#in 2023 to round out the year! I learned so much in the last 12 months with regards to art
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Personal (2023) 🌈✨
#spn fanart#destiel#dean winchester#castiel#destiel fanart#spnfanart#spnart#wiggleart#the link goes to the original which was the first thing#I drew and published in 2023 and so I figur3d a redraw would be the best for the last thing I draw and published#in 2023 to round out the year! I learned so much in the last 12 months with regards to art#i can’t wait for the art journey I go on in 2024!#thanks y’all for being here 💚💙 and happy new year
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1d8 "Free" Fantasy RPGs To Replace 5e At Your Table
D&D 5e sure is a roleplaying game, and it's one that I have enjoyed a lot. However, that doesn't mean that I'd recommend it automatically for other people. This has many reasons, which I won't elaborate here. It has also shaped the perception of TTRPGs significantly thanks to its market dominance, and not in a good way.
5e has a reputation for being an expensive, complex game, and 5e players fear that other RPGs might just be the same. That it's too much of a hassle and too much of a financial burden to switch systems.
So, to help 5e players pick out a different system, I've made this handy 1d8 rolling table to help them pick a fantasy TTRPG with a combat component that they can try instead!
Let's now go through these eight nine RPGs and see what's up with them, right below the "Keep reading" section!
I'll be listing some metrics like the page count for the rulebook(s), the core resolution mechanic, how complex the game is in terms of character creation & combat, and how well-supported the game is by their publisher and the community-at-large.
1. Cairn
Author: Yochai Gal
Release Year: 2020
Cost: Free PDF, printed copies cost between $3 to $10 depending on the print quality.
Page Count: 24
Website: https://cairnrpg.com/
Resolution Mechanic: 1d20 Roll Under system for ability checks/saving throws, attacks hit automatically, "fiction-first".
Action Economy: Movement + one action per round.
Characters: Random character creation, class-less and level-less, advancement based on "Scars" (suffering damage that reduces your HP exactly to 0)
Setting: Implied. Low-magic European-style fantasy; mysterious woodlands.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: Hit Protection and Ability damage instead of HP, Slot-Based Inventory.
Degree of Support: Very high. Available in fifteen languages (e.g. Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and German); full rules text is under CC-BY-SA 4.0; multiple published third-party adventures & supplements available; some official bonus material (e.g. bestiary, magic items/relics, and spells) is available for free on the website.
Addendum: An expanded 2nd Edition is currently on Kickstarter (ends April 26th 2024); Cairn is legitimately easy to learn, however the Hit Protection system and the connected Scars system is a very different abstraction to health and advancement compared to 5e.
2. Cloud Empress
Author: worlds by watt
Release Year: 2023
Cost: Free PDF of the rulebook and the creator-written sample adventure "Last Voyage of the Bean Barge", $20 for the print edition of the rulebook, $12 for PDF supplements, $25 for print + PDF supplements; free solo rules also available as PDF only.
Page Count: 60
Website: https://cloudempress.com/
Resolution Mechanic: d100 Roll Under system for stat checks/saving throws, critical successes or failures on doubles (11, 22, 33, etc.), 5e-style advantage/disadvantage, attacks generally hit automatically.
Action Economy: Two actions per round with no free movement.
Characters: Semi-random character creation, four classes ("jobs"), no rules for character advancement in the ruleset.
Setting: Specific. "Ecological science fantasy" heavily inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind"; costly magic, giant insects, dangerous mushrooms; only human player characters.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: Damage points culminate in Wounds; Wounds and Stress as ways to track your character's physical and mental state; slot-based inventory system.
Degree of Support: Low-ish. Several official supplements exist, however third-party material is very sparse. May improve due to the recent establishment of a Cloud Empress Creators Fund, has a simple 3rd party license system.
Addendum: A supplement, "Cloud Empress: Life & Death" is currently on Kickstarter (ends April 26th 2024, yes, the same day as Cairn 2e) and as a disclaimer I even backed that current Kickstarter; Cloud Empress is built on the engine of the sci-fi horror RPG "Mothership"; clearly built for one-shots and short campaigns; has a wonderful resting system that encourages roleplay between players.
3. Iron Halberd
Author: level2janitor
Release Year: 2023
Cost: Free PDF of the rules; no print option available.
Page Count: 60
Website: https://level2janitor.itch.io/iron-halberd
Resolution Mechanic: 1d20 + Bonus Roll Over system against difficulty or armor rating, however most non-combat-related actions follow a fiction first approach without dice rolls.
Action Economy: Movement + one action per round.
Characters: Semi-random character creation, class-less but there are four different "gear kits" that nudge your character towards certain archetypes, levelling up with XP.
Setting: Essentially non-existant. General European fantasy with magic, gods may or may not exist/shape the world, various fantastic ancestries included.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: Includes rules for building strongholds and maintaining warbands; slot-based inventory with a durability mechanic.
Degree of Support: None. The game is intended to be relatively compatible with other OSR content and the creator suggests using adventures made for the D&D retroclone Old-School Essentials if you wanna use pre-published ones. An official introductory adventure, "Sea-Spray Bay", is apparently in the works. No 3rd party license available, as far as I know.
Addendum: One thing about Iron Halberd I like especially is how it uses random tables for generating equipment. Most of the equipment is listed in a numerical order by category, and the various gear kits include references on different rolling formulas for those equipment categories. For example someone taking the "soldier's kit" rolls twice on the d20 Weapons table and takes their preferred pick, while someone taking the "sage's kit" only rolls a d4 on that table.
4. Mausritter
Author: Isaac Williams
Release Year: 2020
Cost: Free PDF of the ruleset available; box set with the rules and several goodies including an adventure costs $55; additional box set + PDFs containing eleven official adventures costs $55 (or $20 digital-only).
Page Count: 48
Website: https://mausritter.com/
Resolution Mechanic: 1d20 Roll Under system, 5e-style advantage/disadvantage, attacks always hit.
Action Economy: Movement + one action per round.
Characters: Random character creation, class-less, levelling up with XP.
Setting: Vaguely specific. You play as mice and everything is related to mouse-size; cats are the equivalents of devils or dragons; humans exist as a setting background but may or may not be present in a campaign.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: Includes rules for recruiting warbands; slot-based inventory with a durability mechanic.
Degree of Support: Very high. Several official supplements exist, as well as loads of content, be it adventures or supplements, made by other creators. Available in seven languages (all of them however are European). Has a simple 3rd party license system.
Addendum: Mausritter uses the phrase "adventure site" instead of dungeons. On the website a free adventure site generator is available, as is a digital tool that can be used to generate your own item cards for the slot-based inventory system.
5. Maze Rats
Author: Ben Milton
Release Year: 2017
Cost: $4.99 for the PDF, no print option regularly available.
Page Count: 32
Website: https://questingbeast.substack.com/
Resolution Mechanic: 2d6 + Bonus Roll Over system; advantage system that uses 3d6 drop the lowest + Bonus.
Action Economy: Movement + one action per round.
Characters: Semi-random character creation, class-less but instead there are character features (e.g. spell slots or attack bonuses), levelling up with XP.
Setting: Essentially non-existant. Magic is very irregular (s. the section below), but otherwise it implies a vaguely European fantasy setting.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: Spells are randomly generated each adventuring day and spell effects are negotiated between the GM and the spellcasting player; includes several fantastic d66 tables that can be used to randomly generate worlds.
Degree of Support: Decent. The rule text is licensed under CC BY 4.0 and unofficial translations are available. Some third-party content has been made specifically for the game.
Addendum: The only purchase-only game on this list. However "unofficial" distribution of the PDF is very common. Also this is the oldest game on the list. Ben "Questing Beast" Milton is a prolific OSR blogger and runs a YouTube channel on the OSR. Great dude.
6. Sherwood - A Game of Outlaws & Arcana
Author: Richard Ruane
Release Year: 2022
Cost: Free quickstart PDF titled "Sherwood - A Quickstart of Outlaws" available; digital rulebook costs $7.50 and the print edition (including PDF) costs $15.
Page Count: 25 (Quickstart), 32 (Rulebook)
Website: https://www.r-rook.studio/
Resolution Mechanic: 2d6 + Bonus Roll Over system for skill checks (including attacks), 2d6 Roll Under system for saving throws; advantage & disadvantage system that involves rolling 3d6 and using the higher/lower of the two results; almost all rolls are player-facing
Action Economy: "Conversational", assumption of movement + action.
Characters: Largely choice-based character creation. Combine two (of six) background abilities with the benefits of seven different careers. Big focus on interpersonal relationships during character creation. Limited character advancement takes place during downtime.
Setting: Specific. Takes place in a fantastical version of 13th century England, with fey and magic coexisting with outlaws and crusaders.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: The group of outlaws possesses two shared resources (Resources and Legend) that can be spent to gain certain benefits; spellcasting is divided into two categories: arcane talents and sorcerous rites, with the former being immediate and the later taking significant time; slot-based inventory.
Degree of Support: None. No further publications exist for the game and while it is published under the CC-BY 4.0 license, no third-party content exists as far as I know. It does include a guide on how to convert D&D and Troika (N)PCs into Sherwood characters, as well as three adventure seeds (one in the Quickstart, two in the rules), which is at least something.
Addendum: Might just be the game on this list that encourages the most roleplaying; the character sheet is sadly very provisional-feeling and the Quickstart feels outdated compared to the finalized rulebook.
7. The Electrum Archive
Author: Emiel Boven
Release Year: 2022
Cost: Free Rules PDF available, zines cost $12 as digital PDFs or $24 as print + PDF combos; the first zine contains the entire contents of the Free Rules PDF
Page Count: 26 (Free Rules), 72 (Issue 01)
Website: https://www.electrumarchive.com/
Resolution Mechanic: 1d10 Roll Under system, attacks always hit.
Action Economy: Movement + one action per round.
Characters: Largely choice-based; three archetypes roughly corresponding to fighters/rangers (Vagabonds), rogues (Fixers), and spellcasters (Warlocks); player characters are presumed to be human; levelling up with XP.
Setting: Specific. Mechanics heavily tie into the lore; humanity has abundant access to minerals but requires a rare substance known as Ink to operate certain pieces of tech (like guns) and cast spells but cannot produce Ink themselves; spirits of various sorts can be foes, targets of worship, or sources of power.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: Uses a spellcasting system for the Warlock archetype that's heavily based on the one used in Maze Rats, as in it uses randomly-generated spells whose effects are negotiated between the player and the GM; slot-based inventory with a durability mechanic.
Degree of Support: Minimal. The game consists out of the free rules and (soon) two zines; a third party license exists but content produced under it is very rare.
Addendum: I need to disclaim that I recently backed the Kickstarter campaign for the second zine for this game; the free rules feature wrong page numbers in its table of contents which is unfortunate; The Electrum Archive uses incredibly simple stats for NPCs which makes creating new ones based on other games rather simple.
8. Shadowdark RPG
Author: Kelsey Dionne
Release Year: 2023
Cost: Free player and game master quickstarts exist as PDFs and are available in print for $19, the core rules cost $28 in PDF form and $57 in a print + PDF bundle
Page Count: 68 (Player Quickstart Guide), 68 (Game Master Quickstart Guide), 332 (Core Rules)
Website: https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/
Resolution Mechanic: 1d20 + Bonus Roll Over system, 5e-style advantage/disadvantage, natural 1s are critical failures and natural 20s are critical successes.
