#I am happy to report they continue to be the nicest and also most fun customer service to call into

[commodoreshock]

Objectively speaking Boxing Day is probably the stupidest day to send off joycon controllers to Nintendo to get fixed, but that’s the day I had motivation and time for it, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[mldrgrl]

In Another Life 7/7

by: mldrgrl Rating: PG-13 (at the most) Summary: See Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

On Monday, Mulder went to work with a bucket of cleaning supplies and starting clearing and somewhat organizing the files in the basement.  The storage room was actually fairly large, and once he’d sorted some things out, moved boxes, and got rid of a lot of excess junk, he had a lot of room to work with.  It took nearly all week, and by the time he was finished, it had started to dawn on him that instead of bringing the files upstairs, he might as well just move his office where the files were.

He got approval from AD Skinner, who looked at him like he was crazy, but still signed off on his requisition for a desk.  The deliverymen thought it had been a mistake and called him several times to confirm the desk was being brought to the basement?  Are you sure?

After he was settled, he was actually pleased with the space.  Sure, it was a basement, but he had a nice skylight and two rooms.  He’d found a few boxes of old equipment which still worked and though someone else found useless, he set it up in the secondary room that had once gated off whatever someone felt was important enough to gate off in storage.  He now had his own slide projector, lightboard, and a large magnifier that clamped onto a table.

What took him the most time, and would continue to take weeks or months, was classifying and cataloging the x-files into something that might be easily referenced.  He’d started out with general categories, but the more he found, the more he’d had to break those into smaller subgenres.  It wasn’t enough to label a pile PARANORMAL, he had to then separate sets of files into HAUNTINGS, POLTERGEISTS, ECTOPLASM, and PSYCHICS.  

The missing persons stack is the one that really bothered him.  There were hundreds of accounts of people just vanishing off the face of the earth.  At least a dozen of these files, eye witnesses reported seeing strange lights in the sky the night someone vanished.  He separated those files into a group he tentatively labeled ALIEN ABDUCTION.

Even though he poured all of his energy into the x-files, every night Mulder went home, he played Scully’s message on his answering machine until he had it memorized.  Sometimes he would pick up his phone and dial part of her number before hanging up.

******

Mulder’s in depth review of his alien abduction and UFO sightings files turned out to be extremely valuable in the first two cases he was assigned as x-files.  The first was investigating reports from a space program employee on possible sabotage of recent launches.  What he found was an astronaut haunted by his previous missions and his belief that an alien entity had possessed him.  The sabotage was his way of protecting other astronauts from suffering the same fate.  Mulder suspected PTSD and ordered him into immediate psychiatric care.

“You believe him?” Skinner asked, when he filed his report.

“It doesn’t matter whether I believe him,” Mulder answered.  “It matters that he believes.”

And that was his philosophy going into his next case.  A man claiming to be a multiple abductee was arrested sneaking into a crash site of a military test flight.  Everything Mulder had read about in his files encompassed this one man, Max Fenig.  He was so thorough in his story that he almost had Mulder convinced it was true.  When Mulder started a deep dive into Fenig’s life, trying to corroborate his account of events, the jittery guy vanished without a trace.  Only this time, it was Mulder who could attest to seeing strange lights in the sky the night Max Fenig disappeared.

“Is this really how you want to spend your time?” Skinner asked.  “Chasing lights in the sky?”

“Sometimes it’s the journey that’s the reward,” Mulder answered.

“Holly has your new file.  No little green men in it, I’m afraid.”

“Grey.”

“Hm?”

“You said green.  A Reticulan’s skin tone is actually grey.  Allegedly due to iron depletion in the Reticulan Galaxy.”

Skinner’s eyes twitched behind his glasses and he started at Mulder.  Mulder gave him a slight smile.

“Makes you wonder what liver and onions goes for on Reticula, doesn’t it, Sir?” Mulder asked.

“Go get your file, Agent Mulder.”

******

Mulder gets two more cases in before everything shuts down for Christmas and New Years.  Both cases bring him back to Quantico, where the halls feel empty to him without Scully there.  He knocks on her door, ‘shave and a haircut,’ but no one answers.  It’s not like he expected to find her there, but his heart still pounded with a nervous, quick-flutter of anticipation.

One of the cases, in addition to forcing him to deal with a childhood fear of fire, also put him in contact with a classmate from Oxford.  He hadn’t known Inspector Phoebe Green very well in school, mostly because she was a year ahead of him and they didn’t travel in the same social circles, but universities are like small worlds, and he certainly knew of her.  She apparently knew of him as well and asked for his assistance on a matter in Boston, where she was acting as security for a British ambassador.  

Inspector Green made no secret of the fact she was interested in Mulder, and let him know she’d had a crush on him in school.  They attempted a date, which consisted of an awkward dinner at his hotel that was interrupted by a fire alarm, and when it turned out she happened to be sleeping with her married boss, amongst a variety of other men, it was just as well that Mulder was too preoccupied with daydreams of Scully to care very much.

On Christmas Eve, Mulder headed to The Headless Woman for a drink before heading home.  The place was packed, something of an agent hangout, and by the looks of it, they all had the same idea.  He tossed one back with a guy he used to work with in VCU and they played a game of catch up.  He showed Mulder a picture of his daughter, told him his wife was expecting next month, which reminded him that he needed to call Samantha.

After parting ways with his old friend, Mulder took a seat at the bar to finish his beer and order one more.  He caught AD Skinner’s eye when he sat down, and his boss nodded and then approached, taking the seat next to Mulder.

“Sir,” Mulder said.  “Happy holidays.”

“You as well, Agent.”

“Can I buy you one?”

“It’s on me, actually.”  Skinner flashed two fingers at the bartender.

“Thanks.”

“I’m glad I caught you in here, actually.  I just spoke to the British Ambassador regarding your arsonist case.”

“Did the Marsden’s get back to England alright?”

“As far as I know.  They’re requesting we extradite L’Ively to stand trial in England.”

“We’d only have him for attempted murder here.  They can pin six murders on him back in jolly old England.”

“Attempted murder of a federal agent.”

“The burns are minor.”  Mulder shrugged and took a sip of his fresh beer.

“According to Inspector Green, you ran into a burning house.”

“There were kids upstairs.”

“You need to think about getting a partner, Agent Mulder.”

“There’s only one person that qualifies, Sir, and she’s unavailable.”

“You’re referring to Agent Scully, I take it?”

“I am.”

“I see.”

“And in the interim?  Should I let you get yourself killed?”

“Like I said, the burns are minor.”

“Luck runs out eventually.  You need someone to watch your back.”

“I know.  But, I happen to think she’s worth waiting for.”

“If you don’t get yourself killed in the meantime.  Do you even know if she would want to take this on?  She’s a pathologist, not a field agent.”

“Something tells me she would.”

Skinner sighed and downed a generous swig of his beer.  He pushed off the barstool and opened his wallet, taking out a few bills and tossing them onto the bartop.  He looked like he wanted to say more, but he put his wallet away and rested his hand on Mulder’s shoulder for a moment.

