#we would celebrate every month like it's the 5th again

[ladysophiebeckett]

aside fm the fact freddy is indeed armando's best and only friend, we learn a lot of stuff about b x a and mila.

freddy would be sent to buy her diapers, meaning they were bringing that baby to work with them. hugo even makes a brief mention of mila as a child running around his workshop. she was heavily part time raised there. (probably explains why her only friend is that robot mannequin, aida).

we learn that armando took betty dancing for their first year wedding anniversary. mila would have been at least 3 months old. so there was a time when they could, well, make time for themselves. their relationship was not always like what we see in present day.

then we learn that mila's favorite book as a child was 'Alice in Wonderland' that she would make her parents read it to her every night. mila loved the book so much that she imagines her mother as 'Alice', so far as mila nicknaming her mother after the protagonist. no doubt, fm a child's point of view she saw ecomoda as a 'wonderland' and betty as 'Alice' navigating a huge world of mannequins and strange clothes and of course, those checkered floors.

but as mila got older, as she later confesses to betty, she grew to hate ecomoda bc it would take her mother away from her. at some point mila stopped romanticizing ecomoda and saw it only as the thing came between her and her parents. but now that she has a passion for design, she stresses that she wants to 'contribute' to what she believes is the family business. while betty wants to teach her that family, sans ecomoda, is what really matters to her.

mila saying 'you, armandaddy and the rabbit running after the clock' is what's happening in present day. it's no coincidence that armando was looking at video footage of them celebrating mila's 5th birthday. it's no coincidence that the pictures both betty and armando have in their office are of individual pictures they have with mila, again at her 5th birthday party. coincidentally this birthday party is with betty's side of the family. the mendoza's are nowhere to be seen.

both of them yearn to go back to a time when things were easier, when their marriage was not on the brink of divorce, where their individual relationships with their daughter (who they love very much) was not strained or complicated by ecomoda. it's up to them to get to mila and form a united front but neither of them know how to do that, especially now because ecomoda is again in a crisis.

tldr; ecomoda is the crux of the problem in the mendoza-pinzon family and we must kill it.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 07/07/2023

Epic Flintstones

Season 1 Featured on: GilvaSunner's Highest Quality Video Game Rips: Volume 7: Part mm2wood Also on: Now That's What I Call Quality!, SiIvaGunner: Starter Kit & Essentials

Ripped by Can of Nothing, wolfman1405, MtH Ending Visuals by Dosh

Look...it's the 7th day of the 7th month, in the midst of SiIvaGunner's 7th Season - during a year with the digital root of 7. (2+0+2+3 = 7). Today is when the stars align for the funniest number on the entire SiIvaGunner channel, the funny number that laid the foundation for everything the channel would eventually become. I couldn't NOT talk about it.

I get the impression from a lot of newer fans, or ones who maybe just pop in every now and then, that SiIva's neverending obsession with The Flintstones theme comes off as a bit of a gimmick. There was a novelty to it in Season 1, when the bait-and-switch nature of the channel was at full force, and people genuinely got caught off-guard hearing The Flintstones instead of their favorite game music: In turn parallelling Joel's original reaction to "MARIO 7" instead giving him Flintstones music. But a lot of time has obviously passed since then, to where even during the latter half of Season 1 people were starting to realize that just hearing the Flintstones wasn't really all that funny anymore. Even just the name Epic Flintstones comes from an in-joke during that time, where people like Triple-Q would post it as a form of ironic celebration over hearing the same old joke as always show up again.

So if that was the case even back in Season 1's final months, that long-time viewers were even then not really finding the joke funny and even growing a bit tired of it...how has it stayed with the channel for so long? And why did a rip like Epic Flintstones itself land so perfectly as the end of Season 1?

In my eyes, its entirely due to the emotional connection that viewers formed with the meme, in a way that feels almost exclusive to SiIvaGunner. There's no doubt that jokes like Grand Dad became played out to some people, yet its a joke that stems from the very origins of the channel - it represents how everything began, the core, beating heart of the entire ripping team. The first official story arc on the channel, Season 1's SiIvaGunner: Rebooted, used this emotional tie to jokes as the crux of its entire conflict: It gave viewers a look into an alternate world where all the channel's beloved jokes were replaced with equivalents, turning The Flintstones theme into The Simpsons, Love Live music into IDOLM@STER music, and so on. In terms of comedic effect, all of these really worked just as well as the original jokes. Yet they weren't the original jokes: The emotional attachment the community held for Grand Dad bound viewers together during the story arc as we all prayed for its return.

Its this kind of emotional attachment to the strangest of things that really draws me to the channel, and codified me as a die-hard fan when SiIvaGunner: Rebooted came to an end. And its this kind of emotional attachment that gives Grand Dad weight as a musical theme, even seven seasons in. The Flintstones theme has become a sort of celebratory anthem more than a joke: It cameos up in just about everything, from big joke medleys like Rips Are Forever to full-on event anthems like The King for Another Day Tournament's Main Theme, as a kind of way to remind us in the audience of just how far the channel's come whilst still being the same.

Which, brings us back to todays rip: Epic Flintstones, the finale of Season 1. Through music and visuals, it follows Grand Dad's journey throughout the channel's first nine months, walking along its history not as a joke, but as genuine celebration. It's celebratory, bittersweet, and genuinely heartfelt. The visuals, sound, and the animation by the end - none of it is played for laughs, and none of it was met with ridicule. It was met with becoming the 5th most viewed video on the channel.

There's little I can say about Epic Flintstones that isn't conveyed perfectly by the rip itself, but what I will say is that it hit me in every way it was intended to. Though it didn't end up marking the end of SiIvaGunner as a whole, it was a beautiful end to the channel's original run, and a testament to the emotional power these silly memes have to us fans.

