of Ultra.

 Its not a matter of where to find them its a matter of when. 

Powers and how they work under the cut !

Sasha Univera-  (SAW-SHA / U-KNEE-VAIR-AH) Lighting 

 Can create, summon and control electricity. Can use their powers to control electronics to certain degrees. Can blow out and restart mainframes. Gives them an extra boost of energy in daily activities 

Thunderstorms with a lot of lightning can cause them to be untouchable for the duration, they have to wear special gloves to properly work with their mechanics. The less they’ve eaten the less power they have aka electrolytes. While they can use their powers while wet it’s the only way it’ll hurt them too so it’s a risk. 

Can’t use their powers when too over heated, 

Inari Summers ( Inn-Are-e) Living Earth 

Can create plants from their body, help along the growth of preexisting plants and can form new plants long as they know enough about the composition of the plant itself. 

500 acres is the max they can create in a weeks span after that they'll need at least a two weeks rest. 

Constantly is sprouting plants and presses them to look like tattoos

Onari Summers (Oh-N-are-e)  Gravity ( Being a Loser)

Can change the density of the atmosphere in a scaling diameter of size.

If she makes it to big and holds it too light for too long she’’ get nauseous, if she makes it big, heavy and hold it for too long she’ll pass out. 

She can put these atmosphere changes anywhere in any place, say push you to the left because she made a new gravity to your right

Can’t move very large buildings like skyscrapers.

Anne Squire (Ann / SS-CHOIR) Shadow

Can create balls of black energy, shape shadows, herself and pass through shadows. 

If the shadow she entered through disappears on one side she cant go back through it.

Gets sleepy after using her powers too much

Nova Jest (NO-VAH ) Flame

Prisim was unable to collect any information on this individual- IS

Roy Laust (ROI / LOUST) Water

Can shape and control water in all forms.

During rainstorms her powers are unpredictable as well as near large bodies of water. Has to stahy hydrated and moisturized, if dried out or dehydrated cannot use powers.

Can’t create water from themselves 

Winona Byrce (Win-owe-naw / BRRICE)

Can manipulate metals, earth, gems  and crystals 

Has to be touching the mineral/ has to have interacted with it before.

Brenna Quinne  (Br-eh-nuh/ Qui-inn)

Can commune with animals. Can calm and understand their needs 

Can take on an attribute from one of five of the last animal they've interacted with. I.E Gain wings if theyve spoken to a bird recently. a good smell if a bloodhound

That’s about it! if you have any more question about them or anything my ask is always open lmao

[mercenarypark]

tf2 mercs and pets

ive been writing on this since yesterday and now im sick of it so heres a lot of words i made to distract myself from my father #animal abuse #abuse #physical abuse #antisemitism #insects #spiders #dogs #cats #birds #snakes #long post #text heavy

-medic, obviously, has a LOT of experience with birds. his mother had a cockatoo that he was basically raised with, and throughout his childhood he would always try to befriend the wild birds around their home [on the occasion he was allowed outside, that is]. in college/med school, he kept up that same trend, earning a less than stellar reputation as "that weird fucker who tries to climb trees around campus to get a better look at the birds’ nests", alongside his other reputations, "the weird gay jew who doesnt understand personal space" and "probably the cause of at least three "disappearances" throughout the semester since they were last seen harassing him"

-BLU engie gets ein[the canary] after a family member dies, they werent particularly close but the guy didnt have a will or any friends willing to take the bird, and engie was basically the closest living relative available [note: only BLU engie has the canary, not RED engie, and he recieves it a few years after joining the mercs]

-pyro kept the dalmation puppy they take in the comics, and he's a big comfort for them, they'll sometimes spend hours just playing with him or hugging him to calm themselves down from a panic attack; funny thing is, no one's entirely sure what pyro NAMED him, not even the people who can usually understand pyro's mumbles[engie, medic, solly, demo]. all 4 of them seem to hear completely different things so theyve just kind of accepted as a group that the dog has four different names that are all equally valid

-pyro also loves a lot of bugs, BLU py had a pet praying mantis for a while until the administrator made everyone move bases again, this time to a much colder climate- they were worried the mantis wouldn't survive the lower temperatures and released it before they left; theyve also kept tarantulas, ants, and stag beetles before -engie is also really into ant keeping and he and pyro bond over that, engie builds big elaborate setups for their ant colonies

-medic talks to birds, a lot, and seems to hold full conversations with them a lot of the time. not just his pigeon flock, either, but any bird- from sparrows to falcons to parakeets

-demo volunteers at the "kitten orphanage" shown in end of the line- hed work at the regular human orphanage too, but... he has too many bad memories of his own time as an "orphan". the kittens all love him, engie will sometimes come by to find demo sprawled on the floor on his back, three kittens on his chest, one asleep on his neck, one kneading its paws on his cheek, one chewing on his shoe...

-medic doesnt understand dogs. hes not scared of them, not really, he just. doesnt understand how they work. he cant read their body language at ALL and he was rarely around them as a child. he's ok with cats, though he still cant understand their body language that well, and sometimes irritates the shyer or more aggressive ones by being too affectionate- he only blames himself for getting scratched/bit though

-spy says he never had pets growing up, which is probably a lie- he just doesnt want to give anyone any information about his childhood and family life. he's mentioned once or twice that he wouldnt mind getting a pet snake, though, which engie thought was fucking hilarious and fitting

-scout actually didnt have pets growing up- her family spent a lot of time trying to make ends meet, and a tiny, shitty apartment w/ her, her ma, and her 7 siblings wasnt exactly an optimal environment for a pet. she always liked cats, though, and mice, and after she joins the mercs she grows to really love birds, too, because theyre Everywhere at the bases

-[RED] demo got his parrot, joyce, from BLU soldier[only RED demo has the birdman of aberdeen in my hcs]. solly found it in a bush somewhere as a chick, and brought it to demo. demo has no fucking clue how the hell jane managed to find a baby parrot out in the badlands, but he winds up taking her in, getting a lot of help from medic to get adjusted [medic is absolutely delighted and fawns over joyce the whole fucking time he loves her so much]

-demo's really worried for the longest time that he wont be able to take care of joyce properly ["i can barely keep myself together, how'm i supposed to keep you alive?"]  but he grows to really love her and she becomes an emotional support animal for him, on some of his worst days he keeps himself from drinking himself into a blackout by keeping her busy and happy

-she becomes even more important to him after the WAR update events, as a living reminder of his old relationship with jane; it hurts him sometimes to look at her and remember the grin on jane's face when she first handed him that parrot chick, but he loves joyce anyway and nothing's gonna change that

-demo also used to own lizards, he's partial to bearded dragons

-both RED and BLU solly are licensed falconers and wildlife rehabilitators. no one's entirely sure how. but its the reason shes allowed to have her Horde of Raccoons and also her fucking bald eagle [note: BLU solly is the one with the Compatriot, RED solly is the one with LT bites and the other raccoons]

-engie grew up with farm animals, because of course. he's good with horses, pigs, cattle, and sheep, and working dogs. one of the times the mercs had their bases relocated, they wound up in texas so RED engie took everyone out to his family's old farm [he pays to have it taken care of while his dad's... gone and he's w/ the mercs]

