#eastern delights troupe
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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖁𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖌𝖊
𝖂𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗, 1945.
It’s cold.
Were Milena a little older and a little bolder both, she might question the sense in having a public holiday in the midst of winter in an Eastern European country -- but she is neither of those things. She is small, and vulnerable, and her ear is still tightly packed with cotton, bandages wound around her head to keep it secure. She hasn’t been on her feet for very long after the accident and she’s a faded, wan shadow of a thing compared to the child she had been that summer -- laughing, sun-kissed, and whole.
Her father had grumbled about ‘dragging her out to this farce’ when she was still recovering, but a flurry of relatives and neighbours - their friends - had insisted otherwise. This is an honour, and a young Milena Hofer, after her miraculous brush with death, surely is the finest little candidate amongst them to offer the Countess her flowers.
The Countess, as a matter of fact, was newer to the village even than Milena was to the world itself. There have been comments about her, whispers quickly reprimanded, all hovering just above her downy head and far out of range of the one good ear that the Black God has blessed her with (though her father said that the Black God had nothing to do with that in the slightest -- that if the Black God had been present that day, surely it should have been that no ill should have befallen a playing child at all. Her mother had aimed a look at him over the dining table for that comment and when his eyes had come to rest once more on his eldest daughter, he had offered her a remorseful smile. She didn’t understand why he apologised -- she didn’t mind at all.)
The snow is crunching beneath her little boots while she moves from one foot to the other, but the sound is flat and distant to her one good ear. She’s bundled up tightly in coats and jumpers that her mother had toiled over for days and in both mitten-clad hands she clutches a bouquet almost half the size of her -- one that has been carefully pruned for this very moment. She stands amongst the rest of them, and behind her she can hear her uncle, her father, and their neighbours talking in soft, gruff Romanian amongst themselves.
“Aren’t you proud of your little Mi?” one of them presses her father, who makes a noncommittal sound. “The Countess will be happy to see a delightful child -- everyone is.”
She turns her head back towards them and he lays a fond hand to the top of her bandaged crown whilst her father tries his best to look encouraging through a tight-lipped smile. She smiles back with a great deal more enthusiasm, and her mother taps her shoulder and urges her to pay attention. In the distance, there comes the pounding of hooves and the rattle of wheels.
At the sight of the carriage that pulls through their little subsection of the village, Milena’s heart leaps into her throat. She’s disorientated immediately by the furious rumble of hooves as a carriage led by four sleek, blinkered, black horses rolls into view, steam pouring from their flared nostrils with each aggravated breath. The only horse she’s seen so close before is the old chestnut mare that one of the villagers allows her to feed carrots to down the lane, and that lovely old creature is nothing like this troupe of beasts. The enormous wheels of the carriage, too, are frightening -- the last time she had seen a fast-turning wheel had been on the day of her accident, and these spokes are much larger and made of wrought iron, by the looks of things.
She freezes and holds the bouquet tightly, even as the carriage slows expectantly. She can’t do it -- she can’t. She’s held in place by an icy terror. Distantly, she can hear words of encouragement being muttered just behind her shoulder, but she’s too frightened to listen to them properly. It’s only a firm push to the middle of her back that has her legs moving, pedalling forwards as though outside of her control. She moves a little faster, then, frightened of the carriage and the horses of course -- but more frightened of the trouble she will surely be in if it pulls away before she’s had the chance to fulfil her duty.
The windows of the carriage are shrouded by thick velvet curtains, obscuring the figure inside, but they shift just a fraction when Milena approaches. A long, white-gloved hand appears between the fabric, outstretched with expectation and once again, Milena finds herself frozen. She almost entirely forgets about the bouquet in her hands, until the fingers of the hand twitch restlessly and she’s quick to remember, stretching her little arms upwards to offer the flowers. They are accepted, and one gloved fingertip accidentally brushes her hand during the exchange, chilling her very blood.
When the bouquet disappears again between the curtains, they stay parted just a crack, and Milena’s eyes widen at the profile that she sees behind them; the face’s skin is mask-white, its nose upturned and haughty, its eyes obscured by the rim of a wide hat. Its mouth, painted crimson, parts and exhales a steady stream of smoke, reminiscent of the steaming nostrils of the horses, she thinks. She coughs when the face moves sharply towards her, bringing the smoke with it, and the curtains are righted, shutting her out.
The horses pick up their speed once more and Milena goes stumbling backwards out of the way, pulled close by her father, stunned and unable to put words to what she has just witnessed.
“That’s quite enough of that for another year,” her father states with finality, and begins ushering her inside. Her mother complains at the smell of tobacco, and insists on scrubbing her clean of it in their shallow tub and changing her bandages for fresh ones. Milena tries to ask them about the woman in the carriage, but her questions are flatly refused. The goings on in the castle are not for people like them to worry about, her mother assures her, and Milena accepts it.
Years from now, she will find herself once again staring at that steady stream of smoke. She’ll roll over onto her stomach beneath silken sheets and rest her chin upon folded arms, and give a coy smile.
“I saw you first,” she’ll whisper.
#drabble#re8#maiden oc#meg encouraged me to properly write this out so here we are lmao#milena lore drop
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FFXIV: A Rising Chorus
A/N: \o/ It’s done! Been working on this off and on since Balmung finished its Firmament, and I’m so happy I finally get to share it.
RATING: G
WORD COUNT: 3032
WARNINGS: Spoilers for the final Ishgard Restoration quest line that begins with “Not By Bread Alone;” tooth-rotting fluff.
Crossposted to AO3!
After months of hard work by Ishgardians and outsiders alike, the Firmament lies finished: the last of its homes ready to welcome the indigent of the Brume; its new businesses awaiting eager customers; and the warmth of Snowsoak prepared to soothe the aches and pains of its residents.
They’ve already had one impromptu party...time for an encore!
---
Hoarfrost Hall cast a long shadow over the Firmament as the sun set, the welkin overhead shading from gold to rose to inky blue with the first of the stars beginning to twinkle into existence far to the east. The image of the Hall’s belltower crept down the Abacus, ever closer to the crowd gathering at the far end of Saint Roelle’s Dais, but the growing gloom was offset by the work of the lamplighters, steadily making their way from Featherfall to the New Nest and Eastern Risensong, and the warm glow of candles and hearthfires spilling from the windows of newly-occupied homes. A low susurrus of noise echoed from the Dais as the assembly talked amongst themselves, the sound broken by the occasional bright peal of laughter or the strident twang of a violin being forced back into tune.
Synnove leaned on the railing overlooking the Dais, chin propped in her hand as she watched the Risensong Players warm up for their encore concert. The piano wasn’t Rereha’s usual choice of instrument—she was fonder of violin and lute and harp—but she had cracked her knuckles and thrown herself into that first practice before the first concert with relish, pulling a swirling song from the instrument even as she had complained about being horrifically rusty, the show-off. And better Rere than herself.
She shuddered. Just because she could hear aether as music did not mean that she had any talent or inclination for the art. And wouldn’t that have been the omen, a Warrior of Light and participating skybuilder mucking up the Firmament’s celebratory concert?
At least Rere could say she had participated during the Restoration; her creative talents lay strictly with music and storytelling, but she could plane wood into lumber.
She caught the sound of footsteps coming up behind her, and Synnove turned around in curiosity—and smiled. “Fancy meeting you here,” she drawled.
Aymeric, dressed down in simple leathers, laughed softly as he came to stand beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Synnove pushed herself to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek—he beamed at her, as pleased as any knight when their love bestowed their favor—while he said, “I hope this time I’m not too late!”
“Just in time, my love,” she said fondly, leaning into him. “They’re finishing warm ups, by the sound of it.”
Her knight pressed a kiss into her hair, causing her to beam in turn, and they settled into comfortable silence, looking out to the Dais as a similar hush fell on the crowd. Synnove could vaguely see familiar forms in the press of people, even at this distance: Uncle Edmont with Artoirel (no doubt still wearing that expression of bewildered delight at having his own composition as the showcase of these concerts) and Honoroit; the Haillenarte siblings clustered close to where Francel sat at his piano, radiating pride so fiercely they nearly flavored the aether of the Firmament with it; Heron, off to the side so she wouldn’t block anyone’s view, Amandina and Roksana perched on either shoulder and Arvide with his jaunty beret beside her. Alakhai lurked among a group of Forgotten Knight staff and regulars and Tailfeather hunters at the back of the crowd, and not far from there, Lucia successfully snuck up on Hilda and her Hounds.
(Nobles, commoners, outsiders, even a few of the dragonets who perched on streetlamps and statues. The sight of so many disparate peoples coming together set a warmth in her chest.)
Even this far from the Risensong Players, anticipation made the air nearly hum, no less potent than it had been for the noon show, and Synnove drew in an expectant breath along with Aymeric beside her as the Players raised their instruments or bows to the ready. And then—
—the first notes from Rereha and Francel’s pianos rang out, and their fellows—Handeloup and Emmanellain still on flute, Elaisse and Lizbeth still on violin, and Potkin and Augebert still on cello—joined the symphony.
For all that she didn’t consider herself musical, Synnove found herself humming along, and both felt and heard Aymeric do so, too. She recognized some of the melody Artoirel had used as part of a popular Halonic hymn, but rather than the martial or dirge-like tones of the versions she had heard when she had first come to Ishgard, it had been transformed into something happy and brilliant and celebratory and hopeful. The Firmament was practically giddy with the music, its ambient aether overwhelmed…or perhaps it was harmonizing instead.
Aymeric drew away from her, and she twisted around to look at him in surprise that quickly morphed into delight when he bowed and held out his hand to her, smiling fit to burst all the while. “May I have this dance, my lady?”
Synnove took his hand with a grin and replied, “My lord, it would be my honor.”
He pulled her close, his other arm going around her waist as she brought her other hand to his shoulder, and he dropped a kiss on her nose. As she giggled, he twirled them around, turning her giggles into breathless laughter. They made up the steps as they went along, an awful mix of a minuet and a rigaudon, nearly tripping over their own feet, Synnove’s laughter becoming inelegant snorting cackles and Aymeric snickering into her hair. Over the sounds of their mirth, Synnove could hear the crowd clapping along with the music, and out of the corner of her eye she spotted the movement of other spontaneous dancers.
Aymeric and Synnove collided to a halt as the song ended with a final flourish and the crowd cheered, pressing their foreheads together as they tried to catch their breath between residual giggles. The air between was white from their panting, and she was about to suggest they go to try one of the new food and drink stalls in Featherfall for something hot when the cheery twang of a fiddle rang out across the Dais.
They turned their heads, and even from here they could both see Rereha had abandoned the white piano in favor of her beloved violin, and her bow whipped across the strings to begin a popular reel that was quickly picked up by the other Players, flutes and cellos and piano. Another raucous cheer went up from the crowd, and without prompting, they began to clear a large, open area where lines of dancers quickly formed of both Ishgardians and skybuilders; couples like Lucia and Hilda were hand-in-hand, and friends and family dragged loved ones into the merry scrum. The hulking form of Marcelloix, shaking his head and hunching his shoulders, was easy to pick out, and though the person leading him determinedly through the crowd to the lines couldn’t be seen, there was no doubt in Synnove’s mind that it was Audaine. Those that weren’t lining up to dance instead clapped in time, and in a few more beats, the dancers had begun to dip and spin and whirl about one another in a fast-paced cotillion.
“Turning it into a proper party, this time,” Synnove laughed softly. “Shall we join them?”
Aymeric kissed her temple. “In a little while,” he said. “I’d like to have you to myself for a bit; I’ve barely seen hide nor hair of you in the past sennights.”
“That likely could have been mitigated if a certain someone hadn’t been holed up in parliamentary meetings for whole days at a time…”
“Now that, my love,” he said as they began to dance again in a proper waltz, turning up his nose in faux affront, “is unkind and unjust.”
“But not untrue!”
Their teasing continued as they danced, stepping lightly as the laughter of the crowd and the joy of the music echoed from the Dais. They were coming to the end of the song and slowly twirling towards the Abacus to head to the Dais proper, when—
[Oh! Oh! Is that dancing?!]
The pair glanced up in surprise at the voice that rang out, just in time to see Ehll Tou swoop out of the lamp-studded gloom to gracefully backwing and land a few fulms away. Hautdilong, in a boy-sized fleece-lined leather jacket popular with airship pilots, slid off her back and pushed his flying goggles up to the top of his head, blinking rapidly against the light. His dragon friend, meanwhile, dashed over to the railing, placing her dexterous front hands on the stone and leaning forward with an excited, gravelly trill.
“Oh, goodness,” Hautdilong said, looking out at Saint Roelle’s Dais with wide eyes. “What did we miss? Ehll Tou and I were visiting Gullinbursti and the moogles at Bahrr Lehs the past few days.”
“We finished the Skybuilders’ Monument,” Synnove said, grinning down at the boy when he looked up at her, mouth dropping open. She fought the urge to burst out laughing when Hautdilong’s gaze slid from her to the man next to her and he registered just with whom she had been dancing, and saw Aymeric give a brief half-bow to the lad in acknowledgement. “To make a long story short, a few of the residents wanted to put together a thank you for Francel for his work in overseeing the restoration, and put together a music troupe that performed for the first time earlier today. This,” she gestured at the reforming lines of dancers and the swelling crowd as the Risensong Players began a new song, “is the encore!”
“That explains why I saw Lord Tarresson begin to pack for a trip just as we left this morning!” Hautdilong said. “Someone must have sent him word; he had been speaking to us of how excited he was to see the Firmament finished.”
Ehll Tou suddenly barreled over in the manner of a dragon who sometimes forgot she was much bigger than she used to be, skidding to a halt before she could topple into her two-legged friends. [I want to learn to dance like a child of man!] she said, hopping from foot to foot and wearing her wide, excited smile. [Will you teach me? Please?]
Synnove blinked, momentarily stunned, but it was Aymeric who recovered first. “It would be our honor, Sky Lady,” he said warmly. “Perhaps one of the circle dances to start?”
[I have no idea what that is,] Ehll Tou said, her smile still in place. [But it sounds like fun, so yes!]