[jiminiminycrickerrttt]

my thoughts on religion that nobody asked for :)

Like many Hindu children, I had my annaprashan (a first rice ceremony) at 7 months old. Bengalis tend to believe that odd months (5 and 7) are particularly auspicious times to hold such ceremonies for baby girls. Conversely, baby boys would have their annaprashans on even months. Immigrating to Canada left us in a desperate search for community and companionship, the best place to find this, of course, was by connecting with any given Hindu Society in any given county. I remember attending various pujas for various deities, having a shallow understanding of their lores and mythologies, and learning the different songs and hymns used to worship them to sing on a stage after the evening prayers. 

Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, the girls-only boarding school that I attended for 5th and 6th grade when we lived in Gwalior had a 97% Hindu majority student body. We celebrated the usual holidays, of course, though this time the performances and sermons were more spectacular, and were held in an auditorium instead of a rented out church basement. We were given days off from our classes, special meals, and were able to wear clothes and accessories that were not a part of our uniforms. Despite all of the pomp and circumstance, I can’t seem to remember exactly why we were celebrating these holidays. I haven’t attended a formal puja in 6 years. 

When I was around 7, I remember a particularly eclectic aunty showing up to a Bengali function. She had just flown in from her travels around Nepal, proudly proclaiming that she was a newly converted Buddhist. From her purse she pulled out a Sanskrit prayer book filled with Buddhist chants that she could not read. She had English transcriptions of each syllable under each line that told her how to pronouncers each phrase and which words to stress and not stress. Regardless, she made a show of praying aloud in front of everyone before dinner, and vowed to learn how to read Sanskrit as a step in her path to enlightenment. 

Many of the other guests were not particularly impressed by her, but my mother was taken immediately. She asked the aunty where she purchased her copy of the Vinaya Pitaka and was immediately gifted the spare one which had been kept in her bag in case she was asked this very question. For six months afterwards, my mom would pray every single morning and every single night, chanting those same repetitive lines over and over and over again, buying more books with insights into the teachings of Gautama. She however, did not need handwritten English transcriptions. She would follow up those prayers with a solid 20 minutes of silent meditation, and would break that silence to scold me every time I tried to distract her. I can’t recall exactly when she stopped praying, and I can’t find any of those books that she bought in the house today. 

That same year, she became friendly with our neighbours, whose names I cannot remember. What I can remember is the smell of khoresh fesenjoon the mother would make while preparing for Iftar during the days she would babysit me after school while my mother was at work. She taught me how to determine which direction north/northeast was when praying, explained Mecca to me, how it was the holiest, most sacred piece of land in the universe, and shook me awake when I would fall asleep on the prayer rug. I once asked her if she was bald under her hijab, she then asked me if I was empty in the head. 

The  language they spoke, the way they kneeled down to pray, and the kameezes and kurtas and saris they would wear for religious holidays all bore a striking resemblance to Hinduism for me, at that age I don’t even think I thought of them as different religions. But there was something much more intimate, much more profound that I could sense in the way that they prayed. For years afterwards I would dream of Mecca as a magical, spiritual, fantastical city with glittering stone pathways and magnificent towering marble architecture that could solve all of one’s problems and conquer all of one’s fears just by existing. I also remember vividly seeing gigantic orange dragons in those same dreams. To this day I cannot draw any correlation between the two, but whenever I think of Islam, I think of dragons. 

In 2015, shortly after we moved back to Canada, my mother and I were baptized. At the time there were no Hindu societies in the Drayton Valley-Devon area, but there was one single Multicultural society. Once again in search of community we joined it immediately. The president of the Multicultural society, Bharti Khulisia, was an Indonesian woman of Indian descent who had lived in Drayton Valley for over 15 years. She was married to a foul-mouthed (though well-meaning) man named Dennis who has some sort of generic but lucrative job in the trades. Bharti Aunty told me that I reminded her of her granddaughter, and told my mother that she reminded her of herself when she was younger. Immediately, we were hooked. She was also a devout Christian who had gone on missions across South America. She would take my mom to church on most Sundays, who began taking me shortly after. I remember being annoyed at having to stand during the 20 (twenty!!!) minutes of singing at the beginning of each session, and otherwise being mostly indifferent towards the sermons. I did enjoy the post-church barbecues, though. 

Months after we began attending church, Bharti Aunty convinced my mother to get us both baptized for reasons that I can’t quite recall (again). I had to write a small speech about finding Christ, was dunked into a hot tub of cold water at some sort of ceremonial hall, and was given a free t-shirt to change into and a baptismal certificate afterward. Neither of which I can find today. 

When I started making my own money, I bought copies of each religious book and scanned them over again to see if anything would resonate, if anything would stick. The Quran (the Hindi translation, sorry), the Bible (which I skimmed, admittedly), the Bhagavad Gita (took me a solid eight months to get through that thing), and the Vinaya Pataka (I’ll get around to reading the other two Patakas eventually) were all profound in their own respective ways, all evoked emotion and revelation, all managed to mould and shape my morality, and all seemed to kill my perception of what I thought God was. The problem that I had not anticipated was that everything, in fact, had stuck. 

Fortunately by then, I had discovered mathematics. The insurmountable weight that was taken off my shoulders when I realized that everything was a statistical anomaly and/or prediction, when billions upon billions of years of physics and chemistry and biology happily worked together to create the world that we live in, that the reason we are here on this earth, asking these questions and contemplating these concepts is simply due to the unknowable mathematical coding of the universe that dictated the consecutive major events that gave us consciousness in the first place, cannot be overstated. It was so immensely freeing to place all of my beliefs onto something far greater and far more complex than I could ever fathom, something so beyond me that I didn’t even need to fully understand it to know that it was there. To believe in something unshakable, to base my beliefs in something that surpassed the powers and expectations of any being on earth. To read through my math textbooks, to listen to TED-Talks in order to gain insight and clarity on my silly little mortal problems. 

But what if I’m wrong? What if there is a God? And what if they are angry at me, positively incensed at me for denying them completely? Do I place my bets based on the statistical evidence of how likely it is for a single religion to be true? If I do end up in hell, will I be satisfied that I remained steadfast to my beliefs or will I spend an eternal punishment being regretful that I had not subscribed to the correct one?

Isn’t questioning your faith one of the biggest components of being faithful anyways?

