#apparently I had 660 hours

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for demanding a kid's mother compensate me for the expensive protective screen he ruined?

I (24F) used to work in a tutoring center with two classes, my class had around 8 kids, the other class had more because the tutor there is more experienced. I was having trouble managing my time and keeping up with all the classes the kids had. There was this one kid Mike (6M) who is a good kid but slightly mischievous, but I had a lot to say about his mother, I don't like her because she doesn't care. For example, the center closes at 6:30 and she's always like 1 hour late to pick him up, sometimes when I'm in a hurry to leave, I end up having to give him a ride myself because I can't just leave him alone and she doesn't pay me for the extra work. She even started to expect me to give her kid rides whenever she has plans, and never offers to pay. I could've been more strict with her but unfortunately I have social anxiety and have trouble asserting myself, but it's common sense to pay people for these sort of things.

Sometimes she even leaves for a trip OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY after she drops him off at the center (for her job- but it's her personal business and she could literally choose a different time or at least arrange for a pickup for her kid??)

Also Mike has two smartphones that he brings with him everyday and is very protective of them. I have no idea if both of them belong to him but that's irrelevant, the point is somehow he's allowed to carry two smartphones at the age of 6, I find it weird. And apparently the mother isn't even aware of it?! (As will be explained later)

It's been a minute so I don't remember what else I didn't like about this mother but there WERE other issues.

Anyway, the center was unofficial and there weren't any real guidelines for me to follow and I was new and very inexperienced so I often went to the other tutor (36F) for advice and copied her teaching style. For the poems and songs the children had to memorize, she suggested I use a recorded audio on my phone to help them with it instead of having to reread the entire thing for them over and over.

So I used this method a lot. At first I used to hold the phone for them and stay near them, but as time went to I started to trust them with my phone as I see how they handle it but I stay close to it. This continued for like a month and nothing happened to my phone. Sometimes when they are done and waiting for their rides I even let them play games on my mobile sometimes and yet nothing happened.

But one time there was a lot of homework so for Mike and another kid on the same grade I played the audio on loop and left the phone next to them, I warned them from messing with it and left to help another kid with her homework.

As I'm busy with this other kid go back to Mike and I find out he peeled the my phone's protective screen on purpose and he was laughing? Yes he's 6 but he knew exactly what he was doing. He often didn't let anyone touch his phones and often checks for damages and goes on rants about how handle a phone.

I went to the other tutor for advice and told me that was unacceptable and the mother should compensate me for it, so I decided to finally assert myself and immediately messaged her to tell her what her kid did and told her the screen costed me over 100$ (which is a lot of money in our currency) and my job was part time so my monthly salary was only about 660$ and it was the only job I had so obviously I couldn't afford it on my own.

She responded by telling me her a 6 year old doesn't understand the value of these things and it was my fault for lending him my mobile. I replied that I only allowed him to borrow my phone because I saw how he treated his two phones and listed several examples of how he handles them and takes good care of them and understands what damages them.

Her only response was: "Who said he has two phones?"

I was so done that was her only argument, but before I could reply she called management to complain about me demanding her money, they promised to resolve the issue and hung up to hear my side of the story.

My boss told me I was very bold to assume the mother would pay me, while the other tutor was on my side, and I learned in a private conversation with my boss that she wasn't a fan the other tutor's teaching methods.

Needless to say, I quit, for many reasons but this was a big factor so AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[hoonfever]

Friends Of Friends!

12. i’ll be there (written)

wc: 660

WARNINGS: swearing

yeonjun and beomgyu barged in as you opened the door, not bothering to even bid you a hello. taehyun did. that was nice. all three of them had snacks of some sort. the three of you sat down in he living room, which had cushions scattered across the floor for seating. the room was silent, other than beomgyu complaining about being fatherless. taehyun didn’t look at you, nor attempted to talk to you. his focus remained on his phone screen.

you hear a knock at your front door and stand up to answer it. you open the door to yeji’s smiling face and can’t help but smile back. she has two full bags of snacks and sweets, just like she promised.

“hey yeji!” beomgyu calls from the living room, as he and yeonjun switch on the tv

“hey!” she responds before she walks in and you close the door behind her.

she doesn’t help much. she mimics taehyun and focuses completely on her phone. probably talking to her girlfriend again. you can’t help but envy her. you hated to admit it, but yeonjun was right. you did have no social life. you had to keep yourself entertained all the time, and it was getting exhausting.

soobin and kai arrived 10 minutes later and you finally start the movie.

god, did you forget how messy your friends were. soobin seemed quite regretful, but continued to slowly but surely mess up the place.

a long night of cleaning awaits.

you watched howls moving castle, one of your favorite ghibli movies. your friends all seemed to enjoy it as well.

“bye y/n! bye everyone!” yeji was the first to leave, claiming that her parents needed her for something.

“bye guys!” kai and soobin were next, leaving because they were tired and needed the sleep for tomorrow.

“bye y/n!” beomgyu left as well, leaving only taehyun, you and yeonjun.

“i also need to get going-“ you look and yeonjun with a look of concern.

“you want me to be alone with taehyun?” you mouth to him and he tilts his head in fake confusion.

“sorry, y/n, but i have no clue what you’re saying. i’ll see you soon though!” yeonjun left in quite a hurry. leaving you and taehyun alone.

“jeez. they really left a mess in here, huh?” he breaks the silence suddenly.

“yeah, i’m gonna be cleaning for a while.” you say, already feeling exhausted.

“well, i have nowhere to go. i could stay here and help, if you want?!” he offers.

“no! i couldn’t let you help me clean. i knew what i signed up for when hosting everyone.” you refuse.

“i seriously don’t mind helping. just see it as a favor from a friend.” he persists.

well, it would make things a lot quicker and easier.

“okay. you can help. let me do most of the work though. it’s only fair.” taehyun nods.

and so you get to work. what would’ve taken you two hours took only 50 minutes. the two of you rest on the couch tiredly.

“thanks again for this, taehyun. i really appreciate it.” you say with a smile which he returns.

“no problem. next time you host us all and need help cleaning, i’ll be there.” he smiles at you, his eyes lingering on you longer than usual.

you also can’t help but admire his features. taehyun was definitely an attractive guy, you couldn’t deny that. you just never got to see it up close-

taehyun clears his throat suddenly and jerks up.

“i- uh, i need to get going. i’ll see you soon!” taehyun rushes out the door awkwardly, leaving you alone in your thoughts.

i was just looking at him because he’s a naturally attractive guy. i don’t like him or anything. i haven’t even known him that long. i barely know him!

you fell asleep to these thoughts, and awoke with a conclusion.

“shit. i like him, don’t i?”

previous « masterlist » next

a/n: i thought i had this queued for yesterday but apparently not 🤡 also I HAD TO MANUALLY COUNT EACH WORD IT WAS SO PAINFUL google docs didn’t listen to me 😭

taglist: @pr0dbeomgyu, @ox1-lovesick, @sunarintoes, @yeonkang3

SYNOPSIS: yeonjun realises that his best friend, y/n, has no social life whatsoever, and therefore a very slim chance at a relationship; so he figures he's ought to speed up the process by introducing you to his friend, taehyun.

[aventurasdeunatortuga]

Zhangjiajie

I’ve spent the last 4ish days in the rural area of Zhangjiajie, in the mountains of Hunan province in south central China.

I flew in from Beijing on Saturday to Zhangjiajie and then it was an hour drive to the town of Yangjiajie. This town is mainly farmland, lots of roosters crowing, and is very warm and humid. I came here to see Zhangjiajie National Forest, which is famous for its over 3,000 sandstone pillars which are on average about 660 feet tall. They were formed about 350 million years ago due to softer rock around the pillars eroding and falling away. I have truly never seen anything like it, I cannot adequately describe how huge these things were or how amazing it was to see.

The owner of the small hotel I’m staying at, Carol, gave me an extensive run down on how to do a self-guided tour of the park; which I was glad I did instead of doing an official tour. My hotel was only about 300 meters from the park entrance, so I could walk there myself. The park itself despite being very intimidating in its sheer size and the fact that most of it is hundreds of meters in the air, was pretty easy to get around in. There is a system of cable cars to get up the mountain, and a series of buses, bridges, and hiking trails to get around the park from there.

China only very recently opened its borders for the first time in over 3 years, and it is notoriously difficult to get a Chinese visa. While in the bigger cities like Beijing there were definitely more foreigners and expats, and people in general were more used to foreigners, I’ve definitely been noticing a difference in Hunan. I think I have seen less than a dozen foreigners total in the time I’ve been here. I get a lot of stares and kids pointing at me going “哪国人！” （foreigner) I even had a family ask to take my picture with their kid because I was the first foreigner she had seen. Its understandable, not a lot of outsiders have really been traveling through here lately. It is honestly pretty refreshing to travel and be around mainly locals and not the crowd of college aged drunk backpackers that tend to frequent a lot of touristy places around the world.

Don’t get me wrong, people have been so incredibly helpful and accommodating and welcoming the entire time I’ve been here. Every single time I have gotten turned around someone has asked if they could help me. People have been so patient with my broken Chinese. And there is definitely a lot of privilege being a white English speaker that has made getting around a lot easier. I have just definitely been feeling very much like an outsider and it gets a bit wearing to have so many stares every time I do anything and even though its not the same at all it has definitely been very eye opening for what a lot of people experience daily that I haven’t experienced to this extent before.

Anyway. I spent most of Sunday exploring the park. It was really incredible. I just could not comprehend the scale of how big the pillars were. It was quite literally breathtaking and jaw dropping. More than once I stopped dead in my tracks because I just could not believe my eyes. At one point we crossed a natural bridge that had formed between two of the pillars. There were also lots of monkeys and at one point there was a gigantic sculpture to someone in the Communist party with a ton of Communist memorabilia around it, idk what that was all about but it was huge. It was super duper hot and humid but being up high in the mountains helped a lot. Once I got back down to the bottom though I realized I’d gotten sunburned despite it being cloudy. I always forget thats a thing. When I made it back to my hotel I was more sweat than person by that point.

Carol’s mom cooks meals for the hotel, so I ate very well the whole time I was in Zhangjiajie. On Saturday night they were hosting a school group from a nearby university, 20 students, a professor named Jin, and his family. I got to talk with the professor for a while. Apparently he had lived in Germany and Switzerland for over a decade while getting his degrees. He asked me a lot of questions about the US election and he honestly knew more about it than I did. He said people in China pay close attention to this because really the results impact the entire world, which is unfortunately true.

On Monday Carol had again given me extensive instructions for a self guided tour of Tianmen Mountain. This was a bit more complicated. First it involved an hour long car ride to Zhangjiajie, then taking a series of buses to get to the bottom of the mountain and a cable car to get halfway up the mountain. Tianmen Mountain （天门山）translates to Heaven’s Door Mountain. It is called this because of an incredible door like natural arch halfway up the mountain that looks like it is leading to the sky. After taking the cable car halfway up the mountain, I hiked up the famous 999 steps to 天门, Heaven’s Gate. It truly looked like we were climbing stairs directly into the sky.

Once at the top of the staircase, we entered a cave into which was astoundingly built a gigantic escalator which took us up the rest of the way to the top of the mountain. I cannot even imagine how all of this was built.