“I need to get home to my wife,” he said.  “Enjoy the holidays.”

“I didn’t know you were married.”

“20 years.”

“Happy holidays to you and your wife.”

“See you in the new year, Agent.”

******

Mulder’s favorite piece of equipment, by far, was his slide projector.  He liked standing in front of magnified images in the half-dark, focusing on details might normally be lost to the naked eye.  It helped him put information together and visual a crime scene better.  And it was just fun to click through each image.  He even enjoyed the click and shuffle sound the projector made when he changed slides.

It was just after New Years and he was sorting his slides on his lightboard, numbering and marking them to drop into the carrel.  There was a knock on his door, which was unusual.  Someone must be lost, he thought.

“Nobody down here but the FBI’s most unwanted,” he called, without even looking up from his slides.

He was sure whoever it was on the other side would go away, but the door opened, and he heard the tap of high heels approach.  He looked up and felt his cheeks burn with the pull of a suppressed grin.

“You lost?” he asked.

“No,” Scully answered.  “I’ve been assigned to work with you.”

“Who did you tick off to get stuck with this detail, Scully?”

“Actually, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Well, isn’t it nice to suddenly be so highly regarded.”

“I’ve always regarded you highly, Agent Mulder.”

“Likewise, Scully.”  He didn’t stop the smile from spreading this time.

A moment passed where they gazed at one another in silence and then Scully turned her head slightly to inspect the room.  She walked it slowly, touching his equipment with her fingertips, leaning closer to get a better look at the photos he’d tacked to a corkboard.  She looked up at the skylight and then turned back around to face him.

“Well, I’d say you moved up in the world,” she said.  “But, that’s not really the case.”

“It’s still the nicest office I’ve ever had.”

“It’s a little small.”

“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure we can squeeze another desk down here, maybe put them face to face and we can play a nice game of Battleship.”

Scully chuckled.  She looked past his shoulder at the poster behind his desk and moved closer to it.  It was of a blurry UFO in flight with the words I WANT TO BELIEVE underneath.

“That’s interesting,” she said.

“I found it in a head shop on Avenue M,” he answered.  “Seemed appropriate for the new digs.”

“I like it.”

He had a million questions for her.  How was she?  What had she been doing the past two months?  Did she really want this job?  Was she still with Daniel?  Did everyone eat the pumpkin pie after he’d stormed out?  She turned away from him like she knew what he was thinking and inspected the second cork board next to his poster.

“You know,” he said.  “I was told I’d have final say on who they assigned down here.”

“Would you like to see my resume?” she murmured, fingering the corner of the Jersey devil tacked to the lower left side of the board.

“How about a test?”

“I was always pretty good at pop quizzes.”

“I bet you were,” he answered, loading the carrel on top of the projector.  “Could you kill the lights?”

Scully crossed in front of the light of the projector, creating a silhouette of herself on the screen.  When the room was dark, Mulder dropped the first slide.  It was a photo of a young girl.  He clicked his remote to move to the next slide, a photo of a young man.

“Elizabeth Hawley and James Summers,” he said.  “Both 19.  Two days ago, they were reported missing from Jackson University.  One year ago, another couple went missing from Duke University.  One week later, they found the bodies of both students.”

As he spoke, he shuffled through a few more slides from the Duke University murders.  Photos of the bodies, the crime scene, a newspaper headline.

“The Duke kids were kept alive,” he continued.  “Tortured throughout their seven day ordeal, before they were killed.”

“You think we’re looking for a serial killer or a copycat?” she asked.

“No arrests were ever made.  Police believed it to be a one-time offender at the time.  It now appears it may be a serial.”

“If he holds true to form, that only gives us five days to find these students.”

“Pretty grim deadline.”

“I’ll say.”

“Well, here’s another grim deadline.”  Mulder handed Scully a file before he clicked to another photo of a death row inmate.  “In one week, Luther Lee Boggs will take a seat in the North Carolina gas chamber.”

Scully looked up briefly at the slide and then perused the file in her hand in the light from the projector.  Her head was bent over and the spotlight caught her cheek in a way that made her look ethereal.  Mulder swallowed, losing his train of thought.

“How is he related?” Scully finally asked, lifting her head.

“Uh, he claims to have information relating to the kidnapping,” Mulder said, touching his wrist.  “He described Hawley's bracelet down to the last detail, information that only family members could have known.”

“I don’t understand.  Is he the killer?”

“Not likely.  He’s been in prison for the last seven years.  My profile actually put him there.”

“Maybe he’s orchestrating the killings from the inside.”

“He claims to have obtained this information through psychic transmission.”

“Psychic transmission?”  Scully closed the file in her hands and crossed her arms.  She raised her brows at Mulder in the habit he’d grown accustomed to.

“Do I detect a hint of skepticism?”

“No, I can’t imagine why you’d think that.”

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe it either.”

“Really?”

Mulder shrugged.  “Boggs has been in the chamber before. He was actually strapped to the chair before receiving an executive stay.  He claims that this experience activated in him the ability to channel spirits and demons.”

“That’s what you don’t believe.”

“There are scores of x-files on psychic ability.  I have to believe there’s some truth there, even if it can’t be proved.  But, not in this case.  Not Boggs.”

“And I take it you’ve read all those files.”

“I did.”  Mulder waved his hand towards the filing cabinets in the shadows behind him.  “They’re all there, in alphabetical order if you want to take a look.”

“That might prove helpful.  So, if you believe in the phenomenon, why not Boggs?”

Mulder raised his finger and brushed past Scully to turn the lights back on.  He took the file she’d closed from under her arm and flipped the pages until he found the one he wanted.  He folded the page back and gave the file back to Scully.

“At the age of six, Luther Boggs slaughtered every pet animal in his housing project,” she read out loud.  “When he was 30, he strangled five family members over Thanksgiving dinner and then sat down to watch the fourth quarter of the Detroit-Green Bay game.  Some killers are projects of society.  Some act out past abuses.  Boggs kills because he likes it.  This is from your profile?”

“It is.  Boggs has read it and he believes I'm the only one who truly understands what he is.  Anyway, I leave for Raleigh this afternoon.  But...”

“But?”

“I only put in a travel req for one ticket.  We’ll have to grab another TRA.”

“Do I have the job then?”

“You have the job.”

Scully smiled a little and looked down at her feet for a moment.  “I should tell you, so you’re aware, I left Daniel.  I’ve filed for divorce.”

Mulder opened his mouth, but hesitated to say anything.  He was glad, but he couldn’t tell her that.  “I’m sorry, Scully.”

“I’m not.”  She looked up at him and gave a swift shake of her head.  “It needed to be done.”

“Still though.”

She stared up at him with a passive smile.  Her eyes held his and he found it impossible to look away.  The air between them felt thick.  He wished the lights were still off so he could see her in the glow of the projector again.  He wondered if her cheek was as soft as it looked and he reached up to touch it.

“I am sorry,” he said, softly.  

“And I’m not,” she said again, reaching up to put her hand over Mulder’s.