[tomyagape]

Happy 5th Monthsary,

The love of my life, Marcellino.

Hello,

Here we are again, celebrating our fifth monthsary on the 18th, a special date that has come to mean so much to me, and I swear my heart is brimming with emotions that are hard to put into words. Meeting you has brought so many beautiful moments into my life, and I feel like having so many words to say, to express my feelings right now, but everything seems to get stuck on the tip of my tongue. But if there's one thing I can manage to say, it's I love you. Those three simple words are filled with the depth of my feelings for you.

These past five months with you have been some of the happiest and most cherished times of my life. Every moment we've spent together has become a precious memory that I hold close to my heart. I know I've told you this for so many times already, but it can never be said enough that our moments together are treasures I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. You have brought so much joy, love, and warmth into my life. Your kindness, your smile, and your gentle heart make me fall in love with you more each day. I'm so grateful for every laugh, every kiss, and every moment of tenderness we share.

Marcellino my love, my rock, my good luck charm, my safe haven, my home, and my everything. I want you to know just how much you mean to me. This month surely has been particularly challenging, filled with sadness, anxiety, and moments of despair for me. Through it all, you have been my constant support, pulling me back from the edge and reminding me that I'm never alone. Knowing you are there for me gives me strength and peace. You make me feel okay, whole, and deeply loved, and I'm endlessly grateful for everything you do and for who you are.

Thank you, a million times over, for everything you do and all that you are. Your love and kindness make me feel cherished and understood in ways I never thought possible. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes; if you did, you would know how deeply I love you and how much you mean to me. Every little thing you do, every moment we share, fills my heart with joy and happiness. You bring so much light into my life, and I want nothing more than to make you as happy as you make me.

I know, words can never truly capture the depth of what you mean to me, still, I swear, at this very moment, my heart is so full of love for you that it seems impossible to love you more. And yet, I know that with each passing day, my love for you will only grow stronger and deeper.

You are my everything. You bring so much joy and light into my life, and I'm endlessly grateful for every moment we share. I can't and don't even want to imagine my life without you by my side now. You are the man I want to spend my day with, and I promise to cherish every single second we have together.

I know I'm far from perfect, but your endless patience with me means more than words can say, so again and again, thank you for always seeing past my flaws and loving me just as I am.

And as you always do for me, I will love you without reservation, cherish you, and hold you in the highest regard as well.

Happy 5th monthsary, my love.

With all my love,

Alana.

[swzinearchive]

SW Fanzine Archive

Hello and welcome to the fanzine archive! [For the best viewing experience, checkout our website on desktop. If you're a mobile user then all info needed will be found here in this pinned post.]

☆ Featured Zines ☆

Completed zines on display! These zines have closed completely. We rotate the featured zines every few months so check back now and again to see new zines!

Untold Stories Focused on the characters of the Clone Wars, Untold Stories was available in printed and digital format in 2022. All remaining proceeds of sales were donated to CAMFED at a total of $11,550 USD.

Flying Solo - Free Download! A digital PDF zine that celebrated the 5th anniversary of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Originally available at a pay what you will price as low as $1 USD with all proceeds being donated to Black Trans Travel Fund. Now available for free!

Shore Leave - Free Download! A free digital PDF zine produced by Incubus Wings Zines focused on characters from the Star Wars movies and what they would do if they had free time.

☆ Resources ☆

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Anthologies 101 Short post on what an anthology is, how it compares to a zine and what to keep in mind when creating one.

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Wanting to look at the current SW zines being made, or see what other events are taking place? Check out the blogs and sites below!

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[foresightofthelakes]

Please say a prayer for me if you can. I've never been much to talk a lot about personal/private matters, but in regards to my pinned post:

After some months of cancer treatment everything had been going well. About three weeks passed after starting treatment, until I finally had energy enough to wash dishes and eat a couple eggs before resting again and continued progressing from there. Everything was good to go, then about four months after that I had a relapse and the cancer hit me full-force. I'm a little frustrated concerning my health, it's been a long road and there's a lot more detail, but I'd rather just keep it short for now, ask for prayer, and continue to focus on healing my body.

I'd also like to ask for prayer in regards to the miscarriage. I'll just say we've been married ten years this April 5th, and we've both trusted any notion of starting a family in God's hands since we first considered it. We were both impacted by the miscarriage in different ways, but God is always in control, His reasoning is perfect, and He opens and closes the womb whenever He so chooses. It's just that now and then the heartbreak will inevitably catch up, and it gets difficult to bear.

Lately handling the heartbreak has been particularly difficult, as we have four ladies in our circle that are either very pregnant or just gave birth within two months of each other (please don't misunderstand, I'm absolutely ecstatic for all of them and I'm glad they get to share and celebrate- it's just that I sometimes start to wonder again about our baby/pregnancy). I've also had a handful of related dreams recently, and just today when I searched a key word to pull up info from my text messages, I immediately came across a conversation with my husband from when I was still pregnant. I won't assume anything from any of it, good or bad. It just.. hurts to think about. Regardless of how I feel, it's God's decision. I'm almost beginning to feel that I'm being haunted by it all right now, though, if I'm being completely honest.

Lastly, we're looking for a place to live that preferably isn't out of our car again. I don't mind if we have to live in a hole in the wall, so long as we can keep our two cats (God willing). Please pray that God would lead us in our current circumstances.

Thank you guys for lifting me up in prayer previously. I apologize that I didn't respond sooner. I don't tend to talk a lot or utilize social media (especially when it comes to personal issues), but please know that I was genuinely touched by every last note on my post about the cancer. Thank you, so, so much.

[elliesjace]

Checking the calendar today only to find out the date is something I celebrate every month. Yes, today is our day and believe me when I said am not going to shut up about it ever!

Dearest, Aldo 💌

This is not a typical love letter that you've received from me but this one is specially made by my love potion and magic to make you always under my spell. I have to ensure that I can keep you by my side as long as time permits.