-spy flips the fuck out when he realizes just how fucking huge hogs are. then someone[scout] absolutely knocks spy into the mud with the pigs and he gets trampled and everyone laughs. also spy is mildly terrified of horses. spy does not have a good time at dell's farm

-speaking of terrified of horses, demo,

well really he's not terrified, hes just distrustful. it takes a long time for tavish to warm up to engie's horses, with a lot of reassuring from dell that hes not doing something wrong

-medic's pigeons are extremely affectionate and loyal to him, first and foremost. at least one or two accompany him at pretty much all times, except for when they're locked into their aviary at night. they also love heavy, scout, and pyro, and like/tolerate everyone else

-heavy loves birds. his family has a lot of chickens, and hes very partial to them; he also has a parakeet, who his sisters take care of while he's with the mercs. RED heavy is the one that finds the red army robin; he sees an injured little bird in the snow and he brings it to medic

-jane “soldier” doe cannot take care of cats or dogs or other normal pets for the life of her but if you hand her an injured wild porcupine and say "hey, how do i take care of this" she'll know exactly what to do; sometimes both soldiers will just come out onto the battlefield bottlefeeding a squirrel or something, and somehow artfully dodge enemy fire while shooting rockets AND feeding a baby animal. how's that for multitasking

-scout's ma, peg, has a cockatiel that she gets after all her children have left the nest, so to speak. scout teaches it to whistle happy birthday and demonstrates that on peg's birthday and its sweet

-heavy has a very specific [canonical, at least w/ "pokernight at the inventory"] childhood memory of watching a boy kill a sparrow, w/ the implication that the memory haunts him a little bit; seeing the injured robin brought that memory to the surface, and it freaked him out more than he'd like to admit. he was kind of panicking when he asked for medic's help, but trying desperately not to show it

-spy hates dogs. he hates horses. he hates insects. he tolerates cats. but most damning of all, he hates birds. thats a big problem with at least half of the base loving or at least liking birds, and with all the pigeons/doves everywhere

-it takes YEARS before spy stops insulting or scolding medic's pigeons every time he gets the chance, and the main reason he stops is because medic absolutely was NOT having it... still though, spy has his limits. he never hurt any of medic's birds, or anyone else's pets, because he may be a mercenary but he does have some standards. mostly

-this is notable, because, hahahhhhhhh. im gonna eventually make a much longer post about this, but medic has a fair amount of Trauma[tm] from dealing with classic heavy's abusive bullshit; the thing is though, cheavy realized quickly that medic could handle being yelled at or physically punished for his mistakes or his worse quirks... but he had a very vulnerable flock of pigeons with him, that he regarded as family and who meant the world to him

-the scene in the comics where cheavy grabs archimedes tight and throws him to the ground was not an isolated incident, is what im saying. though it /was/ one of the more violent ones, since after a few threats and a few times of cheavy proving he absolutely would follow through on his threats, medic got the hint

-through his time working w/ the classics, medic becomes more secluded and on edge, and more prone to breakdowns and fits; and even more protective of his flock, urging them multiple times to fly away and leave him, to find heavy or scout or SOMEONE and stay with them, that he would come back for them when he could[but they always refused to leave him]... the baboon infant incident was a long time coming and he only held off on detonating it as long as he did through sheer willpower and a healthy fear of retribution

-ANYWAY. projecting aside.

-scout /would/ get a cat from the kitten orphanage but shes worried it would try to kill or eat some of medic's doves, since they basically free roam the base; so instead she goes by with demo sometimes to play with the cats and its Good

-ms pauling is a big dog person, and i mean that both in the "she really loves dogs" way and in the "she loves dogs that are Massive" way; she grew up with newfoundlands and bully breeds and shes still got a big soft spot for them; she has two shelter dogs, one's an 11 y/o pit+rottie, the other is a 7 y/o mutt that has some st bernard in it and who's blind in one eye; she spoils them rotten

-engie is really into fishkeeping and after all this merc business is over, he wants to have big fucking tanks installed in his home; hes also surprisingly passionate about the proper treatment of fish, like, he nearly decked spy once for saying betta fish just needed a fishbowl and not a whole aquarium setup

-medic has stolen at least a couple fancy pigeons from pigeon shows, mostly the ones that have been bred to an unhealthy degree to fit show standards, he spends a lot of time trying to give them the best care he can and maybe undo the effects of years of awful breeding 

-i literally dont care about sniper so he gets no headcanons

im tired

[richard-of-windoor]

naknaknakadile

Tell me about your ocs!!!!!!!

imagine. i launched myself through your window rn 

ive been having a lot of oc feelings lately but i also have a sort of writers block and i  w anna cry. im gonna do a read more tho bc im scared itll get really long. also i want my series to eventually be a video game s o some elements may sound very game like for that reason

okay!!! s o the setting is high fantasy so expect magic and fantasy races. i also rework a lot of things out of the blue but this is what theyre like right now

*last name subject to change one day maybe

Davorin Mors - vampire and necromancer. i still cant decide if i want vampires to have lived hundreds of years or regular human years s o his age rn is either 16 or 1698 (every hundred years equal one year for vamps). The Mors family is related to Agatha the goddess of death and ruler of the underworld which is how Dav got his powers bc vampires sometimes dont have magic. Davorin’s older brother Vladimir is very upset Dav got powers instead of him which causes a lot of tension between them. 

Davorin is quiet and observant but can also end up being very reckless. he was forced into being a sort of servant to Agatha bc she feels he owes her for giving him powers that he didnt even ask for. so he is very very jumpy around her bc shes a god so. very powerful. Davorin still doesnt have great control over his powers bc necromancy is the darkest magic and even with being a vampire one wrong spell could kill him so he has to hold back  a lot (which is also sort of an excuse for him not to be too overpowered in the series). as a vampire he used to be okay with sucking blood from people bc it was what all vamps did, but he feels disgusted with his past self and refuses to drink blood from unwilling people now. he almost always wears an enchanted coat (it grows with him so it always fits) into battle that his uncle gave him before he was killed. he uses a scythe mainly but likes to use knives/daggers. i love him dearly. 

Vince Solastice* - vampire and bard. comes from a long long line of bards so music is literally in his veins. 15. he loves being center of attention and loves the stage. hes sort of the yin to davorin’s yang while Dav is very quiet, Vince is very loud. he was born with albinism so he grew up bullied for it in school. he ended up dying his hair and wearing colored contacts for a long time. he puts on a very confidant, tough act but hes actually kinda insecure. hes very good at hiding it tho bc not even Davorin has picked up on it yet. he picks a lot of fights in school bc people accuse him of stealing their boyfriends a lot. hes very flirty and loves making others flustered. he loves teasing others esp nate bc nate gets super riled up. hes flamboyant and pretty open about his sexuality (which flusters Nate a lot who Vince calls a prude).

he sometimes works with Dav to do stuff for Agatha but she really hates him. shes snapped his wrist before but he’ll do anything to help Dav. he wants to get Dav away from her but doesnt know how. 

he was born and raised in France, but then moved to Romania and then to California. the Solastice and Mors family are good friends which is how Dav and Vince met. ive been playing around with the idea of giving him older sisters but as of now hes an only child.

