Solstice (November/December) 2024 Pine Press

solstice pine press

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The hotel room window, melting with pink-neon-tinted rain, partially reflected Arcan’s glittering eyes. Outside, swarms of umbrellas shuddered and swayed back and forth, the pleasure district no less active for the late hour.

Arcan placed a hand against the glass, and drew his palm down the surface, savoring the stuttering slide of his skin. As he did, goosebumps shuddered to life, coating his bare chest and back. He bit his lip, cutting short a gasp.

“Arcan,” a deep voice whispered, just behind his ear. “Why don’t you come back to bed?

They might see you.”

“They won't.” Arcan said. “Not with the lights off.” He raised his other hand, traced a star in the fog from his breath.

“Ah,” said the voice, a little louder. “But the naked eye isn’t the threat, is it?” Arcan looked up, over the edge of the condensation where his finger still rested, and caught a glimpse of a shadow moving out of sight on the roof across the street. Hurry.

“Arcan, lover,” the voice said, curling into his head. A pale hand placed itself over his, its long fingers shading his own. “What is it that you want?”

“What do you mean, Suede?” Arcan said.

“I mean,” the hand pressed harder, pinning Arcan’s wrist against the window, “Think about it. How many times have we done this? Why do you insist on repeating this same cycle?”

“You are the last person that should be asking that.” Arcan lowered his hands, crossed them over his chest. An umbrella in the tide below stopped at the entrance to the hotel, followed by another, and another. They all closed in unison, and Arcan felt a faint tremor as the front door opened and closed two floors down.

“Why?” Suede demanded, another pale hand sliding over Arcan’s stomach. “Can’t I ask questions?” A shout echoed from the hallway.

“You know why,” Arcan whispered.

“And so do you,” Suede hissed. “Admit it, Arcan. You play dumb, but here we both are.

Chasing. Chased. Always.”

Arcan turned, and faced the dark, empty room, bathed in faint light from the neon outside. The bed was unmade, sheets tangled. Shadows flitted across the slit of light beneath his door. One such shadow stopped outside, and was soon joined by two others. Arcan retrieved a vest and shirt from where they lay on the room floor, wrinkled and torn. He put them on, buttoning them over his sweat-slicked skin.

“What is it you want, Arcan?” Suede’s voice slithered around Arcan’s heart, and he felt it quicken. “Tell me exactly what you want.”

“I want…” Arcan paused as the doorknob rattled. “I want power.”

“Yes,” Suede said. “I know. What else?”

“I want strength.” The door shuddered under a kick. “I want fury.”

“Keep going,” Suede sighed.

“I want rage.” Arcan felt his gut clench. “I want wrath. I want blood.”

“Yes, yes.” Suede said, panting. A pair of sinewy arms slid down the sleeves of Arcan’s shirt. Those thin fingers peaked from the cuffs, curling into the spaces between Arcan’s own. “I know, I know. What else?”

“I want…” Arcan closed his eyes as the door began to give, frame cracking. “I want you.”

His eyes shot open, pulse pounding in his ears, bile rising in his throat. “Give me all of you.”

“Why? Why should I? What will you give me?” Suede’s fingers clenched harder, nails drawing blood from Arcan’s palms. “Tell me!” he shouted, causing Arcan’s ears to ring.

“I will give you all of me.” Arcan felt his pulse plummet, felt his goosebumps vanish, watched as the faint pink from the street faded to cobalt blue, fading into the background like a dream upon waking. “As it has always been,” he continued, voice shifting, deepening. “As it shall always be.” A smile split his face, and he felt golden euphoria flush his neck and cheeks.

“You see, Arcan?” Suede said. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He ran his hands through his bedraggled, oily hair, slicking it back over his scalp.

“Don’t gloat,” Arcan murmured, hugging Suede from behind. “It’s cruel.”

“Cruel?” Suede laughed. “That’s nothing, watch this.”

The door splintered open, and three men in matching purple jackets rushed in, knives and brass knuckles glinting in the light. They surrounded Suede, two blocking the door, one the window.

“Finally found you, fucker.” The one by the window spat on the floor. “You’re gonna pay for what you did to Fletch!”

“Hm…” Suede stretched, rolled his neck. “Which one was that, again?”

The man roared, and his knife cut a shining arc through the air. Suede’s arm blurred, and the man flinched mid-swing, before falling to the ground.

“What the fuck, you good?” said one of the men by the door. The man on the ground gurgled, a dark stain spreading from a ragged hole in his neck. He rolled over and looked at Suede with horror, choking on his own blood.

“Ah, Fletch,” Suede said, letting a chunk of flesh slip from his blood-slicked fingers. “The one I stabbed with the letter opener. Or, was it a switchblade…?” He shrugged at the other men.

“So many to keep track of these days. What’s a fella to do?”

“You fuck!” They screamed and charged him. Time slowed, and Suede felt a hand curl around his neck.

“Stop playing with our food,” Arcan murmured. “And get to work.”

Suede licked his lips. “Don’t blink,” he said, and his arms blurred once more.

— Suede tromped down the stairs, whistling a tune. The halls were empty, the other tenants hiding or already seeking other lodgings, and the lobby held only the clerk, asleep at their desk.

Suede trotted up and rapped his knuckles on the counter, and the clerk snorted and woke, blinking the sleep away.

“Wuzzit?” they said, propping a pair of glasses further up their nose. “You need maintenance?”

“Nah, not me,” Suede laughed. “The room? Maybe. But I’m fit as a fiddle. No, I just wanted to check out.”

“Check out?” The clerk gave themselves a little shake, staring at Suede. “I don’t remember you checking in.”

