#17 cricket universe stories

[disneytva]

October 2024 Programming Highlights

Friday, Oct. 4 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Kindergarten: The Musical “The Witch and I/Berti and the Beast” (1-17) (8:00-8:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/9:00-9:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “The Witch and I” – Ms. Moreno dresses up in a witch costume, and the kids think she’s a real witch.

“Berti and the Beast” – The kindergartners go pumpkin picking, and Berti picks a lumpy, bumpy pumpkin. TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Disney Jr.’s Ariel “The Kite Monster/The Spooky Mirror Trick” (1-13) (8:30-9:00 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/9:30-10:00 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “The Kite Monster” – When Fernie doesn’t believe in the Kite Monster legend like his friends do, he starts to ruin their fun.

“The Spooky Mirror Trick” – Flounder uses Ursula’s magic mirror to play a trick on his friends. TV-Y

Saturday, Oct. 5 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD Hamster & Gretel “I Think Therefore I Slam/Thanks, But No Pranks” (2-07) (10:00-10:30 a.m. EDT) “I Think Therefore I Slam” – Gretel tries to hang with the cool kids and must protect them from a disgraced mascot.

“Thanks, But No Pranks” – Kevin and Anthony’s desire to be on a prank show threatens their friendship. TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD Hamster & Gretel “The Silence of the Tchotchkes/A Car is Born” (2-08) (10:30-11:00 a.m. EDT) “The Silence of the Tchotchkes” – Fred turns to Tchotchke Jones for help finding a new villain that has shrunk Kevin.

“A Car is Born” – Hamster and Gretel fight a man who has fused himself with a car. TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD Kiff Full-Length Halloween Special “The Haunting of Miss McGravy’s House” (7:30-8:00 p.m. EDT) In this full-length special, Kiff and her friends haunt a house on Halloween to save it from being sold. TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD

Big City Greens “Fortune Feller/No Escape” (8:00 p.m - 8:30 p.m. EDT) Fortune Feller: Cricket tries to avoid a fortune teller’s ominous prediction that he’s going to get a stinky slap. No Escape: In an inescapable escape room, Cricket must decide … family or freedom.

TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD Primos “Summer of Hacienda Chills/Summer of Los Bots” (1-23) (8:30-9:00 p.m. EDT) “Summer of Hacienda Chills” – Tater and Lotlot uncover the reason why the summer has been so spooky.

“Summer of Los Bots” – Tater wants payback for being Gordita’s lab rat. TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series “Screambrook” (1-12) (9:00-9:30 p.m. EDT) In this Halloween special, we visit an alternate universe where humans, zombies and werewolves square off in an epic dance battle on the night of Halloween! TV-G

Friday, Oct. 11

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Kindergarten: The Musical “Phantom of the Trumpet/Food Glorious Food Fair” (1-06) (8:00-8:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/11:00-11:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Phantom of the Trumpet” – Kenji is excited to play his trumpet until he gets on stage and freezes. *GRAMMY®-nominated singer Aloe Blacc recurs as Berti’s Papi.

“Food Glorious Food Fair” – Berti brings rice with pigeon peas to the food fair but worries that her friends won’t like it. *Ana Isabelle (“West Side Story”) recurs as Berti’s Mami. TV-Y

Saturday, Oct. 12

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD Hamster & Gretel “Who’s In Charge?/Fools of Engagement” (2-09) (10:00-10:30 a.m. EDT) “Who’s In Charge?” – Gretel and Bailey accidentally release an evil scientist from a VHS tape.

“Fools of Engagement” – Fistpuncher and Footkicker attack the mall while Lauren tries to prove she’s good now. TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD Hamster & Gretel “The New Adventures of Super Kevin” (2-10) (10:30-11:00 a.m. EDT) Gretel’s powers are transferred to Kevin, making him into Super Guy. Gretel must compete against fierce aliens without the help of her powers. TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series “The Return of the Living Zed/Paint it Blech” (1-13) (11:00-11:30 a.m. EDT) “The Return of the Living Zed” – Zed is haunted by a digital phantom of his younger self.

“Paint it Blech” – Addison must find a way to silence her inner critic before she gives up on art altogether. TV-G

Friday, Oct. 18 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Kindergarten: The Musical “All or Muffin/Bring in ‘da Cake, Bring in ‘da Fun” (1-10) (8:00-8:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/11:00-11:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “All or Muffin” – A muffin goes missing so the kindergarteners play detective to figure out who took it. *GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Leona Lewis guest stars as Hedgehog Holmes.

“Bring in ‘da Cake, Bring in ‘da Fun” – Abigail plans the perfect birthday party for Albert Applesauce, the class guinea pig. TV-Y

Saturday, Oct. 19 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD Hamster & Gretel “The Search for Super Guy/Lorraine, Rattle, and Roll” (2-11) (10:00-10:30 a.m. EDT) “The Search for Super Guy” – Ms. Night, the new journalism teacher, encourages Hiromi to find Super Guy.

“Lorraine, Rattle, and Roll” – Nordle’s aunt is sucked into an alternate universe at his birthday party. TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series “The Dark Side of the Moonies/AWOOtiful Mind” (1-14) (11:00-11:30 a.m. EDT) “The Dark Side of the Moonies” – Bucky experiences what it’s like to be a werewolf.

“AWOOtiful Mind” – Determined to win Seabrook’s quiz bowl, Eliza builds a W-band to help her partner Wynter focus. TV-G

Friday, Oct. 25 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Disney Jr.’s Ariel “Fernie’s Dra Konfó/Lucia, Lucia, Lucia!” (1-15) (9:00-9:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/10:00-10:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Fernie’s Dra Konfó” – When Fernie forgets his comfort blanket at home, he puts on a brave face in front of his friends by saying he doesn’t need it to fall asleep.

“Lucia, Lucia, Lucia!” – Lucia makes two other versions of herself so she can be at three different playdates at once. TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior and Disney Channel Kindergarten: The Musical “Don’t Grow for Me/You Can’t Stop the Beads” (1-11) (8:00-8:25 a.m. EDT on Disney Junior/11:00-11:30 a.m. EDT on Disney Channel) “Don’t Grow for Me” – Radish swallows an apple seed and worries that an apple tree will grow in his tummy.

“You Can’t Stop the Beads” – Berti and Rose open a “bracelet shop” but struggle to make bracelets for everyone. TV-Y

Saturday, Oct. 26 Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel and Disney XD ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series “Teeny Witch/The Hunter Games” (1-15) (11:00-11:30 a.m. EDT) “Teeny Witch” – Dae’s lack of self-confidence causes her to shrink!

“The Hunter Games” – Monster hunter Harley returns to Seabrook and tries to destroy the werewolves’ moonstone. TV-G

[samwrites99]

1.How many works do you have on AO3?

20 works

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

170,154

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Law and Order SVU and Organized Crime

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

A decade without

Geocache

Bankers box

This is her story

Boarding passes

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to, as much as I can now! I wasn’t too good at it when I first started writing fic about a year ago-ish, but I’ve come to like the interaction with people :)

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

either uncharted (bc it basically was a prequel fic to SVU ROTPS (back door pilot to Organized Crime) OR Purgatory (which basically was EO stuck together in hiding but it’s just them *not talking* featuring an unused shotgun).

Idk I try to end my fics on a happy note bc that’s just the type of person I am.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

THIS IS HARD — like I said, I really try to end on a positive note because I love to wrap things up in a cutesy little bow but maybe geocache or bankers box since those are coming home stories.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I did once, but I’ve since learned the art of comment moderation 🫡

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I’m inclined to say no, but that would be a lie. I did in like 1 AU pilots fic. People said they liked it (maybe?) but I also am super uncomfortable writing it. It was a nice challenge to write it and to get out of my comfort zone.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

SVU/OC live in the same universe, so while technically a crossover, I’m not going to count it here.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of! But I have used Google translate in fic to have dialogue in another language.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Right now, it’s EO bc they’re the ship that got me to dive head first into all things fandom.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

….. gonna have crickets here…..

it’s not that I don’t like my 2 WIPs, it’s just that I think I bite off more than I can chew with both of them and I have second hand embarrassment from them now.

I also prefer to live in oneshot heaven 😇

16. What are your writing strengths?

Not sure… I like to think I can write a loosely enough connected thread to make a storyline come out of the woodworks… but I also don’t know exactly.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Oh most definitely grammar.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I’ve done it! It’s fun and at least for the EO ship, it’s a playground bc it’s a detail that we as fans know but the writers room seems to ignore/not sure how to incorporate it. Live laugh love continuity.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

SVU/OC

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

oh gosh… this feels like a toss up because I have a few I always rec to people… this is her story holds a special place in my heart, but I also ADORE bankers box and geocache. Probably those 3 I feel like best represent my work, but I have little pieces of my heart deposited into all my writing 🫶

Thanks for the tag @somuchwhatever . If you come across this feel free to do it yourself!

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

I loved The Webs in the Rafters! How’d you come up with the idea for it?

Dude I’m so stoked you liked it!!! And how TWITR came to be is kind of a crazy story lmfao

So my whole life I’ve had super bizarre, extremely vivid dreams, and one night back in late September, I essentially dreamed what would eventually become chapter 17, from the pov of the Kenny character. I’m talkin (minor spoilers from here on out for those who haven’t read it) the sleet hitting the dry grass, the cricket hopping through my vision, Sansa the dog telepathically telling me to whistle, helicopter blades whirring overhead, the supernatural barncats jumping the bad guy. I also remember having dreamt random other parts, namely the prologue “crawlspace”, with the new hire that ended up being Kenny getting stuck inside the wall and meeting long time ranch hand Butters. When I woke up, I was like oh my god I have to South Park all over this.

And so I started thinking it out; right away I knew I wanted my “new guy” to be Kenny, simply because I LOVE the idea of him being overly perceptive and incredibly observant, even when no one can outright answer his questions. I knew I wanted Bunny endgame, and originally the story was going to be a lot more Kenny centric in general, but I’m glad I gave most everyone their time to narrate, to see things as they were across the board. I had also initially planned on the dark themes being even darker, which brings me to:

Why dark Cryle with Style endgame? Aight so if we recall, TWITR dropped during a period where there was kind of a lull in the sp fandom, which is when I was binge reading fics with some seriously depraved stories and characters, and a lot of the time that fucked up character was Craig, and the victim of his depravity was Kyle. I do enjoy a nice cryle plot too, but I ADORE the idea of a headstrong, inquisitive and intuitive, largely optimistic and idealistic passionate Kyle knowing he has to walk on eggshells around Craig or there will be consequences. I’m glad I stuck more to the gaslighting and manipulation rather than going full out with the domestic violence route, not only because I don’t think I could stomach it (chapter 14 was painful enough as is) but also because I think the subtlety was more cohesive with the themes of secrecy in the story. And Style endgame, because I AM a Style gorlie at heart and I fucking love writing my sweet boy Stan.

Now, why spiders? Simply because I am so incredibly goddamn arachnophobic. Y’all I’m terrified of spiders. I don’t like the way they just appear out of nowhere, the way you can walk through a web you didn’t see, the way they move, how dangerous some are, all of it. So that struck me as the perfect motif here.

I had a rough outline before I started writing; I knew I wanted the demise of the Spider, that part of my dream, to be the climax of the story, but I wasn’t sure initially what I wanted the catalyst of Kyle accepting that something was up and the ranch hands joining forces to be. I wound up driving 6 hours to a friends wedding earlyish into writing the story and RAWDOGGED that drive, no music no podcast no nothing, just mentally writing and structuring. Yes I’m insane. But, I’m happy with the structure and pacing I wound up with ultimately so it worked lmao

I had a lot of fun writing characters I hadn’t written from before at that point, and deciding everyone’s role and personality and the dynamics in the universe. TWITR was also the reason I started writing Cartman, whereas before I struggled a lot with him because for a long time I thought he HAD to be a villain, and I generally stick to fluff and hurt/comfort in my silly little WhumpShots so I’d usually leave him out. But planning this fic made me see the light of how much NUANCE he can have (this is when I wrote A Movie About A Boy And His Dog to get a feel of how I wanted to write my favorite abrasive fuckwad) and now Cartman is one of my favorites to write into a story. Also him and the cats lmfao iconic.

At the time I was posting TWITR, it was NOT a hit at all. I’ve mentioned this before, and I had a few SUPER KICKASS PEOPLE reading and hyping it up in the comments (Nina and Ana are whole ass a huge part of why I didn’t get frustrated at the extremely low kudos to hits ratio I love y’all) but it was REALLY discouraging to feel like I was so stoked about this story only to have it flop with everyone but me and a handful of diligent readers. Seeing people read my weird ass story now is SO RAD DUDE like when it started getting more love fairly recently I was AWESTRUCK! And I know I’m more small time; I’m not getting hundreds of likes every story, and I’m cool with that. I’m not writing legendary fics; my most kudosed story is a few over 200 and I am perfectly chill with getting under 50 likes on my silly whumpshots. I am human tho (tragically) and seeing anyone read or ask about any of my stuff makes me SO excited, even if it’s an unserious little 1.5k story about the main 4 tripping on shrooms in the woods or something. I write what I want to read and enjoy doing so, so it’s kickass when other people enjoy it!

As for the sequel oneshots in the series, I wanted to explore the aftermath and healing following the events of the main story, with Kyle finally coming to terms with the abuse he’d been blind to for so long, with the realization that he’d been in the dark, because realistically he would NOT be okay after all that. I almost didn’t write No Strings Attached or Trapdoor, just bc TWITR was kind of niche in general and I knew it wouldn’t get a whole lot of engagement since you do kind of need context, but I’m very glad I wrote em lmao

Ok kinda went off topic there, but I am THRILLED that you enjoyed The Webs In The Rafters and thank you SO MUCH for this ask!!!