Nate Ryder - human and wizard (dont have a term for his magic yet). 14. a young boy who grew up in a village that was filled with ancient magic and culture. but then the Serpents attacked them. 

the Serpent King is an evil king basically. i need to work on him more.

anyways the Serpents took Blake and Nate and pillaged and destroyed the village. Blake and Nate were made to become servants to the Serpent king. Nate is more heavily focused on magic and uses a staff. his magic and combat was taught by other Serpents so its going to be better than others. the Serpent castle also had a huge library of (stolen) books so Nate knows a lot about history and cultures. since he was very young when he was taken he doesnt remember much of his own, he cant even recall his parents faces. eventually Blake and Nate escaped (they realized just how cruel it is and what they were doing) the Serpent castle and run as far away as they can. after that they dedicated their lives to helping others. they know they cant fix what theyve done but they can at least work towards redemption. the big problem is that they were both branded when they were brought to the castle. so they have a big white serpent going along their arm (left for nate, right for blake) and people easily recognize it so they dont get treated that greatly.

Nate is very stubborn and aims towards perfection. hes a believer of “if you want something right do it yourself”. due to the way he was raised he was forced to grow up fairly quickly so hes mature for his age so to speak. but he does have moments of childlike behavior which pleases blake a lot. Nate is also very tactical and wants to always have control of a battle (which is why he clashes with Dav’s reckless behavior). hes esp protective of Blake in battle since hes the only family he has left. hes willing to lose a battle for Blake’s sake. he has a lot of issues with trusting others and looks down on friendship. i always wanted to have Nate be THE character who changes the most overtime. while i want everyone to have development i want nate to grow the most for some reason

Blake Ryder - human, half dragon, and fighter. 18. Nate’s older brother. same backstory as above but instead of focusing on magic when he was younger Blake focused more on combat. a master with the swords. a slightly different aspect of his backstory was that the Serpents experimented on him when he was younger. (tell me if this sounds dumb btw) they put dragon DNA into him which caused him to become half dragon. he still has no idea how to control it or what he can even do, but he does know he has to keep it a secret (except from Nate). he appears fully human s o nothing does ticks anyone off. he does have a bad habit of smoking bc he says he needs to feel some sort of fire in his lungs to feel right (Nate refuses to believe him and hates the habit). he does eventually learn how to use his powers but theyre obv much less powerful than a real dragons (which have been extinct for a long ass time. also another way to not make him op).

he doesnt talk much. Nate does the talking for the both of them. when he does talk though, hes very calm and patient. unless its concerning Nate. since they dont have parents his become Nate’s in a way. reprimanding him when he gets to hot headed, making sure hes taken care of himself, etc. he also didnt get to have much of a childhood but he just wishes Nate could have one. like Nate he also has a very tactful mind and aims for the best solution to victory so the two work extremely well together. 

Kristen Masuda* - human, fighter. an upbeat, energetic transgirl. 16. wants the best for everyone and wants everyone to get along!!! loves her friends and would do anything for them!! fun fact: was the second oc i ever made!!!

growing up her mom taught her that teamwork is the recipe for success so tries her ultimate best to work well with others. can be naive and easily  trusting which puts the team at risk from time to time. she gets very upset after these times and feels she isnt a good leader at all for her team and shes just going to lead her friends into danger. 

shes been trained in close combat so mainly uses swords. she can use magic but i havent decided what her magic should mainly be. i think what ill have her do is enchant her sword.

she gets upsets during friend fights and tries to patch them up. she gets told that she should let them patch things up but she just cant stand seeing her friends fight and be mad at each other.

Valerie Perxina* - fairy, fighter, and magic user. 16. loves fashion and always looks her best. she thinks of every day as a new fashion show. she fights with Nate and Vince mostly for that reason as shes self titled herself the prettiest of the group

she grew up in the forest with other fairies as is the usual. but she hated them all and was considered weird for wanting to explore the outside world. she eventually got fed up and left in the night. she hasnt gone back since. shes extremely edgy around other fairies for that reason and doesnt like them. she met Kristen one day while looking for a place to settle and the two became quick friends

she knows what she wants and prefers it when things go her way. she questions anyone since Kristen is so easily trusting with people. Valerie’s sharp tongue can get the group in a lot of trouble. also wont tolerate anyone who sees her as just a pretty face. 

she uses a cutlass for close combat and magic for distance. i havent been able to think of a lot of fairy magic so as of right now its not much.

Luke (no last name yet :( ) - element (ice), magic user. 15. a happy boy who loves cracking jokes and making the mood lift!!! 

quick explanation of the (probably dumb) element thing: basically a person who is made of a certain element. in Luke’s case his body is made of ice and he has ice powers. so his body is always freezing and he loves the cold more than anything. 

anyways!! Luke grew up in a village in the snowy mountains with other ice elements but he never found himself becoming long term friends with anyone. so he left to go on his own. he later found Max and the two found Valerie and Kristen and the four became fast friends. Luke is the youngest of the group so hes the most immature and doesnt like it super serious long meetings. he does know of course when to act serious but he just likes making people happy esp Nate who he feels is always serious and unhappy. 

he can use ice powers and walk on water by turning it to ice. he can also breath underwater (due to the fact that hes sort of made of water) so underwater quests are up to him. his preferred weapon is an ice sword he creates.

his original concept had him and max growing up in britain so they have english accents and you can pry that concept from my cold dead hands. their accents are strong

Max Ignis****** (I know dumb last name so its def getting changed) - element (fire), magic user. 18. laid back and just wants to play guitar. if only he would stop burning his strings :(

grew up near a volcano with little population. so he mostly grew up alone. he met Luke (who was wandering aimlessly around the world) and decided to join him. he likes relaxing and when things are calm but his temper can fire up sometimes. he doesnt like fighting and will try to keep things peaceful if able. but hes ready to protect someone when needed

his favorite thing to do is smoke with blake (and davorin at times) since max is literal fire. he enjoys smoking and filling himself with smoke. he also likes playing guitar with vince, but he feels like vince is too strict about music sometimes.

his uses his fists when fighting and launches fire balls.  sometimes hes able to melt a weapon but he has to get close and ahold of it to do it

Cameron Green - human, magic user, probably crying as we speak. 16. didnt want to be the chosen one and doesnt know whats going on.  FIRST OC EVER CREATED BTW

Cameron and Andrew are the big plot people. theyre the reason the plot happens and arguably the most important two. but i still want everyone to have an equal spotlight. 

Cameron is a space wizard. which means he can do things such as star bombs which causes a blinding flash, change the gravity for a small area, and have meteors fly down. the space wizard hasnt been heard of for a long time and is considered an ancient magic. the only problem is Cameron is wielding it.

