#Both of these coincide with a project I have been cooking up in secret . All 3 have been going very well

[radiation]

I have now been teaching myself keyboard for two months !!!!!

[denimbex1986]

'Oppenheimer, the movie about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, is a great film, extraordinary, as most movie reviews are accurately saying, and so, so important.

Causing the formation of the Manhattan Project was a letter from Long Island, New York to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was signed by Albert Einstein who spent summers in New Suffolk on Long Island, New York.

It was 1939 and the splitting of the atom—fission—had been done the year before in Germany. The Einstein letter said: “This phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable—though much less certain—that extremely powerful bombs of this type may thus be constructed.”

The aim of the Manhattan Project was to fight fire with fire—to use fission to create an atom bomb before Hitler and the Nazis did.

Einstein in the end regretted the letter. “If I had known that the Germans would not succeed in constructing the atom bomb, I never would have moved a finger,” he wrote in his 1950 book Out of My Later Years.

I first saw the two-page letter as a boy on a family trip to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, next to what was FDR’s home, in upstate Hyde Park. It was there in a glass display cabinet. My sense: what an important letter!

Written on its upper right: “Albert Einstein, Old Grove Road, Nassau Point, Peconic, Long Island, August 2nd, 1939.” Below and to the left was to whom it was addressed: “F.D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, White House, Washington, D.C.”

On a personal note, Nassau Point is seven air miles from where my wife and I have lived for nearly 50 years, a hamlet called Noyac on Long Island’s South Fork, across Little Peconic Bay from New Suffolk.

Oppenheimer takes place largely in Los Alamos, New Mexico where the main work of the World War II crash program was done. Why then was it called the Manhattan Project? Its initial headquarters in 1942 was in Manhattan at the North Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. General Leslie Groves, its director, was in the Corps.

The story of how several scientists, like Einstein refugees from the Nazis, found Einstein on the North Fork of eastern Long Island is amazing. It has been told by the late British journalist Alistair Cooke. Cooke gave this account over BBC radio as part of his “Letter from America” series. (Cooke incidentally had a home in Cutchogue on the North Fork.)

“Well, it began, on a drenching hot day in midsummer 1939 with two men, two refugees getting up in the morning and getting out a map and deciding to drive to the end of Long Island,” Cooke related. He said these “these two refugees, both Hungarians who had been run out of their labs in Germany, heard through the underground of their old friends who’d fled to various countries of Europe, two things. One was that there had been a secret meeting of German physicists, in Berlin, and that Germany had, quite suddenly and secretly, forbidden all exports of a certain kind of ore from the occupied country of Czechoslovakia.”

The ”ore” was uranium.

“These two refugees wondered, if the American State Department had any notion what the coincidence of these two items could signify.” But they were concerned that “if they had gone in person to the State Department or the White House they would quite likely have been waved away, or locked up as nuts.”

One of the scientists “remembered the old man, another refugee, but better known.”

This was Einstein.

“He might carry a little weight,” Cooke went on. “That was it, get to the old man, tell him what was meant by the equation: one secret meeting plus one export ban. But where was the old man? Well, one of them had heard that he was down at the end of Long Island, summering in a cottage rented from a local doctor. Doctor... doctor... wait a minute, Moore that was it? But now the place.”

One of the scientists “remembered all this, but couldn’t recall the name of the nearest village,” said Cooke. “Now Long Island is 120 miles long and full of place names. And the English names might be forgettable enough to a couple of Hungarians, but how about the Indian names? Aquebogue and Noyac and Mattituck and Ronkonkoma…and the like.”

One scientist said it was spelled “with a ‘P.’ They saw a name 90 miles down the island on the map in red letters, ‘Patchogue, that's it, that's the one.’ So they drove off. And they got out, and they asked in stores and petrol stations, ‘Anybody know the whereabouts of Doctor Moore's cottage?’ Nobody had ever heard of him. They got into the car again and sweated over the map.” Then still driving they neared a bay—Peconic Bay—and one scientist said: “Could it be Peconic?”

“’That’s it,’ cried the other, ‘now I remember.’”

And they drove on. “Less than two miles from Peconic” they came to Cutchogue and “saw a boy…standing on a corner with a fishing rod in his hand. The old man [Einstein] was a great fisherman. ‘Sure, said the little boy,’ he lives in Doctor Moore’s cottage.’” The boy “climbed” into the scientists’ “car and he led them there. The old man [Einstein] came out in his slippers and they told him their news. And they had a hot hour explaining to him what it all [the splitting of the atom in Germany] meant or could mean.”

There was a second visit, Cooke related, by Leo Szilard, one of the scientists on the first trip, and this time Szilard was with Edward Teller, yet another refugee.

A ”bold and simple letter” had been drafted, noted Cooke. Einstein signed it. “The president got the letter.” And that led to the Manhattan Project.

To listen to the full broadcast, go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fks6t.

In a book I wrote, Cover Up; What You Are Not Supposed to Know About Nuclear Power, published in 1980, I present a facsimile of much of the Einstein letter and discuss it and the Manhattan Project. Through the years since, nuclear technology has been a focus of mine and I’ve written more than a thousand articles and additional books and have been the presenter of many TV programs on the subject.

In 1999 I went to Los Alamos for an event in which the Nuclear Free Future Awards for that year were presented. I had been invited to be a member of a panel of judges for the award given to people involved in education about and also challenging nuclear technology.

The setting of the awards ceremony was right out of the Manhattan Project, literally.

Claus Biegert, head of the Nuclear Free Future Awards program, arranged for it to be held in Fuller Lodge, a main building among the original structures used by the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos. Among those present was Peter Oppenheimer, son of J. Robert Oppenheimer and an opponent of nuclear weapons who warmly welcomed Biegert to Fuller Lodge. There are several scenes in Oppenheimer filmed in the Fuller Lodge.

I stayed at a motel in Los Alamos a few blocks aways—a motel the halls of which were lined with photographs of nuclear bombs exploding with their mushroom clouds.

The morning after the ceremony, I had breakfast at the motel at a table with Arlo Guthrie, involved in the awards program and long a musical advocate of peace. And here we were in a building glorifying nuclear bombs. But glorification of nuclear weapons has been and is still going on especially in places like Los Alamos that are involved in their production, thus having a vested interest

Not only did Einstein regret his signing the letter—he called it, too, “one great mistake in my life”—but Szilard was also left with deep concerns about a future in which nuclear weapons would proliferate.

Szilard in 1945 put together a petition to President Truman signed by 70 other Manhattan Project scientist asking the president not to use the atomic bomb on Japan without first giving Japan the opportunity to surrender and further declaring: “The development of atomic power will provide the nations with new means of destruction. The atomic bombs at our disposal represent only the first step in this direction, and there is almost no limit to the destructive power which will become available…”

Truman never saw the letter before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with accounts saying its delivery to him was blocked by Groves and Secretary of State James Byrnes.

Meanwhile, Teller then and through his life believed nuclear war was feasible and winnable. He led the development of an even more powerful nuclear weapon than the atomic bomb—what he called the “super,” the hydrogen bomb. His conflict with Oppenheimer over this is repeated throughout the Oppenheimer film.

I had a run-in with Teller in requesting the use in Cover Up of passages from one of his books that claimed “we can survive” nuclear war. I was told no. I quoted from it anyway.

Go see the brilliant Oppenheimer film.

Can the nuclear weapons genie be put back in the bottle? Chemical weapons were outlawed—put back in the bottle—through a set of international treaties after World War I in which their terrible consequences were demonstrated. The vehicle today for eliminating nuclear weapons is the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, passed at the United Nations by a vote of 122 nations in 2017. It is now backed by two-thirds of the world’s nations and is international law.

The treaty bans the use, development, testing and production of nuclear weapons and also prohibits threats to use them. However, the nine countries that now possess nuclear weapons—which include the U.S., Russia and China—are not supporting the treaty.'

[dirtyrottenraskel]

my take on yueki's personalities

yue 

notes / personality

cocky (but also like understated confidence - r e g a l af) 

kind of a nerd

maybe a little entitled, and a little bratty and suki loves to indulge her or to rile her up depending on her mood

books

seems soft but made of steel

strong sense of duty

socially intelligent - can be manipulative and suki (the dork) thinks it is so hot 

aloof queen bee typa beat

supportive, both in ur day to day and in going after your big moral life goals 

deep water - steady and powerful, often underestimated

untold depths, private yet surprisingly nurturing - master of deflecting away from herself

political nerd - well read, and when she has someone she trusts not to take advantage of her, she goes OFF 

distrusting of most people, has been used and ignored and underestimated her whole life

patient - homegirl knows how to play the long game

excellent at pai sho / chess 

she and suki have epic battles of wits - dif types of strategy but both are really into it and get a little too competitive (multiple board games have had to be replaced over the years)

loves travel bc wasn’t allowed to much, esp when she was sick 

was super repressed growing up - never let her be herself or really have any sort of independence

used to sneak out and wander around in rebellion and casually sabotage plans and decisions she didn’t agree with 

introverted, many opinions but keeps them to herself, discreet but well spoken

weaponizes secrets and information - doesn’t often use it but...she could

definitlyyyyy worries and overthinks and re-evaluates - worries ab social politics a lot

obsessive about picking things - wants it to be perfect

shes growing into her confidence as a leader

prefers quite intimate places

incredibly romantic

classic lit

planner for the future - visionary

kind / sweet / gentle - yes, but that’s also her “front” to a degree (seriously, i feel like she gets painted as so sweet and submissive and one dimensional by the fandom a lot of times and it freakin kills me)

INFJ-T (The Advocate) ((yes this is from 16p which i know is not super accurate but u can still catch her overall vibes from it ya know)

Creative/insightful/principled/compassionate/altruistic

sensitive/reluctant to open up/perfectionist/prone to burnout/not a fan of the ordinary

friendships / relationships

(<> indicates that they’re one of her best friends)

sokka - puppy love crushes, laugh ab it now, get into deep late night talks about responsibilities and leading, water tribe culture, prank wars (no one believes sokka when he says yue is a mean prank master (expect suki comes to see it in action lol))

katara - <> badass women friendship, totally would go to matches and protests together, tough girl shit, waterbending practice/duels - start of cautious, but then get rough in a good way bc they trust each other, they do water tribe food adventures together

toph - indulges her chaos, bonding over stupid royal upbringings, odd yet weirdly endearing pair

zuko - both sort of standoffish gay royals, but once they come to see that they are friends - take up similar spaces though, so only hang out in a group or rarely by themselves, they do hang out at like political parties and stuff when they get more comfortable together

aang - <> he has an impressive world view, yue is super studied and well read, so she and aang nerd out over past cultures together, and also their peace keeping nature, they have tea together often - usually after she and katara wipe the floor w/ each other

clothing / aesthetic:

blues and pale colors

classy and understated wealth

like those cute feminine button down shirts

dresses

like cold weather classy

complicated braids

sort of soft girl aesthetic?

pleated skirts !!!

i feel like she would wear ethically sourced fur (i don’t wear fur but idk how to get it in an ethical way - maybe it’s just fake??)

knit sweaters and skinny jeans and heeled ankle boots

light academia !!!

hella funky earrings - to mark her native pride and also cuz gay

from my readings, tattoos have a lot of cultural significance for Inuit women, and so i feel like yue would totally have some (when she comes of age ofc) 

suki

notes / personality 

extroverted 

also very strategic 

more spontaneous tho - will totally calculate the odds in a spilt second in her head and then just go for it

like still a careful planner, but willing to say fuck it, yolo if it seems right 

reflects on her mistakes, but more in like a healthy way - unless it was a leadership mistake, then it eats her up inside - worries more ab keeping her girls safe and making the right call

likes lively places

total bashful romantic

manages the present and the short term - realist

loves to do lists 

a little punch happy - loves to make violent threats, but also does it out of excitement and she’s just a really physical person tbh

steady, can come off as stubborn and abrasive but she really just wants what’s best for everyone she loves

harsh on herself and worries about her girls a lot 

always ends up in the oddest situations 

totally would kick someone’s ass for being racist/sexist/homophobic/etc 

dedicated to her training and her regime 

not a great cook, but she can manage 

would drink monsters 

has a weird relationship with femininity - took her awhile to reconcile strength and toughness and being assertive and aggressive with also wanting to feel pretty and feminine and embracing being a girl and how those things can coincide and amplify each other

abandonment issues - parents absent/dead 

was imprisoned - obvi she had several almost successful escape attempts, but she got really close to breaking 

was incredibly independent really early, grew up really fast and tries to make up for that now by sometimes being reckless 

tough/assertive/woman of action 

dry sense of humor/sarcastic - not good at nickname/pun humor tho

practical/dedicated/strong-willed/direct/honest/reliable/loyal/patient

stubborn/judgmental/difficult to relax/difficulty expressing emotions/too selfless 

friendships / relationships

(<> indicates that they’re one of her best friends)

sokka - <>  man they’re like platonic soulmates - she beat him up, and now they spar all the time, totally funny and crack jokes all the time, go skating together, they do shitty art together, and then show their lovers after zuko and yue come back from their high society mixers, broke her out of prison, m/f friendship !!! 

katara - also sparring buddies (suki will throw down at any literally moment (and tbh so will katara)), not close but will hang in a group - go to each other for advice 

toph - <> listen these two wreak havoc together, they help each other out a lot, i feel like they’re shopping buddies (similar enough style to frequent the same shops) toph knows suki won’t judge her for wanting to feel pretty and suki knows toph will be honest, they are both blunt sarcastic assholes and get along like a house on fire 

zuko - <> shows zuko how to like,,,enjoy things (and how to let go of some of that pressure to be always right and the adult and in charge bc they were raised with so much responsibility on their shoulders even tho they were just kids)? she is also super protective of him (once she trusts him), one of the only ppl who can match suki fully in hand to hand combat, both do the Disappointed Parent Look when the group falls into chaos, but by themselves, the two of them end up in hijinks

aang- suki enjoys his optimism and they’re just chill bros, they love exploring abandoned placed together 

clothing / aesthetic

sporty and skater mixed 

ripped jeans, crewnecks, vans 

green and yellow and dark red 

gym clothes/athleisure - lifting style gym clothes - cut off t-shirts and bike shorts

skirts too, likes to play into femininity

she’s a gold jewelry kinda girl - but stuff that won’t hinder her movements 

necklaces that end in the hollow of her throat & occasionally rings

definitely cuffs all of her jeans (it’s just bisexual culture ya know)

so many crop tops - some came like that, some were more of a diy project

yueki’s relationship!!!

nerd/jock solidarity 

feel the burden of responsibility and the weight on their shoulders 

they create a safe space between them, full of trust and warmth and vulnerability 

yue will read suki sappy passages from poetry books while suki polishes her fans 

they slow dance in the kitchen a lot 

they get good at ordering takeout - and they have some weird decision making process that only they understand - bc neither of them are great cooks 

yue would feel jealous of suki and sokka, if it weren’t for how stupid in love sokka was with zuko and yue can see that suki really only has eyes for her 

yue is taller than suki and it amuses her to no end to pick suki up and carry her away from a fight (we all know suki could get away if she wanted to, but when ur hot tall sexy gf throws u over her shoulder,,,,,,u don’t complain)

joke they’ve adopted kataang and zukka, bc they’re all dummies, but in reality every last one of them is stupid LMAO 

they love to do each other’s hair and it’s like super intimate and really cute 

sometimes it’s these epic elaborate hairstyles and then at other times, they try to see how many ponytails they can fit on suki’s head and how many little braid yue can do 

they travel EVERYWHERE 

since yue is royalty and suki is her body guard,,,, well i mean, they totally have to see these kingdoms they are doing trade deals with in person 

it helps that they're friends with a lot of them 

they stay over in everything from camping so they can stargaze to ritzy hotels with hot tubs in the bathroom 

yue gives suki rocks she finds on all their travels and suki lines them up on their mantle around the pictures of them in increasingly weird locations 

suki loves guarding yue’s meetings bc she gets to watch her absolutely rip a new one into misogynistic old men and it never fails to bring her joy 

While yue doesn’t love getting attacked, the ruthless efficiency suki defends her with is like,,,,,stupid attractive 

[resmel-writing]

Fear - Intuition

I kept going to the bathroom and every time I use it, I had to go pee again. It was thinking, “I don’t remember drinking so much water” and then.. I woke up.

