#but NO bobby actively SEARCHED for the tickets

[doyelikehaggis]

Bobby doing everything he could to get the tickets because he knew Freddie was "psyched about it" 🥺

Bobby spending £30 on something he didn't even want to do just because it meant he got to spend time with Freddie 🥺

Bobby being so excited to tell Freddie he got them! 🥺

Bobby telling Freddie he doesn't want to go alone because he only got them because “I thought we would go together" 🥺

Bobby taking an interest in Freddie's interest because he wants to spend time with him and wants Freddie to want to hang out with him outside of work 🥺

BOBBY IS IN LOVE WITH FREDDIE DAMNIT

[arcielee]

Dancing in the Dark

Tom Bennett x OFC Summary: War is spilling over Europe and a route is being created to help POWs escape occupied France. Sometimes love does not last forever, but lasts long enough. Warnings: Smut/NSFW later on, some misogyny cause it's the 1940s Author's Note: I know the Tom and the nurse trope has been done but NOT BY ME so here we go. This shit will be short and tragic, with a possible follow up if we ever get a season 2 of World on Fire. Enjoy. ♥  Update: This is completed! Artwork by 4yvle1 and they are crazy talented, so follow them. 

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 - ende

Chapter 1

Vera walked with determined steps, her low pumps echoed on the Linoleum of the hospital floors as she walked towards the back offices. Her dark curls were pulled back and half-heartedly held with the few bobby pins she had left, but some had begun to frame her face and the severe expression she wore. 

She was mindful enough to soften her features when she would make her rounds, but in this moment she was focused on her steps as she weaved through the beds that now lined the hallways; the doctor was doing his best to accommodate the survivors of Dunkirk that continued to be brought in by the ambulance load, unwilling to turn anyone away.

In the back of the hospital was the only spare room that did not hold any patients. Inside were several desks, one for each doctor assigned. Sitting at the desk in the back corner sat Dr. O’Connor with a mug in his hand and two newspapers, the L'Action Francaise in his other hand and one from Great Britain opened on his desk, his eyes moving between them. 

Vera walked to the hooks the doctor had placed on the wall adjacent to his desk, allowing her and Henriette to hang their personal items and purses. His attention broke away to watch her, a smile splayed across his boyish features.  “Guten Tag, Vera, I am finishing up this devastating article that Henriette was good enough to translate for me,” he gestured to the newspaper in hand, “and I am enjoying a cup of coffee, which will have to suffice for breakfast today.” 

She found she struggled with his American humor, often unsure how to respond to his words and the smile he wore, despite the grim headlines printed on both papers. Her brow had a slight furrow and she reached for her nursing apron. “It is very busy, Arzt,” was all she managed.

“Doctor,” he placed his hand onto his chest. “Or, since we are friends, you can call me Webster, like everyone else.” 

Vera did consider the young doctor a friend.

They had been introduced by his aunt, a woman named Nancy Campbell, who she was fortunate to become neighbors with when her father relocated them to Berlin, with him pushing to become a more active member of the NDSAP. He, of course, loathed the American woman and found her crude, but Vera was enthralled by her bold ideas and her unabashed drive to search for the truth. Nancy was quick to recognize her disdain for the Nazi party, offering her apartment as a reprieve from her father, where she would help her with her English and share a glass of brandy. 

Nancy had been good to help her purchase a ticket for Brussels, where she found a nursing program and a chance for her freedom. She had even offered to call a favor with her nephew, who had just moved to Paris. “He’s a darling boy, you'll adore him,” she had said. 

Vera was assigned to the independent facility after she graduated and did find that she was fond of Nancy’s nephew, a young man named Webster O'Connor. He was very much the personification of an All-American man, with a boyish grin to his often teasing words and a genuine kindness behind his eyes. He was good to keep her at his side and introduced her to Henriette, who was also kind enough to help Vera with the little bit of French she knew. 

This had come in handy to help her mask her Hannover dialect that she found often alarmed their new patients, since the majority were now soldiers.  

Vera tsked at his request. “I do not understand the work you have invested to get this degree, doctor,” her accent flared with the new word and broke it into two distinct syllables, “and then request to be called Webster.”

