#braxton young | interactions.

[bucknastysbabe]

Untold

Boom bap skapoom ddededede lemme just drop this bad boy off at the park and run away. Reread fire and blood and wanted to experiment with that fake biography style which I’m not very good at but it was fun SKIDIBOP mmdada BOOM

Rating: General

Tags: Period typical assholery, lots of death, angsty, turNCLOAKS?!, Aegon is on Douchebag Hours until he got fucked the fuck up, targ princess reader, incest, Cregan said hol up we don’t play like that in The Fookin North

“House Rowan has been taken by Lord Ormund and Prince Daeron,” said the kinslayer. The maester with him wrote of Aegon’s hitched noise and lidded eyes opening with a snap.

The haggard Aegon stared at his brother, face puffy and eyes glazed from the milk of the poppy. He rarely was awake in his recovery. Prince Aemond figured their youngest sister’s safety would raise the twisted king’s spirits. Aegon had mumbled, “Get her to the…Keep.” He soon after returned to the world of sleep— exhausted from the mere act of eating.

In True Telling, Munkun writes that the arrival of princess would guarantee to distract Aegon more if he ever got well. Not to mention her priceless dragon Merigar, waiting in the Dragonpit. Her Rowan in-laws declared themselves Black until Daeron routed Lord Thaddeus. The Prince regent Aemond was very keen to get the young woman back in the walls of King’s Landing.

The princess later was watched by all, silent tears streaming down pale cheeks as her husband was put to the sword. She was merely 7 and 10 and married for a scarce year. No child was born of the union, much to the happiness of the greens. Especially the ailing Aegon, who had requested for her to stay by his side. The tale of the ‘little princess’ and King Aegon was of a bleak nature, like many others during the Dance.

From a young age she had always been known to bear love for her eldest brother. Even when the rest of their siblings avoided the wayward Prince like the red plague. She followed Aegon around, a pale specter at his heels. That love had long grown strained and non-existent before the Dance. Prince Aegon had settled into his debaucherous ways— drunken binges and periods spent off in Flea Bottom.

Aegon did not engage with her as much, likely discarded the princess for hedonism. Her personal journal stated she received nothing but apathy and slurred condescension when they interacted. Bitterness filled the younger’s heart and after she sought refuge either on her smoky dragon Merigar or a court favorite. Whispers circled around the keep about Aegon not being the only sibling to have a healthy, lustful appetite.

The jester Mushroom wrote that the young princess, fueled by Aegon’s rejection, turned to carnal desires to draw his attention. He claimed she had a retainer of comely knights, daring whoever could climb to her chambers could seize her maidenhead. Grand Maester Munkun disparages that, illustrating the girl was fond of the male gaze but remained chaste. All accounts at the time do mention the public schism between Aegon and his once favorite sibling.

When the striking girl was publicly engaged to the handsome Braxton Rowan in late 127 AC, approval rounded the court. It was a happy time for all, the birth of Prince Maelor had occurred a month beforehand. King Viserys, largely crippled, hastened the wedding on fears of expiring too soon.

Prince Aegon was not of a jovial spirit on the day of the betrothal. He slouched in the throne room with a sullen pout, leaving immediately afterward. The Prince by all reports proceeded to get irrationally intoxicated and escorted from supper by twins Cargyll of the Kingsguard. Ser Criston Cole wrote in concern to Septon Eustace on the occasion.

“I fear for our princess after Aegon’s behavior. You must pray that she will be looked after by the Maiden. He was wrought with jealousy, slamming cups and yelling like a child in the midst of a tantrum. The prince must be kept away lest he seek to claim her before the wedding.”

No other mention was made of the two interacting until the night before the ceremony. Lord Thaddeus Rowan and his retainer had arrived that morning. Comely Prince Daeron had made an appearance with Lord Ormund and his she-dragon Tessarion close behind.

Queen Alicent was said to be overwhelmed with tears, joyous at all of her children together. Eustace somberly notes that it would be the last time she would have the sight. King Viserys was resting in his solar during the reunion, Maester Orwyle tending to the King before the festivities.

Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon remained on Dragonstone with their offspring, an obvious slight.

The young lord Braxton Rowan was handsome in the colors of Goldengrove, strapping and tall with blue eyes and thick brown locks. The little princess was smitten, blushing when the heir dropped to a knee and kissed her hand. Lord Thaddeus proudly boasted that he had never seen his eldest son so lovestruck. Most could see why, the princess was silver and slim. She had taken after her mothers side— willowy and statuesque in appearance. Her and Prince Aemond were similar in that way.

Supper in the keep happened to be a less joyful event. Prince Aegon had joined in the toast to the soon-to-be wed couple. He drawled, “To my lovely sister and her betrothed, I hope she may find joy in an otherwise banal man and his meager lands.” The princess burst into tears, Lord Thaddeus and his sons had to be restrained. Prince Aemond shoved his brother back into his chair with a sharp look. In a fit Queen Alicent excused her drunken son, fretfully apologizing to the angered Rowan clan. Peace was restored in quick succession after.

Accounts are hazy on the occurence at the hour of the Wolf. Two things were consistent in Grand Maester Munkun’s and Septon Eustace’s books. Mushroom will be excluded as his tale was outlandish and inconsistent. One, that Aegon and the little princess did get caught in the godswood by Ser Criston Cole. Two being she had raked her nails bloody across his cheek, stating to Cole that she made a mistake.

Aegon wept during the wedding, disappearing after her red and black Targaryen maiden’s cloak was replaced with the gold and silver of Rowan. The princess smiled and shined for all to see in the meantime. She was cheerful and danced through the night, laughing even during the ribald bedding ceremony. The Targaryen recounted the consummation as a ‘passionate affair’. Off she went to Goldengrove, where Lord Braxton doted on his new wife. Plans were in progress to build a place for the handsome Merigar.

Most were sure the princess was for Rhaenyra; there are multiple records of her openly voicing that her elder brother was unfit for the Iron throne. Eustace with his known dislike for the half-year queen left the Princess out of the Rowan’s claim for the Blacks. When Daeron met with her, she cried and beseeched the Daring to spare her husband and good-father.

Upon her return to King’s Landing, Prince Aemond kept a tight leash on his sister, disallowing her to leave the keep. She was miserable. The girl cried in Aegon’s chambers or the godswood. Mushroom had even tried to lift her spirits, claiming the princess threatened to feed the jester to her dragon. Aemond complained of her dour mood to the Dowager Queen.

While Helaena descended into madness, the other grew hateful. She hissed and threatened to strangle Aegon in his poppy-aided sleep if she had to stay by his side any longer. Merigar felt his rider’s misery, killing two dragon-keepers in a fit of rage. She scrawled down in her diary, “I crave death. I hate him so and yet.”

During the fall of King’s Landing, the princess was given a good deal by Rhaenyra. Ride for the blacks and she would be pardoned on behalf of her ‘green blood’. The little princess swore fealty immediately. Upon hearing the news at Harrenhal, Aemond, already angered by the loss of King’s Landing denounced his blood with a snarl. Queen Alicent did not speak to her youngest daughter for the entire period of Rhaenyra’s rule.

The widow expressed doubts in her journal, fearing she was unable to actually kill any of her blood. She never got the chance to do that. The series of deaths during the half-year rocked the girl. She spent more time with her dragon than with humans after Daeron was reported to have perished at Tumbleton. In her cups, she lamented to many, “I fear I may never smile again.” True Telling mentions that the embittered woman kept quite true to her word.

Rhaenyra felt the growing dread in her half-sister and became uneasy. She was paranoid of turncloaks, especially after Addam Velaryon was questioned. Rhaenyra sent her dragonback on a fool’s errand to the Reach for aid at Highgarden. Dangerously she would be passing where the green army lie in disarray. Merigar and his princess flew North instead.

Sightings of the smoke colored dragon came as far as Last Hearth. Aemond and Daemon held their last battle, Rhaenyra too overcome with the unrest in King’s Landing to do anything about her sister’s disappearance. The princess grew gaunt and grey in the North, the life sapped from her bones. She supped with the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch before returning to King’s Landing.

Lord Commander Brune wrote in his memoirs, “She was exceptionally kind and forged of steel under her thin skin. I was baffled when she climbed on that black beast of hers and called down, “Valar Morghulis.” It was one of the stranger days on my watch.”

No one truly learned why the princess came out of isolation. She stopped writing in her journal after visiting the Wall. Orwyle theorized that she was growing mad, Mushroom shared a bawdy idea, Eustace and Munkun simply think the Valyrian was tired and missed home.

Home was much different now back under the reign of Aegon the Elder, rendered shattered and volatile. He was still mourning the loss of the golden Sunfyre. The city watch and small folk grew frenzied and nervous when the shadow of Merigar flew over the city. Multiple riots had to be put down around Flea Bottom. Construction on the Dragonpit was halted for atleast a fortnight.

She landed her mount in the outer yard of the Red Keep, falling off in exhaustion and obvious starvation. The princess slept for two days. King Aegon fretted over her health, having grown regretful and somber in regards to his sad life. Remarkably, Dowager Queen Alicent was found by her side. Upon awakening the princess dryly remarked, “I think I shall stay now.” The green queen wept and wrenched her hands.

The princess kept out of the rampant politics ensuing the rest of Aegon II’s reign. She remained without an opinion, oft apologizing to Lord Corlys. The king and his sister reconciled— likely from isolation and shared misery. They drank and reminisced on better times late into the night. She helped her brother plan his marriage to the Baratheon girl.

In the Testimony of Mushroom, there is a tale that may have an element of truth to it. The king and his sister were inseparable the last months of his reign. She was noted to stay in his bed at night, Alicent trying her hardest to keep that under lock and key. Mushroom claimed that Aegon the Elder had been regularly viewing his sister pleasure herself with a variety of wooden toys imported from Lys, him unable to copulate due to his broken body.

While the extent may not be that lewd, Septon Eustace did make a vague mention in his notes about Aegon hinting at instead marrying his sister, now nine and ten years of age. Nothing ever came to fruition as the king was poisoned in his litter. Immediately the ever present princess was questioned and thrown into Maegor’s holdfast.

She denied having involvement, stating blankly that her brother was the last person in her life that mattered. The interrogations could not find any proof and she fell into a catatonic state. The lack of involvement on the princess’ behalf is what sealed her fate. At the hour of the Wolf, Cregan Stark declared her a traitor to Rhaenyra and her heirs for choosing to become ‘a concubine for the thrice-damned drunken cur’.

She was executed by the Lord of Winterfell himself. Her last words are the subject of question. The teenaged girl sighed, “If only.” Merigar thrashed and broke from his chains concurrently during that fatal swing of Ice, escaping into the skies. The proud dragon was never to be seen again. Thus ended the ever shifting life of the little princess.

[triplemproductions]

Brian Braxton Jemenda grew up in a sort of cult. Due to the teachings he received from the leader, he developed a very twisted view of the world he lived in and the people in it.

He learned real quick that he must obey the teachings or face severe consequences. As he reached adolescence, he was given more freedom outside of the walls of the complex he lived in.

He began exploring the world with his skewed view of how things really worked and didn’t know how to interact with people appropriately. This led him to befriend a young girl named Dani and though she was younger than him, they soon became best friends.

Eventually that friendship led to Braxton becoming a father for the first time at a young age. Dani’s father forced her to give up the baby and Braxton stepped up. He didn’t know what he was doing, but with the help of his father Jett, he was able to raise her though not very good.

As his daughter Lavana got older, Braxton fell into addiction of substances and interacted with her less so he could focus on getting his band Fueled Madness off the ground.

The band consisted of his younger brother Jerry, their father Jett, and a friend named Draven.

Braxton married a young woman named Kira and soon the two of them had a son they named Jonah, but Braxton was anything but a faithful husband. He wasn’t very good to Kira and didn’t pay much attention to either of his children. Due to his unfaithfulness, Kira began seeing other guys including Jerry, but Braxton didn’t really care about it.

He only cared about making it big with the band, but then his father Jett who played the guitar decided that he needed to quit to the band and focus on his new wife and son. This angered Braxton and caused a rift between him and his father, but it also led him to search for a new guitarist for the band.

Some guys he knew from his exploits around town suggested their teenage nephew and though he was skeptical, Braxton agreed to hear the kid play. He went to an open mic night and that was where he first met sixteen-year-old Raleigh Durand.

At first glance, Braxton believed Raleigh to be nothing more than a punk kid that he didn’t want to waste his time on. He had a brightly colored mohawk and piercings all over his face, but Braxton ignored that since he himself was covered in tattoos and also had a spikey mohawk at the time.

The thing that bothered Braxton the most was that Raleigh was in a relationship with Dani at the time, but the moment he heard Raleigh play the guitar, he knew he’d found his new band member despite everything else.

With Raleigh on the guitar, the band was able to put a demo together and the band soon hit it big. They became famous around their town and grew more popular all the time, but Braxton’s marriage to Kira suffered more than it ever had before. They fought all of the time and he was always yelling at her. They now not only had their son Jonah, but their daughter Albra had come along, and all the fighting scared them.

It didn’t take long for them to finally divorce and for Braxton to put all of his time and energy into the band. He would hook up with various women and often pass out under the influence of some substance or another.

It wasn’t until he met a woman named Silhouette that he realized that he didn’t want to continue living his life the way he had been. He managed to get himself clean and worked hard to be become the kind of man he felt she deserved. She was reluctant to date him at first, but she soon couldn’t resist his charm.

Braxton knew that Silhouette had been in love with Draven for many years, but the two had never made their relationship serious due to Draven having many issues of his own. It wasn’t until after he faked his own death that Braxton had even approached Silhouette.

Even after she discovered Draven had faked his death, Silhouette stayed with Braxton.

Their relationship grew with each passing day and Braxton felt happy for what seemed like the first time in his life. He worked hard to repair his relationship with his three kids, life couldn’t have been better. He proposed to Silhouette at a wedding of one of their friends and she accepted.

Everything seemed to be going wonderfully in his life. That is until the night before their wedding, Draven showed up at Silhouette’s house and pleaded with her not to marry Braxton. With conflicting emotions and being naïve, Silhouette ended up sleeping with Draven that night.

Braxton found out about her infidelity on a celebrity gossip channel the morning after their honeymoon. He was devastated, but instead of annulling their marriage right then and there, he decided that he wanted to try and make it work, but from there on it was a very strained relationship.

The trust had been broken and the two fought more of the time than they spent enjoying each other’s company. They had a son they named Shadow during this time, but it didn’t make anything better.

Silhouette remained in contact with Draven despite promising that she would no longer associate with him, and this led them to once again ending up in bed together. Braxton caught them and that ended their marriage that very night.

Currently Braxton is dealing with his divorce from Silhouette. He had sunken back to his old ways and is drinking heavily and doing substances. He often turns to Dani for comfort, and this has caused her to lose her boyfriend Blaze.

Stay tuned for more of Braxton’s story in future episodes of my Crossing The Wind’s Path series!

UPDATE: Braxton and Haley are currently engaged and will be getting married very soon. They are also expecting a baby!

[goodqueenaly]

I was thinking about a point @turtle-paced made a while back regarding F&B - that the story’s choice of key dramatic moments of high personal dramal simply does not align with (to use a very on point quote from that post) “turning points in Westerosi history, or the identification of key trends shaping the fortunes of House Targaryen”. I feel like this is especially true when it comes to the case of Saera Targaryen.

It’s clear, certainly, that Gyldayn - and by extension, GRRM - really really wants you, the reader, to know about, for lack of a better term, the Saera Targaryen affair. Gyldayn - and by extension, GRRM - spends quite literally thousands upon thousands of words to detail Saera’s sexual escapades, the revelation of her actions to the king, the king’s decision to punish her, and Saera’s eventual escape to Lys following her sentence with the silent sisters. We have a good chunk of the transcript between Saera and her parents; we know how Saera was forced to watch Beesbury die; we even know how Alysanne and Jaehaerys felt about the affair years after the fact (given the origins of the First Quarrel). 