From there, we were a good 4,500 feet up in the air. I could not comprehend how high up we were. And there was a Burger King and a Bubble Tea restaurant at the top somehow. I had some lunch and them took the long winding path along the cliffside. The path was quite literally hanging off the cliff with a sheer drop of 4,500 feet below. I walked along here for about 3 kilometers, one section of the path was even a glass walk which was honestly terrifying. There were lots of little kids with their families doing the hike as well, and they were absolutely not convinced that the glass was strong enough to hold them, which was completely understandable.

I’ve noticed a lot of people visiting places like this in very fancy clothing, even little kids will wear their best dresses or traditional outfits, because people take a lot of pictures and want to look good in the pictures, even though it is very hot and humid and there is a lot of physical activity.

After hiking I arrived to 天门山死, Tianmenshan Temple. Which, again, was incredible that such a huge temple was built so high up. From there I took something similar to a skilift to take me back to the start of the mountain path, and from there took a cablecar all the way back to town. I was told that this last cablecar was one of the longest cablecars in the world, and it certainly seemed like it. It brought us from 4,500 at the top of the mountain all the way back to the ground in the middle of town 30 minutes later. It was really cool. The line to get in it was pretty intense though. The park tries to limit traffic by only selling 3,000 tickets per hour, which is considered very few tickets given the size of the park, but the problem arises when everyone leaves the park at the same time at the end of the day. This resulted in a very enormous line to get down.

From there I took a shared car to get to my hotel. A lot of people live in very rural areas in the provinces and its tough to make the trek into the city from there so whenever someone drives from the city to town or vice versa they try to fill up the car with people. People generally chip in for gas so its like a rural version of uber without the app. People just roll their window down if they see someone standing on the street or walking down the road and ask if they want a lift.

My window in my room had a gap where it wouldn’t shut all the way so it was letting mosquitoes in. I had managed to block it the last two nights and it wasn’t bad at all but because a rainstorm was incoming there were way more bugs tonight than before. I’m talking thirty to forty mosquitos and other giant bugs I don’t know what they were and don’t really want to know. They’d all gotten through the blocked window and were everywhere which was horrible, so I managed to switch rooms for the rest of my stay.

On Monday it was rainy in the morning and while I could have gone back to Zhangjiajie National Park to see more of it, its an enormous park, I didn’t have it in me and ended up spending the whole day sleeping. My big outing of the day was going with Carol to the grocery store to get snacks. On Tuesday I went to the train station to head to my next stop, Fenghuang, which is also in Hunan province and was only about a 2 hour train ride away.

I’ll update about Fenghuang soon, I’ll be here for about 3 more days.

[infamousbrad]

I've been thinking about this off and on for a while.

Jason isn't the only historian who's made the point that 1990 Dutch civil engineers were exactly on the same page as 1990 American civil engineers, and were designing the exact same places until the Stop Murdering Children parents' movement said that roads and neighborhoods were going to be redesigned to protect children from cars, period, and when the streets department said, "No, cars need to go fast," the parents went so far as to throw molotov cocktails at the streets department. In the intervening 35 years, Dutch civil engineers have found out, by a series of experiments, that they could build a city where the cars got where they were going just as fast without murdering children.

(Cars on street A spend half of their time going 45 miles per hour and half of their time going zero, stopped at lights or behind someone turning. Cars on street B travel at a constant speed of 25 miles per hour. The cars on street B get there faster, without ever going fast enough to murder a pedestrian.)

We almost had a similar moment not far from me just a couple of years ago, up in north St. Louis city, but it turned out entirely differently. As in 1990ish Amsterdam, we had a whole string of dead pedestrians in a row, all of them in places where they should have been safe, and families demanded the street department do something, or else. But when our streets department rolled out something that at least vaguely approximated safer streets, and (by replacing street lights with roundabouts) made it possible for cars to get from one end to the other in the same amount of time, and even though the streets department could show them that fewer pedestrians died over the same number of months, people rioted even harder and demanded it all be yanked out and put back to the old unsafe design ... because the new design had lower speed limits. And America, we apparently care about peak speed, not average speed. Gotta go fast!

And I hope we can fix that, but I don't know how to convince Americans to be less, well, American. Go read Amy Schalet's fantastic compare-and-contrast book about American versus Dutch sex ed in the 1990s, Not Under My Roof, which I just re-read. We're just not the same. We're so culturally different we might almost be separate species.

Culture changes, both for better and for worse, and I've seen it change over the course of my long life. I had gotten to the point where I despaired of ever seeing legal marijuana or gay marriage in the USA, and that changed, so maybe Gotta Go Fast! (and pedestrian deaths are acceptable collateral damage) can change, too. Maybe, even, we can show Americans that it is possible to survive comfortably without being with 660 feet of your own personal automobile. I've despaired before, and been wrong.

But if I had the privilege to give up on this shithole country and emigrate, I sure as hell would.

Another meta post.

Not Just Bikes has done an incredible job of making a lot of people aware of systemic problems in the US and Canada with city planning using the works of Strong Towns and in collaboration with the YouTube channel Climate Town has helped highlight how this problem will one day lead to climate catastrophe. Despite this, the channel owner, Jason, is not perfect or infallible. When he says on Bluesky that the US is a lost cause, for instance, he is promoting action that would greatly harm many and long term promotes the very climate catastrophe his channel seems to be against. While Jason would recommend you unsubscribe if you disagree on the matter, I would instead recommend you seek to change his mind. If you want to do so, please do not harras him. Unproductive dunking like tweeting, tooting, or blue skying "not just unsubscribed" or something is unproductive.

But, let me be clear, the people with the means to give up are also the people with the most means to advocate for things to be better. We should thus not give up and move to countries like the Netherlands but instead try and help make things better where you are now. If you can afford to move, you also are likely to have the means to get through living where you do more easily than many others.

If you care about the climate, if you care about you and the people you know having more livable places, if you care about the future, DO NOT GIVE UP. Despite how he feels, this is doomerism, our fates are not sealed. Get active in your community, spread the word, and talk to people.

For those not on bluesky, I will attach the posts in question. I am sorry for no alt text, I am too busy at work to copy them.

[hannah29870]

𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐀

ACOTAR

I did not create any of these characters places or basic storylines. Our beautiful Sarah J Mass did us the honor of creating them. The only thing I have created is Athena and her story.

Chapter 1

𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙎: mention of war, battle, weapons, blood, murder

Set before The War between Mortals and Fae

When I was born it was always Thesan and Athena, nevermind the fact that I was born 7 minutes before him, and the same was true through all of our life. When our father died it was no exception you would think that the first born child would be crowned, false, apparently it’s only the first born male. But I guess it wasn’t totally awful when Thesan was crowned High Lord of the Dawn Court he assigned me Commander of the Dawn Court’s Armies. Well until he met his lover but I’m getting ahead myself. This is where my story begins.

The pitter patter of rain drops hitting marble was the sound I woke up to. It hardly ever rained in Dawn Court but since it was 5 days before Nynsar it was a blessing from The Mother. The sky still bore its beautiful shade of pink with the dark storm clouds slowly passing through. My peaceful slumber was of course interrupted by my twin bursting through the door. “It’s time.” He said. Unfortunately I knew exactly what he meant. The mortals were retaliating. In the blink of an eye he was gone leaving me to prepare for battle. He knew I needed time that I didn’t have. My first battle as Commander. Luckily I knew I wouldn’t be alone in that task as Night, Summer, Winter and Day court were fighting with us. It had only been 50 years since my father, High Lord of Dawn Court, was murdered. Not in a war but in an argument with his second in command, my uncle. Thesan was crowned High Lord the next day.

I threw on my fighting leathers and started arranging my weapons. 2 swords handles forged out of gold strapped to my back, 4 daggers in my belt and 1 dagger in my boot. I tied my hooded cape around my neck and ran down the stairs to the dining hall.

The meeting between Thesan, My mother who is his second in command, our lead general, and I was quick. The energy in the room was tense and anxious. We were to meet with our allies in an hour in the Middle. My mom grabbed ahold of me and the general held my brothers hand as we winnowed to the middle.

I know what you are wondering yes I can winnow one of my many powers. Being a twin to a high lord has it perks. The twin bond similar to the mating bond is strong. His powers are mine and mine are his. Well except for one of my powers blessed by the cauldron. I am daemati which has it perks except for when people don’t have their freaking walls up. Like don’t you understand I can hear your every thought.

The middle separates the seasonal and solar courts. The “middle ground” where it’s not anyone’s land just the middle. Since none besides the weaver resides here it’s pretty empty. Mostly forests some rivers and ponds but mostly empty. In the middle of the middle is the meeting house which really isn’t a house more of a castle but I guess our ancestors were trying to be humble. As the courts gathered well except for Spring and Autumn who were fighting on the fae side. As the night court appeared the chattering faded. I looked around everyone still looked like they were talking but why couldn’t I hear anything. Then our eyes met. The most handsome man I had ever seen. Night Court approached us and I could tell that he was feeling the same. I tapped on his mental walls there were beautiful covered in steel as dark as night. Littered with thousands of vines I ran my fingers along them tracing each one. I felt a shiver. I pulled back immediately snapping back into my own body and the room returning to its noisy state. My mind blank with only one question: who is he?

660 words

[crowcryptid]

gameplay wise im still unsure about ow2. I kinda felt overwhelmed by the amount of shit happening on my screen. Probably cause I’m not used to it.

I’ve only played 3 rounds of zen so far (he’s my main) and he does definitely feel better. The health regen + gtfo kick is good (not biased at all). Good for him.

Tomorrow I will try more characters. My 2 mains were sigma and zen and I don’t think they changed very much lol. But I thought playing tank back then was stressful and it seems even more stressful now being the only tank?? We’ll see.

Shop wise: are you fucking kidding me $19 for a skin that used to be “free” aka buy the game for $20 on sale and just unlock the skin

I hate that “micro” transactions are now literally the price of an indie or multiplayer game

Horrid. Awful. Bad. I never had to spend a single cent, besides the game itself and the zen league skin, to get what I wanted in ow1. I cannot believe this type of shit is common now. What even started the $19 price norm. Was it apex? that’s the first game I remember having stupid prices besides like. Csgo knives.

[docholligay]

London Fire Sale (wait that sounds wrong...oh well)

Hello and welcome my lovelies! 

As it so turns out, I actually had a realistic conversation with myself about whether or not I would be able to do my Patreon in June, and the answer is no. Also, my wife won’t be making production, so!  

THAT BEING SAID, that means I need to work out how to pay my bills while I’m gone, as apparently no one is going to give me a month off from paying them? Rude. Anyhow, this is a benefit for you! That means I need to get my shit paid and would also like to pay back having to replace my stupid phone

680--Take over my blog for a week! What the fuck does that even MEAN, Holligay? It means you have me from Monday to Saturday (I do take the Sunday, sorry) to do whatever you want all week, 4 hours (roughly--talk to me, I can tell you gamestreams are right out, but almost anything else is in) This will run May 9th - May 14th (If this doesn’t sell, I may end up dropping it into smaller blocks, so stayed tuned.)  ​

660-- Two hours of content, time uninimportant. I do a solid chunk of two hours of content, irrespective of how much actual TIME it takes me to do. Guaranteed one session a month until I finish, but I am allowed to add more as I have time ​

240--GAMESTREAM. Woof, I did not want to offer this one, I gotta say, BUT! Then :) my cell phone died :) So I reconsidered. This is two gamestream sessions, done on two Wednesday nights in May. It can be literally any game. It doesn't matter if you want me to play dishonored for two, two hour sessions, even if I hate it. I mean, Ideally you would not use this to fuck with me out of the sense of human kindness, but basically, this DOES not have the restrictions of my usual. 