“I told myself it would be enough to just see you again, to work with you, and nothing more.”

“You tend to believe some pretty fantastic things.”

“This is probably the only time I’ll ever say this, but I hope you prove me wrong.”

“I think I’ll make proving you wrong a part of my job description.”

“I don’t want to be a rebound for you, Scully.  So, whatever time you need, whatever space-”

“If you need time and space, Mulder, that’s alright with me, but I don’t.  I didn’t leave Daniel for you, I left him for me.  You were right.  It’s something that I needed to do.  And what I want now is to be with someone who likes who I am.”

“Oh, I definitely like who you are.  A lot.  A lot, a lot, a lot.”

She smiled and pressed her cheek a little more firmly into his hand.  He pressed his lips together and swallowed.  He wanted to kiss her, but she had a way of throwing his confidence off-kilter.  It probably wasn’t the time or place, either.  They were at work, they had a case to solve.  They had to be able to focus and if his lips were introduced to hers, he knew he wouldn’t be able to think.

“I guess we better get to the airport,” he said.

“I guess so.”

He nodded and started to pull his hand away.

“There is just one more thing though,” she said, reaching up to curl her hand over the back of his neck.  She pulled his head down and tipped her face up to press her lips to his.  Their mouths moved open to each other at the same time, no coaxing or hesitation.  Both her arms went around his neck and his around her back.  She had to arch and he had to bend so that their bodies pressed flush against each other.

For however long it lasted, too long and not long enough, Mulder felt the whimper she gave vibrate from her chest to his.  It made him gasp and their mouths broke apart, but they stayed locked together, her forehead pressed to his cheek and her breath on his jaw.

“Sorry if that was unprofessional,” she breathed.  “But, I had to.”

“I won’t be filing a complaint with HR any time soon.”

They both took a few more moments to breathe and then relaxed their holds on each other in increments.  Scully finally stepped back and immediately he felt the loss of her.  She ran her finger along the bottom of her lip where her lipstick had smudged, which he knew she’d have to fix before they left, but he also kind of didn’t want her to.  And then she was reaching up and rubbing her thumb against the corner of his mouth and he couldn’t keep the stupid grin off his face.

“Do you think Blevins had this in mind when he assigned you down here?” he asked.

“Blevins didn’t assign me, AD Skinner did.”

“Skinner?”

“He called me yesterday.  Asked me to meet with him when I returned from my leave.”

“If you need more time.”

“I do not need more time.  I had to get some things sorted out, but I am back where I want to be.”

“It isn’t pathology.”

“My place is here with you now.  On the x-files.  Where I choose to be.”

“Raleigh, then?”

“After you.”

“Got your Dramamine?”

“I think I’ll be okay.”

“I should call the airline.  Ask them if they can book us seats together.”

“If they can’t, I’ll just ask the person in the middle to switch.  I’ll tell them I need to sit with my partner.”

“Wait.”  Mulder stopped just before they went through the door and went back to his filing cabinet.  He searched for a file labeled DC-X-167512 - VISIONARY ENCOUNTERS WITH THE DEAD and took it out, along with a few files behind it.  He gave them to Scully.  “Some light reading for the plane.”

“This is going to be a hell of an adventure.”

“Sometimes the journey is the reward, so some wise woman once said.”

“Sounds like you know a lot of wise women.”

“I guess I’m just pretty damn lucky in this life.”

“Come on, Mulder.  Take me to Raleigh.”

The End

[abadpoetwithdreams]

Nirvana in Fire Episode 2 Reaction

(Hello, yes, it’s me again, the person who said she’d write a reaction post for every episode she watched and then went and watched SEVEN EPISODES IN THREE DAYS. I have regrets. I actually didn’t even want to stop watching long enough to write this, but I have to before I get too much deeper in. Everything below is written from my episode notes I made while watching episode 2 for the first time, so none of my later knowledge applies, here. I actually know names much better now, obviously. Also I continue to do really badly at not getting attached to anyone. Comically badly, really. I’m setting myself up for a lot of grief, I can tell.)

• So, episode two of Nirvana in Fire! We start this episode by immediately focusing on the princess (whose name is Ni Huang) which I was not expecting but which I welcomed wholly. After she had such a fun, powerful introduction, as well as that cheeky conversation with the Emperor, I am happy that her character gets even more fleshed out here. The fact that she is still unmarried is apparently a Big Deal, because until she is safely paired off with a suitable husband, she is a political wild card. Whoever marries her will essentially have her army of 10,000 men as a dowry, with all the clout that entails, making the Emperor anxious to arrange her marriage as quickly as possible. Unusually for this sort of story, though, he actually cares about her enough that he has let her put off marriage for a many years, so that’s rather sweet. He even seems proud that so many guys are interested in marrying her, which is cute. (He wavers between being proud that she’s so awesome and that so many people would want her, and being worried that so many people want her for the power she has.) In fact, even though this whole tournament for her suitors that he’s arranging seems like a final ultimatum, he seemingly is also going ahead and letting her have final combat with the top candidates, so I guess he’s potentially still letting it slide—for now.

• And why hasn’t she married, even though she is (as he friend so kindly tells her) no longer young? OH I CAN GUESS. *senses Doomed Romance looming closer*

• Side-note: I wish the Emperor’s eunuch buddy would stop smiling. He’s incredibly creepy. The performance reminds me of whoever played Osric in the Tennant production of Hamlet (arguably my favourite Hamlet: that perpetual smile that’s hilarious but also massively unsettling).

• Also Ni Huang has a younger brother? And he is going to take over the army now? Because the emperor is worried about the popularity and influence Ni Huang has among her own army? I’d say the Emperor is being needlessly paranoid, but I’ve watched various Asian period dramas before. He’s right to be skittish.

• Ok and then we get introduced to a general (??) who is immediately also on my list of faves in this show (I said I wouldn’t pick favourites. I SAID I WOULDN’T GET ATTACHED. GAH) because he is introduced with some great drumming music and while punching out two people at once, and also he has fantastic eyebrows and is maybe the only person on this entire show so far who has a Beard that isn’t an Evil Beard. Excellent. He seems very fierce and reminds me a lot of our hero’s surly teen bodyguard, and now I want them to fight.

• The prince who isn’t the Crown Prince (Yu, I have gathered his name is—see, I’ll get all the names gradually, I should have them all solidly by the end of ep3. Being able to keep track of a million names and complicated family trees is one of my Silmarillion powers) seems increasingly snakey every time I see him. This time it’s him praising the two guys the general beat up to his face, and then going off to scold them harshly and be really generally mean later. A harmless bit of two-faced-ness? Mayyyyyybe. But I’m guessing this is just the tip of the iceberg with this guy.

• He has really beautiful clothes, though. That red and gold. NICE.

• We finally come back to Chang Su—yeah, I know I was going to call him Lin Shu last episode because that was the first name I remembered, but everyone’s calling him Mei Chang Su so I’ve picked up on that now and will stick with that I guess… Or, actually, I’ll probably just start using all the names interchangeably and be both confusing and confused. It’s fine.

