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[roguecarolina]

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[gemma-lemma]

Cloudy Days - JJ Maybank x Male OC

PROLOGUE

Parker Cloud had always been a good runner. Fast, with great stamina, and he'd always loved it. He had also been very good at parcours since the very moment he decided to pick it up in seventh grade. That was due to his best friend, Billy, who had seen videos on the internet and become obsessed with it. Within the first three months of picking it up, Billy had twisted both of his ankles consecutively, and Parker had broken a rib due to an unfortunate fall. But even though it had hurt like a bitch, it hadn't mattered, because he was doing it with Billy, who in turn had been the happiest boy alive. And seeing Billy happy had always been a priority to Parker. Because even though he understood only now, when it was already too late, Billy had not only been his friend. His feelings for the curly boy had always been slightly more than just friendship.

"One day, Park, we will be so good, that we can go to the Parcours-Olympics!" He had cheered,

getting a giggle for an answer. His golden eyes had lighted up, and he had thrown his fist up in the air as a challenge.

"Parcours-Olympics? Is that even a thing?" Parker had laughed, sipping on his cherry fruit pack.

"Of course it is! And if it isn't yet, then we will just invent it once we're grown-ups!"

Upon seeing the light in his eyes, Parker hadn't been able to bring it over himself to ask the question that had shot through his mind aloud. Were they really ever going to be so lucky to grow up? Because in all honesty, they already had known how the rest of their lives probably was going to look like. Following their parents into a gang, selling drugs and beating up the assholes who didn't pay, probably dying before reaching the sweet age of thirty because of some senseless gang war or a junkie gone rogue. He just couldn't bring it over himself to turn off that light in his best friend Billy's eyes.

That same friend Billy who was now bleeding out behind a dumpster in a dark alley of the slums of Jacksonville, North Carolina. And Parker could not even be there for him, telling him to hold on just a little while longer, or call an ambulance for that matter, because he was too busy running away from the guys who had shot him. Damn, he could barely even see his hand amidst the dark of the night, how was he supposed to find a way out of this fucked up situation? Parker wanted to scream his guts out.

It turned out, that after years of working for the Blood Hounds, a gang that was known for drug trafficking and violence, it still only took a single tiny mistake to cross another gang so far that they were willing to shoot them on the spot. The Aquila, Eagle. Parker would've laughed if he'd had the breath. This was all Damon's fault, that disgusting bastard. He must've known. He couldn't have not known!

Running through alley after alley, not knowing where to go or if they were still behind him, he pushed the picture of Billy's dilated eyes out of his head. He could not think now of the way the blood had soaked his white t-shirt, or the way his breathing had become more and more laboured, right before he sank to his knees. He could not think of the way he had begged him to run, before he landed in the ditch.

Upon meeting a dead-end, Parker came to a slithering halt. Fuck, and what now?, he thought to himself, looking around frantically and trying to suck as much air into his lungs as possible.

Just as he realised his one-way ticket out, he heard voices behind him and knew he had to hurry. With sloppy movements he jumped onto the dumpster and hauled himself up onto the brick wall. Though sore, his muscles knew the movement perfectly, and did not betray him. He was half-up the rain gutter, when the first shot rang and he flinched.

His hand almost slipped, but he could catch himself in the last second. Frantically, he glanced down towards the ground, where three men were stood, two of them pointing their guns at him, panting. If he fell, he would break his neck. If they hit their target, he wouldn't have to worry about his neck anymore.

"Come on, little hound. Come down and we promise we're not gonna hurt ya!" One of them called, wickedness in his raspy voice, and Parker wasn't sure whether he wanted to cry out loud or bark a laugh. If he came down, if he actually made it back to the ground alive, they would not only kill him, but also torture him for wasting their time and calories.

"Uh, sorry, Compadre, but I think I'll pass! Thanks for the offer, though!" He called down, dodging a shot, but not quite. It tore open the skin of his arm, and he let out a pained scream. If he didn't get out of there asap, they would shoot him down like a porcelain dove. And he certainly had never liked hunting.

So he decided to climb higher, hoping that the dark would affect their accuracy as much as it did him in not seeing the dead end. Three shots rang, each of them missing him, until he finally reached the roof. Once he was over the edge, he glanced down one last time and saluted mockingly.

"Hasta la Vista, babies." He called before running off towards the next roof.

That should keep them off for a while, he thought to himself and allowed himself to feel a little victorious. But what now? He would never make it back in time to save Billy, considering he was still breathing, and they probably already knew who he was, so no matter what he did, they would come for him. He couldn't ask Damon, the leader of the Blood Hounds, for help either, knowing that he would probably kick him out upon hearing what had happened to wash himself clean of any guilt.

Parker barked out a dry laugh. That man really was a rat with no honour. He hadn't even told them that the party they had announced to sell drugs at had already been claimed by the Aquila. Had they just known, Billy would still be alive, and Parker wouldn't be on the run, bleeding, scared. He wasn't even surprised by it. What had he expected from Damon, anyways? It still hurt, though.

So, what now? Now, he had to run until he reached a place where they wouldn't come looking for him. But where would that be?

As he reached the edge of the roof he was currently running across, he jumped down and right into a dumpster, wondering whether he should even dare to go home and get some things. He had a stash of money hidden in his mattress, after all.

Breathing heavily, he hauled himself out of the garbage and landed on the cold, hard concrete with a loud thump. Everything hurt, but he couldn't listen to his body now, when he actually had a genuine chance for to escape.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He murmured, trying to think clearly as he sneaked out of the alley and onto the dimly lit street. Right across from him was a 24hour supermarket that looked worse than a garbage dump, especially with the palm stickers on the windows. Someone had sprayed the coconuts into dicks with graffiti.

Upon studying the way the light inside flickered, a picture of surfboards and a beach crossed his mind, and a certain brother of his mum smiled at him through his memory, who certainly would not refuse him refuge.

That was what he was going to do, he decided. He was going to visit his uncle. Now that he had a destination, he just had to get the fuck out of here as fast as possible. Where even was he? He walked down the street a little further until he could read a dirty street sign and realized that he was only a few streets from home. Jackpot!

The run he broke into was the fastest he had ever run, and when he finally jumped up the stairs to his apartment, he was so out of breath that he couldn't even say hello to his father who lay on the couch, half empty beer bottle in his hand and feet propped up on the table. The TV threw little light on his dirty tank top, and when Parker barged into the tiny living room, he threw him an irritated look for interrupting his show. But Parker had no time for that. He made a beeline to his room, where he grabbed his school backpack and turned it upside down, emptying it on the floor.

"Boy, what has gotten into you? Why are you back so early?" Vincent Cloud asked, standing in the doorframe to his son's room. His son, who now frantically tore random pieces of clothing out of his closet and desperately tried to suck in enough oxygen to answer.

"Are you bleeding?!" He realised.

"We were set up. Or maybe not - I don't know." Parker gasped, throwing the covers off his bed and tearing the mattress open with a knife he fished out of his nightstand drawer. "The party we wanted to sell the drugs at, the Aquila had already claimed it. We didn't know." Parkers voice began to shake just the slightest as he grabbed a wad of cash and began to count it. He lost count several times, starting over and over while standing up and turning his body towards his father.

"Parker, where is Billy?" The older man asked, worry underlining his voice. Parker looked up at him with glittering eyes, barely shaking his head.

"Billy's dead, and they're coming for me next. They made it clear. I have to- have to get- get out of he- out of he-here." He gasped, starting to hyperventilate as the adrenaline left his veins. Was the room turning? No, the walls were coming closer!

Stepping over torn up schoolbooks and crumpled laundry, his father crossed the tight room and grabbed him roughly by the shoulders, forcing him to look him in the face.

"Parker, breathe!" He instructed, and the seventeen-year-old followed the order best as he could.

"Do you know a place to hide?" Vincent asked sternly, hating the life he had dragged his son into. He often told himself that it had been the only choice he had had but could never quite live with that answer. When he had been younger, dreaming of being a father one day, he would never have wanted for his kid to live a life like that. He never would have wanted this for Parker and had been trying to get out of the gang for some time now to help his son secure a better future. It wasn't that easy though, he had come to realise, as the only way Damon allowed the members of his gang to leave was in a coffin.

"Yes, it's-" Parker began to explain, but he interrupted him quickly.

"Don't tell me. Just make sure you're safe. Send me an email or something once you are, and then build yourself a life. Get the hell away from your past, you hear me?" He said with emphasis, and Parker was close to tears. He nodded and counted his money again, ignoring the fact that he had miscounted probably at least twice. Then he split it in half and held one half out to his father.

"I don't know how much we owe. I don't know if they're gonna come for it. Take this in case they want it back or something. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Build yourself a future, son, and now go."

"I love you, dad." He said his goodbye, and his father nodded knowingly.

"I know. I love you, too."

Thanking his father one last time, Parker grabbed his backpack and left the apartment he had grown up in. The rest of his way to the harbour was barely more than a blur, he wasn't even sure how he landed on the ferry in the first place. He just knew when he was sat in some dark corner, that nothing would ever be the same again.

Only when he was hiding there in the protecting darkness of the night, he allowed himself to truly burst into tears, grieving the loss of his best friend, his father, and everything he had known. Hopefully, the future would be kinder.

[daviddshiki]

The Adventures of David Dashiki-Story of an African American Hero- Damn...Not Again ! ! !

Please Not Again...Another unarmed Black man killed by the police. This is the pandemic that has never been addressed. This is the criminality and brutality that make Black mothers weep and moan. This is the savagery that America has ignored for too long.

Imagine all of the time we have had to fight for our lives because white people have attempted to kill us. We have answered in peace marches, voting, boycotting, law suits and still we die.I have heard the voices of whites complaining that the police are not the problem. They are for us. Four hundred years and still no peace. Again after the Chauvin verdict, we have to bring the problem of murder by the police as a serious matter in the lives of Black citizens. We have to be ready for it everyday. Daunte Wright was murdered in Minnesota. Andrew Brown was assassinated in North Carolina. Police in that state refused to release the video of the killing. ...even to the family. Finally, family members were granted the opportunity to view the police activity in the case, but only a twenty second redacted version. This is further insult. In the killing of your son , brother, father, relative , you are still without rights. Who makes these laws.? Why? 

