Did dwayne hickman die

I lost my dad at the end of 2021 and noticed hair thinning a couple months after. I went to a dermatologist and did some blood tests. My thyroid is fine..the main issue was having low ferritin and potentially high prolactin levels. At the time, the derm told me she thinks it’s probably TE given my recent loss and just suggested taking Nutrafol. I didn’t get it b/c it’s expensive and instead worked on my iron store levels which have since increased taking iron supplements.
I haven’t done further blood tests regarding the prolactin stuff because ..well actually I have, but they weren’t successful b/c it’s hard getting blood from me -.- I will try again making sure I’m hydrated, but I swear it was just these people at labcorps because I’ve had blood successfully drawn elsewhere.
Anyway, I thought that if I got my iron levels up and since it’s been a 1.5 yr since my dad died…that I’d see some improvement in hair thinning, but I swear it’s getting worse.
I’ll make another appt with the derm, but yeah I just dk if this is TE or beginnings of female pattern baldness :( It could be TE and vitamin deficiencies as I perhaps haven’t established the best eating habits since losing my dad. Idk. On my mom’s side I def do see that my mom and my grandma have thinner hair and my grandma def had slight bald spot so could be a genetic thing, but why this young? Lol I never expected this 28-30 yrs old.

These are not in order.
1- When young Smurf tried to make young Baz jealous by going into a room with one of the young guys he invited to that party. I know he was not her son, but I genuinely wanted to puke. She was unbelievable!
2- When Smurf was checking on J whether he was sexually satisfied and whether his gf is doing what he likes in the bedroom. I was like WTF are you guna do about it, GRANDMA?!
3- When Smurf told the stranger teenager who found her daughter shaking and sweating after doing drugs for the first time on the beach where she could've died to go talk to someone who cared and simply hung up. I know she is a fictional character but did that woman care about anybody ever?!
4- When Julia yelled at young Baz: so that's it?! after he saw her pregnant for the first time and he said nothing and left.
5- EVERY SCENE of Baz with Lina after her mom died
6- Baz killing scene. I just hated that she killed him off. A part of me didn't expect that even Smurf could stoop so low
7- When J killed the lawyer, I was like this boy is too evil man!
8- When J killed that poor secretary, again, TOO EVIL! he literally didn't have to, he was fleeing the country with a fake passport man, you could've just left her be
9- When Smurf told Pope to kill Julia
10- When Pope killed Julia, funnily enough I was feeling bad for Pope as much as for Cath. Smurf fucked him up too bad, man
11- When Amy was kicking Pope out while he confessed to her that he killed Cath because he was feeling guilty and she kept giving him hope that all sins are forgivable, yet not his sin. It was heart breaking how guilty he felt and how much he wanted to repent.
12- When monster Baz told Pope who would wanna have a kid with you. Literally broke my heart for him
13- When Pope kept repeating to Baz that he wasn't a weirdo, knowing that Baz always thought he was the normal son Smurf didn't have for Baz to get away with the job and for Pope to be the one getting caught after. One thing I hated passionately about Baz is something Smurf said, he always thought he was smarter than he really way. Even when his own brothers kept calling him smart I was like NO HE'S NOT SHIT lol I just wish he was the one getting caught then, Pope WAS WAY SMARTER than Baz was ever guna be
14- When Lucy went right away to steal Baz's suitcases while he was fighting for his life in that OR. What a bitch, that's all I could say every time she claimed she loved him after he died.
15- When Andrew was actually relieved to be talked to by a professional after his psych eval, and for selfish J to snitch him just before he gets to be talked to again (I know Andrew could've spilled everything then which would be harmful for everyone) but that's something I could never get over with Pope, if only he could talk to someone when he started needing to, I just know he would've turned out to be way less problematic individual, was so sad to watch how many times Smurf made sure he never does, starting with the church and the priest, how she even sent Baz to his bible study to make sure he doesn't share too much, selfish bitch
16- When Billy was inviting Nicky to try heroine (that's what he was doing right?) I was literally yelling for her to stay away
17- When Deran said that he liked Craig high, waiting for him to fall off the wagon, made my blood boil
18- Literally when NOBODY encouraged Craig to remain clean, not even cared that he got clean. Was so sad to watch
19- Almost all Ren's scenes ever since she had the baby haha. Sucha destructive personality and awful AWFUL mom. I mean child protective services should've taken Nick from her LONG TIME AGO
20- When Pope was trying his best to be a good dad, it broke my heart, he tried so much! more than Baz was ever going to
21- When Smurf made fun of Pope taking care of Lina, doing and saying everything to make him feel like he didn't know what he was doing. That one broke my heart because its like she fed on that tactic, and always managed to make him question how capable he was without her around. Awful human being.
22- When Smurf took Pope to his family's (1. without even telling him he had one) for him to sit there all confused and irritated, then to start a shooting battle with the gang while having a death wish not caring that he was guna be a causality during, just because she believed he couldn't live without her so she simply decided he should die without even telling him. Could she be any more disgusting?!
23- Pope's confusion and embarrassment after he tried to kiss Julia and Julia looking at him like a weirdo for the first time ever which made him feel even worse, while he was living it a sick boundriesless house where his mom is getting WAY TOO COMFORTABLE around him and his ''supposedly'' adopted brother, while Julia sleeps with Baz, and then he's the weirdo?! the guy was obviously mentally challenged and nobody ever explained to him what's normal and everything around him is everything BUT, and then he's viewed as the weirdo? that was so tough to watch
24- This one was a abitter sweet one, its the episode where one call from the only girl that ever liked Pope back (Amy) put him in such a good mood that he made a whole breakfast for the skaters and wanted to sign J's non profit paper from weeks lol how he went to the restaurant beforehand because a stranger told him he had to make sure it had not so loud music was so heartbreaking because I just knew he had so much love to give but somehow he just will never be lucky enough to get it, just like the scene when Baz yells at him for leaving flowers for Cath just because he knew Baz would never get her any and even though she didn't choose Pope he'd still get her flowers. So heartbreaking.
25- J not only abandoning his uncles but telling on them gutted me like no other scene in the show. We all saw it coming, him ripping their money off, but again, that kid was so spiteful that he wanted them caught, killed even. J gave me the same feelings Smurf always gave me, heartless psychopath. I know they lived in poverty in comparison, but I thought that after the time he spent amongst them, he was guna realize that they were spoiled at best, not malicious or even the reason why his mom ended up the way she did and maybe that'd be enough for him not to want them dead the way they ended up to be. What a monster, man
26- It's not a secret by now how much I loved Pope's character, so the last one shouldn't be any scene but Pope's death. It just was tragic, for him to make it out of jail and still to die at his house because of a wound was just part of Pope's continuous bad luck. It was like that man was not destined to be happy, even temporarily, I hated how worse he always had it among all the boys, I wished him a semi-normal life, with someone who genuinely cared about him till the very last episodes, I hate that he never stood a chance.
Those are mine! what about you?

