#Jane x Langston

[vixenpen]

Hobie Brown loves black women (duh) but also (head canons)

because daddy is my latest obsession 🤭

Damn, I leave these tumblr streets for a year and yall out here wildin. It’s come to my attention that yall have the unmitigated gall, the glittering nerve to argue with black women about whether or not Hobie Brown likes black girls. Excuse me???? Does the black punk radical revolutionary from the SEVENTIES!!!! (Cuz yall keep forgetting he lives in 1970s London) like black women?!?!?!

Honey not only does he LOOOVE black women. He loves BLACK women. What do I mean when I say that?

Hobie loves soul sistas with sky high Afros, TWAs, shaved heads, close cut fades

The girls that can quote Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, bell hooks, and WEB Du Bois with equal conviction and knowledge

I’m talking fist to the sky, power to the people, say it loud I’m black and I’m proud, type tease

I’m talking they wearing all black, leather jackets with their black panther pins stuck to the lapel (and if you think I’m talking about the hero you ain’t black enough for this conversation)

I’m talking the black ladies with the barets that call all black men “my brotha” and all black women “my sistah”

The black women that keep that thang on em and ain’t ever gotta get ready

Hobie loves the loc’ed black girls and the turban wearing sisters

The girls who keep Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, or Langston Hughes on deck usually tucked into their woven knapsacks/leather messenger bags

The sage and incense burning girlies who cleanse their space and say a little prayer of protection on your journey

The orisha worshipping black girlies with alters in their windows and tarot cards on their bookshelf

The girlies that can guess your star sign based on your jaw line.

The girls that smell like cocoa butter with paint on their skirts

Hobie likes his fellow black fem punks with their spiked jewelry and shaved heads

The girlies pushing, shoving, and rioting during the mosh pits

The black girlies with the braid/Mohawk combos.

The girls stomping through the club in demonias with their piercings and black leather accessories

The girls with the drawn on angry eyebrows yet the kindest, gentlest smiles

The girls who prowl the record stores and flip off the shop owner that keeps following them.

The black girlies in the band who are front row and center wailing like Betty Davis and dancing like Tina Turner, a mic in hand or a guitar over her shoulder

Hobie loves the disco divas

The girlies in their sparkly bell bottoms killing it in the discos on Saturday nights

The girlies who think disco will never die

The funky divas and dance floor queens

The girls that audition for soul train every season and win.

The girls with the best record collection especially when it comes to party hits and speaking of parties

He loves the girls who are the first on the dance floor and the last to leave. The lives of the party and the queens of the kick backs

Hobie loves his pothead black girls that always have the good gas

His Mary Jane muses who are always a chill vibe and a good time

The black girls who always have snacks and gum on em cuz they’re always hungry and high.

With their red eyes and quick smiles.

He loves the black girls with a little dime bag and something “a little bit stronger if you need it”

And he loves his black girls black mixed with nothing but black. Two black parents, four black grandparents, the darker the berry the sweeter the juice. Yes he loves dark chocolate girls BUT he loves his black girls of all hues

Albino

Butter scotch

Mahogany

Blue-black

Hobie loves BLACK women

Yall please stop forgetting this man lived during the 70s and there is a very particular type of black woman that was around during the 70s

[hoursofreading]

In his first, jointly written article for the Crimson, Buttigieg urged his fellow students to view not only community service but also political engagement as a valuable form of extracurricular activity. Buttigieg himself had worked briefly in a shelter for battered women during the summer after his freshman year. But as was happening elsewhere, a rift was opening at Harvard between students committed to such work, or to tutoring students or volunteering at homeless shelters, on the one hand, and those committed to political action on the other. In the Crimson article Buttigieg expressed alarm at how few young people were voting, working in campaigns, or participating in demonstrations. “In a nation where a lifetime of honorable work in direct service could be wiped out by a single stroke of poor policy from an elected official or legislature, the absence of our generation’s voice from the political process is a hazardous reality for anyone committed to social progress, and a red flag for democracy itself.”

That commitment brought Buttigieg to my classes in his senior year. The course he took in the fall semester, Social Thought in Modern America, was described by the Crimson as “the toughest humanities class at the College, combining soul-crushingly dense and difficult material with a will-breaking workload.” In other words, it was a class for people like Pete, Previn Warren, their friend and fellow IOP stalwart Ilan Graff, and fifty-two other smart, intellectually ambitious students keen to study the relation between ideas and politics in post–Civil War U.S. history. Because the course involved a great deal of class discussion, and student demand exceeded the number of names I could learn—and I believe teachers should know their students—I limited enrollment. Instead of choosing the class by lottery, as many professors do in such circumstances, I preferred to decide who should enroll.

To inform my judgments, I required interested students to write an essay explaining why the course was important to their studies at Harvard and, if possible, to their plans afterward. I also required interested students to meet with me, after I had read their essays, to discuss their reasons in greater detail. Because the course involved three discussions a week—twice a week for half of the ninety-minute lecture meetings, and once in the smaller discussion sections run by graduate students—I wanted to know which students were willing to stay on top of the readings, write the required three essays, and prepare for midterm and final examinations that involved identifying passages from the readings as well as writing synthetic essays.

Tempting as it is to contest the Crimson’s characterization, the course was, and has remained, demanding. The readings in 2003, which averaged 250 pages a week, included works of philosophy, social and political theory, religion, literature, and cultural criticism. Writers included the usual suspects for a course in American intellectual history: William James, John Dewey, and W.E.B. Du Bois; William Graham Sumner, Edward Bellamy, and Louis Brandeis; Chief Joseph, Helen Hunt Jackson, and Black Elk; Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Jane Addams; Gertrude Stein, T. S. Eliot, and Walter Lippmann; Reinhold Niebuhr, John Courtney Murray, and Martin Luther King, Jr.; Ralph Ellison, Langston Hughes, and Malcolm X; Clement Greenberg, Allen Ginsburg, and Betty Friedan; Samuel Huntington, Daniel Bell, and Irving Kristol; Judith Butler, Robert Putnam, and Kwame Anthony Appiah; and others. Students wrote essays on topics such as the impact of science on post–Civil War culture; the role of ethnic diversity and racial differences in shaping twentieth-century American politics and ideas; varieties of American feminist thought; and the relation between pragmatist philosophy and democracy. In short, the course was not intended for those who, in the words of New York Times columnist Ross Douthat (himself a survivor of the course), were looking to “skate through” Harvard.

[theartofdreaming1]

Thank you so much for taggin me 💕

Rules: tag someone you’d like to get to know more

Last song: Dear Fellow Traveller by Sea Wolf

Currently Reading: Just recently finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, so I’m currently deciding which book to pick up next, but I’m also re-reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen for the millionth time (this time, for a uni project with the goal to turn it into a visual novel, so I’m slowly combing through the chapters right now) as well as Selected Poems of Langston Hughes and Evelina by Frances Burney (had to take break with that one, cuz it got a little tedious)

Three ships

Dick x Babs, DC Comics (always ❤️)

Laura x Max, the Quarry (mah babes!)

Morse x Joan, Endeavour (setting myself up for heartbreak with these two... this is exactly why I usually only ship canon couples 😭)

Bonus ship: Catherine x Henry, Northanger Abbey (I know it says 3, but they are so cute, I’ve got to mention them 😊)

Last Film: Don’t remember when I last watched a movie, tbh 😅 But I watched seasons (series?) 1-6 of Endeavour to wind down at night during the weeks I was working on my term paper and the episodes are basically the length of a movie, soo... let’s say Endeavour, Episode 4 of series 6, Degüello

Craving: no particular craving right now, but I’ll soon have some Schmandkuchen (um... only translation I could find was sour cream cake? it’s a sheet cake with curd/sour cream topping and tangerines... it’s good) with my family, so... looking forward to that :)

I tag @thychesters​ @clearbluewaters​ @rosegardeninwinter​ @infallible-dreamers​ and @astridcontramundum​ - if they want to and anyone else who wants to give it a go :)

I got tagged by @change--of--heart (thanks buddy) for a reblog game that was getting very long so I'm restarting it

Rules: tag someone you'd like to get to know more

Last song: ermmmmm I think it was Way Less Sad by AJR (their entire discography is ruling my life again)

Currently reading: i just finished The End is Always Near by Dan Carlin for our book club (book club is tomorrow and I hadn't read it yet so I listened to the audiobook at 1.5x speed and finished it in two days /_\)

Three ships: lol I'm not super invested in any fandom rn ;; but I will go with parapines (the comfort ship), poly losers (always fun), and whatever the throuple name for Izuku, Shoto, and Katsuki is 乁⁠[⁠ ⁠◕⁠ ⁠ᴥ⁠ ⁠◕⁠ ⁠]⁠ㄏ

Last film: ummm....... Idk actually, I don't watch movies that often >>; I think I was watching Tangled with the Softs the other day

Craving: mmm a frosty joe from Jit Joe's 🤤

I tag: @izupie @thatmalu @antisociallilbrat @youraverageauprocrastinator @sloelimbs and anyone else who'd like to give it a go (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

[wannabesewcrafty]

Earthly Delights

Fandom: Charlie’s Angels (2019 film)

Summary: Post-film. Jane encounters Hodak again while she’s on vacation in Egypt.

Rating: T for suggestive situations and themes.

It had stunned Jane, seeing Hodak alive and well in a Cairo bazaar. After her initial shock, she had followed him to a hotel, one that was posh and discreet.

Getting into his room had been easy. Too easy, she realized, as the door clicked shut behind her and the lock turned.

She whirled around, finding him with his back to the door, a smug smile on his face as he watched her reaction. He wore a light gray suit with a silk vest and white dress shirt. She felt a wave of deja vu. It was like looking at a ghost.

“How?” she asked, shaking her head at him. “I saw you die.”

He shrugged and held up two fingers.

“A double,” she said out loud.

He clapped lightly and nodded, confirming she was right. He then took off his jacket and gestured for her to sit at the hotel’s desk or on the bed, whichever she preferred.

She stayed standing. “I have someone,” she said, relying on her training to keep her voice from breaking. “Langston.” She didn’t know what made her say it. Maybe it was the look in his eyes. Something lay burning there, a hard light, but not a cold one.

Jane shivered inwardly. No, not cold at all.

He made a dismissive gesture with one hand. That boy can’t give you what I can.

With a sinking feeling in her chest, Jane knew he was right. Langston was sweet, adorable, but he never dominated. He always followed Jane’s lead, whether it was as simple as deciding where to eat or in the bedroom. It was always her in control.

She watched Hodak continue to circle her, and she turned as well to keep him in view. He held up one finger.

One night.

Jane exhaled slowly. She knew she was at the start of a very slippery slope. But she was in between missions now. She wasn’t an Angel.

And neither was he.

[melaninmonroemedia]

Ella Balinska and Noah Centineo in Charlie’s Angels, 2019. 

[natromanxoff]

(x)

[Photo caption: Who’s who of pop: The real Queen with Miracle boys Paul, James, Ross and Adam]

It's Freddie and the schoolboy dreamers

By JANE LANGSTON

FOUR young pretenders caused a sensation when they became Queen for a day.

But the starry-eyed schoolboys had no intention of starting a palace revolution. They were more interested in guitars and microphones than crowns and sceptres.

For it wasn't Her Majesty the Queen they were upstaging... but the rock group who borrowed her title.

The youngsters — all considered dead ringers for the chart-topping group — were picked from 500 hopefuls to take part in a new video.

Queen's real lead singer Freddie Mercury was taken aback as he watched his double Ross McCall, 11, perform. "The resemblance is frightening," he said.

Ross and the other spitting Images — Paul Howard, 14, as guitarist Brian May, James Currie, 11, as John Deacon on bass, and 10-year-old Adam Gladdish as drummer Roger Taylor — will all appear in Queen's video for their new single, The Miracle.

Pictures: RICHARD YOUNG

[Photo caption: Twin-track: Singer Freddie Mercury with video double Ross]

[lonelyasawhisper]

Tearful Elton leads farewell to Freddie

Daily Express, 28 November 1991 (x)

ELTON JOHN yesterday led the world of showbusiness in saying a sad farewell to Queen star Freddie Mercury.

The superstar was in tears as he joined the singer's family and close friends at the West London crematorium.

Freddie's former girlfriend Mary Austin, who shared his last hours before he died of AIDS, was comforted at the service by Sixties singer Dave Clark.

The singer's elderly parents, Jer and Bomi Bulsar, were inconsolable with grief and had to be helped from their car.

Four hearses were laden with hundreds of bouquets from fans and friends worldwide.

Stars' agony as they say farewell to tragic Freddie

By Jane Langston and Jack Lee

FOR a man whose life was an extravaganza, it was a most unlikely farewell.

Only the field of wreaths - enough to cover a tennis court - recalled the flamboyance and showmanship of Freddie Mercury.

Otherwise the funeral of the Queen singer yesterday was a dismal and low key affair, attended by just a handful of grieving family and close friends.

Yet there were echoes of Freddie's bizarre lifestyle in the 20-minute service. It was conducted in the Zoroastrian faith with two white-robed Parsee priests chanting prayers in the ancient language of Avasta.

Tearful Elton John, wearing a black suit and hat, joined the three members of Queen to say a sad farewell to the tragic singer who died of AIDS on Sunday night.