“You’ll have to teach me, too, lover-boy,” Synnove teased good-naturedly, poking him in the arm. “You, Hersande, and Baptistaux taught me quadrilles and other court dances, but none of the properly fun ones.”
“Then we will correct that deficiency posthaste,” he said cheerfully. “In fact... Master Hautdilong?”
The boy whipped his head around to Aymeric. “Ah, yes, Lord Speak—er, Ser—” The poor thing had the look of the suddenly nervous and overwhelmed.
“Just ‘Aymeric,’ is fine, especially among friends,” her knight said with a broad wink. Hautdilong slowly smiled back, while Aymeric continued: “Would you happen to be familiar at all with Coerthan circle dances? Particularly the ones from Eastern Coerthas like the branle?”
“I am!” Hautdilong said. “My mother is from the Eastern Lowlands and I was fortunate to travel with her to her home village for the spring planting festivals before the Calamity.”
“My own mama was from the Eastern Highlands,” Aymeric said. “And there’s just enough similarity in some of the town traditions that I believe we’ll manage to teach the ladies well enough. And perhaps some of our other friends, too?”
At that last, he raised his voice, calling out in the shadows, and a with a whoop, a gaggle of children came pelting up the Abacus and rounded the corner to their overlook. Synnove recognized Maelie, Noalle, and some of the Rolanberry Fields children—Lycelle, Peyraquile, and Julchiezain at the forefront—among the group, and following them were a handful of the shier dragonets whose names she had yet to learn. She had been so intent on Aymeric and the music and their mutual joy that she had completely missed the audience they had acquired.
Hautdilong was beaming and, without prompting, began organizing the group of Ishgardian and Dravanian children into a proper circle, with Ehll Tou and her cousins obediently tucking their wings close to avoid knocking other dancers off balance at his suggestion. Synnove dutifully allowed herself to herded elsewhere, exchanging a grin with Aymeric as she was shuffled into the circle between a blue dragonet on her left, who stood on tippy toe to ensure she could properly reach, and Julchiezain on her right. Synnove took a moment to ruffle Julchiezain’s hair—the boy tried to duck around Maelie on his own right to get away from it, but Maelie deftly dodged in turn and shoved him back into his spot and Synnove’s reach with a giggle—before her attention was drawn to the little dragonet tugging at the bottom hem of her vest.
“Hello, little one,” Synnove said, bending down so her face was at level with the dragonet’s. “What can I do for you?”
[My name is Ahm Sorn,] she said shyly, and Synnove melted only a little bit at the sweet, fluting notes of her mental voice. [May we teach this dance to the moogles and our other friends when we return home?]
“You absolutely may!” Synnove said with a smile. “Dances like this are the kind to be shared.”
Little Ahm Sorn made a small, purring little burble in the back of her throat. Synnove’s heart skipped a beat, but she absolutely did not gurgle and try to yank the dragonet into a cuddle. Aymeric shot Synnove a warning look anyway, which she ignored with only a slight pout as she stood up straight once more. She wasn’t actually going to forcibly adopt every sweet little dragonet that crossed her path!
(…She would ask Ehll Tou later who Ahm Sorn’s dam was, and if her dam would like an occasional minder for her daughter.)
Finally, once everyone was settled and hands and paws firmly linked, they all turned to Aymeric expectantly. He smiled at them all and said, “All right, the first set of movements goes like so…”
The next handful of bells were spent stumbling, tripping, and laughing their way through multiple circle dances, most of them Coerthan, until Aymeric made a sly, off-hand comment about Gyr Abanian dances that had the group of children clamoring for Synnove to teach them what she knew. Then Ehll Tou took lead to show them a grounded version of the fluttering, hopping dances that the moogles and dragons of Bahrr Lehs performed, and finally, as children always did, they took turns in making up new dances from what they had learned, until their laughter nearly drowned out the music soaring out from the edge of the Dais.
But all good things came to an end, and eventually the children began to droop with exhaustion and the party wound down. They fit in one last circle dance—a bit too slow for the song the Players were performing to end the encore show, but easier on tired feet wanting to shuffle rather than skip—and finished to the applause of parents and guardians come to take their charges home. They dispersed to all corners of the Firmaments, though most headed south into the New Nest; Noalle passed out almost as soon as her father picked her up, her cheek pillowed on his scaly green shoulder, and Marcelloix and Audaine fell into easy conversation with Rasequin, Gontrandoix, and Pehainel for the trek home while Lycelle, Julchiezain, and Peyraquile helped herd their fellow orphans along, with the older children each carrying one of the smaller ones piggyback. Ehll Tou crouched down to help Hautdilong onto her back, and they—and Ahm Sorn and the other dragonets—waved goodbye before winging off into the night for the sanctuary of Ehll Tou’s workshop roost.
Synnove and Aymeric collected the twins from Heron, off to the Forgotten Knight with Alakhai, and they meandered arm-in-arm up Quill’s Trace while Roksana and Amandina dozed in the crook of Synnove’s opposite arm. When they reached Bright Ballad’s Passage, without saying anything, they simultaneously turned to look out over the Firmament.
The district glowed with golden light, a mirror to the river of stars spangling the black velvet of the sky above. The soft blue glimmer of the new aetheryte system provided spots of color among the shadows, and the faint shapes of people passing in front of windows could be spotted in the houses closest to the Passage. And even with midnight nearing, the Mendicant’s Court still bustled with the night owls of the skybuilder corps, hard at work crafting goods for the residents of the Firmament or lifting off in manacutters from the Skysteel Workshop for the Diadem.
Sighing quietly, a sense of pride and satisfaction settling in her chest, Synnove leaned her head against Aymeric’s shoulder. Her knight kissed the top of her head before resting his cheek on her hair, moving his arm to wrap around her waist and squeeze tightly.
“Even seeing it,” Aymeric said, voice hushed and reverent, “it’s difficult to believe the work is finished. The repairs to the Brume and Foundation are still ongoing, of course, but knowing so many of my countrymen no longer need to worry about where to sleep at night…”
“It’s difficult to fathom the hopes for one’s home coming to fruition within your own lifetime,” Synnove replied, leaning into him. “I never thought I’d see Ala Mhigo free. I never thought a cure for tempering would be found. But here we are: griffon flags fly in Ala Mhigo; capture by a primal is no longer a death sentence; and Ishgard stands at peace and ready to do whatever is necessary to take care of her people.”
Her knight sighed, as satisfied sounding as she felt. “Our star is far from perfect, and its people less so,” he said. “But by Halone, it’s wonderful to see them try, and succeed.”
Synnove hummed her agreement and together, they turned, the Firmament at their backs, and wandered home.
#final fantasy xiv#ffxiv#ishgard restoration#ishgardian restoration#oc: synnove greywolfe#aymeric de borel#aymeric x wol#aymeric x synnove#ehll tou#hautdilong#dt's writing#IT DONE
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Sushi-Max Grand Opening! ––– – 🌊
The Sushi-Max is a restaurant located in the Mists that features sushi dishes alongside other Far Eastern and Lominsan delights. Founded by Former Storm Captain, Lupus Maxius, he continues his passion project as head chef. Like its founder, the Sushi-Max is a warm, inviting space, with a variety of fish on display to really pull together the blend of ocean and Far Eastern interior. The restaurant hosts a welcoming reception, the diner upstairs, and finally a bar with stage downstairs.
Save The Date! ––– – 🌊
Saturday, February 8th!
Starting: 5PM PST // 8PM EST.
Located: Mists, Plot 14, Ward 21. Balmung. Mist East Aetheryte.
Available to all on the Crystal Data Center!
About The Event! ––– – 🌊
This event is to shell-e-brate the official grand opening of the Sushi-Max Lominsa. Join us for some delightful shanties done by the Lucky Sparrow Entertainment Troupe as we indulge in some fintastic Far Eastern cuisine.
Let your cravings be sated this Valentione’s with succulent delights you’ve never before experienced! 😉
Festivities! ––– – 🌊
A Restaurant & Bar Experience :: A fully hosted restaurant with a menu designed by Lupus Maxius!
LUCKY Performances! :: Watch the data center renowned Lucky Sparrow perform their spin on our Sailor’s Delight’s theme.
Fishing for Fashion! :: Join us with your best seaspired attire! Pirates, Sailors, Fishers, Creatures of the Deep, and more! The top three outfits will be picked at the end of the night! Earn yourselves a cute goldfish for your aquarium and be gifted alongside it:
Winner 1: $5 in Mogstation Credit
Winner 2: A Fat Cat
Winner 3: A Primal Minion (of your choice)
Duty Roulette: LFRP :: Duty Roulette: LFRP is a randomized RP experience. If you’re someone who is shy, has difficulties with walk-up, or is just looking to build some new connections this might be the experience for you! Duty Roulette: LFRP sorts you with one or two random partners who have also signed up for the program. Fill out this form if you would like to participate!
Final Notes! ––– – 🌊
This event is open to everyone but please be aware that performances may be NC-17. We are sailors, after all! Please visit the Sushi-Max’s carrd below to find out more about the restaurant (including the menu!). We look forward to hosting you and your friends!
Carrd (https://sushimax.carrd.co/)
Special Thank You: @luckysparrowffxiv
Plugging: @mooglemeet @balmungrpcalendar @balmungroleplayers @balmungrp @ffxiv-crystal-rp
#crystal data center#balmung#mateus#goblin#balmung events#balmung rp#balmung rp events#crystal data server#crystal events#sushimax#lucky
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Tagged by @agirlnamedkeith, @pretty--thief, and @samirant, thank you! <333
What is the colour of your hairbrush? Mostly black, with a green ring on it.
Name a food you never eat: I have quite a few foods I can’t eat anymore thanks to some random health issues I developed a few years back (friends, aging is great from a mental/emotional perspective, Not Great from a physical perspective) but in terms of voluntary stuff, green peppers. I’ve outgrown a lot of my childhood food dislikes but that one is in my SOUL.
Are you typically too warm or too cold? Too cold, definitely.
What were you doing 45 minutes ago? I was in a boring meeting!
What’s your favourite candy bar? Probably Snickers? I really like 100 Grand too, though. And Butterfinger. And Twix. And I want Claire Saffitz to make all of them for me.
Have you ever been to a professional sports game? I’ve been going to Major League baseball games since I was a kid (it was my dad’s favorite sport), and the past few years, I’ve been to 20-30 games a season. I usually go for my birthday, too, which is in a couple of weeks, and it’s just kinda sinking in that there will be no birthday baseball for me this year. :(
What was the last thing you said out loud? Just saying hi to my husband.
What is your favourite ice cream? Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. I can’t have caffeine anymore so this summer I’m gonna try to make a decaf version for myself. (WHY IS ALMOST ALL COFFEE ICE CREAM CAFFEINATED. There are so many reasons people can’t have caffeine! Sigh.)
What was the last thing you had to drink? Water!
Do you like your wallet? Sure? It’s a nice blue and it holds my stuff.
What was the last thing you ate? Fruit and Greek yogurt for breakfast.
Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? I didn’t! I actually ordered a couple of soft bras from TomboyX on Monday, but nothing on the weekend.
What’s the last sporting event you watched? A replay of an old Mariners game a couple of nights ago. If we’re talking live sports, I watched about half of a Korean baseball league game a few nights back, which was delightful.
What is your favourite flavour of popcorn? Butter!
Who is the last person you sent a text message to? @ajoblotofjunk
Ever go camping? Not in a long time. My husband has been getting the urge to go lately, though, so maybe we will!
Do you take vitamins? I take supplements due to the aforementioned health issues. And vitamin B.
Do you go to church every Sunday? Lol no. My mother is very Catholic and she brought us to 6 am Mass every weekday when I was a kid. It was well-intentioned (her dad had a pretty volatile temperament and she always felt safe at church, so she subconsciously wanted us to feel the same way) but it did not sell me on the experience! Heh.
Do you have a tan? I live in the Seattle area and it’s May, so... lol no. I’m also pretty pale so I don’t get that tan anyway, but. I usually get a little something going in the summer, enough to have tan lines anyway.
Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? Tough call, but I’m going with pizza.
Do you drink your soda through a straw? I don’t drink soda anymore (though I drink a LOT of carbonated water), but I’ll drink my drink through a straw if I get it at a fast-food place. Otherwise I don’t usually use one.
What colour socks do you usually wear? Most of my winter socks for work are black. Otherwise it’s a pretty random selection of colors.
Do you ever drive above the speed limit? Sure. Usually 5-10 miles over, rarely more (or less) than that.
What terrifies you? Climate change. Global pandemics. You know. Just generally suffering (both mine and other people’s).
Look to your left. What do you see? Through window of the room I’m sitting in: my neighbors’ house, and a cherry tree in their yard.
What chore do you hate most? Cleaning the bathrooms.
What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? The hot Australian woman who’s been on Gold Rush recently, or a dear fannish friend of mine I haven’t talked to in years who is actually from New Zealand and I KNOW IT’S VERY DIFFERENT but it’s close enough to make me think of her!
What’s your favourite soda? I used to drink a lot of Diet Mountain Dew. I really miss ginger beer, too. I love a good spicy ginger beer. Root beer too.
Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? Drive-thru all the way. Isn’t that part of the advantage of fast food?
What’s your favourite number? I don’t really have one!
Who’s the last person you talked to? My husband!
Favourite cut of beef? Boneless ribeye. I finally bought a propane grill a couple of years back and I have now learned to make a badass steak, if I say so myself.
Last song you listened to? Eve 6 - Inside Out. A few months ago I suddenly remembered that this song existed and so I bought it and now I have to listen to it at least twice every time it comes up, ha.
Last book you read? An as-yet-unpublished Rose Lerner novel, because I am very lucky! (It’s a wlw Gothic. SUCH A GOOD CONCEPT.)
Favourite day of the week? Saturday
Can you say the alphabet backwards? In this economy??? Idk, I could probably figure it out, but it would definitely be work.
How do you like your coffee? I love a caramel macchiato, especially iced so you get those weird globules of caramel coming up through the straw. But a nonfat decaf double latte with a little bit of some kind of syrup is my go-to these days--hot when it’s cold out, iced when it’s warm out.