My grandma has terminal cancer. The doctos said she has about a month until she will die. It is not a matter of "if", but of "when" it will happen. And it helps me, to have these facts clear, because I am neurodivergent and facts are a coping mechanism for me. Facts help me to bear hard things.
Today my aunt said to me: "Your grandma said, she wanted me to give you something, when she's gone." She said, that it would be pretty hard for her, but because it is grandmas last wish, she will do so, even if it hurts to give it away.
To be clear: I do not want any inheritance. I would be fine with some of grandmas or grandpas dishes, before they will land in a landfill, I would be happy to give them a secound life and that's what I told my aunt. If she really is hurt, by giving something away, then I do not need it. I expected she will say something, like a dresser or some dishes or some of grandpas baking things... But no!
My mum was sitting with us and answered: "No, you will like, grandmas thought and I really should take it."
So to make things short: my aunt told me, that my grandma wants me to have my grandparents' wedding rings. She does not want to wear them on her last journey. She wants me to melt them down and make my own new rings for me and my boyfriend out of them, when we will marry some day or just for daily wearing. I am sitting here and am crying, because my grandparents shared a love for nearly 50 years and my grandmother never wanted to date after my grandpa died 14 years ago. She loved him from the moment they met and love did not end with his death and that she wants us to repurpose her wedding rings for us...
She loves us and she thinks, that our love is like my grandparents. My grandma once told me, that she wanted someone to have her wedding rings, who truely has a love like her and grandpa (and at that point, she wanted my aunt to have them). So yes... I am crying, because it touches me, that she just blesses our love without even saying anything. My grandma did not even tell me... she wanted it to be a surprise after she died. And she knows... she knows, that I understand even if she did not say a single word.
I love her and I will miss her, when... the day comes... but now my tears are very touched tears, because my grandma is a very loving old lady and I am so happy because she (finally) gave us her blessing.

5/1 (the first day of mental health awareness month) I accidentally took two doses of my lamictal- ironic considering 😑
I normally use a pill separator and for some reason that day I decided I didn’t need to. I take 150mg in the morning and 200 at night.
Anyway - after about two hours from taking another 200, i could tell something was not right. My senses were SUPER HEIGHTENED. I could smell and hear everything. Like I was on a bad acid trip. My vision was blurred, I couldn’t speak or form thoughts. My body wouldn’t stop moving. It was like my skin was crawling off my body.
I decided to go to the emergency room which ended up being a waste of time sadly. My heart rate was at 130bpm and I honestly thought I was gonna fucking die.
The doctor told me there was “no way it could be lamictal” and drilled me with questions. Do you do any drugs? Why did you run out of your klonipin faster than 30 days? You’re going through a withdrawal.
He released me with involuntary movement syndrome (can’t remember the exact name). He said he couldn’t figure out why my eyes wouldn’t stop blinking uncontrollably.
Long story short - please please use a pill separator. I do not want anyone to experience that feeling.

Short Synopsis
A young boy with an interest in local history and cemeteries learns about life and the value of friendship when he meets a child named Peter in the local cemetery that may not be all that he seems.
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When I was a kid I had a fascination with graveyards, burial grounds and old churches. I wouldn’t call this a morbid fascination but more of a learning place for a kid of the age of 5 or 6 to explore death and what it means to be remembered by loved ones and friends. As this fascination grew it lead me to the study of local history which would become a keen interest for the rest of life.
My great uncle Tom, who was a mountain of a man as he had worked all of his life as a miner in the local pits, encouraged this interest I had shown in history and at my behest, after Uncle Tom picked me up from school, we would often take long walks with his mongrel dog Tina around the local cemetery. The cemetery was scattered around the large hillside of the local church on the hill. The church cut quite an imposing presence in the small village I grew up in, as it seemed to loom over the whole place sitting high above the rows of houses, local pub and farms. Everyone in the village attended the church at least a few times a week, but at night it was considered a spooky place to the children in the village and my friends considered me very odd and often ridiculed me for my interest in the place and I gained the affectionate nickname Spooky Steven. This wasn’t a bad thing, it was just kids playing around and now we are all grown, we often all sit together having a pint in the local pub and laugh about it. I had my fair share of pokes of fun at them too when we were kids, there was no Internet or game consoles back in those days, so entertainment was what we would make it.
The church was ancient and had gravestones and markers now crumbling with the decay of age that dated as far back as the Anglo Saxon period of Great Britain. This history always fascinated me and it became a common practice for me to head to the graveyard, most often alone in my youth, and make grave rubbings to find names from the past and look them up in the local archives at the town library. This small library was full of old documents such as land registry papers and birth or death records which dated back for hundreds of years, it was like google before computers. I would spend hours in there till closing time at 6pm, looking through all these ancient records and when names came up again and again in certain papers, you could slowly build up a picture of someone’s life. You could see when they were born, who they worked for, who they married and how their lives progressed, most of the older papers ended up with people inheriting land or buying farms and making their way as countryside workers, it was enthralling to me. I think it made me realise early in my life, that if you say someone’s name aloud or read it, that person’s memory is still alive. Even at a young age I found that rather comforting.
Listening to this I’m sure you can imagine I was a bit of a loner, you don’t get the nickname Spooky Steven for being the captain of the football team. No-one was ever cruel to me or anything, I was bullied a little for being different and that was upsetting at times but I wasn’t bothered and I always just kind of did my own thing, so you can imagine I was happy when at about 12 years of age I found a friend who was interested in the same things as I was.
One beautiful summer afternoon while in the graveyard among some shady ancient oaks swaying in the breeze, I was taking some graphite rubbings in a particularly old part of the cemetery and I meet a boy named Peter. Looking back it’s strange that I didn’t know Peter from school, but you don’t think about these things at a young age. When ever I was in that part of the cemetery Peter would often turn up unexpectedly and talk to me about what I was doing and why I was interested in these old names from the past. He was full of information and seemed old for his 13 years, he talked about a lot of the old names on the gravestones as if they were still living. He would tell me about Mr Jones the welsh baker, who spoke with such a strong accent that he was hard to understand and how John Blakley the blacksmith would often let the local children into his shop and teach them how to use the kilns and pay them a small wage for helping him keep the fires burning good and hot. I checked out all of these people that Peter talked about in the library and they were all legitimate people who had lived in the town often hundreds of years in the past. I didn’t question this as Peter would have access to the same documents from history that I did, but I had never seen Peter in the library and I was there most afternoons.
On another occasion Peter told me that he was made to leave school and work from a young age because his father had died in a farming accident, so he had been put to work to help support his family. These times I met Peter we’re all in the late 1980’s and early 90’s and it was only when I began to get a little older that I started to think Peter was not from around here. There was no way a boy of 13 years old would be allowed to work at the hard labour Jobs that Peter talked about doing. Drystone walling or working in the fields are highly dangerous jobs that deal with heavy equipment and chemicals that a child of that age would never be allowed to use in this day and age. But, still I thought nothing of it at first, my young ego thought that maybe he was trying to impress me so I would be his friend. I started to ask about him at school amongst my friends and then the teachers and no-one knew who this boy was. I was again ridiculed for having an imaginary friend so I took a bunch of school friends to the church yard to meet him, but he would never show when I was there with other people. This became very frustrating, so I stopped talking about him.
After about a year or two of meeting with Peter on a few different occasions in the cemetery, I began to notice things that were odd or different about him. The clothes he wore seemed old fashioned and unlike me he didn’t seem to be getting any older, at that age kids grow at an accelerated rate and I was already almost a whole foot taller, but Peter had remained the same. On the last day I saw Peter in those years I questioned him about his clothes and the way he looked and he took great offence to this, his eyes welled up and tears began to roll down his cheeks. I told him I was sorry and that I wouldn’t mention this again, he then said to me some words that I will never forget “Its ok” he said through his tears “It’s been my absolute pleasure to spend this time with you. Just do me a small solid and say my name every once in a while when you are here, I’d appreciate that” he then smiled at me in a way that breaks my heart when I remember it and walked away into a shady part of the cemetery and that was the last time I would see him as a child.
By the time I was around 16 years of age the local historian knew me by name and we had developed a friendship and she began to tell me stories from the past which were not written in any of the history books. Some of the stories she told me were spooky ones about hauntings and other strange paranormal stories of local legends. Because of this interest she had and the passion with which she told me these tales of local occurrences, I felt comfortable enough with her to mention Peter. Her eyes lit up and she asked me to please tell her more. I told her everything and we stayed together well passed closing time looking up names and histories of local residents but we couldn’t find anything about about a young local worker named Peter, however we did find information in a record about the death of a local farmer in his 40s who was crushed in an accident with his wheat plough in the summer of 1889. The strangest part of the story is still to come.
Later in life when I turned 18 I was a regular in the village pub and became very friendly with the landlord and often did shifts in the bar serving in the evening to help pay my way through college where I took a bachelor’s degree in history. In the summer for extra pay the landlord asked me if I were interested in clearing out some of the old attic spaces to get the place ready for an extension that they were going to build. The extra money was welcome so I agreed and that is where the most amazing thing happened. Amongst all the cobweb ridden stacks of books, papers and a wealth of old furniture I found a framed portrait from a very old 1890’s camera. The picture was of a boy laying dead on a bed of flowers on one of the big old wooden tables in the pub, it was Peter. I rummaged around and to my amazement I found hidden in the back of the frame an old newspaper clipping about the death of a 13 year old chimney sweep named Peter Robinson. I was not afraid, but the revelation came as more a relief to know that perhaps I wasn’t crazy and that Peter had reached out to me from somewhere beyond our own understanding of this world. I chose not to mention this to anyone as Peter had never shown himself to anyone else and it felt it would have betrayed our friendship that had occurred in those early years of my youth.
A few weeks later I found myself drawn back to that shady part of the church on the hill amongst those ancient oaks and mossy gravestones with bottle of beer in my hand. It was a beautiful day, there was a gentle breeze and the crickets, birds and insects chatted in the gentle afternoon, just like those summer days I had spend in this place as child with my Uncle Tom and Tina who were now themselves long since departed. I rose the bottle of beer in the air and said Peter’s name out loud and for a brief moment, from the corner of my eye I thought I saw the flicker of a boy standing in the distance in the summer shade and a smile spread across my face. That day I learned a lesson for good, that if we think of those who are dead and gone and remember them out loud they will live on and never be forgotten.
The End
Written By John Renney