• Anyway, our mysterious man in white (side note: I adore the simplicity of his costume and how it makes him look even more washed out and ghostly when surrounded by the vibrant colors and detailed patterning of all the other men’s costumes) is hanging out at the Marquis’ house where he is reading and drinking tea in the garden, which just makes me like him more because that is how I, too, like to spend my time. His angry teen bodyguard is busy jumping from rooftop to rooftop and wire-flying through the air, as one does. The bodyguard’s name is Fei Liu and I adore him. More of this kid, please, show, and thanks.

• Chang Su sends Fei Liu out to play, and when Jing Rui wonders at that, Chang Su assures him it’s fine: Fei Liu has a good temper. Immediately I know something is up. Either that, or our entire premise that Chang Su is a brilliant strategist is a lie, because that teen murder machine is the angriest character in this entire show and you’d have to be an idiot to think otherwise.

• These boys, by the way—Jing Rui and … Something Jin? His happy sidekick— continue to be the nicest, most cheerful and pleasant duo. They’re in temperment like the Merry and Pippin of this show. Every time I see them in a scene with Chang Su I get intensely uncomfortable because I’m certain he doesn’t really see them as the friends they think they are to him.

• And then I get my wish and the general and Fei Liu have a mighty sky and roof battle, and it’s glorious. The cinematography is so good in this show, it really lets the wirework and choreography shine. Usually I prefer my combat more House of Flying Daggers over the top and less Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon over the top, but it’s working for me 100% here. The dancer in me digs it.

• “I will be sure to discipline him” -Yeah, sure you will, Chang Su. Suuuuure.

• The general seems suspicious, but that’s only to be expected when you are accosted by a strange, vicious, flying child in a garden.

• “There is nothing exceptional about me. Except for my stunning good looks.” -Chang Su, when questioned by the general. I might have added that last part.

• Fei Liu’s faceplant of shame against the wall made me laugh out loud. Gosh, I love this kid.

• And! It turns out Jing Rui’s brother with the sneaky face was eavesdropping for Prince Yu, and of course when he scuttles away to report his findings we cut to Chang Su looking immensely smug. Yup, he planned that whole fight out. This guy.

• Meanwhile, the Marquis is in the pocket of the Crown Prince, and reports to him the same news. But these guys go a step further and not only are they planning to win Chang Su over; they are planning that if they can’t win him, they will kill him! I’m just assuming Yu hasn’t thought that far ahead.

• “I took to the battlefield in my armor when I was seventeen years old. After witnessing bloody battles for seventeen years, all I have left is a heart of steel.” -Ni Huang, lying. But also continuing to be immensely quotable.

• Also her friend is a super-important intelligence agent? She has this fantastically dangerous attitude, so I can’t wait to see more of her. I love how competent these women are, and they aren’t presented as awesome warriors simply as window-dressing; they make their awesomeness seem earned and genuine and an core part of their characters, so well done show (or novel? I think this is an adaptation of a book? Either way, bravo, and bravo to the actresses for being so effortlessly cool).

• It’s another prince! Prince Jing, this time, and I love this guy immediately. He has a perpetually sad grumpy face but the more you see of his life the more it’s understandable. Guy has it rough. But he seems to be very close with Ni Huang, which is yet another point in his favor! His short, abrupt mannerisms are hilarious, when contrasted with his brothers’ constant waffling and wheedling and whining.

• Oh, and a thread I had questions about last episode gets pulled out a little more: Ni Huang’s friend in the intelligence force was one of those who investigated Lin Shu’s family all those years ago and who came to the conclusion that they were treasonous due to (what I am assuming was planted) evidence that Prince Jing thinks was bogus. He still hasn’t forgiven her, and she still hasn’t forgiven him for continuing to think well of the traitor who killed her husband. Supposedly. Furthermore, Ni Huang also still does not believe Lin Shu and his family were guilty, which hurts her friend’s feelings. Sheesh, I can’t wait for whenever the flashbacks start and we can ACTUALLY SEE what happened 12 years ago! Everyone’s lives seem to be divided into a before and after centered around that event, whether they realize it or not, but everyone also has different takes on what happened. The pay off had better be amazing, because the constant teasing is killing me.

• So now we come to what I thought was going to be the worst scene of the episode, where the Emperor makes poor Prince Jing just stand at attention, ignored, outside his palace and then legit forgets about him and we get all this backstory about how his father treats him harshly due to his sympathizing with Lin Shu’s family and inability to keep his mouth shut and I just felt so bad for this poor guy. But sidenote: the Emperor’s happy air-calligraphy as he admires the handwriting he was looking at when Prince Jing first arrived made me laugh. I really, really like whoever this actor is who’s playing the Emperor. I don’t think I’ve seen him before. But he gives what could easily be yet another trope-y Emperor role a lot of nuance.

• And then when Jing is finally allowed inside, the Crown Prince immediately starts haranguing him about how filthy he looks and why didn’t he go home to clean up first and I wanted to slap him. And then slimy Prince Yu cuts in to argue against the Crown Prince in an attempt to get Good Son Points from their Emperor Dad, and I wanted to slap him, too. My gosh, they’re a pair of five-year-olds.

• Also, Prince Jing continues to be very laconic, but I love that he is both quieter than his brothers AND plagued by the problem that he doesn’t know WHEN to shut up. Someone who speaks their mind like he does and who cares more about what is Right instead of what is Safe reeeeeally needs someone a bit more sneaky and pragmatic looking out for them. Someone like … CHANG SU? HMMMMMMM

• Jing Rui fiercely defending his buddy Chang Su from court politics, and then proudly saying his father is neutral in politics (oh poor boy) is so Good, it breaks my heart.

• And with that it’s finally the start of the tournament to find Ni Huang a husband! Fei Liu angrily fails at putting a ribbon in his hair in the background of a scene and I had to rewind to actually pay attention to what the boys were saying because it distracted me. Chang Su is still being the most polite little troll and is like ‘hey, how about we show up SUPER LATE’ all the while surely knowing that the two princes are desperate for a glimpse of him. He really wants to make a big entrance, ahahaha.

• Ni Huang’s baby brother is PRECIOUS. I ADORE HIM. “Princess Ni Huang probably doesn’t worry as much about this tournament as the young prince” PRECIOUS I SAY.

• I’m perplexed by how expressive Hu Ge can make his expressionless face be. He emotes a lot without emoting at all and it’s uncanny. There was a whole story on his face when he commented on how close Ni Huang and her brother are, and I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS.

• And then this show briefly turns into a brilliant comedy where Prince Yu and the Crown Prince basically both race out of their private box to where Chang Su is and immediately start trying to win him over with a forcefulness that grows in awkwardness and eagerness until it’s basically a farce. It’s glorious. And once again I have to commend the acting in this scene, because what they’re saying isn’t even inherently funny; it’s the way they say it and the pacing and their expressions that made me rewatch this scene twice just so I could cackle over it again. Jing Rui increasingly offput by their posturing, Chang Su increasingly dying inside, Yu Jin completely oblivious. Hysterical. Also there’s a shot that makes me realize the reason why I like Chang Su’s face and specifically his eyes so much is because he has this weird resemblance to Buster Keaton, so there’s that.