That’s how my morning started. I usually wake up at around 10 or 11a.m. but this time I woke up around 7:30 to use the restroom. My sister was getting ready to leave for the gym and then my dad blows up on her about going out too much especially during this pandemic. I messaged my mom cause she heard what happened. I had a conversation with my mom regarding my dad’s behavior. I’m a member of the Church of Christ, Iglesia Ni Cristo. Lately, I haven’t been proud of it. It all starts off with how I perceive my family. We have duties we take up in church but let’s call them responsibilities to better understand. I just don’t understand how my family members have these responsibilities yet they aren’t responsible for the way they act-- negativity, doubt, judging others harshly, and living in fear. It doesn’t make sense to me. How can you attend all these activities of bible studies, officer’s meetings yet still don’t implement what’s being taught? We are taught to have faith, to have an honest and striving connection with God, to not worry about what happens tomorrow, etc. My parents have lived in fear; in survival mode. I truly understand there’s a pandemic going on which was my dad’s case but for my sister, she’s been going to the gym to build up her immune system, she eats healthy, tracks her macros, has tested negative three times. While me, stays home majority of the time, games, and yet still tests positive. Why? Simple. Immune system isn’t strong and lack of nutrients. My health hasn’t been the best and I’ve been distracted with other ventures. Anyways, there’s no point in taking up an office if my dad continues to still behave and react the way he’s been for majority of his life. I understand there’s some suppressed trauma.. generational trauma. I question everything and observe why people the way they are. Self-image, and I truly feel majority of the members (of the church) take up a responsibility for self-image rather than caring for their fellow brethren. God looks at the way you live and how you interact with your family. Not just the responsibilities you take up for the church. The focus should be on the connection with God and not the self-image. Back to the conversation with my mom and what happened earlier this morning. My dad just needs to work on his approach and the way he’s handling the trauma he dealt when he was young or the generational trauma which I’m still learning to uncover. My mom was telling me to understand and I still understood that it was fear. Ever since my siblings and I were little, my dad’s way of thinking got us to be fearful majority of our lives. Why none of us graduated yet (except my brother in the ministry) cause of the fear of failing. Now, my sister struggling through college cause of dad projecting his fear and not even paying for her tuition. He’s always projecting his fear and insecurities. As the time passes in between messaging my mom, my dad approaches mom saying “what’s the point of going to the gym or going outside?” My dad never admits for the little things that my siblings and I do when in reality, these little things add up for good. He’s concerned about our health but not realizing the way he approaches and talks down on us affects our mental health which also affects our physical health. I posted on the family group chat, “Gyms. Builds immune system. You can talk to KJ {one of the ministers) too since he goes to the gym and knows the importance of taking care of the body. Plus, my sister knows how to get tested way before I tested positive. I stayed home more than her, playing video games and still tested positive. What is it? Simple. Immune system and lack of nutrition cause I don’t get the chance to cook the food I want to eat cause my family and mom’s family from the Philippines staying over til March be cooking the same stuff. Out of all people, you (my dad) project your fear and worry. Not faith. I understand that you’re a parent and you’re getting old. But at this point, you can only advise us now. Not control us. You have to accept that. You get to choose how you react.” I’m filipino by the way, and if you have friends with parents that migrated to the US for “better” opportunity, you know this reaction of theirs is inconsiderate and in denial, “Bahala kayo.”  What that means is “up to you” but the negative connation, “do what you want.” I laughed and responded, “Next time don’t attack your daughter. Not the only way you talk to her. You think she will want her kid around you? Think about it. Your approach isn’t healthy nor in a Christian manner. Remember, I observe your mistakes. You’re lucky, we’re smart. Kids hold resentment and not able to identify the issue. But I don’t take it personally cause one, it’s how you feel about yourself. His response, “Enough!” After this response of mine, he left the group chat, “Just admit it. You can’t admit we’re in the right.” He blows up. Going around the house. Cursing in tagalog, saying “he thinks he’s smarter?!,”then get out of my house!” My mom trying to calm him down saying he’s not understanding from our point of view. I getting up from my bed to confront him by saying “You wanna talk to a minister” but instead something else came out of me and somewhere along these lines, “This isn’t about being wrong or right and the end of the day sometimes. We are addressing the fact that you don’t approach things in the healthiest way, you let your emotions put you in survival mode; then you project the bad coping mechanisms onto us just get your point across. You can still be stern and concerned without yelling at someone who is trying their best to stay healthy. If you are worried about us health-wise, keep in mind our mental health can also affect our physical. Because you weren’t able to realize this growing up, now we are confronting you and just asking you to do better. God created us and made us your children so you could learn about this confrontation since you don’t wanna confront your own behavior.” My dad was just on my mom’s chest having a hard time breathing while I said this. My friend Jaybee suggested this message for me to say as a secret weapon. Lol. Huge gratitude for Jaybee for talking this out with me since she’s a narcissistic abuse survivor. Anyways, my dad didn’t react. I just told him that we love him and despite the fact of me being 27 years old and letting me stay under his roof, I’m always thankful for it regardless of how I don’t say it often. My sister and I are always looking to better ourselves to achieve the future we want for ourselves and especially this family he provided a roof over. He calmed down and just laid on his bed to cool off. I told him to look at himself as well, if he’s concerned about his health, look at the physical effects on himself when he doesn’t have his mental health in check. Before all this went down, my mom was messaging to not argue or fight with him, but I just had the urge to get up and say something even when I should be quarantining.. It was my intuition. It felt like the right thing to do. I wasn’t given this feeling for no reason and especially I have prayed for growth which comes with challenges to test me. I can proudly say I got out of my comfort zone, said my piece and passed the test. I could fight fire with fire but it will always end in fire. I chose peace cause that’s what I’ve always wanted. It wasn’t coincidence for me waking up early at 7:32 to randomly use the restroom and hear what my dad said to my sister before she head out to the gym. All this wasn’t a coincidence. There was a purpose. God had a purpose for me and used me as a great instrument to say what I needed to say. Maybe it was the hard pill for my dad to swallow. He knows he can’t say things in front of me since I believe I’m quite observant of his actions. I believe I have the makings of a great father when the time comes. To avoid the bad my dad has done to my siblings and I but to be an example of the good. My dad is only human and I am too. My dad isn’t as self-critical as me. If he was, I have no doubt he’ll make a great father. Anyways, it just makes me wonder what got me into saying what I needed to say and having the courage to put my foot down and said what was necessary.

Intuition.

Lately, I haven’t been gaming since I’ve been quarantining, re-watching a favorite tv series which has some pretty good life lessons/tips. I’ve been rethinking the direction I’ve been on and how some actions don’t align up with my values and such. My health for one has been neglected, my creativity for my room and pc setup have been up but there’s no balance. I’ve started getting rid of old clothes that I don’t wear anymore. I haven’t bought new clothes in a long time. I have such huge hesitations when buying clothes but when it comes to tech, oof. I wanna change that. I can have both. A clean environment along with great clothing but it also starts off with a clean mind although the mind ain’t always consistent. I have to at least try and do my best. Which should be enough. If you’ve read this far, I hope the message you can take from this is to not live in fear and follow your intuition. My symptoms are going away and my 10 days of isolation are almost up which I can then get retested and hopefully come out negative again which I’m positive it’ll be ;) fingers crossed lol. Thanks again and hope you are safe and sound, whoever you are and wherever you are.

Walk by faith, not by sight.

All my love and gratitude,

//REZ

[heanv]

New Light | Jaehyun

genre: bestfriends! to lovers

warnings:cursing

word count: 3k

requested by: @poeticxbitch 

song: New Light by John Mayer

Stupid friendzone. Stupid fate.  What did ever Jaehyun did to deserve this?

/ im the boy  in your other phone/

All his and your life you two have been best friends. You knew each other since toddlers  and now it was your last year of highschool. Since the middle school every Friday you and jaehyun had a sleepover either  at your place or at his.Usually you both spent those nights just chilling and talking,,watching a film or something like this and what a coincidence, today it was Friday!  You were coming at his place tonight and he hasn’t been more nervous like this because he found out something he wasn’t pleased with. You had a boyfriend. A real boyfriend and the more he thought about this ,the more uncomfortable he was getting. Everything will be different from now on, you wont spend so much time with him and maybe this will be the end of Friday sleepovers because you would prefer to hang out with your boyfriend.

/lighting up inside your drawer at home all alone/

He shouldn’t think like this, he should be happy for you. But why he is not? Why he was so afraid of what was going to happen? Will you forget about him after all these years of friendship ? Will you stop carrying ?

No.

No way. You were his bestfriend and he was yours bestfriend. You wont stop carrying about him . Never. Yeah, maybe you wouldn’t spend so much time with him but you will never forget him, right?

Jaehyun lied in his bed , running hand through his hair ,pressured from all of the thoughts , running through his head. Why he was like this? Why he couldn’t be just happy for you? You’ve got somebody to love you  and take care of you, why he was so sad and nervous? Why something was eating him from inside like a pain stuck in his chest . Why, just why?

And then it hit him like a sharp slap.He always got to be close to you all this time and now when he got a competitor, sure he did like Mark , he was nice and smart and kind and good at basketball but he never thought Mark and…you that you both can be a thing. And now he wasn’t the one to protect you from the world and be next  to you  when you need him. He never expected that  and he just found out that after all,after all these years ,Jaehyun liked you.

/we talk than you walk away every day/

You were already on his way to Jaehyun’s place ,happier than ever. What’s better than spending time with your bestfriend talking about all the new things going on in your lives?

But something was off, off with Jaehyun. He was acting cold? Distant? Strangely? You were watching a film and you placed your head on Jaehyun’s chest like you always did and he suddenly froze.

“ Jae, is something wrong?” you said, raising your head to face him.

‘’No, it’s just im like really tired,that’s all I swear’’ he said barely looking into your eyes.

‘’You are lying , I know you too well’’ and you were right, you knew him too well and right now that’s not good. You and Jae were like one mind in two bodies.

Silence fills up the room.

‘’Will everything be different now?” he asked breaking the uncomfortable situation.

“ What? Why? Jae, do you mean Mark, oh no. No,no,no. Nothing.Ever.Will.Change,okay? I promise.”

‘’Yeah’’

Everything was going to change.

/oh, you don’t think twice ‘bout me and maybe you’re right to doubt me/

~~~

Jaehyun was right. Everything has changed. Now you rarely spent time with him and he remembered the last sleepover was the one he told him that nothing would change but deep down you knew you were wrong, you felt it coming too.

You guys still talked and still had fun when you actually could see each other for more than a minute the only thing Jaehyun didn’t enjoy was that most of the time you only talked about Mark. He could see that you really liked your boyfriend and your boyfriend liked you too and that was really nice but still he didn’t enjoyed it at all.

This time his feelings for you really got deeper. Maybe because he missed you like crazy and now you couldn’t spend much time with him.

~~~

As the time passed things started changing. You and Mark had your first scandal and even tho only hours later you were fine this day changed a lot of things. Mark thought  you spent too much time with Jaehyun when you two barely talked and you didn’t like the control you boyfriend tried to have over you. Overall dating Mark was good he was sweet and carrying but something was definitely missing, you didn’t know what but you could just feel it. You missed Jaehyun a lot too. You wanted to call him and tell him how you feel but you weren’t that comfortable talking about your boyfriend in front of your best friend.

/ but if you give me just one night you’re gonna to see me in a new light/

Today you called Jae to hang out at your place and from the moment he saw he knew there was something you weren’t telling him.

‘’How’s going with Mark?’’

‘’Um fine yeah everything fine’’ you mumbled not looking him in the eyes.

‘’Are you lying to me?’’

“No”’

‘’Okay’’

But you were lying and he knew that. To the rest of the night you and Jae have fun talking about things ad listening to music. And just like that you realized how much you missed him. You missed this chilling, just doing nothing nobody was better at this then you two. Jaehyun missed you also ,he missed you like crazy.It was already too late for Jae to go home so he just had to stay over. When you both were ready to go to bed you expected him to sleep next to you but instead he went to sleep on the floor and you knew why he did that - you had a boyfriend. After probably an hour later you couldnt fall asleep knowing Jae is sleeping on the uncomfortable ground and so you whispered:

“Jae? You sleeping?”

“No”

“Come here on the bed,please”

“You sure ?”

“Yes”

“Okay” he didnt need a second invatation. He placed his body on the bed with his back facing yours.In the morning you woke up on a something hard and it was moving.You opened your eyes and faced Jaehyun’s chest .Why were you cuddling him in your sleep? And why did he looks so good while sleeping ? His chest slowly raising and his messy hair made him look like a prince without a crown.

/ i wanna know the real thing about you/

When you went to school you were welcomed with Mark’s questions:

“Where were you last night? Why didn’t you pick up the phone, i called you so many times?”

“I was with Jae,okay? Nothing to worry about” you were getting pissed off already.

“But I told you not to spend so much time with him”

“Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“I am your boyfriend if you havent forgotten”

“Well I dont think you are anymore” you said walking off of the scene.

What did you just do?! You broke up with your boyfriend. You really did. If you gotta be honest it felt good,protecting your rights but you really liked Mark.

After school you were on your way home alone when you heard a voice calling for you.You turned and saw Jaehyun running towards you.

“Y/N,wait!” he stopped in front of you,panting from running. “Why did you do this?”

“Do what?”

“You broke up with Mark,why?”

“Bacause he was trying to convince me not to spend anytime with you and thats the least thing i will ever want”

Jaehyun’s skipped a beat and started pounding like crazy, if only you could hear it.

/oh,we can go far from here and make a new world together,babe/

“You didnt have to do this”

“No, I had to do it , if he started with telling me not to see you maybe he would end up choosing me what to wear or control my life” Jaehyun didnt say anything.

~~~

The end of the school year was coming. Now your relationship with Mark was just a short “hi” but now you were closer than ever with Jaehyun. You studied together,cooked, gossiped everything was coming back like how it used to be except the fact that now everytime Jae complimented you, you started blushing and everytime you sank into his eyes you wish you could stay like this forever.Just you and Jaehyun.

Prom was coming too and you were wondering if Jae would invite you because this was your biggest wish right now. You thought about telling him how you feel but you werent so sure. One night you couldnt sleep as your head was full of thoughts when you heard a strange noise coming out downstairs. You tip-toed to the staircase when you heard that the front door was being opened and you panicked. What if this is a thief or a killer? What should you do now? You went to your room quickly and took Jaehyun’s first baseball bat that he gave you years ago in case you need to protect yourself and this time has finally come.You go downstairs and hear the steps coming out of the living room and if this person want to go upstairs he should pass by the kitchen where you were at that moment.The steps were getting louder and you knew you have to knock this person out so you can protect you and your family.The moment you were ready to face this person and hit them a very familiar face surprised you.

“JUNG JAEHYUN WHAT AR-“ your bestfriend put his hand quickly on your mouth before you can wake your parents up.”what are you doing here?” you whispered.

“i-“

“before that,how did you even entered the house?”

‘’you remember last year you told me where the secret key is so um yeah”

‘’ï see but why did do all of this’’ jaehyun looked like he was thinking deeply for his answer.

‘’just trust me with this,okay?’’ he said giving out his hand to take yours. ‘’come with me’’

He took you to your  backyard and he left you speechless.

There was a little table with two chairs with candles and there were string lights put on the trees. When you came closer to the table the candles you realised that the candles are not in a circle or anything but they were saying something.

“PROM?”

Oh gosh. It was written with the candles. Jaehyun was asking you to go on the prom with him. You looked at him with eyes full of tears and he smiled warmly.

“Wait I have something more”

More?

Jae went something like a little chair and there was a projector then he ( author’s note: idk how to say this just imagine) pointed for you to turn around and there was a big white bed sheet hooked between two trees and suddenly an image appeared. You couldnt beleive it a video of you and jae as kids.

“THIS IS MY TOY”

“NO IT’S MINE,Y/N”

“NO”

“YES”

“MUM,JAEHYUN IS TRYING TO STEAL MY DOLL”

You both laughed at the same time and looked at each other. Then another image popped.

“Y/n,lets make some pancakes” Jaehyun loved pancakes,he still does tho.

“Okay but we wont tell our moms,promise?”

“Promise”

You remember that day and after this promise you both decided to film the video as if it was a vlog.

“Hello everyone, we are Y/n and Jaehyun, your local best friends.Today we are going to make some pancakes without telling our moms.Please enjoy and dont tell our moms!”

The video gets messier after this.There was flour all over the floor and your hands were sticky from the eggs.You were stiring the mixture when all of a sudden Jaehyun put some flour on your nose.

“And thats how you prank your bestfriend,bitches” after this you got angry at him and grabed one egg and smashed it on his haed while he was making faces at the camera.

“No, THAT’S how you prank your bestfriend,bitches” you filmed Jae’s shooked face “ I love you,Jae,you know that,right?” he looked at you ready to fight while removing the egg yolk off his head

“I love you too, y/n.So much” you could sence you were at big trouble but you got in even bigger trouble when Jae’s mother suddenly walked in the kitchen.

“WHAT THE HELL KIDS?!”

“okay guys that was all hoped you enjoyed and pray for us” you quickly whispered as you stopped the video recording.

“Remember this?” Jaehyun turned to you with a wide smile.

“Yes of course, your mother didnt let us in the kitchen untill we were 12”

The next video appeared. You were 13 and you both were dressed in red t-shirts , black skinny jeans and black leather jackets obsessed with the song “ cruisin’ for bruisin’ “ from  ‘’ teen beach movie’’.This film was addiction for you two and in the video you are trying to recreate the song.

“ we had so much fun that day,Jae’

‘’yeah, remember when we had to sing ‘’meant to be’’ we pretended to be in love but we didn’t know how so we searched in youtube’’

‘’oh my gosh yes we did it’’

Another video appeared.Now you were 15. You could see that is very dark outside and you were the one filming the video.

‘’ Hi my name is y/n , right now is 3:14am and im going to prank my best friend Jaehyun that we are late for the first school day’’ Then you entered his room but before waking him up you put a sticky note on his forehead saying “it’s 3am idiot, go to sleep’’ and after that you went to the peacefully sleeping  friend of yours and started you plan.

‘’JAE WAKE UP WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE’’

‘’is it time already?” he said laying on the other side so now his back was facing you.

‘’YES JAE, ITS 8:15 AM AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN SCHOOL AFTER 15 NINUTES’’

Finally Jaehyun showed some reaction as he quickly turned to you.

‘’WHAT WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER’’

‘’BECAUSE I JUST WOKE UP TOO’’

‘’oh shit’’ he stood up going to the bathroom and then you waited for the moment he would see himself in the mirror.

‘’ Y/N IM GOING TO KILL YOU’’ was the last thing Jae said and you stopped the video.

‘’I had so much fun that morning’’ you turn to Jae while laughing

‘’Yeah me too I couldn’t fall asleep after that”

“Really”

“ Yeah and I was bored because you were sleeping”

You turned to see that now instead of videos a slideshow appeared.There were photos of you both since you were babies to photos taken before week or too.

‘’So’’ Jaehyun said all of a sudden whole you both watched the slideshow, diving into mnemories

/if you give me just one night to meet you underneath the moonlight/

‘’So what”

Jae stood up from the chair and come in front of you sitting on the grass.

‘’Will you go on the prom with me?”

“Yes, of course’’ you answer no doubting a single second.

‘’You are the bestest  best friend ever , Y/N.’’

Yeah, a bestfriend.

‘’Thank you for everything Jae’’

“No need to thank me’’ he smiled warmly and hugged you.

~~~~~

Today was prom day.You were so nervous. You wanted everything to be perfect. You were ready and waited for Jae to pick you up . When he finally came your parents made a thousand photos of you both.

‘’Okay,Mum, that was enough we gotta go’’

‘’Okay,honey, have fun’’

And you did. You danced all night with Jae, with your girlfriends, you even saw Mark and stopped to talk with him to make sure that everything is alright and that you don’t need to hate each other only because you relationship with him didn’t work out.

‘’ I guess I was just jealous of him’’ Mark chuckled. “When are you going to tell him?”

“Tell him what?” you looked at him puzzled.

“ Duh,y/n, isn’t it obvious , you both are so in love, its crazy’’ you felt yourself blushing’

‘’You think so?’’

‘’Yes, I know its like this, now go and get your man and don’t come back without him.’’ You smild wildly , hugging Mark tightly, knowing that you just won a new friend.

‘’Thank you ,Mark’’ he nodded smiling and then you got lost in the crowed , looking for Jaehyun to finally tell him the truth.But you couldn’t find him as if he just disappeared.

Its been 10 minutes and you still couldn’t find him. Suddenly  the scene lit up. Maybe its time for the `Queen and King of the prom but you were wrong. Jaehyun walked on the stage. You couldn’t believe you eyes.What was he doing there?

‘’Hello everyone, I know you were expecting the nominations for the king and queen of the prom but they will be a bit later,okay? So I am here to confess something. Its been a while since ive had crush on that girl and tonight I want to tell her.’’

Jaehyun liked somebody and you didn’t know? You felt tears battling to come out but you don’t let them.Your bestfriend was in love and you should be happy for him  the same way he was happy for you and Mark.