Context : 28M, 220lbs. Never ran in my life before 2020
So I picked up running like half of the world during COVID. I got good and fast pretty quickly, didnt follow a training plan. Eventually I plateaued in 2022. I got too many niggles, got slow with every run, fatigued after every run and did not recover properly. I gave up running in September 2022 to take a break and let my body heal.
All this while I read about Z2 training and low heart rate training. In hindsight, all my runs from 2020 to 2022 were at 155-165BPM, running in the grey zone. I knew about easy runs but i was trying too hard on my easy runs as well since i was fatigued after easy days. I knew about the concept but wasn't applying it well.
I finally began running on 5/27. Ran and walked with no ego. Kept my HR under 145 at all times. My pace was humbling but all i focused was my HR. I ran for 30 mins and for the first time, I didnt feel like i was miserable and dying. My energy at the end of the run was the same as the beginning of the run. I woke up the next day and felt fresh. I was looking forward to this run again. I have so far ran 4 runs consecutive days and not been tired at the end of it. Recovery has been good and I have always kept my HR below 145 if that means walking in intervals
With that being said, I want to know what the long term implications are of MAF and low HR training for a novice like me. Goal : Lose 40lbs and run easy miles at 11min/mile pace w/ HR of 140ish Current Pace : Average 16:40min/Mile ( walk + run to keep low HR ). Diet : keto/carnivore ( to lose weight) Workout : Strength training 3x week and hoping to run 5-6 days a week
With my goal should i continue to just do low HR training for the next 6 months and build my aerobic base ?
I dont intend to include speed work until 2024. I dont think i am ready for it physically and want to build my foundation first So if I just do 6 -12 months of MAF as a BEGINNER, will I see progress on my pace ? My pace currently is terrible and nothing to be proud of. i know Low HR will help me lose weight with my diet in check. But will it over time also improve my easy pace ?

My son is 10 and did the boss with a quarter heart from the beginning! I looked up and started recording half way through when I saw he hadn’t died. Then recorded the end blow.

My Galaxy Tab S8 has been working really well so far. But two days ago I let the battery completely die and once I put it to charge and tried to power on it did not boot up. The screen keeps coming on and off. And sometimes it displays a logo of power like thunder that's it. I left it to charge for couple of hours, still nothing. Tried to reboot it with Power + Volume Down button combo, and sometimes the Samsung logo appears and powers off again. Othertimes it's just nothing. Does anyone know what the issue is? I've been using a Samsung Adaptive Charger brick for charging since getting it and it was working without any issues so far. And the charging brick charges my phone so it's definitely not the brick. Any ideas?

It’s just so fucked up how people aren’t really fazed by it anymore. Not saying people aren’t upset but it just feels so normalized now. Back when it first started it was genuinely disturbing and people actually were shocked by it and people wanted to change so nothing like that would happen again and now after all those years have passed all those deaths nothing has changed maybe some of the school buildings have bullet proof glass or doors but that’s it. It’s like what the actual fuck is wrong people literal children are fucking dying and we have these politicians that do absolutely nothing about it expect make bullshit excuses like what the fuck is wrong with us how did we got so fucked up that literal kids being shot to death in place to learn and grow is fucking just a one week segment on the fucking news now

I have a question about Hazara genocide how many did die when it happened?