Bisexual Freddie's former girlfriend Mary Austin, 35, who shared his last hours, arrived at the West London crematorium with Sixties pop drummer Dave Clark who put a comforting arm around her.

The star's family went to great lengths to try to keep the funeral a secret and a team of 20 police officers was drafted in to ensure there were no gatecrashers.

Freddie's army of adoring fans, who have maintained a round-the-clock vigil outside his Kensington home, were unaware the funeral was taking place.

His frail and deeply religious parents, Jer and Bomi, who also belong to the ancient Persian sect which condemns homosexuality, were disconsolate with grief and had to be helped to and from their car.

Freddie's solid oak coffin, lined with white silk and topped with a red rose, arrived in a vintage Rolls-Royce.

It entered the austere chapel to Aretha Franklin's Precious Lord Take My Hand, followed by You've got a Friend.

The sombre ceremony finished with Freddie's favourite aria, Verdi's D'amor dell' ali Rosee by Montserrat Caballe, with whom he recorded the chart-topping theme for next year's Barcelona Olympics.

Four hearses laden with thousands of bouquets from friends and fans worldwide, accompanied the coffin. They were later distributed to AIDS hospitals throughout London.

After the service Queen stars John Deacon and Roger Taylor were driven away in tears.

Among the sea of floral tributes, was a huge, heart-shaped wreath in pink roses from Elton John with the poignant message: "Thank you for being my friend. I will love you always." Mary Austin sent a wreath of yellow and white with a single red rose in the centre. A moving message read: "For my dearest. With my deepest love. From your old faithful."

After the service, mourners returned to Freddie's £4 million home where six minders joined police standing guard outside.

Dave Clark left after two hours, looking distressed. In a barely audible whisper he said: "It was a lovely service. I think Freddie would have liked and appreciated it."

[sensei-aishitemasu]

2020 Black-Owned Gift Guide!

2020 Black-Owned Gift Guide!

It’s that time again! Our SIXTH ANNUAL BLACK-OWNED GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!!!! This Black Friday, try and support a Black-owned business for all your gift-giving needs. For last years gift guide, click here. For the 2018 gift guide, click here. For the 2017 gift guide, click here. For the 2016 gift guide, click here. For the 2015 gift guide, click here.

Similar to previous lists, I kept every individual item listed under $100! Click on the links to be taken to the websites in order to peruse more yourselves: all businesses listed are Black-owned, and many are run by Black women, Black Americans specifically, manufactured here in the United States, and/or sustainably and ethically sourced with philanthropic causes attached to sales! Check them out. 

In addition, this year there are THREE NEW CATEGORIES! Check out items for the ‘Goth/Kawaii,’ for your ‘Activist Bae,’ and for the ‘Esoteric’ down below.

[As always, this guide has been split into categories to make it easier to get through, but feel free to mix and match for the person in your life that fits all of (or none of!) these categories!]

For the Homebody:

Lettie Gooch Small Safety Matches, $18 Lettie Gooch Amber & Moss Soy Candle, $20 Lettie Gooch White Concrete White Tea & Ginger Candle, $28 Lettie Gooch Planetarium Throw Blanket, $68 Lettie Gooch Soleil Throw Blanket, $68

Debra Cartwright ‘Bike’ Watercolor Print, $38 Debra Cartwright ‘Aura’ Watercolor Print, $87 Debra Cartwright ‘Astro Millennial Ladies in Quarantine’ Coloring Book, $5

Harlem Candle Company ‘Brownstone’ Luxury Candle, $45 Harlem Candle Company ‘Lenox’ Luxury Room Spray, $30 Harlem Candle Company ‘Langston’ Luxury Room Spray, $30

Jungalow Genie Vase, $89 Jungalow Handwoven Peach Planter, $49 Jungalow Azul Face Pillow by Justina Blakeney X Loloi, $89 Jungalow Soft Mint Pillow, $89 Jungalow Aja Wallpaper in Green by Justina Blakeney, $5 (per sheet) Jungalow Tigris Wallpaper in Onyx by Justina Blakeney, $5 (per sheet) Jungalow Cream Looped Wool Rug, $99.00 Jungalow Silvia Teal & Berry Rug by Justina Blakeney X Loloi, $69.00 Jungalow Striped Orange Outdoor Rug, $59.00 Jungalow Reindeer Games Hook Pillow by Justina Blakeney, $60.00 Jungalow Peace Vase by Justina Blakeney, $68.00 

Kashmir Viii ‘S is for Soul’ Print, $35-$45 

Galerie LA Rooted Incense Holder, $45

Duchess365 358 Art Print, $23.99 

Jeff Manning Art ‘Aplomb’ Art Print, $45 Jeff Manning Art ‘Pacific’ Art Print, $30

Kicky Mats ‘Get Naked’ Bath Mat, $30 Kicky Mats ‘Did You Wash Your Hands?’ Doormat, $50 Kicky Mats ‘Go Away, Come Back With Wine’ Doormat, $50 Kicky Mats ‘Did You Call First?’ Doormat, $50

228 Grant Street Candle Co. Tobacco + Patchouli Gold Travel Tin, $11 228 Grant Street Candle Co. Wild Blackberry + Absinthe Amber Jar, $21 228 Grant Street Candle Co. Oakmoss + Amber Apothecary Jar, $32

Shea Makery Strawberry Cheesecake Signature Candle, $40 Shea Makery Cinna-Bowl Signature Candle, $40

The Silver Room Cider and Cedar Leaf Candle, $34 The Silver Room Rose Water & Tea Leaves Diffuser, $28 The Silver Room Minnie Ripperton - Les Fleur Vinyl, $26

Rituals + Ceremony Anonomy Sculptures, $79 Rituals + Ceremony USB Travel Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser, $25

Handcrafted Ceramic Watering Cans, $64

Fill More Waste Less Natural Loofah Sponge, $2.50 Fill More Waste Less Food Huggers, $12. 99 

Ment Nelson Backwoods Baptism Print, $50 Ment Nelson Old Sheldon Print, $40

Quarantine Games!

Trading Races, $19.99

Winsults, $25

Cards For All People - Black Card Revoked (First Edition), $17.99

Trap Wars - The Urban Game Night Experience, $22.99

Lyrically Correct 90's & 2000's Hip Hop/R&B Edition, $24.99

Black Wall Street - The Black History Board Game, $49.99

Pull Your Card Music Trivia: Hip Hop Edition, $14.99

Spill It Card Game, $23

'Verified' A Party Game for Social Media Lovers (Original Edition), $19.99

For the Foodie:

Kashmir Viii ‘The Black Power’ Mixtape Coasters, $40 Kashmir Viii ‘Reclaim It’ Mug, $16 Kashmir Viii ‘I Slay.’ Clutch, $45 

Galerie LA Peak and Valley Balance Blend, $30 

‘The Cooking Gene,’ by Michael W. Twitty, $28.99 

‘From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes From the Boss Dog’s Kitchen’ by Snoop Dogg, $24.95 

Essie Spice Signature Sauce Collection, $42 

‘Your Guide to Tasteful Manners’ with Love Cork Screw, $19.95 

‘Deliciously Vegan’ Cookbook by The Chic Natural, $28.95 

EAT Apron, $30

Midnight Reflections Crowned White Ceramic Mug, $19.99

The Spice Suite Utensils + Oven Mitts, $50 The Spice Suite ‘The Little Black Spice Book’ (E-book), $30

Rituals + Ceremony Circle Mug, $40 Rituals + Ceremony Agate 6pc Plate Set, $24

Blk + Grn Stainless Steel Tea Ball Infuser, $4

Fill More Waste Less Reusable Tea Strainer, $14.99

Good Thoughts Tea Co. Tea Spoon Set, $12

KazvareMadeIt Personalised Alphabet Mug Tile Print, $20.99 KazvareMadeIt Banananana Cushion, $55.80

Addie Rawr ‘Addie's Cocktail Collection’ (Cards & Prints), $3.75

For the Beauty Guru:

Lettie Gooch Blends Perfume: Earth, $30 Lettie Gooch Bloom Perfume Blend No. 586, $48 

Galerie LA Hand Sanitizer, $10 Galerie LA Cream Cleanser, $16 Galerie LA Citrine Sea Tropical Exfoliator, $18 Galerie LA Botanica Rose Roller, $14 Galerie LA Botanica Lavender Roller, $14 Galerie LA Aurora Superfood Elixer (Face Serum), $27 Galerie LA Jade Eye Mask, $44 Galerie LA Rose Quartz Facial Roller, $28.00 

Shea Makery Scar Healing Serum, $23 Shea Makery Cinnamon Bun Body Butter, $25 Shea Makery Glazed Donut Body Butter, $25 Shea Makery Milk + Honey + Syrup Bubble Bath, $22 Shea Makery Honeycomb Bath Set, $16

The Lip Bar Cheek and Eye Palette, $15  The Lip Bar ‘Goddess’ Lipgloss, $14 The Lip Bar ‘Bawse Lady’ Liquid Matte Lipstick, $13  The Lip Bar ‘4:00 Stuntin' Fast Face Kit,’ $99 The Lip Bar Limited Edition Easy Holiday Glam Collection, $25  The Lip Bar ‘Lip Bar Littles,’ $18.99 The Lip Bar Minimalist Lovers Bundle, $36

Auda B. Beauty Soy Polish Remover, $26 

Breukelen Polished ‘Paid and Full,’ $11 Breukelen Polished ‘Get Me Right’ Treatment Set, $25

Beauty Bakerie ‘Milk & Honey’ Highlighting Brush, $18 Beauty Bakerie ‘Coffee and Cocoa’ Bronzer Palette, $38 Beauty Bakerie ‘Black Egg-cellence’ Beauty Sponges, $18  Beauty Bakerie ‘Sugar Cookies’ Palette, $28 Beauty Bakerie ‘The Butter’ Hydrasilk Primer, $24

Mented Mini Brush Trio, $10 Mented Everyday Eyeshadow Palette, $28 Mented Brush Collection, $45 Mented Holiday Faves Trio, $50

Blac Minerals Highlight Bundle, $32 

Danessa Myricks Beauty Oil, $30  Danessa Myricks Waterproof Cream Palettes, $36 Danessa Myricks Luxe Cream Palettes ‘The Nudist,’ $44

Pear Nova ‘Holiday Essentials’ Nail Set, $90 

Habit Cosmetics Nail Polish in Voodoo, $18  Habit Cosmetics Nail Polish in Midnight Cowboy, $18 Habit Cosmetics Nail Polish in Black Orpheus, $18 Habit Cosmetics Nail Polish in Scarab, $18

Hunny Bunny Cuticle Cream, $4.50 Hunny Bunny Grapefruit Sugar Scrub, $20

Taupe Coat in Good Fortune, $11

More Brands To Try:

People of Color Beauty

Mischo Beauty

Suite Eleven

Brown Butter Beauty

Beija Flor Naturals

Plain Jane Beauty

Ancient Cosmetics

Hue Noir

Lotus Moon Skincare

For the Fashion Conscious:

Merit ‘Fate’ Bucket Hat, $20

Chris Cardi Signature TwistDYE Tee, $33

Lettie Gooch Black Mineral Washed Jacquard Leggings, $68 Lettie Gooch ‘Smiling On The Inside’ Mask, $28

Kashmir Viii Face Masks, $16 Kashmir Viii ‘Around The Way Girl’ Clutch, $45-$60

Galerie LA Hemp Tie Button Down Sage, $90 Galerie LA Gratia Jumpsuit Tumeric, $100 Galerie LA Red Zipper Wallet, $45 Galerie LA Dopp Kitt (Makeup Bag) in Navy, $40 Galerie LA Lunar Star Earrings, $100 Galerie LA Meria Sunglasses Coral Pink, $75 Galerie LA Oda Ring, $45 Galerie LA Sabbath Cocoon Tunic, $85

Tree Fairfax Keychain, $22.50 Tree Fairfax Lois Belt, $45

LoveCortnie Polka Dot Leather Key Chain Clasps, $15 LoveCortnie Small Leather Tassel, $17 LoveCortnie ‘Color Me’ Coin Purse, $30 LoveCortnie Envelope Card Holder (Black & White), $32

Rue 107 ‘Toni’ Bikini in XOXO Print, $98 Rue 107 Signature Pencil Skirt in XOXO Print, $68 Rue 107 Tied Cropped Tank in XOXO Print, $48 Rue 107 Tied Cropped Tank in Vintage Rose Print, $48 Rue 107 Signature Pencil Skirt in Vintage Rose Print, $68

Grant Blvd ‘Sustainable Shit Only’ Fanny Pack, $26

Ebony and Green Mindfulness Earrings, $10

For the Bookworm:

‘Daymares’ by Kenya Moss-Dyme, $12.99

‘Hood Feminism’ by Mikki Kendall, $26

‘The Source of Self-Regard’ by Toni Morrison, $28.95

‘Tar Baby’ by Toni Morrison, $15

‘The Beautiful Ones’ by Prince, $30

‘In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage’ by Alan Schroeder, $12.95