Yet what wider political/dynastic implications of this affair had or might have had are all but completely ignored. The closest the story comes to showing an impact the Saera situation had on the kingdom outside of the royal couple’s own circle is when, during Jaehaerys’ western progress in 88 AC, “His Grace would oft find himself seated next to some lissome maid or handsome widow at feasts, or riding beside them when hawking or hunting”, since “the queen’s absence had been noticed”. Apart from this half-hearted attempt to show certain lords trying to push for the establishment of an official royal mistress, the story just does care what the effects were of Saera first having sex with Connington, Mooton, and Beesbury and then escaping mandated punishment with the silent sisters. Too, I don’t think it can be argued that Jaehaerys tried to cover up the Saera affair (much less that he could have done so successfully): not only would the fathers of the young people involved presumably have to have been told by the crown (if they hadn’t been by their children already) of their various fates - especially Beesbury and Connington, whose sons suffered the most explicit legal punishments - and not only did Jaehaerys stage an official trial by combat with Braxton Beesbury (announced from the Iron Throne, in the explicit presence of the Kingsguard and the probable presence of other courtiers), but there is no note anywhere that Jaehaerys, say, ordered the records of his interview with Saera destroyed, or gave a cover story to the families of the individuals involved, or otherwise tried to play the affair down.

Instead, the story treats this as basically a family drama - or, more specifically, a royal couple drama, since none of the surviving children of Jaehaerys and Alysanne apparently had anything to say about Saera or her fate (apart from Maegelle’s intervention in ending her parents’ quarrel, which didn’t even mention Saera). In the immediate aftermath of Saera’s interview with her parents, it was Alysanne and Jaehaerys who discussed what to do with their daughter among themselves (in the presence of only Barth and the Grand Maester). The First Quarrel arose because Alysanne (again, with only Barth as a third party present) argued for bringing Saera home and Jaehaerys bullied her into not going to Lys herself. No one on the king’s western progress apparently had anything to say about the Saera affair, despite the fact that the Turnberrys and the Beesburys are from the Westerlands and Reach, respectively; indeed, so ludicrously does the story ignore the implications that it actually brings up Jaehaerys being okay to visit Fair Isle “for the despised Lord Franklyn was safely in his grave”, despite the last interaction between Franklyn and Rhaena happening literally 30 years prior, while ignoring the families of the people involved in an affair that happened all of three or four years prior. Jaehaerys even goes to Oldtown, meeting with Lord Hightower and being blessed by the High Septon; I guess all of them just kind of forgot how the Hightower men failed to find Saera and how Saera forcefully rejected her imposed punishment with the Faith.

So what were the larger implications of this affair? Were the Moores and Turnberrys angry that Jaehaerys had not done enough to protect their daughters from being “seduced and despoiled” (as Jaehaerys had decreed Braxton had done to Saera)? Were the Beesburys angry that Braxton seemed to receive a much harsher punishment than either Jonah Mooton or Roy Connington, despite Saera’s admission that she had had sex with all three? Given how negatively female sexual agency is often viewed in the patriarchal, misogynistic society of Westeros, was there larger lordly grumbling about how the king couldn’t keep control of his “whore” daughter, and whether the king could be trusted to manage a kingdom if he couldn’t even keep his own daughter in line? Did Saera’s actions have any impact on Viserra’s betrothal arrangements two years later - was there anyone who grumbled that Viserra might be a “whore” the same as her sister, and that they would not marry a “soiled” daughter, even a royally born one? Was there some lingering anti-Exceptionalist/anti-Targaryen Faith sentiment, that Saera’s sexual escapades were the proof that the Targaryens were unwelcome aliens with corrupt sexual practices (in the vein of, say, the street preacher in ACOK)? Was the Faith itself embarrassed or angry about Saera’s escape (especially in favor of becoming a sex worker abroad)? Was there any official word from the ruling government of Lys about a foreign royal princess being a sex worker there, and did that have any impact on the crown’s foreign policy? 

The story does not care about any of these questions. If this were a simple novella, I wouldn’t necessarily expect any or all of these to be answered ... but when GRRM is purporting to write a history, ignoring these questions only underlines the weaknesses of the whole.

[anextraordinarymuse]

My thoughts on Red and Liz so far

I’m going to put this under a read more, because I haven’t been part of this fandom long but I have already discovered that these two are divisive for a lot of people.

If you are dead set that this is a father/daughter relationship, this probably isn’t the post for you.

Okay, so I just finished Season 3 Episode 5, Arioch Cane, and I have Thoughts and Feelings™ about ... well, so many things. This is going to get long, so buckle up and I’m sorry in advance. 

Up to this point, I absolutely do not understand the choices the writers, actors, and producers made if they did not want the Red/Liz relationship to be read as romantic. Because they have made deliberate choices that lead you right down that path and it’s driving me crazy, so here is an incomplete list of those things. 

The end of 1x05: Red is sitting in the library and tells his helper guy that he’s investing in the future, and then his guy says “your future is arriving now” - enter Liz, and the whole time the song that’s playing is Wicked Game. GTFO with this - seriously? I will grant that it’s a remix of the song (it’s by Emika, and it’s beautiful and worth a listen), but it is still a romantic song that they chose to have playing for the entirety of Red and Liz’s interaction in that library. Music is a deliberate choice that is made in post production (it’s added after the scenes have been shot). Maybe you should have picked a different one.

The NUMEROUS and pointless references to Liz being his girlfriend. They start as early as 1x02, and this drives me nuts. This is a common and well-known trope across tv shows and movies (any story medium, really, including books) to hint at romantic relationships/feelings early in the story. It sets up the eventual hookup or love reveal that comes later. And it’s all over in terms of Red and Liz, and it’s never corrected except once in 1x02 when Red tells Liz she can pose as his girlfriend from Ann Arbor and she says “absolutely not.” It’s never refuted again, not even by Liz. Ressler asks her in a later episode if she and Red are having a lover’s quarrel and she doesn’t answer; Ressler asks Red if he’s in the doghouse (a term that is only used between romantic partners) and he doesn’t answer; Madeline Pratt comments on the age difference with “isn’t she a little young for you?” (a jab at the May/September trope and at Red); Luther Braxton taunts Red over the phone and says “your girlfriend, the princess”. I could keep going because these instances keep happening, and there is absolutely no reason to keep putting these lines in if TPTB had no intention of presenting a romantic angle/possibility for this relationship. That is a DELIBERATE choice the writers made.

This brings me to my next point: Red is never the one to explain away the romantic/sexual tension/looks/hints/undercurrents. Other people do, Liz does, etc. but it never comes from him. Many examples are listed above, but two very prominent ones that come to mind are in early season 3: the first time Red sees Liz with her blonde hair he is speechless. He just laughs and does that nervous tongue flick tic (say that three times fast) of his, twice, and then gives that dry laugh. That moment is just like every reveal I can think of where the female lead comes out looking hot as hell and the man is speechless. Red can’t fucking string a sentence together - he stops mid-sentence and can barely swallow. Seriously? Seriously writers/powers that be? Get. The. Fuck. Outta. Here. It’s Liz that says something about her mother being blonde and thus looking like her, and Red ignores that too. He doesn’t agree or explain away his reaction at all. There is no explanation or redirect or anything of the sort. The other glaring example that comes to mind is when Red tries to tell Lizzy what he sees when he looks at her and physically can’t get the words out. He just stops mid-sentence, again, and takes a drink instead. When he does finally tell her he can’t even manage to look at her. And I could scream for absolute years into the void about “when I look at you, that’s what I see. I see my way home.” Oh, and the song choice again here? It’s “our house” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and has the line “play your love songs all night long for me, only me,” which you can hear during the scene. I mean, just ... just fuck off writers.

Also, for several weeks while they’re on the run, Red and Liz are hunkered down on a theater stage ... that is staged as a house. They’re literally playing house. *sigh* I hate it here

And now we get to episode 3x05, Arioch Cane. I could write an entire paper on this episode. Maybe I will at some point. Anyway, everything about this episode. Everything about the last, like, 20 minutes of this episode. Solomon calls Liz Red’s girlfriend (and we’re back to this) and not only does no one correct him, he then goes on to give us this: “What is it with you two, anyways? That’s what everyone wants to know. Some say it’s a daddy-daughter thing. Others swear it’s a May/September. I prefer to believe it’s a little of both.” .......... yeah. Right on the nose there, writers. No one will ever convince me that line wasn’t a statement directly from the writers to the audience that yes, the romantic subtext and tension and whatever is there. You’re not crazy, audience, we put that shit there and we did it on purpose. You want to read it as daddy-daughter? Fair and valid. You want to read it as romantic? Also totally fair and valid because we put that shit in there. There’s more I could say about this episode, but honestly at this point my brain is just done.

All of this to say that, up to the point of 3x05, I would argue that Red does not see Lizzy in a familial light. I am less sure about Liz and how she sees Red (for many reasons), but I think it has been established that the writers purposely laid a foundation for the romantic route. I personally fall on that side so far, and I think it would make for such interesting storytelling if they go the May/September route. So many intricate, nuanced roads to explore with that option!

TL; DR: Maybe they don’t go that way later on for whatever reason - and I’m sure as I get farther into the show I will have more on those points - but in the early seasons they purposely left it open to interpretation. The romantic imagery, subtext, tension, etc. is all there, no matter what they decide to do in later seasons. 

Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk. 

[mlek13]

Summer, Year 7: Peasants, pt. 5

The only eventful moment at Ezra and Marisa’s was their youngest son, Henry’s child birthday.

All of Hugo and Brooke’s kids aged up this season.  Milo is a teen.

Margo is a child.

And Meadow is a toddler.

Everyone is gathered to welcome the arrival of baby number four.

It’s another girl.  Her name is Marsha.  (Somehow I neglected to get her picture at the time, but here she is if you can see her against the busy background of the rug.)

Milo has his first kiss with Benjamina Carpenter, but all he can think about is how much money she must make as part of the merchant class.

At Braxton and Rosemarie’s, I have been trying to keep Marjorie and Ash apart.  I’m sure I caught them kissing when I was playing other households in the complex though.  Since he played with her when she was a child, that he would kiss her now that she is a teen is grossing me out and the fact that he already impregnated a teenage Evelyn just ups the creep factor.

Yes, Marjorie, set your sights on Ward, someone more age appropriate.

Braxton reaches his elder years.

I was getting tired of constantly canceling the woohoo interactions between Ash and Marjorie, so I decided to have the family kick him out.  (I had to try three or four times before the interaction would go through because these two kept hopping back into bed.  Ugh.)

I am seriously disappointed that this was such a positive interaction and that they hugged afterwards.

Braxton:  Sorry about this.  If it were up to me, I’d let you stay and sleep with my daughter, but it’s out of my control.  No hard feelings.

Ugh.

The next day, Robert grows up.  He’s dressed as a fancy young gentleman for someone who is supposed to be a peasant.

Braxton and Rosemarie were not happy that I threw Ash out and immediately wanted me to give them another roommate to help pay the rent.  (I’m glad Ash did not show up as an option.)  Instead, I found this quirky lady named Nicole.  I decided it might be better to go with a woman this time because the male roommates so far have not been great.  But Braxton and Rosemarie have young boys at home and I really hope I didn’t make a mistake in choosing her and she starts grooming them.  I don’t mind teen/adult relationships in the game if the individuals are close in age.  Ash and Marjorie clearly were not.

Rosemarie gives birth to a baby girl, Marianne.

Nicole seems to take an interest in spending time with the baby until there is a dirty diaper, then she hands her off to Rosemarie and starts kicking water at the baby that Rosemarie set on the ground because it was time to go to work.

[dustedmagazine]

Julius Hemphill — The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (New World Records)

Julius Hemphill · The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony by Julius Hemphill

In a career that spanned only 25 years, reed player Julius Hemphill left an indelible mark with his music, as a player, organizer, composer and mentor. One could focus in on his work with Black Artists Group in St. Louis in the late 1960s, creating a collective that fused music, dance, film, theater and poetry with a sense of social activism and with his Mbari label, a model for artistic self-determination. Or one could jump to his move to New York in the 1970s where he was an active participant in the loft scene, performing solo, as a leader, with dancers and poets, helping to transform the sound of free jazz in collaboration with other Midwest transplants like Charles “Bobo” Shaw, Lester Bowie, Baikida Carroll, Abdul Wadud and Oliver Lake. There’s also his leading role in developing saxophone ensembles, from his appearance on Anthony Braxton’s “Composition 37” along with Oliver Lake and Hamiet Bluiett in 1974 which foreshadowed Hemphill, Lake, Murray and Bluiett’s formation of the World Saxophone Quartet a few years later to his establishment of a sax sextet. There’s the mark he left on musicians who came up under his influence like Tim Berne and Marty Ehrlich. And then there’s his compositions, with acclaimed early pieces like “Dogon A.D.” and “The Hard Blues” to suites like “Roi Boyé and the Gotham Minstrels” or “Flat-out Jump Suite” to “Steppin’” to the through-composed chamber music that he wrote toward the end of his life to Long Tongues: A Saxophone Opera, a large-scale theatrical piece that was performed a handful of times but was never recorded.

But for all that activity, Hemphill’s discography was never extensive, and most of what he put out is now out of print. Which makes this expansive boxed set scrupulously compiled by Marty Ehrlich from Hemphill’s archives at NYU invaluable. Over the course of seven discs, the collection documents Hemphill’s music from 1977 to a posthumous performance of his chamber pieces in 2007 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Each disc stands on its own. Disc 1 documents performances of ensembles including his potent quartet with Olu Dara, Abdul Wadud and Warren Smith as well as a piece by a rare meeting with John Carter. Disc 2 captures a performance in duo with Abdul Wadud, amongst his most fruitful ongoing partnerships. Disc 3 collects the earliest performances of the box by a trio with Carroll and drummer Alex Cline from tiny venues in New York, Berkeley and Philadelphia in 1977. Disc 4 is given over to through-composed chamber works while disc 5 documents his solos and collaborations with poet K. Curtis Lyle and dramatist Malinké Elliott. Disc 6 is the most varied, collecting a variety of different groups. And Disc 7 closes things out with recordings from Woodstock, NY in 1979 by a previously undocumented group featuring Hemphill, Carroll, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette. 

Ehrlich kicks off the in-depth booklet that accompanies the box with the following quote by Hemphill from a 1994 interview in Bomb. “Well, you often hear people nowadays talking about the tradition, tradition, tradition. But they have tunnel vision in this tradition. Because tradition in African-American music is wide as all outdoors.” Each disc of this set gives proof that Hemphill’s music completely embodied that ethos. 

Ensembles

Julius Hemphill · The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony by Julius Hemphill

Hemphill was always a thoughtful ensemble leader, thinking not only about the blending of sonorities of specific instrumentation but also about the particular voices that his collaborators brought to the mix. Trumpet players, most often Baikida Carroll but also Olu Dara, were chosen as a timbral foil but as importantly for their sense of concise freedom, rich harmonic sensibility, open timing and ability to traverse the snaking open-minded melodicism of the leader’s compositions with aplomb. Hemphill noted about Carroll, “I consider the opportunity to bear witness to the eloquent beauty of Baikida’s music a distinct honor. . . Baikida Carroll is polarized, poised, at a matchless point between lyricism and fire. I hope he remains so.” Cellist Abdul Wadud, whose arch approach toward counter-melody and loping pulse, filling the roll of bass while adding an additional solo voice, was also a crucial member of the saxophonist’s groups. Then there are the drummers he regularly enlisted – Charles “Bobo” Shaw, Phillip Wilson, Warren Smith, a very young Alex Cline – each of whom brought their own unique grasp of malleable propulsion and multi-hued percussive colorations. All of this served as the perfect counterbalance for Hemphill’s biting tone, voluble articulation, multifaceted embrace of open groove, abstracted blues and lithe dynamism as a soloist. 