Favourite pair of shoes? I have these 40s-ish heels that tie over your instep with a little bow and I love them. I also have some extremely cool red velvet with black cording peep-toe Louboutins that I bought off some discount site years ago, except I can’t wear them for long because they’re about a half size too small. But they’re SO PRETTY.
Time you normally get up? In isolation, I’m discovering that my natural sleep schedule is about 2 am - 10 am. But I have a daily meeting at 9:30, and I try to get my workout done before that, so I get up at 8-8:30ish. I am discovering through this meme that SO MANY of you are morning people! What is that like???
Sunrises or sunsets? I love sunrises but I am not remotely a morning person, so. I see a lot more sunsets, and I love them too!
How many blankets are on your bed? Just one duvet.
Describe your kitchen plates. We have some with blue perimeters and kind of a white/oatmeal middle that we inherited from my in-laws, and the ones we actually bought on purpose are white on top and either sage-y green or charcoal black on the bottom.
Describe your kitchen at the moment. Somewhat messy, or at least there are dishes to do. I made some pretty epic cauliflower mushroom risotto with shrimp last night, though, so it was for a good cause.
Do you have a favourite alcoholic drink? Perfect Manhattans with rye are my go-to, or a Quebecois, which is basically a perfect Manhattan with a little bit of maraschino liqueur added (and ideally a lemon twist, though we’re usually too lazy for those). In the summer, I’m getting really into gin these days: either gin and tonic, gin and some kind of citrus spiked seltzer, or a Last Word. I also really love a good craft beer, and sparkling wine too.
Do you play cards? Not really. We used to play a shit ton of gin rummy in high school, but I haven’t really played cards much since.
What colour is your car? Blue!
Do you know how to change a tire? Theoretically yes, though the one time I actually tried to do it myself, I had a hell of a time getting the lug nuts off. I was fortunately in my driveway at the time (good place for a flat tire!) and my neighbors kept coming by and offering to help, and I was like NO I WANNA DO IT. I think I did need help eventually, though. Stupid pneumatic tools at tire installation places!
Your favourite state? That rare, usually-brief phase of writing where everything seems to fit and flow and you’re a genius and you understand all the secrets of the cosmos. Also Washington.
Favourite job you’ve had? My current one. It’s not my dream job, but it pays well and I like my team and I get to learn new stuff fairly often and I can work from home in the midst of all this, so. I am very lucky!
How did you get your biggest scar? The summer after my freshman year of college, I was part of a summer stock theatre troupe, and we performed half the summer at my college, and half the summer in a very small town in eastern Oregon that had an outdoor stage. One of my entrances involved running over the grass to get to the stage, and one night the grass was wet, and my costume involved ballet slippers, and I slipped and fell onto the stage stairs in front of the whole audience. It hurt SO MUCH that I got very light-headed onstage while I was trying to get through the scene, lol. Anyway, my costume also involved harem pants that had elastic around the calf/ankle area, and I got a friction burn from those, which ended up scarring because the skin over your shins is very thin! (I also got a few massive bruises on my leg that didn’t go away for weeks, so eventually my mom nagged me into going to the doctor, who promptly started gently hinting to see if my boyfriend at the time was responsible for the injuries. Which was actually pretty cool of the doctor! But then I was like, lol no, trust me, a hundred people saw me bite it, this is 100% dumbass mistake.) And that’s my scar story.
Tagging, if you want to do it: @ajoblotofjunk, @snowymary, @halcyon-red, @it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined, @unadulteratedkr, and anyone else who feels like doing this!
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Squigly's Birthday Out
When Squigly wakes up, the first thing she is treated to is a lovely handmade breakfast made by Simon and Daniel, both of whom present her the breakfast covered in a dusting of flour. The breakfast consists of fresh blueberry crepes served in a rich and delicate cream and shaved dark chocolate, served alongside a cup of Squigly’s favorite oolong tea with a careful mixture of honey and spices. On the tray is a handmade card, decorated by the little artist himself, and signed lovingly by each member of the family- Simon, Selene, Roberto, Leviathan, and Daniel. Inside the card reads.
“Happy birthday, Squigly! We hope we can make today wonderful for you! Enjoy your breakfast and get ready for what we got planned for you!”
While Squigly eats, Simon happily cuddles on his mother’s lap, the little bomb wrapping his arms around her as he snuggles into her. He loves getting to celebrate birthdays, how much fun they are, how happy they are when they celebrate together. Seeing his mother happy and smiling makes him so happy too, and when she enjoys what he and his father made makes it even better.
After breakfast, and everything is cleaned up, Daniel escorts Squigly to the bathroom, ready to give her the second treat of the day. Inside the bathroom, Daniel was gone above and beyond to make an absolutely superb bubble bath. Everything has been given plenty of attention, from the pink and white mountains of bubble foam swirling on the bubbling steaming water that give off sweet aromas of high-end perfume to the variety of candles and incense that twinkle in the dim room. Music pipes softly from the radio, a glass of relaxing red wine and a small plate of chocolates-in a heart-shaped box no less- sit aside magazines, books, and an awaiting neck pillow for Squigly to slip herself into and enjoy a nice rest.
And, as a special treat, Daniel gives Squigly what he describes as a “massage he picked up from reading a book on Eastern traditions” for a history part he wants to record. The massage involves warm oil, hot stones, and a special trick that involves sending soothing vibrations across the body to ease muscle joints. It’s nothing lewd, rather, Daniel takes his time to ensure he does everything right, from adding just the right amount of hot stones to balance soothing heat, to gently moving her arms and legs as she relaxes, making sure not to mess a single step up while his lover relaxes in her bath.
After the soothing bath, everyone gets ready to head out shopping. Selene would explain that, since it was kind of hard to pick out a single gift for her that they didn’t know if she had, they thought it would be a nice trip to take her to the shops and malls and let her pick out whatever she wishes. Daniel, however, almost mention something else but quickly stops himself before saying anything else.
At the mall, Squigly is taken through all sorts of shops and boutiques- bookstores, music shops, fashionwear of all varieties and styles, even a store that caters exclusively to retro items. Whatever she wants, be it clothes, books, a new radio, anything she desires the family makes sure she’ll receive. Money is no object for her, and whatever she wants, she will get. It’s not spoiling her, but rather letting her know that she is worthy of that type of care.
After the mall, with whatever Squigly got in bags and boxes, the Contiellos feel a bit hungry, so they decide to head to a little café and bakery just by the hotel, for a light lunch. There, among sandwiches, meats, pastas, and pastries, everyone orders a delicious lunch, enjoying some good old fashioned conversation and banter as any family would do, Simon happily drawing on the placemat with his always ready crayons as he cuddled in Daniel’s lap, to Roberto tells Daniel a story about when Squigly was younger, she once ate almost a whole cake and spent the rest of her birthday in bed, wiping icing off her face as she dealt with a stomach ache. This makes Squigly blush, and just as any woman would do, young or old, hides her face as her father relates such a story-although she can’t help but giggle at the silly thought of her at the age of 7, wiping buttercream from her cheeks as she sang Happy Birthday.
They come back to the house, and setting everything down, Leviathan reminds them that it is now 2:30, and they “must be getting ready if they’re to make it to 4:30.” At these words, everyone starts to get changed- although, Squigly doesn’t know why. Everyone starts to get showered and changed into more formal wear- suits, a formal dress, even Simon gets a little bath and polish with a little bowtie! Through all this, Squigly goes the flow, albeit a bit confused, as everyone just tells her it’s a surprise. Leviathan even answers with just a chuckle and a promise that he has be sworn to keep the secret just that- a secret, and she’ll find out soon.
At 3:45, everyone heads out, decked out in fancy formal wear. Daniel’s arm linked around Squigly’s, wearing a formal jacket that was kinda itchy in some spots but since Squigly said he looked handsome in kept it, his one arm gingerly cradling Simon, who was all bundled up in a white scarf to keep warm, Selene and Roberto behind them, with Leviathan keeping a close eye through Squigly’s head. The afternoon air was cool, kissed with the slowly setting sun to streak the endless ocean of blue above into a crimson and orange miasma. Past the crowd of people, be they those with four arms with one girl on each arm to the funky looking guys with the sunglasses and bags of money, Squigly is held close, not alone, but kept walking alongside her family, who eagerly thrill her with hints and stories of what her surprise would be. Simon draws a little picture to show her a big looking room, Selene and Roberto slyly suggest that perhaps it’ll be “much too late” to head back home, and Daniel could only blush and chuckle, kissing her cheek as she racks her brain to figure it out
Then, after hopping a train- the 4:30 Meridian Area Rapid- the Contiellos find themselves at their destination. Outside the gates of the Contiello Estate. The golden courtyard gates draped in streamers and balloons, limos and sports cars driven by flashy bachelors and old money line the circled drive leading to the massive opera house, which since restoration, has transformed into a breathing center of art, music, and celebration. The air is filled with music, swing jazz or the newest piece performed by in-house artists, laughter, cheering, the clinking of cocktail glasses. It’s a gala event- held by the Meridian Restoration Society, to display the walls and halls with memories of pre-Renoir tradition, music, songs and art.
To the Contiellos, it’s a dream from the past, molded and fixed here in plain sight. And, if you could see the look on Squigly’s face, she’d be flushed seven shades of purple how excited she was.
The evening is compromised of heading to the great hall, where tables stand lifted above a dance floor to watch couples and troupes dance to the melody of a 20-piece band. Here, the Contiellos rest, order some house wine, and enjoy the atmosphere. Roberto says this reminds him of when he first took Selene on their first date, with Leviathan playfully adding some commentary to his old master’s story, while Simon and Daniel busily tend to Squigly, delighting her with questions on how she likes it and what she wants to do first, which if they know Squigly, is enough to make her fluster like royalty.
Then, the family heads to the banquet hall, where they are served a banquet of epic proportions- lobster, steak, fresh cut roasts, exotic seafood imported from high-end shop, sushi, and poultry, as well as a dessert table of cakes, pastries, chocolates, and even a wine tasting table to taste old cultural flavors mixed with new broader flavors. The dinner hall is filled with lively conversation, even more so at the table where the Contiellos sit, where among plates of delicious food, they laugh and joke and talk, happy not to be here itself, but with those they care about.
Then, for Squigly’s final gift of the night- what would going to an opera house be without, you know, an opera? Escorted to a VIP booth looking above the stage, the Contiellos watch a show performed by some of the most up and coming actors and thespians of Canopy Kingdom. The booming orchestra fills the air, the sound of sopranos and baritones roll through the aisles, and the light flicker dramatically, as if to show the Contiellos the taste of opera they have helped to build. Daniel sits on a comfy couch with Squigly nuzzled to him, his jacket draped over her shoulder with Simon cuddled between them, Selene and Roberto on another couch, chuckling softly as they watch their family enjoy the show while nuzzling in each other’s arms.
After the thundering applause has ended, Squigly wonders what time they will be home- it is almost midnight, and do the trains even run, she wonders? But to this, Daniel smiles warmly and explains what the plan is. You see, he booked a suite here to stay a night and has sent their clothes over early in the day by courier from the opera house- thus, all they have to do is go to their suite, book in, change and relax.
And so, journeying through gilded halls and crowded rooms, the Contiellos ascend in a lift to the upper halls, to a suite waiting with their name marked on by a silver paper. In their suite, their suitcases lay neat on the bed, neon lights from the city outside pour in through the patio door, illuminating in shades of purple, white and gold a bucket of ice with fresh champagne and a small white box on the guest table. After everyone is changed to more casual attire, Simon eagerly fetches the little white box from the table and opens it for his mother to see.
Inside is a delicious, decadent, rich chocolate cake, topped with a layer of creamy white chocolate frosting, and topped with a colorful array of chocolate-dipped cherries and blueberries. In the middle of the cake, written in beautiful cursive in blue letters surrounding a small circle of candles that illuminate with a soft purple flame are the words “HAPPY BIRTHDAY”.
Then, just as Squigly would look over the cake, someone shuts the lights off, bathing the room in the glow of only the candles and the neon lights spilling in. Slowly, starting with Leviathan, then Roberto, then Selene, and then Daniel, everyone begins to sing to her. Even Simon, who obviously is unable to sing, happily sways and dances to the song, spinning and twirling adorably as everyone gathers in song.
“Happy Birthday to You~! Happy Birthday to You~! Happy Birthday, dear Squigly~! Happy Birthday…to You~!”
As each candle slowly flickers as they are blown out, the darkness of the room is contrasted by the sound of cheering and laughter, even without light the room is filled with warmth. When the lights are flicked back on, and everyone has finished lavishing Squigly with attention and hugs, it’s time to relax.
The TV plays an old classic movie on the late channel. The bottle of champagne is popped, Daniel cuts the cake, and everyone enjoys a delicious dessert. The fresh linens seem the most welcoming thing of all, as everyone slips comfortably under the warmth of the sheets, to fall back against the soft pillows after such a day of walking and running around. Daniel pulls the blankets up over Squigly and Simon, gingerly tucking the sheet into the bed to make it nice and cozy, before draping his arm lovingly around them as they snuggle together.
As the night goes on, and the neon lights seem to brighten as they spill into the suite, the air of drowsiness and peaceful calm washes over them. Selene and Roberto both wish their daughter, grandson, and son-in-law a wonderful night, before curling up together to fall into a deep comfortable sleep. Simon stretches his little arms and legs, nuzzling his mother and father happily when they give him his good night kisses and hugs, nestling into his little nook to fall asleep, his fuse twinkling like starlight out the window as he falls fast asleep. Leviathan bows his head, and wishes them all a good night’s rest before curling his tail around them to rest his head on his mistress’s shoulder, leaving only Squigly and Daniel awake.