‘The Street: A Novel’ by Ann Petry, $15.99

‘Chasing Down a Dream: A Blessings Novel’ by Beverly Jenkins, $14.99

‘Rebel (Women Who Dare)’ by Beverly Jenkins, $5.98

‘Night Song’ by Beverly Jenkins, $8.99

‘Tempest’ by Beverly Jenkins, $5.98

‘Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy’ by Maggie Anderson, $17

Rayo and Honey ‘Books Change Your Mind’ Pennant, $75

Jungalow Face Bookend Vase by Justina Blakeney, $98

Midnight Reflections Black Nerd Tote Bag, $18.99

Addie Rawr Book Club Dolls Stickers (Die Cut Stickers), $9.50

For the Kids:

Jungalow Leela Terracotta Rug by Justina Blakeney X Loloi, $89.00 Jungalow Pink Looped Wool Rug, $99.00

Galerie LA Kids Face Mask, $25

Duchess365 237 Canvas Print, $98.99 Duchess365 231 Tote Bag, $24.99 Duchess365 279 Art Print, $23.99 Duchess365 241 Framed Art Print, $47.99

Shea Makery PB & J Soap, $10 Shea Makery ‘Save A Life’ Mini Assorted Hand Soaps (Set of 12), $5

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, $16.99

‘Clean Getaway’ by Nic Stone, $16.99

‘Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid’ by Mikaela Ulmer, $16.19

ABC Me Flashcards, $20

IkdKids Rag Doll, $40

KaAn’s ‘Living The Dream’ Denim Jacket, $40

Yinibini Baby Badminton Playing Octopus Tee, $23 Yinibini Baby Fox Pullover Sweatshirt Jogger Set, $41 Yinibini Baby ROAR Lion Hooded Pullover, $45 Yinibini Narwhal Toy, $28

For the Masculine:

ALWD Signature DC PROPER Sweatshirt, $40

Chris Cardi ‘Bastards’ Tee, $30.03

Merit Flannel Shirt (Green), $65

Kashmir Viii ‘Everybody Eats, B,’ Tee, $45 Kashmir Viii ‘The Knockout’ Tee, $45

Galerie LA ‘Mister’ T-Shirt, $45

Jeff Manning Art ‘Overflow’ Art Print, $30 Jeff Manning Art ‘The Golden Age’ Art Print, $45 Jeff Manning Art ‘Overflowed Emotions’ Art Print, $50

Levi Fisher Beard Bundle, $39.99

Scotch Porter Face Care Collection, $28.99 Scotch Porter Journal, $9.99

Shea Makery Beard Oil, $15

Enbois Matte Lava Rock Bracelet, $40 Enbois Benji Matte Sunglasses, $45 Enbois Bracelets Collection - Cocoa, $50

The Silver Room Tourer Backpack, $95

Urban Profile Black Panther Shirt, $24.99

Solo Noir Starter Kit, $28.99

Bevel Shave Starter Bundle, $89.95 Bevel Skin Starter Set, $61.95

For the Tech Savvy:

Enbois iPhone Case, $12 Enbois Power Bank, $15 Enbois Grip Socket, $4

Chic Geeks Brown Faux Crocodile iPad Case, $75 Chic Geeks Brown Snakeskin iPad Case, $75 Chic Geeks Emerald Faux Crocodile iPhone Case, $50 Chic Geeks Grey Marble MacBook Case, $80 Chic Geeks Black Faux Crocodile iPad Case, $75

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[abdicatedarchive]

dinner disaster || cody and bella

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: summers house // late march.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: cody x bella ft. charlie, nathaniel, mr. and mrs. summers, mr. and mrs. langston.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: discomfort.

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: cody and bella are forced into a joint family dinner, and they devise a plan that might be stupid. 

Cody arrived at Bella's room and knocked on the door. Begrudgingly, he was dressed for the occasion. He had chosen to not wear a tie, even though his mother asked him to. Cody rested his arm against the door frame while he waited for the girl to open it, god, how he didn't want to be here at all. This whole dinner was weird, and honestly he felt like it was really out of the blue. The fact that Charlie was going to be there too? And Nathaniel? Just so unnecessary, not to mention both sets of parents. They had done dinners like this before, but it was when they were younger. Like when it was a dinner party for the parents and all the kids would get to sit in the kitchen and eat different food. Now they all had to sit at the dining room table and make small talk. It was going to be insufferable. "You ready?" he asked when she opened the door.

Bella looked at her reflection in the mirror, trying to convince herself that her dress was pretty. But it wasn't. Her mother sent it over to her because she didn't trust her daughter's fashion choices. It didn't send the right message. Her mother wanted class, and Bella's clothes were just a little too much. She got startled by the sound of the knock and ran over to the door, "Hello Cody Summers." she said, not thinking too hard on that fact that she called him by his full name. It made her think about if he had a middle name. Should she know that for this occasion? Would she be tested? She didn't want to embarrass her family. "What's your middle name?" she blurted out. "I am also ready. See? The dress is sort of weird, isn't it. You look nice." she spoke quickly, trying her best to be friendly with him. "Do you want candy before we go? I always keep some with me."

Cody wasn't ... really one for small talk, especially not with quirky girls. He liked playful banter, but if he wasn't in the mood (like the current reality) then it was just like talking to a wall. "Beckham" he responded as he took a deep breath. The dress she was wearing was ... well, to put it nicely: she looked uncomfortable to be wearing it and it showed. She looked a little alien in the territory. There wasn't anything wrong with it, and on another girl ... he would probably be into it. "Thanks" he replied to the compliment, ignoring her voicing her insecurities. If his mom was here she would have nudged him to compliment her, but she wasn't here. "What kind?" Cody asked, he wasn't sure what kind of strange candy this girl might be into. He always liked to know what he was getting into before he said yes to her.

"Oh that's fun. Are your parents a fan of Bend It Like Beckham?" Bella smiled to herself as she asked the question. It was some kind of an attempt at joking around, but she hoped it didn't make her sound stupid. "I'm just kidding. I'm fully aware of David Beckham. Posh Spice's husband. But if you were named specifically because of the movie, that's very fun. Mine is Jane." Bella made a mental note to try and get to know Cody more. He wasn't exactly someone she ever thought she'd talk to, but she was sure there would be something they could relate to. "You know those Arcor strawberry candies? They're my favorite." she walked over to her night stand and opened up the drawer to retrieve the candy. "Here you go. I'll bring extra just in case. Now I am ready to go. Do you need a minute to mentally prepare, because I understand. I found that the sound of ocean waves helps me relax, so I found a 10 hour video on Youtube of waves crashing on the shore. It helped a lot."

He let her ramble for a bit, "family name" Cody clarified. He was well aware that her middle name was Jane, back in middle school his friends had taken an enjoyment of calling her BJ after she received a few initialed things for Christmas. Not only had he definitely not stopped them, but he had joined in on the fun. "I'll take one" he said casually, they were one of his favorites too. They were something grandmother Summers always had in her purse, and when he was young she had taken to giving him special attention because he was the fourth. She was a fourth child too, so she felt especially called to Cody. "I think I'm good on the ocean noises" Cody replied with a laugh as he popped the candy in his mouth. Why the hell would you listen to ocean noises when you could just .. go to the beach? He took his keys out of his pocket as they left her room and headed out. Unlocking the car, he knew that he should probably open her car door for her but instead he just got into his side of the Hummer and started the car up. 

This dinner was going to be a pain, but he knew on some level she also did not want to be here at all. If she had wanted to come she would have fought harder on the clothing thing, he assumed. When they arrived at the house, Charlie was getting out of his car. "Charlie" said Cody, "Cody" said Charlie before he turned his attention to Bella. "Bella it is great to see you, that dress looks lovely" said Charlie giving her a friendly hug, "Alice says hello, I think she didn't want to hear me and Nate talk about work. She also had a mild allergy to my parents, understandably" he added with a laugh. He wasn't sure why he had said yes to this dinner, mostly out of respect for Nate ... and to watch Cody squirm. Charlie had his suspicions about what this dinner actually was.

Bella was no stranger to family dinners, but that didn’t mean she particularly enjoyed them. There was too much pressure on her to be perfect. She felt like she tried so hard every time, but by the end of the night, her parents always seemed disappointed with her. “Hello Charles. Thank you.” She instantly felt her heart drop the moment she realized what she called him. Bella had known of Charlie long enough to realize that he preferred being called Charlie. She wasn’t a fan of being called Arabella, so she should have known better. It felt incredibly hypocritical. Even the tiniest mess ups made her panic. “Hello to Alice too then, wherever she is. Also, congratulations on the engagement.” Pretty much everyone in their hometown knew about the couple’s relationship status, and she honestly thought this dinner was some kind of celebration towards that. “My brother speaks very highly of you.” she decided to say as they headed into the house, thinking that the dinner was about Nate and Charlie’s job since it clearly was not about his engagement.

Charlie smiled, "Thank you, honestly I feel like Alice should get down on one knee and give me a ring too, that way I have something to show people when they congratulate me" he replied with a laugh as they headed up towards the house. Her comment about Nathaniel liking him made him feel a lot better about where he was at with work. Nathaniel working at the office had been a nice surprise, but he was really uptight. Charlie felt like he was never doing a good enough job. "Gives me a wave of relief, you know how he is" said the boy with a smile. Cody just stayed quiet, at least the two of them had someone to talk to. When they got to the door Cody rang the doorbell before stepping back among the three of them. Mrs. Summers answered the door, "Goodie, you're all here. Derek, Irene, and Nathaniel are already here" she said before she gave both her boys a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. "For you" said Charlie as he handed her a bottle of port, "from Alice with her regrets." Mrs. Summers nodded, sad that the girl had not come with Charlie. She wanted to fawn over the ring again, but with Alice came the possibility of older Altmans being invited. That was no good. "Arabella, you look so darling in that dress" said Mrs. Summers as she gave the girl a hug. "Don't you think she looks nice, Cody?" she prompted. "You look nice" said Cody to appease his mother. They were basically like small children at this point in the conversation. The three were let in and joined everyone in the sitting room. "Charles, whiskey or a g&t?" said Mr. Summers as he was standing at the bar cart. "g&t sounds great, thanks Dad" said the boy as he sat down. "Sodas or La Croix for you two?" he asked Bella and Cody. "Whatever is cold" said Cody with a shrug as he went to go shake the Langston's hands.

"Yes, he's... very serious. About work especially. He means well, it just takes a bit for him to open up." Bella tried explaining, her siblings were pretty similar to their parents. A lot cooler, but still had that uptight attitude. Once Mrs. Summers opened the front door, she forced a small smile on her face. Her expression softened a bit when the woman didn't mention her sister, Fiona. She didn't exactly talk to her siblings about this dinner, but she assumed they'd both be here. Her sister always had great luck with just about everything, if only Bella could relate. She made sure not to show any change in emotion when Mrs. Summers called her Arabella. Then she was saying her dress was pretty. Was she just being polite? Was everyone's taste here terrible? Was Bella the one with terrible taste? Seemed likely. "Oh thank you." she said to both Cody and his mother. She was curious to know if Cody was in the same position she was in with her parents. When they'd force her to act and talk a certain way around others. Bella went to Mr. Summers and said her hellos before being asked about drinks, "Soda please. Thank you." she spoke softly. Nathaniel walked up with his parents, giving everyone a kind smile, "Always nice to see you Charlie, you too Cody. Of course. I'm sure this dinner will be, lovely." he said, still a bit confused by the whole dinner. It seemed very sudden. Mrs. Langston walked up to Bella with an approving smile on her face, "You look beautiful, Arabella. I knew the dress would suit you, and very nice shoes." Her mother always had to bring up Bella's height and how she was the second tallest in the family, behind Nathanial. She grew very insecure about it, but she would never bring that up to her mother. "We're so happy you could all make it. We thought it would be nice to catch up, see how you all are doing." Mr. Langston told the children. "Shall we head to the dining room?"

Charlie pulled Nathaniel to the side, "I have strong suspicions that this is a set up" said the boy as he took a sip of his drink, "my Mom asked me a few weeks ago if Cody was seeing anyone, and Bella's name was slid into the conversation." Cody wasn't usually one for gossip outside of his usual gang of friends, but Nathaniel might have some information on why this was happening in general. Or why the two of them had been brought along. "No one is taller than my Cody" said Mrs. Summers with a friendly laugh between the two moms, "I have no idea how he got so tall. When he passed Charles we were all wondering when it would stop." The two families headed to the table, and Cody and Bella were seated next to each other across from the Langston parents. They had Nathaniel on their side, and Cody had Charlie on his other side. There were little name cards and everything: very planned. The cook brought out their first course and Mr. Summers got down to business, "So, Bella. I'm sure you have your major all sorted out? Sophomore year, time for some decisions. This one can't seem to stay in a major" he said with a friendly laugh, but it was absolutely a dig at Cody. "Dad, Channing didn't pick her major until Junior year. In due time" said Charlie, keeping things a little better off. He had applied for the business school, so technically speaking Charlie had picked his major before even applying to school. He assumed Nathaniel was the same way, Nathaniel didn't really leave things to chance. That man consistently had a plan ... for everything. Though the comment was added by Charlie, it didn't make Cody feel any better about his family standing right now. He had really rested on his laurels when it came to Channing being the family disappointment.