Andrew Brown was fleeing the police. He was shot four times in the arm. Then the golpe de gracia was a bullet to the back of the head. Believe me I want to write about happy days. We are in the final days of conquering a disease that has killed over 500,000 citizens. We have overcome the effects of 4 of the most disastrous years in American History. We voted in enormous numbers and elected a man with character and vision. We are attending classes again, dining out and going to sporting events. Families are reuniting in the parks and playgrounds.Couples are strolling the streets, holding hands and smiling. Yet, we cannot eradicate this national shame which controls us...Racism !. These were human being killed in America for the color of their skin.These were no accidents. Roof who killed 9 members of a church while in bible study, is serving time. The rogues who stormed the Capitol only lost one member of their group to a gunshot which killed her.  So, there are ways to serve as a policeman without murdering unarmed Black men. We are Americans too We have to tell America the truth. We have to continue to speak out any time our rights are violated. We must. Some might not like to hear it. For us, it is a matter of life and death

There was a film by Ava Duvernay which intelligently and beautifully demonstrates the phenomenon of the inclination for policemen to shoot to kill unarmed Black men in any interaction and encounter. ‘When They See Us’ . would be an excellent  training video for all policemen and especially white officers assigned to work in African American Neighborhoods. These cops just see us differently. They envision us as criminals and only that. They do not visualize us as even human beings. And as there is no training in human relations between the officer and the community, the policemen come to work with their attitude of hunter in the wild. In contrast, when I leave my home, I depart with joy and happiness. Today I’m going to encounter my lovely brothers and sisters. I will have the wonderful opportunity to engage the descendants of kings and queens,. I have the occasion to learn from the bravest, most creative and loving people on earth. These charismatic people have never changed their attitude toward one another in spite of so many years of persecution and torture in this land. Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali, Oprah Winfrey, W.E.B. DuBois, Frederick Douglass, Alvin Ailey, Richard Allen, Ella Baker, Benjamin O Davis, Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. Charles Drew, Dr. Keith Black, Percy Julian, Thurgood Marshall, Toni Morrison, Jackie Robinson, Ida B. Wells, August Wilson, Madam C.J. Walker, Gordon Parks, Bessie Coleman, Serena Williams, Dr. Mae Jemison, Dr. Ernest Everett Just, Dr. Neil DeGrasse, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Dr. Ayanna Howard.. The police would act differently and respect us if they knew our history. How many other scientists, lawyers, doctors and authors have we lost in these murders? No other race is besieged  by such persecution and slaughter, then cover up and lack of transparency as we...We are target practice for the police. I was on the internet recently and spotted an article which dealt with the theme of a designated period for the hunting of the certain species so that the herd might be replenished...’DAMN, EVEN WILD ANIMALS HAVE AN OFF SEASON !!! Perhaps America is not that civilized yet as to impose the law that the season for the execution of unarmed Black men has ended 

[totallyrhettro]

Territorial, chapter 18

Word Count: 2151 Rating: This chapter: PG-13. Overall story rating: explicit Warnings: Forced Human Captivity Summary: After finally realizing their shared love for one another, all internetainers Rhett and Link had to do was live happily ever after. Unfortunately, as it turns out, that’s a lot harder to do in a world of werewolves. Notes: Takes place 1 year after Animalistic began. Still no wives; Rhett and Link are in an established relationship. This is a sequel to that fic. You don’t have to read that first, but it is highly recommended.

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Link pulled up to the trailer home early in the afternoon. He’d seen similar places in the backwoods of North Carolina; A single wide with rusted aluminum siding and broken out windows. Never before had he ever felt so apprehensive about approaching a house back home, however. Now he was feeling vaguely terrified. There was also the strong sense of choicelessness. He needed to find Rhett and this was the only way to do that.

Here on this middle-of-nowhere road, well outside of the city limits, Link wasn’t even sure he’d be able to get cell service to call for help if anything happened. It looked like something out of a horror movie and it took him a few minutes to build up enough courage to get out of the car. Even then he took very slow steps up to the front door, scared that a crazy man with a double barrel shotgun was going to come out shooting at any second.

Stepping over the cracked stone path, and up the metal steps to the door, he knocked with some confidence. The door shook with every hit, shaking off dirt and dust from the slanted roof. After a minute or so there still was no answer. Twice more he knocked; he didn’t seen any sign of a doorbell. Finally he tested the door. It wasn’t locked. Desperate and impatient, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

“Hello?” he called out into the darkened room. The stench of old takeout, dirty dishes, and general dampness permeated the space, stinging Link’s nostrils. Under it all there was a distinct scent of dog… no, something bigger. Maybe to a human’s untrained nose it was dog, but Link knew better. This was werewolf. The whole place reeked of it in the worst way. He couldn’t tell how recently, but someone had been staying here. “Anyone here?”

A creek in the floorboards, a flash of beige and before Link could say another word he was thrown against the open door. Acting on instinct, he pivoted towards the opening, ducking down and under a very large arm that was trying to pin him in place. He managed to get free, but he found himself stumbling out of the trailer, barely staying on his feet and eventually finding footing a yard away. Looking up he got his first real look at his attacker. It was Alistair.

“Fuck, man!” he exclaimed. “What the hell?”

“What are you doing here, Link?” Alistair demanded, like a parent about to scold a child. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up.”

“Theo sent me-”

“He said he was sending a friend over. Didn’t tell me it’d be you.” He backed off a little, but maintained a stance of dominance as he stared Link down. Sure he was only a few inches taller than Link, but he looked like he could bench press the trailer behind him without a second thought. “You better have a damn fine reason for coming here, Link.”

“It’s… it’s Rhett. He’s… Seth took him. At gunpoint,” he added.

“And you thought… what? That I could do something about it?”

“Max’s been shot!” At this, Allistair visually flinched, but he didn’t stop glaring. It was as if he didn’t want to be distracted from his tough guy routine.

“Is he alive?” There was a slight lilt to his voice, a crack in his veneer, and Link latched onto it.

“I… I don’t know. He’s in the hospital. Theo’s with him.” Link gave a heavy sigh and he slumped slightly. Almost as if that gave him strength, Alistair set his jaw again and stood taller.

“You see him get shot?”

“N-no, but I saw him… on the floor…”

“And now Rhett’s been taken.” It wasn’t a question. “I told you. I told you, Link. You can’t hide from this war. Now you’re just like the rest of us. Now you’ve lost someone too.” That did it. Something inside of Link snapped and he crossed the short distance between them with fire in his eyes. Pointing a finger right at the other man’s face, Link stood toe to toe with him.

“You don’t tell me that!” he shouted, his face red and furious. “You don’t get to just write off my best friend without even trying. He’s still alive, and you are going to fucking help me find him!” Alistair was taken aback for a moment, genuinely surprised at Link’s fury, but he wasn’t scared in the slightest. If anything, after Link’s outburst, he looked… cocky.

“Leave. Us. Alone,” he quoted. “Isn’t that what you said? I told you you’d have to deal with other wolves, and you brushed me off. I told you were in the middle of this shit, and you ignored me.” He shoved Link back, nearly knocking him to the ground, but with such ease it had to be just a fraction of his strength. “Well, way to wake up, buddy. Welcome to the party. Guess what? You’re on your own. You didn’t want to pick sides, fine. You’re not on our side, and we’re not on yours. You want your precious Rhett back, go fucking get him yourself. I have my own people to worry about.”

“But… I don’t…”

“Good luck.” Turning around, Alistair went to go back into the trailer. Link was hot on his heels. Rhett’s life was on the line. Damn if Link was going to leave here with nothing just because this guy wanted to be an asshole.

“Please,” he begged. “You have to help me. You just… you gotta.” Alistair turned to brush him off again, but Link continued. “I know you hate me. Fine. Do it for Rhett; He’s done nothing to you. Do it for Theo; he asked me to come to you. Do it for Max; Seth shot him. If anything do it because you hate the Lowells. I’m going to find Rhett and if any of the pack get in my way…” Alistair cocked an eyebrow, considering Link’s plea before letting out a sigh.

“The Lowells have a hide-away house just north of Twin Lakes. I don’t know where, exactly,” he added, before Link could get too excited. “I never found it, but I know that’s where he likes to take people before he… before he makes them disappear.” It was better than nothing. Now, at least, Link had a starting point.

“Thank you.” He meant it.

“Don’t thank me,” Alistair told him. “Just make them pay for what they did. Make them sorry they ever fucked with our friends.”

“I promise.” Link would make sure of it.

~ ~ ~

The cage was solid. Rhett searched every inch of it’s bars and ceiling for a weak spot or a way out without any luck. The entire thing was bolted securely into the concrete floor, so even if he was strong enough to lift the heavy structure, that wasn’t an option. The rest of the basement was almost entirely bare; a single cabinet on the far side stood too far away to reach and the window behind him was too small to squeeze through. Even then the glass was reinforced with steel bars. The walls were made of old stonework, solid and impenetrable. This was a dungeon, a prison pure and simple, design to hold the most dangerous of creatures, the wildest of animals.

Maybe he was still exhausted from the whole ordeal, or maybe it was just because there wasn’t anything else to do, but after completing his inspection of his cage, Rhett laid down and slept. It was a few hours later when his jailor reemerged.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Caleb chirped. Rhett couldn’t tell if the man’s enthusiasm was real or faked, but he didn’t really care. Sitting up he saw his captor standing before him, tray in hand. “Made you something to eat, as promised.” As he knelt down, Caleb placed the metal tray onto the concrete floor about a foot away from the cage. A silver cloche sat in the middle and a bowl of water sat beside it. With a short flourish, he removed the cloche revealing a large plate of what appeared to be gravy-coated meat. It smelled horrible.

“What is that?” Rhett asked before he could stop himself. Caleb smirked as he straightened up. Taking the folding chair off the wall he set it up right in front of Rhett and sat down before talking again.