Just before Daniel falls asleep, he leans over and presses his lips deeply to Squigly’s. The taste of blueberry, chocolate and champagne mingle with the scent of her perfume as their lips melt and press together. He could never tire of kissing her, of just being able to hold her like this, and he tells her this, his voice soft and warm, adoring and gentle. He says that he loves her, that he loves them more than anything in the world, and even if he didn’t love them, he would want nothing more than to love them forever. He hoped they had made today absolutely amazing for her, their undead darling, and that if they could, they would make everyday as wonderful as could be for her.
She’s their opera singer after all, the best thing to ever happen to them. And she deserves nothing less.
And, as Squigly would slowly begin to fall asleep, she would feel Daniel’s hands gingerly run through her hair, rolling through the tasseled blue curls of her done-up hair back and forth oh so slowly, his arms warm and strong, protecting her and Simon as they curl up in bed. His voice gently hums, although it’s not as spellbinding as anything the Contiellos could sing, but echoing with love and care for Squigly, humming Happy Birthday into her ear as he holds her tight, letting the blankets fall and melt over her until the singer is buried in a mixture of his arms and the linens. Just before her eyes close, Daniel whispers into her ear once more.
“Good night, Squigly~. I love you more than anything in this world~.”
As Squigly would wake up the next morning, there would be a smell of fresh Belgian waffles being made at the little kitchenette and fresh coffee being made, the opera house suite filled with the melody of music, and sunlight streaming in through the frost-tinted windows. Simon and Daniel happily work at the kitchenette, flipping waffles or carefully pouring glasses of juice, Selene and Roberto nuzzle up in their robes to listen to the radio as they enjoy a cup of cappuccinos, and Leviathan purrs comfortably, fixing Squigly’s pillow as he curls around her, smiling warmly at his host as her eyes flutter awake.
Hey, just because it’s not her birthday, doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve star treatment, right?
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“I am pondering the world we are in and looking at the chaos and uncertainty of it all. And in America, where once Martin Luther King dreamed, it feels like that dream is lost to tyrants, racists and sexists, emboldened and loud. But it’s only love that will set us free.” Nicholai La Barrie, vocals, Mangoseed.
As a new year unfolds to an increasingly troubling socio-political backdrop, London roots-rockers Mangoseed face up to the fear and hate with a homage to love in all its forms. Celebrating the influence of song as a means of protest, empowerment and unity, frontman Nicholai La Barrie delivers his proclamations by way of a potent vocal melody atop the quartet’s heavyweight alliance of enormous bass, ethereal guitar and classic dub in the tradition of Black Uhuru, King Tubby and Mad Professor, all driven by the percussive thrust of rastafarian Nyabinghi rhythms.
Defying the populist idiot-men in seats of power from eastern Europe to Italy, from Brazil to the White House, Mangoseed place their faith in truth and in youth, as revealed in the audio clip that closes ‘Still Believe’, which was produced by Sam Dyson at Free House Studios, Bristol. “I see hope in the youths,” says Nicholai, emphasising this parting shot. “I see the hope in me singing our truth into existence.”
Hailing from the cultural and creative melting pot that is England’s capital city, Mangoseed comprise four musicians of Trinidadian, Jamaican, Australian and Irish descent. Perhaps no surprise, then, that this multinational troupe produce an enthralling fusion of global sounds, mashing up ska and soca, dub, jungle and funk, rock and punk, all of it high-energy and unfailingly danceable. Originally formed by vocalist Nicholai La Barrie and guitarist Karlos Coleman, Mangoseed became a fully functioning act via the additions of Richard Hardy on bass and Sam Campbell on drums, configuring a pulsating punky-reggae repertoire that was captured on their self-released album, ‘Basquiat’, which earned impossible-to--nail-down comparisons ranging from Bad Brains to Massive Attack.
What everyone can agree upon, however, is the thrilling energy of Mangoseed’s live performances, regularly delighting a loyal fanbase around and beyond the band’s Brixton homes. The enthusiastically received 2017 singles, ‘Lucy’ and ‘Jah Jah’, only increased the intensity of the Mangoseed appeal, and more recent studio sessions have spawned further killer blasts of of urban-jungle skank, which will take the form of a set of singles, as well as a full-length album, as Mangoseed prepare to make a mighty impact on the soundscape of 2019.
Dates
May 17 – Off the Cuff, Herne Hill, SE24 London
May 23 – Bussey Building, Peckham, SE15, London
June 29 – Luna, Leytonstone, E11, London
June 30 – South Norwood Festival
July 27 - Luna, Leytonstone, E11, London
Aug 24 – Big Feastival, Udder Stage, Cotswolds
Aug 31 – One Love Festival, Kaya Stage and Encona BBQ Session, Maidstone
LInks
www.mangoseed.co.uk
www.facebook.com/mangoseedband
www.twitter.com/mangoseed
www.instagram.com/mangoseedinst
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love is universal. it spans time and distance. and sometimes, on the rare occasion that love doesn’t quite get it right the first, love spans for more than one lifetime. this is that story.
in this life they are called Lola and Dmitry. in their last they are called Peter and MJ.
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]
Lola walked through the encampment as the crisp, late-fall air nipped at her cheeks. Her band of Romani brethren wandered through many eastern countries but none as beautiful as Russia and every winter they found refuge there between the trees. It was her favorite country to make camp, the world seemed old and ancient in those forests.
A gust of wind blew her war and Lola tugged her heavy jacket around her body, crunching through the fallen leaves to where the children danced around the fire. The heat rushed to her as she got closer and Lola smiled at the little girl singing an old, Romani tune to the crowd of smiling adults.
Lola lifted her skirts just above her ankle and began to dance to the song. The little girl, Anita, caught her eye and sang louder.
They danced and sang and drank for hours, the moonlight casting a funny shadow on the camp until one by one, the Romani troupe padded back to their tents full of wine and good cheer.
Spotting Anita curled up sleepily near the fire, Lola called out, “My little dove!” Anita’s eyes flickered open, “Off to bed with you.”
Anita groused but did as Lola bid and, after, Lola was alone at the fire. She found sleeping fitful at best most nights. Nightmares haunted her dreams. Horrible, terrible dreams of boys with stars in their eyes and blood on their hands.
Lola drew her knees into her chest and began to sang an old folk song under her breath, one that she had heard her mother coo into her ear in the throws of childhood. She lifted her chin up to the sky, as if to bathe in the moonlight, and continued to sing.
And then, she heard the snap of a branch.
Lola sprang to her feet, her hand reaching for the hidden curved knife hidden in the folds of her skirt. In stilted Russian, she barked into the trees, “Show yourself.”
A man, no older than twenty, propelled himself from between the trees into the warm glow of the firelight. The firelight flickered on his uniform. Russian. She could have spat. For such a beautiful country, their soldiers were no better than brutes. Agents of an evil tsar and slaves to an even crueler country.
She did not try to hide the disgust and hate welling in her eyes.
He did not look at her like the enemy. No. He gawked at her.
He seemed stunned, which she counted her blessings for, he would be easier to overcome if he was not expecting her to attack. She drew her knife into the open and parted her legs into a strong, opening stance. Artem had once shown her how to fight. Quick and viscous, he had said. Lola could be both of those things.
Only when she drew her knife did he stop staring at her like he had been clubbed in the head. He glanced down at her knife and back up to her face and then-
He doubled over in laughter.
She startled and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What?” she growled, “Do you think I don’t know how to use it?”
He wiped uselessly at his eyes. “No,” he shook his head. His Russian was much cleaner than hers, “I, just, never thought it would ever be you.”
Lola blanched, “What does that even mean?”
“Nothing,” he chuckled, and stood at his full stature, which admittedly was not that tall, and pressed on, “Are you going to kill me, then?”
She twirled the knife in her hand in a frighteningly practiced manner, “Perhaps.”
“Alright,” the boy sniffed, “Get on with it, then.”
Lola barred her teeth, more animal than girl, “I’ll do it, you know.”
He nodded, “Oh believe me. I don’t doubt it.” He opened his arms like he was inviting her to stab him in the heart, which made her heart flicker with doubt. He was so assured, so certain that she was going to strike, it had to be a trap. She was no fool. The people in her camp did not survive in the wilderness by getting tricked by traps.
So, she slowly lowered her knife. She was not going to attack him. For him to be so calm he had to be some miraculous military man, one she could not take in hand-to-hand combat.
He raised his eyebrow, surprised, “Oh. So, you’ve decided you aren’t going to kill me?”
“The verdict is still out on that.” As if to prove it, she did not put her knife away. He noticed. And she smirked.
“My unit,” he gestured behind him into the trees, “They’re camped not far from here. I came out to here relieve myself. If I can find you...so can they. You should pack up your camp and leave.”
She squinted, “Why would you help us?”
He looked like he was going to say something, but he instead settled on, “I’m not in the business of killing pretty girls.” He teased, “Even ones that want to kill me.”
Lola tightened her grip on her knife, “What’s your name, soldier?”
The boy’s face spread in a strange, delighted grin. Lola felt the back of her neck prickle and she considered throwing her knife at his neck to end this conversation once and for all. She stayed her hand. The Russian licked his lips, “You want to know my name?”
“I asked,” she scoffed, “didn’t I?”
He stuffed his hands in his state issued uniform and smiled broader. He had a nice smile. “Dmitry,” he said clearly, like he wanted her to really listen and absorb it. Like he considered this moment of paramount importance. “My name is Dmitry. And yours?”
Lola glanced beyond the trees to see if any of his comrades had joined him for an afternoon bathroom break, but there were none there. She knew she was wasting time talking to him. She knew that she should be burying her knife in his chest and warning her people that a Russian legion was nearby. But she found herself trapped in a conversation with this boy, this Dmitry. And worse still, she did not want to stop taking to him.
“Lola,” she gruffly said, “My name is Lola.”
“I like your name,” he said pleasantly. Like this was a conversation they were having over soup at a campfire, not in the darkness with her knife drawn and his entire unit sleeping somewhere nearby. She had never interacted with a Russian soldier before but, somehow, she knew that this was not a typical interaction. Dmitry was strange. Stranger than any man she had ever met. He had taken one look at her knife and laughed. Perhaps, she thought, he was crazy. “Do you know what it means?” he asked.
She held tight to the hilt of her knife like it gave her some sort of mystical power. Tightly, she replied, “Sorrow.”
“Ah,” he mused, “Yes, well, that’s fitting.”
“Are you calling me sorrowful, soldier?” she snapped.
His features softened into displaced fondness, “I hardly know you well enough to say.” It felt like an inside joke, his words, and Lola growled. She had known Dmitry for all of five minutes and he was acting as if they were old friends that he had happened to come upon in the forest. She loathed him.
“Fine, then,” she prodded, “what does yours mean?”
“It has a couple of meanings,” he said, taking a cautious step toward her. She took the same amount of room back away from him. Lola wanted to keep her distance. This strange man was her enemy, no matter how congenial he was pretending to be. “Of the earth,” he put his hands up as if to calm a nervous animal and stepped forward, “like....death. I am born and return to earth. Morbid, isn’t it?”
Lola remained, against her better judgement, standing by the fire, transfixed by each step he took toward her. The closer he got the more interesting her became. His nose had obviously been broken a few times as it was crooked and bent in two places. Yet, somehow, it made him look even more goofy and dignified. He was handsome. She was ashamed to realize that was what was so intriguing about his features: he was handsome and she noticed.
“Are you the bringer of death?” Lola whispered, the crackle of the fire louder than her voice.
His lips quirked upwards, “No, not me.” She heard the unspoken words, the insinuation that she was the one who brought death.
Lola’s face lit up in fury, “Go now and I’ll let you live.” He pressed a presumptuous hand on her waist and her mouth dropped open in shock. He looked so thrilled by his audacity and her reaction. She could have stabbed him. Really, the knife was still sitting in the palm of her hand. “How dare you,” she hissed.
“I like this dress,” he ignored her outrage. “This life suits you.”
“Is that a remark on me being Romani, soldier?”
He sighs like she’s missed some key ingredient, like he almost expected her to, “No. Nothing. Ignore me.”
She knocked his hand off of her waist and spat in his face, “I’m trying.”
He wiped away her spit but did not look at all bothered by her response. Again, only amusement. It was dripping off of him in irritating waves that were smacking her in the face with every passing second. Nothing she did seem to affect him or even alarm him.
“Okay,” he rumbled, “I’m going.” True to his word, Dmitry began to back away from her and suddenly Lola could breathe. Like he had snatched the air from her lungs when he was so close and now she could taste the sweetness of breath. She took a faulty step toward him and stopped herself, had to force her feet to stall. He was yanking her into his orbit and she was not one to be taken by a pretty face, much less a Russian one.
He adopted a serious soldier persona for only a moment, “Pack your things and run.” And then, as strangely as he had arrived, he was gone.
She took a heavy breath to compose herself before she headed his advice and ran to the tents, waking up every man, woman and child at the camp. Bleary eyed children clung to their parents and the leaders of the camp discussed their best course of action.
Some argued for them to stay and fight, others wanted to run and find safety and shelter where they could. She knew the blood of her people did not take well to cowardess, but the Russian army was better supplied then they were and her people had children with them.
It was because of the children they finally ran. In waves they left to not draw attention to themselves and Lola stayed behind to leave with the final group to make sure that everyone was safe.
This was the lie she told herself to avoid facing the fact that she would not have minded seeing Dmitry again. In the nights following his strange arrival, she slept without nightmares; in fact, she dreamed. Dizzy dreams of kisses and heroes unlike any she had ever seen before. She dreamed that Dmitry could fly. He swung between buildings built like mountains and called her Em.
She saw him so often in her dreams that when he came wandering back into camp she half-expected him to be a phantom of her dreams. Until he smiled at her and weakly waved, “Hi.”
Lola was so startled her hand flew out and collided with his face. His already crooked nose broke and began to gush buckets of blood. Her people left at the camp gawked at the sight. And Dmitry cursed in a language she barely had enough control over to speak complete sentences. She did manage to piece out his lamenting, “That’s the second time you’ve done that.”
She has a strange rush, almost a memory, of a tiny house and a boy bleeding into a rag. Marcus. War. Egypt. But as soon as she can hold onto the memory long enough to make it semi-tangeable it was gone.