The box is a treasure-trove of unreleased recordings of Hemphill’s groups. Disc 1 contains an extended live set by Olu Dara, Abdul Wadud and Warren Smith from a European tour on the heels of their recording of the oft-overlooked Flat-Out Jump Suite, here, trading the open-ended collective improvisations of the studio recording for fiery readings of two previously unrecorded pieces as well as the breakneck “At Harmony” which Hemphill utilized in various arrangements over the years. “Air Rings” by a quartet with Carroll, Philip Wilson and guitarist Jehri Riley presages the oblique angularities that Hemphill would explore in the 80s with his JAH Band with a heady solo by the trumpet player while also showcasing Wilson’s spry, polyrhythmic sensibility. 

Disc 3’s documentation of sets by The Janus Company, a trio with Carroll and a then-21-year-old Cline on drums, is a revelation. The open form of the pieces like “#4” allow for probing playing by all three and the interplay between the two horn players and Cline’s spare, finely-wrought vigor. The disc is capped off by a live recording of a set by the trio joined by Abdul Wadud and here, the music takes on a spirited intensity. The circuitous collective improvisation segues into an abstracted jaunt through “Dogon AD,” a standout of the box. 

The final disc of the set captures a live performance by a quartet of Hemphill, Carroll, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette from 1979 at a small venue in Woodstock, NY when all four were living in the area. Though this was never a regularly working unit, their extended improvisations taking off on three of Hemphill’s pieces are gripping. The four quickly establish a jubilant collective balance, leaving ample room for solos and group interaction. Holland is in fine form and the recording does a great job of capturing his lissome arco playing and gamboling sense of pulse at play off of DeJohnette’s orchestral textures and supple drive. Carroll and Hemphill are strikingly charged for the performance, each delivering torrid solos and reflective ensemble collaboration throughout. 

Solo and Text

Julius Hemphill · The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony by Julius Hemphill

Any assessment of solo saxophone improvisation demands that one spend time spent digging into Hemphill’s discography. With Blue Boyé and Roi Boyé and the Gotham Minstrels, the reed player threw himself into explorations of structures he developed for both unaccompanied and multi-tracked saxophone. The pieces revealed a keen formative ear, stripping his compositional approach to their elemental frameworks. From his early days in St. Louis, Hemphill also dove in to collaborations with poets, pitting his solo excursions against the fueled narratives of writers like Watts Writers Workshop poet K. Curtis Lyle and dramatist Malinké Elliott. Disc 5 begins and ends with solo excursions, bookending live performances of Hemphill with Lyle and Elliott. While the set with Lyle is gripping throughout, the set with Elliott is dazzling, capturing multi-tracked musings constructed from “Bells,” a recording of a structure of resonant metal played with mallets and sticks at a salvage yard in Oregon, Hemphill’s horn and Elliott’s readings of text that draws on Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man as a meditation on the Soweto Youth Uprising in 1976. The 22-minute suite moves across five “voices,” from orator to hipster to preacher, each positing a differing viewpoint of underlying dissent and frustration, notably the chilling skronk of “Soweto 1976 A Suite in Five Voices Part V Carnival Barker.” Listening to the closing “Solo Soprano Saxophone with Bells recording” is a teaser for a full-blown album that was never to be realized. 

Duos

Julius Hemphill · The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony by Julius Hemphill

Hemphill made a handful of great duo recordings including meetings with Oliver Lake, Warren Smith and Peter Kowald. But his partnership with Abdul Wadud was one of his most long-lasting and most fruitful. The two made two recordings, both of which are long out-of-print, so it is particularly welcome that Disc 2 contains an entire set of their partnership. While the provenance of the recordings is unknown, Ehrlich found the cello parts for five of the pieces which appear to be written specifically for the duo. Ehrlich describes the pieces in the booklet for the set, noting that “Chromatic, open-ended melodic lines are placed in contrasting juxtapositions. The music has a sense of abstraction, while individual gestures evoke melodies known and felt. All of this sets up a charged emotional space for the improvisations to unfold.” The two navigate the countervailing parts with spirited zeal, moving seamlessly between unrestrained melodicism, bounding groove, thorny angularity, infectious free funk and hurtling intensity. They are entirely in synch throughout, their voices intertwined, prodding the pieces forward while leaving ample space for each other’s arcing flights. Hemphill touches on free-bop runs at times while Wadud moves in and out of the pocket, tossing off flittering pizzicato lines then diving off into flights of fiery arco. While all of the pieces are prime Hemphill, Ehrlich notes that none of the pieces from this set appear anywhere else in the archive or on commercial recordings, another element that makes this disc significant. 

 Composition

Julius Hemphill · The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony by Julius Hemphill

During Hemphill’s last decade, he received a few commissions to compose music for chamber ensembles, though these pieces were scantily recorded or performed. Disc 4 documents two performances of these works, one from 1987 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and another from 1981 at Soundscape in Manhattan. The disc kicks off with “Parchment,” a solo piano piece written for and performed by his partner Ursula Oppens. Hemphill rarely utilized piano in his groups, but here, he plies shard-like chords as fragmented, lyrical motifs emerge with unhurried deliberation. Hemphill’s arrangements of Mingus pieces for string quartet included here might seem an anomaly until one thinks about the arrangements of Ellington/Strayhorn pieces he did for World Saxophone Quartet. Recasting Mingus’ potent melodies for string quartet is a bit of a mixed bag. While he revels in the lush harmonic depth of the instrumentation, it’s only on his chart for “Better Get Hit in Your Soul” that things really click due in main part to the funky cello line that goads things along. The two extended pieces for mixed wind and brass quintet are much stronger. The expanded instrumental palette offers the composer timbral depth with John Purcell and Ehrlich moving back and forth between saxophones and clarinets, the pairing of Purcell on oboe with Janet Grice’s bassoon and trumpet player Bruce Purse and Ray Anderson on trombone and tuba filling out the tonal range. The groups attacks the arrangements with unbridled swagger, especially when the pieces open up for sections of improvisation which the group jumps on. Hemphill honed these skills with his large ensemble, his saxophone sextet and in his piece Long Tongues and one wonders where this avenue might have led had he lived longer. 

Any of these discs, taken separately, would be a welcome addition to Hemphill’s discography. Taken together, they provide a wide-ranging, illuminating view even to those who’ve long immersed themselves in his music. Ehrlich concludes the booklet notes with this quote from the reed player. “This music is blues-driven. In terms of what has gone on before. Now where it goes from here — where it is going from here — may not be the same thing, ’cause it has to change, or it’ll die in my opinion. You know what I mean? The traditions keep on turning over! People keep looking rearward for the tradition. The tradition in this music is forward! Forward! Not what you did last week, but this week! You see what I’m saying? Now . . . that’s a hard road.” Diving in to the seven discs of The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony, one is struck by how much Hemphill championed that tenet throughout his career and, indeed, drove the tradition forward in all of his artistic pursuits.

 Michael Rosenstein

[chwrpg]

love is in the air;

With SoWood weighing on so many in town, there comes no better time to spread some love than Valentine’s Day. Or, to very conveniently combine that need with an overdue house party. Practicing self love, someone can be overheard saying, raising a red solo cup as they wade through all the pink and red and white. Heart shaped balloons, streamers, confetti, roses upon roses upon roses, even a kiss cam set up by Cupid himself to capture the blossoming of young love... or drunk love. Either way, this is a lovers only event. Anyone caught souring the mood will be required to hand over a donation to the South Rosewood Relief Fund; if opening your heart isn’t an option then you best be prepared to open your wallet instead.

plot bunnies!

Older members will recall how events of CHW past came with side plots to drop a handful of characters into surprise situations. This is something we are considering bringing back to events on a full time basis if the response is positive enough. These are entirely optional in the event that you absolutely cannot see your character in that position-- we are just providing ideas for plots outside of the standard party interactions. Feedback is always welcome, both on the main and through discord.

Adeline Chadwell found herself in the dance floor, moving without a care in the world. Unfortunately, she found herself brought back when a drink found itself spilled on her Schiaparelli dress. To her rescue, her twin brother Keaton Chadwell. As any great brother would do, he offered to help her find the laundry so they can use the dryer.  They eventually found it. They also found themselves locked in said laundry room.

The following pairings have been caught on Radley Walsh’s kiss cam. A mandate for the event being that the moment lenses are on you, it’s kissy-kissy time. 

Aggie Stewart & Knox Overman.

Behati Finn & Wyatt Saugis.

Greg LaChance & Trevor DuChamp. 

Given tonight’s festivities were all about love, count on Tate Ahadi to gift Rosewood with his own little love letter to the awesome people who made the town so awesome. A batch of his newest creation baked into some really delicious cookies. The following members of Rosewood are feeling that high a lot more than others.

Adrian Westerfeld. 

Beverly Leon.

Braxton Walsh.

Donald ‘Duk’ Barnes. 

Jamie Geary.

Soren Hawkins.

Willow Balcoin.

Jessie Madani had made a promise to enjoy herself this evening. Tonight, what was happening in the South Side would be an after thought. Tonight was about letting loose, something she’d more than earned. But she’d soon find that her new position as one of the heads of Rosewood’s underground will seep into her closely guarded personal life when a pair of guys assume her best friend, Axel Baldwin is one of her escorts.

If anyone was on a rampage against the holiday of Valentine’s Day this year, it was the one and only, Kennedy McPherson. She couldn’t get what she wanted so in her anger, she found herself reaching out to someone who thrived with anger. Polo Moretti. She wanted to watch Rosewood burn and he was more than happy to oblige. 

In an attempt to feel like her old self— if only just for a night, Teagan Parkinson found herself buying a little pick me up from some South Side dealers— friends of both Kit Cruz and Nixon Peters. What? It was a party, everyone was doing it after all. And whilst that might have been true, not everyone found themselves buying drugs just as the Rosewood PD found themselves a knockin’ on the front door. 

MORE INFORMATION ;

This event starts Saturday at 12:01AM EST. It will run until 11:59PM on Thursday.

As always, your character’s ensembles for this event should be tagged ‘chwstyle’.

[loveistherootofhappiness]

#12 surprised date while working late....911 Bobby and athena

I was finally able to get around to writing this. Sorry about the lateness. I’m not going to preface it too much and just let you read it. I hope you like it! Thank you for prompting me.

Fandom: 9-1-1 Paring: Bathena Rating: General Word Count: 1911

“Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day. I just wanted to tell her that I loved her,” Silverman said cheekily, as Athena’s handcuffed the struggling man with ease and placed him In Clark’s squad car.

“Of course you did. Just like you have the last 6000 times this month.” Athena rolled her eyes at the man, annoyed that this was the 4th time this week she was arresting him. “Do you know what the words restraining order mean?”

“Oh, come on, she didn’t mean that! She was just playing,” looking past her he see the complainant, Brittni, standing on the sidewalk talking with one of the other officers, “tell ‘em, baby, tell ‘em that I love you. You didn’t mean all those things-“ Athena, having heard this speech way too many times this week, closed the door.

She could still hear his muffled words of “affection” as she walked away. Before walking to her squad car, she walked where Brittni stood talking to Derek. “When we take him in this time, leave him there.” Brittni had the good sense to look sheepish and gave a nod. Athena nodded back choosing not to say anything else and praying that she heads her warning this time. She gave a look to Derek and patted him on the shoulder before walking back to her own squad car.

She spotted her young protege, Braxton, leaning against the hood, giving her a hand clap as she walked to the car. “Nicely done, Sarg.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Unfortunately, it’s all in vain. Knowing these two, we’ll be back.” Athena told her as she got into the driver’s side.

“I bet you lunch tomorrow, he’ll bail out and be back here by the end of the day today,” Braxton flopped down in the passenger seat, “today is Love Day, after all. Makes people do the most.”

“I’m not even going to take you up on that because I know it’s a losing battle.” Athena gazed out at the young woman, “now if only the two of them could figure that out.”

Braxton chuckled and was about to comment when the beeping of her phone caught her attention. She fished the device out of her pocket and smiled when she saw the text notification over the lock screen photo of her family.

From: Mr. Sarg 🙃 Does she suspect anything?

Braxton smiled down at her phone as she thought fondly about Bobby’s plan. She stole a look at Athena, who was currently concentrating on writing notes on her tablet. She knew that Bobby kept this solely between the two of them and she hadn’t told anyone.

Nah, she has no idea.😉

After replying, she closed her messages and went to the notes app, to read over the plan once more. She thought it was sweet, what Bobby was doing for them tonight and she was happy to be involved.

“Is there a reason you’re smiling so much over there?” Braxton startled a bit at the sound of Athena’s voice. She looked up to see her Sergeant eyeing her questioningly.

“Oh yeah, Jay sent me some cute pictures of her cuddling with the pups and some loving messages,” Braxton lied smoothly as she locked her phone and dropped in her lap.

Athena’s gazed at the young rookie, questioning whether or not she believed her. Braxton steeled herself with another line of questioning when,

“All available units, back up requested in Lincoln Heights. Domestic dispute turned hostage situation, suspect appears to be armed.”

“That’s like the next ‘hood over from here.”

Athena flopped her head back against the seat and sighed audibly, “love day, my ass,” she grumbled. Picking up her radio, she responded, “dispatch, unit 212 responding, we’re in route now.”

“Today’s so fun. I love working on Holidays,” Braxton joked. Athena just eyed her as she put the car in gear and drove towards the next call. As much as they disliked it, rise in domestics and similar calls was par for the course on holidays, especially Valentine’s Day.

That’s how the rest of the day went. Their shift was full of domestics and extravagant gestures gone wrong. As the evening settled into night, things started to wind down and they were just patrolling, nothing happening except a couple or routine traffic stops. That was normal though. There was always an “an eye in the storm” so to speak, before the craziness picked back up again.

“It’s almost your break time, Sarg.” Braxton commented as they rode through the streets.

“Is it? I didn’t even notice. The hours tend to run together on these type of days.” She stifled a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. It didn’t matter how long she’d been doing this, she’d never be used to these type of days, especially when she had someone she’d rather be spending her time with.

She opened her phone to the love filled message that Bobby sent her at the start of her shift this afternoon, rereading the words as she had several times today. He’d left her a rose and a well made breakfast this morning, the only time they were able to “interact” all day. Every time she thought about sneaking off to visit him another call would come in. She hoped they would run into each other, but their paths didn’t cross today.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Braxton asked, interrupting her train of thought.

“Just that I’d rather be spending time with my husband right now.”

“I feel you.” Braxton said as she sent quick texts to Bobby and Elaine.

To: Mr. Sarg 🙃 Everything all set on your end?

From: Mr. Sarg 🙃 All set.

Braxton was excited. She couldn’t wait to see the look on her face.

To: Cap Laney 👮🏻♀️ Hey, everything’s a go, if it’s still all good with you?

From: Cap Laney 👮🏻♀️ It is. Tell Athena she can have 45 minutes for this one.

It’s was amazing how lenient their captain was about us spending time with loved ones. As long as they didn’t go overboard and were still monitoring the radio, meeting up with a friend or family member during shift breaks was fine.

All she needed to do now was let her friend in dispatch know. “Where do you wanna go to eat? Oh, since we’re in Koreatown there’s really good place on-" 

“Report of suspicious activity in Grand Park, limited information known at this time, any available units in the area?” Braxton stifled her giggle as she heard her superior cursing under her breath.