“You sound like my mother.” Dr. O’Connor, as always, was never deterred by her directness. “Sehr gut,” he complimented her on the pronunciation of the new word. Very good.

Her smile was brief with her exhale as she finished the knot of her apron strings in the front. She found him to be peculiar, but she also appreciated that he continued his constant coaching of her English during the shifts they shared together. 

The office door opened again and they both looked up to see Henriette peering in, her dark brown eyes bright. Dr. O’Connor sighed and folded his paper to lay on the desk top, pushing his chair back to stand. “I know, I know. I am needed, as always,” he said. 

“You are correct, Webster,” she replied with her French lilt and a smile. “You are very much needed.” She saw Vera grabbing a tin basin and restocking with gauze, ointments, et cetera to prepare for her rounds. “Your boy has finally awakened, Vera,” she said, her smile now sly. 

Vera felt a blush creep across her ivory cheeks and she avoided the look from Dr. O’Connor. “Oh? Is this our comatose Navy man?” His cheeky grin could be heard with his words.

When he had been admitted, the name on his dog tag read Bennett, Thomas and she knew little else other than he served in the Navy, or assumed by the blood soaked uniform he had been wearing when he was brought in. Patient unconscious with a gunshot wound to his left shoulder, possible head trauma, were the words written by the doctor on his chart and Vera happened to be on staff when he began treatment. She continued to follow up with him, keeping the Navy man in her daily rotations. 

It had been late one night when she finished her walkthrough, before her shift ended, that she stopped to check on him. He was bare from his waist up, his arm and abdomen wrapped in gauze with a dark purple bruising that spread across his chest and shoulder. She leaned forward to check that the blood had staunch and paused, her eyes looking over his sharp jawline and the curl of his lips. Without a thought in her head, her hand reached to brush away his golden locks when she heard a giggle behind her. 

Her hand froze and in one motion, she rightened her posture and spun on her heel to find Dr. O’Connor, the grinning fool, and Henriette, who at least had the decency to hide her smile behind her hand. 

“He is very handsome, no?” Her voice was soft as she raised a brow. 

Vera made an attempt to flee the hospital and they followed her towards the office, begging her not to leave but to stay and share a stout. “We are friends, are we not?” Henriette hung onto her arm, her brown eyes pleading. 

“C’mon, Vera, we are only teasing you,” Dr. O’Connor had jumped in. “It’s just… we’ve had quite a few men come through our doors and it was just surprising that someone finally… piqued your interest, is all.”

Vera was flustered. “I did not become a nurse as some ploy to get my M-R-S,” her tone was sharp, with a flourish on each letter. “I am doing what is right, what is my duty.” 

“Of course, of course,” he soothed, his hand touched her elbow and he began to walk towards the door; Henriette grabbed her own purse and followed. “No one is doubting your intentions. It’s just nice to see, ya know, you have a little crush.” He wore that same damned cheeky smile. “It makes you human.” 

Her eyes had narrowed onto him, but she still agreed to go with them and have a drink. They talked into the night, sharing their different pathways that brought them to the hospital, their liquored tongues confiding in one another. It gave her a true sense of friendship, an unspoken bond that would follow them within the hospital walls, and she found she did not mind it and even enjoyed their company. 

“He is quite the handful, Vera,” Henriette continued to tease her.

That was until this moment. 

“I guess, I will begin my rounds with him,” she struggled to keep her tone flippant and ignored their exchange of amused expressions with each other. She lifted her supplies to rest on her hip and followed them from the office, towards the growing commotion. 

“Get your dirty, grubby hands off me now!”

She heard a man yell and saw ahead that Jacques tried to hold Bennett, Thomas to the bed. Vera was quick to push past them, her hands reaching to rest on his legs. Her touch halted him for a moment and she saw his face was flushed, his eyes focused on Vera and her cheeks burned at the intensity of his blue eyes. “Let me go and I’ll take my chances!” His voice pleaded.  

Jacques was careful to press on his abdomen, avoiding his injuries and keeping him from leaving his assigned bed. “Hey, listen!” He tried to reason with him. “If you leave now, you will die!”