230--Two days of blog content in a row: You’ve seen this one before, a great way to get through an episode of an anime all in two days, back to back days of your chosen content.  Done April 18-19. 

120-- Book club! (Or movie club, I guess) I will read/watch whatever you ask, but then also put it as a think we’re doing on the blog, with a FULL discussion stream being hosted! I can’t GUARANTEE it won’t end up just being you and me, but people are pretty fun around here. (Discussion hosting late June) 

80-- Book OR movie 2k word review and read/watch, done in April

80-- Book OR movie 2k word review and read/watch, done in May

80-- Book OR movie 2k word review and read/watch, done in June

Do you have an idea NOT on this list you’d like to see? Cooking demo? Personal stream to help you with X? Etc? I am reasonably open minded and have a number of days/nights in late June! just come talk to me. 

This is FIRST COME FIRST SERVED, as whoever shows up first in my inbox. If you want these, INBOX ME, if you’re on anon, make sure you put in your name (that you want me to call you) and email address, remembering that you need to format at it as letmein AT whateveryouuse.com since it won’t allow a straight up email address. 

[kaerran]

Now, I don’t know that much about the history of timekeeping besides a single mystery I read set in 660s Ireland and a quick browsing of wiki, but the thing that fascinates me more is not the lack of clockwork, but the way everyone apparently has little interest in timekeeping in general.

Pre-clockwork we didn’t have no timekeeping. There’s a whole lotta societies that did a lot of astronomical work in history (Babylon, Mesoamerica, lots of the megalithic architecture in Britain, wiki tells me the Aboriginal Australians also did a lot), but, technically, calendars are not the same as keeping track of the hours in a day. But my mystery book made a Big Deal of all the alternate ways of timekeeping.

You’ve got sundials. Everyone knows sundials. You’ve got candles, which you can produce in ways to get a fairly accurate sense of timekeeping, and wiki tells me was a regular thing in China and Japan but it’s kind of wasteful for smallfolk to do that unless you have a really specific reason. And then there are water clocks.

Wiki tells me the oldest surviving water clock is from an Ancient Egyptian tomb, and Babylon, India, Persia, and China all have records of using water clocks for various things. The Ancient Greeks figured out how to make sure your clock wasn’t being affected by the volume left in the container. Plato designed a water alarm clock. China had water clocks powering a chain drive in 1088. And Sharlayan really does love water themes. So why aren’t there water clocks visible? Does no one care particularly about accurate timekeeping?

I’m not sure honestly! My first thought was actually that one of the reasons we cared was because of inheriting a tradition from things like specific prayer times throughout the day that ensured that people had to track time. My knowledge of this sort of thing starts and ends with the Christian "canonical hours”, which is mostly monastic in nature, so my takeaway ended up being that worshipping the Twelve is different than my expectations, and also that Doma is still struggling with anti-colonization if Mauto is still thinking in terms of scheduling in half-bell increments when they don’t measure in bells anymore.

i can't stop thinking about these lines (the first is from ARR, the second is from the Doman Reconstruction) indicating that the world outside Garlemald doesn't have clocks.

obviously we have clocks as housing items. but i think it's easier for me to justify housing items being non-canon than to think that clocks are mass-produced household items, yet we meet multiple people who aren't even familiar with the concept??? the game also uses the phrase "around the clock" at least once, but i think that's just as likely an oversight as anything meaningful, whereas the above lines are unmistakably intentional.

so like... i researched the history of clocks for this. the Prague Astronomical Clock was installed in 1410. the minute hand was invented in 1577 specifically to aid in stargazing, which is something you'd think at least the Shalayans would have thought of, and presumably brought to Eorzea with the colony??? especially since we know they have a complex history of telescopes, the first of which in real life was invented in 1608.

then again, Sharlayan simultaneously barely has a grasp on heliocentrism and has built a spaceship, so maybe that disparity is a feature and not a bug.

after all, knowledge across the Source being lost and scattered over the passing of ages due to the Calamities is a recurring theme...

i guess it's also possible the Sharlayans have clocks and they haven't made it to Eorzea or the Far East. but if so, it's a damn shame they don't have a giant astronomical clock in the middle of the Old Sharlayan.

[easilyconflicted]

We Might Still Get Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Wind Waker for the Switch

 ***Disclaimer: I am not a trademark lawyer. I am only a regular person trying to make sense of the numbers. I am not making a formal stance as I may be reading the information wrong.***

***Warning: This is going to be very long with lots of pictures.***

A lot of people are bummed about there not being a Zelda All-Stars for the 35th anniversary. Some are even thinking that Skyward Sword HD is all we’ll get since it is already so close to the anniversary. But I’m here to say that we could probably still get it, or at least Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Wind Waker separately. Here’s why I think that and it’s the same reason why I knew Skyward Sword was coming: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). You can also find the same information on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) database.

What’s so important about trademarks? I don’t know, but I know they are important enough that the government is involved with regulating it. All I know it essentially means you have ownership over that mark. Remember when the Fine Bros tried to trademark “React”? (link) The USPTO and WIPO database are public to search for any trademarks in any category.

A few months ago when people were starting to guess what Nintendo was going to come out with for the Zelda 35th anniversary, I happened to remember that you can use the USPTO database to figure out if a new product was coming out. I decided to look some things up. The first thing I searched was Skyward Sword. **Tumblr ruined the quality of the images, but if you click on it, the quality should be better.

Edit: Clicking on the image will NOT work if you are on desktop and directly on my blog because Tumblr sucks. You can right click and hit view image, but that will take you from the page. You can also zoom in with your browser controls if you don’t want to go back and forth between my page. Both options may still be hard to read, so right clicking, view image, then zoom may be be the best option.

A trademark for Skyward Sword? With the priority date (apparently when Nintendo filed in a different country), filing date (apparently when Nintendo filed application in the U.S.), and registration date (apparently when USPTO allowed it) all being in 2020? And in the “recorded electronic game programs; downloadable electronic game programs; recorded video game programs; downloadable video game programs; video game cartridges; and much more categories” categories and more? Why would a divisive game that is a decade old get a trademark in 2020? So that’s how I knew the game was coming to the Switch.

So what about the other games?

Ocarina of Time?

Also a 2020 trademark under the same category that Skyward Sword was in. Should note that the priority and filing dates are in 2020, but the registration date is in 2021.

Majora’s Mask?

Same as Oot and SS, but we have some differences. Priority and filing dates are in 2020, but there is no registration date. It does have published for opposition listed for 2021.

Wind Waker?

Same position as MM. Priority and filing dates are in 2020, but there is no registration date. It does have published for opposition listed in 2021.

Twilight Princess? *Spoiler: It doesn’t seem promising.

Yeah the years on this are 2007/2008. It does have a renewal date in 2018, but it is listed under the category of compact discs and other distinct categories. The other ones are under downloaded games or video cartridges categories. There seems to be no overlap.

Off topic, but when I search twilight princess, only two things pop up: TP’s trademark and that huge monstrosity of a filing. Like look at how many words they tried to trademark?! And it’s from one person! Edit: Turns out it is around 660 words! Apparently she went to court about it, too, if you are curious. (link) Back on topic.

I should note that I could not find a separate listing for Zelda All-Stars, but I also can’t find a separate listing for Mario All-Stars. Only Sunshine has a 2020 trademark listing; 64 has a 1996/2000 trademark with a 2020 renewal and Galaxy has a 2006/2007 one with a 2017 renewal. Again, I may be reading a lot of things wrong here. All that’s on the USPTO database; I’m getting more info on the WIPO. 

On WIPO, I did not find listings for Mario or Zelda All-Stars. 64′s active trademarks are from the late 90′s. Sunshine has 2020 trademarks. Galaxy has some active 2018 trademarks but not in the US. So It seems like there is some differing info. Let’s see about the Zelda games.

Skyward Sword has 2020 trademarks with some pending in Canada (CA), New Zealand (NZ), etc and some active in Australia (AU), Japan (JP), United States (US), etc. All filed under video game categories similar to the ones listed with USPTO and Skyward Sword’s trademark. Not surprised it is active in the US because if we compare it to the USPTO, SS has a registration date (when USPTO allowed Nintendo’s trademark).

Ocarina of Time has 2020 trademarks with some pending in CA, NZ, etc and some active in AU, US, JP, etc. All under video game categories. Not surprised it is active in the US since in the USPTO, it has a registration date.

Majora’s Mask has 2020 trademarks with some pending in CA, NZ, US, etc and some active in JP and AU. All under video game categories. It is pending on WIPO in the US and it also does not have a registration date in the USPTO database.

Wind Waker has 2020 trademarks with some pending in CA, US, NZ, etc and active in JP and AU. All under video game categories. Again, pending in the US and no registration date for the UPSTO.

Twilght Princess has 2006-2008 trademarks with them being active in JP, US, KR (Republic of Korea). All under video game categories.

What does this all mean? We already know that Skyward Sword is coming. So maybe Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Wind Waker will be coming soon but I don’t know when. I think pending/registration dates may be a factor as to the timeline, especially in countries with a big gaming demographic. But again, there are still decent size countries with pending status for Skyward Sword, so there may be more to it. I don’t think Twilight Princess will be coming soon considering all the evidence and especially since it was already got ported in 2016 onto the Wii U, but maybe one day TP fans. I have been sitting on the USPTO info for a while and wanted to let somebody know, and now seems like the time.

Again, I am not versed on trademark terminology. Any extra information that isn’t directly from the databases came from a quick google search and my skimmed over analysis of it.

Edit: Ignore the next paragraph. I was an angry gremlin by time I finished this and was venting.

If there are any errors and I was not clear, I have been working on this for five hours. I also realized that WIPO was a thing while making this, so I had to go and research it. Tumblr glitched and ruined half my progress. It is also 5am where I am. I am tired.

But I hope you all learned some new information from this post. Also here are the links for the databases if you want to do your own research.

USPTO (click search our trademark database, I used basic word mark search) : https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search

WIPO (Just type in the box by text but make sure to delete the search below goods/services if moving on to another search)  : https://www3.wipo.int/branddb/en/

[buggy-d-hoe]

Tagged by: @margothedestroyerr :) Thank you my love <3 <3 <3

Tagging: @booty-boggins, @ocfairygodmother, @lostiintheocean, @mystic-scripture, and whoever wants to do this. Not sure who hasn’t been tagged yet!

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs that you would love to get to know better.

Name/Nickname: Ooooo, my real name is a secret, but the nicknames I go by are Grace, Gracy, G, Pip (<3 <3 <3), and I’m sure there are others. IRL, that’s another story hahaha.

Gender: Cis female 

Star sign: Leo...and that’s all I know -3-

Height: 5'5″ish....maybe somewhat close to 5′6″?

Time: 10:50 pm

Birthday: July 26

Favorite Bands: BTS (YESSSS), Blackpink, Twice, EXO, TXT, Blink 182, and others. Honestly, I listen to a lot hahaha.

Favorite Solo artists: Agust D and some others who fail to come to mind at the moment hahaha

Song stuck in my head: Honestly, it’s anything BTS because I have that playlist on repeat. 

Last movie: Batman Begins....for research purposes.....;)

Last Show: Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma...and a word of caution...definitely watch with headphones O.O

When did I create this blog: November 2012 for @itsjustgracy and September 2018 for this blog. 

What do I post: On my main, I reblog multifandom content and works of fellow creators that I’m tagged in. This account is strictly for my characters and my fan-fiction purposes.  