Suede sighed. “I imagine it was under the name ‘Arcan Lunit’. About two hours ago?

Check your logbook.”

“Well, yeah, I see that name, but you don’t look like-” The clerk stopped short as Suede leaned over, going nose-to-nose.

“I don’t care what you think I look like. I paid when I got here, and this,” Suede stabbed a room key into the wood of the desk, sinking it halfway up the teeth. “Is now returned to you.” He straightened up, smoothed out his vest, and turned smartly toward the door. “See you never.”

With that, he walked out into the night, pausing for only a moment to look up into the rain before vanishing into the crowd.

The clerk shivered in their chair. They’d had a strange sense of deja vu when the tall man had come downstairs, but they’d never seen that face before. Or so they thought. Now, after that close-up look, the clerk had recognized something, some crackle of energy deep in the eyes.

They could almost see how the man might have slumped and hunched, might have drawn in his jaw instead of jutting it out, might even have worn baggy clothing to hide his musculature. That would explain why the same man had stood so much taller, had looked so different, had had so much bulk he hadn’t before. The clerk heard a scream from upstairs, and picked up the phone to call the authorities. As their hands shakily dialed, they recalled the man’s parting words. See you never.

The clerk hoped he’d been telling the truth.

The Cutest Romcom is also a Dystopian Nightmare Hello Everyone! This semester has been crazy busy and much more difficult than I expected. I have been meaning to write something of substance for the Pine Press all fall but haven't been able to find the right subject or have enough time. This issue, I decided to say “fuck it you all can read my thoughts on WALL-E.” I hope you enjoy!

Released in the summer of 2008, WALL-E is a heartwarming tale of love and humanity told from the perspective of a hopeless romantic robot, WALL-E. The film begins somewhere around the year 2805, 700 years after humans abandoned the Earth. Even after all that time the planet is still covered in trash, the rivers are filled with slug, the ground is dry sand, and the air is filled with dust. Uninhabited aside from a few cockroaches and one little robot WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class). Once there were many WALL-Es, created by Buy N Large, to help clean the Earth but now there is only WALL-E. WALL-E is shown to be curious and caring within the first few minutes of the film. While his programming instructs him to collect trash and compact it into near little squares he cannot help but investigate items he’s never seen and collect those which interest him. WALL-E is especially enamored with a video cassette of the film Hello Dolly. WALL-E is also friends with a cockroach who he feeds twinkies and shelters from the frequent sand storms.

One day a mysterious red dot appears while WALL-E goes about his day. Being the curious robot he is, he follows and tries to catch the mysterious dot. This dot turns out to be a targeting system for a landing spaceship, something WALL-E had only seen in the many ads for BNL that play across the city. It is from this ship that WALL-E first meets the love of his life EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator).

EVE has been sent to earth to find evidence of plant life, so the humans living on the Axiom, a spaceship built and run by BNL, can return home. Thanks to WALL-E she is successful in this “directive,” promptly shutting down once she finds a plant. Panicked, WALL-E cares for EVE until she is picked up by the ship that she arrived on. Which WALL-E then stows away on.

EVE’s ship delivers the two robots to the Axiom where humans live on hover chairs with holographic screens projected in front of them at all times.

WALL-E as a character is extremely sweet but also clumsy, anxious, and messy. These traits combined cause WALL-E to create a lot of havoc on the ship including a multi-robot traffic accident, knocking a man out of his hover chair, forcing a woman to see the world without her screen, starting a robot prison riot/jail break, and forming a rebellion. All of these actions were accidental and in pursuit of saving the robot he loved after knowing her for two minutes.

By the end of the film the Captain of the ship has realized his AI autopilot has been sabotaging his efforts to return to earth due to orders from BNL not to come back. The Captain, who has learned to love what the earth once was through the duration of the film, battles against the autopilot as EVE and WALL-E race to place the plant in a special machine that will send them back to earth. In most science fiction engaging with the topics WALL-E does the robots would be in on trying to return the humans back to earth but this is a love story. The humans don’t

matter to WALL-E or EVE. They only care about each other, EVE used to want to return the plant because it was part of her directive. Now she has a new directive, WALL-E. All of her actions are now to save WALL-E. The film closes with EVE repairing WALL-E on earth, the humans forgotten, learning how to grow pizza on their own. Like any good romance, true love’s kiss brings our title character back and the two finally hold hands the way WALL-E has always wanted.

WALL-E is an interesting film because it packs so many ideas into 97 minutes. The main story is a romance. That is how WALL-E sees his world. As a robot with nearly no stakes in the welfare of the human species, of course it is. Many viewers will also see the environmentalist messages, namely that of pollution. The world WALL-E lives in exists because humans created too much garbage but where did that garbage come from? At the time of its release a message missed by many, seemingly including the production company, was that of overconsumption, monopolies, and commodification of everything. On a first watch, casual viewing one might assume the antagonist is Auto the ai autopilot but this is not the case. Auto is just doing what he was programmed to do. He is following orders. It is his creators that are the villains. A long dead corporation who gained control of everything, including the government of the United States.

BNL owned everything in the city we see WALL-E inhabiting. They were responsible for convincing the public to consume to the point of destroying their ability to live on the earth any longer and instead of doing anything about it they fled. They advertised their space cruise as a way to wait out the clean up but did very little to actually deal with the mess they made. Then when things became too hard they ordered Auto never to return. Even when BNL was no longer being run by humans it was influencing the passengers of the Axiom. 700 years later babies were being taught the ABC with sentences such as “B is for Buy n Large your very best friend.” and adults are surrounded by ads claiming a million things need your attention and consumption.