His attention returned to Jacques and he cocked his head, his face burned with his anger and it amplified the blue of his wide eyes. “Oh, so I just stay here and surrender? Like you lot?” He gave a sharp scoff as his eyes looked over the staff by his bedside. “Paris has fallen–she just told me!” 

Vera kept her grip on his legs, throwing her eyes back to the doctor and Henriette; her eyes widened and Dr. O’Connor kept his gaze on him, his expression solemn as he listened. 

“And not a shot fired!” He cried out and then his eyes narrowed as he emphasized his following words. “How is a bunch of cowards going to keep me safe?”

Her own hold loosened as she looked to Jacques and the sudden change in his mien. “Pardon?” His dark eyes burned in response to the words and his brow furrowed, pressing forward.   

“Jacq!” Henriette was quick to grab his arm, pulling him from the bed.  “Laisse-le.” Leave him.

He allowed himself to be pulled away, throwing a disgusted look back at the Navy man, who seemingly relaxed once the personified restraint was gone. His piercing eyes returned to Vera and she peered at his chest, noticing the bandages had shifted in the altercation and fresh blood began to seep through. “You have opened your wound,” but as soon as the words left her lips, she saw his gaze focus on her mouth. 

“Christ.” His expression was incredulous. “It seems the krauts are already here with their nursebands.” 

Her eyes narrowed in return. “Our staff has been devoted to helping you,” she snapped, her tone low. 

“You think you’ve helped me?” He was propped onto his elbows, his agitation still apparent on his flushed face. “Thanks to your help, I’m in a city crawling with Nazis,” his eyes fixated on her with the word. There was a moment she thought he might spit, but instead he fell back to the bed, wincing, and rolled onto his good shoulder away from them. “Now piss off and let me die in peace.” 

Vera was quick to stand, her cheeks flushed as she grabbed her basin and walked from the bed. Her strides brought her to the end of the hallway and she could hear the heavy steps of the doctor behind her. “Vera, please!” She turned and saw the same genuine concern imprinted on his face. “He was just in shock and he didn’t-” 

Vera grabbed his arm, pulling him aside to avoid any spectating eyes. “It is okay, Webster.” She struggled with his nickname and he gave a small smile. “I should have expected this, it is the world we live in right now.” She exhaled, shifting the tin to her other hip. “It was just a silly crush and it will not affect my work. I will do my rounds and will see him last, when his temper has cooled.” 

Dr. O’Connor looked at her for a moment and she could see him repressing an urge to hug her, but he, gratefully, kept his arms to his side and offered her a tight smile. She returned it with a nod and then moved back into the hallway, towards the first bed and grabbed the chart from the end. 

As the war grew closer, their patient intake had changed and she was accustomed to the hesitation from the soldiers they now treated. Vera minimized her speech, only using the bit of French from grade school and Henriette’s coaching to reply to them, attempting to camouflage her German accent as best she could. 

After the response of the Navy man, she would be more diligent. 

The day continued and rolled towards dusk, the orange rays of the setting sun peered through the large windows. She checked through her patients, some requiring more attention than others, before she finally made her way back to Bennett, Thomas. 

He was still on his side, having sulked himself to sleep with his arms crossed in front and his lips parted with his steady breathing. She watched him for a moment, a small smile to her lips, and she reached to touch his elbow, hoping it would be the least intrusive wake up for him. 

He opened his eyes and groaned when he rolled onto his back, turning to see her. “Christ, kraut,” he murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Do you not understand ‘piss off’?”

The smile evaporated and her expression returned to severe, her eyes narrowing onto him again. “I must change your bandage,” she struggled to keep her tone controlled. “Your tantrum earlier possibly ruptured your injury.” 

“Gimme a moment, I know how you can understand,” his lips had a cruel curve as he brought himself to his elbows to face her. “Verpiss dich?”

Vera refused to be bullied; her expression steeled and she brought two fingers to press into his bloodied bandaged. He winced and fell back against the thin mattress. “You are injured,” she pronounced each word with an added emphasis. “You will be quiet and allow me to change this damn bandage or I can allow your injury to put you in a septic shock, letting your organs fail you one-by-one.” She leaned back, her hands moving to smooth her apron and left a smear of blood. “Your choice, Bennett.”