• AND NOW WE COME TO THE WONDERFUL GRAND EMPRESS DOWAGER SCENE.

• JUST A NICE SCENE WITH A NICE OLD LADY AND HER DOTING GRANDKIDS.

• JUST A NICE HAPPY FAMILY SCENE. • YUP.

• NOTHING ELSE TO SAY HERE.

• … .

• Ok no, that’s all a lie, but I had been lulled into a false sense of security by the hilarity of the fighting princes, so I thought this was just going to be cute. And at first, it was. Well, after Lin Shu’s brief, unusually intense moment with Fei Liu where he orders him on exactly how he is to behave with the old lady, that is. “She’s the kindest grandmother in the world,” he says, his eyes drifting to middle distance, and I got a little choked up. But it’s ok, the moment is brief, just enough to color the next scene with poignancy, and I thought that was it. He gives his instruction, he goes in, everything seems fine (except for the fact that he seems legit scared to look his grandmother in the face, THIS POOR MAN), Yu Jin is a cheerful doof as usual, the Empress Dowager is DELIGHTFUL and her obsession with everyone’s marital status is charming (as is Jing Rui’s discomfiture, I like his hair-down look btw), Fei Liu makes an epic eyeroll and continues to climb in my esteem, and then—

• Dangit.

• Ok, so story time: I don’t know Chinese. Not at all. I am ¼ Chinese, actually, as well as ¼ Japanese, but I know more Japanese because I have never been in contact with my Chinese side of the family as much. Anyway, so I have always relied entirely on subtitles when watching Chinese media, but dramafever’s subtitles have seemed a little inconsistent to me. And I THINK they were in this scene. Because when Jing Rui introduced himself to his aged great-grandmother, she asked if he was “Xiao Rui,” according to the subtitles, and he said yes. Now, I figured something was up here because I could have sworn his name was Jing Rui? So I paused the episode for a quick detour to google, and apparently Xiao means small??? Which makes sense contextually and is super cute????? So this meant I was like ‘Aww, how sweet’ and then went back to the episode full of warm fuzzy feelings and a vague sense of accomplishment, hit play, and was armed with just enough Chinese knowledge to feel the moment when that kindly old woman calls Lin Shu “Xiao Shu” LIKE A FREAKING FREIGHT TRAIN OF PAIN. HIS EXPRESSION WAS MY EXPRESSION IN THAT MOMENT. AUGHHHHHHHHH

• AND THEN • IT JUST

• KEEPS

• GOING

• She comments on how thin and sickly he looks and I was like bye

• And then that horrid woman who I THINK is the Crown Prince’s mother (out of everyone it’s all the women in the court that I have the most trouble differentiating, which is weird because I should be able to tell them apart easily by their headdresses but idk) makes a joke about haha she said he’s thin and she called him small Su what a rascal that grandmother and meanwhile both Chang Su and I are over here dying inside and I’m like bYe

• And then she gives him a stupid snack that was his favorite when he was a kid because she can’t remember anything recent but by golly she’s going to remember what her grandkids like and that reminded me of my own great-grandmother who had this same memory problem due to a stroke but anyway he takes it and looks absolutely terrified by both the emotional battering he’s getting and also the possibility his cover will be blown, probably, and he wraps that thing up in his hands like it’s the most precious thing in the world and I was like bYE

• And then good ol’ grandma is like “Hey, Ni Huang, get over here and hold hands with your boyfriend” and I was like BYE

• And then when the Empress Dowager is getting distressed because the women are all telling her ‘Oh, that isn’t Shu, they aren’t getting married, she broke her engagement years ago’ Ni Huang is obviously hurting and tries to quietly slip away but HE GRABS Her HAND LIKE HE JUST CANT HELP HIMSLEF ANDHER FACE I WAS JUST AAAAAGHHHHHHHHFSLSLWHDKls:KdJk:SK;;;;;

• And my girl Ni Huang, she knows. She doesn’t know what she knows, but she KNOWS.

• “Xiao Shu, you’re leaving?” *DEAD*

• Also that music came back

• Dangit

• I don’t even know what else happened in the episode after that. I had to go back and rewatch it for this post because I was so shook. Ni Huang, bright thing that she is, corners Chang Su and asks him to walk with her, and she starts probing at him to try to figure out why he behaved so oddly and why she felt so strange with him (ok the last is more me speculating based on the actress’ body language and expressions more than anything in the actual text, but it’s definitely what’s going on ok). And they are the perfect couple they’re both so sharp and even their colors compliment each other and I’m very distressed.

• And then the episode ends with a child getting beaten up. The end.

I’m exhausted. On to episode 3.

[mzungu-in-tanzania-blog]

Arrival in Dar es Salaam

Hello my dear friends and family!

Or as they say here: Mambo (response: poa)! After having survived in Tanzania for three weeks already, I thought it was about time I set up my blog. Here I will keep you updated on my internship at the Netherlands Embassy, where I will be working for the next six months, and the perks of living in the big city that Dar es Salaam is. All right, survived is too big of a word – I must say things actually went pretty smoothly, and I am happy to be back in Africa! So let me tell you a bit about my life here. I’ll try to keep it manageable, but I am not known for writing short stories, and there is a lot to tell, so I apologise in advance. ;)

Three weeks ago, on Saturday July 15, I left from Schiphol in the evening. It was only two weeks after I had finished my master’s thesis, so I basically rushed through without having much time to contemplate on this big adventure. Nevertheless, I was quite nervous and saying goodbye is always hard. I first flew to Nairobi, Kenya (during which I already managed to get sick from the food on the plane, haha), where I arrived at an ungodly hour in the morning. A good airport for African standards, I would say, but not so much at five in the morning when you are feeling ill and can’t find your gate. It turned out they were simultaneously checking in three flights at one gate, but of course no sign explaining this. Then you had to proceed to a waiting room, where once in a while someone stepped in and shouted: “Flight to Mogadishu, let’s go!” A group of people then jumped up and ran down the stairs to the airplane, haha. My connecting flight was in a miniscule airplane with a stop-over in Zanzibar, after which we continued to Dar es Salaam. We had a magnificent view on the Kilimanjaro (of which I took an unfortunately less magnificent picture), and we could clearly see the coral reefs around Zanzibar. Because it was so early, I went through customs quite quickly, and there was Marjolein – the ‘old’ intern – waiting for me with one of the drivers of the embassy!