“I’m not like Seth, you know,” he began. Rhett held his tongue, but he found the statement rather obvious. If Caleb wanted to talk, he wasn’t going to interrupt. “Seth hates mutts… all of you. You know he… he’s obsessed with… with pure bloodlines.” Shaking his head, Caleb leaned back, his eyes looking into the past, or just anywhere that wasn’t in this basement. “Pointless, really, but whatever. Me? I respect the mutts, the rogues, the wild ones. I really do. You’re all so much more in touch with the wolf.”

“Like you?” Rhett asked, during a long pause. Caleb looked over at him, seeming to have forgotten for a moment that he wasn’t alone. Then he smiled that bone-chilling smile.

“Yeah, like me,” he agreed. “Members of the pack here believe we’re more… evolved than mutts. Definitely more than humans, sure, but… than mutts? Mutts are so much more intuned with nature, becoming one with their true selves. If it was up to Seth, well… he’d wipe you all out. Every last one of you.”

“Not you, though?”

“Hell, no. If Seth wants to make the bloodline more pure, who’s more werewolf than a mutt? His humanity is constantly tested, the wolf always trying to get out. It’s a fight, a pure internal conflict. Purebloods? They’ve all been trained since birth to calm the beast, to…” He swirled his hands around, trying to find the right words to explain. “They don’t let it take control. They treat it like a pet, not like the wild animal it is. The wolf is a majestic creature that deserves to be treated with the respect it deserves. Know what I’m saying?” Of course, Rhett nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I do. You want more mutts in your pack?”

“Absolutely. There’s quite a few already in the pack. Does that surprise you?” Caleb added, seeing the confusion on Rhett’s face. “The days of the mighty wolf houses are all but gone, my friend. Nowadays the pack will take anyone willing to play by the rules. Of course, the alternative is… well…” With a chuckle, he gestured towards the cage.

“Your way or the highway, huh,” Rhett surmised.

“That’s how Seth likes to run things. Sure many folks join the pack genuinely wanting to, knowing it’s safer in numbers, or realizing that it’s better than going it alone. Still, some don’t want to join up, and then they we have to teach him there really isn’t a choice.” Standing up, Caleb pushed the tray forward with his feet, right up to the edge of the cage. “You live in the pack, or you die like a dog.”

“Nice to know I have options,” Rhett mumbled, eyeing the food with suspicion. Caleb ignored his comment, walking over to the controls on the cage’s ceiling. With a grunt, he turned the crank and lowered the spikes down another foot. Everything settled into place with a clang and Rhett couldn’t help but flinch. It was way too close, even with him sitting down.

“Eat up, or don’t,” Caleb said, sauntering back to his chair, picking it up and putting it away. "Not long now before sunset, my friend. You know, one good thing about being a pureblood, the moon doesn’t hold as much sway over us.” He pointed at the small window. “When the moon tells you to turn, you turn, and if you don’t tell us what we want to know…” He pointed at the spikes. “Those will make it very uncomfortable for your bigger self.” Rhett swallowed, finally understanding. The cage was cramped at best, sure, but he was human now. If he turned into his giant werewolf-self in here… He didn’t want to think about what those spikes would do to him, even with his regenerative powers.

“I don’t know where the mutts are,” he insisted. “I don’t!” Caleb shrugged, heading for the exit.

“I told you, I don’t really care.” His grin returned with a vengeance, broad and slightly demented. “It’s been far too long since I’ve had a guest down here. I’m eager to see how things turn out either way.” With that, Rhett was once again left alone in the dark cellar.

After a moment he poked the food, half out of curiosity and half out of real hunger. It took only a smidgen of taste to figure out it was dog food. He pushed it away in disgust. He wasn’t that hungry yet.

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[thecrazyviking88]

Daily Blog

Hey, guys. It's your guy, the Crazy Viking, just surrounded by trades everywhere. I can't get away from them. Beautiful VW Passat 2014. Man, that is a nice car. I got that Maxima right there. Man. My viking ancestors decided, "Okay, well let's go to greener pastures. Let's go where there's actually places we can grow food, where there's silver, where there's everything else that we want." Guys, come on down. Man, I got inventory coming out of my ears right now. I'm going to talk about used cars a little bit today, show you a little bit of what I got. Okay. I got all the goodies. I got sedans. I got SUV's. My buddy, Billy, took this thing in last night. Beautiful, beautiful. Yep. 392 Hemi. Okay. Beautiful Dodge Charger Scat Pack in this gorgeous ocean blue color. It is an automatic for those of you that want to have just the convenience of your wife being able to drive it too. It is an RT. I mean, this thing is bad to the bone. Then, of course, sun roof, hood scoop, all the goodies. Then, check this out. I got this gorgeous SL Nissan Juke. They don't make these things anymore. They look weird, but they're fun to drive. You want to raid a car deal? This is definitely a great option right here. Okay. It's turbocharged, and it will run and corner like you wouldn't believe, stays super flat the whole time. Okay.

Man, it is just a beautiful, beautiful day. It's not too hot yet. I got plenty of good trucks and everything too. I mean, man, I'm just a blessed guy today, and I really have nothing bad to say about my inventory right now, aside from the fact that, well, this chip shortage is a real pain for new cars. But you know what? On the other side of the coin, somebody just ate all the depreciation for you with all these others right here. I mean, man. I mean, look at this. I got BMWs. I got, Nissan Rogues. I even got a Cadillac XT4. Okay. I even have a Tahoe over there, for those of you who can see it. Okay. I got another BMW. I got a Cherokee. I got all sorts of goodies. Okay.

Plus for those of you that need something with a third row, I got a GMC Acadia. I got not one, but two 2022 Pathfinders. Okay. We're the number one Nissan store in the state of South Carolina for a reason. Guys, give me a call, (805) 451-0107. Show me how I can be a blessing to you. Let me know if you want to raid a car deal with me. This is your guy, the Crazy Viking. Okay. Let's go raid. You bring the axes. You bring the open mind, and I'll bring the customer service. Walk with Odin.

[uomo-accattivante]

On 21 August 2017, the Great American Eclipse caused a diagonal swathe of darkness to fall across the United States from Charleston, South Carolina on the East Coast to Lincoln City, Oregon on the West. In Manhattan, which was several hundred miles outside the path of totality, a gentle gloom fell over the city. Yet still office workers emptied out onto the pavements, wearing special paper glasses if they had been organised; holding up their phones and blinking nervously if they hadn’t. Despite promises that it was to be lit up for the occasion, there was no discernible twinkle from the Empire State Building; on Fifth Avenue, the darkened glass façade of Trump Tower grew a little dimmer. In Central Park Zoo, where children and tourists brandished pinhole cameras made from cereal boxes, Betty, a grizzly bear, seized the opportunity to take an unscrutinised dip.

Across the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Oscar Isaac, a 38-year-old Guatemalan-American actor and one of the profession’s most talented, dynamic and versatile recent prospects, was, like Betty, feeling too much in the sun. It was his day off from playing Hamlet in an acclaimed production at the Public Theater in Manhattan and he was at home on vocal rest. He kept a vague eye on the sky from the balcony of the one-bedroom apartment he shares — until their imminent move to a leafier part of Brooklyn — with his wife, the Danish documentary film-maker Elvira Lind, their Boston Terrier French Bulldog-cross Moby (also called a “Frenchton”, though not by him), and more recently, and to Moby’s initial consternation, their four-month-old son, Eugene.

Plus, he’s seen this kind of thing before. “I was in Guatemala in 1992 when there was a full solar eclipse,” he says the next day, sitting at a table in the restaurant of a fashionably austere hotel near his Williamsburg apartment, dressed in dark T-shirt and jeans and looking — amazingly, given his current theatrical and parental commitments — decidedly fresh. “The animals went crazy; across the whole city you could hear the dogs howling.” Isaac happened to be in Central America, he’ll mention later, because Hurricane Andrew had ripped the roof off the family home in Miami, Florida, while he and his mother, uncle, siblings and cousins huddled inside under couches and cushions. So yes, within the spectrum of Oscar Isaac’s experiences, the Great American Eclipse is no biggie.

Yet there is another upcoming celestial event that will have a reasonably significant impact on Isaac’s life. On 15 December, Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released in cinemas, which, if you bought a ticket to Star Wars: The Force Awakens — and helped it gross more than $2bn worldwide — you’ll know is a pretty big deal. You’ll also know that Isaac plays Poe Dameron, a hunky, wise-cracking X-wing fighter pilot for the Resistance who became one of the most popular characters of writer-director JJ Abram’s reboot of the franchise thanks to Isaac’s charismatic performance and deadpan delivery (see his “Who talks first?” exchange with Vader-lite baddie Kylo Ren: one of the film’s only comedic beats).

And if you did see Star Wars: The Force Awakens you’ll know that, due to some major father-son conflict, there’s now an opening for a loveable, rogueish, leather-jacket-wearing hero… “Heeeeeh!” says Isaac, Fonzie-style, when I say as much. “Well, there could be, but I think what [The Last Jedi director] Rian [Johnson] did was make it less about filling a slot and more about what the story needs. The fact is now that the Resistance has been whittled to just a handful of people, they’re running for their lives, and Leia is grooming me — him — to be a leader of the Resistance, as opposed to a dashing, rogue hero.”

While he says he has “not that much more, but a little more to do” in this film, he can at least be assured he survives it; he starts filming Episode IX early next year.

If Poe seems like one of the new Star Wars firmament now — alongside John Boyega’s Finn, Daisy Ridley’s Rey and Poe’s spherical robot sidekick BB-8 — it’s only because Isaac willed it. Abrams had originally planned to kill Poe off, but when he met Isaac to discuss him taking the part, Isaac expressed some reservations. “I said that I wasn’t sure because I had already done that role in other movies where you kind of set it up for the main people and then you die spectacularly,” he remembers. “What’s funny is that [producer] Kathleen Kennedy was in the room and she was like, ‘Yeah, you did that for us in Bourne!’” (Sure enough, in 2012’s Bourne Legacy, Jeremy Renner’s character, Aaron Cross, steps out of an Alaskan log cabin while Isaac’s character, Outcome Agent 3, stays inside; a few seconds later the cabin is obliterated by a missile fired from a passing drone.)