He watched her and his expression changed, with an almost look of amusement that played across his face despite how his own eyes were still narrowed onto her. Perhaps he had not expected her to snap back at him, she did not know, but he did not say another word as he pushed himself to sit upright in the bed. 

Vera sighed, sitting on the bed’s edge, and began to remove his soiled bandages; her touch was gentle and her hands cool as she cleaned and checked the lesion before reaching for fresh gauze. He remained quiet and his eyes were watchful, lifting his arm with a grimace as she wrapped around his abdomen.  

Her eyes remained focused on the task at hand, refusing to allow them to wander elsewhere on the Navy man and prayed for the color to leave her cheeks. When she finished, she moved to stand and he grasped her elbow to hold her back. She turned to look at him and saw his cerulean blue eyes stare back. “Danke,” he said with a smirk. 

Vera looked at him a moment and pulled away, grabbing her supplies and moving back towards the office. What she did not see was the Navy man who leaned back onto his bed, cocking his head to admire the swish of her skirt as she walked away.

----

Chapter 2

[sibylsleaves]

hello! <3 dunno if you ever wrote about it already, but do you have any headcanons on what they'd enjoy doing during their free time? some favourite pastimes?

Between work/raising a kid/seeing friends/regular adult life i don't think they don't have a TON of time to pursue hobbies. So it's basically what we've seen them do in canon--they definitely enjoy playing boardgames with Chris/occasionally with Madney and HenRen. Buck obviously loves to cook/bake and try out new recipes, and that's something he and Chris do together--pick a new recipe, go shopping for ingredients, and experiment in the kitchen. Eddie still sometimes attends his secret underground poker nights, practices Muay Thai/follows MMA/goes to basketball pick-up. And of course a lot of video games. Chris is A Gamer and while he probably prefers playing video-games with his friends, he does still allow Buck and Eddie to play with him on occasion. I've also read so many fics also where they start a garden at the Diaz house, so I think they probably spend some time gardening too.

They go to a handful of Dodgers games per season as a family. Someone at the 118 is a HUGE Dodgers fan and has season tickets with great seats and offers up those seats for cheap/as a thank you for when someone covers their shift. Eddie is a Rangers fan and Chris is a Dodgers fan and Buck doesn't really follow baseball that closely but he LOVES baseball history and is always spouting off fun facts like did you know that the high-five was invented by Glenn Burke, a gay baseball player who played for the Dodgers in the 1970s? Buck does, and he read his entire autobiography. They also always attend the Dodgers First Responders night and I wanna say that at some point after the 118 does something extremely heroic Bobby gets invited to throw the first pitch for First Responders Night and the entire 118 attends to cheer him on.

They also love family beach days on nice weekend days when they're off work. I imagine Chris is still taking surfing lessons and Buck and Eddie will go and take him to his lesson and walk around on the beach together/rough-house in the waves and then they'll have a picnic. Sometimes they'll also invite Madney/HenRen to join them.

Buck and Eddie go to the gym together relatively frequently on their days off. I think they also like taking long drives together when the weather's nice and traffic isn't bad (which is basically just from the hours of 10am to 1pm...). Buck will drive them up the coast to Malibu or even Ventura County or down to Huntington Beach.

And I think they generally like trying new activities as a family. I think Buck is very active on the Los Angeles specific subreddits and is always in search of fun, accessible activities and events for them to attend. Go Karting, the Renaissance Faire, food festivals, the Rose Bowl Flea Market, escape rooms, various museums and science centers, the windmill tour in Palm Springs...the list goes on.

[manchestertheatre]

Get Ready to Be Entertained: What's On in Manchester This Weekend

Manchester is a city that's always buzzing with activity, and there's never a shortage of things to do. Whether you're a theatre buff, a music lover, or just looking for a fun day out with the family, there's always something on in Manchester. And when it comes to finding out what's on, there's no better resource than ManchesterTheatres.com.

What's on in Manchester?