Sometimes a band gets so big that they somehow outshine themselves. They reach a point in their career where it does not matter if they release a new album or not; fans just want to see them tour. No one gave a damn that Led Zeppelin had not released a new album since the 1970’s; everyone just wanted to see them play again at the O2 Arena in 2007. When The Who played the Super Bowl halftime show in 2010 they had only released one new album in 28 years, and no one cared. And no one cares that Guns & Roses aren’t making new music. They still packed arenas to see how much cake Axl had packed into himself.
We’re going to take a dive into a blues power trio from down south who have zero need to release any new music, since their recording career stretches back over five decades. They had amazing and groundbreaking success in the ‘70s, the ‘80s, and the ‘90s before hitting the max level. Instead of playing to win, they now play for fun. Their sexually charged lyrics and videos inspired generations of teens to both dress better and worry about their fly. And you can bet that their fuzzy, bluesy tight sound had a huge impact on our very own desert dwellers.
It’s time for us to take a walk with That Little Ol’ Band from Texas. This week’s featured artist is the legendary ZZ TOP
About Them
The Power Trio is a tested and true format for a rock band. Lots of examples come to mind: Cream. Rush. The Police. Biffy Clyro. King Buffalo. Them Crooked Vultures. (Wait a sec. Just three members? Clearly, not everything is bigger in Texas.)
There is a member joke there somewhere, but I just can’t get it to come. Hmm. Perhaps it will come if you play with it a bit.
Hey! Stop that. Get your mind out of the gutter.
ZZ Top’s original and founding member was William Frederick Gibbons. Born in Houston in 1949, the front man was originally a drummer but, after studying with Tito Puente in New York City, picked up the guitar at age 13. His dad was a musician in show business, which allowed Billy to get an insider’s view of the industry. By the late ‘60s, he had been in and founded a number of bands and had even befriended the late great James Marshall Hendrix. One of his first bands, a psychedelic/art house band called The Moving Sidewalks, toured with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This meant that Gibbons was actually mentored by Snagglepuss himself. They also toured with The Doors, where Gibbons saw the legendary self-destructive band somehow manage to rise above conflict and make music every night. The Moving Sidewalks generated a following all of its own with a couple of hit songs, and things seemed to be headed in the right direction.
Things were going absolutely great until bassist Don Summers and keyboard player Tom Moore were drafted into the army to fight in Vietnam. Don't you just love the ‘60s?
Gibbons and drummer Dan Mitchell added a new keyboard player, Lanier Greg, and tried to make another run at it. But the chemistry was all wrong. Gibbons rechristened the band as ZZ Top (an homage to BB King), and declared that he wanted more of a straight up rock approach than the art-house kaleidoscopic sound.
Gibbons, Mitchell, and Greg (isn’t it weird when last names are also first names too?) recorded the single Salt Lick in 1969. This generated a bunch of interest and a recording contract. Decisions over the direction of the band ensued and it quickly became clear that Mitchell and Greg did not agree with Gibbons’ hard rock approach. That ended up being a poor life decision for them, but a great one for a couple of other guys.
Clearly, Gibbons needed a new rhythm section.
Fortunately, he found a package deal.
Dusty Hill and Frank Beard - also both born in 1949 - had been playing together on the Dallas-Houston-Fort Worth circuit in a number of bands, including The Warlocks, The Cellar Dwellers, and a fake cover band called The Zombies. Both the Duster and the (then ironically) beardless Beard also heard the siren call of rock and roll. Hill was classically trained and was an accomplished cello player before moving to his signature bass. Frank ‘Rube’ Beard appears to have been born with drumsticks in his hands (which I imagine might have been uncomfortable for his mom).
Beard joined the band first, along with bassist Billy Ethridge, who had played with Stevie Ray Vaughn. Ethridge balked at signing a contract and so joined Mitchell and Greg on the list of ZZ Top’s former members. Their lineup was set. Hill and Beard anchored the band in a rock-solid, tight, bluesy fashion. Gibbons meshed perfectly with this duo, and his Hendrix-inspired guitar work was on another level. Hill provided backing vocals, and Gibbons’ low throaty growl was an impressive counterpoint to his soaring fretwork. The talent was all there; now they just needed to record some music.
But success was not instantaneous, not by a long shot.
Their first album - appropriately called ZZ Top’s First Album - gives insight into who the band were to become. In this 1971 release, you can hear their raw sound. The record peaked at 201 on the charts, and had only one single - (Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree. It did give them material to go out and tour. The boys gelled on that tour and went back into the studio with renewed energy, and emerged with 1972’s Rio Grande Mud. The disc was a step forward in refining their sound. The album almost cracked the top 100, and the only single - Francine - went all the way to number 69.
Nice.
But the band knew that their third album, Tres Hombres, was something special. It is the epitome of Southern Rock: bluesy, fast paced, sexy, and irreverent, it is just over half an hour of pure magic. And while the album went gold and peaked at number 8 on the charts and is worth your time, it was one particular single that rocketed them to stardom. You know it and you love it, and a-how-how-how-how: La Grange. It is still in heavy rotation on classic rock stations today. And why not? The song is an absolute banger of boogie woogie blues, written about a visit to a whorehouse. What’s not to love?
La Grange propelled them to popularity. Tours sold out. Venues got bigger and bigger. 1975’s follow up album, Fandango!, was half live album (with some covers) and half new material - like an EP with bonus tracks. They covered the Elvis Presley classic Jailhouse Rock, Willie Dixon’s Mellow Down Easy, and John Lee Hooker’s Long Distance Boogie. The boys had rock and blues chops, and had 5 years of touring experience. These were bold statements that cemented their musicality as well as honoring their roots. But side two of the disc had another track that you’ve come to love. You ain’t asking for much: You’re just lookin’ for some Tush. Tush was the perfect sexually charged follow up to ensure that they were not one-hit wonders. It was written in a ten-minute spasm of creativity at a sound check, and has gone on to be one of their most popular songs.
While Tush topped the charts, ZZ Top went back into the studio to record their full length follow up, 1976’s Tejas. The name of the album means ‘friends’ in the Indigenous Caddo language, and was the basis for the name of the state. You know what that means? It means that the name of the state is ‘Friends’. Just like the ‘90s sitcom. Don’t mess with Friends. Anyways, this was an album of experimentation for the band, and unlike its predecessor it came out half baked at best. Billy Gibbons has called it a transition album. What actually happened is the band transitioned into a hiatus from touring and recording, taking some significant time off. They had recorded five albums in six years and spent virtually all their time on the road. The latest effort was just not up to their standards and was a step back. It also completed their recording contract.
What was the solution to this burn out?
Facial hair of course.
The boys took a few years off before landing another recording contract, this time with Warner. Over those months, both Gibbons and Hill grew what would become their signature long ‘Texas Goatee’ beards. Frank Beard did not grow a beard (though he did finally succumb to peer pressure from his bandmates in 2013, and his is much more neatly trimmed). So while they were resting/relaxing/getting their groove back/aligning their chakras or whatever, they also started to reinvent their signature sound as the world moved towards a decade of legendary excess.
The first step on this reinvention journey was 1979’s Degüello. The title literally means ‘decapitation’ but idiomatically refers to a fight to the death. Clearly, the band decided to tackle their transition head on. The album was not as successful as Tres Hombres or Fandango!, but it was not the flop that Tejas was. It did spawn a couple of singles - I Thank You (which was a cover) and the signature hit Cheap Sunglasses. Both are staples at ZZ Top concerts to this day. Degüello was quickly followed up in 1981 by the album El Loco. This was really the first time ZZ Top incorporated a synthesizer into their sound. As you know, the synth was THE new wave sound of the 1980s. Gods help us, keytars were once popular. But Gibbons, Hill, and Beard did not abandon their edge. The single Pearl Necklace was an immensely popular innuendo laced tune from this album. And no, I will not explain what a pearl necklace is to you.
Ask your mom.
Over the course of their first seven albums, ZZ Top had steadily grown in popularity and become a truly extraordinary live band. More than a decade of touring together meant that they had not just cut their teeth. They had found the Tooth Fairy, beaten her senseless, and added fangs to their jaws. They were ready to tackle whatever came their way.
Their huge breakthrough coincided with the birth of music videos and MTV. 1983’s Eliminator was an absolute monster of an album. ZZ Top were everywhere. They completely embraced the Music Video as a medium and became pioneers in this new genre. They branded their band with a 1933 fire-engine red Ford Coupe, which was on the cover of the album. They even had a signature hand gesture that they used as the car went by. The car belonged to Billy Gibbons and embodied his hot rod obsessions. It was featured in the videos for Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, and Legs. Other singles from the album included Got me Under Pressure and TV Dinners. Eliminator is still the band’s most successful album. They were at the absolute height of their popularity with a massive audience. No doubt the 10-year-old Joshua Michael Homme watched those videos on a small screen in the California desert, little knowing that he would one day collaborate with Gibbons.
Seeking to capitalize on the popularity, the band went back into the studio and released Afterburner in 1985. It featured the signature hot rod on the cover and spawned two more singles - Sleeping Bag and Velcro Fly. Afterburner was not an innovative album by any stretch of the imagination. It simply built on the success of Eliminator and replicated the sound. If you blended the two albums together it would be very difficult for a novice fan to guess which song came from which disc. But hell, when you release the most popular album of your career and are earning millions of dollars for that sound, it is not time to mess with success. Or with Texas. Or with Friends (though Ross was a pain in the ass, IMHO).
That desire to not screw up a good thing was also evident in their next release, the retrospective re-release Six Pack. This was a great way to earn some bucks with a simple repackaging of existing tracks - I’m looking at you, K-Tel… - and introducing them to another generation of fans. This was not a bad thing at all - you gotta get that green whenever you can, because fame can be fleeting.
ZZ Top closed out the decade by going Back to the Future. Literally. They appeared in the third installment of the Michael J. Fox trilogy as the olde-timey house band (complete with rotating guitars) in the saloon scene. The single and signature song from the movie, Doubleback, appeared on their 1990 release Recycler. The album spawned two more singles: My Head’s in Mississippi and Concrete and Steel. Recycler was not as successful as its predecessors, but it did effectively max level the band. In the 1970’s they were a scuffling bar band that hit it big. In the 1980’s they were one of the most popular bands of the MTV generation. And in the 1990’s they achieved superstardom. They had hit the level where it truly no longer mattered if they ever released new material again. They could simply tour on their back catalogue alone and sell out stadiums.
It is clear that the band realized this as well. In the thirty years since Recycler came out, they have released five albums of new material: Antenna in 1994, Rhythmeen in 1996, XXX in 1999, Mescalero in 2003 and the critically acclaimed and Rick Rubin produced La Futura in 2012. This was equivalent to their output in their first six years.
In contrast, they have released no less than eight greatest hits albums, cover albums and live albums in the same time span. Greatest Hits came out in 1992. One Foot in the Blues was released in 1994. The massive compilation Chrome, Smoke & BBQ came out in 2003, and is a fantastic place to start if you are a new fan. Rancho Texicano was released in 2004, Live from Texas came out in 2008, and Double Down Live hit shelves in 2009. Live at Montreaux came out in 2013 and Tonite at Midnight: Live Greatest Hits from Around the World was released in 2016.
As recently as 2019, there were rumors that a new album was in the works for our Septuagenarian heroes. Lord knows the boys from Texas have nothing left to prove to anyone.
It was then that tragedy struck. Dusty Hill had to leave the band during a tour in 2021. The reason given was a hip injury. His guitar tech, Elwood Francis, filled in. Shockingly, Hill died at home at the age of 72 just five days after leaving the tour.
Fans were shocked and mourned the stalwart bassist. Per his wishes - and it seems he knew something wasn’t quite right - ZZ Top did not break up. Francis replaced Hill on bass, and the band soldiered on. In 2022, they released Raw, a soundtrack for a 2019 documentary about them. This was Hill’s final release.
You can still catch them on tour. They are going to be out there this summer, touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd, for something they are calling ‘The Sharp Dressed Simple Man’ Tour.
Go buy some tickets. Don’t miss your chance to see a truly iconic band before they are gone.
Links to QOTSA
The Reverend Billy F. Gibbons was a big part of the Lullabies to Paralyze album by our Desert Dwellers. He played guitar and provided backing vocals on Burn the Witch. He was co-lead vocalist and lead guitar on the QotSA cover of Precious and Grace, which he originally released as a ZZ Top tune on the Tres Hombres album. He also provided the guitar stylings for Like a Drug.
But the connections don't stop there. Billy sang the lead vocal track on the recent Desert Sessions tune Move Together, and he played guitar on Noses in Roses, Forever.
What may be most important to QotSA fans is that Gibbons was the first person, almost two years ago, who hinted that Queens were working on a new album.
And now we know he was right. Never doubt a Reverend.
Their Music
Salt Lick
(Somebody Else Been) Shaking your Tree
Francine
La Grange -- Live on Howard Stern
Jailhouse Rock
Tush -- a fan made video. It is not subtle.
Cheap Sunglasses
Pearl Necklace -- Live
Gimme All Your Lovin’
Sharp Dressed Man
Legs -- the ultimate makeover video
Got Me Under Pressure -- Live at Montreaux
Sleeping Bag -- Let’s go out to Egypt and check out some heads...
Velcro Fly -- also somehow in Egypt
My Head’s In Mississippi
Concrete and Steel -- vintage video
Doubleback
I Gotsta Get Paid -- from La Futura
Show Them Some Love
/zztop
Previous Posts
Tool
Alice in Chains
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Rage Against The Machine
Soundgarden
Run the Jewels
Royal Blood
Arctic Monkeys
Ty Segall
Eagles of Death Metal
Them Crooked Vultures
Led Zeppelin
Greta Van Fleet
Ten Commandos
Screaming Trees
Sound City Players
Iggy Pop
Mastodon
The Strokes
Radiohead
All Them Witches