Last thing I googled: "Jonathan Crane Batman Begins”...again...for research purposes ;) and to drool over Cillian Murphy <3

Other blogs: @itsjustgracy is my main and this is my OC blog :)

Do I get asks: Only when I reblog ask games. Very seldom do I get asks outside of that. Annoying haters on the other hand, ughhhhh I wish they took a break and find something else productive. 

Why I chose my url: @itsjustgracy is something I hear a lot IRL (Oh...it’s just *insert real name*/ Gracy) and this blog’s name is from when I was younger and I used to watch this show called Atomic Betty and it sounded cool...which is also a slang word for atomic. So in short: it’s like Cool Gracy (lame...I know hahaha)

Following: 660

Followers: 140 on main and 207 on here

Average hours of sleep: Hahahah...it highly depends. If I get too much, I get cranky and if I get less, the more energetic I am? It's between 30 mins to 4/5 hours? Horrible, I know...

Lucky number: 13 <3

Instruments: I played guitar for a little bit but I don’t remember so much anymore (it was a high school phase). I am a mediocre clarinet player who was first chair during my years playing (only like that word because of Spongebob hahaha, so I guess you can say I was pretty good). I played piano since I was six and still dabble in it (played both genres of classical and other things like video games, anime, pop culture, etc). Does it count if I sing in the choir? I’m an alto voice who can switch to soprano if the number is lacking for the service. Currently perfecting the organ because I am practicing in church :) If you’re lucky, you can hear a wild Gracy humming or just singing to herself. Looking to pick up another instrument and the violin is kinda tempting!

What am I wearing: Black leggings, BT21 Cooky Striped Crew Socks, Sailor Moon black long sleeve, and Pink Sailor Moon hoodie from a friend’s shop (please check out https://www.instagram.com/special.move/ if you like anime hoodies! They have MHA, Sailor Moon, Demon Slayer and they are about to launch their Jujutsu Kaisen collection) 

Dream job: Traveling RN because I want to get out of my area and explore the world. Maybe be an author on the side :)

Dream trip: Visit the #chaoshouse members and just hangout. Other than that, Europe, Japan, South Korea, etc. 

Favorite food: Don’t make me choose! TT_TT My brother and boyfriend already have problems with me being picky and incredibly indecisive when it comes to “What are we eating?”

Nationality: An American that is looking for any way out

Favorite song: All K-Pop songs are stuck on repeat and favorites do change depending on what comes up on shuffle. BUTTTTT...the one song that hits home with me is Epiphany and it’s sung by Jin from BTS as his solo. Not because he is one of my bias, but if you listen and understand the lyrics (yay for English translations) you’ll see why :) 

Last book read: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. I am throwing up all warnings because the content material, or practically the entire book, is very triggering!!! This is an extremely dark book and even I had to put it down several times because it was definitely difficult to finish. It was hauntingly good read, but the subject material is what really made it difficult. My heart goes out to the author. 

Top three fictional universes I’d like to live in: Harry Potter, not only to chase after Draco, but to live out my childhood. I DO NOT support the author and I would love to make that clear. The Wizarding World is something that has always appealed to me growing up and I used to wish about attending Hogwarts. I am still awaiting my acceptance letter!!!! Maybe anything in the manga/anime field because have you seen the creativity and how awesome the worlds are?!? (Being a hero in MHA, surviving in AoT, raising a Psyduck in Pokemon, etc.). Last would probably be...crud...this is hard...but maybe Star Wars because, apparently, Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac, and Diego Luna are enough to convince me that men like that exist <3. In all seriousness, that series  is legit...umph.....so imaginative. Because I said so, maybe LotR because I wanna run around with @mystic-scripture and fulfill our Hobbit dreams....and marry Eomer...because Karl Urban. Also Star Trek....because Karl Urban....and Chris Pine....and cause I love it too. Goodness, I am just blowing this question out of proportion with my thirstiness hahaha.

[fmdjaewonarchive]

► agree.

date(s): july 2020 - february 2021 mentions of: champion members, unity members (samsoo, yul & sunghee mentioned by name but like... blink and you’ll miss it)  word count: +/- 2.3k words (870w lyrics/660 words composition/740 words production) warnings: mentions of anxiety, panic attacks and car accidents details: full lyrics and full composition verification for agree, 3/3 verifications for jaewon’s upcoming album escapism. jaewon doesn’t only know how to write sad boi music, he also writes angry boi music, the only two emotions he’s ever experienced rlly. (a/n: i lost my braincells within the first 100 words and still haven’t retrieved them, read at your own discretion)

the song is born out of frustration, anger blocking up his throat to the point it feels hard to breathe.

it’s the kick-off point of champion’s world tour, a concept that has jaewon disgruntled enough as it is, snatching him away from unity and dropping him in the states like he is supposed to care about this group, like he doesn’t have better things to worry about.

but alas that’s beside his point, as much as he detests the idea behind champion, it’s not his main source of frustration.

traveling out to the states, that part is hell. now jaewon has never been a huge fan of traveling, suffering from a crippling fear of flying ever since predebut that somehow has not gotten any less severe with the sheer amount of flying all over the place unity has been doing. jaewon also absolutely hates airports, they’re too crowded, too hectic and far too stressful to not immediately put him in a godawful mood.

the cameras shoved right into his face both prior to departure and directly after arrival definitely didn't help.

comparatively, champion’s trip to the states this time hadn’t been that bad. jaewon just happens to be in an extra foul mood today but rationally, he has to admit that he’s seen far worse throughout the years.

but maybe that’s exactly the problem, how common these things have become, that getting pushed and pulled at while trying to get on flight was considered to be mild.

jaewon’s frustration isn’t solely aimed at an isolated instance, it’s at the ridiculous standard that’s been set for idols, the things they have to accept like they are normal.

normally he would call soo to complain about whatever was bothering him but with the time difference, jaewon knew his boyfriend was ought to be asleep at this hour and he definitely wasn’t waking him up for something this minor.

he even humors the thought of perhaps finding sunghee or yul to complain to but with most of champion out for the night doing whatever (admittedly, jaewon didn’t listen when they were making plans, he wasn’t gonna tag along anyway) that isn’t really in the cards either. perhaps that’s for the best, jaewon isn’t the biggest fan of actually talking to the younger unity members about what was on his mind.

either way, jaewon is stuck in a hotelroom by himself, no one around to really vent his frustration too so instead, he might just as well write it all down.

and that’s exactly what he does, settling down at the desk in his hotelroom, scribbling on a notepad randomly found laying around.

on the plane the person in the seat next to me that’s not my fan apparently buying info off the airplane company

it’s not entirely relevant to what happened at the airport earlier but jaewon feels angry all over just thinking about it. unity has had it’s fair share of experiences with saesangs, seemingly only increasing the more popular they keep getting. sure, that makes sense but it doesn’t mean it’s okay, contrary to what dimensions seem to believe with how easily the company brushes it off under the pretense of it just being another part of the job.

at the airplane lounge there’s a war between the 200 mm guns privacy, panic disorder, they barter with one another...

in the first place, jaewon’s main concern is unity, it always is. he’s willing to put up with a lot if it means the younger members are left off the hook. but he has to admit, since the panic attacks have started to become more prevalent, it’s a lot harder to take that stance. it’s hard to take care of others when he fails to take care of himself.

jaewon tries not to think about what that means for his position as a leader.

from early morning put on a mask and fight on in short, call it being a puppet...

jaewon knows he’s not an ideal idol, he’s never been and he never will be. maybe in retrospect, he would have done things differently but there is no use in considering those what-ifs now. there is, however, no denying that all of it is just a bigger struggle with him, it will never go as easily as with people who were made to stand in front of the camera’s. why shouldn’t he get to be open and honest about that? he’s not the perfect idol they want him to be, he will never fit that mold.

i know, that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right that’s right i know that’s right that’s right that’s right

written out, the chorus feels a bit silly, but jaewon feels justified in his creative choices. not that the song is ever going to be used for anything, it’s just an attest to his frustration. jaewon knows he’s ought to sit down and silently accept whatever is expected of him.

it’s been years since he’s been his own person. these days, he’s dimensions’ property first and that of the general public second, there is no use in fighting that, no space for his voice.

so sure, whatever, he agrees, what else can he do?

---------------

jaewon forgets about the lyrics he’s written down after that.

in the moment there had been no intention to turn them into a full-fledged song, a haphazard combination of lyrics that in their raw form, probably held very little meaning, too much filler between the few parts that he did properly think through.

so jaewon forgets all about it before he even sets foot back in korea again. unity is busy enough, the release of neo zone lurking around the corner and with multiple schedules of his own, jaewon can’t even think about the song if he wants to.

it only comes drifting back into his consciousness at least a month of two having passed since champion’s american tour dates.

the day in itself isn’t anything special, if there is anything remarkable about it it’s the fact jaewon isn’t working for once. he’s just hanging around his and samsoo’s apartment, scrolling through whatever app on his phone keeps his attention for long enough.

until an article pops up.

it’s a news post about a rookie group he’s never heard of from a company he doesn’t know the name of, it has nothing to do with him, but he finds himself reading through it anyway. apparently, they got into an accident on their way home from schedules as they were being followed by saesangs. no one got injured and truly, it’s not the first time jaewon has read news like this but it does fill him with the same sense of anger as what he had experienced that first day in the states with champion.

because this type of news shouldn’t be common, for how long are people gonna pretend it is?

maybe he should finish that damn song.

wait does he even still have the lyrics?

jaewon vaguely remembers at the very least putting the sheet of paper in his backpack after the concert as he had been packing up to move to the next city of their tour but after that, he can’t say he recalls having seen it lay around.

he’s really ought to get more orderly with his drafts.

luckily for him, jaewon does find the sheet of paper, not in his bag but shoved in between the pages of a notebook and with the draft of his lyrics obtained he makes a beeline for his home studio. normally he’d do this stuff at the company headquarters but truly, that sounds like far too much work in the moment.

obviously, the song is meant to have an angry undertone to it, supposed to convey the same anger and frustration that swallowed jaewon whole as he had written the lyrics.

the deep, resonating boom of low brass sounds for the opening of the song are a no brainer, the sound gives a bombastic, ominous vibe, immediately setting the song off on the right note. it’s supposed to sound grande and honestly a little bit intimidating, a dark feeling creeping around the corners.

of course, the sound is far too theatrical to be underlaying to the entire song so jaewon alternates it with a deep, booming bassline, the brass only reappearing right before the chorus other than in the opening section as if to give off a warning. to fill up the verses and the parts in between, jaewon adds rumbling, deep drums in the background, making them feel less empty.

what really makes the song however is the rapidly-cycling electronic stuttering a rhythmic pattern across almost all parts of the song. it feels a little distracting at first before jaewon decides that really, that’s exactly what he’s going for. the melody feels just a little too fast, uncomfortably so and in a song reflecting so much stress and strain, that only feels fair, reflectives of the way his chest tightens up when he can’t breathe, when his hands tremble and his heart beats so fast it might as well make him sick.

jaewon thinks it conveys his frustrations pretty damn well.

---------------

it doesn’t seem in the books for the song to ever be released until the process of selecting songs for escapism comes along. while jaewon regains some of his creative freedom, most of it had been under dimensions terms, leaving it up to them to shape the album in a way they prefer over his creative vision.

until somewhere near the end of completing the track list, the head producer asks jaewon if he has any songs laying around that could fit in with the rest of the album.