Cameron is clumsy, cautious, and terrified. hes terrified of what he can do and what could happen if he messes up (will he hurt his friends, will he fail the world, will he disappoint everyone). he was unknown to the magic world growing up due to not knowing his real parents. he and his brother were dropped off at a orphanage one night after it was deemed too dangerous from an attack for their parents to keep them. he grew up being considered an outsider and a loner in a small town in Nebraska. he loves creating art and drawing and painting is his speciality. while Andrew may be the opposite of Cameron, he still loves him and protects him the best he can. Cameron can be mouthy but quickly shuts up if someone stronger than him shows up (which is. most people). Next to Nate I want Cameron to have a lot of growth as well. him growing used to his powers and being able to wield them and him growing confidant in himself. 

i love Cameron dearly since he is the first oc ever made by me. i bought platform boots bc of him and im pretty sure he helped me realize i was always goth bc hes always had those big platform boots for some reason. 

Cameron likes to uses a staff summoned from the galaxy to fight with. it sounds very extra but its just a staff that has the sun on one end and the moon on the other. very sick.

(this pic is tiny but u can see the platform boots a bit)

Andrew Green - human and magic user. 15. wants to protect the earth more than himself. this kid will slap you if you dont recycle. 

Andrew is an earth wizard which is very generic in fantasy but i plan on having it as rare as the space wizard in my world. i wanted something to connect them as brothers so i decided to do the earth and space thing. basically an earth wizard is always accompanied by a space wizard and vice versa. the two are always blood related also. 

Andrew’s powers are kinda generic in fantasy bc earth is always used. he can make vines appear, shake the earth, form rocks, etc. his sword is summoned from the ground and has a very earthy appearance. 

Andrew is seen as the perfect boy. popular, outgoing, friendly. people refused to believe he was related to Cameron. When Andrew found out about magic it was estatic , he was a huge fantasy fan and was more than ready to take whatever it threw at him. which ended up being a lot. Andrew tries his best to keep up with whatever is happening but sometimes. life just gets too much and he loses it. when stressed he tends to go to places with lots of nature and trees. 

When Cameron cant stay motivated Andrew tries his best to keep him up. 

beep beep this ended up being way longer but!!!!!!!!!! this helped me get lots of shit straight so thank u for asking!!!!!

[tipsoctopus]

The curious cases at Everton, Chelsea & Man City: When patience isn't a virtue

Despite a good deal of early encouragement the experiment in importing Sarri-ball to the Premier League is now a big dead duck bobbing in the water.

Over a period of many months the players have tried to master their new coach’s highly exacting demands and for reasons that warrant an essay in itself they have substantially failed to do so.

Maurizio Sarri himself has publicly admitted on several occasions that he is struggling to motivate his squad into replicating the ferocious and exhilarating football we all marvelled at in Naples.

To expect everything to click into shape anytime soon is to expect a miracle and frankly we are at the point where either the system goes or at least five or six very expensive players are allowed to leave for a fraction of their true value so that the club can recruit personnel who might – might – better execute it. At any club we know which of the two is sacrificed in this situation. At Chelsea we really know.

There is a third option of course. Sarri could compromise on his beliefs. But Sarri will absolutely and unquestionably not compromise on his beliefs. All of this leaves us with a big dead duck bobbing in the water.

So why is it then that pundits and journalists alike are queuing up at present to insist that what is needed in west London is time and patience? Give Sarri time, they state. Chelsea can’t keep chopping and changing managers.

It is a vacuous proposition with very little substance to back it up beside a much-parroted comparison to Pep Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City; an analogy that was lazy to begin with and is positively comatose now.

Granted the current title holders initially struggled to adapt to a new and complicated style of play but crucially there the players collectively bought into the ethos from the get-go. And at this stage of their baptising campaign they had ironed out the kinks, on route to losing only once more – ironically away to Chelsea, where the visitors were the better side throughout – until the season’s end.

Can anybody imagine Sarri’s Chelsea doing likewise, while blasting fives past multiple opponents as City did in the latter half of 2016/17? Seriously, does any single person reading this now consider a transformation of Chelsea’s fortunes to be even a remotely realistic scenario?

Heading north to Goodison Park leads us to another manager who is walking the green mile. It is not working out for Marco Silva at Everton and it’s not going to work out. I know it. You know it. We all know it. The fans are dispirited and disillusioned. The football is stolid and predictable.

In the past year the 41-year-old has had his reputation widely reassessed and most of us now acknowledge that perhaps we were premature in elevating him as an elite coach. All that will play out from this point until Silva is inevitably sacked is the gradual atrophy of the Toffees’ season.

What will be the fate of Chelsea’s Kepa after his Carabao Cup antics? Ingood Nick wades into the debate below…

You wouldn’t know any of this though by switching on the telly, reading a paper, or trawling half of the internet.

Give him time, say the pundits. Patience is needed, insist people on Twitter in response to anything that could be deemed critical of his ways. Everton can’t keep chopping and changing managers, is the hoary old trope. Some stability is needed.

It could be argued that stability for stability’s sake is akin to lying on a very uncomfortable bed each and every night because you’ve gone through a few beds of late. It could be argued that only stability with the right person makes sense, and if that person doesn’t even have a fighting chance of taking a club forward, then staying with them is completely and utterly counter-productive.

It could be reasoned too that sometimes in football – and I appreciate how highly contentious this suggestion is – the stars do not align and on occasion it is better for both club and manger to go their separate ways. And it really doesn’t matter if that happens six months in or six years in. Indeed it’s probably beneficial to all concerned if it’s the former.

Sadly, that perfectly logical truth now resides on the margins of discourse. Because what takes centre stage are two warring factions, one being the knee-jerkers who call for a manager’s head after a singular defeat and judge a new signing a flop a mere fortnight in. They’re loud. They’re quick to fury and quicker to condemn. They’ve reduced social media to a coliseum of juvenile boos, chorused for the slightest of slights.

And on the other side you have those who really, really don’t want to be mistaken for that lot. That’s why you have pundits espousing status quo at the Bridge. That’s why you have journalists looking down their noses at rightfully disgruntled Evertonians. By trying to distance themselves from the hysteria around them they seek out the higher ground believing that is where sense is occupied.

Plus, let’s be honest, they probably think too that it makes them sound really intelligent in comparison to the snap calls for change.

This week I wrote for another publication on Riyad Mahrez and queried aloud why it was proving so difficult for Manchester City’s record signing to establish himself as a starter. After all, it couldn’t be about adapting to English football because the Algerian has excelled in the Premier League for several years now. Surely then he is experiencing problems integrating himself into Pep Guardiola’s intricate system.

Unlike Sarri or Silva further up this piece at no juncture did I suggest there was a best-by date on the situation. I did however point out that Mahrez has played over a thousand minutes in a sky blue shirt and still hopelessly looks like an individual within a team structure: that after countless training sessions with the world’s best coach he remains a square peg in a round hole. In short, I was saying that enough time has passed to adamantly state there is an issue that warranted discussion.

Give him time, came the angry response. He’s only been here half a season.

The knee-jerkers have a lot to answer for. A sensible time to assess and act upon decisions made has now become forever lost. It is either an instant judgement call or extreme caution due to a fear of being regarded by a stranger as an idiot. Regrettably, in the case of Sarri, Silva, Mahrez and countless other coaches and players, the answer usually lies somewhere in between.

from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/2UakvuC via IFTTT from Blogger https://ift.tt/2C48al1 via IFTTT

[allofbeercom]

Battle for the soul of New Zealand rugby after its year of off-field shame | Eleanor Ainge Roy

The sex scandals and violence that have beset Kiwi rugby union in 2016 have led to ever louder calls for a shift in the culture of the national game

It has been the best of seasons and the worst of seasons. The All Blacks have charged through on an astonishing winning streak, victorious for 18 Test matches. Some have even heralded the team as the best ever, only brought low last Saturday by a surprise loss to Ireland.