This ability to back himself — judiciously and, one can imagine after meeting him, with no small amount of steely charm — seems to have served Isaac well so far. It’s what also saw him through the casting process for his breakthrough role in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 2014 film Inside Llewyn Davis, about a struggling folk singer in Sixties New York, partly based on the memoir of nearly-was musician Dave Van Ronk. Isaac, an accomplished musician himself, got wind that the Coens were casting and pestered his agent and manager to send over a tape, eventually landing himself an audition.

“I knew it was based on Dave Van Ronk and I looked nothing like him,” says Isaac. “He was a 6ft 5in, 300lb Swede and I was coming in there like… ‘Oh man.’” But then he noticed that the casting execs had with them a picture of the singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne. “Suddenly, I got some confidence because he’s small and dark so I said to the casting director, ‘Oh cool, is that a reference?’ And they were like, 'No, he just came in here and he killed it.’” Isaac throws his head back and laughs. “They literally said, 'He killed it.’ It was so good!”

In the end it was Isaac who killed it in Inside Llewyn Davis, with a performance that was funny, sad, cantankerous and moving. The film was nominated for two Oscars and three Golden Globes, one of them for Isaac in the category of: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — comedy or musical” (he lost to Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street). No cigar that time, but in 2016 he won a Golden Globe for his turn as a doomed mayor in David Simon’s HBO drama, Show Me a Hero. This year, and with peculiar hillbilly affectation, Vanity Fair proclaimed Isaac “the best dang actor of his generation”. It is not much of a stretch to imagine that, some day very soon, Isaac may become the first Oscar since Hammerstein to win the award whose name he shares. Certainly, the stars seem ready to align.

Of course, life stories do not run as neatly as all that and Isaac’s could have gone quite differently. He was born Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada in Guatemala City, to which his father, Óscar, now a pulmonologist, had moved from Washington DC in order to attend medical school (having escaped to the States from Cuba just before the revolution) and where he met Isaac’s mother, Eugenia. Five months after Isaac was born, the family — also including an older sister, Nicole, and later joined by a younger brother, Michael — moved to America in order for Óscar Senior to complete his residencies: first to Baltimore, then New Orleans, eventually settling in Miami when Isaac was six.

Miami didn’t sit entirely right with him. “The Latin culture is so strong which was really nice,” he says, “but you had to drive everywhere, and it’s also strangely quite conservative. Money is valued, and nice cars and clothes, and what you look like, and that can get sort of tedious.” Still it was there, aged 11, that he took to the stage for the first time. The Christian middle school he attended put on performances in which the kids would mime to songs telling loosely biblical stories, including one in which Jesus and the Devil take part in a boxing match in heaven (note the word “loosely”). For that one, Isaac played the Devil. In another, he played Jesus calling Lazarus from the grave. “So yeah,” he laughs, “I’ve got the full range!’

He enjoyed the mixture of the attention and the “extreme nature of putting yourself out there in front of a bunch of people”, plus it gave him some release from stresses at home: his parents were separating and his mother became ill. His school failed to see these as sufficiently mitigating factors for Isaac’s subsequent wayward behaviour and, following an incident with a fire extinguisher, he was expelled. “It wasn’t that bad. They wanted me out of there. I was very happy to go.”

Following his parents’ divorce, he moved with his mother to Palm Beach, Florida, where he enrolled at a public high school. “It was glorious, I loved it,” says Isaac. “I loved it so much. I could walk to the beach every day, and go to this wild school where I became friends with so many different kinds of people. I met these guys who lived in the trailer parks in Boynton Beach and started a band, and my mom and my little brother would come and spy on me to see if I was doing drugs or anything, and I never was.”

Never?

“No, because I didn’t drink till I was, like, 24. Even though I stopped being religious, I liked the individuality of being the guy who didn’t do that stuff. Maybe it was the observer part of me… I liked being a little bit detached, and I wasn’t interested in doing something that was going to make me lose control.”

When he was 14, Isaac and his band-mates played at a talent show. They chose to perform 'Rape Me’ by Nirvana. “I remember singing to the parents, 'Rape meeee!’” Isaac laughs so hard he gives a little snort. “Yeah,” he says, composing himself again, “we didn’t win.” But something stuck and Isaac ended up being in a series of ska-punk outfits, first Paperface, then The Worms and later The Blinking Underdogs who, legend has it, would go on to support Green Day. “Supported… Ha! It was a festival…” says Isaac. “But hey, we played the same day, at the same festival, within a few hours of each other.” (On YouTube you can find a clip from 2001 of The Blinking Underdogs performing in a battle of the bands contest at somewhere called Spanky’s. Isaac is wearing a 'New York City’ T-shirt and brandishing a wine-coloured Flying V electric guitar.)

Still, Isaac’s path was uncertain. At one point he thought about joining the Marines. “The sax player in my band had grown up in a military family so we were like, 'Hey, let’s work out and get all ripped and be badasses!’” he says. “I was like, 'Yeah, I’ll do combat photography!’ My dad was really against it. He said, 'Clinton’s just going to make up a war for you guys to go to,’ so I had to have the recruiters come all the way down to Miami where my dad was living and they convinced him to let me join. I did the exam, I took the oath, but then we had gotten the money together to record an album with The Worms. I decided I’d join the Reserves instead. I said I wanted to do combat photography. They said, 'We don’t do that in the Reserves, but we can give you anti-tank?’ Ha! I was like, 'it’s a liiiiiittle different to what I was thinking…’”

Even when he started doing a few professional theatre gigs in Miami he was still toying with the idea of a music career, until one day, while in New York playing a young Fidel Castro in an off-Broadway production of Rogelio Martinez’s play, When it’s Cocktail Time in Cuba, he happened to pass by renowned performing arts school Juilliard. On a whim, he asked for an audition. He was told the deadline had passed. He insisted. They gave him a form. He filled it in and brought it back the next day. They post-dated it. He got in. And the rest is history. Only it wasn’t.

“In the second year they would do cuts,” Isaac says. “If you don’t do better they kick you out. All the acting teachers wanted me on probation, because they didn’t think I was trying hard enough.” Not for the first or last time, he held his ground. “It was just to spur me to do better I think, but I definitely argued.”

He stayed for the full course at Juilliard, though it was a challenge, not only because he’d relaxed his own non-drinking rule but also because he was maintaining a long-distance relationship with a girlfriend back in Florida. “For me, the twenties were the more difficult part of life. Four years is just… masochistic. We were a particularly close group but still, it’s really intense.” (Among his fellow students at the time were the actress Jessica Chastain, with whom he starred in the 2014 mob drama A Most Violent Year, and Sam Gold, his director in Hamlet.) He says he broadly kept it together: “I was never a mess, I just had a lot of confusion.” He got himself an agent in the graduation scrum, and soon started picking up work: a Law & Order here, a Shakespeare in the Park there; even, in 2006, a biblical story to rival his early efforts, playing Joseph in The Nativity Story (the first film to hold its premiere at the Vatican, no less).

By the time he enrolled at Juilliard he had already dropped “Hernández” and started going by Oscar Isaac, his two first given names. And for good reason. “When I was in Miami, there were a couple of other Oscar Hernándezes I would see at auditions. All [casting directors] would see me for was 'the gangster’ or whatever, so I was like, 'Well, let me see if this helps.’ I remember there was a casting director down there because [Men in Black director] Barry Sonnenfeld was doing a movie; she said, 'Let’s bring in this Oscar Isaac,’ and he was like, 'No no no! I just want Cubans!’ I saw Barry Sonnenfeld a couple of years ago and I told him that story — 'I don’t want a Jew, I want a Cuban!’”

Perhaps it’s a sad indictment of the entertainment industry that a Latino actor can’t expect a fair run at parts without erasing some of the ethnic signifiers in his own name, but on a personal basis at least, Isaac’s diverse role roster speaks to the canniness of his decision. He has played an English king in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood(2010), a Russian security guard in Madonna’s Edward-and-Mrs-Simpson drama W.E. (2011), an Armenian medical student in Terry George’s The Promise (2017) and — yes, Barry — a small, dark American Jew channelling a large blond Swede.

But then, of course, there are roles he’s played where ethnicity was all but irrelevant and talent was everything. Carey Mulligan’s ex-con husband Standard in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive in 2011 (another contender for his “spectacular deaths” series); mysterious technocrat Nathan Bateman in the beautifully poised sci-fi Ex Machina (2014) written and directed by Alex Garland (with whom he has also shot Annihilation — dashing between different sound stages at Pinewood while shooting The Last Jedi — which is due out next year). Or this month’s Suburbicon, a neat black comedy directed by George Clooney from an ancient Coen brothers script, in which Isaac cameos as a claims investigator looking into some dodgy paperwork filed by Julianne Moore and Matt Damon, and lights up every one of his brief scenes.

Isaac is a very modern kind of actor: one who shows range and versatility without being bland; who is handsome with his dark, intense eyes, heavy brows and thick curls, but not so freakishly handsome that it is distracting; who shows a casual disregard for the significance of celebrity and keeps his family, including his father, who remarried and had another son and daughter, close. It’s a testament to his skill that when he takes on a character, be it English royal or Greenwich Village pauper, it feels like — with the possible exception of Ray LaMontagne — it could never have been anyone else.

Today, though, he’s a Danish prince. To say that Isaac’s turn in Hamlet has caused a frenzy in New York would be something of an understatement. Certainly, it’s a sell-out. The Sunday before we meet, Al Pacino had been in. So scarce are tickets that Isaac’s own publicist says she’s unlikely to be able to get me one, and as soon as our interview is over I hightail it to the Public Theater to queue up to be put on the waiting list for returns for tonight’s performance. (I am seventh in line, and in my shameless desperation I tell the woman in front of me that I’ve flown over from London just to interview Isaac in the hope that she might let me jump the queue. She ponders it for a nanosecond, before another woman behind me starts talking about how her day job involves painting pictures of chimpanzees, and I lose the crowd.)