My wife’s final act, before Leukemia drained the life from her, was to buy me a Koi Pond.
She bought me a bunch of fucking fish.
I cannot begin to explain how tough it is to deal with the death of your wife of twenty-three years, and to have to keep a bunch of stupid fish alive.
But then I realized that she wanted me to have something to take care of. I realized she wanted me to have something to remember her by.
So, I did my research… because I couldn’t just let these fish and my wife die.
I cared for and adored those fish. I changed their water every two to three days. I made sure the filtration system was working efficiently. I fed them a healthy diet four times a day. I loved those damn fish.
As a high school English teacher, I don’t have a lot to keep me going. My life isn’t exactly full of meaning, but I treated those fish like the children my wife and I could never have.
Then Graduation was just around the corner, and unfortunately Senior Pranks started to happen. Some Seniors learned that I cared unrequitedly about my fish.
As a “prank,” in the middle of the night, they showed up and delicately sprinkled Miracle-Gro onto the surface of my pond.
My Koi are beautiful but unfortunately they are imperfect. They ate the fertilizer and died. I was devastated. I mean this shit really fucked me up something awful… and all the grief and anger I had suppressed came pouring out of me.
Well… kids these days are very stupid. I mean, they’re practically begging to be caught when they do stupid shit like this!
All I had to do was search “Ames, Iowa” and “Senior Prank” on Tiktok, and I found the bastards culpable for the crime. They filmed the whole thing! They were bragging about it, even laughing about what they’d done… They wouldn’t be laughing for long.
I did a little reconnaissance and figured out when these bastards were having their graduation parties. More importantly, I figured out who was making their graduation cakes!
Would you believe that one bakery in this small town was doing over 75% of the town’s graduation cakes?
Small town, huh?
All I had to do was get a part time job as a “baker’s assistant” during “the busy season” to have access to every single one of those idiot’s cakes.
You could say they made this “easy as cake” for me.
I didn’t just help make their cakes, and discreetly poison their cakes, because that wouldn’t be enough for me.
I also personally delivered their cakes, one by one.
I waited around after each delivery, and watched as the cakes were eaten.
I smiled as I watched family and friends, and more importantly the culprits themselves, eat my cakes, and start to suffocate and die…
As an English teacher there’s a term for this: poetic justice.