But it has also been the worst of times, with New Zealanders devotion to their national sport wavering as disturbing sexual and violent incidents involving players at every level of the game have emerged, steadily souring public opinion.

This season, Kiwis loyalty to a sport that can command almost evangelical fervour has been tested, with even the most ardent fans demanding a shake-up to rugby culture in New Zealand.

No rugby paddock across Aotearoa hasnt felt incredibly disappointed with the boys this season, and strongly shared the sentiment that weve had enough, former Black Fern and current Labour MP Louisa Hall told the Guardian.

It has been a particularly confronting year … and the attitudes and behaviours rugby players have displayed are not reflecting New Zealand society any more, theyve fallen behind.

The public tide of opinion first began to turn when an exotic dancer alleged she had been sexually abused by Chiefs players at an end-of-season party in August.

The woman, Scarlette, was paid to strip and nothing more. But according to her, thats not what happened.

Instead, she told New Zealand media that players licked, groped and threw gravel at her while she danced, and she feared for her safety when some of the drunk men forcefully grabbed her vagina, calling her a slut.

An internal investigation by the club found none of the players guilty of sexual misconduct, although formal warnings were issued to all of them. Police interviewed Scarlette but no charges were laid and the dancer, who was shortly after fired by her stripping agency for breaking protocol by allowing men to touch her, has since gone to ground.

Womens groups felt the response from NZ Rugby, the club and its corporate sponsors was dismissive of the serious claims of sexual assault, and reeked of victim-blaming.

If a woman takes her clothes off and walks around in a group of men, what are we supposed to do if one of them tries to touch her, said Margaret Comer, corporate services executive of Gallagher, one of the Chiefs major sponsors, and a trustee on the board of Waikato Womens Refuge.

Its not nice and perhaps the stripper shouldnt have been hired, but Im reluctant to say that the boys were out of line.

The Human Rights Council waded in, along with a raft of prominent female leaders, penning an open letter to NZ Rugby, titled Love Rugby, Respect Women, which attracted thousands of signatures.

Public outrage from all sides of the political spectrum intensified, angered by NZ Rugbys refusal to hold an independent inquiry, and by September it seemed the battle cries calling for serious cultural change within New Zealand rugby had reached a crescendo.

But there was more to come. In mid-September, 18-year-old Wellington rugby player Losi Filipo, appeared in court on charges of seriously assaulting four people on a night out in Wellington, including two women.

Filipo was initially discharged without conviction, in part, the presiding judge said, so he could continue his promising rugby career.

The crown appealed after a public outcry, saying Filipo had received favourable treatment because of his rugby connection. Filipo has now been sentenced to nine-months supervision, and ordered to attend drug and alcohol counselling. His contract with Wellington Rugby was terminated.

All Blacks player Aaron Smith. Photograph: Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

Adding to NZ Rugbys woes, last month All Black Aaron Smith entered a disabled toilet at Christchurch airport with an unnamed woman who was not his girlfriend. Someone outside the toilet recorded the explicit audio of their encounter, and Smith was stood down from the All Blacks Test against South Africa and issued with a formal warning by NZ Rugby.

There have been a multitude of smaller incidents too, adding fuel to the fire. A Chiefs player, Michael Allardice, was forced to make a public apology to a man after shouting a homophobic slur, and last month 24-year-old Mid Canterbury player Kolinio Tamanitoakula was charged with assault on a woman with intent to commit rape.

It is important to note these incidents are wholly unconnected, and many of the details about the circumstances surrounding them are still unknown. But the seeming lack of responsibility from the high-profile players involved, the seediness of the stories, and the lethargic response from NZ rugby leadership, have left a bitter taste in many Kiwi mouths.

During rugby season, more than 20,000 women in New Zealand slide plastic mouth-guards inside their lips and lace up spiked boots for a Saturday game.

But many thousands more women participate in rugby from the sidelines. They slice oranges into quarters to rehydrate the boys at half-time, load fridges with slabs of Speights beer for post-game revelry, and fry $1 sausages on greasy, blackened barbecues, while horizontal rain turns playing fields into mud.

Without these women, club and provincial rugby games in New Zealand in both the cities and towns would cease to function.

Christopher Pryor (wearing black) with Miriam Smith and members of the Reporoa Rugby Club. Photograph: Alistair Guthrie (courtesy of Christopher Pryor)

Film-maker Christopher Pryor admired the tireless efforts of these largely invisible women while filming his 2015 documentary The Ground We Won, in the North Island community of Reporoa, home to less than 500 people.

Pryor had never understood New Zealands obsession with rugby, so he and his partner, Miriam Smith, decided to spend a season capturing the culture of Reporoa Rugby Club, which included bawdy drinking games, uncomfortable initiation ceremonies, and a visit from a stripper.

A lot of people were shocked by it [the stripper, the drinking], and said we had chosen an extreme club to portray. But thats not true, similar rituals occur around the country, said Pryor.

Within our wider society, we dont have the rites of passages that we used to, and what we observed was there is still a hunger for that, for rituals that gather the community together, and unify people in tough times.

This week, NZ Rugby announced the creation of a respect and responsibility review panel, to be led by the New Zealand Law Society president and employment lawyer, Kathryn Beck, as well as many sportswomen and ex-All Blacks.

Clearly over the last few months weve had some stuff we havent been happy about, said NZ Rugby chief executive, Steve Tew, adding that the board would appoint its first female member.

We have brought an independent group of people in and they can unearth every stone they like, we are going to be very transparent.

But Otago University sports psychologist Steve Jackson is cynical about the startled, crisis-control action taken by NZ Rugby, and suspects the impetus for change has not come from within the organisation itself but from a long season of bad PR.

There have been calls for a shift in rugby culture for a long time, at least a decade, so I am not convinced this will be the year it happens, said Jackson.

More people go to rugby games than go to church; the passion for the game is extreme. But I do see a growing number of people resenting the prominent place rugby has in New Zealands story that it has displaced almost any other form of culture. It is still the national sport, but Test matches arent selling out anymore.

New Zealand society has changed dramatically from the days when rugby was considered the national religion.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/battle-for-the-soul-of-new-zealand-rugby-after-its-year-of-off-field-shame-eleanor-ainge-roy/

[amazingviralinfo]

Thursday, December 13, 1979

2 PM on a cold, rainy afternoon. I felt good today even though I didnt sleep very well last night. But I got out of the house this morning at 7 AM and drove to the Junction; because of the LIRR strike, theres no alternate parking.

Getting a seat on the train, I arrived at SVA around 8:30 AM. I entertained my class by reading them my own stories and Crad Kilodneys, and when they enjoyed them, I felt good about it.

On Tuesday were having a party; I can do the final grades this weekend, and then Ill be free of responsibilities.