She did not apologize for her attack, instead she demanded, “What are you doing here?”
He clutched his nose to help contain the bleeding and looked up at her in exasperation, “I wanted to see if you were alright.” He tacked on, “If I had known you were going to hit me I might have reconsidered.”
Lola could feel all of the eyes on her, the curious, probing questions that were beginning to take form in the camp, and so she rushed him into the nearest tent. Her own.
Inside, she tossed a rag at him and he quickly staunched the bleeding. She huffed, yanked him down into a seated position on her furs, and tipped his head back to help stop the flow of blood. “Keep your head back, or else you’ll get blood everywhere.”
“I wouldn’t,” he moaned, “have gotten blood on everything if you hadn’t punched me.”
“You shouldn’t have come back and startled me.”
“I don’t punch people when they surprise me!”
She raised her voice, “Be grateful I didn’t break your neck!”
Another voice, a younger one, shrieks:
You stupid, bullheaded-
He laughed, or she assumed it was a laugh, but with the injury it sounded more like a muffled gargle, “Sorry.”
Her entire body language deflated and she found herself quipping, “Why’d you even come back here?”
Dmitry‘s eyes turned on her, golden and wholesome, “I had to see you.”
“You don’t know me,” she argued.
His words were loaded, “Doesn’t matter. I had to see you.”
“What?” her voice was higher and more nervous than she would have liked, “Because I’m some silly Romani girl you think you can toss a few nice words at me and I’ll drag you into bed? Because that’s not how this goes.”
Dmitry rolled his eyes. She knew that it sounded like she was fighting with him just to fight, but she could not help it. He made her nervous and more nervous than just because of his rank in the Russian army. He made the girly, secret parts of her nervous. The parts that she swore she would never let fall prey to a winning smile or a flirty comment.
“That’s not what I’m expecting.”
Her face fell, “So, what? I’m not good enough for a good and loyal Russian?”
“Are you to argue with me on every point just for argument’s sake?”
She had no good answer for him, so she opted to sit in silence as he took care of his nose. The next hour they sat in icy silence as he waited for the bleeding to stop. Every once in a while, their shoulders would brush and linger and neither of them stopped the other from this simple pleasure. She did not have to talk to him to share in his warmth or delight at the delicious surge of electricity his touch awoke in her.
Growing bold, his hand eventually reached across for hers. She snarled, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“You’re being very difficult in this life, you know that?” She gawked at him before he answered in a way that made actual sense, “I’m trying to hold your hand.”
“And why do you think I wanted you to hold my hand?” she challenged.
His face flushed in deeply rooted embarrassment. He snatched his hand away like he had been burned and stuttered, “I’m sorry. You’re right. I just...assumed.”
She would never know why she did it. Later, she would blame his adorable broken nose and the endearing way he had started to apologize. But, in truth, she did it mostly because she wanted to and Lola did not deny herself the things that she wanted. She was only going to live one life and so she did not understand the point of denying her heart what it desired.
Lola hoisted her leg over Dmitry’s lap, effectively straddling him, and he blinked up at her in terror and the edge of something else. He looked at her the way she had seen lovers over the years look. Her mother had called this look a word once and she had never seen it up close before. She had never been gazed at.
Dmitry‘s chest rose and fell in a shallow pattern and Lola smirked. He was practically shaking beneath her fingertips. She traced the ends of her fingers along the bridge of his broken nose and he closed his eyes in pain. “Don’t,” he mumbled, “We shouldn’t.”
Then, strangely, his eyes snapped open. Like the very words that came out of his mouth surprise him. Like he had gone off the rails of some predetermined script.
She rolled her eyes and slanted her mouth over his and he sighed like she had delivered him from loneliness. Lola felt it, too. He lifted a shaky hand up to cup her face and she did not stop him. She tilted her hips against his own in an eager, jerky manner. Each gesture dragged a helpless, desperate sound from the back of his throat.
Lola was no blushing maid. She did not falter when he rid her of her dress, nor did she pause when he kissed down her torso in a precise, practiced manner, nor did she gnaw on her lip in fear when, in one swift motion, he sheathed himself inside of her. She matched his every yearning and fueled the fire that was pulsing underneath his skin and bleeding into her bones. They blazed brilliantly and far too soon it was over.
She laid on his chest after and squinted at his broken nose, “Does it hurt?”
He turned his head and his floppy hair followed, “My nose?”
Lola rolled her eyes and sarcastically quipped, “No, your gentle heart. Yes, your nose.”
Dmitry kissed her distractedly, “No. No, its okay.” Silence enveloped the tiny ten as Dmitry searched deep for the courage to ask, “When do you leave?” She pushed herself onto his chest and kissed down the line of his chest to the patch of skin just above her favorite part of him. He bit down a groan as she nibbled on the sensitive area. “Lola,” he gulped, “Answer me.”
“First light,” she said offhandedly.
He yanked her up to crush his lips against her own and she pouted. There was something else she would rather be doing with her mouth, but Dmitry was so infuriatingly taken with kissing her lips. He kissed her like he did not have enough time to cherish her. Which was preposterous.
“Lola,” he pushed into her mouth. Her name was sweetest on his lips, “Lola, my darling, run away with me?”
She giggled against his lips and swatted easily at his bare chest, “You’re the craziest man I’ve ever met.”
“Lola, please,” his voice sounded sad, she thought, and she tried to kiss away his agony. And he let her, like he knew that he could not fight destiny. She would leave tomorrow and never see him again, but they could have the night.
And so, he took her for the night. And he kissed her like every kiss could have been their last. And he held her in his arms and shattered her heart into a million pieces until all the pieces were singing his name in unison: Dmitry, Dmitry, Dmitry.
His hands were never idle and every time she thought he would rest or relent, he would push through the fatigue and take her walking through the galaxy where there was no light or darkness or sound or knowledge. Only the sensation of something greater.
The sun tickled her nose awake the next morning and Lola hid her face in the safety of Dmitry’s broad chest. He rumbled a laugh and ran his fingers through the softness of her hair, getting tangled as he tried, “Are you not a morning person?”
“Hardly,” she reasoned, pushing herself off of the bed. She dressed efficiently and with her clothes back on their moment was over. She told herself it didn’t matter. There would be others, many others in her life of wandering, but the way that he looked at her she was not sure anyone else would be able to duplicate.
Good, she harshly thought, I am no man’s flowered lady.
“We can still go,” he rubbed his face and sat up, the furs pooled at his waist. Lola had no qualms about gawking at him. He glanced down at his chest and back up to her eyes and, infuriatingly, he smirked, “We could run away.”
“Run away from what?” she tossed her hair back, “I don’t run.”
“All Romani run,” he shook his head and dressed.
She narrowed her eyes at him and petulantly crossed her arms over her chest, “Wandering is not running.”
“Like hell it isn’t, MJ,” he buckled up his boots.
“You don’t know me, Dmitry.”
“Please,” he stood to his full stature, which felt intimidating in spite of his size, “You don’t even believe that.”
She opened her mouth to speak and promptly shut it. Lola could have argued, said she didn’t know what he was implying, but it would have tasted false and bitter on her tongue and, for some reason, she knew she could lie to herself, but the thought of lying to Dmitry was much more difficult. She felt for him. A strange and otherworldly feeling.
“I don’t,” she coughed, “I don’t know what you mean.”
He stepped into her space and her breath hitched prettily, like a maiden in one of those western stories. Dmitry whispered, “Leave me. Use me. But don’t lie to me.”
She parted her lips, “Dmitry, I-”
“RUSSIAN GUARDS!” A voice cried from beyond her tent. Lola’s stomach flared in fear and she pushed her legs out of her tent and into what was left of her camp. It was on fire. She roared in despair.
Dmitry stumbled out of her tent and she looked to him, her eyes furious, “You did this. You led them straight to us.”
His eyes widened, “No, I didn’t. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t!”
“You betrayed us,” she slammed her hands against his chest and he stumbled backward.
He looked desperately at her, looking to draw something out of her, some kindness, she was not capable of finding as her friends and families homes burned. She had gotten most of them away, but those that remained Dmitry as good as killed them himself.
“Lola,” he reached for her. She drew her knife. It shone in the flickers of the flames and he did not miss her meaning. She wanted him to know that she would kill him, that if he took another step forward she would slice him to bits. “Lola,” he tried again, raising his hands, “Lola, you have to believe me.”
“A Russian?” she spat on the ground, “I would rather die.”
His eyes watered, “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that.”
“You talk in riddles!” she yelled. And he jumped at the magnitude of her voice. She could have blown her whole village down with just the fury of her tone. “You call me names I don’t know and say things that make no sense. You filthy Russian swine!”
“Lola,” he spoke lowly, beseeching her to listen but she would not. She was done listening to his lies, “Lola, I did not do this.”
Lola could hear the screams of her people burning, of the women the soldiers cut down with glee. She could hear the horses squealing and children crying. The tragedy filled her body until there was nothing left of Lola but wrath.
She lunged with her knife as battle raged around them.
Dmitry did not move, he did not try and move out of the way of her attack. She felt the full force of her blade impale him. It sunk into his skin with a sickening squelch. He gasped and she looked into his eyes, digging it deeper.
Her hands came away red with his blood and she tumbled backward, a shooting deep pain in her side. She fumbled to stop the pain, to abate it somehow, but nothing work. It radiated like a flesh wound.
His eyes widened in some nauseous realization. Lola looked at him in agony.
Dmitry collapsed to the ground. She fell, too. Too ill to think and her mind swimming with immeasurable suffering.
Dmitry’s bloody hands dragged his body over to where she lay and he gently brushed her hair out of her face as she cried, weeping into the ground and begging the pain to stop. She felt him coat her hair with his blood and she was too weak to do anything but cry harder. He kissed her face as his own paled, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” She choked on the bile raising in her throat until she vomited. He cupped her face and pressed his wavering lips to hers, “I didn’t know you felt it.”
“Riddles,” she gasped.
And Dmitry, with one last push of strength, rolled off of her and died.
The agony of her own radiating, invisible wound doubled. She shook and screamed and the Russian soldiers around her shouted witchcraft, cried for revenge for their fallen comrade, and took her suffering away with one aimed gunshot to her head.
Her last thought in that life was this: Peter.
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Collection of HBCU Bands and Dance Teams
I have created a list of all of the HBCU band and dance teams and put them all in one place. If I have missed anyone or got a team or band name wrong please let me know.
1. Tuskegee University
Band: Marching Crimson Piper Band
Dance: Crimson Piperettes
TW: Twirling Divas
Basketball Dance Team: Golden Essence
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
2. Alabama A&M University
Band: Marching Maroon and White “Showband of the South”
Dance: Dancin’ Divas
Color Guard: Fabulous Flags
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
3. Talladega College
Band: Marching Tornado Band
Dance: Dega Diamonds
Basketball Dance Team: Crimsonnette Dance Team
Conference: Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC)
4. Alabama State University
Band: Mighty Marching Hornets
Dance: Stingettes
Color Guard: Honey Bees
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
5. Miles College
Band: The Purple Marching Machine
Dance: Golden Stars
Flags: Steaming Flags
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
6. University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Band: The Musical Machine of the Mid-South
Dance: Golden Girls
Color Guard: 24 Karat Golden Silks
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
7. Delaware State University
Band: Approaching Storm
Dance: The “D’Elegance
Color Guard: Sweet 16
Conference: Mid – Eastern Athletic Conference (MECA)
8. Howard University
Band: Showtime Band
Dance: Ohh La La Dancers
Color Guard: Cannot find team name
Basketball Dance Team: Howard University Bisonette Dance Ensemble
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MECA)
9. Florida A&M University
Band: Marching 100
Basketball Dance Team: Venom Pom Squad
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic
10. Bethune – Cookman University
Band: Marching Wildcats
Dance: 14 Karat Gold Dancers
Color Guard: The Sophisticated Corp
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
11. Edward Waters College
Band: Triple threat Marching Band
Dance: Tiger Dolls or Purple Passion (I have seen them go by both names. Need clarification)
Dancers (Plus Size): Purple Thunder
Conference: Gulf Coast Athletic Conference
12. Fort Valley State University
Band: Blue Machine Marching Band
Dance: Dancing Doll Divas (3D)
Color Guard: Blue Pearls
Basketball Dance Team: PHASES
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
13. Savannah State University
Band: Coastal Empire Sound Explosion
Dance: Sapphire
Twirlers: Tiger Streak
Basketball Dance Team: The Officials
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
14. Clark – Atlanta University
Band: Mighty Marching Panther Band
Dance: Essence Dance Line
Flags: Silver Breeze Flag Line
Twirlers: Star Twirler
Basketball Dance Team: Onyx
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
15. Kentucky State University
Band: Thorobred Express
Dance: K’Rette Dancers
Flag: Silkettes
Basketball Dance Team: Golden Girlz Dance Team
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
16. Southern University
Band: The Human Jukebox
Dance: The Fabulous Dancing Dolls
Basketball Dance Team: The Gold’N Bluez
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
17. Grambling State University
Band: Tiger Marching Band
Dance: Orchesis Dance Company
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
18. Morgan State University
Band: Magnificent Marching Machine
Dance: Foxxy Dancers
Color Guard: Cannot find official name
Basketball Dance Team: Morganettes
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
19. Bowie State University
Band: Symphony of Soul
Dance: D.I.V.A
Flags: Sensational Color Guard
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
20. Mississippi Valley State
Band: Mean Green Marching Machine
Dance: Satin Dolls
Color Guard: Valley Angels Flag Corp
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
21. Jackson State University
Band: Sonic Boom of the South
Dance: The Prancing J-Settes
Basketball Dance Team: Lady Dazzlers
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
22. Alcorn State University
Band: Sounds Of Dyn-O-mite Marching Band
Dance: The Golden Girls
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
23. Lincoln University (MO)
Band: Marching Musical Storm (MO)
Dance: Cannot find official name
Color Guard: Cannot find official name
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
24. North Carolina A&T State University
Band: Blue and Gold Marching Machine
Dance: Golden Delight or Facebook
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
25. Fayetteville State University
Band: Marching Bronco Express
Dance: Royal Treasure Dancers
Color Guard: Crown Jewels
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
26. North Carolina Central University
Band: Sound Machine
Dance: Eclipse Dancers
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
27. Saint Augustine’s University
Band: Superior Sound Marching Band
Dance: Cannot find official name
Color Guard: Cannot find official name
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
28. Elizabeth City State University
Band: The Marching Sound of Class
Dance: Allure
Color Guard: Allure Flag
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
29. Winston-Salem State University
Band: The Red Sea of Sound
Dance: Scarlet Lace
Color Guard: Silky Smooth
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
30. Central State University
Band: Invincible Marching Marauders
Dance: Dancing Belles/The Black Diamonds
Color Guard: Cannot find team name
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
31. Langston University
Band: Marching Pride
Dance: The Golden Feline Dancers
Color Guard: Flash of Fire Flag Line
Conference: Red River Athletic Conference
32. Lincoln University (PA)
Band: Orange Crush Roaring Lions
Dance: Crush Groove
Color Guard: Cannot find team name
Basketball Dance Team: Onyx Dance Troupe
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAA)
33. South Carolina State University
Band: Marching 101
Dance: Champagne
Color Guard: Electric Silk
Basketball Dance Team: Sapphire Pom Squad
Conference: Mid – Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
34. Benedict College
Band: Marching Tiger Band of Distinction
Dance: Sweet Sensation
Color Guard: Divine Silk
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
35. Tennessee State University
Band: Aristocrat of Bands
Dance: Sophisticated Ladies
Color Guard: Royal Elegance Flag Corp
Basketball Dance Team: Tiger Gems
Conference: Ohio Valley Conference
36. Lane College
Band: Marching Quiet Storm
Dance: Sensational Ladies of Fire
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
37. Prairie View A&M University
Band: The Marching Storm
Dance: The Black Foxes
Color Guard: Twirling Thunder
Basketball Dance Team: Panther Dolls
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
38. Texas Southern University
Band: The Ocean of Soul
Dance: Motions
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
39. Virginia Union University
Band: Ambassadors of Sound Marching Band
Dance: Divine Elegance
Color Guard: Steel Divine
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
40. Norfolk State university
Band: Spartan Legion
Dance: Hot Ice
TW: Spartan Guards
Conference: Mid – Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
41. Hampton University
Band: The Marching Force
Dance: Ebony Fire
Conference: Mid – Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
42. Virginia State University
Trojan Explosion Marching Band
Dance: Essence of Troy Dancers
Basketball Dance Team: Trojan Fire Dance Team
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
43. Livingstone College
Band: Marching Blue Thunder
Dance: Blue Elegance
Conference: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
#HBCU#HBCU marching band#hbcu dance team#hbcu dance line#hbcu dance#hbcu dancers#hbcu band#hbcupride#dance#dance team#dancer#color guard#flag team#meca#swac#ciaa#college#university#hbcudancelove
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Yep, this Wednesday we’ll be releasing my old friend Bill Bridges’ Werewolf novel, The Song of Unmaking! As a stretch goal from the W20 Kickstarter it took a long time to get here, but we think you’ll love what Bill has delivered. Nobody knows the Garou like their long-time developer and writer, and Bill’s familiarity with, and attention to, their mythic and epic sagas pays off big time with this novel.