“Unit 212 responding.” Athena answered.

“Might be nothing.” Braxton kept up the unassuming facade.

“Doubt it. This is probably the start of the second wave.”

“We’ll see.”

It took them less then 10 minutes to arrive at the park. As they scanned the area the park was a little less lively than during the day, but the people they did see weren’t doing anything that could be considered suspicious. Athena and Braxton decided to check the areas that were a little less lit and quieter to make sure nothing was going on there.

As she walked across the lawn, Athena felt a firm hand grab her shoulder. Wasting no time, she grabbed her gun and rounded on the unknown person, knowing that it wasn’t her partner. She soon found herself pointing her gun at her husband.

“Bobby! What the hell? I could’ve shot you! What are you doing here? I thought you were at work?” Athena asked frantically as her heart pounded. She looked over at her partner to find her laughing.

“Okay, maybe getting your attention that way wasn’t the smartest idea.”

“You think?!” Athena put her gun back in the holster, “but that still doesn’t answer my question.”

“A little birdie told me that this was your break time today, so I thought I’d surprise you with a little lunch date. While you had the time.” Bobby grabbed her hand and led her over to a near by picnic table that had a candles, flowers, and a meal for two set up on it.

“How?” Athena asked as the wheels kept turning in her head.

“He and I have been setting this up for the last few days.”

“I contacted Braxton when I found out that we wouldn’t be able to see each other for yet another holiday. She said she could set something up.”

“Most of this was his idea. I just made sure that everything went the way it was supposed to. Surprise!”

Athena said nothing in response as she let it all settle in her mind. “So the call?”

“Dispatch was in on it. So was the rest of the shift. They knew were the only ones that was supposed to respond to it.”

“Wait the entire shift was in on this?” Athena asked.

“Yep, Cap too. She also told me to tell you that you can have 45 minutes for this one. Well, I’m gonna leave you guys to it. See ya Sarg, Mr. Sarg, I’m gonna go have some Korean fried chicken and call my wife to tell her about this. See you in 45.” Braxton walked away before Athena could get another word in.

“You know the Mr. Sarg thing is starting to grow on me, makes me think about that discussion we had about me taking your last name,” He looked to see Athena’s eyes squinted at him, “what? Robert Carter does have a nice ring to it.”

Turning towards her husband, she smacked him in the chest, “that’s for keeping this from me and doing all this,” and leaning on her tip toes she kissed him deeply, “and that’s doing for all this”

When her lips left his, she wrapped her arms around him, reveling in the feel of him, his scent. All things aside, she loved having this moment with him. “That’s the point of a surprise date. For it to be a surprise, what I supposed to do? Tell you. You’re just mad that everyone else was in on it except you.” She was, but she wasn’t going to say it out loud.

“Let me guess, the 118 knows, too.”

“Yeah, they know where I am and what I’m doing. Hen’s in charge while I snuck away to meet you.” He grabbed her chin and brought her lips up to meet his, “now can we eat?”

Wordlessly, she picked a side of the table and he sat across her. She removed the cover from the dish and was assaulted by the delicious smells underneath. She had to admit she was impressed by the number of hoops he went through to make this happen. Not even giving away a hint as to what he was planning. She loved him for it.

“I love you. Thank you for this.”

“I love you, too. We’ve barely seen each other or spent much alone time together these past few months . It’s Valentine’s Day, there was no way I wasn't going this whole day without seeing you again.”

“You make this whole scheme sound so simple.”

“It was. I wanted to spend time with you today. I was going to to make that happen, schedules and even a couple regulations be damned. Simple as that.” Bobby told her with conviction.

She let the air of finality be just that as she shifted the conversation and just focused on being in the moment with him. These 45 minutes were going to be over sooner than either of them wanted.

[jelanisaeed]

Round 1: VS Venonat - Legends Part 1

Hello everyone, welcome to my story! This is the first book in a series I'm writing. Hopefully, it'll be finished the way I want it to be. I have a lot of plans to manipulate known facts and add my own into the fray as well.

Sorry, y'all! I didn't mean to fall off on writing this. I just got self-conscious. But I'm not going to let that get into the way anymore! I'm gonna stay on top of writing this!

Especially with this new writing style I've got! I've discovered I'm more a slice of life, mystery, fantasy type of writer. Not so much action like I originally tried. So, my chapters will be much shorter than before and will have great character interactions. I hope y'all like it this go around! And I promise I'll do better with staying on top of things!

I've made a lot of changes to the OG story, along with the previous version so I'll make sure to spot them out and let y'all know!

Oh, and quick disclaimer. I'm a black queer writer so all of my stories, including this one, will have characters who explore black and queer themes. I hope this creates a welcoming atmosphere for all to enjoy my stories and see a different perspective on pokemon and what it can be written about.

I also hope to inspire more black and queer writers to write stories on this site. The more the merrier!

Oh and I'm thinking about doing this thing where I tell y'all what music helped me write these chapters. It's a fun little thing. Mainly because music is a big part of my writing process so I thought it'd be fun to share with y'all!

So these three chapters were inspired by the Calling All Lovers album by Tamar Braxton! I love her voice and have been obsessed with her recently! She's always been one of my favs (#piscesgang) but this revisit to this gem just kept me going! I believe the song that helped a lot was Broken Record.

Special shoutout to Big Dummy by Cocoa Sarai (#piscesgang) as well! That song kept me motivated.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy it!

…

Pokémon Adventures: Turquoise, Jasper, & Ammolite

Round 1: VS Venonat – Legends Part 1

Location: Twinleaf Town Date: August 4th, 3000 Time: 8:45am

Legends. Paxton grew up on the grand tales of mystery and wonder. Weaved together by ancient people who desired to understand the world around them. From declarations of the universe’s creation to the birth of emotions. A legend existed for them all. And all found themselves scribed and stored in libraries across Sinnoh.

Once upon a time, he believed them. Sat amongst groups of budding trainers in awe as their teacher’s spun these tales. Admired the scholars who backed up these claims with beautifully dressed lies. Part of him wished he believed them. At least then he’d preserve the innocence he lost long ago.

Not that it mattered. Innocence didn’t make for a great travel companion. Clouded the mind and led even the best astray. Paxton knew he’d never succumb to it. Not again.

“Ain’t that right, Kiri?” his little formantis thrilled beside him. She fell in step beside him, having just defeated a wild bidoof. Annoying rodents with the worst aromas.

Under the morning sun, he kept moving. Summers in Sinnoh never made much sense. Despite the heat, a chilling breeze whisked by. Eastern winds—had to be from the lake. Still, a bit musty for his taste. He heard Lake Verity was a beautiful place filled with energetic, young pokémon. Perhaps just another well-crafted lie.

It doesn’t matter. Paxton shrugged and continued his path. He had his mission and pitstops didn’t fit the bill. Soon enough, he found himself inside Twinleaf Town. A cute little place filled with morning folks. They took to the streets with their pokémon and tended to their business. A few merchant stands set up with fresh produce and supplies.

“Pretty nice, huh?” Kiri agreed. She breathed in the fresh air and thrilled. Much better for her than Jubilife City.

Now, if any of them could point him in the right direction—

“I tell ya it’s true!” A youngster wailed to a crowd. Quite the sight, Paxton mused. Clothes tattered and caked with mud. His youthful tan marred with bruises and an odd burn across his forearm.

“There’s a monster in the lake! It attacked me and my nidoran!”

A monster in Lake Verity? Paxton frowned. Too farfetched for his taste. Powerful pokémon never lingered along the lakefront, so the merchants told him. The most dangerous any trainer encountered was a choleric gyarados!

There’s no such thing as monsters, he scoffed but got closer regardless. The kid had a story, no doubt about it. Perhaps it would prove to be a challenge for him.

Though his hopes weren’t high. Twinleaf Town hadn’t produced capable trainers in years—

“The boy speaks truth, if only misguided,” an elderly man took the boy’s side with a pleasant smile. Eyes narrowed with wisdom as leaned against his cane. “There’s always been a force protecting the lakefront. A guardian blessed by Lady Mesprit herself. It serves to protect the grounds from intruders.”

A guardian, the Paxton scoffed. Yet another well-dressed lie. And the crowd around him shared his thoughts if their whispers were any indication.

Clearly, the elder saw no reason to stop. He only adjusted his kimono and tapped his cane against the lush grass. A soft, melodic sound, yet it quieted the confused herd of people. Paxton whistled. Plenty of teachers killed for that superpower, especially on the last day of classes.

“Now, now,” The elder smiled, gingerly tapping the pokéball on his cane. “We all knew of the legend.”

The ball snapped open and released a pokémon before them all. A beautiful feline with glowing, white fur. The perfect contrast to its pitch-black skin and talons. Armed with a scythe-like tail and a crescent horn jutting from its forehead.

It glared at him with glowing red eyes. Eyes filled with frosty wisdom. Lingered on him, demanding something the trainer wasn’t prepared to give.

He flinched. Not his proudest moment. And the pokémon agreed, turning up its nose with a snarl.

“You feel it, Absol?” The man said in a graveled whisper. At once, the strange pokémon—absol, he supposed—growled. The elder stroked its forehead and locked eyes with the trainer. “Young man, what is your name.”

Part of him wanted nothing more than to flip the old geezer off. He hated unwanted attention. Yet the questioning gaze of the crowd made him shrink. Of course, that geezer had them wrapped up in his every word.

“Paxton,” he spoke softly, gathering Kiri closer for comfort. She glared and waved her arms for battle. “Paxton Lotus of Floaroma Town. This is my partner pokémon, Kiri the formantis.”

The geezer nodded with a strange smile. But Paxton couldn’t place why it disturbed him. “You all remember the legend,” the geezer spoke again. “A child blessed with verity. Discovered by the peaceful flower.” Paxton groaned. Of course, this had something to do with him. No wonder he didn’t trust the geezer. “Tell me, young one. What has brought you to his town?”

Easy. He had his mission. Deliver the package and report back to Professor Kapok. Nothing special. He did plenty of these over the weeks.

“To see the lake guardian with my own eyes,” Paxton spoke, but words felt foreign. “And start my journey with an adventure.”

“An adventure,” The man smiled. A knowing smile Paxton saw plentifully on Father’s face. “An adventure intertwined with the red strings. Yes, you certainly shall receive one. Follow me, please youngling.”

Something tells me I shoulda stayed in Floaroma Town

…

Suddenly, staying in Floaroma Town felt like the right move. Paxton sighed and ran a hand over his green coils. Lake Verity didn’t live up to the legends. No bustling pokémon or fairy spirits. Not even a spontaneous battle—though, Paxton yearned for it well. Just silence and a thick fog.

A strange fog at that. It hung over the trees until they caved to its weighed. Many bent at odd angles. Not even Eterna Forest looked so eerie. And that forest had far too many ghost-type pokémon.

“I hate this place,” Paxton shivered. The air seemed so cold and heavy. And each brush of air prickled his skin with sharpened icicles.

Paxton paused by a familiar tree. Passed it a few times now, he knew. No other tree had these strange cravings on the bark. Some language, he wagered. However, the letters seemed bizarre and had cycloptic eyes. Strange, yet they seemed familiar. As if he saw them in a dream before.

{Paxton…} a voice whispered on the wind. Eyes darted around, but Paxton couldn’t find the source. Yet the voice continued, whispering his name in an offbeat rhythm. {Paxton…}

Great, I’m loosin’ it! Paxton groaned. Yet the voice paid him no heed. Each whisper grew louder than the last with a pronounced echo. Mashed together with words until it jumbled into an incoherent mess. Pain shot through his mind and Paxton stumbled. Braced against the tree, he stared into the fog and froze.

A figure breached the fog. Pale as ice with messy coils and lifeless eyes. Naked yet the wisping streamers of the fog covered anything unsavory. The figure stared at him with shinning sky-blue eyes…and smiled. Giggled even!

Is that a ghost? Paxton swallowed. Spirits weren’t his forte. In fact, they freaked him out!

{Paxton…} the ghost spoke even though its lips never moved. It urged him to follow as it stepped back into the fog. {Paxton…}

…Hell. Against his better judgement, he followed it. Chased it through the shifting fog as Kiri appeared beside him in a burst of light. He needed her. If this ghost was anything like the kind in Kanto, then he couldn’t take any chances! Would’ve been a perfect time to find that guardian though.

Guardian…what if that ghost was the guardian? A chill ran down his spine. He hoped not. Dealing with the undead was Casper’s thing, not his! He had enough of ghost-type pokémon ever since he got lost in that busted down chateau!

Still, he put those thoughts aside and chased its faded form. Even as his lungs screamed at him to take a break. Or his legs struggled to keep up. He fought through it. And Paxton found himself in a clearing. Empty, yet devoid of the heavy fog. Just a soft breeze and lake water as it crashed against the ground.

The ghost turned to him and grinned. Eyes filled with mirth as it lifted off the ground and floated to the lake. Paxton followed and gazed in awe. The ghost danced above, swinging its arms. It spiralled through the morning skies and giggled. Soft and melodious as the soft waves rolling through. And with a grin, the ghost dove into the lake.

Glittering light erupted across the water. Engulfed the lake in a rainbow splendor.

For a moment, Paxton stared into the light. Entranced as thoughts raced through his mind. Feelings, long since buried, unearthed and flooded him in a sparkling array of light—

(Veno-NAT!)

Paxton didn’t realize he moved until the heat hit him. As he rolled along the soft grass, charred dirt sprinkled his skin. Ignited by flashes of green light. Something attacked him, but he couldn’t see anything in the grass. Just rustling as the breeze blew through—

(NAT!)

This time, Paxton was ready. He lunged away as streaks of light smashed into the ground. Unharmed except for the light scarps. Good enough for Kiri as she dashed into the fight. She weaved through the streaks of light and unleashed a spiral of glowing leaves into the tall grass. Trimmed grass fluttered through the air, but the rustled told him all he needed to know.

“Kiri, widen your range and trim the grass! Razor Leaf!”

Sharpened leaves ripped through the air and trimmed the tall grass. Amongst the fallen leaves, he caught a glimpse of the assailant. Purple for sure…and were those clodhopper feet?

The creature paused in the epicenter of the field. And…it had to be the ugliest thing Paxton ever saw. Thick, disheveled purple fur mashed with giant, red eyes, stubby paws and insect features. Poor thing. Nobody’d ever train something so hideous.

This must be the monster. Paxton frowned. Ugly or not, he had to get rid of it.

“Kiri, time to water the garden.” Kiri rushed it and slashed it across the chest. The bug cried out, but Kiri didn’t stop there. She slashed and slashed, drawing pained buzzes from the creature. Now that Kiri had a target, that bug didn’t have a chance.

“That’s it! Fury Cutter!”

Once Fury Cutter went to work, it didn’t matter what pokémon Kiri faced. Each slash gained greater strength than the last. A nasty move for sure but made pokémon battles so much easier. The bug stumbled away from a slash and hopped away. But Kiri raced after it, unleashing more spiraling leaves to smash into its back.

“Finish it, Kiri! Leaf—”

Kiri cried out, low and mangled, as she fell forward! Her blades held her up, but she gasped for air.

But how?! Paxton watched in horror as the air rippled and smashed into Kiri, blowing her back. He lunged for her. Caught her just before she crashed. And when he pulled her close, he found streaks of purple staining her green skin. Poison?

(Nat?) The bug hopped over. Body tensed as green light oozed underneath its messy fur. Paxton dipped a hand to his belt. He had the perfect pokémon for this ugly—

“Motha,” A calm, melodious voice washed over the field. And the beast paused. “That’s enough.”

The beast hobbled over to the lake with a certain bounce that Paxton didn’t appreciate.