I didn't believe when people said that once you found your significant other, time would pass like wind but we are the living proof about it. Months after we admitted our feelings and made it official, I still felt like it happened just yesterday. You are so handsome?? Gemoy, jamet dll, you drive me so crazy. I always wanna get to you and be with you. You are so beautiful, like son of Aphrodite 🫢🫢🫢 I could never stop looking at how you look that perfect eacht time you breathe and not falling in love all over again.

Happy 5th Mensive to my other half, Aldo jeyekkk 💞 I want you to know that I love you the most compared to any humans ever exist in this world. Love you more than my own life, I'd hold your hand tightly and be with you until the end of time

May all prayers and wishes that I said for our relationship is also what you wanted as well. Once again, thank you for being born, I will never stop beiny thankful that God sent you to my life.

143 means ILY ❤

[storyofatlas]

Kyra-Lynn had always enjoyed going to the ship racing out in the desert of Riot. She had seen the professionals once, and it was good, but Riot was more fun.

Her cousins ran ships here, and it was exciting to be in the pits with the mechanics, looking out through the bubbles as the ships raced the track across the desert. Not just being able to smell the burning fuel, but the oil and hot metal too. It was almost intoxicating.

The first time her cousin let her climb in one of the ships she spent an hour trying to figure it out. Race ships were built different than cargo ships, or even normal ships. The controls were different. The systems were different.

But after a quick test drive she claimed she had it figured out, and her cousin Nero challenged her to a race. Nero had been piloting in races for them for nearly two years.

They raced through the desert course, and Nero beat Kyra the first time, the second time she got him by a mile.

Nero didn't challenge Kyra again after that.

The following month Kyra started working on their mechanic crew, fixing ships in between races and doing on the routine checks and pre-flights.

Within three weeks she landed herself a spot piloting. It was their last seat in a smaller race, and one of their pilots was out.

"Kyra!" Her cousin Kai-Blaar had called as she was doing pre-flight. She crawled out of the ship, "Yeah?"

"We need to fill our third seat."

"Okay?" She furrowed her brows, checking the ships engine systems.

Kai shook his head, "You wanna race?"

She was geared up in thirty minutes and ready to go.

The race began. Kyra struggled a bit at the start, flying a ship was a different thing once you were in a crowd. But by the time the 20th lap came around, she was keeping up well. Her lap times increased every time, she managed to catch the group once more and even pass some of them. And she kept improving.

The West crew finished the race with Nero in first. Kyra landed in 7th, and their last pilot was 5th. Out of 20 pilots, it wasn't bad.

And Kai assured Kyra that 7th was much better than a 0.

The other pilot never came back and Kyra started flying every week.

Kai asked Kyra to go on the tour with them.

She was almost in disbelief. They usually only carried two pilots when the tour came around. They took a carrier around the system and even dipped into some of the other systems for a while. Three races a week, for four weeks. Easy enough.

The first week kicked her butt. Barely any sleep, lag from the long travels, and trying to keep up as the secondary mechanic and pilot.

The second week got better. She managed to win a round of nightly poker and impress everyone on the crew. The crew knew Kyra, and she felt normal being around them. It wasn't like schools where everyone would look at her odd, or wouldn't talk to her. And despite the fact that she had only been there for a little over a month, the crew cared for her. She felt like she belonged here.

The second week, Kyra claimed her first win in a race. After the race the crew celebrated briefly before Kai sent her to the race center to get an official race call.

She was half way to the center when she met the second-place pilot.

He grabbed her by the arm to stop her, then slammed her against the wall. He threw his helmet to the ground, then ripped Kyra’s off. He studied her face a moment, “Who in their right mind let’s a girl race?!”

Kyra furrowed her brows, “Well I must be all right if I beat all the boys lined up behind me.”

He fumed, throwing a couple punches and landing them before Kyra had time to react. She covered her face as she felt blood run down her chin. She elbowed him in the face, then kicked his knee. He howled in pain as she tried to keep her balance standing up. She felt dizzy.

The other pilot grasped his nose where she had hit him, “You little—“

“Ky?” Nero yelled from further down the hall. He must’ve just finished his post-flight log. He came around the corner and saw Kyra against the wall, trying to stop her nose from bleeding. And Dax Moza recovering from the ground. He stomped over to Dax, “You bastard— you attacked my cousin!? She’s like—“ Nero glanced back, “How old are you Kyra?”

��Seventeen.” Kyra answered absently.

“Seventeen!” Nero yelled at Dax, “She’s a kid!”

“Then why is she flying?” Dax barked. “If she can’t handle the heat she should go home to mommy and daddy.”

That’s when Nero punched him, hard. Almost enough to knock him out. He hauled Dax up, tossing him over his shoulder, then hauling him off to the race center. Kyra quietly followed behind.

The official calls were made. Kyra came in 1st, Nero in 3rd, and their other cousin in 4th.

They celebrated, but Kai pulled Kyra aside when he saw the bruises blossoming on her face.

“What happened?” He asked, concerned.

“Another pilot hit me.” She said nervously.

Kai furrowed his brows, “We thought you had a clean run—"

“No, after the race.” Kyra brushed her hand under the bruise on her eye, “he punched me.”

“Which one?”

Nero had made his way over and at that point, inserted himself in the conversation. “Dax.”

Kai looked at Nero, then sighed, “Shit.”

“It’s fine.” Kyra claimed, “I’m fine, I handled it. They’re just bruises.”

“Dax is a Moza.” Kai responded, “He’s out to get us every time we show up. It’s not even because we pissed them off. He just heard the name West and started going after us.”

“We were gonna tell you to fall back and just let him win.” Nero stated, “But uh— you kinda already committed and let me say, it was pretty cool how you—"

“It was, but we don’t want you hurt.” Kai said to her. “Dax and the Moza’s and a ribbon aren’t worth your life.”

“So he just throws a tantrum so people will back down?”

Nero sighed. “No. Just our family.”

Kyra looked at Kai skeptically. Kai shook his head, "Listen, there is no pressure from me, if it comes down to a dogfight with Dax, you back the hell off. I'm not trying to be responsible for that."

"Fine." Kyra said, "but like I said, I'm fine."