‘’Y/N’’ you turned quickly to see jaehyun eyeing you from the stage. ‘’’we’ve been friends since we can remember.We’ve pranked each other, we had laughed together we had been through so much but we did it because we were together. You and me. I know we made a promise to stay bestfriends forever but I cannot, I fell in love. Ever since I remember I’ve known that you are special, that we are special. The way we laugh and talk to each other is different than everybody else. I know that I will never meet anyone who I can trust as much as I can trust you and I think most  people search their whole lives to find something I’ve already found. I love you, y/n.’’

This time you let the tears out. He loved you too, he really did and he confessed in front of the whole school to prove his love. You went to the stage with half-crying, half-smiling face, you hugged Jae and said.

‘’I love you too Jae, so much’’ and then he kissed you, a thing you have only dreamt about . You heard the clapping and the screams of approval from the students. You found Mark in the crowd and he send you an encouraging thumbs up and finally you turn again to your now bestfriend-boyfriend and kiss him one more time.

/what do I do with all this love running through my veins for you?/

masterlist

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E49 (Jan. 29, 2019)

Hey hey hey, we’re on the internet! Filling in for @eponymous-rose​, it’s time to fake my way through a Talks without having quite caught up yet. What could possibly go wrong?

Tonight’s guests: Sam Riegel & Liam O’Brien!

Announcements: The second season of Between the Sheets debuted last night, ft. everyone’s friend Bobby. It’ll be on Youtube tomorrow morning & is already on the CR Twitch. Next week will feature cinematographer Quyen Tran (aka Sam’s wife!)! Everyone agrees Sam married up. It’ll air Monday night on the CR Twitch.

And now, episode 49: A Game of Names

Brian comes back prefacing some comment with a mention that Matt names the episodes, which Sam immediately derails because he thought Taliesin named them. Poor Matt.

CR Stats: The M9 have cast Disguise Self 97 times. Liam: “What a bunch of lying motherfuckers!” 20 were by Nott; 17 were by Caleb.

Sam’s found it interesting that his in-game persona has been a bit of a facade, but Nott as a character is in an in-between place between who she was and who Nott purports to be. “It might be weird to be called Veth, actually, because it’s just not in the course of her experience in the last couple years. She’s gotten used to the name if not the body.”

Caleb doesn’t like to think about Bren or the old self that came with it; he winged the name “Caleb” the moment he met Nott, but now he has a lot of good memories associated with that name. Brian asks if it was a name of someone from his past; Liam points out you can always retcon anything. Sam’s surprised it was the day he met Nott; Liam says he’d actually been using different names everywhere he went, and Caleb happened to be the one that happened to keep being used by people he never left.

Sam and Liam goggle that they both picked characters with false (very similar) names, that their questlines are so accidentally intertwined, and that they’re so linked despite the fact that they’d decided they’d traveled together right before the first show. Sam wonders who else has fake names.

“Nott the Brave” and “Veth Brenatto” being anagrammed was a purposeful decision out of an accident. He was originally going to be Vix off a gag he made in Campaign 1 re: Vex & Vax, but decided he’d better scrap it & just go with a V name instead as homage. He created the anagrammed names together (without the help of a fantasy name generator, he points out).

Everyone thinks Fjord still has secrets to reveal. “What if it’s Ferrrd?” “What if it’s Fred?”

The water issue for Nott grew out organically in the game. He knew she’d been turned into a goblin (and assumed she’d been killed in the process), but wasn’t sure exactly how she’d died until a few months into the campaign. Then he emailed Matt and asked if it was okay if the way Nott had died had been by drowning, and Matt said, “Yep!”

Liam agonizes over the fact that they all can email Matt, asking if something can be added to character history based on how plots are going in-game, only for him to say “Yes!” and then be silent for six months before walloping someone over the head with a barbed-wire bat. Ha!

Liam reminds everyone that Caleb canonically does not know Beau’s last name. Liam knew it and was talking in third person (even though it was in an accent). It was not meant to be metagamed knowledge.

Liam was surprised by the “Fuck him!” comment but was not surprised Nott had had something chambered, so out of game he recognized this was the beginning of Nott’s story & was ready for it. Caleb still feels like he’s walking a tightrope and juggling plates, but Liam points out it’s his own fault if anything drops.

Everyone marvels at Nott’s use of “Bren” as a false name in episode 2. Sam remembers looking over at Liam as Liam gave him “the weirdest look! Liam looked at me like I had just said the c-word.” Liam: “I was staring holes into your skull.” Sam thought Caleb was judging Nott for being deceptive. Liam sat there for a hot minute wondering if Matt had let something slip, if Caleb was talking in his sleep, if Sam had seen a sheet from Liam’s binder... “Anything but this impossible fucking coincidence.”

GIF of the Week: @winteristboi with an incredibly topical GIF of Liam revealing his name, Sam commenting “That’s why you looked at me,” and including a flashback of the just-mentioned episode 21 moment.

The intertwining of Nott’s & Caleb’s backstories has been fun for both of them. Sam finds Liam an excellent actor and likes doing scenes with him. Liam and Sam both talk about how they actually prefer bumps in the road and complicated relationships instead of everyone being friends & peaceful. They had a conversation months ago about how they’re looking forward to things falling apart within the group. Liam reminisces about how much he loved the bowl argument with Beau. “That’s the best part of the show.”

Nott is very excited that part of Caleb’s backstory is out so that he can get some healing, maybe.

Caleb is closer to Beau than the rest of the M9 at this point. In the moment of his backstory, “he was wanting to borrow her spine. And Beau had rested her hand on his shoulder just moments before, and that was reassuring to him because he knew things could get ugly, so he was looking for that again.”

Very quickly, Nott saw something in Caleb that reminded her of her son. “A boy who was scared and alone in the world and needing someone to take care of him.” Even in game zero, Caleb was knocked out and Nott had to save them, kill the gnolls, and get them out of there singlehandedly.

Sam finds out onscreen that halflings live much longer than humans. It’s hilarious. “I thought they lived the same as humans!” He’s worked it out with Matt that Veth is not older than Caleb, who is 32. Veth got married at 20ish (childbearing age), spent a couple years happily married, goblins intervened, escaped, and is now about 25 years old (a young mom). “Similarly, as I understand it, when you are reincarnated, you are given an adult body, so goblin Nott is 7-8 years old.” Liam gasps that if she doesn’t get changed back, she’s taken a 200 year lifespan and violently compressed it to only a fraction.

Many of Veth’s quirks (collecting things, general nervousness, and enjoyment of wine) were badly exacerbated and heightened in goblin form. Where she enjoyed a nip of sherry wine before, she’s now a raging alcoholic. Where she enjoyed collecting baubles before; now she’s compulsively stealing. She was a nervous Nellie before; now she’s ratcheted anxiety. Sam discussed this with Matt. Liam again: “Her lifespan was condensed down into this dense little ball; her habits were condensed into a dense little ball too!” Sam, brightly, dancing: “It’s a saaad episode!”

Liam’s asked about his arm-scratching as Caleb. (Sam’s stunned; he never realized!) In Liam’s mind, the scars are extremely faint and old, and it’s cold in Wildemount. He doesn’t imagine them as large or even visible gashes unless you knew where to look.

Sam envisions his goblins as just generally amped up. Not angry, but murderous. Sam also has been playing it that Veth has been becoming a bit more goblin & less halfling over time just because she’s being overwhelmed by the physiology. It would have been different if she’d been in a different body. She’s very eager to get back, but she is also aware that her “perceived vehicle” who might be able to get her back to her original form is not quite ready yet. She’s anxious for that to get cooking.

Early in the campaign, when Caleb wakes up from a fight and screams, “Take them out!” he was talking about the crystals Trent put in his arms.

Fanart of the Week: @queddajaw​ with a gorgeous Nott drowning portrait.

Nott has a general tendency to want to see people connect (Astrid’s letter, Jester & Caleb). She knows time with a loved one is not eternal. It’s not really a projection of her own relationship. Augh.

Caleb didn’t give the whole truth because a) it’s too humiliating & heartbreaking to talk about and b) the first confession to Beau/Nott was only out of need, and he was just excruciatingly lonely. He’s gotten it out once and knows that it’s completely awful, and he doesn’t want to dump it on the rest of the group unnecessarily, such as “sunflower” Jester. Liam also didn’t feel it was all pertinent information in the moment since he didn’t want to trample on Nott after she’d just bared her soul to the group. Liam mimes opening a door over Sam’s face: “But alsooo myyy story is super tragic!”

Sam thinks VM was more familiar with each other at this point in their campaign, but not as vulnerable/connected. It’s a very different story.

What makes Sam keep picking goblins as backstory villains? “They’re gross.” Actually, it’s more coincidental this time as Liam was the one who picked his goblin race. Sam talks about how he’s gotten tweets wanting to know why goblins can’t be nice, is he racist against goblins? Sam: “Yes. In your campaign, you can do what you want. Veth might be horribly misguided!” but in his/Veth’s mind at the moment, there’s nothing redeemable about them. She is curious about the butler goblin, but didn’t really get a chance to talk to him.

Caleb is very relieved they’re not going to Rexxentrum.

Sam thinks it was a good time for Nott’s reveal. Caleb had thought it would take longer for him. Matt had asked Sam how long he wanted to play it out, if he wanted the reveal to be early or late game, and Sam told him it would be fine for him even if it never came out in the whole campaign. He’s excited to see how this will change the group dynamic for everyone. 

Liam comments that he always tries to make character decisions that feel true, even if it leads to things that are sad.

Sam did tell his kids how Nott became a goblin. As soon as he was done, his daughter asked him to tell them the story one more time. I have flashbacks to Travis saying “Let’s do it again” at the end of C1.

Sam hasn’t given up on the shirt gag, but he gave away 20 shirts for a donation prize. When he has the shirt, he will wear it. Sam also points out that he’s also tracking the facial hair from C1 too.

After Dark: Secret Secret Names Edition:

Everyone marvels again at how cool Quyen is. Sam tangents full circle into a discussion of Mr. Yuck. Brian tries to get us back on track talking about drinks, and I don’t even know what’s happening right now. Sam drinks a (I think!) Miller Lite on screen and almost throws it back up. You dramatic fool.

Quyen is a big wine nerd, just like Sam. “Now, we enjoy a burger and a beer once in a while, we’re not awful people.” Then he tells a story about how when people bring them wine bottles at their homes as gifts his wife has a terrible poker face if she doesn’t approve of the wine. Don’t buy her wine, is what I’m getting from this.

They discuss Mame Drop from today, which featured some laser discs and old games.

Nott’s favorite reality show would be whatever is the opposite of Hoarders, like maybe Storage Wars. Dani suggests Caleb might be into dating shows. Brian takes great offense at the word “smut” as a descriptor and talks about his 30-person Bachelor watching parties. Dani suggests he [Caleb] might be into the sordid melodrama of that and Real Housewives. Liam: “Tell me more about my character. You too, internet.”

This entire segment has devolved into an almost rabid discussion of reality shows and I legitimately cannot keep up with it. GBBO has come up, cat judging shows, documentaries about Scientology...

Liam & Sam try to have a man date once a year where they have a good dinner and glass of wine together and catch up on their years.

Travis apparently really got into David Blaine like eight years after he was relevant. Brian puts out a call to send him David Blaine gifs. “He’ll know exactly why.”

We end with an incredible moment of tiny Sam’s head being shopped live onto the cutout of his Emmy acceptance. “We go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard, hard, hard.”

And we’re out! Have a lovely evening, everyone, and is it Thursday yet?

[bert19900321-blog]

2 Indy men killed 4 hours apart Tuesday night identified

2 indy men killed 4 hours apart tuesday night identified The club will meet in the parking lot on the beach side of the lake. Of course, every teenager probably says that, and they generally seem to be wrong, so I guess you can just chalk me up to being one of those "Life doesn't get cooler than me" teens. You almost seem proud of the fact that you're the youngest person to be diagnosed with senile squalor syndrome. The city visibly shaken mayor, Bobby Dyer, called it most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach. Said in an interview Monday that the meeting with McConnell was long planned but that Stewart advocacy has raised the profile of first responders still suffering from respiratory ailments and other illnesses related to the attacks.. Bajaj Dominar 400's engine is paired to the six speed gearbox. Also, get your facts right, it is not Apple's fault that they don't include Blu ray drives yet. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, 18 20 minutes. Black Friday deals and price drops are coming earlier than ever beforeBig savings can be found already as retailers are offering Black Friday style deals NOW(Image: PA)Get the biggest Great Deals stories by emailSubscribe We will use your email Cheap Fake Yeezys address only for the purpose of sending you newsletters. Once again, both Wi Fi 6 and Wi Fi 5 configurations are available. The campaign was intended to coincide with the London Olympics in order to "'inspire everyday athletes everywhere and to celebrate their achievements at their own level,'" as Greg Hoffman of Nike explained (Sweney). Throughout the years, Ramirez tried to communicate about issues regarding Antonio which she said fell on deaf ears. See the end of the Medication Guide for a complete list of ingredients in XIAFLEX can cause serious side effects, including:. To the entire organization. "The concerts have been great for neighbors being able to walk to them," said Rob Clark, president of the Evergreen Historic District Association, west of the park. It doesn't need any training or equipment, but it is important to take care when doing so. They have families, too.". Successfully tackling a fix and flip project doesn't begin and end with obtaining solid financing. Online shopping will change your world, save time and help you in every phase of life. "Most of the jerseys are sold before and during fake yeezys for kids the tournament," said Mr Rorsted. They also sell clothing both as complete outfits and as separates, which gives tremendous flexibility to each family and their unique needs.. Earlier this month, two mainland Chinese men were held and beaten at the Hong Kong airport, where protests had disrupted flights for two days in a row. Kay has written about half of more than 80 slogans that the company has created since its founding in 1982. Dragon boat races are coming to Indy! It the first event of its kind in the Circle City featuring Indiana only breast cancer survivor dragon boat team. All the same categories are there, but imagined as The thumbnails are now Not much has changed, since this was a visually driven site to begin with. Last month, there were 43,700.. Currently have 7 stitches in my eye (gross) and the doctors say it unlikely I see properly again, they done a good job saving it as they said I might loose my whole eye to begin with, Campbell tweeted. Now it will cost you $10 to unlock it.. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. Anyone who buys clothes so they can display the logo as a means of gaining approval is shallow. 13,999. EY is a global organization, operating in over 150 countries, with over $30 billion in revenue and is a leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. However, looking at this logically, they have a couple of imperative things in like manner. Anguilla graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science in 1999. (Bulletproof Confidence Secret)I also switched the goal of my talk from making it aboutmyperformance to adding tremendous value for those in the audience. Both of the shoes I listed above actually started out as basketball shoes, before they became sneakers. The editors at Yahoo Sports are committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. "It's like a home far away a home with green money. University of Technology marketing professor Dr Gary Mortimer said the deal was as it appeared to be targeting a more affluent consumer, less sensitive to rising petrol prices.. As Brazilians step up, they can see more clearly enough to know what's missing. Finishing in the top 20 locally were Caldwell Sage Speck (21:56), Marietta Sage Austin (22:00), Waterford Kaylor Offenberger (22:17), Marietta Lynncoln Tynan (22:22), cheap yeezy shoes Caldwell Chloe McAuley (22:26), Caldwell Calli Hesson (22:30), Warren Allison Werry (22:32), Caldwell Zoey Crock (22:34), Warren Devanne Reynolds (22:45), Parkersburg Emily Cunningham (23:09), Warren Lily Herriott (23:15), and Shenandoah Kendall Mackie (23:16).. It was in development for 15 years and is composed of metal motors with a clear silicon overlay that mimics skin. It's next to impossible to get this kind of variety in an offline shop at the same price and quality. "By the end, we had done every club, every party." To provide for their growing family, the Jacobses moved to Miami.

[witchofaiaia]

Request: Hi! Can I request a fic with an MC who had a slight crush on Jumin before joining the RFA? Not the billionaire playboy the media sold but the Jumin who made this funny cat projects which she always supported, the one who made huge donations to Charities, who had to deal with the press because of his father or some woman wanting his money (for what she felt sorry), who had so interesting ideas about ecology, economy and politics (and who is also drop dead gorgeous) thx! Good luck with the blog!

(Sorry anon, my computer threw a fit and decided to post before I was done, and it made me anxious having the post just out before i was even, like, 1/3 done.)

~One month before MC joined the RFA~       

        “Assistant Kang, who put this paper on my desk? I was expecting a report from thecosmetic department’s latest venture into whether lip sticks, lip stains, or lip glosses are more proftiable.” Jumin cast aside the single page of what looked to be an article spreading yet more disgusting rumors about him and the company. The sheet missed the trash and glided gently to the carpeted floor of his office.

        Jaehee picked up the paper, handing it back to him once more. “You seemed distressed by the latest articles, and I found one that was factual and thought you might appreciate seeing truths about you in the press.” She tried handing it back to him. “She talked about all he charity work you do, and how you’ve invested in enviornmentally friendly-”

        “I am not curious. I don’t care what they print about me.” Jumin took the paper and crumbled it up. “I am not seeking anyone’s approval.” He didn’t miss the trash this time, tossing it in.

        Jaehee flinched at the action, and nodded, “I apologize, Mr. Han.” She opened up another folder on his desk, “These are the reports you were looking for.”

~MC has entered the chat~

        Jaehee looked at the name of the stranger who found their way into Luciel’s messenger app. MC. It was familiar, it could be a coincidence, but it seemed too suspicious to be a coincidence. She would have to look into it.

        As MC was questioned by everyone in the RFA Jaehee noted the formal, straightforward way she typed. As well as her apparent interest in Mr. Han. The strangers typing style also invoked a feeling of familiarity, this was beginning to bug her. MC was like an itch she couldn’t quite scratch, she just had to put her finger on the issue. Besides the issue of a stranger getting into the chat.

        “Jumin Han. Jumin Han heir to C&R?” MC asked in the chat. Internally MC was freaking. Four years she wrote about him, it was childish. Not her articles, no, those were good. Good enough to pay bills. Her heart and feelings right now were childish, her nerves were burning up. It’s him! Handsome, successful, ambitious, and secretly sweet. MC had him pegged, she believed she didn’t have to be a private investigator to read Jumin Han.

        “I will not disclose my private information to someone who has just hacked their way into a private chatroom.” Jumin responded in the chat, just before leaving.          MC was hurt, stupidly enough, by his immediate disinterest in her. She can’t blame him at all, she could only blame herself for getting her hopes up. Especially considering the situation.

~Day 4~

>MC. You’re a reporter aren’t you? I find it odd you aren’t writing under a false name, or that you used your real name when you joined our chat.

>You’ve read my articles? The ones about Jumin?

>Yes, I skim through many of articles when he creates new projects to gauge public interest. Your articles were among the few that strayed from exaggerated writings and rumors. What I find odd is how.. interested you are in Mr. Han.

>I only write the truth and what I personally find interesting. Jumin is interesting to me. His cold demeanor hides what I think, underneath, is a kind man. When I look at his priorities as a business man and the projects and charities he funds, I can’t help but see a great man.