"You think so too? I'm glad we're on the same page." Nathaniel spoke quietly to Charlie as he looked around the room. It was nice to know that Charlie was just as observant. "My mom kept bringing up the founders day ball and how she hoped we'd all have dates for it." he referred to the big event that took place in their town. People like their parents took that night very seriously. Once everyone was seated, Bella and Nathaniel gave each other the same smile. Nathaniel was pretty used to these dinners, but he knew his sister found them to be rather difficult. Bella almost felt guilty for having some kind of plan when it came to school, while Cody was still figuring things out. She didn't want to make him look bad. "I'm an art major right now. Once I get all my general courses finished up, I was going to see which direction I'll go in. But ... I know a lot of people who still aren't sure. It's so tough sometimes." Bella tried her best to defend Cody. "Of course it is, especially in a major like that. Being a full time artist is a very ... ambitious goal, but we could tell you're confident in your abilities. We trust you'll succeed." Mr. Langston said to his daughter with a smile. They weren't too fond of her going to school for art, they thought it was a waste of time and money. If it weren't for her grandparents being by her side, Bella probably would have caved and went into something else. "She is really talented, always has been." Nathaniel chimed in, knowing his sister was her worst critic. "I'm sure she'll be able to show you some of her work if she hasn't already." Mrs. Langston told Cody. "You both have known each other for so long, do you see each other often?" Bella hid her confusion as she ate. Sure she knew Cody, but it's not like they were ever friends. There wasn’t much of a reason for them to constantly cross paths.

Charlie nodded, "Founders day, yeah. Mom's probably freaking out about which girl will be in our photos this time. Last year was a mess" he recalled. The two boys went to join everyone else at the table for the grilling. Cody had most recently decided on exercise science, but he wasn't going to make a big deal about it. Last time he did, he started to hate the classes as soon as he mentioned it to his parents. "I haven't seen anything since the AP art exhibit senior year, I went for extra credit" said Cody as he took a bite of food. He was confused at the topic, why was he being asked how often he saw Bella. The two ran in completely different circles, "we don't run into each other often. Same dorm though" said the boy. He liked the Astoria dorms, and he wasn't ready to live in a house with friends yet. Most of his friends were just as shitty as him, and he liked having some space from all the chaos. "Well I'm sure you two can find time to see some of Bella's art" said Mrs. Summers, "whens the next showcase?" she asked. Charlie looked over to Nathaniel and nodded, their suspicions were right. "I hope it's before Founder's Day Weekend" Mr. Summers added, "not enough events going on because the historical society is overrun with plans. I heard this year was going to be bigger than ever."

Nathaniel immediately looked over at Charlie and nodded back before looking over to see Bella's reaction. Her facade was starting to crack, and at least he could tell that she was starting to look visibly uncomfortable. She couldn't stop shaking her leg underneath the table. "In a couple weeks. After everyone's received their critiques for their midterm project." she answered calmly. Bella's eyes travelled back and forth between her family members once Founder's Day Weekend was mentioned. Her parents always looked forward to that, but they somehow managed to make it more stressful than it needed to be, especially when it came to finding a partner to go with. Fiona usually found a date pretty quick, and always got someone with a solid reputation. Nathaniel didn't have too much of an issue with that either, but Bella? Her dates seemed to get worse and worse every year. Then it hit her, she could feel her stomach flip. Surely her parents wouldn't be putting her on the spot like this. "The Hastings haven't stopped talking about it, that's how you know it'll turn out good." Mrs. Langston said with excitement. "Fiona was just telling me about her date, they seem like such a lovely person. So respectful. I can't wait to see who you'll bring, Nathaniel, and it's always nice to see you and Alice, Charles. She always looks stunning." Bella's mother turned her attention to her daughter and Cody, "What about you two, are you both excited? Bringing anyone special?"

Founders Day. Of course this is what this was about. Fucking hell, his mother had been upset when he went stag ... and even more upset when he did bring a girl and she wasn't up to par for the family. "Katie was just inducted into the historical society" said Charlie before he took a sip of his drink, just to try and distract from whatever his parents were planning. "Alice and I wouldn't imagine missing it" he added with a soft smile at the compliment to his fiance. He knew how deeply uncomfortable everyone at the table seemed to be, so he was happy to be distracted thinking about Alice. Cody was blindsided by all of this. He still couldn't believe this whole dinner was orchestrated around him and Bella going to Founder's Day together. First of all: how was she less embarrassing than any other girl he ever brought? Sure, she could clean up well ... but it was Bella. She was one of the weirdest girls he had ever met. Second of all, why would they chose the two of them to bind the families together? Surely Nathaniel and Claire could go to Founder's Day together. "Uh no, not yet" said Cody just to respond, he was a man of very few words ... especially when he was uncomfortable, "but I'm sure there's a nice guy on the team that I could set Bella up with." He knew how to read a room, and if he played just dumb enough he might be able to get out of this. It didn't help that this girl was bouncing her fucking leg under the table, it was driving him absolutely up the wall. Fidgety people were so distracting, and it was taking all his attention and focus to hear anything anyone was saying to him. He had half a mind to put his hand on her knee to stop her, but he didn't want to give her any ideas.

Bella knew her parents were upset with her from last year's Founder's Day. Her date ditched halfway through,  but it wasn't her fault, she was even shocked and hurt by it. But to think her parents were setting her up? With Cody of all people? She always looked for the good in people. Unfortunately she hadn't found that yet in him. She was hopeful though, not as hopeful as usual ... but still hopeful. It didn't mean she wanted to go with him to this. Sometimes he came off a little too intimidating for her liking. She could never get a read on him and what he was thinking. "Oh no thank you, I'm sure I'll find someone." Bella completely shut Cody's offer down without realizing what he was trying to do. She was just so nervous. Her mind was racing, so she wasn't thinking straight. "There's still time for both of us to figure it out." she tried to stay as positive as possible in hopes that her parents would have a change of heart. "Well we wouldn't want you to stress about that for too long. This ball is supposed to be a happy time for everyone." Mr. Langston wasn't budging. "Besides, if you already figured out your date now, you'll have time to get to know them better before the event." Bella was starting to pick at her dress under the table now. She wanted to shut down any possibility of having to go with Cody, but the words weren't coming out. She couldn't imagine her parents' disappointment if she flat out said no to them in front of a family like the Summers.

God, this girl could not take a fucking hint. He was trying to get them both out of this. He nodded when she said she could find her own date, and Cody knew it was absolutely time for a scheme. Suddenly, Mr. Langston was doubling down on things. Clearly they were about to ask for something. So he went into panic mode. Cody knocked over Bella's cup while reaching for the salt, "Oh my god, I am so sorry Bella" he said as he moved his napkin over to start cleaning up the spill. Thankfully it had gotten all over her, "Here, let me take you upstairs and you can borrow something of Claire's or Channings" said Cody as he looked to his mom. She nodded, "Of course, anything up there is yours for the time being" said Mrs. Summers. Cody quickly ushered her out of the dining room but before they got out of ear shot he put his finger to his mouth to tell her to stay quiet. Cody quietly listened to the conversation, "see, they're already friendly. It was only a matter of time" he could hear Mrs. Summers prattling on. "Those two will be the most darling couple at the event, and their heights? Marvelous." Cody wanted to slam his head against the wall, but he quickly motioned for her to follow him as they headed up the stairs to Claire's room and he shut the door behind them, "I couldn't find another way out of that" said the boy, actively not apologizing but he didn't really notice how callous he was being, "you hated the dress anyways."

Bella instantly jumped in her seat as her drink got all over her. This couldn't get any worse. She grabbed her napkin and tried to clean her dress as best as possible. "No no, it's okay. I shouldn't have place my drink so close to the edge of the table." she said frantically, already putting some kind of blame on herself. She couldn't even look at her parents, so she simply nodded her head and gave Mr. and Mrs. Summers a shy smile, "Thank you." As she followed Cody out of the room, she kept quiet, listening in on what was going on at the table. She bit down on her bottom lip as they talked about them. There was no need for any of this, she just wanted to run out of the house. Instead of course, she headed to Claire's room, looking up at Cody with furrowed brows as he spoke, "You did that on purpose?" she asked, clearly shocked. "Now I'm all wet and sticky..." she mumbled to herself. Bella did hate the dress, and it deserved that. But she didn't. "Don't we have to go back down there anyways? Or are we making a run for it? I don't know if I could do that. I don't have great stamina, and I don't think I'm mentally prepared for that. Can I still change?" she started to ramble, her nerves were out of control. Bella reached into her bra and pulled out one of her strawberry candies and unwrapped it before popping it in her mouth quickly in hopes that it would calm her. "I'm sorry, do you want one? Are you nervous too? You seem calm, I can't tell."

"I had to think fast, they were just about to push us into going to Founder's Day together" said Cody shrugging a little. The situation wasn't dire, but they should have thought about what this dinner was about before they had arrived, he just didn't know that her parents were as scheming as his. "We are definitely going back down, we just need a game plan" he said as he opened up Claire's closet and pulled out a few things. Then she pulled candy out of her bra, "I'm good on the bra candy" he said calmly as he opened up Claire's bedside table and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and took a pull, "liquid courage?" he offered after he took another pull. This whole thing was absolutely fucked, "I don't know why they get off on meddling so bad, I feel like this is fun for them. Even bringing Nate and Charlie here as some sort of shiny example for what good futures look like. It's all too planned" he rambled. Usually he did not speak this much in front of Bella, or to Bella for that matter. But they were teammates now. He knew his calm exterior was alarming to her, but he got sort of robotic when it came to things like this. It was a game, and it was a game he wanted to win. "I wish I could just get them off my back, you'd think with the fourth kid they would let up some" he said as he sat down on his eldest sister's bed.

"Game plan? I'm not good with game plans." Bella shook her head, she wasn't sure what they could possibly do to change the outcome of this dinner, but that was mainly because she never went against her parents. All she wanted was to make them proud. She then looked through what Cody pulled out from Claire's closet and decided on one dress. A definite upgrade from the one she was wearing. "Please tell your sister I say thank you but that I'm sorry for using this without her permission. Also please turn around. Or close your eyes. Or both." she held onto the dress for a minute before turning around herself and changing outfits. "And done. Better, right?" she asked with a pleased smile as she looked down at what she was wearing. Bella stayed silent for a moment after Cody offered some of the whiskey. She wasn't too much of a drinker, but one sip wouldn't, or at least shouldn't, hurt. "Yes, thank you. I'm not feeling very courageous right now. I feel shaky. One, because the room is cold, but two, I get all shaky when I'm nervous." she wiggled her fingers as some kind of demonstration before taking a sip from the bottle. Bella clearly related to what Cody was saying, they were both stuck in the same situation, but talking about those kinds of feelings? It wasn't something she did very often. Or at all. "Well ... I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. My parents always tell me they just want the best for me. Maybe it's the same for you." she was trying her best to remain positive.

He did as she said and turned around, covering his eyes for an added measure. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to take a peak, but then again it was Bella. Did he actually want to take a peak? Probably not. When he turned around, she actually looked better. Nice even. Claire's taste prevailed. Cody laid back on the bed as she took a drink, "Yeah, they tell you they want what's best for you. But when's the last fucking time it was a good thing and they actually cared about what you wanted or what your dreams are?" he poked at her with his questions. He knew it was going to get under her skin, but he had a big ask. Big asks came with getting under someone's skin first to get them moving, especially an optimist like her. God, it drove him crazy how positive she was being about all of this. "Hear me out, we do go to Founder's Day together, and family barbecues, and all the dumb shit that we have to do. I know it's stupid, but if this pans out for them ... they will let me do whatever I want. Easy free pass" said Cody. He was always looking to work smarter not harder. It was a dumb idea, but if she agreed to it ... it would make everything easier.

Bella felt her heart sink a bit after hearing Cody's question. Her parents didn't care, or at least they didn't show it. They never showed interest in what she loved, they even missed her last art exhibit. To them it wasn't that big of deal, but it crushed Bella. She couldn't even answer his question, her silence was an answer in itself. Sure she didn't know how Cody's parents were with him, but did he have to be so negative about it? It must have been so draining. His suggestion completely caught her off guard. She wasn't good at game plans, but even she thought this was bizarre. "Wait, what? I thought the whole point was that we didn't want to go together. No offense! I'm sure you're a very fun time," she said innocently of course. "but we're just not close. At all. Which is fine." Bella was terrible with saying no to someone, no matter how strongly she felt. She just wanted to please people as much as possible. "I mean, if you're getting something out of it, do I?"

He knew that it was lacking some logic, but from his perspective Bella was a walking and talking get out of jail free card. "Seriously, think about all the things you could get away with, or all the positive attention we would both get. Give the golden children a run for their money" said the boy as he theorized the way to get the most out of this. "I don't want to go with you either, but it's looking like we're going to be going together regardless. And a forced event where they're checking on us is way worse than an event where they think we're already dating but just not touchy in public" he continued. He was positive he had never spoken this much in front of Bella, and Cody sat up on the bed "we don't have to be close ... we just have to appear to be close. It'll just be family stuff, and at school we don't have to think or act any type of way. And if you need more convincing than that ... I mean I can help you get what you want out of it too?" he said as he ended on a question. He wasn't sure what else she could want ... they were both going to win in this situation.