Action Economy: Movement + one action per round.
Characters: Largely choice-based; players have a fantasy ancestry and a class; levelling up with XP; class progression largely random.
Setting: Vague. General (dark) western fantasy conventions apply; alignment is a force in this universe and a sample pantheon is provided; the most potent enemies in the rules are named individuals that fit classic TTRPG monster types; illustrations and lore snippets have recurring motifs.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: The key mechanic of Shadowdark is how the game handles light, namely that light sources are tracked in real time (i.e. a normal torch lasts 1 hour), which increases tension; slot-based inventory; has a 0th-level character creation option using an eliminationist "Gauntlet".
Degree of Support: Fantastic. Several official supplements and offically sanctioned digital tools exist; lots of third-party content available under a generous third-party license.
Addendum: Definitely the most similar game to 5e on this list besides the next entry; very robust mechanically and the Core Rules features extensive lists of magic items, monsters, and spells; also for early play giving your players only access to the quickstart is a totally valid choice; and finally, before Dionne made Shadowdark, she made 5e adventures for years and it shows (affectionate).
9. Pathfinder
Authors: Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Mark Seifter
Release Year: 2019 (initial release), 2023 (remaster)
Cost: Free and comprehensive SRD available via the platform Archives of Nethys, free "Pathfinder Primer" abridged rulebook available via the Pathfinder Nexus (powered by Demiplane), Core books are priced $20 for PDFs and $30/$60 for print as a softcover/hardcover; a Beginner Box set with shortened soft-cover rules costs $45
Page Count: 464 (Player Core), 336 (GM Core), 376 (Monster Core), 160 (Combined Beginner Box Softcovers)
Website: https://paizo.com/pathfinder
Resolution Mechanic: 1d20 + Bonus Roll Over system, 5e-style advantage/disadvantage, four degrees of success based on result compared to target number.
Action Economy: Three action points per round; various actions may require more than one point; every character can use one reaction per round of combat.
Characters: Choice-based; players first pick an ancestry and a background and a class (the ABCs) and then tend to have meaningful choices after each level-up; levelling up with XP.
Setting: Important. Golarion, the game's setting, is a world that has been long in development and it shows; powerful magic and influential gods; very clear notions of what the societies of the various peoples of the world are like and how they should behave.
Other Noteworthy Mechanics: Balance between character classes and reliable combat challenge calculations are an important design goal; weight-based inventory system; archetype system for "multiclassing".
Degree of Support: Fantastic. Loads of content gets regularly produced by the game's publisher Paizo; the Pathfinder Infinite program (similar to D&D's Dungeon Master's Guild) provides lots of lore-compliant third-party content; uses the ORC third-party license for content produced outside of the Pathfinder Infinite program. Translations into other languages available but Paizo does not provide a comprehensive list of available languages (only German and French confirmed after brief personal research).
Addendum: The most popular and commercially successful of the listed games; but also by far the most complicated, though it is easier to GM for specificallty than 5e; also I dislike how certain feats create situations where fairly mundane actions get mechanics through these feats instead of being things you can generally do; anyway the reason why it's a 9 on a 1d8 table is because if you wanted to try out Pathfinder 2e you already would have and because while Paizo is better than WotC it's still a flawed big company.
...
So this was an exhausting little project. I hope you found this helpful and I hope you give at least one of these games a shot! A follow-up to this post is not out of the cards, but I don't plan on one.
Before we go, have this poll about which of these systems you're most looking forward to try! Shame it can only be open for one week...
#thehomelybrewster#dnd 5e#dnd#indie ttrpg#tabletop roleplaying#ttrpg community#Cairn#Cloud Empress#Iron Halberd#Mausritter#Maze Rats#Dungeons and Dragons#Sherwood#The Electrum Archive#shadowdark#pathfinder
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Okay, yes. It turns out I'm an actual fan of a music group...
What with everything going on in my life (mostly my aide of over 25 years telling me she's quitting by the end of the year, and giving me until then to figure out alternatives solutions), I've been finding emotional escape through finding first-time reacions to VoicePlay. ... It's my personal game of "Today's lucky Ten Thousand:"
[Transcript from ExplainXKCD.com in the alt text]
I'm picky, though. It truly has to be either: one of someone's first three reactions to VoicePlay, itself (not just a first reaction to a particular song), or: an in-depth analysis that shows an insight to things I don't know about.
...Not just someone expecting to be wowed sitting there going: "Wow!" Either I'm watching someone learn something new, or I'm learning something new.
Anyway, these truly first-timers will often request recommendations for more songs by them (I realize this is often done to milk YouTube's engagement algorithm as least as much as it's honest curiosity). And that got me thinking of my own "VoicePlay Defined" recommendation list. So I thought I'd post it here.
These are not all necessarily my faves, but illustrate the group's artistic evolution, and breadth of styles, which is at least as impressive as any individual songs.
Road Trip (May22. 2014) a comedy skit from "The Sing-Off" live tour, of friends fighting over the car radio. Arranged by the bass singer, Geoff Castellucci.
Phantom of the Opera Featuring Rachel Potter (November 18, 2015) Warning: Flashing / strobe effects. Their first experimentation with cinematic storytelling along with their singing. Arranged by the vocal percussionist, Layne Stein.
Queen in 5 Min (November 23, 2018) Warning: Flashing / strobe effects. Tells the story of their high tenor, Earl Elkins Jr., contending with the various gods of Death, as told through the lyrics of Queen songs. With a cameo from Earl's husband. Arranged by Layne Stein and second tenor Eliezer (Eli) Jacobson.
Just Sing (May 15, 2020) Filmed during the first round of quarantine, a stitched-together collaboration with former group members, family, and colleagues. The closed captioning is given over to the names of all the participants, and their connection to the group. This is the last video before Earl Elkins left for private reasons. Arranged by Layne Stein.
Man in the Mirror Featuring D.J. Young (May 28, 2021) J. None's last video as their baritone, before leaving for a five-year stint singing in the U.S. Navy Choir. though he has since come back to sing with them, when he's on leave. Arranged by Geoff Castelucci.
Wicked A Cappella Medley | A Chance To Fly Featuring Rachel Potter and Emoni Wilkins (November 25. 2021). Arranged by Geoff Castelucci.
Dragonborn Comes Skyrim Featuring Omar Cardona (February 4, 2022) An example of their Gamer Geek side. Arranged by Geoff Castelucci.
And finally: Seven Nation Army Featuring Anthony Gargiula. (May 12, 2023). In this one, they really leaned into adding effects (or filters?) on their voices in post production, to give a more textured, instrumental feel. Also, you can clearly see how Eli Jacobson has matured from second tenor to first tenor with a hard rock belt. Arranged by Geoff Castellucci.
#image description in alt text#VoicePlay#music recommendation#video links#YouTube#retrospective#long post
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F1 Re-Watch 2013: Round 14 - South Korea
It's Winter break and I am FINALLY picking back up my 2023 watch through (given how it's December, I probably won't finish this before 2024, but that's okay!).
This is another one I watched live at the time at my friend's house, and my main memory apart from Seb winning is Mark Webber's car having an alternator failure and then going on fire (right after his Singapore last lap DNF which, ouch) and Nico Rosberg having a very sparky front wing. iirc Jenson had an alright race and scored points, though I cannot recall how Lewis did, so let's jump in!
Once again saying how much of a core memory the old F1 intro is
and also asking why can't F1 provide alternate commentary options, why must Crofty and Brundle be forced upon us 😭
On a more practical note, I never knew why this race was officially called the Korean GP instead of the South Korean GP
But Yeongam was a fun track even if the layout looked a bit odd.
Alrighty: Starting grid whiplash time!
SEWIS FRONT ROW!!!! (this is for meeeeee)
Grosjean P3 and Rosberg P4
Jenson P11 and Jev down in P16
[Formation Lap]: Almost everyone on the super soft tyres apart from Ricciardo who's on the mediums
and immediately cut to the mad rush of mechanics and engineers running back to the garages
huh, so today I learned that no one is allowed to sit on the pitwall at the race start in case there's an on-track incident. I really feel like I should have known this before now 😅
[Start/Lap 1]: Seb has in Seb fashion just shot off into the distance
CARNAGE
One of the Ferrari's got tagged, someone else span round, turn 3 was like a dodgems rink
right before all that happened Grosjean overtook Lewis and is in P2
[Lap 2]: But Seb is already 2 seconds ahead of P2. Just GOAT things.
[Lap 3]: Now 2.6 seconds 👑 (When Seb dominates in a Red Bull it's sexy, when anyone else does the same it's not - hope that helps x)
The Top 5 after the lap 1 nonsense is Seb, Grosjean, Lewis, Nico R and Hulkenberg.
[Lap 4]: Jenson has minor front wing damage 😭
ooh cut to Raikkonen and Ricciardo scrapping over 7th
and now Jenson has to come in for a new front wing 😭😭😭
it's apparently affecting his brake temps, fml
Okay start replay: oh my days the field was five wide before the braking zone for turn 3 no wonder that there was dodgems.
[Lap 6]: I'm starting to wonder if I mis-remembered Nico's front wing failing and sparking along the track. I'm sure it was at this Korean GP bc I remember my friend being so upset over it
[Lap 7]: JENSON FASTEST LAP!!!!!!!
Though this was years before getting the fastest lap was worth a point, but it's worth a point in my heart
[Lap 8]: Cars starting to make their first pit stops
[Lap 9]: Back to Seb fastest lap, he's over three seconds ahead of P2
Meanwhile Lewis just got told to push before his first stop
[Lap 10]: And in he comes for stop number 1! Super softs off for Mediums, he comes out in P9
So according to Ted the two stop is actually quicker, but the cars that have stopped already are likely going to have to do the three stop. inch resting.
[Lap 11]: And saying that, Grosjean comes in to cover Lewis, and comes out juuuust ahead
[Lap 12]: And in comes Seb! Also putting on the mediums
but we need to cut back to the Lewis & Grosjean battle bc it was getting spicy
And a Lewis fastest lap for funsies 🥰
[Lap 13]: He's now 8 tenths behind Grosjean
[Lap 16]: Hmm, there is not much happening
I am enjoying watching the cars go round though, but then again that's just me 😅
Saying that, Hulkenberg is leading a train of Alonso, Raikkonen and Webber from 6th-9th.
oh it's a DRS train before we called it a DRS train
[Lap 18]: And Rosberg gets past Ricciardo for 4th
[Lap 20]: Jenson, who's in P9, is apparently not having a fun time with his tyres
Meanwhile Fernando is trying very hard to break through past Hulkenberg
sadly it's not happening
[Lap 22]: And *another* Seb fastest lap
I do love it when he collects them like pokemon
[Lap 23]: Jenson pits again :(
tbf it would be very on brand for me to deliberately forget if Jenson had a bad race
[Lap 24]: Breaking News: Fernando has still not gotten past Hulkenberg
I am starting to remember this part of the race and I'm pretty sure Hulkenberg does end up finishing in 5th
"Right front is destroyed" "I've been through the graining phase, and it's dead" the precursors to 'Bono my tyres are gone'. Lewis also sounds painfully done on the radio 😭😭😭
[Lap 26]: and there's a somewhat stranded Force India in the barriers.
oof Di Resta had a slow spin into the barriers after getting on the kerbs
[Lap 28]: Meanwhile Lewis is painfully slow compared to everyone else
Ah ha! There's Rosberg's front wing failure (not that I was wishing ill on him, more well done me for remembering correctly)
He was about to pass Lewis on the straight when the nose of the car just dropped down.