[lotzzoforangezoutside]

THE LIST IV

Original Series:

The Colors  |  In the Kitchen  |  The Straightest Road in Texas  |  The Refrigerator  |  The Road Not Traveled  |  A Matinee  |  Scully’s Sunflower Seeds  |  Kitten Sleep Sessions  |  The Worries of an Insomniac  |  Buzz  |  One Two Three Four  |  Routine  |  The Catalog  |  The Kelly Green Cummerbund  |  Thirty-Fourth  |  Doppler Effect  |  How the Rain Fell in Seattle  |  The Abnormally Large Sunflower Seeds  |  Mrs. Green Giant  |  Italian Butter Cookies  |  Clueless  |  Taffy  |  Collide  |  Things We Say When We’re Not (Exactly) Ourselves  |  A Quarantine  |  Simplicity  |  To No End  |  American Tourists  |  Ten-Thousand Years  |  A Dilemma  |  Memento  |  The Beginning  |  Mother Tongue  |  Idiosyncrasies  |  Impromptu  |  Push-and-Go  |  Get to Me  |  Celebrations  |  A Single Life  |  Encryption  |  Perfect Oxymoron  |  The Grammar Police  |  The Desert of Colorado  |  White Lies  |  Hypothesis  |  Pop the Magic Dragon  |  The Serenade of the Green Island  |  King’s Version  |  Stonehenge Souvenir  |  The Sun  |  Anywhere  |  Griffins  |  Away O Where  |  The Ferris Wheel  |  A Secret  |  An Exchange  |  The Green-Hair Mermaid and the Pink Pooh Bear  |  Thursday at 5:33p.m.  |  Superman  |  Arnold Palmer  |  Creature of Habit  |  The Roach Motel in Miller’s Grove, Massachusetts  |  Midnight Sky Pie  |  Thumping  |  Boyfriend Material  |  The Best Advertisement  |  At the Le Dampino  |  Spell  |  The New Pathologist  |  Superpower  |  Friday Night Lights  |  Lord of the Flies   |  Epis Taxis  |  Bumper Cars  |  Hell and High Water  |  Sixth and Sixteen  |  A Big Rock  |  Loudly Like This  |  The 67th Hour  |  A Mother’s Love  |  Witch  |  Chance  |  Clowning 101  | 

Emily AU:

Valentine’s Chocolate  |  Snow Day  |  Noodles for Pools  |  A Sticky Situation  |  Neon Letters and Stars  |  A Tip  |  Happily Ever After  | 

Cricket Universe:

Flower  |  The Hug at Breakfast  |  A Valentine’s Baby  |  Possessive Gene  |  One Thousand and One Nights  |  Feeling Like Celebrating  |  The Birds and the Bees  |  The Chimeras  |  What He’s Been Missing  |  The Trainers  |  The Post-Modern Frankenstein  |  Guilty Pleasure  

Just William stories: Big Daddy  |  Additional Pieces  |  Home Alone Too  |  Eighteen Summers  |  Changeling  |  

Jacksons AU: Same Same

Divergence series:

Mayberry  |  Lanyu  | The Metrodome | Hokkaido | the Apartment | New Mexico | Martha’s Vineyard  | The Train |

Conversation in the Very Very Late at Night…fifteen  |  sixteen  |  seventeen

3x ...... twelve

Short shorts & snapshots

drabbles….omega  |  pilot  |  deep throat  | 

[srbachchan]

DAY 5325

Jalsa, Mumbai                  Sept 8/9,  2022                   Thu/Fri  12:24 AM

September 9 .. birthday of .. Ef Anjali .. and .. Ef Shameera aka Shams ☀️ .. from the UK ..  Love and happiness and prayers ever for wonderful times .. 🌷🌷 and 🐻🐻 .. to each .. from your Ef .. ❤️ And it is .. also .. happy wedding anniversary to Ef Tatiana Saavick and her husband Alex .. togetherness .. 💍💕

The speed of a well planned work episode .. the efficiency of the Production .. and the clarity of the maker , the Director of the creative at work place makes an entire 9 hr day complete its work in 2 .. 

This is the appreciation and the strength of assist that any creative artist would crave for .. and when it comes it overflows into affection and the love towards them that execute it with the grace and calm that is so often associated with them ..

the overwhelming cheer of the audience at work, on KBC , has been the incentive for the completeness of work ethics .. they make us they made us and they shall continue to be that force that encourages the likes of us - oldies - to move a leg .. 

words of gratitude and grace are insufficient to express the true value of that moment and many moments after .. feelings expressed through their emotions through their stories of the times gone by and the personal gifts they shower give one such as me, the oft offered tissue to the emotional contestant, to the ‘moi’  .. 

touched and with the feel of them that sit before you, it makes it most difficult to not go back home with all the elements of the feel they bring .. 

.. and as we live another day , the life of another has ended .. the Queen , has passed away .. the Queen of England .. and a host of moments and memories go along with her and her presence  ..

Babuji was in England for his PhD, when she was crowned and the Coronation was the huge event of the moment in 1952 .. and the news and the  books and the curios designed then were dutifully sent to me in Allahabad .. sets of make your own Coronation coach and the various monuments and the finery of a crowning in England were among us at 17, Clive Road, Allahabad and hours spent in building them and getting books and information presented in colourful books were our prized possession ..

.. a private hand shake with her when she was a State Guest during my University days , to India and that exclusive moment at Rashtrapati Bhavan , among the four or five of us .. 

.. the select group of invitees at Buckingham Palace during the time of Babuji’s stay in Cambridge when at a private Tea he was called along with, other country guests .. the Indian Cricket team in particular - the likes of Vinoo Mankad, and Hazare and more .. and the signed autographs of them sent to us on the invitation card from the Palace .. now all lost or misplaced when we shifted from Allahabad to Delhi .. the letters the books and objects of remembrance all lost .. pity .. because the idea of documentation or of reserve and storage in collectibles was never a consideration .. 

.. now as you look back .. the regret and remorse .. 

assessment and impression .. and the belief in the notary that gives conformation of character , attitude and analysis .. of the finding of the inner in the eyes of the other .. in the given as opposed to the have .. all becomes an intense self governance of the self in the mirror .. perhaps .. but little or nothing is ever on the path of correctness .. there is and shall ever be something that shall be elusive .. and yours .. unknown to , at times , even the self  ..

does one then live to the assess of the other .. reveal the reality, or sleep over it and let it remain in the vision of the self .. 

.. the latter is preferred ..

some elements must ever remain, within .. 

the reference of the ‘open book’ is in the writing vocabulary of literary interest .. but does it sustain to the self .. I doubt .. 

that is how it should remain ..  no effort to be made to prophesy it , but for it to be in the presence and know of the self ..

in the 🌸🌿 of the night and among the dew drops from the silent skies ..

Amitabh Bachchan

[conscience-killer]

Yooo gimme 2,11,16,17 and 21

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

I’m not embarrassed about it existing, but Nice Guys Finish Last is rough as a bear’s arse and still manages to amass kudos like a motherfucker. That said, it’s now been overtaken by the only fic with a premise that still makes my skin crawl, From Despair to Where. People be nasty. 😂

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

Well, technically all of it. I knew jack and shit when I started. But, if we’re looking at specifics, I’ve come a long way with regards to unpacking the old thought, or at the very least, I try, lol.

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

Matthew “Rickety Cricket” Mara has not left my stream of consciousness since Blasphemy, and honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

It sounds trite but I’d say, “Elaine, my dude, write for you. Even if it’s the rarest of rarepairs, even if it’s Rickety Cricket banging a sex doll in the eye socket, you’ll have a lot more fun if you’re the only person riding the swing in that particular playground."

I wasted a lot of energy getting angry at the Gotham fandom when it grew exponentially overnight because it felt like everything we’d worked towards had been set on fire. And while that did lead to a lot of pushback darkfic (and holy sweet goddamn, was that fun), it was ultimately futile, and it just wasn’t worth getting pissed about. Also, I’d like to think I’ve mellowed over time. 

Ultimately: Don’t waste time on universes with no place for you anymore. Create your own. :)

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

A couple of years ago I reread Checkmate just to see whether or not I hated it. And, glaring squiffy tenses, pov-hopping and epithets aside, I didn’t actually hate it at all. The story really isn’t half bad, it’s just technically rough as all fuck.

[they-call-it-traffic]

11

14

17

41

62

63

98

🐣

I love you 😂❤🧟‍��️

11. Something neat I’ve learned while doing research and how much do I worry about research in general.

Few weeks back I watched two YouTube videos explaining the rules of cricket, because I was looking for the name of a specific throw for a metaphor that I ended up not using. So it turned out pretty useless for my story, but at least now I finally understand what that sport is all about!

Also once, I had a conversation with a real paramedic for a tragic medical emergency storyline. In the end I disregarded half of the thing he told me coz it wasn’t plot convenient 🙃 but it was super interesting.

Overall I care a lot -too much- about accuracy and not being second-guessed by anyone (apart when I write things that only my three biggest fans will read) but I’m also lazy. Which is why I tend to stick to what I know or to fields that someone I’m close to is knowledgeable about. That way I can just Whatsapp them very specific questions instead of spending hours on Google for a couple of lines in my story.

14. Worst writing habit.

I guess it’s the fact that my brain has decided a long time ago that it wouldn’t be productive at home earlier than 10pm. So in order to write during the day, I need to go to coffee shops where I spend a looooot of money on coffee and food.

17. Favourite line I’ve ever written.

Hmm, I don’t know… I guess right now I want to say ‘Liberté, égalité, frappucino’ (which means nothing out of context haha), because I don’t often amuse myself but I’m still laughing about it two weeks later. Overall, I’ll kind of cheat my way around that question and say ‘Mais tu te trompes. Le plus avisé de tous les professeurs, c’est toi.’ Not for its quality but just because it’s the final line of my biggest pride and accomplishment so far.

41. Weirdest story idea I’ve ever had.

It has to go back to McFly times, when my sister and I used to come up with three new ideas every week, putting the boys in all sorts of scenarios. I can’t really recall the weirdest one, but I guess the weirdest thing we’ve done is to make the McFly characters from her main fanfic and the McFly characters from my main fanfic become friends and chat online for hours in a sort of undefined universe.

62. Weirdest reason I’ve ever shipped something.

I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting about my weirdest ship here, but for now I’ll go with one that might not be ‘weird’ but still a bit wtf. Again with my sister, we wrote that AU fic where every single MCU character (existing back then) were students in an American high school. We built the story around mainstream ships like Stucky and Clintasha, but along the way some crossovers relationships developed in our universe and I ended up shipping Wanda Maximoff from Avengers and Matt Murdock from Daredevil so hard. To the point that I started writing a sequel spinoff fic about them and I actually ship the two MCU characters even though they’ve never been and will never be in the same movie/TV show.

63. Best insult I’ve read in a fic.

Okay, because I can’t recall any great insult read in someone else’s fic, I’ll go with one of mine, because ‘You judgemental caring kissing piece of shit!’ (and the context it was said in my ‘fine arts school’ fic) is something I’m pretty proud of.

98. What I don’t like about my writing style.

I don’t like that I’m still a bit too ‘shy’ about being crude and gutsy in my writing, sometimes it’s a bit too polished, when rougher phrasing can hit the reader right in the feels, and makes it easier to respect the ‘show don’t tell’ rule. But because it doesn’t come naturally to me, if I do it, it doesn’t read natural so most of the time I reverse back to being more poetic and stylistic.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Let's eat all the cicadas!

Brood 17 - the unbelievable large swarm of 17-year cicadas - is already emerging in parts of America. This summer, Americans in the brood's path will experience a plague(ish) of locusts(ish), as the skies darken and the roads run slick with bug-guts.

Writing for Wired, Kate Knibbs brings us the cuisine of Bun Lai1, a renowned chef who has pioneered "sustainable sushi" and is now foraging in DC for early B-17 bugs to turn into chow: pizza, paella, and sushi.

https://www.wired.com/story/eating-cicadas-brood-x/

In much of the world, eating bugs is no big deal, and not just novelties like chocolate ants: think of chapulin tacos, the Oaxacan grasshopper delicacies. These are a serious seasonal delight in LA, and I can personally attest to their deliciousness.

https://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-eat-your-crickets-los-angeles-chapulin-capital-20130709-story.html

The most exciting thing about eating bugs is not in the fact that they're bugs, but rather in that they are considered a pest and a problem, which we can turn into a delicacy. Bugs (including "pests") are high protein, low-carbon, and abundant.

If you pay attention to the climate emergency, it's hard to avoid the nagging sense that every time you eat, you're contributing to the planet's destruction. Food's got a heck of a carbon footprint, especially farmed food, *especially* farmed *meat*.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/06/methane-diet/#3kg-per-day

Which is why the idea of eating pests and invasive species is so exciting. It's not just the idea that you're eating "guiltless" food, it's the weird sense that maybe we can turn the destructive power of the capitalism machine on things we want to get rid of.

Capitalism, after all, is true star of Nick Bostrom's thought-experiment of a paperclip-manufacturing AI that optimizes and optimizes itself.

https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai.html

It barrels on and on until it turns the entire universe into paperclips. The "slow AIs" of shareholder capitalist enterprises pursue profit to the destruction of their environments, workforces, customers and societies:

https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/index2.html

It's a cruel irony that our asset bubbles are always fueled by destruction of something we need (like a breathable atmosphere and a planet that isn't on fire), rather than, say, the destruction of invasive species or pandemic viruses or similar.

https://boingboing.net/2021/05/10/power-plant-using-whole-output-to-mine-crypto.html

Wouldn't it be great if, instead of a foie gras-eating fad, we had a *kudzu*-eating fad, one that saw all the kudzu in the American south harvested to feed the rapacious kudzu-barons' vast kudzu empires? (Kudzu cookery exists, but has not caught fire).

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/indiana/stories-in-indiana/kudzu-invasive-species/

The closest thing to this that I've encountered in the wild are the delicious lionfish tacos in the scuba towns in Roatan, Honduras, where invasive lionfish (possibly descended from aquarium escapees) are destroying the reef ecosystem.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/ecosystems/impacts-invasive-lionfish

To be clear, lionfish taste good! But also, the experience of lionfish is doubly delicious because you know you're creating a market for scuba guides and fishermen to hunt lionfish, and if this drives them to extinction, that'd be a *good* thing for the planet!

This idea - driving a social phenomenon with markets - surfaces from time to time in science fiction. In Damon Knight's 1992 comic masterpiece WHY DO BIRDS?, an ad-agency is recruited to convince the entire human race to climb into a box (!).

https://memex.craphound.com/2018/12/28/why-do-birds-damon-knights-amazing-underappreciated-science-fiction-novel-about-putting-all-of-humanity-in-a-box/

The agency hits on a winning strategy: they announce that only rich people are *allowed* in the box and that box-berth prices are sky-high.

Soon, plutes are clamoring for spots, while the rest of the world demands climb-into-the-box equity to end being-in-a-box inequality.

Eight years later, Bruce Sterling proposed something similar to deal with climate change, in his brilliant 2000 Viridian Design Manifesto, which called on ecologists to rethink ecological measures as exclusive luxuries.

http://www.viridiandesign.org/manifesto.html

The idea wasn't to actually make ecologically sound living into the exclusive purview of the wealthy, but rather to make ecological living into something both status-defining *and* aspirational, creating demand across the board for sustainable technology.

But markets have a failure mode, that paperclip tragedy mode, which is that they are purely instrumental, driven to maximize their victory conditions irrespective of whether these become detached from their underlying goals.

Universal Paperclips are a subspecies of Monkey's Paws, in other words, a "be careful what you wish for" parable.

SF's got you covered here, too, as in Harry Harrison's "Make Room! Make Room!" (turned into the movie Soylent Green), where the invasive species we devour to save the planet is…us. (BTW, the Tor edition of the novel has a stupendous cover).