SPOILERS BELOW
** they are worded vaguely but still
I don't expect anyone to read all of this, these are just scattered thoughts I want to write down somewhere. It's currently past 5 am and i've finished omori. really wonderful game, it's crazy that I didn't finish this game back when I first played it in July 2021.
back then I was streaming it to one of my closest friends. i used to get on discord with her a lot to pass the time during and after quarantine times. sharing my omori playthrough is a really nice memory i have of those times. but for no specfic reason we stopped having our streams and i didn't get back to playing the game.
jump forward to January 2022 and im alone in my single college dorm. classes haven't started and i decide to boot up this game again. completely fell in love with it all over again. i recommended it to all of my friends and spent an incredible amount of time trying to unlock as many achievements as i could (sidenote: i ended the game with everyone around lvl. 46-47 thanks to squizzard genocide, idk if that's a high level or not)
then classes started and I dropped video games altogether. I think i could have finished omori last summer but i was going through a tough time and i didn't really want to set time aside for gaming. while i still had omori on the back of my mind, my attachment to the game unfortunately started to fade quickly.
but finally, tonight i finished my first run. I started with the slime girls fight and ended with the good ending (thank god, bc immediately after i looked up every other sunny/neutral ending and they are devastating af).
i really wish i could have felt the emotional climax of "the truth" being revealed but i had already been slightly spoiled. you know how? a silly meme video with a kitten falling down the stairs. one comment read "omori reference" and it had hundreds of likes. I had to assume that's how Mari died, so when the game first reveals Mari's tree and "suicide", I knew, or at least I really suspected, it was just a ruse.
so, within a couple of basil's pov pictures being revealed I put the whole scenario together. it was sad to process for sure, but I did not get nearly as emotional as I think I would have had I gone in completely blind. i even feel a little bad for not feeling as much as I think I should have. it's an incredibly heavy topic and I would hate to think im desensitized to it.
then again, it's still on my mind. it's such an unforgettable tragic story told in a thoughtful, beautiful way. OMORI is a great example of video games as an art form. there's no way I could ever forget this experience.
anyway, I'll replay to see what the omori route is all about (so far im 100% blind about that, but with my luck i can't be too careful). if you're still reading, thank you for your time. you are beautiful, and i hope for good things in your life 💜

I was hanging out with my friend last night and some person we met outside of a liquor store. We were talking with them for hours and I was finally ready to go. As I was walking back they were walking behind me talking and long story short I ended up getting separated from them. I spent hours on end looking for my friend and couldn’t find him. He has never been to the Airbnb I am staying at so he doesn’t know where to go. I know my friends phone died as well and I have no idea if he’s asleep some where or if he has no way to charge his phone. We were all a bit inebriated so it’s possible if he did find somewhere to sleep he passed out before charging his phone. he is also not the kind of person to be easily tricked into anything as he’s very street and book smart so I’m hoping the guy he was walking with behind me didn’t pull something weird. Personally didn’t get any weird vibes but you never know. It’s possible he went somewhere and just hasn’t charged the phone yet. Anyways that was like 2:30am and it’s now 11:30 am. Also he is someone who CAN sleeps late to like 2pm but not always that late. Anyways I was wanting to ask if someone could see if he is safe and if he is finding any way to contact me? Also maybe if you see us finding each other today? Anything to help please. Thank you

