#Also we’re driving down the highway and fireworks just went off!

[insaneillusionist]

Just went to a great concert!

[omg-imagine]

⊱ Forget Me Not (7/15) ⊰

Pairing: Keanu Reeves x Reader

Summary: After you wake up from a coma and realize that your memories from the last five years have been erased, Keanu works to bring back what you have lost.

Words: 3.6k

Warnings: None

A/N: So sorry for the delay! I was super busy and wasn’t able to finish writing in time to post yesterday. Anyway, it’s sort of filler chapter this week but definitely one of my favorites to write so far. 

Also, we’ve reached the halfway point of the story and things will start picking up in the next few chapters! There may or may not be smut in an upcoming chapter and if I do end up writing it, I’ll give a heads up in the warnings. 

Again, thank you so much for the lovely feedback and I hope you enjoy!

Part 6

Staring up at the ticking clock on the wall, you silently counted the hours that have passed since Keanu had gone to the Arch office to take care of a few business matters. It was the first time he has left you home alone, and truth be told, he was a bit more worried than he should have been. You, however, were adamant that he went ahead, not wanting him to neglect his responsibilities in favor of babysitting you.

After finally convincing him that you can handle being by yourself, Keanu left, slightly reluctant but keeping his promise of not allowing circumstances to interfere with his life. Once he arrived, you had received occasional text messages from him, replying to each one sincerely just to give Keanu some peace of mind. He was sweet for checking on you, and you couldn't really blame him for his overprotectiveness. You knew that it would come to pass when everything goes back to normal.

Or, so you hoped.

Even though you were glad that Keanu was working again, you couldn't help but miss him. Despite only being away for nearly six hours, the silence in the house was getting to you. You've kept yourself occupied by doing a couple chores around the place. Every room was spotless by the time you finished cleaning, leaving you with nothing else to do for the rest of the day.

Frankly speaking, you were beginning to feel a bit stir crazy being stuck inside. Sure, you've done grocery runs with Keanu and go on long walks with him around the neighborhood every morning, but you had yet to explore what Los Angeles had to offer. You wanted to check out the popular tourist spots, see the famous Hollywood Sign with your own two eyes, and hit up the shops on Rodeo Drive. Maybe even hike a trail at Griffith Park or drive down Sunset Boulevard where towering palm trees flanked the street.

You were just about to text Keanu and ask what time he was coming home when you heard the deep, rumbling sound of his motorcycle outside as he parked on the driveway. Swiftly, you hopped off the couch, dashing out of the front door just in time to catch him swing a leg over the saddle before dismounting.

As you approached Keanu, you couldn't stop yourself from staring as he took off his helmet, running a free hand through the length of his dark, disheveled hair, unaware of your presence. Unzipping his black leather jacket, you watched as he pushed back his sunglasses onto his head, revealing his rich brown eyes. 

Obviously, you were very attracted to him. And to this day, you wondered how a man like Keanu chose you over anybody else.

"You okay there, Y/N?" Keanu asked after turning his head and meeting your widened gaze. He chuckled under his breath as the heat rose to your cheeks, realizing that he had caught you gaping at him.

"Uh, y-yeah. Yeah, of course," you stammered, covering up your embarrassment with a shy smile. "How was work today?"

"It was productive," he answered with a nod. "It's actually a good thing that I went today because there was an issue with getting parts to make a client's bike, but it all worked out in the end. Sorry for leaving you home alone. You must have been bored, or maybe grateful that you got a break from me."

You laughed at his attempt at adding a joke in there. "Honestly, I was extremely bored. I did some vacuuming and laundry around the house and a bit of light reading afterwards. But I'm happy you got work done today. Imagine what your client would say if he found out you weren't available because you were too busy watching over your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Keanu repeated as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Isn't that what I am to you?" you inquired, slightly nervous. Not because of Keanu's reaction, but of the word that slipped out of your mouth. It was the first time you admitted out loud that you were Keanu's girlfriend, and it made it somehow feel a little more real.

"Yeah," he spoke, his eyes lingering over your features. "You're my girlfriend, but you're so much more."

You smiled sweetly at Keanu, silently exchanging affectionate glances with him until you found your voice again. "Can we go out and do something today?"

"Like what? Do you want to go to a park or see a movie?"

Suddenly, an idea sprouted in your mind. "I want you to take me to where we had our first date."

"Our first date?"

"Yes," you nodded eagerly. "I know you told me the story about it, but now I really want to go see the place for myself."

"It's Saturday, Y/N," Keanu pointed out. "It's going to be busy there. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Ke. It's gonna be fun," you giggled. "Be right back, I'll grab the car keys."

Quickly leaning up to kiss him on his cheek, you sprinted back inside the house, almost tripping over your feet from the excitement rushing through your veins. You missed the look of amusement on Keanu's face, however, as he watched your retreating figure, a smile tugging at his lips.

---

The traffic, although currently better than most days, was still horrendous. You had taken at least two naps in the car only to wake up and find out that Keanu had only driven five miles each time. Not even the calming sight of the blue Pacific waves on the right was enough to keep you distracted from the torturous wait.

"How much longer?" You asked him with a whine.

"According to the GPS, we still got 25 minutes to go," Keanu replied, briefly glancing at you. "Funny enough, you were also this impatient years ago. You hated traffic, and you were practically begging me to exit the highway and do this some other time."

"I'm not surprised," you shook your head as you cracked open the window, allowing the fresh ocean wind into the vehicle. "Why couldn't we just have dinner like a typical first date?"

"This was actually your idea back then," Keanu recalled with a small chuckle, making you roll your eyes. "But like you said before, it's going to be fun when we get there."

"If we get there," you sighed deeply.

"Hey, don't be like that. It's just traffic, you'll learn to tolerate it eventually."

Laughing, you glanced back at Keanu. "I sure hope so, or else I'm moving back to New York."

A few minutes went by, and you were too busy staring out of the window to notice Keanu suddenly switching to the right lane until he called out your name.

"What is it?" You said, watching him point at an upcoming mile marker.

"That's the exact place where we met for the first time."

As he said those words, the car slowly passed by the small green sign with a printed digit. Turning your head back to look at Keanu, you noticed that he was smiling adoringly, not at the spot he had mentioned, but instead, at you. Seeing it made your heart flutter, and you thought about how funny the universe worked. It had brought two strangers together nearly five years ago, resulting in a seemingly perfect love story.

Keanu's voice drew you out of your reverie. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing serious," you told him. "I was just wondering again how life could have been different if I hadn't met you."

"And what do you think it would be like?"

You pondered for a moment, comparing the life you could remember with the one you had now. Even though you still felt a bit lost in this new world of yours, you couldn't recall the last time you were this happy, safe, and loved.

Facing forward, you gazed at the stretch of highway before you. "I think it would have been lonely."

---

You were twelve years old the last time you visited a boardwalk by the beach. Your parents had surprised you with a trip down the shore just before school started, and you stayed one night at a cheap motel that was only a block away from the water.

You remembered all the funnel cakes they bought you, the games they spent a lot of money on just so you could win a stuffed toy. You could still hear the clickity-clack of the wooden coaster, and how much you both enjoyed and feared the thrill of riding it. And at the end of the day was the firework show, which became the most memorable part of the trip.

As Keanu guided you up the wooden walkways, you felt a sense of nostalgia as you glanced around the Santa Monica Pier. It was a lot bigger than the one you've been to and had far more people exploring the boardwalk all throughout. Standing by the entrance, you could already see the ferris wheel and the rollercoaster just to the side of it. You felt like a little kid again as you looked around, not knowing exactly where to start.

"If we're doing this like our first date, we should have a round of water race," Keanu suggested, offering you his arm to which you happily took it.

"Lead the way, Reeves."

Arriving at the booth, you and Keanu took a seat at the two vacant spots before he handed the game operator $10 to play. You glanced at your side and realized that you were playing against three children who looked as though they had more experience than the both of you combined.

"Oh god, I don't want to lose to ten-year-olds," you whispered with a light-hearted laugh. "I suck at this game, are you at least any good?"

Keanu arched his brow with a slight grin. "Are you kidding me? I'm better than you."

Playfully punching his shoulder, Keanu then shot you a wink before the operator announced that the game was about to start. Gripping on the metal handlebars, you shut one of your eyes and aimed your gun at the target in front of you. At the sound of the bell, you pushed down the trigger, the stream of water hitting the target directly, and you quickly glanced up to see what place you stood.

"Gee, Ke," you chuckled after seeing how he compared to you and the other players. "I thought you were good? Those kids are beating you!"

"I didn't say I was good. I said I was better than you," Keanu smirked as the buzzer went off, signaling that someone had won, and it was neither you or Keanu that did.

"Well, you still got beat by a little kid. What's your excuse for that?"

Keanu got off the stool, pulling you up on your feet as well. "You were distracting."

"Distracting?" You scoffed playfully. "What did I do that got you all distracted?"

"You sitting there pretty was enough to make me lose focus," Keanu revealed.

"So, what do you want me to do? Stop being pretty just so you can win?"

Shaking his head, Keanu reached down and grasped your hands in his. "You can never stop being pretty, no matter how hard you try."

Walking further down the Pier, Keanu stopped when he reached a booth where a Shoot the Star game was set up. Convinced that he would be able to win you a prize by playing, Keanu slid a bill across the counter to start the game, picking up the BB gun before aiming it at the paper star.

"You sure you got this, Ke?" you questioned him.

"Of course, I do. Watch."

One by one, Keanu shot out every bit of the red star off with a high degree of precision, his skill coming as a shock to both you and the man tending the booth. Out of one hundred pellets, he only had to use about thirty of them to completely obliterate the target faster than you had seen anyone else do. His head turned slightly, a sly smile plastered on his face as his eyes met yours.

"Where the hell did you learn how to shoot like that?"

"John Wick boot camp," he simply responded. "What prize do you want?"

Picking out a brown, fluffy teddy bear hanging in one corner of the display, After it was handed to Keanu, he then presented the toy to you. Smiling, you accepted the prize, not even caring that the stuffed animal was poorly made, and some of the seams were unraveling. What mattered was that it came from him.

"You know, I haven't seen any of the John Wick sequels," you noted as you two began walking away, hand-in-hand. "We should watch those when we get home tonight."

"Anything you want, sweetheart," he said with a gentle squeeze of your hand. "Anything for you."

You and Keanu played a few more games together, learning how competitive he was when it came to versing you and others. He was stopped for a couple of occasions to take pictures with his fans. It warmed your heart, seeing the way he interacted with them, especially with the younger kids. He was so kind to them, so attentive and caring. You could understand why everyone fawned over him.

And it was for the same reasons why you were falling for Keanu.

Falling. Was it too soon to say that? You weren't sure, but all you could think about now was the way he held your hand and how he smiled so brightly at you, making you feel like you were the only person he could see. There were no other words to describe the feeling other than falling.

After a quick bite, you led Keanu towards the ferris wheel, something you had been looking forward to riding the second you arrived at the Pier. Once inside a passenger car, the wheel slowly began to turn, moving clockwise as the world below grew smaller the higher you rose above the ground.

The silence that fell between you was far from awkward. Instead, it was peaceful and comfortable. You were aware of how close you were sitting beside Keanu, feeling his heat as it radiated from him. He put one arm around you, drawing you even closer to his body. Leaning against him, you rest your head on his shoulder as you took in the beautiful scenery outside. At some point, the wheel stopped at the very top, your cart softly swaying to the gentle wind blowing against it.

"You okay?" He asked, shifting his eyes to look at your face. You didn't notice your grip around his arm had tightened.

"I am. Just a little scared of heights, that's all."

"Don't worry," he murmured as you tilt your gaze upwards. You saw how he was focused on your lips, and if you leaned in just enough, you could almost…

The wheel suddenly moved again, the sound of the hydraulics causing you to jump as the ride began its slow descent back to the loading dock. You were disappointed at missing your chance to kiss Keanu, wanting nothing more than to finally feel his lips on yours.

"Hey, you want to see something amazing?"

Smiling broadly, you then nodded. "Sure."

The sand between your bare toes was soft and warm to the touch. Each fine grain was colored with a golden hue, and it sparkled underneath the setting sun. Eventually, you and Keanu neared the edge of the ocean, the cool waters lapping at your feet with every languid wave washing up to the shore.

Carrying your shoes in one hand while Keanu held the other, you continued to walk down a quiet section of the beach. The breeze blowing from the tide tousled your hair as the briny smell of the air invaded your nose. 

You could almost taste the salt on your tongue.

"Let's stop here," Keanu halted his steps after picking out a spot close to the shoreline, but far away enough so that the water didn't reach you.

Carefully, he lowered himself onto the ground, pulling your hand down to have you do the same. You settled in between his legs, your back pressed against his firm chest as his arms wrapped around you. You felt Keanu rest his head against yours, his scruffy beard tickling your skin as you release a contented sigh.

The sun above began to dip behind the horizon. It cast an orange haze over the ocean and painted the skies majestic shades of red and pink. The last of its rays gave off a gentle warmth, bidding farewell to let the night take over. Craning your head up, you saw Keanu’s soft smile, his face aglow by the waning light as he appeared to be lost in his own thoughts.

You were able to get your phone out and take a quick snapshot of him, the small giggles that escaped your lips breaking his stare.

"What are you doing?"

Shrugging, you tossed your phone to the side, landing right next to where your shoes laid on the sand. "I took a picture of you."

Keanu chuckled as his head moved closer. "Why?"

"I want to relive this memory one day," you explained. "Thanks for the second-first date. I really had fun today."

"Do you remember…?" He trailed off, but you knew what he was asking.

"No," you sighed sadly. "It's okay, though. Because now I have this to look back on while waiting for the old ones to come back."

"Okay," Keanu added, his eyes boring into yours. "I had fun today, too."

"Good. I'm glad."

A beat passed, and once again, you found yourself staring at his lips, which were only mere inches away from yours.

"I love you, you know?" He blurted out, catching you by surprise. Of course, you knew that he loved you, but hearing him say it outright felt different. "You don't have to say it back now, but I want to remind you that I still do."

Strangely, those three words were right there at the tip of your tongue. You could say it, but something was holding you back. Was it fear? Uncertainty? Perhaps it was all too soon for you.

"Tell me about our first kiss," you murmured, your gaze unwavering.

"I told you that story already, remember? We were at the overlook and—"

"No," you interjected with a shake of your head. "Tell me how it felt."

Keanu darted out his tongue to lick his lips, his breath softly fanning your face. "When we kissed for the first time, it was like time stood still for those few seconds. I was nervous during the whole thing because it had been a while, but being with you, I realized that there's nothing to be scared of. It sounds cliche, but I felt sparks while kissing you. After that, I never wanted to let you go."

You stayed silent. Instead of speaking, you let yourself lean into Keanu. Your lips brushed against his tentatively before you pulled away, your eyes flickering up to see the pleading look on his face.

He wanted it as much as you did.

Your gaze lowered, and again, you placed your lips on his, although this time, they stayed there. Eyes fluttering close, you kissed Keanu gently and sweetly as he brought his hand up to tenderly cup the side of your face. It was everything you had imagined and more. 

But eventually, the two of you broke apart to breathe, severing the connection. Right away, you wondered when your next kiss would be, believing that if it was already this good, it could only get better from this point on.

"That was…" Keanu mumbled, nearly breathless.

"Amazing," you finished for him as he brushed a strand of hair away from your face and stroked your cheek. "I don't know what else to say."

Pressing his lips to your forehead, Keanu then sighed happily. "You don't have to say anything else. I already know."

With one last smile, your attention returned to the vast ocean and the disappearing sun, the taste of Keanu's lips lingering on yours.

For one, fleeting moment, you thought that you could stay this way forever.

---

Walking back to the car, Keanu couldn't help but grin with you by his side. He was on cloud nine after today's adventure. Even though you still couldn't remember anything, he loved how he was reliving these moments again. He never realized how long it truly has been since you had both enjoyed yourselves.

Opening the car door for you to climb inside, his cell started to ring, echoing throughout the parking garage.

"Who's calling?" You curiously asked as Keanu stood with one hand holding the door.

Fishing out his phone, he suddenly froze when he saw the caller ID. 

It was Molly. 

Keanu eventually knew that she would try reaching out to him after he had told her of what happened to you. It came as a shock to him that it took her longer than he had expected. But he didn’t want to deal with it right now. 

He still wasn’t sure when he’ll be able to.

"It's just spam," Keanu said, the lie smoothly rolling off his tongue. It was becoming too easy for him to do that, lying.

Without a second thought, he turned off the screen and placed the phone back inside his pocket. Jogging to the driver's side, he took one deep breath in and out before opening the door and sliding inside.

Just for tonight, Keanu wanted to hold onto something he hasn't felt in a long time. 

Happiness.

And he didn’t want her ruining it.

Part 8

Taglist: @penwieldingdreamer​ @fanficsrusz​ @toomanystoriessolittletime​ @awessomness​ @meetmeinthematinee​ @ringa-starr​ @ficsnroses​ @iworshipkeanureeves​ @keandrews​ @greenmanalishi​ @feminine-machinegun​ @lussdew​ @allie1804-fan @flaminasteroid 

[lady-olive-oil]

So Into You: Chapter 1

A/N: Hey hey hey! Let’s do this y’all! Welcome to the first chapter of So Into You. I’ll be on vacation soon so, this chapter is being uploaded, along with chapter 6 of Work Out. Which I’ll post tomorrow. If you’d to be tagged in future chapters, let me know!!

Warnings: None, except for sexual imagery

Word Count: 2k+ [this is a good one]

Choxie Squad: @maddiestundentwritergaines || @crushed-pink-petals || @themyscxiras || @honeychicana || @dc41896 || @stillevansbae || @areubeingserved || @swirlevans || @4ftwonder || @bugngiz || @mangos4u

_______________

“Chris! Slow your dumb-ass down!”

“Rude! Make me!”

“You gon’ learn today!”

What does it look like for two grown ass adults, running to get to the Cars Land ride in peace? Like a bunch of giddy kids. But who could blame us? We barely get time to hangout with each other anyway, so why not relax at Disneyland and possibly Universal?

A few people stopped us to take pictures, and even though Chris is a bigger star, I got a few fans to ask me for pictures. It made me feel great inside and out, to know that my work has made waves with the world. I must be doing something right. Plus, having a nearly 40 heat old best friend who's willing to act like a child with you is always fun.

“What am I gonna learn Ro? How to do a victory dance, after beating you at Toy Story Mania? Cause I won, twice.” He booped my nose, causing me scrunch it a bit.

I arched a brow and grabbed his hand playfully. “One: you cheated. Two; don't touch my nose. You don’t get to touch me besides a hug. Don’t need helicopter parent Delilah, tryin to check me again. Remember last time?” 

“Yeah I apologize for that. It wasn’t right for her to show up at your birthday dinner, unannounced and caused a scene. I still owe you for that one.”

“Yeah you do. Disney Land will suffice for now. You also owe me dinner from way back when.” Nudging him a bit, before we got in line for the ride, we took a few more pictures with a few folks and chatted.

The birthday dinner fiasco was a disaster. Delilah showed up at Nobu, uninvited, to my birthday dinner hosted by the cast and crew of Avengers: Infinity War. Causing a scene as to why he didn’t tell her where he went, and why didn’t he invite her. He had her apologize to me for being rude and disruptive. I only accepted it because she’s Chris’ girl, but deep down, I felt disregarded.

She didn’t care who saw, she just wanted to let folks know that she was there. I never hated my birthday anymore than I did that day. The next day however, Chris Door Dashed me some food over. It did make it a bit better, but I’m still not he fence about her. She had no regard for privacy or human decency.

Chris rugged on my hand, causing me to get out of my trance. “Come on Ro, It’s our turn. What’s on ya mind? You got that look on your face.”

Helping me into the car, I let out an exaggerated sigh. 

“My bad. Just uh, Going down memory lane about the party last year. History isn’t going to repeat itself is it?”

“Roxanne. I promise it won’t, she won’t come near you as long as I’m around.”

With a reassuring nod, I focused back on track as the car zoomed along, with the sounds of Rascal Flats to bring up the momentum.

“Life is a highway! I wanna ride it all night long. If you're going my way, I wanna drive it all night long.” The inner kids in Chris and I couldn’t resist the sing-a-long. 

Glancing over at him got me thinking. Seeing how happy he was and just enjoying himself, it made me realize I was doing something right by being his friend. I wasn’t going anywhere, yet I kept thinking he’d choose her every time.

After getting off the ride we decided to head to downtown Disney. I was craving pizza so why not.

Given the circumstances of our friendship, he doesn’t know I’ve liked him for years. All this pent up lust for a 30 something year old black woman, ain’t right by any means. To be completely honest, I’ve been in love with my best friend since we were kids. 

Cliche I know, but something about him made me realize that just having him be my best friend isn’t enough for me. My girlfriends know about how I feel; even their boyfriends know. 

How do you tell your best friend, of over thirty years, that you have dreams about then every night? How you picture them in your head, when you’re having sex with other men? You can’t just say that out loud. That’s why I’ve been blocking it out by dating other folks.

I dream of kissing down his chest, leaving hickies along in my wake. Grabbing onto his sculpted hips for leverage, licking his neck teasingly. He's a sight to behold, a true masterpiece of fine art. See what I mean by the dreams being too elaborate? Boy is it harder than I thought.

Chris’ POV:

Taking in the surroundings as much as I could, I backtracked to the day of the party. It was a mess, Delilah was causing an unnecessary scene and essentially made Roxie cry because she had wine poured on her head.

She didn’t talk about that part much. Having red Merlot in your hair was never a good thing, unless it’s New Years. At that point Delilah and I took a break because my friendship with Roxie meant more to me than anything. 

Granted, all my past relationships I’ve had all loved Roxie. Thrilled to have her around, but yet Delilah is pushing her away from me. Being demanding and telling me that I can’t spend time with Roxie anymore, even though we work together and that’s just enough.

It didn’t make sense to me at all. Hence the current “break” we’re on now. She doesn’t understand boundaries at all. 

Not gonna lie, I have been feeling something lately but I can’t describe it quite right. I don’t know whether it’s infatuation or love for my best friend. If it’s the latter, then I think it’s time I accept it. It’s been a long time coming anyway. 

Smiling at a few fans along the way, taking pictures again, made everything relax a bit. I even checked my phone to see if anything happened, while I enjoyed being a kid again with Roxie. Just notifications and love from our fans about our day, then something caught my attention. 

Delilah, had sounded off my find my iPhone alert and I didn’t notice till now. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

I had to get it together. Couldn’t have another birthday fiasco. I took the liberty of ordering a large pepperoni pizza, with bacon and jalapenos for us. I noticed the happy smile on Roxie’s face. One of many great things I loved about her. 

‘Oh shit, I really got it bad.’ I thought to myself, once I shook my head and focused.

“What are you so smiley about over there, pretty lady?”

She took a bite of her slice, doing a little dance in the process. “Food. Ya feeding me today, that’s why.”

“I always found a way to your heart huh? Through food mostly.”