And it is now trailing on the ground putting sparks everywhere
[Lap 29]: So either by choice or circumstance Lewis wasn't able to get past Nico while he was driving slowly with his borked front wing.
"When are you gonna call me in man these tyres are fucked?" Lewis' very not fun Korean GP
[Lap 30]: and he FINALLY pits for another set of mediums
the race is 55 laps long so he should in theory make it to the end
[Lap 31]: FUCK Perez's tyre just failed
I do NOT want anymore Silverstone flashbacks, that was not fun
The whole tread of the tyre just ripped itself off the canvas while he was going down the straight, NOT GOOD
[Lap 32]: Very understandably we have a safety car
"And Pirelli are here to inspect the remnants of their tyre, not that there is much" Ted Kravitz committing murders live on air since 2013.
Well I have to say that certainly spiked up my blood pressure, it's the fact that Perez just happened to be in the camera shot when it happened.
[Lap 33]: So while we have the SC, the current top 5 is: Seb, Grosjean, Raikkonen, Lewis and Hulkenberg
[Lap 34]: Cut to a probably quite stressed Pirelli engineer in the Merc Garage looking over someone's shoulder
[Lap 35]: Shoutout to Webber, who had to pit again for running over the debris from Perez's car so dropped down to P11, and was given a set of super softs because Red Bull did not have any mediums left
You can see why he went over to WEC
[Lap 36]: And we're back racing!
[Lap 37]: Thankfully for my nerves all clean through turns 1 and 2
...
and then there was turn 3
Sutil divebombed into Webber, who's car is now on fire.
Don't cut to the depressed RBR mechanics 😭
also WHERE ARE THE FIRE MARSHALLS?!
okay there they are
oh now we have Lotus on Lotus violence
and.... there's a fire car on the track??????
aaaaand safety car again.
[Lap 38]: Well... Lap 37 chose far, far too much violence
That was certainly a sequence of events
right before all that happened, Hulkenberg overtook Lewis for P4
so I'm not having a fun time
[Lap 39]: Good news: they put out Webber's car, bad news: it looks like a wreck
iirc Japan was seven days after Korea so yeah, a very not fun time for the mechanics who needed to fix that
[Lap 41]: And we're racing again. Boys I beg of you NO NONSENSE
Turn 3 I am watching you like a hawk
Lewis and Fernando are scrapping over P5
Jenson sighting!!!! he's in P7
[Lap 42]: Meanwhile Seb is still leading out front, by almost 2 seconds this time
[Lap 43]: So the top 5 is: Seb, Raikkonen, Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Lewis
[Lap 44]: Grosjean's been given the all clear to race Raikkonen for P2 🍿
[Lap 45]: Breaking news: Lewis is still behind Hulkenberg
but in actual news we have FIVE cars fighting over 10th
Maldonado, Guiterrez, Massa, Perez and Bottas
and I legit cannot keep up with who is where they're chopping and chaning so fast
[Lap 46]: Okay it's Massa (P10), Gutierrez, Checo, Valtteri and Maldonado
Make that Perez now in P11
that was a great battle though!!!
[Lap 47]: Lewis is very close to Hulkenberg...
...but still doesn't get past through turn 3
[Lap 48]: LEWIS IS INTO P4!!!!
...nvm Hulkenberg got back past on the second straight
And Fernando was very briefly in P5 but Lewis managed to hold fim
[Lap 49]: Bless at least the Sauber team are having fun
[Lap 50]: Lotus telling Grosjean that he can overtake Kimi but Romain saying he can't???? Team Enstone doing Team Enstone things
Massa and Perez under investigation for causing a collision, fellas...
At least Seb has a 4 second lead
[Lap 51]: 5 laps remaining klaxon!!
[Lap 52]: slow-mo shot of Seb's tyres, his front right does not look pretty
which was the same tyre that went on Perez's car
[Lap 53]: Lewis asking on the radio if anyone has suggestions for how to get past Hulkenberg. idk if Merc can gaslight, gatekeep girlboss their way out of this one
And Rosberg takes P8 from Jenson
[Lap 54]: uh no not another yellow flag
oop, Ricciardo's car decided to stop working
[Lap 55]: FINAL LAP!!
Lewis has properly closed up to Hulkenberg 👀
and Fernando has closed up to the back of Lewis
and SEB WINS THE SOUTH KOREAN GP!!!!! 🥳🍾
(gosh I've missed a driver sounding happy over the radio when they win)
The rest of the top 10: Raikkonen P2, Grosjean P3, Hulkenberg P4, Lewis P5, Fernando P6, Rosberg P7, Jenson P8, Massa P9 and Perez P10
lol at me saying Jenson has a nice race when he Did Not. But Lewis finish in the top 5 so that was positive bc I really had no recollection of how he did. Seb goated as per, and Lap 37 owes me financial compensation for all that nonsense.
Next race - Japan!
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10 things for 2023
tagged by @welcometololaland @reyesstrand @marwani-strickland and @pragmatic-optimist @rmd-writes thanks guys 💕
a fic idea you want to write (or read): i would like to work on the soccer au i’ve been daydreaming about since...what? 2020? other than that, i’d like to pick at the college exes fic. i don’t plan on writing much tarlos this year so that’s all that really comes to mind for the time being
a place you want to go: well, i'm going on my first real proper vacation in ages this year which i’m excited about! im going with my sister and niece on a cruise to the bahamas. outside of that, it would be great to go to ireland or something. that’s been on my bucket list for so long and now i feel more comfortable with the idea of serious travel since the pandemic hit so that’d be dope
a book you want to read: oof so many books but i’m excited for ander & santi were here by jonny garza villa. that’s the most recent preorder i did. oh! and prince harry’s book.
something fun you want to do: i want to make good on learning how to roller skate. i got as far as purchasing a pair of skates and teetered around a little bit but i didn’t stick with it last year. maybe now that i’ve moved, i can look into seeing if there are any classes or meet ups. would also be a nice way to meet new people in this area. i also really want to do a consistent book club bc i’ve sadly fallen off with reading books
something you wanna make: this ties in with the first prompt but i want to finish those stories, yes, but i definitely want to branch out and make new stories for other fandoms. i feel like i’ve hit a wall and it’s been making me question my writing abilities way too much. hopefully a fresh pairing or two will make me feel more in sync and get that confidence back
a habit you want to start: getting more organized and having a better routine for both my personal life and work. i'm such a procrastinator, it drives me nuts
something new you want to try: i want to try crocheting, it’s something i’ve always wanted to do but never made any attempts to learn. i really should get a beginner’s kit soon
something you want to finish from 2022: i refuse to drag myself onto goodreads just yet by going on there and seeing how many books i started but didn’t finish bc YIKES. but ideally i would like to complete those books. i’ve hit such a snag, i will not even bother with setting a challenge this year lol
something you want to stop doing: so many things, but definitely would like to scale back on my screen time. my phone is ALWAYS in my hand. it’s so unhealthy
something you want to keep doing: i want to continue spending less time on here. i’ve become far too attached to popping on to tumblr and tbh it’s truly having a very negative effect on my writing and me in general. so yeah, i think less time on here would be a good thing. i have started with making use of the queue function which, after having this account for 11 or 12 years, i started using for the first time in 2022 and it’s proving to be a happy medium. i still love the show but gah yeah, not really feeling this space in the same ways i have previously and i don’t want that to bleed in to my outlook on the series when it starts back later this month
not tagging anyone as this has been making the rounds already~
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WIP Update - 28 Dec 2022
Had a slowi-ish writing week since I was focused on getting everything prepped and posted for the bingos ending last & this week. - I touched 4 fics (2 WIPs & 2 new works) for a total of 1353 words, giving me 117,703 words for the year! (the rest of this week will count towards 2023)
On Ao3, I posted a bunch of stuff 😁
Things are Looking Up - SamBucky holiday fluff
Caught By the Rain and Blinded by the Lightning - Tony/Thor post CA:CW PWP
Better Be Good for Goodness’ Sake - more SamBucky holiday fluff
A Work of Heart - pre-war pining!Steve Stucky
A Dusting of Trouble - Stucky Sex Pollen with Stuckony aftercare
Leading Questions (Remix) - protective!Bucky WinterIron
Letters to Santa - WinterIron meet cute with bonus Morgan
A bonus second chapter of Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Truth Come Out) - Pepperony --> WinterPepperony.
Am down to 11 active WIPs (with a couple of maybe TBCs) with my current deadline being the Man with a Plan and Starkbucks Bingos with the Bucky Barnes bingo coming in close behind!
See below cut for the WIPs (arranged more or less by bingos/challenges/etc) I am working on - feel free to send me prompts or plot bunnies as well as asks regarding any of these projects (or any other WIPs I’ve got out there) – they really help feed the Muse and keep me motivated!
Avengers Bingo [AvB] (Runs thru 24 Dec ) BLACKOUT ACHIEVED!
Sixteen fills posted (14 to Ao3) - Masterpost
* B4 - Age Gap -posted Caught By the Rain and Blinded by the Lightning on 12/23 - a Thor/Tony post CA:CW PWP crossing over with TSB One Night Stand. It came in at 1256 words.
Man With a Plan (Steve Rogers) Bingo [MWAPB] (Runs thru 31 Dec)
Nineteen fills, and four bingos (Row 5 & Col I) with one leftover WIP. Since the event was pretty much abandoned by its creator (life happens, I get it), I’m finishing this pretty much out of stubbornness and may carry some squares over for inspiration into the new year. Will make the masterpost sometime later this week or early next week.
* G4 - Canon Divergence post CA:TWS - possible crossover with BBB Kill List – Bucky wreaking havoc on Hydra bases and Steve & Sam catch up with him. Not on my Bingo Attack plan list, so probably won’t get done.
* G5 - Friends to Lovers - claimed this with Never Have I Ever (But I’d Like to With You) a pining!Steve POV of the team playing NHIE where he manages to get one over on Tony. Chapter 1 came it at 1000 words even and posted last Friday. Chapter 2 will switch to Tony POV and make good on this title.
* O2 - Sex Pollen - A Dusting of Trouble posted 12/25 - Steve and Bucky get curious when they learn Teenage Groot’s pollen is an aphrodisiac; Tony shows up just in time for the aftercare. It crosses over with my SRB - Groot and BBB KINK: Aftercare squares and came in at 822 words.
StarkBucks Bingo - Round 3 (SBB_R3) - Ends 31 Dec
Fifteen fills (14 posted to Ao3), 2 WIPs - One bingo (Col N) and shooting for Row 3, Col G and Row 4.
* B1 - “I wouldn’t mind wasting my time on you.“ - Possible crossover with BBB - KINK: Seduction Mission? Not on my Bingo Attack plan list, so probably won’t get done.
I1 - “It Wasn’t Wasted” - used this to write a 347-word scene for the WinterIron All that Glitters is Snow Round Robin event, but I found out after the fact the fic won’t post til the 1st, so won’t be able to count it. :: pout ::
* I2 - Mistaken Identity - crossover with TSB K5 - Protectiveness - “The Mechanic, The Soldier & The Artist” - mob/assassin AU with a Mr. & Mrs. Smith twist? Not on my Bingo Attack plan list, so probably won’t get done.