Whenever my (38F) husband (38M), married 12 years, gets angry at me, it usually cuminates in a “Fuck you” and walking off/hanging up the phone. I’ve asked him so many times over the years to not do this (both things). In general, I don’t curse much, and neither does he, nor do I curse at him during an argument, but this is a pattern that just keeps happening. Admittedly I feel as if it’s my fault because I said/did something to make him upset.
Today it was over a video game (of all things), I had died and the other two members of our party were battling, he was further away doing who knows what. So, in a stressed manner I asked him something along the lines of “What are you doing/where are you/why are you so far away” (no swearing) and he responded “Fuck you” then proceeded to tell me he had been there but was under attack so fled. The moment my tone becomes stressed/accusatory he starts getting mad at me. I usually try to stay calm but I was completely overwhelmed by multiple teams so I had been internally freaking out. The thing is, he has been known to stay away from a battle when it’s occuring and is usually not the first person to help revive others. Anyway I got upset that he swore at me once again and went to ask why he keeps doing that when I never swear at him (tbh I don’t want to but I’d also be too afraid to because of his anger) and he repeated it and said he doesn’t care. I got sick of him and being constantly sworn at so - knowing this would upset him - I just said “Coward”. Well, he again said “Fuck you and I’m hanging up and I don’t care”. End convo.
And here we are now. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. The other parts of our relationship are okay, he is supportive in other ways, it’s just during an argument that he turns nasty then withdraws. I’ve been asking him for years to work on conflict resolution and I’m wondering if it’s worth being sworn at and treated with silence near every time we fight. I feel like I have to regulate myself so much when we argue but he can say whatever he wants to me. I love him but I’m just so tired of putting up with it. If he understood that I was stressed out which is why I asked then he needn’t have gotten so mad? Or if he had just explained then I would have apologised for even questioning him. Ironically, the other couple we play with, the wife often gets stressed like this, but her husband seems to take it all in stride. It’s only after witnessing their interactions that I realise that I don’t think I’m doing anything terrible by getting upset in a match. Which really isn’t often because I’m pretty ambivalent about winning.
So would you stay with someone like this? Is it normal for partners to swear at each other during an argument?

Tw, topics of abuse, war, disaster, mutating and child sacrifice Long post, im sorry for my bad english.
This might be weird question but recently I have been finally designing and improving importent characters in universe, and to do it, im doing these funny ,,meet my OCs'' memes... But they always need moral alignments.
I know only that main character is lawful neutral, and very morally grey. But... I have sort of problem with other characters. Can somebody help me with naming their moral alignments?
General universe concept, shortly, to get you into idea: Horror-Drama, with fantasy race called (but only called) vampires, being exiled and finding underground place, thousands of years its thriving hidden cyberpunk world, when planet earth is dying outside and humans are trying to break in, to avoid dying out from eco-disaster. In same time, vampires and some other races are struggling with mutating from radiation from crystals, that left from mysterious apocalypse that made antic underground race vanish. Vampires want to leave, and rebel, but king uses violence to silent them.
Now, to characters (btw, don't give me tips how to improve em much, this universe is just for fun of creation)
Main 1 - Shapeshifter dragon that failed fight with king and becomed his puppet, hiding in disguise of young vampire. Does not understends vampires but tries to. Has agression problems, but takes medicine that makes him calmer, but is still maniacal in fight, because, as dragon, this is what he is created for, his species was meant to kill during first undeworld's doom (tho, he didn't fought during it, he's way too young, it was many generations past him, its just insticts) Generally mostly protects vampires from mutants, that are big danger, but is also sadist in battle, mostly to enemies, such as humans who are trying to break into underground. Tries his best to protect others, and to actually do good... But also kills citizens that his king marks as rebels, because king brainwashed him into thinking its for good, because ,,they are breaking rules.''. Later, realizes its horrible, as requests are being worse and worse, but can't escape because of becoming too weak from meds, and possibility of dying, including being hunted by angry citizens and king himself. King made him not socialize much besides training army and talking with other importent in nation people, making him lack friends to turn for help. Depressed but hides it. Finally, kills king as that man tries to sacrifice his own (king's) daughter to ancient gods. In side story part, he tries to protect second dragon, from weaker breed, water one, healer. She's my friend's OC, and is generally endangered fauna part, shapeshifter too. That woman makes soldier dragon open up his eyes a bit, but also calms him down, finally becoming much needed friend to him, and later his wife. He's very protective to her, and causes whole change into terrarin by requesting labs to make more lakes and rivers and seas, for water fauna and flora, and to improvment of artifical water. Tries to do good but does bad, against his will. Tho, finally gets break from killing innocent, as king dies.
Main 2 - Opposite of first, wants revolution. When he was young, king marked his parents as rebels, killing them in process, on his very eyes, sending dragon main to do it (importent, dragon main was also younger here and didn't understood much from it). This made him grow bitter, anxious, before it growing into agression and hate for goverment and brutal military. He starts revolution, encouraged by older guy, who becomes his right-hand man. Its firstly pacifist, but as more citizens join, angry for blood of ones who harmed them, leader himself gets into agression. He gets corrupted by power and feeling fear of goverment, first time meeting such of big danger, but he's also ignoring innocent victims. Revolution starts vandalizing firstly, before burning warehouses with food (mistaking them for weapon ones), murdering head of propaganda media and, in end, causing civil war. It ends with many innocent victims, causing even main 1 to break down, calling main 2 to hipocryte and corrupted hero.
Now, to other characters.
Goverment:
King - Started as anxious and depressed prince, progressed into tyrannical and depressed, insane king, and this is stage where story begins. He generally wants better for people, but knows that humans will kill vampires and others. Mutation causes him to lose his temper and mind, making him more agressive, in pain and (sometimes) feral, and as story progresses, he's more and more abusive to his daughter, (mostly) dragon main and secretary. Manipulates dragon main and many of other military leaders, to create vision of holding control and making good, when he himself knows its not true and that what he does is evil. He hates himself deeply for what he has done, and knows that both world above and staying in underground means death, and that citizens won't listen to him, he already tried paciftist ways. He simply does not see way from this situation. When his cousin wants to create country himself, he's against it. Gets manipulated by leader of army, into thinking that these lands belong to him. In effect, said leader and his wife start war with south of underworld, killing even more citizens. Tries to create magical energy barrier by sacrificing his daughter to ancient godness.
King's Cousin/King 2 - Opposite of king, one that listens to his citizens and is much calmer. Belives that they will someday escape, until sad news that it won't work. Still, he tries to make many festivals and give fun to his people, to brighten their days with all sorts of funny activites, creating nice place for them. As private person, he's a bit chaotic but in mostly good way. Is kinda this weird dude who loves to make others blush, by sending them compliments and smug remarks, but never steps too far. Has open relationship with his wife, that she herself suggested, because of them being not very compatibile with views in bed. Apart from it, they are loyal to each other and love their other half, might actually have most healthy relationship it this universe. When war breaks into his country, he makes sure everyone is safe, and tries to end it. Saddly, his wife dies in final battle, with general of Northern underworld killing her. With this, he becomes depressed, but still tries to keep everyone happy, in his now free country. Many years after war, he sacrifices himself, afraid that he will also mutate into something like his cousin, because of strong power that comes before mutation.
Leader of air forces - One of leaders that keep North in check. Victim of her father, who abused her and got into her mind, that only brutal man will be worthy spouse. Tried to heal by dating dragon main, but trauma was too much. In fact, with how polite he was, she got agressive and abused him mentally, making him feel unworthy of love. After this, she started to date General, who was known as big brute. She was victim of him, but tried to act like its okay, and brushed all people who tried to help her. She takes part in war with Southern Underground, not seeing issues with it. She generally wants profit and fame, because this is what she lost in her past, because of theatre where she worked as top actress burning up, wounding her and stripping her from everything she had.
General - Artifical made vampire-soldier, big brute with no reedeming traits. Personalization of my very own fear of war. He's brutal, sadistic and only cares about money, fame and beating weaker ones. Rules? Who cares, most importent is fun! Oh, fun will be murdering innocents? Who cares! This is his point of view. He also harms his wife, and most of other goverment leaders.
Scientist - She was head of royal lab, seeking potion of eternal life. Shockingly to others, she actually created it, and drinked it other day. It didn't worked as planned, making her much younger, both physically and, kinda, mentally, changing her into mid teen. From this time, she's object of jokes, but does not care. She generally does not care about most of stuff, including what happens outside lab. On request tho, she improved artifical sky and waters with her technology, creating ilussion of underground being outside world.
Media head - Man who only cares about profit and fame, again. Got into his role with boot licking to goverment and his manipulation powers. Spreads propaganda everywhere, to get money from hosting his tv program and silencing medias that support rebels, revolution or even speak bad about king. Is general jerk in private life. Victim of Revolucionists, who killed him.
Secretary - Probably my favorite character apart from dragon main. Man who was cheerful and full of energy as young, and was friend with (also young back then) dragon main, before accident in battlefield, when their both, as leaders, made mistakes. This mistake nearly costed his dear friend life, and he really blames himself, as much as dragon main blames himself too. With it, their friendship broke up progressivly.
In general, with where story is, he's old sad man, who retired from army to work on papers. He, as only character, knows that world above underground is dying out, and knows everything is pointless and that they all are doomed. Despite it, he secretly helps ones marked by king as rebels, helping them hide and survive. Yet, all his sucesses are also fails of dragon main, who is tortured mentally and physically because of it, and secretary gets even more sad because of it. He, as goverment part, hates goverment himself, and views them as villians, apart from king's cousin and dragon main, who he sees as misguided, either thinking about him as lost sheep or tool in hands of tyrant. In the end, for brief moment he becomes king, before princess becomes queen, and fires both general and air forces leader, and ends war with South. He, as only character here, dies peacefully, from old age.
Princess/Queen - Character that I pretty much need to work on. No, generally, im too focused on war part, im forgetting she exists- She's pretty young at start, being naive, and not knowing what her dad does. After king tries to sacrifice her, she becomes traumatized, but gets therapy. Still, wounds never close, and it has left marks on her mental health. With her becoming queen, she tries to fix all wrong doings of her father, completly changing how army worked, changing role of dragon main into just mutant-killing-soldier and creating alliance with her uncle, fixing all damage that has not been fixed. She sacrifices herself in end of her life, knowing that she is next in line to mutate into something too powerful to be stopped without problem, like her dad.
Others: ,,Fox'' - Revolution leader's right hand man. Old man who's dad, soldier, got killed when trying to cross border of underworld and surface, making ,,Fox'' deeply hate military and rules that king set. He has agression problems, and struggles with alcoholism. In general, wants anarchy and doom of goverment. With story progression, starts being more and more agressive in attacks on goverment, taking lead himself, and younger leader is too blind to see bad sides of it. With his death during civil war, leader is shaken, blaming goverment, starting worst part of war. Besides of being in rage and bitter, he has daughter himself, and tries his best to keep her life good, and quit alcohol for her. He wants to belive for better tomorrow for her, and is afraid she will get hurt by goverment, like his father did, dying because rule of not leaving underground.
Cez - Only character I will name here, because I have no nickname for them. Right-hand-person of dragon main, in slaying mutants. Generally cares about safety of people, and her leader's good health, both physical and mental. Likes to keep good atmosphere in their military group, tho might be seen as a bit of cold to public eye. Is bitter to king's rules, but does not go against it, yet complaining about sudden rule of killing revolutionists, but not supporting them anymore when they become too hostile.