Clearly, Hamlet is occupying a great deal of Isaac’s available brain space right now, and not just the fact that he’s had to memorise approximately 1,500 lines. “Even tonight it’s different, what the play means to me,” he says. “It’s almost like a religious text, because it has the ambiguity of the Bible where you can look at one line and it can mean so many different things depending on how you meditate on it. Even when I have a night where I feel not particularly connected emotionally, it can still teach me. I’ll say a line and I’ll say, 'Ah, that’s good advice, Shakespeare, thank you.’”

Hamlet resonates with Isaac for reasons that he would never have foreseen or have wished for. While playing a young man mourning the untimely death of his father, Isaac was himself a young man mourning the untimely death of his mother, who died in February after an illness. Doing the play became a way to process his loss.

“It’s almost like this is the only framework where you can give expression to such intense emotions. Otherwise anywhere else is pretty inappropriate, unless you’re just in a room screaming to yourself,” he says. “This play is a beautiful morality tale about how to get through grief; to experience it every night for the last four months has definitely been cathartic but also educational; it has given structure to something that felt so overwhelming.”

In March, a month after Eugenia died, Isaac and Lind married, and then in April Eugene, named in remembrance of his late grandmother, was born. I ask Isaac about the shift in perspective that happens when you become a parent; whether he felt his own focus switch from being a son to being a father.

“It happened in a very dramatic way,” he says. “In a matter of three months my mother passed and my son was born, so that transition was very alive, to the point where I was telling my mom, 'I think you’re going to see him on the way out, tell him to listen to me as much as he can…’” He gives another laugh, but flat this time. “It was really tough because for me she was the only true example of unconditional love. It’s painful to know that that won’t exist for me anymore, other than me giving it to him. So now this isn’t happening” — he raises his arms towards the ceiling, gesturing a flow coming down towards him — “but now it goes this way” — he brings his arms down, making the same gesture, but flowing from him to the floor.

Does performing Hamlet, however pertinent its themes, ever feel like a way of refracting his own experiences, rather than feeling them in their rawest form?

“Yeah it is,” he says, “I’m sure when it’s over I don’t know how those things will live.” He pauses. “I’m a little bit… I don’t know if 'concerned’ is the right word, but as there’s only two weeks left of doing it, I’m curious to see what’s on the other end, when there’s no place to put it all.”

It’s a thoughtful, honest answer; one that doesn’t shy away from the emotional complexities of what he’s experiencing and is still to face, but admits to his own ignorance of what comes next. Because, although Isaac is clearly dedicated to his current lot, he has also suffered enough slings and arrows to know where self-determination has its limits.

What he does know is happening on the other end of Hamlet is “disconnection”, also known as a holiday, and he plans to travel with Lind to Maine where her documentary, Bobbi Jene, is screening at a film festival. Then he will fly to Buenos Aires for a couple of months filming Operation Finale, a drama about the 1960 Israeli capture of Adolf Eichmann which Isaac is producing and in which he also stars as Mossad agent Peter Malkin, with Eichmann played by Sir Ben Kingsley. At some point after that he will get sucked into the vortex of promotion for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, of which today’s interview is an early glimmer.

But before that, he will unlock the immaculate black bicycle that he had chained up outside the hotel and disappear back into Brooklyn. Later, he will take the subway to Manhattan an hour-and-a-half or so before curtain. To get himself ready, and if the mood takes him, he will listen to Venezuelan musician Arca’s self-titled album or Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie and Lowell, light a candle, and look at a picture of his mother that he keeps in his dressing room.

Then, just before seven o'clock, he will make his way to the stage where, for the next four hours, he will make the packed house believe he is thinking Hamlet’s thoughts for the very first time, and strut around in his underpants feigning madness, and — for reasons that make a lot more sense if you’re there which, thanks to a last-minute phone-call from the office of someone whose name I never did catch, I was — stab a lasagna. And then at the end of Act V, when Hamlet lies dead, and as lightning staggers across the night sky outside the theatre, finally bringing the promised drama to the Manhattan skyline, the audience, as one, will rise.

Fashion by Allan Kennedy. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is out on 15 December. The December issue of Esquire is out now.

###

[wineanddinosaur]

Innovation Is on Tap at America’s Brewstilleries

The surge of craft distilling in the U.S. followed in the wake of craft brewing’s meteoric ascent. Of course, distillation and brewing go hand in hand, as the former wouldn’t exist without the latter, and every distillery making grain-based spirits first mashes and ferments a “beer” before transmogrifying the liquid through its stills into spirit.

Soon enough, talent and ideas were flowing between those two worlds, too, with hard-earned experience and knowledge from the realm of craft beer influencing the distillation scene. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that a contingent of producers have asked, why not do both?

From Beer to Whiskey; to Beer and Whiskey

Rogue Ales was founded in 1988, and the acclaimed brewer began experimenting with distillation 15 years later, in 2003. “This was before the idea of craft distilling was popularized, and for us it was like most things we do, a pursuit of curiosity, answering the question ‘what if?’ and just continuing to push boundaries,” says Steven Garrett, Rogue’s vice president of business development. “We thought if we can make great-tasting craft beer with high-quality ingredients and a sense of origin, why not go one step further and distill as well.”

Indeed, the earliest ranks of craft distillers were filled with those coming in from other worlds. The first wave in the 1980s consisted of fruit-forward European brandy disciples such as St. George Spirits, Charbay Distillery, and Clear Creek Distillery. The next wave, though, came after brewing’s ascendance and saw an influx of people from that sphere, such as Triple Eight Distillery, Stranahan’s, and Rogue, not to mention Anchor Brewing, which in 1993 became the first brewery with an in-house distillery, an enterprise now known as Hotaling & Co. Distillery.

Indeed, there are now well-laid roots across the country. Dogfish Head is one of the country’s most prominent craft brewing names, and it added a micro-distillery to its Milton, Del., location. In Michigan, New Holland Brewery built on a decade of success following its founding in 1996 with the launch of its distillery operation. In North Carolina, Top of the Hill Distillery produces TOPO Organic Spirits, alongside Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery. Even New York City has its own brewstillery, with Brooklyn’s Interboro Spirits & Ales.

For Dennis Rylander, who co-founded Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling in 2010, the idea was always to bring both concepts to life from the start. “Passion for both beer and whiskey drove the decision to do both, with the vision of establishing San Antonio’s first modern production brewery and making a Texas bourbon to be proud of,” he says.

That perspective represents a sea change; as opposed to transitioning from one world to another, producers wanted to wade into both waters at once. Enter the brewstillery in its peak form: with both feats of fermentation firepower launching at the same time.

Compared to the several thousand craft distilleries in the country, the brewstillery is but a small player, with perhaps a few dozen full-time dual players in the country. However, the mashups are getting more attention than ever due to the increased quality of their products, including now well-aged whiskeys, and a track record of producing exciting, tasty products from both wings of their operations. These are no longer sideshows, but rather relevant and respected double craft hubs where creativity and innovation are on tap.

After Bartley Blume missed his chance at being among the earliest Minnesota breweries, he adapted his plan. “If I can’t be one of the first, I don’t wanna do it,” he says. His homebrewing then shifted into home distillation. “I built a still on my back porch — and I never used it as far as you know, but I started developing whiskey recipes. I rewrote my business plan and the Bent Brewstillery was born [in 2012].”

This spring in Colorado, the Ska Street Brewstillery made its debut in Boulder, bringing two sister companies together: Ska Brewing, founded in 1995 in Durango, and Peach Street Distillers, founded in 2005 in Palisade. “It allows us to offer more options under one roof,” says Kristen Muraro, Ska Brewing’s director of sales and marketing.

There are several layers of efficiencies to capitalize on that signal the likelihood of brewstilleries becoming increasingly more prominent, too. First, there’s the skill overlap. “We think the brewstillery will continue to be a growing trend,” Garrett says. “Breweries and distilleries require a lot of similar skills so the brewstillery model is a natural progression.”

Then there’s the equipment and process logistics. “Doing both has a lot of advantages,” Blume says. “The same brewing, fermenting, and cleaning equipment can be used for both. Sometimes packaging equipment, too.”

By capitalizing on both, and launching both halves of the operation as one fully formed, cohesive whole, it’s more achievable than ever. “It takes some foresight and some thought to put all the pieces together but it is a great concept and I am sure there will be more to come,” Muraro says of the brewstillery.

The Brewstillery Delivers the Best of Both Worlds

When businesses are able to operate normally, brewstilleries offer a wide sweeping sensory experience and educational opportunity in one setting. “Peach Street is known for its elaborate handcrafted cocktails, and to offer that with the freshest Ska beers brewed on site is amazing, and allows us to appeal to a wider audience,” Muraro says, also noting that the new effort coincides with Ska’s 25th anniversary and Peach Street’s 15th. Ska Street is now open, with reservations encouraged, and is offering curbside pickup and to-go beer, spirits, cocktails, and food. Ska’s beers are distributed in 13 states, and Peach Street’s spirits are distributed in Colorado.

“Customers get to learn about the full process, from grain to milling, to mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation, and bottling,” Rylander says. Ranger Creek’s outdoor beer garden is open, and its indoor taproom opened in mid-June at half capacity. Its whiskeys are available for direct shipping to 37 states, and locally, products are available for curbside pickup with optional preordering.

“We have something for everyone, the beer lover can be happy and the cocktail lover can be happy,” Blume says, joking that it’s an important quality for couples who come from a divided home on such issues. Bent’s patio is open, with the taproom open at half capacity, offering combined seating for about 100 patrons, with delivery in Illinois via Spirit Hub, and products available for pickup locally.

“Being a reputable beer brand has helped introduce people to our spirits portfolio but there is still more opportunity for growth,” Garrett says. Getting those products into people’s hands offers an opportunity to build a brand that other settings wouldn’t provide, while allowing people access to more diversity in the products they get to try. “The pubs give us a great testing ground and allows us to see what resonates with our customers,” Garrett says.

Rogue Spirits has distribution across 35 states, is available from several major online retailers, and now offers free delivery in and around Portland and pickup from its pubs. Four of its locations have reopened, with the three in Portland awaiting county go-ahead.