During the ride to my apartment, I felt a bit uneasy about the familiar African sights: the potholes in the road, the salesman and beggars trudging along your car, the chaos on the street. The apartment itself is very nice, I must say. It looks very neat and very African: the floor is made of big white tiles, and the furniture is huge, ugly and quite uncomfortable – just as my living room in Ghana. We are on the second and top floor of a building with a few other apartments, and downstairs is a guard who always keeps an eye on the gate, so that feels safe. I have one housemate: Pieter, from Belgium. My neighbourhood is called Msasani, and since – obviously – no one knows the name of my street, let alone that we have a house number, I have to direct taxi drivers to ‘General Tyre’, which is a store that used to be here. ;) My street is full of locals and does not have any tarmac (the main road does though). I live on the peninsula, right next to the two expat neighbourhoods called Masaki and Oyster Bay, where you’ll find the typical giant houses and compounds with gates and barbed wire.

Since I didn’t have any Tanzanian Shillings yet, nor a simcard, I took a bajaji (which is basically a tuk tuk, so bargaining started immediately) to a shopping plaza nearby, driving alongside all these tiny shops in the neighbourhood. When I was waiting in the simcard store, I glanced to the right and there was a Maasai standing next to me, examining a phone! Logical, of course, but I completely forgot that the Maasai now also live in cities – who still wear their traditional, beautiful outfits and always a wooden stick. It just keeps surprising me! Although it must be said that they belong to the poorest people here, and often have jobs like guarding parking-lots etc. So for my phone, I have a local number now but whatsapp is still the same. My phone credit is now a mere 10 GB per week, haha! Since we don’t have wifi here, this also includes my laptop, ipad, etc. And all this only for 5 euros per week.

The next morning, I had to report at 7 AM at the embassy. As most of you will know, for someone whose classes basically never started before 11 AM, this is quite a shock, haha. It means I have to get up at 5:30! Marjolein met me at the entrance. We had one week of overlap, which was a very helpful and gezellige introduction for me. The embassy is situated on the 4th floor in a huge building called Umoja house (Umoja meaning unity), together with the German Embassy, British High Commissioner, Permanent Representation of the EU and the development aid branch of the British. It is a very modern building, with a small restaurant downstairs where you can get an entire meal for less than three euros. The embassy is what they call medium large, with 16 staff members. Half of us are Dutch, which as I understand is an exception: most embassies do not hire local staff, so I am really glad we do! As my new colleagues started trickling in, it turned out everyone was incredibly nice. Everyone’s door is always open, and there is a very easy-going atmosphere, so hierarchy does not really play a role. My supervisor is the Deputy Head of Mission, Lianne, so she is the second in rank after the Ambassador. Besides the Ambassador (who is leaving in two weeks) and Lianne, we have a Secretary on Economic Affairs, a Regional Energy Coordinator, a Political Officer, an Economics Officer and an Agricultural Officer. And then there are of course a management assistant, people for logistics and reception, for consular and internal affairs, two drivers and a lovely woman who takes care of coffee and catering (and thus has the most important job!). The first week I mainly spent on absorbing tons of information from Marjolein on all possible topics, helping out with small tasks and having coffee chats to get to know everyone. The latter is a lot of fun, because I spent some time with everyone working at the embassy, hear about their families and their daily life, and of course their work. On the first day, Lianne immediately took Marjolein and me out for lunch, which was incredibly nice! The next day, we went with the Tanzanian staff to a ‘local joint’: a small compound where you get a plate with rice, chicken and beans for a few euros. Only Tanzanians go there. I’ll try to take a picture next time.

In my next blog, I’ll tell you more about my work, the cool meetings I’ve been to (one including a former president…!) and the political and economic situation in Tanzania. In short: it is quite a mess. But let me finish this first (already very long, sorry sorry) post with some information about the city. Almost 4,5 million people live in Dar es Salaam, which is situated next to the Indian ocean. Its Arabic name means ‘place or house of peace’. Most government institutions, international organisations and businesses are situated here, but: it is not the capital! That is Dodoma, a city in the middle of the country, and the President is now busy making everyone move there. Which is not that easy, as you might imagine. Dar es Salaam is just as many big African cities: chaotic, colourful, noisy (although cars don’t honk constantly, which is usually the case in these kind of countries – a very pleasant surprise), and with not much to do. Christians and Muslims live side by side here. Unfortunately, the safety situation is a little bit different than I imagined, and not in a good sense. There is quite a bit of ‘petty’ crime here, mainly robberies. It means that I can’t walk around with my watch, for example, or any other jewellery, nor any valuables, so I have to try and hide everything. When you walk aside the road, you have to carry your bag loosely and keep it on the side of the ‘pavement’ (not that there is a pavement, obviously), because motor riders and cars may snatch your bag from you. I also can’t walk on the streets when it’s dark (which is already at 6:30 PM), there’s a lot of places I shouldn’t go to on my own (e.g. the beach, which is so close! L ) and I shouldn’t take any ‘informal’ taxis, because they have been known to pick up some other passengers and force you to take out money for all of them at an ATM. This sounds easier than it is, because I am dependent on Ubers here (for which you also need your phone, so…), who don’t always show up, and when there is no taxi around, I have to take one of those (but so far it’s been fine). All these warnings scared me a little, first of all because I didn’t really know – which is surely partly my fault, but I didn’t have this image of Tanzania – but I also try to keep in mind that most people mean well, and I have a feeling expats are sometimes a little more apprehensive. But it does mean that I am a bit hesitant to walk around here on my own, also because I feel like a big attraction as a Mzungu (meaning white person). There’s always groups of men hanging around, who just stare a bit and say hello, so that is not very problematic, but it takes some time getting used to. I feel this is a pity, because to me the wonderful thing about living in Africa are the people and life on the street. I guess I just have to be patient to find my way here, but it’s very different from living with a local family in Ghana, where I blended in so easily. Also, I’ll need to learn some Swahili to make sure they don’t rip me off when I am trying to bargain. ;)

But so far, the first weeks have been fine and I always go to the embassy with excitement (after I have managed to force myself out of bed and track down an Uber, that is). Oh right, for those of you who are wondering: it is about 30 degrees here, which is apparently the nicest time of the year since it will get very hot in summer (we’re beneath the equator), but with all the air conditioning in the office I’m just very cold most of the time! I’ve included the first few pictures, but the quality is not the best because I had to take them with my phone – I don’t dare walking around with my camera yet, so hopefully that will change and I’ll take some more pictures in the neighbourhood.

For now, thanks for reading all the way down here, and you’ll hear from me soon again! Whatsapp/facebook messages/emails are always appreciated J

X,

Julie

PS Some more pictures below!

[jwindish]

FlipN’ Jigz – Illinois Fishing Guides

Ever wanted to catch more fish? Don’t we all. Give the folks at FlipN’ Jigz Fishing Guides a call if you are in the Central Illinois area and these guys will help you catch more fish and have more fun doing it.

On a recommendation made by a friend of Midwest Bliss who had recently made the acquaintance of the owner of FlipN’ Jigz, I decided to give them a chance and go on one of their guided Crappie tours.

Being somewhat prideful of my fishing skills and not having used a guide before, you can imagine that I was moderately skeptical when our guide – the owner of FlipN’ Jigz, told us we would catch our limit in no time. I can’t say I didn’t believe him, just that I didn’t think that our four-hour trip would yield a limit of Crappie for three of us fishing.