“True. But for the most part, keeping you happy is the fun part of our friendship. I need to make sure you’re ok at all times Evans. Vice versa, cause no guys have been right for me anyway.” This time she bopped me on my nose.

The actin along made me scrunch up my face in playful annoyance, earning a chuckle from hr. It eased my stress levels a bit until, I heard that one fatal voice, that shattered the glass of the house of my concentration.

“Hi baby. I didn’t know you’d be here.” Delilah places a kiss upon my cheek, and waves a bit towards Roxie. That’s weird, she never waved at her. She did know I was here, I didn’t find out she used the alert till after I turned my location back on.

“Uh Yeah. I didn’t think I you’d want to seeing as though were on break currently.” With a slight shrug, I noticed the twinge in her forehead. Roxie kept eating her pizza enjoying the show.

The pet names started, along with her petting my head as she sat on my lap without my consent. “I’m still your girlfriend actually, even if we are on break. I care about you boo.” 

The subtle eye rolls, a fake gagging, from Roxie was priceless. I slid her off my lap and she sat next to me. The two women had a stare off till one of them cracked.

“Have something to say Roxie?” 

“It’s Alexander or Roxanne to you. And no I don’t, because if I did that would require me to nice. Which we both know there’s no way in hell you're capable of doing so.” Stuffing the pizza crust into her mouth, she got up and headed to the front register. I’m assuming for dessert.

The gasp that emitted from Delilah’s lips was comical. “She shouldn't get to talk to me like that. I’m your girlfriend Christopher  not her.”

I had to set her straight, so looked her dead in her eyes. “Here we go again. Delilah, we’ve been on and off for how long? Few months. Dating for close to a year now, I suppose? You have to respect that she’s going to be around forever.”

“I don’t like it, at all. But for you I’ll do anything for you because I love you.”

That phrase was foreign to me hearing from others, besides my friends; family and Roxie. Part of me wanted to hear her say it for real. The dreams I have of her late at night don't help either.

I dream about kissing her neck as gently as possible, holding her close to me. Like she’s a fragile art piece that’s only meant to be observed. I really need to get it together, this has gone maddening.

“Love ya too, Delilah. Now we can talk tomorrow if ya want, I still want to hang with my best friend.” Accepting the Captain America theme cupcake from Roxie, she chilled right back next me with her Black Panther cupcake.

To smite Roxie, she kissed me hard and then walked away with a sway in her hips. “See ya baby boy.”

“Will she ever learn that she gotta have an ass to sway her hips?” Roxie chuckled a little, causing me to join in.

 Using the Steve Rogers pleading look, I had to do it. “I shouldn’t be laughing but I am. Don’t be mean please, I want this to work out. Please?”

“Fine. I’ll try, for you. ‘Boo.’” Now she felt like mocking, flipping her hair off her shoulder and batting her eyelashes. She’ll be the death of me.

“You are so wrong. Let’s go catch the fireworks before it gets too dark. Got an early day tomorrow.”

“That we do. You owe me a piggyback ride too.” Making sure we had everything she, threw the empty pizza pan anyway and hopped on my back as we journeyed back to Snow Whites castle.

“We also could have gone to the parking garage too.”

“What’s the fun I that? The castle is where we’ll get the best pictures in.”

Setting her down on the ground to lean against the railing to get a good view, we may have bought a few light up toys.

“Ok facts.” The fireworks illuminated her face like a stain glass window in a cathedral. One of the most breathtaking sights I’ve ever seen. 

As the show went on, something pulled us closer. Not sure what was going on but, our pinky fingers locked. The drive to her house was long but fulfilling. The day couldn't have gotten any better.

“Rox, you’re home now sweetheart. Imma head out too.” I sat her in her bed and pulled the covers up over her, till she grabbed my arm.

She mumbled gently, loud enough so I could hear. Even with the fan on. “Stay, please? You got clothes here anyway.” 

Smiling gently with a nod, I slipped in next to her and cuddle her like I always did. I wish my desires weren’t screaming at me in my head to go for it. Yet her sad excuse of boyfriend isn’t competition to me.

He’s the least of my worries.

[cyborgraptor]

haunted house thrill ride minus the haunted house

Last night my brother, his wife, and me both left rather late to see if we could make it last minute to a haunted house an hour away from where we live to Ft. Worth, TX. People might already know the attraction called Cutting Edge, as its been going on for years now - the last time we went to it was 12 years ago. We wanted to see how it was now, and it has a somewhat decent rating. We remember there was bubbles at the end that COMPLETELY soak your clothes and nearly smothers you, so we checked reviews to see if they still had it. It does, but there’s a bubble-less route so you can avoid it. But, the end of this review had us curious.

(Parking was 15-20$ we read on the website, too.) Anyway, we drive down there. Immediately get sad spotting the homeless population taking up entire large sidewalks as we enter downtown. Arrive at 12:15, and the attraction ends at 1am. We knew there’d be a line since it was a semi-chill night thats good for big crowds. Buuuuuuut we weren’t expecting to see around 500 people ass-to-ass wrapped in a tight line in the parking lot 45 minutes till closing. So we said “Fuck that shit, lets find a cool late night dinner place while we’re in down here”.  Regret. My brother remembered there was some ice cream place they went to while they were here some time ago down some main street. Quickly figured out that street was closed off, like some parade/party just recently happened, but there was nothing but a bar open down the street and a security golf cart picking up cones. We figured we could get on our feet and walk further down the street to see if we could find it that way, as there was a lot of hidden buildings. So we park the car, get out, and go to a street corner to look around. Across the street, we saw a woman face-down against a curb to a shop, totally looking like a dead body. Two men were slowly trying to help her up to get in their car. The three of us looked at each other like “Uh oh” and looked back behind us down the street if there was possibly more fucked up people like her, of if someone else was noticing us watch that. Then we heard a scream, and the woman was sprinting full speed out of the parking lot. She stopped suddenly and the men ran over to her, and then she started laughing loudly instead. Okay. Hopefully...............she was just on drugs............????? And then the two men had to lift her like a couch back into the car. We stared at each other again and said “Okay time to go!” and then nearly stepped in vomit on the sidewalk as we turned back to our car. But it doesn’t end there!!!!!!!!!!! We were still starving, so we googled some late-night diners nearby instead. It was either ramen or this place called Ol’ South Pancake house (you can google it if you want). The website makes the place look cute and homey. Our decision to go there was solely placed to get chips and salsa based on what my sister-in-law read on the website, but I think she read the wrong thing. We get there. Pretty crowded. The air inside smelled like cigarette smoke even though it was a non-smoking store. There was a group of eight people in front of us COVERED in fake blood, probably(hopefully) from the Cutting Edge place. A very..........interesting looking waitress hobbles over to us after them to seat us at a table that would make claustrophobic people explode. Then we get......her. The other waitress. She seemed like a sweet elderly woman, at first. Not white hair, but grey, and pretty in-fit for her age. We asked about the salsa, and she squinted at us and said they only had potato chips (which is probably true). We looked at each other and ordered some fried pickles instead. She then nodded slowly and said “Surrreee thiiiinnnnng,” and then gave my brother a face similar to this.

So we’re probably going to get food poisoning. The pickles were good, at least. While we were eating, a group of college-age people sit next to us. One guy was in normal clothing, while his two other friends were in costumes (another guy and a woman). Chucky, the killer doll man, was next to me. The two of them were veeeeerry obviously on something. My first interaction with Chucky was when I was drinking coffee, a red wig suddenly landed in front of me. “O---OOOPSSSSS!” Chucky said next to me, grabbing the wig and dropping it several more times. Our trio just laughed awkwardly. He then tossed it behind me in my chair, and thats when his stable friend said “Hey bro what the hell are you doing, man?” Which, I think, prevented Chucky from groping my ass, and he quickly grabbed his wig back. Then he and his costume GF (assuming) got up to go to the bathroom. They cut through the open kitchen and we could see the staff get startled. While that happened, an old man walked into the section of the diner that was blocked off. We were confused as hell, but another waitress started serving him food in there. Maybe they knew him or something, who knows. But. Do you know where that cut-off door looks out to for the old man to watch?

Haha, it’s to us! Making direct eye contact to me at all times!!!! Oh boy!!!

So now we have a guy with possible dementia over there, and Chucky and his GF come back (through the kitchen, AGAIN) on our right. A staff member comes to their table saying they need to not go through the kitchen ever again. The sober friend is obviously dumbfounded but does nothing but giggle and shake his head. THEN the GF gets up and leans to our table, saying “What are you guys doing tonight?” completely in our personal spaces. Sister-in-law leans back to her to quietly say “What are you guys on?”. The woman kind of shakes her head and replies “Oh just weed. Just a bit of weed.” Smiling HUGE while saying so, but also in a bitchy way. Chucky encounter #2 happens. While his GF was leaning to and fro, he hissed right into my ear, actually making me jump (but not scream). We all laugh awkwardly again. At this point, its better to deal with them than start a huge commotion and possibly make them rage, because the people around us are already keeping an eye on them for all of the shit they’ve stirred already. #3. Shortly after he says “I’m Chucky, the killlleeeeerrrrrr....” and starts pretending to bite the air next to me. That quickly turned to him trying to bite my shoulder. I barely felt anything, and tried to keep inner peace until his friend yelled at him again to stop. There was no teeth-sinking, but I felt a wet mark after he stopped. My brother said he looked like this.

Well. We finally got our food. I got steak and eggs, my brother got a burger, and sister-in-law got a pancake thing with peaches in it. Right after the teeth waitress placed the pancake thing down, she suddenly said, “Wait, there’s no butter on this! You gotta have some butter on it to make it good!” What does she do to solve this, you ask? Simple!

She takes our silverware, takes a plastic cup container of butter from our condiment rack, and starts going to town stabbing and smearing the butter into the once-nice looking pancake thing! For a full 30 seconds in silence! “There you go!” she says with her full rack of fake teeth, and walks away. My brother had to laugh behind his napkin while she was doing it, and so did I. #4. A pancake suddenly lands on my plate after I got done eating the obviously once-frozen steak. Chucky said nothing this time, but his sober friend just shook his head. But after Chucky tossed his last two pancakes on our table, sober friend tried to stop him - in doing so, sober friend accidentally pushed his own plastic cup of cheese on the floor. “Awwww man, look at what you made me do bro!” He sighed seriously. Sober friend then asked teeth waitress where his bacon bits where at, and all she did was look over at their own condiment rack and pointed, “Right there,” and walked away. Sober friend didn’t only spill his cheese, but he spilled his bacon bits onto the rack, too. Costume friends got up to walk outside after that, and we sympathized with him saying “Damn, she’s brutal.” Oh, and by the way, dementia man has still been staring at us the whole time. We’re completely done eating now, and whisper to each other “We need to get the absolute fuck out of here.” We pay at the entrance/exit, and walk outside. What we see is what we believe Chucky and his GF fucking in their car parked to the side of the store. The windows were steamy and only saw his head sticking up. “Time to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I chanted again, as we got back in our car. Dementia man walked out of the diner after us, but luckily, he didn’t see what car we got into. It still doesn’t end there. We cut through the empty streets back to where we got into the city. It was 3:40 am at this point. My brother saw a cowboy sitting at an empty light corner. GOTTA LEAVE! Five minutes later we enter the expressway. Three minutes go by. My brother is cranking up the music to stay awake for the hour long drive back home. But then I see it. Something bright down on the highway below us to our left. We’re passing by and my brother doesn’t notice. “F...........fire. FIRE. THERE’S A FIRE.” “WHAT?”

He stops on the completely vacant road and we back up a little to see it. Yup. Thats a fucking burning car.

We camped there for about 10 minutes until even one cop showed up, then finally a firetruck. Normal people pulled over initially to direct traffic with the flashlight on their phones. All four of the tires popped loudly as they burned. And while the hose was dousing out the flames, a semi-explosion happened. Sounded like a firework, and was very bright, but nothing shattered and debris didn’t rain down anywhere. We finally decided enough was enough and we got the fuck out after the flames got controlled.  I’m happy to say we made it home safe without any other bullshit occurring to us. But What. A. Fucking. Night.

[evdarcy]

An Unusual Hero C10S3

Please remember, this is unedited and unfinished, but will hopefully fill in the holes that were left and answer some questions without leaving too many others. HOWEVER I will answer all and any questions if you want to leave me a comment.

Next update - Tuesday 22/06/2021

Sarah was going to kill him.

It was the thought that ran over and over in Luc’s head as they hightailed it up the highway. They were going to get to the cabin and she’d shoot him there. Plenty of places to hide a body in the woods. Hell, she wouldn’t even need to lug him outside, she could just leave him in the cabin. By the time anyone checked there she’d be long gone.

He’d thought she was going to smack him back in the library, he’d braced for it, ready to take the punch, but she’d surprised him when she’d just let go of his hand and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration before ordering him out. But it wasn’t as if he’d done it on purpose. He’d only ever used the damn thing as a watch; he’d never really looked into the ins and outs of it when Linda had thrown it at him a few months ago. He’d always dismissed his suspicions as ridiculous, a page from a Glynn West novel or something.

‘We won’t have long,’ Sarah told him, interrupting his musings of how many ways she could probably kill him. He blinked as he realised they were at the cabin and she was already half way up the path to the cabin. The engine was still running and she’d left the doors open. Clearly the mad dash had wiped away her fear of bears and wolves.

‘You grab the bags,’ she shouted over her shoulder as he climbed out the car. ‘And shove them in the boot—the trunk!’

‘What are you doing?’ he asked as he stepped inside the building. She was riffling through the drawers in the kitchen, hissing and cursing as she went. He grabbed the bag from the sofa and hoisted it over his shoulder as he moved to the bedroom to grab the others.

‘Destroying the evidence of us being here,’ she finally replied a second before he heard a match strike.

No. There was no way she was—

He stepped out of the bedroom and turned to where she stood in the dinning area, holding a match to the curtains that decorated the window frame. He swallowed as he watched the yellow flame jump from the match and race up the drapes, consuming them hungrily and leaving nothing behind. The flimsy nets that covered the window caught easily as the curtains crumbled off their pole and fluttered to the floor in a shower of ash and sparks, like a cheap firework.

‘Get going!’ Sarah was pushing him out the door before he realised what was going on, hypnotised by the dancing flames as they rushed to find new food to consume. They leapt across the top of the bookcase next to the window, feasting heartily, while another line meandered across the rugs towards the small sofa.

Luc stumbled outside, the door swinging closed behind him, and he dashed toward the stolen Excel. His feet brought him to a halt as he reached the driver’s door and a choice appeared before him.

He could run. He could jump in the car and leave Sarah behind. Head back into town where the watch had shown him to be and await rescue. He had no idea what Sarah would do, she’d probably run through the forest, head north as she planned, but on foot this time. Bears and wolves be damned.

The image of her squaring off against a bear and coming out victorious sprung to mind. Fucking failed trainee, as if. She certainly didn’t look like a failure when her eyes became hard, her face devoid of emotion, and she snapped out orders as if he were her servant.

He threw the bags in the back before glancing back towards the cabin. The curtains framing the window of the bedroom that looked over their little parking space suddenly caught fire. He had seconds to make a decision. He had the weapons, the clothes, her IDs…

He slammed the lid of the boot closed and hopped in the car a moment before the cabin door swung open and Sarah jumped out, over a licking flame that had wound its way towards the front of the cabin. She ran towards the car and yanked the driver’s door open, cursing up a storm as she jumped in the seat, threw the car in gear and sped out of the clearing. She carried the smell of burning; like a campfire on a cold night, and something about that settled Luc’s mind.

This woman, failure or not, hadn’t hurt him. She hadn’t shouted at him, hit him, or shot him. She could have done any or all of those things, but she’d done none. Hell, she was well within her rights to have left him sat in the library and gone off on her own. Instead, she hadn’t thought twice about him not being part of her hastily thrown together plan—as insane as it was.

‘Promise me there are no more surprises,’ she begged as they joined the 191 again and headed north. ‘You don’t have an implant or something do you?’ she scoffed, glancing between him and the road.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the tech didn’t yet exist to do such a thing—to his knowledge, at least—he would have paused over that question rather than shake his head immediately.

‘Alrighty then, so we’re good to ditch this’—she tapped the steering wheel—‘grab another and get the hell of dodge.’

Luc nodded, not really knowing what else to say.

‘Hey,’ Sarah said, a few minutes later. ‘We all make mistakes. We’d have had to leave that place shortly anyway, it would have just been better to not do it in such a rush… I feel bad I had to torch their home.’

Luc turned to look at her; she had an oopsy face, her bottom lip pushed to the side as she grimaced.

‘I don’t get why you did that. Are you going to do that to every place we stay?’

‘What? No,’ she said with a shake of her head. ‘If we’d have had time, I’d have scrubbed the place, but we didn’t. I don’t know when that message was sent to your watch; was it sent as soon as they located you, or was it sent hours later? Maybe it was sent when we were in town days ago and it only picked it up today when we went back there.’

Shit, he hadn’t thought of that.

‘But that’s more unlikely,’ she said as she relaxed back into her seat. ‘I imagine if that had been the case they’d have used it today to pinpoint you exactly and caught us at the library.’

If Sarah had genuinely been classed as a failure, Luc would hate to meet those that passed whatever test she hadn’t.

‘Also,’ she continued on. ‘Torching it makes them focus there for a while. Was it us? Was it someone else? Deliberate or accidental?’ Luc relaxed back in his seat, his gaze alternating between the scenery flying past them and the woman next to him as she continued on with her reasoning.

He’d made the right choice, he decided as Sarah leaned forward and switched on the radio, scanning the airwaves for news segments between songs. Other than inviting the Demon to them, he didn’t think he could screw up any bigger than he had today and Sarah hadn’t lashed out at him. She’d been disappointed, yes. Perhaps even angry, but none of that had transferred into any form of abuse towards him. If he’d gone back…

He shuddered to think what would have happened if he’d returned home, to LA, to Linda.

‘Oh, I love this song,’ Sarah said as she tuned into another station. It was disconcerting to know that the woman beside him had gone all pyromaniac on him ten minutes ago and was now singing along with an oldie station, but he felt safer with her than almost anyone else he knew.

He rested his head back against the chair and watched Sarah drive. Her head bobbing and swaying, fingers tapping in time to the tune, and her slightly off-key singing was at odds with the straight line of her shoulders, her rigid back, and her eyes snapping to the review mirror every ten seconds. She threw him a tight smile as she caught his eye in the mirror, turning her head to sing at him as if nothing was amiss. He returned her smile, a big easy grin he’d perfected over the years for convention weekends and posing with fans when it was the last thing he wanted to do, and she turned back to the road, her voice a little louder.

Luc’s smile immediately turned to a frown. Perhaps, she was telling the truth that she’d failed, but maybe he’d also been right; she could only turn into the a success when the chips were down.

An uneasy feeling settled in Luc’s gut. If she could only react like an action hero when they were threatened, how much danger would they face before it was all over?

Any questions, please drop them in the comments. Next update on Tuesday!

[theokotrain]

Vestige - Chapter 2: As If You Know The Story

Wattpad Version

Well I have known you for just a little while

But I feel I've known you, I feel I've seen you when the Earth was split in fives

And in your words, I should let it out, I would see it die

But I'm a watcher, I see it watch her, it's in your afterlife

---

I stood by the pickup counter, lightly tapping my foot as I waited for the employee to ring the bell on the counter and shout my name. The café was surprisingly busy, much more so than I remembered it usually being. I had ordered two egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, along with two coffees for Liam and I. There weren't many tables to sit at, so they were all taken. Thankfully, we weren't planning on eating in here anyway. While I was getting our breakfast, Liam went to the store a few doors down so we could get some groceries to last us the trip. He never really learned how to cook much, with the exception of instant ramen or microwave dinners, so I thought of this as a good idea to fix that. I wouldn't call myself a good cook or anything, but I used the shared kitchen in the dorms pretty damn frequently because I never signed up for the university meal plan.

I never really know what to do with my hands when I'm just standing around like this. I switched between checking my phone for notifications and then just putting my hands in my coat pockets repeatedly. I keep my eyesight generally trending towards the floor, trying to avoid making awkward eye contact with the other customers. While looking at my phone again, someone new walks up to the till right next to the order pick-up area. I don't look to see who it is, but I vaguely recognize the voice, a feminine one. I keep looking down at my phone, not wanting to say anything and risk it being a complete stranger. I hear her handing cash over the counter, thanking the employee a bit loudly. I guess she noticed my ears perking up from her voice, because she walks over to me as I pretend to remain ignorant of her presence.

"Jake!" She says, mildly surprised. "It's been a while! What are you doing back in Vestige?" I instantly recognize her. Ms. Addams, the therapist I started seeing in grade eleven. I didn't really think I needed to see a therapist back then, but my parents made me choose between that or weekly visits to the school guidance counselor who was notorious for preaching confidentiality and then telling the parents basically everything anyway. She turned out to actually be pretty cool, at least to sixteen-year-old me, and I kept seeing her up until I left for university, although pretty infrequently.

"Oh, Allison! I'm in town visiting everybody for spring break." I replied, in the most sincere voice I could conjure.

Her eyes widened, "Everybody? As in everybody everybody?"

"Yeah, everybody." I said, a smile of acceptance on my face.

"That's good to hear!"

"I probably wouldn't have done it if Liam didn't insist." I say, quickly realising that she has no idea who that is.

"Liam? Is that-"

"Friend from university. I asked him to come with me, probably against my better judgement." I say, jokingly.

"Ah, 'friend', right," She said, laughing. Allison was the one who helped me make the apparently obvious discovery that was my sexuality, so I was usually pretty comfortable talking about that stuff with her.

"Ms. Addams making a joke at my expense? That's definitely something new," I reply sarcastically.

"You aren't my client anymore, so there's no obligation to be entirely respectful, at least to some extent," She jokes, pausing for a moment. "So, is he here?" She says, subtly scanning the occupied tables. I always failed to understand how she manages to act so professionally when she needs to. That was a huge insecurity of mine back in high school when I wanted to be seen as an adult who could make his own decisions, to no avail.

"Nah, I'm just grabbing us breakfast." I said, realising that the food I had ordered was taking a weirdly long time to be ready. "But..." I grab my phone from my pocket, opening the photos app and scrolling, trying to find a specific picture. There aren't a lot of them since he's really picky about how he looks and makes me delete the bad pictures. After a bit, I found the photo I'm looking for, "Here," I say, turning the phone over to her. The picture was from back in October, when we went to an outdoor concert with Liam's friend, Nathan. October was always hit or miss when it came to warmth, and we definitely got a miss that day. Liam and I spent the last half hour or so of the concert in the back of Nathan's pick up truck with blankets, listening to the performance. The last song the band performed was pretty dramatic, and they set off fireworks during a really crazy guitar solo. So, I obviously had to seize the moment and get a picture of Liam with the fireworks in the background, even if it was just with my phone camera. That was probably one of the best photos I had ever taken, to the point that he actually asked me if he could post it online, which was pretty flattering.