Theres much to dislike about this city, yet I feel an overwhelming affectionate loyalty to New York. I cant imagine any other place making me feel this good.

I guess its like the old house in Brooklyn: I miss it terribly. I imagine coming home in the middle of the day, walking in to the hustle and bustle of Maud cleaning, Mom putting away groceries, Jonny working out to loud music in the basement.

Sometimes I feel like looking back six months and wondering how it got to be this way. If Mom and Dad hadnt moved, I probably would have gone to Albany; I wonder how I would have liked it.

There are moments I cant believe Im living alone in New York City in 1979. It definitely feels like the end of the decade. The Iranian crisis seems to drag on monstrously, as if the hostages will never be released.

What if Im going to die with the decade? I think Id die happy. I accomplished a lot more than I ever thought I would. If I die, Ill be leaving something behind: a book, lots of stories, my diaries, memories of a lot of people.

Lets just put it this way: Im prepared to die, but Im also prepared to live. God knows what my world will be like in another ten years, but Im certain its going to be an interesting time.

Perhaps many people would say I lived a sheltered life, that Ive missed so much and at times I feel that, too but on the whole (are we getting really banal here?), Ive enjoyed myself enormously.

Maybe one day Ill look back on this particular time with nostalgia, the way I now look upon my undergraduate days. I can always talk about the time I lived like a pauper in Rockaway, just on the verge of success.

I finished reading The Glittering Prizes; I loved it and identified like mad with its protagonist, Adam Morris, the writer who finally makes it and yet doesnt make it.

One day I may be pretty rich, and I predict I wont be happier at that time than I

Dont get me wrong: Im still very scared about the future. But somehow, at least right now, it doesnt matter so much what happens to me.

Monday, December 17, 1979

9 PM. Its so cold I cant think of anything else. Theres absolutely no heat and the wind-chill factor is six below zero. I dont know how Im going to get through the night.

I have on thermal underwear and a bathrobe, and Im under three blankets and a heating pad. The wind is racing through my apartment. Even my diary is as cold as ice. God knows how Ill sleep tonight.

All I can think about it is that in a week Ill be in Florida. I feel miserable right now, unable to enjoy even the good things that happened today. Ironically, they passed a rent fuel-pass-along increase today; Ill be damned if Im going to pay it.

Damn landlords! They suck. How many people all over New York must be freezing like I am because of their landlords stupid greed. I just want to get out of New York.

Today I definitely decided that I must be out of here as soon as I can. Ill take any job out of town, and if I dont get one, Ill move in with my parents. Living alone in New York sucks.

Hell, today I was videotaped for a PBS documentary, was invited to read my fiction at the University of Louisvilles Annual Conference on 20th Century Literature, got a letter from John Gardner praising me for my writing, found a press release from Taplinger containing great quotes from reviews, and got a letter from Susan Fromberg Schaeffer telling me to hang on.

Can I hang on? Not much longer. Im wildly unhappy.

I suppose thats narcissism. Maybe Im wrong. I probably am. Still, I know what it feels like to go to bed cold and to feel as though life isnt worth living. My problem is that I know that life is worth living: I see people who lead satisfying and comfortable lives, but Im just not among them.

People like Roger Weisberg, the PBS producer, or Gregory Jackson, the host of the program who interviewed me: theyve made it. They can take time out

But they dont live the lives that more unfortunate people do. They ride taxis and dont have to wait an hour for a subway to get from Columbus Circle to Washington Square, the way I did.

I hope my interview does some good, but I doubt it will, for there will always be greedy people like Fabrikant making money off others misery. Fabrikant was evil; my landlord is evil; they are banal, but then you know Hannah Arendt.

Someday, if I survive, a lot of good is going to come out of this pain. Still, on the whole, it would be better not to have to go through this.

Hell, this is not the diary entry I wanted to write. I would have liked to give detailed descriptions of my day with the TV crew of From Back Wards to Back Streetsand write about my feelings about the nice mail I got today.

But the mail uppermost in my mind are the bills. Im almost to the point where I cant think about art because my necessities arent provided for.

Tuesday, December 18, 1979

The heat finally did come on late last night and I did sleep fairly well. This morning I found I had a flat tire, so I took the subway to school: four different trains in the rush hour, and I was still half an hour late to SVA. We had a so-so party; most of my class went to a better one next door. I showed up with my fly open, which sort of set the mood for the day.

It was freezing again. When I got home, I called the AAA, and when they came, they inflated my tire, and I went to buy a new one: another $57 gone.

The toilet stopped up, and Tom, the Irish handyman, came up and fixed it. He said my bed was in bad spot between the two windows, and so we moved it. After Tom left, I rearranged the other furniture for half an hour, but finally I think Ive got it the way I want it. It does feel warmer this way.

At SVA, I handed in my grades, and so for the next six weeks I am a free man! Ive decided not to do the textbook job, as it just isnt worth the hassles to be paid so little.

The item was called The Wrath of Fred, and referred to me as playful prankster Richard Grayson. (I like that, I must admit.) It was about Silverman and NBCs peacock getting their feathers ruffled by my joke about drafting him for President.

It was quite sympathetic to me, who was portrayed as a nice pract

On Saturday, Marie told her that Melvin mentioned reading about me and seeing my book in the window of the Waldenbooks on Wall Street. Among people who know me, Im sure, Im being talked about.

Susan Schaeffer wrote that with your writing ability and genius for publicity, youll make it. Pack a box lunch. Besides, she said, I should get some satisfaction knowing that every success I have just makes Baumbach madder.

I do like Susan. Shes recommending me to Yaddo and MacDowell.

And did The Conference on 20th Century Literature in Louisville wants me to read Nice Weather, Arent We. I think its worth it for me to go. Ill

Mom and Dad said theyll pay for my fare, and there should be a small honorarium. I just want to go to a place where Ill be treated with respect, so Ill go to Louisville at the end of February and hope it will be a good experience.

Wednesday, December 19, 1979

10 PM. Last night I finished Scott Sommers Nearings Grace and was very impressed with it. Its a novel that worked totally for me; it was quite moving.

Moving the bed was the smartest thing I ever did, as I didnt freeze last night and slept well. It felt luxurious to lie in bed all morning, especially on a snowy day like today. I spent the morning in my underwear, cleaning, exercising, taking care of correspondence, watching game shows, and just enjoying my freedom.

Too bad about the snow, but I didnt really have to go anywhere. About three or four inches fell, and it was slippery, so I decided not to drive and went to Kings Plaza by bus.

Back home, I did the laundry, read the papers, made dinner. When Mom called, I managed to sound less depressed than I had during our last conversation. In five days Ill be in Florida for what will be both a homecoming and a visit.

Ive been living on my own for two months now, a fact which still amazes me at odd moments. Today, for example, I was putting a new roll of paper towels in the thingamajig in the kitchen when it suddenly struck me: I have my own apartment.

Friends are very important; I feel closer to Alice and Avis and Ronna, all of whom I talked to today, than I do to any member of my family. Yet theres something in a family that friends cant duplicate.

Gee, Im starting to get nervous about flying. Last Saturdays anx

Especially after the past few days, I need a warmer climate, and I need a respite in order to marshal my resources for what I dont know, but Ive gone through so many changes that I need to rest up and take stock.