> Forgive me when I say this, but.. You are... quite odd.

        Jaehee searched online for more of MC’s articles and began printing them. She organized them by most recent to as far as three years back. She put them into a plain folder and took the elevator up to Mr. Han’s office, and knocked before entering. “Mr. Han I request, in your spare time, you read these articles. There are many, but they were written by the woman who recently joined the RFA.”         “Articles..? She’s a reporter?” Jumin held out his hand for the folder. “Did she join the RFA to simply spy on C&R?” Was that why MC had been so kind to him, so happy to speak with him? It’s odd, he would feel.. hurt? Yes, he would be hurt if MC was only interested in spying, rather than him.         Jaehee handed him the folder of articles written by MC, “No, I don’t believe so. She seems to admire C&R.. and you. I cannot also help but notice, for the sake of honesty, your interest you seem to have in her.” She didn’t look at her boss as she said the last sentence, too embarrassed for such words. It was not her business.         He opened the folder and flipped through some of the first few pages, “I will skim through them when time allows. I believe you have work to do.”          Jaehee nodded and quickly left Jumin’s office. 

        After his assistant left Jumin began to read the articles, and oddly felt a sense of satisfaction reading how MC praised him. Her writing did not hide her admiration for Jumin’s intelligence, kindness, and ethics. In the chat she did not shy from showing her support of him opening up, and talking about his passions. MC was an odd woman, he’s never talked to someone like her. He can almost hear her voice when reading her writing. Almost. 

        He should call her again, to make sure he remembers exactly how her voice sounds. Maybe she would read from the articles. “Jumin Han, the face of charity in capitalism.” “C&R’s most giving and hardest worker, Jumin Han.”

~Day 8~

        MC never thought she’d actually have the chance to meet Jumin Han for an interview or at a press conference, much less as a friend. Or were they more than that? She couldn’t, in her wildest dreams, imagine sleeping in his bed or having him buy her clothes, cooking for her, or saying such kind things to her. Maybe this was a dream. She would never want to wake up.

         She knows she came here because no one else would be able to comfort him, but she couldn’t help but feel fate was tying them together for some other reason. It was like little red strings tied them together, and the closer they got the more everything unraveled.

         Mc was lying on the couch on her phone, and from the corner of her eye she could see Jumin observing her in a chair across the living room. She couldn’t help but blush, she was, at the moment, the object of his full attention. He let out a sigh, and she thought he smiled. Heat kept blooming in her cheeks, like flowers blossoming in spring. 

        “MC, I don’t wish to interrupt what you’re doing, but.. I can’t help but be curious as to why you’re blushing.”

        His voice was something she couldn’t get use to, it sounded so different on television or the radio, or over the phone. Silky, it wrapped around her and put her in a trance. The subject of her interests and writings was there across the room, a giving soul and a handsome face. Whenever she wrote she felt like a school girl writing in her diary about her secret crush, and she never would have thought-

        “You’re going to drive me to insanity if you don’t answer me,” Jumin told her as he got up from his seat and approached her. “I hope it’s not Zen.. He hasn’t told you you’re in his dreams, has he?”         MC looked up at him, letting her phone drop next to her on the couch. “Oh no, it was..” Her voice trailed off, he knelt next to the couch, leveling his eyes with hers. “How are you feeling? Jaehee is worried, I am too.”         He didn’t answer her question, maybe because she didn’t answer his. “Your writing is phenominal, you have so much integrity. How long have you been writing about me and my company?”         “At least four years. Have you read my articles?”

        He nodded, as his eyes studied every inch of her face. He liked her eyes the best, they were soft and kind. Easy to look at. Her lips were beautiful, too, very welcoming. They were so close to his. “Four years.. I never acknowledged you for four years, I never noticed your hard work.. I never noticed you appreciated my hard work. I’m sorry.”         “Y-you don’t need to be sorry about anything! I’m not a big name writer, the company I work for is small, I can’t blame you.  Besides no one likes articles that highlight your many, many achievements, mostly your face.”         “My face?” He looked amused. Wait, was he blushing now?         “No! I misspoke not your face.. the.. RFA!” Oh my god, MC you idiot. “People like your face, I like your face. No, I don’t- Okay, hold on. Your face is good, like the RFA and your work, but people don’t like talking about your efforts and your heart. People talk about your good face.” How could she say all of that with his face right there. How come he had to be stupidly handsome and amazing in every sense? “D-don’t get me wrong! I like your face and your work, I didn’t only write about your face.” He was looking at her like she wasn’t a rambling fool, but his gaze was soft. Her words, though disasterous, captured him. They were both so odd.

        Jumin Han, if he was not before, was very aware of MC’s little crush on him. This was.. pleasing to him. He enjoyed her company and the attention she gave him, and he appreciated the space she gave him to open up. She was important to him, and he never expected her to become so important in the strange circumstances they met, or in such short time. Jumin never would have thought a reporter who wrote about his charity and company would be the one to work at untying the knotted threads inside his head.  ~Day 10~

       MC had been sent home, and Jumin was sitting in his living room. Elizabeth the III was curled up on his lap while he sipped at wine. He felt alone again, it felt like time hadn’t passed and MC has just a dream. He was well aware he’d see her in less than 24 hours. He knew he could easily text or call her, as well.

        His phone screen next to him lit up, and he could only hope it was from MC. He quickly put down his glass and opened up his phone. It was a message from Assistant Kang. 

>You may want to read this.

        She had attached a link to a website, he didn’t want to be faced with rumors of his father, his engagement, or anything. He couldn’t with MC so far from his side.  >MC wrote it, Mr. Han.         He expected an old news article about him or C&R, but on his phone popped up an odd blog. MC’s blog where she would post articles or updates on old articles, like when a project from two years was finished or dismissed. 

        The most recent post read: “It would be impossible for me to continue writing about someone and something so dear to me without being impartial. My integrity as an honest reporter is important to me, but even more important is my happiness and the happiness of my friends, family, and partner. I put down my pen and paper, I pushed aside my laptop, and I quit my job. Thank you to my company, my readers, my friends, my family, and Jumin Han. Tomorrow, everything changes.” ~Day 11~         A ex-reporter, in a dress she could never have afforded as a reporter, stood in the center of a banquet hall of a charity party she organized. The heir to C&R knelt in front of her, her hand in his gloved hand. His lips were on her hand. Cameras flashed and reporters ate up the scene in front of them, Sarah and Glam Choi were screaming at them and throwing their greedy fits for attention. Jumin and MC were in their own little world, away from the reporters, away from greedy women, and they were happier than anyone could ever know.

[doomedandstoned]

French Occultists Hua†a Deliver Cryptic Final Masterwork

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Review by Billy Goate

Think you've heard it all and you're confident about closing the books on 2018 and putting out your best-of lists? I advise you to hold your horses, my friends, because you haven't heard this yet. Get ready for what is without doubt the grandest album of 2018. Guttural rumblings of bass collide with sublime organ tones, shooting holes through the dank chamber like laser rays of radiant sunlight. Soon this feast of sound will be joined by damning riffs and strangely majestic voices that layer melodies in shifting keys, one upon the other, until a spire is created like an ancient ziggurat.

The latest offering by French occultic doomers and Roadburn Festival alumni HUATA is like none other. The band, which recently made an appearance on our 'Doomed & Stoned in France' (2018) compilation, often configures as a five-piece. However, the consistent heartbeat of the project has been founding member, Ronan Grail, and long-time bassist Benjamin Morea -- both of whom constitute the backbone of the now 12-year old act that hails from Rennes.

Long renowned for their stirring live rituals, Hua†a have two extended-plays, two splits, and one previous full-length to their name already, the brilliant 'Atavist of Mann' (2011). However, nothing prepared me for the power of their crowning achievement, 'Lux Initiatrix Terrae’ (2018).

I find myself struggling for points of comparison to entice the reader to become a listener. Shall I draw parallels to the imposing architecture of Ufomammut, the sweeping compositional vision of Slomatics, the ardor of Inter Arma, the airy psychedelic soundscapes of Pink Floyd, the sanguine tenor of Pallbearer, or the harmonic resplendence of Chrome Ghost? At the risk of losing some of the faithful doomers, the most fitting association to the size, scope, and most importantly spirit of Lux Initiatrix Terrae comes not from the realm of metal, but from the world of classical music. I'm thinking of one ambitious work, in particular: Ferruccio Busoni's massive Piano Concerto in C Major, Opus 39 -- one of the most ambitious works ever written in its genre class. Like Hua†a, Busoni laced his work with cryptic references to the occult, ancient orders, and esoteric knowledge.

I hasten to add that Hua†a's magnum opus is not symphonic metal, though "symphonic" seems a most fitting adjective for it. Let's think of it as a rhapsodic fantasy marrying epic and gothic doom to atmospheric, surreal heaviness, whilst subtly flirting with spaced-out domain of psychedelic and occult rock. Some tracks ("The Golden Hordes Of Kailash," for instance) usher in surreal scales and unusual chord progressions that remind me of the creepy grandeur of the mutant worship service in Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970).

This modern day Tower of Babel aspires to reach the heavens with a power, elegance, and resolute will encountered so rarely in the realm of metal or, for that matter, anything else across the many genres of contemporary music. During its exalting 70-minute run-time, I felt I was bearing witness some incredible modern cantata. This was more than my usual audit of a new promo; this was an all-absorbing listen and an altogether moving experience.

After hearing this record, I'm convinced that Hua†a have definitely given Batushka a run for their money at Psycho Las Vegas over the summer. No Vinyl Stage for these guys, though. Take them straight to The Joint, fellas! A sounds this large is worthy of the same immense theater that brought us Enslaved, SUNN O))), Godflesh, and Indian this year; Candlemass, Yob, Electric Wizard, and Sleep in the years prior.

I've been avoiding using well-tread power words like epic in much of my reviewing this year, but it's time to pull this one off the shelf. This is a special occasion, for Lux Initiatrix Terrae is the band's final work as Hua†a -- an emphatic punctuation to a long and fruitful career. You'll not encounter a band as fascinating as Hua†a or an album quite as majestic as the one before us this year, perhaps not even this decade. Make no mistake, Hua†a's strange, bold chef d'oeuvre will be discovered in this crowded year of excellent releases and, with any luck, reach wide appreciation. At the risk of sounding orgasmic, this record is a triumph.

Right now, you can sample two singles from the album -- its opener, "The Mystical Beast of Revelations" and the third track, "The Solar Work." Both will make you hungry to hear this regal heptad of hymns in all its fullness. On November 23rd, Hua†a's Lux Initiatrix Terrae will see a physical release on a very limited run of 200 cassettes via Sludgelord Records and Seeing Red Records, with vinyl available via French label Music Fear Satan.

To satiate the appetite while we wait, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring you the record’s finale, "Third Eye Nation." Though belying in the trippy ambience of its opening moments, the 16-minute monolith soon overtakes the soul.

Give ear...

Lux Initiatrix Terrae by Huata

Interview by Shawn Gibson

with additional question by Billy Goate

Recently, I sent away for Hua†a's new cassette and can't wait to get it! I already have 'Open the Gates of Shambhala' (2010) and 'Atavist Of Mann' (2011), but 'Lux Initiatrix Terrae' (2018) is my first preorder. I must have listened to album's opening track, "The Mystical Beast Of Revelations," four of five times in one sitting already. I play it as loud as I can during my daily commute. It's an amazing song that takes me to places not of this earth! The vocals sound different than the first two albums. The music sounds more sharpened and honed, though still very much the Hua†a we know and love. The organs add to the uniqueness and mesh well with the heavy, doomy vibe of multi-faceted gem of doom, ritual, occult, and psych metal. It was high time we interviewed the band, I thought. Following is my recent exchange of words with , in which they take us behind the veil of secrecy for a rare look at the musical minds that make up Hua†a.   (Shawn)

☿

I used to have a radio show and played "Diving In The Swamp" and "The Imperial Wizard," which I absolutely love. Your new album comes out on November 23rd, which happens to coincide with a full moon. That's a great time to release an album, intentional I would imagine. I'll make sure to listen to 'Lux Initiatrix Terrae' under the light of the full moon and be transcended!

Ben: Thank you for those kind words. We like "Thee Imperial Wizard," too. It was a good song to play live, really deep and slow, as we enjoy.

Who is presently in the band?

Ben: I play bass in Hua†a and also guitars on Lux Initiatrix Terrae, plus fx and synths. I am responsible for a lot of the musical arrangements and composed both the music and lyrics with Ronan.

Ronan: Currently, Ben and I remain in the band, but the last album was recorded with David Barbe on drums and Gurvan Coulon on organ. At this point, we must say it's hard to hold Hua†a alive. We've had a lot of lineup changes. As the founder and last remaining from among the original members, I played with dozens of guys. I don't feel proud of it at all and I can't deny the help and devotion we had from many of the former members. I just wish I had not to deal with these lineup changes.

"At this point, we must tell the truth. There won't be Hua†a anymore."

So Hua†a is now a two-piece? What does that bode for the band's future?

Ronan: At this point, we must tell the truth: there won't be Hua†a anymore. This album will come as a posthumous album. This is due to musical disagreement and I now realize why many bands used the same argument and how it's difficult to explain! I personally don't want to stop playing music like Hua†a, because it's a strong thing I need to do in my life. Like, making it real, see? The thing is, Benjamin is at least as much in Hua†a as me and I can't deny it. So what I want to do now is make music again and all the ideas that could help me to make music like Hua†a did would be welcome.

Ben: As Ronan says, we weren't on the same page, musically and emotionally speaking, anymore after 10 years of doom worshiping to continue this project. We started to write this album in 2013, record it in 2015, and release it in 2018. This lapse of time weighted on us very much, in terms of how we wanted to continue this band. Our wills, visions, and expectations have changed throughout this hiatus and this split is for the best. Now I'm focusing on my other project, Fange, which grew up fast and good, as well as a new experimental hip-hop act called Bienveillance.

Lux Initiatrix Terrae by Huata

Who did the artwork for Lux Initiatrix Terrae?

Ronan: Ben has done all the artwork in Hua†a, from our first release onward. He did all the T-shirts, too, all of Hua†a's imagery remains his vision.

Related to that, when you’re not making music what do you like to do?

Ben: Creating visuals, having nice drinks and meals with friends, playing board games, watching the NBA, and listening to music, obviously.

Ronan: I am currently training for adults undergoing kite to become a Cook. I had a lot of jobs before. I'm like a regular guy; I like to eat, to drink. I like those good things we can take in this world, as I tend to be epicurean. For example, I like to drink and discover a lot of IPAs.

What's a damn good book you've read?

Ronan: I am now reading, again and again, 'The Morning of The Magicians' (1960) from Bergier and Pauwels, and I can tell that the power of this book remains in the themes it tackles. Hörbigers’s Welteislehre, especially, retains my fascination.

Ben: 'The Morning of the Magicians' is definitely inspiring and so is 'The Secret Doctrine' (1888) from Helena Blavatsky. A few books from Robert Charroux were also big inspirations for us in the writing of Hua†a's lyrics and philosophy. Otherwise, ‘2001, A Space Odyssey’ (1968) from Arthur C. Clarke is brilliant, as is the Kubrick's movie adaptation, my favorite of all.

What makes you laugh?

Ben: Monty Python, The IT Crowd, Black Books, Ricky Gervais, etcetera. English humor is the very best. Ace Ventura is also one of my favorites, along with Les Visiteurs.

Ronan: Monty Python! I love the absurd humor.

I love to cook and eat. What are some good French foods you love?

Ben: All of it, man. Don't mess with French people about food. This is more than a cultural institution here; it's a freakin' religion! (laughs) French gastronomy is a masterpiece -- from meats, cheeses, and wines, to fishes and seafood, to even offal, snails, and frogs. All are great, without mentioning the quality of our pastry. But if I had to choose one stuff it would be the bread. Everywhere else's bread is shit.

Ronan: (laughs) Well, I'm actually learning a lot about this topic, as a future Cook. I'm now attending to make a "Poulet vallée d'Auge," a chicken flamed with calvados -- yummy! -- cooked with onions, fresh cream from Isigny, mushrooms, cider, and all of this with roasted potatoes and a good Merlot from our many varieties of wine grapes.

What are your influences musically?

Ben: The first bands I ever listened to as a child were Magma, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, and a lot of '70s rock, thanks to my father, so these records really influenced my musical approach. Black Sabbath is the obvious one, because I'm devoted to the art of the riff. Also John Coltrane, Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Zorn, and Trent Reznor are some composers I really admire, among many others. But for Hua†a, my influences were much more from the '70s psychedelic era than the doom-stoner one.

Ronan: I hear from my childhood rock, blues, folk and pop music. I'm not that much into metal music; I mean, not all of it. I'm now exploring some progressive rock music.

Hua†a is from Rennes, so I'm curious about some of the bands from area that you guys dig?

Ronan: I love Eat Roses. What they did was so deep and beautiful. Totorro also does good music. I'm not that much into thrash or death metal, but Hexecutor or Cadaveric Fumes are doing an excellent stuff. And the wave of garage rock bands -- I'm from Rennes -- is quite cool too, I even found Le druide du Gué Charette, which is from this wave and also wear monk robes like we did!

Ben: Eat Roses was the best, but DEAD and You, Vicious! are also quite good in the post-punk scene in Rennes, along with my mate, folk singer Dany von Del Baüt of Malaad Roy, and Straw Hair, who play hip-hop.

How is the metal scene in Rennes?

Ronan: There are the Roazhon Underground productions, Black Karma's new festival, and of course the "Tendresse et passion" scene. A lot of foreign bands visit the Mondo Bizarro or Terminus bars.

Ben: There was a big hardcore scene in Rennes in the late-'90s 'til the mid-2000s, but the metal scene didn't really grow up here. Can't say that there are obvious bands or venues, except the Mondo Bizarro, to really federate everyone, but some promoters are doing a good job to make it live.

What has been an awkward moment as a band?

Ben: Too much to remember, but most of them were more funny than weird moments, which makes good anecdotes, at least!

Ronan: There are so many I can't tell!

Your music has always had religious overtones, thematically and especially instrumentally -- namely through the use of organ. Do any of you have background in Christianity and Catholicism? I'm imagining, perhaps, the music of the cathedrals of your childhood, the grandiosity of the organ music there.

Some of us have been baptized and/or followed catechism class as children, but this has nothing to do with our reason for using an organ in our music, even if we are very impressed and enjoyed by organs in churches. There is nothing about religion in Hua†a, but there is spirituality and the will to cite many cults and convergences between ancient beliefs and occultism throughout history.

For this recording, what did you work with, organ-wise? It sounds like one of those incredible, elaborately piped church organs.