The last thing Bella wanted was attention, but her parents always threw the family under the spotlight anyways. She was going to get attention regardless, so it might as well be positive. As Cody continued on, Bella found it harder and harder to turn this all down. If her parents had something in mind, they were going to follow through on it. She would have to go with Cody whether she liked it or not, so maybe if her parents thought they were already dating, they wouldn't give her such a hard time. She was about to agree to the plan, until he said that he'd help her get what she wanted. Right then and there, an idea popped into her head. Bella was hesitant to bring it up, but she was pretty desperate at this point. "Help me with my finals?" she asked with big eyes. "For my finals, we're doing a realism project. I need a reference, of the human kind. My problem is that I can't get anyone to help me with it but I really wanna do a good job. You don't have to do much anyways. I have all the supplies. Please."

Her eyes grew big, if she didn't repulse him so much he might find it endearing. But he was too distracted by the fact that she looked kinda like one of those lemur things from Madagascar? He wanted to laugh, but he didn't. He just shrugged, "I could sit somewhere for a few hours." Cody put out his hand to shake her hand as they sat on the bed together. He could hear footsteps down the hall and he quietly whispered to her, "sorry in advance" he said, as he put his lips against hers with his thumb on the side of her chin. The kiss was soft and sweet as he moved in to deepen the kiss, seconds later his mother came in. He waited to break this kiss until his mom had already seen, "so sorry you two, we were just wondering where you'd gone off to" she said. Her eyes were all lit up, thinking her plan had worked so marvelously. "Just get down for dessert, and I'll send you two home with some tupperware for extra dinner when you get hungry. And don't you two worry, it'll be our little secret" said Mrs. Summers as she shut the door behind her. Cody's hands had been on Bella's waist as his mom had talked, but the second the door shut he moved away from her and put his hands back in his lap. "We can discuss terms in the car, and I'm sure the rest of dinner will go fine. 

Mrs. Summers quickly sauntered downstairs, "Well well well, not to toot my own horn but I was absolutely right. The two of them were upstairs getting cozy, I'm sure Founder's Day this year will be a delight" she announced to the table. The two of them came downstairs a few moments later and joined the table. No one said anything about what had just transpired, but Charlie and Nathaniel were making weird eye contact across the table. Charlie was going to ask Nate to come over for drinks after this ... strange dinner.

Bella gave a single nod and smiled. She was proud that she actually went for something she wanted and didn't just settle, but then it hit her that she would have to be with Cody quite a bit. It's not like there was anything wrong about that, but it didn't seem like it would be too fun. As she was reaching out to shake his hand, she furrowed her brows in confusion, not noticing the footsteps. Then his lips were already on hers. So many thoughts were going through her head, but the biggest one was WHY IS HE DOING THIS? She quickly realized what was going on when his mother opened the bedroom door. Bella looked at Mrs. Summers with the same big eyes as before, she was just in a full state of shock. She didn't think she'd be getting kissed tonight by a now fake boyfriend? She then relaxed a bit once she left the room, nodding her head in agreement. "Okay." It might have been the first time she ever gave him a single word response. 

Mrs. Langston's eyes practically lit up once Mrs. Summers told them the news. "This is even better than I thought." she said with a pleased smile. By the time the two got back to the table, Nathaniel kept looking back and forth between Charlie, Bella, and Cody. He thought he had everything figured out, but this was a major curve ball. He'd have to discuss this with Charlie later on. 

Finally the dinner was over, and Bella felt like she could finally breath. She was pretty drained by the end of all of this, but she knew her and Cody needed to discuss the terms. "So do you want to start? I've never pretended I was dating someone so this is all very new." she said as a way to keep things as light hearted as possible.

Cody had to laugh, "it's not like I've ever fake dated someone" the whole thing was her attempt at a joke, but it was preposterous. It's not like he ran around town dating anyone, let alone fake dating. If he was someone who talked and shared, Cody might say something like the last time I dated someone was in high school, and all of that was a little too real. But he wasn't. So he didn't. "I think we should talk about our terms, everything ... comes out even. You do me a favor, I do you a favor. The overarching thing: events with family do not count as a favor. But individual tasks during said event can count as a favor if they are out of the norm. I think at things with dances, we dance at least once an hour. Anything outside of that, for like a favorite song or something, that counts as a favor" he outlined. Cody liked having a game plan, he liked having plays set up. His outlook on life was that everything was a game: something you could win. This was no different.

Bella was trying to take everything in, but it was so much. This felt a lot more complicated than she thought and now she was worried that she was going to mess up somehow. Not only would her parents be disappointed in her lying, but then his family might not like her, and she didn't know if she could take all that. She wanted to be liked so bad. "I feel like I should be taking notes right now. Will there be a point system? Is this a competition? Will the winner get a prize? So many questions." Bella said before she gasped quietly. "What is your favorite song? One of mine is Flightless Bird, American Mouth." She always seemed to get so off track. "Oh I'm sorry. I agree, to everything. I don't mind doing favors, and I appreciate it you do me one." she said with a nod. "Question. Should we keep this from our siblings? Nate kept giving me a weird look and I was scared he was going to ask me something."

He zoned out for a second thinking about Alexandra, "no points, just keeping things even" he responded as he continued to drive. The girl kept popping into his head, it was distracting. He wasn't sure how long he had zoned out again, because she was talking about birds. Cody probably should have been listening, but she quickly moved on from the bird talk. "I mean, I don't really talk to my siblings much anyways. I get most of my updates from instagram" said Cody, being fairly honest. Charlie didn't want much to do with all of them unless there was something going on. Claire was always away, and Channing was ... Channing. "If you want to trust your siblings not to tell, and not to tell mine. You can? But the more people that know the more likely it will be to get out" he warned, "and to remind you again. I have not done this before, that's just how secrets work" he said, just making sure she knew.

"I don't either. He might ask though, but I can lie. I don't think I'm a good liar but maybe this whole thing will make me a better one. I don't know if that's a good thing though." Bella was very aware that her siblings were way closer to each other than with her, but it wasn't something she wanted to talk about. Saying it out loud would make it seem a little too real. Once he brought up not doing the whole fake-dating thing before, she gave him a small smile. She thought he was simply playing along with her joke from before, so she decided to push it. "You sure? I remember you being with someone back in high school. Are you like a fake dating specialist?" she asked, laughing a little afterwards. She of course meant no harm in it, but she definitely should have not brought something like that up. It's not like she enjoyed talking about her past relationships. She had only been with two people, and they treated her terribly. But of course, Bella blamed herself for it.

"I feel like lying is an important skill, how else would you tell children that Santa's real or trick your loved ones into going to a dinner" said Cody, he felt like his parents lied about things all the time. That's how they got anyone to do anything, especially their children. When she brought up Alexandra, he knew she meant no harm but it did hurt. "First favor" he said sternly, "never talk about her, or ask about her." He knew this meant that he automatically owed her one, but it was worth it to not have to get personal with her. She ruined Cody, he really thought he was in love. He thought he had found his person, and he was just dropped like it was nothing. It had been everything to him, to have someone to spend all his time with. Someone he could share with, he let all of his friendships go to be with the girl because she took up so much of his time. The last two years of high school had been rough, trying to catch up with everyone who had gotten close while he had been in relationship land.

"Yeah, that's true..." Bella mumbled, she wasn't going to argue on it. She never liked to argue. There was also some part of her that felt like she was lying all the time. If she kept in how she truly felt, was that considered lying? Was she just living an entire lie by pleasing other people? It made her embarrassed just thinking about it. Her eyes went wide when he ask for the first favor, she could feel her heart sink. "I'm so sorry. I won't, I promise. That was really stupid. I was just making a joke, not that I'm making an excuse or anything! I'm really sorry." she quickly spoke. Bella was going to mention how she didn't need the favor to be returned, but she didn't want to already go against the terms that were created. There was no need to upset Cody even more. Her knee started to bounce again as she looked out the window. Any little mistake she made set her off, she couldn't believe she would be so heartless and bring up something like that.

He took a breath, "it's fine, really. I just prefer to not think her into existence" said the boy. Cody had paranoia that if he thought about people they would suddenly pop up and make everything worse. Cody reached for his phone and put on Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney it was just a nice soft song. He didn't always listen to music like this, but it was relaxing. On the drive over they had been in silence, but he needed something to fill the space in the car that thoughts of his ex was filling. Taking the edge off was important because her fucking knee was shaking again, god did she have to wear her anxious energy so publicly? "Do you have any more terms you want to add in? Or do you want some time to think about it?" Cody asked. The most fool proof way for them to pull this off was for them to both be happy-ish with what they were getting out of it. That meant being clear from the start. "Obviously there's an unwritten rule that you don't fall in love with me" said the boy as they pulled into the school parking lot, he looked at her and smiled and then just broke into laughter. Bella Langston and Cody Summers being in love was the funniest joke all evening.

Bella bopped her head slowly to the beat of the song, but her thoughts were still filled with her little mess up she made a few minutes ago. She turned her attention over to Cody as she heard his voice, "Hm, well should we get to know each other better? Or get our story straight. Would your family ask us how we started seeing each other?" she asked before another thought came to mind. "Oh and that class of mine? It's on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but Thursdays are for working on the project. Are Thursdays okay with you?" Once Cody mentioned the unwritten rule of not falling in love, she cracked a smile. That won't be hard. was the first thought that came to mind, but she instantly felt bad for even thinking it. Maybe she was still upset about those stupid BJ jokes from when they were kids, but she just knew that Cody Summers was not her type. Instead of saying what she initially thought, Bella saluted the boy, "Aye aye captain. Same goes for you."

Cody had been so lost in the game plans for in person interaction, he hadn't even thought about backstory. Maybe she was good for something, they seemed to be making a good team. Cody pulled the car out of the school parking lot, "If we're going to come up with a good story, we're going to need actual dessert, and by actual dessert I mean drive through ice cream. "Class on Thursday, I can put it in my calendar. You might have to text me and remind me anyways though" said the boy as he drove onto the interstate and went to the next town over for fast food. The worst thing about living here was definitely the lack of fast food, it was all healthyish small businesses. "So the docket is we need a good why we got together story, we need to know where we are in the relationship, how long we've dated, anything else like that?" he asked as he continued to drive, pulling into the DQ drive thru.

Bella's eyes lit up when Cody mentioned ice cream, "Very smart Cody Summers! Ice cream helps the brain work a little better." she tapped her forehead a couple times with an excited smile on her face. She wasn't used to spending so much time with someone, she usually kept to herself, but she was glad he wasn't completely sick of her yet. "I could do that." Bella went into her phone and put a reminder every Thursday to text Cody about the project. It's not like she was going to forget, this was the most important piece she's ever done for school, but having a reminder wouldn't hurt. "Okay, so maybe we haven't been together for too long. Just so we don't have to create too many fake stories or act like we know everything about each other. Right? Plus we definitely told them that we didn't have a date to Founder's Day. But!" she put her index finger up as if she had a plan. "I think I figured out a way to save us from that. We could be like, we didn't want to announce our relationship during the dinner in front of everyone, because this dinner wasn't just about us. We wanted everyone to feel important tonight." she pitched her voice a bit higher as she acted out the scene. "It makes us look all selfless."

Cody pulled up to the drive through and the two put in their order. "Yeah we don't want too many backstory things. Maybe just that it was casual at first" said the boy as he pulled up to the next window and paid, getting their ice cream and thanking the staff person. "We can even take it as far as we just weren't sure where we were at yet and didn't want to assume anything also" said the boy as he pulled into a parking spot and started to eat his dipped cone. "and that when we went upstairs we had a talk about how we didn't actually want to go with anyone else, because that's dumb" he added. He thought it might be easier if they set the timeline to as close to the dinner as possible, "and maybe we can even say that we decided we were going steady or whatever during that talk upstairs. That way you don't look like you've been lying." The whole plan was genius, every conversation he had with his parents from here on out would be about Bella and he could just lie and say things were good. There would be so much less talk about all the other moving parts of his life. It was going to be such a wave of relief to have that burden off of him.

Bella automatically reached into her bag to grab her card, but noticed Cody was already paying for it. "Oh you didn't have to do that, but thank you. Next time will be on me, promise." she said with a kind smile before listening to his plan. It really did seem like he had done this before, he pretty much had it all figured out. "Wow, you're really good with game plans. Is that some kind of sixth sense for football players?" she asked as she began to eat her ice cream cone, making sure to not let it drip in his car. "Should we say we started talking to each other sometime this semester? To keep it vague, since it didn't mean much at first?" she asked. Bella was going through every possible scenario in her head. She wasn't sure how much her parents would ask, but she did know they'd be happy about this. Even though it was a complete lie, she was sort of excited to experience her parents being genuinely proud of her. She felt so disconnected from her family, but maybe this would make her feel like she belonged. "We should get to know each other more, right? Just in general. I think that'll help."

It was his instinct to pay since it had been his idea, "we're gonna have a lot of things like this anyways, might as well keep it on the favor rotation" said the boy. It was only fair, and it wasn't like money super mattered between the two of them. They were definitely still getting that silver spoon from their parents, otherwise how would they even have the problem of having to date. "Sort of. With my siblings, you kinda need to learn strategy. And yeah, that sounds good, like it was just a casual thing from a party that turned into coffee and studying" said the boy shrugging a little as he went back to his cone. "I'm sure we'll get to know each other enough at the stuff we'll be at. It'll come as it would anyways, unless you want notecards with all my favorite things on them" he said sarcastically.