1979 has been the year I finally took risks. My book was published, and I became something of a celebrity. I moved out on my own. My parents moved to Florida. I began therapy again. I taught another six college classes and earned more money than I ever had though not enough, certainly, for me to support myself comfortably.

Will I ever stop being so frightened? I feel a need to shiver, to be held by someone wholl tell me that its all going to be all right. How about my trying it myself? Richie, everythings going to be all right.

(Convincing?)

Thursday, December 20, 1979

4 PM. It will be dark soon. This is a very strange time in my life; I feel as though Im going through new experiences all the time. Now that Im free of school, I have time to reflect on all the changes.

Ive been annoyed by the artificial parts of my body in need of repair: my capped tooth and my left contact lens. But I want to postpone work on t

Maybe Im placing too much hope on this trip. Twenty-five days in Florida is not going to change my life. In a month, Ill be back here and there still will be two months of winter to get through and Ill have a hectic schedule teaching, and no doubt Ill be miserable again.

I dont have much to look forward to. But slowly my life is changing. The accumulation of publicity is working. Every day I meet someone or hear of a third person whos seen my name in the papers.

Last night Pete Cherches said that Bruce Chadwick exclaimed that Id gone out of kilter because my name is in the Post every other day.

Is there any point in it? I think so. The point is I need an escape hatch from a dull, impoverished existence. Im aware that my playful prankster activities are moronic, but they do seem to have value in the eyes of the media and hence the public.

That Ive become a minor celebrity is actually a sad commentary on the times: people are so starved for gossip, trivia and weirdness.

But writing, after all, is the important thing. Today my story, Douglas,

But Im finished with that stage of my career. I need to go on to something new. I know Ive been saying that for a year and a half, and in all that time, Ive written almost nothing. Yet I am a writer, and eventually Ill find what needs writing about.

Last night I called Ronna to say goodbye. She said that Susan and Evan saw the two copies of Hitler in Waldenbooks at Kings Plaza and looked through them (of course they didnt buy).

Evan told Ronna that she should get a good libel lawyer. What an asshole he is: he and Susan are little people living little lives. Susan must hate me

As Crad Kilodney says, You should take satisfaction where it comes because theres not much of it around.

So I have no money, but I did fulfill my dreams. I know this must sound pompous Im sure Ronna would say it does but I dont care anymore. After all, this is my diary.

This morning when he phoned, Josh said hes sending out rsums again. What a drag. I cant take this adjunct business for another year; forgive me, Father, if I think Im too good for it.

Tomorrows the shortest day of the year, but then the days start to become longer, and in Florida it gets dark later. The driving wasnt too hazardous

Since neither Marc nor Avis can drive me to the airport, I guess Ill have to take a cab: The guy whos driven everyone to the airport all these years finally gets to go somewhere on a plane himself and theres nobody to take me.

My Wizard Owl air freshener is staring at me questioningly.

* 11:30 PM. What is it that impels us to live? The cockroach that kept escaping me today had whatever it is. And I, for the moment, have it, too.

I’ve just trudged up the block: a desolate winter landscape of dirty snow and ice melted and refrozen. Yet I looked up, and surprisingly, the stars were out, very bright and numerous. Orion’s belt looked so sharp, I felt it was

This evening I went to dinner at my grandparents’. Their kindly questions, as usual, had obvious answers: When you put the laundry in the machine, did you put in detergent, too? When you made eggs, did you clean the skillet? God bless them.

Grandpa Herb will be 76 today, in a few minutes, when it’s the shortest day of the year and the start of winter. On Monday night, my grandparents will have been married fifty years.

When I returned from my grandparents, I decided to do some phoning. I reached Elihu just as he was going out. Scott Sommer hasnt been home for days. Gary wasnt in, nor was Mikey.

I decided to call Evie Wagner; I had passed the old block today when I went to Deutsch Pharmacy to get myself enough Triavils to last me through Florida.

To pass the time, I called Mrs. Judson. Wayne answered and said he had to wake up his mother anyway.

Mrs. Judson told me theyve extended her unemployment benefits, and in January the government will begin retraining her, perhaps as a keypu

The leather industry in this country is dying; Mrs. Judsons boss had to go out of business.

Maybe it will come back one day, she said. Who would imagine that at 56, Im going to learn something new?

We had a great conversation, and then I put in my lenses and drove into Brooklyn for the wake, which was in a giant funeral parlor on Bay Parkway.

Lou and Ev

Her father-in-law died on Tuesday night, a week after an apparently successful hip operation. Mr. Bisogno lay in the open coffin, his hands folded around a rosary; he looked very serene.

Jerry seemed very upset, of course. But he was gracious enough to introduce me to his sister-in-law Louise, the playwright who eit

Shes a lovely woman, slim with blonde frizzed hair, green eyes and age lines that show character.

She told me how she and her husband began by taking teleplay writing courses at The New School.

Louise has been working as a social studies teacher in Westchester, but now CBS has offered her a job writing a long form story for their soaps. She wants to make the sho

Herb Brodkin wanted her play on abortion and euthanasia, and theyre working on a deal for it to appear on a TV network.

Louise told me that at her age, she feels she has to make up for lost time. But I think she must have more discipline than young writers; moreover, shes suffered and survived I can see that in her face.

I was so taken with her that I stayed until the funeral parlor closed.

Then me who knows Brooklyn like the back of his hand got abs

Still, I loved driving around Brooklyn on a (now) winter night. It made me feel .

[viralhottopics]

How this weekend could shape US Soccer’s long-term future

The US soccer federations annual meeting is this weekend in Hawaii, where a number of decisions impacting the tone of the future could be made

Who will lead US Soccer into the next decade?

That wont be explicitly decided this weekend when representatives of every state and soccer organization convene in Hawaii for the federations annual meeting, an event that doesnt typically get a lot of attention. But with US Soccer at a spaghetti junction, still revamping at the grass roots while dealing with immediate issues on the mens and womens national teams, what happens in Hawaii may set the tone for the federations short-term and long-term future.

Over the past 15 years, the federation has revved up sponsorship and marketing deals. Many budget items both revenue and expenses have roughly tripled since 2006. It has also abandoned its laissez-faire approach to youth soccer, stepping in with new programs and mandates.

Years ago, they made a big turn in trying to help promote the game in this country along with MLS, said Peter Vermes, a Hall of Fame player and Sporting KC manager who served many years on the federations board. In most respects, theyve done a very good job boys academy, girls academy, those things are highly important to the overall growth of the game. Not just growth in numbers but growth in quality.

This weekend, the federation is essentially asking its general membership, from state associations to board members, to sign on to change. The big item on the agenda: term limits for the president, vice president and independent directors, along with a new nomination process that allows time for background checks.

Current elected officials would be allowed to run for one more term. But Sunil Gulati, president since 2006 and vice president for six years before that, has not decided whether to run again next year. So especially if the term limits are approved a likely bet but not a sure one would-be reformers should have a golden opportunity to step forward and claim leadership roles.