We would have loved to record a proper piped church organ, such as the one you can see on the alternative cover of Lux Initiatrix Terrae, but as with previous albums, we just recorded with a 1961 Hammond Organ -- which actually was used in a church in Brittany, back in the day. We chose to add an organ to our music because of our '70s musical background, but you're not completely wrong by saying that the majestic tones and serenity brought by the organ tones fit well with our musical purpose!

I'd love to probe the depths of each song, because I'm sure there are all kinds of fascinating details there our readers would love to know about. That said, I can understand if the band desires to preserve some mystery and leave it to the prerogative of the listener to search these things out. Certainly there are many rabbit trails to explore, not the least of which is the band's name.

Our lyrics and universe are very deep, indeed, and we do like to let our audience get into this if they want to. There is a big part of our work which remains hidden -- that's the purpose of the occult. To be honest, only a few really dug the lyrics, which are written in an ancient German code in our records, so you have to unscramble them in the graph way and by their meaning and references.

That is truly fascinating. Also, I noticed there were quite a number of contributing artists credited on the record.

We have had so many musicians throughout the years that it might be difficult to follow, I admit! We recorded Lux Initiatrix Terrae with a proper line-up, but summoned several extra-musicians to help us in expanding our musical palette. Their collaborations were even very mysterious, as we didn't meet in person with any of them -- except Laetitia, whom Ronan knows. They all recorded their own parts. We've only reached out to them with ideas of what we wanted and they managed to write what we were expecting.

I imagine there was a deliberate rationale for this?

Nothing extravagant, I'm afraid. They were just living in different areas of Brittany and the recording process took place in several spots over a two-year period. But it definitely fits the purpose not knowing who they are and having no interactions with them.

Not to end on a sour note, but I’m saddened to hear this is perhaps Hua†a's last album!

The decision to split apart was quit recent, but we were already in a hiatus for three years and no ceremonial activities in four years. As you may have gathered, we're a bit outside all these preoccupations we had back in the days, but it's always interesting and a pleasure to picture the whole frame of Hua†a with new disciples!

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[hotarutranslations]

Juice=Juice’s Danbara Ruru “20 questions 20 answers” haro puro love talk!

In 2018, we’re having a celebration of the Hello! Project 20th Anniversary (Hello Love). For the members who belong to Hello! Project, their thoughts on the 20thanniversary activities and enthusiasm for 2018, thoughts of an everyday idol, we had a passionate “20 questions 20 answers” talk~ This time its Juice=Juice’s Danbara Ruru!!

Danbara Ruru = Born March 7th 2001, 17 years old. From Hiroshima. Blood type A.

Q1: Tell us the meaning of your name!

The feeling was to have a girl that was shining like a lapis lazuli, my parents gave it to me.

Q2: What senior do you admire?

Sayashi Riho-san (former Morning Musume). We’re both from Hiroshima and danced at the same school but, after all her dancing is really cool. Her acting is also amazing, within Hello! Project, within Morning Musume, she really had the presence of pulling things together. I’d like to also be like that, I think I really have to do my best.

Q3: Who would you want to be reborn as? 

Angerme’s Sasaki Rikako-san. Since she is someone who is active as a model or with multi-sided things. I also admire that so, I want to try doing it! Also, I really like her dancing. She’s in the Hello! Project dance club, within the dance club your eyes are drawn to Sasaki-san immediately. Her movements are really big, I think it’s pretty to watch, I’d also like to be able to dance like that.

Q4: What are you the best at in Hello! Project?

Feelings of love for singing! I really love singing. Since I was a small I was the kind of kid that was just singing so, I don’t think I could lose in my feelings towards singing after all. There are a lot of amazingly skilled members so, I want to do my best so I’m able to say I can’t lose at singing.

Q5: Tell us something amazing about Hello! Project !

The hisry. This year is the 20th anniversary, to be continuing this kind of idol project, I don’t think it’s an easy thing. Hello! Project history is handed down through the generations; I think I’m happy to also be involved with it. Hello! Project isn’t a big school but, since there are various things to learn, from now on I’d like to do activities with the feeling of returning the favor.

Q6: Who would you want to be in a special Hello! Project unit with?

I’ve of course always wanted to sing with Sayashi Riho-san. My time in Hello! Project Kenshuusei was really long so, I was able to stand on the same stage as her as back up dancer for Morning Musume but, we’ve never both held a microphone and sang together. I’ve sang Sayashi Riho-san and Oda Sakura-san’s (Morning Musume ’18) “Daisuki Dakara Zettai Yurusanai” but, I’d be really happy to sing it with her. It’d be nice if my dream came true someday.

Q7: Tell us a Juice=Juice song you like!

There are a lot but, the song “Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya ne”. I took the Morning Musume 12th generation auditions, before joining Hello! Project it was a song I practiced a lot, so it has many lasting memories. Now that I’m a Juice=Juice member, it’s a strange feeling to sing the song, but it’s a song I love that includes those memories.

Q8: What is a Hello! Project song you like?

Morning Musume-san’s “Give me Love”. I sang it last year at the big event of Hello! Project Kenshuusei Public Ability Test, and I was awarded Best Performer with that song. With that it was announced that I was able to debut, the song became turning point for me, a life changing song. From now on I want to treasure it. I did the public ability test 4 times, being out many times I knew what kind of song would resonate with the audience. Analyzing it myself, with a sort of painful song or a cool song, one that will resonate to the audience, like they’ll purely think ‘cool!’. I really like Morning Musume songs; I thought that Sayashi Riho-san looked cool when singing the song so, I chose “Give me Love” with the feelings of Sayashi-san packed in.

Q9: What is the difference between current and previous Hello! Project?

Since I was in 6th grade I’ve been frantically doing things as a Hello! Project Kenshuusei, I really felt like my seniors were cool like ‘I’m happy to dance behind these seniors!’ so, I don’t clearly remember the past. Now I’m bathing in the light, having the presence of singing with a microphone, there was some change in myself, but all of Hello! Project is difficult. Now it’s really fresh, in order to catch up and surpass my seniors, I’m doing my best. The seniors now have a very cool admirable presence. Eventually the time will come where I’m on top, so I also have to do my best every day.

Q10: Other than yourself, who is your oshi in Hello! Project?

Morning Musume ‘18’s Makino Maria-san. She’s slender, and her dancing is really amazing. When singing and dancing as well, when the monitors recording she’ll have a winking expression and it’s like “Wa~”, after all there seem to be a lot of people where she is like ‘bang!’ for afterall.

Q11: What do you want us to see most from yourself?

I’ve always loved singing, I always, always, have the feelings of not wanting to lose when it comes to singing. I have those feelings now but, since joining Juice=Juice, I think that my dancing has really changed. When I see the members dancing, “It’d be nice to dance like that” are the parts I’m learning a lot; I’ve been really influenced by dancing, that is, I’m in the middle of doing my best so I want you to see it!

Q12: What is work you’d like to challenge?

Since I was in first grade I was in a performance school, so I’ve always been dancing and singing, so other things don’t come to mind. It’s my dream to sing until I become a grandma; I’ve been learning the piano since I was 3 years old, and I started playing again. Since I’m playing for myself, I think I’d like to go further with it.

Q13: What do you want us to see most from Juice=Juice?

For me with the members voices, I really like their singing voices. The 8 people are completely different. I think you’ll know if you listen to a CD or come to a live; with the solo parts of course, in unison as well, the voices properly shine individually. I hope you can enjoy listening to the differences in the 8 tones.

Q14: What will you do in 20 years?

I feel like I’m flimsy and unreliable. Therefore, well maybe in 20 years I’ll be reliable, I want to become reliable. To be a good adult.

Q15: Since it’s the 20th anniversary, tell us a secret!

I don’t say it much but, I like YouTube.  When I go home, it’s a daily routine before I go to sleep.

Q16: After the 20th anniversary what do you want to be able to do?

With fakes and harmonies, not just with singing, I want to acquire like a technique. When recording, the director will say something like “Do a fake”, but frankly I don’t really understand. No melody comes to mind. I think “Why? How can everyone do it?” and, I want to become someone who can be told to do it suddenly and then be able to do it immediately.

Q17: What would you do if you weren’t an idol?

I love cooking, my mother is a nutritionist. Therefore, I’d also become a nutritionist, making meals, I’d want work in cooking.

Q18: What are you most into right now?

It’s not personal but, all of Juice=Juice is into playing the Jinroh game. Before there was the type where it was with one phone but, now you can do it online. When we’re separated everyone can play the Jinroh game together. We have group game so, when we’re separated it feels like “are there people?”.

Q19: Who do you get along with in Hello! Project? Tell us an episode!

Angereme/Country Girls Funaku Musubu-chan. We’re from the same Hello! Project Kenshuusei generation, we’ve always gotten along since we were small. When I lived in Hiroshima I never got to go to Disneyland but, last year I went to Disneyland for the first time with Funaki Musubu-chan! This past birthday she greeted me, and gave me a matching dress saying “let’s go again together!” so, I want to go again.

Q20: What is an idol to you?

I’ve always though they’re people who give energy, courage and happiness. I went to a lot of Morning Musume concerts, and I received a ton of energy. At Juice=Juice’s first Budokan performance, I went to the Hiroshima live viewing but, that period coincided with an exam I had to take, so I was feeling anxious. Like, I wonder if I can continue with my activities as Hello! Project Kenshuusei. When I had a lot of troubles, I’d watch the Budokan performance and think “I’ll do my best from tomorrow!”. One year later, I couldn’t imagine it at all but I was standing with Juice=Juice at Budokan as 7 people; I shouldn’t have worried about it. I think I want to be able to have a performance like that.

https://thetv.jp/news/detail/157653/

[nillewritings]

You’ve Got Mail - Chapter Two

Chapter Two - The Time In Between

Pairing: Harrison Osterfield x Original Character (Elle)

Words: 1500+ words

Warnings: None… 

A/N: And here’s Chapter Two! I changed the email, that Elle wrote to for reasons, I don’t want to get into now. ALSO READ EVERYTHING IN THIS CHAPTER, AS THERE IS AN EASTER EGG FOR YOU BRITISH YOUTUBER FANS/LOVERS. The way that the easter egg is in this chapter and future ones, is inspired by how @kathscribbless have done so with certain characters in When A Heart Breaks. Again, this is in NO WAY related to the Tom Hanks / Meg Ryan blockbuster, “You’ve Got Mail”. It just has the same title as it seemed to fit.

Series Masterlist // Taglist

“Elle?” It sounded in the distance. “Elle? Don’t you have classes in two hours?”

Elle had easily fallen asleep after sending the long mail to that email address on the random post-it note. Now the familiar, tired Yorkshire accent from Georgie easily woke Elle up from her slumber. a small grew on Elle’s lips as her body returned to the land of the living.

“‘Morning!” She let out, trying to sound chipper, only it was her usual hoarse morning ‘grunts’, as Georgie and Julia had lovingly named it.

“Good morning, you!” Georgie drowsily handed her a warm cup of what Elle guessed was the tea that Julia always made before leaving or just returning from her classes or work. “So, classes, two hours?” Georgie tried again. A sniff let Elle know that she was right in her earlier assumption. She eagerly took a careful sip of the tea as she glanced at her timetable, which was plastered on the cork bulletin board that covered most of one wall in her room. Elle let out a laugh as she was moving the warm cup away from her lips.

“Georgie, it’s Friday!” Georgie looked as if heaven and earth were becoming one, making Elle almost start cackling. Elle has always had Fridays off, a lucky coincidence from the offices of her university when making her schedule. “Sweets, have you even slept yet?” While Elle was still giggling, undertones of concern were also present on her face. Georgie let out a groan.

“You just woke. And now, you’re all chipper. How?!”

“It’s a Richardson secret, miss Wright. Only Richardsons may know it.” Elle giggled again as she gently tried to guide Georgie out of her bedroom. Georgie didn’t need to know why exactly Elle was feeling chipper. She just hoped that she would get a reply soon if one at all. Once her night owl of a roommate had retreated from the room, Elle got herself ready for the day. After taking another, closer, look at the bulletin wall, Elle was reminded that she promised to meet up with a fellow aspiring writer, who was in London for the week, in a coffeehouse before Elle had booked a few afternoon hours in a rehearsal hall in the local gym for some de-stressing and creativity flow. Music and dance was Elle’s way to de-stress and the movements that she ended up making, often inspired her in her interior designs or editing work. A peek at the clock on her phone, told Elle, that she had about an hour before the meet up at the coffeehouse.

Exactly an hour later, Elle entered the agreed upon coffeehouse with her bag filled to the brim with her laptop, and many, many notes. The meeting didn’t take long and the other person was in a hurry, so Elle spend a good hour and 40 minutes until she had to go to the gym, on her laptop, finishing up projects, general cleanup of the desktop and several folders, and checking her emails. Elle almost felt excited as she opened up her email application on her laptop. Would the owner of the email have answered it yet? It didn’t take long for her to see that a reply hadn’t come. Yet, some optimists would say and Elle saw herself as an optimist, or she did at least at that moment. Drinking from the ordered cup of chai latte, Elle sat back in her seat, trying to imagine who the owner of the email would be. Letting her mind wander, she began to write down the story ideas that she got and let the time just disappear as she kept writing.

Of the couple of hours that she had spent in the rented rehearsal hall, Elle mostly focused on her usual workout routine and just letting loose to the music, she had to play through the hall. While there, she got a text from Julia.

Jules 👩🏻‍🍳

El, can we meet up at the store? 🙏🏻 Need help with groceries. Thanks 👍🏻

Elle🎨

Sure👌🏻I'm done at the gym anyway. It's the usual one right?

Jules👩🏻‍🍳

Yep👍🏻

I'm already here, but take your time!

“Hi Jules,” Elle grinned as she walked up behind her strawberry blonde friend, who looked like she was crawling into one of the freezers. Surprised, Julia jumped away from the freezer, almost falling over into Elle.

“Hey, you!” Julia replied, focusing again on the contents of the freezer. “How's your day been so far?” She continued asking as she finally decided on something in the freezer. Elle went on to tell her about her day.

“But yeah, Georgie thought I had classes today”

“It's Friday?” Julia giggled.

“Yeah and I told her that, only to get a groan in response.” They continued together through the store, every now and then putting something into the trolley that Julia had taken with her. Their conversation continued to flow as they through the store. As they came outside the store and was heading home, Elle couldn’t hold it back anymore. The excitement of waiting for the reply, while still trying to be realistic, was getting to Elle and she felt like she needs to share it with someone.

“So… I found a post-it note last night.” Elle hesitated, nervous about Julia's reaction. Julia, well. Julia whipped her head towards Elle as soon as she had uttered the word, post-it.

“Yes?” Julia said, trying to hold back giggles of excitement. Elle continued on to tell Julia about how she had found the note and decided to send an email to the email address on it as she didn't recognize it or the handwriting. As Elle kept talking, Julia was trying to calm herself down, to hide that she knew exactly what note and whose email it was that Elle was now talking about.

Slowly, their conversation changed to another topic and so they kept talking until they arrived at their home. With both Elle, Georgie, and Julia helping each other, the groceries were soon packed away. As Julia started to make dinner, Georgie and Elle went back into their rooms. As soon as they were both out of sight, Julia grabbed her phone.

JG👩🏻‍🍳

Phase 2: There has been contact. Target E is waiting for an answer from Target H👌🏻

anything to report, HH?

HH📸

Perfecto!!

haven't be in contact with Target H myself, so let’s see

Phase 2 is completed when Target H has made contact.

JG👩🏻‍🍳

Understood!😂😂

i’ll report back with more information as I get it.

HH📸

Perfecto!! 😂😂

As the door closed behind her, Elle took a deep breath and began to unpack her duffel bag with her laptop and dirty gym clothes. Thoughts about a possible reply resurfaced and as she didn't want to wait any longer, she turned on her laptop, which was in a slumber and therefore easier to start up and found her mails.

Inbox (4)

Without any hesitation, Elle clicked the button to her inbox.

JJ Foley foleyjules@gmail.com Re: Re: Re: Wording of the chap… 17:01

Nate Richardson nate00richard@hotmail.com Possible new destinations 16:49

Kristine Bak kabak@hotmail.com Re: Re: Will you and Nate vi... 15:44

Unknown h.o.1996@gmail.com Re: Post-it note of luck? 13:35

There! The fourth email! Elle let out a squeal, shutting her mouth as soon as she realized she had done it. It was answered. She clicked and ran out into the living area, not holding anything back.

“I got an answer!” A huge smile was wide across her face. Julia looked up from the pan, she was stirring in and threw her a smiling grin.

“Have you read it?” The question made Elle’s eye grow big and her eyebrows moved up high on her forehead.

“What’s happening?!” Georgie groaned as she stuck her face out the door to her bedroom.

“I got a reply!” Elle exclaimed, happiness all across her face, thinking that would explain everything to the unknowing Georgie.

“Well, go read it!” Both Georgie and Julia said. Georgie halfheartedly, Julia eagerly. A smile grew over Elle’s face, a small squeal left her lips as she turned around, going back to her room. Georgie sent Julia a confused look.

“What exactly is going on?” She asked the cook-in-training at the stove.

“Just a little ploy that’s working out perfectly. Should I expect Joe for dinner?” Julia beamed down into the pot, she was stirring in. She had hoped that distracting Georgie with her boyfriend’s name, that she wouldn’t focus on the first part of what, she had said.

“No, he’s… Conor’s taking him and Byron out for something to eat. What ploy?” Georgie was smarter than that, Julia had to realize. With a sigh, Julia explained the ploy and who exactly was involved.

“So you know Tom Holland? Spiderman Tom Holland?” Georgie was now sitting at the breakfast bar.

“I only know his younger twin brothers. But, I don't wanna talk about it now. Don't you have something to do before dinner?” Georgie rolled her eyes but got what Julia meant, so she got up from the breakfast bar and went back to her bedroom. Once again alone, Julia got her phone out.

JG👩🏻‍🍳

Phase 2 continued: There has been established contact. Our whole building now knows that there has been a reply... 😂😂

HH📸

Perfecto!! 😂😂

well JG we can now take a step back and let the targets be and let them figure things out.

JG👩🏻‍🍳

Sounds like a good idea!😂😂

TAGLISTS

Permanent:

@spideycentral-1 // @micki-smiles // @hazhasmycoffee // @stardxstparker // @secretly-spider-man // @imagineholland // @mikahjosephine // @sweethosterfield // @ap93mcu // @heavenly--osterfield

Harrison Osterfield:

@mischiefmanaged49  // @sunshine112 //

You’ve Got Mail:

@sam-hollands-darling

[taelaxies]

r e a d e r

“I can’t read your smut - would you show it to me?”