"Aw, he looks really sweet!" She says with the kind of tone you'd use to talk to an eight-year-old.

"Yeah! It's too bad you can't meet him right now, I don't think he's gonna come in here, we're heading straight back to our place after this," I sigh, making an effort to have it sound mildly disappointed.

"I have an order for Jake?" The café employee calls out. I grab the bag with the breakfast sandwiches in one hand, and do my best to hold both coffee cups at the same time and thank the employee, turning back to Ms. Addams.

She looks off for a moment, thinking about something. "...You know, you should come to my office one of these days while you're in town! It'd be nice to see how you've been doing since you left." She says, smiling.

"I'd have to see what days would work, but that'd be cool!" I didn't really want to, but it would be nice to just talk to her, even if I didn't really need therapy anymore.

"Great! Well, my contact info hasn't changed, so just let me know!" She replies. My phone loudly pings, but I don't have a free hand to grab it from my pocket.

"Oh! That's probably him," I say, nudging my head down towards my pocket. "I should probably get going, but it was nice to see you again!"

"You too, Jake! I hope the rest of your trip goes well!" I nod in return and push the door open with my shoulder, trying not to spill any coffee.

I can see my car a bit further down the parking lot with Liam sitting in the passenger seat. It's a bit hotter out today than it was yesterday. At least, hot enough to actually start melting the small amount of ice still on the ground. Hopefully that means we could actually go outside during the trip without having to wear multiple layers. It was mildly busy, though for a town like this it's a pretty low bar to be considered such. When I get to the car, I have to set the coffees on the roof so I can open the driver's seat door.

"Hey! Run into any problems at the store?" I asked, handing him his coffee.

"Nope! Pretty sure I got everything you said." He replies. I grab my coffee off of the car roof and hop in the car. I put my keys in the ignition and start the car before taking a sip.

"Man, I ran into my old therapist in there, definitely not a conversation I was expecting to have today," I said, chuckling as I shifted into reverse, ready to pull out of the parking lot.

"You had a therapist? Like, in high school?" Liam asked. Yeah, I guess there's a lot I still haven't told him about myself.

"Yeah, parents thought I was depressed, didn't think so but it wasn't really up to me."

"...Were you?"

"Uh- I don't really know- probably? I never had to go on antidepressants or anything but it definitely helped with the teen angst."

"Oh my god, please tell me you had a rebellious phase, that's hilarious," Liam put his hand on his forehead as he laughed.

"Incredibly regretfully, but yeah," I replied, sighing, Liam still laughing. "What, you weren't also embarrassing in high school?"

"Of course I was! I was the nerd that no one wanted to be friends with!"

"Ohhhhh, so you were a walking high-school-movie stereotype?" I remarked, laughing.

"Jake, I didn't even go to high school with you and it is so clear to me that you were the misunderstood kid that desperately wanted to be different. Literal stereotype!" He retorted jokingly.

I paused for a second, "...Ok, that might actually be pretty accurate but you are literally a psychology major so it's not like it was totally obvious!"

"...So are you!"

"Yeah! But I mean, like- a good one! Important distinction."

"A 'good one'? Have you seen my assignments?" Liam laughed.

"You specifically don't let me look at them like half the time, so no." I said, smirking.

"Exactly! Cause they're garbage!" He exclaimed.

"I think we both know that's bullshit," I replied, looking over at Liam, his ears subtly twitch in response. For the relatively short amount of time I've known him for, it was very clear from the beginning how insecure he was about anything he did that was remotely creative. Although, he's definitely started opening up more recently.

As we drive down the highway towards the cabin, the morning sunlight reflects off of the lake. I've always hated posting pictures of myself online, so my social media pages were typically just taken up by landscape photos, and the lake was a huge subject for me. I thought I wanted to be a professional photographer growing up, and I took basically any photography course that I could find at high school. But for a small town school photography department, they were definitely limited in the availability of equipment that wasn't twenty years old. I eventually moved on to music as my main hobby- I mean, I didn't really think I was ever gonna do anything actually important with music, but I looked up basically any guitar lesson video I could find, and I've kinda kept with it ever since. Plus I got the benefit of being the annoying asshole with a guitar at any campfire or social event whenever I wanted. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't impress Ty back then, along with Liam now.

"Hold on- weren't we talking about your therapist? How did we get that off-topic?"

"Oh, right! There's not really much to say, I saw her monthly for most of high school, found out I was kinda depressed, probably fixed it - but who really knows - anyways this is not important because we have plans that need to be put in motion!" I say as I reach down for my phone and unlock it, handing it over to Liam while trying to keep my eyes on the road. "Can you go to the group chat I have with everybody? Ask them if they'd be free tonight to come over and we'd like make food and shit - you should probably word it better than that but you get the idea."

"Ah, a truly upper class vocabulary," He laughed, the soft clicking sound of the phone keyboard playing as he typed the message.

"I think they have to have gotten used to my inane word choice at this point," I said. I could tell we were nearing the cabin. "You could probably add your number to that group chat too, if ya want," I offered.

"Oh, uh, sure!" He responded, his tone faltering somewhat.

"...You don't have to if you don't want to?"

"No, it's cool! I just barely know them still, though" He said, ending with an awkward chuckle.

"I thought you and Elliot actually hit it off last night? Plus Alex really seemed to like you, too," I said, trying to reassure him.

"Well, yeah... probably just me being irrational anyway," He paused for a moment. "I don't think Ty directly spoke to me at all last night, either."

"Oh... yeah, I wasn't really paying attention to that. Sounds about right, though," I sighed, "Don't worry. He'll definitely warm up to you eventually, he's always like that around new people." I say as I turn into the cabin driveway. A soft silence continues on as I drive through the dirt and gravel up to the front of the cabin and shift into park. I hear the message send sound effect from my phone.

"Well, I sent the text and added myself." He exclaims, handing the phone over to me.

I grab the phone from his hand and give him a kiss on the side of his muzzle, "Well, we just need to go put all this away and we can head down to the water!" I said, attempting to change the mood.

"Is the beach, like, sand? I don't think I've actually paid attention to that anytime we've been on the highway," He asked, chuckling. I got out of the car and opened the backseat door to grab some grocery bags.

"Kind of, close to the water. Mostly grass, though, which is arguably better for sitting on," I answered.

"I think any sane person would probably agree with that, sand gets literally everywhere and you still end up finding it months later," He complained. I grabbed the bag with our breakfast sandwiches as well and headed to the front door.

"Oh definitely, that's the one thing I hated about going to the beach in Vancouver."

"Yeahhh, but I appreciate the ocean, so it kinda makes up for that."

"Really, a cat likes the ocean? I never would've expected that," I said, smirking.

"That's a stereotype!" Liam exclaimed. I looked over at him, sarcastically incredulous.

I have to set a few of the bags on the ground so I can grab the key out of my pocket. unlock the front door and swing it open. I head inside after picking up the bags, Liam following closing behind with the rest of them. "Did Shae go somewhere?" He asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure her parents needed her to do some stuff since she's in town," I replied. She didn't get specific about the details, she never liked talking about family stuff anyway so I was used to it.

"Ohhhh, right! I think she mentioned that yesterday," He acknowledged.

I set the bags on the kitchen counter and took another sip of my coffee. After making sure we got everything out of the car, we started unloading the food into the fridge and cupboards. I was planning on making a tofu stir fry for everybody tonight, hoping they were even gonna be able to come, given the kinda short notice. Which reminds me...

I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the group chat.

Jake: Hey! Planning on making dinner tonight, would you guys wanna come over?

Yeah, he definitely worded that a lot better than what I said.

Shae: If I can get out of here in time to actually be there, then sure

Shae: if not ill just eat all the leftovers lol

Nobody else had replied yet, which made it obvious that Shae was bored out of her mind and probably just scrolling on her phone. Though the only one in the group who had a sporadic work schedule was Ty, so it was usually pretty typical to assume they were available back in high school, and Ty used to always tell me his schedule anyway so it wasn't a problem.

I then came to the very apparent realization that I had left Liam to finish putting away everything. And, not wanting to be an asshole, I go back and help him with the last few bags, an apologetic grin on my face. Although, he doesn't seem phased by it, so I don't mention it. Once everything's put away, I put my hands on my hips and look around the room, "So, we good to go?" I ask.

"I think so, let me go grab my jacket," He answered, and went to our room. I check the time on my phone, 11:43 AM.

"I should probably get a head start on that research paper today too, as much as I'd like to procrastinate it until the last second." I lightly shouted towards our bedroom.

"Oh! Right, ugh, thanks for reminding me," He shouted in return, clearly not excited about spending spring break writing on his laptop.

A few more moments pass as I drink my coffee, waiting for Liam. It tastes nowhere near as good as the coffee at the campus café, but I appreciate the nostalgia. Eventually, he comes back to the kitchen with his coat in his arms. I take our sandwiches and one of the blankets off of the couch and we head out the door. I stick close to Liam, leading a bit in front as we walk down the patio steps and down the driveway. Even if it's not necessarily summer weather, we should be good for an hour or two, especially with our jackets. The forest surrounding us is pretty thick, and is mostly pine trees so you can't see too deeply into it at all. The only thing on this highway past Vestige are houses, a campground, and a boat launch area for the lake. Most of which don't get any real use until the summertime, so cars were an uncommon sight out here.

"So, where is this place?" Liam asked, his voice somewhat faint from behind me. I turn around and he glances past me towards the highway. There's a small forest there blocking the potential view of the lake.

"It's a little path, kinda hidden. The owner of the cabin told me about it, you just follow it down and it goes to a little clearing by the water." I said, trying to point towards the path with the hand holding our food. The path is definitely not too noticeable to someone driving down the highway, but I can see it pretty easily from here. It's a small clearing between a few trees, with a visible lack of grass forming a pathway. The gravel driveway is not enjoyable to walk on, being a bit slushy from the melting ice.

"I'm starting to think I didn't need my jacket." Liam said. He was definitely right, the sun was beating down now, negating the effect of any wind-chill.

"It'll probably get colder by the water, so I wouldn't rule out a jacket so fast."

Liam quickens his pace, trying to walk next to me. We stop for a moment when we reach the road, making sure we don't get run over by some truck driver going thirty over the speed limit. The wind seems to pick up significantly here, ruffling my jacket sporadically. Standing at the entrance of the pathway, I can tell it's a bit of a bumpy walk down to the spot. I grab Liam's hand, leading him behind me down the small path. The ground is fairly uneven, and I almost trip a few times, trying my hardest not to take Liam down with me. I can see a bit of the water through the trees, and it doesn't look like the path goes on for long at all. There isn't much of any ice on the path, but the dirt is somewhat wet.

After a minute or two, we reach the clearing on the side of the lake. It's the exact same lake I've been so familiar with for about sixteen years, but I've never actually been to this part before. The sun is shining across the lake onto the nearby mountains, and the water is crystal clear. I had absolutely zero interest in swimming in a freezing cold lake, but it was a nice scene to sit next to. Liam made some comments about how adorable this place is, and I had to agree, at least for this specific area. The rest of the town? I might be a bit more inclined to object, but if he liked it, that was good enough for me. I hand Liam our sandwiches and take the blanket out from under my arm, unfolding it out onto the grass.

"You know, this is pretty cliché for a date idea." He says, I'm assuming jokingly from his laugh afterwards. We both sit down on the blanket as I grab the sandwiches out of the bag.

"Well- I wasn't really thinking of it as a date... Just like, I don't know, something fun to do I guess?" I said, my usual ability to construct proper sentences lacking. I hand him one of the sandwiches.

"I mean, that's literally what a date is."

"If you prefer to consider this a date then I am happy to oblige, but I usually put more effort into that stuff,"

"More effort? This is like, par for the course for the kinda dates I plan,"

"But there's so many variables! I can't just say 'Hey let's go here'" There's a light breeze rustling the trees around us as I take a bite of my breakfast sandwich. Just as good as I remember it.

"Can't you? We're doing that right now." He remarked.

"Yeah, but I didn't consider this anything special. And even then, I got the idea like three days ago and still had to do some planning," Liam laughed under his breath, "What?" I ask.

"It's just funny to me that you're the one putting all this effort into our dates," He says, smiling genuinely.

"...What do you mean?" I asked, taking another bite. We never really had actual plans for when we would spend time together, we would usually just suggest whatever came to mind. But I would still plan them a few days in advance. I don't really know why, I've just always liked having any potential issues accounted for, which would always kind of freak me out when I couldn't do that for spur of the moment plans.

Liam didn't say anything for a few moments, "...You remember yesterday, when you told Elliot how we met?"

"...Yeah?" I replied, not really knowing where this was going.

"That wasn't the first time we met." Liam said.

"What? Before the party? ...I honestly don't remember ever talking to you earlier than that." Hopefully this wasn't significant enough that I would actually be an asshole for not knowing the real first time we met.

"Yeah! I don't really blame you, it was like the beginning of our first year at university." He said.

"Really?"

"It was a group project for... I think it was the introduction to cognitive psychology course? I don't even remember what the project was about, but I made a couple friends in the class, and you ended up joining our group since we needed one more! And we obviously only really talked through the project group chat so I didn't know anything about you, other than I thought you were cute. I think I asked for your social media at one point? And you gave it and said you'd follow me back."

"And I obviously didn't." I said, kinda mad at myself.

"Yeah!" Liam exclaimed, laughing. "I didn't know you were gay at the time, so I didn't wanna embarrass myself, plus we didn't talk after that anyway so I only knew you through your online posts and from seeing you in lectures. Fast forward a year and a half, I went to that party with a few friends and you know the rest." He said as he put one of his arms around my shoulder, pulling me in for a side hug.

"Wow... How do I not remember that? I feel like I should remember that."

"It was almost two years ago, I don't remember at least ninety percent of the shit that happened that year, other than the usual stress about being a new student and having no clue what I was doing." He reassured.

"That entire year was basically one big blur, all I really did was go to classes and cower in my dorm room."

"Was Eric your dorm mate yet?"

"Yeah he was, I mostly just avoided talking to him until the second semester though, so I just huddled up in the dorm half the time while he actually had a social life," I joked, my self-deprecating humor in full-force.

"Well hey, now you got me to drag you places against your will!"

I didn't really know what to follow up with after that, so I opted to stew in my own mild embarrassment for a while as we finished eating our breakfast. I went to check my phone again, seeing if anybody else had replied to the plans we were making. To my surprise, everyone else was also able to come, which I wasn't expecting to be honest. I let Liam know and set my phone on the blanket. A fair amount of time passed as we sat there, enjoying the moment.

Before I got here, I made it a personal goal to use my phone, and technology in general, a bit less. I didn't tell anybody about that, just cause I thought it was kinda stupid, but I spent way too much time at university on my laptop - most of the time not even doing anything productive. So, I thought of this return to my hometown where they had barely started getting rid of dial up internet at the start of the decade as a good opportunity. Of course, there was no escaping the assignments we had to submit when the break ended, but I was still gonna try.

"Thanks for bringing me here, by the way." Liam said, suddenly taking me out of my head.

"...To the lake?" I replied, mildly confused.

"No! Well, that too- I mean on the trip! I know you were kinda iffy about bringing me to see basically your entire childhood." He said. I've started noticing recently that his voice gets a bit higher pitched when he's being sappy. I usually try to avoid being over-sentimental simply out of embarrassment.

"...well, this is only the second day! Believe me, you'll have plenty of time to start to regret ever thinking coming here was a good idea." I joked.

"I'm sure!"

As I finish the last few bites of my breakfast sandwich, I can hear Liam's phone going off in his pocket. He sets his sandwich back in the wrapper and grabs his phone. I can't see who's calling from the angle I'm looking at, and he answers it before I can move over.

"Hey! ...A few minutes away, why? Oh! Yeah! Yeah, just gimme a minute. Okay, we'll just be a minute!" He hangs up the phone, putting it back in his pants, "Did you lock the door to the cabin?"

"...Yeah?" I replied, thinking nothing of it.

He sighed, "Shae can't get in."

I groaned, dramatically, "I didn't think she'd get back until tonight!" I quickly stood up, "Wait here. I'll go let her in and come back."

"Hurry back!" He laughed, probably at how I locked the door of one of the most remote cabins within a fifty mile radius. Locking my door had become second nature at university anyway due to a couple guys breaking into my dorm and stealing some of my roommate and I's stuff, and breaking my TV. It happened early on in my first year, so I'm over it, but I still kept the habit of locking the door. Besides, Eric had his own key so it was never a problem.

Walking back into the forest brought the noticeable lack of noise to the forefront of my mind. All I could hear once again was the crunch of the leaves and ice underneath my shoes along with the occasional car driving down the highway. It's noticeably darker from the trees blocking any sunlight from reaching the forest floor. When I make it to the highway, I am greeted by fog, and lots of it. There's no way this much fog showed up here while Liam and I were down by the lake. Although, fog wasn't exactly uncommon around here, especially at this elevation near a mountain range. I start heading up the driveway, trying to see if I can spot Shae at the door. As the cabin comes into view, the only car I see out front is my own, and Shae doesn't appear to be outside. Maybe she found a way in? I step up the stairs onto the porch, the wood creaking under me. The whistle of the wind is high pitched, swerving throughout the nearby trees, rustling the leaves. I try the front door, seeing if Shae unlocked it, but it seems to be locked still. I grab the keys out of my pocket and insert them, unlocking the door.

As I go to open the door, my ears perk as I hear the sound of footsteps on the gravel near my car. I silently hope that it's just Shae, but my irrational fears seem to be taking hold. I walk over to the patio fence, looking to see if someone's down there, but there seems to be nothing, at least that I can see.

Fuckin- god.

I turn around and head inside, not wanting to deal with whatever bullshit is currently happening. I figure I'll just call Shae and see what's up.

"there's nothing for you in there."

[memorylang]

2020’s End and 2021’s Beginning | #48 | December 2020

If 2020 came in a flash, it ended with a fade. Still, it was a pleasant fade. I describe here my U.S. adventures from Christmas to New Year’s. For photos from these stories, you can check my WeChat or Instagram @memoryLang. I also reference tales from Christmas 2019 and New Year’s 2020, about which you can read in December 2019 and January 2020 stories. Onward to adventures! 

Christmas 2020

Since my family couldn’t attend Midnight Mass as we usually do, a sister and I instead decided to carol at home. The year before, when I’d come home from Mongolia, we’d caroled at church. This time we caroled to Sister’s own piano accompaniment, with lyrics in old hymnals and online. We enjoyed singing harmonies inspired by Pentatonix and various years of choir. Through this, Dad mostly slept while other siblings did other activities. Our youngest sister was with her boyfriend’s family, our older brother with his girlfriend’s, and our stepsisters with our stepmom at their place. 

On Christmas Day, my siblings and I readied the house while Dad helped our stepfamily finish cooking. The evening before, we’d done cleaning with Dad, too, but Dad always had more for us to do. Then the stepsisters and Tita arrived, bringing food with which we filled the kitchen island upon which my siblings and I had draped a large cloth. We watched online a Christmas liturgy while waiting for my older brother and his girlfriend to arrive, I botched the before-meal prayer since I was put on the spot, then we enjoyed a delicious meal of both American and Filipino dishes and desserts. 

After the meal, we had about a half hour before Stepsisters needed to head to work, so we moved from the dining room to the living room for gifts. We began our Secret Santa. I delivered my gift first, to my youngest sister. She and the others felt amused that I’d simply wrapped the Amazon box in which her gifts came, scribbled out “Alexa” from some ads then wrote her name half a dozen times instead. Our oldest stepsister couldn’t make it since she was home with her partner and their newborn. But, she video called in to see my sibling’s reactions from her gift. 

As gifts that I’d received from my youngest stepsister, I’d gotten new travel items, like a journal and eye mask. I felt delighted. From my dad and Tita, I received a new brainstorming notebook and a jacket coincidentally in my Hogwarts house colors of silver, black and yellow. From myself I received a CrashCourse Mongol t-shirt that even a Mongol friend recognized and loved! 

National and State Parks, Monuments and Forests

From the next days, Dec. 26 to 29, my national parks friends and I embark on our last trip of the year, to see a collection of sights in Arizona. Over the next few days, we see Walnut Canyon, Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater, Sedona's Devil's Bridge and the Grand Canyon. I feel awed by the spectacles and amazed by the geological history of this earth. My friends and I take lots of photos. 

As on our other road trips, we talk politics and life goals and telenovelas, too. As a group of minorities, we’re pleased with the presidential election results that released since our previous road trip. Still, we’re glad that the current administration has been able to get COVID-19 vaccines out to people even before the year’s end. I feel relieved that my prospects of returning to Peace Corps Mongolia seem more likely. Till then, we’re also glad that we’ll get more stimulus money to help cover our weird year’s last expenses. As for the telenovelas, I find out about Turkish and Hispanic stories, popular characters and a global community of viewers. Between the day’s adventures, I complete online at our hotels some freemium Pokémon yearend challenges, too. 

Of the sights we behold, I’m most awed by the Grand Canyon. My family had visited it the year before we moved to Vegas, but that was over a decade ago. During that trip, my youngest brother had gone off the path to return down a slope to our minivan and had encouraged Mom to follow. Well, Mom slipped on the rocks and broke her ankle, which cut short that trip. I didn’t remember much from the Grand Canyon because of that. 

On this trip, my friends and I see the snow-covered Canyon blanketed by encroaching cloud banks only sometimes split by sunlit rays. I love the rainbow of colors, from the red rocks to the aqua Colorado River. The pines of green and dark brown hold sheaths of white. The sky shows hints of violet from the blues and pink as our sun sets. 

And the sheer faces of the rocks, my God—They were so steep! I’d wanted to hike into the Canyon, but the ice made that less safe. Instead, a friend and I hiked the southern Rim Trail to its first lookout points. I felt quite a fill of wonder. We saw fauna, too, perhaps elk. The animals added to the natural grandeur that we saw on our trek. With our trip having built up in scale from the smaller Walnut Canyon and Petrified Forest to the epic Devil's Bridge in Sedona, the Grand Canyon truly felt like our grand finale. 

New Year’s Eve 2020

Just after midnight passed to begin Dec. 31, 2020, I was taking a few hours to wrap up my year-in-review post for WeChat, to share with my Chinese family and friends. Concluding it, I slept many hours. I re-awoke during what was daytime for Dec. 31 in Vegas but in Asia just past midnight to begin Jan. 1, 2021. For the next hour, Chinese and Mongol friends wished me Happy New Year, and I returned the greetings. 

Vegas and Siblings 

After I broke from my New Year’s greetings, my siblings and I spent a little over an hour playing Nintendo Switch games. My little sister with whom I’d sung carols on Christmas Eve did the “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” yearend event, so I joined her in co-op to gather resources on her island. Our younger brother wanted to play “Smash: Ultimate,” so the three of us played that next, including for the first time the Roy amiibo that our older brother had gifted me for my July 2020 birthday. I played a lot of Byleth and Corrin since I’d still “Fire Emblem: Three Houses” on my mind. (Just before Christmas, I’d finally reached the time skip in the Blue Lions story.) 