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765318855

Alas, the actual situation is more Make Room! Make Room! than Viridian. Our carbon offsets are a market for lemons, useless performances of conservation what will always be cheaper - and thus more successful in the market - than the real deal.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/12/fairy-use-tale/#greenwashing

And nothing epitomizes the hollowness of the eco-luxury market like Tesla, a company that is only profitable because it sells carbon offsets that keep the SUV market alive - a company whose longterm stability involves bitcoin holdings with the carbon footprint of 1.8m cars.

https://news.yahoo.com/tesla-bitcoin-emissions-carbon-footprint-co2-bank-of-america-153636398.html

Still, I would happily eat some Brood 17 I-can't-believe-its-not-foie-gras.

Header image: Toby Hudson (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AustralianMuseum_cicada_specimen_11.JPG

CC BY-SA: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/au/deed.en

Kudzu image: Natalie Maynor https://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliemaynor/296950248/

CC BY: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[nekomittchi]

My Disney Fab 50 Statues

This is my version of the Disney Fab 50 statues for the WDW 50th Anniversary, and why I picked each one. My list aims much more to park history than the official list does. I'll note which ones are official statues by underlining them. These are in no particular order, but organized by park they'd be in. Magic Kingdom 1) Mickey - Obviously, Mickey, being the park and company mascot, needs to be here, and he's on the official list as well. I chose to put my version in his Philharmagic costume. It's got the hat from Fantasia/Sorcerer's Apprentice, which is well known, but tailored more to the park attraction. 2) Daisy Duck - One of the Fab 6, Daisy is also along for the ride. But unlike the official's "standard" outfit, I'm putting Daisy in a safari outfit to represent Jungle Cruise. Since Jungle Cruise doesn't really have any characters, I'm using outfits, like with Mickey, to represent attractions that otherwise would be left out. 3) Goofy - Another of the Fab 6, Mickey's best friend needs to be represented. Like Daisy, he's also repping a character-less ride. This time he's repping Big Thunder Railroad. As an added bonus, if they put him in a conductor outfit, it could also rep Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, but that's at another park. 4) Pluto - The last of the Fab 6 in this park (the other two I'm placing elsewhere), Mickey's dog Pluto. And since the Park Wishables already put Mickey and Minnie in space suits for Space Mountain, let's give Pluto an astronaut helmet to represent it! And, as an added bonus, it doubles as a take-that at Universal, since Disney can't have Marvel in the WDW parks, and Pluto would be a joke on Cosmo (the space dog in the Collector's museum from Guardians of the Galaxy). 5) Sonny Eclipse - The first statue of mine that's not only unique to my list, but also represents something 100% in the park. I haven't been to Cosmic Rays myself, but from what I hear around WDWNT and WIGScord, it's pretty popular. Or at least Sonny is. So he gets a statue. 6) Merlin and Archmedes - Second statue unique to my list, and the first that's for the history of the park. Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was a scavenger hunt-type game that closed down early this year, and Merlin was kinda your guide for it. The game apparently had a lot of problems, but it looked really fun at the same time. 7) Genie - A surprising omition from the official list, and, unlike DLR, WDW actually has an Aladdin ride. The official list does have Abu, but I feel Genie is much more iconic and representitational of the movie. I'm also surprised that Carpet wasn't with Abu. 8) Pirate Dog - The Pirate Dog holding the keys is my representation of Pirates of the Caribbean. The dog might not be the most obvious pick, but as I'm trying to steer away from realistic-looking human characters, the dog was picked. Plus, they also made a Tsum Tsum and a Wishable of him, so... 9) Big Al OR Henry- This one's a toss-up. Either bear would do, and it's surprising to me that Country Bear Jamboree isn't represented. Of course, we know that it's a "less popular" attraction, so... 10) Madame Leota - The hitchhiking ghosts would also work to represent Haunted Mansion, but I think that having a gold statue inside of an ornate glass orb would look cooler. Plus, it only takes up one character slot, rather than 3. 11) Dumbo - One of the original rides from Disneyland, this classic has to be represented, and Disney agreed. Although I cut out Timothy. Didn't wanna take up another slot. 12) Stitch - Another statue to represent a past attraction, Stitch is here to represent Stitch's Great Escape. He's also, like the official statue, in his 626 form, because there's not nearly as much merchandise for him that way. 13) Winnie the Pooh - Piglet is with him on the official statue, but I think Pooh can stand on his own. Or, at least, eat hunny on his own. I mean, the ride is called "Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," not "Pooh and Friends." Also, Tigger is way better than Piglet. 14) Mr. Toad - Another surprising omition from the list. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride might not be in Magic Kingdom anymore, but he's still fondly remembered, and they even made a Wishable of him (from the Disneyland 65th Anniversary set, but whatever). 15) Maleficent (Dragon) - The first of my statues that's not for an attraction, but a show (okay, Philharmagic is kinda a show, but shush). And she's also considered the "leader" of all of the Disney Villains, who are not represented at all in the official list, which I think is a shame. Sure, we all love the heroes, but who would those heroes be without their villains? 16) Face Clock - The only non-character in my list, the Face Clock is iconic enough for the World's Fair-turned-park ride. Because if you picked one of the dolls, which doll would you pick?! 17) Elliot - I've never seen the Main Street Electrical Parade myself (unless it was when I was 5), but I'd recognize the dragon float from Pete's Dragon anywhere. Bonus points if they could do the statue in such a way that it looked like the float, too. 18) Tinkerbell - The last of the revealed statues, Tinkerbell has come to represent Disney magic, both within and outside the parks, just as much as Mickey. Officially representing Peter Pan's Flight, I'd like to think that she also represents the Castle, like in the company card at the start of the movies. 19) Jose, Michael, Pierre, and Fritz - Yes, I know I've been trying to avoid "wasting" slots with multi-character statues, but... How could you pick just one of the Enchanted Tiki Room birds?! 20) Cheshire Cat - Cheshire and Mad Hatter both made the list (as separate statues), but I feel that Alice in Wonderland can be represented by Cheshire on his own. Plus, cat. 21) Boo - Monster's Inc Laugh Floor is an attraction that I wish was at DLR, so I could go on it, but even better than Sulley or Mike is the adorable Boo. 22) Jimminy Cricket - Yet another surprising omition from the list, Jimminy is almost as iconic to Disney Magic as Tinkerbell is. The official list has Pinocchio, but Jimminy is so much more "Disney" in general than Pinocchio. 23) Dopey - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train represent, as well as Disney's first animated feature. EPCOT 24) Donald Duck, Jose, and Panchito - Mickey's other best friend, here represented with the other two of the Three Caballeros, as represented in the Gran Fiesta Tour ride in the Mexico Pavillion. Like with the other members of the Fab 6, I chose to put him in an attraction outfit, and since I did, the other two had to come along for the ride. 25) Figment - Journey to Imagination (or whatever the current name of the attraction is) might be "meh" as a ride, but everyone loves Figment. Even Disney, who included him. 26) Olaf - I love Bruni. Bruni is probably my favorite character from all of Frozen. But Bruni isn't even named in the movie, he doesn't need to be on a statue. Olaf can represent Frozen Ever After by himself. 27) Remy - I'm shocked that Remy's not on the official list, given that his ride [officially] opens on the first day of the 50th Celebration, and represents the future of the parks. 28) Orange Bird - OB is on the official list, though in MK rather than EPCOT. All of the merch and such I've seen for him has been for the EPCOT festivals, so I'm sticking him here. 29) Rocket Racoon and Groot - Another statue to look to the future, for whenever Cosmic Rewind opens. Also, unlike the official statue, we are not using the realistic style from the official statue. The fur on Rocket looks so bad. Nah, instead we'll do him smooth, like the cartoons. 30) Mushu - Mushu was left out of the live action Mulan movie, but he's designed after traditional Chinese dragons, so let's put him over by the China Pavilion. 31) Marie - Did you really think that this list was not going to have my favorite character on it? I mean, really? Plus, we've got THREE mice/rats on the list, AND a dog, so we need another cat. Hollywood Studios 32) Minnie Mouse - And here we have the last of the Fab 6, Mickey's gal Minnie! Why is she in Hollywood Studios? Because she's representing Tower of Terror, wearing a cute outfit, of course! 33) DJ-R3X - Remember all those Fab 6 characters representing multiple characters? Yeah, R3X here is doing the same. Not only is DJ-R3X the DJ at Oga's Cantina in Galaxy's Edge, but he was originally RX-24, the pilot for the original version of Star Tours. Much better representation than BB-8 or R2-D2 from the official list. 34) Kermit the Frog - One of the more offensive omitions from the official list. MuppetVision3D is great fun, and the Muppets don't get nearly enough love, even with the Haunted Mansion special coming. 35) Chuuby - Okay, so sue me, I'm obsessed with the little merchandising bird. He's just too cute. 36) Woody and Buzz Lightyear - I know the official statue is Woody and Bo-Peep. But I haven't seen Toy Story 4 (or 3), so I want Buzz there. Disney's Animal Kingdom 37) Chip and Dale - Ya gotta have the little buddies! And who better to be wearing cute little Wilderness Explorer outfits? 38) The Yeti - So, the real Yeti might not work in Expedition Everest, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be represented as a statue! Just make sure it's not realistic fur like that horrible Rocket statue. Stylized only! 39) Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa - Simba is separate from his friends in the official statue, but the trio (Simba as a child) should stick together. Festival of the Lion King is amazing to watch. You'll note a few things on my list: 1) There are no princesses. This was a specific omition on my part. The princesses have their own line of stuff, and are fairly over-used as it is. I wanted to get away from that. 2) As I mentioned with the Pirate Dog, I wanted to avoid realistic human characters. They either look good, or they don't. And I wanted a bit more of a similar style to everything, hence why I'm noting that Rocket should be done in the cartoon style, and the Yeti should be stylized. 3) Everything is tied into an attraction, land, or Disney Magic. Nothing is there solely from a movie. 4) My list only has 3 statues more than the official list. 5) For reference, here are the characters that are on the official list that are missing from mine: Timothy the Mouse (with Dumbo) Piglet (with Winnie the Pooh) Bruni (with Olaf) Bo-Peep (with Woody) Lumiere and Cogsworth Mad Hatter Pinocchio Gus and Jaq Lady and Tramp Abu Dante Miguel Pua and Hei-Hei Joe Gardener Edna Mode Frozone R2-D2 BB-8 Sebastian and Flounder Nemo and Dory Bambi and Thumper Of these, there are no major parks connections for Lumiere and Cogsworth, Lady and Tramp, Dante, Miguel, Pua and Hei-Hei (yet), Joe Gardener, Edna, and Frozone. Edna and Frozone especially bother me, as they're not even the main characters. Why couldn't we get a Jack-Jack instead? And Mr. Mittens and 22 over Joe Gardener? 6) And, finally, here are my statues that are new to my list: Sonny Eclipse Merlin and Archmedes Genie Pirate Dog Big Al Madame Leota Mr. Toad Maleficent Face Clock Elliot Jose, Michael, Pierre, and Fritz Boo Jimminy Cricket Dopey Remy Mushu Marie DJ-R3X Kermit the Frog Chuuby Buzz Lightyear The Yeti

[shatteringsivan]

Harry Styles, dream with me, transcript

(0:00) Hello, I'm Harry Styles. And tonight, I'm going to help you drift off to sleep, with some soothing words and calming music. A sleep story, just for you. (0:24) 

(0:28) With all the business of your day, I know how hard it can be to get to sleep. So thank you for choosing this story, and me, to help you. I wish you a wonderful night's sleep. So, make yourself comfortable. Take a deep breath in, and then out. In, and then out. And when you're ready, close your eyes. (1:20)

(1:28)  Have you ever wondered, what happens when you sleep?  Where you go, and what you feel? The places that you seek. When you start to drift away, your mind becomes a book. That writes itself then fades away, before you awake to look. (2:02)

(2:11) Tonight we’re going to think about, anything you’d like. So first, let’s visualize some scenes to see us through the night. Settle back and clear your mind. We’re heading somewhere special. Beyond the world of consciousness, to somewhere more celestial. (2:44)

(2:55) I'd like you to imagine now, you're there beneath the stars. Which, when you pause to think about it, actually you are. As you focus on the darkness right before your eyes, fill the scene with glinting lights, to emulate night skies. (3:29)

(4:13) Think about the things you cherish most, and those you love. And then, allow yourself to be embraced from up above. The power of the universe, meanders through your mind. So, come with me and let’s see, what the two of us can find. (4:48)

(4:58) Lets travel now, to moonlit valleys, blanketed with heather. The kind of landscape you and I, could dream about forever. Imagine lazing on the ground, succumbing to the charms, of blades of grass. We now caress with fingertips, and palms.(5:32)

(5:41) A gentle scent of cedar wood, is floating on the breeze. A gift from mother nature, and her nearby cedar trees. We’re gazing at the night sky now, marveling at infinity. So allow your mind to wander, to a peaceful new vicinity. (6:15)

(7:00) Picture this, a rich green forest. Damp with morning dew. Inhale the morning air, as we explore, just me, and you. Leaves create mosques, in every shade of green. As gentle birdsong mingles, with the babbling of a stream. (7:33)

(7:44) Dappled sepia sunlight, cuts through branches overhead. As dew drops fall from leaf to leaf. Like glistening strands of thread. The dew drops finally coalesce, forming satin beads.  Occasionally, they kiss our chicks.small pleasures, quenching needs. (8:17)

(8:26) Holding hands, we stroll. Until we chance upon a brook. Its cool, clear, water, mirroring our faces as we look. The shimmering reflection, show us smiling from above. The word we think, but dare not speak, is L-O-V-E, love. (9:01)

(9:45) Now, we snuggle on a raft. And drift for endless hours. As willow trees sway in the breeze, and blossoms fall in showers. Gently swaying to and fro, we look up at the sky. And watch the clouds above us, forming shapes, as they pass by. (10:19)

(10:28) The wisps of cloud, swirl slowly, tinged with tangerine and pink. And as they fade, the sunset, gives us cause to muse and think. Of places we should visit. and oceans we could cross. For some who wander through this world, there’s grace in being lost. (11:02)

(11:11) Passing by a waterfall, our thoughts sway two and fro. And time begins to fade and blur. beneath the moons pale glow, a symphony of tumbling water lulls and mesmerizes, nature’s soundtrack to our dreams, assumes so many guises. (11:46)

(12:31) Strolling on a sidewalk now, as rain begins to fall. Its gentle, pitter patter, holds us deep within its thrall. The raindrops’ rhythm briefly slows, then, intensifies. Peaceful and benevolent, a gift from moonlit skies. (13:04) 

(12:14) The fragrance that the rain creates, upon the concrete surface, inspires yet relaxes us. And focuses our purpose, to shift our minds to neutral. And allow our thoughts to drift. And recognize the rainfall, as a mesmerizing gift. (13:48)