In-House Experimentation

The best payoff from a brewstillery may be the experimental opportunities it provides. “Bringing spirits barrels for aging beer back to the brewery is by no means new, however we can make unique spirits and those barrels lend themselves to one-of-a-kind beers,” says Bill Graham, co-founder and CEO of Peach Street Distillers. “Picture French oak peach brandy barrels freshly dumped.”

Muraro notes that the two halves have already collaborated in numerous ways, including its Boomerang Barrel program and Modus Whiskey, but that “we were always looking for the right situation where we could join forces even further. It allows us to integrate more on the production side. We will be offering more collaborative projects such as specialty spirits and barrel-aged beers.”

At Rogue, the company dictates its own terms at every step of production, enabling it to pursue whichever whims or crossovers come to mind. While all whiskey starts as “beer,” it’s not made with any intention of being consumed in that form. However, whiskey can be distilled from actual production beer in an effort to see if a signature beer’s standout qualities are passed through. “Because we are a farmer, brewer, cooper, and distiller, we’re able to make products like our Dead Guy Whiskey, which starts off with our Dead Guy Ale, and Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey, from barrels that previously aged Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout beer,” Garrett says.

At Ranger Creek, Rylander notes that experimentation between the two halves of its operation is fundamental to its ethos. “Opportunities are endless,” he says. They use their own bourbon barrels for finishing a series of beers, and even failures can be rescued on occasion. “Our Rimfire originated from distilling a failed brew of our Mesquite Smoked Porter,” Rylander says. When life hands you lemons, make whiskey.

Brewstilleries will undoubtedly become more common — who doesn’t love a good crossover episode? — but from a business standpoint, it may not be for everyone. Challenges and drawbacks are abundant, with, for instance, Rylander noting added complexities to production, distribution, and sales, along with different target markets; Muraro adding that it requires extra foresight and planning; and Blume saying that even with in-house synergy, “we have to do all the work that a brewery does and we have to do all the work that a distillery does.”

That may leave brewstilleries more as a niche than a huge segment of the industry, but for you at home enjoying the fruits of those labors, or, once you’re able to, sidling up at the bar with a beer and a shot both made in the same place by the same people, those extra challenges aren’t really your concern. All you have to worry about is whether you’ll try the beer first or the whiskey.

The article Innovation Is on Tap at America’s Brewstilleries appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/brewery-distillery-crossover-brewery-distillery-crossover/

[johnboothus]

Innovation Is on Tap at Americas Brewstilleries

The surge of craft distilling in the U.S. followed in the wake of craft brewing’s meteoric ascent. Of course, distillation and brewing go hand in hand, as the former wouldn’t exist without the latter, and every distillery making grain-based spirits first mashes and ferments a “beer” before transmogrifying the liquid through its stills into spirit.

Soon enough, talent and ideas were flowing between those two worlds, too, with hard-earned experience and knowledge from the realm of craft beer influencing the distillation scene. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that a contingent of producers have asked, why not do both?

From Beer to Whiskey; to Beer and Whiskey

Rogue Ales was founded in 1988, and the acclaimed brewer began experimenting with distillation 15 years later, in 2003. “This was before the idea of craft distilling was popularized, and for us it was like most things we do, a pursuit of curiosity, answering the question ‘what if?’ and just continuing to push boundaries,” says Steven Garrett, Rogue’s vice president of business development. “We thought if we can make great-tasting craft beer with high-quality ingredients and a sense of origin, why not go one step further and distill as well.”

Indeed, the earliest ranks of craft distillers were filled with those coming in from other worlds. The first wave in the 1980s consisted of fruit-forward European brandy disciples such as St. George Spirits, Charbay Distillery, and Clear Creek Distillery. The next wave, though, came after brewing’s ascendance and saw an influx of people from that sphere, such as Triple Eight Distillery, Stranahan’s, and Rogue, not to mention Anchor Brewing, which in 1993 became the first brewery with an in-house distillery, an enterprise now known as Hotaling & Co. Distillery.

Indeed, there are now well-laid roots across the country. Dogfish Head is one of the country’s most prominent craft brewing names, and it added a micro-distillery to its Milton, Del., location. In Michigan, New Holland Brewery built on a decade of success following its founding in 1996 with the launch of its distillery operation. In North Carolina, Top of the Hill Distillery produces TOPO Organic Spirits, alongside Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery. Even New York City has its own brewstillery, with Brooklyn’s Interboro Spirits & Ales.

For Dennis Rylander, who co-founded Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling in 2010, the idea was always to bring both concepts to life from the start. “Passion for both beer and whiskey drove the decision to do both, with the vision of establishing San Antonio’s first modern production brewery and making a Texas bourbon to be proud of,” he says.

That perspective represents a sea change; as opposed to transitioning from one world to another, producers wanted to wade into both waters at once. Enter the brewstillery in its peak form: with both feats of fermentation firepower launching at the same time.

Compared to the several thousand craft distilleries in the country, the brewstillery is but a small player, with perhaps a few dozen full-time dual players in the country. However, the mashups are getting more attention than ever due to the increased quality of their products, including now well-aged whiskeys, and a track record of producing exciting, tasty products from both wings of their operations. These are no longer sideshows, but rather relevant and respected double craft hubs where creativity and innovation are on tap.

After Bartley Blume missed his chance at being among the earliest Minnesota breweries, he adapted his plan. “If I can’t be one of the first, I don’t wanna do it,” he says. His homebrewing then shifted into home distillation. “I built a still on my back porch — and I never used it as far as you know, but I started developing whiskey recipes. I rewrote my business plan and the Bent Brewstillery was born [in 2012].”

This spring in Colorado, the Ska Street Brewstillery made its debut in Boulder, bringing two sister companies together: Ska Brewing, founded in 1995 in Durango, and Peach Street Distillers, founded in 2005 in Palisade. “It allows us to offer more options under one roof,” says Kristen Muraro, Ska Brewing’s director of sales and marketing.

There are several layers of efficiencies to capitalize on that signal the likelihood of brewstilleries becoming increasingly more prominent, too. First, there’s the skill overlap. “We think the brewstillery will continue to be a growing trend,” Garrett says. “Breweries and distilleries require a lot of similar skills so the brewstillery model is a natural progression.”

Then there’s the equipment and process logistics. “Doing both has a lot of advantages,” Blume says. “The same brewing, fermenting, and cleaning equipment can be used for both. Sometimes packaging equipment, too.”

By capitalizing on both, and launching both halves of the operation as one fully formed, cohesive whole, it’s more achievable than ever. “It takes some foresight and some thought to put all the pieces together but it is a great concept and I am sure there will be more to come,” Muraro says of the brewstillery.

The Brewstillery Delivers the Best of Both Worlds

When businesses are able to operate normally, brewstilleries offer a wide sweeping sensory experience and educational opportunity in one setting. “Peach Street is known for its elaborate handcrafted cocktails, and to offer that with the freshest Ska beers brewed on site is amazing, and allows us to appeal to a wider audience,” Muraro says, also noting that the new effort coincides with Ska’s 25th anniversary and Peach Street’s 15th. Ska Street is now open, with reservations encouraged, and is offering curbside pickup and to-go beer, spirits, cocktails, and food. Ska’s beers are distributed in 13 states, and Peach Street’s spirits are distributed in Colorado.

“Customers get to learn about the full process, from grain to milling, to mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation, and bottling,” Rylander says. Ranger Creek’s outdoor beer garden is open, and its indoor taproom opened in mid-June at half capacity. Its whiskeys are available for direct shipping to 37 states, and locally, products are available for curbside pickup with optional preordering.

“We have something for everyone, the beer lover can be happy and the cocktail lover can be happy,” Blume says, joking that it’s an important quality for couples who come from a divided home on such issues. Bent’s patio is open, with the taproom open at half capacity, offering combined seating for about 100 patrons, with delivery in Illinois via Spirit Hub, and products available for pickup locally.

“Being a reputable beer brand has helped introduce people to our spirits portfolio but there is still more opportunity for growth,” Garrett says. Getting those products into people’s hands offers an opportunity to build a brand that other settings wouldn’t provide, while allowing people access to more diversity in the products they get to try. “The pubs give us a great testing ground and allows us to see what resonates with our customers,” Garrett says.

Rogue Spirits has distribution across 35 states, is available from several major online retailers, and now offers free delivery in and around Portland and pickup from its pubs. Four of its locations have reopened, with the three in Portland awaiting county go-ahead.

In-House Experimentation

The best payoff from a brewstillery may be the experimental opportunities it provides. “Bringing spirits barrels for aging beer back to the brewery is by no means new, however we can make unique spirits and those barrels lend themselves to one-of-a-kind beers,” says Bill Graham, co-founder and CEO of Peach Street Distillers. “Picture French oak peach brandy barrels freshly dumped.”

Muraro notes that the two halves have already collaborated in numerous ways, including its Boomerang Barrel program and Modus Whiskey, but that “we were always looking for the right situation where we could join forces even further. It allows us to integrate more on the production side. We will be offering more collaborative projects such as specialty spirits and barrel-aged beers.”

At Rogue, the company dictates its own terms at every step of production, enabling it to pursue whichever whims or crossovers come to mind. While all whiskey starts as “beer,” it’s not made with any intention of being consumed in that form. However, whiskey can be distilled from actual production beer in an effort to see if a signature beer’s standout qualities are passed through. “Because we are a farmer, brewer, cooper, and distiller, we’re able to make products like our Dead Guy Whiskey, which starts off with our Dead Guy Ale, and Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey, from barrels that previously aged Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout beer,” Garrett says.

At Ranger Creek, Rylander notes that experimentation between the two halves of its operation is fundamental to its ethos. “Opportunities are endless,” he says. They use their own bourbon barrels for finishing a series of beers, and even failures can be rescued on occasion. “Our Rimfire originated from distilling a failed brew of our Mesquite Smoked Porter,” Rylander says. When life hands you lemons, make whiskey.

Brewstilleries will undoubtedly become more common — who doesn’t love a good crossover episode? — but from a business standpoint, it may not be for everyone. Challenges and drawbacks are abundant, with, for instance, Rylander noting added complexities to production, distribution, and sales, along with different target markets; Muraro adding that it requires extra foresight and planning; and Blume saying that even with in-house synergy, “we have to do all the work that a brewery does and we have to do all the work that a distillery does.”