* I3 - “Oh dear.” - Posted Leading Questions (Remix) as a Tony POV on the stressful interview in Leading Questions and the immediate aftermath. It came it at 256 words & posted on the 12/27.
* I4 - Canon: Avengers Academy - will probably do Stuffed Marvels sketches of Tony and Winter, as I know very little about the game/canon. It’s on my Bingo Attack plan list, but at the bottom, so don’t hold your breath.
* N5 - “Wanna make a bet?” Used this in combination with the Day 18 Fictober (“I don’t think this is your problem.”) and Flufftober (Soulmate AU) prompts for Marked-Up Soulmarks - a soulmate AU where Tony discovers he and Steve have something (and someone) in common. I may expand on this before posting it to Ao3 and/or claiming it as an official fill. Currently coming in at 418 words.
* G4 - Pepper Potts - Added a short chapter to Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Truth Come Out) Tony POV of the morning after he and Bucky kissed; Pepper is (as always) one step ahead.
* O1 - Royalty - crossover with TSB - IronWidow & BBB AU: Arranged Marriage - pick Lady Natasha’s Consort and Lord Steve’s Companion back up - the current chapter is sitting at 595 words and would need to be 800 min to fill all 3 squares. It may not make this bingo’s deadline, but possibly BBB?
* O5 - AU: Biker - Grease 2 fusion anyone? 😁 I watched the movie a month or so ago and took notes - It’s not gonna be a faithful adaptation, but hopefully fun - had another mini-brainstorm on this that led to last Friday’s No Ordinary Boy ficlet, but that didn’t go far enough into the story to count toward this square. It’s schedule to go up on Ao3 on 12/30 - I’ve been rolling ideas around to at least get the bike in the story..
Hero Hardships Bingo [HHB] (Runs thru 31 Dec)
Not really expecting to get anything more done on this card, unfortunately. 😔
* O3 - Dating a civilian - this would fit perfectly with another chapter of Takin’ What They’re Givin’ (‘Cause I’m Workin’ for a Livin’) , for which I currently have a basic plot point or two rolling around in my head. I do have about 1000 words on what would be the next chapter of TWTG, so… maybe I’ll whip it into shape and toss it out there? :: shrug::
Bucky Barnes Bingo - Round 4 [BBB_R4] (Runs thru 7 Jan 2023)
Eighteen fills, four WIPs & ideas for everything except one square - Row 1 bingo achieved - shooting for Column B, Column K and maybe Row 3 as well. Hoping we can carry squares over into the next round.
* B3 - Sam Wilson|Falcon - Chapter 2 of After One Or Two False Starts is in good shape. It switches to Bucky POV and is currently sitting at 315 words. Targeting 1/6 to post it.
* U2 - AU: Roommate - Still wanting to use the Meet Ugly prompt: 02. I bought a house three months ago but I’m finally moving in and discover you’ve been squatting because you’re homeless – probably WinterHawk with recovering!Bucky being the squatter in Clint’s apartment building. However, this is not on my Bingo Attack plan list, so don’t hold your breath.
* U4 - AU: Arranged Marriage - will probably pick Lady Natasha’s Consort and Lord Steve’s Companion back up for this one. See SBB Royalty for details.
* C4 - KINK: Aftercare - see MWAPB Sex Pollen above
*C5 - “This might as well happen” - Used this for the Sept BBB Round Robin (crackfic - Emperor’s New Groove inspired) wrote 276 words toward it. Looks like I’ll get to count it, just need to submit a square fill form.
* K3 - KINK: Edging - working on Hanging By A Moment - (Bucky POV with toy play and Tony as a power bottom) crossing over with TSB K3 - KINK: Orgasm Denial/Edging - - currently 639 words and just about done; it’s scheduled to post on 12/30.
* Y2 - Never the fall that kills you - this might be the title for a reverse hanahaki WinterIron prompt from @lacrimula-falsa …. but is not on my Bingo Attack plan list, so don’t hold your breath.
* Y4 - KINK: Seduction Mission - crossover with SBB - B1 - “I wouldn’t mind wasting my time on you.” & “It wasn’t wasted” Not on my Bingo Attack plan list, so probably won’t get done. Hopefully I can carry squares over into the next round!
Sam Wilson Bingo - Mini Holiday Round (SWB_MH) - Ends 20 Jan
Two fills posted for this 3x3 holiday event card - Shooting for a bingo/crossover with BBB squares.
* A1 - Secret Santa Sam’s bound and determined to figure out who keeps leaving little bird-themed gifts for him around the Compound.
* B1 - Under the Mistletoe - Things are Looking Up got posted to Ao3 on the 22nd - Bucky gets included in a Wilson Christmas tradition; it came in at 551 words.
* C1 - Christmas Morning Better Be Good for Goodness’ Sake posted on the 24th; secret relationship fluff & shenanigans that came in at 358 words.
Steve Rogers Bingo - Round 2 (SRB_R2) - Ends 31 Jan
Sixteen fills posted with 2 bingos (Row 3 & Row 1) & 1 WIP at the moment – aiming for 2 or 3 more bingos before the event wraps.
* A1 - Never Have I Ever - see MWAPB FREE above.
* A4 - Touch Attention/Denial - I have an idea for this that will also fill (heh) my Stucky Bingo KINK - Double Penetration square.
* B2 - Mile High Club - This will be the second chapter of Never Have I Ever (But I Want To With You), picking up with Tony’s POV after the events of Chapter One. Rolling some things around in my head, but other projects are taking priority. Possibly combine with TSB Tony’s Poor Life Choices ?
* C4 - Groot - crossover with MWAPB Sex Pollen - see above.
* E2 - Comics Nomad Steve - SWC sketch of Nomad!Steve
* E4 - Mental Bondage - crossover with TSB KINK: Concubine - Potential Title My Voice The Chain that Binds You
Tony Stark Bingo - Round 6 (TSB_R6) [Ends 28 Feb]
Fifteen fills and three WIPs at the moment - with Vague Ideas for almost every other square.
* T2 - Doing Groceries - crossover with MWAP B3 - Farmer’s Market - if I can bang out a drabble/moodboard in time, otherwise will find something else to do with this.
* T3 - Pepper Potts/Rescue - some sort of remix of/inspired by sabrecmc’s Indecent Proposal from Pepper’s POV. At this point, I think I need to re-read the fic & take notes …
* T4 - KINK: Concubine - see SRB E4 - Mental Bondage?
*A5 - Scott Lang - 27dragons shared an interesting plot bunny during the Sept TSB Discord party that I may end up using; that or a follow up to A Piece of the Action
* R1 - Tony’s Poor Life Choices - see SRB Mile High Club above.
* R2 - IronWidow - next chapter of Lady Natasha’s Consort and Lord Steve’s Companion ? see SBB Royalty above
* K2 - Secret Admirer - carried this over from last round so I could try my hand a remix of Seeds of Love (WinterIron hanahaki fic by the super-talented @hddnone). Potential title: Wraps Around My Heart, Refusing to Unwind
* K3 - KINK: Orgasm Denial/Edging - see BBB KINK: Edging
Stucky Bingo Round Four [SB_R4] (Ends 31 May 2023
Eight fills and one WIPs with a couple of other vague ideas.
* B1 - Mutual Pining - possible crossover with MWAPB - Friends to Lovers
* B4 - Artist/Muse - posted A Work of Heart to Ao3 on the 25th. Pre-war pining!Steve talking Bucky into modeling for his art class. It came in at at 652 words and filled Day 29 of Fictober (”You love this, don’t you?”) , Flufftober (Leaves) and Whumptober (”Better me than you.”)
* B5 - KINK: Double Penetration - see SRB Touch Attention/Denial above.
* O4 - AU: Supernatural - got inspired by a dream to start a Stucky fantasy AU (magician!Steve/ensorcelled!Bucky) that @bill-longbow is collaborating on with me. This was supposed to fill my Man with a Plan Bingo Soulmates square, but I ran out of time on that bingo. We’re currently sitting at 1640 words (984-ish of which are mine). Will probably continue on this sometime in January.
Current Last Line: "My men will accompany you back to Brookline in the morning.”
I also adopted the Writing Format: Remix one of your fics square – am thinking of taking one of my Stony or WinterIron No Powers fics and adapting it to a Stucky pairing – if you have any requests - hit me up!
WinterIron - No Powers AU – Stony No Powers AU
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On other creative fronts: I have a Baby Groot figure in progress - still working on the figures for my three Marvel Trumps Hate auction winners (6 of 7 done so far) – thanks so much for your generous support!! Finally, I am prepping for a superhero con in March - so am pretty well booked up through at least the end of the year.
That said, if you’re looking for one of a kind gifts for birthdays or other celebrations in 2023, check out Stuffed With Character over on Facebook for a full list of my designs (now over 80!). They’re mostly Marvel and monsters, but I have some Star Wars, Star Trek, DC and Disney figures as well. Plus I love to take custom design requests for any fandom!
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13/12/2023
I managed to restrict the amount I have eaten today - I ate low calories noodles, a small vegan cheese sandwich, a small amount of cottage cheese on crisp bread, one thin slice of baguette with hummus and some alcohol. I know the alcohol has calories but I have been so stressed trying to get work done for my deadlines and I think that I needed it to calm my anxiety.
I think that this is progress, hunger is something that I need to feel. The cycle of bingeing HAS to stop, hopefully this is the start of that. If I keep preoccupied with studying then maybe I will be distracted from hunger. Normally coming home after drinking leads me to bingeing on high calorie foods but I have control now.
Seeing pictures of myself amongst others spurs my motivation - I am less attractive objectively when I look like I do now. Shame is a prominent feeling, it is necessary to feel my body and force myself to look in the mirror in order to make changes. My body feels too close, squishy yet hard, parts touch too easily and It feels off.
Keeping track of what I eat is the next step in this journey - last time I was able to smoke, I was on fuck ton of sertraline and had lots of free time to kill. Now I have to find new ways to get back to where I was. I promised myself that it would never get bad again, but yet I failed.
Purging is basically out of the question because we know that it could fuck our teeth up really bad and mess up stomach even more than it is. The only option is restricting, the cycle of eating issues has to come back round like it always does.
The collaborative mind possessed is working against me, it's not fair. We all know that eating to excess makes us feel fucking disgusting and only leads to more more bingeing. I have to work our way back to relying on minimum food otherwise everything will fall apart.
This body feels wrong, the way food has been entering is wrong. There has been no rational thought into what we need. It's not that fucking hard! Just stop eating, a hole inside me is trying to be filled, food is not the answer, it needs to be something that will serve me. Learning more, going outside more, experimenting more, anything to replace the repulsive feeling I get after stuffing my face. It is not an exaggeration when I say 'stuffing', over 3000 calories per day? That isn't normal, maybe if you were someone going to the gym 2 times a day, going for runs, swimming - anything active, you could get away with eating that much and NOT gaining weight. I am overindulging myself - making a mockery of the body I was given.
Put up post-it notes for reminders but had to hide them when my friend came into my apartment - wanting to have people around you and not wanting them to see your control affirmations is stressful. I know the way that I go about losing weight is extreme but I NEED it. I need the control, the power over my body, the ability to feel change physically is comparable to nothing else in my life.
The need for sleep seems desperate but I should stay awake and complete my assignments, how can I concentrate? I just want to be smaller. The fury of knowing that I did it before HAS to empower and motivate me - I didn't know it was possible until I reached 62.5 kg. I was powerful, now I feel like a loser who worked so hard to lose so much weight only to gain it back (and more) in just under 3 years. I will get there again, It has to be done. If I am 62.5 kg then I am still within the range of healthy BMI and no one will bother me. I will do it.