Kai-Blaar raised his eyebrows, shaking his head. "Go get those checked over by the Doc. Then maybe get some rest for the night. I'm sending the crew to their quaters, it's late enough, and we're leaving in a few hours."

Kyra nodded and stalked off to go find the doctor. Nero glanced over at her as she went away, then back at Kai. "What was that about?"

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

Nero shrugged, "You hate Dax, and she's fast enough to beat him, and you know it. What the hell?"

Kai shook his head, "If it were you, maybe . . . but not her."

"Is it 'cause she's a girl?"

Kai rolled his eyes, "No. Idiot, it's because of her dad. I promised him I'd look out for her when he got shipped out. I'm not going to break that promise asking her to beat Dax of all people."

"But what if she wants to? That's not necessarily on you."

"Nero, she doesn't. She's here, because she liked flying and I asked her to fly when we needed her."

"And she's good at it." Nero added.

"She is, but that's not the point." Kai said sternly. "She's too young to get hurt this early."

"It's bound to happen eventually." Nero stated, "I mean, look at me. I've hit that canyon wall out on Riot more than the average folk would like to think about. I got beat up by Dax a few times, crashed a few times, and rolled a Sev'er down a mountain, but I'm still spry like a 21 year-old should be."

Kai rolled his eyes. "I vividly recall you complaining that your back hurt a week after each of those incidents."

"The point is, she knows what she's doing, I say let her smoke Dax Moza and see what happens. And you and I both know she's not just here because the flying. She can hold her own in a fight."

"I'm trying to get her to stay out of it." Kai bit back, "I shouldn't encourage her to fight Dax on a regular basis."

Nero shrugged, "She took him down in two moves so . . ."

"The answer is no. Final answer. If you have to get between the ships to stop a wreck, you ought to do so. If you have to fly faster to keep ahead of her so Dax picks on you, so be it. She's never crashed before, I don't want it happening."

Nero laughed, "I never thought you'd have to encourage me to crash."

Kai sighed, looking back over the crew, "Well I never thought I'd have to look out for my cousin because no one else would."

"But you've been taking care of Klay-don," Nero argued, "It's not like Ky's that much older than him."

Kai shrugged, "And yet she's still a kid. And while we were all scrambling because of her parents, someone let her fall. It's a blessing we were able to find her again."

[calpicowater]

Week 3.6/52: January 16th - January 22nd 2023 | Chinese New Year 🧧

Last day at home/of rest before I head off to Calgary again for the 5th time in the past 14 months LMAO; YYC is really my 2nd home now. Gonna be on semi-hiatus until early/mid Feb because I am not bringing my laptop with me (as usual)... Because I am away during actual CNY in two days, I went to eat with my parents as an early celebration. Went to eat Sichuan food at 半步仙小酒館 and they had super bad service lol. We just wanted an extra bag for our takeout container because our old bag was leaking out sauce and the woman refused to give us another one and implied that we are stupid... :| so mean........ really terrible attitude!!!! And she made us feel like shit. It’s just a bag bro... and this was at the end of the meal after all of their passive aggressiveness the entire meal and how annoyed they visibly were every time we asked them for anything. I don’t like places with people like this :-( I have never had such bad service like this it’s actually kind of shocking WTF no one would want to return under these circumstances. Kind of ruined the day tbh. Food was pretty good though but not quite 10/10. Couldn’t stop eating because the dishes were so 下饭 and then suddenly I was super full. Spicy fish, 毛血旺, cabbage rice noodles, 牛蛙, & 锅包肉.... nice. Good meal but bad place! >_< 

[theblueshark]

Halloween Story

Hi so this one time in 2021 I wrote a story, and it was the first story I ever shared and people liked it so I wanted to share it here :)

Harlow smiled happily as he walked down the street, admiring the Halloween decorations and listening to the sound of dry leaves scraping against the sidewalks and roads and the sound of his combat boots hitting the ground. It was only October 5th but he felt so happy and excited.

”WOOO!” he yelled out, spinning in a circle. No one heard or saw him, that was because he, along with his twin sister, Wena, are Halloween (They could be seen or heard but only if they chose too).

They were the two parts of Halloween; Harlow was the autumn, child-like, not too scary part of Halloween, and his sister was the terrifying, blood, and dark part of Halloween. While they did butt heads sometimes they still helped balance each other out.

He smiled again, pushing his long and messy black hair away from his face. Now that he thought about it, where was his sister?

Wena sat on the roof of a house, her chin resting on her hand.

Unlike her brother she was annoyed, she had already saw some Christmas decorations in a few stores, and she wasn’t happy about it. Every year it seemed like Christmas decor came earlier than it had the year before and that scared her, and nothing ever scared her, she’d laugh at horror movies like they were comedies and roll her eyes at any one’s attempt to try and scare her.

She buried her face in her hands. She heard someone huffing and immediately knew who it was.

On the other side of the house Harlow was trying his hardest to get onto the roof,the house had three stories and Harlow (who had no upper body strength) was struggling to get to the top. He finally pulled himself up to the second story, he was glad no one could see him, otherwise this would be pretty embarrassing.

Harlow walked passed a window before reaching up to the edge of the roof and pulling himself up (surprisingly on the first try).

He lay there for a few seconds then stood up and walked over to his sister, sitting down next to her.

“So what’s wrong?” He asked.

“What do you mean?” She questioned, her voice muffled from her hands.

“You only sit on roofs to be sad, or pretend to be a bat, and you haven’t done that in ages.”

Wena chuckled and moved her hands from her face to her legs. “I…I’m just a little…” She took a deep breath. “…scared.”

Harlow was taken aback, scared? He never thought he would hear that word come out of his sister’s mouth.

“Scared? Of what?,” he asked.

“Don’t you see? Christmas keeps coming earlier and earlier each year and Halloween keeps getting shorter!” She cried, “what if people forget about Halloween? What’ll we do then?” Her voice cracked, a few tears running down her cheeks, Harlow reached over and wiped them away.

“Even if people gave up Halloween it would only be for a few years,” he replied.

