February 2022 – Page 5

The Rise of the Band Geeks, Episode 17: Ten Things to Do During the Off-Season

February 17, 2022February 17, 2022 Alias Leave a comment

As a band geek desperate for fall to arrive again, I have compiled a 1000000000% foolproof way to ensure your winter semester will not be so depressing now that there is no marching band. Just follow these easy steps, and you will be cured of your malaise!

Ten Things to Do During the Off-Season

Go to Class. There’s not really much else to do, and tuition isn’t exactly cheap, so this is definitely a good place to start.
Build a Trebuchet. Are you good at engineering? Do you have an esoteric interest in medieval siege weapons that can yeet heavy objects such as cheese and cows up to 300 feet away? Well, have I got an activity for you! Using nothing but sticks and compostable utensils from the dining hall, you can bide your time by building a trebuchet that will collapse if there’s so much as a soft breeze!
Go Ice Skating. Ice required.
Practice Your Instrument. What? Practicing? In the off-season? It’s more common than you think.
Play With Your Stuffed Octopus. Even evil plush octopi need friends to cuddle! Become a companion to your stuffed octopus overlord today, and you will be spared when The Army takes control of campus!
Develop Your Social Life. You’re a band geek. You don’t have a social life outside of band. Proceed to 7.
Learn How to Play the Kahoot Theme. If you’re in a dorm and want to use a music practice room, play the Kahoot theme on the side while you’re having an intellectual conversation with your family. That way, you’re not abusing the practice room! Sheet music not included.
Cry. You want to be in marching band forever. You don’t want to adult. The real world is scary. The real world doesn’t have marching band.
Repeat Step 8.
Listen to Traditionals on Repeat Until Band Camp. The Victors, Let’s Go Blue, skip over Varsity, T Dubs…ah, yes, now loop T Dubs ad infinitum! Problem solved! (You might also want to practice traditionals so you can make pregame next season.)

Author’s Note: If you do not complete all these activities while wearing the Holy Band Beanie, a diag squirrel will chase you down and steal your tater tots.

My Name is Minette, Chapter Eleven: Paw’s Plan

February 17, 2022February 17, 2022 theopoling Leave a comment

“Irma’s right,” Minette said. “It’s a little early to talk about this, isn’t it?” She tried a smile. Maw and Paw liked to get serious sometimes, to impart Elder Wisdom upon the Youths, but those moments never lasted long. Minette just had to get through this one.

“I met a boy who goes to school in town,” Rhys piped up. “He’s my age, and he’s the son of the candlemaker. If they can–”

“It’s never too early to get your affairs in order,” Maw said, barely blinking at Rhys’ words.

Rhys went quiet. Minette had nothing to say, either, and definitely not Irma.

“I thought you’d be happy,” Paw added after the silence hung around too long, and Minette didn’t miss the edge of hurt in his tone.

Minette’s heart fell into her tummy. She sighed. “I… I just don’t think I’m ready yet,” she said. “I could use some more time. To practice. At the smithy.” It was the most and the least she could say to appease Paw and eliminate any suspicion. Minette didn’t know how to explain herself if he learned that she didn’t want to be the man of the house. She didn’t want to run a smoky, choking business for forty years and then die because of it and consign her beefy son to the same fate. She didn’t want to impregnate some woman. She didn’t want to drop her kids on a wife locked at home while Minette compared her muscles with other men at the pub and complained about naughty children and nagging.

“Of course y’are!” Paw exclaimed. “We’ll go to the mines tomorrow. I want you to find me the softest ore. Something good to work on on your own. Once you do that, we’ll start your partnership, and let the women in town know you’re eligible. It’ll all fall together.”

Minette nodded, running a sweaty hand through her hair. She schooled the look on her face. He made it sound so easy, like she’d stumble into the forge and then stumble home to bed her wife. Easy peasy. She’d thought he would back off, give her time. Some pointers, maybe. But instead, he’d only doubled down.

In that moment, Minette had already run through a million and one different scenarios where she sabotaged Paw’s copper test or intentionally pulled out the grossest, worst piece of copper ever, but she crossed them all off her mental list. Paw knew her too well to fall for a trick like that. Plus, if he did think she was that brick dumb stupid, it still wouldn’t stop the part Minette was truly afraid of: the siring of sons. The sense of duty. The unseen woman, the loyal wife.

“That hair,” Maw added, nodding over at Paw. “That goes, too.”

Scribble #16: Iris (Hold Me Close)

February 16, 2022February 15, 2022 Sydney Braun Leave a comment

“Something in your eyes took a thousand years to get here…”

Generally speaking, Valentine’s Day for me is an annoying reminder of “being alone.” Although the official Singles Awareness Day is on February 15, a day after Valentine’s Day, February 14th seems like the day that makes me most aware of being single. Relating to this, I had a conversation with a close friend recently about the concept of “being alone” and the importance of focusing on the ways that we aren’t alone instead of the ways that we are.

“You, I’m sure I’ve met long before…”

This year, I’m fortunate and grateful to be able to say my Valentine’s Day was full of love. Some examples of this love are being handed a flower by a stranger in the Diag and being told it was a random act of kindness, receiving a box of chocolates in the mail from my mom, and coming back from my classes to a bouquet of flowers and heartfelt card in front of my door, courtesy of the friend who I had the conversation about “being alone” with.

“The darkness just lets us see who we are…”

Without knowing what feeling lonely is like, I might forget to appreciate all of the people who remind me I am not alone. I’m lucky to have been reminded of this so many times on Valentine’s Day, but not being alone comes in more forms than being given gifts. Not being alone – love – means feeling like I can talk to my friends and trust that they’re looking out for me. It means the selfless acts we do for each other every day that go unnoticed yet are alwaysreciprocated. This Valentine’s Day, I was beautifully reminded that I have the privilege of being able to recognize that, for me, “being alone” is a mindset. The second I decide that I am not alone, I suddenly see the countless ways that I am loved.

“Free yourself to be yourself.”

Listen to Iris (Hold Me Close) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GAbVK8pZmU

Spirals #11 – “gifts”

February 14, 2022February 14, 2022 Aina Leave a comment

Kita Again

February 14, 2022February 13, 2022 Micey 2 Comments

Upon placing Kita right next to her fellow player characters, I realized she looked way too modern. So I redid her. I wanted to keep her traveler aspect but I had to dial down the tourist part of her character design. I also toyed with her having openings on her boots in case she needed to release bees from her legs. I’m now working on making her face more inhuman with wider set eyes, etc.