After the games, our sister wanted to hike the Lone Mountain on the west side of the Vegas valley. So, we hopped in a sedan to ride over. Though on the day before, Sister had let me practice driving for my first time in over a year, I didn’t feel like asking to take on the highway. I comfortably rode in back. 

The hike felt surprisingly strenuous, given that the small peak sat right there in Vegas. Though, our hike was much quicker than my national and state park and monument trails. The scenery reminded me of my trip to Red Rock Canyon back on Nov. 18 with another friend. With no discernable single path up Lone Mountain, I remembered hikes on Mongolia’s mountains. My siblings and I found its summit windy. I registered our names in a composition notebook at the top, then we proceeded down. On our way home, we passed through a shopping plaza from which I’d accompanied Tita to pick up food for my older brother’s March 2020 birthday. I felt amazed by how many months have passed. 

Back at the Vegas house, I showered and had meal of Christmas leftovers. Then I finished packing my small personal item for my Allegiant flight, hopped back in a car with my younger sister, finished my last social post of 2020—a family-focused reflection—then began my march to airport security for Terminal A. 

Even though I reached the airport at my flight’s boarding time, the place was so empty that I went through security and found my gate before staff finished boarding passengers. I’d received a message that a Mongol friend wanted me to review her personal statements before she submitted them for U.S. college applications. So, I finished reading and commenting on those aboard my flight before staff had us turn our devices to airplane mode. I felt stressed about having dropped my learner’s permit card somewhere, penned a last journal entry of 2020, slept through most of my flight then felt relieved when a flight attendant found my ID card before our plane descended. 

Reno and Friends 

I disembark from my flight to Reno just after 8:40 p.m. I feel touched on my walk from the terminal by the voice of Mayor Schieve in an ad, “If this is your first visit or your home away from home, welcome to Reno.” At this moment I realize that Reno really is my home away from home. 

I exit the airport, where my guy friend who’d married last year walks up to me. To my surprise, his red sports jersey contains two Chinese characters, “火箭,” in gold across the top. He asks about their meaning. Given that we’re at New Year’s Eve, I think at first, “fireworks.” But, I know those characters as “烟火” /yānhuǒ/. 

Certainly, his jersey’s first character, “火” /huǒ/, means “fire.” As for the second, I only recognize parts. The top’s ⺮ /zhú/ radical means “bamboo,” while the bottom part resembles “前” /qián/, which means “before.” As for what fire, bamboo and before mean together, I’m not sure. 

While we walk, I at last consult my Pleco dictionary app. I scribble in the “箭” to see that it’s pronounced /jiàn/ and means “arrows.” This explains the presence of the bamboo radical. Thus, “fire” and “arrows” taken together, “火箭” /Huǒjiàn/, mean, “Rockets.” My friend explains that this is a sports team. 

After getting in the red vehicle with his wife whose first wedding anniversary was just the day before, my friend explains that he’d gotten to learn about Chinese characters in his religious studies course about contemporary Daoism. So cool! 

The couple and I had kept in touch the past year over video, but this New Year’s Eve is our first time together in the same city since my return to the Peace Corps in January. I’m elated to see them again! My friends and I arrive at the newish fencing studio of our friend who owns it and was part of their wedding party last year. Turns out that he’s relocated to a larger studio since the time that my friends took me fencing in the spring of 2018, before my second trip to China. This new studio used to be a mechanic shop apparently, so it’s quite spacious. 

2020 Ends in Dodgeball 

Though I don’t recognize the few others present, I’m warmly greeted by one who’s the girlfriend of our fencing friend. She introduces me to others. I’m touched by folks’ inclusiveness. I’m amazed to find on the food table Pizza Plus, as, just a few days before, I’d weirdly craved some Reno-Sparks Pizza Plus (which I hadn’t eaten in over a year). God blesses us. 

For the next few hours, after a series of mostly leg stretches, we play a physically distant sport that I haven’t played in years, dodgeball. While I’m not used to dashing with a facemask on and sanitizing my hands between rounds, I have great fun. While my aim remains lacking, I can for the most part still dodge, and I’m able to swipe balls to hand to my more capable teammates. To my surprise, I receive MVP status from folks after finishing a round by catching a  teammate’s fumble and getting our last opponent out. 

A couple hours in, we switch games to a form of “Mushroom Ball,” a free-for-all type of dodgeball game in which we individually try to take out other players before someone gets us. In this game that we play till just before midnight, I do much better. I’m able to catch and throw at close range against folks who don’t notice me. Still, the amount of times others hit me causes me to really work my legs, since we squat when we’re out. My legs haven’t recovered much from the recent dodgeball, the afternoon Lone Mountain hike nor the evening flight from Vegas. Yet, I love the fun. 

2021 Begins 

My friends new and old walk out into the cold night of light snow, where one pops a shower of confetti and another a champagne bottle when we see fireworks appear across the valley of Reno-Sparks. We chat about our resolutions and take selfies. I recount memes about how saying, “2021,” sounds like, “2020 won.” We laugh and return inside as the wind picks up. 

I discover that I don’t much like the taste of even flavored champagne, but thankfully my friends’ cookies have enough sweetness to cut the bitterness. My friends mention that their family always bakes holiday cookies, which brings back vague memories from their wedding when I stayed with their family at an Airbnb. Our 2019 had ended in what felt such different times. 

My friend in the Rockets jersey talks up my accomplishments and Mongolia service, which makes me feel both bashful and delighted. Turns out that some of the folks at this little get-together had been looking into Peace Corps service! I share my experiences with them and my hope to return. One woman and I had even taken a class together in fall 2017, which feels like a remarkable blast from my undergrad past. Before the couple who brought me from the airport drives me to my family’s house, I exchange contact info with my new friends. I’m surprised to realize that the new fencing studio is just a few blocks from the neighborhood in which I’d lived from fall 2017 to spring 2019 graduation. 

Into the New Year

I arrive at the now-quiet Reno house, where I continue to exchange New Year’s greetings over social media well past midnight. I shower then get my bearings while others are still out and about. After resting away the rest of my morning from aching over the eve’s soreness, I play some seasonal events on the freemium Pokémon games. Then, I reengage on social media with New Year’s greetings. 

Quite liking the quiet home, I bring together this New Year’s blog story. Oddly enough, many of the couches that were in Vegas during Christmas are now here in Reno, since my parents and siblings had moved them while I was in Arizona. Curiously, the little neighbor boy had alluded to this when calling from his window when he saw me having just returned to Vegas. Before I’d left Vegas for Reno, I’d seen him on a hoverboard that he and his siblings had gotten for Christmas, reminding me of the one that my Mongol host family had gotten the August 2019 week when we’d said goodbye. 

Here in Reno, there are Christmas leftovers brought up from Vegas, too. So, I’m grateful not to cook. For dinner, I reunite with the couple who’d greeted me last night, and we enjoy sushi to celebrate the end of their brief return to northern Nevada, in the fellowship of our fencing instructor friend and his girlfriend. I heard such wonderful stories from everyone and feel quite inspired for whatever blessings may come. Life’s been nice. 

My New Year’s theme is, “serenity,” through which I mean to focus less on the things I can’t control and more on those that I can. Part of this will involve closing up some old projects and making myself ready to go back to Mongolia as soon as the time comes. This is at least going to soak up the first quarter or half of 2021. Perhaps when I’m back in Mongolia I’ll focus more on readjusting. 

In the meantime, I’m trying to finish moving through the stories, “Kafka on the Shore” and “The Brothers Karamazov,” while I work on my memoir writing. I’m looking to finish my close-read of “The Souls of Mao” while I re-re-(re-, etc.)revise my thesis for journal submission. And, I’m looking to complete “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” while I tidy my things. I always welcome new suggestions to my lists, and you can see mine on Goodreads. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 

I look forward to writing to you soon in 2021. May you stay vigilant against the spread of the Coronavirus disease, as we await wider access to vaccines. I pray that soon our lives will open into the new world that we’ll know when we can at last be together again. 

Sincerely, Daniel Lindbergh Lang

You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me :)

[mldrgrl]

If it appeals to you at all, would you consider writing something for the fugitive phase? Like the highs and lows or something along those lines?

Day 1

“What are we going to do?” Scully asked once the rain had stopped.  Mulder had thought she was asleep.  He was barely clinging to consciousness himself, but still clinging to her.

“There’s a contingency plan,” he mumbled against her shoulder.  “The gunmen-”

“The gunmen are dead.”

“I know.  We worked it out before...everything.  I-we have IDs, passports, papers...money to disappear with.”

“We do?”

“There’s a safe deposit in San Francisco.  That’s what we’re going to do.”

Day 4

They agreed to travel and night and to move slowly.  In Mulder’s opinion, anyone looking for them would be calculating the distance they could put between themselves and New Mexico and that’s where they would be looking.  He thought it best to throw them off the trail by being behind them instead of ahead.  Scully didn’t like it, but she trusted him.  He’d been able to hide himself for nine months so she let him take the reins.

The safe deposit box with their new identities was in a bank in Chinatown.  The last time they’d been there, they’d been tracking down an internal organ theft ring.  She was afraid someone might remember and might recognize them, but the locals seem to be less suspicious of them this time around.  Maybe it was the lack of badges and trench coats, but no one gave them a second glance as they weaved their way through the market stalls to the bank.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Scully, though Mulder tried to hide it, that there were three passports in the safe deposit box.  She asked to see them before he emptied the contents into a small backpack, but he shook his head and said ‘not now.’

Later, back at the motel, Mulder gave Scully the bag without a word.  She dumped it all out onto the bed and studied the documentation for Allen Vogle, Tricia Vogle (nee Blackburn) and Michael Vogle.  Passports and IDs for Allen and Tricia went back in the bag.  The passport and birth certificate for Michael (six weeks older on paper) were burned in the bathroom sink.

Day 12

It was surprising how one could become accustomed to something new and unfamiliar so quickly.  Such as the ring on his finger or the color of Scully’s (no, not Scully, Tricia’s) hair.  Even though it had only been a week, playing the married couple on vacation didn’t feel that strange.  Maybe all those years of travel, of Scully being called ‘The Little Missus” at nearly every diner across the bible belt, had just been practice for this.

The only real difference between life before and life now was the single room and the single bed.  Plus the rings and the hair and Mulder’s new and neatly trimmed beard, not to mention their next destination was chosen at random by a blind finger pointed at a map and of course, the constant looking over one’s shoulder.

Otherwise, it was mostly the same.

Day 44

Scully wanted to stop.  Just for a little while.  Just for a few days.  She’d forgotten the names of all the tiny towns they’d stopped in at this point but the 4th of July was coming up and couldn’t they just enjoy the holiday before moving on?  They’d been living sunset to sunrise from the front seat of a car for more than a month and she hadn’t realized how necessary daylight was to feel human until she rarely saw it anymore.

It was easy enough to blend in with the rest of the tourists in New Hope, PA, but it was a mistake to think she could be immune to the smiling, happy children running through the park, waving little flags, shrieking, getting pulled in Radio Flyer wagons, throwing tantrums over popcorn or candy, their faces painted with red hearts or blue stars.

They left well before the fireworks started.  Mulder picked up Chinese for them at a take-out place a few blocks from the motel.  Sounds of celebration - whistling and popping and crackling - started at dusk.  Scully tuned it all out in favor of their gasping sounds of release and the noises of encouragement it took to get them there.

Day 70

“Do you think we should split up?” Scully asked.  Mulder thought someone might be following them, but he wasn’t sure.  He knew he’d seen that maroon Cadillac twice in the past week.  It stood out.  Firstly, because it was maroon of all colors, and secondly, because the left headlight flickered on occasion.

“Split up?” he repeated, eyes bouncing between the road and the rear view mirror.

“To make us harder to follow.”

“I’m not doing this without you.  No way.”

“What are we even doing?”

“I don’t know.  Surviving.  Whatever it is, we’re doing it together.  You and me.”

She nodded and slid closer across the bench seating and took his hand from the wheel.  He laced their fingers together and rested their joined hands in her lap, keeping them there long after the maroon Cadillac had turned off the highway.  They were still holding hands when he shut off the engine in the parking lot of a motel at first light.

“We should trade in the car today,” he said, his voice gravelly in the quiet confines of the car.

She nodded in agreement.  They’d had four cars so far.  He looked down at his lap and then back up at her.

“Do you want to split up?” he asked.

“No.”

Day 147

“What do you want for your birthday?” Scully asked.  She was driving.  The radio had just announced the midnight hour on October 13th.

Mulder snorted softly from the passenger seat.  “How about a vacation?”

“That sounds nice.  Where to?”

“I hear Peoria is lovely this time of year.”

“As luck would have it, we’re only 200 miles away.”

“Well then, happy birthday to me!”

The Beach Boys were singing about little surfer girls and Scully turned the radio off.

“What do you really want, Mulder?  If you can have anything at all.”

“The last two years back,” he said after a few moments.  “What about you?”

“It isn’t my birthday.”

“Yeah, but-”

“I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again, Mulder.  We want the same thing.”

Day 219

They stopped for the winter just after Thanksgiving.  The weather was becoming a problem as was their overall stamina.  It wasn’t easy finding a place that they could hide out in yet still be prepared to leave should the need arise.  They ended up in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, a place that was small enough and just touristy enough for them to remain inconspicuous.

Christmas nearly passed them by, but at the last minute, Mulder found a sad little twig of a tree outside a local drug store on Christmas Eve and he couldn’t let it sit there.  He brought it back to the condo they rented and put it on the counter of the wet bar where the canned light shone down on it.  He put the chocolate Santa and tiny souvenir snow globe he got for her under the tree and then called her in from the next room.

“If I’d known we were having a Charlie Brown Christmas, I would’ve gotten you something,” she said.

“It was spontaneous.”  He shrugged.  “And not really anything to sneeze at.”

“I can see that.”  She unwrapped the foil from the chocolate and held it up to his mouth for a bite. 

“These will all be on sale after tomorrow.  We should stock up for the new year.”

She smiled.  “Last year I...”

“What did you do last year?”

“It snowed on Christmas Eve.”  She put the chocolate down and swallowed.  Her eyes grew wet and she blinked a few times.  “I put William in his snowsuit and a little hat and took him outside.  His eyes were so big and wide when the snow hit his cheeks and then he just laughed.  He put his hand out and it was like he somehow got the biggest snowflakes to come to him.”

“I wish I could’ve been there.  I wish that...”

“I know.”  Scully picked up the little snow globe with a surfing Santa inside and gave it a shake.  “But, this is no life for a toddler.”

“Maybe it’s snowing where he is now.”

“I’m sure he’d like that.”  She put the globe down and touched him lightly on the chest as she made her way back to the other room.

Day 375

They’d agreed that waiting a year to settle down somewhere permanently.  There was a house waiting for them in Virginia.  A small, unremarkable piece of property that might as well have been in the middle of nowhere, purchased years ago under an alias and had then sat in wait.

The anniversary of their first year as Allen and Tricia Vogle was spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but dates had started to become insignificant little things since the new year.  They counted days more than they acknowledged dates anymore.  Christmas and New Year’s were hard to miss, but things like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, even your own birthday, were easier to miss if you weren’t paying attention.

They did remember William’s second birthday though.  Really it was Scully who had noticed the date and Mulder put two and two together when she woke him early in the afternoon, well before they usually left a place, and asked him to take her to a church.  He waited in the car so he didn’t know what she did inside - prayed, confessed, lit a candle - but she wasn’t there too long.  They didn’t speak about it, but he knew.  He also knew it was time to head to Virginia.

“i don’t know, Mulder,” she said, getting out of the car and putting her hands on her hips.  “Are you sure you didn’t buy this house because you thought it might be haunted?”

Mulder grinned.  “I did put it on the list of requirements, right up there with gas appliances, ample closet space, and central heat.”

“You’re kidding.”

“It might not look like much from the outside, but it’s a decent place.”

Scully leaned back into Mulder’s chest a little when he put his hands on her shoulders.  She tipped her head back and looked up at him.

“So this is the end of the road?” she asked.

“Hopefully.”

She pushed away from him and went up to the porch, taking a hesitant step up, testing her weight on the wood.  It was more solid than it looked.  Not even a creak of the floorboards as she made her way up the stairs.  Mulder was right behind her, keys in his hand.  Scully cupped her hands against the dirty window in front and peered inside, but she couldn’t see much.  She backtracked over to the edge of the porch and wrapped her arm around the post, looking out at the empty fields surrounding them.

“Coming, Scully?” he asked, holding the door open.

“Right behind you,” she answered.

The End

[tellerford13]

MO ASTOR- CHAPTER 21

We don’t own the bikes, brothers, or any “related” Sons of Anarchy, trust us, if we did we wouldn’t have the time to write. No money is being made from our stories. So, please don’t sue. It’d be a fruitless endeavor indeed. That being said, Harley, Journee, and any other newbies are ours, and we don’t share. :Whispers in creepy voice: “My precious.” The universe This reality is a mix of cannon, and our own ideas. We strive to keep the boys cannon, but since we will be shifting around some of the events, that will reflect in our writing and their personalities as well. It’s our goal to provide you with quality fiction, and solid, fleshed out OFC. We appreciate constructive criticism and love LOVE reviews, they are a writers life blood and definitely help encourage us and inspire us. We will be posting on our Tumblr where we’ll have fun pictures from time to time as well. http://tellerford13.tumblr.com We’ll also be taking requests for one shots, preferences or imagines for all things Sons at our other Tumblr, so check it out and send your thoughts!http://tellerford13oneshots.tumblr.com/ And just for fun, we’ve decided to start a Pinterest for the story! So if you want a glimpse at our girls and see into our world, check it out! https://www.pinterest.com/tellerford/

                                                         A/N: Happy Early Valentine’s day.  We intended to get this to you sooner, but Chibs was overflowing with joy, thoughts, and experiences. Which is fair since it’s his honeymoon and all. *laughs. We hope you enjoy the trip across the pond and the bonus Jax and Lee. Our gift to you this Holiday.

                                          Mo Astor Chapter 21

Jax

I’m rock hard from hours of Lee’s ass pressed into me and her back to my chest. She’s got rhythm, but it’s the time she spent with GB and Journee that has her moving the way she does. I could do nothing more but match her. I’ve never been one to be shown up. I nip my way up her neck to whisper in her ear.

“You ready to get out of here.”

She nods her head, and I squeeze her waist before I release her and twine our fingers. I guide her across the crowded floor and out into the night air. It’s instantly cooler without the crush of bodies.

“You have a good time?” I ask.

“The best. It’s been so long since I went dancing.”

Her smile is all the thanks I need. I tug her toward me and kiss her lips. She tastes like whiskey and the chocolate desert we shared. I moan as I tilt my head, deepening the kiss and she melts against me. The small gesture is a huge show of trust coming from her. She’s always been guarded. This Life has a way of making the women living it that way. We part to breathe, and I take her in. Flushed, heavy-lidded, and smiling, she’s stunning.

“What?”

“Just thinking about how beautiful you are.”

“Shut up.”

I chuckle. “What? It’s true darling.”

Pink fills her cheek, and I wrap an arm around her waist and lead her to the car.

“Thank you for tonight,” she says as I hold the car door open for her.

“You’re welcome, Harley.”

Her eyes widen. She knows I’m serious when I use her full name. She climbs into the seat, and I walk to the driver’s side feeling her gaze on me. I want to end the night between her legs, but I don’t want her to think I expect it. Tonight was about showing her how different I can be. That means taking nothing for granted.

She rubs my knee and up my thigh as I drive home. My cock responds, threatening to bust open the zipper on my jeans. I clear my throat and shift in my seat. She cups my bulge.

“Playing with fire, Lee.”

“I’m not playing,” she whispers huskily.  She unzips my pants, and I take a shaky breath as she frees me.  I grip the wheel with both hands as she wraps her lips around me. I groan as she takes me inch by torturous inch. Her warm, wet mouth, suctions me and I shudder. She grips my base and twists her wrist. I focus on the lines on the road and staying between them, and she works me over. I want to grip her head and thrust, but I’m bound by the driving. She hums, and I flinch. The teasing continues as we roll down the dark highway. She takes me to the edge and moves to circle my tip with her tongue, allowing me to come back down before she starts all over again. We’re pulling into Charming when I go off the road behind the sign and grip her hair. She hums as I fuck her mouth opening her throat as I fist her hair tightly. My balls draw up, and my heart threatens to beat out of my chest as I finally find release and spray into the back of her throat.

My body convulses as fireworks erupt behind my lids and I slump back into my seat. I’m vaguely aware of her swallowing and cleaning me with her tongue. She tucks me into my pants, and I come back to myself.

“Jesus, Lee.”

“You gave me something tonight. I was returning the favor.” She presses a small kiss to my lips.

I shake my head, awed by the woman I’ve chosen for my own.

Chibs

I stare at the woman asleep beside me, wondering if I’ll wake up and find the past few months have been a dream. We’ve come full circle. From her adorable, but completely misplaced crush, to loyal companions, best friends, and now husband and wife. Maybe the universe had a plan for us all along. When I first arrived I was angry at the world, still healing, and bitter about the way life had turned out. I kept to myself for the most part, but it never seemed to deter her. She’d never been bothered by my silence, and there was a comfort in that, not having to talk, and yet, not being alone.

There was something about her that reminded me of what I’d lost. So I was careful not to scare her away like the others. A time or two she was the one who tended me wounds. They claimed she had a gentle touch. They weren’t wrong.  I didn’t know at the time, but she’d been hurting too. From what I heard it was expected she and Opie would be an item. Then Donna came to town, and that was all she wrote. It had broken the poor girls’ heart in a way, dashed her hopes, and broke up the inseparable foursome. Whatever the reason the stars chose to align as they did, I’m grateful.  Without everything happening just so, I don’t know if we’d ever have made it here, and the woman is me world.

Mine. She’s mine to care for, protect, and love. There’s not a malicious bone in her body, unlike my former wife. Journee says what she means and truly has no clue how damn beautiful she is. Sex will never become a weapon with her, nor will she withhold affection. She’s poured love into me all these years when she had no reason to, and I trust her with all that I am.

I have a lot planned for us. I wanted to do this right, show her me old haunts, the historical places, and my kin. It’s been ages since I set eyes on my sister Greer. I’m worried about their meeting. Life’s been hard for both of us, and the one woman I brought to meet her betrayed me so badly, I couldn’t come back to my home and almost lost my life. She’ll be standoffish, and I don’t want my Lennan taking that personally. I kiss her temple as she begins to stir.

“Rise and Shine, Mrs. Telford,” I whisper.

She groans and moves in her seat shifting her weight. Her lids flutter open, and she gives me a sleepy smile. “I feel like we’ve been in the air forever.”

“Aye, me bones are protesting being in the same position for so long. We’ll be landing soon.”

She yawns, stretching her arms above her head, and I’m glad I sprung for first class. I don’t want anyone crammed next to her or touching her. I just got her all to myself.

“Are you going to tell me where we’ll be staying?” She asks.