Wena stopped and stared at her brother.“What?”

“People would eventually get tired of celebrating one major holiday, especially one where you have to spend money, and they would get really tired of hearing “All I Want for Christmas is You” on repeat for three months.”That actually made Wena giggle.

“And besides, Halloween is the one night of the year were it’s socially acceptable to go out dressed as a penguin, do you really think people would give that up?” He asked, Wena chuckled. “No,” she answered.

Harlow gave her a bright smile.

“Do you feel better now?”

She nodded.

“Good, now let’s get off this roof.” He said, standing up.

“Hold on, sit back down,” Wena demanded.

“What? Why?” he asked, slowly sitting down.

“You have leaves and sticks in your hair, and you messed up your eyeliner,” she replied. Harlow was glad to see his sister happy again, picking leaves and sticks out of his hair and wiping his smudged eyeliner, she didn’t show it on the outside but he could see it in her green cat-like eyes.

Wena, on the other hand, could see the excitement in her brother’s orange eyes. The twins had been together since the holiday had begun, though centuries together they helped each other, pulled each other up when one was down, they loved each other unconditionally, and they would always be there for each other.

[simply-shakera]

We The North Buxton - event recap

Happy new year to you and yours!!!!!!!!!!!

Since the last time I wrote here, I hope you've been continuing to work towards your dreams, navigating obstacles as best you can, moving your body, and spreading kindness. You know I always set out to write a post here once every month; but man, 2023 required so much of me and as a result, my social media and blog took a hit. I ultimately stopped posting and focused on being present. What I managed to complete before December 31st was my monthly recaps on instagram. IF interested, here they are:

Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Now for this month’s blog! I am excited to share more about my trip to North Buxton, Ontario. There's no better time than Black History month! You see, from my brief visit to the town I was introduced to so much history and community that was rich in tradition, generational blessings, and BLACK culture. Yet, throughout all levels of my educational career, I never learned about the community before.

Located just after Chatham and right before Windsor Ontario, North Buxton is one of the largest and most successful settlement communities from the Underground Railroad. Many former American slaves who had gained freedom settled there and many of their descendants have remained till this day. Currently, over 50% of the population is Black.

To commemorate its rich history, the town hosts an annual Homecoming celebration where many descendants return home to honour their family legacies.

In September of 2023, the community celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Homecoming celebration. My company Carnival Spice was invited to perform during the event’s parade. The team and I had no idea what to expect. We just looked forward to an adventure ahead and were excited for this unique opportunity where we can share the spice.

Homecoming morning was arguably the hottest day of the year, and because it was a rural area with much farmland, the sun was beating down HARD. We embraced it and was excited to go down de road. I had the pleasure of being the MC on our music truck and the spice dancers showcased beautiful costumes and choreography.

You could feel the joy from the thousands that lined the streets. To many folks in the audience, carnival costumes and soca was a new experience for them; It was a beautiful exchange.

Once we completed the parade route, we were able to enjoy the fair afterward and spend time with folks in the town.

It felt like a big cookout filled with food, and basketball, dancing and true connection. We also learned that many of the attendees traveled from all over North America.

After covid, attendance for Homecoming had declined - so the 100th anniversary had to be extra special because many would return for this great milestone.

I loved seeing the families who wore matching t-shirts to showcase their family name. The pride was beaming and the Blackness shined bright throughout. I never thought l'd ever meet 5th, 6th, 7th and even 8th generation BLACK CANADIANS. Keep in, my family are immigrants from the Caribbean; so it was certainly a new experience for me to meet Black folks with such deep roots in this country.

Thank you North Buxton for one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The ancestral connection, Blackness, and joy will never leave me. Looking forward to returning again soon.

"Thank you once again for helping us celebrate out 100th Labour Day Homecoming celebration! It was absolutely amazing! And you guys were the hit of the parade and in the park!!!!"  -- Shannon Prince

Shannon Prince retired as the Curator of the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum in December 2023, after 25 years of distinguished service. Shannon has received many awards and honours in recognition of extraordinary contributions, most recently she was appointed to the Order of Canada for exemplifying the Order’s motto: DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (“They desire a better country”). Her work has also earned her an honorary doctorate from the University of Windsor for her achievements. In January 2024, the Buxton Historical Society formally acknowledged Shannon's achievements on behalf of the museum, community, and country by appointing her as Curator Emeritus of the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum. (CONTINUE READING BIO)

[fashournalist]

Before October leaves, I just want to look back at how wonderful and eventful my birth month has been, whether it was in my work life, family, friendships, and spiritual life.

Thank You Lord Jesus for authoring these memories, and for the people I spent this month with. I am surrounded with so much love, and just like the song I kept on playing when I turned 21, “I could not ask for more.”

I just turned 29, and it feels like it’s all coming full circle. A part of me is still in 2015, a part of me is forever 21, because of how memorable that year has been, and I can honestly say that it seems 2023 is at par with that year. Just as I had a great start to my twenties, I am ready to close this chapter and make this the best year yet, before I face my thirties.

This was how I spent my 29th October

Oct 12 - I met my Bumble* Friends big sister in person for the first time, ate Ma-an Noriega. We were supposed to watch films at the Spanish Film Festival but we ended up speaking for five hours. It was not enough, but she had to go home for work already. We will meet again this week to watch the Eras together : )

Oct 14-15 - To say this weekend was amazing is an understatement. Spent the night with Anthony Rosaldo United and Anthony himself for the 5th anniversary of the fans club.

Oct 17-present - I started training Jenina, JR, and Sophie and it’s always a fun session with them! Love how they learn fast, just like when Dom and Lor learned fast when Ate Marc and I trained them before.

