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contrabassconversations · 5 years

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537: ISB - State of the Union

We’re talking with International Society of Bassists President Nicholas Walker about new directions for the organization. A lot has been happening behind the scenes at the ISB, and I’ve been privileged to be on the board and a part of these restructuring. We dig into this and much more in today’s conversation.

Below is Nicholas’ column for the fall 2018 edition of Bass World. This will give context to much of what we’re talking about. Enjoy, and please join the ISB is you’re not a member!

We Can Do This Together

by Nicholas Walker

International Society of Bassists President

The ISB is thriving. We are an inclusive collective of bass players with an inspiring philosophy and 50 years of experience connecting through meaningful educational nonprofit work. We have a highly competent and functional Board of Directors and Advisory Board, an extraordinary Management Team, ever-blossoming and deepening Convention gatherings, this inspiring Bass World journal, a growing endowment, smart fiscal oversight, and best of all, we have ourselves, our loyal and devoted member-base-bass-members!

Member Dues

It has been four years since our member dues have increased, and it is time to raise them again. Our finance team has been crunching the numbers, and today the cost per member is $89.23/year. If you look at the new member rates at the back this journal you will see that all of our rates are below this number, and that we offer our largest discounts to students and seniors - we are at our very best when we hold all generations in our contiguous bass love.

That’s right. We deliberately set our member dues as low as possible so we are able to include more people. But this means we depend upon three additional revenue sources: 1) voluntary tax deductible donations from those of us who are able, 2) advertising and sponsorship income from our luthiers and vendors, and 3) growth in our member base.

More Members

This is where you come in. More members and more voluntary donations means our costs are shared among more members, a lower cost per member, more opportunity for us to expand our education and outreach programs, and a sustainable, financially secure future.

Simply stated, there are not enough bassists investing in the future of the ISB. Many membership organizations are struggling these days to answer one this question: how can we reach the next generation and inspire the kind of loyal civic responsibility and united, shared commitment that seems to have been culturally instilled in the baby boomers?

We need to bring more bassists into our family, and I’m writing to ask you to help us recruit members, both for idealogical and fiscal reasons.

Donations

One very easy way to do this is simply to sponsor a gift membership through the link at the bottom of this letter.

If you are able, please make additional voluntary donations beyond your member dues. We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, so all donations are tax deductible.

If you are a Life Member, and if you are able, please consider contributing voluntarily to cover the $89.32 yearly cost for providing our services to you.

Do You Need Help?

If you are in some tough financial times, please contribute what you can, and know that many of us would be very happy to help a fellow member stay in our ISB family. This can always be done discreetly and anonymously through the home office, or any board member. We know you would do the same for us if our situations were reversed.

Keeping Costs Down

By January 2019 we plan to offer you the option to opt out of paper delivery. Our second largest expense every year is the production, printing, and shipping of this journal. We know that some of our members love to have a physical copy in hand, while others prefer to read and browse on their phones, tablets, and computers. I hope that no one will feel obliged to give up a physical copy of the magazine, but for those of you who prefer a paperless subscription, we would like to provide you this service, which will also save us money in shipping and printing.

So many of our members are experienced and proficient in areas outside of bass playing. When you folks help with web development, investment expertise, fundraising, marketing, convention organization and implementation, we save money. So if you have time, experience, or resources that could be helpful to one of our teams, please reach out directly to the Chair of that team or the home office, and know that we welcome your help and participation.

My hope is that by the time we all are “back home again in Indiana” in June of 2019, we can report to you a happy increase in both our member numbers and voluntary donations.

Thank you for any part you can play in helping to keep our society strong and thriving into the next 50 years.

To help us out today, please visit www.isbworldoffice.com/join

~ Nicholas

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01littleunicorn · 6 years

Note

For the writing prompts 8 U for graybin Please ♥ (am I abusing the fact you told me u could request more than once? Definitely yes)

Hey there!! Not abusing don’t worry, I’m always happy to write for you ^^

For explanation, the lovely person up there is my bff hence why I made an exception to the ‘’only Awakening/Fates’’ rule. She knows exactly where I am in the game and therefore knew not to ask for things happening in the later parts of the story.

Anyway first time writing for Echoes’s characters! Tobin and Gray are two of my favorites so I hope I did them justice ^^’’

8. ‘’I just want to sleep’’

U. Quiet Campsite

Pairings: Gray/Tobin

No warnings, possible spoilers if you haven’t played the game ^^

Enjoy!

The fire had finally diedout and even the remaining ashes were now running cold. A heavy silence was reigningon the campsite, with the exception of the occasional snore coming from one ofthe soldiers. The moon was high in the sky and everyone seemed to be sleeping.

Well, almosteveryone… For what felt like the thousandth time, Tobin turned around on hismakeshift bed, trying to fall asleep.

Tomorrow would be abig day. The Deliverance was going to walk on the Sluice Gate to defeat one ofDuma’s faithful and free Luthier’s sister, Delthea. The fight ahead was notgoing to be an easy one, as those arcanists from Rigel were known to be bothpowerful and vicious, but Alm refused to abandon the young mage to her fate,despite the overwhelming odds.

Coming from a largefamily, Tobin had instantly related to Luthier’s plea to save his sister. Ifany of his siblings had found their way into that kind of danger, the archerwould have begged anyone to help him rescue them. Though, living in Ram village,the dangers he would’ve had to face would’ve been more along the line ofpredators from the woods or the occasional brigands.

In any case, he wasglad Alm had agreed to help save Luthier’s sister, no matter what other membersof the Deliverance might have to say about this decision. Somehow, it remindedTobin that his friend was still the simple man he remembered from hischildhood, even though he was changing more and more into a true militaryleader.

Their battle atDesaix’s fortress remained fresh in his mind and he clearly remembered theevent that took place there. Most of them were too busy celebrating Mathilda’srescue and their victory over Zofia’s traitor to notice, but he had been therewhen Alm found the treasure residing in the general’s vault.

The sword was beautifullydecorated and automatically caught Tobin’s eyes. However, no matter how hard hetried, the archer was unable to pick it up. Though he might not be as strong asAlm or, even if it pained him to admit it, Gray, he stillknew his way around a sword. And this one was impossible to lift. Yet, Alm thencame and took it like it was the easiest thing to do. While Tobin might not bethe smartest guy around, it was pretty obvious to him that if you can wield aweapon that legends say no one else can lift, that must mean something!

The regal weapon wasnow sitting at Alm’s side like it was the most normal thing in the world, yet hisfriend refused to talk about it to anyone. Both him and Lukas hadn’t uttered aword on the subject, even to Clive, and the archer couldn’t figure out why. Whydid Alm choose to just dismiss this event as if it was nothing? What made himnot mention it to at least his friends?

Tobin didn’t knowmuch about war and strategy and stuff, but something did not sit right withthis situation and he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

With a sigh, thearcher closed his eyes again, trying once more to find some semblance of sleep,when a ruffle nearby caught his attention.

- Pssst… hey…Tobin… psst!

Recognizing the voiceof the annoying mercenary, Tobin simply rolled his eyes, attempting to ignorehis friend by pretending to be asleep. That was counting without Gray’sdetermination.

- Tobin…..Tooooobiiiiiiin…. pssst!!!

Fearing that theother man’s loud whispers would wake up the entire camp, the archer finallylooked at him with an annoyed face.

- Shut up Gray! Ijust want to sleep…

He didn’t truly thinkthis would be enough to really silence the mercenary and the latter proved himright by simply smiling at the exclamation and answering jokingly.

- Bah, you can sleepwhen you’re dead!

Even though he knewthis was just a jest, Tobin did not find it funny and simply responded with adisapproving look.

They were at war anddeath was following them at every step. It could come for any of them, at anytime, and every battle was a new wager with the reaper. Tobin was always afraidthe next fight would be his last, a fear Gray didn’t seem to share with all hisjoking and boasting around.

The mercenary justheld up his hands and simply added apologetically.

- Sorry, sorry… butstill, you must have a bit of time to spare for good ol’ Gray?

Technically speaking,Tobin would have been better off sleeping to regain his strength for tomorrow. Realisticallythough, he doubted he would ever manage to fall asleep any way and was somewhatcurious about what Gray wanted to talk about.

- Fine… what do youwant then?

The other man smiledat his capitulation and proceeded to bring his own makeshift bed closer. However,he sported a more serious look when he whispered to Tobin again.

- I wanted to askabout Alm… I mean… don’t you think he’s been changing recently?

The question didn’tsurprise Tobin that much and it took him back to his recent thoughts. Heanswered with a sigh.

- Of course, he’sbeen changing… but, honestly, everything keeps changing since we left Ramvillage! I barely recognize myself sometimes. Alm is just… more affected Iguess.

He didn’t want tobring too much on the subject. Whatever Alm’s reasons were for keeping secrets,they were his own and Tobin would respect that.

As for Gray, he seemedto think about it for a few seconds more, before adding.

- Yeah, maybe… Imean he’s always been kinda… different, I guess? You know, like he didn’tbelong at the village with the rest of us… I suppose it’s normal he found hisplace here, among all the knights and noble warriors. They’re more his pace, ifyou know what I mean…

There was truth inGray’s words and Tobin had to admit it. While they all had come a long way, Almhad always been the one standing out, much to the archer’s desperation. Alwaysthe brave and strong hero, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he seemed to befitting in his new leader role quite this easily. Maybe it was just his fate,who knows?

- Still, sometimes itfeels like he’s slowly leaving us behind to live this big hero life! He couldat least save some of the glory for his ol’ friends, you know.

Gray had added thatlast part with a wink, making Tobin roll his eyes once more. Gray was often goingon and on about that whole glory thing and the archer knew that was a big partof why he joined the Deliverance in the first place. It wasn’t that Tobindidn’t care about being recognized as a hero, but his main focus had alwaysbeen to bring money back for his family. The fame and glory would just be abonus… if he survived, that is.

- Say Tobe… what doyou think the future will be like for us?

His friend’s voicebrought Tobin out of his thoughts, making him reflect on the question. Truth betold, the archer hated thinking about the future. With every step, they seemedto get more and more involved in a situation that surpassed him and he dreadedwhat was coming on the horizon.

He sighed, turning onhis back to look at the sky.

- I don’t know…Heck! I don’t even know what tomorrow will look like… But, I guess, if I’mstill alive after all this, I would go back to Ram village to help my family onthe farm.

That was the planafter all. Go out there, fight to earn gold and bring it back to his family. Itseemed so simple back then.

Gray looked surprisedby his answer and he added, with an inquiring look.

- Really, that’s all?Is that really what you want Tobin?

There was a rareserious tone in his voice and Tobin was taken aback by the question. What elsewas there to want after all?

- Well… yeah Iguess…

But he wasn’t so sureanymore. Trying to ignore those new uncertainties, he turned his attention backto Gray.

- What about you? Anygreat plans for the future?

The reaction wasimmediate for the mercenary who responded, with a huge smile.

- Easy! I’ll marryClair and we will settle down and have lots of little Grays running around.Maybe I’ll even name one after you, Tobe!

As the darker skinnedman started to chuckle at what he probably considered a hilarious joke, Tobinsimply sighed.

Of course, Clair wasalways the answer. Ever since the young woman had rejoined the Deliverance, shewas practically all the two guys ever talked about. How beautiful she was andwho would win her heart. Tobin had to admit he didn’t have much hope for thatlast part though. If Clair was always chastising Gray about his flirtinghabits, she was at least talking to the mercenary. Beside a salutation duringtheir first meeting, Tobin had never managed to exchange anything more with thePegasus Knight, making his chances even slimmer than the laughing man’s besidehim.

Yes, Clair wasgorgeous, strong… and completely out of his league. He should just give up atthis point.

- Sure… well, Iwish you the best luck then mate… Make sure she doesn’t kill you before sayingyes…

He thought hisattempt at a joke would be enough to stop his friend from prying forward, butGray’s laugh died out almost instantly as he looked at Tobin with concern.

- Since when are youso okay with Clair and I? I mean, I know we agreed not to fight over it but…I mean, I thought you would still wanna have a chance, no?

Being a competitive man,Tobin had always strived to beat Alm or Gray at anything. Yet, he also knew hehad to choose his battles and that was a fight he had already lost.

- What chance? Shedoesn’t even look at me. Compared to Alm, or even you, I have no way of everwinning her heart. She’s a sophisticated noble; I’m a lowly commoner… that’swhat it is.

He then turned tosmile dryly at Gray.

- But don’t let thatstop you from trying for what you really want. Maybe, miracles can come true.

He added that last partmostly as a jape, although the mercenary didn’t seem to catch it. Looking atthe sky and nibbling on his bottom lip, Gray was obviously lost in thoughts andTobin had to call him twice before he responded to his name, with a bashfulsmile.

- Sorry, I was justthinking….

The need to tease wastoo strong to resist.

- I saw that and itlooked hard to do…

- Oh! shut up Tobin!

The archer simplychuckled at the mercenary’s exclamation before asking, more seriously.

- Nah, but really,what’s troubling you? Isn’t marrying Clair your dream?

Gray simply sighed,seemingly searching for his words, before answering.

- Sure… but,like… maybe that’s all it is. A dream, I mean…

He then turned backto look at the sky as he added.

- This journey’salready crazier than what I could’ve ever imagined, yet… I don’t know, maybeI just enjoy dreaming too big…

Somehow, Gray’s wordsfelt really relatable and Tobin could only nod in agreement, whispering back.

- Yeah… I know thatfeeling.

For a moment, the twoboys fell in a comfortable silence, with only the stillness of the nightsurrounding them. In this restful atmosphere, Tobin could feel his eyes closingas he yawned silently, slowly falling asleep.

- Say, Tobin…

Gray’s voice wakedhim up from his sleepy state and he turned his attention back to his friend.

- Hum?

- No matter whathappens tomorrow, or even later… we will always stay together, right?

There was a reallyserious tone in his voice, one Tobin didn’t hear often, and almost a hint ofworry. Gray sounded truly afraid that he might lose him someday and Tobin suddenlyrealised he seemed to be sharing the same fears. At the thought of losing the mercenary;of not seeing him again; of not hearing his dumb jokes once more, the archercould feel a void in his heart and blaming it on their long lasting friendshipdidn’t feel quite right.

But that was too muchthinking for this time at night.

- Of course… westarted this together and we’ll finish it together.

And, with a smile, hejokingly added.

- Besides, no matterhow hard I try, I could never get rid of you anyway.

- Hey!

The exclamation was accompaniedby a playful hit on the shoulder, as both boys started laughing loudly, tryingto stifle it enough to avoid waking their fellow soldiers.

They were both still smilingwhen Gray put his hand on the archer’s shoulder, adding with a familiar smirk.

- And, you know, lifewould be quite boring without you, my Tobi-poo!

The possessive use ofthat appellation and the gesture were enough to make Tobin blush slightly, but hesimply responded with an audible grunt.

- Aw…come on, youknow I hate that nickname.

Gray smirks just grewbigger as he winked at him.

- Oh! I know…

Then, with a yawn anda large grin, the mercenary lay down on his bed, whispering.

- Well… good-nightTobi-poo!

Remaining annoyed by theuse of the ridiculous pet name, Tobin barely answered before lying down again, hopingto be able to fall asleep this time.

But he already knewthis was a lost cause. As he closed his eyes, Tobin could still feel the heaton his face and, in the midst of all his swirling thoughts, all he could seemto think about was Gray, with his loud laugh and his dumb grin…

Damn it!

#request #fanfic #fire emblem echoes #tobin fire emblem #gray fire emblem #graybin #fire emblem echos: shadows of valentia #for @by-the-blue #thanks again for the request #I had to address the sword event #cause I mean come on guys theres oblivious #and there's stupid xD #shut up tobin #spoilers #maybe?

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