“Nae. I wanna see your reaction.”

She grins. “Oh, that means it’s going to be good.”

Her excitement is infectious. She’s better than the finest whiskey, warming me up from the inside and filling me with joy. I fist her low-slung  bun, pull her to me, dipping my tongue into her mouth. She hums and returns my kiss as I drink my fill, only stopping when my lungs protest. I need to cut back on the smoking. The seat belt sign lights as the chimes ding.

“We’ll be landing in Edinburg in twenty minutes. Please turn your trays and seats to their upright position.”

She grips my hands and squeezes. I rest my head against hers as the plane descends to the land of my origin.

With our luggage in hand, I allow her to be the navigator as we wind through the airport toward the car rental company.

“Are you going to let me drive on this trip?” She asked excitedly as we approach the que.

I laugh. “If you want to love.”

She grins, and I shake my head.

“Cheeky girl.”

She winks. “And you love it.”

“Aye.”

It feels good to be out together without my colors or an agenda. I can’t remember the last time I went anywhere that wasn’t a run. We wind our way up to the kiosk and procure our car.

“Now the real fun begins, love.”

Fifteen minutes later I’m sneaking glances at Journee as we round the corner and pull up the cobblestone drive toward our destination. The massive stone structure rises up from the ground, cutting an impressive silhouette against the city background. The town is quaint compared to California. The buildings are old and well cared for, making it feel like you’ve stepped back a few centuries in time.

She gasps. “Oh my God. Chibs… are we staying here?”

“Aye, love. This is the Witchery. It’s got great food, amazing views, and top notch service. I never had occasion to stay here meself but I heard nothing but great things.”

“Filip.” Her voice warbles.

“Ye don’t like it? We can move our rooms somewhere else...”

“No. it’s. I love it. I love you. I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

“Little lass, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do, or you don’t deserve.” I reach over and squeeze her hand. “You’ll never have to wonder with me. I know the prize I’ve got, and I’ll spend the rest of me life trying to prove I’m worthy of you.”

“Filip, there’s nothing to prove.” She runs her fingers over my sensitive scar, and I shiver. She’s the only person who could ever touch it and not bring forth anger.

I turn my head slightly to kiss her fingers and locate parking. I’m on top of the world as we park and make our way inside the ornate building. The tapestries on the wall catch my eye as we approach the check-in desk. The castle set on a lush green hill with waterfalls tumbling over the side remind of the romanticism that all us Scots are known for.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” She whispers.

“Aye,” I agree as I peer down at her. “I’m checking in. Two for Telford.”

“Ahh Welcome to The Witchery Mr. and Mrs. Telford. Congratulations on your nuptials.”

“Oh, thank you,” Journee gushes.

“Our thanks,” I say. He rattles off the information about the hotel, nearby restaurants, and places. It’s been nearly twenty-four hours since I’ve been inside my wife. Everything else can wait. I nod my head as he gives us our keys and we walk up the stone stairs toward our room. I unlock the door, and we walk into the suite that’s fit for royalty. Ornate gold moldings stand out against the sage green canopy and matching covers of the four poster bed. She spins slowly taking everything in as I lock the door behind us and set the bags to the side against the wall.

“Daddy needs some play time with his Little Lass,” I say as I push the knit cardigan off her shoulders and onto the floor. Her form-fitting black jeans and, a gray t-shirt and beige hat are adorable, but too much of a barrier. I toss the hat, and her eyes widen. “I need you naked and on the bed waiting for me now.”

She nods her head, and the clothes begin to fly. I step over the pile of clothing at my feet and admire her sienna-skin frame. I spread her legs wider and climb onto the bed as I bury my face between her legs and lap at her neatly trimmed pussy. Her taste explodes onto my tongue, and I moan as I circle her swollen clit. I lash the hardening bundle, and she thrusts back against me making me grunt. I love her responsiveness. I drive my tongue inside her, and she rocks back against me. I hum and nudge her clit with my tongue. She contracts around me, and I know she’s close.  I move my tongue faster, and she shudders, yielding her cream. I give her one last swipe and pull back, gripping her hips as I lick my way up her chest and bite the flesh on her shoulder as I slid home. I grit my teeth as my eyes roll into the back of my head and I have to pause to keep from exploding inside her. Nothing has ever felt this good in my life. I pull out and drive in. She buries her face into the pillow to muffle the screaming as we come together. Our flesh slaps together, and she grips the sheets as she meets me stroke for stroke, giving me back everything I’m giving her.  I grip her hips as the sweat drips down my body and her skin glistens in the light.

I cage her body in with my arms as I drive deeper. She flexes around me and my spine tingles. We’re both close.

“So tight for me, love.” I rasp. “I want you to come for your, Daddy.”

Her body shakes, and she constricts around me. All those weeks of teasing and training have created a deep connection. I grit my teeth as I pump through her orgasm before I fill her with my seed. Reluctantly pulling away I lift her legs and place them over my shoulder as I kiss her breasts while we catch our breath.  I let her legs drop and roll out of bed, and pop the bottle of champagne they’d set in a bucket beside a box of chocolates. I pour two glasses and bring one to her.

“To us love.”

“To us,” She replies as we clink glasses.

“I hope ye know I’m just getting started,” I say licking my lips as I take in her lithe frame.

Her eyes widen, and I chuckle as I finish the drink and move to the bathroom to run a bath. I choose this room for its bathroom. The claw foot tub is big enough for two, perfect to sooth the aches I’m going to cause, and pretty to look at.  I toss in bubble bath and set the perfect temperature before I return to the bedroom where she’s finishing off her drink.

“I have another surprise for you, love.”

“You do?” she bounces off the bed, and I laugh.

I twine our fingers and lead her into the bathroom.

“Holy shit, we’ll never leave the room.”

“Why do you think I booked this one in particular?” I ask as I lead her over and help her step down. She sighs, and I gather washcloths, soap and slip in behind her as she turns off the faucet. Lathering up our washcloths we rid ourselves of the travel weariness that’s set in. The feel of her ass pressed against me has my cock at half-mast.

“Again?”

“Aye, turn around and straddle your Daddy like a good girl.” “Yes, Daddy,” she whispers as I help her turn. She grips me at the base and strokes me just the way I like with a tight grip and just the right speed. “That’s my good girl.”

“I only want to please you, Daddy.”

“That you do, little lass.”

I study her through lowered lids. “I want you to ride me, lass.”

“I don’t know if I can fit all of you into my tight little Kitty.”

Jaysus she’s a fast study.

“I promise you can. Can you be brave and do that for Daddy? Let him stretch out those pretty pink parts and make you feel good?”

“Yes, Daddy. I like it when you fill me with your cock.”

“Then come and have a ride, love.”

She grips my base and eases down inch by inch. “Oh Daddy, you’re so big.”

“Keep going,” I reach out, and stroke her clit and she continues until I’m fully seated inside her.

“I’m so full,” She whimpers.

“Fuck, lass.” She grips my shoulders as she lifts up and lowers down, circling her hips as she finds a rhythm. I grip her hips, guiding her. Water sloshes onto the floor as she rides me faster. Her nails dig into my flesh, and I tilt my hips to go deeper.

“That’s right. Fuck your Daddy.”

“Oh, God.” She throws her head back, and her breasts bounce. I bite down on a fat brown nipple, and she flexes around me making us both cry out.

“Filip. I- I’m going to come.”

She convulses, taking me over the edge, and milking me dry with her tight hold. I rest my head in the valley between her breasts and remind myself I have to feed her before we can do this again. I’m like a boy in his prime. It takes nothing to get me going again with her.

***

Once I filled her belly with a hearty Scottish breakfast of sausage baked beans, scones, eggs, and porridge I can’t help but laugh as we leave the restaurant.

“What?” She asked.

“First day here and you got your wish. You’re as full of Scot as you can get.”

“Filip,” She whispers glancing around as l laugh.

“Let em listen. Might jump start their libidos,” I say as we leave the local restaurant and head down the road. “Where to now?”

“The only place fit for a princess. The Edinburgh Castle.”

We spend the day exploring the castles, taking pictures and making out in every corner we can find until someone approaches. By the time we head back to our room my cock is straining against my pants and her lids are heavy-lidded, and the deep v in her pretty white dress with a blue floral print is teasing me with hints of skin. With the sun setting and the whiskey from our tour swimming in my system, I’m feeling adventurous. The best part about this city is all the darkened corners.

“Love, you trust me?” I ask.

“Of course.”

“C’mere.” I pull her into an alcove hidden from view and wedge her against the wall, showing me back to anyone passing by.

“F-Filip?”

“Be a good girl and spread your legs for Daddy. I cannot wait another minute.”

“What if someone sees?”

“You’ll have to be quiet, so they don’t come investigating. Take out your breast.”

Her hands tremble as she eases her left breast out of. Her nipple puckers and I latch on as I slip my hand up her dress and into her panties. Her wetness coats my fingers and I moan my approval as I suckle her. There’s no time for teasing. I thrust two fingers inside her tight entrance and pump, crooking my fingers as I go in at the angle she loves. She moans and rocks against me as I nudge the hard spot inside her that makes her jerk against me. I twitch in my pants as I increase my speed, and she flexes around my fingers. The muffled noises and her gush of cream tell me she’s close. I bite down on her nipple and use my thumb to circle her swollen clit. She comes apart, showing her fist into her mouth to hide her screams. I pull away. “Open.”

She obeys, and I slip my fingers into her mouth as I smooth down her dress. She sucks them clean as I rearrange the top of her dress. I pull my digits clean and replace them with my tongue. We part for air, and I nuzzle her neck, tickling her sensitive skin with my tongue. “When we get back to our room I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk Mrs. Telford.”

She grips my biceps and purrs. “I can’t wait.” I wrap my arm around her waist and power walk us to the hotel with her laughter ringing in my ear.

***

I groan as I roll onto my back and stare up at the canopy above my head. I feel like I’ve been on a bender. My body aches and my throat is as dry as a bone. I smack my lips and roll over to my side, curling around the soft frame off my wife. A sly smirk lines my lips. We didn’t’ stop until she literally dropped from exhaustion as pink fingers of dawn streaked across the night sky. She’ll be sore. It’s the perfect day to go to the village and see Greer. A Little walking and lots of talking. I kiss her crown and bury my nose in her sweet smelling hair. Usually, it’d be wrapped up for the evening, but I had her too occupied to care last night.

I roll away from her and ease out of bed. After releaving myself and washing my hands, I start a bath. Today’s huge for me. I haven’t seen my sister in years, and she called her son, Padric to come over too. It’ll be all the family I have left in the world in one room. I return to the bed and sink beside her.

“Rise and Shine, love. It’s time to meet the in-laws.”

She moans. “I can’t, I was paralyzed by my husband’s huge Scottish dick last night, and now I can’t walk.”

I throw my head back and laugh. “Do you want me ta carry you, little lass? I think I can manage that.”  I push back the covers to reveal her body, and I moan. Her breasts are swollen and marked by my mouth. A trail off hickeys lead down her body, and her pussy is puffy from a night of poundings.

“You’ve never looked as beautiful as you do right now with my marks all over ye.” Her lids open and she smirks.

“Is that possession I hear, husband?”

“Aye. Make no mistake every inch of you belongs to me now, love.” I scoop her into my arms. And walk her to the bathroom. “Now let’s make that kitty all better. I’ll be needing it again tonight.” She bites her lower lip, and I grin. It’s a good kind of hurt we got going.

“Sweet Jaysus.”

Her words make me laugh as we soothe our aches, grab lunch and get on the road. Finally, I can return to the place I was born better off than I left.

As we pull into town, I drive to the cemetery.

“I want you to meet my Ma,” I say softly. I’d never bothered to do this with Fiona. I knew she’d think it was stupid. She’d say there not in the ground, but somewhere else. I understand that, but the place where their remains lie, is as close to them as we earthly bound humans can get. It counts for something in my book.

“I’d like that, Filip.” Journee squeezes my hand, and I swear I fall in love with the lass all over again. She gets me, my woman. I park the car, and we climb out, walking inside the stone wall through the aged metal gates. Headstones of all shape and sizes rise up from the green grass. Faded bouquets, fresh jars of flowers, and trinkets line the plots. I’m almost ashamed when we get to Ma’s tiny rectangle, marking her life.

“We didn’t’ have much money when she died. This is all we could afford.”

“We can fix that now. If you’d like. Maybe a nice Celtic cross?”

“Oh, she’d love that.”

“Then we’ll make it happen. Before we leave.”

“This is our honeymoon. You don’t need too—

“Aye, which means your family is mine. This is my Ma we’re taking care of too.”

My throat swells, and I glance away. She rests her head on my shoulder.

“Fia? That’s a beautiful name?”

“Aye, and she had flame red hair too. Might be one of our kids will inherit it down the line. She was a kind, hard-working woman who deserved more than the lot she had in life, but she always made the best of it. Got my sense of humor and will to survive from her. When me Da ran off, she just kept carrying on, picking up odd jobs and extra shifts to care for me and ma sister. I wanted to do better so I could take care of her proper like. But she died before I could get the chance. She never got to see me do well. It eats at me.”

“But she sees you now, Filip.”

I peer down at her and wonder how in the fuck I got so lucky.

“I suppose you’re right.”

A breeze blows through the area, and a white feather catches my eye.

“It’s a sign from her. They say feathers mean our loved ones are close by.”

I smile. “I think she gave her approval of you.”

“I hope so.”

“She would’ve loved you as much as I do, love. Don’t you think otherwise for a second. C’mon it’s time for you to meet the rest of us Telfords.”

We pull up to the tiny, well-loved house I grew up in, and I cut the engine.

“This is it, love where I was born.”

“Not in a hospital?”

“No, was a midwife that delivered me.”

“Wow.”

“It was common back then. Are ye ready?”

She swallowed hard. “No, but let’s do it anyway.”

I laugh as I leave the car and come around to help her out as we walk up to the door and knock. The door opens, and I hold my breath. The strawberry blonde looks so much like my mother I’m struck mute for a moment.

“Filip.”

“Greer.” I wrap her in a bear hug and lift her up off the ground as we laugh. The years have given her crows feet and a few extra pounds, same as me.

“It’s so good to see you, love.”

“And you, brother.”

I set her down and notice the lad behind her. I click my tongue.

“Well look at ye!”

“Uncle!”

We hug, and I clap his back before we part.

“And Auntie?” he asks moving his eyebrows up and down.

“You scamp.” Greer says playfully slapping the back of his head.

“Ahh this is me wife, Journee,” I say wrapping an arm around her proudly.

“Hi,” Journee says shyly ducking her head.

“Come in the two of you,” Greer says stepping back as we enter the cottage.

We step inside, and I see she’s kept the things that I remember most. The grandfather clock, photos of our family and the heavy oak table and chairs. I see her touches as well. New paint and furniture.

I focus back in on Padric and whistle. “The cut looks good on ye boyo.”

He grips his lapels and beams up at me with a wide grin that’s a family trait. “Thank ye Uncle.”

“You must be tired after the flight and the drive here, have a seat,” Greer says.

We sit, and the conversation flows as we try to play catch up.

“Can I make some tea?” Journee asks.

“Oh, look at me forgetting my manners,” Greer says moving to stand.

“No, please, don’t stop catching up on my account. I can make it.”

“I’m sorry love, I’m getting lost in my memories,” I say.

She smiles. “I know. I like seeing and hearing it.” She stands, squeezing my shoulders and placing a kiss against my cheek.

“You have to steep it for—

“Oh, sister, I know how to make tea the Telford way, that one made sure of it.” she says with a wink as she makes her way into the kitchen.

“This one is different than the last. I might like her.”

“Ye can’t even put those two in the same category, Greer.”

She nods. “Good.”

“Speaking of that one. How’s me Kerrianne?”

“As lovely as the day is long, and well Uncle. I brought you some photos of us.”

“Does she ever asks about me?”

“Aye. I tell her all I remember, and she…she knows ye got remarried.”

I wince “Is she upset?”

“I don’t think so. Mostly curious. Not that she’d ever ask her mother. Do you think your wife would mind if I share some things maybe get a few picture of the two of yea?”

I smile. “No, she’d very much like that.”

“Maybe she can pass along things, and I can pass them to you and vice versa? Pretty soon Keri’s gonna be eighteen, and I want her to know she has options. Jimmy hasn’t gotten any less crazy, and none of this was her fault.”

“You’re as smart as you are handsome, lad. Just like your Uncle. We’ll set up a system eh?” A few months ago I would’ve been worried about Fiona and asking how he treated her. Now I could give a shite less. As long as my little girl is thriving, I’m fine.

We continue our conversation before I insist on treating them to lunch in the village. We point out childhood landmarks on the trip and Journee and Padric both eat it up like small children on a road trip. I like the man, the boy I once knew, has become. He’s light-hearted, but there’s an edge to him that says he can take care of himself and anyone else who comes along and wants to start something. After lunch, we walk the village, window shopping and exploring the shelves.

“Lennan, Padric had an idea if you're willing…He’ll send things back and forth between us and KerriAnne. No one will think anything of him writing his Uncle or his Aunt back in Charming.”

“That’d be amazing! Oh! We should get her something,” Journee says tugging my hand. “Come on, let’s have him fill us in on what she likes and doesn't.”

The words are music to my ear. It pains me that I don’t know my own child. I know I’m lucky to have gotten away from Jimmy alive. Not many do, but for years afterward I felt like death would‘ve been easier. He knew that the bastard. He wanted me to live with the shame and the hate he’d grown in my heart. I’m a man starved as I listen to him talk about her love of animals and musical tastes. Her favorite color is purple, and she loves classic literature and romance books, which he teases her relentlessly about. My heart warms as the picture of her now is fleshed in. The fading memories of her as a tiny thing are being replaced with something far better.

“Are you two going to stay the night?” Greer asks.

“If it’s not putting you out,” Journee said.

“Not at all. We’ve always got room for family.”

They smile at each other, and I know she’s been officially accepted.

“I want to give you two something.” She leaves the room and returns with a patch work quilt I remember resting on my mothers’ bed. “It’s the Telford baby blanket. Guaranteed to help you conceive.”

“You believe tha?” I ask.

She shugs. “It’s how I got Padric, and Ma got us.”

Journee takes it gently. “Thank you Greer. We’ll cherish this.”

“I’m past my child bearing years, and If I’m reading you right, the two of you are just about to start them.”

Padric chuckles. “Oh, I’m sure they already have, Ma.”

“Mind your manners ya cheeky bastard,” I say as he laughs and holds up his hands.

“Sorry Uncle. I couldn’t resist.”

I narrow my gaze and raise my fist waving it at him. “I’m not above taking you to the ring.”

“My hero defending my honor,” Journee drawls.

I take the blanket from her hand, lift her and toss her over my shoulder. “We’ll be putting this to the test. Thank you, Greer. We’ll see you in this morning.”

“Filip Royal,” Journee hisses.

I pat her ass. Their laughter follows us down the hallway to the room that once belonged to me. I’m about to fulfill a fantasy and take her in the room of my boyhood.  I pitch her onto the bed and strip down.  I watch as she removes the emerald green dress with floral accents. I lick my lips as her tawny skin is revealed. Her breasts threaten to spill over the lacy white bra with crisscrossing straps around her upper torso. The matching panties are crotchless, and I groan as I make a mental note to buy Lee something nice for all the outfits she’d packed. I crawl onto the bed between her legs.

“You’re too pretty to undress, love. I’m going to take ye just as you are.”  I cover our bodies with the blanket and run my fingers over her slick lips. “So wet. You ready for your man?”

“Always.”

I ease into her, careful to go slow as she wraps around me like a glove. We find a gentle rhythm as our lips come together. Sparks fly between us, and I lose myself in the depths of her dark eyes.

“Oh. Oh, Filip, I love you, love , love you.”

She tilts her hips up, and I go deeper.

“And I you, my love.”

Words fail as my heart beats faster and she arches, grinding against me. She tugs at my growing hair and my balls draw up tight.

“I want you to fill me, Daddy.”

“Then come for me, little lass.” Her body shakes, her muscles contract and she goes stiff as her mouth opens in a silent scream. I spill inside her feeling like I just had a spiritual exchange. I burrow my face into her neck and balance my weight as I remain inside her wishing I could make this moment last a lifetime.

“Tomorrow we’ll carve our names in the oldest tree in the village. It’s said the lovers who’re named there remain together for life.”

“We already are, but I love the sentiment.”

Her confident answer makes me grin. I pull out and lay beside her.  “Let’s get a few winks love. I’m not done with you yet.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You’re going to have me walking like a cowboy.”

“Aye. You’ll wear the look off a woman well-loved by the time we head back to Charming.”

She giggles and captures my lips in a sweet kiss. We take our time exploring each other’s mouths until sleep claims us.

[rememberthattime]

Chapter 37. Tasmania

Tasmania is isolated. It’s an island off of an island, way down at the edge of the world. ...If Australia is down unda, Tassie is down unda the down unda.

All of this isolation has made Tasmania a little different from other Aussie states: from climate to culture to cloud coverage, and everything in between. For a (rare) three-day trip, Chelsay and I set out to experience these unique Tassie charms.

Our road trip itinerary would bring us all around the relatively small state, but Day 1 began near Cradle Mountain, Tassie’s iconic peak.

Before our hike though, the trip began with breakfast at Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm. Not much more needs to be said here... Breakfast. Christmas in the name. Raspberry farm. Waffles. French toast. Fresh jams and mascarpone. Just a great start.

We pigged out, but it was okay because we’d need the energy for our day at Cradle Mountain. The surrounding National Park is a haven for hikers, with a surplus of trails, wildlife, and unique vegetation. In the winter, there’s also an extreme deficit in other hikers, so Chelsay and I would have the trails all to ourselves.

With the help of a park ranger (who had just returned to Tassie after 5 weeks in Seattle... what are the odds), we mapped out a 5 hour hike that would take us 10 miles and up to 12,700 feet in elevation. The terrain reminded me so much of Scotland: crisp air, overcast weather, rugged and rough heather in green, red, brown, and yellow.

Another similarity with Scotland was the heavy fog. When Chelsay and I first arrived, we had a sliver of blue sky to take in our surroundings. Within an hour of our ascent to Marion’s Peak, the visibility quickly changed.

This isn’t rare though: 9 out of 10 days at Cradle Mountain have this kind of cloud cover. That said, it had been a long time since I’d been on a cold, damp, foggy hike. I’d been dying to go in Seattle, but because we only visit in winter, no one will go with me.

For this trip though, Chelsay and I were well prepared: layers was the name of the game, and we had backup ponchos just in case. Besides, we get blue skies everyday in Sydney, and this fog actually added to the rugged mood.

One difference between Cradle Mountain and Scotland or Seattle: the wildlife. Along our 5 hour hike, Chelsay and I came across about a dozen wombats and wallabies. #Tassie

We were physically exhausted that evening, so passed out early (after watching Mission Impossible 3 in preparation for Fallout!). The next morning, I made breakfast before heading out for the day: eggs, toast, and fresh jam from our cottage’s farm.