From theatre productions to music gigs and comedy shows, ManchesterTheatres has a comprehensive list of all the events happening in the city. It's the perfect place to stay up-to-date with the latest shows and performances. With so many events to choose from, there's something for everyone.

Theatre Productions If you're a fan of the theatre, then you'll be spoilt for choice with the range of productions on offer in Manchester. From classic plays to modern musicals, there's something for all tastes. Some of the current productions include the hit musical "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" and the drama "Calendar Girls".

Music Gigs Manchester is renowned for its vibrant music scene, and you can find out about the latest gigs and concerts on ManchesterTheatres.com. From rock and pop to indie and more, there's something to suit every taste. Upcoming gigs include the punk legends The Stranglers and indie rockers The Sherlocks.

Comedy Shows If you're in the mood for a good laugh, then you won't be disappointed with the range of comedy shows on offer in Manchester. From established names to up-and-coming comedians, there's a show to suit everyone. Current shows include Jimmy Carr's "Terribly Funny" tour and Sarah Millican's "Bobby Dazzler" show.

Dance Performances If you're a fan of dance, you can enjoy contemporary dance shows, ballets and more. The Northern Ballet will be performing "Cinderella" and Matthew Bourne's New Adventures will be performing "The Red Shoes".

Family Events ManchesterTheatres.com also has a range of family-friendly events on offer, from pantomimes to children's theatre shows. These are perfect for families with young children who want to enjoy a fun day out together. Upcoming events include the classic pantomime "Aladdin" and the interactive children's show "In The Night Garden Live".

Why ManchesterTheatres.com?

With so many different events happening in Manchester, it can be hard to keep track of what's on. That's where ManchesterTheatres.com comes in. Here are just a few reasons why it's the perfect resource for anyone looking for entertainment in Manchester:

Up-to-Date Information ManchesterTheatres.com is updated regularly, so you can be sure that you're getting the latest information about What's on in Manchester. Whether you're looking for events that are happening today or in a few weeks' time, you'll be able to find it on the website.

Easy to Use The website is designed to be easy to navigate, so you can quickly find the information you need. You can search for events by date, genre or venue, making it easy to find events that suit your preferences.

Detailed Information Each event listing on ManchesterTheatres.com includes all the information you need to know, from the date and time of the event to the ticket prices and venue location. This makes it easy to plan your day out and ensures that you don't miss any important details.

In conclusion, ManchesterTheatres.com is the ultimate guide to what's on in Manchester. With its comprehensive list of events and up-to-date information, it's the perfect resource for anyone looking for entertainment in the city. Whether you're a theatre buff, a music lover, or just looking for a fun

[justgillespie]

Missing (7/?)

Summary: Your next door neighbor, Luke Patterson (a.k.a. your longtime crush) has gone missing, and you think you could help finding him.

Word count: 2.7k (I think, I don’t really know lol)

Warnings: none!

•

“...And it was actually fun. I think we were all there. All the boys from the block, I mean. Josh, Victor, Lucas- what-? Stop stealing my fries!”

You and Max were at a diner, having dinner on a Friday night.

“Sorry.” You laughed. “I’m glad you had fun. You’re welcome.”

He scoffed. “Why?”

“Uh, if I didn’t tell Josh you were going, you would’ve said you weren’t. And you went and had fun. Again, you’re welcome.”

“You’re insufferable.” Max shook his head, smiling. “But, yeah. Thank you, I guess.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Speaking of Josh.” He said, grabbing some fries. “Tomorrow’s your big day.”

You rolled you eyes. “You say it like it’s gonna be our wedding. It’s just a date. I wouldn’t even call it a date yet.”

“You, maybe. Josh seems excited for your ‘simple’ date.”

You decided to take a sip of your drink instead of responding.

“You don’t seem too excited though.” He analyzed you for a moment. “Still thinking about Luke?”

“First of all, don’t look at me like that. You’re looking at me like I’m a child.” You rolled your eyes. “And second of all... well, yes, of course. I thought it would be easy to forget about a crush. It’s got to a point that’s just ridiculous.”

“By the way you say it, it doesn’t sound like a simple crush.”

“Well, it can’t be more. I don’t know him.”