(13:59) Sheltering beneath a porch, we watch the rain pour down. Though now the time has come, to leave this dreamy moonlit town. A gentle breeze wafts through the trees, it causes leaves to stir. And then, the rain relents and fades. As time begins to blur. (13:31)

(15:17) We find ourselves upon a shore line, lounging by a lake. While crickets chirp in nearby reeds, it’s hard to stay awake. The scene feels like a watercolor. Soft, diluted tones, as looking down, we see each other. Laughing, skimming stones. (15:51)

(16:00 ) The stones skip on the gleaming lake, and ripples start to form. And though the sun has dipped from view, we feel content and warm. Herons drift on thermals(?) high upon a sun bleached pier. And in the trees beyond the lake, we glimpse a passing deer. (16:34)

(16:44) Strands of cloud unfurl like ribbons in the orange sky. Mirrored on the lake now, like a painted butterfly. In the distance, mountains beckon. Kept with pristine snow. The kind of sight that dreams evoke, when hearts and minds let go. (17:18)

(18:02) Contemplating nothingness, a scene take shape before us. And as it sharpens in our thoughts, we hear a distant chorus. The dampened sound of silence, that only snow can bring, surrounds us with its calming vibes, and touches us within. (18:35)

(18:48) Glistening snowflakes fall in flurries. mountain rivers freeze. The powdery slopes look beautiful. And fresh snow dusts the trees. Somehow now, we’re in a cabin, taking in this view. As a fire crackles in the corner, just for me and you. (19:24)

(19:32) We linger for a moment. Or maybe it’s been hours. For when we blink and look again, our vistas waft(?) in flowers. Another destination lures us. Closer now it seems. Perhaps its real, or just another chapter in our dreams. (20:04)

(20:50) Drifting in and out of sleep, our thoughts take us elsewhere. To an island fringed by swaying palms, lush beyond compare. A path winds through the mangroves, towards a distance beach. That underlines the turquoise ocean. now, within our reach. (21:23) 

(21:32) Eventually, we feel the powdery sand, right beneath our feet. The sun above now blessing us, with gentle, soothing heat. We hear the lilting sound of surf, breaking up ahead. While spiral shells and pearly shards, determine where we tread. (22:07)

(22:16) Finally, a lapping wave, engulfs our sandy feet. It seems to pause and ruminate, then gradually retreat. We dig our toes, in cool, wet sand. Then sit and face the sea. And let the sand wash over us. Alone just you, and me. (22:51)

(23:50) Staring at the nothingness, that stretches on forever. Our thoughts dovetail and unify. In tune, two minds together. As minutes turn to hours, we drift off somewhere new. And visualize a stairway. To a door, we now walk through (24:08) 

(24:18) Imagine now, a meadow, on a balmy afternoon. Birds, and bees, and rustling trees. Create a summer tune. Flanked by fields of sunflowers, hand in hand we walk. As the gentle sound of nature, surrounds us while we talk. (24:52)

(25:02) Sunflowers give the scenery a warm, and golden hue. While hazy sunshine softens, our idyllic, rustic view. As we roam past hedgerows, a farmhouse sits alone. Its open shutters pressed against, uneven walls of stone. (25:36)

(26:21) A garden winds around the house, and daisies poke through grass. A bench thats lived through countless summers, creaks as we walk past. We wonder if the house is empty. Once loved, but no longer. The thought of passing times inspires, a feeling that grows stronger. (26:54)

(27:04) This feeling washes over us, lost between a sigh. And as the sun begins to set, we stop and wonder why. Gravity caresses us, it pulls you close to me. Then the scene begins to fade, our new reality. (27:37)

(27:48) Deeper, gradually deeper. We drift and now, transcend. To unfamiliar places, too surreal to comprehend. Slowly, we capitulate as sleep begins to call. Entwined in dreams, and shifting scenes, we drift and gently fall. (28:22)

(29:06) Friendly faces, glorious places. Things we hope to do, intertwine with snapshots. Some of me, and some of you. Moonlit valleys, verdant forests, gazing at the ocean. Summer meadows, tranquil sunsets, Steeped in pure emotion. (29:39)

(29:48) The tenderness we feel when we are close, two minds as one. Surrounds us, and connects us. But we’ve only just begun. For now, we dream together. Of all that is to follow. And know that sleep will keep us safe. From now, until tomorrow. (30:23)

(30:34) Maybe all the memories that we’ve gathered here tonight, are all dreams now remembered, or wishes in plain sight. No matter what, they're with us now. For this night and forever. And every time we close our eyes, they’re yours and mine to treasure. Goodnight, and sleep well. (31:15)

[blackswaneuroparedux]

The Irish Lion: The legend of Paddy Mayne and the SAS

The first crop of Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers were a motley crew of bar-room brawlers, public school hell-raisers, eccentrics and misfits but they all embodied the tenets of courage, honour and ingenuity.

Hatched in the desert and borne out of the necessity of World War Two, the SAS or known as ‘the regiment’ was started by the 6’5” ‘Phantom Major’ David Stirling nicknamed him The Giant Sloth for his chronic laziness and fondness for slipping out of camp for nights of carousing. He hated marching, military discipline and disdained authority. By all accounts a terrible soldier but he was brave and cunning.

The principle behind the SAS was simple: To use small bands of irregular elite soldiers who could operate by stealth behind enemy lines, destroying aircraft, supplies and hopefully also enemy morale as a by-product of causing vast mayhem. One perception of the unit at this stage is as a motley band of scruffy and rebellious commandoes striking out of the darkness at the Nazis. The latter part of that is true, the former needs qualifying – all the men were disciplined operators drawn from commando units. They sometimes grew out unkempt beards because they were in the desert and away from camp for long stretches. It, of course, helps glamourise things more that Stirling himself was captured and eventually transferred to the infamous Colditz Castle after multiple escape attempts.

In his absence, responsibility for the SAS passed to his second in command, the larger-than-life Irishman Robert Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne.

Known to be a terrific soldier with tremendous battlefield intuition, Mayne was allegedly recommended to Stirling by his friend Eoin McGonigal. He was brave, unconventional and a force to be reckoned with – the perfect man for the nascent SAS. There was just one problem: He was languishing in prison for striking his superior officer Geoffrey Keyes (or perhaps it was for threatening him with a bayonet?). Curiosity sparked, Stirling went to meet Mayne in his jail cell.

An account of their initial meeting appears in Alan Hoe’s biography of the SAS founder.  At first, Mayne was reluctant to join Stirling’s unit, known at that point as ‘L Detachment’: “’I can’t see any prospects of real fighting in this scheme of yours’. There was undisguised scepticism on his face. “’There isn’t any. Except against the enemy’. It was the right reply because Mayne began to laugh. “’All right. If you can get me out of here I’ll come along’. He extended his huge hand. “’There’s one more thing’, Stirling said, ignoring the hand. ‘This is one commanding officer you never hit and I want your promise on that’. He reached out for the hand.

It wasn’t just the partnership that became legendary. On the heels of his stunning military successes, a number of stories about Mayne sprang up that added to the legend.

The son of William Mayne and Margaret Boyle Vance. Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne was born on 11th January 1915. He was born into a wealthy Presbyterian family and the sixth of seven children, four boys and three girls. He grew up on the 41-acre grounds of the Mount Pleasant estate overlooking the town of Newtownards, County Down in Northern Ireland. Educated at Regent House School, he played cricket, rugby and golf, excelling in each while also demonstrating an aptitude as a marksman in the rifle club.

While at Queen’s in Belfast studying law to eventually qualify as a solicitor (lawyer), he took up boxing and within a matter of months won the Irish Universities Heavyweight title in August 1936. He made his Ireland rugby debut against Wales at Ravenhill in 1937 and the last of six appearances two years later, coincidentally against the same opposition in Belfast. His talent was recognised in selection for 1938 Lions tour to South Africa, where he made quite an impression on and off the pitch. Mayne could tolerate any physical challenge but was unable to cope with boredom and when of a mind to do something expected full compliance from acolytes, willing or reluctant. Breaking hotel furniture during drunken stupors were not uncommon.

His drunken off-pitch exploits couldn’t camouflage his innate ability as a gifted rugby player. Mayne lined out in 17 of the 20 provincial games and all three tests against the Springboks; having lost the first two he was singularly influential in securing a victory for the Lions in the third test.

The late Sean Diffley, rugby correspondent and author, wrote of the talented rugby second-row: “Mayne was a Viking, a throwback to the ancient days of towering warriors, gentle and charming when in repose, but fierce and dangerous when aroused, and a ‘hyphenated’ nuisance when he had a couple of jars. His fierce dark physical outbursts may well have been the stuff of legend, but they were not always fun to those immediately concerned, and they were a great cause of worry to his friends. There was the case of the Irish player for instance, who in 1939, was thrown out of the window of the Swansea hotel by Mayne during the post-match celebrations. Witnesses were thankful that it was a ground floor window and that the player came to no harm, but it was not simply high jinx either that caused the incident, but the result of Mayne brooding darkly on something that is now long forgotten.”

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Mayne received a commission in the 5th Anti-Aircraft Battery, in April 1940 joined the Royal Ulster Rifles and following Dunkirk volunteered for the 11 (Scottish) Commando.

He was mentioned in dispatches for the impressive manner in which he commanded his troop in the Litani River Raid in Lebanon and recruited by David Stirling for his newly formed SAS unit.

There are tales of Mayne shooting the floor around the feet of a bar owner who overcharged and was rude to him, and the 2004 documentary ‘SAS Warrior: The Life of Paddy Mayne’ reports that an intoxicated Mayne once unloaded his pistol into a drinking companion.

The murder is said to have been covered up.

But many of these stories are untrue, or at the very least they require contextual explanation.

Take for instance the story that Mayne was in prison and awaiting a court-martial for striking his commanding officer, Geoffrey Keyes, later posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross, but whom the Irishman considered an upper-class twit. That Mayne had no time for the privileged caste is part of Mayne’s myth making.

Many historians now dispute the veracity of the story. There is no record of Mayne’s arrest and David Stirling, as author Gavin Mortimer and other writers of the SAS Regiment have written, was prone to exaggerate to mischievously feed the legend. 

Indeed the story that Mayne was imprisoned for striking his superior officer, Geoffrey Keyes because he wasn’t selected for a raid to kidnap or kill Erwin Rommel makes no sense. The SAS were drawn from Nos 7, 8 and 11 Commandos, operating around the Mediterranean in 1941. (Commando were units containing around 500 well-trained troops). Keyes and Mayne were both in 11 Commando, which was decimated in a mission in Syria earlier that year. By the time it was reconstituted and the Rommel Raid conceived, Mayne had already left the unit. In any case, it’s just as well Mayne did not participate – the mission failed (because Rommel wasn’t there) and Keyes, along with many others, didn’t make it back.

Instead, Mayne, would meet Stirling in North Africa months before, and not in a prison cell either.

It was he who, in fact, recommended his friend Eoin McGonigal to Stirling, not the other way around.

Stirling was not looking for a modern-day incarnation of a Viking berserker. On the contrary, the founding philosophy of the SAS (then known as L-Detachment) indicates a need for extreme heroism but also extreme professionalism: “An undisciplined TOUGH is no good, however tough he may be. Most of ‘L’ Detachment’s work is night work and all of it demands courage, fitness and determination of the highest degree and also, and just as important, discipline, skill and intelligence and training.”

The odd thing is that life in the SAS during World War 2 was perfectly exciting enough. There simply wasn’t any need to make up tall tales. Mayne himself said as much in a letter: “(T)here is no use writing this stuff, people think you are shooting a line – the most fantastic things happen every time we go out.”

A perfect example of this occurred around the time Mayne wrote this. He and Stirling had decided to drive a truck with five comrades right up to an enemy encampment in the desert.

They had a German speaker with them and used him to bluff their way in. When the man was asked for the password, Mayne, who didn’t speak much German, related later what he understood the general direction of the conversation to have been:

“How the – do we know what the – password is, and don’t ask for our – identity cards either. They’re lost and we’ve been fighting for the past seventy hours against these – Tommies. Our car was destroyed and we were lucky to capture this British truck and get back at all. Some fool put us on the wrong road. We’ve been driving for the past two hours and then you so and sos, sitting here on your arses in Benghazi, in a nice safe job, stop us. So hurry up, get that – gate open.”

It wouldn’t be a nice safe job much longer. Mayne, who had a pistol resting on his lap, waited as one of the guards stepped closer to inspect them. Luckily the bluff worked because Mayne realised at the last minute he’d forgotten to cock it.

Once the gate was open, they proceeded to blast the hell out of the trucks and tents that they found within the camp, before also blowing up their own truck (by mistake) and hot-footing it out of there.

By this point, of course, they’d found their stride, but it had been a difficult learning curve. L-Detachment’s first mission called for dropping 60 men by parachute behind enemy lines. But wind conditions were awful and they were scattered hopelessly wide, isolated in the desert and miles from their targets. Most were either killed or captured (one of the dead was Mayne’s friend Eoin McGonigal). Fortunately, there was a solution right under David Stirling’s nose.

The Long Range Desert Group were themselves a kind of special operations unit conducting reconnaissance and the occasional raid of their own. A portion of their men and vehicles were next allocated to assist L-Detachment, and from that point forward Stirling’s force would be conveyed to their targets by their comrades in the LRDG. Gavin Mortimer’s book ‘Stirling’s Desert Triumph: The SAS Egyptian Airfield Raids 1942’ features an exchange between Mayne and one of his subordinates during a mission rehearsal in one of the 30cwt Chevrolet trucks they’d be using:

“’What direction are we driving in?’ (Mayne) suddenly said, turning to the front gunner. “The man stared at the stars, trying to figure out which star was which. At length he replied: “’North-east, I should say, sir’. “’Ha!’ exclaimed Mayne. ‘You wouldn’t get far if you had to walk back.’ “Changing gear, Mayne cast a sideways glance at his gunner and said quietly: ‘Mind you’re certain of your direction by tomorrow night’.”

At first, Stirling’s men were dropped off some distance from their targets and then approached on foot. The favoured method for destroying German planes in airfields – the main objective – was to attach and then detonate Lewes bombs. These had been created by one of their comrades, Lieutenant Jock Lewes.

But then a new method of operation was stumbled upon. During a raid on Bagoush airfield, in the Quattara Depression, Mayne had put bombs on 40 aircraft but only 22 of them went off. After examining some charges left over, he found that the primers had been inserted into their plastic sleeves too early – they’d been in there too long and had become damp.

From this problem came a series of solutions: They should just drive the LRDG vehicles right up to the target from now on to save time; they should, therefore, make sure the vehicles had machine guns mounted for protection; in fact, why not just drive the vehicles into the airfields and use the machine guns to destroy the planes instead?