We’d be making the 3.5 hour cross-state drive from Cradle Mountain to Bruny Island (an island, off an island, OFF AN ISLAND!), but had all the Getting Curious podcasts we’d need to fill the trip. The foggy roads kept our attention too, as we zipped through winding alpine turns.

One other thing that kept my attention: the fuel gage. Tassie is isolated, and Cradle Mountain is the MOST isolated. There is a “major” (two-lane) highway that would’ve likely had more gas stations, but Chelsay and I opted for the scenic, more rural route. There has to be a gas station somewhere though, right?

Well, Chelsay and I made our way through the winding roads and were enjoying the foggy ride. We got about 45 minutes in, still no gas stations. Hmm. Another 45 minutes. Nothing... Anxious. 2 hours in, we finally found a station (whew!) and I raced to fill up the tank. Crisis averted.

We pulled out of the extremely rural gas station in Miena, TAS (population: 87), but only got about 1 minute before the engine started to sputter. Far ouuuut (Aussie for f***). I knew exactly what I’d done... I put diesel in instead of unleaded. I was so anxious about the low fuel light, that I didn’t even check the pump label at the station.

We were in the middle of nowhere, so the rental company had to send a tow truck from Hobart to Miena to grab me, Chelsay, and the car. All in, this cost us about 8 hours (not to mention the cost of the tow truck) on an already short trip. Chelsay says it was the most mad she’d seen me since the Christmas Eve orchestra in Vienna.

In just a few hours, I exhibited all 7 stages of grief:

Shock: “What!? I just filled the tank!”

Denial: “I swear I put in the right fuel.”

Anger: “F”

Bargaining: “Is there a fuel drain? Anyone have a siphon?”

Depression: “No drain... No siphon... And the tow truck has to come all the way from Hobart... There goes the trip.”

Testing: “Well, maybe we can still fit some things in...”

Acceptance: read on

Chelsay held it together, mostly because she was entertained by the friendly locals. The gas station seemed to be the hang out spot in Miena, so all kinds of characters passed through. The most entertaining was an older man wearing all camo.

Barb, the wonderful woman running the register: “Back from a hunt?”Older man: “Saw about 200 kangaroos.”Barb: “How many you get?”Older man, sheepishly: “Oh I don’t want to say.” (Translation: none)Older man: “Look, I lost two of my dogs... You seen em?”Barb: “What are their names?”Older man: “Uh, ones name is Miley. Can’t remember the other.”Barb: “Well gonna be tough to find based on that description.”Older man: “Got 12 so hard to keep track!”Barb: “Gimme your number and I’ll let you know if I see em. What’s your number?”Older man: “Uhh, can’t remember.” *Goes to truck to pull out his massive journal, flips through several full pages of phone numbers, and gives one to Barb*#Tassie

Only Chelsay got to experience the Miena locals, but we both enjoyed our ride back to Hobart with the tow truck driver, Young George (age: 70). Swiss, but somehow a 45 year-Tassie vet, George told us about his many interesting tows across Australia. His strangest: he picked up a wrecked car... from the Gold Coast... a 31 hour non-stop trip (including ferry) up Australia’s east coast! #Tassie

Despite the entraining locals, this was a bad day. Our worst ever while on holiday. We had two options once our tow truck finally arrived in Hobart: fail fast and minimize the damage, or lean in and push on. There was more hesitation than I’d like to admit, but we ultimately leaned in. We rented another car, and were on the ferry to Bruny Island in no time.

I said earlier that Bruny is an island off an island off an island, so needless to say, it’s sparse. There’s zero light pollution though, so Chelsay and I stared up at the clear star-filled sky. The universe has a way of taking care of things, and this was a reminder to put our problems in perspective. The universe even ended its statement with an exclanation mark: a shooting star. That’s not a joke either... I thought it was a firework. Genuinely the longest, closest shooting star I’ve ever seen. Emphatically telling us to “get over it!”

Heeding the universe’s advice, we threw on some tunes and had a pasta night at our quiet AirBnB. Occasionally, we turned down the music to hear penguins chirping on a nearby beach. #Tassie

The next morning, we woke up and quickly realized what an incredible house we were staying in. It was too dark to see anything the night before, but the morning gave us two things: (1) light to take in the house’s charming design, and (2) a reason to use the Nespresso.

Now, the troubles of yesterday were behind us. I’d gone trough the 7 stages of grief and accepted the place we were in. But wait, we were literally in the same place we’d planned to be: Monday morning, Bruny Island. Granted, we’d lost quite a bit of time, but while waiting for hours at the Miena gas station, Chelsay and I actually reconfigured the itinerary. If everything went just right, we could still fit in my original plan...

First up for the day. Bruny Island Cheese Co. Breakfast. Cheese toastie. Spicy (yet subtly sweet) chili paste. Something called an Otto: a cheesy omelette wrapped in prosciutto. Red pepper relish. Condensed strawberry. Ughh.

Next up: Bruny Island Chocolates. 10:30 sweets? Gimme ‘dat orange fudge. ‘Dat chocolate covered coffee bean. Ughhhh.

Third: Tassie World of Whisky. A whisky tasting at 11 AM? Hit me. We’re talkin’ Lark, Launceston, and what’s that? The 2014 best single malt whisky in the world? Sullivan’s Cove. Bitey, but with a smooth and silky length. Ughhhhhhh.

Now, batting cleanup. Chance for a Grand Slam before 1:00 PM: Willie Smith’s Apple Shed. Apple pie, cider, and Alt-J and Hozier playing in background. Ughhhhhhh, na-na na-na!

This trip went from a 2 to a 6 in that morning alone. Three quick hits and towering, monster, goodbye baseball grand slam to save the whole trip. It will from here-on be known as The Great Tassie Turnaround.

Also, it was only 1:00, so we still had time for the final place I wanted to visit: MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art.

MONA was founded in 2011 by eccentric billionaire David Walsh, who made his money as a “professional gambler”. Let that sink in. #Tassie

This place was a bold, artistic reflection of its founder. Or was it just weird... Only time will tell. Some of the highlights:

Two live fish, in a bowl of water, with a butcher’s knife, on a chair. That’s it

The fat car

An exhibit where visitors throw glass milk jugs against a wall. One of us was better than the other at this art

A room with nothing but a blue felt pond (?) in the middle

A robot that precisely mirrored the human digestive process (both sight AND scent)

A representation of CERN’s particle accelerator, which was Chelsay and I’s favorite

Not pictured: Event Horizon, which is the seizure-inducing strobe-light colored room that Drake filmed the video for Hotline Bling in.

So that’s it. That was our trip to Tassie... After MONA, and all of the other strange experiences over the past three days, I’m not really sure how to pull this one together.

On one hand, we had our worst travel day ever, but on the other, we hit all the places we wanted to see. It certainly wasn’t the route I planned, but we still somehow managed to get everything we’d hoped for from Tasmania.

I guess the most fitting way to wrap this up would be to say we found a unique way to experience unique landscapes, unique climate, and unique culture... Is there anything more #Tassie than that.

[thedeadlyd]

Deadly D’s SE Asia Tour 2018 "Tales From the Road" What's Up! Magazine (Bellingham, WA) July 2018 Issue “Well it’s been a year Gary, what we doing this time?” I asked in regards to our last tour, one that consisted of 7 states in 5 weeks. After considering if we should hit the same route and build on what we started or go somewhere new, the DJ’s response was simply, “Go big or go home”. I already knew what this meant. Seeing how our availability to hit the road is limited, we need to maximize our time spent away. Should we hit the east coast this time? Or should we head somewhere that would add to our passport’s stamp collection? One thing we discovered on our previous excursion-something initially done out of a desire to cut down on accommodation costs-was that hostels are awesome. Not only could you save yourself some coin but also they made it possible to meet a hell of a lot of people from all over the globe. Ones just like us, seeking adventure and new friends. This is pretty tough to do holed up in some hotel room. From a traveling hip hop duo’s perspective, this element proved to be indispensable in our attempt to spread our music. With this mind, we began thinking where we could find a location that provides a hostel circuit worthy of our cause. After some microbrew infused research sessions at McKay’s Taphouse, it was decided that Vietnam and Thailand were the destinations of choice. Enter Deadly D’s “Plant the SEADD Tour 2018”. Both countries attract hostel goers from around the world. If you can accept that your life for the next month plus will consist of dorm style living with complete strangers, you will be introduced to a magical world that can only be discovered by stepping out of your comfort zone. Knowing that booking shows in such a foreign land would be difficult, we figured the environment would help streamline the process. With so many new people with insider tips, local staffers that could point us to the closest open mics and nightly activities such as pub-crawls accompanied by late night karaoke and freestyle cyphers, we figured we’d have little issue unearthing opportunities. So we decided to commit ourselves to find out and booked our flight to Vietnam. A week before we set out I received a message from an old high school friend that read, “What time does your flight land in Ho Chi Minh? I’m picking you up”. As it turned out my buddy Matt now lived there. Seeing our flight arrived at 1am, having a familiar face greet us upon arrival was a much better introduction to this new land than deliriously showing up at an airport with no idea of where to go. After a quick stop at Bui Vien-the street that never sleeps-for a beer and a banh mi, we crashed out a Matt’s apartment to rest up for our first day in the nation’s capital. The first question raised in the AM was “Holy shit. How many people live here? And better yet, HOW MANY SCOOTERS ARE THERE?!” Turns out 8.5 million residents followed by 7.5 million motorized bikes. And by the looks of it, they all run and I swear they ALL do at the same time. It’s honestly something you must witness in person. Seeing how that many motorists, driving from all directions, can actually make it work. It’s the definition of organized chaos. The way it was put to me, “You can only focus on what’s directly in front of you. Don’t worry about what’s behind you because everyone there is doing the same thing”. Regardless, we figured it would be best to save our first scooter experience for another city. One amazing aspect we discovered out there was the local expat communities (expats being individuals now residing in a country they weren't born in) and their willingness to help fellow foreigners navigate this distant land. Utilizing each city's expat Facebook group page turned out to be one of the most useful tools during our trip. In Ho Chi Minh City-or Saigon if you will-this process linked us up with our first show, only 2 days into our journey. Given the opportunity to link up with Ass Kicking Crew, the city’s #1 B-Boy posse, we couldn’t of asked for a better introduction to the local hip hop scene. Welcomed with open arms we were invited to play a show at Cipherz, a venue owned and operated by one of the crew’s OG’s Style D. The talent and humility of these cats was unreal. Representing hip hop in such a way that the US did in the 80’s, they could do it all. MC, DJ, break, graffiti. All 4 elements were on full display. Gary learned some new tricks on the tables from his new friend Phu. I was passing the mic back and forth with B-Boy Xell. Shit was ill. After many Larue beers and a spread of local street food, our first show in Asia came to a close. But not before we were invited to the weekends festivities: Ass Kicking Jam 2018. HCMC’s annual B-Boy summit just happened to fall on our first weekend and we had no idea what we were in for. Bringing his Canon 80D, Gary figured this would be a prime opportunity to put his videographer skills to the test. With over 150 break dancers from Vietnam, Germany, Ukraine, Australia and beyond, what we witnessed was something even a camera can’t properly describe (though we will try.. Video coming soon!!). The creativity, originality, pure dexterity and stamina exhibited was incredible. We got to see the lil’ homie Xell take on and battle the entire Ass Kicking Crew as his initiation into the group. Proud to say he succeeded and we were able to witness history. Even Phu who informed me that he doesn’t break and just cuts records proceeded to get into the action. Our first stop was insane. Alright, Vietnam. We see you. From there we took a jumper flight to Da Nang. Hostel on point. Hopped in on a food tour and pub crawl to get the lay of the land. It was here where we worked up the courage to attempt our first scooter excursion. We'll be okay if we can make it out of the city to the coastline where traffic is a little less intimidating right? Wrong. Within minutes we were convinced we would become one of those horror stories you hear of tourists who get acquainted with pavement in a bad way. Luckily this wasn’t the case and we finally made it to the beach unscathed. Good thing we did because this led to the most amazing jaunt up Monkey Mountain and built up a confidence to utilize the most effective mode of travel in SE Asia, which we capitalized upon the rest of the trip. Equipped with a GoPro on Gary’s helmet we scooted on down Hoi An. Took a pit stop at Marble Mountain, pulled some touristy shit and let go paper lanterns in the Thu Bon River via longboats and partied after hours at Tiger Tiger 2 Bar with our new friend and local guide Nguyen AKA “call me Justin”. After a late night cruise and Gary’s abrupt brush with death as he stepped off a cliff when attempting to take a leak, we made it somewhat safely back to the pad. From there we proceeded north to Halong Bay, where we kayaked through caves and explored lagoons surrounded by islands occupied by communities of monkeys. We paid a local fisherman to take us and our newly formed production team of youngin’s from the Netherlands to a deserted dreamlike island for a music video shoot. Captain Bird took to the air for his drone’s inaugural flight. Vietnam is insane y’all. It’s such a beautiful place and the people are incredible. Visiting a place with a history coinciding with our own in the way that it does is humbling to say the least. Taking a walk through the war museum or a Buddhist orphanage to visit with kids still being affected by the tragedies their country faced due to our past influence, you can understand why emotions can run a little high at times. We will forever be grateful for all we experienced in this amazing place. We could of spent our entire tour in Vietnam and still not even come close to seeing it all. But this would have to wait; we had to pick up our singer in Bangkok! So off to Thailand we go! Having lived there once upon a time ago, Lydia would not only act as our fellow bandmate but as a personal tour guide and translator as well. Which was great for a couple of clueless tourists. Another perfect timing “yeah we meant to do that” realization was that we showed up during the Thai New Year, Songkran. As a nation we should take notes because we’re doin’ it all wrong. Seeing entire cities engaged in an all out water gun warzone is waaaay more fun than fireworks. Especially spending it in Bang Saen, a place where locals who seem to have never seen white folk go for the holidays. Pure unhinged, positive energy. We then made our way to the jungles of Chiang Mai, hit up the all night hip hop club “Spicy” and swam with elephants. Yeah you heard me. After we said peace out to the big homies we had to catch a flight back to Bangkok for one of our more influential shows. Connecting with SuperFly, Freshly Squeezed Sounds and everyone at Live Lounge BKK, opened up a world of possibilities for when we make our return trip. Nearing the end of our tale we decided on our next destination. With Lyds headed back home it was up to us to finish this thing out strong. We'd be put to the test as we dropped our pin on Phucket and the infamous Bangla Road. Booking our stay at Slumber Party hostel, we discovered it lived up well beyond what its name might imply. This is where you go to party. This is where you go to dance at clubs with a capacity that could squeeze in all of Bellingham, a place that can really make you feel your age. I’m proud of how we faired. Well there we were. Finish line in sight. A little over a monththat felt like a lifetime yet went by in the blink of an eye. We returned to HCMC for a final farewell jam session with our Ass Kicking brethren before we headed home. Though this felt like home too. Guess that’s why we do this. Always trying to find that Highway Home. Guess that’s why we’re already planning the next journey. ‘Til next time friends. ~Deadly D Article Link: https://www.deadlyd.com/news/deadlydseasiatourrecap

[whereintheworldisclairerans-blog]

Happy 2018!!

It was recently brought to my attention (thanks mom) that the blog has been a bit quiet. At first I thought, well naturally, I haven’t been up to very much. WRONG. Oh so wrong. December was actually quite an eventful month and I have so much to catch you all up on. I’ll be brief so as not to bore you all too much. And I promise to try do better with checking in, maybe once a month or so? Who knows. Anyways, December started with a “Puente” or a time off of school for almost a week. For the first half, Hanna came down from Gothenburg to visit! We spent three days touristing around (quite literally, we rode the tourist bus and everything) and generally enjoying the sunshine. As always, the time went way too quickly and before I knew it we were off to the airport again! It wasn’t as depressing as usual though because we would see each other again in just three short weeks! Have I mentioned how much I love Europe? That I used to get to see her every year and a half and now it’s twice in a month? Amazing.

For the second half of the Puente, my friend Carmi and I decided to take a road trip to Northern Spain. We left from the airport in the cutest little car you’ve ever seen (that was not quite a Fiat but pretty damn close) and headed toward our first stop: San Sebastian <3. Getting out of the airport area was the hardest part- as I hadn’t driven in months, let alone having never in my life driven on tiny cobblestone alleys the size of sidewalks in the US. It was a process getting to know the car and Spanish driving customs, but soon we were on the highway and only a few hours away from one of my favorite places in the world. We drove through some pretty gorgeous landscapes on the way – including snow! Can you believe that?? 5 hours later we were at our adorable AirBnb, dropping off the car and all of our stuff, and then we were headed directly for the beach. We wandered through the old town, strolled past the gorgeous cathedrals and gaped at all the gorgeous men. But the very best part was the food. Alllll the food. My first time there I was alone and staying in an Airbnb so I didn’t meet anyone to eat with. I don’t mind eating alone but it’s not nearly as enjoyable as having a good friend with you who brings recommendations from other people. We ate the most INCREDIBLE TAPAS of my entire life. My stomach is growling just thinking about them. The next day we were off to Bilbao, the capital of the Basque Country. On the way, we stopped to visit one of the places where Game of Thrones is filmed, this cool little church on it’s own little island along the coast. It was a wet and muddy trek to get out to it but it was so so pretty. Once we got to Bilbao we decided that it would be wrong to not at least see inside of the famous Guggenheim museum, and then we wandered through the markets, admired the Christmas lights, and of course, ate. And ate. And ate some more. The next morning, we hit the road again to our final destination- Santander. It was pretty, but not nearly as cool as the other two cities and it was pouring. We went to the beach but didn’t stay for very long before we were forced indoors for the remainder of the day. Neither of us were ready to head back to Madrid and to work  the following morning, but we were ready for the sun and to be in our own beds.

The following two weeks of work were filled with Christmas parties, class celebrations, dances and very little learning. Needless to say, it went by very quickly and before I knew it, it was Christmas eve! My coordinator invited me to have dinner with her family, and I had an absolute blast with them. They made me feel so welcome, the food was delicious and it was ALMOST as good as being home. I spent Christmas day with Carmi, cooking food, watching Christmas movies and opening our presents. We had wanted to go on a bus tour of all the lights in the city but didn’t buy our tickets soon enough, so we ended up getting a nice sushi dinner and calling it a night.

A few days later, I was at the airport again and headed to London to meet Hanna for New Years! We stayed in the apartment of a friend of hers who was at home in Paris and spent five days having the most relaxed trip ever. Hanna finished her degree in London and I had been there twice already, so neither of us were interested in doing any of the touristy things. She showed me all of her favorite neighborhoods, we watched movies, and enjoyed the time we had to just hang out and enjoy each others company. On New Years Eve we went to see the fireworks in front of the London Eye, which was SUPER COOL. On our last night in the city we went to see Book of Mormon, which was hands down the funniest musical I have ever seen. I don’t think I have laughed that hard ever in my life. I realized that I’ve only ever been to London in the winter, which I definitely need to remedy soon. We got pretty lucky with the weather in that it wasn’t too cold but it was still London, so it was still grey and rainy :P Before I knew it I was back on the plane to what I was hoping would be sunny Madrid, but was actually also grey and rainy Madrid. BOO. Can you tell that I’m ready for summer?? It’s theoretically supposed to snow here in a few days, which should be interesting.

Tomorrow is three kings day, so Carmi and I are going to watch the parade and then just enjoy our remaining few days without work. I start again Tuesday and have a whopping month and half without a Puente. At the end of the month we’re headed to Valencia for a quick weekend trip and then to Morocco and potentially Paris in February! Whoop whoop! More soon. Xx

[jesusvasser]

Koenigsegg Came to Nevada to Beat Records, and Did – The Inside Story of How 277.9 MPH Happened

Spend more than two minutes with the man, and you get the sense that, unlike for Einstein, time isn’t relative for Christian von Koenigsegg. His idea of speed, however, very much is. What we Camry, Golf, Civic, and Tahoe plebeians call potential jail time, von Koenigsegg conceptualizes as infantile crawling, a trait his mythic Scandinavian machines very much embody.

This notion of speed is also one that’s shared with his company’s owners and acolytes, and this is how we’ve come to a closed 12-mile stretch of Highway 160 just outside of Pahrump, Nevada, with a newly built Koenigsegg Agera RS and a driver ready to push the bounds of street-car physics. History definitely won’t be the same.

There are three reasons we’re here. First, Koenigsegg is attempting to beat the production-car top speed record, which is currently 267.8 mph. This was completed about seven years ago by Bugatti in a Veyron Super Sports at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track, a track where no other manufacturer is allowed to test.

The second is to break a record that’s stood since 1938, a top speed on public roads record completed by the Nazis. The third reason is to break Koenigsegg’s own record of 0-400-kph-0, a feat the company recently achieved, one that also beat Bugatti’s own record with the newly released Chiron.

There is, however, a twist. Unlike when Bugatti goes for records and brings along an army of engineers, mechanics, and fabricators to ensure that every piece of the Veyron or Chiron is pitch perfect, this event isn’t being conducted by Koenigsegg.

Three friends—and multiple Koenigsegg owners with very deep pockets—have set up this historic event. Those friends are Jeffrey Cheng, John Morris, and Mark Stidham, the man who has graciously raised his hand and offered up his specific red and carbon Agera RS to complete these Herculean tasks.

There was some factory help, of course. Christian von Koenigsegg himself was in attendance as well as a few engineers and Koenigsegg’s own professional driver, Niklas Lilja, who has been fine tuning the Agera RS for the last month and a half, including driving the car when the company beat Bugatti’s previous 0-400-0 record. As for finding a road fit for this kind of test, things were less simple.

Unlike Bugatti’s test track, where conditions can be monitored, variables can be controlled, and there isn’t a lick of incline, Nevada’s Highway 160 isn’t secluded. Nor is it tree-lined with gated security.

There aren’t any buffers for the wind like at Bugatti’s German track. And it’s at a higher elevation than optimal—although this does aid the car’s slipperiness. Koenigsegg and the gentlemen who put this event on definitely weren’t doing themselves or the car any favors.

The night before, Christian and his team along with Mark and Jeffrey met to discuss the run. If the room had been full of cigarette smoke, you’d have mistaken it for NASA before the first Apollo mission. I half expected John Glenn to walk into the room.

There was a general electricity and tension in the air, something like flying by the seat of your pants. Anything is possible. The driver and Christian both looked as if they were elated and about to throw up, a nervousness that wouldn’t pass until the runs were over the next afternoon.

These types of speeds aren’t normal for road cars. Race cars do it on a regular basis but not a car you can drive to your local supermarket. Even your average McLaren, Ferrari, and Lamborghini can do more than 200 mph, but it only takes about 600 horsepower to hit 200.

To hit 260-280 mph, nearly 1,400 horsepower is needed, depending on the car’s weight. For the Agera RS, that’s not a problem. It’s propelled by a 1,380 horsepower twin-turbocharged V-8.