Gulatis tenure has coincided with massive leaps forward in soccers presence in the United States and the rise of new media, from Twitter to talk radio, that amplify and examine every aspect of the sport. In this diverse, argumentative nation of zealous soccer fans, Gulatis seat is a warm one. Message boards and social media occasionally rage with a Fire Gulati sentiment, albeit often by those who dont understand that the USSF president is an elected volunteer. More credibly, longtime soccer writer Steven Goff of the Washington Post heaped praise upon Gulati but called upon him to depart at the end of his term next year, mostly to bring fresh ideas and faces into the feds leadership.

Yet within US Soccer, the presidency hasnt been disputed since 1998, when Bob Contiguglia defeated Larry Monaco with 57.6% of the vote. The same year, Gulati lost the race for vice president to John Motta by 11 votes, 372 to 361.

The federation then put the presidency and vice presidency on different electoral cycles, and Gulati won the seat from Motta who has since returned to the board via the Adult Council in 2000. The rest of the decade saw a series of unopposed elections: Contiguglia in 2002, Gulati in 2004, Gulati to the presidency in 2006, three independent directors (Carlos Cordeiro, Fabian Nunez and Donna Shalala) in 2007 and 2008. Mike Edwards was appointed to fill Gulatis VP seat when Gulati moved to the presidency, and he was unopposed in 2008.

Americas soccer migrants: the US footballers crossing Mexicos border

The vice presidency was contested in 2012 and in 2016, when Cordeiro ousted Edwards in an election in which the candidates could hardly stop praising each other. But Gulati was unopposed in 2010 and 2014. Cordeiro, Nunez and Shalala are the only independent directors the board has had, though with Cordeiro now in the VP slot, this years general meeting will elect a replacement.

And its not that the federation has put up barriers to running for office. The new term-limit bylaw also includes a requirement that presidential and vice presidential candidates must declare 60 days before an election and submit to a background check. In previous general meetings, the nomination process has been as open as the Planet Express election in the Futurama episode in which Fry nominates That Guy to run the company. But few people run for office.

Thats not to say the general membership is placid. The National Council, whose proceedings are transcribed for all to see on US Soccers site, is rarely content to simply rubber-stamp everything the Board of Directors has done or said, often shooting down suggested bylaws or raising contentious often tedious arguments from the floor. The 2003 meeting had angry state representatives warning of democratic paralysis and anarchy and revolution as several proposed bylaws were voted down.

Our relationship with the state associations has changed dramatically, Gulati said. Its become more positive. The federation has more resources and can accommodate a lot of things.

In the wake of the 2003 uprising, US Soccer embarked on a governance review. The general membership agreed with slashing the board from an awkward group of 40-some people down to its current size of 16, mirroring similar moves in other US sports federations. But in 2005, the members voted against a term-limit proposal.

The federation has gone through another governance review and will try again this year. So will one of its members, who has proposed a separate bylaw change with a slightly different set of term restrictions.

Whether the members vote yea or nay, they will one day have to replace Gulati. That wont be easy. Not just because Gulatis tenure has been successful by many measures MLS continues to grow despite ever-increasing competition on TV from foreign leagues, the mens team has had its share of successes, and the womens team has won more trophies. Gulatis role and influence within Fifa have grown.

The other difficulty: US Soccers presidency is neither the easiest nor most rewarding job. As presidents of other organizations (or countries) often find, the tedium can easily outweigh the glamor. The board has evolved from an operational role to a strategic one, but it still has to play referee in arcane disputes among state associations and sort out issues with US leagues, at times including indoor soccer and futsal.

The president is unpaid, despite occasional calls from the membership to compensate him or her. Gulati has mixed feelings about it. Others dont.

I think it should be a paid position, Vermes said. Theres so much time required.

And its a position that invites scrutiny. The federations site, in addition to the National Council transcripts, currently has 10 years of financial reports, board minutes dating back to 1999, federation bylaws and policies, detailed committee reports ahead of the annual meeting, etc.

Because of technology, theres been increased access to those sorts of documents, and weve been conscious about making as many things public as we got, Gulati said.

And these documents show the federation is both bringing in and spending much more money than it was a decade ago. At the 2001 general meeting, new US Soccer secretary-general Dan Flynn still the organizations top paid staff member showed how the federation turned a projected $2.2m deficit into a small surplus with a hiring freeze and a slashed travel budget. Thats not an issue today.

Gulati, though, measures the success of the federation which he stresses is not personal success not by money but by national team results, the growth of Development Academies in youth soccer, governance reform, and the growing awareness and appreciation of the sport.

Were a nonprofit corporation, so I dont measure our success by increased revenues, Gulati said. I measure our success by what those revenues can do. We have a bigger budget and bigger expenditures. But we dont measure what we get on our assets, but what happens on the field and the growth of the game.

Still, the federation faces some restrictions. Financially, US Soccer has to meet all the criteria to remain a nonprofit. US law also requires the fed to give athletes (current or recently retired) at least a 20 percent share of voting rights, which works well on the board but leads to unusual weighting in general membership meetings, with the handful of athletes in attendance each wielding the voting power of many state associations.

Nor can the federation easily split its duties as amateur overseer and pro developer. In accordance with the Sports Act and the requirements of Fifa and the United States Olympic Committee, the Federation shall be autonomous in its governance of the sport of soccer in the United States and may not delegate its governance responsibilities, reads Bylaw 105(1), which is not slated for an overhaul at this weekends meeting.

Thats what federations do all over the world, Vermes said. It goes with the territory. Theyre directly connected to Fifa.

Indeed, Englands Football Association, the original soccer federation, bears some similarities to US Soccer. It has representatives of the Premier League and the Football League. And those who complain that US Soccer is run by too many people from business or academia may be surprised to learn the FAs chairman is the former CEO of Cable & Wireless, and its executive director is the former CEO of United Biscuits.

USA Basketball also resembles US Soccer, at least since pro players entered international basketball competitions in the late 80s. The NBA directly appoints some board members in addition to the required athlete reps.

And the federation simply cant be the top-down authority over all soccer in such a diverse country in which the game has grown in fits and starts. The Development Academies have been controversial, especially with the new Girls Development Academy treading into the same space long occupied by US Club Soccers ECNL. Recent mandates on youth soccer, a rare effort by the federation to dictate how the youth game is governed, caused the USAs often-warring youth groups to form a Youth Council Technical Working Group, which still meets several times a year, to demand more of a say.

When it comes to promotion and relegation between pro leagues, a favorite topic of soccer pundits but rarely discussed in US Soccers board and meeting minutes, Gulati sees the federation being willing to accept it but not impose it.

Its not the rules of the game that people came in on, Gulati said. When you buy into a particular structure, thats what you expect the rules to be. But if the leagues or a league wants to engage, were happy to be support that.

Indeed, innovation can happen elsewhere. Thats by design. The federation has a lot of jobs. Starting or running a league is one it does only reluctantly, such as the combined NASL/USL second-division league of several years ago or the infrastructure for the NWSL after two previous womens leagues failed.

But the federation still serves vital roles beyond being an administrator of soccer. It hires and fires national team coaches. It is taking more responsibility in developing the next generations of players. It runs coaching education programs. And it generally tries to stop the contentious soccer organizations in this country from destroying each other.

So when will the next leader step forward?

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