Summary: As a smut writer, you loved reading the reviews for your work. But  you did not expect that one of your readers was your roommate: Taehyung.   Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Reader Genre: SMUT || Warnings: This is a smut about SMUT, guys. going to hell A/N: Hey! I’ve been thinking about writing a Taehyung smut for a while since he is my bias, my king and my- God never let Taehyung read my masterlist please. Jk. I hope you like it. ♥ Words: +2.6

He pushed the underwear to a side and his hot breath caressed your sensitive skin before giving a long and slow lick to your slit.

“Oh my god” you whispered, throwing your head back against the mattress.

 He smirked and placed his hands on your hips, preventing them to move when his tongu–

Your fingers stopped moving against the keyboard and you read the paragraph again. Was that too much? Was it not enough? You licked your lips and closed your eyes, trying to feel the way your character would and imagine what would happen next. Would he just fuck you right away? Or just tease you a little more?

Your fingertips caressed the keys and you were about to find your answer when you felt a pair of lips brushing against your ear, “What are you doing, Y/N?”

Your body jumped from your seat and panic spread on your face when you found your roommate’s boxy grin behind you. “Holy shit Taehyung, you almost kill me.”

He didn’t answer, his eyes squinted and tried to read what you were writing on the screen. You stood in front of him, covering his view and closing your laptop in a quick move.

His eyes focused on you then, heavy breathing and silently asking him to leave your bedroom.

“Don’t worry, I couldn’t read a thing from your secret project. I need my glasses for that.” He stepped away from you and buried his hands in the pockets of his jacket, “I’m going to buy some cereal, do you need anything?”

You sighed, “No Tae, I don’t.”

“Okay.” He simply nodded, exiting your bedroom and soon leaving the apartment you two shared.

Let’s get one thing straight: you were not embarrassed of your writing. You loved your stories and enjoyed working on them. You were embarrassed of Taehyung finding out about them. You knew him like the palm of your hand after all that time living together, and you knew he would mock you and tease you for the rest of your life.

What you did not know, is that he already knew about them.

It happened one day that you were showering and your laptop was alone and open on your desk. He was always curious about what your “secret project” was, but he had assumed it had something to do with college. You would never imagine his surprise when he read the real file in which you were working on.

He had to make a decision then; telling you about it and probably tease you forever - or pretend it didn’t happen.

He chose the second option, eager to read more of your fantasies.

Taehyung created an user for himself: ‘aliendude’, and followed your writings with it, getting notifications on his phone every time you posted something.

His phone rang that night, announcing you had posted a new story. Probably the one you were writing when he interrupted. He put his glasses on and yanked himself on his bed, covering his body with the blankets and spreading his brown hair on the pillow.

He imagined you, doing the same thing in the room next to his, and waiting for the feedback from your readers.

He opened the link, holding his breath before starting reading.

It was amazing for him, how your fantasies or desires made his own body heat up and his dick twitch inside of his pajama pants. Would you touch yourself thinking about that? Right at the other side of that wall, separating him from you? Had anyone touched you in the way your character did?

After reading the last sentence, his mouth was dry and his hand involuntarily travelled to the bulge getting harder on his crotch. A grunt escaped his lips when he opened your profile and wrote.

Aliendude: Loved your story, it’s so hot. Will you write another part?

He waited for your answer, his eyes closing every time his hand added a little more pressure on his erection.

Smuttygirl: Thank you! I don’t know, should I?

“Fuck, Y/N” his voice sounded throaty and he bit his lower lip before typing.

Aliendude: Definitely. Have you experienced any of the things you write in real life? Sounds so real.

Smuttygirl: Most of them I haven’t. But hey, a girl can always dream.

Didn’t the things you wrote turn you on too? Taehyung rolled and buried his face on his pillow, muffling his whimpers as his fingers circled around his length.

Next morning, there you were - in the kitchen eating the cereal your roommate had bought last night and reading the comments you had on your profile.

Taehyung entered, rubbing his eyes with his hands and walking slowly towards the fridge. He grabbed a bottle from it and closed its door.

You watched his sleepy face and his pouted lips, as he tried to reach for a cup.

“Good morning, Tae.”

“Morning.”

“You know that’s not milk, right?” you pointed at the bottle of juice he was holding. “You should go get your glasses.”

He frowned and lifted it up, trying to read the label on it with difficulty. He gave up and tilted his head back, defeated. “I’m tired and my glasses broke.” He explained.

“What!? What happened to them?”

 Taehyung turned his head in your direction and his dark eyes stared at you, trying to figure out a good explanation. ‘They fell from my bed while I was jerking off thinking about you.’ Not a good idea. Instead he said, “I fell asleep wearing them, and found them broken when I woke up.”

You got up from your seat and stood in front of him, examining his eyes like you were some kind of doctor. “You can see me right?”

He chuckled. It would be easier if he couldn’t. “Of course I can see you, I’m not blind. I just can’t focus on a text and read.”

“It’s Saturday, you’ll have to wait until Monday to fix them.”

“Don’t tell me about it.”

You sighed, placing your hand on his shoulder, “Just tell me if you need help until then. Some college texts or something.”

He eyed you from your head to toe and swallowed. “Sure.”

Things went normal from then. Well, your type of normal. Taehyung went out with his friends that night, and you just stayed writing and listening to loud music you usually couldn’t when he was around.

You missed him when it was a weekend night and he was gone. Other nights, he would stay and watch movies together, laughing at the bizarre plots and bad actors.

He came back the next morning, sober but tired. You didn’t see him until dinner, when he woke up starving and asked you for food. Luckily for him, you were cooking dinner for the both of you - you guessed he would be hungry after sleeping all day.

He was sitting at the table with his chin propped on his hands, enjoying the sight of you in your extra large t-shirt cutting some carrots against the counter. “How was your night?” You asked.

“Could have been better.” he wanted to add ‘with you’ but he just shrugged, “What about yours?”

“Productive.” You glanced at him and you both smiled, not even knowing exactly why. You returned your attention to the food, until you finished and finally ate dinner with him. He told you the news from his friends, since you knew them from college too.

But the peaceful weekend found its end that same night.

That night when you were in your bedroom and Taehyung finished his shower with the familiar notification sound from his phone. He quickly dried himself and did as usual: he got into bed and opened the link.

Or what he thought it was the link.

His glasses. He couldn’t read a thing without them. What he guessed it was the second part of your story, appeared like a blur on his screen - he could barely read random words from each paragraph.

He closed his eyes, frustrated and remembering the other night.

Would you be waiting for his comment this time too?

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He muttered to himself, running his fingers through his wet hair. His eyes met the ceiling, like it could actually tell him what to do.

Well, maybe it did - a minute later Kim Taehyung was leaving his bedroom and walking towards yours.

He didn’t knock, but he never did so it didn’t surprise you. He found you covered in your blankets, with your back against your pillows and your laptop open. “Taehyung?”

He looked at you, expressionless and closed the door behind him. “What are you doing?”. His voice sounded deeper than usual and you couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose.

 You slowly closed your laptop and placed it on your night table. “Nothing, I was about to go to sleep.”

He smirked, “were you?” He took tiny steps in your direction and burried one knee on the mattress of your bed, “Of course - a girl can always dream, right?”

Realization hit your features as you opened your mouth but found yourself incapable of saying a thing.  It couldn’t be, it had to be a coincidence. You took one of the pillows you were lying against and threw it at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m sure you do, Y/N” he climbed into your bed, moving closer to your shocked body “You’ll see, I asked you to write another part but without my glasses I can’t read it. I really want to know what happened.”

So it was him. How could that be? You shook your head, feeling yourself being swallowed by your sheets as your roommate hovered above you. The stare you had always secretly admired was scanning your body below him and expectantly waiting for your response. “You’ve been reading my stories all this time?”

“I wouldn’t call it just reading.” He purred in your ear, “So help me, I can’t read your smut - would you show it to me?”

You felt the fire burning from his skin to yours, in contrast with the coldness of his wet hair brushing your forehead. The words wouldn’t leave your mouth but the last thing you wanted was telling him to stop.

“C’mon tell me, Y/N” Taehyung insisted, “does your story start here,” he placed a soft peck on your lips. His hand moved in between your bodies, finding your underwear under your large shirt. He traced a circle around your clit and you gasped, losing yourself under his intense gaze, - “or here?”

“On my neck,Tae” you whispered, “On my neck.”

“Good.” his retreated his hand from your heat, while his tongue slowly traced a wet line on your neck and then planted countless kisses on it.

You were breathing heavily and he hadn’t even started - but every time you felt him press his hips against yours, the air felt heavier.

Taehyung tugged your earlobe with his teeth and gently sucked it, your scent filling his nostrils as a groan escaped his throat.

“Taehyung, kiss me.”

He obeyed, admiring your expression of losing control before slamming his lips against yours. It was a desperate open-mouthed-kiss in which your tongue massaged his in slow motion.  “Fuck me, fuck.” He mumbled.

He grabbed your hand and lead it to his cock - rock hard under your palm. His hips grinded against it, trying to cause some friction just like he did alone many times before.

He stopped kissing you, and looked at you with your lips barely touching and breathing against each other. He closed his eyes, his forehead falling on yours when your hand stroked his length and started moving up and down.

“Look what you do to me, Y/N. I want to be inside you so bad.” he whimpered.

“Do it. Fuck do it.” You moved your hand faster and his features twisted in pleasure.

“Take off your clothes.” he said, stopping you.

 You both kneeled on the mattress, you took your shirt off revealing your bare breasts - and watched him take off his pajamas, showing off his beautiful tan skin and toned chest. His cock sprung free from his boxers but he didn’t give you enough time to admire it.

“Take this shit off too.” He grunted almost to himself, rolling down your underwear with his fingers. Taehyung circled his arms around your waist, pulling you closer and attaching his mouth to your nipple. He flicked it repeatedly with his tongue and hummed when your fingers buried in his hair.

His digits found your clit again, and moved even lower to your entrance. A loud moan escaped from you, and he darted a satisfied look at you.

“God, look how wet you are. Do you get this wet when you write?”

“I write about you,” you confessed - pausing since you could barely speak, “yes.”

“Fuck, Y/N. Come here.”

He laid on his back this time and digged his fingers in your hips, pulling you towards him - towards his face.

You had just sit on it when you felt his tongue spreading your juices all over your slit, mixing them with his own saliva. Your legs tensed on the sides of his face, and you reached for his dick again but this time with your mouth.   You wrapped your lips around his head and swirled your tongue around it slowly. Sliding all the way down, you reached its base and sucked - earning a moan from him that vibrated against your folds. 

You almost bit him when he sucked hard on your clit and you had to stop for a second to recover. “I can’t suck you if you keep doing that.”

He grinned, “The real thing is harder than you thought huh?” He buried his tongue inside you, and your hips instinctively tried to push it deeper, desperate to feel more. His face moved side to side, his tongue massaging your walls until he touched a certain spot that made you pull away from him, feeling electricity rush over your legs.

“Please, please Taehyung,” you cried, “Stop teasing and make me come with your cock, please, please, please.”

You didn’t have to tell him twice. He pumped his length with his hand a few times and rolled above you, pinning you under him as he brushed his tip to your wet entrance. 

You felt as desperate as the characters in your stories were and Taehyung took in the glorious sight of you biting your lower lip, waiting for him to fuck you with a plead written on your eyes.

He finally pushed himself in, burying his cock inside of you - then taking a moment to let you adjust to his size. His jaw clenched as he heard your moans that couldn’t be contained anymore, and slowly moved in and out.

“Feels better than your dreams?” You could have just orgasmed because of the way his husky voice filled your ears.

You nodded, circling your arms around his neck and pulling him into a messy kiss. Fastening his pace, his tongue licked your lower lips as your mouth opened in an attempt to catch your breath.

“Please don’t stop” you begged, intoxicated by the smell of his cologne mixed with sweat as his thrusts kept going faster.

He didn’t stop pounding into you until he felt your walls clenching around him, your legs and hips convulsing and your breathy voice repeating his name like a mantra. He pulled out then, taking him just a few strokes to cover your folds with his cum. You watched him close his eyes, and breathe deeply, trying to recover.

Sensing your gaze, he met your eyes and stare at each other until your chests returned to normal and stopped going up and down.

He rolled to your side and circled you with his arms, cuddling with you. You felt his lips pressing on your neck softly.

“Aliendude, seriously?” You glued your body even closer to his.

He laughed and you felt his stomach moving against your back, “Smuttygirl?”

You rolled your eyes. “Right.”

He continued to plant kisses on your back. “So…. Was this how the story ended?”

You chuckled. “No, Taehyung.”

You felt his smirk before he playfully bit your skin, “That’s a shame, we’ll have to do it again.”

[idiopath-fic-smile]

have you ever put any thought into what's going on with the ABC gang in WAR a decade on? like, a lot of high school aus that use homophobia as a plot point are deliberately set in the 70s or the 80s, so it gets a little depressing because they'll have to wait decades for things to really get better - but you set WAR in 2006, which is *so cool* because in less than 10 years it goes from, well, 2006, to obergefell v. hodges.

this question is a bit complicated by the fact that i’m still working on adapting WAR into a novel, and the characters are a little different (i combined a lot of people, and also made most of them female) so this is specifically for the Les Mis fanfic version. 

also, this is more just my overall headcanon for the epilogue of WAR. take it with a grain of salt, none of this is True Canon, death of the author, etc

-it is my cherished secret headcanon that the members of the ABC gradually realize (in some cases, YEARS later) that actually none of them were straight, cis, and allo, with the possible exception of combeferre. 

ex) high school jehan ID’s as gay, but once they’re in the place to have more vocabulary for it, they come out as trans, nonbinary but femme-leaning (while continuing to be mostly into dudes). i think that eponine is bi (and also realizes pretty late that she’s nonbinary.) joly and bossuet are both bi. cosette is a lesbian. marius is ace. (their relationship worked in part because neither ever pressured the other, for anything. it was kind of more like playing house.) bahorel ID’s as straight for the longest time, but there’s a couple of male celebrities he jokes about as his “exceptions” until he realizes one day, hmm not really a joke. courfeyrac in high school considers himself gay, but after jehan comes out, realizes in retrospect he doesn’t fall perfectly on one end of the kinsey scale, either.

-molly keeps the ABC alive once the others graduate. gavroche joins when he becomes a freshman, and by his senior year, the club is double its original size. (he jokes it’s because he made LGBTQ rights cool, but really, a tide is turning.)

-enjolras stays politically active and does a lot of nonprofit and organizing work all throughout college. in ‘08, he joins one of those groups that goes door to door registering voters (so does jehan, who attends the same university). enjolras’s experiences with other people, people NOT from affluent suburbs, open his eyes in a good way and make him a little less intense about his own point of view.

-most of the ABC kids are swept up in the excitement of the first obama campaign. combeferre actually gets emotional, talking about it; he writes some very eloquent op-eds in the school paper about what obama means to him, and how fucked-up all the racist scrutiny really is. joly, musichetta, and bossuet phone bank. eponine starts taking photos at rallies, one of which becomes kind of well-known and helps launch her interest in pursuing photography for real. courfeyrac organizes theatrical productions to raise money for the campaign, which are a weird and wild success. bahorel is a minor social media star, and he leverages his dubious fame to try to help get out the young people vote.

-(eponine is gavroche’s legal guardian, and she balances work with community college. she was honestly more of a hillary girl, but obama wins her over eventually.)

-grantaire and enjolras stayed together post-high school, and after a year of attending a nearby community college, grantaire has the grades to transfer to the same university as enjolras. 

grantire spends most of his early college years bouncing from one major to another; he likes art but more as a release than as an area of academic focus. like, getting a bad grade on an art project is fucking devastating. they start fighting a lot that first september in the same school because enjolras is so sure of his path and grantaire feels guilty and defensive for not knowing where to go with his life. it makes grantaire feel like a worthless burnout again (which is frustrating because he thought he’d WORKED THROUGH IT, dammit), but he also resents enjolras’s attempts to help him, which eventually makes enjolras pull away in hurt, which terrifies grantaire so much that he pulls away too, and they break up very early sophomore year of college.

-the night obama wins the election in ‘08, even despite the blow of prop 8 passing, all the old ABC members are calling each other, yelling into their phones with delight. combeferre is literally crying.enjolras is jubilant, but grantaire, who had never seriously thought that obama had a chance, honestly feels like he’s high again.

enjolras and grantaire wind up at the same celebratory party and, under the influence of all that victory, they hook up. holy shit have they missed each other. they briefly get back together, but it’s not like it was in high school, before they knew quite how badly they could hurt each other. when enjolras does study abroad for a semester, they break up again, amicably, rather than do the long distance thing. they drift apart even when he gets back. it’s nobody’s fault.

-jehan switches to they/them pronouns and puts out a chapbook of poetry about feeling connected to the words of dead authors. bahorel becomes a college radio DJ, and is so good, his show gets picked up by local stations and he eventually starts working as the “bad boy of NPR”. courfeyrac realizes that more than acting, his real joy is stage managing. musichetta goes into business, advocating for greater diversity. 

-grantaire winds up at the last minute, majoring in psychology. studying this stuff in an actual class makes him realize just how dysfunctional his family dynamics have really been, and how little of it had to do with him. it’s both freeing and terrifying. he makes friends in his advanced psych courses (mostly idealistic young feminist women), and dates one for a while. ironically, she’s also bi. he has more of a chance to unpack all the stigma he’s been carrying around for years, how frustrating it was to be seen as “the gay kid” in high school when that wasn’t really true.

-combeferre decides to get dreadlocks after graduating undergrad and becomes “that hot World Lit TA with the dreadlocks”

-grantaire starts kind of considering going into counseling. the members of the ABC he’s still in touch with keep urging him to write Mr. Myriel a letter, and grantaire keeps dragging his feet, but one night he’s in town to visit Eponine, and runs into Mr. Myriel at the grocery store, and basically word-vomits all this gratitude, and the two become penpals. Mr. Myriel eventually writes one of the recommendation letters that gets grantaire into a sociology master’s program.

-combeferre gets fed up with the ivory tower of academia and joins a startup that teaches coding to kids, particularly girls in low-income areas. (He’d long been interested in coding, but more as a fun side hobby.)

-grantaire moves to the city (uh, let’s say chicago) to get his master’s, where he also reconnects with bossuet, who by then is a hippie engineer and just a solid, low-stress friend to have. they become super close in a platonic bros way, and grantaire may actually be the one to say, “oh btw, did you have a crush on joly, or did you guys both just like musichetta?” (answer: YES and YES). grantaire rents a bedroom in bossuet’s apartment (bossuet has more space than anticipated because he just had a rough breakup) and in his starving student days, grantaire pays some of his rent to bossuet by cooking him dinner and stuff. in this time, grantaire actually learns how to cook, beyond just fucking up the occasional frozen pizza.

-kind of to his surprise, grantaire winds up really enjoying counseling (or at least, finding it rewarding; talking to people with such intense problems be rough) and particularly working with youths. they never expect his sense of humor, which turns out to be a pretty useful tool in connecting with them.