“Have you ever heard about love at first sight?”

“That question shows me how little you know about love at first sight.”

“Oh, yeah?” He said, challenging. “How much do you know?”

“Enough to know that my case with Luke it’s not what you’re suggesting.”

“Come on.” He groaned. “Just accept it.”

“Accept what?”

“That you like him.”

“I do like him, that’s the thing. I like Luke without knowing who he is, exactly. That doesn’t make any sense! Just- stop it. Leave it like that.” You said before Max could say anything else. “You really just love to argue or disagree with everything I say, right?”

“If you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

“It is bad, Max.”

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes. And you shook your head in disapproval at your friend, which he decided to ignore. “How’s Mrs. Patterson?”

You visited her that day after school, like you’ve been doing the past week.

You included visiting her as a daily activity on your schedule. You went to her house for at least an hour, go back home to study for another two, and then, you went to your dance class.

“She’s good. Better, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“She does look better.” He nodded. “I’m really glad... have you told her, though?”

You looked down to your glass of juice. “No. She haven’t asked and I never really see the need of doing so.”

You had lots of opportunities to tell her, but you never did it. After overthinking about it a lot, you ended up with the conclusion that, she wasn’t asking because maybe she already knows (courtesy of your mom), or she just really didn’t believe you could find his son.

You did promise her that you would back up if you had to. So maybe, if she knew, that’s why she wasn’t mad or upset.

But you still promised to give her that second chance...

With that thought, you looked for the guitar pick, that was still hanging around your neck, and just held it with your fingers for a second. Something that you’ve been doing a lot lately. You couldn’t take it off. You tried, but you didn’t want to, for some reason you didn’t exactly know.

Even though you weren’t doing anything to find Luke anymore, it still seemed to be something that you were calling out to do. Everything reminded you to him. Not only since you’ve been going to his house a lot, but also for other reasons. Like the fact that the posters you saw at Mrs. Patterson’s last week, were all over the neighborhood now. Maybe even further.

“I mean, if she’s not asking, I guess...” Max shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“I guess...”

And still, you felt the guilt in your chest.

“Anyways, where are you going tomorrow? With Josh.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think we said any place in specific.”

“We’ll see about that then... if you wanted fries, why didn’t you buy some?! Stop eating mine!”

•

The next day, the hot whether made you wear a nice and simple sundress to go out with Josh.

Your sister was finishing combing your hair when you heard the doorbell ring, and you two went downstairs.

Your dad opened the door. You weren’t worried about that since he did know Josh and his parents, but if this worked out, you weren’t too far from getting a similar lecture like the one Tamra got just last week.

When your dad was done with him, you said goodbye to your family and went outside next to Josh, whoopened the driver’s door of his car for you.

“So where are we going?” You asked, looking at him while he was driving.

He looked good. Like he always did. And you were waiting impatiently for those butterflies in your stomach to come at the sight of him. Like it would happen with Luke.

But they never did.

We still have time, you internally said.

“I was thinking... does the movies sound right to you?” He asked.

“Sounds great.” You smiled.

“Great, great.” He smiled back.

You never found it hard to make conversation with him, and this time wasn’t the exception.

Once in the cinema, you two lined up to buy tickets for the movie and you still didn’t decide which one you would watch, but you made the decision for the two of you once you saw how excited Josh looked at a big poster of a zombie movie. He bought the tickets and you bought the popcorn and the drinks. It wasn’t easy but you ended up convincing him to do so.

During the movie, he tried to grab your hand, but every time you pretended not to notice. He didn’t try many times though, he was too invested on the movie to worry about that.

That spark you were so convinced was there and was just taking its time, wasn’t making its appearance. What was wrong with you? You wanted this. You accepted his invitation because you didn’t want to miss this “open door.”

But you didn’t want to be with Josh. As hard as it was for you to realize it, you didn’t like him.

You were still after your neighbor next door, who couldn’t care less about you.

I just need time. This was too soon.

When the movie was over, you went to a diner close the place just like you agreed before.

Still, no spark. Or butterflies. Or flushed cheeks.

Just nothing.