That may leave brewstilleries more as a niche than a huge segment of the industry, but for you at home enjoying the fruits of those labors, or, once you’re able to, sidling up at the bar with a beer and a shot both made in the same place by the same people, those extra challenges aren’t really your concern. All you have to worry about is whether you’ll try the beer first or the whiskey.

The article Innovation Is on Tap at America’s Brewstilleries appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/brewery-distillery-crossover-brewery-distillery-crossover/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/innovation-is-on-tap-at-americas-brewstilleries

[isaiahrippinus]

Innovation Is on Tap at America’s Brewstilleries

The surge of craft distilling in the U.S. followed in the wake of craft brewing’s meteoric ascent. Of course, distillation and brewing go hand in hand, as the former wouldn’t exist without the latter, and every distillery making grain-based spirits first mashes and ferments a “beer” before transmogrifying the liquid through its stills into spirit.

Soon enough, talent and ideas were flowing between those two worlds, too, with hard-earned experience and knowledge from the realm of craft beer influencing the distillation scene. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that a contingent of producers have asked, why not do both?

From Beer to Whiskey; to Beer and Whiskey

Rogue Ales was founded in 1988, and the acclaimed brewer began experimenting with distillation 15 years later, in 2003. “This was before the idea of craft distilling was popularized, and for us it was like most things we do, a pursuit of curiosity, answering the question ‘what if?’ and just continuing to push boundaries,” says Steven Garrett, Rogue’s vice president of business development. “We thought if we can make great-tasting craft beer with high-quality ingredients and a sense of origin, why not go one step further and distill as well.”

Indeed, the earliest ranks of craft distillers were filled with those coming in from other worlds. The first wave in the 1980s consisted of fruit-forward European brandy disciples such as St. George Spirits, Charbay Distillery, and Clear Creek Distillery. The next wave, though, came after brewing’s ascendance and saw an influx of people from that sphere, such as Triple Eight Distillery, Stranahan’s, and Rogue, not to mention Anchor Brewing, which in 1993 became the first brewery with an in-house distillery, an enterprise now known as Hotaling & Co. Distillery.

Indeed, there are now well-laid roots across the country. Dogfish Head is one of the country’s most prominent craft brewing names, and it added a micro-distillery to its Milton, Del., location. In Michigan, New Holland Brewery built on a decade of success following its founding in 1996 with the launch of its distillery operation. In North Carolina, Top of the Hill Distillery produces TOPO Organic Spirits, alongside Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery. Even New York City has its own brewstillery, with Brooklyn’s Interboro Spirits & Ales.

For Dennis Rylander, who co-founded Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling in 2010, the idea was always to bring both concepts to life from the start. “Passion for both beer and whiskey drove the decision to do both, with the vision of establishing San Antonio’s first modern production brewery and making a Texas bourbon to be proud of,” he says.

That perspective represents a sea change; as opposed to transitioning from one world to another, producers wanted to wade into both waters at once. Enter the brewstillery in its peak form: with both feats of fermentation firepower launching at the same time.

Compared to the several thousand craft distilleries in the country, the brewstillery is but a small player, with perhaps a few dozen full-time dual players in the country. However, the mashups are getting more attention than ever due to the increased quality of their products, including now well-aged whiskeys, and a track record of producing exciting, tasty products from both wings of their operations. These are no longer sideshows, but rather relevant and respected double craft hubs where creativity and innovation are on tap.

After Bartley Blume missed his chance at being among the earliest Minnesota breweries, he adapted his plan. “If I can’t be one of the first, I don’t wanna do it,” he says. His homebrewing then shifted into home distillation. “I built a still on my back porch — and I never used it as far as you know, but I started developing whiskey recipes. I rewrote my business plan and the Bent Brewstillery was born [in 2012].”

This spring in Colorado, the Ska Street Brewstillery made its debut in Boulder, bringing two sister companies together: Ska Brewing, founded in 1995 in Durango, and Peach Street Distillers, founded in 2005 in Palisade. “It allows us to offer more options under one roof,” says Kristen Muraro, Ska Brewing’s director of sales and marketing.

There are several layers of efficiencies to capitalize on that signal the likelihood of brewstilleries becoming increasingly more prominent, too. First, there’s the skill overlap. “We think the brewstillery will continue to be a growing trend,” Garrett says. “Breweries and distilleries require a lot of similar skills so the brewstillery model is a natural progression.”

Then there’s the equipment and process logistics. “Doing both has a lot of advantages,” Blume says. “The same brewing, fermenting, and cleaning equipment can be used for both. Sometimes packaging equipment, too.”

By capitalizing on both, and launching both halves of the operation as one fully formed, cohesive whole, it’s more achievable than ever. “It takes some foresight and some thought to put all the pieces together but it is a great concept and I am sure there will be more to come,” Muraro says of the brewstillery.

The Brewstillery Delivers the Best of Both Worlds

When businesses are able to operate normally, brewstilleries offer a wide sweeping sensory experience and educational opportunity in one setting. “Peach Street is known for its elaborate handcrafted cocktails, and to offer that with the freshest Ska beers brewed on site is amazing, and allows us to appeal to a wider audience,” Muraro says, also noting that the new effort coincides with Ska’s 25th anniversary and Peach Street’s 15th. Ska Street is now open, with reservations encouraged, and is offering curbside pickup and to-go beer, spirits, cocktails, and food. Ska’s beers are distributed in 13 states, and Peach Street’s spirits are distributed in Colorado.

“Customers get to learn about the full process, from grain to milling, to mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation, and bottling,” Rylander says. Ranger Creek’s outdoor beer garden is open, and its indoor taproom opened in mid-June at half capacity. Its whiskeys are available for direct shipping to 37 states, and locally, products are available for curbside pickup with optional preordering.

“We have something for everyone, the beer lover can be happy and the cocktail lover can be happy,” Blume says, joking that it’s an important quality for couples who come from a divided home on such issues. Bent’s patio is open, with the taproom open at half capacity, offering combined seating for about 100 patrons, with delivery in Illinois via Spirit Hub, and products available for pickup locally.

“Being a reputable beer brand has helped introduce people to our spirits portfolio but there is still more opportunity for growth,” Garrett says. Getting those products into people’s hands offers an opportunity to build a brand that other settings wouldn’t provide, while allowing people access to more diversity in the products they get to try. “The pubs give us a great testing ground and allows us to see what resonates with our customers,” Garrett says.

Rogue Spirits has distribution across 35 states, is available from several major online retailers, and now offers free delivery in and around Portland and pickup from its pubs. Four of its locations have reopened, with the three in Portland awaiting county go-ahead.

In-House Experimentation

The best payoff from a brewstillery may be the experimental opportunities it provides. “Bringing spirits barrels for aging beer back to the brewery is by no means new, however we can make unique spirits and those barrels lend themselves to one-of-a-kind beers,” says Bill Graham, co-founder and CEO of Peach Street Distillers. “Picture French oak peach brandy barrels freshly dumped.”

Muraro notes that the two halves have already collaborated in numerous ways, including its Boomerang Barrel program and Modus Whiskey, but that “we were always looking for the right situation where we could join forces even further. It allows us to integrate more on the production side. We will be offering more collaborative projects such as specialty spirits and barrel-aged beers.”

At Rogue, the company dictates its own terms at every step of production, enabling it to pursue whichever whims or crossovers come to mind. While all whiskey starts as “beer,” it’s not made with any intention of being consumed in that form. However, whiskey can be distilled from actual production beer in an effort to see if a signature beer’s standout qualities are passed through. “Because we are a farmer, brewer, cooper, and distiller, we’re able to make products like our Dead Guy Whiskey, which starts off with our Dead Guy Ale, and Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey, from barrels that previously aged Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout beer,” Garrett says.

At Ranger Creek, Rylander notes that experimentation between the two halves of its operation is fundamental to its ethos. “Opportunities are endless,” he says. They use their own bourbon barrels for finishing a series of beers, and even failures can be rescued on occasion. “Our Rimfire originated from distilling a failed brew of our Mesquite Smoked Porter,” Rylander says. When life hands you lemons, make whiskey.

Brewstilleries will undoubtedly become more common — who doesn’t love a good crossover episode? — but from a business standpoint, it may not be for everyone. Challenges and drawbacks are abundant, with, for instance, Rylander noting added complexities to production, distribution, and sales, along with different target markets; Muraro adding that it requires extra foresight and planning; and Blume saying that even with in-house synergy, “we have to do all the work that a brewery does and we have to do all the work that a distillery does.”

That may leave brewstilleries more as a niche than a huge segment of the industry, but for you at home enjoying the fruits of those labors, or, once you’re able to, sidling up at the bar with a beer and a shot both made in the same place by the same people, those extra challenges aren’t really your concern. All you have to worry about is whether you’ll try the beer first or the whiskey.

The article Innovation Is on Tap at America’s Brewstilleries appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/brewery-distillery-crossover-brewery-distillery-crossover/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/623450610420908032

[nexhqs]

INTRODUCING HAYDEN GARCIA …

NICKNAMES : N/A

GENDER : Cis woman, she/her

OCCUPATION : High school student

DATE OF BIRTH : 01/25/02

SPECIES : Human

FACE CLAIM : Isabela Merced

❝  I sometimes wonder if things only get better for them to get worse again.  ❞

PERSONALITY

AESTHETIC — Polaroid pictures, newspaper clippings, cutting fences with wirecutters, tearstained pillow, dark skies over stormy seas, disdain for suburbia, television static, vintage movie posters, big sweaters, denim jackets, wearing headphones all the time, a frozen lake in the middle of winter, birds on a telephone wire, scribbled notes at 2am, soda in glass bottles, flannel shirts, Halloween, classic film, the crunch of dead autumn leaves, sitting on your roof and watching the sky. 

LIKES: Horror movies, conspiracy theories, writing, taking photographs, crisp fall mornings, rock music, Shakespeare, polaroids, pepperoni pizza, writing in leather bound journals, New York City, the library, the silence of nighttime, bowling.  