Plus, this is the first time we’re going to try and release a project for sale on both DriveThruRPG and Amazon at the same time, so no doubt hilarity will ensue! (Of course, this ties into our news from last week that we were opening a site on Amazon to sell Kindle versions of our fiction.)
Beast: Building a Legend illustration by Andrew Trabbold
We spent a lot of time in the meeting today discussing this year’s upcoming Onyx Path brochure, which promises to be the largest we’ve yet put out. I figure that since this is Gen Con‘s 50th Anniversary this year, and we’ll be sharing our booth with Nocturnal Media and the new White Wolf, that maybe a bigger, more packed brochure might be just the thing to hand out as we should see quite a lot of very different folks come by.
There’s a lot of logistics to working out just what to highlight, even in a bigger brochure, and just how to arrange the sections for all the gamelines we create projects for. Like, if the WoD section has more pages than the Chronicles of Darkness section, we hear that we hate CofD, or that it is dying finally. Or vice versa. And who has time for damage control like that, really?
M20 Book of Secrets illustration by Jeff Holt
Speaking of cons, though: here’s a huge shout-out to all our friends and community going the the World of Darkness: Berlin con in Germany this week!
I had really hoped to be able to go, but the amount of things I have to personally monitor and work on right now just kept growing and made it impossible to get away. Never fear, though, as two of our many Matts, Mighty Matt McElroy and Matthew “Gentleman Gamer” Dawkins, will be representing Onyx Path in Berlin.
Both Matts are really looking forward to having a fun time at the con, hanging with White Wolf, Justin Achilli, By Night Studios, Mark Rein Hagen, and our translator friends, and talking to any of you who are attending, so make sure you say hi!
Beast: Building a Legend art by Luis Sanz
We actually switched up the order of our meetings today, so after we finished talking about the brochure, other Gen Con planning, and ran through our Production progress lists like every week, I had a second meeting just with Eddy Webb to discuss the Monarchies of Mau Kickstarter.
We keep describing Monarchies of Mau as the companion game to Pugmire, rather than a supplement to it, and I think once you see the Mau Early Access PDF as a Kickstarter backer, you’ll understand why. The Cats have a rich, vibrant, and complex culture that is very different than that of the Pugmire dogs, but is just as compelling to play.
The Monarchies are more of a number of loosely confederated noble houses that were convinced of the idea of working together as a result of the war with Pugmire, so players can explore intrigue and political maneuvering, as well as adventuring, if they want.
And the Cats have Necromancers as one of their playable classes. Because cats like to play with dead things.
If all goes well, we expect to launch the Monarchies of Mau Kickstarter at 12 noon Eastern US time next Tuesday the 16th!
Finally: here’s a special visual treat that I want to share because it is indicative of the ongoing interest in the World of Pugmire as folks are playing the game and being inspired by the world so much that they are creating articles, fiction, and art. I just happened to catch this excellent piece of character art being created over a stream last week and had to post it here for all of you. In particular, please note that while it is not in the art style we’ve been using in the RPGs, this is totally awesome as it goes a different way:
(c)2017 H. Kyoht Luterman
BLURBS!
KICKSTARTER!
Thanks for all your suggestions about the Monarchies of Mau Kickstarter! If everything goes as expected, we plan on going live at 12 noon Eastern US time next Tuesday, the 16th! I’ll confirm this in next week’s blog, or give you the new date!
ON SALE!
ON AMAZON:
We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!
BUNDLE OF HOLDING:
The Vampire 20th Anniversary Edition Bundle of Holding has two weeks to go, and what a fantastic deal they have on our V20 line of PDFs! Plus, a percentage of every sale goes to charity! Here’s the link, check it out: http://ift.tt/2poCr8c
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z
You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages!
Bill Bridge’s new W20 novel, The Song of Unmaking, will go on sale this Wednesday in PDF/ePub/PoD versions on DriveThruRPG.com, and in ebook form on Amazon!
The Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras Companion has arrived in PDF and PoD physical book versions at DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2pygIL7
The Dark Eras Companion presents eleven new Eras for the Chronicles of Darkness. Stretching from Ancient Rome and Egypt through the Black Death, the Thirty Years War, the Reconstruction, and the Russian Revolution, the Companion showcases even more of the secret history of this eldritch world. Included in each era are “snapshots” of the various supernatural creatures, including vampires, changelings, mummies, and demons. Also included are lists of inspirational media to help you put these Eras in context for your troupe.
Open the Dark Eras Companion and take another look back in time.
V20 Lore of the Bloodlines awaits in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DriveThruRPG.com!
http://ift.tt/2pj8UuA
Lore of the Bloodlines is a single volume (created via Kickstarter) that revisits some of the bloodlines in Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, providing story hooks, character concepts, history, and bloodline-specific rules. The secrets of the Baali, Daughters of Cacophony, Gargoyles, Harbingers of Skulls, Kiasyd, Salubri, Samedi, and True Brujah are now yours.
Lore of the Bloodlines includes:
• The history, lore, and nightly practices of nine bloodlines, told from the perspective of the Kindred themselves.
• New combo Disciplines, powers, Merits, Flaws, and other rules specific to each bloodline.
• Revisions and updates of more classic Vampire: The Masquerade material to V20.
Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes for Beast: the Primordial, PoD and PDF versions is now on sale on DTRPG.com!
http://ift.tt/2j7p7lO
This book includes:
An in-depth look at how Heroes hunt and what makes a Hero, with eleven new Heroes to drop into any chronicle.
A brief look at why Beasts may antagonize one another, with seven new Beasts to drop into any chronicle.
Rules for Insatiables, ancient creatures born of the Primordial Dream intent on hunting down Beasts to fill a hunger without end, featuring six examples ready to use in any chronicle.
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Beneath the Skin (Demon and Skinchangers 1486-1502 Aztec Empire). Ahuitzotl sits on the throne at the height of the Aztec Empire, overseeing his sorcerer-priests’ sacrifices and the endless flower wars his jaguar and eagle warriors carry out in his name to keep the altars well-supplied with victims. The gears of the Aztec Empire turn smoothly and inexorably, but not everything is what it pretends to be. Skinchangers take the shapes of animals to run the wilds or bring down human prey, the Unchained cobble together identities from stolen lives, and stranger things still lurk in the deserts and jungles beyond the walls of Tenochtitlan.
On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2p79i1O
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Into the Cold (Demon: the Descent 1961 Berlin). East Germany erects a wall against its Western counterpart, turning West Berlin into an island within its own country. As the Cold War heats up, demons find themselves the targets of increasing human scrutiny, and begin to realize that the God-Machine’s plans didn’t end with the War.
On sale now in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2p70sBl
Beasts are added to Hunter: the Vigil with Hunter: Tooth and Nail, coming atcha in PDF and physical book Pod versions on DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2nwetoP
Tooth and Nail is a bonus chapter/companion book to the previous released Hunter: Mortal Remains that explores antagonists inspired by the Beast: the Primordial RPG.
Hunter: Tooth and Nail includes:
Fiction and story hooks to bring these beasts of legend to your Hunter: The Vigil chronicle.
New bestial Dread Powers.
New Compacts and Conspiracies which hunt the monsters, but also sometimes hunt the zealous heroes that hunt as well.
The Secrets of the Covenants for Vampire: the Requiem 2nd REVEALED this Wednesday on DTRPG! Physical copy PoD version coming to DTRPG: http://ift.tt/2gbQjus
Vampires gather under many banners. But five have endured the tumult of Western history better than any other. The Carthian Movement. The Circle of the Crone. The Invictus. The Lancea et Sanctum. The Ordo Dracul. Each has its fierce devotees, its jealous rivals, and its relentless enemies. Now,for the first time, the covenants speak for themselves.
This book includes:
A variety of stories from each of the covenants, all told in their own words.
Never-before revealed secrets, like the fate of the Prince of New Orleans.
New blood sorcery, oaths, and other hidden powers of the covenants.
CONVENTIONS!
Discussing GenCon plans. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Every chance the booth will actually be 20? x 30? this year that we’ll be sharing with friends. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s).
In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP
Mighty Matt McElroy and Matt “Gentleman” Dawkins are attending the World of Darkness: Berlin convention this week from the 11th to the 14th in, uh, Berlin. They’ll be representing for Onyx Path and wandering the halls dispensing wisdom. If you are there, they’d love to talk with you, hand out a brochure, and talk WoD.
And now, the new project status updates!
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Monarchies of Mau Early Access (Pugmire)
Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)
DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)
The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Redlines
Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Second Draft
V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)
Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)
Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)
WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)
Development
W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
SL Dagger of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Dagger of Spiragos (5e– Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
Book of Freeholds (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)
M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)
Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)
Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Editing:
Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition
Post-Editing Development:
Indexing:
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
Beckett’s Jyhad Diary – Sending all the art over to WW this week.
W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook – AD’d
Cavaliers of Mars – AD’d(ish) and some finals for monsters coming in…
Wraith 20 – AD’d
W20 Changing Ways
Ex3 Monthly Stuff – Sketches and finals incoming…
Storypath Brochure
VDA Jumpstart – Splats AD’d
Scion Origins – AD’d the fulls … working on getting the rest going.
C20 Jumpstart – Figuring out the buy…
Ring of Spiragos – Sending notes out to Leblanc
Marketing Stuff
In Layout
M20 Art Book – In progress…
Monarchies of Mau EA – Working on interior layout and chasing down late art.
Proofing
CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology
M20 Book of Secrets
BtP Building a Legend – Yeah… that just happened
VTR: Thousand Years of Night – Whaaaa…
At Press
Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.
Dark Eras: To the Strongest – PoD proof on the way.
W20 Song of Unmaking – Goes on sale this Wednesday.
EX3 Tomb of Dreams Jumpstart – PoD proof on the way.
C20 Anthology – Inputting errata and prepping final print files.
C20 – Out to backers, gathering errata.
Pugmire – At Press
Pugmire Screen – At Press
Pugmire Cards & Dice – At Press
Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – At Press
Dark Eras: The Wolf & Raven– PoD proof on the way.
Dark Eras: Three Kingdoms of Darkness – Uploading files.
Dagger of Spiragos (5e) – Out to backers.
Dagger of Spiragos (PF) – Out to backers.
V20 Dark Ages Companion – Backer PDF out to backers this week.
TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: 1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
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Join is for a Benefit show and our NYE weekend Holiday party on Saturday, December 29th in Oakland.
We have an Amazing lineup for you with 20+ performances and open dancing with DJ Amar & DJ Glitter Done.