(Nota Bene! Rhyme scheme and total number of lines of this unique sonnet—ABABA CDCD EFEF GG; and, 15 lines instead of 14 lines, respectively—are in sincere imitation of the rhyme scheme and number of lines of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 99, “The forward violet thus did I chide.”)
For everything there is a chosen time: for everything, too, there is a season; now in mid-life, and past my former prime, I seek to probe life's heart, to draw reason from its nub; and demystify its rhyme.
There's a time to live, and a time to die; a time to be young, and a time to grow old; there's time to be far, and time to be nigh; a time to weep, and a time to feel joy.
But most of all, there is a time for Time: for its appointed length has a truer purpose that the Creator gives, a plan sublime that must be sought below life's outward surface.
To plumb life's true rhyme and reason, such depth requires time which consumes a whole life's breadth.
© The Bipolar Bard. All rights reserved. 14 February 2021. Updated 02 June 2023

(Nota Bene! Rhyme scheme and total number of lines of this unique sonnet—ABABA CDCD EFEF GG; and, 15 lines instead of 14 lines, respectively—are in sincere imitation of the rhyme scheme and number of lines of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 99, “The forward violet thus did I chide.”)
For everything there is a chosen time: for everything, too, there is a season; now in mid-life, and past my former prime, I seek to probe life's heart, to draw reason from its nub; and demystify its rhyme.
There's a time to live, and a time to die; a time to be young, and a time to grow old; there's time to be far, and time to be nigh; a time to weep, and a time to feel joy.
But most of all, there is a time for Time: for its appointed length has a truer purpose that the Creator gives, a plan sublime that must be sought below life's outward surface.
To plumb life's true rhyme and reason, such depth requires time which consumes a whole life's breadth.
© The Bipolar Bard. All rights reserved. 14 February 2021. Updated 02 June 2023

(Nota Bene! Rhyme scheme and total number of lines of this unique sonnet—ABABA CDCD EFEF GG; and, 15 lines instead of 14 lines, respectively—are in sincere imitation of the rhyme scheme and number of lines of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 99, “The forward violet thus did I chide.”)
For everything there is a chosen time: for everything, too, there is a season; now in mid-life, and past my former prime, I seek to probe life's heart, to draw reason from its nub; and demystify its rhyme.
There's a time to live, and a time to die; a time to be young, and a time to grow old; there's time to be far, and time to be nigh; a time to weep, and a time to feel joy.
But most of all, there is a time for Time: for its appointed length has a truer purpose that the Creator gives, a plan sublime that must be sought below life's outward surface.
To plumb life's true rhyme and reason, such depth requires time which consumes a whole life's breadth.
© The Bipolar Bard. All rights reserved. 14 February 2021. Updated 02 June 2023