"Sounds like a plan." Bella gave Cody a thumbs up. Once he mentioned them meeting at a party, she quickly shook her head, "Wait, I don't think that's gonna work. Us hitting things off at a party? They'll know I'm lying, trust me." When Bella was at home, she usually stayed to herself. She never went to parties unless her ex, Landon, dragged her to something. If she wanted to be somewhere other than her room, she would go to the beach in the middle of the night. The girl liked her alone time. "Notecards? I like that!" she said enthusiastically, completely missing the sarcasm. Catching social cues wasn't her thing. "I'll make some for you when I get back to my room." Just then, another thought popped into her head, "Another question. What are we going to do about all the people here from our hometown? Some of them are going to talk, I just know it. Do we have to pretend here too? Oh no, and what about social media? Do I have to start posting you on my instagram?" she started to ask questions quickly, so many thoughts were running through her head.

Cody was mostly paying attention to his cone, but he knew that if they were going to do this it shouldn't be half baked. "Then hitting it off just ... like at school randomly?" He tried to think of a better idea, "what about one of those things where we literally ran into each other. That's always cute?" he wasn't really sure why he described it as cute, but he knew his mom would enjoy the story. Charlie and Alice had a really ... disgustingly adorable story. "Then we could have gotten coffee, realized we were a little different than our perceptions of each other in high school ... started hanging out more often. Studying together and stuff as friends, and from there it just worked" Cody was mostly spitballing, but he wanted to meet her where she was at. Then she started talking about notecards, and he really had meant it as a joke. But the sentiment stood, he didn't want to have her bail on him. They both needed to be all in, or else his parents were going to straight up yell at him and get way too invested in his life. "Um, I guess we ... have to date publicly? We don't need to do any posts, but like stories? And I promise to keep my extra curriculars, if you know what i mean, to a higher level of discretion than I'm used to" he leveled with her.

Bella was pleasantly surprised with how quickly Cody was able to come up with something, she felt like her brain couldn't work that fast. She almost asked him what his perception of her back in high school was, but she held off on that. She didn't want to hear the answer. Even though she never thought too highly of him, hearing what he would have to say would still hurt her feelings. Bella was never well liked by people in her hometown, at least Cody had friends. "Bumping into each other, getting coffee, hanging out..." she mumbled to herself as she was going over everything he said. "Yep, I think that's the one. Ladies and gentlemen we have winner." Bella wasn't exactly thrilled to hear him say that they needed to keep this relationship up at school, but it did make sense. There were too many blabbermouths from their hometown here. "Um, sex? You're talking about sex, right? Cause it's fine, you could say it." If she knew one thing, it was that Cody didn't keep that part of his life on the down-low. Did he think she was some kind of delicate, innocent being? It was kind of the truth, but she still felt a bit offended. "Just please don't get caught. I don't wanna get cheated on by a fake boyfriend. That's kinda sad."

Cody wasn't completely sure why he censored himself around her, she just seemed like the kind of girl who didn't really do much. She had dated Landon and another person, but ... it was Landon. "I mean, I don't want to be the guy caught cheating whether or not its real or fake" said the boy, emphasizing the word caught. He'd never cheated on anyone actually, and it wasn't something he was interested in. His friend had explained to him that cheating is never something anyone wants to do, it just happens in the moment. Or the temptation presents itself and it's too good to pass up. He had never particularly felt that way about anyone, and he hadn't dated in almost four years. When you're that young and in love, cheating doesn't really sound tempting at all. You're more thankful than anything that you have someone to spend time with. But she had gone and destroyed all of that, and him in the process. "I'll keep the sex to a minimum, you too?" he said, "because people would expect that from me, but from you? That would be a town scandal all in itself." He knew people thought he was a dirtbag, and most of the time he either believed it or he played into it. Cody finished his cone and started the car again, "I'm sure we're going to have plenty of things to go to as a couple anyways, so we don't need to spend any extra time together unless it's for a favor."

So you've never cheated before? The question popped into her head, and thankfully she didn't ask out loud. It didn't change the fact that she felt terrible for thinking it though. He just sort of seemed like he had. She had heard stories about a few of his friends, so she assumed he was the same way. It's not like they all acted too differently in her eyes. She tried to stay away from that kind of crowd, mainly because she was incredibly intimidated by them. "Oh. Yes. I will keep the sex to a minimum." she answered back very awkwardly, and for some reason, decided to give him a thumbs up as well. Bella was not having sex. At all. The last and only person she had been with was Landon, and that didn't seem like it was going to change any time soon. She was the kind of person that actively avoided the people she was attracted too, simply because she was too nervous to go up and talk to them. "I guess I should go ahead and apologize in advanced for my parents." Bella said as she thought about how often he'd be around them. "They're weirdos." she rolled her eyes as she finished up her ice cream cone. "Anyways, I'm fine with only seeing each other for favors, and thank you for agreeing to help me with my finals. I promise I'll do you justice, and if it's good enough, it'll be at the summer exhibit. That's what I'm aiming for."

This was more the behavior he was expecting from her -deeply awkward and uncomfortable-. "I also apologize for my parents in advance, they're really nosey. I have no idea how Charlie and Alice managed to deal with them, especially with the family feud. Luckily that's laid to rest" said the boy as he focused on the road and got them back to school. "I think this is going to be good, and when it stops paying off or one of us wants to be involved with someone else we can stage a breakup that will get us out of even more things for a very long time." He could see it now: a very public breakup for their only in public relationship. As much damage as Alexandra did to him, there was at least a year that his parents didn't really ask anything of him. They just let him be a lifeless robot and stay in his room all the time. That's how all the kids liked to operate, they were creatures of their rooms. You'd be shocked to know that six people lived in their house sometimes, everyone could leave the state on a Wednesday night and no one would notice until Sunday Brunch when they were suddenly alone at the dinner table.

Bella was well aware of the family feud between Cody's family and Alice's. Everyone knew about everything that went on in their hometown. She was a bit nervous about his parent's being nosey though. Bella always had to act and talk a certain way in front of parents, it was so draining. Now she had to add on to the lie and pretend to be their son's girlfriend. "Ooh what will be the reason for our breakup? Do I have to start learning how to cry on command? Do you know know how to cry on command?" she started asking questions quickly, but continued to speak before he got the chance to answer. "I guess we can figure all of that out later. It's kind of intense, I feel like I'm in a movie. Fake dating is a good trope, didn't think I'd actually live it out." Bella continued on with a smile before they arrived back at the school parking lot. "I think we have everything covered. I'll see you on Thursday? Oh, I'll also give this back to you too." she pointed at the dress she was wearing.

Bella was well aware of the family feud between Cody's family and Alice's. Everyone knew about everything that went on in their hometown. She was a bit nervous about his parent's being nosey though. Bella always had to act and talk a certain way in front of parents, it was so draining. Now she had to add on to the lie and pretend to be their son's girlfriend. "Ooh what will be the reason for our breakup? Do I have to start learning how to cry on command? Do you know know how to cry on command?" she started asking questions quickly, but continued to speak before he got the chance to answer. "I guess we can figure all of that out later. It's kind of intense, I feel like I'm in a movie. Fake dating is a good trope, didn't think I'd actually live it out." Bella continued on with a smile before they arrived back at the school parking lot. "I think we have everything covered. I'll see you on Thursday? Oh, I'll also give this back to you too." she pointed at the dress she was wearing.

Bella did love the whole part of the fake dating trope where the people actually fall in love, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. She would never think about Cody Summers like that, it even seemed far fetched to imagine them as friends by the end of this. Before she got out of the car, Bella reached into her bag and tossed one of the Arcor strawberry candies into the cup holder, she made sure she had them on her at all times. "Goodnight, fake boyfriend." she said as she did a small curtsy. This wasn't how she expected her night to go at all, but all she hoped for was to get some good out of this. It was for her parents, and for her art. //END

[vampireadamooc]

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The FBI has converted many FOIA documents to an electronic format (PDF), and they may be viewed below. In the case of voluminous pages, only summaries or excerpts from the documents are online. Subjects are sorted alphabetically by first name. You can also use your browser's find feature to locate subjects on the page.

Al Capone Animal Mutilation Ali Hasan Al-Majid Al-Tikriti (Chemical Ali) Albert Anastasia ACLU Aristotle Onassis American Friends Service Committee Aryan Nation Anna Nicole Smith Anthony Blunt Alfred Kinsey Abner Zwillman Albert Einstein Anthony Spilotro ABSCAM Arthur Flegenheimer (Dutch Schultz) Alcatraz Escape Alcoholics Anonymous Al Gore, Sr. Amerithrax Anwar Nasser Aulaqi Amelia Boynton Abbie Hoffman Adolf Hitler Asian American Political Alliance Amelia Mary Earhart Andrew Phillip Cunanan Anthony Salerno All American Anti Imperialist League American Nazi Party Arthur Rudolph Aryan Brotherhood Atlanta Child Murders Aryan Circle Almighty Latin Kings Abe Fortas Arthur R. "Doc" Barker Arnold Palmer Armando Florez Ibarra Alvin Francis Karpis Attempted Assassination of President Ronald Reagan Alger Hiss Ariel Sharon Art Modell

Black September Bertolt Brecht Billy Carter Bishop Fulton Sheen Bonus March Barker-Karpis Gang Summary Bloods and Crips Gang Bonnie and Clyde Black Dahlia (Elizabeth Short) Basque Intelligence Service Bugsy Siegel Bayard Rustin Benjamin Hooks Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee Black Guerilla Family Black Mafia Family Bernard Baruch Black Panther Party BOMBROB Betty Shabazz Bureau Aviation Regulations Policy Directive and Policy Guide Bernard Julius Otto Kuehn Bettie Page Billy Martin Barker/Karpis Gang

Caryl Chessman Cardinal Francis Spellman Cambridge Five Spy Ring Carmine John Persico, Jr. Custodial Detention Clyde A. Tolson Clark Gable Charles Manson Council on Foreign Relations Charles Lindbergh Clarence Smith (aka 13x) Clarence Darrow Carl Sagan Carmine Galante Conference Cost Reporting and Approvals to Use Nonfederal Facilities Policy Directive 0927D Charlie Chaplin Casey Kasem Cartha DeLoach Christopher (Biggie Smalls) Wallace Charles "Chuck" Wendell Colson Contract for Assistance Regarding Syed Farooks iPhone Charlie Wilson Courtney Allen Evans Claudia Johnson Carlo Gambino Christic Institute Cesar Chavez Clergy and Laity Concerned about Vietnam Charles Rebozo Charles Kettering Claudia Jones Christian Identity Movement Carl Sandburg Charles (Sonny) Liston Columbine High School Criminal Profiling Coretta Scott King Charles Arthur (Pretty Boy) Floyd Custodial Detention Headquarters Carlos Fuentes COINTELPRO Custodial Detention Security Index

Danny Kaye David Koresh Daily Worker Dinah Shore Dorothy Dandridge Duquesne Spy Ring Director Comey Letter to Congress Dated October 28, 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Program Policy Guide Policy Directive 0842D Daniel David "Dan" Rostenkowski Daniel Inouye Daniel Schorr Demonstrations against Lyndon B. Johnson Desi Arnaz Diana, Princess of Wales D. Milton Ladd Dr. Samuel Sheppard Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower Director Comey Letter to Congress Dated November 6, 2016 David Hahn Debbie Reynolds David Howell Petraeus Daniel Patrick Moynihan D. B. Cooper

Erich Fromm Emmett Till E. B. (William) Dubois Extra-Sensory Perception Eliot Ness Electronic Recordkeeping Certification Policy Guide 0800PG Edward Irving "Ed" Koch Elizabeth Taylor Everette Hunt Edward Abbey Elizabeth Arden Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington Elvis Presley Eugene McCarthy Eddie Cantor Eleanor Roosevelt Evelyn Frechette Eric Wright (Eazy-E, EZ E) El Rukns Elijah Muhammad Ernest Hemingway Eugene “Gene” Curran Kelly Explanation of Exemptions

FBI Miami Shooting, April 11, 1986 Frances Perkins Fred Hampton Frank Capone FBI History Francis Gary Powers Frank Sinatra FBI Technical Surveillance Countermeasures Classification Guide Fred W. Phelps, Sr FBI Ethics and Integrity Program Policy Directive Policy Guide FBI Student Programs Policy Guide 0805 PG Fannie Lou Hammer Frank Rosenthal FBI Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG) FBI Undercover Operations FBI Terrorist Photo Album Five Percenters Frank Wortman FBI Use of Global Positioning System (GPS) Tracking Frank Malina FDPS FBI Sign Language Interpreting and Reading Program 0889D FBI Seal Name Initials and Special Agent Gold Badge 0625D FOIA DISCLAIMER Fidel Castro Freedom Riders FBI Assistance Provided to Local Law Enforcement During the Black Lives Matter Movement FBI Recreational Association(s) 0465D FOIA Requests Containing the Word Trump Fritz Julius Kuhn Fred G. Randaccio Fred C. Trump