-bossuet sometimes, long-distance, donates his time to combeferre’s coding project. grantaire hears through bossuet, through combeferre, that enjolras is moving to chicago for law school.

-at first, grantaire and enjolras are awkward around each other, but the weird thing is, their positions are kind of reversed because grantaire by now feels pretty confident in his role as a counselor, and is doing good work, while enjolras is under a ton of stress in law school and still not always 100% sure it’s the right move. grantaire is living alone by now, and he misses hanging with bossuet (who is in a complex poly triad now, and has a lot less free time) (part of me feels it’d be way too big of a coincidence if it’s joly and musichetta, part of me yearns for it, so you decide for yourself i suppose). so grantaire starts coming over to cook dinner at enjolras’s apartment as enjolras studies. this is partly because grantaire’s own kitchen in his studio is really insufficient, but mostly an excuse for them to hang out in a low-cost, low-pressure way. they eat and watch Parks and Rec.

-in theory this is a great system, and in practice it’s the same kind of agonizing romantic tension from high school. enjolras is really into this more confident, happier, more balanced grantaire. grantaire appreciates that enjolras has gotten  a little less overbearing, a little lighter even as he’s also so clearly fraying at the seams. grantaire just wants to, like, give him a massage, but whoa boundaries. they sit on the same couch and SOMETIMES THEIR ARMS BRUSH.

-enjolras decides first that he wants to get back together, that they’ve grown enough in the time they were apart that they could build something healthy and balanced now. he’s not totally sure how to make his case to grantaire, and he feels a little weird being the less stable one of the pair. 

-enjolras decides that he’s gonna make grantaire dinner. grantaire doesn’t really get why; enjolras generally does the dishes so it’s not like anything’s really owed here??? enjolras slips into way overachiever mode and prepares like a whole three-course spread of painstakingly researched recipes. grantaire is VERY confused. “I thought I was hot shit, dude, where did you learn to cook like this?” enjolras has to shamefacedly confess he taught it to himself for this night. “Damn, are you proposing or something?” grantaire blurts in an ill-considered joke, and enjolras’s ears turn red. they get together again. it’s really good this time.

-in 2013, when the supreme court rules that gay marriage is legal in all 50 states, enjolras actually finds out because grantaire texts him the minute the news breaks with simply, “Holy fuck, you were right all along!!!!!” and then some hearts.

-they’re married a year later. one of their wedding photos is them kissing, both raising a middle finger to the imagined haters, like “bring it on, assholes” you’d think this would’ve been grantaire’s idea, but nope, enjolras. it’s framed over their mantle.

-by november 2016, enjolras is a lawyer for the ACLU, and grantaire is a counselor at an organization that primarily works with LGBTQA youth. after the election, enjolras doesn’t get out of bed all day. then he’s a whirlwind of activity. trump-era enjolras is a hybrid of the wisdom and confidence of obama-era enjolras, and the “fuck these motherfuckers” pinpoint focused ferocity of bush jr-era enjolras. grantaire’s work is frequently draining as hell, but he’s drawing again (making a webcomic with joly, actually), and they’re getting by.

-sometimes, at low moments, they remember how it felt at their wedding reception, when bahorel cued up Ted Leo’s “Shake the Sheets” and all those friends and loved ones danced their brains out (enjolras’s parents have some MOVES as it turns out), and grantaire got super choked up, and then enjolras leaned over while they were dancing and whispered in his ear, “Probably better that he didn’t go with our prom song,” (which, as you’ll remember, is Fifty Cent’s “Candy Shop”) and they both burst out laughing in the middle of the dance floor. If they survived high school, they can survive anything.

-bossuet, grantaire, joly, eponine, musichetta and sometimes enjolras have a long-distance D&D game wherein a ragtag crew of outcasts battles the odds as they attempt to take down an evil totalitarian kingdom. (joly’s already got notes for the graphic novel version.)

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 3/19/21: SXSW, Zack Snyder’s Justice League,The Courier, City of Lies, Happily and More!

Remember a couple weeks back when I stated the plan was to bring back the Weekend Warrior as a regular weekly series again? Yeah, well if you looked for a column last week and wondered what happened, I just didn’t have time to write one. And I also just haven’t been able to get back on the ball in terms of writing reviews. It just takes a lot of time to watch all the movies let alone review them the way I did last year. I honestly have no idea how I did it last year, but things have been busier than ever at Below the Line, which does throw a bit of a spanner into any extracurricular plans.

The big event this week is the annual SXSW Film Festival, which I’ll be taking part in virtually, and somewhat tangentially, watching as much as I can while still doing other things. It’s been a while since I’ve attended SXSW in person, but it tends to have great docs, especially music docs. In fact, this year’s Opening Night Film is the documentary, Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, about Demi Lovato’s drug overdose from 2018 and its aftermath. Other music docs of interest include Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, about the late frontwoman from early punk band X-Ray Spex through the eyes of her daughter; Mary Wharton’s doc Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free made from archival footage of the late singer making his 1994 record “Wildflowers”; Alone Together about Charlie XCX’s pandemic record; Under the Volcano about George Martin’s AIR Studios Montserrat; and it gives another chance to see Edgar Wright’s excellent, The Sparks Brothers, which was picked up by Focus Features after Sundance. There’s also an amazing doc about Selma Blair’s fight with MS, Introducing, Selma Blair, which is equal parts heartbreaking and inspirational.

SXSW also has pretty solid Midnighters, and there’s a number of those I’m also looking forward to, including Travis Stevens’ Jakob’s Wife, starring horror legends Larry Fassenden and Barbara Crampton, who were so great in my buddy Ted Geoghegan’s We Are Still Here. (No coincidence since Stevens produced that movie.) And I hope to watch a few others like Lee Haven Jones’ The Feast, Jacob Gentry’s Broadcast Signal Intrusion, and Alex Noyer’s Sound of Violence. We’ll see how much I get to see this week, cause it’s a lot of movies over only a couple days, basically from Tuesday through Saturday.

Closer to home at the Metrograph, the still-closed movie theater is doing a virtual series called “Bill Murray X6” which has already shown Lost in Translation and What about Bob? With Rushmore screening until Thursday, and then The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou available through Friday. Become a digital member for just $5 a month! This past weekend I saw a really amazing 7-part doc series called Untitled Pizza Movie by David Shapiro. In fact, I stayed up late on Sunday to watch the whole thing since it was leaving the digital screeners, but it’s a very entertaining, intriguing and personal story about the director, his friend and partner in crime Leeds, who he went around to different NYC pizza shops in the ‘90s trying to find the perfect slice, and then they come across pizzaman Andrew Belluci at the world-famous Lombardi’s in Soho. The project that took over 20 years to make follows what happened to the three men, but mainly Leeds and Belluci as they have ups and downs that ultimately leads to Belluci starting his own pizza joint in Queens. Everything that happens in between is quite fascinating.

I saw a couple other movies this past weekend including Robin Wright’s Land, which I quite enjoyed, and the rom-com Long Weekend, which came out last Friday but I totally missed. Land is a pretty amazing directorial debut that’s mostly a one-woman show with her character alone in the wilderness until she runs into trouble and meets Demian Bichir’s kindly Samaritan and they become friends. Directed by Stephen Basilone, Long Weekend stars Finn Wittrock and Zoe Chao in what starts as a meet cute rom-com and turns into something much deeper with a couple sci-fi-tinged twists, a bit like Palm Springs, but much more grounded. I loved the two leads and how Basilone made a romantic comedy that actually was romantic and very funny, as well. Both movies I recommend.

Getting into some of the streamer offerings this week, ZACK SNYDER’s JUSTICE LEAGUE will hit HBO Max on Thursday, so we can finally see whether or not that extra money and work paid off. I’ll be reviewing this over at Below the Line, so won’t spend too much time here. I figure that anyone who has been waiting for this will watch it, as will anyone who has been curious about it. As you can read from my review, I was quite impressed by the film as an achievement in finishing what is clearly a far superior film to the 2017 theatrical release. Some of the highlights include great stuff between Ray Fisher’s Cyborg and his father, a far more fun introduction to The Flash that was cut from the 2017 release and just some insanely crazy good action. I can’t wait to watch the movie again.

Kicking off on Friday is the anticipated Marvel Studios series, THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER (Disney), bringing back the title characters played by Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, who were introduced in one of the MCU’s better movies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I was sent the first episode and unfortunately, there’s an embargo until Thursday afternoon, but I do think that MCU fans are gonna be thrilled with the first episode, especially with the Falcon’s opening action sequence, which is like something right out of the movies.

Okay, fine, so let’s get to some new movies and some real reviews…

Probably the movie with the widest release this weekend will be THE COURIER (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions), starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which I’m guessing will be in 1,000 or so theaters. The movie premiered at Sundance way back in 2020 under the significantly worse title of “Ironbark” with plans to release it later in the year, but then COVID happened. I’m not sure if Roadside Attractions planned for this to be an awards movie, but after a few delays, releasing it in mid-March just days after the Oscar nominations, I’m guessing probably not?

Directed by Dominic Cooke (On Chesil Beach) from a screenplay by Tom O’Connor (The Hitman’s Bodyguard… wait, WHAT?), this Cold War spy thriller set in the early ‘60s stars Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne, a British businessman who is coerced by agents from MI6 and the CIA (repped by Rachel Brosnahan) to smuggle Russian secrets from military man Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze). Greville’s trips to Moscow start getting more and more dangerous under the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and his wife (the always great Jessie Buckley) wants him to stop taking the trips. It all leads up to a pretty exciting second act as the KGB starts to figure out what Greville and Oleg have been up to and work to put a stop to it.

I have to admit that as much as I enjoy a good spy-thriller, a lot of this reminded me of Cumberbatch’s earlier film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – yes, the John Le Caree adaptation, which I was never a particularly big fan of. This has similarities in that it starts out fairly slow, making me think this might be one of those well-made, well-acted movies that are just plain boring cause the subject doesn’t interest me. I’m sure when this was greenlit, there was probably more relevance to the situation between the U.S. and Russia, although this is obviously a British production and maybe something better to watch on the Beeb than in a movie theater.

In general, the stuff with the two men and their families tends to be the best part of the movie. I wasn’t familiar with Merab Ninidze beforehand, but he’s a really good actor who holds his own in scenes with Cumberbatch. Although Cumberbatch’s performance is significantly better here than in The Mauritanian, that’s definitely a better movie, so even in the last act which sees Wynne in a Russian jail, it just doesn’t compare. This is the second film with Rachel Brosnahan in which she didn’t really impress me much after hearing how great she is on Mrs. Maisel. Even so, the movie did make me want to go back and rewatch the beginning again to see if maybe I wasn’t as focused on it, as it should be.

As far as box office, I don’t have much hope for this making more than $2 or 3 million this weekend, since it seems more like a prestige platform release that would have to build audiences from rave reviews or positive word-of-mouth. Coming out so long after its festival debut (kinda like that Thomas Edison movie a few years back) may have helped people forget about the midling festival reviews. Even so, this movie just doesn’t have much buzz or interest from #FilmTwitter who has had its tongue so far up the superhero movie ass this week between Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to pay much attention to this. (Hey, facts is facts!)

Johnny Depp and Forrest Whitaker star in Brad Furman’s crime-thriller CITY OF LIES (Saban Films), which is about the real-life search for the killer of the Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls with Depp playing Detective Russell Poole, who ended up on the case in 1997, and Whitaker playing reporter Jack Jackson, doing a story on Smalls for the 20thanniversary of the unsolved murder.

Based on the book “Labyrinth” (the movie’s original title), it’s a story that takes place in two time periods, Los Angeles in the ‘90s after the Rodney King beating and L.A. riots and how it’s made the criminal element that surrounds rap mogul Suge Night. It begins with Poole investigating the death of a black police officer named Gaines, shot by a white police officer (Shea Whigham) in what is seemingly a road rage incident. As Poole investigates, he learns about police corruption in the force including a number of officers tied directly to Knight.

As Jackson interviews Poole to try and find out who killed Biggie, we flashback to Poole’s investigation and interaction with some of those corrupt cops and being put into extremely dangerous situations. The movie isn’t bad, especially the scenes between Whitaker and Depp, who gives a far more grounded performance than we’ve seen from him in recent years. Even so, the performance that really impressed me was Toby Huss as Poole’s superior, who just brings something new to the tough head detective role we haven’t really seen.

Regardless of what you think of Depp’s activities off-camera, this is a fairly solid crime thriller (as was Scott Cooper’s Black Mass), and though you never actually get to see Biggie, Tupac or Suge Night, it’s an interesting examination into a period in L.A. that seems so long ago but still rings true to what’s been going on in the last year.

BenDavid Grabinski’s HAPPILY (Saban/Paramount) is a dark comedy-thriller starring Joel McHale and Kerry Bishé as Tom and Janet, a happily married couple who annoy their friends by still having sex on the regular whenever they possibly can. In fact, their friends decide to uninvite Tom and Janet to their planned couples’ weekend because they’re so annoyed by them. One day, a mysterious man (played by Stephen Root) shows up at Tom and Janet’s house, one thing leads to another and they kill and bury him. Thinking that the man’s visit might be part of a friend’s prank, they go to the planned couples’ trip, trying to figure out if the prankster has gotten suspicious about what they’ve done.

For the sake of transparency, I met Grabinski at my very first Sundance ever as he was friends with some of my colleagues, but I never spent a ton of time talking to him. This film impressed me, since it’s a prtty strong debut from him, one that benefits greatly from a strong cast that includes Paul Scheer, Breckin Meyer (who I didn’t even recognize!), Charlyne Yi, Natalie Morales and more, making for a really solid ensemble dark comedy that reminded me of the tone of last year’s The Hunt or Ike Barinholtz’s The Oath or a great lesser-seen movie from last year, Robert Schwartzman’s The Argument. Dark comedy isn’t for everyone, and this is definitely a little mean-spirited at times, but more importantly, it’s very funny and tends to get crazier and crazier as it goes along.

More importantly, I loved Grabinski’s musical choices from Devo’s “Working in a Coal Mine” to not one but two OMD songs, and great use of Public Image Limited as well. The way Grabinski puts this together comes across like a hipper and fresher Hitchcock, and while it might not be for everyone, I could totally see this killing at a genre fest like Fantastic Fest or even this week’s SXSW. It’s clever and original and rather intriguing how Grabinski puts all the various pieces together.

Hitting Shudder on Thursday is Elza Kephart’s horror-comedy SLAXX (Shudder) about a possessed pair of jeans brought to life to punish the practices of a trendy clothing company, which it does by terrorizing the staff locked in overnight. Didn’t get to watch this before getting bogged down in SXSW but definitely looking forward to it.

Another horror film coming out this week is the horror anthology PHOBIAS (Vertical), exec. produced by the filmmaking team “Radio Silence” (Ready or Not) with segments directed by Camilla Belle, Maritte Lee Go, Joe Sill, Jess Varley and Chris von Hoffman. The stories follow five dangerous patients suffering from extreme phobias at a government facility with a crazed doctor trying to weaponize their fears.

Jeremy Piven stars in Paolo Pilladi’s LAST CALL (IFC Films) playing real estate developer Mick, who returns to his old Philly neighborhood and must decide whether to resurrect his family bar or raze it. I actually watched a few minutes of this, but apparently, IFC Films isn’t allowing reviews, so I have nothing more to say about the movie beyond the fact that it’s coming out on Friday.

Opening at the newly reopened Film Forum – currently doing a hybrid of in-person and virtual cinema – is Chris McKim’s doc WOJNAROWICZ: F**K YOU F*GGOT F**KER (Kino Lorber), premiering virtually on Friday. It’s about David Wojnarowicz, one of the loudest voices in the ACT-Up movement during the ‘80s who died of AIDS himself in 1992. (Correction: Film Forum actually isn’t reopening until April 2.)

A few other things this week include Aengus James’ doc AFTER THE DEATH OF ALBERT LIMA hitting Crackle about Paul Lima, a son obsessed with capturing his father’s murderer who has remained at large in Honduras due to a failed legal system. Because of this, Paul travels to the Honduras with two bounty hunters to find and capture the killer.

Lastly, streaming on Topic Thursday, there’s Parliament, directed by Elilie Noblet and Jeremie Sein, about a young man named Samy who arrives in Brussels after the Brexit vote trying to get a job into the European Parliament without really knowing how it works.

That’s all for this week. It might be a while before I can get The Weekend Warrior back into some sort of fighting weekly shape, but I’m doing the best I can right now, so let me know if you’re reading any of this.

[sage-nebula]

I'm sure someone else will ask Alain, so let's go with his family instead! Sycamore, Meyer, Clemont, and Bonnie? (Uh, obviously not the hotness ones for the bbies, haha.)

Haha, actually, you would have been the first one to ask for Alan since I’m going in order received! Someone did end up asking for him, but yeah, you would have asked first. Either way, I’m happy to answer for the others!

And haha, don’t worry: I’m changing the “hot” ones to “aesthetic attractiveness” across the board since that makes the most sense to me (being ace and all), and also because many of the characters requested/sent in are underage, and I feel much more comfortable calling a kid/teen aesthetically pretty (like how wolves are pretty or mountains are pretty) than I feel calling them hot. So no worries there, I’m not calling Bonnie or Clemont anything even remotely close to “hot,” because that would be gross, lmao.

—Sycamore—

General Opinion: 

fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual light of my life

Aesthetic Attractiveness Level: 

get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically aesthetically attractive but not my type | pretty aesthetically attractive | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

Hogwarts House: 

Gryffindor | Slytherin | Ravenclaw | Hufflepuff

Best Quality:

PAPA SYCAMORE IS THE BEST PAPA, 100/100, IT’S HIGHLY ENCOURAGED THAT HE OFFICIALLY ADOPT ALAN ASAP.

More calmly/seriously, Sycamore is protective, patient, understanding, and kind. He nurtures and encourages kids—all kids, really, but especially his kids—to grow and experience the world, to understand it at their own pace and in their own way. He’s so nurturing and wonderful and is just, all around, the best dad. ♥ (And especially the best dad for Alan, hands down, fate wanted this to happen, it wasn’t coincidence that Sycamore found Alan that day.)

Worst Quality:

HE DIDN’T GO SAVE HIS SON WHEN HE WAS SUPPOSED TO

This is delving into headcanon a bit, but I think that Sycamore—despite how much he loves the people close to him, how understanding and nurturing he can be—can sometimes be a bit … out of touch? … with deeper emotional issues, or rather … he doesn’t always think of them, he has the tendency to just think that things in his interpersonal relationships are okay until it’s specifically brought to his attention that it isn’t. This doesn’t tend to be a huge problem, but for instance, the reason why he never officially adopted Alan was simply because he figured things were fine the way they were, never thought about it, it never came up, and he never clued into the fact that this has been something that Alan has had an internal complex over since childhood (in that his being an orphan has always been something that bothered him, and he has—ever since he was five, probably even younger—had the thought that he needs to be good enough to be adopted. So with Sycamore, Alan has thought, “Okay, if I’m good enough, then he’ll want to adopt me,” and so he’s done his absolute best to be good enough … and Sycamore is just … completely unaware of this, and the thought of official adoption hasn’t crossed his mind, because in his mind Alan is already as good as his son and that’s that). So it’s not a bad quality per se, but it’s just a part of how he is, and since Alan is the type to not speak up about his feelings, things just kind of sit there until a third party intervenes.