‘agree’ is the first thing to come to mind.

the head producer seems to like the songs, enough to approve it at least and jaewon can’t help but feel a flare of pride. the producer seems intent on leaving the creative process in his hands, letting him handle the production.

it makes ‘agree’ the first song ever that’s entirely his own that he gets to release, it feels like a milestone to jaewon.

he does get a little list of suggestions, mainly pertaining to the lyrics. the producer leaves a few remarks here and there about where lines could be stronger, what he would do differently but all of it are very loose recommendations, jaewon isn’t actually under an obligation to do anything with them.

in the end, he does anyway, shuffles some lyrics around, dares to be a bit more assertive in his wording, right onto the border of what he would consider too gloat-y for himself. but the producer is right, it gets to pack a punch, it gets to be a little bit self-important. somehow having the external confirmation makes it easier to write those lyrics without feeling like a fraud. it’s still his, his writing, his song.

with the last tweaks done they’re quick to get to recording. they’re still on a time crunch as jaewon’s manager reminds him (jaewon likes the man well enough but dear lord would he never let him forget). it's one of the last songs on the album to be recorded after all and at this point, they are cutting it close.

with everything else he needs done, all jaewon has left to do is fine tune the song, the last tweaks and sounds to be added like missing puzzle pieces now he has the bigger picture pretty much laid out in front of him, polishing and detailing it to elevate the song worth of something to be released on an album.

the instrumental is already pretty hectic, fully intentional of course, but with a proper, clear recording it’s easier to spot the empty gaps, spaces to add the last finishing touches. he adds more brass, less grande and dramatic than the ones in the pre-chorus, curling around the edges of the chorus to round them up neatly and as if to scale down again for the verses, still fast paced but somewhat a breath of fresh air between one chorus and the other.

he delays the part at the opening before the brass and bass kick in, a silence before the storm feels even if the hyperactive stuttering beat is already there, he considers taking that out at first too but the point kind of is that it is more or less omnipresent, it’s always there even when there is nothing else much, like the anxiety that feels permanently stuck to his head.

there is also the addition of an extra melodic line, lingering behind that main, slightly headache inducing electronic synth. it doesn’t really stand out, especially not compared to it’s main competitor but it does remain prevalent in the few parts the main instrumental motif is nowhere to be found, giving it small moments to shine. it serves a clear function, or to jaewon listening ear at least (maybe he’s overanalyzing at this point). the little bounces of the electronic beat all over the place keep up the pace of the song, making sure its explosive nature prevails over the dark dreary undertones of the bassline and brass sections, giving it an overall dynamic feel.

it takes some fiddling, jaewon pulls something close to an all-nighter to finish up the song with the sheer amount of detail he ends up focussing on but by the time he sends it in, he has a good feeling about it at least.

when he presents the final product to the head producer, there are no more suggestions. it’s good, and it’s all his own work.

[unofficialkfamtranscripts]

King Falls AM - Episode Thirteen: Crop Circle Jerk

View on Google Docs Summary: November 1, 2015 - An emergency at Libbydale Farms has Deputy Troy and King Falls AM on high alert. Mysterious lights? Check. Crop Circles? Check. Intergalactic Gang War? Stay tuned to 660 on the AM Dial to find out.

[podcast intro music]

[S&B show intro]

Ben Good evening! You’re listening to King Falls AM – that’s 660 on the radio dial.

Sammy Folks, we are jumping right into it tonight. We got Deputy Troy on the line, live from Libbydale Farms. Hey, Troy, can you hear us alright?

Troy Loud and clear, Sammy. Heard you real fine, too, Ben.

Ben [muttered] Suck an egg.

Sammy Okay. So, Troy. Tell the listeners what you just told us right before we went on air.

Troy Ladies and gents, in all my years— and I mean all of ‘em— I ain’t never seen anything like this! Not even comparatively close to what I’m lookin’ at right this instant. [faint sounds of police radio in bg]

Ben POINT. GET TO IT.

Troy Gosh darnit, Ben. I’m trying to sell the magnitude of what I’m feastin’ my eyes on!

Ben Who even knew you could see Libbydale Farms from so far out in the Kiss Ass Sea aboard the SS Backstabber.

Troy You know G-D well I’m not on a ship nor would it be called the SS Backstabber if I were. Don’t be so damn sore, Ben! Everybody knows I’m sorry! Plus- [kinda shyly] I reckon my ship be called the- USS Super Badass.

Sammy *pointedly clears throat* Troy. Ben. Let’s put our differences aside and let’s get to the matter at hand. So, Troy, you’re live at—?

Ben & Troy Libbydale Farms…

Troy & Ben I’m trying to talk!

Sammy GUYS!

Troy A-a-as I was sayin. I’m out here at the farm and out past the barns just hours ago, Old Man Libbydale called us in, and acres upon acres, boys, have been De.Stroyed out here.

Ben [accusingly] Where were yoouu, earlier this evening, Troy?

Troy Using my keen detective skills and ninja-like mental agility, I can see you’re trying to place me at the scene of the crime, little buddy. However Ol’ Troy was sawin’ logs next to the Mrs. before. my. shift.

Ben While crimes are being committed? *scoffs* Typical.

Troy Now that’s a low blow just be—

[shouting over each other] Ben NO! NO! Troy —low my pistol belt— Ben YOUU— N— TROOYY!— Troy — Ben come on— Ben — T— OHH Troy — this ain’t about the farm— Ben [mocking] OHH YEAHHH- OHHH YOU’RE SOOO— Troy — and you know— Ben —GOOD AT FIGHTING—

Sammy GUYS! GUYS! [“break it up kids”/dad-voice] I understand there’s renewed intensity between you two, but Ben, as co-host of this show and a respected journalist— put it away. Troy, you’re the first friend of the Sammy & Ben Show and a deputy sheriff. You guys don’t have to be best buddies, but let’s please report- on the news story- at hand.

Troy Couldn’t have said it better myself, Sammy.

Ben [hissed] Jesus.

Sammy So, Troy. Old Man Libbydale called you out— Acres of his lands destroyed. How so?

Troy Y’all ain’t gonna believe it, but you know I always shoot you straight… Two words: Crop. Circles.

Sammy [incredulous] Crop circles?

Troy It’s like a live action Led Zeppelin album cover as far as the eye can see! Big ones, little ones. The craziest damn designs you ever could imagine.

Ben Troy, I assume you and the rest of Gunderson’s thugs— I-mean-”deputies”— inspected the circles, and the surrounding areas, for man-made tools? There have been stories that men with boards tied to ropes can replicate what people believe crop circles to look like. Bending the crops at the right angles, etcetera… did you find—

Troy Didn’t find anything, Ben. Not a board… not a footprint… nothin’ but hunched over crops.

Ben So you think—?

Troy Oh, there isn’t a doubt in my mind it’s from the UFOs or those lights. I mean, whichever you wanna call it. No man made these! And in just a few hours to boot!

Sammy Okay. So, has this ever happened here before, Ben?

Ben No! Nor abductions! Not even lights being so close to town. The past few months- have been a hotbed for extraterrestrial activity— it would seem.

Sammy “It would seem”? So you aren’t certain?

Ben *scoff/laugh* I only said “it would seem” so you wouldn’t get all defensive about it.

Sammy Okay, alright. Well, as much as I hate to say it, I definitely feel there’s a lot more than meets the eye here in Kings Falls.

Ben I’m not one to say “I told you so”… But I DID tell you so!

Troy Just so everybody out there knows: Libbydale Farms is private property. So, unless you’re doing the dairy farm tour in mornin’, this is not an attraction for looky-loos. There is an official investigation still ongoin’ here. Plus, don’t nobody need another person gettin’ snatched up by the Martians either.

Ben *smug snort* Martians are from Mars, Troy. They aren’t representative of all extraterrestrials?.

Troy [defensive] Whatever— Ben Nye the Science Guy. I’m headin’ out to the field again. I might not be smart as Ben about the aliens and such, but I can definitely sniff out a spot where the Williams boys will come lookin’ for Mischief and Mayhem. [click]

[dial tone]

Sammy Deputy Troy, folks. Now, I didn’t realize you and Troy were still so angry at one another, Ben. You can’t let that hostility clou—

Ben THANKS, DAD! — We’re just gonna take a break to hear from one of our fine sponsors. Maybe Sammy here can talk to me about the birds and the bees after we get back.

Sammy [quietly] Maybe…

[disquieting, melancholic piano music]

Soft, disquieting voice What if what you thought wasn’t really what you thought you thought? … Ever think of that? … Here at the Institute of Science, we can help you become what you’ve always wanted to become… A better you, for a better mankind! Call us today for a free brochure and a C-meter reading. That’s “C” as in “cat.” … We’re coming King Falls… Be well! … And be ready.

[piano fades out]

[S&B theme]

Sammy You’re listening to King Falls AM and we are opening up the phone lines to you. 424-279-3858.

Ben We’ll be talking about the apparent crop circle- situation at Libbydale Farms. As well as if any of you out there have had any experience with this phenomenon.

Sammy So give us a call or tweet us @kingfallsam. So, you’ve heard our story, now let’s hear yours.

Ben Line 3.

Sammy Good evening, you’re live with Sammy and Ben.

Cynthia Good evening? For who? Certainly not King Falls!

Sammy Hi, Cynthia. How ‘bout you tell us how you really feel tonight.

Cynthia Weellll, to be honessst, I’m a little rattled over these gang signs the aliens are leaving on our turf. Literally.

Ben Cynthia— there is no way to tell if those circles are- angry orrr happy! even. They’re *huff/laugh* just symbols.

Cynthia So’s a swastika, Ben Arnold. Get your head out of your tuchus!

Sammy Okay, obviously, we aren’t trying to raise alarms here, Cynthia. It’s just, uh— it’s an interesting story. Especially here in our backyard. Would you not agree? Uh, you know, it’s not every day you can see this kind of handiwork – man-made or otherwise.

Cynthia You two sound sooo happy. We’re getting tagged in an intergalactic war and all of us in the Falls are sitting around at ground zero.

Ben I- don’t think that’s fair t—

Cynthia That’s the problem! You just. don’t. think! It’s all Tim Jenson’s fault, I just know it. We didn’t have any flying saucer, land-tattooing bedlam before he chased those lights.

Ben He didn’t “chase” anything! He was driving from work and called to report on a breaking news story.

Cynthia Watch your tone, Ben. I’ll buy one of those rabid, disease-ridden sugar flyers and toss it in Lake Hatchenhaw. just to spite you!

Sammy Goodnight, Cynthia.

Ben Sugar glider. And- they are. illegal.

Cynthia So are illegal aliens, but you’re just getting ready to throw ‘em a parade! I can’t! I just can’t! [click]

[dial tone]

Sammy Heh, alright, uh… Line 12, you’re live on King Falls AM.

Emily Hi, Sammy! Hi, Ben!

Ben Emily! I–I didn’t realize you were back in town!

Emily I just got back. I was listening on the way in! My mom and I actually drove by the farm and saw all the commotion over there. Police; reporters— big lawn-mower thingies…

Ben Lawn mowers?

Sammy Uh, y’ know, if you don’t mind me asking, Emily, why were you out of town?

Emily Oh, I flew out to Buford, Wyoming,[1] for the annual small town librarian expo! And I had my mom pick me up from the airport since— Ben was on the air.

Sammy Wow. So you guys are in the taking and picking up from the airport stage of yourrr—

Ben Friendship. Is that the- word- you’re- searching for, Sammy?