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brief brief brief update: December 12, 2023
Yes, everything is fine. Other than the fact that my eye is twitching a little, I don't know what it is.
Well, these last few weeks have been good. I took a few weeks off after school ended and it's been good. I watched some films, used my cell phone less and now, since last week, I've gone back to studying. I don't plan on stopping at least until I can make my three-day trip somewhere inland. It's very, very productive, from what I understand.
I'm trying to keep my weeks full of things, of studies. I hope that by the end of this month I can finish my basic mathematics course, I'm starting to like it. In fact, when I started learning the material I was already enjoying it. I like this challenge, but sometimes it's difficult to deal with mistakes in exercises.
Another thing I thought I'd mention, but didn't, is that an old friend came back (I know it's drama, and this friend is an online friend, but I'm very dramatic) and, well, it wasn't good. last year, around this time, I think it was a year ago, he simply started treating me badly, at the time I suffered a lot, and I already wrote a lot about it, but with this return I managed to realize that, at least now, I don't want to “be his friend”. I think he already has enough, he doesn't need me. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a family that says I love you, yes, no need. I already needed him a lot, but when I needed him he wasn't available.
next topic: I passed my book goal for the year, I think I read 14 or 15, now I'm reading one so I don't know math. Next year, when I finish my renovation, I will buy at least two books a month and increase the goal to about 40 books. If I actually exchange my digital cell phone for a push-button one it will be much easier to achieve this goal. In a 25-minute study break, for example, I think you can read more than 30 pages. But this is not just a goal. I feel really good doing this, it's cool to enter these different worlds.
about working out at the gym: I hope it works. Today I thought about asking to bring my bike from another city, it will be like cardio, the round trip.
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12/9/2023
I'm not sure what has changed, but my world recently became so much larger and started making so much more sense. Lately I feel like I've been seeing the world very differently from how I used to. It's next to impossible to put into words. I always feel like I can articulate how I feel until I start typing.
Apologies for how long it's been since I wrote last. My computer has been off getting repaired so it's been a little more difficult to update on here.
It's 11pm. I'm sitting in my car outside Dylan's apartment. It's raining and I'm listening to emotional music to hopefully enhance my emotions and help me verbalize my thoughts.
I'm feeling a shift in perception towards my hometown. I see a beauty there, one indicative of the fond memories of a town that built me. However, I see that it has grown into a shell of its former self; as the town modernizes and grows, and as my family falls apart, the city doesn't comfort me like I used to.
My dad is leaving his job. He makes good money and has provided for me all my life. I always took a sort of solace in knowing that he could be there for me to fall back on. But now he's losing his job. Which means eventually my family will have no income and no insurance. And my dad wants to sell the house. The house I grew up in. The house that raised me. My only consistent safe space.
That has thrown me into a place of learning. The world isn't what I thought it would be. I always thought I'd have a happy, well-rounded family, a house to come back to, a goal for my future, and everything was how it should be. But lately, my family has been crumbling, my dad wants to sell the house, and I don't have a plan for my career or general future. My expectations have been subverted. The life I thought I was preparing for is not the life I have. And isn't that fucked up?
Our whole childhood, we are built up to pursue a particular career and become a specific functioning human adult. But the identity we reserve during those years is often unrecognizable when put up next to who we are when we're old enough to be the person we wanted to be. I'm only 21 and I'm an entirely different individual from who I planned on being when I was a child.
Why do we allow such young children to fall into the guise that the life you want is the life you'll get? We should be taught how to be self-sufficient in a constantly changing world, not how to form ourself into a human capable on only one particular front for a career that a child picked out.
I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. Especially lately, I've found myself overwhelmed with emotions I haven't felt before. Existentialism, philosophy, I've been looking at the world in such a new light. I see that things aren't cut and dry like I thought.
I want to articulate my feelings better when I have my computer. The inefficiency of trying to vent while being hindered by typing on a phone prevents me from really speaking how I feel.
Bye for now.
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CHOPPA 2023 - Bump-in Day 1
25 September
Half the people were late (as expected). We sent out reminders the day before and also constantly reminded people to be punctual but it never works anyway. So instead of waiting and wasting time, those who came on time just began loading stuff into the flight cases.
Ideally, we would have fewer people in the SIA store during equipment checkout to avoid confusion, but it is necessary in this case because everyone had to learn. So, I delegated a few people to be in charge of taking certain types of equipment. Only they will have the paperwork, and from there they will tell the rest what to take. For example, I asked Ahamed to be in charge of the audio cables, and Gladys to be in charge of power cables.
This was to avoid repeats in the equipment checkout, which happened last CHOPPA because everybody had a copy of the list and was doing their own thing. Delegating also sped up the whole process.
After speaking to Herman, we decided that it's best to use the M6 speakers instead of Max 12s for the side fills and monitors because they were lighter and just easier to carry around.
Cube Setup:
Lay out the Nivos
Set up Speakers according to layout, evenly spaced
Set up Lighting, Audio and Video consoles on the Nivos
Set up stage (tables, mic stands, mics)
Lay cables (XLR, Speakon, Network)
Preset Consoles
Flush the sound system
Line Check
Everything was completed faster than expected. I didn't do much of the physical labor this time. Instead, I took on the role of overseeing and delegating.
This was a mistake on my part last CHOPPA. I did not step in to coordinate, so the team was rather lost during the bump-in last year.
It was also mostly just the Year 3s and Year 2s setting up. The Year 1s left for class early. The smaller group helped reduce conflicts and confusion, which is why this bump-in was much more relaxed than last year. It was hard to coordinate a large group of people, so it was better that we had a "lesser" crew size this time round.
However, this also meant that the Year 1s did not get to learn the bump-in process. They did not get the chance to be there to observe, let alone learn from mistakes. I think it would have been more advantageous for everyone if the Year 1s had at least stayed and observed instead of leaving and learning nothing.
I flushed the system and checked each line. Everything was fine, except for my reference monitor. The signal was distorted, and it was due to the faulty tie lines in the patching room. The only solution was to run a direct cable from the amps to the FOH, which was about 30m long. So we decided to fix that today, but still dismissed everyone earlier than planned, which was good.
While the team was running the 30m long cable, I got to preset my console, and also experiment with the different driver rotations (90º vs 60º) on the front fills with Herman. We ended up going with the 90º horizontal splay, to reduce phasing issues. The vertical coverage is already compensated by the rigged tops, so 60º would do just fine.
I should also mention that on top of learning from past mistakes, I also adopted everything that worked well from the previous CHOPPA. Such as stage layouts, changeover methods, optimizing the IO for Show days 1 and 2 etc.
Takeaways:
Smaller teams are easier to manage.
It is always better to over-label than under-label. So I made sure everything had a label on them.
Cables were still plugged into the wrong places despite clear instructions and labeling. Unavoidable, but troubleshooting it was easy because I was familiar with the signal flow, and everything was clearly labeled.
What is common sense to me might not be common sense for others. For example, I asked the stage crew to run cables the long way along the perimeter of the stage so that it is neater and less of a trip hazard. They didn't understand why it was necessary to do so until they saw the final result.
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Russell beat Mercedes strategy simulation with 12-place climb to sixth | 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
George Russell says he beat the predictions of Mercedes’ strategists by gaining 12 places to finish sixth at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
He crossed the finishing line in seventh place but gained another position from Charles Leclerc, who was given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pits. Russell qualified a lowly 18th after being eliminated in the first round of qualifying yesterday.
Mercedes did not believe he would be able to finish as high as sixth, just two places behind team mate Lewis Hamilton, who claimed pole position.
“The strategist was telling me this morning P11 is most realistic and P7 if we maximise everything,” Russell told media including RaceFans at the Hungaroring. “But to come away P6 with no Safety Car, no VSC, on merit was a really great result.”
However he believes the result shows he could have achieved much more had he qualified as well as his team mate did.
“Equally, it’s proof that this weekend was probably a missed opportunity,” said Russell. “I’m confident I could have been up there with Lewis yesterday.
“This is one of my favourite circuits, the car always performs well here and when you’ve got two cars up there fighting for, let’s say P2, it gives you a lot more options.
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“Lewis was really strong as well, and if things panned out slightly differently he would have been P2 as well. So, a missed opportunity, we’ll learn from it, but the positives are we’re moving ahead of Aston and Ferrari.”
Gallery: 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix in pictures
Russell made his way through the field after being one of only two drivers to start the race on the hard tyre compound. Pirelli brought tyres which were one stage softer than those used last year, and Russell did not expect to four other drivers taking the start on the softest compound.
“This year’s hard is last year’s medium, so I was quite surprised how many cars started on the soft. I was really surprised any car started on the soft, and I was surprised only two cars started on the hard. So I think we made the right strategy in that case.”
In the closing stages of the race, as Russell caught Carlos Sainz Jnr, he suggested to his team that they make a third pit stop. They chose not to do so, a decision which paid off, as he was able to pass the Ferrari and close on Leclerc.
“The three-stop was potentially on the cards for a few teams,” said Russell. “I was almost calling for it at the end, but as things panned out the two-stop was quite comfortable.”
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2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
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#F1#Russell beat Mercedes’ strategy simulation with 12-place climb to sixth | 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix#Formula 1
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Amidst The Full Bloom Cherry Blossoms
I apologize if the translation is not accurate
30 March 2023
Hi this is Okuda Iroha 🦙
Lately, the sakura are in full bloom and whenever I walk outside, I inevitably stop and look up at them.
Yesterday, I had a hanami. Aren't they beautiful in full bloom?
And in the midst of the cherry blossoms, Ayane-san graduated.
The last member of the 2nd generation. Now all members of the 1st and 2nd generations have graduated.
Personally, I have a feeling of sadness because I liked 2nd gen before I joined the group. However, we were able to work together for a year and I was able to stand on the last stage. I think this will be a very important point in our activities from now on.
Last year during Nogizaka 46 Hour TV,
There was someone practicing choreography alone in dim lighting, and it looked incredibly beautiful from their silhouette. I was watching and wondering who was dancing there, but when the lights turned on, it was Ayane-san!
I remember clearly how amazed I was by how beautiful she looked
Tbh, I am scared to lose the 1st and 2nd generation members who have been leading Nogizaka for the past 11 years, but I will not forget the words that Ayane-san and the other members have said to us and I will do my best to pass them on to the next generation!
I hope that Ayane-san will have many, many happiness in the future⛅️
Yesterday, is the release date of the 32nd single "Hito wa Yume wo Nido Miru"
A special event will be held this time 🌷
I've been talking about how much I wanted to see you through the screen for a long time, so I'm too happy to finally have my wish come true and I'm already looking forward to it now!
The event will be held on June 18, 2023 at Makuhari Messe
Part 1 (12:00-13:00)
Part 2 (13:30-14:30)
Part 3 (15:00-16:00)
Part 4 (16:30-17:30)
It seems that the first round of applications has started, and will be accepted until 23:59 today.
Please come and see us 🙂! Please come see me 🥺 I'll be waiting for you~
Meguri for the 32nd single will start soon! I'm so excited!
I can't wait to see you!
And the trailer of my personal PV is now available! This time, I did a street live performance and sang "Kikkake" while visiting about 4 different places.