George (Bugs) Moran Greenlease Kidnapping George (Machine Gun) Kelly Groucho Marx Guy Hottel Gov. Edmund Gerald (Pat) Brown, Sr. Gene Siskel German American Federation/Bund Geraldine Ferraro Gangster Disciples Grace Kelly Greenpeace George Jackson Brigade Guantanamo (GTMO) George Burns George Lester Jackson General Douglas MacArthur General Telecommunications Policy 0862D George S. Patton, Jr. Gay Activist Alliance Ghost Stories: Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Illegals Gamergate Gregory Scarpa, Sr George Orson Welles George Steinbrenner

Hugo Black Henry Louis (H.L.) Mencken Henry A Wallace Herbert Khaury (Tiny Tim) Highlander Folk School Hanns Eisler Henry Miller Howard Zinn Huey Percy Newton HEARNAP Honoraria Policy 0867D Herman Barker Harold Glasser Hubert H. Humphrey Helen Keller Harland David "Colonel" Sanders Hindenburg Harry S. Truman Hillary R. Clinton Howard Robard Hughes, Jr

Interpol Irgun Zvai Leumi Irving Berlin Impersonation of Bhumibol Adulyadej Imperial Gangsters I Was a Communist for the FBI (Motion Picture) Irwin Allen Ginsberg Ian Fleming Irving Resnick

Jack Soble Jefferson Airplane Jack Benny Jack the Ripper Jesse James James Cagney John F. Kennedy Jr. John Murtha Joseph Aiuppa Jonestown (RYMUR) Summary Joseph Lash John Ehrlichman John L. Lewis John (Jake the Barber) Factor Joseph P. (Joe) Kennedy, Sr. John Steinbeck John Arthur (Jack) Johnson Janis Joplin Jimmy Hoffa Jessica Mitford Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer Jack Anderson John Wilkes Booth Joe Paterno Jay David Whittaker Chambers John Joseph Gotti, Jr James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix James Baldwin Joseph Losey John Siegenthaler Jeannette Rankin Jack Roosevelt Robinson Judith Coplon James Joseph Brown John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison) Jerry Garcia Jane Addams John Chancellor John Wayne Gacy Jack Roosevelt (Jackie) Robinson John D. Rockefeller, III John Dillinger John (Handsome Johnny) Roselli John Profumo (Bowtie) J. Edgar Hoover Julius and Ethel Rosenberg J. Edgar Hoover Appointment and Phone Logs Jesse Helms Jonestown J. Edgar Hoover Official and Confidential (O&C) Files Joe Louis Joan Alexandra Rivers Jack Dempsey John Denver James Farmer James McDougal John Updike Jerry Heller Josephine Baker Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio John Winston Lennon

Kent State Katherine Oppenheimer Kent State Shooting Ken Eto Kansas City Massacre Kiss

Lady Bird Johnson Louis Allen Leander Perez, Sr. Legal Handbook for FBI Special Agents Louis (Lepke) Buchalter Liberace Lyndon B. Johnson Laboratory Reference Firearms Collection Policy LD0020D Louie Louie (The Song) Louis Francis Costello Lucia Stepp Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Lillie Belle Allen League of Women Voters Lillian (Lily) Hellman Lester Joseph Gillis (Baby Face Nelson) Lenny Bruce Lucille Ball Luis Buñuel Louis Terkel Langston Hughes Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev Leon Trotsky Leonard Bernstein Lloyd William Barker

Marilyn Monroe Motion Picture Copyright Infringement Mississippi Burning (MIBURN) Case Michael (Mike) Royko Martin Luther King, Jr. Melvin Purvis Malcolm X Muriel Rukeyser Marilyn Sheppard Madalyn Murray OHair Mack Charles Parker Mexican Mafia Mafia Monograph Morris and Lona Cohen Medgar Evers Moorish Science Temple of America Mary Jo Kopechne (Chappaquiddick) Majestic 12 Marian Anderson Michael Jackson Machine Gun Kelly Murray Humphreys Michael Hastings Michael Whitney Straight Melvin Belli Marvin Gaye Marlene Dietrich Malcolm Little (Malcolm X) Meir Kahane Mario Savio Mohammed Khalifa MAOP Margaret H. Thatcher Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace Miami Boys Mario M. Cuomo Muammar Qadhafi Mattachine Society Meyer Lansky Mickey Mantle MIOG Mark Felt Martin Dies, Jr. Muhammad Ali Marcus Garvey

Nikola Tesla Norman Mailer Neil Armstrong National Rifle Association (NRA) New Alliance Party Nuestra Familia National Security Letters (NSL) National States Rights Party NAACP National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) National Organization for Women (NOW) Nation of Islam Nelson Mandela National Gang Threat Assessment Next Generation Identification Monthly Fact Sheets Non-Retaliation for Reporting Compliance Risks Naming and Commemorating FBI Buildings and Spaces 0910D

Osage Indian Murders Owen Lattimore OKBOMB Original Knights of the KKK

Pearl Buck People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) President Richard Nixon's FBI Application Purple Gang (aka Sugar House Gang) Project Blue Book (UFO) Philip Ochs Protests in Baltimore, Maryland, 2015 Pablo Escobar Patriot Act Paul Harvey Paul Robeson, Sr. Pulse Nightclub Shooting Personal Services Contracts Policy Directive 0957D Percy Sutton Pentagon Spy Case Policy: Custodial Interrogation for Public Safety Policy Directive 0481D Physical Fitness Program Policy Directive and Policy Guide 0676PG

[the-heterodyne-project]

Heterodyne is an improvisational project; its co-founders and core performers are Maria Shesiuk (Moog and processed vocalizations) and T. A. Zook (NS Design Omni Bass, strung as a basscello). Although it is essentially a duo, when complex schedules permit, it  performs with Patrick Whitehead on quarter-tone flügelhorn and trumpet; Bob Boilen on ARP synthesizer; Doug Kallmeyer on bass and synthesizer; Jerry Busher on drums; Sarah Hughes on sax; Leah Gage on drums; Sam Lohman on drums; Amanda Huron on drums; and Dan Gutstein, spoken word. 

Heterodyne closed at the January 13, 2019 Susan Mumford Memorial at the 9:30 Club.  The performance is posted in Volume XII of the project's album (https://goo.gl/g69n6W); the individual URLs are goo.gl/jxDM2F (stereo) and goo.gl/xhxVPU (binaural).  Heterodyne recorded and posted all of its performances for free download:  https://heterodyne-performances.tumblr.com/.  Heartfelt thanks to all for the support that we've received from our collaborators and audiences in the course of our 31 performances since August 2017!

Free downloads of Heterodyne’s sessions and performances:

- Volume I:  https://goo.gl/SK7Hqz

- Volume II:  https://goo.gl/zM3Y2R

- Volume III:  https://goo.gl/SRTZqD

- Volume IV:  https://goo.gl/V9tbkN

- Volume V:  https://goo.gl/pSjQoS

- Volume VI:  https://goo.gl/7L84Ac

- Volume VII:  https://goo.gl/Sx6sVh

- Volume VIII:  https://goo.gl/yJa1Te

- Volume IX:  https://goo.gl/bLnNf4

- Volume X:  https://goo.gl/WkMDPJ

- Volume XI: https://goo.gl/yks5Q1

- Volume XII:  https://goo.gl/g69n6W

Video of August 26, 2018 performance by Rebecca Zook (https://www.facebook.com/rebeccazookmusic/; https://www.rebeccazookmusic.com/):  https://youtu.be/HKvZ_JXRaOA

Heterodyne + the Lost Civilizations experimental music project (http://lost-civilizations.tumblr.com/):  https://goo.gl/gtMCe2

Solo basscello performance by co-founder T. A. Zook:  https://goo.gl/mH5VT4 . 

Heterodyne’s spoken word artist Dan Gutstein has posted insightful commentary on the project; one of the project’s collaborators (Sarah Hughes); and Joy on Fire, the band with whom Heterodyne most frequently shares the bill:  

-https://dangutstein.blogspot.com/2018/01/microphone-mayhem-my-two-months-as.html

-https://dangutstein.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-sarah-huhges-sing-song-trio.html

-https://dangutstein.blogspot.com/2018/01/joy-on-fire-invent-blurry-bop.html

Heterodyne was featured in the Washington Post’s August 26, 2018 “Going Out Guide” (https://goo.gl/Mw6ros); the article stemmed from an earlier account on DC’s musical scene:  https://goo.gl/pxx7Tf.

For more information:  tedzook@hotmail.com

Core performers

Maria Shesiuk is an experimental improviser from Baltimore. She uses vintage Casio keyboards manipulated through various effects for live experimental music improvisations. Recently she also started composing electronic music using Moog synthesizers, manipulated vocals, and field recordings. In addition, her musical journey included playing guitar, bass guitar, and jazz piano lessons. In the last two years her devotion to experimental music exploration has taken on a more central role. 

Maria comes from a family of classically trained musicians. She started out on the same path by playing classical piano as a child in Ukraine in a musical school for the gifted. She also spent many evenings along side her father during rehearsals when he was the chief conductor of Kyrgyz National Opera, and Ballet theatre. At age 11 Maria moved to the U.S. with her family and circumstances shifted her focus to athletics, but music remained her biggest passion. In 2010 Maria moved to Baltimore from Detroit to complete graduate school in Physician Assistant studies. After graduating she jumped back into music. She discovered Baltimore’s Volunteers’ Collective and became a regular there. She always wanted to compose, but it took her many years to find her voice.  The Volunteers’ Collective has helped her do just that. 

Maria was featured in the 2017 High Zero Festival of Experimental Improvised Music  (http://www.highzero.org/ )

T. A. Zook (https://goo.gl/svtpQ) is based in Arlington, VA.   Ms. Shesiuk and Mr. Zook because acquainted at Volunteers Collective improvisation sessions, which provided the catalyst  for Heterodyne’s formation.  Mr. Zook is co-founder of the Lost Civilizations experimental music project (https://goo.gl/OznNw);  Chimiak & Zook ( https://goo.gl/YYNKlW ); and Rosati and Zook (https://goo.gl/8SmFnj).

Mr.  Zook is primarily a nylon-string guitarist; however, in live performances he more commonly plays an NS Design Omni Bass, set up as a basscello,  through digital signal processors.  In 2016, Mr. Zook was awarded Steinberger Artist status.  At studio sessions, he also plays a variety of digitally-processed, non-traditional analog instruments such as bowls, rainsticks, slidewhistle, whistle-flutes, oceanharp, etc.

An Avant Music News interview with Mr. Zook is posted at  http://goo.gl/5LdYos; audio interviews are posted at https://goo.gl/RsPbR9 and  https://goo.gl/ZVvF4l .

Mr.  Zook began his study of the guitar in Chile and Uruguay (the latter under the guidance of Luis Acosta), and continued upon his return to the U.S. in the early 1960s under Sophocles Papas (classical)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles_Papas  ) and Frank Mullen (jazz)(http://goo.gl/6E3eir  ; http://goo.gl/niQTYd  ).  From 1999 through 2012, he studied improvisation under David Darling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Darling_(musician)  ; http://www.daviddarling.com/; http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003038/David-Darling.html  ), a study which continues under the auspices of the Music for People organization (http://musicforpeople.org/wp/ ), which conferred him Honorary Graduate certification in 2011.

During the early 1970s, Mr. Zook had the privilege of working with keyboardist (B-3 & Lawrence Audio electric piano)/singer Larry Buck, who was very supportive in his development as a musician.

Mr. Zook has frequently performed in the Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music (http://dc-soniccircuits.org/).

Mr. Zook is fortunate beyond his ability to express in words for the opportunities that he has had to work with so many accomplished and kind musicians and artists, as well as for the support by audiences for the music that comes through him, thanks to the Muse!

Guest Performers

Patrick Whitehead (https://goo.gl/zfzDxw ) was inspired by the music of Louis Armstrong at age 5.   At age 8, he began playing in his school band.  His broad and varied career spans the decades as a soloist, orchestral, chamber, opera, commercial, and improvising musician.

Possessing a great fondness of brass chamber music, he founded The Monumental Brass Quintet (http://goo.gl/G5PMCO ) and has recorded and toured extensively throughout the U.S. with this ensemble.

As a free-lance trumpeter, Pat’s performed with orchestras at the Kennedy Center and Constitution Hall. He’s also performed with the Annapolis Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Gettysburg Symphony, the Annapolis Opera, Baltimore Opera,  and Concert Artists of Baltimore,.  Additionally, Pat has recorded for the PBS and ABC television networks, Voice of America, and has performed on numerous radio and TV programs.

In June of 2014 Patrick performed as part of the Momentary Quartet comprised, Jane Buttars- piano, Lin Foulk - horn, and Harold Mckinney- piano  at the annual conference of The International Society for Improvised Music in New York City.

Pat serves on the faculties, as instructor of trumpet, at the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Levine School of Music in Washington DC.  For several years he served as Coordinator of Brass Chamber Music and Director of Trumpet Ensembles at the Levine School.  Additionally, he has taught trumpet and brass methods at Mount Vernon College and the Community College of Baltimore.

Through his involvement (since 2003) with Music for People, Pat has become an avid proponent of improvised music.  As he progressed through MfP’s Music Leadership Program, he’s evolved as a passionate and dynamic facilitator of improvised music workshops. He has presented improv workshops at the Peabody Conservatory’s Prep Division.  The Summer Brass Institute hosted by Monumental Brass, the Howard and Montgomery County Maryland public schools, and at various venues in the central Maryland area.