Oct 20-21 - Advance birthday celebration with Dad at The Theatre at Solaire! It’s a dream come to watch Hamilton in the flesh! Can’t get over That Would Be Enough and Dear Theodosia. Then, spent the night with Karl and Dad at Solaire Casino (only bet 100, we were just there for the unlimited drinks hahaha)

Oct 22 - Happy birthday at work! So happy I spent the day with my AM family. I’m the only AM on Sundays but for today, Kryzl Mendez, Dominic Emanuel Apolona, Lorhenz Lacsa, and Adonijah Trixie Banico rendered RDOT to help with the billable hours, and I enjoyed my special day with them. Spent the day with my favorite teammates at my favorite fastfood, McDo <3 Isay gave me an Eras shirt, and Dominic gave me a powerbank plus letter because I asked for a letter haha.

Oct 23 - My closest friend Karl Jude Emmanuel Ocampo made me feel special in many ways! He took me to Wildflour, bought an entire cake that I can share with the team, and gave me gifts I never imagined I’d be receiving from a friend: a new cell phone, memory card, and the first laminated letter I received in my life. Thank you bb for spoiling me. What did I do to deserve you?

Oct 24 - Our very generous OM, Ronaldo Lacson, gave pizza for the team in celebration of my birthday, plus I got another cake, which I brought home to share with my Dad.

Oct 27 - Belated birthday celebration with Dad at Mama Lou’s - Endless Pasta! We had a collective total of 11 plates.

Oct 28 - Spent quality time with my siblings from Isentia, Angelique Daclan hosted a Halloween 2014 Tumblr theme party. This is my kind of party, intimate and only spent with five fellow introverts hahah, much better than parties with lots of people (although that can be fun, too, as long it’s rare). So happy I saw AJ, Morris Manalaysay, and Laborem Joey Bobiles again. Also met Eli and Ellie, AJ’s friends at her new work. Grateful I have this circle where I can join drinking sessions without the pressure to drink <3

Oct 29 - Went straight to work after the party, and Lorhenz surprised me by treating me at McDo as his birthday gift! After work, I volunteered to man the booth of Parish Renewal Experience at our church.

Today is October 31, and I’m just amazed at how remarkable this October has been. I’m also astonished at how my INFP-T social battery is being pushed to the limit, because I’m that person who needs a month up to a quarter of hibernation (my term for alone time) for every date and social gathering I have (ask my closest friends Karl and Gee Ann Barro – they know HAHA) But ever since I started working onsite again, I’ve been starting to become more flexible with my social life haha. Slowly, I increased my capacity to agree to invites, and initiate them, too, when I have the energy. I just need to maximize my alone time to recharge and be ready to make new memories again with the people I love.

Thank You, Lord, for being the writer of my life story. I surrender to You this new chapter. Thank you for the love you surround me with and the people you put in my life. I pray to give back that love to the world. May I be a better daughter, a better friend, a better colleague, a better person. May I be the person You want me to be. And someday, may I be the right person for the person I’ve been waiting for since 1994, wherever he is right now.

*I tried Bumble because my work friends have been encouraging me to start dating already, since I never tried at my age, but I was not ready yet so I invested time in Bumble BFF instead haha. But, just like I told my teammate AT, now that I’m 29, if ever someone will ask me out, then I’ll give the person a chance. Let’s see how this year will unfold haha!

PS. My mind’s my age, but my heart will always beat like I’m only 7, 15, and 21. As for my soul though, it’s around 150 to 200 years old already haha.

[rosepais]

October

October is a month of pomp and glory! To be more precise, it is the month I was born. For the last 18 years, ever since I started earning that is, I ensure, this month and I are celebrated. People have different ways to celebrate their birthdays, as for me, this is the opportunity I take from the entire year to thank the people who matter to me, and to access where I stand in terms of personal growth and take key decisions in life.

For this to happen, it is important to take break from the mundane, hence every year, I ensure to take 10 days off from work. To completely detox my mind and body and just to celebrate the fact that I was born.

This year is a little special. I turned 39! For millions out there, they do not look at this from my perspective. For me, this year will be special, because whether I get past this year alive or not, it is the last 30’s of my life.  Age is just a number, indeed, but it is also a number that you will never live again. Have you taken time out to celebrate the number you have reached in your life? If you think it sounds weird then you do not love yourself enough to appreciate the air you breathe, the day you live and the people you love. Strictly my opinion alone.

Like every year for the last 18 years, I give myself a lot of credit in October. I do things that make me happy, I meet people that have stood by me and helped make my life worth living, I travel, I eat, I buy myself a gift with my own money, I write my journal to appreciate my journey in the last one year and last but not the least, I remind myself, how important I am and jot down goals to achieve for the next one year.

After diligently applying for leave, I ensured every single day is well spent. I never work on my birthday; it is a policy I follow strictly.

Mother. 1st day I dedicated my day for my mother. We would not be around if not for them. I spent time buying her the things she wanted, helped her learn how to take a video on her phone and how to place orders for groceries. She is a quick learner and now her phone memory is already filled with lots of videos! 

Child. 2nd day to 4th day I took off on my planned vacation. During this vacation I took time to think and reevaluate my personal goals. Spent lot of time with my child and we both shared a lot of secrets. We understood each other better and fell in love a little more. I ensure I go to the beach every year without fail and unwind. I spent 4 days doing nothing. Just watched the ocean for hours, ate a lot and played a lot with my kid.

Me. 5th day was my birthday. It felt like a normal day except the fact that the whole day goes in saying “thank you”. I had nothing planned hence I was wondering what I should do for myself. Every year I gift myself a little something with some money saved. Suddenly it clicked that I have always been wanting a fancy body massage. I immediately booked a Swedish massage and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Had some delicious home cooked meal made by mum, later went out with my friends for dinner and then slept like a baby. A day well spent and spent happily without expecting anyone to make it happy for me. I made myself happy in small little ways.  On this day, many people texted me with some very special heart-warming messages which also was the highlight of my day.

Home. 6th day I spent time rearranging my home, and decluttering. Everyone and everything need a little detox. I gave away stuff I didn’t need anymore and rearranged my wardrobe. By end of it, I realized I have enough clothes that I do not need to shop for the next 2 years. Not sure if I should be happy about this or sad.