I was nervous because it was my first time, but it felt great to play outside.
It was a nice time with the wind in my face and the beautiful scenery, and I hope to do it again sometime
How many more sleeps until the Under Live? 🎶(New Year's style)
No, no, no, I can't laugh, I can't joke around! I'm already nervous!
I'm really learning a lot from my senpai everyday. I want to grow up so fast!
Will you watch for me?
Please come and find us at the venue!
I think I talked about hanami at the beginning of this blog, but everyone seemed really happy and I was caught up in the happiness.
I smile when I see a couple wearing matching hats.
An elderly man holding a dog carefully in his arms walks with difficulty, but stops to ask an old lady the name of a beautiful flower. The old lady, who didn't notice, walks with petals on her head. Some people's faces light up when they see sakura outside. There are also foreigners who exclaim 'sweet!' when they see children
Maybe it was my own perception that caused me to feel happy whenever I saw something pleasant. I couldn't help but smile. While sitting on the bench, I noticed an elderly gentleman holding his dog next to me. I asked him, 'What is her name?' He replied with such warmth and sweetness, 'My sweet Ellie,' that it melted my heart.
It's not bad to hang out outside once in a while! My goal this year is to get away from the indoors, and I think I'm one step closer. (Continued)
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My pitch for the eventual ‘Community Movie’
The film opens in 2023. After a brief bounce back from the efforts of the Save Greendale Committee, Greendale came upon hard times during the global pandemic (due to a poor attempt to transition classes like “Ladders” and “Nicolas Cage: Good or Bad” to an online setting.) Frankie left long ago to help hospitals rearrange their budgets for life saving PPE.
The Dean informs Jeffrey that things have gotten so bad that he has to let him go, and Jeff ends up at Britta’s bar for a drink. On the TV in the corner they see a commercial for a film that looks oddly familiar, about a community college study group that goes on wacky adventures. Jeff looks the movie up online to realize that Abed is the director and the film has a ton of buzz from Indie Film Festivals.
In “Community: The Movie,” Timothy Olyphant stars as Jiff Wanger, with Alexandro Daddario as Allie Anniston, Nicole Byer as Sally Benton, Dev Patel as Abed Nadir (no name change), John David Washington as Trey Burns, and Abed’s hero Harrison Ford as Piers Hawksworth.
Jeff tries to call Abed on the phone and realizes that Abed has changed his phone number since they last spoke. Feeling more disconnected from his old friends than ever, Jeff announces to Britta that they’re going to get the study group back together and confront Abed in L.A., intent on suing him for using their likeness without permission so that they can save Greendale. Britta says, “But neither of our cars can make it across the country.”
“But mine can.”
Jeff and Britta whip around to see Rick. Britta and Rick start making out over the bar counter. Jeff takes the keys from Rick’s hand and goes to “warm up the car.”
In their Honda CR-V, Jeff, Rick, and Britta go to D.C. to pick up Annie. At first she’s reluctant to take time off work, but when she realizes that Greendale is in trouble of closing for good, she throws her FBI badge in a nearby fountain.
Cut to the group looking for Annie’s badge in the water. “I wanted to be like those people that throw their cellphones in the ocean, in movies,” Annie sighs. “But you never think about them going back to get them.”
After they get Annie’s badge they head for Atlanta, Georgia to scoop up Shirley. Shirley’s sons are now old enough to attend college, and it breaks her heart to realize that her old school is closing down. “Not that I want them to go to Greendale,” Shirley adds. “They’re going to an Ivy. But if they need a back-up for their back-up’s back-up…”
Throughout their whole journey the group does their best to find out where Troy is, but no one has heard from him in years. Every time someone wonders aloud if he died in a horrible boating accident, Annie starts sobbing and they turn on the radio. A song by a popular new rapper Kiddish Bambino seems to be always playing whenever they turn the radio on. Shirley says she hates rap but she nods her head along with everyone else.
Rounding out their journey through New Mexico on the way to L.A., the gang stops at a Mexican restaurant on the side of the road. Annie pretends like its Jeff’s birthday to make up for “all those years of birthday cards I owe you.” And Britta says, “What about my birthdays? Are mine less important because he’s a man?” At which point they all tell the waiter they are celebrating a joint five-way birthday. The waiter goes to get the manager to catch them in a lie, and the group worries that they pushed it too far. Until they realize that the restaurant owner is Chang, speaking perfect Spanish. He’s so excited to see them that he says, “Birthdays on the house!” And every patron in the restaurant gets trashed on free margaritas.
As they’re drunkenly catching up, Chang fills them in on what happened to him after season six. With a renewed sense of ambition, Chang realized that he was happiest when he was a student-torturing Spanish teacher. But before he could let him get his job back, the Dean challenged him to actually learn Spanish. He moved to New Mexico to take classes and learn about Latin Culture, and ended up marrying a woman and having three kids. “Now I dog on my kids instead of dogging on students,” Chang says. “It’s great.”
After hearing about their road trip across the country, Chang decides to join them. He makes the joke “And my axe” at an off moment and over-explains his reference. Everyone groans but Rick asks to hear more, because he never actually watched Lord of the Rings, “Though of course I love it in the way that people love things they’ve never seen in person, like the Northern Lights or God,” Rick says genially.
So Jeff, Britta, Annie, Shirley, Rick, and Chang end up in L.A. to storm into Abed’s office, only to be told that he’s getting ready for the theatrical release of “Community: The Movie” at the Chinese Theater. The gang pulls a scheme to get into the premiere and bumps into the movie-star versions of themselves on the red carpet. Classic trope.
When they finally slide into their seats at the theater, the film starts. And it’s amazing. There’s laughter, there’s tears. Rick and Britta hold hands…Jeff and Annie accidentally brush hands but look away as Sara Bareilles’ “Gravity” plays on screen. Chang tries to hold Shirley’s hand but gets slapped away with a “Ben, you’re married” as he defensively says, “As friends. You never hold hands with your friends?”
At the end of the movie Abed stands up for a Q&A. The old study group was moved to tears, so they’re not angry anymore, but Jeff is enraged. He wrestles the microphone away from a fan and wakes to the middle of the aisle to confront Abed.
“That Greendale on screen is a lie built by Disney magic and Timothy Olyphant blood money. Do you know right now the real Greendale is a sinking ship?” Jeff asks. “Our home is about to plummet under the waves and here you are, weaving movie magic to show the ‘perfect’ version of our lives. Well the truth is far from perfect. Because in reality, Abed doesn’t even care about his friends. He hasn’t called in years.”
Jeff starts to tear up as he talks. Abed tilts his head.
“Jeff, this isn’t some Sony Pictures presents Marvel’s Disney project. This was a kickstarter, Zach Braff style. This was my ‘Wish I Was Here,’ but better because I’m not a famous movie star asking people in a lower tax bracket for money. This wasn’t funded by corporations, it was funded by the people.” Abed stands up. “The first tier got donors a ‘Community: The Movie’ pin. The second tier got them a swag bag. And the third tier…well the third tier paid admission for a semester at Greendale Community College. The real one.”
Abed looks out to the audience. “Could all the third tier donors in the audience stand up?”
Jeff, Britta, Annie, Shirley, Chang, and Rick look on in shock as three-fourths of the audience get to their feet. Even Timothy Olyphant stands up from the front row. “What?” He asks his co-stars. “They’ve got a class on Nicolas Cage. Is he good?”
Jeff approaches the stage and Abed helps him up. Their silhouettes are backlit by the stage lights as they hug. “But…” Jeff says. “You never called.”
“I threw my phone in the ocean when I got to L.A.” Abed shrugs. “I see it in movies all the time when people have fresh starts. I didn’t realize it would be so hard to get back.”
The rest of the gang comes up from the audience to hug Abed. The Q&A host (maybe a Josh Horowitz type) says “The real cast of Community!” as the crowd cheers.
End-credits scene is Abed and Troy hanging out in the green room after the movie premiere, just chatting normally. Everyone else stares at him.
“And after I found Abed in California I became a famous rapper and I changed my name to Kiddish Bambino,” Troy says, finishing his story. “You can kind of do whatever you want when you’re a millionaire.”
Troy and Abed do their handshake.
“But you never called,” Annie chimes in.
“Oh I threw my phone in the ocean like Day One on the boat,” Troy says. “Not to get a fresh start. I was just trying to give a mermaid my phone number.”
“Troy got heat stroke 12 times,” Abed says.
“The doctors say my brain is ‘basically’ normal,” Troy says.
“Same,” Abed responds.
Handshake.
“Don’t you work at Subway?” Troy asks Rick.
The group laughs.
End credits (Elroy watches “Community: The Movie” in his RV after it comes out on DVD, with Julie from Natalie is Freezing at his side. “I knew most of those people you know. They’re all uglier in person. Nice kids, though.”)
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What would you add? What would you throw out? I know there's too much Rick but it can't be helped. How else would they get a Honda CR-V, America's dream car?
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Mike Tyson returns to boxing at 54 on Saturday looking and sounding different
Mike Tyson was in the passenger seat of a black Cadillac Escalade one recent morning, making the 45-mile drive from his home in Southern California to Tyson Ranch, a cannabis company he founded a few years ago.
“I could always use a buck like everybody else can,’’ Tyson told USA TODAY Sports during a phone interview. “This is so much bigger than that.’’
What this is: Tyson, the erstwhile "Baddest Man On The Planet," getting back into the boxing ring at the age of 54.
He is scheduled to fight Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition match Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles — more than 15 years after Tyson’s last, inglorious fight. On June 11, 2005, he quit before the start of the seventh round against journeyman Kevin McBride.
“My last fight, I didn’t want nothing to do with that stuff,’’ Tyson said. “I have so much more desire than my last fight."
So what is fueling Tyson’s desire now?
MIKE MOMENTS: 10 victories that helped define Mike Tyson
5 QUESTIONS: For Saturday's Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. fight
“I look at it like I’ve got to test myself,’’ Tyson said. “Isn’t that weird? Why do I have to test myself and constantly push myself?"
Or is it that Tyson, who after the loss to McBride said, "I'm just fighting to pay my bills,'' still needs a buck after making an estimated $685 million in his career?
But there may be a deeper meaning than money, according to Tyson.
“Why am I who I am, and why do I react the way that I do?’’ he asked. “Why do I think? Why am I on the phone with you saying what I’m saying right now? What is causing me to say that? What’s causing me to breathe? What’s causing me to want to survive?’’
Tyson explained he is “doing research on myself’’ in his search for answers in a life full of whys.
Like, why did Tyson, who has struggled with addiction for more than two decades, stop using cocaine less than three years ago?
“I don’t use the word amazing too much, but it was really something,’’ he said. "No cocaine, no marijuana, nothing."
And why, after Tyson had a boxing ring built at Tyson Ranch, did he often work out three times a day, up to six days a week, during a sixth-month period leading up to his fight Saturday night?
In part, Tyson suggested, because the intense training has given him a high he can’t get from cocaine, marijuana or any other drug. But he is not doing this for free.
How the fight came together
Azim Spicer, Tyson’s brother-in-law and business partner, said he got a call this spring from Bob Sapp, a 6-5, 329-pound fighter best known as a kickboxer and MMA fighter.
Sapp said he wanted to fight Tyson in an exhibition match and that Tyson would be guaranteed a multimillion-dollar payday, according to Spicer.
