[text, with an extra helping of salt]

[medalsome]

[Most people who know Joaquin will be surprised to see he isn't front and center in a video post from the get-go; that's his typical format of choice. But for this level of jaded single-ness he can't even bother to show his handsome face.]

There absolutely NEED to be filters for these damn chocolate and jewelry commercials. It's like every time you turn on a television or open up a webpage there's a new advertisement about sharing Valentine's Day with the one you L O V E.

Seriously, I can get behind El Día del Amor y la Amistad because it's about caring for the people in your lives but all this couples nonsense is cruel. And please do not tell me I just need to sleep with someone to Get Over This, because that would be the opposite of help and not at all appropriate.

[Surely there are other people who feel this way...]

VOICE || Terran calendars 101

[kicksomegrass]

Okay. [ There's no preamble, no introduction. Just Rocket's unmistakable voice, sounding as irritated as ever. ] I thought I had a pretty good handle on the way you Terrans did your calendar. Earth rotates around its axis: day. Earth rotates around the sun: year. Pretty standard. All the stuff in between is chopped up inta arbitrary "months" that don't make much sense, but hey, ya stick on every wall and on the communicators so at least I can kinda keep track.

It ain't perfect. Kind of annoying, but I don't expect a whole lot from you Terrans anyway.

That said, how the hell did I end up missin' a month and a half?

Last I looked it was all trees and snow and... "kris-mas". [ The air quotes are practically audible. ] Now it's all red and pink and... and kinda an assault on the senses, honestly. What is with you people? Somebody fill me in here.

[ There's a bit of a pause, and he seems to be ending it there. Until, as an afterthought, he adds: ]

Quill, you better still have my stuff or I'm gonna kick your ass.

( audio o6 )

[desequilibre]

[ He does not know how long he's been gone. Nor an idea of where he has been. That is the worst part. That he could be taken and have nothing at all to account for it, no memories, no idea of what or where or why. Between one moment and the next, time has passed and Athos has too many unanswered questions. The anger that this causes, along with the strain to keep it contained, is evident in his voice when he chooses to address the network. ]

The Russians, the people who were taken, what happened to them?

[ He has to get back to De Chima, to make sure both d'Artagnan and Lucy are safe. But he is in Heropa somewhere and he does not want to waste time. If they are not safe then he will do whatever he can to find them again.

He has a cache of weaponry somewhere. He made sure to hide something in each of the Porter cities. So that is where he is heading first. ]

Is the fight still going?