This all came together in the raid on Sidi Haneish airfield on July 26/27, 1942. Two columns of nine jeeps each burst out of the night and whipped around the rows of Luftwaffe planes, riddling them with bullets before high tailing it back out into the darkness. 30 aircraft were left in ruins.

But the history of the SAS and Paddy Mayne wasn’t all spectacular desert raids.

Following the capture of Stirling and the migration of the war to Sicily and Italy, the nature of the fighting changed.

So too did Paddy.

L-Detachment had been re-designated as 1 SAS Regiment on September 28, 1942, and now Mayne, promoted to Major himself, was its standard bearer in Stirling’s absence. Contrary to his reputation as a stereotypical action hero, Ross says that Mayne’s side as solicitor now emerged as he came to be, in Ross’ view, probably a better administrator than Stirling. To be sure, an authoritarian side also emerged, but this too seems indicative of his care and commitment to professionalism, training and mission prep. He seems to have cared very deeply about men killed under this command and worked extraordinarily hard to prevent their deaths.

The SAS’ next incarnation as ‘the Special Raiding Squadron’ (SRS) was certainly very successful, as it worked its way over defensive positions in Sicily and then up the western side of the Italian peninsula. These actions are noteworthy for two things: Difficult objectives achieved and relatively low casualty rates, a testament to Mayne’s careful stewardship.

Augmented by the American landing in the east at Salerno on September 9, 1943, one of these actions took place at the Biferno river, behind which the Germans were making a stand. The SRS, along with Nos 3 and 40 Commandos were dispatched to Termoli to outflank them. No 3 Commando would establish a beachhead allowing No 40 Commando to capture the town and its harbour whilst the SRS continued on to take bridges. The subsequent fighting would be the stuff of Hollywood Second World War movies, featuring trucks set ablaze and Germans spilling out in alarm, along with encounters with hardened German paratroopers and skirmishes around farm buildings.

Despite the stiff and professional resistance, the Special Raiding Squadron lost only one killed, three wounded and 23 as MIAs. In return they inflicted casualties of 23 killed, 17 wounded and 39 captured, as well as taking ground north of the Biferno.

Next up was France. Here the SRS would be upgraded to 1 SAS proper, a battalion-sized force of about 1,000 men, as it served in the Special Air Service Brigade alongside 2 SAS (led by Bill Stirling, David’s brother) and two French parachute battalions and an independent Belgian parachute company (about 200 men). Just as Mediterranean operations had required the SAS to work under different circumstances and terrain, so too would a return to parachuting and work behind enemy lines in France test the unit. Gone (were the days) when teams of four men with water bottles and a handful of dates, lightly armed – a few grenades in their pouches and Lewes bombs in a haversack – set out to stalk an enemy airfield. They would need more equipment - not only more of what they’d had before, but more equipment than those used to logistical planning for the airborne troops seemed to realise.

Resupply by the RAF was thought about, as were jeeps – better for getting men around but harder to conceal. Men on foot might prove more stealthy in the new rubber-soled boots, but these left distinctive footprints that could be tracked and, in any case, problems had shown up in training (the uppers were known to separate from the soles). Training patterns also needed adjusting. Early on Mayne had fought to prevent the SAS from being turned back into a regular Commando unit.

Now he was fighting amalgamation with the PARAs. Maroon caps were issued and his men instructed to wear them instead of their sand-coloured berets– Mayne told his men to hid the SAS berets in their packs until they could don them later out of sight of officials. On a more practical level too the SAS was butting up against what, by that point, had become conventional methods of training paratroopers. The latter had to learn to land in large groups during the daytime in open country, ready and able to engage in battle immediately. SAS parachutists needed to land in small teams, quietly and at night.

Mayne himself was involved in some of the war’s latter action. Most memorably on 10th April 1945, the push towards Berlin was underway. Near the village of Borgerwald, an SAS unit was ambushed and their commanding officer killed. Mayne took over the Jeep, manning the guns and some say he single-handedly rescued every wounded man by lifting them one by one from a ditch and into his jeep before destroying the enemy gunners in a nearby farmhouse. For this daring feat, he was recommended for the Victoria Cross. The citation was signed off by Field Marshal Montgomery himself but the award would elude Colonel Paddy. He received a 3rd bar on his Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and his name would be remembered as the stuff of legends.

Paddy Mayne’s service with the SAS would end as it began, with his commander Major-General Bob Laycock – who had been the one to recommend him to David Stirling – writing to congratulate him on his DSO:

“My Dear Paddy, “I feel that I must drop you a line just to tell you how very deeply I appreciate the great honour of being able to address, as my friend, an officer who has succeeded in accomplishing the practically unprecedented task of collecting no less than four DSOs. (I am informed that there is another such superman in the Royal Air Force). You deserve all the more, and in my opinion, the appropriate authorities do not really know their job. If they did they would have given you a VC as well. Please do not dream of answering this letter, which brings with it my sincerest admiration a deep sense of honour in having, at one time, been associated with you. Yours ever, Bob Laycock.”

Looking back at his legacy, many have wondered why he didn’t get the Victoria Cross. George VI publicly expressed surprise that Mayne had not been awarded a Victoria Cross. Some say it was because hot-headed Mayne, who’d become Lieutenant Colonel by the end of the war, had punched the second in command in his battalion during one heated exchange. Others say it was down to a technicality - because the raid in question was multiple acts of bravery, not a single act. The official SAS historian Ben Macintyre suggests that Blair Mayne was denied the Victoria Cross either because of his brawling, his anti-Establishment streak or his alleged homosexuality (rumours rather than factually proven it must be stressed). Blair Mayne mistakenly thought Churchill had personally blocked him because of his history of brawling against military superiors and drunken behaviour that perhaps offended Churchill’s purist views of being an officer. The truth seems to be that Churchill was said to have been saddened and shocked by the omission.

In 2005, 50 years after Mayne’s death, an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons supported by 100 MPs, proposed that, “the Government mark these anniversaries by instructing the appropriate authorities to act without delay to reinstate the Victoria Cross given for exceptional personal courage and leadership of the highest order and to acknowledge that Mayne’s actions on that day saved the lives of many men and greatly helped the allied advance on Berlin.” It was defeated.

Perhaps there was no conspiracy though. Some historians of the SAS Regiment have laid out a common-sense case for precisely why one would expect Mayne not to have won the VC: Because doing so required independent witness testimonies of a recipient’s brave deeds from high-ranking officers. Special forces work, by its very nature, made reaching this bar highly unlikely. Heroism would have been commonplace, but, for the most part, it was clandestine and often independent of senior officers.

Mike Sadler, now close to 100 years old, is the last surviving member of the original SAS. His feats of bravery during the war read like a movie script. He was decorated with the French Légion d’honneur at 98 Years old in 2018 . Mike Sadler joined the Long Range Desert Group in 1941 and was based in the North African desert.  Lieutenant David Stirling brought the SAS (Special Air Service) into service, and Mike Sadler was transferred to the new unit when they began launching raids in Libya. He became their top navigator as he had a unique talent for being able to navigate vast expanses of desert, without the aid of maps, to guide the raiding parties to their targets. He also served under Paddy Mayne from 1941 until the end of the war.

I have had the privilege to have met Mike on one or two occasions through both my older brother and father with whom they share a common friendship through military veteran circles (but belonging to different eras). Over a few lunches and dinners over the years, I was hooked on his anecdotes and was full admiration for his exploits.

Most memorably Mike recounted the time that while sitting in a restaurant in Paris surrounded by seven or eight soldiers Paddy Mayne took out a grenade, pulled the pin and placed it on the table. Several dived for cover but Sadler reckoned that Mayne wasn’t about to kill himself. He was right; Paddy had previously removed the detonator.

This atypical story added to the Olympian myth of Paddy Mayne. And yet the grenade incident in the busy café wasn’t the random act of recklessness it sounds like. There was method in the madness. Mayne was making an important point. Whilst responsible for French troops who were part of the Special Air Service Brigade in 1944, he’d been horrified by reports of improper handling of grenades. The French troops simply hadn’t been as familiar with infantry training as they should have been. So Mayne used the incident in the café to show it was possible to completely control a grenade if one knew what they were doing.

Sadler explained that like him all the men who served with Mayne had a huge respect and admiration, drawing from his comforting presence on missions. But for all that Paddy Mayne had no close friends, other than Eoin McGonigal, who helped persuade him to join the SAS and who was killed in the Benghazi raid, the very first SAS operation in 1941.

The sad truth is that Paddy Mayne cut a solitary figure, often to be found reading the darker poetry of AE Housman. Mayne was socially awkward with no idea how to talk to women even though they were attracted to this very big, athletic Irishman. He revered his mother and put women on a pedestal, refusing to tolerate swearing in their presence. He was shy until drink initially loosened his inhibitions but then transported him to far darker places. But for all that he wasn’t reckless with the lives of his men. He weighed up situations, was intuitively brilliant in terms of the guerrilla tactics he employed when orchestrating his night-time raids in customised jeeps deep behind enemy lines initially in Egypt and Libya.

Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne was a fighting legend, and a pitiless killer in war. Even his comrades thought him cold-blooded and overly ruthless. Stirling thought Mayne had gone too far on occasions in killing the enemy. And yet Mayne typified the SAS recruitment policy, whose finds were the “sweepings of prisons and public schools”. In countless missions behind enemy lines, Major Paddy Mayne destroyed more aircraft than any fighter pilot on either side during the course of the war between Britain and Germany. He was to go on and become one of the most decorated British soldiers during the war.

Ben Macintyre, author of ‘Rogue Heroes: an authorised history of the SAS’ wrote: “It is not a story of unalloyed British bulldog heroism. These people were tough as tungsten but they were also human and frail and huge mistakes were made.”

Such men of war are not made for peace time.

Mayne sought further adventure in an Antarctic expedition but had to return home prematurely with a debilitating back condition, the origins of which came from his war service.

He took up a position as secretary to the Law Society of Northern Ireland until, returning from a night’s socialising on December 14th, 1955, he clipped an unlit parked lorry, and crashed into a telegraph pole on the Scrabo road, a few hundred metres from his house. Paddy Mayne died at 40 years old. He is buried in Movilla Abbey graveyard.

Hundreds attended Mayne’s funeral. His life was and continues to be commemorated in books, film. A statue in his native Newtownards stands in his honour. The town’s western bypass is also named after him.

A remarkable and complex character, he crammed a great deal into a life largely spent in the service of others, some of whom would have regarded him as a hero, although he, himself, would not.

King George VI asked Paddy Mayne how it was that he had not received the Victoria Cross, and he answered in a manner that sums up this courageous and remarkable man:

“I served to my best my Lord, my King and my Queen, and none can take that honour away from me.”

[timeless-hollywood-classics]

Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American musician, singer and actor, who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. He had a number one hit with "Singin' in the Rain" in 1929. He also did voices for animated cartoons later in his career, and he is best known as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio (1940) and Fun and Fancy Free (1947), and Dandy (Jim) Crow in Walt Disney's Dumbo (1941).

Edwards was born in Hannibal, Missouri. He left school at age 14 and soon moved to St. Louis, Missouri and Saint Charles, Missouri, where he entertained as a singer in saloons. As many places had pianos in bad shape or none at all, Edwards taught himself to play ʻukulele to serve as his own accompanist (choosing it because it was the cheapest instrument in the music shop). He was nicknamed "Ukulele Ike" by a club owner who could never remember his name. He got his first break in 1918 at the Arsonia Cafe in Chicago, Illinois, where he performed a song called "Ja-Da", written by the club's pianist, Bob Carleton. Edwards and Carleton made it a hit on the vaudeville circuit. Vaudeville headliner Joe Frisco hired Edwards as part of his act, which was featured at the Palace in New York City—the most prestigious vaudeville theater—and later in the Ziegfeld Follies.

Edwards made his first phonograph records in 1919. He recorded early examples of jazz scat singing in 1922. The following year he signed a contract with Pathé Records. He became one of the most popular singers of the 1920s, appearing in several Broadway shows. He recorded many of the pop and novelty hits of the day, including "California, Here I Come", "Hard Hearted Hannah", "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", and "I'll See You in My Dreams".

In 1924, Edwards performed as the headliner at the Palace, the pinnacle of his vaudeville success. That year he also featured in George and Ira Gershwin's first Broadway musical Lady Be Good, alongside Fred and Adele Astaire. As a recording artist, his hits included "Paddlin’ Madeleine Home" (1925), "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" (1928), and the classic "Singin' in the Rain" (1929), which he introduced. Edwards's own compositions included "(I'm Cryin' 'Cause I Know I'm) Losing You", "You're So Cute (Mama o' Mine)", "Little Somebody of Mine", and "I Want to Call You 'Sweet Mama'". He also recorded a few "off-color" novelty songs for under-the-counter sales, including "I'm a Bear in a Lady's Boudoir," "Take Out That Thing," and "Give It to Mary with Love".

Edwards, more than any other performer, was responsible for the soaring popularity of the ʻukulele.[4] Millions of ʻukuleles were sold during the decade, and Tin Pan Alley publishers added ʻukulele chords to standard sheet music. Edwards always played American Martin ukuleles, favoring the small soprano model in his early career. In his later years, he moved to the larger tenor ʻukulele, which was becoming popular in the 1930s.

Edwards continued to record until shortly before his death in 1971. His last record album, Ukulele Ike, was released posthumously on the independent Glendale label. He reprised many of his 1920s hits; his failing health was however evident in the recordings.

In 1929, Cliff Edwards was playing at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles where he caught the attention of movie producer-director Irving Thalberg. His film company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hired Edwards to appear in early sound movies. After performing in some short films, Edwards was one of the stars in the feature Hollywood Revue of 1929, doing some comic bits and singing some numbers, including the film debut of his hit "Singin' in the Rain". He appeared in a total of 33 films for MGM through 1933. He had a small role as Mike, playing a ʻukulele very briefly at the beginning of the 1931 movie Laughing Sinners (1931), starring Joan Crawford.

Edwards had a friendly working relationship with MGM's comedy star Buster Keaton, who featured Edwards in three of his films. Keaton, himself a former vaudevillian, enjoyed singing and harmonized with Edwards between takes. One of these casual jam sessions was captured on film, in Doughboys (1930), in which Buster and Cliff scat-sing their way through "You Never Did That Before".

Edwards was also an occasional supporting player in feature films and short subjects at Warner Brothers and RKO Radio Pictures. He played a wisecracking sidekick to western star George O'Brien, and he filled in for Allen Jenkins as "Goldie" opposite Tom Conway in The Falcon Strikes Back. In a 1940 short, he led a cowboy chorus in Cliff Edwards and His Buckaroos. Throughout the 1940s he appeared in a number of "B" westerns playing the comic, singing sidekick to the hero, seven times with Charles Starrett and six with Tim Holt.