Before breaking for dinner, I asked Christian a simple question: Theoretically, what is the Agera RS geared for? With a smirk, he told me: 282 mph. “But that’s bouncing off the rev limiter,” he said, “and likely doing damage to the engine.” Definitely something no one wanted to hear. The room fell deathly silent.

After dinner, our photographers and I went back to the garage where the Koenigsegg team was keeping Mark’s Agera RS, as well as three other Agera RS models and an older CCX R. While drooling over the precious metal, Niklas, Koenigsegg’s race-car driver, walked in to inspect the car he’d be piloting the next day one more time with the help of two of the company’s engineers.

As the guys pored over their laptops, I spoke with Niklas and asked him what he thought would happen. “I don’t know,” he replied in a very mechanical Swedish accent. “This is very much uncharted territory. We’ve done many tests over the last month and a half, but until you’re out there driving the car, you really can’t tell.” He added, “There are many variables—wind, temperature, the road surface. We’ll see what happens.”

As we spoke, I could tell he was nervous. Niklas is an engineer by trade. He started working at Koenigsegg when the company first launched but left to form his own engineering company that went on to build one of the cars for the Gumball 3000.

Recently, he came back as a full-fledged test driver. That was after competing in a number of racing series around the world and winning about 50 percent of his races. Not a bad stat to hang your hat on. According to Steven Wade, Koenigsegg’s head of PR who was also in attendance, the company couldn’t be happier with him. “He’s a one-man engineering and testing team.” Wade said. My fingers were crossed for him as we shook hands and said good night.

Waking to darkness, the camp at Spring Mountain Motorsports was resigned. Wind speed was slightly too high for good runs, and after I left Niklas in the garage the night before, the engineers found a potential fuel-pump issue. To ensure that everything would go right, Niklas took the car out on Spring Mountain’s track for a quick shakedown run.

As we all gathered atop the viewing tower, we heard him take the first straight at full bore. The sound reverberated through the mountains and sent shockwaves through our chests. An added benefit of shaking the car down before sunrise is that we were treated to the foot-long flames that spewed from the Koenigsegg’s 3D printed titanium exhaust. Suffice it to say, everyone felt a little better and a little more jovial after watching the fireworks.

One final walk around the car, and Niklas decided that instead of trailering the Agera RS out to Highway 160, he’d give it a final shake down and drive it out there. It wasn’t far, but it seemed as if he wanted a little more time with the car before he’d make the run. I couldn’t blame him. Koenigsegg and everyone who helped make this event happen was hoping for positive results.

With the car’s owner, Mark, sitting in the passenger seat, and Nevada’s Highway Patrol at the start and far end of the 12-mile course, Niklas and Mark went out on a scouting run just as the sun crested over the Nevada mountains.

Originally, Christian, Mark, and Niklas had agreed that the first scouting runs would be done at around 100-130 mph, just to get the feel of the road since Niklas had never driven it before. They ended up hitting 220 mph with ease. Mark exited the car looking like a child on Christmas morning.

Talking with Mark after the initial run, I asked him why he decided to do this. He said, “Anyone can take a specialty vehicle that’s been modified and go fast. But to take a completely production car, directly from the factory, and do this? It’s just not done.”

Progress toward the top-speed run was slow. The first trek into the unknown wasn’t made until several hours later. During that time, Niklas completed a few more scouting runs, all of which were around the same speed as his first.

When the wind was finally calm and outside air temperatures hovered around 60 degrees, the two helicopters covering the race distance were ready. Niklas was ready. The Swede suited up, strapped in, and looked out at the horizon toward the unfamiliar landscape. We all held our breath as Niklas slowly crawled away from the pits.

The seconds felt like minutes, and the minutes felt like hours as we nervously waited for Niklas’ return. Just after we nibbled our fingernails to the bone, Niklas returned and exited the Koenigsegg’s cockpit. His demeanor was pure stoicism. You couldn’t read whether or not he had done the extraordinary.

All he said was, “It felt OK.” We had to then patiently wait for Racelogic to download the telemetry from the twin independent GPS boxes inside the car. When all was said and done, the first pass hit a staggering and record-beating 271.2 mph. The entire paddock roared as Christian embraced Niklas and Mark. They had beaten the Nazis’ 79-year-old record.

They weren’t done. Niklas said he lifted well before the brake markers out on track. More speed was ensured. Nearly every mouth in camp dropped. Niklas remained almost indifferent as he was focused on the job at hand.

The Koenigsegg’s fuel tanks topped up, Niklas went out for another run. You could’ve heard a pin drop as everyone strained to hear the tell-tale rumble from the Koenigsegg’s mighty engine. We peered out into the highway’s haze, searching for a tiny red carbon blob in the distance. Even though visibility was near perfect, the elevation and length of the track made it nigh impossible to spot. Slowly, Niklas and the car came into view as a mob of people went out onto the road to greet him as if he were a WWII soldier returning from battle.

The Race Logic engineer returned once more. Silence. 284.6 mph. The number was verified through both of Race Logic’s VBOXs, as well as Koenigsegg’s own internal system and Stalker Radar’s twin radar guns. Christian said the theoretical gearing of the car only allowed for 282 mph, but they had just beaten their own calculations.

The sound everyone made in the pits is something I’ll never forget. The crowd erupted with joy. Hands were shook, backs were patted, and hugs were given. Christian looked like the happiest man in the world. However, all wasn’t finished. To shut up internet commenters as well as other manufacturers, the Koenigsegg team decided to run the course both ways. And the average would be used as the car’s official top speed.

With another splash of fuel and a quiet drive down the 12-mile straight, Niklas was lined up once again, ready to make history.

While the mood in the pits was more jovial as the records began to fall, the session wasn’t complete, and there was still a real presence of danger. Something could easily go wrong. Everyone wanted Niklas to finish the task, including Niklas. Fortunately, Niklas wasn’t deterred and put his foot to the floor.

Unfortunately, the last top-speed run wouldn’t be as good as his last as there was a decent headwind that slowed down the Koenigsegg considerably. The final top speed, a measly 271.2 mph. However, that meant that the average between the two runs were a world-record-beating 277.9 mph. Bugatti was left in the Nevadan dust.

After everyone had congratulated Niklas on the run, I asked him. How did the car feel hitting those speeds? “Really calm the first way,” he said. “The second, it stepped out a few meters. The car isn’t optimal driving into a headwind.” What about now being one of the fastest men on Earth? “I like to drive and go fast on tracks,” Niklas said, “really push the car’s limits and my own. Going fast in a straight line isn’t my cup of tea. But going more than 460 kph was truly special. I’m really grateful that Christian and Mark gave me the opportunity to do this, but also Michelin for developing a tire that can do this.”

Michelin really are the unsung heroes of this entire endeavor. The car runs a standard Pilot Cup 2 tire. For the run, Michelin sent Eric Schmedding, the brand’s product category manager, to make sure the tires were ready for the beating they were about to endure.

The tires performed as intended. “It’s amazing,” Eric said. “We did seven runs on the same set of tires. (Three were completed in Europe before the car had been shipped to the States.) We definitely didn’t plan that, but the tires held up. And these are tires you can order off Tire Rack. They aren’t specially made. Amazing!”

When asked whether Michelin would use the data it collected during this test for the construction of Bugatti’s special Pilot Cup 2 tires for the Chiron, Eric said the data will be used for future designs, but Koenigsegg’s specific data won’t be used for Bugatti’s Chiron project. “It’s all about different loads. The Bugatti is heavier than the Koenigsegg, and its tires will need to be designed to handle that specific load.”

Catching up with Mark, the man who actually owns the car, I asked how it felt having the fastest car in the world. “Surreal. It doesn’t even feel like anything yet.” He added, “It’s like winning the Olympics. You’re the gold-medal winner for that day and really that day alone. This, this feels absolute. It feels final.”

All, however, was not finished. On October 5, Koenigsegg had smashed the Bugatti Chiron’s insane 0-400-kph-0 record of 41.96 seconds by a whopping 5.52 seconds. That, however, was done with old tires, alloy wheels, and on a runway from the second World War. Conditions weren’t ideal, and as the highway was still closed, Koenigsegg set out to beat their own record, proving the Agera RS as the fastest car on the planet.

While not as dangerous as the top-speed runs, the 0-400-0 still represented a risk, and Niklas maintained his steely demeanor through the two runs. The first, Niklas hit the brakes too early, hitting 0-396-kph-0 in just 33.13 seconds. That’s still within an almost infinitesimal margin of error, but Niklas said he could do better.

Nevertheless, during his first run, he had traveled just 2,229 meters and clocked a 9.82-second quarter mile with a trap speed of 165 mph. The car, however, needed to cool down between runs as beating on it in the desert heat had begun to take its toll.

About a half hour passed between the first and second run. Eric from Michelin used this time to inspect the tires, which to his surprise were in almost perfect condition. The multiple top-speed runs, as well as the massive acceleration and immense deceleration, hadn’t compromised the tires. They were good to go, and as soon as the car was ready Niklas headed once more into the breach.

With our collective breaths held once again, he slammed the car from first to second to third in lightning succession. The percussive blats from the titanium exhaust we felt as much as heard. We knew this was going to be a good run. It was. When Ni from Performance Junk WP Feed 4 http://ift.tt/2zhnJ63 via IFTTT

[jonathanbelloblog]

Koenigsegg Came to Nevada to Beat Records, and Did – The Inside Story of How 277.9 MPH Happened

Spend more than two minutes with the man, and you get the sense that, unlike for Einstein, time isn’t relative for Christian von Koenigsegg. His idea of speed, however, very much is. What we Camry, Golf, Civic, and Tahoe plebeians call potential jail time, von Koenigsegg conceptualizes as infantile crawling, a trait his mythic Scandinavian machines very much embody.

This notion of speed is also one that’s shared with his company’s owners and acolytes, and this is how we’ve come to a closed 12-mile stretch of Highway 160 just outside of Pahrump, Nevada, with a newly built Koenigsegg Agera RS and a driver ready to push the bounds of street-car physics. History definitely won’t be the same.

There are three reasons we’re here. First, Koenigsegg is attempting to beat the production-car top speed record, which is currently 267.8 mph. This was completed about seven years ago by Bugatti in a Veyron Super Sports at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track, a track where no other manufacturer is allowed to test.

The second is to break a record that’s stood since 1938, a top speed on public roads record completed by the Nazis. The third reason is to break Koenigsegg’s own record of 0-400-kph-0, a feat the company recently achieved, one that also beat Bugatti’s own record with the newly released Chiron.

There is, however, a twist. Unlike when Bugatti goes for records and brings along an army of engineers, mechanics, and fabricators to ensure that every piece of the Veyron or Chiron is pitch perfect, this event isn’t being conducted by Koenigsegg.

Three friends—and multiple Koenigsegg owners with very deep pockets—have set up this historic event. Those friends are Jeffrey Cheng, John Morris, and Mark Stidham, the man who has graciously raised his hand and offered up his specific red and carbon Agera RS to complete these Herculean tasks.

There was some factory help, of course. Christian von Koenigsegg himself was in attendance as well as a few engineers and Koenigsegg’s own professional driver, Niklas Lilja, who has been fine tuning the Agera RS for the last month and a half, including driving the car when the company beat Bugatti’s previous 0-400-0 record. As for finding a road fit for this kind of test, things were less simple.

Unlike Bugatti’s test track, where conditions can be monitored, variables can be controlled, and there isn’t a lick of incline, Nevada’s Highway 160 isn’t secluded. Nor is it tree-lined with gated security.

There aren’t any buffers for the wind like at Bugatti’s German track. And it’s at a higher elevation than optimal—although this does aid the car’s slipperiness. Koenigsegg and the gentlemen who put this event on definitely weren’t doing themselves or the car any favors.

The night before, Christian and his team along with Mark and Jeffrey met to discuss the run. If the room had been full of cigarette smoke, you’d have mistaken it for NASA before the first Apollo mission. I half expected John Glenn to walk into the room.

There was a general electricity and tension in the air, something like flying by the seat of your pants. Anything is possible. The driver and Christian both looked as if they were elated and about to throw up, a nervousness that wouldn’t pass until the runs were over the next afternoon.

These types of speeds aren’t normal for road cars. Race cars do it on a regular basis but not a car you can drive to your local supermarket. Even your average McLaren, Ferrari, and Lamborghini can do more than 200 mph, but it only takes about 600 horsepower to hit 200.

To hit 260-280 mph, nearly 1,400 horsepower is needed, depending on the car’s weight. For the Agera RS, that’s not a problem. It’s propelled by a 1,380 horsepower twin-turbocharged V-8.

Before breaking for dinner, I asked Christian a simple question: Theoretically, what is the Agera RS geared for? With a smirk, he told me: 282 mph. “But that’s bouncing off the rev limiter,” he said, “and likely doing damage to the engine.” Definitely something no one wanted to hear. The room fell deathly silent.

After dinner, our photographers and I went back to the garage where the Koenigsegg team was keeping Mark’s Agera RS, as well as three other Agera RS models and an older CCX R. While drooling over the precious metal, Niklas, Koenigsegg’s race-car driver, walked in to inspect the car he’d be piloting the next day one more time with the help of two of the company’s engineers.

As the guys pored over their laptops, I spoke with Niklas and asked him what he thought would happen. “I don’t know,” he replied in a very mechanical Swedish accent. “This is very much uncharted territory. We’ve done many tests over the last month and a half, but until you’re out there driving the car, you really can’t tell.” He added, “There are many variables—wind, temperature, the road surface. We’ll see what happens.”

As we spoke, I could tell he was nervous. Niklas is an engineer by trade. He started working at Koenigsegg when the company first launched but left to form his own engineering company that went on to build one of the cars for the Gumball 3000.

Recently, he came back as a full-fledged test driver. That was after competing in a number of racing series around the world and winning about 50 percent of his races. Not a bad stat to hang your hat on. According to Steven Wade, Koenigsegg’s head of PR who was also in attendance, the company couldn’t be happier with him. “He’s a one-man engineering and testing team.” Wade said. My fingers were crossed for him as we shook hands and said good night.

Waking to darkness, the camp at Spring Mountain Motorsports was resigned. Wind speed was slightly too high for good runs, and after I left Niklas in the garage the night before, the engineers found a potential fuel-pump issue. To ensure that everything would go right, Niklas took the car out on Spring Mountain’s track for a quick shakedown run.

As we all gathered atop the viewing tower, we heard him take the first straight at full bore. The sound reverberated through the mountains and sent shockwaves through our chests. An added benefit of shaking the car down before sunrise is that we were treated to the foot-long flames that spewed from the Koenigsegg’s 3D printed titanium exhaust. Suffice it to say, everyone felt a little better and a little more jovial after watching the fireworks.

One final walk around the car, and Niklas decided that instead of trailering the Agera RS out to Highway 160, he’d give it a final shake down and drive it out there. It wasn’t far, but it seemed as if he wanted a little more time with the car before he’d make the run. I couldn’t blame him. Koenigsegg and everyone who helped make this event happen was hoping for positive results.

With the car’s owner, Mark, sitting in the passenger seat, and Nevada’s Highway Patrol at the start and far end of the 12-mile course, Niklas and Mark went out on a scouting run just as the sun crested over the Nevada mountains.

Originally, Christian, Mark, and Niklas had agreed that the first scouting runs would be done at around 100-130 mph, just to get the feel of the road since Niklas had never driven it before. They ended up hitting 220 mph with ease. Mark exited the car looking like a child on Christmas morning.

Talking with Mark after the initial run, I asked him why he decided to do this. He said, “Anyone can take a specialty vehicle that’s been modified and go fast. But to take a completely production car, directly from the factory, and do this? It’s just not done.”

Progress toward the top-speed run was slow. The first trek into the unknown wasn’t made until several hours later. During that time, Niklas completed a few more scouting runs, all of which were around the same speed as his first.

When the wind was finally calm and outside air temperatures hovered around 60 degrees, the two helicopters covering the race distance were ready. Niklas was ready. The Swede suited up, strapped in, and looked out at the horizon toward the unfamiliar landscape. We all held our breath as Niklas slowly crawled away from the pits.

The seconds felt like minutes, and the minutes felt like hours as we nervously waited for Niklas’ return. Just after we nibbled our fingernails to the bone, Niklas returned and exited the Koenigsegg’s cockpit. His demeanor was pure stoicism. You couldn’t read whether or not he had done the extraordinary.

All he said was, “It felt OK.” We had to then patiently wait for Racelogic to download the telemetry from the twin independent GPS boxes inside the car. When all was said and done, the first pass hit a staggering and record-beating 271.2 mph. The entire paddock roared as Christian embraced Niklas and Mark. They had beaten the Nazis’ 79-year-old record.

They weren’t done. Niklas said he lifted well before the brake markers out on track. More speed was ensured. Nearly every mouth in camp dropped. Niklas remained almost indifferent as he was focused on the job at hand.

The Koenigsegg’s fuel tanks topped up, Niklas went out for another run. You could’ve heard a pin drop as everyone strained to hear the tell-tale rumble from the Koenigsegg’s mighty engine. We peered out into the highway’s haze, searching for a tiny red carbon blob in the distance. Even though visibility was near perfect, the elevation and length of the track made it nigh impossible to spot. Slowly, Niklas and the car came into view as a mob of people went out onto the road to greet him as if he were a WWII soldier returning from battle.

The Race Logic engineer returned once more. Silence. 284.6 mph. The number was verified through both of Race Logic’s VBOXs, as well as Koenigsegg’s own internal system and Stalker Radar’s twin radar guns. Christian said the theoretical gearing of the car only allowed for 282 mph, but they had just beaten their own calculations.

The sound everyone made in the pits is something I’ll never forget. The crowd erupted with joy. Hands were shook, backs were patted, and hugs were given. Christian looked like the happiest man in the world. However, all wasn’t finished. To shut up internet commenters as well as other manufacturers, the Koenigsegg team decided to run the course both ways. And the average would be used as the car’s official top speed.

With another splash of fuel and a quiet drive down the 12-mile straight, Niklas was lined up once again, ready to make history.

While the mood in the pits was more jovial as the records began to fall, the session wasn’t complete, and there was still a real presence of danger. Something could easily go wrong. Everyone wanted Niklas to finish the task, including Niklas. Fortunately, Niklas wasn’t deterred and put his foot to the floor.

Unfortunately, the last top-speed run wouldn’t be as good as his last as there was a decent headwind that slowed down the Koenigsegg considerably. The final top speed, a measly 271.2 mph. However, that meant that the average between the two runs were a world-record-beating 277.9 mph. Bugatti was left in the Nevadan dust.

After everyone had congratulated Niklas on the run, I asked him. How did the car feel hitting those speeds? “Really calm the first way,” he said. “The second, it stepped out a few meters. The car isn’t optimal driving into a headwind.” What about now being one of the fastest men on Earth? “I like to drive and go fast on tracks,” Niklas said, “really push the car’s limits and my own. Going fast in a straight line isn’t my cup of tea. But going more than 460 kph was truly special. I’m really grateful that Christian and Mark gave me the opportunity to do this, but also Michelin for developing a tire that can do this.”

Michelin really are the unsung heroes of this entire endeavor. The car runs a standard Pilot Cup 2 tire. For the run, Michelin sent Eric Schmedding, the brand’s product category manager, to make sure the tires were ready for the beating they were about to endure.

The tires performed as intended. “It’s amazing,” Eric said. “We did seven runs on the same set of tires. (Three were completed in Europe before the car had been shipped to the States.) We definitely didn’t plan that, but the tires held up. And these are tires you can order off Tire Rack. They aren’t specially made. Amazing!”

When asked whether Michelin would use the data it collected during this test for the construction of Bugatti’s special Pilot Cup 2 tires for the Chiron, Eric said the data will be used for future designs, but Koenigsegg’s specific data won’t be used for Bugatti’s Chiron project. “It’s all about different loads. The Bugatti is heavier than the Koenigsegg, and its tires will need to be designed to handle that specific load.”

Catching up with Mark, the man who actually owns the car, I asked how it felt having the fastest car in the world. “Surreal. It doesn’t even feel like anything yet.” He added, “It’s like winning the Olympics. You’re the gold-medal winner for that day and really that day alone. This, this feels absolute. It feels final.”

All, however, was not finished. On October 5, Koenigsegg had smashed the Bugatti Chiron’s insane 0-400-kph-0 record of 41.96 seconds by a whopping 5.52 seconds. That, however, was done with old tires, alloy wheels, and on a runway from the second World War. Conditions weren’t ideal, and as the highway was still closed, Koenigsegg set out to beat their own record, proving the Agera RS as the fastest car on the planet.

While not as dangerous as the top-speed runs, the 0-400-0 still represented a risk, and Niklas maintained his steely demeanor through the two runs. The first, Niklas hit the brakes too early, hitting 0-396-kph-0 in just 33.13 seconds. That’s still within an almost infinitesimal margin of error, but Niklas said he could do better.

Nevertheless, during his first run, he had traveled just 2,229 meters and clocked a 9.82-second quarter mile with a trap speed of 165 mph. The car, however, needed to cool down between runs as beating on it in the desert heat had begun to take its toll.

About a half hour passed between the first and second run. Eric from Michelin used this time to inspect the tires, which to his surprise were in almost perfect condition. The multiple top-speed runs, as well as the massive acceleration and immense deceleration, hadn’t compromised the tires. They were good to go, and as soon as the car was ready Niklas headed once more into the breach.

With our collective breaths held once again, he slammed the car from first to second to third in lightning succession. The percussive blats from the titanium exhaust we felt as much as heard. We knew this was going to be a good run. It was. When Ni from Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4 http://ift.tt/2zhnJ63 via IFTTT

[eddiejpoplar]

Koenigsegg Came to Nevada to Beat Records

Spend more than two minutes with the man, and you get the sense that, unlike for Einstein, time isn’t relative for Christian von Koenigsegg. His idea of speed, however, very much is. What we Camry, Golf, Civic, and Tahoe plebeians call potential jail time, von Koenigsegg conceptualizes as infantile crawling, a trait his mythic Scandinavian machines very much embody.

This notion of speed is also one that’s shared with his company’s owners and acolytes, and this is how we’ve come to a closed 12-mile stretch of Highway 160 just outside of Pahrump, Nevada, with a newly built Koenigsegg Agera RS and a driver ready to push the bounds of street-car physics. History definitely won’t be the same.

There are three reasons we’re here. First, Koenigsegg is attempting to beat the production-car top speed record, which is currently 267.8 mph. This was completed about seven years ago by Bugatti in a Veyron Super Sports at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track, a track where no other manufacturer is allowed to test.

The second is to break a record that’s stood since 1938, a top speed on public roads record completed by the Nazis. The third reason is to break Koenigsegg’s own record of 0-400-kph-0, a feat the company recently achieved, one that also beat Bugatti’s own record with the newly released Chiron.

There is, however, a twist. Unlike when Bugatti goes for records and brings along an army of engineers, mechanics, and fabricators to ensure that every piece of the Veyron or Chiron is pitch perfect, this event isn’t being conducted by Koenigsegg.

