Yesterday Valkyries and I had more fun pratting about, like usual. It all started after I told him that I was “keeping you on your toes”; said that I’ve seen construction workers “prancing about” when somebody spills a box of nails. Valkyries said he reaches for a magnet and I said that “a practical problem requires a practical solution”, I also said that he wasn’t allowed to quote that at me in the future — he’s not allowed to put me in bondage then say “a practical problem requires a practical solution”. That’s just a dick move that I wouldn’t put past either of my Sirs. 

I also said that I’d “trademarked” it, and Valkyries being who he is, he picked up the gauntlet. 

Valkyries said that he would trademark “practical problems require practical solutions” and I argued that he couldn’t — an idea needs to be “significantly different” from an original in order to not break intellectual property rules. Moving (and duplicating) an S probably won’t cut it. 

So that all ended with us playfully disputing how we would make our cases for copyright and free use (of the quote) — playing our hand, as it were. I warned Valkyries that I “know a good lawyer” if he wants to dispute it, and he warned me that it “only goes one way” once someone threatens to lawyer up. I pointed to the two cases that I’ve won (and none that I’ve lost). I’m not afraid, Sir.

The result of this stand off was us both scrambling to Google to check whether anybody quotable has ever actually said “a practical problem requires a practical solution”, and Valkyries panicking that I was taking this whole thing too seriously. 

Realising that he’d blinked first, he then scrambled to course correct. Too late, my darling strategist had handed me the win. 

I hit him with the two words that no gamer likes to hear after a defeat — good game. 

I do remember too, about a week ago now and when things were a bit tense between us, I asked on our Discord server what (instrument) folks thought I used to play, and Valkyries said “boys and men at their own game”. I rolled my eyes at that. 

Really, Sir. Really? 

Don’t hate the player, Sir. Hate the game. 

Besides, you were warned that I play a good game 😉

Master Levi and I are starting to catch up on housework, after our recent bout of illnesses. Not in big ways, but in those little ways that show. We cleared a backlog of cardboard boxes from the flat last night, that had accumulated between Amazon deliveries and colds. It’s nice to remember what colour the carpet is. 

This morning I grabbed a well-overdue shower, that I hadn’t dared to risk this past week with my balance being like it was. It feels good to feel 60% less werewolf again, and a little more like myself. 

On my way back from the shower, I couldn’t help but think of B again. Not that I miss him — my mind, body and heart are quite full these days — but sometimes we can’t truly enjoy our present without remembering our past. 

My mind started playing Justin Timberlake’s “Cry me A River”, and I had to wonder whether we ever really recover from someone cheating on us — or trying to cheat on us, more accurately. 

I had to wonder what he might think if he knew about my new polycule; I had to wonder if he would care. Would he be happy for me? Sad? Did he miss me? Had he found someone new to make him happy, too?

In the end, I decided that it didn’t really matter. Perhaps the answer was in the song:

Should’ve picked honesty, then you may not have blown it (yeah).