Edwards appeared in the darkly sardonic western comedy The Bad Man of Brimstone (1937), and he played the character "Endicott" in the screwball comedy film His Girl Friday (1940). In 1939, he voiced the off-screen wounded Confederate soldier in Gone with the Wind in a hospital scene with Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland.

His most famous voice role was as Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio (1940). Edwards's rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" is probably his most familiar recorded legacy. He voiced the head crow in Disney's Dumbo (1941) and sang "When I See an Elephant Fly".

In 1932, Edwards had his first national radio show on CBS Radio. He continued hosting network radio shows through 1946. In the early 1930s, however, Edwards' popularity faded as public taste shifted to crooners such as Russ Columbo, Rudy Vallee, and Bing Crosby.

Arthur Godfrey's use of the ʻukulele spurred a surge in its popularity and those that played it, including Edwards. Like many vaudeville stars, Edwards was an early arrival on television. In the 1949 season, he starred in The Cliff Edwards Show, a three-days-a-week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings) TV variety show on CBS. In the 1950s and early 1960s, he made appearances on The Mickey Mouse Club, in addition to performing his Jiminy Cricket voice for various Disney shorts and the Disney Christmas spectacular, From All of Us to All of You.

Edwards was careless with the money he made in the 1920s, always trying to sustain his expensive habits and lifestyle. He continued working during the Great Depression, but never again enjoyed his former prosperity. Most of his income went to alimony for his three former wives, and paying debts, and he declared bankruptcy four times during the 1930s and early 1940s. Edwards married his first wife Gertrude Ryrholm in 1919, but they divorced four years later. He married Irene Wylie in 1923; they divorced in 1931. In 1932, he married his third and final wife, actress Judith Barrett. They divorced in 1936. He had no children from any of his three marriages.

As well as being a lifelong heavy tobacco smoker, Edwards also struggled with alcoholism, drug addiction and gambling for much of his career.

In his final years, Edwards lived in a home for indigent actors and often spent his time at the Walt Disney Studios to be available any time he could get voice work. He was sometimes taken to lunch by animators whom he befriended and told stories of his days in vaudeville. He had nearly disappeared from the public eye at the time of his death on July 17, 1971, at the age of 76 from a cardiac arrest brought on by arteriosclerosis. Now penniless, Edwards was a charity patient at the Virgil Convalescent Hospital in Hollywood, California. His body was unclaimed and was donated to the University of California, Los Angeles medical school. When Walt Disney Productions, which had been quietly paying many of his medical expenses, discovered this, they offered to purchase his remains and pay for the burial. Instead, it was done by the Actors' Fund of America (which had also aided Edwards) and the Motion Picture and Television Relief Fund. Disney paid for his grave marker.

In 2002, Edwards' 1940 recording on Victor, Victor 26477, "When You Wish Upon a Star", was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2000, Edwards was awarded as a Disney Legend for voice-acting.

[steebharringt0n]

cat’s in the cradle

infant | toddler | child | teenager | young adult

a 5-part story exploring the relationship between billy hargrove and his first-born son, adam

pairing: billy hargrove x you

rating: t

a/n: last part! this was super fun to write and who doesn’t love softdad!billy? as always, thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement, i am so happy to be a part of such a wonderful, and friendly fandom.

---

part 5 - young adult

Hawkins, Indiana. May, 1985.

You took a deep inhale of the cool May night, your eyes lingering on the dark sky that was illuminated by the bright stars. If it was one thing you loved about Hawkins, is the stars that were visible by the end of a long day. The best place to watch the stars? The Quarry of course. You sat on the hood of your boyfriend’s blue car, waiting for him to find the lighter that he had accidentally dropped between the center console and the driver seat.

You felt the wind blow by you, it sent a slight shiver up your spine. Your arms instinctively crossed, hugging yourself tight to keep yourself warm. You suddenly felt something heavy drop on your shoulders, you turned your neck to face the familiar face that you had come to love so much.

Billy carefully draped his leather jacket over you, taking a seat beside you as he brought the joint up to his mouth, the search for the lighter was a success as he flicked the wheel of his lighter until a dim flame appeared. He took a deep inhale, then exhaled, passing it over to your fingers.

You took an inhale, then frowned, then proceeded to cough, “This weed is shit” you mumbled.

Billy shrugged, “Tommy’s usual guy couldn’t get good stuff. It’s too bad we weren’t in California. They got all the good shit”

You passed the joint back to him, shaking your head. “Patience m’dear. Just one more year and we’ll be out of here”

We.

It was a short word, two letters, but ever since you and Billy had started to get serious, it was a word that had begun to hold more meaning. It wasn’t just you anymore, it was you and Billy, a collective we. Plans were being made, slowly yet surely. Did it scare you? Of course it did. Billy Hargrove was a rough and tough kind of guy. He had a reputation, he slept with countless of women before he decided to settle on you.

You both were the exact opposites, and how he fell for you is still a mystery that you still can’t solve.

But here he was, sharing his shitty weed with you, giving you his leather jacket when you got cold. You’re not sure what changed in him, maybe because you were the only one who saw through his tough guy bravado and saw the scared, insecure, and deeply sensitive person he actually was.

Billy Hargrove was all smoke and mirrors, you had decided that when he showed up to class with his aviators attached to his face. When you spotted the purple eye behind the shades, you knew, you instantly knew.

Not that he would open up to you though. You were the quiet girl, you minded your own business, dated a couple guys here and there, but the blue-eyed blond that sat behind you in English class always made your heart skip a beat, made the blood rush to your cheeks whenever he paid any attention to you.

And he noticed, and he enjoyed seeing you all worked up around him.

With a wolfish smile, he would always ask you to borrow a pencil, and even if you didn’t have one, you’d lend him yours. English class was a breeze for you anyways, it’s not like you needed to take notes on Othello. 

But other than that, the both of you never interacted outside of class. He’d go his way, and you’d go yours. The hierarchy of Hawkins High made it clear who he was supposed to hang with, and you certainly weren’t one of those people.

Then December came, and something in Billy changed. He became much more quiet, kept to himself. He would still bug you for pencils, and you happily always lent him one. Never asking him any questions, never making any small talk. 

The day before Christmas break, everything changed. 

As you were cleaning out your locker, you suddenly felt a presence behind you. You turned around, and came face with a bashful Billy, his hand holding a wrapped gift. 

“Here,” he mumbled, his eyes avoiding yours as he shoved the gift into your hand. “Thanks for everything ... see you next year”

He left you planted at your locker. You weren’t sure if you were supposed to feel flattered or confused, but the fact that Billy Hargrove brought you a gift surprised the ever loving hell out of you. You watched as he walked out of the double doors, not even turning back to look at you as he disappeared into the parking lot.

It was neatly wrapped, something that surprised you. A green bow adorned at the corner with a small card attached to it.

Thanks for all the pencils, figured this is the least I can do. - B.H

You let a small laugh escape your lips, then your heart skipped a beat when you saw the 10 digit number scribbled messily under his initials. With trembling fingers, you carefully unwrapped the present. A grin creeped up on your face when you realized he had bought you a brand new set of pencils - lord knows that you had probably spent a good penny buying new pencils for yourself and for him.

With a newfound confidence in you, you quickly headed home and dialed the number on the card.

When his deep voice answered the phone, the rest was pretty much history.

You quickly became his refuge, tending to the broken boy every week. He opened up to you, he showed you all his demons and you stayed by his side. His faith in you became unwavering, and suddenly Hawkins wasn’t such a shithole with you by his side.

The Quarry became the spot for the both you. When you needed to escape the world and just lay in each others arms, relish in the quiet, the stillness of the moment.

Or when you both just wanted to smoke.

“Remember my cousin? The one you met during that family party a couple weeks ago?”

Billy let his eyes gaze out into the distance, the weed starting to make him feel light. “Mhm”

You took another inhale, closing your eyes and letting the drug overtake your senses, “My aunt called yesterday, she got knocked up. At 18?! Can you believe it?”

Billy let out a snort, “Poor kid”

You jabbed him in the ribs, and he gave you a scowl.

“Be nice. She’s going through a lot of shit ... “ you paused, adjusting yourself on the hood of his car. You pulled your arms through his leather jacket, then proceeded to lay down, getting a better look at the stars from above.

“Can you imagine having a kid? At this moment?”

You handed him the joint, he shook his head, “Nope. I ain’t ever having kids”

A laugh escaped your lips, “Bullshit. You would love a little mullet haired spawn of yours. He’d be so cute, with your eyes, and your smile ... “ a dreamy look took over your face. You felt Billy shuffle around, he stayed quiet.

You lifted your head up, sitting up so that you were resting on your elbows as you gave him a frown.

“Seriously, you don’t want kids one day?”

He let out a deep sigh, getting off the hood of his car, “No Y/N. They’re annoying, they cry, they shit all the time ... “ there was a pregnant pause, his voice then came out quiet, flicking the ash off of the joint, “Plus, I’d be a shit dad”

You scooted off the hood of his car, standing in front of him with a scowl on your face.

“Who said that? Because I know for a fact that you’d be a great dad”

He rolled his eyes, “That’s just the weed talking Y/N ... “

You jabbed a finger in his chest, “No, stop it Billy. I love you, and I think you’d be a great dad. You’ve gotten better with Max, I see how you are around my little cousins. Whether you end up having kids with me or not, don’t sell yourself short just because Neil is a piece of shit”

He raised an eyebrow “Who said I’d be having kids with anyone else?”

You shrugged, “Who knows? You might dump me for some blond bombshell with big tits once we get to California”

Billy chuckled, wrapping his arms around your waist as he pulled you into his chest, “No way, who would help me keep track of all my pencils?”

“Your new hottie bombshell”

“Ha-ha”

You raised your head up to meet his blue eyes. The both of you stood quiet, your eyes gazing into each other as the crickets hummed in the background. 

“I love you. Nothing’s going to change that” he murmured, leaning his head down so that your noses brushed against each other. Your eyes fluttered shut, chills going down your spine.

“Does this mean you’ll change your mind about having kids?” you quietly asked.

He pressed a small kiss on your lips, “Nope”

“Aw, you’re no fun”

---

San Diego California, August, 2009.

“Do you have your winter clothes packed?”

“Yes mom”

“And your toiletries?”

“Oh my god, yes mom”

“And your wallet? Your important documents? Is your cellphone fully charged?”

22 year-old Adam brushed a hand over his face. He turned to face the camaro, gesturing on how was tightly packed it was. Everything that he held near and dear laid resting in boxes in the trunk of the camaro, and in the backseat.

“Mom, I think he’s okay” Ava’s voice spoke from behind you, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

You caught your bottom lip in between your teeth, your eyes intensely staring at the boy - no, man - in front of you.

With graduating at the top of his class, Adam was a shoo-in for Stanford University. Although it wasn’t your alma-mater, and although he was now about 8 hours away from you, you were happy that he was at least in-state. His four years at college flew by, but life for you and Billy continued. You both had your hands full now that 17-year old Ava was beginning her senior year at Sunset Cliff High.

She’d grown into her looks, definitely looking like you more and more everyday, which meant that Billy’s over-protectiveness was on a constant high. When word got around that Billy Hargrove’s hot daughter - Adam Hargrove’s younger sister - was starting at Sunset Cliff, every guy wanted to date her, which meant that Billy had a lot on his plate.

All those antics that Billy pulled in high school, Ava was now pulling them. No longer could she hang her lower lip and pout her way out of things. She was rebellious, loud, and into scuffles here and there.

And dating? Don’t even think about it. Every guy who would even think about showing their face at the Hargrove household would get a door slammed in their face.

It scared the shit out of Billy, watching his little girl, his little princess, go out into this big, unknown world. No longer did Ava need her daddy to hold her hand, or kiss her booboos. She was turning into her own, strong-willed woman, and she didn’t take shit from anybody (Except you because hell hath no fury like a mother finding her daughter sneaking into her bedroom at 3 AM on a school night)

But Adam? Oh he was good, he was always good. He ended up majoring in business, inspired by his old man who had continuously ran successful automotive businesses. He wanted to go into the trade, open up his own business, whatever it would be.

Then, an opportunity arose for Adam during his senior year, a job offer, working at a large business firm. He had a desk waiting for him with his name at the end of May. 

You and Billy couldn’t be any more thrilled, any more proud of your boy.

However the opportunity laid all the way in New York, thousands of miles away from you, from Billy, from his family, and that was a hard pill for you to swallow.

But here the three of you were - standing out the driveway, watching as Adam finished packing his last belongings into his camaro. Billy had made sure the car was up to par, that it was able to make the long drive to New York. He put on new brakes, new oil, and he even updated the radio so that it could play bluetooth.

Adam turned to face his little sister, standing next to her mother with a soft smile on her face.

“I’ll miss ya kid” he muttered.

“Invite me up to your place sometime yeah? Maybe I’ll end up checking up some colleges there, Brandy said that NYU has a really good writing program” Ava said.

Adam nodded, “Just don’t mention it to mom, I don’t think she can handle both of us living across the states. Knowing her she’ll end up following us and dragging dad along”

A laugh escaped both their lips. Adam then scooped up his sister for a tight embrace, squeezing her tight. He wasn’t sure when the next time he was going to see her, so he made sure that their last memory of them together was a good one. He pulled away, ruffling her long (Y/H/C) hair, “Don’t be so hard on mom and dad, go easy on them”

Ava smirked, “I’ll try my best Adam”

Adam then turned to his mother who had been constantly on the verge of tears this whole week. Wailing about her baby boy leaving her across the state. You bit your bottom lip, trying to prevent yourself from become a blubbering mess. 

You placed your hand on Adam’s cheek, “Drive safe, be good, please call me when you get to Colorado ...” you trailed off, tears starting to leak from your eyes.

Adam leaned into your touch, placing his hand over yours as he watched the tears fall freely from your eyes. “I love you ma, you’re the best mom anyone could have ever asked for”

That just sent you into crying overdrive.

You pulled Adam into a hug, he was much taller than you so you just rested your head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat as you sobbed into his t-shirt.

“Ma, you’re gonna ruin my shirt” Adam whined.

You pulled away from him, nodding as you quickly wiped away your tears. You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself. Adam then quickly scanned the driveway, then the front porch, 

“Where’s dad?” he questioned.

“He’s inside, somewhere, he might be in his office” you said.

Adam nodded and he made his way back into his house. His eyes quickly scanned each room on the first floor, but he still couldn’t find him. He then made his way upstairs, checking each bedroom, until he found his father standing in his childhood room, staring out the window. Billy didn’t need to turn around to know that his son was standing behind him.

“About to head out huh?” 

Adam leaned against the door frame, “Yeah, I’m meeting a friend in Colorado, it’s a 16 hour drive, but with stops I think I can make it. Then it’s off to New York”

Billy turned to face Adam, walking towards his son.