For its title character, WALL-E is a romantic comedy with wacky high jinx, for the humans it is a dystopian nightmare that they are blissfully unaware of until they are rudely awoken by a horde of fighting robots.

heritage // muthaland

(I keep pushing back my medical transition Thinking this is the last time they’ll see me Wanting to leave a pristine memory Of the girl I was, the bastard child of an exiled father Clawing our way into their good graces Before I tear it all down again.

I just need to visit Grandpa’s grave I just need to celebrate Grandma’s birthday I just need to attend the festival of our family just this once Just this last time before it’s all taken from me Before my connection to the motherland is severed at the root Rent apart before it could even properly grow (My one connection is full of broken promises About a home About our language About the village that was supposed to raise me Sins of the father passed down again This time branded on our throats.

Neither of us can speak our mother tongue And we’re caught in the endless tempest Between a mourning winter and a longing summer The people we’re supposed to be and the ones that we are A forgotten lunch of fufu Driving us apart

(I keep resigning myself to this fate. But maybe there’s another way they can love me still, body changed as it is, settled amongst the yerenom yet sowing no fruit. Maybe they’ll recognize the palm prints of Mawu on my skin and take comfort in the soft twines of braids laid over the stretch of my shoulders. Maybe there’s a Ghanaian girl out there for me and my cousin comes out when I do and there’s some gay underground that pulls me in with warm hands. Maybe we can’t stand in the light today, but tomorrow we can link hands as the sun rises to kiss the land of warriors.)

There’s a place I want to go to.

Pretty standard desire, I’m sure, the wanting-to-go-there thing. People go places all the time. Next door, the mall, out of the country, etc.

Speaking of out of the country, I’ve been. Madrid, 2023. Six weeks of struggling to drink enough water and drowning in the sheer volume of church air.

There was a lot, in Madrid. Fun things, joking and learning and thinking we were the shit because we ate risotto, hell yeah! And that place, the sheer density of it, makes you feel so nice and small, you wouldn’t believe. I could sit in my room and close the opaque sun-shades and if I had an extra hour I could nap and nobody would miss me.

I liked that.

For all that there was, it got to a point where it wasn’t enough. I had a bout of depression, I think. I haven’t spoken to any therapists, but there were these two weeks where everything was under a wool blanket. Like, I’d eat some gazpacho, and I’d think about how it was so very normal, so un-special. Or it’d be hot out, the sun filling the cloudless sky all by itself, but not as hot as that other time, you know?

Then it went away. I didn’t mind it, strangely. I spend so much time worrying by default, those two weeks were like going on vacation. Just…quiet.

The trip wasn’t all fun, or all nothing. A real mixed bag. Bag of those, qué es la palabra, dulces? Different types. Spicy hot, mint cool, a dash of bitter coffee and maybe three sours.

I can count the sours, on my hand.

There was a night, where we went out to this crazy bar, La Champlas or something. El Chapandaz! Right, so we went to El Chapandaz, and they have this batshit gimmick, where they pour a drink from the ceiling, from stalactites, cuz the bar is modeled like a cave, even if it’s in

the middle of the city. They press a button, and down comes the creme liquor, and they put some other booze in it and you get Leche De Pantera, Panther Milk.

Funny.

And the others, they were two deep in an hour. But I don’t drink, so I was just there, trying to be a part of things. And the night got going, and I was still dry, and would be for the rest of my life, and they were having so much fun and I got so tired of pretending that I just left.

Madrid, midnight. I’m sure it’s lively as all get out, but not where I was, walking back home past quiet residential areas, shoes too functional and shirt too practical, and it was so quiet, and nobody missed me. I checked my phone, waiting for them to worry, so I could be all cool and say I was heading elsewhere. Not back to the dorm, but elsewhere. Someplace fascinating.

And worth being alone for. They didn’t notice.

I tried singing, but people kept walking by, and I’m the type of singer that only sings when nobody else is around. Like the tree falling in the forest. That’s me. Singing for nobody. I know some good songs. Practice them often, by myself.

And that place I wanted to go to, it was close. I just needed to take a right turn, as opposed to a wrong one. Or maybe smile charmingly at someone walking by. Or go back to El Champanaz. But I kept walking, still singing when I was sure nobody could hear me, until I reached the dorm. I nodded to the doorman, went to the rec room, and sat on the old couch in front of the light from a vending machine, and got out some coins, and stared at them.

I got two things from the vending machine. Some cookies and some chocolates. And I sat there and I looked at my two things and I thought of how much space there was in this room with nobody else there, and I cried. Not well, mind you. I cried like someone who sucks at it, all sinus pressure and closed eyes. But I did.

The place I want to go to doesn’t have an address. It sits in the slip of night air, the scuff of walking shoes on old concrete, the hum of a song while a moped goes by carrying two people at once. It sits with those things that are part of a set, and when removed, reach for the light switch, to kill off isolation by going where nobody will miss them.

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Quorus ran his thumb over the lid of his locket as wind, heavy with ash and magical static, rippled his shimmering red robes behind him. It was ten years since he’d first hung the little pendant around his neck, the familiar weight seeming to grow larger every day. He squinted against the setting sun, observing the corona generated by the stray radiation in the atmosphere, and grimaced at the number of rings.

Four, with the fifth developing as we speak. It’ll be weeks before we can zero any thaumiscopes.

He paused in his musing as a fireball soared past his head, thrown by a straggler left behind enemy lines, and waved a hand in their general direction.

“Guts Jubilee,” he muttered. The offending magician popped like a grape, barely able to scream before his overexcited internal organs erupted into the open air.

