Nobody dared go near the tower.
A fearsome dragon sat on its top.
Until one day, a knight rode up.
"Do you need help to get down?"
"Please."
seen from Saudi Arabia
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seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from T1

seen from Saudi Arabia

seen from United States

seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from France
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seen from Bulgaria
seen from China
seen from Japan
Nobody dared go near the tower.
A fearsome dragon sat on its top.
Until one day, a knight rode up.
"Do you need help to get down?"
"Please."
*drumroll*
HERE
SHE
COMES!
True Spaniel Elegance.
TinyLady Pirate Yvaine has gone off for *yet another* general anesthesia procedure--not an unexpected one. After they found the lipoma in February we knew she might need it removed again. We just hoped we would have longer.
But her breathing is increasingly blocked, nothing else is helping, so it's time to go in and investigate and hope that a mere benign lipoma is the cause.
And also to hope that she's not at the beginning of a pancreatitis flareup, because it looks like she might be, and the timing is *terrible*. I don't know if general anesthesia is safe at that point. She's at the right place to get checked, anyway. My poor honey, 2020 has been a tumble dryer.
Yvaine: Hello, everyone, it's Talk Like A Pirate Day and I am here to discuss the rich histories and cultures that contributed to the heyday of piracy in the Golden Age.
Tristan: I'm helping!
Yvaine: *sigh* And Tristan is helping.
Tristan: I have the props!
Yvaine: What? No, we don't need a telescope.
Yvaine: We're talking about the way governments encouraged their people to attack other countries' ships, the way women could become pirates, the way people of all backgrounds ended up in ranking positions, so the language used on board could have been any in the known world.
Tristan: And they all fought together!
Yvaine: WHO GAVE THIS FOOL A CUTLASS?
Tristan: They held their swords in their teeth as they swung on ropes to board the ships!
Yvaine: They did NOT. That's a good way to cut off your own head.
Yvaine. Oh, I can't work under these conditions.
Tristan: I stole an extra's hook hand!
Yvaine: Cut. Just cut.
Tristan: YARR! YE SCURVY DOGS, I'LL RUN UP ME JOLLY ROGER AND CAPTURE ALL YOUR BOOTY!
This is your irregular reminder that Yvaine loves you. We're all going through a lot, you and everyone around you, everyone you brush up against all day; it's like a static charge that only builds, won't disperse.
The protests continue. The reason for the protests continue. The pandemic kills and kills and leaves broken survivors. In the US our federal government actively works to inflame all our problems. There's an election, during the pandemic, and we don't even know if our votes will be counted. In other countries, the lockdown feels intolerable or the plague fatigue is exhausting but the danger is still right there.
We all feel like we are at the end of our ropes (or past, and falling). You, and everyone you encounter today, at home, online, at work, on the bus, on the street.
Yvaine loves you, and knows you are doing your best with limited resources.
Titanic head tilt, tiny blep.
Yvaine is the best of the best.
Snifferella hoped to go to the Tennis Ball, but too many chores had to be done and she couldn't spare a day to go thrifting for a dress. And all the Ubers were busy, anyway, she couldn't get a pickup in time.
But unexpectedly, there was a puff of glitter-smoke! As the glitter-smoke cleared, Snifferella's Faerie Tristopher told her, "We're going to get you to that Tennis Ball with Serious Business, and it will be a glorious place to be a dog."
The Faerie Tristopher had picked up a magnificent dress in Snifferella's size, and arranged for Snifferella's little buddies to swap a prize-winning pumpkin for cart and costume rental so they could chauffeur Snifferella to the Ball.
And with a wave of the Hypno-Spaniel-Wand, and a Sniffity-Squeakity, Sniffity-Squawkity, Sniffity-Shnortity Food! everybody got changed much faster than they thought possible.
As Snifferella rode away into the night, the Faerie Tristopher called, "Have a bouncing ball! But remember the rentals have to be returned at midnight, or else you'll have to pay a late fee!"
Mad Munxkins: Beyond ThunderDOOM
Post-Apoca-Cockers