Pat studied trumpet with George Recker, Rob Roy McGregor, and Langston Fitzgerald.  He studied theory and arranging with Asher Zlotnik.  Pat majored in music education at the University of Maryland where he studied trumpet with Emerson Head.

Bob Boilen (https://goo.gl/FhLJTk ) In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.

Significant listener interest in the music being played on All Things Considered, along with his and NPR's vast music collections, gave Boilen the idea to start All Songs Considered. "It was obvious to me that listeners of NPR were also lovers of music, but what also became obvious by 1999 was that the web was going to be the place to discover new music and that we wanted to be the premiere site for music discovery." The show launched in 2000, with Boilen as its host.

Before coming to NPR, Boilen found many ways to share his passion for music. From 1982 to 1986 he worked for Baltimore's Impossible Theater, where he held many posts, including composer, technician, and recording engineer. Boilen became part of music history in 1983 with the Impossible Theater production Whiz Bang, a History of Sound. In it, Boilen became one of the first composers to use audio sampling — in this case, sounds from nature and the industrial revolution. He was interviewed about Whiz Bang by Susan Stamberg on All Things Considered.

In 1985, the Washington City Paper voted Boilen 'Performance Artist of the Year.' An electronic musician, he received a grant from the Washington D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities to work on electronic music and performance.

After Impossible Theater, Boilen worked as a producer for a television station in Washington, D.C. He produced several projects, including a music video show. In 1997, he started producing an online show called Science Live for the Discovery Channel. He also put out two albums with his psychedelic band, Tiny Desk Unit, during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Boilen still composes and performs music and posts it for free on his website BobBoilen.info . He performs contradance music and has a podcast of contradance music that he produces with his son Julian.

Boilen's first book, Your Song Changed My Life, was published in April 2016 by HarperCollins.

Doug Kallmeyer spends much of his time on the road mixing bands which have included Blonde Redhead, School of Seven Bells, and currently with Phantogram (recently returned from a tour to Iceland and Europe).  Add to that list more live work with notable artists including Shellac, Sunny Day Real Estate and Rancid. Both local to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and on the road, a career which has numbered live shows in the thousands, and continues. His last release, 2005′s “Even Calls” (EM:T, 2005, 302acid) was a group foray into ambient textures which received rave reviews in publications like the UK’s WIRE magazine, and resulted in tours throughout the US and Europe. His most current project, Dubpixels (http://www.dubpixel.com/ ) expands upon modern and classic aesthetics in dubwise music production to include audio and video.(http://www.facebook.com/Dubpixels ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/302_Acid ; http://sesshinnofi.wordpress.com/ ; http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mantis/125299140867441 ).

Jerry Busher has been a fixture of the DC music scene for over 20 years. He toured for 8 years with Fugazi playing 2nd drums/percussion as well as on recordings “The Argument” and “Furniture”. He appears on albums by Fidelity Jones, The Spinanes, French Toast, Allscars, Alfonso Velez and John Frusciante. In 2007, he was the “Foley Artist” for Mabou Mines production “Peter and Wendy” at Arena Stage. Jerry worked on the music for the “Winchester” series featured in the 2000 Whitney Biennial, the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Weather Underground”, and is the composer for the film “Frontrunner” (The story of a female presidential candidate in Afghanistan). Recently Jerry has been touring/recording with ESL artist Federico Aubele and working on the “Fugazi Live” series.  Jerry is currently the drummer for Deathfix (http://deathfix.com/),  which has recently returned from a European tour.   A fascinating interview with Jerry is posted at http://traffic.libsyn.com/dissonance/Dissonance_2-12-14_Jerry_Busher.mp3 ; Jerry was also interviewed on WERA-FM’s “Stagecraft”:  https://www.mixcloud.com/alex-vidales/stagecraft-with-alex-vidales-don-zientara-featuring-jerry-busher/. Sarah Hughes (http://www.sarahmariehughes.com/) is based in Baltimore.  Sarah is an alto saxophonist, composer, improviser, educator, and art adventurer hailing from Maryland.  She obtained her MM in Jazz Saxophone at the New England Conservatory in May of 2015 and currently freelances in and around Maryland, DC, Virginia, and New York. Sarah graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Maryland in 2008. While there she studied privately with world-renowned classical saxophonist Dale Underwood. After graduating, Sarah taught beginning band and strings in Prince George’s county schools for five years and also maintained two private studios in Maryland and Virginia. During that time she performed in and around DC and New York City with ensembles including the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra and the Brad Linde Ensemble, a Washington D.C.-based collective dedicated to exploring and expanding the styles of jazz that emerged in the 1950s including bebop, cool jazz, third stream, and free jazz. As part of these ensembles, Sarah shared the stage with jazz greats such as Lee Konitz, Ted Brown, Freddie Redd, Matt Wilson, and Michael Formanek. While at the New England Conservatory, Sarah studied privately with Jerry Bergonzi, Ran Blake, Donny McCaslin, and Anthony Coleman, all of whom impacted Sarah’s unique approach to improvisation and music-making. Sarah performed on Coleman’s latest album, “You” and has performed with Coleman in concerts at the New England Conservatory as well as Roulette and The Stone in New York.  Sarah studied composition in classes with Ken Schaphorst and also Ben Schwendener, with whom she has performed several duo concerts in Boston. In September of 2015 Sarah toured Sweden as part of Amy K. Bormet’s “Ephemera” and performed in Sweden’s first Women in Jazz festival. She also recently taught an improvisation workshop, “Improvisation for Everyone: Games and Storytelling” for beginning, intermediate, and advanced instrumentalists in the 2016 Judith Lapple Summer Woodwind Camp in Fairfax, Virginia.  Most recently, she went on tour with an improvising trio “Lead Bubbles”, playing venues in New York, Montreal, and Toronto. Sarah hopes her music and teaching will continue to introduce her to new people, places, and art.

Dan Gutstein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Gutstein) is a preeminent poet; the author of two collections, non/fiction, and Bloodcoal & Honey; his writing has appeared in 100 journals and anthologies. Dan has taught at a number of colleges and organizations, including George Washington University and the Smithsonian.  More at  http://dangutstein.blogspot.com/.

Leah Gage (https://goo.gl/QZ7URU;  https://goo.gl/FKjQ3L;  https://goo.gl/EpWGZf;  https://goo.gl/84XKJU;  https://goo.gl/sD56d2 ) As a musician, Leah Gage's primary focus is connection -- with her audience, her bandmates, and her community.  After moving back to her hometown of Washington D.C. six years ago, her passion for her craft was nourished by the vibrant DIY music scene; as a current member of the bands BRNDA and Stronger Sex, Leah is now a powerful performer in the community that reignited her creativity.

Sam Lohman drums for Trio OOO, New Atlantis Duo and Matta Gawa.

Amanda Huron (http://amandahuron.net/) is drummer for Puff Pieces (http://amandahuron.net/music-culture/#/puff-pieces/ ; http://puffpiecesband.tumblr.com/) and Weed Tree (http://amandahuron.net/music-culture/#/weed-tree/). 

Schedule

August 9, 2017 at MONDO (with Patrick Whitehead and Bob Boilen) -- details: https://august-9-at-mondo.tumblr.com/.

August 12, 2017 at Red Room (with Patrick Whitehead and Bob Boilen) -- details: https://august-12-at-the-red-room.tumblr.com/.

August 21, 2017 at Dew Drop Inn DC (with Patrick Whitehead, Bob Boilen, and Doug Kallmeyer and members of the Lost Civilizations experimental music project) -- details: https://august-21-at-dew-drop-inn-dc.tumblr.com/.

September 18, 2017 at Galaxy Hut (with Doug Kallmeyer, Jerry Busher and Sara Hughes)-- details:  https://september-18-at-galaxy-hut.tumblr.com/ .

October 3, 2017 at “453” (with Sarah Hughes)-- details:  https://october-3-at-453.tumblr.com/. CANCELED

October 10, 2017 at MONDO (with Sarah Hughes and Doug Kallmeyer) -- details:  https://october-10-at-mondo.tumblr.com/ .

October 21, 2017 at Saint Stephen and the Incarnation (w/ Sarah Hughes, Jerry Busher, Patrick Whitehead and Doug Kallmeyer) -- details https://october-21-benefit.tumblr.com/.

November 2, 2017 at the Four Hour Day Lutherie -- details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1937085106545813; https://november-2-mclaughlin-heterodyne.tumblr.com/ 

November 16, 2017 at Dew Drop Inn DC -- details:   https://www.facebook.com/events/1830278160635764; https://november-16-at-dew-drop-inn-dc.tumblr.com/ 

December 1, 2017 at VisArts in Rockville, MD -- details:  https://www.facebook.com/events/112997012718339 .

December 3, 2017 at RhizomeDC -- details:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1038697019651403 

December 14, 2017 at RhizomeDC -- details:  https://december-14-at-rhizomedc.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/175391356388193/.

December 22 at the Velvet Lounge -- details:  https://december-22-at-the-velvet-lounge.tumblr.com/;  https://www.facebook.com/events/193582011189504/

January 11, 2018 at An die Musik -- details:  https://january-11-at-an-die-musik.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/1752385475056446/ .

January 14, 2018 at The Crown (Sarah Hughes Ensemble) -- details:  https://sarah-hughes-at-the-crown.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/313733955796662/ 

January 18, 2018 at Dew Drop Inn DC -- details:   https://january-18-at-dew-drop-inn-dc.tumblr.com/;  https://www.facebook.com/events/1743003839341092/.

January 19, 2018 at The Fringe (solo T. A. Zook basscello performance) -- details:   https://january-19-at-capital-fringe.tumblr.com/;  https://www.facebook.com/events/561632970852727/.

March 22, 2018 at Hampden’s Corner Bar (Baltimore) -- details: https://march-22-in-hampden.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/603617553308996/

March 25, 2018 at Galaxy Hut -- details:  https://march-25-at-galaxy-hut.tumblr.com/;  https://www.facebook.com/events/1784627541547857/ 

April 6, 2018 at The Holy Underground (Baltimore) -- details:  https://april-6-at-the-holy-underground.tumblr.com/;   https://www.facebook.com/events/213165656085586/ .

June 8, 2018 at EMP Collective (Baltimore) -- details:  https://june-8-at-emp-collective.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/2249699411737581/

June 21, 2018 at Make Music Day DC at Clarendon Central Park 

July 7, 2018 at RhizomeDC -- details:  https://july7-at-rhizomedc.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/469149873541209/.

August 26, 2018 at Galaxy Hut -- details:  https://goo.gl/GWXqbf; https://www.facebook.com/events/196203714386464/ ; Rebecca Zook’s (https://www.facebook.com/rebeccazookmusic/; https://www.rebeccazookmusic.com/) video of the performance:   https://youtu.be/HKvZ_JXRaOA .

September 13, 2018 at Dew Drop Inn DC -- details:  https://september-13-at-dew-drop-inn-dc.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/2006024979419540/ .

September 15, 2018 at RhizomeDC -- details:  https://september-15-at-rhizomedc.tumblr.com/.

September 29, 2018 at Art All Night (https://www.artallnightdc.com/blagden-alley/ ;   https://goo.gl/maps/DDHncDQZ5Az) 

October 16, 2018 at Slash Run -- details:  https://www.facebook.com/events/510604252741485/

October 22, 2018 at Galaxy Hut -- details :  https://october-22-at-galaxy-hut.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/1919654934754374/.

November 3, 2018 at Function Co-working Community (Baltimore) -- details: https://november-3-at-function.tumblr.com/; https://www.facebook.com/events/2092343177743075/ .

December 9, 2018 at Holy Underground (afternoon performance) -- details:  https://december-9-at-holy-underground.tumblr.com/;  https://www.facebook.com/events/370710517003823/

December 22, 2018 at RhizomeDC -- details:  dec-22-at-rhizomedc.tumblr.com 

January 13, 2019 at the 9:30 Club -- details:   https://www.facebook.com/events/579330785848249/; https://susan-mumford-memorial.tumblr.com/

Downloads

Heterodyne’s sessions and performances are totally unscored, unrehearsed and extemporaneously improvised on the spot, so no two sessions or performances are identical.  All of Heterodyne’s sessions and performances are recorded and posted for free download:  

- Volume I:  https://goo.gl/SK7Hqz

- Volume II:  https://goo.gl/zM3Y2R

- Volume III:  https://goo.gl/SRTZqD

- Volume IV:  https://goo.gl/V9tbkN

-Volume V: https://goo.gl/pSjQoS

- Volume VI:  https://goo.gl/7L84Ac

- Volume VII:  https://goo.gl/Sx6sVh

- Volume VIII:  https://goo.gl/yJa1Te

- Volume IX:  https://goo.gl/bLnNf4

- Volume X:  https://goo.gl/WkMDPJ

- Volume XI:  https://goo.gl/yks5Q1

- Volume XII:  https://goo.gl/g69n6W

Video of August 26, 2018 performance by Rebecca Zook (https://www.facebook.com/rebeccazookmusic/; https://www.rebeccazookmusic.com/):  https://youtu.be/HKvZ_JXRaOA

Heterodyne + the Lost Civilizations experimental music project (http://lost-civilizations.tumblr.com/):  https://goo.gl/gtMCe2