Quorus sighed. Two millennia of thaumaturgical development, and these hacks are still tossing fireworks at each other. He picked his way across a mound of fresh earth, scooped from the field by a late golem that now lay smoking some distance away. Flashes of light and bellowed spells continued around its titanic feet, a new bulwark across to fight over, to die for.

“Quorus!” A voice shouted from behind him. He turned to behold Garmin Haghes, puffing along with his tweed cloak flapping along behind him, bald head shining with sweat.

Quorus’ finger twitched, wondering how much trouble he would get in for giving Garmin a faux-hawk. He decided against it, but picked out a color should the urge strike again.

“What is it, Goblin?”

“You’re still using that nickname?” Garmin panted, catching his breath as a meteor burned from atop the golem’s belly, before being struck by a spear of light and shattering. “It’s been decades since the Academy, for God’s sake!”

“Yet you’re just as dull.”

“All right, enough!” Garmin heaved a sigh. “I have news from Ulysses. You’re needed on the Eastern flank.”

“Hm. What for?” Quorus looked toward the dusk-shrouded sky to the East, shading his face with his hand. Pixie summon, a few creases in space-time, and…do I see cherubim? He watched a chubby angel-winged baby grab a screaming warlock from the ground, dodge a swarm of pixies, and disappear into the clouds. Not bad.

“They didn’t say specifically. They did sound scared, though.” Garmin threw a glance upward as a thundercloud fought with a crash of harpies. “Might be nothing.”

“Doubtless it will be. I’ll see about it.” Quorus clicked his heels together, and in a puff of ash stood on the horizon he had been looking at a moment before.

Immediately he felt the wards on his robe activate, automatically defending him from ambient curses. A chorus of lesser Allegiance wizards stood before him, powering a rather shabby case of Theo’s Ankler. Admittedly, it was doing the job, sending regular thrums of energy into the ground, forcing the Republic mages trying to rally some distance away to stop frequently to heal shattered toe and heel bones. But still, shabby.

Quorus raised a finger, and the Ankler field went from hazy white to deep purple. The Republic forces within the effective radius dropped like flies, entire skeletons vibrated to dust, and an Allegiance captain turned around in disbelief.

“Quorus Hagadasher, as I live and breathe!” The captain flicked the brim of his hat with expert precision. “Captain Rubeus Jules, sir, at your service!” Jules was broad yet academic, muscles straining against sensible suspenders and an outer layer somewhere between a surcoat

and a robe. Quorus recognized the tang on the air as he skirted a pile of smoldering pixies and approached the gathered wizards: the Ankler belonged to the captain, originally. No wonder it was shoddy. Too much time in the gym.

“At ease, Captain.” Quorus glanced at the cherubims as they circled overhead, weary of the Ankler’s fading resonance. “I was told I was needed here. Surely there is more for me to do then contribute to a simple Ankler?”

Captain Jules blinked. “Here, sir? I’m afraid I can’t say what that’s about, sir! We’ve got things pretty much covered, sir!”

Quorus looked around, noting the exhausted wizards, the dirt and blood coating their robes. Even Jules was covered in soot and missing half a pantleg. Quorus scowled as a cherubim dove, the Ankler dissipated fully now, and snapped his fingers. Law of Water, he thought petulantly. The cherubim went rigid, swelled, and then froze into solid ice, shattering on impact with the ground. Waste of my time.

Then, he stopped cold.

His vision blurred, his mouth gaped, and the sound echoing across the field went tinny and distant. In fact, every sense besides his sixth, that which could feel magic, fell into disuse as some…thing stepped into range, just out of sight over a hill to the north.

The wards on Quorus’ robe, until then pulsing gently with the background static of the recent battle, began to pound as both the frequency and amplitude of local magical radiation skyrocketed.

“Greater A’tuin!” Quorus bellowed, flinging both hands in front of him as the magical signature crested the hill. A shimmering portal appeared and the head of a massive turtle burst from within, spiraling in midair.

And not a moment too soon. A bolt of pure magic—not possible, and yet—sizzled through the air, slamming into the turtle’s shell, splashing over and scorching its skin. The Allegiance wizards sheltered by the spell cried out and stumbled away from the clash, while just outside the leeway the ground dried, buckled, then scoured into sand.

After a moment that felt like eternity, the blast abated. The turtle screeched as the beam fizzled out, its shell eaten almost fully through, before collapsing and vanishing.

Quorus’ hands shook, the fingernails cracked and burnt, his robes burned away up to the elbow. Beside him, Jules blinked rapidly, on his hands and knees. His eyes were murky white.

“Quorus, sir?” Jules said, voice quavering. “What happened? Was that Binkey’s Orb-burst?” He waved a hand over his face, and the white thinned to a scummy gray. “Ah, no, stronger than Binkey. Ha! Not exactly a high bar, that.”

The captain continued to stammer as the other wizards tripped and crawled vaguely in retreat, all of them blinded. On the crest of the hill, a lone figure stood, and though Quorus was certain he was just frazzled—it’s too dense, nothing is that dense, not even the Wellspring was that dense—he felt their presence as an impossibly large blip, one that stretched the fabric of space-time with its mass, a hole punched into the crust of the Earth.

Pure magic, Quorus thought, remembering the way the energy had seemed to bend the light around it, the scream of reality as it forced its way through the air. No spell, no runes…nothing. He muttered healing cantrips, scrambling to repair the damage to his hands, but barely got through the first stanza before a second blast erupted forth, this one larger, broader, denser—no no no no—than before. Quorus barely had time to whisper a desperate plea before the attack slammed into them, and he was burning, burning.