Ship Them With:

Meyer

Brotp Them With:

ALAN (best father-son duo ♥)

Gabrielle

Lizardon (look, that little bit in XYZ036 was goddamn precious, okay, Lizardon was so happy to have Sycamore’s praise and to be pet by him!!)

Clemont and Bonnie (his future stepchildren), especially Bonnie

Diantha

Steven Stone

Fulbert >_>;;

Needs to Stay Away From:

Part of me wants to say “LYSANDRE,” but on the other hand I still wish that he had actually confronted Lysandre, that he and Lysandre could have thrown down in canon, because I wanted to see nothing more than Papa Wolf Sycamore ripping out Lysandre’s throat after the way Lysandre treated Alan, tbqh. I still need to finish both the detention center fic and Pet Project to get my fill of what canon denied me.

Other than that, though, Lysandre. Also, in terms of To Devour the Sun, Lusamine, although … well, it’s sort of a similar situation to the Lysandre situation, in all honesty, but kind of … actually … worse. You’ll see why in a couple chapters.

Misc. Thoughts:

I admit that I really was not fond of game!Sycamore, and I’m still not in all honesty, but the anime really redeemed him in my eyes and I love him a lot. Now he just needs to officially adopt his son and everything will be okay. Get on it, Sycamore!!

—Meyer—

General Opinion:

fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual light of my life

Aesthetic Attractiveness Level:

get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically aesthetically attractive but not my type | pretty aesthetically attractive | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

Hogwarts House:

Gryffindor | Slytherin | Ravenclaw | Hufflepuff

I’m actually pretty torn here, and I’d have to do a more indepth analysis to make a final determination. It doesn’t help—in fact, it really doesn’t help—that we saw so little of Meyer in canon.

The issue here is not so much what Meyer does, but rather, why he does it. We know that he runs around as Blaziken Mask whenever there’s danger, whenever something is threatening Lumiose City/Kalos as a whole. I feel like for most people that would slam dunk him into Gryffindor, but I disagree, because the question here is why Meyer is doing that. Is he doing it because it’s the Right Thing to do, and he therefore feels a moral obligation to step up and do the thing? Or is he doing it because he sees Lumiose City (and possibly Kalos by extension) as his community, and he feels a devotion and duty toward his community? Because while doing the Right Thing steers him toward Gryffindor, while feeling strong communal loyalty and wanting to do right by his community/those he sees as people worth protecting is Hufflepuff.

So I’d really need to spend more time thinking about this, but at the moment I could see either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff for Meyer.

Best Quality:

Definitely his willingness to protect others regardless of the danger he faces himself in the process. Regardless of his broader motivations for doing it, the fact remains that Meyer has, on multiple occasions, put both himself and Toast (his blaziken) in harm’s way in order to protect others. On most occasions these are people he personally knows and loves (e.g. Sycamore, Bonnie), but there are also instances where he has rescued someone he doesn’t know at all (e.g. Ash and Pikachu at the start of the series). Meyer wouldn’t run around as Blaziken Mask if he wasn’t willing to endanger himself protecting those who need protection, and that’s definitely an admirable quality.

Worst Quality:

While he has good reasons for it / it’s justified in his mind, the fact remains that Meyer still finds it pretty easy to keep secrets from those he’s closest to, namely with regards to the whole Blaziken Mask thing. He didn’t bat an eye about it even when he met up with his own children while in disguise, and he would have never told them had his mask not fallen off in the midst of battle. Again, he has good reasons for it, he doesn’t want them hurt if anyone decides to pick a fight with him because of his secret identity—but the ease with which he keeps secrets and lies probably does quality for a worst quality if I had to pick one.

Ship Them With:

Sycamore

Brotp Them With:

Clemont and Bonnie, his children

Alan, tbh, because I think he’d be such a good stepdad for Alan

His ex-wife, Teresa

Needs to Stay Away From:

He wears a cape as Blaziken Mask, so … jet engines? :P

Misc. Thoughts:

He’s also a really fantastic dad and I have at least one moment planned for him in To Devour the Sun that I’m really looking forward to. Also, he’s the reason in the prime timeline why Sycamore finally wisens up and talks to Alan about official adoption, and though Alan is at first unsure/a bit anxious over whether or not Meyer would want him around Clemont and/or Bonnie (because like, doesn’t Meyer distrust him after the entire Flare incident? That would be reasonable), Meyer assures him that really is not the truth and he’d be proud to have Alan as part of the family. It’s really sweet.

He’s also a great cook, just fyi.

—Clemont—

General Opinion:

fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual light of my life

Aesthetic Attractiveness Level:

get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically aesthetically attractive but not my type | pretty aesthetically attractive | gorgeous! | 10/10

Hogwarts House:

Gryffindor | Slytherin | Ravenclaw | Hufflepuff

Again, I’d want to spend a bit more time examining him, but (perhaps surprisingly?) I’m leaning toward Hufflepuff with Clemont, because while Clemont does love science and learning, it’s the reason why he loves it that matters. I think it’s less that Clemont is trying to formulate his own understanding of the Truth, less whether he’s asking if the things before him in the universe are True or Not, and more that he’s using knowledge and science to help those in his community. Clemont is a rather ardent believer in the fact that science helps people, that it improves lives, and he dedicates his experiments to doing just that. He’s not experimenting and researching because he wants to formulate a better understanding, because he wants to learn and continue to expand his knowledge, but rather specifically because there are people within his community (i.e. people he feels are worth helping/protecting) whose lives he wants to enrich. Again, I’m not 100% on this, I’d need to spend more time, but just thinking of him in a snap decision I’d lead toward Hufflepuff, particularly for how dedicated he is to his purpose. 

Best Quality:

Definitely his passion, and how dorky he can get with it. Clemont is a bit awkward, and he can come across as a bit reserved in most social situations, but if you ask him about science he gets SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED and it’s completely adorable. I love it.

Worst Quality:

Clemont has a tendency to let others take charge for him, which can sometimes even lead to people taking charge of him, in the sense that they walk all over him. He created Clembot specifically so he could shirk his Gym Leader duties, but then he had trouble standing up to Clembot when he got out of control. And while things with Clembot got worked out, and while Clemont did grow as a person over time, even at the end of the series we see that he has a hard time standing up for himself and saying, “No, I’m the Gym Leader” when that kid wanted to battle with Clembot instead. He did eventually, but it was difficult for him. So Clemont’s worst quality is probably his tendency to either shirk duties and let others take the reins so he can do what he considers to be more important / preferable (because being a Gym Leader is important, but Clemont felt that his community was better benefited via his inventions instead), but also in that he can be something of a pushover at times.

Ship Them With:

Ash

Serena

That one girl he had ship tease with in the one episode where Bonnie’s marriage proposal actually kind of worked

He could be cute nerd bfs with Shouta?

Brotp Them With:

Ash

Bonnie

Shouta

Needs to Stay Away From:

Things that can make his inventions explode. :P More seriously, XEROSIC.

Misc. Thoughts:

Clemont is cute, but out of the whole family I’ve spent the least time with him mentally/emotionally, so I don’t feel as strong of a tie to him as I do to the others. I do like him, though. He’s a good boy.

—Bonnie—

General Opinion:

fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual light of my life

Aesthetic Attractiveness Level:

get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically aesthetically attractive but not my type | pretty aesthetically attractive | adorable! | 

Hogwarts House:

Gryffindor | Slytherin | Ravenclaw | Hufflepuff

Again, I’d need to do an indepth analysis, but at the moment I lean toward Gryffindor, because aside from her obvious bravery, Bonnie tends to have a pretty firm sense of justice, seems guided by that, and is willing to step up and be brave because of that. Yes, she did care about Squishy personally, he was one of her best friends, but it’s also true that Lumiose City was being destroyed and she felt that the Right Thing to Do was to reach out to Squishy, to talk him out of what was forcing him to act so aggressively toward so many innocent people. Likewise, she reached out to Z2 for the same exact reason, befriended him for the same reason. So while I haven’t done an indepth examination of Bonnie’s character, I feel like she has far more Gryffindor qualities than she does qualities of other Houses—that her motivations are more solidly Gryffindor (and that this is what would push her to become a Top Ranger in adulthood, an international superheroine for sure).

Best Quality:

Definitely her friendliness, her optimism, and her willingness to try even when the odds seem stacked against her, or even when common sense says “no.” Bonnie is always open to meeting new people and pokémon, and is rather enthusiastic about it; she keeps a positive, upbeat attitude in most situations and she’s always willing to give any new situation her all. Sure, some of that might be youthful naivete, but I think that this is a type of confidence that would stick with her even into adulthood. I think it’s a great strength.

Worst Quality:

On the other hand, sometimes Bonnie can be a bit too enthusiastic or innocently ignorant of dangerous situations, usually as it pertains to getting too up close and personal with pokémon that she’s not familiar with (or chasing them around when they try to flee from her—tone down the Elmyra tendencies, Bonnie), or when it comes to actually dangerous things that she’s not equipped to deal with. Bonnie has a sort of “leap before you look” approach to life at times, which could certainly get her in over her head in the future if she’s not careful. (Also, she really doesn’t need to find a wife for her brother, and in so doing she pretty much ignores how uncomfortable/embarrassed this makes him. Bonnie, stop that.)

Ship Them With:

No one, she’s a baby. That said, I think it’d be cute to see her and Max (who is about her age, and was May’s little brother / one of Ash’s companions in AG) interact, but that’s not necessarily shippy.

Brotp Them With:

SQUISHY

Clemont

ALAN, because for some reason this big brother, little sister combo is even cuter to me than Bonnie with her biological brother

Serena

Manon

Ash

Needs to Stay Away From:

Well, it’s not really relevant in canon, but in To Devour the Sun, staying far, far away from Lusamine would be a really good idea. 

Misc. Thoughts:

She’s going to enroll in the Ranger School shortly after getting her Trainer License, and by the time she’s in her late teens / early adulthood she’s going to be an accomplished Top Ranger, mark my words. It’s literally the perfect career for her, seriously, in just about every single way.

[preciousmetals0]

Market FOMO Rising; Disney Plus Ultra

Market FOMO Rising; Disney Plus Ultra:

Mr. FOMO Risin’

If you ever needed clear proof that the stock market does not represent the U.S. economy, today provided it.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that 6.6 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week. The latest data bring the total of new claims to more than 16 million for the past three weeks.

That’s 10% of the U.S. workforce gone. Poof. Vanished into the novel coronavirus tainted air.

How did Wall Street react to this economic travesty? With a rally, of course.

But, in Wall Street’s defense, it was distracted by shiny objects — $2.3 trillion worth of shiny objects, to be precise.

To keep investors from looking behind the curtain, the Federal Reserve announced a $2.3 trillion lending package to support the economy. Fed Chairman Oz — er, Jerome Powell declared that the central bank will “provide as much relief and stability as we can.”

You can read all the nitty-gritty details here — including the Fed’s plan to buy junk corporate bonds. (This literally can’t go belly up, right?)

But Powell wasn’t alone in defending the U.S. economy. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC’s Squawk on the Street that the U.S. could open back up in May. Mnuchin noted that the Trump administration was doing “everything necessary that American companies and American workers can be open for business and that they have the liquidity that they need to operate their business in the interim.”

The Takeaway: 

I want to believe, dear readers. I truly do.

I want to believe that, once the COVID-19 threat passes, everything will magically return to normal … that businesses will quickly rehire 16 million Americans and get us all back to work.

I want to believe that the Fed’s $2.3 trillion announcement, the Treasury Secretary’s appearance on a major financial TV show and the revelation of 6.6 million new jobless claims happening on the same day is just a coincidence. (Hint: It’s not.)

I also want to believe that the recent market rally is the start of a new bull market … that there’s no more risk left in the system … and that rainbows and monkeys will fly out of my … well, you get the picture.

Right now, if you’re following Great Stuff’s recommendations, you’re likely experiencing a heavy dose of “fear of missing out,” or FOMO. You’ve got that FOMO risin’. And it’s gonna keep on risin’.

But you and I, we didn’t just get into town about an hour ago. We know which way the wind blows.

We know that the economic bill for the COVID-19 shutdown has to come due sooner or later. Wall Street can ignore weekly jobless claims. It can ignore a trickle of economic data here and there — especially when the Fed chair and the Treasury Secretary are giving stump speeches.

What Wall Street can’t ignore is the flood of bad economic data that’s coming … or the wave of horrendous corporate earnings reports that will follow.

It will be interesting to see how much ammunition the Fed has left when the inevitable comes.

Editor’s Note: With the whole biotech sector screaming “pandemic!” there’s never been a better time to find undiscovered biotech diamonds. Today, expert Jeff Yastine has his eye on one biotech stock that he believes is set to soar. Click here now to learn more!

The Good: Disney Plus Ultra

My wife jokingly refers to The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) as a “people trap built by a mouse.” Judging by how crowded the company’s theme parks were before the COVID-19 shutdown, she’s not wrong.

With the launch of Disney+ last year, the mouse now has a digital trap as well. And boy, is it effective. According to Disney, its new streaming service now has 50 million paid subscribers, up from just 28.6 million in February. That’s a 75% jump in roughly two months!

The surprising growth even put the most bullish of analyst projections to shame. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) predicted 40 million subs by the end of 2020. The end of 2020.

Disney is now on pace to easily top its original estimate of 60 million to 90 million Disney+ subscribers by 2024.

What’s more, the service just launched in India in February, and it expanded heavily across Europe in late March. That means more subscriber growth will come this year — especially with launches in Japan, Western Europe and Latin America coming later in 2020.

While Disney+ revenue won’t replace lost park revenue due to COVID-19, it puts the company in a leading position in the streaming market heading into a post-quarantine world.

DIS is high on Great Stuff’s list for a potential buy once things settle down.

The Bad: Not Enough Panic-Buying?

The COVID-19 outbreak was initially illustrated with images of shopping carts filled to the breaking point — mostly with toilet paper. Retailers clearly stood to benefit from the panic-buying, and today, we got a glimpse at one of panic-buyers’ biggest targets: Costco Wholesale Corp. (Nasdaq: COST).

Sales skyrocketed for Costco in March, with same-store sales spiking 12.1% on the month.

But analysts had their hopes set higher … much higher. The average consensus estimate for Costco’s March sales growth sits at 24.1%. So, despite seriously impressive sales growth, Costco still missed expectations.

Furthermore, Costco said that sales of non-essential products, such as electronics and apparel, hurt overall sales figures. Store hours and store closures due to COVID-19 also negatively impacted sales.

Now, if COST stock was down just because it missed some overinflated analyst figures, I’d say the shares are a bargain on today’s sell-off. However, we all know that 12.1% sales growth isn’t sustainable.

This is doubly true when you consider that 16 million Americans have now filed for unemployment. Costco will likely see sales growth decline — slowly due to stimulus efforts, but they will still decline.

In fact, we may have seen the peak for consumer spending this year, and that doesn’t bode well for COST.

The Ugly: Grounded

Airline stocks soared today. Investors likely banked on hopes that the U.S. will be open for business by next month — thanks Mnuchin!

But, if investors think that there won’t be plenty of turbulence ahead, they’re sorely mistaken.

Right now, airlines such as Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL), American Airlines Group Inc. (Nasdaq: AAL) and United Airlines Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: UAL) are all counting on a government bailout. They’re losing tens of millions of dollars a day due to COVID-19 quarantines and travel bans.

Roughly $29 billion was earmarked for the airline bailout, but none of that cash is flowing. According to reports, the Department of the Treasury is asking for more financial information before letting the spice flow.

In fact, the data requested appear more akin to a loan process than a cash grant application, according to sources.

There are two takeaways here: First, bailout cash for airlines isn’t flowing out right now, and it probably won’t for a while longer. Second, that cash will come with more strings attached than airlines and investors expect.

This isn’t a carte blanche bailout. And with traffic expected to remain low even after the all-clear sounds, airline stocks will certainly get hammered once again.

It’s that time again! Today, we dive headfirst into the Great Stuff inbox and see what you and your fellow readers are pondering this week.

Are you pondering what I’m pondering?

I think so, Mr. Great Stuff, but if they called them “sad meals” no one would buy them.

Let’s get right to it:

Quick Climbs for Fast Times

Just a quick thought- If it’s the fastest time to reach a bear market, what is stopping it from turning into the fastest time to reach a bull market? After the virus issues subside of course. Everything appears to be happening at such a faster pace these days.

— Bill M.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Bill! Now, as time has lost all meaning and distinction since my kids started staying home from school, everything’s passing faster and slower at the same time.

Anyway, here’s the one thing that can prevent an even faster leap back into a bull market: uncertainty. It’s a day trader’s delight but an investor’s kryptonite. We just hit 10% unemployment at the end of a supposed “relief rally” that included a 50% Dow retracement.

If that doesn’t scream “uncertainty” ahead, nothing does.

On Idiots and Followers

We have alot of idiots fallowing the leader of the idiots.

— Tom D.

The best part is that I can’t tell which political, economic or health figure you’re talking about … and yet, I’m still strangely inclined to agree with you, Tom.

Crown Castles Made of Sand

Hello. Some of my most recession resistant stocks: AMT and CCI are holding steady … at least so far. Both also pay dividends.

— Brent J.

I want to hark back to an older email, dated March 17. Back in the thick of March madness, we were talking about crash-proof stocks and how to weather the storm.

Don’t worry, I won’t spoil the rest of your ultra secret picks, Brent! (They’re good dogs, Brent! It’s an old meme, sir, but it checks out.) Though, I see you have the 5G trend covered from the cell tower side of things. And I sure hope you held on — if not added to your position!

Both American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT) and Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE: CCI) have already bounced back to February’s pre-devastation levels. If any of you readers out there timed that rebound, nicely done! If not, you might want to wait for more volatility (and oh, it’s a-comin’) to find a better entry price.

(Not sure where to start with investing in 5G? Click here now!)

Thank you to Bill, Tom, Brent and everyone else who wrote in!

Have you written to us yet? If not, what’s stopping you?! We always look forward to hearing your market takes, stock ideas, rants, raves, recipes, conspiracy theories and whatever else you’ve been cooking up while quarantined.

Drop us a line at GreatStuffToday@BanyanHill.com and feel free to speak your mind.

As always, remember that the Great Stuff action never ends. You can also find us on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, be Great!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff