#Cherry Street Pier“

[hellonew-yorkgirl]

6. Es geht mit dem Bus nach Philadelphia

[totothewolff]

Season of Love (10/?) [New chapter]

+18 | Toto x reader fem!teamprincipal, romance, comedy, and some good drama.

Summary: One night on a pier in Monaco, while admiring the sea under the night skies, you tell Toto: "I came to the conclusion that love is simply not meant for me." That's the answer to a question you have been asking yourself for the longest time. But what if he proved you wrong? Author's note: This is a multichapter Toto Wolff x team principal reader fic set along a season of F1. It's a very immersive story full of drivers, team dynamics, races, mystery, and smut. You just bought the Williams team, but nobody really knows who you truly are.

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The Sebaffäre Arc Chapter 10: Finding Our Grip.

Japan

The sun slips through the cherry blossom trees, their soft pink petals floating gently in the spring air over the streets of Shibuya as you, Sebastian, Mick, and Millie walk, soaking in the vibrant energy surrounding you.

Laughter spreads as you explore the bustling district known for its trendy stores, eclectic street style, and, of course, the undeniable Kawaii culture for which Millie lives.

“I saw on Instagram a new pop-up cafe with capybara-themed everything! We have to go!” Millie exclaims, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Sebastian chuckles while pulling her a little closer, wrapping a relaxed arm around her neck, their height difference being noticeable. “If it has cute animals and desserts, just take me there,” he jokes.

Mick, is already scouting for the ultimate kawaii stuff for Millie. “Look! They have those giant plush toys over there!” He points toward a shop filled with oversized snack plushies.

Your heart fills with joy as this hangout feels more like a family trip.

-

“Millie, this one is so you!” you point out, holding up a pink dress adorned with frills and one little cat paw. Millie squeals in delight as she slips it on, twirling in front of the mirror, you are now inside an all-pink extremely chic fashion store.

After some bags of apparel are added to your purchases, you head toward the Capybara café.

As soon as you step inside, you are greeted by the most adorably fluffy residents lounging around.

"I'M GOING TO EXPLODE" Millie squeals out.

-

After some iced Taros, fruit cakes, and playful interaction with the capybaras, you notice something shiny in the corner, a photo booth. “Oh, we have to try it!” you ask the group, eyes sparkling with glee.

Inside, you each squeeze tightly together, giggles erupting as you try to fit in. “Okay, everyone! Let’s do a silly one!” Mick suggests, posing with a goofy expression. You all follow suit, Sebastian squishes his cheeks together, Millie tosses her head back, and you cross your eyes, with the camera flashing in a series of snaps. When Millie suggests doing one series more but "with free poses" Seb doesn't let go of the opportunity to place one kiss on your cheek.

As the pictures print out, you can't help but think about how wonderful it would be to have these moments with a family of your own.

“Check this out!” Sebastian says, pulling the first picture from the stack. The photo reflects the perfect blend of laughter, silliness, and an undeniable bond, the four of you together.

“Let’s each take one copy and place them on our dressing room's mirror” Mick suggests and everyone agrees.

-

You three had the most fun time that day, so much it passed by at an alarming speed, and soon Seb offered to take you back, leaving you at the door of your hotel room, with just one shy and sweet goodbye kiss on the palm of your hand.

And that's all, he tries for.

He doesn't want to rush things, he feels luck is on its side this weekend.

He is just waiting for that special momment.

-

It's race day and Matthew and you navigate to your team's place on the grid - by the front - among the big bustling, and packed Suzuka track, it's kinda hard to walk around, this time they overdid the number of people allowed in there.

You two take your time to reach the place where the cars sit still but are soon ready to roar to life as the orchestra prepares for the national anthem, adding an air of ceremonial anticipation.

Just as Matthew turns a corner, you stumble into Toto with Susie, also hand in hand. The moment freezes as you lock eyes, both of you caught off guard.

"Ah, Toto! Nice to see you! Ready to eat our dust once more?" Matt opens the conversation, stopping in front of them.

You bite your lip, half-wincing. Matthew playfully jabs to push Toto’s buttons. The Austrian raises an eyebrow, letting out a short laugh, though you can tell the jab stings, he remains grinning, his charm on full display as he answers, "Well if it isn’t the power couple of the F1! Dust? I’m here for the victory champagne, my friend."

Susie appears momentarily oblivious to the smoldering tension. She smiles wide, all enthusiasm as she greets you. "It’s a perfect clear night for a race, air is good, isn’t it? I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!"

You can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy as you watch her holding him, effortlessly radiant, completely unaware of the awkward undercurrents swirling around you all.

Her joy in the moment only amplifies the tension, and you battle with the frustrating realization that you wish you could enjoy it as innocently.

Forcing a smile, you answer her. "Yes! Perfect!"

This is the closest Toto and you have been for a while. Your heart races, and you feel a blend of excitement and guilt as memories of your passionate encounters fill you back.

You can feel the weight of his eyes on you.

Matthew interrupts your stares. "Good for you, Toto, victory champagne tastes extra sweet when it's been a while without you tasting it" his smile is big and bright, and Matt snaps back all innocent looking, his hand fondling your hip tenderly but visibly. "Isn’t that right, sweetheart?" he places a soft and sensual kiss on your lips.

Toto shifts and clears his throat, visibly tense, and with that, Susie’s curiosity peaks. She shifts her gaze between the two of you, eyebrows furrowing slightly before forcing herself to smile brightly again and with genuine confusion, she asks, "Are you boys always this competitive?"

You gulp, unsure whether to laugh out of nervousness or shrink. Matthew chuckles, clearly enjoying his mind games, while Toto plays it off with a casual shrug.

"Oh, it’s just a bit of friendly rivalry! Susie, it's not like something else was going on" Matt emphasizes the last words. Much to both your dislike.

Fuck, he knows. HOW?!

Is he surveilling you? Oh, you gotta have a word, well, no, let's better not.

Then orchestra starts to play and you all glance at the stage, feeling the tension ebb with the music. The national anthem begins, and with it, your interaction reaches an end.

-

Neither Williams nor Mercedes gets to sip that champagne. Seb finally makes it to the highest of the podium, and you cheer your lungs out for him along with George and Millie standing next to him.

The miracle happened, lucky bastard indeed!

In the middle of that celebration, Seb turns mischievously your way, shaking that bottle most menacingly, before you can even react you are soaked, and everyone around you runs away as the rivers of champagne fall in.

Seb jumps down the podium stage and reaches you, among pats, hands, and shoulder shakes, loud cheers following him along.

He screams into your ear, and yet you can barely hear him, the crowd and music so loud. "Maybe this sounds absurd, and perhaps is the worst moment, but I can't deny what I feel for you. If you give me a chance, could I take you out on a date?"

"WHAT!?" This takes you by surprise.

Seb looks at your reaction a bit embarrassed now, the red of his uniform blending up with his face, and expecting a massive rejection on his way.

"So you don't mind that I'm married?! You don't care about my past and all that's going on around me!? Are you serious?!" you look utterly shocked.

"No, I don't! I like you the way you are," he says, earnestly.

FUCK.

"But what about the press!? If they found out... WAIT, and your reputation!? Seeing us together could be damaging for your career..."

"Oh no problem about that, we won't hide"

"WHAT?!" your face is a poem.

"I'm never hiding... ever again. I'm going to love you freely and fuck the world" he smiles brightly, drops coming down his hair and big eyelashes.

"But... If you regret it?! And by then the damage is done, you need to think..."

"I don't care, honestly, but do you?" he captures your hands, which were going all over, like an Italian man illustrating something but on steroids, and caresses them.

"Well... I'm done with the hiding too"

"So we could... You know... try it?" his eyes spark, and he looks at you as the most precious being walking on earth.

He is crazy, this is crazy, you are crazy, but for some reason, you nod in agreement.

-

Mathew did not make that long travel to Japan just to join you at the GP, he wanted to give you the long-awaited news that finally you got Lenkov to go on trial in between happy tears, both hugging real tight.

-

Seb becomes your companion for this entire arduous and bitter process.

He even helps you practice your testimony acting as if he were the lawyer and judge questioning you.

That man has watched too much TV and movies.

"Where's my Emmy?" he asks you, papers in hand, dropping himself on the couch next to you and placing a kiss on your forehead.

You chuckle.

-

Seb begs you to let him join you in person at the Lenkov's trial which will be held in a courthouse in Zurich, Switzerland.

He wants to be there for you when you have to face the man of your nightmares for the first time since you were a kid. You know that moment would take a toll on you.

But you say no, due to his protection and safe-being, you don't want to expose him.

-

You look astounded when you spot him among the court audience, feeling a bit mad at him at first but soon he becomes your rock during those three challenging nights.

Especially when he holds you in his warm embrace as you crash down in your hotel room, surveilled by security, after exchanging words and holding your own with Lenkov after years.

-

Going out on dates with Seb feels almost organic, natural, easy, and relaxed, there's no intimacy yet, not even a kiss, just tenderness all over, some cuddles, and nights spent together talking.

He is giving you the time you need, allowing you the space to heal, and it's exactly what you needed, who you needed, to pull you out of that void.

With Seb, there are no doubts, no secrets, just honesty and love.

The intrusive thoughts of Toto start to fade away, he slowly transforms into a distant memory.

-

Qatar

Nowadays, everywhere you go Sebastian is there by your side, at trips, galas, in corridors, at meetings, during breaks, at lunch and people are taking note of it.

Especially during the fancy party the Qatari organized due to their GP's anniversary.

You walked inside that luxurious open venue under the skylight, arm-in-arm with Seb, the two looking so comfortable with the lack of personal space between you.

As the party progresses, he, ever the charming gentleman with his warm smile, turns your way. His blond hair is tousled just enough to give him an air of carefree elegance; he looks radiant in his tailor suit while leaning closer.

“Shall we?” he asks you, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. It is a simple invitation that sends a cascade of feelings coursing through you.

With a playful pull, he leads you toward the empty dance floor, you walk shyly at first. Almost instinctively, people turn to see. You can feel their eyes on you, curiosity brewing as if you were an unexpected plot twist in a story.

As the live orchestra starts a new song, the smooth voice of the singer pours from the speakers, wrapping the room in a sweet, melodious embrace. “Sway,” begins, the gentle beat inviting you two to move closer.

Vettel pulls you in, wrapping his arms around your waist, his touch igniting heat. “Just focus on me,” he murmurs noticing your nervousness, his breath brushing your skin.

With a confidence that is uniquely his, he guides you into a gentle sway, your bodies moving in harmony with the sultry rhythm. You could feel the mix of surprise and judgment hovering at the tables, specifically the Ferrari and Mercedes ones.

Even from a distance, you caught sight of Toto's furrowed brow, eyebrows almost meeting in disapproval; Lewis watching with his arms crossed, shooting glances that said it all.

"Y/N" Seb sweetly calls your name, asking for your attention back. You look into his eyes, those deep pools of sincerity that are becoming so difficult to resist. Suddenly, your worries melt with each passing note, every sway bringing you closer to a reality where you can love freely.

His steady embrace encourages you to lean into him further, to bury yourself in his warmth, placing your head on his chest, and your entire group of friends gasp in complete disbelief.

"WHAT THA FUCK?!" Lando lets out, almost spilling his drink. "WHY?!"

Oscar and Samantha laugh at his reaction but are as surprised as him.

-

By the end of that night, you feel lighter as if finally you were liberated from constraints that had once shackled your heart. Maybe you were reaching several closures as a person.

-

USA

"Howdy partners!? PHEW! PHEW!" Charles greets Sam and you wearing the world's most insane cowboy outfit, barrell fake gun and all.

"You look like a cow with those spotted leather chaps!" words burst out of your mouth as an instant reaction, not even a hi first.

"Where did you leave Bob SquarePants?" Samantha asks him, howling with laughs. "It's giving Patrick Starr"

"PERFECT!" Charles seems way too cheerful about that.

It turns out Leclerc is dressed like this for a sponsor's charity event made in collaboration with Nickelodeon.

Families with kids are everywhere on the grounds and installations were created on the circuit's fields for the special event, Carlos is the first of the gang to join you there, still healing from his accident.

No one dared to ask you about your thing with Toto, even when something was clearly going on between you two, although not as clearly as it is with you and Seb, Toto was notifiable only if you paid attention.

But this time around it was impossible to ignore the elephant in the room, especially when the elephant was holding hands with you in public right now.

"So are you two..?" Mick asks with half a smile already forming on his lips.

"Yes." comes in unison from you.

They don't need to know more. They don't ask more.

-

After eating a delicious grilled burger, you observe the parents interact with kids, Everywhere you look around there are families and you wonder what that would be like.

Sam seems to read your mind and reaches you to hold your left hand, and then you feel Millie holding your right one, also getting a sense of what is going on, now you are in the middle of a Dobrev sandwich.

Then Normani holds Millie's hand, and finally, Seb joins in, adding "I don't know what is happening, but I just wanted to hold hands with you girls." he smiles big and bright, closing his eyes and taking in the sun rays feeling them on his skin.

-

It's George's birthday. And it goes the most awkward possible that can go.

Just by start, he is so freaked out about getting old, that much so he doesn't want to throw a party at all and refuses the group's many texts and invitations to go out.

So you guys being... YOU GUYS.

Plan a small gathering for him at the hotel bar, just a Casa Blanca-inspired night, something simple, not too over the top but old-timey and fun enough as his style is.

You all show up in your best tuxedos and gowns.

Hanging around in the same small space, with Seb by your side and Susie by Toto's feels awkward as fuck at first, but as the night progresses you come up with good terms at completely ignoring each other.

Even if you try to black it out, you are utterly aware of the "Wait isn't she married?! And those two know no shame!" vibes coming from people.

When you reach closer to greet Bono, hanging with Lewis as usual, you move to embrace Hamilton and he pulls you away, making your jaw drop and your heart sink. For the rest of the night, you seem keen to address it with him, you want to know how to fix it and understand fully what's going on.

But he doesn't allow you the chance.

-

For much that a visibly hopeless Niki tries to bring you, Lewis, and Toto closer, creating dumb excuses for you to interact.

Nothing succeeds.

Until Sam calls for a few rounds of "Cards against humanity" almost by the end of the party when it's just "the OGs" remaining as she and Charles love to refer.

And Toto drops a "Slap me____" card and you can't resist it for your life.

Answering "Like one of your headphones", making him and everyone laugh like idiots and steal away the points for you.

He bumps you playfully with his shoulder, smiling brightly.

For the first time in a while, it feels like it used to be.

Maybe the two of you could become friends?

Yeah, puff, who are you kidding!?

-

Mexico

During the Mexican Grand Prix, it was almost Halloween and Day of the Dead.

So you texted in advance on the group chat, weeks before, that you all should show up wearing costumes. Hey, dressing up is always fun!

So you arrive at the paddock, excited to see what the others pulled.

Your meeting spot is the usual, behind the medical wing, near the ambulances' entry, where you all have more privacy.

You get there along with Mick and Michael (who showed up in versions of their Williams uniform but like they were basketball and baseball players).

You went dressed as Niki - red cap hat, silver headphones on, plaid oversized shirt with an exaggerated size access badge hanging from your neck - rocking those denim dad's jeans, and a ridiculous and enormous flip phone along with like four walkie-talkies attached to your black belt.

"Goodness! HA, HA" George tells you, smiling big at you when you reach him; he was the first to get there, with Angela and Roscoe.

"Pow!" You throw him a pose, "Pow!" a turn, and another pose, "Pow pow!" you point to your orthopedic sneakers, it was all in the details.

"Wait till he sees you. He will love it, Oh, I need my Merc shirt in this version" George greets you while grabbing the fabric on Schumi's shirt. "This is so cool, mate!" They get caught in a conversation about Jordan, Kobe, and the old guard and prime of players while Mick and you play with Roscoe (who hates his costume and keeps taking it off, God knows how Angela was able to get him into his tootsie roll candy suit).

Lewis is not around there until a couple of minutes later, acting still cold at you, he just waves a hand your way and that's it. When George approaches him smiling and stands by his side it's when you fully appreciate their outfits; George is the fish, and Lewis the chips.

"Niki has a better ass!" Sam tells you, looking you all up and from all angles and slapping your left asscheek, she arrives dressed as Ocon's FIA time penalty charts, many large cardboard signs attached over a form-fitted black dress. Enough penalties to cover her to the knees.

And Millie arrives after with what turns out to be your favorite costume of the day as "Lewis lost-projected to the skies all worn-out tire from the Miami GP" It has you all rolling on the floor and gagging.

"Oh, It's so fucking good!" Sebastian tells the group looking like a cute Toad, and Millie pats his cute puffy mushroom head hat. "You can punch it and still I will not feel a thing. That's how puffy it is" he says, and four immediate slaps come on Sebastian's way. Big mistake.

After him comes Charles dressed as "Charles Brown", with an oversized t-shirt and shorts, but instead of a yellow one, it's a Ferrari's red zig-zag stripe one along with a tiny horse plushie popping out of his shorts pocket. His version of Snoopy.

You hear a sexy "Sum sum" to your left and turn around to be greeted by a Lando leaning sexyly on the wall in his censored naked Sim outfit.

"Argh! It's so genius!" Millie lets out.

Last but not least, Checo shows up dressed as a Catrin, which impresses you with how artistic and cool it is, with Carlos by his side wearing a Transformer version of his car. Everyone squeezes in the selfie before Angela takes a proper group photo. You feel ready to break the internet that day!

Smiles, chats, and laughter fill the place as usual when you are all together. But you are missing one, a very important one for you.

Where on earth was Toto? He is in the group. The idea of him in a silly outfit got you curious and eager for days.

Around 20 minutes later, Carlos notices a cameraman in the distance, then photographers start to snap pictures and get closer. You all try to ignore them and get them to go away.

You succeed but then, 10 minutes later, an FIA steward calls you to their offices.

You returned after a while, and now the group was forced to hang inside the W hospitality, since the fans and press found them, demanding photos and selfies, Michael saved everyone inviting them in, so you all are having nonalcoholic drinks, and food there.

"Guys the FIA wants us to get rid of our outfits, and change for quote on quote proper clothes, costumes are not allowed, apparently, "Makes us look unserious and cartoonish," they told me" You go and imitate a boring middle age man voice, "and it goes against the FIA dressing code, I had no idea there was a dressing code" you rub your chin, like thinking.

"Well, it's not like we are planning to race in these!" Checo adds as a reply to the absurdity. "Besides, it's super early! Of course, we will change, but not now. Well, I'm not. I don't know you guys?"

A lot of me neither are heard.

"What do they plan to do? If we don't comply, I mean. Penalize us all? It's stupid!" Sebastian comments, getting visibly annoyed at them, but in his usual calm and soft voice, resting his elbow on Checo's shoulder, he was on his feet, and Checo was sitting on the high stool, enjoying french fries.

-

Penalties for everyone. That's what they indeed did.

-

"Weirdly, Christian was the team principal who took it better when he got the notice" you gossip with Charles.

He even told me: "You should have let me know! I lost my opportunity to show up as Ginger Spice!" he joked with you when you both crossed paths on your way to the garages.

Your relationship with him is weird but good. He's a little shit and so annoying regarding work and his schemings, but he's an enjoyable person offside tracks. One day, you ended up sharing breakfast by chance, and he turned out to be different from what you expected, you spoke about life and so on. 

But with Toto, the news of getting a penalty on their way due to your dummy ideas went bizarre pretty fast, you recall.

"What happened to your costume? Did the dog eat it?" you tease Toto, looking at his plain Mercedes uniform that night in Mexico.

"I'm a team principal. I thought it wouldn't be a good look, and judging by the fine resolution, it wasn't," he answers you deadpan, arms crossed, both leaning relaxed against a wall near their motorhome.

"So, you do care about how you are perceived?"

"Not precisely, but I take my job, and my position here seriously."

Your eyebrows go up. "Thanks, man. I'm a joke, then"

He didn't mean it that way. But, hey, at least now you two are talking, instead of ignoring each other existence.

"Just because one has a little bit of fun while doing its work doesn't mean it's not professional" you defend your point.

"Shit, then, I should have shown up dressed as Roger Federer as I planned" he winks at you and enters his garage, ending the conversation right there.

Bringing you back to the present, Charles replies: "That's why I don't get them. Why do they create those stupid meetings promoting sportsmanship and building relationships to burn all bridges? It's absurd, no?" The three of you are in pajamas and getting facials since it was the end of the day.

"Toto was pissed. He truly hated you a bit." Sam informs you, in her insides even though she is happy you are with Seb, there's still in her this doubt about where you are truly regarding Torger. She thousands of times would prefer he was with you instead of back with Susie.

"Oh, that man takes his job too seriously! Could be bad for his health!" you hint no more.

"Not just him, you won't believe what Mattia warned us?! He pulled me and Sebastian to the side after a team brief, by the way, he hates Seb even more now that he's with you, and told us that we needed to get our mind straight, that you don't win championships by being the friendliest on the grid, and that we should stay aware of those so-called friends' real intentions" Charles spills the tea as the violet light of the mask on his face goes off.

"Imagine what would do to him if he found out you two live together?!" Sam starts to laugh maniacly.

"They are getting so paranoid! And that's Christian's job, and he was so chill" You roll your eyes, as the esthetician turns off your mask and pulls it away.

"Well, Millie and Lewis got added seconds, which is an advantage for his team and Max. So... I get why he be chill with it"

"Of course, he is going to be chill!" Charles agrees.

"I don't know guys, I'm not with you on this one! I think he meant it."

"It's just that we know him more." They both nod.

"Years, yeah, years," Sam states.

"I'm going to be more careful from now on, to avoid you guys' trouble, I'm still so sorry." you sound a bit sad.

-

You apologize for the hundred times on the group chat and you receive lots of "fuck them" replies.

"You do you. I don't care what the FIA says, you are the glue, I don't remember a near time when everyone was interacting like we are now and it's all because of you, you are the glue." Carlos expresses.

Those words warm your heart.

-

Before the race starts you tap Vettel's helmet tenderly, it's Morse code for the word love. He is inside his car already in formation.

Toto watches from a distance, but he turns away immediately as he gets caught by your eyes.

Yes. This could have been us if you had chosen me.

Lewis' car is right behind Seb's. He watches the full scene unfold before his eyes. You tried again to address things but he gave you no chance, he seemed so disappointed with you somehow.

-

After the race is over a furious Lewis intercepts Sebastian at the parking lot gates, as Vettel is close to his bike.

"You are a cheater, now?" takes him by surprise.

"It's not like that," Seb replies calmer, closing the gap. Lewis is wearing a gorgeous LV email leaning on an SUV.

"For real..." he rolls his eyes, angry, and shakes his head, hands entering the front pockets of his denim-pattered luxurious jacket.

"Lewis," says almost whispers, tender.

"You know I always held you so high." Hamilton bites his lips, not wanting to scream or cry.

"You trust me?"

"I don't know..." this seems to visibly hurt Seb, "If I do that anymore." he finishes saying.

"Why?" Sebastian sounds wounded.

"I don't comprehend who this is." Lewis gestures to him. "Who is this version of you? My Sebastian is a kind person and would never deceive anyone or hurt."

"Lewis, I am still that same person."

"Listen, don't mind me, you do you." Lewis moves his feet on the parking lot gravel, softly, he keeps his composure well.

"Lewis, it's not my place to tell you." Seb sounds hopeless.

"To tell me what?" Lewis for the first time, looks him straight in the eyes.

"The whole picture. Why don't you talk to her?"

"You are who I care about" his answer is fucking honest, "I just wanted to remind you that it never ends well, that you get burned when you play with fire, and that's all." Lewis shrugs his nose, sniffing a bit, the night air is as cold as this conversation.

"She cares so much about you, as well as I do, you know I love you. And I know you do, too."

"Well, as a person who got deeply hurt, almost annihilated, by a serial cheater, I don't feel like having business with someone of the same kind."

Sebastian knows Lewis means well. It is just his trauma and not understanding the whole picture talking.

"The truth always comes out," Seb reassures him. It is a phrase both faced in their lives.

Lewis always reacts weirdly when Sebastian has a new partner boy or girl. It was the same for him when Lewis introduced Miles to him. He just needs time.

"But, I hear you loud and clear," Vettel adds.

Lewis nods and gets inside the black-tinted car.

To be continued... < Previous chapter | Masterlist | Next chapter >

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[tineeericeee]

What Waits Off the Coast of Santa Barbara

Chapter One: Taking a Short Walk on a Long Boardwalk

Summary: Carlton Lassiter is going on a late night walk on the pier, when he sees a figure just off in the distance.

Notes: Happy mermay! To both the psych community *and* the g/t community (I know you guys go nuts for Mermay)

Takes place post the first scene in season 1 episode 6: from the earth to the Starbucks, except Shawn and Lassiter still haven’t met.

Lassiter was drunk. Very drunk.

It had been two years. Two whole years, to the day, since he and Victoria had unofficially separated.

That, coupled with the fact that he felt he was slowly losing his touch at being a detective, put him in a very depressed mood. A mood he was just a tad too familiar with.

And the cherry on top, his partner, Lucinda Barry, had been transferred to a different station in a different city a few weeks ago, and he still hadn’t completely gotten over her. It wasn’t exactly clear whether she had done it of her own volition or if the chief had her transferred, but one thing was for sure: It definitely had something to do with their secret relationship.

Somehow, word had gotten out and spread fast, and soon enough the whole station knew about them. Lassiter wouldn’t have put it past her if she had requested the transfer out of embarrassment of being outed for dating her superior.

The new junior detective was okay. It could have been worse. But it also could have been better. Juliet O’Hara was a little bit too bushy-tail bright-eyed for his taste. She definitely had a lot more energy than Lucinda.

All of this added up to him desperately needing a night to himself. To go to a bar and drink all of his emotions away.

Lassiter had drink after drink after drink. Predominately whiskey, but there was some brandy at one point.

Eventually the bartender cut him off for the night, and told him to find a taxi to take him home. Lassiter had a better idea. A stroll on the boardwalk to hopefully clear his mind and let the sea air help sober him up.

———

Lassiter had been walking for at least an hour now, which would have been impressive had he been going at his usual gait. But he was mostly stumbling along, just focusing on keeping his feet below him and on the wooden boards.

Eventually, his vision stopped swimming and he could focus more on where he was going rather than the simple task of staying upright. Now he was able to take in his surroundings better.

He was far away from Tom Blair’s, and had walked long enough that the beach and the boardwalk was completely empty, save for him and what seemed like a lonely tarp crumpled in a heap down near the shore.

Lassiter sneered at it. People had no respect for nature anymore. They thought it was okay to just leave anything they weren’t using and expect no consequences.

He should pick it up and… what, drag it back to the bar where he left his Crown Vic? Haul it to the nearest trash can and just… set it down next to it?

As Lassiter walked down to grab the tarp, something else in the distance grabbed his attention. In the weak, dim light emanating from the small street light on the dock, he could pick out a large figure just out of the way, next to the shoreline.

‘…Strange.’

Curiosity getting the better of him, he trekked further down, digging through his pockets for the little pen light he always kept with him.

Just as Lassiter got to the… whatever it was, his hand finally found the tiny flashlight. He fumbled it for a second before locating the little button and clicking it on.

But what he saw made his heart stop, sobering him up.

The first thing Lassiter’s flashlight landed on was an impossibly large back end of a fish tail. It was absolutely massive. It must have been the size of a Great White, and this was just half of it! Each scale seemed to be roughly the same size, if not slightly smaller, than the palm of his hand, each one shimmering an unearthly green under the light of his torch. Small nicks and scratches dotted the whole of it. The whole thing was tangled in a green synthetic fishing net, wrapping around tightly.

He moved the flashlight upwards, and saw…

‘No. No, that’s just not possible.’

And yet there it was. Skin. Human skin, blending smoothly into the fish scales. It was a torso, and just as large as the tail. There were slightly larger gashes covering the soft, surprisingly slightly tanned skin.

It was also covered in the same plastic green netting, tangled and knotted all around. The fibers irritated the skin, cinching tightly and turning it an angry red.

An arm, on the opposite side, was tied up in the same shitty netting, and the other lying limply besides the body. Cuts that matched all of the other ones littered its arms. Arms that were size of his own body, with hands that could easily smother him if they so wished.

Lassiter almost didn’t want to, but he kept going.

And he saw the face. And it wasn’t anything like what he was expecting.

It was the face of a young man, with a chiseled jaw and roguish stubble. Perfectly pink shining lips — that were so big he could put one hand on them and just barely cover — parted slightly to show pearly white teeth, sharp and pointed. Long, beautiful brown lashes hid eyes that he was sure were just as mesmerizing as the rest of his face.

But it was just… the sheer size of the merman, mixed with his intoxicated brain, that caused Lassiter’s legs to crumple beneath him, and unceremoniously fall on his back into the soft sand. He groaned as stars winked out of sight as his vision was consumed by darkness.

—————

Notes: thanks for reading! And also a big special thanks to @arrowheadedbitch for beta reading!

ao3 link

[rifki16]

Love is Better the Second Time Around ep 4

Photo Credit : Love is Better the Second Time Around Promotional Account on Twitter | https://x.com/koi_nido/status/1772596502365356096?s=46

Gosh, this episode really made me so happy. It really compensated the massive emotional blue balls which I had because of Cherry Magic the Anime episode 11

SHORT REVIEW HERE WE GO ! SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!! DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED BY THE PLOT

The biggest thing that popped up to me from the episode is the Sukida vs Aishiteru difference in Japanese. Before watching the episode, I had this understanding that, okay, Japanese people prefer to just use Sukida as the stand-in for "I Love You" rather than using the actual phrase of Aishiteru. Even when Hitro described how much he always loves crab cream croquette, he used the word Sukida - chuto sukidasteo -, instead of Aishiteru, granted that he was describing how he loves an inanimate object, not a person. In the cold open, Hiro used the noun form of love, which is "Koi". OH and the nighttime postdate pier confrontation. I really would love to understand which words Takashi actually used. "ま��は さ僕と恋をしてみようよ" - Takashi actually used the noun form of love - koi -, the second time in the show. "のに 君が思ってる以上に僕もずいぶん君にはまってるよ" was what Takashi said before the date, here he used the word "into you" or more literally "addicted to you". But then, during the sex scene, while Hiro was riding Takashi I MUST ADD, I was so shocked that Takashi actually said "Aishiteru". The notion of Japanese people being too afraid of standing out by saying "I Love You" really just blew out of my mind immediately. Of course, the context of the scene might actually describe the intensity of their love that crosses the mass mentality of conformity and hence, the utterance of "I Love You". And also, it happened very privately. Not in some streets where other people might judge you more, ergo lowering the bar of whether to say "I Love You" or not. This case of saying I Love You or not is very interesting for me, I really want to understand more Japanese speakers preferred dictions.

The second biggest thing that I noticed from the show is their way of saying Sex. My understanding is that in BL Japanese works, they will just flat out say "Sex" rather than coding it, like what happened in Tokyo in April is..., Straight J-Dramas, on the other hand, just used the word "it". In one of the episodes of Turn to Me Mukai-Kun, the only straight J-Drama that I've watched Mukai-kun talked with one of his previous sex partners, they used the word "it" to describe their no-strings-attached sex. Of course, it's just an observation, I have not watched that many straight J-dramas. However, it turns out, in this series, they much prefer to use the word "it" as well. In episode 3, when Hiro said, before leaving the onsen, "Just because we have done it, doesn't mean we're dating". I really thought it was just due to Hiro's disbelief that he had sex with his ex-boyfriend, hence the implicit shame in admitting, and uttering that he had "sex". But now, in episode 4, during Haru masturbation scene, he says "そもそも好きだししちゃったし", again, the use of "it" Even though, I think the context has shifted, Haru was slowly admitting his love and feelings to Takashi; hence, he may not see the sex as something to be ashamed of anymore. But again, this might come from a very amateur observer of Japanese linguistic culture, I mean, the use of "it" might actually signify the idea that Haru doesn't see what he does with Takashi as "Sex" maybe they see it as "making love" lol, I know, such a corny phrase. However, maybe, Haru is just not at the point of saying that they are making love yet, but not calling it something as casual as "sex", (I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman by Britney Spears playing in the background). But that hypothesis doesn't really stand as Hiro actually said the word "sex" as they were having sex. What exactly are the connotations of the word "sex" for Japanese speakers?

I really love the consent feature of this episode. Hiro was too drunk to give consent, so Takashi just entertained him in his house, and they went out after Hiro became sober. Weird that they didn't use the trope of being too drunk and being needed to be carried by your love interest lol.

I also love that they used Uke taking care of Seme trope. it happened in My Personal Weatherman, Sasaki to Miyano [not definitive], If It's with You [not definitive], to say the least. I know it's not good in equating all of these heteronormative gender roles to a gay couple, but I think it's a nice trope to show that Ukes have dignity and play such a crucial role in gay relationships. I think it's much better for Japanese viewers to understand the out-of-the-box ness of queer couples by showing more on how Semes can also take care of Ukes - like in The End of the World with You.

ALSO. My brain itch still stands!!!! HIRO REJECTED TAKASHI. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Gosh, the unequal love trope was called back in this episode. Is this a new trend amongst Japanese BL works?

FURTHERMORE. How can Takashi be that rich? Are university lecturers in Japan paid that well? the apartment, the stuff? HE HAS HIS OWN OFFICE, like what?

P.S. I really love how just mid-wild the sex scene in the end is. It's so typical of this show to be crazily in the middle.

After Takashi proposed and they all got lovey-dovey, omg they look so cute in acting like newlyweds.

Of course, they're gonna break up before reuniting in the finale, wouldn't be a bl if it didn't have one. Gosh, I'm gonna cry so hard in the next episode.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.14

Holidays

Ako Gishi Sai (Honoring the 47 Ronin; Japan)

American Revolutionary War Day

Audubon Christmas Bird Count begins (until 1.5)

Bashkir Language Day

Bush Shoe Day

Buy A Christmas Tree Day

Chernobyl Liquidators Day (Ukraine)

Christmas Jumper Day (Belgium)

Day of the Martyred Intellectuals (Bangladesh)

Deck the Halls Day

Email Tag Day

47 Ronin Remembrance Day (Sengaku-ji, Japan)

Free Shipping Day [Also 3rd Monday]

Hug Day (South Korea)

International Hello Day

Journée du pull de Noël (Christmas Jumper Day; Belgium, UK)

Martyred Intellectuals Day (Bangladesh)

Monkey Day

More Good Today Day

National Alabama Day

National Energy Conservation Day (India)

National Irish Sign Language Day (Ireland)

National Screwdriver Day

National Tree Planting Day (Malawi)

National ‘WTF Happened To Surf?’ Day

Opposites Attract Day

Ozcanabans of Oz Convention (a.k.a. Oz Christmas)

Petroleum Industry and Geology Workers’ Day (Turkmenistan)

Play An Old Song That You Didn't Like To See If You Still Don't Like It Day

Police Day (Bahrain)

Precalentines Day

Quantum Mechanics Day

Sandy Hook Remembrance Day

Sorrel Day (French Republic)

South Pole Day

U.S. Park Police Day

World Energy Conservation Day

Yoga Day

Yuletide Lad #3 arrives (Stúfur or Stubby; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Biscuits and Gravy Day

National Bouillabaisse Day

National Sausage Balls Day

Roast Chestnuts Day

Independence & Related Days

Alabama Statehood Day (#22; 1819)

2nd Saturday in December

Army & Navy Union Day (Massachusetts) [2nd Saturday]

Bath & Body Works’ Body Care Day [2nd Saturday]

Bring Your Christmas Tree Home Day (UK) [2nd Saturday]

Day of the Horse [2nd Saturday; also 12.13]

Gingerbread Decorating Day [2nd Saturday]

Hakiadaore Ichi (Shoe Festival; Japan) [Begins 2nd Saturday]

Hantoro begins (Flower & Light Festival; Japan) [2nd Saturday to 23rd]

Helicopter Industry Day (Russia) [2nd Saturday]

International Shareware Day [2nd Saturday]

Le Foire aux Noix begins (Nuts Fair; Bastogne, Belgium) [2nd Saturday]

Salad Saturday [2nd Saturday of Each Month]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Satirical Saturday [2nd Saturday of Each Month]

Saturday the 14th [Saturday the 14th]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Wreaths Across America Day [Saturday closest to 12.14]

Weekly Holidays beginning December 14 (2nd Full Week of December)

Christmas Bird Count Week (thru 1.5.2025)

Halcyon Days begin (7 days before & after Winter Solstice)

Festivals Beginning December 14, 2024

AKC National Championship (Orlando, Florida) [thru 12.15]

Buckingham Christmas Parade (Buckingham, United Kingdom)

Carthage Film Festival (Tunis, Tunisia) [thru 12.21]

Christmas Boat Parade (Clear Lake, Texas)

Currier and Ives Cookie Tour (Monadnock Region, New Hampshire)

Heritage Christmas (Lindsborg, Kansas)

Holiday Concert & Santa on the Pier (Redondo Beach, California)

Inn to Inn Holiday Cookie & Candy Tour (Mt. Washington Valley, New Hampshire) [thru 12.15]

Kerstbierfestival [Christmas Beer Festival in Essen] (Essen, Belgium) [thru 12.15]

Mooloolaba Yacht Club’s Christmas Boat Parade (Mooloolaba, Australia)

Ocala Christmas Parade (Ocala, Florida)

Okeechobee Main Street Christmas Festival (Okeechobee, Florida)

Say Cheese Wine Trail (Hermann, Missouri)

St. Lucia Festival (Lindsborg, Kansas)

Whiskies of the World (Miami, Florida)

Winterfest Sausalito (Sausalito, California) [thru 12.15]

Wintersköl Beer Festival (Aspen, Colorado)

Feast Days

Alexander Nelke (Artology)

Cat Herding Day (Pastafarian)

D'Alembert (Positivist; Saint)

David A. Cherry (Artology)

Day of Iuventas and Hebe (Pagan)

Elen Lluddog, Elen of the Roads (Celtic Book of Days)

Folcwin (Christian; Saint)

François-Hubert Drouais (Artology)

John of the Cross (Christian; Saint)

John III of the Sedre (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Losoong (a.k.a. Namsoong; Sikkim, India)

Matronian (Christian; Saint)

Nani Bird (Muppetism)

Nicasius of Rheims (Christian; Saint)

Nimatullah Kassab (Maronite Church)

Nostradamus Day (Everyday Wicca)

Paul Éluard (Writerism)

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (Artology)

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Roger Fry (Artology)

Shirley Jackson (Writerism)

Spyridon (Western Church)

Venantius Fortunatus (Christian; Saint)

Whiny Victimization Co-Dependency Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Xul Solar (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 57 of 60)

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [56 of 57]

Premieres

Barbecue Brawl (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1956)

Bee on Guard (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

Berlin, by Lou Reed (Musical Play; 2006)

Bird Box (Film; 2018)

The Bridge Over the River Kwai (Film; 1957)

Broken Toys (Silly Symphonies Disney Cartoon; 1935)

Bully for Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1965)

By Leaps and Hounds (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1951)

Childhood, by Tove Ditlevsen (Novel; 1967)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Film; 1977)

Crimson and Clover, by Tommy James and the Shondells (Song; 1968)

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Film; 1988)

Dragnet (TV Series; 1951)

Dune (Film; 1984)

El Cid (Film; 1961)

The Expanse (TV Series; 2015)

A Farewell to Arms (Film; 1957)

Flowers for Madame (WB MM Cartoon; 1935)

Frankenweenie (Disney Cartoon; 1984)

Glory (film; 1989)

Golf Nuts (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1930)

A Haul in One (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1956)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Film; 1990) [Hobbit #1]

If Beale Street Could Talk (Film; 2018)

If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain), recorded by Fanny Brice (Song; 1928)

I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (Film; 1988)

The Jerk (Film; 1979)

King Kong (Film; 2005)

Lady, by Styx (Song; 1974)

Let’s Drink to the Ruby or Stoned Again (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 328; 1964)

Little Big Man (Film; 1970)

London Calling, by The Clash (Album; 1979)

Mermaids (Film; 1990)

Miss Congeniality (Film; 2000)

1941 (Film; 1979)

Philadelphia (Film; 1993)

Rabbit Romeo (WB MM Cartoon; 1957)

The Royal Tenenbaums (Film; 2001)

Ruby Yacht, Part 1 (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 327; 1964)

Run, Sheep, Run! (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1935)

The Saint and the People Importers, by Fleming Lee (Novel; 1971) [Saint #44]

Saturday Night Fever (Film; 1977)

Scout Fellow (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1951)

South Pole or Bust (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1934)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Animated Film; 2018)

Starman (Film; 1984)

The Strudlhof Steps, by Heimito von Doderer (Novel; 1951)

Time Out, by The Dave Brubeck Quartet (Album; 1959)

The Tiny Tree (DePatie-Freleng Animated TV Special; 1975)

The Towering Inferno (Film; 1974)

Vanilla Sky (Film; 2001)

Wozzeck, by Alban Berg (Opera; 1925)

You Can't Take it With You, by Moss Hart (Play; 1936)

You’re Living All Over Me, by Dinosaur Jr. (Album; 1987)

Today’s Name Days

Berthold, Johannes (Austria)

Snezhala (Bulgaria)

Ivan, Venancije (Croatia)

Lýdie (Czech Republic)

Crispus (Denmark)

Eho, Hengo, Hingo (Estonia)

Jouko (Finland)

Odile (France)

Berthold, Johannes (Germany)

Arrianos, Lefki (Greece)

Szilárda (Hungary)

Valeriano, Venanzio (Italy)

Auseklis, Dailonis, Gaisma (Latvia)

Alfredas, Kintvilė, Tarvainas (Lithuania)

Stein, Steinar (Norway)

Alfred, Arseniusz, Izydor, Naum, Pompejusz, Sławobor, Spirydion (Poland)

Apolonie, Calinic, Filimon, Tirs (Romania)

Branislava, Bronislava (Slovakia)

Juan, Nicasio (Spain)

Sixten, Sten (Sweden)

Apollonia (Ukraine)

Boyd, Boyden, Byrd, Horace (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 349 of 2024; 17 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 50 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Bing-Zi), Day 14 (Ren-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 13 Kislev 5785

Islamic: 12 Jumada II 1446

J Cal: 19 Black; Fryday [19 of 30]

Julian: 1 December 2024

Moon: 99%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 13 Bichat (13th Month) [Joseph Fourier / Lagrange]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 8 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 83 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of December

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 23 of 30)

Calendar Changes

December (Julian Calendar) [Month 12 of 12]

[certaincircuitsmagazine]

We are curating a multimedia fibers show called Phantastic Phibers in July at Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia. The deadline is March 31, notification by April 30, and we will install the first week of July. Here is how to submit: Send a statement on the theme and five images or installation drawings to phantasticphibers@gmail.com. The small entry fee of $10 supports exhibition costs, and there is no commission taken. Please share with other local fiber artists. (Image: crochet sculpture by Jamie Campbell)

[tigerstrikesasteroidnetwork]

PHL / Seeing the Anthropocene

Seeing the Anthropocene curated by Julia Clift

On view: October 28-December 2, 2023, simultaneously at Tiger Strikes Asteroid and Cherry Street Pier, Philadelphia

Opening Receptions: November 4th, 5-8 PM at Cherry Street Pier, with a live performance at 6 PM, and November 9th, 6-9 PM at Tiger Strikes Asteroid

Artists and Collaborations: Austen Camille (with music by ENAensemble) | Lydia Cheshewalla | Matthew Colaizzo | Christopher McNulty | Ana Mosquera | Hui-Ying Tsai | Hui-Ying Tsai in collaboration with Jonathan Grover | Byron Wolfe | The Immersion Project: Austen Camille, Erik Cordes, Ph.D., Samantha Joye, Ph.D., Malte Leander, Christine Lee, and Rebecca Rutstein

Seeing the Anthropocene (StA) is a cross-venue exhibition curated by Philadelphia-based artist Julia Clift, featuring diverse artists and collaborative groups contending with the global climate crisis and other urgent environmental issues. Through wide-ranging media, the included artworks foster understanding of the moment we're in, inspire personal connections with the natural world, and imagine different potential futures depending on how we act today. The show features artists from across the country as well as international perspectives.  

Several artworks in StA shed light on the policies, conventions, and attitudes that led to the climate crisis and continue to sustain it today. Large-scale pieces by Matthew Colaizzo and Christopher McNulty document commonplace pollution and extractive industry in America, while smaller works by both artists subtly critique human efforts to dominate the natural world. In their own ways, Colaizzo and McNulty interrogate Modern ideals of “progress” that often underpin environmental destruction.

Byron Wolfe's Vanished Volcano Visualization Kit offers maps and models to help audience members envision Mount Tehama, an ancient volcano in Northern California that's almost entirely disappeared over the past 400,000 years due to natural erosion. The kit evokes the difficulty of processing environmental losses and imagining what once was, mental tasks required for contending with present-day issues like climate change and mass extinction. While Wolfe endeavors to see the distant past, Ana Mosquera envisions a dystopic climate future. Her Breathing Exchange Temporium, a woefully dysfunctional life raft and oxygen tank, forebodes mass climate migration and encapsulates life's precarity on a hotter planet, especially for those less privileged. 

A highlight of the exhibition is the first prototype of The Immersion Project, a collaboration between Austen Camille, Christine Lee, Rebecca Rutstein, Malte Leander, and oceanographers Erik Cordes, Ph.D. and Samantha Joye, Ph.D that incorporates large-scale coral-inspired sculptures, augmented reality animation and sound into a multi-sensory installation to educate the public about deep sea ecosystems. After a national exhibition tour, the sculptures will be installed in the Gulf of Mexico to help restore coral habitats damaged by the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in 2010. The project demonstrates one way that artists can contribute to climate solutions.

All of the artworks mentioned thus far will be on view at Tiger Strikes Asteroid. Two miles south of the gallery, at Cherry Street Pier, works by Lydia Cheshewalla, Hui-Ying Tsai, and Austen Camille encourage personal connection to the natural world and help audience members to see themselves as part of nature rather than above it. Such perspective can be a wellspring for environmentally-conscious action. Notably, Camille's large-scale augmented reality animation over the Delaware River, featuring music by Philadelphia's ENAensemble, will incorporate a live performance during the show's opening reception at Cherry Street Pier, on November 4th at 6 PM. At Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Camille’s AR animation within The Immersion Project and a second piece by Tsai—a collaboration with sound artist Jonathan Grover—tie the two venues together and bring notes of hope to the gallery.

For more information, please visit www.StAPhilly.com.

[stefike]

One of my photos was chosen as a finalist in the 20/20 Photo Festival Call For Entry: The Natural World. There are 24 finalists out of 155 submissions and 750 photos. The top 3 winning photographs of fellow photographers are pictured below.  

Please join me this Friday, September 1st, at Cherry Street Pier from 5:30-7 pm for the opening reception. The reception will include an informal panel discussion at 6PM with curator Ryan Strand Greenberg and the top prize winners. 

The Natural World is a continual source of inspiration and inquiry. Over the last 200 years, photography and science have evolved with our ambition to comprehend Earth's ancient processes, understand our place in the universe, and share knowledge and beauty with future generations. Landscape photographs have become almost ubiquitous in the canon of photographic history, appearing in magazines, academic journals, scrapbooks, galleries, community science projects, and home decor. The tradition of documenting the environment continues worldwide today as some photographers attempt to capture the effects of critical environmental issues such as biodiversity loss and climate change. 

Curated by Ryan Strand Greenberg, The Natural World is a collection of images by 24 photographers documenting today's environment. These photographs highlight the delicate balance between living organisms and habitats from Philadelphia to India. From endangered insects and monoculture farming to cell phone transmission towers disguised as trees and the erosion of a mountain belt, these photographs capture the uncanny convergence of distant past and present landscapes: a time capsule that helps describe the natural world today.

[valentinerose529]

The Ship That Sailed Through Time

A short story based on the prompt: a time traveler and an immortal make contact through the years.

I got inspired to write this after looking at a few too many port cities and old boats on a road trip. I wanted to capture the feeling of being disconnected from time and not being able to live in it, and whether you would chose to change that existence.

Fun fact, this story is an AU! Aiden and Ari are both original characters of mine with different backstories and skill sets than in this story, but have a similar motif of being from vastly different realms of life and connected across time.

Please do not repost!

i. portland, maine

Ariadne had always known the Turtledove, with its pearlescent sails and cherry-dark planks and figurehead carved into a lovely siren-woman. She had been born on this very deck and knew every inch of the ship by heart from the barnacle-encrusted hull to the crow’s nest on the highest mast.

She knew the crew by heart too, but had her favorites: Father, with his captain’s coat and salt-encrusted beard; Mother, the first mate, with her crumpled hat and salt-encrusted pistols; her grandfather’s first mate Lorri, who had graying hair and a tattoo that changed with the weather; Brandon and his matelot, who had both been on board since Ari had been too small to see over the railings; and the cook, Ladesha, who always slipped Ari some honey to temper the bitter ship coffee when her parents weren’t looking.

Ari had been the cabin girl for as long as she could remember. At first, she’d been too little to haul in the sails or climb up the rigging without getting blown around by the wind, but now she could help with all the regular ship duties and sometimes Father even let her steer the ship in calm weather.

──────◅▻♢◅▻──────

The first time she met the boy, he was sorting crab traps on the dock. He was pale and smudgy enough that Ari first thought he was part of the dirty seafoam puddles, but a closer look proved him to be alive. He was a scrawny human with a mop of blond hair peeking out from the collar of his threadbare coat, and sat on the edge of the pier shivering from a recent dip in the ocean.

“Hi,” she told him, young and unafraid of strangers.

“Hi,” he agreed, deftly freeing a crab’s claws from the trap and tossing it into the bucket with a tinny thump.

“How old are you?” she asked, since she didn’t quite understand the land-living people yet.

He shrugged at her, making his sandy curls flop around. “Fifteen. And you?”

She didn’t know—nobody did on the ship—so she tossed out her favorite guess, “Nineteen. What are you gonna do with those?”

He tossed another crab into the bucket. “People will buy ‘em, of course. My boss owns the traps and pays me to swim out and fetch them.”

“Can I watch?”

“Why do you wanna watch this? It’s boring.”

“I live on a ship. Anything’s interesting.”

“When do you have to be back on your ship?”

“Not till evening, but Father won’t leave without me.”

He emptied the last trap and stood up, shaking the bucket to keep the crabs in. “Alright, I’ll show you something better. I watch out for the littler children on my block; they get up to all sorts of trouble. I bet you’ll like them.”

He led her deeper into the port city and introduced her to a gaggle of children in various sizes, a little one named Josiah and a willowy one named Grace and two named Edward, and the blond boy in the brown coat gave her no name at all so Ari had to call him, hey you.

They taught Ari to play hopscotch, and taught her how to fashion a spinning top out of a wooden spool, and the taller of the Edwards taught her how to steal a hot potato from the vendor on the street corner.

After the sun dipped down behind the buildings of the port city and the sky turned bruise-purple, Ari bid goodbye to her new friends. She committed all their names to heart, but the blond boy in the brown coat gave her no name at all. He smiled at her and said, “I’ll tell you when you come back to port.”

Ari smiled and hugged him, and ran away for the docks before she could say anything more. Because the truth of it was, she wouldn’t ever see him again in this time.

──────◅▻♢◅▻──────

When Ari tromped back up the Turtledove’s gangplank, she found Mother negotiating passage with a harried-looking man in a suspiciously stained suit.

“We don’t know when we’ll arrive,” she warned the man. “Perhaps it’ll be tomorrow, perhaps two decades.”

“I don’t care,” the man said. “I just need to get away from Portland.”

Her mother nodded solemnly and discussed payment. Ari watched from the railing and thought the man was quite desperate, but her mother only charged him the regular rate.

(Adjusted for the decade’s inflation, of course.)

As the man and his stained sleeves disappeared below decks, her mother turned to Ari and said, “You should help your father so we can leave on time. Where have you been all day, my dear?”

“Oh, I made some new friends.”

“You didn’t tell them anything, did you?”

“Of course not,” Ari said, and slouched away to find her father.

Ari wasn’t allowed to tell strangers the truth of the Turtledove, not until she’d been on land longer and learned what her parents called discretion. She had never broken the rules, but her parents reminded her of it every time she stepped foot off the ship.

When she found her father directing the loading of the new cargo, he let her give the orders for stacking the cargo correctly, only speaking up to correct her if she made a mistake. All the crew knew that Ari was set to inherit the captain’s position when her father stepped down, a day she hoped would be far away in the future, so nobody protested her orders.

ii. chester, pennsylvania

The next time Ari met the boy, her hair had grown nearly to her waist and the world had changed. The ladies wore wide skirts and many men wore wigs, and the accents had changed just enough that Ari had to pause and think about every word a stranger said.

As she skipped down the gangplank, she felt the fishhooks of time catch at her skin and tangle in her unbraided hair, binding her to the rules of the land-living.

Ari’s job on shore was simple: have fun!

Oh, and there was some shopping for fresh food and new shoes for her and a coat for Brandon, but that wasn’t as important as exploring.

With her goals thus outlined, she wandered barefoot down the street, dodging carriages with the reckless invulnerability of a girl who had never before seen an angry horse.

And of course, like any carefree sailor not paying attention to the land traffic, she crashed into someone.

He stumbled and lost his footing—Ari planted her feet like she was onboard the storm-tossed ship—she caught the stranger and turned their fall into a weird spin.

“Thank you, miss,” he gasped, once they’d both recovered their balance.

“No, sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she insisted, quickly letting go and stepping back.

He was short and spindly, blond hair wrestled into a tangled ponytail, and wearing a nice street suit that clashed with his threadbare coat. “Have we met before?” he asked.

“Oh, we couldn’t have. I’ve been sailing my whole life, and I’ve never been to this port before.”

“Your whole life? How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“That’s what you said last time, wasn’t it?” he asked thoughtfully.

A thrill ran through her. She knew it wasn’t possible, but he certainly reminded her of someone she had seen in the last port. “I don’t think there was a last time, sir.���

“No, no. I suppose not,” he said slowly. “My apologies, miss…?”

At first she thought he had simply trailed off, but then she realized that he wanted her name. So of course, she gave it to him. “Ari, Ariadne Laurens. And you, sir?”

He gave her an odd little smile. “Aiden Murphy,” he said, and Ari repeated it under her breath until she was sure she wouldn’t forget this strange man with the patched coat and pretty face.

“I suppose I’d better be going.”

“Of course. Have a good day, miss. Safe sailing for the Turtledove.”

It wasn’t until after he had vanished into the crowd that Ari realized she had never told him what ship she crewed on.

──────◅▻♢◅▻──────

During the next four days in port, Ari all her free time on land. She wasn’t supposed to—she still had nightmares about running too far from the docks and coming back to find the Turtledove sailing away without her—but this time she wanted to pay attention to the land as much as possible. If she had met the man in the threadbare coat more than once, what’s to say there weren’t other familiar things in this port?

A thorough search of the city resulted in Ari knowing exactly how many bricks paved the thoroughfare by the seawalls and the latest exchange rate for foreign currencies, but not a single familiar face or even slang she could understand.

She couldn’t even find the man in the threadbare coat again, so she began to wonder if he was a dream. What had his name been?

“Aiden,” she remembered aloud.

“I beg your pardon?” someone said behind her, and she nearly startled herself off her seat on the pier.

As if she had summoned him out of the passing traffic with her voice, the man in the threadbare coat stood behind her with a confused expression. He looked completely unchanged—but of course, it’d only been a few days for the land-living.

“You are real!” she said, delighted. His expression deepened.

“I should hope I am, miss. Can I help you?”

“Yes… well, no, I don’t know. I’m just trying to figure out if we’ve met before. Before I ran into you ereyesterday, I mean.”

“If I may say so, miss, you remind me of someone I met many years ago. But as you say, you’re only nineteen, and it was…” he trailed off.

Ari didn’t want to know how many years ago it had been exactly, so she asked instead, “What if it had been me? What would you do? What would we do again?”

He shrugged. “I could teach you how to play hopscotch again.”

She let out a surprised laugh. “It is you! But shouldn’t you be much older?”

“I could ask you the same question, miss.”

“I’m not allowed to tell. Sorry.”

“No, I understand. We all keep our secrets.”

She nodded, and swung her feet below the pier. “You know, I never get to see anything inland. Is there anything interesting happening over there?”

He sat down on the top of the neighboring pillar a short distance away, close enough that she could still swing her foot in the waves and splash his ankles. “Well, up north in Concord, there’s a tree that sings.”

“Do they usually do that?”

“No, never! But I’ve seen it; the tree sings. Nothing I could understand, though. Some people even take the broken branches and make instruments out of them. The dead wood never sings again, but supposedly any music played on them makes crops grow sweeter than anything you’ve tasted before…”

──────◅▻♢◅▻──────

Ari bid Aiden goodbye that evening as the tide receded, feeling the gazes of her parents from the deck of the Turtledove. She wasn’t supposed to promise to see people again, because she might never see them again. But Ari had the sudden and selfish wish to hear more of his outlandish stories, so she leaned in and whispered, “I don’t know when we’ll arrive, but we’ll make port in Morehead City next. If you’re there, it’d be nice to see you again.”

He nodded. “I’ll try to make it there on time.”

She laughed, but couldn’t tell him why she found it funny, so she just skipped up the gangplank and waved goodbye from the railing.

iii. morehead city, north carolina

A score of years later, the Turtledove docked in Morehead City. To the crew’s surprise, there had been a sugar shortage in the city perhaps a year before they arrived, and their cargo of packed sugar and solid cane was suddenly worth a fortune.

After the sugar had been sold, Ari went for a walk onshore, hoping to find a familiar face. None turned up, so she returned to the ship in low spirits.

She found old Lorri on the dock, playing their flute for a man in a threadbare brown coat. “Ari,” they said when they saw her. “This gentleman came asking for you by name. Do you know him?”

Ari looked at the man, examining his sugar-brown face and seafoam-pale hair until she remembered his name. “Aiden!” she guessed delightedly. He broke into a smile.

“I thought you’d never arrive! You said you’d dock here next, but it’s been—”

Lorri shushed him loudly, gesturing with their flute. “Don’t tell us, lad; I don’t need to know how fast the land-living is.”

Aiden buttoned up his lips. Then he offered Ari his arm like a perfect gentleman. “Walk with me, miss?”

Ari did not invite him on board the ship, and he did not ask to come on. It went unspoken that one did not step on board the Turtledove unless you were willing to give up some time.

They found a place to sit away from the salty bustle of the docks, and Ari nearly screamed when all the street lamps turned on without a single lamplighter in sight.

Aiden laughed and gave her a lesson about the curious invention of electricity—lightning! Imprisoned in wires! Who could believe it? —and then they sat and talked until the moon was high and the wind came in cold from the water. When Ari started to shiver, Aiden quickly handed her his coat, so they sat closer together to stay warm and talked for even longer.

“Are you still nineteen?” he asked eventually.

“I think I’m a bit older,” she said, after trying and failing to figure out the math. She wasn’t land-living, so the time never passed the same. But of course she was older, if only by a little. “What about you?”

He laughed. “I’m definitely not fifteen anymore.”

“How old are you, then?”

“You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

“Seventy-five, by my last count,” he said, and she made a surprised sound.

“That’s impossible.”

“Said you wouldn’t believe me, but it’s true.”

“How?”

“That’s my secret.”

“Alright,” she said, and subsided, because she’d promised before. “Tell me something else?”

Aiden scooted closer into the coat, taking her wrist and making her yelp at his chilly fingers, before he told her a story about sailors who tricked fairies and fishermen who ate hurricanes. She doubted it was true, but it whiled away the hours and at the end she forgot her original question.

Four days later, the Turtledove was loaded and ready to sail, but for the first time Ari wished the crew wasn’t quite so efficient. She stood with Aiden at the base of the gangplank, one foot resting against the plank as if she had stopped midstep.

“I’ll see you… later, I guess,” Aiden said, pulling up the collar of his coat against the wind.

Ari could only say, “Yeah,” and scuff her heavy boot against the dock. After a moment, she lifted her necklace off her head—a pretty one made of conch shells and blue waxed twine—and offered it to Aiden. “Here, why don’t you hold on to this? You can give it back to me in… Yarmouth.”

He examined it carefully before hanging it around his neck. “I’ll keep it safe,” he said solemnly—as if it were a far older treasure than a necklace only a hundred years old—and tucked it inside his collar. “Do you always arrive after the same amount of time has passed?”

She shrugged. “I’ve never paid attention before. But next time, why don’t you tell me when I arrive, and I’ll keep track of how much time passes?”

“Am I allowed to?”

“No,” she admitted. “But I’ve never had a reason to want to know before.”

When Ari joined Father by the wheel, he gestured for her to take it. She eagerly grabbed it with both hands, but before she moved, she looked back at the port behind the ship. She could almost imagine time passing as she sailed away, people living and growing and dying and through it all a man in a shabby brown coat waving goodbye from the vacant dock.

Ari reminded herself that she wasn’t part of the land-living, gripping the wheel tighter and turning it firmly away from port.

iv. yarmouth, nova scotia

Many years and two ports later, the Turtledove sailed up the Canadian coastline to the bustling port of Yarmouth, which was filled with towering steamboats and slender canal rowboats. After they docked and unloaded the cargo, Lorri informed the captain that they wished to retire.

“Oh, must you go, Lorri?” Father cried. “We’ll miss you so much. You may never see us again.”

“I know, lad,” Lorri said, standing straight and solemn with their hat in their hands. “But I reckon I’ve spent enough life on the sea. I want to see the land—what’s left of it. Some of the old folks in my favorite pub have been telling stories of the logging and the railroads and everything that’s torn down. I think I have some great-great-grandnieces and nephews still alive, and I’d like to see some of the good parts of the land-living before it’s all gone.”

“I understand,” Father sighed, and subsided. “But is Canada really where you want to disboard? We could take you back over to the Spanish coast.”

“With respect, lad, I’d like to stay in this time,” Lorri said softly, and that settled it.

So the crew said their goodbyes, and Lorri packed their things and said goodbye to everyone once again, before wiping their eyes and striding resolutely down the gangplank.

Ari watched them leave, and then found a quiet corner on the pier to sit and have a good cry about her lost family member. They weren’t dead yet, but they could very well be by the next time they docked, and Ari wasn’t ready for this kind of mourning.

A figure appeared over her, a dark shadow against the sun that resolved into a skinny man with a mop of blond curls and a threadbare coat tossed over his shoulder.

“I had to learn French for you,” Aiden said, by way of greeting. He held out his hand, her necklace looped around his fingers. “Hallo, miss.”

“Hallo, Aiden. Has it been long?”

“Oh, not at all. At least, not for me.”

“It’s never a long time for me, either.” She twirled the end of her braid around her finger. “Lorri retired. The elderly sailor with the flute.”

Aiden nodded, but didn’t respond.

“So, there’s an opening on board, if you… like sailing.”

“If I find someone to be a good fit, I’ll let you know,” he said gently. Ari nodded, looking away from him. She had offered, and he had declined, so that was that.

She fidgeted with her necklace, lost on what to say. Long pauses were fine onboard the Turtledove, but the land-living were too impatient in such conversations. Aiden, however, didn’t seem to mind letting it stretch out until she found her words. “Lorri was like my family. They were the oldest crewmate of the Turtledove and it’s like… they were always there, never going to falter or get washed away. And now… I probably won’t ever see them again.”

“Probably not,” Aiden agreed, and her head snapped up to stare at him. He continued, “But you’ll always remember them. You’ve got a different way to look at the world, and I don’t think you forget things as easily, do you?”

She shook her head, and tried to take this to heart. She had a place deep in her heart for all her fondest memories about her old friend, and the crew would whistle Lorri’s favorite tunes for years to come. “Thanks,” she said. “How do you know that?”

He shrugged. “Because I’m amazing. Also, I’m very old and I’ve lost people before.” He rummaged in his pockets and held something out to her. “Here. Why don’t you hold onto this until you see me next?”

When she took it, she found it to be a round stone, once gray and roughly cut but worn smooth and shiny from years of rubbing. Her thumb fit perfectly into the depressed face.

“Isn’t it important to you?”

“So you’ll have to see me again to give it back,” he said, smiling. Ari returned the smile and tucked the worry stone into her pocket, realizing how quickly he’d lifted her mood.

“Whatever happened to those little pickpocketing magicians you met in Florida?” she asked, remembering one of his stories. He tossed an arm over her shoulders (no easy task when he was quite a bit shorter than she) and guided her down the dock to a little restaurant free of the smell of fishnets, chattering all the way about what those pickpockets had gotten up to in the decades since he had last been south to Florida.

v. alexandra, virginia

By the next voyage, Ari’s hair reached all the way down to her knees and her father let her call out the sailing orders sometimes. She and Aiden kept up the excuse of exchanging trinkets and favors and making the other return them in the next port. It kept them dancing around the real thing they wished to share with each other. Ari dreamed of taking Aiden with her on the open seas and never having to lose him to the passage of time, and he clearly wanted to take her along on his adventures instead of only recounting them to her during their short meetings in the years. But Ari had never again asked him to board the Turtledove, and leaving her beloved ship to join the land-living would surely take her away from Aiden in a few short decades.

So instead, they only treasured their moments together and eagerly looked forward to the next ones.

Today, there was a patter of running feet on the dock, and then someone climbed up the side of the ship. A widely grinning face surrounded by the hood of a threadbare coat appeared over the railing. “Hallo, miss!” Aiden said, leaning over just enough to knock his fist against Ari’s shoulder.

“Hallo, Aiden,” she said, instinctively brushing his pretty hair out of his eyes before remembering her manners and quickly pulling back her hand. Aiden hooked his feet into the net over the side of the ship and clung comfortably to the railing.

“How’s it been? Anything exciting, or sailing as usual?”

“Sailing as usual, of course. An ocean liner found us on the open seas this voyage, and tried to convince us to let them take the Turtledove to the nearest port. It took us ages to make the captain believe that we weren’t a replica from a port museum or a ghost ship. I think the captain only agreed because we wouldn’t let him onboard, and he had to hang in a lifeboat between the ships to talk to Father.”

“Why couldn’t he come onboard?”

This stopped Ari short. And suddenly she realized that she had never told Aiden about the magic of the Turtledove. They both pretended that being different from the rest of the land-living was perfectly normal and never again had asked each other to share their secrets.

She looked around. Nobody else was around; she had the sudden urge to break the rules for Aiden, just this once. You could never tell the secret of the Turtledove to anyone who wasn’t onboard the ship, but Aiden was almost onboard, wasn’t he?

So she said, in a low voice, “As long as you’re on board the Turtledove, you’re apart from the rest of the land-living. You don’t age, and you don’t die.”

“Really?” he said, in a tone that she knew meant he was extremely curious. “So that’s why you’re always the same. I thought… ah, nevermind.”

“Wait, what’d you think? You have to tell me now.”

“Oh, fine; I thought you were like me. But we clearly aren’t the same, so… yeah, nevermind.”

“What are you like?” she pressed. Having shared her secret, she wanted to know his.

He shrugged and nearly slipped off the railing. “I’m immortal, I guess. Unlike you, I do age; I just live longer than everyone else.”

Ari struggled to find a response; the magic of the Turtledove was familiar and expected, but the magic of Aiden was uncharted water to her. “What are the rules?”

“What?”

“You know; on the Turtledove, you can only enter and leave in a port for it to work right. If you exit at sea, all your years catch up to you at once and then you die. And it only changes time on board; I’ll start aging the moment I jump over the railing with you.”

Aiden shrugged. “I don’t know my rules, but I’ve never broken them yet. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“But you won’t know what the rules are until it’s too late,” she protested.

“Maybe I won’t. But I’m not going to go do stupid things trying to figure it out; that’d end badly.”

“Why, Aiden, you say that like you’ve never done stupid things.”

“But of course; only the most sensible plans for me! Certainly I’ve never tried to wrangle a dragon—did I ever tell you about the time out west when I found a dragon in a gold mine?”

“Well, let me get comfortable…” Ari dragged a crate over to the railing and perched primly on it, then gestured for Aiden to continue. He readjusted his grip on the railing to be able to gesticulate with one hand, and then launched into a tale that began with an utterly boring train ride across the Great Plains and took most of the evening to tell.

vi. a few years off the coast of ireland

Ari didn’t see Aiden in the next port, and so she couldn’t tell him to meet her in the one after that. She despaired privately that perhaps he had finally broken the rules of his immortality and fallen prey to land-living. Certainly times were changing, and few ports even had a place for the Turtledove to dock amongst the bulky ocean liners and streamlined electric motorboats.

And this was only the first change to a routine that had stretched across centuries, because one day her parents called her into the captain’s quarters for a discussion.

“Ari, I’m stepping down,” Father said. “I’ve been captain for long enough, and I think it’s your time now.”

“What? No, you can’t!” Ari said, voice thick in her throat. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Oh, darling, we won’t leave,” Mother assured her. “We’ll sail with you for quite a while longer. But we agree it’s your turn to be captain. You know the world of the land-living better than we do, I think.”

“Only because of my—of Aiden, and I haven’t seen him in the last ports,” she protested.

“But you’re willing to pay attention to what’s beyond the ports,” Father pressed. “There’s less of the ocean than there was when I started sailing. You’ll need that knowledge, and your friends on land.”

Ari flung her arms around her father and said into his shoulder, “Alright, I’ll do it.”

Her mother took off her hat and put it on Ari’s head, and Ari imagined the weight that came with it settling onto her back. She’d been dreaming of this day for decades, but now she couldn’t even find her best friend to tell about it.

Had he broken his rules and paid the price for immortality? Or had he simply forgotten her and moved on like the rest of the land-living?

vii. trenton, new jersey

“Captain Ariadne?” someone said from behind her, his voice hesitating on her rank. Ari turned. A smudgy man in a threadbare coat stood on the gangplank, nervously twisting his fingers around and around his other wrist.

“Hallo, Aiden. How long has it been?”

“Long enough, Ari. Congratulations, I see you’re captain now?”

She shrugged. “Oh, am I? I wondered where the hat came from.”

“I think it’s dashing.”

She let the comfortable silence fall, and moved to walk down the gangplank. But before she joined him in the land-living, he said quickly, “So I guess that means you have an opening on board?”

Her heart sang. “Do you know someone who wants the position?”

“I don’t know the first thing about boats, but would you take me on?”

She could have picked him up and spun around the deck in her excitement, but reminded herself to be professional. “We don’t know when we’ll arrive,” she warned.

“That’s alright,” Aiden said, taking her hands. “I don’t care when we end up. It’s the journey I want.”

Fin.

[mabeobhqs]

Mabeob event: THE INEO FESTIVAL!!

with the rain finally subsiding and the sun warming the sands of mabeob, it's time to formally welcome spring with the local ineo festival! the locals celebrate the mermaid of mabeob, the local community, and the bounty they have been given the year before. the streets will be lit and filled with activities for all ages.

the attraction that always gains the most interest is the section that celebrates mabeob magic. even if you don't really believe in magic, it'll still be a fun time. palm and tea leaf readings, fortunes, and blessings are all given to anyone who wants them, free of charge. whether you want to know if you'll find the love of your life this year, have a charm blessed for good health or a flourishing love life, or know who you were in a past life-- all of that and more will be available.

you can't forget the food and snacks available. who can have a good time on an empty stomach, hm? a delicacy of mabeob is the beautiful raindrop cakes filled with cherry blossoms and topped with brown sugar and honey. these treats are almost too beautiful to eat but you have to make sure you grab one! be sure to also grab a watermelon punch or omija-cha fresh from mabeob's own ingredients. if none of those interest you, there's sure to be a street vendor offering something that will tempt your palette.

we can't forget the games. for the children, bring them by the duck pond to fish out a duck-- everyone is a winner at this game! figure yourself for a marksman? we have knock down the bottles for a prize and darts where each balloon holds a wonderful surprise inside. want something less competitive and more fun? try out rope bridge and see if you can make it all the way across. whether it's for fun or for glory, we have a game for you!

at the end of the night, as the celebration is coming to a close everyone will be handed a flower lantern to write a wish within that they hope to come true this year. before you leave for the night, make sure you launch your lantern off the pier so the mermaid can see your heart's wish and grant it for you!

ooc: A small event for our dear members to have fun! The event will last one day ic but ooc will be a whole week ending next week (may 15th) with the flower lanterns. if you wish for your muse to participate in a stall on the festival feel free to do so! You are also free to stop or keep going with your current threads while doing event ones! If you have any questions please message the main!

[brookston]

Holidays 12.14

Holidays

Ako Gishi Sai (Honoring the 47 Ronin; Japan)

American Revolutionary War Day

Audubon Christmas Bird Count begins (until 1.5)

Bashkir Language Day

Bush Shoe Day

Buy A Christmas Tree Day

Chernobyl Liquidators Day (Ukraine)

Christmas Jumper Day (Belgium)

Day of the Martyred Intellectuals (Bangladesh)

Deck the Halls Day

Email Tag Day

47 Ronin Remembrance Day (Sengaku-ji, Japan)

Free Shipping Day [Also 3rd Monday]

Hug Day (South Korea)

International Hello Day

Journée du pull de Noël (Christmas Jumper Day; Belgium, UK)

Martyred Intellectuals Day (Bangladesh)

Monkey Day

More Good Today Day

National Alabama Day

National Energy Conservation Day (India)

National Irish Sign Language Day (Ireland)

National Screwdriver Day

National Tree Planting Day (Malawi)

National ‘WTF Happened To Surf?’ Day

Opposites Attract Day

Ozcanabans of Oz Convention (a.k.a. Oz Christmas)

Petroleum Industry and Geology Workers’ Day (Turkmenistan)

Play An Old Song That You Didn't Like To See If You Still Don't Like It Day

Police Day (Bahrain)

Precalentines Day

Quantum Mechanics Day

Sandy Hook Remembrance Day

Sorrel Day (French Republic)

South Pole Day

U.S. Park Police Day

World Energy Conservation Day

Yoga Day

Yuletide Lad #3 arrives (Stúfur or Stubby; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Biscuits and Gravy Day

National Bouillabaisse Day

National Sausage Balls Day

Roast Chestnuts Day

Independence & Related Days

Alabama Statehood Day (#22; 1819)

2nd Saturday in December

Army & Navy Union Day (Massachusetts) [2nd Saturday]

Bath & Body Works’ Body Care Day [2nd Saturday]

Bring Your Christmas Tree Home Day (UK) [2nd Saturday]

Day of the Horse [2nd Saturday; also 12.13]

Gingerbread Decorating Day [2nd Saturday]

Hakiadaore Ichi (Shoe Festival; Japan) [Begins 2nd Saturday]

Hantoro begins (Flower & Light Festival; Japan) [2nd Saturday to 23rd]

Helicopter Industry Day (Russia) [2nd Saturday]

International Shareware Day [2nd Saturday]

Le Foire aux Noix begins (Nuts Fair; Bastogne, Belgium) [2nd Saturday]

Salad Saturday [2nd Saturday of Each Month]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Satirical Saturday [2nd Saturday of Each Month]

Saturday the 14th [Saturday the 14th]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Wreaths Across America Day [Saturday closest to 12.14]

Weekly Holidays beginning December 14 (2nd Full Week of December)

Christmas Bird Count Week (thru 1.5.2025)

Halcyon Days begin (7 days before & after Winter Solstice)

Festivals Beginning December 14, 2024

AKC National Championship (Orlando, Florida) [thru 12.15]

Buckingham Christmas Parade (Buckingham, United Kingdom)

Carthage Film Festival (Tunis, Tunisia) [thru 12.21]

Christmas Boat Parade (Clear Lake, Texas)

Currier and Ives Cookie Tour (Monadnock Region, New Hampshire)

Heritage Christmas (Lindsborg, Kansas)

Holiday Concert & Santa on the Pier (Redondo Beach, California)

Inn to Inn Holiday Cookie & Candy Tour (Mt. Washington Valley, New Hampshire) [thru 12.15]

Kerstbierfestival [Christmas Beer Festival in Essen] (Essen, Belgium) [thru 12.15]

Mooloolaba Yacht Club’s Christmas Boat Parade (Mooloolaba, Australia)

Ocala Christmas Parade (Ocala, Florida)

Okeechobee Main Street Christmas Festival (Okeechobee, Florida)

Say Cheese Wine Trail (Hermann, Missouri)

St. Lucia Festival (Lindsborg, Kansas)

Whiskies of the World (Miami, Florida)

Winterfest Sausalito (Sausalito, California) [thru 12.15]

Wintersköl Beer Festival (Aspen, Colorado)

Feast Days

Alexander Nelke (Artology)

Cat Herding Day (Pastafarian)

D'Alembert (Positivist; Saint)

David A. Cherry (Artology)

Day of Iuventas and Hebe (Pagan)

Elen Lluddog, Elen of the Roads (Celtic Book of Days)

Folcwin (Christian; Saint)

François-Hubert Drouais (Artology)

John of the Cross (Christian; Saint)

John III of the Sedre (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Losoong (a.k.a. Namsoong; Sikkim, India)

Matronian (Christian; Saint)

Nani Bird (Muppetism)

Nicasius of Rheims (Christian; Saint)

Nimatullah Kassab (Maronite Church)

Nostradamus Day (Everyday Wicca)

Paul Éluard (Writerism)

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (Artology)

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Roger Fry (Artology)

Shirley Jackson (Writerism)

Spyridon (Western Church)

Venantius Fortunatus (Christian; Saint)

Whiny Victimization Co-Dependency Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Xul Solar (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 57 of 60)

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [56 of 57]

Premieres

Barbecue Brawl (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1956)

Bee on Guard (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

Berlin, by Lou Reed (Musical Play; 2006)

Bird Box (Film; 2018)

The Bridge Over the River Kwai (Film; 1957)

Broken Toys (Silly Symphonies Disney Cartoon; 1935)

Bully for Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1965)

By Leaps and Hounds (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1951)

Childhood, by Tove Ditlevsen (Novel; 1967)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Film; 1977)

Crimson and Clover, by Tommy James and the Shondells (Song; 1968)

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Film; 1988)

Dragnet (TV Series; 1951)

Dune (Film; 1984)

El Cid (Film; 1961)

The Expanse (TV Series; 2015)

A Farewell to Arms (Film; 1957)

Flowers for Madame (WB MM Cartoon; 1935)

Frankenweenie (Disney Cartoon; 1984)

Glory (film; 1989)

Golf Nuts (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1930)

A Haul in One (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1956)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Film; 1990) [Hobbit #1]

If Beale Street Could Talk (Film; 2018)

If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain), recorded by Fanny Brice (Song; 1928)

I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (Film; 1988)

The Jerk (Film; 1979)

King Kong (Film; 2005)

Lady, by Styx (Song; 1974)

Let’s Drink to the Ruby or Stoned Again (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 328; 1964)

Little Big Man (Film; 1970)

London Calling, by The Clash (Album; 1979)

Mermaids (Film; 1990)

Miss Congeniality (Film; 2000)

1941 (Film; 1979)

Philadelphia (Film; 1993)

Rabbit Romeo (WB MM Cartoon; 1957)

The Royal Tenenbaums (Film; 2001)

Ruby Yacht, Part 1 (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 327; 1964)

Run, Sheep, Run! (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1935)

The Saint and the People Importers, by Fleming Lee (Novel; 1971) [Saint #44]

Saturday Night Fever (Film; 1977)

Scout Fellow (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1951)

South Pole or Bust (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1934)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Animated Film; 2018)

Starman (Film; 1984)

The Strudlhof Steps, by Heimito von Doderer (Novel; 1951)

Time Out, by The Dave Brubeck Quartet (Album; 1959)

The Tiny Tree (DePatie-Freleng Animated TV Special; 1975)

The Towering Inferno (Film; 1974)

Vanilla Sky (Film; 2001)

Wozzeck, by Alban Berg (Opera; 1925)

You Can't Take it With You, by Moss Hart (Play; 1936)

You’re Living All Over Me, by Dinosaur Jr. (Album; 1987)

Today’s Name Days

Berthold, Johannes (Austria)

Snezhala (Bulgaria)

Ivan, Venancije (Croatia)

Lýdie (Czech Republic)

Crispus (Denmark)

Eho, Hengo, Hingo (Estonia)

Jouko (Finland)

Odile (France)

Berthold, Johannes (Germany)

Arrianos, Lefki (Greece)

Szilárda (Hungary)

Valeriano, Venanzio (Italy)

Auseklis, Dailonis, Gaisma (Latvia)

Alfredas, Kintvilė, Tarvainas (Lithuania)

Stein, Steinar (Norway)

Alfred, Arseniusz, Izydor, Naum, Pompejusz, Sławobor, Spirydion (Poland)

Apolonie, Calinic, Filimon, Tirs (Romania)

Branislava, Bronislava (Slovakia)

Juan, Nicasio (Spain)

Sixten, Sten (Sweden)

Apollonia (Ukraine)

Boyd, Boyden, Byrd, Horace (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 349 of 2024; 17 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 50 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Bing-Zi), Day 14 (Ren-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 13 Kislev 5785

Islamic: 12 Jumada II 1446

J Cal: 19 Black; Fryday [19 of 30]

Julian: 1 December 2024

Moon: 99%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 13 Bichat (13th Month) [Joseph Fourier / Lagrange]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 8 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 83 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of December

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 23 of 30)

Calendar Changes

December (Julian Calendar) [Month 12 of 12]

[newsssc]

Why Kamala Harris Won’t Ban Fracking

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a watch party after … [+] a presidential debate with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 2024. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images During a heated…

[corporate-comedy]

(via Corporate Team Building & Leadership Training thru Improv Workshops & Immersive Shows)

Corporate Events

The New York Improv Theater is a one stop edutainment center for corporate team building, office / holiday parties and more. Our comedy shows and workshops deliver high impact results. Clients include Google, Merck, Mercedes Benz, META /Facebook, TikTok, JP Morgan Chase, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Twitter, Roblox, Rimowa, EI Digital, Accenture, Datadog HQ, Milbank, BING/Microsoft, Band of America – Merrill Lynch, Home Depot, Ernst & Young, Johnson & Johnson, Louis Vuitton, Coach, UBS, BDO, AMEX, Master Card, Macy’s, 360i, IBM, GM, Kraft, UNILEAVER, HBO, Prudential, Convene, Conference Board and many more… (NYC DOE VENDORS)

College / University Tour

EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH Improv Comedy show has played the big stages (500+ seats) and smaller intimate venues (50-200) and even Greek Houses of Syracuse, Seton Hall, Princeton, Georgetown, Vaughn, Molloy University, Montclair State University, Bloomberg College, High Point University, Williams College, Lynchburg College, Southern New Hampshire University, Ferris State, Mount Isa, Misericordia, Sacred Heart, Hastings College, Pace University, Vaughn, College Misericordia, University of Vermont, Stone Hill University, Yeshiva University, Columbia University, NYU, Hofstra University, Cooper Union, John Jay College, Fordham University and more.

More Improv Touring Nationwide

Additionally, EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH has toured 1000s of public and private events at The Smithsonian Portrait Gallery, Wolf Trap, The Argyle Theater, Emelin Theater, Gerold Opera House, 72nd Street Pier, Cherry Point Marine Base, Disney Resorts, Ohio National Guard, Connecticut DCF, First Nights Winchester VA, Binghamton First Night, Haddonfield First Night, Chateau Briand, Babylon Carriage House, retirement homes, numerous libraries, YMCA, JCC, Parks and Recreation, 1000s of k12 schools and summer camps in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska.

Artistic Director, Walt Frasier has 25+ years of professional credits in comedy, Theater and music. He got his big break in TV performing comedy sketches on MTV’s Stankervision, Late Nite with David Letterman, TruTV’s Friends of the People, and most recently on HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. As an actor, Frasier has appeared on NBC’s Blacklist, CBS’s Blue Bloods, USA’s Royal Pains (Filmed in Puerto Rico), Netflix’s Lilyhammer (filmed in Norway) and NICK’s Naked Brothers Band. In addition to 1000s of live performances around the world, Frasier has also appeared in numerous commercials, industrials, webisodes and reality TV shows.

[mcgiggers]

New York - September 2024

Just back from the Armory and related art festivities in the Big Apple which also hosted the US Open and New York Fashion Week. The eclectic mix of aficionados made for a raucous and visually entertaining backdrop for the supercharged events. On the art front, the Armory Show was center stage as it celebrated its 30th edition and its second at the revamped Javits Center. Other fairs visited were Independent 20th Century and Art on Paper. While the sheer proliferation of fairs in the last decade can inevitably result in hit or miss experiences, the gatherings nevertheless offer the opportunity to see thousands of works by a broad range of local and international artists all under one roof which, with some patience and visual filtering, always yields marvelous art finds.

This year the Armory featured over 235 leading galleries representing more than 35 countries. The notable absence of the mega-galleries and smaller overall international representation gave the fair a more local feel with an energized NYC vibe. The smorgasbord of primarily post-war contemporary offerings ranged from figurative to abstract with a hint of conceptual. The Javits Center easily accommodated the bulked-up size of the fair, and the comfortable spacing and layout enhanced the viewing experience.  Some highlights included: Deni Lantz’s dreamy John Zurier-inspired “Untitled”, 2024, oil and beeswax on canvas (72.0 x 59.84 in.); Anouk Lamm Anouk’s ethereal “post/pre Nº 64”, 2023, acrylic on linen (19.75 x 21.63 in.); Paul Feeley’s iconically shaped “Untitled (January 29)”, 1962, oil-based enamel on canvas (57 x 81 in.); and, Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos)’s playful “foxes on the moon”, 2024, acrylic, graphite, Xerox transfer on panel board (49 x 72 in.).

Independent 20th Century fair was more highbrow. From a gallery perspective, that might be fine if the right people are showing up; from a fair goer perspective, the offering was more nuanced. Set in the historic Battery Maritime Building for the second year in a row, the smallish 32-exhibitor show primarily championed artists that applied their trade between 1900 and 2000. The highlights included: Squeak Carnwath’s painted patterns and thoughts in “Dick & Jane”, 1996, oil and alkyd on canvas (76 x 102 in.); Tom Fairs’ nightscape “Untitled”, c. 1998-99, mixed media on heavy paper (30 x 22 in.); and Rebecca Ward’s translucent “king ranch lll”, 2013, bleach on canvas (40 x 30 in.).

Art on Paper continued its run on the courts of Basketball City on Pier 36 and celebrated its tenth edition with a 100-gallery roster featuring top modern and contemporary paper-based art. On a relative basis, the offering was probably the most accessible from a price point perspective compared to that of other fairs which likely contributed to its enthusiastic appreciation by art fans.  Highlights included: David Richardson’s “White Roses #3”, 2024, chalk on paper (14 x 11 in.); Simone Christen’s “Moment of Bliss l”, 2023, ink on raw linen (30 x 24 x 1.5 in.); and Herman Cherry’s “Untitled #35”, 1968, oil on rag paper (18.25 x 23 in.).

One of the most impressive sights viewed during the New York visit was a billboard by Glenn Ligon spotted from the High Line at 18th Street and 10th Avenue. This new version of “Untitled (America/Me)” spans 25 x 75 ft and features an altered image of Ligon’s iconic 14 ft 2008 “Untitled” which stretches 14 ft across spelling out the word “AMERICA” in neon lights that flicker on and off.  In 2022, Ligon revisited “Untitled” by creating a print, the original “Untitled (America/Me)”, that manipulated a photograph of the neon by drawing X’s through letters leaving only M and E untouched. The billboard is a reprisal of that modest sized print (14 x 11 in., edition of 50) on a gargantuan level, magnifying perhaps the polarized state of affairs in America today.  

Meanwhile back in Hogtown, it’s time to heat up the grill with BBQ season nearly upon us. The burning question is who is going to run with the Barnes, Barrett and Quickley trio. The Big Austrian is a prime candidate in the middle, but who will suit up at the number 4 spot? The ask is for a 6’8” 240 lbs. defensive stalworth that can guard in space, run the floor and knock down 3’s at a 38% plus clip. The current roster’s cast of characters are not obvious candidates. Tricky Dicky, Kelly Canuk and B-Squared each fall short in a few categories. As the auditioning plays out in training camp and the pre-season, there may be some surprises among the lesser known and yet unproven entities on the payroll, but hope is not a strategy. The whole spells for some uncertainty regarding the upcoming season. Barring injuries, the Dinos may be good enough to better last season’s record of 25-67, but probably not good enough to make a splash beyond a play-in round. With that prospect, Sensei Masai’s hand will not be far from the tank button. In the interim, Coach Darko will have to manage as best as he can and be ready to pivot at any time.

For more information on any of the artists or works mentioned, and the starting lineup for the Dinos, “Just Google It”.

There you have it sportsfans,

MC Giggers

(https://mcgiggers.tumblr.com) Reporter’s Certification

I, MC Giggers, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report accurately reflect my personal views and that no part of my compensation was or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific views expressed herein.

I also certify that I may or may not own, directly or indirectly, works of artists mentioned in this report and that I may or may not have a strong bias for such artists and, more generally, for “Pictures of Nothing”.

[mnchrmdrms]

Cherry on Top

Waves of heat rise from the asphalt, cooking Cody and everything else stalking the streets. Even at night the heat is stifling. A whopping 87 degrees fahrenheit on this metro city evening and projected to skyrocket over the next few days. Work hadn’t been easy, he’d been lucky enough to smooze his way into a moving gig shuffling around equipment on the pier for some kind of business that was preparing to go out of it. Followed by a little pit fight, his pockets were about as heavy as his eyes. All this manual labor is going to catch up to him and he can only pray, as he opens the door to his shitty apartment, that that night is not tonight

[blinkaholik1]

American Art

Stephanie Koch Media 111 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60601 Art Institute of Chicago (168) The HelenBowen Blair Gallery Looking Glass 1790/1810 New York, New York Gilt gesso, pine, and eglomise Gift of the Antiquarian Society, 1925.100 Pier Table 1790/1810 Baltimore, Maryland Mahonogany, yellow popular, white oak, yellow pine, and marble Corner, Basin Stand 1780/1800 Connecticut or New Jersey Mahogany with white pine and cherry James J. and Marshall Field Fund, Jeffrey Shedd gift of Mrs. John Paul Welling, 1991.205.12 (169) The Robert R. McMormick Gallery American, 17801819 Mantel 1818 Wood Restricted gift of the Antiquarian Society, 1951.266 Possibly “stimp” (active about 1820) Oil on panel Restricted gift of the Antiquarian Society Quinn E. Delaney Fund; restricted gift of Mrs. Herbert A. Vance, Charles C. Hafferner III, and Jan Pavlovic, 2011.44 The fireplace and hearth served as the center of eighteenth and early nineteenthcentury American homes. In larger houses that had fireplaces in more than one room, they were often, “dressed up” with paintings hung about the mantel and fireboards. The latter were especially common during the during summer months, when they were utilized to beautify the gapping hole of the unused fireplace. This fireboard was painted right around 1820, when John Moseley completed the construction of a house on Main Street North In Southbury, Connecticut. reserve.ChicagoBooth.edu transcription 01/09/2019