The oxygen in the air was gone in seconds, and as his lungs teetered on the brink of implosion, he slipped away into the dark.

slasher

‘m in love w u w the blood inside of u my skins crawling like rats n i cant figure out why gotta think abt death to fend it off not my own cuz im not gonna die but pretty little bystanders and the star of a slasher film blood’s always made me happy based n gorepilled

present

Sometimes it’s not really adequate to call them dreams.

These are moreso premonitions Memories before they had even been made Remembering the cadence of speech that had played In the back of my mind, it’s déjà vu A discussion I’d already been privy to And time after time it crops up again Remembering places I never had been

The Green Woman The lady of green Visited my dreams And told me to pave a road to the sun Every moon, every planet, every star has a name And yours has more than one The light is coming, The light is coming Good darling, though you don't know where Your time is coming, Your time is coming While the world may be unaware I’ve blessings to shatter Every strike that comes after Should you be softer than what ails you Divinity is trapped in the palm of your hand To pay every debt you’re due The light is coming, The light is coming Good darling, though you don't know where Your time is coming, Your time is coming While the world may be unaware - Felicity Anderson

Pinecones Sam and Harper for lending us some litter for our kitty - Sam Kitson, Phoenix orion chefs for always making amazing meals - you know who you are - emily, orion My house cooks, for being great at what they do! - Gavin, Orion pinecones to mackenzie and james for hanging out during the election and also coming to the jug painting event, we love you guys!!! - ANGIE, VESTA Pinecones to Maddie for always being so helpful - Emma, Bowie Pinecones to aj bc what would we do without you! - Rachael, vesta to all my wonderful housemates and the cats!!! <3 - rachel, beal pinecones to the oakhill avenue squirrels for eating the face off our jack o lanterns - Mylee, phoenix Pine cones to Jack for making bower so gosh darn beautiful and functional. He is the best at interior design- if you need help go to him - Chloe - bower All of my little doctors at Phoenix, Everyone involved with local action - Clay Phoenix angie/chris: you two have taken up such a beautiful role and space in vesta. I appreciate you dearly and I am so thankful to see yalls influence on the house. conner, I am so proud of the hard work you are doing ;). bec: thank you for being such a boss bro. like you do so much yet you slay down...keep it up babe. fat jimmy: youre just so cunt - aj, vesta loren i love u dear - anna, from da raft pinecones to sam and harper for letting us borrow cat litter for the kitty we had to emergency move in (and pinecones to everyone else for being understanding)! - avie, phoenix Clay, Trent, and Eva for all their work on Phoenix Tron Party. (Submitted the Thursday before so knock on wood) - Jake and Phoenix Shoutout Alex for letting me use his bike - Jason, PHX Pinecones to all our lovely Beal babes - Lilly, Beal Pinecones to the Beal members who got ice cream after the house meeting <3 - Saylor, Beal Little cutesy baby pine cones for Saylor at Beal - Shelby, Beal

to everyone i love everyone. we all just trying our best. Xoxo - bec !!! bowa owa to Divya for cleaning the ohaus fridges with me and being so so brave in the face of nastiness - abby ohaus Lo for the crack brownies and Charles for the bomb pie - Teah New Comm Shoutout Nina from Howland- you are the kindest person I know <3 - Eva, Howland AJ for just being the best :0 - Georgia from Vesta Grand Fir - Elliot, Phoenix Haus Pinecones to pine trees for providing - Jonathan of Bower pinecones to Charlotte at hedrick for being such a supportive queen, ily bae <3 - Isabella R, Hedrick I want to thank Alex G and Noah for being awesome housemates. I’m gonna miss you guys a lot

sounds of the shc Plantasia - Sam Kitson, Phoenix the suburbs - arcade fire - emily, orion Lawnmower Man (ft Voiddweller) by KFC Murder Chicks - Myron, Orion Merry-go-round of Life, Howl's Moving Castle - Gavin, Orion Planet Caravan by Black Sabbath - Onyx- Bower i am california -john craigie and gregory alan isakov - ANGIE, VESTA silent hill 2 ost - akira yamaoka, twin peaks ost, by angelo badalamenti. chromakopia - t - AJ, Vesta Lots of Tyler bc of chromakopia - Rachael, vesta wet dream by wet leg - rachel, beal wolves howling at the moon - Aidan McKeon, Bowie

anything we want-fiona apple - mylee, phoenix Watermelon by John + Jane Q - watch the movie if you haven’t,, tis a silly time - Chloe - bower Neko (DISH//) - Justin Mishina, Vesta I DON'T TRUST U ANYMORE by Left at London solely for election reasons. The Ballad of the Witches' Road from Agatha All Along for queer witch reasons. (ik I'm evil for consuming Disney) - Clay Phoenix I'd do it all again, Corrine Bailey rae - Divya, Orion Anything jazz - anna, from da raft MGMT, loss of life - Sam, Phoenix Spud infinity -big thief - Eva, phoenix suddenly - drugdealer & weyes blood - avie, phoenix Creep by Richard Cheese - Jake and Phoenix The Beth's - Max, Beal Mama Werewolf - Brandi Carlile - Saylor, Beal Pitch the baby, the Cocteau twins - Shelby, Beal It Could Be Sweet by Portishead - bec !!! bowa owa

Ut og bade - Yellowroot rebecca, Howland Playing god - polyphia - Teah New Comm reincarnated - Kendrick Lamar - Georgia from Vesta Samba - Gwen, Orion Everything Goes On - Porter Robinson Django Reinhart - Alex, Phoenix

Indigo d'souza - Jonathan of Bower Radiators whistling and banging - no heat comes out. - Lucy, New Comm Headlock by Imogen Heap - Graciela, Ferency It's Been So Long - The Living Tombstone - Isabella R, Hedrick Soft Meadow by Green-House

who in your house would you feel comfortable eating spaghetti with naked (NON-sexual. You must maintain conversation.) member submitted question being naked would make the haus meal convos at Orion LESS weird - Ethan, Orion My girlfriend Avie - Sam Kitson, Phoenix myron. they inspire me to not feel shame - emily, orion Prolly Tyler or Chad. We don’t know each other like that but I think the collective laidbackness would make it easier to hold a convo while eating spaghetti naked - Myron, Orion Ethan - Gavin, Orion low-key ...... low-key.........I think I could maaaaaaaaaybe eat sketti with chris - AJ, Vesta Trixie. - Onyx- Bower honestly litteraly everyone, i think vesta could all eat spaghetti naked in the dining room and it would be chill - ANGIE, VESTA Oh my god this is my fucking house's idea. I'd eat spagetti with the entire house platonically if I could. Definitely Fish, Sofi, and Ian for sure! - Emma, Bowie Fish. - Aidan McKeon, Bowie sam smith.. whether it’s my housemate or the celebrity i guess i’d be fine either way - mylee, phoenix Nobody - Justin Mishina, Vesta

Aaron, my husband (haha losers I have an easy out get rekt) - Alexina Nelson (Prion) Bec. - Chloe - bower Anyone that consents. I would so be a naturalist if I found it more accessible and didn't have to worry about a bunch of old white people staring at me at the retreats. - Clay Phoenix I would eat spaghetti naked w angie probably. I think it would be silly, we would just be bros tbh. - aj, vesta loren for sure - anna, from da raft Harper, obviously - Sam, Phoenix anyone because nudity isn’t awkward to me - avie, phoenix My hausmate Alex has the superpower to make any situation not feel awkward. I would like to iterate that I don’t want to do this thing. - Jake and Phoenix All the homies - Max, Beal Everyone BUT Max - Lilly, Beal Shelby, but I think I could do this with anyone in Beal - Saylor, Beal If I had to pick one person probably Saylor but honestly everyone. I love eating in the nude + yap. Shelby, Beal Jack - bec !!! bowa owa sam or myron i think - abby ohaus Honestly anyone Idgaf - Teah New Comm Hannah and Lydia of Howland - Eva, Howland Angie - Georgia from Vesta Collin or Clay - Elliot, Phoenix Haus It would have to be someone else who isn't cis. - Alex, Phoenix

Fish!!! - Emily, Bowie Caleb, but with pizza. Spaghetti would make them uncomfortable - Jonathan of Bower Willow the rabbit - Lucy, New Comm no one - Isabella R, Hedrick Aidan or Emily

Did you pick up a new skill during lock-down in 2020? Do you still use it four years later? member submitted question I picked up a mental illness that i still use sometimes - Sam Kitson, Phoenix makeup, if that counts as a skill. i got much better at doing more costume-esque makeup, as i was already doing makeup for dance competitions - emily, orion I started learning some,like, audio mixing stuff? Mostly just to make song mashups. I don’t rly use it much but I did make a mashup of Sail and Ivy by Frank Ocean for fun recently - Myron, Orion Pen-spinning! - Gavin, Orion I honestly did about 4 different crafts but I still crochet a lot! i love making things for friends and hats and gloves for winter - ANGIE, VESTA Honestly I wasted days of time playing Overwatch and learned nothing - Emma, Bowie Not a skill but I was hammocking constantly and I definitely don’t do it as much now - Rachael, vesta foraging! varies with the season and how much time i have - rachel, beal NOPE - Aidan McKeon, Bowie yes, i can still cry on cue 4 years later <3 - mylee, phoenix haha no - Alexina Nelson (Prion)

Watching tv 25/7 - Chloe - bower TW: Hiding my mental crisises. I truly can't remember much of lock-down - Clay Phoenix I got really good at studying effectively, then completely stopped trying - Divya, Orion I learned how to play toccata and fugue in d minor by Bach on my shitty keyboard from memory, but that was it LMFAO(it was not good) - aj, vesta No :/ - anna, from da raft Playing Minecraft to drown out the bad emotions - Sam, Phoenix i started doing makeup during covid (i wasn’t allowed to before) and i still do it now ig - avie, phoenix That’s when I got good at chess, 1100 pre lockdown, 1500 post lockdown. - Jake and Phoenix Yes - Jason, PHX Nope just learned an my depression - Max, Beal I went through a lot of hobbies my fav was looming and I don’t currently use it - Lilly, Beal I was GRINDING on stardew valley. Getting real high and staying up late binging oo so good.

ADHD - bec !!! bowa owa i got really good at making homemade bread pretzels!! havent made them in a while, but i know the skill is still there - abby ohaus I made custom furbys and ran an instagram for them - Eva, Howland NO - Georgia from Vesta I picked up meditation which I still use now and it’s super helpful! - Gwen, Orion

Mountain Biking, it has became one of my favorite activities - Elliot, Phoenix Haus I became far better at being aware of my environment because of all the walking I did around my yard listening to podcasts. I use this skill to inject whimsy into every day.. - Alex, Phoenix Winged eyeliner - Emily, Bowie I started learning to grow plants at the onset of the lockdown and now I study crop and soil science at MSU! - Jonathan of Bower Got really good at among us. No, this skill is no longer useful :( - Lucy, New Comm I practiced flexibility but it's all gone now ): - Isabella R, Hedrick I learned I’m not female and I do use this skill for nefarious things

do you think your house stands a chance of winning the golden broom (award for the cleanest house) HELL FUCKING NO - Sam Kitson, Phoenix *insane uncontrollable laughter* - emily, orion Absolutely not - Myron, Orion Nah. - Gavin, Orion Absolutely - Gabriel, Hedrick nah