“At first I just thought he was nuts and didn’t really take it too seriously,’’ Spicer said. “But these guys kept calling and calling me with some other guys overseas. Had a lot of money and just a bunch of money on the table, and so I reached out to Mike.
“I thought I had to tell him at this point, because if it was me and that money was available, honestly I would want to know regardless of what I had to do for it. So I told Mike, and Mike said, ‘I’m not fighting again.’
“So then Mike called me back five minutes later and was like, ‘How much were they offering?’ ”
About $20 million, Spicer said.
“Then he called me back maybe 10 minutes later and said, ‘And who do they want me to fight?' And I told him Bob Sapp. And he started laughing hysterically."
Sapp, 47, has a combined fight record of 24-39-1. He also has worked as a professional wrestler and actor. But Spicer said Sapp’s people failed to deliver on promises, and so the fight was off – but the idea of a Tyson comeback was gaining momentum.
Through a business partner, Spicer said, they got connected with Sophie Watts, a media executive from London who has worked with the likes of Elton John, Beyonce, Madonna, U2, Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey.
Watts agreed to be the financier, and the search for someone to fight Tyson continued.
They reached out to Evander Holyfield, according to Spicer. During their fight in 1997, Tyson infamously bit off a piece of Holyfield’s ear and this would be a chance to pit them in the ring together for the first time since then.
“We tried the Evander thing but unfortunately we just couldn’t get a deal done," Spicer said.
Next up was Tyson Fury, the two-time heavyweight champion. Spicer said talks got leaked to Top Rank, Bob Arum’s boxing promotion company, and Arum wanted to be part of the deal. Which meant no deal, Spicer said.
About that same time, according to Spicer, he got a call from Roy Jones Jr., who at the peak of his career was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing. Now 51, he had fought professionally as recently as 2018 as a cruiserweight.
Jones heard Tyson was interested in an exhibition fight and wanted to know if it was true, according to Spicer, who arranged a phone call between the two fighters.
After that conversation, and with the blessing of the California State Athletic Commission, the fight was on. With a twist.
A league for legends
Tyson and Watts, the financier, came up with an idea: The Legends Only League, which would stage events featuring retired superstars such as Tyson who would participate in pay-per-view events. Tyson’s fight with Jones would launch the enterprise.
In explaining the league’s genesis, Tyson said he was watching a TV program about Jerry Rice, the Hall of Fame wide receiver. Tyson said he learned from the program that Rice couldn't find a job in the NFL after the 2004 season with the Seattle Seahawks because he had lost some of his speed.
“They said just because he’s a few seconds off, he can’t play no more,’’ Tyson said. “And I feel like, ‘Are you crazy? He’s a few seconds away from his world-class speed and he can’t play anymore?’
“I’ll bet you right now there’s more people that would like to see him at wide receiver than to see the guys that’s the wide receiver now for the (Seahawks)."
The idea behind the Legends Only League is to create a platform for Rice and other retired superstars who, like Tyson, want to climb into the ring again – at least metaphorically.
“Imagine a one-on-one game with Dennis Rodman and Man of Peace,’’ he said, referring to Metta World Peace, who won an NBA championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010 and now goes by the name Metta Sandiford-Artest. “Imagine those two awesome athletes, those guys playing a game of 21. Who do you think will watch that?
“Can you imagine John McEnroe playing Serena (Williams) or her sister (Venus Williams)? Holy moly!"
Watts, who is partnering with Tyson, declined to identify other athletes they have spoken to, but she said the Legends Only League has four events scheduled for 2021 and plans to hold six events in 2022 and six more in 2023.
“This is a league for champions to come together and have a story about their life on screen as a special one-off,’’ Watts said.
But Tyson isn’t necessarily one-and-done.
'I hate being happy'As his fight against Jones approached, Tyson indulged discussion about whom he might fight next. He said he’d be interested in fighting the top contemporary heavyweights, such as Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
But he said it's unlikely those fighters would agree to an exhibition match unless they set aside the priority of maximizing their earning potential. It's unclear how much Tyson and Jones will make, but probably far less than the top heavyweights would generate fighting each other or other boxers in their prime.
“Sometimes in your life you're going to have to face your maker,’’ Tyson said. “Not from dying, but just being conscious of him. Does that make any sense? The consciousness of him should make you want to do that (charitable act).
“What am I really going to do with so much (money)? I’m closer to God than I am to being a billionaire, something like that. What am I going to do when I meet God? What am I going to tell him?’’
Tyson and Jones are not giving away their fight.
The pay-per-view fee is $49.99. And the fight has led to business deals.
On Nov. 17, GameOn Technology announced a partnership with Tyson to for the Mike Tyson Bot, an interactive feature with Tyson-related content on Facebook Messenger.
And on Monday, Smart Cups, a company that makes the “first printed beverage," signed on to become the title sponsor of “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson,’’ his podcast.
But Tyson knows that no amount of money can give him peace of mind – something that eluded him for many years. Now he has a new problem.
“I hate being happy,’’ he said. “I’m happy all the (expletive) time.’’
'A great burning desire'Tysonreflected on his growth since he was a troubled kid growing up in Brooklyn and then at 19 became the youngest heavyweight champion inhistory.
Told people were terrified of him back then, Tyson replied, “I was afraid of me too. No, really. How do you think that feels?"
Now he is far more beloved than feared, highly engaging and approachable, yet still required by law to register as a sex offender. In 1992, he was convicted of rape and served almost three years in prison.
Today his top executive assistant is one of his former cellmates, David Barnes.
Tyson is married to Lakiha “Kiki” Spicer, his third wife, and they have two children – a 12-year-old daughter, Milan, and a 9-year-old son, Morocco. The family splits time between Newport Beach and Henderson, Nevada, outside of Las Vegas.
“I’m just at peace with conducting my responsibilities with my family," said Tyson, who has other children from previous relationships. “This is something that I never did. This is what, 11 years married? Can you believe that?
“I can’t live with me for 11 years. How can anyone else live with me for 11 years?"
For his upcoming fight, Tyson has brought in Billy White, who, like Tyson, grew up under the tutelage of Cus D’Amato, the late trainer credited with rescuing Tyson from the streets of Brooklyn.
White, who has been helping oversee Tyson’s training, said in the spring he got a call from Tyson, who disclosed his plans for a comeback.
“At the same time, we said in unison, ‘Cus said age is nothing but a number,’ " White recalled. “We said it together on the phone. So that was pretty cool that we said it unison."
White said he has relished watching Tyson train and noted that Tyson has been waking up between 3 and 4 a.m. most days to run.
“Old school, just like he used to,’’ White said. “It’s a great burning desire in him once again.
“It’s amazing to see. It’s beautiful, you know?"
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The coronavirus pandemic will have a significant impact on NFL training camps and, at the rate things are going, likely will be a story well into the regular season. But as the Vikings’ prepare for their entire roster to report to camp on Tuesday at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, general manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer also are going to have to focus on actual football matters. Zimmer, who received a three-year contract extension last week that will run through 2023, is entering his seventh season in Minnesota and is looking to lead his team to its fourth playoff berth in that time. So what are some issues Zimmer and his coaching staff must deal with before the regular season opens? Let’s take a look at five pressing topics facing the offense in the first of a two-part series. GARY’S IN CHARGE After firing first-year offensive coordinator John DeFilippo with three games left in the 2018 season, Zimmer brought in longtime NFL offensive coordinator and head coach Gary Kubiak as a senior offensive advisor and paired him with assistant Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski was considered the coordinator and called the plays, but there was no doubt it was Kubiak’s offense that quarterback Kirk Cousins was running. Zimmer, who a year earlier had been frustrated that DeFilippo had frequently abandoned the run game, was pleased with the results as the Vikings jumped from 30th to sixth in the NFL in rushing offense, 19th to eighth in points and 20th to 16th in yards. Cousins’ career-high passer rating of 107.4 was fourth in the league and his six interceptions were the fewest he had thrown in an NFL season as a starter. Cousins’ 26 touchdowns were tied with Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes for the eighth most in the league. While the Vikings’ offensive line had some issues in pass protection, Cousins’ sack total did drop from 40 in 2018 to 28 in 2019 with Kubiak’s scheme in place. The run game featured Dalvin Cook, who rushed for 1,135 yards (10th in the NFL) on 250 carries, a 4.5-yard average, and 13 touchdowns in a career-high 14 games. Cook also caught 53 passes for 519 yards. a 9.8 average. The Vikings’ success on offense helped to land Stefanski the head coaching job in Cleveland, meaning the soon-to-be 59-year-old Kubiak will move from offense advisor to coordinator this season. So how much will change? “Offensively it’s not going to change hardly at all,” Zimmer said on a video conference call Saturday. “Gary was very, very influential in everything that we went about offensively. I’m not trying to take anything away from Kevin, but it was basically Gary’s offense and a lot of the things that were installed was Gary’s offense. “Gary gave a lot of input to Kevin throughout the course of time and (assistant) Rick Dennison with the offensive line. I think they have a little bit different personalities and both good guys, smart guys, hard workers, all those things. … I know Gary has some ideas that he has put in this offseason, but I don’t think (there will be) much difference when you look at our offense or the play calls.” WILL DALVIN SHOW UP? Cook’s camp reportedly informed the Vikings in June that their client no longer would be taking part in team activities unless he received “a reasonable deal.” Cook is entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract and his base salary of $1.3 million for 2020 makes him a bargain. On Saturday, Zimmer said Cook had told him he would show up on Tuesday for the start of camp. On Saturday night, Cook’s agent, Zac Hiller, released a statement to ESPN that said Zimmer hadn’t talked to Cook and a few hours later NFL Network reported that Cook actually had talked to Vikings running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu. So what is going on here? Given that Hiller’s statement never said that his client would fail to report on Tuesday, the smart money is on Cook showing up and, thus, fulfilling the requirement that he is present for the start of training camp so he can receive an accrued season for 2020. Otherwise, the new NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement says that Cook will end this season with only three years of service time and would be eligible to become a restricted, and not unrestricted, free agent this coming March. That move could cost Cook millions. The Vikings have traditionally rewarded their best young players as they near the end of their first contract, so Cook’s best play might be to simply show up and hope something can get done. Ordinarily, that would appear to be a slam dunk, but Cook plays a position that many teams are reluctant to pay and the NFL salary cap is almost certainly going to decrease because of the impact of the pandemic. The cap is at $198.2 million this season but could have a floor of $175 million in 2021. It’s not Cook’s fault, but his timing is terrible. REPLACING DIGGS The Vikings granted Stefon Diggs’ wish to escape Minnesota in March when they sent the disgruntled wide receiver to Buffalo for a package of four draft picks. The return was an impressive one given everyone knew Diggs wanted out, but now the challenge will be replacing him and seeing how wide receiver Adam Thielen fares without opposing defenses also having to worry about Diggs. The Vikings’ hope is that first-round pick Justin Jefferson will prove to be a quick study and step in as the No. 2 wide receiver behind Thielen. But Jefferson’s camp got off to a rocky start on Monday when the Vikings announced he had been placed on the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list. Jefferson played primarily in the slot last season and caught 111 passes for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior for national champion LSU. Best case, Jefferson steps in and picks up where Diggs left off (minus the unhappy tweets). Thielen is coming off a season in which he was limited to 10 games because of a hamstring injury, so the Vikings need him to stay on the field, too, if this is going to work. Minnesota signed former Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe to a one-year, $825,000 base salary contract in free agent this offseason to add depth at the position. The 25-year-old spent his first three seasons with Tennessee, but his reception total dropped from 41 to 26 to 25. Second-year receiver Bisi Johnson (31 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns) looks like he could help as a vertical threat for Cousins. Johnson was a seventh-round pick in 2019, but Diggs developed into an elite wide receiver after being a fifth-round pick in 2015. Cousins should be helped by the fact that Cook can catch passes out of the backfield and tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr., both are very capable receivers. The Vikings will open camp with 12 wide receivers on the roster, but it’s the success of the top two, Thielen and Jefferson, that will be most important. WHERE WILL CLEVELAND LAND? The Vikings drafted their left tackle of the future in April when they selected Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland in the second round, but there remains an important question to be answered: When does that future begin? Riley Reiff, 31, has been the Vikings’ left tackle for the past three seasons and is entering the second to last season of a five-year, $58.75 million contract he signed in 2017. There was talk the Vikings could have Cleveland start this season at left tackle and move Reiff inside to left guard as the replacement for Pat Elflein, who struggled at that position in 2019. There also was speculation the Vikings could move Cleveland to left guard and leave Reiff at left tackle. The Vikings’ ability to get creative might have been possible if the pandemic hadn’t wiped out the on-the-field work during OTAs and minicamp. But with the offseason program lost, other than virtual learning, and now training camp set to be impacted, it will be interesting to see if Cleveland gets a chance to start, or if the Vikings simply have him learn behind Reiff and then take over at left tackle in 2021. SPEAKING OF GUARD While Elflein’s job could be in jeopardy, the competition at right guard will be wide open after veteran guard Josh Kline was released following one season in Minnesota. There are a few options for the Vikings after they did not sign a replacement for Kline, beginning with 2019 fourth-round pick Dru Samia and veteran Dakota Dozier. Aviante Collins, who orginally signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2017, also could be in the mix. Collins, however, is listed at tackle on the Vikings’ roster. Samia appeared in only two games last season but was in for 63 percent of the offensive snaps in a Week 17 victory over Bears. The Vikings did not play several regulars in that game after locking into a playoff spot and that was the only game in which Samia appeared with the offense. Samia was the 2018 Big 12 offensive lineman of the year at Oklahoma. Dozier, 29, joined the Vikings last season after starting his career with the Jets. He played in all 16 games, starting four times. One of those came at left guard and the other three were in place of Kline at right guard. The Vikings re-signed Dozier to a one-year contract for a base salary of $910,000 during the offseason. The team’s preference could be for Dozier to remain in a backup role — just as Rashod Hill remains a valuable backup at tackle — and for Samia to win the starting job. #DalvinCook #EzraCleveland #GaryKubiak
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New story in Business from Time: Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan Is Still Optimistic About the Economy—and the Lure of Cash
(Miss this week’s The Leadership Brief? This interview above was delivered to the inbox of Leadership Brief subscribers on Sunday morning, Aug. 9; to receive weekly emails of conversations with the world’s top CEOs and business decisionmakers, click here.)
Banks offer a front-row seat to the state of the economy. After a brutal second quarter for the U.S, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan believes that the worst is behind the country. Still, his bank’s economists predict that the unemployment rate will be at 10% at the end of the year and that the economy won’t fully recover to 2019 levels until early 2023.
BofA, like other banks, has played a critical role in getting government stimulus funds into the hands of cash-starved businesses: It processed 334,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, delivering $25 billion in funding for small businesses. At the same time, the bank has worked with major corporations to bolster its balance sheets, raising $461 billion in capital for clients (earning record fees for its investment-banking unit in the process).
Moynihan, who in college was a co-captain of the Brown University rugby team, worked as a corporate lawyer before moving into banking and became CEO of BofA in 2010. He led a turnaround at the bank after a near crippling 2008 acquisition of troubled subprime lender Countrywide Financial, attracting Warren Buffett as a major investor along the way. Buffett’s conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, in recent days increased its holding in BofA, bringing its total ownership stake to approximately 12% of the company. Moynihan, 60, joined TIME for a conversation about the need for additional stimulus, why he’s optimistic about America and its economy, and why Winston Churchill is a good role model for these times.
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This interview with Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan has been edited and condensed for clarity.
How would you characterize your economic outlook right now?
We’re optimistic as a company. We continue to see clients making progress; we continue to see the stress in the system come down because of the work the Fed did and the stimulus work that was done.
Even with a forecast of double-digit unemployment at year-end?
Now, you could say, “How is that optimistic?” The answer is, what’s optimistic about it is the worst is behind us. April was the worst month, May was a less worse month, June was better, and in fact July was even better than June. You’re going to have some ebbs and flows based on the virus track, but I think you have to be optimistic that you’re seeing the U.S. consumer continue to spend.
How important is it that the government passes another round of stimulus? [This interview was conducted Monday, Aug. 4, when there was still ongoing negotiations on the a new stimulus package.]
Let’s start with the beginning, that the Administration, Congress and the Fed did a very good job to step in at the end of March, to really put a lot of money into the economy, directly in the hands of the people who needed it most to maintain their ability to survive with an unemployment rate that went up to 15%. If you think about the analogy being a river that we’ve got to cross from pre-COVID to post-COVID, and need to get past COVID, and the river between is the COVID period, some industries are already past COVID because of the nature of what they do. The idea is to keep the money flowing to the people who are still in the process of crossing the river, as opposed to the people who have crossed.
What is your view of the newfound concern about deficit spending?
I think we’ve got to make sure the largest economy in the world recovers fast. If you talk to colleagues around the world, they are very concerned that the U.S. gets out of this because the U.S. economy is so big and creates such demand around the world for the rest of the economy. The idea of worrying about the ultimate deficit right now when you’ve got to get us to the other side of this thing is something that I think we can deal with later on.
So now is not the time to get religion on deficits?
It’s the time to make sure that you’re spending money to keep the economy recovering.
</span></span><span style="font-weight: 400; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">It’s the time to make sure that you’re spending money to keep the economy recovering.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">
As CEO, you demand excellence from your employees. Why can’t we, as citizens, demand a higher level of excellence from our government?
That’s a political question in terms of getting this done that’s better served for the political advisers we have. Our job is to make sure we deal with whatever comes out of it well.
I hear you, but what should the business community be doing now in Washington to throw its considerable weight around to make sure there’s good outcomes for the country?
The No. 1 thing is businesses have to do what we can do inside our own companies to help blunt this for our teammates. And so, we’ve announced no layoffs; we’ve announced enhanced childcare. We’ve enhanced the pay at our branches; we’ve enhanced the overtime. The No. 1 thing is to take care of your people, and make sure they’re safe, and make sure that they can serve your clients well—then take care of your clients.
BofA is credited with doing a particularly good job of getting PPP funds quickly into circulation. Can you talk about that effort?
The team’s done a great job of getting people through this and helping provide $25 billion–plus of funds to our clients. At one point, we probably had 10,000 people working on this. We spent a lot of resources, a lot of time, a lot of effort. We had to take people off a lot of other places. Volunteers. People working every weekend. Easter holiday weekend. Saturday and Sunday. Overnight. It was all based on the basic principle that the American small-business community needed to get this program in their hands, and it was our job to push it through. We took it as an obligation to help deliver that for the government, and we did.
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You’ve also been active in helping corporate clients beef up their balance sheets.
What happened in mid-March to mid-April is that the companies came in and borrowed hundreds of billions of dollars from the banking system, including $70 billion in two weeks from us, with commercial loans.
What’s going on with M&A activity and the advisory business?
As you come into July, you’re starting to see more M&A activity because of the stability of the market. The third quarter, we expect to see more M&A activity. You’ll see more IPO activity—health care IPOs, plus some other tech IPOs
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How much interaction do you have with Warren Buffett, who just made another series of investment in BofA? Do you two have a regular call?
We talk periodically. But he wants us to run the company and do a good job with it.
Any particularly memorable insights that he’s shared with you?
He’s a great long-term thinker. The one thing that he both talks to, but also gives you confidence in, is just see where the long-term value of your company is and make sure you’re driving toward that, and not get caught up in the issues of the moment. It’s the work we did over the last decade that positions us well for the COVID-19 crisis; it’s not what we’re going to do today.
Are people still using cash?
We had as much cash go out of the ATMs in the month of July this year as we did last July, and that is $200 million–plus a day. But the digital part of this really grew through online digital purchases, online payments. And by the way, it’s a very good thing if Americans learn how to use less cash, and what you’re doing is, when you go to a coffee shop and you pay with your phone, you will see that grow at a good, fast rate.
Wait, cash is not dead? I thought people didn’t want to touch cash and that contactless payments were all the rage.
Yes, the cash piece is still big—it’s as big as the credit-card piece.
I know the answer to this is “They’re spending it,” but do you have any particular insight into what people doing with the cash? Maybe they are buying print newspapers and print magazines.
It’s still useful to pay for things. People still use cash to buy things every day. Not necessarily the $300 item, but the $10 item. That’s been changing slowly but surely, but cash is still out there, and so one great service that we provide is 18,000 ATMs and 4,000 branches that help people manage cash. Small businesses collect cash, they deposit it; and people use it. Long-term though, the trend of movement from dollar bills to digital dollar bills is relentless.
What type of behavior will you not tolerate on your management team?
People who are passive-aggressive. If you have a point, make it in front of everybody. Life’s busy; there’s not a lot of time. People who sit in a discussion and then come out and try to either talk to me afterward saying, “Well, this is what I thought.” That doesn’t do me any good because we need to process it together as a team.
I understand you’re an admirer of Winston Churchill.
It was unbelievable how he held the country together. You have to admire that kind of tenacity. One of my favorite things when we get into discussions about charities, museums and culture—and whether the story is 100% true, because a lot of Churchill stories can get embellished over the years—but there was a year when they were discussing the budget and Parliament cut the funding for the arts. And Churchill, in the middle of World War II, when they’re getting bombed and scraping by, said, “If we’re not funding the arts, what are we fighting for?”
What is the biggest, most complicated decision on your plate this week?
I’m not sure I can tell you that.
Forgive me for ending on a philosophical note, but it’s about your name, Bank of America. What does America mean right now? I was in a Home Depot over the weekend and witnessed a rage-filled mask confrontation, an ugly, ugly exchange. What does America stand for right now?
America still represents the best place for opportunity to be recognized. Capitalism provides great opportunity. We have to keep focused on capitalism as the solution to the deep problems, but we have to be mindful that we have to manage capitalism to fully align it with what society wants from capitalism. You’ve got to produce profits and purpose. We believe that fully in running our company, and I believe that’s what America stands for: the ability to solve the world’s great problems. It’s an unfinished dream and continues to provide great opportunity. We’ve got to fine-tune it; we’ve got to fix it where it didn’t work right.
I believe that’s what America stands for: the ability to solve the world’s great problems.</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">
MOYNIHAN’S FAVORITES
BUSINESS BOOK: Jim Collins’ books. He’s always thought-provoking.
AUTHOR: The three that I read the most are James Patterson, David Baldacci and John Grisham. It’s not a world I’ve ever played in—spy novels—but they’re fun to read.
APP: ESPN
EXERCISE: I work out in the mornings in sort of a CrossFit nature.
ONE LAST SURPRISE QUESTION: IF YOU WERE STARTING OVER AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU DO INSTEAD?
If I had a talent, I’d have loved to have been an architect.
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