“That’s enough fighting, please,” the same voice spoke again. And a trainer climbed out of the crystal waters. Clad in only a pair of black briefs decorated with bugs and bubbles. His soaked black coils hung over his eyes, dripping water down his toned hazelnut body. When he finally moved the coiled curtains, Paxton caught sight of sky-blue eyes.

Just like that ghost.

But…his looked so shattered.

“Who are you?” He spoke again with that same melodious quality. Only this time, there was a noticeable edge. Like a cliff blocking a powerful wave. “What are you doing in Lake Verity?”

Paxton scowled. Figures the monster had a trainer. It fought too well to be wild. But it didn’t make sense. Why attack? Paxton shook his head.

“My name is Paxton—Paxton Lotus of Floaroma Town,” he gulped. His heart pounded against his chest. “I’m here to defeat the monster in Lake Verity. That you, ain’t it?”

The trainer paused. And his eyes darkened with flecks of gray.

“I am the guardian of Lake Verity,” he began slowly as a storm brewed behind his lips. “My name is Turquoise. Turquoise Yukule.”

…

How did y'all like that chapter? It took some time to perfect, but I loved the twist it took! I'm happy with it.

Paxton's a new character I made. Lowkey based him off of a mix of the Aroma Lady and Gardener Trainer Classes. I'm starting to really fuse Trainer Classes for some reason and I love it lol

And yay, Turquoise is back! He's literally my favorite little bubble of sunshine. I love his character and did some changes to him too. I'll let y'all know his Trainer Class next chapter!

But I'd to hear from y'all. Feel free to leave a review or PM me. I'd love to hear your feedback. And I'll do my best to respond to all reviews as well!

[kumkaniudaku]

Our Thing

Happy Valentine’s Day, guys. Here’s one of the two things I plan on writing. I consider all of you my Valentine’s since I never have one, so here’s something before the clock strikes 12. 

Work Count: 2k

Warnings: Not yet proofread

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“What? Of course, it’s a good idea! I’m the king of good ideas!”

Voices bounced off of the walls of the Brooklyn apartment building as Chad and CoCo walked side by side to the apartment at the end of the hallway.

The snow lining the sidewalks outside were typical of mid-February, giving Tasha more of a reason to stay inside on the cold Friday. But her friend insisted she leave the dark cocoon she had created for herself in her apartment just across the water in New Jersey.

Valentine’s Day was the designated time of the year to celebrate love. Chadwick had a reason to celebrate, but CoCo could no longer say the same. After months of turmoil and emotional abuse, she was a single woman again and dreading the mere thought of loving someone else. So, she planned to avoid all mentions of love and relationships for the foreseeable future. Even if that meant neglecting tradition.

“Look, Chad, we can celebrate on the 15th! This feels so...weird.”

“We celebrate Valentine’s Day together every year. We can’t skip out this year.”

“I feel like having a girlfriend is the perfect reason to miss a year,” CoCo deadpanned as they reached their intended destination. She could practically feel the excitement buzzing from the other side of the door in the form of Toni Braxton’s greatest hits so far, and started to feel bad for the woman she’d come face to face with for the first time.

“Why miss a year when we can celebrate together? And you get to meet my lady for the first time. It’ll be fun.”

“Fun my ass,” Tasha mumbled into the thick scarf around her neck, earning a look from Chadwick.

“Wanna share that with the class, Miss Greene?”

“Knock on the damn door!”

A muffled feminine voice announced that she was gearing up to answer the door adding to the uneasiness in the pit of CoCo’s belly. She knew that if she was on the other side of this encounter, seeing a woman with her boyfriend on date night would insight a riot.

When the door opened to reveal the woman she only knew as Jay, she was more than shocked at what met her. Jay was beautiful. Her slim figure came with a few curves to compliment her height. She was graceful beyond compare and impeccably dressed, making Tasha feel incredibly bland in comparison.

“Hi, baby,” Jay sang as she wrapped her arms around Chadwick and went in for a kiss. If Tasha had rolled her eyes any harder, they would’ve fallen from her skull and rolled all the way back to New Jersey to beat her home. Catching wind of another presence, Jay offered a courteous smile.

“Oh, hi! Did he forget to give you a tip downstairs?”

“A tip,” CoCo asked, obviously offended and a bit confused.

“A tip for the cab ride. I know it was hell driving in this snow. Just let me grab my purse.”

Chadwick could see Tasha’s struggle to maintain her composure, her mouth opening and closing with words she couldn’t produce.

“You know what? I’m going home. Call me to let me know you got back to your place safely.”

“No, wait,” he exclaimed before grabbing Tasha’s elbow and pulling her back to her original spot despite her struggle to pull away. Noticing the commotion, Jay turned back to Chadwick and Tasha with her brows quirked in confusion.

“Am I missing something.”

“Nope. I’ll just take my tip and be on my w-”

“Jay, this is my best friend Tasha that I’ve been telling you about. Co, this is Jayme Dubois, my girlfriend.”

A brief and unpleasant stare off preceded a chipper energy shift as Jayme went in for a hug. “CoCo, how are you! I have heard so much about you.”

“Yeah well, don’t believe any of it,” CoCo forced out between fake laughter while she made faces at Chadwick over Jayme’s shoulder.

“I’ll keep that in mind. So, what brings you over? Do you have a date in this complex? I always knew white boy Rick liked Black women.”

“Actually, Muffin, I was thinking she could spend Valentine’s Day with us. It’s been tradition for us to spend the holiday together and we don’t wanna break it.”

“So you want Tasia -”

“It’s Tasha,” CoCo interrupted in the most obnoxious tone she could muster.

“Right...Tasha. You want Tasha to spend Valentine’s Day with us? Tonight? Even though this is a couple’s holiday? Couple as in two, mind you.”

“Yes, Jay. It would really mean a lot to me.”

Jayme looked between a visibly annoyed Tasha and the pleading eyes of her boyfriend before letting go of a long sigh and stepping aside to usher her companions for the night inside.

Tasha took in her surroundings and quietly marveled. Though small because what seemed to be standard in New York, Jayme’s dwelling was equal parts colorful and classic. Had she not started the interaction on such a bad note, Tasha would’ve complimented her on the statement couch that matched her ornate rug, but she kept it to herself out of spite.

“So since we have one more, what are our plans for the night, honey bear?”

Chadwick caught the slight scrunch in CoCo’s face and ignored it to refrain from explaining the embarrassing nickname. “Well, we can still go see Definitely, Maybe like you wanted, but instead of dinner in the park, Tasha got us a reservation at this really nice Italian spot in the city.”

“I called in a favor from work. It was no big deal.”

Jayme disregarded CoCo’s smile as she took a sip from her water bottle and sat on the arm of the chair Chadwick occupied. Her hands rubbed patronizing circles around his shoulders and back, forcing Tasha to look away to save the awkward moment.

“Well, it seems like you too already have this figured out, so I’ll just grab my coat. Do you have any more suggestions, CoCo?”

“Nooope.” Tasha sang the word through gritted teeth forced into a smile. Chadwick gave her a sympathetic look before helping Jayme into her coat and ushering each woman safely out of the building.

Tasha remained the front wheel of the tricycle, preferring to stay in front of the couple to refrain from looking like the unwanted third party. With every audible kiss and nauseatingly affectionate gesture, CoCo felt her heart tighten. It wasn’t seeing Chadwick with another woman that had her fighting back tears in the theatre. She needed the sight to push her feelings for him to the furthest corner of her mind. It was the pain of knowing that she had just detached from one of the worst situations in her life, yet wanted to be with him to cure the loneliness she felt.

If she had it her way, she’d cry it out until the work week resumed on Monday in the comfort of her own home, but continued to engage in the conversation when the moment presented itself to appease Chadwick.

In a restaurant full of couples, Jayme, Chadwick, and Tasha were the only threesome in the center of the establishment. Nervous energy characterized the silence left behind when Chadwick excused himself to the restroom, leaving the women in his life to avoid eye contact.

Relief came in the form of a stout waiter visiting the table to collect dinner orders. Without realizing that the order would be incomplete without the third member of the group, the women ordered traditional dishes and wine for the table.

“And the young man? What will he have?”

“Oh! Ummm, I’m not sure,” Jayme responded as she fumbled through the menu. “Maybe you could come back in a few minutes?”

“He’ll have the Parmigiana w/ Pasta, but please be light on the sauce. He gets heartburn from all the tomatoes.”

The waiter took heed of Tasha’s warning before walking away, leaving Jayme to burn a hole in the top of Tasha’s head while she sorted through emails on her cell phone.

“How long did you say you and Chadwick have been friends?”

“Since Fall 1996. So coming up on 13 years,” Tasha answered, looking up to find an indecipherable look on Jayme’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I just - you know him so well. His favorite candy, where he likes to sit in the theatre, what he eats at certain restaurants. I don’t know if I can keep up.”

The process of finding the right words to assure Jayme, Chadwick returned to the table and unknowingly ended the conversation before it could truly begin.

“Never in my life did I think I’d have to stand in line to use the men’s restroom. I applaud y’all for doing that,” he complained as he took his seat. “Has the waiter come back for orders yet?”

“He did actually. Tasha got you Parmigiana w/ Pasta.” Jayme secretly hoped that Chadwick would reject the choice and ask for a second go at the ordering process. She was met with the complete opposite.

“Hell yeah!” His fist met Tasha’s across the table in his childlike excitement. “I love that shit.”

“Language, honey bear.”

“Sorry, Muffin.”

“Wow,” Tasha whispered to herself, unaware that the others around the table could hear her.

“Did you want to say something, Tasha?”

“Noooope.”

The table fell silent to give way to the idle chatter in the area around them. Chadwick looked between his girlfriend and best friend trying to find a way to get them to interact with each other cordially.

“So, Co, Jayme has been trying to get into basketball lately.”

“Oh really.” Tasha was clearly uninterested as she continued to read emails on her phone from weeks ago. A subtle kick underneath her table made her look up and noticed Chadwick’s non-verbal urging for her to at least pretend to care. “Which team are you interested in, Jayme?”

“I really like the Nets! Trenton Hassell to be exact.”

“Do you? Because he averages less than two points a game. There’s not much to like.”

“Trenton is your friend’s boyfriend right, Jay?”

“Does it matter now? Tasha basically called him a bad player.”

“Not bad, per se. He’s terrible. That’s a better adjective.”

“Oh-kay,” Chadwick interjected to end the escalating conversation. “Jay, how’s work at the fashion house going?”

“Ugh, it is amazing! We got some new pieces last night and they are beautiful. Maybe you could come browse one day, Tasha. Style can always use an update.”

“I consider myself more Maxine than Regine. Thanks though. I’m sure the pieces are nice.”

Tasha successfully contained her laughter at Jayme’s expression, feeling her first surge of happiness for the day.

Chadwick felt helpless as the night continued and each attempt at joining two of his favorite women ended in a snarky comment or shady look. Dinner provided a welcome activity that didn’t require group conversation, giving him the opportunity to cater to each woman. The longer they sat and contemplated grabbing cheesecake inside the restaurant or settling for ice cream on the way home, the more he could feel Jayme disconnecting.

“Muffin, do you want the strawberry cheesecake for here or to go,” he asked as she slid her coat from the back of her chair and collected her purse.

“Actually, I don’t feel so well, honey bear. I’m gonna head home.”

“What? So soon? We didn’t even get to dessert.”

Tasha watched Jayme put on her best “sick” face and gagged internally at Chadwick falling for the charade. Jayme was far from physically sick. If she was feeling anything, it was annoyance at the fact that her boyfriend’s best friend had spent the most romantic night of the year taking the attention from her.

“Well, let me walk you outside and wait for the cab to come.”

“Thank you, honey bear.” Jayme accepted Chadwick’s help into her coat, purposely ignoring Tasha until the last second. “Good night, Tasha. Maybe we’ll see each other for another occasion. Hopefully in a less...crowded environment.”

Tasha released a short chuckle before plastering on a fake smile, “Right. I’ll pencil you into my calendar.”

Jayme offered another fake smile and nod before leading the way out of the restaurant into the Brooklyn streets.

“I’ll pencil you in and the erase that shit. Fuck her.”

Time started to drag as she sat at the table alone, looking more foolish with three plates crowding her space than playing seat warmer for the world’s cutest couple. A glance out of the window gave her access to the tail end of Jayme’s departure. Her inability to peel her eyes away from the private moment showed her two things: Chadwick was far more interested in Jayme than she was in him, and she was clearly upset despite the kiss and hug she provided before disappearing into the backseat of her taxi.

Moments later, Chadwick took the seat directly across from Tasha and sighed.

“Go ahead. Tell me that you told me so.”

“I’m not gonna say that friend,” Tasha smiled. “All I’ll say is you’re gonna need one of these cheesecakes to go because mama is PISSED.”

“You think so?”

“Oh, I know so. But, I’m here to help with gift ideas to make up for this dumbass idea. And I ordered us dessert.”

Chadwick’s ear perked at the sound of a sugar rush to end a night full of terrible decisions. “Did you get the cookie thing with the-”

“The vanilla bean ice cream on top? C’mon now! You know me!” Without hesitation, the pair completed their signature handshake before sitting back in their seats.  “Sorry for ruining your date, Aaron. I’ll pay the tab as a peace offering.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. I’ll make it up to her. You know there’s a reason she calls me honey bear.”

“Gross. Please, don’t finish that sentence. And what the fuck is Muffin? Are you a white TV dad now?”

Chadwick’s deep belly laugh at CoCo’s expense continued until their shared dessert was placed between them. Instructing Tasha to pick up her spoon, Chadwick began a pseudo-toast.

“To another Valentine’s Day spend together and many more to come!”

Their spoons clinked together in solidarity before the argument of who would get which portion of the cookie began, ending the most romantic day of the year the only way they knew how: together.

                                  _______________

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[goddessofroyalty]

The Family Videos Pre-edits

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19039477

Blame the hormones but I wrote another birth fic. This one is recorded video style because I wanted to try something different so a more dumb and funny than anything else.

I’ll probably end up writing another for Tim that’s more serious.

Warnings: mpreg, omegaverse, childbirth

Pairings: Tim/Cassie/Conner/Bart

“So this is how they’re all enjoying their last night of child-free life,” Rose Wilson says from behind the camera pointed in the direction of what would be best dubbed the ‘Young Justice pack’. Tim right and centre in the couch that he finally admitted to be his pre-birth nest the previous day with the rest of the pack close at hand. There isn’t any purpose for them being so close, but with Tim so far into his pregnancy unless there is a crisis of sufficient world-endingness happening they all were all-but glued to his side.

“They might still be Braxton Hicks,” Tim points out stubbornly.

“They’re too regular,” Rose counters, the video shifting as she walks closer. Her hand becomes clear in it as it presses against Tim’s stomach. “They’re about ready to come out and that makes this your last official last night without a pup running around stopping you from having time to yourselves ever again.”

“I don’t know, I assumed we’d just get you to babysit for us if we wanted to have kid-free time,” Bart comments earning him the camera turned onto him and a middle finger clearly aimed at him in-frame.

Bart’s face twists into exaggerated, playful, innocence. “What you have experience in it.”

“Oh fuck off, I refuse to become the babysitter on every team I take part of. At this rate I’d be better by my fucking self.”

“Language,” Cassie chips automatically but without any real heat behind it.

“There’s a baby in the room,” Conner adds with a teasing smile.  

“Baby’s not here yet so I can safely keep swearing for another few hours at least.”

“Actually there’s a lot of research that suggests that babies can hear from inside the womb and that’s why it’s so important for a pack to talk to them even before their born,” Bart so helpfully adds to the conversation.

“Well than I guess I better leave you lot to your pack-snuggles so I don’t corrupt the baby anymore,” Rose says finally turning the camera onto her own face. “See how mean they all are to me – try and record their last night of freedom and they just insult me.”

“Come on Rose we do love you,” Bart says and Rose angles the camera down to show that he’s attached himself to her in a clinging hug. She turns the camera around again to the other three members still on the couch – all clearly entertained by the interaction.

“And to think, all of you are going to be responsible for a baby in a matter of hours,” Rose says, before the camera goes black.

 -----------

 “So I’m definitely in labor, the contractions ten minutes apart and about 60 seconds in duration,” Tim says to the camera he’s holding just above his face so that only he is in frame. Listing the details like facts in a case, despite sitting in his bed and clearly dressed for sleep.

“So Rose was right?” Conner asks out of frame. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t feel too bad yet. They’re tight but not painful, but they’re certainly not Braxton Hicks anymore,” Tim says, head facing away from the camera still held pointing to his face and towards those off-frame.

“Do you need us to get you anything?” Bart asks.

“No I’m fine,” Tim says.

“Do you want us to contact Bruce?”

“No, we can tell them once we’re actually heading to hospital. I don’t really want this room crowded right now. You should all get some rest – I’ll wake you when they’re closer to five minutes apart.”

“What about you?” Cassie asks, the camera shifting slightly in response to some change in weight on the bed.

“I’ll try to get some sleep as well,” Tim says, glancing down to the camera.

“Good.”

 ------------

 “So it’s, 1AM in the morning, and right now I’m just waiting for the contractions to get closer,” Tim says to the camera, turning it around so it can face the clock visible over the apparently-sleeping forms of the rest of his pack. “I can’t sleep but I don’t know if that’s from the contractions or just knowing that I’m going to be a parent soon. I mean, I think I’m ready for it, that we’re ready for it but I can’t be sure can I? There’s really no way to be sure even after they’re born if we were ready.”

Tim sighs and runs his hands over his face. “It’s not like we can back out now though – it’s going to happen soon enough. Even if it feels like it’s taking forever. Don’t even know why I’m trying to sleep there’s no point. Actually-“

 ------------

 “Do you want to tell the camera what you were doing?” Cassie says to an annoyed-looking Tim in the background.

“Conner give me my computer back!” Tim complains reaching up to where Conner is holding said laptop out of his reach.

“Answer the question Tim,” Conner says.

“What? Oh, I was doing work okay? But it wasn’t like I was getting any sleeping done anyway so I might as well finish up the reports I was working on, get them done before the baby arrives,” Tim ‘explains’ to the camera with a dry look.

“Why didn’t you wake us if you couldn’t sleep?” Bart asks.

“Because there’s nothing you can do yet – we don’t need to start really organising anything until the contractions are 5 minutes apart and they’re currently 9,” Tim says, “I’m just trying to fill that time.”

 -------------

 “It is 3AM in the morning and Tim’s contractions are still 7 minutes apart,” Conner says to the camera as he walks through the hallway. “That is apparently a normal progression and nothing to be worried about but I’m still worried. It’s not that I don’t think he can’t do it or anything, Tim’s strong. If anyone can, he can. Just – it’s a lot you know? Having a baby. Actually I probably sound like an idiot right now, I should probably delete this.”

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

 “Bart what are you doing?” Tim asks as the camera is directed so it is focused on his stomach.

“I want to record the contracts,” Bart explains his hand coming into frame to gently press against Tim’s stomach. “It’s so weird when they happen.”

“It is a bit,” Tim agrees, his body twists as he goes to reach for something out of frame. “It’s been nearly six minutes since the last one so I should be getting another soon.”

“Cool well I’ll just keep the camera here then, which also means you can’t keep working while I do.”

Tim settles down and the camera just sits aimed at his bare stomach that clearly has no more room for a baby to grow in it anymore. Bart’s hand softly running along it.

Another minute passes and suddenly Tim hisses and breathe louder as it’s consciously controlled. The camera jostles as Bart gets into a better position and his hand gently pokes at the stomach.

“It goes so firm,” Bart explains, his hand easily moving out of the way for Tim’s own to grip at it. “It’s so weird.”

“It’s contracting,” Tim says and the camera moves to have his face as the centre of the frame.

“Preparing to get the baby out,” Bart says, “because we’re going to have the baby soon!”

“You think we’re ready?” Tim asks.

“Sure, after everything we’ve been through we got this.”

 -------------

 “Okay repeat what you just said,” Bart says, the camera pointed towards Tim on the bed. His laptop sitting next to him open and Cassie sitting next to him.

“I think my water just broke,” Tim obligingly repeats. “And my contractions are close enough to 5 minutes apart now.”

“So time to call the doctor?” Cassie asks.

“Yes.”

“Okay I’ll go organise it, hopefully she doesn’t mind being woken at 5AM,” Cassie says, getting up from the bed and out of frame.

“How do they feel?” Bart asks the camera angle moving as he climbs onto the bed with Tim.

“They’re starting to hurt, still the tight feeling but a lot stronger. It’s not terrible though and there’s nothing really between them so-“ Tim shrugs, before reaching forward to his laptop.

“Hey where’s Cassie going?” Conner asks, and Bart turns the camera around to show him in the doorway.

“She’s calling the doctor,” Bart says.

“Oh.” Conner’s expression seems caught between a few emotions – his face undecided what it wants to feel. “So like it’s happening.”

“The contractions are five minutes apart,” Tim says, “and I think my water just broke.”

“Oh.” Conner’s face more seems to be settling on ‘panic’ as the expression of choice. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine? I mean they- ngh-“

The camera whips back around to Tim whose expression is pulled tight and his breathes forcefully even, one of his hands gripping at the sheets over his stomach.

Conner is at his side in an instant. His expression very much settled on panic and his hands hover just over Tim’s skin as if waiting for some instruction as to what to do from Tim.

Tim’s face relaxes after a minute.

“I’m certainly aware of them now,” he jokes, “but once they’re over it’s nothing so it still just feels like waiting.”

Conner’s face seems to have severe doubt over the ‘nothing’ness of it. Is still heavy with concern even as Tim opens his laptop again and starts typing.

 --------------

“So we are on our way to the hospital,” Rose says from the driver’s seat of the car, “I’m driving because none of them can be trusted not to freak the hell out ever time Tim has another contraction and crash.”

“Thank you Rose,” Bart says from behind the camera, slowly spinning it around to show Tim sandwiched between Cassie and Conner in the back of the car.

“The sun’s just rising so at least the roads aren’t too busy,” Rose continues, “should get to the hospital before the rest of the birthing party arrive.”

“She means my brother and father,” Tim says.

“We still think brother singular is a possibility,” Rose says towards the camera with a pointed look.

“What really matters right now though,” Bart says turning the camera to face him, “is that we’re going to have a baby soon!”

 -------------

“So we’ve settled into the hospital,” Tim says sitting up in the hospital bed talking to the camera pointed at him. “Bruce says they’re still about 15 minutes off. I’m still at 5 minutes apart in my contractions and I’m dilated about 2 centimetres. So now I guess we just wait.”

“Yay, more waiting,” Bart says sarcastically and the camera turns around to show him dramatically leaning back in the chair.

“There’s going to be a lot of that,” Rose comments, the camera turning again to show her leaning against the wall.

“I know – active labor typically lasts 8 hours and can go up to nearly 18 hours. I read all about it,” Bart says. “That’s still so much waiting.”

“Where’s my laptop?” Tim asks.  

 -----------

 “Is it bad that I don’t know if I want Tim’s family here,” Cassie says to the camera, having apparently hidden herself in the bathroom to record. “I know they’re just coming to support Tim but… well, they don’t exactly have the best track record. And I know this is different to what they’re normally dealing with but, I don’t know. It’s probably just the alpha in me – Tim’s our omega and he’s going to give birth to our pup, I probably just don’t want another pack involved. Instinct and all that.”

 ------------------

 “Why is he on his laptop?” Dick asks having apparently not noticed the camera filming yet.

“Because I’m nearly finished this report,” Tim replies, sitting up in the bed with the laptop placed between his legs.

“Timmy you’re about to have a baby, you don’t need to be thinking about work right now,” Dick says walking over to sit on the edge of the bed.

“And if I finish this now I don’t have to do it tomorrow when I have a newborn that needs feeding,” Tim says despite clearly not breaking his attention away from what he is doing – learning forward to keep typing.

“Bruce,” Dick says and the camera turns to show Bruce walking into the room, Damian on his heels. “Tell Tim he doesn’t need to finish the report until after his maternity leave.”

“Tim-“ Bruce starts but gets cut off.

“I know but I’m nearly done and there’s nothing else to do between contractions,” Tim says the camera turning again to show him finally looking up from his work to his adopted father and original Head of Pack.

The camera turns back to Bruce’s face that is twisted in a confliction only a Bat can manage to express like that.

“Tt,” is all Damian gets out before Rose grabs him by the arm and physically drags him out of the room.

 --------------

 “Alright, let’s play the game of who looks the most freaked out currently – the rest of the pack actually responsible for the baby about to be born or the grandfather,” Jason says from behind a camera pointing to the rest of the room.

He’s right – Bruce looks about as white-faced as all the members of Tim’s pack bar Tim whose hand is slowly reaching towards where his phone is.

“Don’t be mean,” Dick says, walking from behind frame to just at the side of it, creating a dark line covering part of the image.

“I’m not – I’m just saying Bruce isn’t actually the one going to be raising the pup and yet he looks almost more ready to faint than the others,” Jason says.

“He’s worried about Tim.”

“Tim’ll be fine. Do you know how many omegas squeeze out kids a day? Even in just this hospital? It’s just because Bruce picked us all up once we were in double digits – doesn’t know how to handle how pups are really made.”

“I’m not afraid to drag you out by the ear either,” Rose says from out of frame.

“What? I’m not saying anything mean about Timbo. And anyway, what are you pack bodyguard?”

“If making sure everyone Tim wants in the room is in the room and everyone he wants out is out means I’m pack bodyguard than yeah, maybe I am.”

“No alpha posturing,” Dick says and his body blocks the camera for a moment as he moves. “We are here for Tim not to flesh out past grievances.”

“Fine,” Jason says.

The sound of whine is heard and Dick’s body no longer blocks the camera because he’s by the side of Tim’s bed as the omega pants through another contraction. Tim’s hands bracing on whoever’s hand or arm was closest in reach when it started, which this time means Cassie’s and Bruce’s.

It’s only after the contraction has ended and Tim collapsing against the bed that the camera turns off.

 -------------

 “I never thought watching someone else walk would put me on edge,” Bart says to the camera, his background the garden outside the hospital. It clearly daylight now. “But Tim’s been pacing for the past hour apparently and I can’t just stand there, I have to pace as well, which I can’t in there because I’m going to burn up the floor from it, probably. I shouldn’t stay out here too long though, I’m his pack and pack’s supposed to be there for things like this. It’s just taking so long, which isn’t Tim’s fault, but I wait to meet the baby!”

 -------------

 “So I’m 9 centimetres dilated now, the contracts are three minutes apart. And I think we’re all a bit ready for this to be over,” Tim says to the camera, although when he slowly turns it to show the rest of the room everyone’s faces are varying degrees of concern. “I’m certainly ready for it to be over and have our baby.”

“Not much longer now,” Dick says from the chair next to the bed.

“I know just-“

“We’ve been waiting for forever,” Bart helpfully supplies. “It was so long ago we found out we’re having a baby and we still don’t have the baby.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve had coffee,” Tim adds.

“Do you want us to get you some once they’re born?” Cassie jokes.

“Yes,” Tim says completely seriously.

“Okay, we can do that,” Conner says with Bart nodding next to him.

 -----------

 “Okay so I know why I’m out here,” Jason says, the camera facing him in the waiting room. “I know why you’re here,” the camera turns to show a sullen Damian. “But why are you here?” the camera turns one more time to show Bruce.

“Hn,” Bruce says in a non-response.

“No, no you have to explain to the camera how you got kicked out of the room,” Jason says, the camera shaking from poorly suppressed laughter.

“Jason,” Bruce says, the hint of a threat in his tone.

“No, if you don’t then I will,” Jason says turning the camera around to face him again. “Bruce is out here in the waiting room with us instead of watching his first grandpup be born because he nearly fainted on them and the nurses worried they’d have to carry his heavy old ass out.”

“Jason,” there is another level of threat implied in Bruce’s tone to the last.

“No, I need this recorded for posterity. The great Bruce Wayne nearly collapsed at the site of a baby being born.” The camera turns to show Jason’s grinning face.

“That’s enough out of you Todd,” Jason turns the camera to face a seething Damian. “How dare you disrespect your Pack Head like that.”

“I can disrespect him all I want because he’s currently being a weak-shit,” Jason says the camera turning back onto Bruce.

“Hn,” Bruce grumbles and then very quietly just before the camera turns off a confused, “I have delivered babies before…”

 -----------

 The camera shakes so badly nothing can be seen and Jason’s laughter all that can be heard.

“Jason that is enough,” Bruce says not that he could be seen even if the camera was facing him.

“No- this is just too good. Welcome to birthing suite exile Dick, what did you do to get yourself kicked out as well?” The camera finally stills long enough for it to be pointed at Dick.

“Jason, knock it off,” Dick says, reaching for the phone but Jason moves it away from his reach.

“Come on Dickie inquiring minds want to know. Tell us what you did.”

“I don’t have to and you can stop recording now.”

“Not until you tell me.”

“I’m not going to tell you.”

“Tell me.”

“That’s enough,” the camera moves clearly having been grabbed by Bruce as he talks. “Both of you knock it off.”

 --------------

 “We have a baby!” Bart says in an exaggerated whisper, the camera pointing to Tim in the hospital bed, an infant swaddled against his chest. “Look at her.”

The camera dramatically zooms into the bundle and the face of the newborn baby.

“She’s so tiny,” Cassie says.

“And delicate,” Conner agrees.

“And our responsibility,” Tim adds.

“She’s all ours though,” Cassie says.

“Until we open the door and the sea of aunts, uncles, and grandparents all demand their turn at holding her,” Rose says from off camera. “How much longer do you need me to hold them off for by the way?”

“Just a little longer,” Tim says. “I want to finish my coffee before I have to face anyone.”

“If you want to just have her with us for another day we can tell them to clear off,” Conner says, doing a really poor job at hiding the fact that he’d probably prefer that option.

“It’s fine, I’ll finish my coffee, let everyone see her, and then we know that anyone climbing through the windows tonight is a threat and not just overexcited family,” Tim says.

“Wait – they’re letting us take her home tonight?” Conner asks.

“That’s what the nurse said,” Cassie says.

“But she’s so tiny and nobody has told us what to do!”

“You know they’re not going to right?” Tim says.

“So how do we figure out what to do with her?”

“Baby books?” Bart suggests.

 ----------------

 “You’re doing a good job holding her,” Dick says, once again perched on the side of Tim’s bed, staring down at his niece. The rest of the other gathered visitors stand around the bed and there's no clear indication of how Dick managed to get himself to the centre with Tim. 

“No – this is how the nurse put her in my arms before she left and I don’t dare move her,” Tim says.

“So does that mean I don’t get to hold her?” Dick’s face is one that most closely resembles a puppy than anything else.

“You can hold her, just, give me another minute and don’t judge when you hand her back and I have no idea what I’m doing,” Tim says.

“I promise no judgement, just let me hold my niece please,” Dick says, barely holding back excitement at it.

  -----------

 “Alright time to get everyone home again,” Rose says, again in the driver’s seat of the car. This time when the camera pans around there’s a baby car-seat on one side of the back and Tim the only other person there.

“Drive carefully please,” Cassie says from behind the camera in the passenger’s seat.

“Yeah, yeah, I will don’t worry, baby will make it home safe and in one piece,” Rose promises. “I didn’t crash us getting to the hospital did I?”

“You also haven’t slept since then.”

“Please, we’ve all worked on less sleep in the past. And once we get back we can all try and have a good night’s sleep before the baby wakes us up,” Rose says, no longer looking at the camera but instead the road.

“At least with all of us we should be able to trade off who wakes up so we all mostly get a full night’s sleep,” Cassie says.

The face Tim pulls in the background of the camera makes it clear just how much he doubts that statement to be true.

 -----------

 “It’s 1AM in the morning and I haven’t slept since about 11PM last night,” Tim says to the camera, “it’s not that I haven’t tried since we got home. I just can’t shake the feeling that somethings going to happen to her and I won’t be there. She might get hungry or ninjas might try to steal her in the night. My bed is right there but I still can’t seem to sleep without thinking I can hear her crying or someone breaking in.”

“At least I’m allowed caffeine again.”

[wildestdreamsblog]

You should think about the consequence of  you touching my hand in the darkened room

Pairing: Bucky Barnes (au)  x Reader

Warnings:  Swearing, Alcohol consumption, Sexual themes, mention of death. If you’re not 18+ please do not interact. Be mindful of the warnings.

A/N: HIIIIII. Here we go again! This is a story set in an alternative universe where Bucky is a single dad, a soft single dad. Thank you for all the support! Hope you enjoy! Thank you for all the likes, replies, and reblogs!

Gorgeous: Beginning, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,  Part 5,  End

You woke up with a start, your head pounding as if punishing you for drinking the night away. You touched your head, wincing as you sit up. Your eyes took in the unfamiliar room you were currently in. With your whole being suddenly in alert, you started taking in the details of where you were currently at, of the beefy arms surrounding your waist, of the huge shirt you were wearing that was definitely not yours. The last thing you remembered last night was going to the local pub with your college friends, of celebrating before the school where you work at opens again, of drinking your heart out as your friends bought another round, of a man watching you from across the bar surrounded by his friends- of him cornering you and asking you if he could kiss you... of you nodding once before you felt his lips on yours.

Oh. My. God.

Slowly, you turned your head to the man sleeping behind you. He was sleeping peacefully, his face turned to you. His muscular body was shirtless, only clad with a black boxers that was clinging to his sculpted- You shook your head to effectively stop whatever you were going to think. Slowly, you lifted his heavy arm away from you, watching his face for any signs of consciousness. He started making an annoyed noise at the back of his throat, almost hugging you again when you pushed a pillow on him- effectively calming him down.

"Oh my god" you mouthed as you anxiously searched for your clothes, not minding the buzzing pain you were feeling on your chest. You took a once last look at the large man sleeping on the bed before escaping.

"What do you mean you woke up with a tattoo?" your co-teacher and best friend, whispered as she smiled at the young students who were done for the day. Children were excitedly chatting and walking towards their guardians. "How can you forget how you got it?"

It had been a week since that fateful night, your memory still hazy. You were never much of a drinker to begin with, and that night you might have just let yourself go a little too much. Might have been due to the fact that you heard your ex-boyfriend proposed to the girl he had always compared you to, might have been not.

'Look at Anna, why can't you be like her?'

'Anna's working but she still has time for the gym.. why can't you do that too?'

Asshole.

You waved goodbye to the children as they passed you, "I really, really, for the love of all that's holy, have no explanation for this." You absentmindedly touched your unwanted tattoo. You showered as soon as you got home, looked down on your chest, and shrieked as you ran to the mirror naked. You tried touching it but it was painful. You tried scrubbing it days after, tried being the operative word, as it wouldn't come off. The night before was still hazy. You almost wanted to come back to the man you woke up with just to know how you got this- you meant, he must have an idea, right?

"I didn't forget what happened...my memories are just misplaced. They'll come back to me....eventually."

Eventually came faster than you would have preferred.

Your eyes went down to the seven-year old Braxton, a very polite and intelligent kid from your class the previous year. "Hi, teacher Y/N!"

"Oh hi, Braxton. Where's your grandmother?" You looked around, usually he was one of the first children out of the school as his grandmother was a strict and haughty old lady, always looking at you and other teachers down on her straight, aristocrat nose. You've always wondered how someone as polite as Braxton can be associated with that lady. But of course, you didn't verbally say it. His parents must be kind people. They were lucky to have him

Braxton smiled at you, showing some of his missing teeth which only made him cuter in your eyes, "My dad's picking me up today!"

"There you are."

You turned to look at his father, your pleasant smile ready on your face as you faced him. Him. He was smirking, his head cocked to the side as his eyebrows lifted in an arrogant manner. His eyes telling you that he recognized you, that he remembered you. That you haven't left his mind ever since.

"I've been looking for you." His deep voice, that deep voice.

I've never tasted lips as soft as yours

His deep, booming laugh as you held on to him for dear life, wind blowing you hair.

You're so beautiful

His eyes smiling at you with amusement as he held your hand while the tattoo artist finished his work.

Are you sure?

I've never been more sure.

Him kissing you like a starved man as your back landed on his bedroom wall.

You're so gorgeous

Him kissing your chest lightly, his lips grazing on your tattoo

Where have you been hiding from me, angel?

"Dad, this is my Teacher Y/N." Braxton introduced you to the man who couldn't take his eyes off you.

He lifted his beefy arm to you, offering his large hand, "James Barnes," with so many eyes on you, you had no choice but to put your hand in his to shake. His eyes held amusement, daring you to refuse his hand.

"You can call me Bucky." His deep voice stated, not yet letting go of your hand.

Bucky Barnes.

BB.

The initials tattooed on your chest.

————

Please take note that I give no permission for my work to be reposted or published anywhere other than on my Tumblr account.

REBLOGS ARE MUCHOOO APPRECIATED!!! If you made it this far, comments are highly appreciated!  Also, I don’t own the Marvel and any of their work, this is just purely a fanfiction written by a fan!

[pkmnomegaverse]

I'm in love with your MayDrewHarley family. Can you talk more about their children?

I’m really happy to hear you like this family!  I’ve been enjoying working on them behind the scenes lately, so while the kid are definitely still in development, I do have some details about them.  As a general note, to differentiate between Harley and Drew, they call Harley “Papa” and Drew “Dad.”

Cereus

The only one of their children with a strong interest in becoming a coordinator.  While this is true for his sisters as well, it was common for him to be brought to contests since he was a young child to see Harley perform, which is what cultivated his interest.  While he does like Harley’s performances (mainly because they’re his papa’s) he prefers a more elegant approach.  Something he strives for in his own performances

While he’ll go to both Drew and Harley for advice when it comes to contests, when it comes to the actual performance part of things, he actually tends to go to Drew more than Harley, a fact even Drew is surprised by.  This is mainly due to the fact that as a status condition specialist, Drew focuses a lot on the interaction effect of moves in a battle setting.  He has a more subtle approach in combining moves than Harley, which is what Cereus is striving for.  Plus while he wouldn’t admit this to Harley, he does think that Drew just overall has a more elegant battle style.

In some ways, Micah and Ran are both his contests rivals, although he has a friendly relationship with both of them, especially Micah due to their shared friendship with Peyton.  Ran is quite a bit less combative with him than he is with Micah mainly because Cereus is a hot alpha.   Not that Cereus returns his interest.

He does tend to model his contest outfits off his Pokemon, although this isn’t completely due to Harley’s influence. He sometimes works together with Micah, who’s very big on designing outfits based around and complimenting one’s Pokemon.   It’s a given when one is working with Micah that they’re going to end up in Pokemon themed outfits.

He has a weakness for cute things. One of the ways this manifests is that he enjoys collecting Pokedolls with his mother.

Liliana

The one most interested in being a competitive battler, although she’s not going to settle for ending up a mere Gym Leader (sorry dad), she’s aiming for Champion.

She’s best friends with Aidan Howell, Brendan and Wally’s middle son.  The two have been friends since childhood and had always had plans to travel together, which is why even though Aidan has no driving goal, he tags along with Liliana on her journey anyway.

Her starter is a Torchic she received from her grandfather, Professor Birch.  While obviously the true reason I decided on Torchic was as a homage to her mom in the anime (May ends up with Mudkip in this verse, as Brendan chooses Torchic), in story it’s because she wanted whichever Pokemon she thought showed the most spunk when looking over her three choicess. She’s going to need a Pokemon with drive if their goal is to become Champion.

She has a bit of a temper and is the type to stew on things that piss her off.  Since Aidan is prone to being blunt and judgmental, this combines into the two of them having the potential to be rather vicious when together.  They fuel each other when they have a mutual dislike for someone/something.

She embraces her namesake and tries to work in various flower accessories into her outfits.  Any flower is fine though, not just lilies.

Due to her age putting her in a closer age range to the Main 7, she’s the one who ends up interacting with them more than her siblings do.

Deni

She’s the sweetest of the three children, a cheerful and friendly girl.  She’s definitely more like May than either Drew or Harley, a fact Drew is thankful for since his biggest concern with having a third child was how a kid with him and Harley as her only genetic donors would turn out.

If any of the children were going to take after Grandpa Birch and be interested in research, it would be her.  She doesn’t have a particularly strong drive for battling or coordinating, but does love Pokemon, enjoying spending time in her grandfather’s lab since it means she can spend time with all the cute Pokemon.

She’s also the only one of her siblings who ends up with an uncritical admiration for her grandparents on Harley’s side who both have, shall we say, questionable professions. Grandma Carmella is especially impressive, although she doubts she can ever match her beauty, even if she’d like to.

Since she’s close in age to Brendan and Wally’s youngest son, Braxton, she ends up childhood friends with him.

As is true of most younger siblings in this verse, she has the least amount of development.  She mostly serves the role of cute little sister to her older siblings.

[tatianareddington]

Original Redarina theory

3-16-18

This is not edited properly, nor have I adequately noted specific episodes, scenes, dialogue to substantiate each. You may immediately know which one is referenced. I have way more ideas that I haven’t started writing about, ideas to substantiate or explain inconsistencies in the Redarina theory.

I’ve been thinking about this theory a lot. Well actually, I think obsessing is a more accurate word. I’ve actually figured out a reasonable way to explain Carla, Harold, Dom and several others although I have no answers for  Red’s roommate nor can I adequately explain the fingerprints matching to his FBI records. (We could assume that either his prints were switched in evidence, more than plausible, or that in some way the prints were transferred to Redarina - I say this only because Red cut off the thumbs of the frozen man to get into the bank box, so that is an episode which shows how someone could use someone else’s body as identifiers - oh, also the episode in which Kaplan removes a man’s eye for retinal identification so that her hire can get into archived FBI files to get Red’s immunity agreement)

And it doesn’t explain the full extent of Red’s burns on his shoulder and back. However we only see Katarina’s injuries from the fire through Kaplan’s memories. I believe Kate says to Katarina, “You’re hurt” so it’s very possible the injuries were much worse than what we saw in Kaplan’s memories. Keep in mind that we have frequently heard that memories are evasive, fuzzy, incomplete (what was Red;s quote from last week’s episode?) And regarding Liz’s memories of the fire, at one point he dismisses them as the memories of a small child. So we know at face value that Kaplan says to Katarina, you are hurt and we know her sweater is torn, so it’s possible that in reality it was much worse.

Gender reassignment/Hiding in plain sight

I. Red’s relationship with Dom

Red acquiesces to Dom, who is grouchy and overbearing

Very close, knew each other from long ago, intimate

“Sorry I didn’t turn out to be the person you wanted me to be”

Intense anger on Dom’s part towards Red, why? ‘Selfish prick’

I think if we look at the Djinn we can see a sort of reverse parallel to Dom/Red. In the Djinn, the father forces the child/son to, I don’t remember exactly how Red said it, but something like mutilate his body against his will and forced to live that way. The father believes he is doing the right thing for his child. The child/son/daughter is beyond rageful that his own father would do such a thing.

I couldn’t figure out Dom’s deep anger at Red because although we see him treating Red as though he was a close relative, he’s very bitter toward Red.  I think it’s a reverse of the Djinn: it is the parent who is ‘rageful’ against the child/son/daughter for ‘mutilating’ her body and becoming a completely different person, not the person, probably spy, Dom wanted Katarina to be, a woman.

We know Dom is Oleander so we can assume that Katarina worked with him and that would mean he knew she was a honey pot and, we assume, he was fine with that. What kind of father would be proud of this or want this for his daughter? 

Red talks about being young and arrogant, to Dom, and how he royally screwed things up as a result.  Reddington kidnapped the girl and bright her to the states, to a townhome. Katarina and some group of people (kgb, double agents? Dom?) Came to the house with a plan, probably a plan to get the girl, get the fulcrum, and somehow do away with Reddington. In their argument that night the man says to her (about the fulcrum) it’s the only thing keeping me alive. Those are the exact words Red/Redarina uses in Luther Braxton when he and Liz are in the boiler room trying to survive, he tells Liz of the fulcrum, it was the only thing that kept me alive (what he said to Katarina on fire night).

So Katarina is the most amazing spy around so much so that she’s considered to be a myth, not actually real, then she had some pretty big.expectations of her abilities. Her weakness? Reddington, and the child they conceived. Red tells Liz when Katarina became pregnant she thought about aborting it, but chose not to. Instead, the instant the baby was born she felt nothing less than that her child was a blessing.

Reddington was her assignment but she became ‘weak’ and fell in love with him. Well, maybe not love, she said to Kaplan it was frivolous. Still, it was not strictly an assignment. And she became pregnant with his child, a vulnerability. She thought about aborting it, that would be the ‘logical thing’ to do. But she was weak because of her feelings for him.

So when Reddington took Masha/Elizabeth, this was her weakest point. She had tried to break it off with him. His taking the child to the states meant she might be outed.  

So she set up a plan and got her people gathered. She went after Reddington like she would have gone after anyone who crossed her in her work. Her plan was arrogant, she succeeded at everything. But this plan went wrong.  Terribly wrong. And that was her shame. She had to sacrifice the woman to save the child. She had to kill herself because she was death to the child. She killed herself to become Reddington. It was a Hobson choice. “In a choice between ethics and life I always chose life” Red told Cooper.

Dom became bitterly disappointed in Katarina because of her failure. He ended up dragging himself to this place in the woods, alone, isolated, ‘you call this living?!”  The comment Red makes about missing the C minor on the piano is about Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. Most Americans recognize this concerto because Eric Carmen made it into a pop song in 1975 called “All by Myself”. Completely summarizes what Dom feels.

Since Katarina has determined she is death to her child, and she is highly resourceful, she decides to kill herself by changing her identity so she can live in plain sight. But it’s a Hobson’s choice, she must die to her self in order to save the child, thereby completely severing her relationship with her own daughter and denying her motherhood.

Red makes a remark (in recent episodes I think) about making a choice between ethics and life. Red immediately responds he would chose life each time. In this way, it supports further that Katarina would chose to suicide by changing her identity so that she can still life.

II. Red’s relationship with Carla

Red cares deeply about Carla

Carla is initially very bitter/angry at Red

Jennifer is her daughter

Carla: it’s more complicated, but I suspect that after Reddington died either at the fire or sometime during the following year up to December 1990. Carla probably knew about Katarina and Elizabeth. Raymond was away for long stretches so if Raymond did die in the fire, there was reason to believe he was away on a job. The FBI likely knew Reddington died in that fire, or he was severely injured. He was a liability either way because of the fulcrum and the FBI would have manipulated the story to their advantage. Why the 10 months? Maybe he was in a coma and hadn’t actually died but Katarina thought he had.

Here is where the episode, “The Harem” helps substantiate a theory that in the 10-12 months following the fire I believe Katarina was able to befriend Carla or earn her trust through the sisterhood of women to let her know what happened and how to keep her safe. Elizabeth was already safe with Sam.

In those 10 months the FBI came after Carla and tried to implicate her in the theft of the fulcrum, they froze her assets, they pursued her, it was awful. Until the FBI decided they needed to make a story as to why Reddington disappeared (so maybe they didn’t know he was dead) and within less than 24 hours, Carla and her daughter were places in WITSEC in Philly.

I believe Katarina approached Carla, told her of her plan, told her of Raymond’s death, promised to keep her safe. Carla agreed to keep silent about the relationship and silent about Elizabeth.

The harem, a sisterhood, a corollary for Carla and redarina interaction

Lord Baltimore - of Carla Red says to Frank, she’s more like a ??? Distanced? Sister to me….makes even more sense if it’s actually Katarina, are they actually sisters? That would be really weird, but I think it’s more like sisters of the sisterhood of women.

Red has an uncanny way of understanding women. Only a woman would understand women

KATARINA Russian nesting dolls,  in time capsule, apartment, elsewhere.

Russian nesting dolls, like a mother giving birth to her daughter from a woman to a woman. And so in changing her identity she was able to break the cycle so that her daughter would not have to live like her, severed from love and true intimacy. Having a ‘normal’ life.

She wanted her daughter to be safe from being coerced into a life like hers using sex to achieve a goal rather than live.

Explains why Kate says, I loved you to Katarina,  Dearie, to Red. I don’t think they were lovers, but I do believe Kate loved Katarina and maybe was ‘in love’ with her.

Explains 30 years employment, when you put her in my arms as a baby.

Quiet time between Christmas 1989 to Christmas 1990 Carla says they kept questioning her, froze her assets. She had a house,  a dog.

Red has particular compassion for children and women, particularly those who are abused. These are typically female attributes. He has an uncanny sensitivity and awareness not usually attributed to men.Was she abused? Did Dom and other men hin her life abuse her? Push her into using her body for work?

Episode, Berlin corrolary of Liz’s relationship to Red as his child

Zoe rejects wants to get away from her father permanently and even when she is able to be reunited with him, she refiuses.

Prints, tatoos, it’s him, 1994 papers

Graduatied by 24

Floriana campos says “there is no work more meaningful than being a mother”

Red - “how does the devil in you contend with the angel? I would kicked her out years ago.” A man would have said, “I would have kicked him out years ago”

VANESSA CRUZ - prototype of Fire Night

A trip to Cruz’ mother’s house lays out the reasoning behind it all: Vanessa was married to a man named Fernando who was accused of insider trading and then jumped off the George Washington Bridge. But Vanessa always maintained his innocence, and the Post Office team figures out that Cruz is going after people who were involved in the insider trading that Fernando was accused of. When they go back to talk to Mr. Conway in prison, he reveals that there was a group of people who arranged the insider trade, and they all agreed to pin it on Fernando, and when Fernando figured out that they were framing him, he was killed. Everyone who had a part in framing Fernando has been taken care of by Vanessa except one…

Knowing that her jig is up, Vanessa is sitting in an airport, likely on her way to a life of no longer murdering people in bathtubs, when a dashing Mr. Kaplan sits down across from her. He tells Vanessa that her employer is a longtime admirer of her handiwork; she can either run and hide from her newly discovered trail of crimes, or she can accept help. These two seem like a dangerous combination.

“[Reddington] has a moral code. I don’t like it, but at least I know what it is, and it does not include lying to me.” Lizzie, what are you talking about?!

Theories on why Mr. Reddington, criminal mastermind, needs Ms. Cruz, a master framer of criminals, on his team?

Vanessa Cruz fakes her death then sets out to seek revenge for her husband’s death.

She couldn’t kill the woman she was having an affair with because she discovered she actually had feelings for her.

Vanessa Cruz’s sexuality is ‘fluid’. She clearly loved her husband and was committed to her heterosexual lifestyle. But when we see her, years after her beloved husband took his own life, she has developed a sexual relationship with a woman which is based on love. It isn’t her sexuality or her lesbian relationship which troubles her, it is her difficulty with emotional commitment, clearly a result of the pain of loss of her husband.

FORGIVENESS

Velov: Dear, I cannot help you. I would if I could, believe me. I, too, have daughter. The life I led, the things I had to do, she won’t talk to me. I try to explain, but there are some– some things which can never be forgiven.

Cooper: If it were up to me, I’d burn it. I’ve learned the hard way that some secrets are best kept in the dark.

Red: Mine certainly is.

Red: Harold, forgive Charlene. A friend told me recently that forgiveness won’t change the past but could very well change the future. Apparently, nothing is unforgivable.

Liz: My mother’s alive. You lied to me.

Red: Velov is the one who lied to you, Lizzy, not me. Katarina Rostova committed suicide in 1990.

Liz: Velov was the agent assigned to find her. He was getting close, she knew it. That’s why she allegedly walked into the ocean. She wanted the world to believe she drowned.

Red: But Velov knows differently.

Liz: He tracked her to a hotel in Prague. She had just left. But in such a hurry, she missed this… A photo of her little girl. Me.

Red: That could easily have been planted.

Liz: You said the name Masha Rostova had been lost to history until the manhunt. Now it’s out there, and someone’s looking for me. It’s my mother. Who else would care? Who? [ Sighs ] You were right. Some things can’t be forgiven.

The Djinn

3x16 the caretaker

Liz: Forgiveness can’t change the past, but I believe it can change the future.

Red: That’s a charming sentiment. But as far as I’m concerned, some things are unforgivable.

Nasim: Allah teaches us forgiveness, but some things– they’re unforgivable.

RED Bertolt Brecht uses the alienation effect to create emotional distance from the audience.

a pipe-smoking cream puff of a German named Gerta.

Bahram Bakhash (the djinn’s father): I did what I had to to keep you alive.

Red: I believe I will always do whatever I feel I have to do to keep you alive. (The Pilot)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I0dpBGoUmjh-O67CwDFvjcHDjjtga6fSbv4d3a4yOcM/edit?usp=sharing

[thisismaxiee]

Science and Religions are Not Odds

One of today's most crucial and contentious issues is the interaction between science and religion. Are faith and science incompatible? Do they lend each other a hand? Do they exchange threatening words? It is crucial to understand the relationship between science and faith because young people's apparent conflict with the church is one of the main causes of this. Yet, these two terms should not be considered odd.

Scriptures like Psalm 111:2 speak of the wonder that man experiences when he realizes how beautifully God fashioned the natural world. Because they considered science as a means of better comprehending their Creator, Christians have devoted themselves to scientific endeavors for centuries. Believers have made significant contributions to the academic community through the founding of hospitals, educational institutions, and other institutions of higher learning. The idea that science and the Christian message are at clash is odd.

Real scientific truths will not conflict with the Christian message if Christianity is true. Christians need to approach science with the same assurance and excitement as our ancestors. There is a genuine confrontation between Christian and worldly values, between the Christian and false worldly philosophies, between the political views that derive from the Christian worldview and the political ideas that derive from non-Christian worldviews.

To sum it up, the existence of the natural world, which science has done an excellent job of understanding, does not invalidate the existence of the supernatural world. In other words, Christians agree that science is an excellent instrument for examining the natural world. Therefore, since both atheist and Christians concur that science is effective, it cannot be used as evidence in favor of atheism.

Based on:

Braxton Hunter. 4 Reasons Science is Not at Odds with Religion — Evangelistic Apologetics. (2022). Retrieved 15 October 2022, from http://www.braxtonhunter.com/blog/2014/2/18/4-reasons-science-is-not-at-odds-with-religion

[corkcrab7-blog]

Artist of the Week: On “Universal Beings,” Makaya McCraven Broadens His Jazz Appeal

The history of Chicago jazz can be divided into two eras: before and after the establishment of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Founded in 1965 by artists Muhal Richard Abrams, Jodie Christian, Steve McCall, and Phil Cohran, the collective quickly set an identity for Chicago’s most ambitious musicians, fostering a home for multi-instrumentalists Anthony Braxton and Henry Threadgill, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago.

As popularity and interest in jazz began to wane towards the late ‘70s and into the early ‘80s, the AACM became an even more vital institution for young musicians hoping to find a sustainable way to pursue music without sacrificing intergrity.

“There are so many musicians that come from that era of Chicago who have helped create the style of jazz that you listen to today,” says Junius Paul, a staple of the city’s current jazz scene and the bass player for the current iteration of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. “You listen to a lot of musicians now playing free, creative, and open music, and a lot of that originated here in Chicago.”

A product of this history is Makaya McCraven, an experimental jazz drummer who has spent several years cultivating his own unique sound and movement within the Windy City. He’s become a quiet force in Chicago, known for his incredible live performances and unique style of recording (more on that later). And while Kamasi Washington’s blustery gospel-infused jazz has made him the genre’s trendiest musician, McCraven takes the exact opposite approach: His latest album, Universal Beings, plays like a meditative beat tape—full of lush instrumentation and star turns from some of the best players in jazz. Though the album is McCraven’s fifth project overall, it feels like a grand culmination of all the hard work that’s gotten him to this point.

Long before this moment, McCraven was a notable artist looking to make an impact in his adopted city. Originally from Amherst, Massachusetts, he used to fly back and forth from Chicago to the East Coast to play gigs with his original cohort of musicians. In the Midwest, he’d meet others with whom he still has a bond today. “I had to start from scratch,” McCraven says of his move to the Windy City. “I had a full, professional career by the time I got to Chicago. So when I moved there, the city wasn’t national or international enough that I showed up there and people knew me. My identity was never anchored in Chicago in that sense.”

McCraven began developing a deep love for jazz and the various subgenres that bubbled beneath it at a young age. To pursue music more seriously, he left for Chicago a dozen years ago at the age of 24, and because of an unrelenting work ethic, he eventually became a staple of the city’s scene. The process wasn’t immediately gratifying, though. He’d been in Chicago for three or four years when he first performed with Jeff Parker, an experimental guitar and composer who’d also become his labelmate on International Anthem. Parker appears on the fourth side of the Universal Beings double-disc LP, just as the record becomes more psychedelic and rooted in folk-jazz. Universal Beings represents the broad intersection of music that makes Chicago one of the world’s foremost creative hubs. “It’s a really culturally rich city,” Parker says. “There’s a gospel scene, an African scene, mainstream jazz, creative free jazz, improvising, all sorts of stuff. Pretty much anything you can imagine.”

But while Universal Beings feels like a McCraven record, he’s also branching out in ways he hadn’t before. Early albums, like his 2015 debut—and the third International Anthem release ever—In the Moment, was born from a distinctive recording style in which McCraven recorded a year’s worth of shows and spliced and chopped them into jazz-inflected head-nodders. It was an unconventional method that turned traditional jazz inside out, and proved to be McCraven’s trademark. His next two records, 2017’s Highly Rare and 2018’s Where We Come From, both build off this live-to-collage approach, but with Universal Beings, his idea becomes a diamond—sharp and perfectly formed.

On Universal Beings, McCraven attempts to argue that there is a higher level of connection between musicians than regionality or place. While he certainly defends this to great success, the record is also a wonderful microcosm of Chicago’s wildly diverse scene. You get the Drag City post-rock experimentation, the straight-ahead jazz pioneered by the AACM in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the free-wheeling genre-bending of the International Anthem label, and the heavy beats of the city’s rap producers. It’s impossible to peg down, with McCraven bringing these various sounds and marrying them through the sheer will of his drum kit.

The album is divided into four sections, each of which was recorded with a different band in a different location. McCraven’s ability to weave these disparate sessions into a cohesive, epic album is a testament to his underlying pocket and ability as a producer on the back-end. Between sessions in London, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, McCraven and his various bands establish a thesis for a truly universal music. The album is an insistence on worldliness and a coalescence of various subgenres and the particular musical folklore pertinent to each of these cities. And while McCraven still views Chicago as his home, and one of the chief inspirations for this collage approach to jazz music, the premise for such an ambitious project is broader than the scope of a single scene.

“I thought it’d be cool to do a similar process as those earlier records, but in different places where I could work with people I’ve been talking about working with for a long time,” McCraven says.

As such, the record is a mobile tour for McCraven, dropping in on other scenes and bringing his wide-ranging style to these other communities bubbling with dynamic jazz cultures. The A-side, recorded live in Queens and featuring Brandee Younger on harp, Joel Ross on vibraphone, Tomeka Reid on cello, and Dezron Douglas on double bass is deeply invested in the spiritual jazz tradition. Since it was recorded live, audience interaction plays a critical role as well, with McCraven’s dynamic drumming occasionally accented by claps from the audience.

The B-side was recorded in Chicago with Londoner Shabaka Hutchings, Junius Paul, and Reid, and the eclectic dynamism of this group speaks to the experimental gravitas of the city’s scene. “Atlantic Black” is deeply avant-garde, all percussion and squeaky horn lines. Even though Hutchings occupies a different scene, the way he comes together with Chicago native Paul on the double bass is a masterclass in improvisation.

“When Makaya and I were on tour in Europe, we’d run into either Sons of Kemet or Shabaka and the Ancestors,” Paul says of the collaboration. “It was really a pleasure to be able to play with Shabaka and Makaya at the same time. The energies just matched up really well. We went in a bunch of different directions.”

Sessions in London and Los Angeles round out the LP, with the latter standing out as the most impressive of the four sides. Featuring Josh Johnson on alto saxophone, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on violin, Parker on guitar, Anna Butterss on double bass, Carlos Niño on percussion, and McCraven on drums, these six tracks recorded at Parker’s studio are esoteric yet approachable, a sort of ambient jazz that features behind-the-scenes looks at the recording process. It also goes a long way in highlighting McCraven’s mastery of the collage process; for these are four different records from four different bands in four different studios. And yet, it still sounds like one record.

While McCraven has spent his career synthesizing the distinctions between live recordings and studio sessions, none of his projects have blended the two warring aesthetics as completely or coherently as he does here. This album exists outside of any traditional setting, it’s innovative in the truest sense of the word. At 22 tracks, the album breezes by in triumphant bursts, catapulted by the album’s four distinct sides. It’s the record collection of a music lover pasted atop a jazz infrastructure, spanning genres and expanding its scope in live-time to create a timestamp for an era across four unique scenes. In short, it’s a triumph.

McCraven views this album as something outside of Chicago, but there’s certainly something to be said for Chicago’s jazz scene leading the way for the rest of the country and overseas scenes as well. “Chicago is a very big, broad, and diverse city. You’re gonna find a wide varieties of things to come across. Part of Universal Beings was to say that about Chicago by saying that about all of the places. All of these arts communities have distinct sounds and distinct things that they bring out of people,” explains McCraven. “My scene is gonna have an influence on others, and our mentors and our elders are gonna have that influence on us. That’s the beauty of the local scene. It’s all about community. The community of Chicago definitely influenced me to follow certain things in improvised music.”

That’s what makes Universal Beings such a special achievement. It’s not only a conversation between different players and different cities, but different generations. The history of the AACM is infused in the playing of Junius Paul, McCraven, and all of the Chicago staples who appear on the LP. Jeff Parker’s work with Tortoise squeaks its way onto the album’s fourth side. There’s a treasure trove of history on this record, but more importantly, there’s a way forward. This is future music where borders don’t exist and the divisions we think come between us actually bring us closer together. Perhaps that’s the Chicago that coalesces through this album. It’s a prideful record, one that celebrates the diversity of its participants. “We have a lot of commonalities to share, we can come together and create something meaningful because we’re part of a thread that’s deeper than locale,” says McCraven. “But we’re still gonna come with all of the history from the places that influence us.”

-Will Schube

Source: https://daily.bandcamp.com/2018/10/22/makaya-mccraven-artist-of-the-week-feature/