Well, I am happy to report that we did catch “mostly” our limit of Crappie (I’ll explain) during our four-hour trip. Plus, we didn’t spend any time at all searching for the fish, we found them within five minutes and were never out of eyesight of the boat launch where our guide picked us up.

As I mentioned above, I’ll explain “mostly” a limit. We fished on Memorial Day weekend and rain was in the forecast. We kept fishing through one heavy downpour and continued to catch fish. Approximately one hour later, another strong rain cell was moving in and we had about 30 nice sized Crappie to fillet up. So, we decided to head back in and start cleaning fish. Had we stayed out for that last hour, we would have caught our lake limit of Crappie for three fishermen. That’s an accomplishment folks.

Services

Check out the webpages for FlipN’ Jigz for more details and rates.

CLICK HERE for the main web page. CLICK HERE for the FlipN’ Jigz Facebook page – here you’ll find tons of good stuff; pictures of their recent tours, customer feedback, and services offered with rates.

Predominantly, I think FlipN’ Jigz owners and guides typically are fishing Crappie and Catfish based on the conversations we had while on our tour, although there wasn’t much time to talk this day because there was lots of action.

If you have a species of fish you are wanting to book a tour for, if the guys at FlipN’ Jigz can’t help you themselves, I’m sure they will know who to refer you to in order for you to have the best fishing experience possible.

Also, if you are a little weak on the technique for ceratin species, FlipN’ Jigz can help you here as well. I was a little weak using the “flipping” technique, which is very useful in tight areas with lots of overhanging brush/trees or in areas you need a specific placement of your bait. After some demonstration and practice, by the end of the day I pretty well had it down.

These guys are here to not only help you catch fish on your tour but to help you catch more fish in general by offering tips and techniques that will improve your overall experience.

No Gear Necessary

Don’t worry about taking along a bunch of gear – These guys will have you covered.

Like we said earlier, the guys at FlipN’ Jigz want you to have the best experience possible. Just jump on the boat and let them take it from there.

I had brought my Crappie rod that day just because I felt like I should, along with my own bait. Didn’t even use it. Shawn (owner) had gear that was ready for us to use and brought bait that they make themselves.

I am making some suggestions below to help make your fishing experience even better. Let the guides take care of rods, bait, technique, and finding the fish. All you need to do is fish and have fun. That’s my kind of day.

Definitely a full-service experience.

Lakes

FlipN’ Jigz is based out of Argenta, Illinois, which is situated right in the middle of the best Illinois fishing.

Clinton Lake, Lake Decatur, and Lake Shelbyville are some of the best fishing and recreational lakes in all of Illinois, and FlipN’ Jigz will know where the fish are in these lakes for sure.

If you are interested in other fisheries, I’m sure the FlipN’ Jigz guys can help you out.

Photos From May 24, 2020

Most of our fish were in the 9-inch range and those were plentiful. I’m the guy in the stupid looking hat and the Crappie I’m holding was slightly over 11 inches.

Shawn Trudeau of FlipN’ Jigz

Mr. Trudeau caught this nice slab just off the side of the boat. This one happened to be the nicest of the day at nearly 12 inches.

Over 10 inches on the left and under 10 inches on the right side well. The far-right photo is of the best fish we caught – I wear a size 11 Men’s shoe. A really nice Crappie for Illinois.

Suggestions

To improve your experience we’d like to make a few suggestions.

Bring yourself of course

Have an open mind to learning something new

Forget your tackle unless they ask you to bring some

A cooler and baggies for your fish/fillets – unless of course, you catch and release

Bring a fillet knife and help cut fish. They will do it for you, but it’s nice if you help.

You’ll catch fish so this is a good opportunity to practice your filleting techniques

Keep an eye on the weather and bring rain gear, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, etc.

Have realistic expectations – On this day we got pretty lucky. Weather was decent and fish were really active. Some days they just aren’t.

Gear We Used

The Knives of Alaska – Suregrip Steelheader

The Knives of Alaska – Suregrip Steelheader fillet knife. For the more experienced fish fillet master. This knife is a super sharp, less flexible blade, multi-use knife. This product is available on AMAZON HERE

The Rada Cutlery – Sportsman Fillet Knife

The Rada Cutlery fillet knife. A sharp, reasonably priced, Made in America fillet knife. This product is available on AMAZON HERE I love Rada Cutlery – A company based right here in the Midwest making American products.

Watch for our separate reviews of these two exceptional fillet knives. 

The SA Fishing Products Faceshields/Coverings – Extra UV protection for those of you that are sensitive to sunburns, like me. Get some of these SA UV Protection faceshields.

That’s about it for this post to Midwest Bliss.

FlipN’ Jigz Fish Tours of Argenta, Illinois is definitely a great guide service if you are looking to improve your next fishing adventure. Reasonably priced and great service.

Give FlipN’ Jigz a call!!

Looking for an exceptional Illinois fishing experience? Give FlipN' Jigz - Illinois Fishing Guides a call and plan your next Crappie fishing trip. FlipN' Jigz - Illinois Fishing Guides Ever wanted to catch more fish? Don't we all. Give the folks at FlipN' Jigz Fishing Guides a call if you are in the Central Illinois area and these guys will help you catch more fish and have more fun doing it.

[backtomylakearearootsstory]

S1E15

The kids are still in Santa Monica with Faye and Clarissa. Ian, Malachi, QJ, and Darius were laughing at a movie while the Aundrea and Alexis went to a nearby sports store to look at tennis shorts.

“You play tennis” Alexis asked Aundrea as she picked up a tank top.

“Oh yea, dads side of the family were all athletes, it’s in my blood. I’m actually trying out for the bball team at school”

“My mom played basketball, I’m more of a volleyball and tennis kind of chick. Darius plays soccer, he’s in a little league team back in Long Beach”

While they were chatting away, Deja was at home cooking dinner. She was preparing a pasta with shredded chicken and shrimp, a salad, rolls, and a cake. She also threw in a caramel pie for extra dessert. Quincy grilled some wings. She should be grading essays however there was no time for it today. Yvonne was helping her with by making homemeade beverages. One for the adults which had alcohol in it and the other one centered around sherbet and sprite. 

“This is been a busy weekend for you, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, exhausting, can you start mixing the ingredients in the pie for me after you finish with that?” 

“Sure, where’d you get this recipe for this caramel pie?”

“Pinterest”

“I figured” Yvonne said laughing, “It sounds like a dessert that’ll have me running to the gym, or at least it should”

“So what you think about Faye so far?” 

“I like her, wish my Zach would have met her Friday evening, but he will be here tonight, I’ll make sure of it. Phil’s bringing him” 

“Mom coming tonight?”

“Yeah, she said she is”

The conversation continued and including discussion about jobs and family, when Azalea called. 

“Put her on speaker”

“Hey”

“Hey, you slaving away in the kitchen?”

“I guess you could say that”

“I’m at the pool with the Dominic”

“How’s Gabriel?”