FEATURING Performances by
Kami Liddle, Tina Toy, Tatyana, Nancy, Abigail Keyes, Shanti Bardot, Niusha, Tessera Tribal, Nicole Maria, Anastasia , Sandi Ball & Wendy Allen, Ayre Briar, Al-hambra, Diedre Anaid, Laura Cunradi, Isabel Perdomo, Jennie Marie, Jessica Cooper, Michiyo, Berkeley Salimpour Collective
Resident Underground nomads dancers Elizabeth Strong, Tatyana & Shanti Bardot from one of our shows at F8, SF
Location: Orange Room – 2885 Ettie Street, Oakland, California
Doors: 8:00pm
Performance sets: 9pm, 10pm, 11pm + Midnight Improv. set
Open Dancing before, between and after performance sets.
End time: 1 or 2am or later (we’ll play late if you stay late).
Donation: Open donation, suggested $15-20+
100% of door Proceeds will be donated to California Camp Fire victims through a local organization.
Dance is the poetry of genuine human experience, and Tatyana is a lifelong student of its forms and rhythms. Inspired by her fellow dancers, her teachers and mentors, and the music itself, she is excited to share her art with you tonight.
Laura Cunradi lives in San Francisco and is a member of Khepri Dance Company.
Representing Al-hambra Tribal Dance are Leigh Anne and Melissa. They will present a dance inspired by the World Fusion stylings of Wendy Marlatt.
Tessera Tribal is a FatChanceBellyDance® Sister Studio dedicated to performing American Tribal Style® (ATS®) belly dance in the Bay Area and beyond. Known for their innovative formations and keen musicality, Tessera’s Movement Dialect pushes the boundaries of ATS® while remaining true to the spirit of effortless and organic improvisation.
Considered to be one of the ATS® world’s dynamic duos, Wendy Allen and Sandi Ball are pleased to bring you classic improv creations to delight your eyes.
Anastasia felt a deep attraction to music and dances of the Middle East since she was a child. Many travels, dance styles and adventures later, she has finally found her true dance home here in the Bay Area tribal fusion belly dance community. She is very grateful to Amar and everyone in the Underground Nomads community for extending such a warm welcome to her and to all dancers, and for being an invaluable part of her journey in exploring this art form. She is thrilled to have an opportunity to host one of the magical Nomads parties!
Deidre Anaid is a Bay area transplant by way of South Texas. A seasoned event producer, promoter, and instructor, she is currently pursing her second degree at the University of Berkeley. She began her dance training as a child and has dabbled with various styles of movement from clogging, tap dance, ballet folklorico, kathak, butoh, dancehall, and Aztec dance. Her belly dance training began in 2005, and she continues to study with some of the area’s top innovators of tribal fusion. Her love of dance has inspired her to create without boundaries, while striving to gift audiences with original presentations, through her often improvisational performances. Although she found her first love to be among the dark fusion belly dance genre, Deidre continues to be inspired by her travels, studies of music, culture and dance, to present a dance style that blends old and new school movements for a style all her own.
Nancy Trunzo is certified Health Coach, Fitness Trainer, and Belly Dance Professional. She focuses on working with people who are overwhelmed by fitness options, dislike the gym/diet/fitness culture, desperately want to feel better & move their bodies with less pain. She found bellydance 15 years ago and has been on a path of education and physical fitness ever since. She was a founding member of the Bay Area chapter of Qabila Folk dance company and is the director of Urban Flowers Belly Dance based in Oakland.
Jennie Marie is a dancer and performance artist based out of Big Sur, California. In late 2015 she took her first belly dance class and her life changed over night. She now performs with cabaret storytellers Big Surcus, and is constantly refining and defining herself as a new performer.
Nicole Maria is an award-winning belly dancer based out of Oakland, California.
She has been studying, teaching, and performing contemporary and traditional forms of Middle Eastern dance since 2009. She teaches and performs as a solo dancer and in various Middle Eastern dance companies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jessica Cooper has been bellydancing for over 17 years and performing way before she should have been. She is an avid student of both fusion and traditional styles. She is a principal dancer and artistic director of BiG SuRCuS of Big Sur, CA, and is an original member of Zoe Jakes’ Coven Dance Company.
Shanti Bardot is a Tribal Fusion Belly Dancer based in Los Angeles, California with a love for accordions, 3/4 shimmies and sharing the art of belly dance. Shanti Bardot BellyDance & Yoga
Kami Liddle has been a student of dance since she was 4 years old including ballet, tap, jazz, modern and hip hop. After a brief interlude as a musician, Kami reunited with dance when she was 18 years old when she began to study cabaret style belly dance until she found her passion in improvisational belly dance via Fat Chance Belly Dance. Kami holds a B.A. in Art with a Minor in Dance from the University of Nevada, Reno. Full bio at kamiliddle.com
Niusha teaches belly dance in Lafayette and enjoys sharing her love of dance with people of all ages. She believes that dance is a way to share a piece of yourself and connect with the world around you to help you realize your best. Niusha has performed in many belly dance troupes including Serpent Sirens, Rockin’ The Cradle and Shimmy Dreams. She also directs her own troupe Hip Logic who perform both classic and fusion styles of belly dance around the Bay Area.
Isabel Perdomo (bio coming soon)
Tina Toy (Photo: Rachel Duff) (bio coming soon)
Abigail Keyes (bio coming soon)
Michiyo (bio coming soon)
Ayre Briar (bio coming soon)
Thank you to Anastasia for helping to coordinate this event, and for coming up with the idea of having this fundraiser and hosting Underground Nomads at the Orange Room. Thank you to Anastasia and Tom for offering their space. Thank you to all of our performers and behind the scenes crew for helping to make this happen. Thank you to You for your support.
Pre Pre NYE Party & Fundraiser in Oakland for Camp Fire Victims on December 29th Join is for a Benefit show and our NYE weekend Holiday party on Saturday, December 29th in Oakland.
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iUniverse’s Guy Franks tells us about new book, “A Midsummer Madness”
Veteran author Guy Franks discusses his new book, A Midsummer Madness, along with his literary interests, writing approach, and passion for baseball!
A Midsummer Madness was born out of my love for William Shakespeare and baseball. To me, the music of Shakespeare’s metered verse, his cutting wit, his insight into the human soul, pairs nicely with the perfect distances of baseball, with its theatrics and homespun wisdom. When I listen to Giants manager Bruce Bochy I hear Prospero. When Coriolanus offers his services to his enemy Aufidius it reminds me of Jeff Kent, the great Giants second baseman, choosing to sign with their archrival the Dodgers. The famous actress Tallulah Bankhead understood the parallel when she said, “There have only been two geniuses in the world — Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare.”
When I watch a game of baseball, preferably with a cold beer and a bag of salted peanuts, I see a Shakespearean play unfold before me. There is a beginning, a middle and an end, and it’s filled with great characters, surprises, and twists of fate. It can be a thrilling triumph like Henry the Fifth, a Comedy of Errors, or, depending on one’s fortunes in the bottom of the ninth, a tragedy like Julius Caesar. But comedy or tragedy, all the ingredients of any one of the Bard’s plays are there to enjoy on a baseball diamond. It was the great baseball writer Roger Kahn who first drew the analogy between a minor league ball club and an Elizabethan acting troupe traveling from town to town plying their trade. In A Midsummer Madness, I’ve attempted to take the great themes and elegant poetry of Shakespeare and blend them with the dirt and grass of baseball to make a savory tragic-comic stew spiced with music and wordplay.
My stage is set in 1986 Connecticut during the great renaissance of minor league baseball, and my acting troupe is the New Britain Kingsmen of the Double-A Eastern League. The Kingsmen are managed by Shakespeare Louis Glover. “Shake” Glover is my focal point. As the Bard-quoting skipper of the Kingsmen, he is meant to embody the harmony that is Shakespeare and baseball. He’s an ex-ball player turned successful minor league manager, but he’s also Leontes in A Winter’s Tale, as well as Henry the Fourth with a little bit of Prospero thrown in from The Tempest. The story follows the Kingsmen from opening day to the championship game, and along the way I’ve woven in characters and subplots from such Shakespeare plays as Hamlet, Othello, Henry IV, Much Ado About Nothing, Cymbeline, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It.
I’ve been a baseball fan all my life. My dad took me to my first game when I was a boy to see the San Francisco Giants play at Candlestick Park. Some of the greatest players of all time where there—Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey—and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s the finest game ever invented, and the fact that it has remained relatively unchanged for a hundred and fifty years and has survived the vagaries of time gives me solace. The poet Sharon Olds put it best when she said, “Baseball is reassuring. It makes me feel as if the world is not going to blow up.”
Like most of you, I was formally introduced to Shakespeare in high school. I think it was Romeo and Juliet in Mrs. Burns’ English Class. Once I got to Cal Berkeley as an English Lit Major, Shakespeare was an inevitability, like Haley’s Comet, and I hopped on that comet and have been riding it ever since. I have read all of his plays, some multiple times, and my DVD movie library contains many of the best adaptations of his work—movies like Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet (the one with the sublime Olivia Hussey), anything by Lawrence Olivier, and Kenneth Branagh’s Henry IV. I also enjoy movies or plays that have fun with Shakespeare (Theatre of Blood with Vincent Price comes to mind), or ones that entertainingly update his plays like Ten Things I Hate About You, which is a rendition of Taming of the Shrew set at a high school. It was movies like these that were the idea behind A Midsummer Madness.
A Midsummer Madness is my third novel. Beggar King is an historical fiction novel set in Ancient Greece that was published in 2008. Railhead is a western novel set in 1869 Wyoming and was published in 2012. Historical fiction is my preferred genre, and I think that each of my literary influences—Hemingway, Faulkner, Twain, Steinbeck—all wrote historical fiction novels in one way or another. Certainly Dickens and Tolstoy did, and in terms of more modern influences I would point to Steven Pressfield and Charles Frazier. During my research for A Midsummer Madness, I experienced the added delight of discovering some wonderful baseball writers like Roger Kahn, W.P. Kinsella, and David Lamb.
When I sit down to write a novel, it has to have a subject that grabs me and keeps me motivated through the months of research and writing. Whether it’s the myth of Odysseus or the old west or Shakespeare and baseball, the passion for my subject matter has to be there. And I hope that this passion comes out in my work. I try to write the same way Clint Eastwood directs—straight forward, moving the story along, not wasting scenes, and keeping the viewer engaged. If I can accomplish that, I’m happy. And along the way, if I can impart a little about my philosophy or the power of myth, without hitting the reader over the head with it, I’m even happier.
I’m planning something of a launch party for my book here at the local library. My wife is also working hard on social media to get the word out. Signed copies of my book are also going to Larry Baer, CEO of the San Francisco Giants and to their manager Bruce Bochy. I’m hoping to use their positive feedback on my new website that iUniverse is designing for me.
This is my first run at self-publishing, and I have to say that iUniverse delivered on everything they said they would in a timely and professional manner. I’ve also recommended them to other author-friends of mine as an alternative to trying to crack through the granite monolith that is traditional publishing. One of my favorite experiences was working with the iUniverse folks in designing my book cover. And, of course, nothing beats the kick you get when you see that book cover for the first time on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
My advice to aspiring writers would be directed to a very select group of authors who, like myself, are trying to write a book while at the same time working a full-time job and raising a family. Find a way to carve out the time. That’s all I can say. I wrote my first novel when I was a middle manager in a major corporation, with a wife and two kids, a home mortgage, and bills to pay. But I found a way to carve out an hour or two, here and there, sometimes at home and sometimes at work, and over time, little by little, brick by brick, I finished the book with my family and job still healthy and intact. It might take years, but what the heck. What else do you have to do?
Make sure to check out the iUniverse site for more advice and blogs, as well as iUniverse Facebook and iUniverse Twitter. For a FREE Publishing Guide, click here!
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Neighborhoods of the World, Philippine Fest Chicago
Starting Sunday February 17, 2013, Navy Pier, in conjunction with the Consulate General of the Philippines and thePhilippine American Cultural Foundation,is proud to present Neighborhoods of the World, featuring diverse cuisine, performances, and art from the many different ethnic neighborhoods around the Chicago area! This is the third year that Navy Pier is hosting this event, and every Sunday brings a new cultural offering to you for free!
On March 24, 2013, Neighborhoods of the World highlights the Philippine community! Starting at 12 pm at Navy Pier’s Crystal Gardens, treat yourself and your family to performances by SamaSama Project,PACF Performing Arts, the Apuli Brothers, GMA Pinoy TV, HatawPinoy Chicago, UIC-FIA Battle of the Bamboo contestants, Chicago AngklungRondalla Ensemble, De Paul Asian Cultural Exchange, Hinsdale Fil-Am SDA Rondalla, Transfiguration Dance Troupe, St. IsidoreSimbang Gabi Dance Crew and many more! You will also feast on authentic Filipino food from Sunda New Asian.
The SamaSama Project started after a very successful concert in 2008, and is now one of Chicago’s premier Filipino Folk Infusion bands! The SamaSama Project, led by Baron Lloyd Cabalona, Lou ManingasCabalona, Ran Sevilla, and Lee Maningas, consistently perform to sold-out audiences, and often collaborate with local artists, living up to their name, which translates into “united, together.” With the launch of their first album in 2012, the SamaSama Project is excited to perform at the Filipino Neighborhoods of the World in order to further promote their Filipino culture through music and art!
Another Filipino group, PACF (Philippine American Cultural Foundation) Performing Arts, will also be performing at the festival! The PACF Performing Arts group is a youth group that aims to promote Filipino culture through dance, music, and art with amazing, breathtaking performances that will leave you wanting more!
Along with many other amazing performers, you will be dining on the finest Filipino cuisine from Sunda New Asian restaurant. Just named one of the top 100 restaurants in Chicago, this award-winning restaurant features Eastern Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine with a mix of simple, yet flavorful dishes that are sure to delight yourtaste buds!
The Neighborhoods of the World, Philippine Fest Chicago, has something for everyone to enjoy! From lively, unique performances to Filipino cuisine bursting with warmth and flavor, you simply can’t go wrong! Join us at Navy Pier’s Crystal Gardens March 24, 2013 to celebrate the unique and dazzling Filipino culture that Chicago has to offer!
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From 3 to 5 - Welcoming our new Eastern Delights troupe members
So last year I held auditions to add members to our Eastern Delights troupe since I felt that some of my students were ready to take the next step to experience troupe life.