Three friends—and multiple Koenigsegg owners with very deep pockets—have set up this historic event. Those friends are Jeffrey Cheng, John Morris, and Mark Stidham, the man who has graciously raised his hand and offered up his specific red and carbon Agera RS to complete these Herculean tasks.

There was some factory help, of course. Christian von Koenigsegg himself was in attendance as well as a few engineers and Koenigsegg’s own professional driver, Nicholas Lilja, who has been fine tuning the Agera RS for the last month and a half, including driving the car when the company beat Bugatti’s previous 0-400-0 record. As for finding a road fit for this kind of test, things were less simple.

Unlike Bugatti’s test track, where conditions can be monitored, variables can be controlled, and there isn’t a lick of incline, Nevada’s Highway 160 isn’t secluded. It’s lined with trees and gated security. There are elevation changes in both directions.

There aren’t any buffers for the wind like at Bugatti’s German track. And it’s at a higher elevation than nominal—although this does aid the car’s slipperiness. Koenigsegg and the gentlemen who put this event on definitely weren’t doing themselves or the car any favors.

The night before, Christian and his team along with Marc and Jeffrey met to discuss the run. If the room had been full of cigarette smoke, you’d have mistaken it for NASA before the first Apollo mission. I half expected John Glenn to walk into the room.

There was a general electricity and tension in the air, something like flying by the seat of your pants. Anything is possible. The driver and Christian both looked as if they were elated and about to throw up, a nervousness that wouldn’t pass until the runs were over the next afternoon.

These types of speeds aren’t normal for road cars. Race cars do it on a regular basis but not a car you can drive to your local supermarket. Even your average McLaren, Ferrari, and Lamborghini can do more than 200 mph, but it only takes about 600 horsepower to hit 200.

To hit 260-280 mph, nearly 1,400 horsepower is needed, depending on the car’s weight. For the Agera RS, that’s not a problem, which is propelled by a 1,380 horsepower twin-turbocharged V-8.

Before breaking for dinner, I asked Christian a simple question: Theoretically, what is the Agera RS geared for? With a smirk, he told me: 282 mph. “But that’s bouncing off the rev limiter,” he said, “and likely doing damage to the engine.” Definitely something no one wanted to hear. The room fell deathly silent.

After dinner, our photographers and I went back to the garage where the Koenigsegg team was keeping Mark’s Agera RS, as well as three other Agera RS models and an older CCX R. While drooling over the precious metal, Nicholas, Koenigsegg’s race-car driver, walked in to inspect the car he’d be piloting the next day one more time with the help of two of the company’s engineers.

As the guys pored over their laptops, I spoke with Nicholas and asked him what he thought would happen. “I don’t know,” he replied in a very mechanical Swedish accent. “This is very much uncharted territory. We’ve done many tests over the last month and a half, but until you’re out there driving the car, you really can’t tell.” He added, “There are many variables—wind, temperature, the road surface. We’ll see what happens.”

As we spoke, I could tell he was nervous. Nicholas is an engineer by trade. He started working at Koenigsegg when the company first launched but left to form his own engineering company that went on to build one of the cars for the Gumball 3000.

Recently, he came back as a full-fledged test driver. That was after competing in a number of racing series around the world and winning about 50 percent of his races. Not a bad stat to hang your hat on. According to Steven Wade, Koenigsegg’s head of PR who was also in attendance, the company couldn’t be happier with him. “He’s a one-man engineering and testing team.” Wade said. My fingers were crossed for him as we shook hands and said good night.

Waking to darkness, the camp at Spring Mountain Motorsports was resigned. Wind speed was slightly too high for good runs, and after I left Nicholas in the garage the night before, the engineers found a potential fuel-pump issue. To ensure that everything would go right, Nicholas took the car out on Spring Mountain’s track for a quick shakedown run.

As we all gathered atop the viewing tower, we heard him take the first straight at full bore. The sound reverberated through the mountains and sent shockwaves through our chests. An added benefit of shaking the car down before sunrise is that we were treated to the foot-long flames that spewed from the Koenigsegg’s 3D printed titanium exhaust. Suffice it to say, everyone felt a little better and a little more jovial after watching the fireworks.

One final walk around the car, and Nicholas decided that instead of trailering the Agera RS out to Highway 160, he’d give it a final shake down and drive it out there. It wasn’t far, but it seemed as if he wanted a little more time with the car before he’d make the run. I couldn’t blame him. Koenigsegg and everyone who helped make this event happen was hoping for positive results.

With the car’s owner, Mark, sitting in the passenger seat, and Nevada’s Highway Patrol at the start and far end of the 12-mile course, Nicholas and Mark went out on a scouting run just as the sun crested over the Nevada mountains.

Originally, Christian, Mark, and Nicholas had agreed that the first scouting runs would be done at around 100-130 mph, just to get the feel of the road since Nicholas had never driven it before. They ended up hitting 220 mph with ease. Mark exited the car looking like a child on Christmas morning.

Talking with Mark after the initial run, I asked him why he decided to do this. He said, “Anyone can take a specialty vehicle that’s been modified and go fast. But to take a completely production car, directly from the factory, and do this? It’s just not done.”

Progress toward the top-speed run was slow. The first trek into the unknown wasn’t made until several hours later. During that time, Nicholas completed a few more scouting runs, all of which were around the same speed as his first.

When the wind was finally calm and outside air temperatures hovered around 60 degrees, the two helicopters covering the race distance were ready. Nicholas was ready. The Swede suited up, strapped in, and looked out at the horizon toward the unfamiliar landscape. We all held our breath as Nicholas slowly crawled away from the pits.

The seconds felt like minutes, and the minutes felt like hours as we nervously waited for Nicholas’ return. Just after we nibbled our fingernails to the bone, Nicholas returned and exited the Koenigsegg’s cockpit. His demeanor was pure stoicism. You couldn’t read whether or not he had done the extraordinary.

All he said was, “It felt OK.” We had to then patiently wait for Race Logic to download the telemetry from the twin independent GPS boxes inside the car. When all was said and done, the first pass hit a staggering and record-beating 271.2 mph. The entire paddock roared as Christian embraced Nicholas and Mark. They had beaten the Nazis’ 79-year-old record.

We, however, weren’t done. Nicholas said he lifted well before the brake markers out on track. More speed was ensured. Nearly every mouth in camp dropped. Nicholas’ remained almost indifferent as he was focused on the job at hand.

The Koenigsegg’s fuel tanks topped up, Nicholas went out for another run. You could’ve heard a pin drop as everyone strained to hear the tell-tale rumble from the Koenigsegg’s mighty engine. We peered out into the highway’s haze, searching for a tiny red carbon blob in the distance. Even though visibility was near perfect, the elevation and length of the track made it nigh impossible to spot. Slowly, Nicholas and the car came into view as a mob of people went out onto the road to greet him as if he were a WWII soldier returning from battle.

The Race Logic engineer returned once more. Silence. 284.6 mph. The number was verified through both of Race Logic’s V-BOXs, as well as Koenigsegg’s own internal system and Stalker Radar’s twin radar guns. Christian said the theoretical gearing of the car only allowed for 282 mph, but they had just beaten their own calculations.

The sound everyone made in the pits is something I’ll never forget. The crowd erupted with joy. Hands were shook, backs were patted, and hugs were given. Christian looked like the happiest man in the world. However, all wasn’t finished. To shut up internet commenters, as well as other manufacturers, the Koenigsegg team decided to run the course both ways. And the average would be used as the car’s official top speed.

With another splash of fuel and a quiet drive down the 12-mile straight, Nicholas was lined up once again, ready to make history.

While the mood in the pits was more jovial as the records began to fall, the session wasn’t complete, and there was still a real presence of danger. Something could easily go wrong. Everyone wanted Nicholas to finish the task, including Nicholas. Fortunately, Nicholas wasn’t deterred and put his foot to the floor.

Unfortunately, the last top-speed run wouldn’t be as good as his last as there was a decent headwind that slowed down the Koenigsegg considerably. The final top speed, a measly 271.2 mph. However, that meant that the average between the two runs were a world-record-beating 277.9 mph. Bugatti was left in the Nevadan dust.

After everyone had congratulated Nicholas on the run, I asked him. How did the car feel hitting those speeds? “Really calm the first way,” he said. “The second, it stepped out a few meters. The car isn’t optimal driving into a headwind.” What about now being one of the fastest men on Earth? “I like to drive and go fast on tracks,” Nicholas said, “really push the car’s limits and my own. Going fast in a straight line isn’t my cup of tea. But going more than 460 kph was truly special. I’m really grateful that Christian and Mark gave me the opportunity to do this, but also Michelin for developing a tire that can do this.”

Michelin really are the unsung heroes of this entire endeavor. The car runs a standard Pilot Cup 2 tire, something you can get at nearly every auto parts store. For the run, Michelin sent Eric Schmedding, the brand’s product category manager, to make sure the tires were ready for the beating they were about to endure.

The tires performed as intended. “It’s amazing,” Eric said. “We did seven runs on the same set of tires. (Three were completed in Europe before the car had been shipped to the States.) We definitely didn’t plan that, but the tires held up. And these are tires you can order off Tire Rack. They aren’t specially made. Amazing!”

When asked whether Michelin would use the data it collected during this test for the construction of Bugatti’s special Pilot Cup 2 tires for the Chiron, Eric said the data will be used for future designs, but Koenigsegg’s specific data won’t be used for Bugatti’s Chiron project. “It’s all about different loads. The Bugatti is heavier than the Koenigsegg, and its tires will need to be designed to handle that specific load.”

Catching up with Mark, the man who actually owns the car, I asked how it felt having the fastest car in the world. “Surreal. It doesn’t even feel like anything yet.” He added, “It’s like winning the Olympics. You’re the gold-medal winner for that day and really that day alone. This, this feels absolute. It feels final.”

All, however, was not finished. On October 5, Koenigsegg had smashed the Bugatti Chiron’s insane 0-400-kph-0 record of 41.96 seconds by a whopping 5.52 seconds. That, however, was done with old tires, alloy wheels, and on a runway from the second World War. Conditions weren’t ideal, and as the highway was still closed, Koenigsegg set out to beat their own record, proving the Agera RS as the fastest car on the planet.

While not as dangerous as the top-speed runs, the 0-400-0 still represented a risk, and Nicholas maintained his steely demeanor through the two runs. The first, Nicholas hit the brakes too early, hitting 0-396-kph-0 in just 33.13 seconds. That’s still within an almost infinitesimal margin of error, but Nicholas said he could do better.

Nevertheless, during his first run, he had traveled just 2,229 meters and clocked a 9.82-second quarter mile with a trap speed of 165 mph. The car, however, needed to cool down between runs as beating on it in the desert heat had begun to take its toll.

About a half hour passed between the first and second run. Eric from Michelin used this time to inspect the tires, which to his surprise were in almost perfect condition. The multiple top-speed runs, as well as the massive acceleration and immense deceleration, hadn’t compromised the tires. They were good to go, and as soon as the car was ready Nicholas headed once more into the breach.

With our collective breaths held once again, he slammed the car from first to second to third in lightning succession. The percussive blats from the titanium exhaust we felt as much as heard. We knew this was going to be a good run. It was. When Nicholas returned, Race Logic’s engineer gave us the metrics.

Nicholas did 0-401.78-kph-0 in just 33.87 seconds. He had covered a slightly longer distance measuring 2,299 meters and had done the quarter mile in just 9.96 seconds with a trap speed of 165.93 mph. Koenigsegg not only beat their own record, but it had absolutely shattered Bugatti’s. The proverbial mic was dropped.

Speaking with Christian von Koenigsegg after all the runs were complete, he said with a laugh, “We were out here to be the fastest, not the ultimate fastest.” He added, “It’s still a customer car. It has to go to Mark at the end of the day. We didn’t want to beat it up too much, but Mark wanted records, and we delivered a record car.” Nicholas, however, said that there was still some speed left on the table. “We probably could’ve gone a bit faster,” as he finally cracked his reserved Swedish demeanor with a smirk.

Records fell, the car was returned to its owner in one piece, and we were able to witness history. Now the bar is set, and we’re eager to see what Bugatti can manage with its Teutonic powerhouse. Bugatti’s Chiron has a speedometer that goes to 300 mph, but can the Germans really top Koenigsegg’s might? Only time will tell. We can’t wait.

IFTTT

[ohleebearjourney]

BM 2017

I need to put it down in writing now before it all dissipates in my mind. It’s been a very long while since I’ve had this moment, after an experience, where I had sat down and just went “wow”. I could not even wrap my head around the reality that I had just experienced. 

Friday (August 25th):

I went to Allan’s place with my belongings and my bike. I had no idea how the fuck everything is supposed to fit in a $300 MVP. I still had my hesitations on going, and even further hesitations on Allan given his unkempt scruffiness and even worse garage. I didn’t understand how this guy could take me to the Burn. I told myself to have faith in Clive. We had a phone conversation about the Burn, a bit of what to expect, Jessica Tan and a bit of Allan right before I got to Allan’s place. Afterward I got to Allan’s, we discussed logistics and what time he should expect me to come to his place. I tested out my camera one last time and had packed the last few things that I needed to put in my belongings. Definitely needed a smoke this night before I went to bed so I can sleep as uninterrupted as possible.

Saturday (August 26th)

I woke up and started packing the rest of my shit into the China camelpak. I started loading my food into a freezer pack/box and got super antsy. My brother wasn’t waking up to drive me and I had even looked up Lyft prices to see how long it’ll take me. Okay, he wakes up and then proceeds to take forever. I get a bit annoyed and impatient. We left around 9AM when originally we had said let’s go at 7. I am two hours late. I am never fucking late. We got to Allan’s place around 9:30. I see that Allan had shaved his head. What the fuck. Okay, whatever, good sign that he’s thinking ahead on that front with hygiene (lucky bastard). We started figuring out logistics and placed the food away in his fridge as much as we can and we were figuring out logistics for ice, which freezer need dry ice. Bought about 100 lb dry ice and 40 lb ice. Went to Stater Bros for food, and then Hong Kong Supermarket for more food (Asian). Went back to Allan’s and started packing everything and everything. I started clearing out all the shit that’s in the front of his car. Whole process takes 1-2 hours. Shit, we’re definitely behind schedule. As we left Allan’s, I had this sense of “holy shit what the fuck this is really happening” coming in at full force. We got on the road. Fuck the AA batteries, texting Clive and asking him to get it since we’re way behind schedule. We get stuck on 60 traffic, yay. Started talking about cars and Allan questions how I got into cars. Drives by my place towards the 60, and then we hopped on the 15. Definitely just had a long ass conversation about cars and about our life the whole way until we made a pit stop at Wendy’s/Pilot to eat. Some lady and man talked about poisonous mushrooms in the gas station and both Allan and I gave each other a fucking “did you just hear that?!” look. Lol. Okay. This is gonna be a fun ride to the Burn. We took off onto highway 395 and rest of the way just bantered about our lives, about others, and then found that we had huge parallels in our lives like the power of Christ compels you type of way. We had also passed along the way where Allan had McGuyvered his MVP last time that he had been stranded. Along the way on highway 395, there was a sign that said “free weed” and we fucking lost it. And before the house, we saw this shady dude walking on the side of the road and I remember Allan saying “That’s it. That’s from him right there.” But we really did fucking pass this house that is painted in marijuana leaves and free weed covering and oh boy. What the hell? Lol. Time passes and the sun is setting. We passed by Manzanar and had mentioned that maybe we should go and check it out when we come back. The roads are getting colder and the elevation is getting higher. The MVP is definitely not made for mountains, but it was doing the best that it could. As we were going towards the road to Mammoth Mountain, we were running low on gas. We had made it to this random gas station stop at 395 to refill a bit before trekking. The gas light had already been on for miles. Pretty thankful that we found that weird ol’ nobody’s here gas station. We continued along the way. We stopped at the next gas station at Chevron. I had asked Allan if he would like me to drive since he’s been driving for 10+ hours now, and he says no he can keep going because marines. Okay, fair enough. Bought a ton of cigarettes and Allan keeps trucking on. We pass by this Walmart and decided to stop there before the Reno one since that would have been a long wait. Glad we stopped by this one. Got the propane tank and other last minute items and went along the way. Both of us realized we forgot one thing that we had mentioned down the road, and we just said fuck it - probably not important. We left and went along the way. I had been dozing off a bit at this point but tried to keep the conversation going so Allan won’t fall asleep. Yeah that didn’t last. I woke up at Reno Walmart so we can grab some McDonalds. Walked in and it was a chaotic line. McDonalds was closed. Noped the fuck out of there and went to a drive thru McDonalds. Allan drove rest of the way and I had just been dozing off, thinking I am keeping Allan company. Got to the road that stretches three towns into Burning Man and I am fucking nodding off like crazy. I remember when we got to the stretch of the road where reception was getting spotty, we were in front of a school bus from Canada. In this school bus were decks of bunk beds that were sprawled out from right and left. I saw a foot and thought it was something else for a second. Reception came and the last thing I could read on Facebook was our camp location. Sick. Allan received a text from Jodie as well on confirmation. Awesome. At some point here, I definitely dosed off but I had remember noticing the different side vendors in the little towns that we passed. Thought it was just strange to go into a world where currency is void and here we are, seeing people spend money on things that they should already have prepared for. 

Sunday (August 27th) 

We arrived at Exodus area at around 4AM-ish and roads were hell-ish and bumpy. You have to go 10mph otherwise a cop will just be right on your tail as soon as you go over speed limit. It was kind of intense. We somehow made it and turned off the car, since it was no longer moving. I had dosed off again and again and again. Each time that I dosed off, I had thought that I was having a conversation with Allan so my mind was definitely disoriented. When I woke up, I remember that a white girl was standing next to Allan’s side door and I was very disoriented and had my guard up full force. What the fuck does this bitch want? She then greets us and says good morning and says it in the most genuine, sweetest voice that I’ve heard in awhile. I look around and realize that the sun had risen, and it seemed like an angel had just woken me up. I looked around. Allan looks at me with this “Are you okay?” look. I was so disoriented because I thought I was already speaking to Allan but it was what my mind was making up as I was dreaming. I took a hard look and Allan got out his car to smoke and chat with people. I felt really self conscious because I realized I had been wearing my Foo Fighters shirt, and something about logos and decommodification made me a bit worried. I worked up a bit of my courage to say fuck it! Got out my Playa coat from the back and wore it to cover it up. Looked out at the sunrise and it was fucking beautiful. I had looked around and there were all smiles, so I smiled back. It felt really nice. I think at that moment, I had a bit of a realization that I have been so fucking grumpy lately, this is my vacation and I should make the best of it. I was still feeling a bit in my shell though, so I was just observing Allan making some banter with these two girls with a Ford Fusion. I decided to jump back in the car and start the engine since the line was kind of moving at this point, inch by inch. Decided to drive it out a little bit and I felt a bit confused with the shifting for a bit, since you know, 2017 car vs 1990s van. We got to nearly the front and Allan took back over the driver’s side. Tickets scanned and the guy looks into our trunk and just asks “are there stowaways ejirjoejsfjso fireworks etc in here?” No sir. Okay, you may pass. Cool. And since the lines were backed up, I wasn’t able to do the initiation as a virgin burner, but it’s totally fine. We got in and the line from exodus to the main road was fucking long. We passed by a few camps and there was a camp called camp half-chub, which Allan was in hysterics. Got to our campsite finally and I started to introduce myself to everyone. There was one asshole in particular that I introduced myself to and his second sentence that he says to me was mouthing “I want to fuck you” but I was playing dumb and saying uhh okay, I don’t understand. And he blatantly says it, and I just totally rejected it. I didn’t want to cause a scene since it is literally the first hour upon arrival AND the car ride was near 24 hours. I proceeded to just shrug it off and help build the set up for the dome. The Chinese, who got their camp set up half ready already, were blasting mandarin pop music and I went over to Allan at one point to say “I thought we had left the 626 man.” I sat down a little bit near the car with Jodie, Nick and Nico after my introductions to banter and chat with them so we can get a bit acquainted. Got back to working on the dome thereafter because I was really ready to contribute to the camp. Helped lay out a bit of the dome after screwing in the planks. I decided to go to the restroom, so I went on a walk to the restroom. After that, I decided fuck it - I’m going to explore. I wanted to find the Daruma for whatever reason, and then I ended up in the middle of Playa with no water. Dumb mistake, I know. But I met these two French guys and this elder woman who were building their art. We had talked a bit and conversed a bit in some French and they gave me a hell of a lot of water. I went back and they were still trying to figure out the dome. Allan joked that he thought I’m already lost. We built the wedding canopy after for the shade structure at around noontime. After that, Nico built his tent that he had purchased from an old school hippie (which, if I recall correctly, was a VW old school tent), and Scott + Jenny built their tent in the same shade structure area. Nick, Allan and I started building the carport at around sun down. I felt like I had not been much help at all because my strength just started depleting. Jodie and Allan had some disagreements on the carport structure, but it all worked out in the end. Nick and Jodie decided to just stay in the trailer and Allan and I separately had our own tents in the carport. I definitely wanted my own tent because I wanted my personal space. Built our tents inside the carport, and in between that had a Shin Ramen cup and I made one for Allan as well. Got Allan some gatorade powdered water, and he was really tired by then (of course, he didn’t sleep for an entire day). I decided I wanted to go out and check out the city myself, so I got on my bike that was unloaded before sun down, and started to go exploring. My first impression of everything? Well, I got lost at first. I was a bit of a darkwad. I only had my headlights with me. At first, I wanted to go to 5:30 & E to find Janet, Viv and Bob, but my route took another turn. At this point, I actually had no idea where I was going, but I was going towards the 2:00 section on J and decided to take streets down. I somehow landed towards 5:30 but I couldn’t see clearly where Eulogy must have been. I somehow ended up on the Esplanade and was so taken aback by everything in a good way, but was SO CONFUSED. There was so many LED lights, music, bass bumping, a ton of bikes, and I was just like WHAT IN THE HELL. I looked around to find out where I can park my bike and maybe do a bit of exploring inside. I walked into the center camp, and took a look at some of the art. The middle section had some naked people doing acroyoga. Cool. Apparently the center camp had drinks, so I decided to buy an iced mocha since I was lacking caffeine and was afraid of getting a headache from the lack of the next morning. Had a conversation with the person manning the line and went to buy a mocha. Gave a dollar tip, and proceeded to look around more at the art. I saw this art piece that invited you to write down something that you wanted to wish for, but instead of that, I had written something else. It was for him. I wrote down that I wish that I can find healing in what happened between us and to find closure. I took a picture of it with my makeshift go-pro (which stupidly didn’t capture), and decided to leave. I went back on my bike and did a bit more exploring. I was so lost my first day, and I decided to just go back to camp and call it a night. I was really tired from the whole entire day, and I didn’t think that I have had enough food or water to sustain much more energy. I went back to my tent, where I had a deflated air mattress because it wouldn’t pump air. Fuck it, I’m just going to sleep in the sleeping bag. To Be Continued.