Sammy [kinda smug] Thaaat was exactly the one, Ben.

Emily *soft laugh* You guys are so silly. But I just wanted to say “hi” and tell Ben I’m back home now!— Oh! And starting next week, I’ve got a whole bunch of fun activities I learned from the expo to start doing at the library! Hopefully we can get some of the scared kids back now.

Ben I’ll call you later, Emily.

Emily Goodnight, Ben! Night, Sammy!

[click, dial tone]

Sammy Emily Potter, ladies and gents. King Falls Librarian and Ben’s… Friend.

Ben [shyly] Yeah-yeah… Lucky Line 1, you’re on King Falls AM.

Greg Hey, guys! It’s Greg Frickard!

Sammy Hi, Greg! You know, we appreciate you running the ads on the show, sir. It’s so nice to meet youuu… uh, over the phone, of course.

Greg Thanks, Sammy! I— think— we’ve- talked before, and uh, glad to run the spot! Me and Granny Frickard love the show! You should hop on down to the Froggery and we’ll hook ya up!

Sammy I might have to take you up on that offer, Greg!

Greg We’d love to have you! You too, Ben…

Ben Greg, you’re a lifelong King Falls resident… w-we’ve been talking about the crop circles out at –

Greg Oh I know. I’ve been listening, but— I was actually calling about- sssomething else— if that’s okay.

Sammy Uh, yyyeah. Sure thing, Greg. What’s on your mind?

Greg Well, I heard Ben and Miss Potter a second ago and they made a— declaration of friendship? Is that correct?

Sammy Oh! U-uh. Is- this about Emily?

Ben [suspicious] Did you- call before, when Emily was in the studio, Greg?

Greg Uh, noo… *nervous laugh* that must have beeeen… somebody else. But is that true, Ben? Are you and Miss Potter just friends?

Ben [terse] Good friends. *tsk* Close. Friends… Real close.

Greg Huhhh! … Well th- okay! That’s all I needed to know! Thanks a million, buddy.

Sammy Hey— Greg. You didn’t have a comment orr—

Greg Oh, no, no! I j— *chuckles* I don’t know the first thing about crop circles and— what-have-you. Uhh, it’s real interesting and all! but- Miss Potter’s lovely voice just… [sighing dreamily] speaks to me. I always just assumed that Ben and Emily were… “bf” and “gf” respectively, *laughs* but… if that’s not the case, thennn…

Sammy Ben? You okay?

Ben I don’t like putting our— personal lives out there in the public eye…

Greg Well, gee, Ben, I’m— only asking because ifff you’re into friendship with the lovely Miss Potter, and— I’m afraid, uhhh, I might just have to be into courtship. *chuckle* Granny wants to see me married before going into the great By-and-By—

Ben Bye-bye to you too! Greg. Looks like we lost line—

Greg I’m still here, pals! Now about that thing—

Ben [click, dial tone] Line 7, you’re on King Falls AM?

Sammy Did you just hang up onnn—

Ben I would never. LINE 7.

Herschel I’d like to place a complaint, rrright this instant.

Sammy Herschel?

Ben Is everything okay, Mr. Baumgartner?

Herschel Would I call into you nincompoops if everything was hunky-dory?

Ben I guess not… No.

Sammy So, what seems to be the issue, Herschel?

Herschel All this yackin’ about G-D UFOs and crop circles, for starters. Makes my damn d[bleep]k itch.

Sammy Sir! This is—

Herschel Did you call me to tell me what to think, comrade? Or did I call you to talk about an issue?

Sammy Please continue, Mr. Baumgartner…

Herschel Thank you. So, I’m out on the lake tonight— got up brright and early, so I could make sure I got my special spot.

Ben “Got up early”? It’s— just now a little past 2…

Herschel You the sleep police?! Ya little bastard… I thought not.

Ben Sorry, Herschel.

Herschel So I’m trollin, out on the… well. That parts Top Secret, boys. But I’m trollin, so I don’t scare the bigguns away, and those g[bleep]ddamn sons of b[bleep]chin’ rainbow lights start blowin’ through the sky. Looked like Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat[2] was fightin’ that big Jap lizard!

Sammy Godzilla? Please don’t use derogatory wor—

Herschel McCarthy[3] would’a skinned your ass alive, you Red[4] sack ‘a sh[bleep]t! Can I tell my story?!

Sammy Of course, I’m just asking you not to—

Ben [quickly] I’m on the button. Sammy. Heh. Herschel’s gonna Herschel!

Sammy Okay. So, you saw the lights tonight…

Herschel Saw ‘em? Hell. They scared the literal piss out of me. Got a trickle down my Carhartts[5] look like the state of Florida. I’m out here naked as a jaybird! Not a fish in sight.

Ben I’m sorry, did you just reference a musical, Mr. Baumgartner?

Herschel Oh, just ‘cause I like some colorful metaphors, means I can’t be refined, Ben?!

Ben I wasn’t— I didn’t– im-imply— I’m-I’m just saying—

Herschel [softly, for Herschel] Ol’ Mrs. Baumgartner, (god rest your sexy soul, Edna), used to love those hippy-dippy singing plays. And I’d do anything to keep in those pants, fellas.

Sammy Oh, god.

Ben Awww. [pleading] Can we get back to the lights?

Herschel That Edna. Oh, lemme tell ya… Oh! Uh, yeah– the damn lights! Yeah, so, I saw ‘em. What the hell else am I supposed to tell ya about it?!

Sammy Well, you were calling to complain about them, I’m sure.

Herschel That’s right! I’d like to report that no-good drunkard! Cecil Sheffield! Called that cumbersome ass-wart damn near 15 times to come bring me a pair of skivvies to no avail! Avoiding my calls and his duties as the co-winner of this damn boat!

Ben It’s— so late, Mr. Baumgartner. I’m-I’m sure he’s sleeping now.

Herschel You would take up with him!

Sammy W-well, Ben’s just sayin’ that he isn’t avoiding you so much as he’s, you know— probably asleep.

Herschel Sleeping one off! Soggy son of a b[bleep]h. He knows if I ring the special line, it’s a damn emergency.

Ben So, you guys have made up?

Herschel Made up my ass! If he’s gonna be “co”-anything with Herschel F. Baumgartner, that tally-whacker’s gonna have to keep up his end of the bargain.

Sammy To be at your beck and call in case you… soil yourself…

Herschel Don’t be crass!

Ben So, you guys are actually sharing the boat? That’s awesome! I figured you only—

Herschel I ain’t sharin a damn thing with that son of a b[bleep]h! Stop stirrin’ the pot or I’ll make what Charlie did to John McCain look like foreplay, Ben Arnold!

Sammy So, to the point. You’re calling to complain about Cecil because he’s sleeping through your time of need?

Ben But! He is corroborating seeing the lights, Sammy! That’s a big deal.

Herschel Just have an intern or something bring me some britches and stop fiddle fu[bleep]ing fuss! 32 long! I’ll be at Begley’s. He’s probably peering out his window lookin for a damn show… I don’t like beige! [click]

[dial tone]

Sammy You’re on King Falls AM with Sammy and Ben.

Riley Please hold the line for Mayor Grisham.

Sammy This again?

Ben *groans*

Sammy You know, I wonder, do you wake him when we say special keywords, or…?

Riley Mayor? You’re on with Sammy and Ben.

Grisham Sammy. Ben. I hate to rain on your little topic of discussion tonight, but let’s shut it down. It’d be much appreciated.

Ben What??

Sammy The always-fair, Mayor Grisham, folks. Remember this come election time next year.

Grisham Do you think that a public servant should have to call the local “Tom & Joe Chucklehut Show” to ask them not to jeopardize a police investigation?

Sammy Do you ever call Channel 13 and tell them what to report and how? We are a topical late night talk show, Grisham.

Grisham Mayor.

Sammy I didn’t vote for you.

Grisham Fair enough. I don’t expect you to respect anything but your own pathetic grab for ratings. Now, regarding Channel 13—

Ben Sorry, Mayor. Obviously, Sammy is flustered. He wouldn’t have used such a bad example if he was thinking straight—

Grisham The answer to your question, Sammy, is no. I wouldn’t call in and tell a reputable news agency how to do their job. BUT, amazingly enough, I continue to have to ask you to stop your rhetoric— seemingly once a month or so. Interesting, don’t you think?

Ben You do realize the only people that watch Channel 13 are drunks that can’t find the remote and animals left alone with the TV on, right?

Grisham Whatever helps you sleep better, Ben. I can tell you for a fact that, right now, Storm Sanders is probably not working a “local yokel” interview and digging up the muck. He’s reporting on city ordinance 29.44371.

Ben Storm is knee deep in a barrel of backyard bathtub hooch during commercial breaks.

Sammy So, Mayor. What is this ordinance? Ya know, since we aren’t reporting the news to your liking, give us a glimpse into what works for you.

Grisham The add-on to the local YMCA? The new menu over at Rose’s! I’m not paid a handsome salary to do your job.

Sammy Oh, right! I forget you think you can dictate what we report on, for free.

Ben Sammy… they’re destroying the crop circles! That’s the ordinance!

Grisham There’s hope for you yet, Ben. Don’t go down with this ship. I’ll put a good word in for you elsewhere.

Sammy You son of a b[bleep]h! You’re destroying the crop circles?! That could be the only thing that brings Tim Jenson home!

Grisham Don’t bring Tim Jenson into this! The city is paying Libbydale Farms a fair share for their remaining crops! But it is in the public’s best interest to mow down this batch of mischief accordingly! Especially after this broadcast.

Sammy *derisive scoff/laugh* You are despicable.

Grisham These affairs aren’t your business to ramble on about… Do the weather! Talk about traffic! I mean, I filled those potholes! Stop making trouble!

Sammy Freedom of the Press. When your assistant isn’t typing out our every word, maybe have her look it up and tell you all about it.

Grisham I can’t wait to hear about it! And here’s a little phrase for you to look up too! OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.

Sammy Uh-huh.

Grisham Do you think using your connections to officers of the law to report on “breaking news” is fine and dandy, Stevens?? *sniffs* You are perverting the course of this case. Things— especially ongoing issues— aren’t meant to be talked about until all the facts are out there! And you— *sniffs* IDIOTS are playing on the scene, reporting with your bagel-eating buddy! who happens to be a cop.

Ben *scoffs* ‘s not my buddy.

Sammy BEN.

Ben I’m not throwing you under the bus, Sammy. I just hate Troy.

Grisham So, the moral of the story would be, gents… some things require couth. Some things require kid gloves when handling. And most things don’t need to be aired in the public for ratings and entertainment. A perfect example being how, I’m sure Sheriff Gunderson will handle Deputy Krieghauser on his own, for calling into this joke of a show with police business constantly. Doubt you’ll see that done during a press conference.

Ben Uh… is that… really necessary, sir?

Grisham This show is a breeding ground for incompetence, and you’re now dragging your pals down with you. Straighten Up and Fly Right.

Sammy Troy doesn’t need to be punished for you to make your point, Grisham.

Grisham Out Of My Hands… I’ve already had Riley send my opinions on it over to the good sheriff! Now again, I ask you: pick a different topic of discussion. Maybe one that won’t lead to the continued pain and misery for all those around you. Night night, fellas! [click]

[dial tone]

Sammy [quickly] I’m gonna call Troy.