“Alot better, I know I didn’t get to spend much time with our cousin but he keeps me busy. Well both of the boys do. My daughter is the only one who didn’t inherit any issues of blood”

“Y’all have fun out there”

After hanging up, Azalea grabbed a wine cooler out of her purse that she had hidden in her purse when someone next to her asked “long day?” 

Hours later when they returned to the house it was dinner time. Helen was there when Faye walked in. The sisters and their husbands as well as their children were all in attendence when Helen walked in. Zach reached his hand out to Ian for a handshake prior to Faye introducing her daughters”

“Hi” Faye said to Helen who stood for a moment speechless. She stared for a while before they embraced. 

“Mom, wants me to tell you that she’s sorry about what happened”

Helen stated that she never blamed Clarisse while holding back tears. 

While eating dinner Deja asked if Faye had ever got to experience aunt Anna’s peach cobbler?

“Yeah, she usually made it on Sunday. She smothered alot of food growing up. She didn’t really fry things, but that cobbler always came in handy after eating smothered steak”

“Yeah, it was normally aunt Bessie that fried chicken, she did that until her health started to decline. Uncle Pete was a hell of a cook too, he started to cook more often to keep the tradition going afterwards. He made a good gumbo too” 

“I haven’t had gumbo in a while, It’s probably been three years since I’ve been down there. Gumbo is hard to find out here that doesn’t include tomato paste!”

[Faye was not immune to Louisiana, she spent the first ten years of her life down there and she would go down every other year to visit her Aunt Lorraine and her Uncles. They normally went late June to early July. Her kids were also aware of the family that they have back in Louisiana.]

“You ever watch the cooking channel and you see a cook making a roux so thick that it looks like a paste?” Yvonne laughed as she poured a cup of the alcoholic concoction.

“What’s a roux” Darius asked

Faye explained that it was the base that makes up a gumbo and that it was the result flour and grease heated at a high temperature until it was dark brown. 

After getting up to meet the other youth in another room, Helen began to ask Faye how Clarisse was doing. She said it had been years since she had seen her and that their relationship had been kind of strained every sense. 

“She’s good, thank you”

The conversation was paused when the doorbell rang, Clarissa two daughters walked in. “Hey, you made it!” 

“Those are your two?” 

“Yes ma’am, that’s my oldest Brandi, she just started driving and my youngest Amina”

“This is your cousin”

After a hug, they went to the kitchen to fix their food and met the rest of the kids on the porch.

[conversation continues]

“I never blamed her for what happened, Lucinda was out of control. I think she favored her sons over us anyway. They got away with far more than we did. Of course, once your uncle Mark was born she decided to get the help should desperately needed. We spend the bulk of our lives dodging her temper and frankly the only reason you mother was spared is because she was smart enough to run off. I was simply collateral damage.”[doorbell rings Brandi and Amina arrive]

“What do you think was the cause of her drinking?”

“She never wanted to be in the marriage that she was in. The marriage was forced upon her young, and I think she always resented us.”

As the night progressed and the gathering came to a closure and company left, bedtime came around. QJ, Malachi, and Aundrea slept in their own rooms while Faye’s children slept on the air mattress in the den. After the adults had gone off to bed, Aundrea being unable to sleep started to read “Alias Grace” and begin writing the draft to her book report. “At least now I’m getting somewhere” she said as she began brain storming and answering questions on the handout. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about school. She wasn’t so much as nonchalant, she just was not in love with it like her brother. While she was writing Malachi and Ian were exchanging Skype information and email to keep contact.  They talked about the movie they had seen for a bit before wrapping it up. 

It was about midnight before they went to bed, hence the difficulty waking up for school. 

Faye and her children were already up.

“Thank you so much for the visit, we enjoyed it���

“We were glad to have you”

“We’ll have to get together in a couple of weeks, maybe have you all come out to Long Beach”

“I’d like that”

After the kids all shook hands and embraced, they hugged the adults and headed out the door. After watching Faye and the kids leave they headed out for school.  

At school Aundrea signed up for Basketball tryouts prior to heading to social studies class.  On the way she ran into Brianna who asked her how her weekend was. 

“I wanted an extra day. We had cousins from Long Beach come in for the weekend. Last night I finally started writing my draft for the report. I’m gonna have my mom proofread it. She’s a high school English teacher”

In class, the teacher announced that they would be watching a video and taking notes. “Pay close attention, there will be a quiz next class” 

Concurrently, Quincy was watching TV when he got a phone call from a school. He signed up with the school system to be a sub for some time until he got his full time job. The call was from a middle school saying that they would need a sub Friday. 

“Yes, I can make it. 7:50 am? I’ll see you there.”

While this was not Quincy’s long term goal, he was glad to be out of the house and feeling like he would be of use somewhere to someone. 

At approximately 10:00 am, he got a phone call from QJs school saying he had been in a fight during recess, upon arriving to the school, he asked what was going on?

[Quincy(Orange) QJ (sky blue) school administrator (Pink) school bully mother (green) Ezra (light blue)]

After Quincy left and QJ had to hear a mouthful from the principal regarding his fathers “bigoted” ways he returned to class. He asked if Ezra was alright and said, he’d see him in detention.

In detention while scrubbing the cafeteria floor QJ mumbles “two days of this shit!”

“Thanks” Ezra said in a soft spoken manner. 

“Don’t mention it. Kind of sucks that we’re punished for it while his fat ass is sitting in a classroom somewhere. Anyway man, you’re my friend, we may have our fights but I hate that you have to face this every time you walk up here. You don’t deserve that.”

around 5:00 pm when detention was over Quincy arrived to pick up his son. 

“Well that’s my ride, are you gonna be okay?”

“yeah”

“Okay I’ll see you at school tomorrow”

after a brief pause he said. 

“get in the truck, my dad can drop you off”

On the ride home Quincy said “son, you did the right thing. I’ve always instilled it in you to fight for yourself and for others you see are  being wronged. You went about the situation correctly. Spitting in someone’s face is one of the most vile and disrespectful things one can do.”

“Dad, my principal was not happy with you after you left. He said you were setting and I quote “a terrible example” for me with your bigoted manners way of thinking and he said that it was no wonder that I was so aggressive”

Quincy responded by saying that he stood by everything that he said and would say nothing different if confronted again. He knew that Ezra was one of the nicest kids one would encounter.

 “Ezra, you don’t have a mean bone in your body”. “Look, I am from the south where we whip ass or got our asses whipped. Y’all didn’t grow up in that. When I was in school, they didn’t suspend kids over this. I grew up, kids handled it themselves and were friends by the end of the week. Let them hash it out! But because they’ve taken that right away, now you have kids bringing weapons because they are being told that they can’t use their hands. It’s okay for a boy to go piss in the girls bathroom because he feels more like a girl than a boy but it’s not okay for two boys to settle their dispute the old fashioned way. This is a  part of the pipeline to prison system. This is just an attempt to begin it early. The main target being young black boys, condemn them early, then their in juvenile hall by the age 11. Don’t let them get you to that manner, but don’t ever feel bad about using self defense when you need to.”

TO BE CONTINUED WITH EPISODE 16