Helen, Rosie and myself have been performing as a troupe for 19 months and have had a lot of fun in the process. So I was also ready to expand the troupe and welcome in new members who I thought would add something new to the group.
So I am pleased to announce that our new members are Lia Devincenzi and Nikki Sendell.
Here is a little information about them and their dance experience
Lia
Lia performed for customers at Azouma restaurant on a weekly basis before leaving to live in Spain and allowing me to continue in her place. She also attended lessons in Spain as well as performing in their showcase. Lia has always been more of a tribal fusion dancer which will add another exciting element to our troupe but she is also keen to learn Oriental and Folk styles.
Nikki
Nikki began belly dancing after a trip to Egypt on a Nile Cruise. As a lover of the music and dance she wanted to learn more. Nikki attended my Folkestone classes when they first started and has been a keen member performing in our showcases as well as the Multi-Cultural festival. As a mature student she finds belly dancing a great way to exercise and make friends.
I have found that now we have more members it is not only more fun but has encouraged me to structure my troupe rehearsals since more are attending. I have started doing a warm up, technique, cardio, strengthening and a cool down for each session to prepare their bodies and minds for the choreography.
We are currently working on an exciting choreography that we hope to perform at the next Metamorphosis showcase although we have upcoming bookings before then.
I really see great things for this troupe and I can't wait for the first time we experience performing together. Keep an eye out for the events we are involved with at www.metabellydance.co.uk/events.html
To find out more information about the troupe and how to book us please visit www.metabellydance.co.uk/troupe.html
The Eastern Delights Troupe Rehearsal - Jan 2015
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That’s right! Our Monarchies of Mau Kickstarter goes live at 12 noon Eastern US time tomorrow, Tuesday the 16th!
But wait – I imagine I hear you say – what, I say, what in tarnation is Monarchies of Mau?
Designed by Eddy Webb, Monarchies of Mau is the companion game to Pugmire, but rather than playing uplifted dogs you play uplifted cats. We stress that this is a companion game and not a sequel, because it is complete unto itself, but set in the same fantasy world that Man has left. The land of the Monarchies are to the east of Pugmire, through the forest, and there is an uneasy peace between the two domains. So you can play either game or both.
While Pugmire‘s tagline is “Be A Good Dog”, we are using “Trust Your Instincts”, for Monarchies of Mau. Cat society is a patchwork confederation of noble house led city-states, the Monarchies, where politics both ties the Monarchies together, and threatens to tear them apart.
And, of course, outside the cities lie adventures and dangers as well with the ruins and creatures of the absent Old Ones posing grand challenges for the cats. In these wilds Champions and Footpads, Mancers and Ministers, Trackers and Wanderers all vie to prove that they are the Best Cat.
Eddy and I had a lot of fun creating Monarchies of Mau this past year, and we’ll be going into more detail here and in Updates as the KS runs.
Our Pugmire Kickstarter last year was an immensely surprising and gratifying campaign, with some amazing additional projects coming out of the Stretch Goals, and we have lots of great ones lined up for the Monarchies of Mau KS. And just like we did with the Pugmire KS; backers gain access with the very first Backer Update to the Monarchies of Mau Early Access PDF: an abbreviated version of the rules. So you can start playing right away.
Meanwhile, I hear there was a lot of fun and lots of announcements last week at World of Darkness Berlin! Both Matt McElroy and Matthew Dawkins have told us some fantastic highlights, including some very interesting opportunities for Onyx Path, and we’ll go into more detail in the weeks to come.
One of the big shout-outs in presentations was for our own Beckett’s Jyhad Diary as the starting pad for the upcoming Vampire: the Masquerade 5th Edition, which was very cool to hear, since Matthew Dawkins and everybody’s favorite, Neall Raemonn Price, worked really hard with the new White Wolf to provide all sorts of clues and allusions to the V5 meta-plot.
You can still “pre-order” the PDF and/or the Deluxe hardcover version on our Beckett’s Jyhad Diary BackerKit site here: http://ift.tt/2irGJpN
So, a big shout-out in return to all of the new WW gang: Martin, Karim, Jason, Dhaunae, Shane and Tobias, as well as all the convention hosts, who showed our guys such a great time! And a huge shout-out to Ken Hite, who was announced as V5‘s lead developer, and Mary Lee, its art director!
Also, while I’m shouting, to all our friends who attended, danced, drank, and demoed, and especially Justin Achilli, Mark Rein*Hagen, and Jason Andrew from By Night Studios!
Illustration from Thousand Years of Night by Sam Araya
Finally, I just wanted to point out our unsung heroes here at Onyx Path: our editors. Editing for tabletop RPG books is an unholy mix of technical editing, setting knowledge, and fiction editing, and our dedicated editors have been doing amazing work!
One of Rollickin’ Rose Bailey’s first efforts for Onyx Path was to rebuild our pool of talented editors, and already we’re seeing Dixie Cochran and Carol Darnell perform heroic deeds of editing skill that very often take very good text and make it great, or pull together a paragraph with errors that just slipped through.
Thanks to them and all of our editors for their eagle eyes, and dedication to clean text!
If only we had time each Monday for them to go over this blog text…but that way lies madness!
Thulkan from Dagger of Spiragos by Brian LeBlanc
BLURBS!
KICKSTARTER!
We’re going live at 12 noon Eastern US time next Tuesday, the 16th!
See you there! It’ll be purrfect!
ON SALE!
ON AMAZON:
We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!
BUNDLE OF HOLDING:
The Vampire 20th Anniversary Edition Bundle of Holding is in its LAST WEEK, and what a fantastic deal they have on our V20 line of PDFs! Plus, a percentage of every sale goes to charity! Here’s the link, check it out: http://ift.tt/2poCr8c
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z
You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages!
Sailing out of the dark, the V20 Dark Ages Companion Advance PDF glides in this Wednesday on DriveThruRPG.com!
Bill Bridge’s new W20 novel, The Song of Unmaking, is on sale in PDF/ePub/PoD versions on DriveThruRPG.com: http://ift.tt/2qXQH9f and in ebook form on Amazon: http://ift.tt/2qpQM2V !
The fabric of reality is cracking. Fissures appear in thin air, glowing with balefire. Something is scratching on the other side, pressing, beginning to break through….
The Wyrm’s corruption finds its way into the hearts of humans and Garou alike. Even an ultra-rational techno-cratic scientist can fall sway to its lies. Channeling his hate and resentment through the most sophisticated machine ever created, Basil Czajka has turned a tool designed to peer deep into the heart of the quantum universe into a nursery for the hatching of a horror — a creature whose birth cry is destined to unmake Gaia’s Song of Creation.
The only ones standing in his way are One-Song, a bro-ken-down old Theurge, and Lord Albrecht, whose heed-less anger might be the very weapon the enemy needs to crack the egg and free the Unmaker.
The Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras Companion has arrived in PDF and PoD physical book versions at DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2pygIL7
The Dark Eras Companion presents eleven new Eras for the Chronicles of Darkness. Stretching from Ancient Rome and Egypt through the Black Death, the Thirty Years War, the Reconstruction, and the Russian Revolution, the Companion showcases even more of the secret history of this eldritch world. Included in each era are “snapshots” of the various supernatural creatures, including vampires, changelings, mummies, and demons. Also included are lists of inspirational media to help you put these Eras in context for your troupe.
Open the Dark Eras Companion and take another look back in time.
V20 Lore of the Bloodlines awaits in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DriveThruRPG.com!
http://ift.tt/2pj8UuA
Lore of the Bloodlines is a single volume (created via Kickstarter) that revisits some of the bloodlines in Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, providing story hooks, character concepts, history, and bloodline-specific rules. The secrets of the Baali, Daughters of Cacophony, Gargoyles, Harbingers of Skulls, Kiasyd, Salubri, Samedi, and True Brujah are now yours.
Lore of the Bloodlines includes:
• The history, lore, and nightly practices of nine bloodlines, told from the perspective of the Kindred themselves.
• New combo Disciplines, powers, Merits, Flaws, and other rules specific to each bloodline.
• Revisions and updates of more classic Vampire: The Masquerade material to V20.
Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes for Beast: the Primordial, PoD and PDF versions is now on sale on DTRPG.com!
http://ift.tt/2j7p7lO
This book includes:
An in-depth look at how Heroes hunt and what makes a Hero, with eleven new Heroes to drop into any chronicle.
A brief look at why Beasts may antagonize one another, with seven new Beasts to drop into any chronicle.
Rules for Insatiables, ancient creatures born of the Primordial Dream intent on hunting down Beasts to fill a hunger without end, featuring six examples ready to use in any chronicle.
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Beneath the Skin (Demon and Skinchangers 1486-1502 Aztec Empire). Ahuitzotl sits on the throne at the height of the Aztec Empire, overseeing his sorcerer-priests’ sacrifices and the endless flower wars his jaguar and eagle warriors carry out in his name to keep the altars well-supplied with victims. The gears of the Aztec Empire turn smoothly and inexorably, but not everything is what it pretends to be. Skinchangers take the shapes of animals to run the wilds or bring down human prey, the Unchained cobble together identities from stolen lives, and stranger things still lurk in the deserts and jungles beyond the walls of Tenochtitlan.
On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2p79i1O
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Into the Cold (Demon: the Descent 1961 Berlin). East Germany erects a wall against its Western counterpart, turning West Berlin into an island within its own country. As the Cold War heats up, demons find themselves the targets of increasing human scrutiny, and begin to realize that the God-Machine’s plans didn’t end with the War.
On sale now in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2p70sBl
Beasts are added to Hunter: the Vigil with Hunter: Tooth and Nail, coming atcha in PDF and physical book Pod versions on DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2nwetoP
Tooth and Nail is a bonus chapter/companion book to the previous released Hunter: Mortal Remains that explores antagonists inspired by the Beast: the Primordial RPG.
Hunter: Tooth and Nail includes:
Fiction and story hooks to bring these beasts of legend to your Hunter: The Vigil chronicle.
New bestial Dread Powers.
New Compacts and Conspiracies which hunt the monsters, but also sometimes hunt the zealous heroes that hunt as well.
CONVENTIONS!
Discussing GenCon plans. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Every chance the booth will actually be 20? x 30? this year that we’ll be sharing with friends. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s).
In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP
And now, the new project status updates!
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Monarchies of Mau Early Access (Pugmire)
Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)
DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)
The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Redlines
Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Second Draft
V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)
GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)
Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)
Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)
WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)
Development
W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
Book of Freeholds (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)
M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)
Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)
Editing:
Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition
Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Post-Editing Development:
Indexing:
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
Beckett’s Jyhad Diary
W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook – AD’d
Cavaliers of Mars
Wraith 20
W20 Changing Ways
Ex3 Monthly Stuff
Storypath Brochure
VDA Jumpstart
Scion Origins
C20 Jumpstart
Ring of Spiragos
Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – Waiting for the artnotes to arrive
Marketing Stuff
In Layout
M20 Art Book – In progress…
Monarchies of Mau EA – PDF ready for KS.
Gen Con Stuff
Proofing
CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology
M20 Book of Secrets – 2nd Proof
BtP Building a Legend
VTR: Thousand Years of Night
At Press
Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.
Dark Eras: To the Strongest – PoD proof on the way.
EX3 Tomb of Dreams Jumpstart – PoD proof on the way.
C20 Anthology – Files uploaded and processing.
C20 – Out to backers, gathering errata.
Pugmire – At Press
Pugmire Screen – At Press
Pugmire Cards & Dice – At Press, proofs on the way
Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – At Press
Dark Eras: The Wolf & Raven– PoD proof on the way.
Dark Eras: Three Kingdoms of Darkness – Uploading files.
Dagger of Spiragos (5e) – Out to backers.
Dagger of Spiragos (PF) – Out to backers.
V20 Dark Ages Companion – Advance PDF out Wednesday on DTRPG.
Monarchies of Mau EA – Ready to roll out with KS
TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: Monarchies of Mau! Mew.
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The Emotional Rollercoaster Ride of a Dancer
It has taken me a while to get around to writing about my experience at the Sevenveils Autumn Performance Platform. Why? Well as a perfectionist my solo performance didn’t go as well as I had hoped and I needed time to get over that fact and learn from it.
It is always so easy to write about how great things went but it is a lot harder to write when things didn’t go quite so well, especially when you also have a mental health illness to battle with as well.
So why didn’t my performance go well? My costume neck strap came undone (I still had over the shoulder straps so it wasn’t that major of a problem) but they kept getting in my way and distracting me from my dancing. My costume is also too heavy for me and trying to do level changes was a challenge. My dancing however went well apart from the mishaps but my illness only lets me see the negative part even when people were complimenting me on a great performance.
There was one thing that could have prevented all of this (and if you are a dancer you will already probably be shaking your head) and that is to practise in your costume before going on stage. I forever tell my students this so why am I not listening to my own advice? I think the show just crept up on me and I had been feeling very up and down so I never got the chance. I seem to learn something each time I do these shows and I hope one day I can perform at the Sevenveils Performance Platform and not have some sort of costume trouble.
After finding the courage to watch my performance back I was surprised to see it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. I often blow things out of proportion. I also got some wonderful photos from www.krysphotos.co.uk which has some great shots of me dancing.e
(Video by shimmeringbreeze)
Once I had performed solo it was nice to be able to dance with the Eastern Delights troupe. They always love coming along to these shows and seeing all the different dancers and styles. I think it really inspires them to keep dancing and coming up with new ideas. Our performance was a fun Gypsy skirt dance which I had choreographed a few years ago for a workshop. It can be great to go over these old dances and make them new again.
(Video by shimmeringbreeze)
The theme was ‘Something Spooky’ but I didn’t really have time to come up with another new dance so we decided to be different since most of the acts would be dark and scary. For the next show I will be able to plan a bit better so we can be a part of the theme.
I think every dancer has her or his ups and downs and this just happened to be a bit of a dip but now my head is clearer I can learn from my mistakes and become a better dancer for it.
#sevenveils#Performance Platform#Mental Health#eastern delights troupe#drum solo#Krysphotos.co.uk#shimmeringbreeze
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