Ben Umm, uh *nervous stuttering* W-we’ll be back after this— King Falls. We’ll- we’ll take some- calls about uhh… *helpless scoff* I guess we’ll- see…

[KFAM outro]

[CREDITS]

References

[1] Buford, Wyoming - “America’s Smallest Town”, Buford is mostly just a convenience store/gas station. The population was 1-2 from ~1995 until it was completely abandoned in 2017.

[2] Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical comedy with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis.

[3] McCarthy - Joseph Raymond McCarthy was a Republican U.S. Senator from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visible public face of the “Red Scare”, a period in the United States in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread Communist subversion. He is known for alleging that numerous Communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers had infiltrated the United States federal government, universities, film industry, and elsewhere.

[4] Red - Communist

[5] Carhartts - Carhartt, Inc., is a U.S.-based apparel company founded in 1889. Carhartt is known for its work clothes, such as jackets, coats, overalls, coveralls, vests, shirts, jeans, dungarees, fire-resistant clothing and hunting clothing.

[xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx]

Cancelled Scene - Patrick Stump x Reader

Requested Reader: actress (female) Warnings: fake blood, fake screams, all that Young Blood Chronicle stuff, you know? Word count: 1 660

The cold material of the scissors felt weird and slippery in your hands, the sticky substance of the fake blood almost making them slip out of your fingers when you tried to cut through the thin material of the t-shirt the singer was wearing. Patrick was strapped to a table, writhing, while pretending to sing along to the music in the background. Honestly it almost scared you a bit, having a pair of scissors so close to his face while he was throwing around. But you had to pretend not to care, and so you did. As soon as the sequence was finished, someone yelled “cut”.

You stepped back from the table, and Patrick relaxed along with the other actresses on set. It had been mere luck that you had gotten a role in the new music videos Fall Out Boy were shooting for their upcoming album “Save Rock and Roll”. You had been a fan of their music for almost ten years now, being just a little younger than Patrick and Joe, and when your agent had told you that you had gotten the little role as one of the antagonists in the videos, you had been extremely excited.

Now, that you had already spent a couple of days working with everyone, the initiate excitement had luckily died down, enabling you to focus more on your work. But that did not mean that you did not get butterflies in your stomach, when you had to work with Patrick. Admittedly, back before the break Fall Out Boy had taken, you had never really paid extra much attention to the blond man. Of course you had known who he was, and god forbid anyone would have forgotten to list him as a member, but since the first meeting with everyone to discuss the process of shooting, he had caught your eye. He was always incredibly nice, to everyone, polite and sweet, and he made sure to always ask everyone how they were doing, and if they were feeling ready for the shoot.

“Great, well done everyone,” the director complimented after checking the recorded material, “that concludes this scene. (Y/n), Mel, Patrick, take a break, were gonna do the prison scene next. Everyone else can go home for tonight.”

You sighed quietly, and tried to relax your shoulders. A couple of people already helped untie Patrick, so you figured if you tried to help, it would only end up in a big mess. Instead you moved off the set, and started to search for a sink to rinse off the sticky fake blood that covered your hands.

Once you had cleaned and dried off your hands, you started looking for the other actresses. Most of them had already moved to the changing rooms, happy to get out of the tight and restricting leather costumes. Only Mel, who you had befriended soon after the beginning of filming, was hanging around a little buffet that had been prepared for the crew members. It was already late in the evening, and you had been working for several hours already, so it was no surprise that you suddenly realised how hungry you were.

Joining Mel at the buffet, you quickly grabbed a sandwich, and shot her a smile before you started eating. Honestly, right now you did not care what you looked like, munching on your food; you were too hungry, and hoped that getting something to eat would make it possible for you to battle your tiredness, and finish shooting today.

“Good?”

Confused you looked up, and found Patrick smiling at you. Quickly you swallowed and nodded.

“Yes, really good,” you grinned a little embarrassed, “The ones with salad and tomato are great.”

Patrick smiled again, and grabbed one of the recommended sandwiches.

“So, looking forward to the next scene,” he asked, starting to eat too while leaning against the table.

His face and hands had been wiped clean of the fake blood, and without the make-up you could see he was tired too.

“You mean if I’m looking forward to dragging you down a corridor,” you laughed, thinking about the upcoming scene, where yours and Mel’s character would break the struggling Patrick out of a prison cell.

“Doesn’t sound like much fun if you put it like this,” he shrugged.

“At least you get to wear some comfy jumpsuit, not this,” unhappily you pointed to the tight leather outfit you were wearing.

“If it’s any consolation, it does look good,” he grinned.

You rolled your eyes and shook your head.

“I should hope so,” you joked, but added more seriously “thanks, though.”

For a while you stood in silence, both of you munching on your sandwiches. You were not exactly sure if the silence was a comfortable or an awkward one, but whenever you turned your head, to look at Patrick, he was already smiling at you, so you concluded that he at least did not mind the lack of conversation.

Patrick had just cleared his throat as if to prepare to say something, when suddenly voices grew loud on the other side of the set. It took you a moment to understand what it was about, but apparently there was something wrong with the set for the prison scene, and the equipment for the lights was not in place.

Patrick and you exchanged quick glances before carefully making your way into the direction of the noise.

“Then we can’t shoot the scene,” the director concluded, almost shouting, while throwing his hands up.

“What’s going on,” Patrick asked concerned.

“We gotta finish the scene tomorrow, sorry guys,” the man apologised.

“Oh, okay,” Patrick did not exactly sound disappointed, and you did not find it in you to care much either.

“I’m just gonna do a quick announcement, then everyone can go home,” the director assured you, and hurried off.

“Oof, so we actually get to go home before midnight today,” Patrick joked, and turned to you.

Indeed the past couple of days all of you had always stayed until long after midnight to finish all the scenes in time.

“Wow, I could be in bed in time, today,” you laughed, pulling the black hair tie out, and allowing your long hair to fall freely over your shoulders, after they had been perfectly tied back the whole day.

“Or you could go out for dinner with me.”

Patrick’s voice sounded bold, but when you looked at him in surprise, you saw that he looked terribly nervous, his cheeks flushed adorably pink.

“Or, you know, like… not today, but some other time, or just coffee? I mean I’ve wanted to ask you for a while and-“

“I’d love to,” you smiled shyly, interrupting Patrick’s worried babbling, “maybe not full blown dinner, since we already had sandwiches, but a drink or two if you don’t mind?”

Patrick looked at you wide eyed, and nodded, a smile starting to spread over his face.

“Sounds amazing,” he agreed.

Before you could answer anything else, your conversation got interrupted by the voice of the producer, who, over the speakers, announced that the shoot was finished for today because of technical difficulties, and would be continued tomorrow according to the schedule.

“So… should we go,” Patrick nervously smiled, and gestured towards the exit.

“I think we should get out of our costumes first, some people might start to panic when they see you,” you suggested, nodding towards Patrick’s orange jumpsuit, which he had put on before joining you at the buffet.

“Oh, yeah, that might be a good idea,” he agreed, blushing again.

Together you walked back to your changing rooms, and agreed to meet back outside.

The room was empty except for Mel, who was also getting out of her costume right now. Quietly chatting, you dressed back in your normal clothes, while listening to Mel complaining about tomorrow’s schedule being all messed up now because of the delayed shoot. You did not mention that you were glad the last scene had been cancelled and therefore gave you the chance to go out with Patrick. Instead you just nodded along, took off your make up, threw on your warm pullover and the cosy jacket, before pulling your beanie over your head, and saying good night to her.

Patrick was already waiting outside, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, covered by a leather jacket again, but this time the clothes were not stained red with fake blood as in the scene you had finished shooting earlier. As always he wore the dorky fedora again, and shot you a bright smile when he spotted you.

“Ready,” he asked, sounding both nervous and excited.

“Ready,” you agreed with the same excitement, returning the shy grin.

“Great, then let’s go,” Patrick offered you his arm to take, which you did after hesitating shortly.

Was it really okay to just... link your arms while you were still around your workplace? But when you saw how nervous Patrick reacted to your short hesitation, you decided that you did not really care about what the other people thought, and took hold of his arm, allowing him to lead you towards the exit.

“So, any idea where we’re going,” you decided to ask on your way out.

“I have absolutely no clue,” Patrick admitted, “I thought we could just… like wander off into the night and see what we stumble upon.”

“Sounds good,” you smiled, already aware of how much you adored his spontaneity.

Holding open the door for you, Patrick and you left the huge building in which the sets were located. The night was cool, and refreshing after the stuffy air inside, and the sky was clear allowing you to see the stars. Actually you probably would not mind if you would not find anywhere to get drinks at, just walking through the streets, side by side would be enough for you. Taking a short look at Patrick, you had a feeling he thought the same.

Taglist (if you want to be added or taken off, please let me know):

General: @justawriterinprogress​ @robinruns​ @jayloverthe3rd​ @lookalivefrosty​ @500240​ @butterfly-writes​ @angelevansfalls​ @rene-royale​

[kimiwinchester]

Some days I just hate my job

So I work at a local grocery store about a two minute walk from my house. I tend to try to not let things bug me but last night took the fucking cake

I go into work, (I work in the meat and seafood department) and start doing dishes. My coworker “Dan” would help customers while I lessened the giant pile that was left for me. I would help some customers when there was more than one person at the counter. Out manager “Trevor” was no where to be seen.

So I would continue doing my dishes and then Dan had to take a break. So he mentioned he’d go talk to Trevor about coming to help us. Which I didn’t mind. I finished up the last of my pile and then moved on to labeling hamburger to put out in the case. Dan came back and looked a little somber, but I just imagined that talking to Trevor got on his nerves. I could relate. As I grabbed more hamburger to continue filling the case, he said: “Kimi, can you come into the office so we can talk?” At first my heart sank, because the other night I was venting about him to another coworker and I was afraid that what I said was relayed to him. So I said sure, put down the burger and took off my jacket. Then proceeded to go into the office. He started telling me that I need to be more careful of cleaning early. Which I understood, and I don’t normally start cleaning the department until 4:30-5 when we know we’re not going to have to grind up more burger, or cut anymore bone-in items. So I wasnt entirely sure what he was getting at, but I wanted to remain professional. He told me around 4:30 would be fine, as long as things were slow enough. So I told him I understood, and would try to push back my routine. He said that it wasn’t even about that. Because one night I was cleaning the grinder and it was Trevor, Dan and I in the department. We had a few customers, which I would help some if it got overwhelming. He told me that I was just “going to town” on the grinder while basically letting him and Dan do all the work. Which I found ludicrous because if Dan needed my help, he always lets me know. But again, I wanted to remain professional and just nodded along to what he was saying. After all that, I went back to putting labels in the burger. Dan walks up to me and asks how it went. I said it wasn’t bad, he just told me to clean later and pay more attention to everything which I’ve been doing. Dan then told me he knew he was going to talk to me because apparently I wasn’t supposed to start cleaning until six, which I had never heard up until that moment. Then I got a little frustrated. I was washing the HUGE mound of dishes that were left for me, I wasn’t starting anything. Dan understood and said he would’ve told me before the talk, but that he would get in trouble if he did. I understood. I went through the next half hour making sure everything was good, and getting things ready to clean. I started the grinder, got that done around 5:30, starting taking apart the saw. I had noticed Trevor was gone for a long time, because he was supposed to be there with me until seven. So I asked Dan what happened to him. “Oh he went home.” Then I kinda snapped “You mean he has the balls to tell me not to clean early, knowing full well he was going to leave early, and fuck me over if I didn’t start when I did?” He said he didn’t like it any more than me. So I took my break and starting the saw parts and the benches, irritated in the inside but it was out of hands. At 6, Dan left and I was alone until 9. Which isn’t a problem for me, I’m fully capable, but it’s just still frustrating. Then the best part of my night was when this coupe of guys walked up to the counter. I asked if there was anything I could help them with in my over-sweet customer service voice. And they said they’d need a minute. Staring at the glass smearing their fingers all over it for a good ten minutes. And they said they were ready.