DISLIKES: Bubblegum flavored anything, math class, summer, being around other people, school, mushrooms, orange soda, her parents, looking for the silver lining in anything, Eden, chick-flicks, mismatched socks, football.  

BIOGRAPHY –

content warnings for suicide.

    It wasn’t the biggest house, but it was the one at the end loop of the cul-de-sac, and that mattered.  

Her life was painted over with the pretty brush of the privilege of suburbia, but the coat of color and sheen was always thin enough that it wasn’t quite as bright as other people’s. Hayden never minded — God forbid they have vacations every summer instead of over spring breaks too, and only the second most recent phone model rested in the pocket of the second most expensive jacket. Her mother’s side had resided in Eden since the founding of the town, name printed carefully in town charters. Her father was the opposite; never setting foot in South Carolina until college, New England born and bred to second generation immigrants. They were both smart, and hardworking, and they both landed good jobs and bought that house on the end of the cul-de-sac in her mother’s hometown. I used to want that house, her mother said, pointing to the blue one next door. But it wasn’t for sale, and theirs was, so there they were. Good but never good enough: that seemed to be the family motto.  

Hayden fit it well. Kacey, six years her senior and infinitely more like her parents in terms of ambition, never did. Hayden fit her parents less than she knew. Less than her father even knew: maternal lineage, found in Kasey and her mother, dating back decades upon decades. They were witches. Secret was kept from Hayden when she never showed any signs of the power being passed through her, but her sister was powerful: she started young, and her mother coached her into keeping the blood that ran through them silent and spells well known. It wasn’t unheard of for the genes to skip someone, there had been rogue sisters and cousins over the years that were not witches and died without knowing of their lack of powers. Kasey wasn’t just special, wasn’t just a witch: she was smart and she was funny — she was wild, and difficult for them to reign in, but on good days it didn’t matter.  

There weren’t very many good days near the end.  

Hayden would sit at the top of the stairs, listening to fights between their parents of Kasey being too angry, too loud, too depressed, too quiet. She retreated, she was cruel to family, she spent all her time in her room with the door locked or out without telling them where she was.  

And then Hayden found her, dead on the bathroom floor. An empty pill bottle next to her rolling around on tile, hair floating in a pool of vomit and foam at the mouth. Hayden screamed and cried for twenty minutes outside the door until her mother came home and witnessed the scene, calling 911 and launching an investigation into the death of Kasey Garcia.  

The police report: suicide, formed by a severe depression her parents ignored.  

The reality: suicide, because of a dabbling in dark magic: increased recklessness, spells mumbled that had long been forbidden. It brought a cloud over Kasey, and she killed herself in a very human way.  

After that, things changed for Hayden. She quit her middle school track team, and didn’t show up for weeks to school. Rumors spread around the halls, and they didn’t stop when she came back. In high school, maybe your sister killing herself would garner sympathy, in elementary school, no one would know aside from a teary eyed PG explanation from parents. But it painted an invisible target on Hayden’s back: are you gonna do that too? Why’d she do it? My sister told me your sister was a freak anyway, so I think …  

Once the target faded, Hayden painted it herself. She retreated from people, ignored her friends until she had none. Her grades didn’t suffer, and her curiosity was piqued more. How could she not have know about what happened with her sister? Photographs snapped of things that didn’t belong to her, sneaking into places she wasn’t allowed. In the absence of human connection, a connection to the unknown formed. Placement in mandatory therapy didn’t phase her anyway — she read her own file anyway, it was easy to pick the file cabinet. She found out things she didn’t want to know, not really: her father’s infidelity, what exactly her parents and therapist thought was wrong with her.  

So far, she hasn’t found the only secret she’s chasing: is what happened with Kasey all she’s told it is?  

CONNECTIONS –

DYLAN DAYE – Kasey’s ex-girlfriend, and up until recently, Hayden hadn’t seen her since the funeral. Wide eyed at twelve, Hayden desperately wanted to be Dylan’s friend and hang out with the much cooler girlfriend of her already pretty cool older sister. She wasn’t necessarily shut out… until Dylan fled anything having to do with the Garcia’s post funeral. Hayden has plenty of built up resentment for the both of them, and now that she’s older, she’s planning on getting to the bottom of who exactly Dylan Daye is.  

ABIGAIL SHABAT –  Hayden strongly dislikes Abbie, and Abbie, well, probably doesn’t think about her at all. The popular, friendly and ambitious cheerleader is the absolute antithesis to everything Hayden is and, well, stands for. But Abbie is also partly who Hayden wishes she was. Pretty, cool, plenty of friends. That, and the object of her crush’s affections.  

SUSANNA TURNER –  A new friend, and to be honest, one of the first Hayden has had in years. Though they’re different, and Susie is far more outgoing with her choice of extracurriculars (theatre!), Hayden likes her enough. The real reason she started hanging out with Susie was Hayden’s crush on the former’s best friend, but … that doesn’t matter now that Hayden actually enjoys her company, right?  

PENNED BY MEREDITH.

[roguecarolina]

Revitalize Your Home: Professional Cleaning

Keep your roof and gutters clean and in top condition with Roguecarolinaroofing.com. Our experienced team will take care of the job quickly and safely, providing quality results and peace of mind.

Rogue Carolina Roofing

[prokred]

The Rogue Class Completes the Hero Lineup in Book of Demons

Warsaw, Poland - December 11, 2017/ Book of Demons, Thing Trunk's unique deck-building, papercraft hack & slash, today completes its hero lineup with the addition of the bow-wielding, charming-but-deadly Rogue. Watch a short video preview of Rogue gameplay here: https://youtu.be/RO0ESzsGAvc. Read more http://ift.tt/2AbAxuk Areas served: Winston-Salem, High Point, Yadkinville, Mocksville, Advance, Clemmons, Kernersville, Greensboro, Walnut Cove, Statesville, NC, North Carolina Services: House painting, roofing, deck building, landscaping, Carpentry, Flooring, tile, hardwood, remodeling, home improvement, interior, exterior

[homefixfind]

Slay The Spire Combines CCG <b>Deckbuilding</b> With Rogue-Like Role-Playing

A lot of games seem to weasel their way into a linear line along the columns of video game genres. Most games are easily classified as a single type ... Read more http://ift.tt/2yRJDyG Areas served: Winston-Salem, High Point, Yadkinville, Mocksville, Advance, Clemmons, Kernersville, Greensboro, Walnut Cove, Statesville, NC, North Carolina Services: House painting, roofing, deck building, landscaping, Carpentry, Flooring, tile, hardwood, remodeling, home improvement, interior, exterior

[aaljakni]

The Main Role Of The South Carolina Private Investigators

By Gregory Parker

All over the world, many things are happening underground that people have to be smart to know more. In relationships, your partner might be cheating. In business, fraud might have taken place and even in some cases, you want information about an employee. For the truth to come, get a trained person to go underground and get the details. The use of South Carolina private investigators enables one get all the information needed. The investigators are trained individuals who have to work under the law when following up on something. These service providers are hired by anyone who wants to find the correct details about something such as a cheating spouse, a rogue business partner or even a criminal who proves hard to get arrested. These experts have to follow the law when working. Many people are willing to spend money to hire these experts. You find a person working with an established firm because they want to do some background checks on an individual. When looking for the trustworthy employees, they bring the best resumes. However, you might be surprised that they have some hidden information. When you hire these experts, they can bring new information. When you go to court and launch a child custody case, you want the judges to rule in your favor. To win such a case, you will have to gather the facts and support it with evidence that the other partner will not give the best. For such evidence to be admissible, all you need is to contact the expert to gather the details that the other partner is not capable of delivering. Nothing is hurting as living under the same roof with a cheating spouse. If there is suspicion but you do not have the evidence, you are in need of these service providers. The person hired to do the job use their skills and technology to burst the cheating partner and even bring evidence such as pictures of videos which you can now use to your advantage. Sometimes, you want to dig deeper and get more information concerning an individual, company or a fraud happening. Unraveling such is not easy. You must work with these service providers because they have the technology and tools needed. They can deliver all the facts. They have the technology, training, and experience to go underground and burst the person within the laws set. For anyone who has used these experts before, they work anonymously. You do not need to follow a cheating spouse throughout the period. However, you can hire the private eye who will make the follow-ups. They will not be recognized easily by your cheating spouse, and this becomes easier to know where the truth lies. If you want to get something correct and which might be affecting your business, it will be good if you get the information on time. Revealing fraud and employee details might take time if you go alone. However, if you use these service providers, they end up saving you more time. They can work online and follow the subject and then use the technology to complete their inquiry. Here, you will have all the time to make that decision.

About the Author:

Find an overview of the advantages of hiring South Carolina private investigators and more info about an experienced private detective at http://ift.tt/2u61u0l today.

from Blogger http://ift.tt/2hPxKip via The Main Role Of The South Carolina Private Investigators

[homejacksite]

The pensioner charged £6298.74 after asking handyman to fix a simple leak - your rights with ...

I haven't written a rogue trader story for a while but when Mary wrote to me this week I knew it was a story that should be pursued. Mary, who is 67, ... Read more http://ift.tt/2xGQpDa Areas served: Winston-Salem, High Point, Yadkinville, Mocksville, Advance, Clemmons, Kernersville, Greensboro, Walnut Cove, Statesville, NC, North Carolina Services: House painting, roofing, deck building, landscaping, Carpentry, Flooring, tile, hardwood, remodeling, home improvement, interior, exterior

[nchomeimprovement]

Wellington City Council to restrict parking after action by rogue yellow line-<b>painter</b> Russell Taylor

A Wellington resident who admitted illegally painting yellow lines on his ... Russell Taylor been painting yellow lines for 20 years in a bid to stop cars ... that a fire engine had trouble getting to a house fire because of parked vehicles. Read more http://ift.tt/2k12zFi Areas served: Winston-Salem, High Point, Yadkinville, Mocksville, Advance, Clemmons, Kernersville, Greensboro, Walnut Cove, Statesville, NC, North Carolina Services: House painting, roofing, deck building, landscaping, Carpentry, Flooring, tile, hardwood, remodeling, home improvement, interior, exterior