His son.

It scared him how much Adam looked like him. How there was another person in the world that had his features, his mannerisms. 18 year-old Billy would have never guessed in a million years that his son turned out the way he did. A good person, off to embark on his own journey in this world. He thinks about that night, that night where he told you that he never wanted to have kids, and he laughs at himself.

Sure Adam wasn’t planned, he was the surprise of the century, but he doesn’t regret this journey one bit. It taught him patience, it taught him perseverance, to find joy in the little things, to not sweat the small stuff, and above all, it taught him to love, stronger and more fierce than ever before. 

Billy reached behind his neck, pulling off the silver pendant that laid on his chest and in a fluid motion, he placed over Adam’s head

Adam stared at the pendant, his eyes wide with surprise, “But dad ... didn’t grandma give you this?”

“I want you to have it. It’s supposed to keep you safe. I won’t be around anymore to make sure there aren’t any monsters in your closet, so I want you to have it.”

Adam swallowed the lump that appeared in his throat.

Instead he just nodded, letting the pendant rest in his palm. He looked up at his father, a half smile on his face as he threw himself into Billy’s arms one last time.

Billy squeezed his eyes shut, tears quietly leaking out, streaming down his cheeks. Adam tried hard to fight back the tears, but eventually his eyes became flooded with tears as well.

Billy’s mind suddenly became flooded with memories. Of you, him and Adam slowly swaying to Led Zeppelin. To Adam walking his first steps, his first words, to taking Adam to the beach for the first time, winning his little league championship, graduating high school, graduating college, and now, leaving home.

It’s memories that he would hold near and dear to his heart for the rest of his life.

Billy then pulled away, letting out a small laugh as he realized they were both crying, but neither of them cared. He grabbed his son’s head and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“I love you son”

“I love you too dad”

“You come back home to visit us alright? Don’t forget about us” Billy jokingly warned.

 Adam let out a laugh, “Not sure whenever that’ll be Dad, but I’ll try my best to come home for the holiday season”

The two Hargrove men walked back downstairs, and outside to the camaro. You and Ava said your final goodbyes to Adam one last time, watching him as he pulled out of the driveway.

Billy had his arms laid wrapped around his girls’ shoulders, the three of you stared at the blue car, getting smaller as he drove away until he finally disappeared into the distance.

“Remember when we were 18, and how you told me you’d be a shit father?” you suddenly asked, reaching your hand towards his and interlinking your fingers with his.

Billy felt the brush of your wedding band against his. He let out a hum in response to your question. You looked up at him, a shit-eating grin on your face, “Oh how wrong you were”

Billy returned the grin back, shaking his head at the words he uttered to you that night at the quarry.

Oh how wrong he was indeed.

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon "When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when" But we'll get together then, dad We're gonna have a good time then

---

tagged: @the-first-breath-of-autumn-air @justabeautiful-letdown @fab-notfat @tarahell @noodlenerd101 @crazylittlethingcalledobsession @letdecemberburninflames @kake-babe @barbarasbae @delqcour @wearewiththebands @oogachuggaoogaoogachugga @klanceiscannon14 @mrs-hollandstan @gracieadorable @mysterious-adventurer

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 6: Teenagers In Love

(from the My Girl Trilogy: Be My Only)

…in which Harry finds the perfect location for their official date.

Warning: SMUT 😱

AU: actor!Harry, older!Harry, younger!Y/N, (4-year age gap).

Word count: 4.3k

Chapter 5: Her - Harry tries to win Y/N back, but there’s another problem.

Wattpad link

A/N: This chapter is inspired by 17 by Julia Michaels and Teenager In Love by Madison Beer 😄

You make me feel like a teenager in love / Can we stay in this dream like we are 17?

.

.

.

From the passenger seat, Harry watched the giant light orb slowly sink beneath the fiery horizon. His skin was cooled by the wind but his heart was as warm as the color of the sky. Even this beautiful sunset couldn't hold his attention for too long.

He turned right back to Y/N, his lips pressed into a smirk when she stopped humming her favorite song and complained, "quit staring at me, it's creepy," but her nonchalant smile let him know she secretly liked it.

"We're on a date, Bambi. I'm supposed to be staring at you," he said with a hand on her thigh and she instantly smacked it away.

"Don't be handsy while I'm driving," Y/N grumbled.

Harry intended to crack a joke about how extra careful she was, but they were heading toward an intersection so he paused to tell her, "turn left here and keep going straight."

"But this route leads us out of the city."

"Yeah." He calmly nodded despite her confusion. "Didn't I tell you we weren't gonna be in London tonight?"

It took her less than two seconds to figure out what he meant and her eyes grew wider than before. "No. Fucking. Way."

"Yes, baby. We're going home."

The proud look on his face made her chuckle. "I've underestimated you."

"Apology accepted," he said while beaming. "I think it'll be more meaningful if I take you back to where we started. So," he clasped both hands together, "for tonight, I want us to be two normal teenagers going on their normal first date."

"If we're teenagers then how old are we?"

"Seventeen."

"So we're not legal yet?"

"Shit!" He faked a gasp. "I forgot that it's our birthday today! We're eighteen now!"

Y/N cracked up and poked her head out of the window to shout, "TODAY IS OUR BIRTHDAY!" at a random car. The couple was in hysterics when the grumpy driver flipped them off, but they couldn't care less, because there was no one else on this empty highway. Her hair was blowing in the wind, so he reached out and carefully tucked a strand behind her ear. She looked so beautiful right now. And he had never felt more in love.

It was dark when they finally arrived in Holmes Chapel. Having lived in London for too long, Harry was used to the warm glow of streetlights outside his bedroom window, and so he found such darkness strange, yet mesmerizing. The sky was a pure velvety black sprinkled with luminous stars. The moon was full and bright, the most beautiful he had recalled, so maybe it was a sign from the universe welcoming them home. Leaning out of the window, he inhaled the Jasmine-scented air, as the memories of his childhood rushed back like a fast-forwarded film inside his head. When he was a teenager, he used to enjoy driving in the night, he never remembered all the roads in this town, but he wasn't afraid of getting lost because they would always lead him home.

"Are you hungry?" He turned back to her, sounding like a happy little boy as he suggested, "let's go to that famous gastro pub near our school, the one we couldn't afford when we were little, what's its called?"

"Ginger Barrel?"

"Yeah, yeah, that one!" His eyes lit up in excitement. "Is it still there?"

"Yeah." She nodded, flashing him a grin. "I still can't afford it though."

"Tonight you do! I'm your credit card."

Y/N instantly responded with a scoff as she rolled her eyes and pushed his face away. "No, you're not. We'll split the bill."

"I knew you were gonna say that. But you drove me here, so just think of it as me paying for the fuel."

"Fine," she agreed just so he would shut up. "But next time you drive, and I'll buy you dinner."

Just as she finished that sentence, the car lurched forward, stopped in the middle of the street and the motor went off completely. It was ironic how they had just mentioned fueling the vehicle, but one second later it broke down without warning and left them stranded on a back road through the woods.

"Don't worry, it happens a lot," Y/N reassured her startled date as she took a deep breath. "Let's just wait here for a while and it'll work again."

"How long exactly?"

"About...an hour."

"What?!" He gasped. "Bambi, we're in the middle of nowhere!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I don't—" She suddenly paused, her eyes lit up as if she'd just recognized something. She grabbed his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Hey, do you trust me?"

"Of course, I do," he said, though doubt was clear in his tone.

"Okay, then help me move the car to the side of the road. We're taking a walk."

"Wait, what?"

"Trust me," she reassured him. "I know this town like the back of my hand, I grew up here."

"Ouch!" Harry gripped his chest like he'd just been shot in the heart and her laughter torn down the silence surrounding them. Eventually, he got out of the vehicle and helped her move it to the side of the road. His heart was racing when she took his hand, mostly because he had no idea where she was taking him. His manager, Jeff, would never have allowed him to risk losing his money-making tool — his own life, from walking into the dark woods. However, his heart was speaking for his brain right now, and it told him to follow her wherever she went, so he did, no questions asked.

But Y/N wasn't joking when she said she knew Holmes Chapel like the back of her hand. After only five minutes of walking, they got out of the woods and found themselves in a large meadow. It wasn't the first time he'd been here, because he remembered that lake in which he used to go swimming every summer night. He and Y/N would climb on the giant oak tree and sit on its biggest branch to practice skipping rocks.

"I discovered that shortcut when Celine and I were out here looking for her cat." Y/N tugged at his sleeve, pointing ahead. "Our school is right across those trees. See?"

"Yeah..." He chuckled, their fingers were interlocked as he turned back and looked into her soft eyes. He caressed her cheeks, slowly and tenderly. Her lashes fluttered as she held his gaze and locked her fingers around both of his wrists to keep his hands on her face. Those few quiet seconds were the most relaxing he'd felt in such a long time, as if time had stopped and they were the only ones left on Earth.

"You're so beautiful," he spoke softly, watching her eyes twinkled when she laughed.

"So are you," she said in an undertone and didn't protest when he leaned in, and finally captured her mouth with his own for a slow and chaste kiss, which turned hasty and sensual in a second. He slid his fingers into her hair as her arms snaked around his waist, pulling him in. It was he who withdrew and put a hand on her neck to keep them apart.

"Let's slow down, yeah?" he said, their forehead pressed together. "We've got all night."

She quietly nodded and licked her lip, which made him want to go against his own words and kiss her again. But he managed to fight his own urges to break away from her.

They sat down on the grass by the lake, looking up at the glittering assemblage of stars and allowing their own silence to take over. There was nothing more soothing than the sound of crickets singing in combination with the peaceful rustling of leaves. The soft breezes blew through the trees, brushed against the water's surface and blurred the reflection of the night sky, only for it to go back to complete stillness like an enormous mirror laid on the ground.

In the absence of the rest of the world, Harry and Y/N finally did what they should have done years ago. They talked.

He told her his side of the story which she'd never got to hear, from how he'd come to her place after she'd left, to how her journal entries had helped him see the many things he'd done wrong. He expected her to be angry, but instead, she gave him a smile. "I thought I lost that notebook."

"I was scared you'd hate me if you found out I'd kept it all this time."

"Good thing I already hate you," she replied and laughed along with him. Then she began to talk about herself, about everything, including how she'd discovered her mother's secret, which had helped her mend the relationship with her dad, but also made her give up on her dream of becoming a writer.

"I don't know..." She shrugged while toying with a wildflower at her feet. "My feelings and expectations had caused me so much trouble in the past. I just...don't want to get hurt anymore, so it's better to focus on the present and reality instead of dwelling in the past or the fictional worlds I've created. Without unrealistic expectations, you can never be disappointed, right?"

Harry let his thoughts run for a while before pursing his lips, seemingly disagree. "You are a great writer, Bambi," he blurted. "Everyone needs to read your stories, they're fantastic, even the ones you wrote when you were a little girl. And what's wrong with unrealistic expectations, anyway? For all I know, they're what make the world a less horrible place. Take me for example, I love acting because I get to be someone else, even for just temporary, but it feels nice to pretend you're not you and you're in a different world and have a different personality. Things like those make life much more interesting, don't you agree?"

She said nothing, just staring at him with an ambiguous smile that left him dumbfounded.

"Did I say something wrong?" He asked.

Only now did she shake her head. "No, you're absolutely right." Then she paused for a second. "You sound like my mum, that's all. If she was here, she would say something like that."

"Do you still think about her? I don't see you wearing the necklace I gave you anymore."

"I still do, sometimes, not as often as before, but—Well, I have to let her go at one point, right?" She giggled softly, hugging her knees to her chest and glancing heavenward.

Harry had always thought the sky full of stars in his hometown was the most beautiful work of art, because he grew up dreaming and pondering under that sky. He'd missed it a lot while living in London, where the city lights would drown out even the brightest stars. But now that he was here, engulfed by a luminous galaxy, he realized it wasn't just the night sky in Holmes Chapel that he'd missed; it was also her. And now he didn't have to look at those stars anymore because his entire universe was already right next to him.

"Have you ever gone skinny-dipping?"

Her sudden question caught him off guard, so he stuttered, "uh...no, why?"

Y/N stood up, but before he could ask another question, she pulled her summer dress over her head and tossed it down on the grass. She wasn't wearing a bra so her bare breasts spilled out, leaving him gawking like a fool. He had seen much more, but this sight got his cheeks turning pink. Ignoring the look on his face, Y/N kicked off her shoes and pulled down her panties, letting them fall at her feet as she tip-toed to step out of them. The moonlight made her breasts look smaller, but she was still perfect to him, her naked form had him bewitched. He could clearly see the goosebumps on her arms, the scars on her legs for all those years she'd climbed the tree in their backyard. Her body was like a map of her beautiful childhood memories, which was why he fell in love with it as he'd done with her.

"You coming?"

He blinked rapidly when her voice pulled him back to reality. His eyebrows drew together in concern. "What if someone sees us?"

"No one will, I've done this many times before." Her answer left him in shock. Without waiting for him to follow, she turned and gave him one last look over the shoulder before running toward the lake. He watched her dive in with no splash, like a mermaid under the beautiful moonlight. She was swimming around and dipping her head back in the water to smoothen her sleek hair.

"Come on, Harry, don't be a pussy!" She broke into a fit of laughter.

Harry sighed, rolled his eyes and swiftly stripped himself naked, but he didn't jump right in; he slowly walked into the lake as if to test the water temperature, and Y/N just lost her patient. She swam up to him, grabbed his hand and dragged him underwater. He frantically clawed back to the surface, gasping for air.

"That was mean!"

"Calm down, Styles! Have some fun!" She giggled when he splashed water at her and pulled her to him. Before she could say anything, he shut her up with his lips. His heart was beating so fast that his skin tingled and his stomach was on fire. He thought this might be too much because his cock was firm against her stomach, but Y/N didn't mind, she took the initiative and slipped her tongue between his lips. His arms were tightened around her waist as he swam them over to the edge of the lake, kissing her neck and groaning into her cold skin.

He wasn't in his right mind when he moved his right hand between her thighs and caressed her clit with his thumb. The breathy sound of his name escaped her mouth, her eyes fell shut when he dipped his index finger inside of her. She moaned louder, her face buried in the crook of his neck as she kissed his collarbone. Now she truly felt like a hormonal teenager.

"Fuck...baby..." She gasped and moved his hand away, leaving him frantic. "I want to but...not here."

"Oh...okay." He kissed her again, softly. "But not in a car again please."

"Oh, God. Don't bring that up!"

"Alright, alright, let's get out of here. I know just the place." He laughed and kissed her shoulder when she hid her face into the crook of his neck.