Sleep. 7th and 8th day I did nothing but sleep. I woke up, ate food, slept again for hours. I was exhausted and needed to catch up on lots of sleep before the practical life reopened again. Sleep is so important to me I felt so good to put my sleep time on my planner. Dedicating time to nothing but lazing around my cozy bed and sleep which on usual days I can only dream off while staring at the windows of my work desk, awakened me and made me feel active. Although I will miss sleeping again.

Friends. Next couple of days I spent time meeting people who I have not met for long. It felt so rejuvenating catching up and laughing about the silliest jokes ever. Friends are my pillars of strength and the reason why I sail through life. I do not have many, but the ones I have are my pills of happiness. Non-judgemental, non-toxic, pure happy pills. It is so important to be surrounded by people who will elevate your spirits. I am blessed to have them.

During the 12-day break, while I had my moments alone, I started thinking about how I was a year ago, what were my pain areas and how have I grown past that. I took time to thank God for every moment where he gave me strength to pull past through the saddest of days.

As I enter 39, I realize I am a little stronger than I was, happier than I could ever be, a few kgs extra because of the holiday eating and a little extra grateful for everything I have and achieved. I also understood myself as a person even better. I am in love with myself and proud of who I am.

I promised myself that I would live everyday of 39th year to my fullest and promise that if I reach 40, I will treat myself to a better gift, a bigger cake, longer vacation, and more happiness without expecting anyone else to do it for me.

I am writing this blog, as silly as it may sound to some of you, to help you understand that you are not to take yourself for granted. You are beautiful, you are important and while you work hard everyday to keep others happy, take time off to celebrate YOU.

October, or any month you are born, is a special month. While the trees unwind too by shedding their unwanted leaves and revamp with new colours, I urge you to reconsider shedding your past life and growing a new one designed by you, for you.

Thanks for reading.

[twentycheeks]

𓈒 ˙ 🍥 ּ 🍰 ⠀ . ࣪𓇻 ݁

hey-yo! it’s me, your yoyang.. ૮ ̷ ̷ ̷・ﻌ・ ა♡

mmm honestly speaking, aku udah rencana mau buat ini dan itu dari seminggu kemarin tapi ya.. you know.. ternyata aku lebih milih menghabiskan waktu buat ngobrol banyak sama iyam sebelum kkn.. {gak masalah, aku seneng banget ngobrol sama anak bayi!} tapi yah aku jadi deadliner! so, happy 5th, iyam.. ꒰ᐢ⸝⸝⸝⸝ᐢ꒱✧ i’m so happie to be able to walk this far with you, although the fear that i enjoy is also so much.. kayak apa yang kamu bilang bulan kemarin.. i’m afraid just like you. we’ve been through the 3/4 months rule, but that can’t hide the fact that i’m afraid the saturation point will come to you or me. i’m afraid that my boring-activities will make you not think about it and choose not to stay here. 🥺 i’m afraid that tomorrow we won’t able to chit and chat again.. i don’t want to lose you even for a second! :‹ but look at us today, we got it! we both survive, none of the saturation and boredom descend on us, right? bahkan sejujurnya, tiap kamu tidur duluan dan aku tidur belakangan.. i always wait for the time when in the morning we greet ceyamat pagi each other and talk casually again. 🥺

to be very honest, aku seneng sama kamu belakangan ini.. bukan belakangan ini aja sih, tapi aku seneng banget kalau kamu terbuka ke aku dan ngasih banyak kepercayaan ke aku, aku seneng bisa jadi rumah buat kamu, aku seneng kamu selalu inget aku.. {scrunches my nose T __ T}

oh, keep fighting for your kkn, go go go finish it and make a time with your yoya who’s waiting for you here! :‹ is anything hard go on you, tell me, i would send my warmest support and BIG hug for you. thank you for listening to all of the stories that i randomly throw at you, thank you for hugging and softening my emotions that sometimes overflow, calming every thing that sucks, and celebrate my presence no matter how small is it. thank you for all the patience that you have lived sincerely, we made it this far, tanpa berantem, tanpa emosi-emosi.. dan aku seneng banget sama fakta itu. ૮꒰ྀི ◞ ๑ ◟ ꒱ა

i’m grateful to be able to reach this point with all god’s plan for us. you’re probably the best thing that will ever happen to me, and i hope you keep happening to me for a really long time. yoya loves iyam, and always owning iyam’s love. happy 5th monthversary, bayi!

[omarfor-orchestra]

I am once again daydreaming about berlusconi's death

[klarolineauseason]

We are pleased to announce Klaroline AU Season 2022, an event celebrating the glorious ship we’ve all come to know and love. Join us for 7 AU weeks, each week celebrating a different AU, starting June 5th and ending July 17th.

Each week is focused on a different alternate universe or trope, following an overall theme for the content created.

Each week begins on Sunday at 12:00AM EST and ends on Saturday at 11:59PM EST.

The content you could create could be anything, including: drabbles, one-shots, multichaps, chapter updates or additions to existing works, edits, manips, gifsets, art, playlists, videos etc.

Do as little or as much as you want! You don’t have to participate every week if you don’t want to, just pick and choose to your liking. Or participate in them all, if you’re up for the challenge!

To those of you writing, be sure to post sneak peaks leading up to AU Season and tag the blog as we’ll do our best to reblog it.

Struggling with ideas? That’s okay too, there are a variety of prompt cards available, including dialogue, themes, locations and ideas. Or, you could make something for one of your existing works, as long as it follows the week’s theme.

Not a creator? Or don’t have time to create? That’s fine! Take time during the season to reblog and review fics and art from creators, new and old, that apply to the week currently commencing. Or go the extra mile and do an entire rec list!

All content can be posted on tumblr and if writers would like to, a collection on A03 can be made. Either way, post your creations on tumblr and remember to mention @klarolineauseason​ so we can include your works in the week summary and masterlist at the end.

All content can be a rating of your choosing. Please tag and label appropriately!

Anyone can get involved - again, you don’t have to be a creator!

We’ve announced the event a good month beforehand so you have time to create and prepare, ready to post when the weeks begin. We look forward to seeing everyone’s creations and contributions! 

Let the countdown commence!