😭😭 - ANGIE, VESTA

I think we stand pretty well. A reason I joined Bowie was because of the clean house! - Emma, Bowie Nar but it’s okay vesta has many perks we love her - Rachael, vesta we plan on it

😏 - rachel, beal

YES - Aidan McKeon, Bowie No. - mylee, phoenix

Probably not - Justin Mishina, Vesta Possibly - Alexina Nelson (Prion) We WILL win the golden broom - no ifs ands or butts - Chloe - bower I had hope but not so much recently but we got time to try - Clay Phoenix ......you know what, yeah I do. vesta can be gross but lets figure it out Haus >:)) - aj, vesta Maybe - anna, from da raft ABSOLUTELY NOT - Sam, Phoenix GODDDD no - avie, phoenix Yes, I think if we put all 29 of our heads together and put in some work, Phoenix 100% has the potential to egg every house and win by default. - Jake and Phoenix more like cleanest housing corporation - Jason, PHX We always win - Max, Beal Hmmmmm we shall see - Lilly, Beal Yes!! - Saylor, Beal FUCK YEAH LETS GO BEAL!!! - Shelby, Beal yes i genuinely do - bec !!! bowa owa no lmao - abby ohaus Lowkey yea I’ve seen worse - Teah New Comm Yes that shit chore checked by Syd and I and we’re eating it up - Eva, Howland Who else is gonna win it lmao - Yousif, helprick Uhhh no maybe? Probably not - Gwen, Orion I'd be surprised - Elliot, Phoenix Haus

As a facilities officer, no. This is partly my fault. - Alex, Phoenix perhaps - Emily, Bowie top 5 fr sure - Jonathan of Bower No lol - Lucy, New Comm i sure hope so - Isabella R, Hedrick Yesssss

book recommendations (novels, comics, graphic novels, manga and comics are all welcome, just specify plz) member submitted A clockwork orange and I'm thinking of ending things are my favorite books - Sam Kitson, Phoenix the end of the f***ing world - emily, orion Chainsaw Man (manga NOT THE ANIME), The Rook by Daniel O’Malley (book) and also the second book Stiletto - Myron, Orion Dandadan, Yukinobu Tatsu - Gavin, Orion The Bottoms- novel by Joe R. Landsdale - Onyx- Bower Ishmael by Daniel Quinn - Gabriel, Hedrick anything ali hazelwood!! she is a romance writer! also i would highly rec checking out the surplus store for books! (they have like brand new ones for $1 each) - ANGIE, VESTA If you've ever read the Twilight books and not just watched the movies you'd understand - Emma, Bowie fantasy: priory of the orange tree (SO well written with a LOVELY sapphic romance and complex characters), fiction: life and death of the Great Lakes (phenomenal book on the history of threats facing the Great Lakes!!) - rachel, beal the encyclopedia of dog breeds (how can you not like a dog picture book???) - mylee, phoenix My Deer Friend Nokotan - Justin Mishina, Vesta

Braiding Sweetgrass- very educational on indigenous knowledge tied into western science- in my opinion everyone should read it if your are interested in the subject of ecology and indigenous culture - Chloe - bower Avoid Homestuck it got it's grips into me and now I'm planning out an entire storyline and am trying to stop myself from learning MS Paint and how to make a fan comic - Clay Phoenix one piece like fr - anna, from da raft warrior cat graphic novel (hear me out) - avie, phoenix Watchmen - Jake and Phoenix Down to earth manga on webtoons - Max, Beal Snot girl (comic, by same guy as Scott pilgrim) - Lilly, Beal Parable of the Sower - Saylor, Beal David & Goliath by Malcom Gladwell (nonfiction psycology, its amazing) - abby ohaus R.U. Screwed - bl webcomic. Very wholesome I love it. - Teah New Comm Dandadan‼️‼️‼️‼️ Anime just came out too if you hate words - Yousif, helprick ACOTAR/TOG - anything Sarah J Maas, also very into Red Rising series if you want more sci-fi low spice adventure novel - Gwen, Orion Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - Elliot, Phoenix Haus Lost in Ideology by Jason Blakely. An excellent "bird watching" tool for modern political ideology and a practical argument that ideologies are frameworks that alter the physical world to reproduce themselves. - Alex, Phoenix The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - Jonathan of Bower Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago - Lucy, New Comm House of Leaves, it’s a very weird psychological horror novel, infamously hard to read. - Graciela, Ferency i can't read - Isabella R, Hedrick Darbi, webtoon- gore warning, but fantastic story about a baby T. rex and his family. Vulgar, well written, and just being finished. I’ve been reading it since high school

what's your favorite animated movie?

Secret of the Kells - Ethan, Orion Paranorman - Sam Kitson, Phoenix can’t think of one right now, but i LOVED cars when i was in preschool - emily, orion The SpongeBob Movie - Myron, Orion Currently? Puss In Boots 2 - Gavin, Orion The Corpse Bride - Onyx- Bower Rango - Gabriel, Hedrick princess and the frog!!!!! one of the only disney movies where the prince falls in love with the “princess” because she is hard working and does everything herself!!! - ANGIE, VESTA Encanto - Emma, Bowie Totoro - Rachael, vesta CARS - rachel, beal Surfs up - Aidan McKeon, Bowie Doogal (2006) - mylee, phoenix My Neighbor Totoro - Justin Mishina, Vesta Ponyo - Chloe - bower Literally impossible to choose just one. Recently been thinking about how I don’t think enough people appreciate The Book of Life (on my list of "the conflict would be resolved if people would just accept polyamory" media) but Spiderverse movies are my favs - Clay Phoenix The Corpse Bride - Sam, Phoenix trolls band together, lego movie, mr peabody and sherman (i have so many) - avie, phoenix Up - Jake and Phoenix How to train your dragon

🐲 - Max, Beal

Kiki’s delivery service - Lilly, Beal Moana - Saylor, Beal Over the hedge is so underrated - Shelby, Beal Howls Moving Castle - abby ohaus Nimona is really good but my classic is Tangled - Teah New Comm Bambi - Gwen, Orion Spirited Away - Elliot, Phoenix Haus I admit that I need to watch more, but from movies that I've seen I would say Caroline. - Alex, Phoenix Does The Smosh Movie count? - Emily, Bowie The Spongebob Squarepants movie - Jonathan of Bower Mulan - Lucy, New Comm Children of the Sea - Graciela, Ferency hotel transylvania - Isabella R, Hedrick Fantastic Mr. Fox

best cheap place to eat out, member submitted not a resturant, but Aldi is great for grocery shopping :)) - Sam Kitson, Phoenix bell of tacos FS - emily, orion Cheap is a myth in East Lansing but Tacqueria fire taco is so fuckin good - Myron, Orion Rice Kitchen. - Gavin, Orion Dumpster Dive!! - Onyx- Bower University wiener - Gabriel, Hedrick rice kitchen and lottee market - ANGIE, VESTA

Definitely Omi Sushi in East Lansing! If you go during lunch hours 11-3, you can get 3 different things for just like $10'ish! - Emma, Bowie I like no Thai because I usually get a couple meals out of it so it feels worth my money - Rachael, vesta Fleetwood diner - rachel, beal nowhere :( - Aidan McKeon, Bowie We got food at home - mylee, phoenix Sapporo Ramen and Noodle Bar (317 M.A.C. Avenue) - Justin Mishina, Vesta Sapporo (big bowl of soup is about 10-15 bucks) (definitely not influenced by me eating here as I fill this out) (the hakata modern and butter corn shoyu are my favorites) - Alexina Nelson (Prion) Best place that has great food- Ozones Brewhouse in old town Lansing- but go with me or Logan so you can get discounts;)) - Chloe - bower When someone is buying the meal for you - Clay Phoenix YUM YUM BENTO - aj, vesta Omi sushi - Sam, Phoenix canes is pretty good for the amount you get/quality of food but i’m biased bc i work there - avie, phoenix I really like Flashfood, but you gotta be comfortable with imminent expiration dates. - Jake and Phoenix Ur mom - Jason, PHX No thai - Max, Beal Omi sushi if u order veggie rolls - Lilly, Beal Kimchi Box - no place is that cheap anymore :( - Saylor, Beal The Kung fu - Shelby, Beal any gas station - bec !!! bowa owa

jalapeños in downtown lansing!! only open 9 to 2 though :// - abby ohaus Popeyes - Teah New Comm ihop - Eva, Howland Subway - Gwen, Orion Omi Sushi - $7 soup appetizer that's the size of whole meal - Elliot, Phoenix Haus Just get a microwaveable or pre-heated egg burrito from a Sparty's and sit down somewhere. - Alex, Phoenix ur mom - Emily, Bowie Eating out cheap and for the best are a tough combo - Jonathan of Bower Sushiya - Isabella R, Hedrick No Thai is usually two meals for the small-stomached

favorite fall/winter dish, member submitted Chili - Ethan, Orion been fucking up buttered noodles and cheese bread - Sam Kitson, Phoenix pumpkin bread >>> - emily, orion Tomato soup and grilled cheese! - Gavin, Orion Pumpkin Muffins - Onyx- Bower Anything with apples in it - Gabriel, Hedrick SOUP ALL OF IT - ANGIE, VESTA All of my old Halloween Candy - Emma, Bowie Pumpkin muff - Rachael, vesta Acorn Squash - rachel, beal

pumpkin bread - Aidan McKeon, Bowie nutmeg ginger apple snaps!!! - mylee, phoenix (recipe drop when??)

Apple pie - Justin Mishina, Vesta any type of pumpkin dessert (no pumpkin spice anything though) - Alexina Nelson (Prion) SOUPPPPP - Chloe - bower Candied yams - Clay Phoenix soljanka w bread. :333 - aj, vesta does a drink count? bc if so caramel apple cider is so fire - anna, from da raft Corn bread casserole - Sam, Phoenix i don’t choose dishes based on the season so i’ll say my general favorite which is sam’s moms chicken tacos - avie, phoenix The little paper plates shaped like Jack-O-Lanterns, always a classic. - Jake and Phoenix Stuffing - Max, Beal Anything with bri - Lilly, Beal Soups!! I recently made chili - Saylor, Beal Stuffed squash - Shelby, Beal Squash Soup!!!11 - bec !!! bowa owa

butternut squash mac and cheese! - Rebecca, Howland apple crisp! - abby ohaus Sweet potatoes - Teah New Comm Any pie - Eva, Howland Mashed Potatoes - Georgia from Vesta

Pecan Pie - Gwen, Orion Anything in the classic Americana breakfast canon (eggs, pancakes, waffles, omletes, etc.) - Alex, Phoenix Acorn Squash soup - Jonathan of Bower StoveTop stuffing - Lucy, New Comm Acorn Squash with butter and brown sugar,,……

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