The couple got out of the lake and fumbled their clothes back on. He'd been knuckle-deep inside of her just a minute ago, but now both of them were flustered just from watching each other get dressed. He slipped into his jeans as color burned in his cheeks, thankfully the darkness hid that so well. Walking back to the car, they couldn't keep their hands off each other, one moment their fingers were interlocked, and the next his hands were underneath her dress and they were kissing. He didn't usually do this when he was on a date, but they weren't in London now, they were home. No one was here to spy on them, to judge them, or make them feel uncomfortable. Tonight, it was just them and the moon.

They made out in the front seat for a while until the flashing light of another car tore them apart. She hurriedly climbed to the passenger seat, letting him be the one behind the wheel this time. They both looked like a mess right now, especially Y/N with her hair wet and tangled, her dress riding up, one strap falling past her shoulder. He had to use up all of his self-control to ignore his aching erection and started the engine to get them out of here as fast as he could. That fancy dinner will have to wait, he told himself. As she leaned out of the window and stared at the dark trees sliding past them, he took another turn to enter the highway and kept on driving until their childhood houses came into view.

"Wait, no!" She bounced up in her seat, staring at him with wide eyes. "Why are we here?"

"We're going to my house."

"We're not having sex while your parents are downstairs, Harry!"

The way she reacted got him shaking with laughter. "Relax, kid, they're not home. They're visiting my stepdad's family."

She released a sigh of relief when he pulled over in front of his yard. They got out at the same time. She walked around the car, toward him, her eyes narrowed for she didn't get why he was smiling. He didn't tell her, but the truth was, he found it interesting that she'd never waited for him to open the door for her. He guessed that was just how she was; she preferred doing things by herself.

They walked the steps up to his front door, and Harry was glad he'd brought the spare key just in case they might need to stay the night. Little did he knew, his plan didn't go smoothly as he'd expected. When he pushed the door open, the first thing he saw was his mother in her PJs. Just like the young couple, Anne was in shock. It was only until she saw them holding hands that she cheerfully exclaimed, "you two are finally together!"

Harry chuckled when she rushed toward them and pulled them both into a hug. She didn't even ask why they were home this late at night, all she cared about was them finally being something more than friends. Immediately, Anne pulled away and gripped Y/N's shoulders tightly as she sized her up. "My God, why are you soaked? Was it raining on the way here?"

"It was." Y/N giggled, glancing up at Harry whose face reddened as he scratched the back of his head. "Mum, where's Robin?"

"Oh, he's visiting his family," Anne said, and Harry received a glare from Y/N. The mother still hadn't caught on what was happening so she looked rather excited about seeing her son again, especially when he was with the girl she'd hoped he would end up with.

"You could've told me you were coming! Hurry, go upstairs and change or you'll get sick." Anne didn't wait for a response as she propelled the kids toward the stairs, and they had no choice but to do as she said. Y/N walked in front of Harry, who kept his hands on her hips the entire time, as if she was a toddler and couldn't walk on her own.

His bedroom was at the end of the hallway, right next to Gemma's. The hole in the roof had been fixed, and the room looked as good as the last time he'd seen it before moving to his dorm in London. He had taken most of the stuff with him that day, so now the room only contained a small bed, neatly made, and a small table with two straight-backed chairs. His walls looked empty without those posters that seventeen-year-old him thought were cool. A lot had changed since then.

Y/N made her way to the bed, sat down and signaled him to shut the door. His heart was pounding out of control as he came to sit right by her side. They were kissing again, this time, the kiss was slower, but wet and enthusiastic.

"I slept in this bed once..." She spoke with a brittle voice as his lips pressed against the curve of her jaw. "I was nine, and my parents were out of town..."

"I remember," he said between open-mouthed kisses down her neck. "You made me...sleep...so...far away from you...because you said...boys were gross."

Her chest vibrated with laughter. She cupped his cheeks and lifted his face. "Boys are gross," she repeated, making him laugh.

"Yeah? I guess kissing is gross too? All that saliva and stuff..." He teased before his lips found hers again.

Soon she was lying on her back with him on top. Her dress was on the floor, along with his shirt and jeans. His skin was slick with sweat and she felt so aroused watching the beads roll down the tattoos on his toned chest. Her nipples were hard and begging to be touched, and Harry knew that because his cock was the same. So he sucked on a nipple, causing her back to arch as he gripped her bottom and ground his erection against her glistening folds. She felt so embarrassed that they were doing this with his mother's presence in the house, but lust had taken control over her, and now every single part of her was yearning for him.

He tore his mouth away to look at her, his pupils were huge as he observed her face, stroking her bottom lip with his thumb.

"I love you so much." He breathed. "I wish that I was your first."

"You are," she whispered, and a smile crept up on her face when she saw how dumbfounded he was.

"Tonight, we're each other's first, remember?" She reminded him. Her lips curved into a smile as he muttered "I love you" again and again, before pulling down his boxers in one swift movement. As he reached for his jeans on the floor to get the condoms from his pocket, his cock twitched, it was leaking, and painfully hard, so she couldn't blame him when he nearly fell off the bed trying to open the pack and put the condom on with his trembling hands.

Pushing her thighs apart, he moved between them, then wasted no time to carefully guide himself into her. The fullness and stretch were familiar and strange at the same time. She hadn't had him in a year so it was sore when he entered. He felt even more massive than she remembered. Then he was all the way inside, a heavy groan got stuck in his throats as he pressed his forehead against hers, his mouth hung open and his face twisted.

"God, you're tight," he gasped. "I could just come right now, I'm not joking."

Her laugh jerked as he began to move experimentally, the intense pleasure had them both shudder at the same time. Then he picked up the pace, thrusting a little more rapid. He was so thick and full inside of her that she could feel him all the way in her stomach. She struggled to breathe, yet her hips were bucking to urge him to move faster. And so he did, giving her exactly what she'd asked for.

He slid one hand down to her hip and his head dropped forward as he pounded harder toward orgasm. She could feel the heat spreading all over her body like wildfire, but as her fingers found her clit, he smacked her hand away and replaced it with his own. All she could do was look at him helplessly, her eyelids fluttered but she wanted to watch him come. His mouth was in an 'o' shape as her nails scratched down his back and the overwhelming sensation swept right through them. Y/N bit onto his shoulder to muffle her cries, soon his head fell back, and a growl rumbled in his throat as he chased his release. He flopped down on top of her afterward, her entire body went numb, completely fucked out.

"That was good..." She managed to speak but unable to move a muscle.

"Yeah? That was my first time, I'm a natural."

She playfully hit his shoulder for that joke and both of them dissolved into laughter. Slowly, Harry pulled himself out of her pulsing heat which still fought to keep him inside. He shifted around to make himself comfortable before looking up at her.

"I forgot," he said softly.

"Forgot what?"

"To say I love you during." His answer put a smile on her face. Though her eyes were closed, she could tell he was also smiling at her.

"You don't have to say it every five minutes, H."

"Yeah but..." He pressed a kiss to her flushed cheek. "I love you."

She responded with a giggle and turned her head to look at him again. As she parted her lips to say something, his mother's voice caused them both to flinch. "Hey, you guys want some milk?!"

"No, mum!" He shouted back to her, but there was no answer. The horrified look on his face made Y/N laugh so hard that her stomach was in pain.

"Is she gonna come up here? Because I honestly can't move."

"She might. But don't worry, I already locked the door," he reassured her and laid a kiss on her forehead, pulling her back into his arms.

.

.

.

The sun had come out by the time they made it to London, and Y/N pulled her car to the side of the road to drop him off at work. Their bodies were aching and exhausted from all the love-making and staying up all night just to talk. But that wasn't a big problem now that they were happier than they'd ever been. The memories from last night would be enough to get them through another busy day, until they got to see each other again.

"Will you come over tonight?" She asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Sure, love." Harry nodded. When he leaned in, however, Y/N instantly put a hand on his chest.

"We can't," she reminded him. They had already risked being seen together, she couldn't let anyone catch them making out in public, especially when things were just looking up. Harry also knew that, still he seemed disappointed. Right before he could leave, however, she held onto his arm.

"Have a nice day," she said with a bashful smile. "I love you."

His expression dulled for a second before his whole face lit up with a massive grin. "Fuck it," he exhaled, grasped her face, and kissed her hard. Y/N’s eyes went round as she pushed him right off, but the man didn't seem to care at all. He told her he loved her before getting out of the car and happily leaping up the steps into the building, while she stayed here, smiling like a fool.

But then that smile was gone. She saw Ruby stepping out of her black Audi and their eyes met for a brief second which felt like a minute. The woman was ice cold as she slammed the door and marched up the steps into the same building.

[ashenpages]

17 questions 17 people!

I was tagged by @pompous-hat, and they very graciously called out one of the fics I posted at the beginning of the month, and have just been generally sweet, so I’m going to go ahead and do this for them!

Nickname: I’ve had the nickname “Tree” a lot growing up because my IRL name is shortened to “tree-sa” when people are talking quickly in a West-coast American accent. I tend to go by “Ash” on here. =)

Zodiac: Aries

Height: 5′ 9″

Hogwarts House: JK Rowling can eat my entire ass for being a TERF and for constantly writing everyone in my house like they’re an asshole instead of in the house that motherfucking MERLIN was in. *indignant huff* Anyway, I’m a Slytherin. Well done to the fans reclaiming the Wizarding World as our space. Keep up the good work.

Last thing I googled: Google Translate for Spanish to English because someone left a wonderful comment on one of my fics, and I only knew enough Spanish to get the gist and needed help understanding the details.

Song stuck in my head: Bury the Light by Casey Edwards, which is Vergil’s theme for Devil May Cry 5, which I am playing constantly now that Vergil is out and playable! (I’m a really big Devil May Cry fan, have been since I was in high school).

Number of Followers: 306  O.O I didn’t know there were that many of you still here. Thanks for sticking around! I hope you won’t get fed up with my multi-fandom fics and reblogs!

Amount of Sleep: It fluctuates a lot. I’ve been working from home since March, so sometimes I get to nap. Can be between 6 hours and 9 hours. I get more sleep on weekends.

Lucky Numbers: 3, 7, and 11

Dream Job: I’m a progressive, so my dream job would be no job at all--which is not to say I don’t want to work. I do, I just don’t want to have to have a job to survive. I want to work on things that bring me happiness, not because I have to pay rent and put food on the table. I’m currently in Book Production at the comics house I dreamed of working for when I was at university. It’s a fun job, and allows me to use my creativity in a way that still leaves me enough creative energy to work on my fanfics and my own original writing projects in my off time. I’m very defensive of my writing time, and sometimes sacrifice sleep to it, though. So even though I’m definitely working a job that is a dream job right now, I’d love to do it or only 30 hours per week instead of 40.

Wearing: Champion Blue Breath of the Wild tanktop, and cozy fleece pajama pants.

Favorite Author: Picking a favorite is always so hard. I read a lot of queer graphic novels and comics. I really liked The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang. I adored Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki. I really, really love the short four volume manga series Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani. I love old Victorian era stories too, like Frankenstein and Dracula. Jane Austin and the Bronte sisters are really fun for me too. And I love Diana Wynne Jones. Tamora Piece got me through my childhood.

Favourite Instrument: I love all kinds of flutes. I’m biased, having played it in school, but I love the sound of different kinds of flutes, and swoon every time I hear jazz flute or Celtic penny whistle or reedy wooden flutes. I love a spirited harp as well, and it’s difficult to resist cello.

Aesthetic: A friend once described my look as “butch high femme” and I love it? I have an undercut and like to wear lipstick, boots, and flannel button downs. It’s definitely the look of a Pacific North West queer kid. =)

Favorite Song: Dearly Beloved from the Kingdom Hearts franchise. I know it may sound cheesy, but that series has been going for so long that there are so many versions of Dearly Beloved, and it always makes me feel things. I also collect game soundtracks, so maybe this isn’t actually all that surprising. I go back to the .hack//Infection soundtrack for similar reasons. 

Favorite Animal Noise: I grew up in the woods, so I find the singing of coyotes to be very soothing. I also like the songs of crickets. And I know it’s not an animal sound, but the sound of rain goes hand in hand with these other two for me.

Random: I’m married to my platonic life partner. That confuses a lot of people, but it makes us happy. =)

I don’t typically do these things, so I don’t think I’ll tag anyone, but if you’re one of my followers and see this and want to do it and share with me, please do copy this and tag me so I can see your answers and celebrate them with you!

[tainted-wine]

20 Questions Tag Game

Tagged by: @hawkssimp​

Tagging: I DON’T KNOW DANGIT

1) What do you prefer to be called name wise?

Call me Tainted for short.

2) When is your birthday?

September 3rd

3) Where do you live?

CA, USA

4) Three things you’re doing right now:

Eating grapes, getting my Vaporwave on, and mustering up the courage to take out the garbage and face the monster-sized beetle flying around the yard right now.

5) Four fandoms that have really piqued your interest:

BNHA, Pokemon, Mortal Kombat (Aftermath’s story was so DOPE), Marvel Cinematic Universe

6) How’s the pandemic treating you?

Not badly, I suppose. I’ve ironically become more social because of it. My hermit ass can handle isolation pretty well, but many friends and loved ones feel like their going nuts and some are getting a bit depressed, so I’ve been trying to provide them with any sort of company and also introducing them to things that will help with their boredom.

7) What’s a song you can’t stop listening to right now?

"Orpheus” by Shawn James

8) Recommend a movie:

"Tammy and the T-Rex”

This is one of the most tonally confused pieces of shit that you will ever watch. The humor is childish, it’s gory, a brain has an orgasm after watching its girlfriend strip for it...it has to be seen to be believed. I just...

LOOK.

9) How old are you?

26

10) School, occupation, other?

I’m the design editor/layout editor for a community newspaper.

11) Do you prefer hot or cold?

Hot, even though I overheat pretty easily and have to be careful. But...ugh, harsh cold weather is just the worst for me.

12) Name one fact about you that others may not know:

I like to gamble. Casinos are fun! Well, the cleaner ones with decent security, at least.

13) Are you shy?

...Yeah, I am. A lot of the stuff I do requires meeting many new faces, but I still can’t comfortably say that I’m not shy anymore.

14) Preferred pronouns:

She/her

15) Any pet peeves?

One of my local librarians says “li-berry” instead of “li-brary” and it makes my eye twitch every time.

16) What’s your favorite “dere” type?

Kuudere. Got a soft spot for closed-off characters that slowly open up.

17) Rate your life, 1 being Capital C Crappy or 10/10 thriving:

8/10? Again, I’m fine myself, but a lot of people I know are struggling and I’ve been worrying for them a lot lately.

18) What’s your main blog?

‘Sup.

19) List your side blogs and what they’re for:

Nothing here but a chirpin cricket.

20) Is there anything ppl need to know about you before becoming friends w/ you?

I love to throw praise and positivity at people! If it ever feels overwhelming, please just let me know. I never mean to act like a smothering grandma.