“Okay, how can I help you?”

“We want salmon!” Said guy one (he was maybe ten years older than the other).

“I can help you with that, what kind and how much?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....what’s local?” Asked guy number 2.

“The most local salmon we have is the Gulf of Maine Atlantic Salmon.”

“Well take the regular Atlantic. Just over half a pound”

So I cut the salmon and it came out to .550 lb. they downright refused it and wanted more. No problem, I cut a piece that came out to .660 lbs and they were all right with that. Next they wanted lobster tails and asked if we had any tails that weren’t frozen. I replied no, and they he pressed his face against the lobster tank.

“You have any lobsters that are under a pound?”

“No. They all range between a pound and a quarter to a pound and a half.”

“Can you show me this one here?” And proceeded to point out a boater in the tank. I get the little scooper and pull him out and he hold his hands out asking if he could hold it and check it out himself.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that.”

“No? Well I don’t like that ones claws, so can you pull out this one?”

“Sure.” And I get another lobster out.

“Ugh I don’t like that one either, and the tail is so little and dinky. Do any of them have a bigger tail?”

“They’re all pretty uniform in size.” My eyes were almost about to start twitching.

“Ummmmmmm....show me this one.”

About to snap the damned scooper in half, I grabbed the lobster and showed him. He still wasn’t impressed but I was just thankful I didn’t have to fish again for a fourth time.

By the time they left I was so fucking irritated. However I did my job, did it well and left with 15 minutes to spare. Sorry for the long post, I just needed to vent about how bosses and customers can turn your day from okay into completely fucking stupid.

[let-it-go-and-let-it-live]

He’ll Listen to You

Rocket Raccoon x Reader

Word Count: ~660

Summary: After a particularly messy ending to a mission, Rocket refuses to bathe, and it falls to you to convince him.

A/N: I had an anonymous request for something/anything Rocket, but I didn’t have any concrete ideas. This prompt came from @scarletinkthelibrarian. Thanks for the help, friend.

“I need a new job.” You mutter to yourself, covering Gamora’s flank as she ran back toward the large creature the team had been contracted to kill.

Nothing any of you did was enough to take it down. It didn’t have many weak points you could easily reach. Gamora’s swords are barely breaking skin. Rocket, Drax, and Peter could only do so much with their guns. Your arrows always hit their targets, but the singular damage just isn’t enough. You have one more option, but it isn’t something you’d had a chance to test.

It’s now or never.

You jump down from your perch, running a bit closer to the fray and dropping to your knees. You pull an arrow from your quiver. You remove the arrowhead as quickly as you can.

“We could use some help here!” Rocket shouts, reloading his weapon.

“Give me a second!”

You reach into your pocket, taking out the explosive and attaching it to the stem of the arrow. You press the little red button, nocking the arrow as you rise back to your feet. You take your aim, sending the arrow right into its eye.

“Get down!”

Right as everyone drops, you hit the trigger. Blood and brains explode everywhere, the creature’s limp body falling hard against the ground. There’s a short bit of celebration before the stickiness of the goo you’re all covered in becomes more apparent.

“I call first dibs on the shower.” You grumble, walking solemnly toward the ship.

A few hours later, you all arrive in Xandar, having cleaned up as best you could during the journey. You had successfully claimed the first shower. Once the opportunity had presented itself, the others quickly followed suit. Everyone but Rocket, that is. He was never one for bathing unless he deemed it absolutely necessary. You thought this would be one of those times, but he absolutely refused.

A couple of days passed. He was out working on the ship, prepping it for the newest mission that had come through. The rest of you decided it would be a good time for a meeting.

“Something has to be done.” Gamora insists, “He’s starting to smell.”

“Well, he threatened to shoot me if I brought it up again so…” Peter explains, sitting back in chair.

“He will listen to no one,” Drax begins, “except (Y/N).”

“Me?”

“He’s right.” Gamora agrees, “Aside from Groot, Rocket prefers you to the rest of us.”

“I’ve already tried talking to him.”

“Well, try one more time. There’s no way we’ll be able to stand being around him long enough to get this next mission done.”

You sigh heavily, “I’ll try.”

You decide it would be easier to talk to him in private, so you head out to the ship. You step into the cockpit knocking on the wall to get his attention. He looks up from his work to greet you.

“Hey. What brings you out here?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound ominous at all.”

You sigh, preparing your words and yourself to just spit it out, “Rocket, we need you to shower.”

“This again.” He grumbles, rolling his eyes.

“Please, just hear me out.” When he doesn’t argue any further, you continue your appeal, “It’s been two days, and it’s getting really hard to be around you. The others are also worried about the mission coming up. Your current state could be… distracting, but it has to be done; I would hate for us to have to leave you here.”

He sighs, setting his tools aside, “Is it really that bad?”

You nod, “It’s pretty bad.”

You practically see the wheels turning in his head, and after a few minutes of contemplation, he finally agrees.

“I’ll shower when I get back. Tell the others they don’t have to worry.”

You walk back to the apartment, a sense of accomplishment bringing a smile to your face.

[whatsjenniupto]

12 Free Things to See in Seoul

The Seoul Blend is quite unique. Traditional houses and alleys lead right up to the base of sky scrapers. Street food stalls line walkways with towering department stores. Best of all the city is filled with free things to do leaving your travel budget to be consumed by food, all the food. 

1.  Cheonggyecheon Stream 청계천 The bustle of Seoul never ends, but ducking below street level to  Cheonggyecheon Stream provides a lovely break. The 11km walkway showcases public art installations, stepping stone walkways, waterfalls, and an amazing juxtaposition of relaxation and activity. Eleven kilometers too daunting? Join the stream in the middle and go right one night and left the next.

2.  Dongdaemun Design Plaza 동대문디자인플라자 When Seoul decided to re-envision the purpose of Dongdaemun Stadium, the city hosted a design competition for architects to create the new landmark. Zaha Hadid’s powerful structure won the honor and opened in 2014. The DDP hosts numerous exhibitions, shows, and events throughout the year making it a must-stop on any Seoul visit.

Seoul Subway Lines 2, 4 and 5 to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station 동대문역사문화공원역, Exit 1.

3.  Ihwa Mural Village Another area in the city rehabilitated in the early 2000′s is Ihwa Mural Village that has since battled with the influx of tourists. Many of the incredible murals which were visible for years have been painted over and removed by residents. Climbing up to the village will still provide an amazing view of Seoul and there are murals remaining, but tread quietly. 

Seoul Subway Line 4 to Hyehwa Station 혜화역, Exit 2.

4.  Seoul City Walls 한양도성 A short stroll away from Ihwa Mural Village stand the city walls constructed back in the 1300s. The original walls extend for almost 19km through the city’s hills, but even a walk along a small portion provides that famous Seoul blend of new and old.

Seoul Subway Line 3 to Anguk Station 안국역, Exit 2 or Lines 1 and 4 to Dongdaemun Station 동대문역, Exits 1 or 10. 

5. Insadong 인사동 The alleys of Insadong are known for their restaurants and galleries, and it was here that I ducked into a restaurant tucked back in a corner that had galbitang 갈비탕 on the menu. After the amazing galbitang of our first night in Busan, I wanted another round. Was the food delicious? Yes. Did it involve twelve impromptu training sessions (all in Korean) by the waitress who felt I was still not eating the food correctly? Also yes. To be fair, the soup came with chopsticks, tongs, a spoon, scissors, two extra plates, a dipping sauce, and a large vat of rice, plus the apparent supposed understanding of a decent amount of finger use. I basically had no chance which therefore must mean that I should go back and try again.

Seoul Subway Line 1 to Jonggak Station 종각역, Exit 3 or Line 3 to Anguk Station 안국역, Exit 6.

6.  Jogyesa Temple 조계사 As the seat of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Jogyesa Temple is one of the most famous temples in Korea. The grounds are home to numerous ceremonies throughout the year and are colorfully decorated with lanterns and flowers.

Seoul Subway Line 1 to Jonggak Station 종각역, Exit 2; Line 3 to Anguk Station 안국역, Exit 6; or Line 5 to Gwanghwamun Station 광화문역, Exit 2.

7. Gwanghwamun Square 광화문광장 Gwanghwamun Square is an open plaza dedicated to Korean history with Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukaksan Mountain in the background -- and yet which country has officers two deep lining the entire block and wielding fire extinguishers and giving everyone the stink eye? Yet another time I tried to look as unAmerican as possible. Can all of our embassies please be moved into unobtrusive corners?

1) Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 2 to City Hall Station 시청역, Exit 3. 2) Seoul Subway Line 3 to Gyeongbokgung Station 경복궁역, Exits 6 and 7. 3) Seoul Subway Line 5 to Gwanghwamun Station 광화문역, Exits 1, 2, and 8.

8. Bukchon Hanok Village 북촌한옥마을 The neighborhood in between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung Palaces is filled with hundreds of traditional Korean hanok homes. Many of the hanoks have been converted into cute tea houses and cafes with each tiny street begging to be explored. 

Seoul Subway Line 3 to Anguk Station 안국역, Exit 1 or 2.

9. War Memorial of Korea 전쟁기념관 In exchange for my undesire to head to the DMZ for a tour, I decided to quickly visit the War Memorial of Korea. I then became incredibly upset with myself for not having arrived earlier because I had to scoot through some of the rooms before the museum closed. There are thousands of artifacts from the war here as well as numerous interactive exhibits -- aka, there’s nothing quick about a visit here. There’s way too much to learn and experience.  

Seoul Subway Line 6 to Samgakji Station 삼각지역, Exits 1, 11, or 12; or Line 1 to Namyeong Station 남영역, Exit 1.  Hours: 9:00-18:00 (Last admission at 17:00)

10. Seoul Olympic Park 올림픽공원 Park, sports facilities, sculptures, museums -- Olympic Park has it all. The former Olympic grounds can easily occupy an entire afternoon with history dating back to the Baekje period of Korean history (18 BC – 660 AD). 

Seoul Subway Line 5 to Olympic Park Station 올림픽공원역, Exit 3, or Line 8 to Mongchontoseong Station 몽촌토성역, Exit 1.

11. Myeongdong Cathedral 명동대성당 How often can you find gothic revival architecture in Asia? While the architecture style is found in many Asian countries, it’s not quite as common as on other continents. The Myeongdong Cathedral, officially the Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, is the first gothic cathedral in Korea, completed in 1898, and is the seat for the Archbishop of Seoul. 

Seoul Subway Line 4 to Myeongdong Station 명동역, Exit 8, or Line 2 to Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station 을지로입구역, Exit 5.

12. Visit a Grand Palace Five palaces dot the center of Seoul, dutifully reconstructed after the wars of the 20th century. While only one palace is actually free to enter, Gyeonghuigung Palace 경희궁, the remaining four have fees ranging from KRW 1000-3000 (USD 1-3). I entered the courtyard of Gyeongbokgung Palace 경복궁 (as far as you can get for free), decided it was a madhouse I didn’t want to experience and moved on to nearby Changdeokgung Palace 창덕궁 which was much calmer. The remaining two palaces are Changgyeonggung 창경궁 and Deoksugung 덕수궁.