Until you were on your way home, and you saw some kids in front of a club, with some instruments and a man practically yelling at them.

“Josh- wait. Josh! We need to stop. Stop!”

Josh did so, a couple of stores away.

“What, what?! You okay?” He asked looking at you with a frown.

“Yes, yes it’s- There. It’s Luke’s band.”

You two looked behind you, and you could see them. Not clearly, but you were sure those were them.

And Josh seemed to think so too.

“No way...” He said, his eyes wide open. And then, rapidly pointed. “Luke, it’s Luke!”

“Where?!” You desperately looked but for you, the image was blurry.

“There!”

Since you still couldn’t see him, you got out of the car to get a better view.

It was definitely them.

Reggie and, who you assume was Alex, were talking with the man you saw befoe and it did not seem like a nice conversation. Reggie was hiding behind Alex and he seemed to be the one trying to control the situation.

And you only could see his back, but it was definitely Luke the one saving the instruments in the back of their truck, next to Bobby.

“It’s them.” You confirmed, but you couldn’t move. You couldn’t bring yourself up to do anything in that moment.

“What should we do?”

And then you realized. Reggie and Bobby knew you. They knew who you were. If they saw you, they would take Luke away again.

You couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Come on.” You motioned Josh to get in the car again.

“Should we call the police? Or the Pattersons? Maybe-.”

“No, no. None of that. We’re gonna follow them.”

“What?!”

“We need to know where they’re hiding Luke.”

“How are you so sure where they’re going?”

“I am not. But we have nothing to lose.”

You waited until the guys saved one last piece of a drum set, got in the car and started driving away, to follow them.

“Be subtle. And careful.” You said.

Your heart was racing. Sadly (or not), the reason wasn’t Josh.

You tried to follow them not exactly behind, but trying to stay at least a car away from them all the time.

Five minutes later, they stopped at a fast food place, in where they got in, but you decided to stay in the car.

Josh parked the car across the street.

“Max did say everyday with you is a new adventure.” He said. “But I didn’t know he meant literally.”

You removed your sight from the restaurant and looked at him.

You smiled slightly. “Sorry for dragging you with me.”

“Oh, no worries.” He waved it off. “Max warned me.”

“He warned you?” You raised an eyebrow. You didn’t know if you should be offended.

He then noticed the way he said it and you saw the panic on his face. “I didn’t mean it like that! I promise it sounded better in my head.”

You laughed. “It’s okay. I get it.”

“Yeah, um... what should we do now though? With Luke I mean.”

“I was thinking, um...” You searched through your purse. You had enough money. “Maybe we could... follow them? If it’s okay with you. I can give you money for gas, and all. It is my fault you’re here with me now, after all.”

“Forget that.” He shook his head. “This is big. We could maybe get Luke back to his family. You don’t have to give me anything. It’s all for the Pattersons.”

You smiled and nodded. But mentally decided that you would hide the money in the pocket of his jacket later.

“And also... Max told me about what you two have been doing the past week. So I know this is important to you, too. And if there’s anything I can do to help, then I’ll do it.”

You rested your hand on his for a moment. “Thank you. Really. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

The two of you killed time by playing with some Uno cards Josh had saved in his car, and an hour or so later, Josh saw the guys getting out of the restaurant.

“They’re leaving.” He warned you, and started the car as they drove away.

Again, you followed them cautiously for about twenty minutes. They stopped twice at two different houses (where Reggie and Alex, respectively, stayed) before finally getting into another neighborhood where the two guys left parked in front of a beautiful house. Bobby’s house, you assumed.

“So that’s where he stayed the whole time.” You whispered to yourself.

You two kept driving up until two or three houses away and parked in front of a house that seemed empty.

“I can’t believe it.” You said, giggling excited. But you erased your big smile once you looked around you. You had no clue where you were. You got out of the car with Josh.

“Do you... um... happen to know where we are?”

“Honestly? No.”

You started biting your thumbnail. You checked the time. It was nine thirty. You were supposed to be back home at ten.

“Shoot.” You said. “Okay, we know where they are. Do you have a pen or something?”

“Sure.”

He took a pen from some place in his car and gave it to you. Josh walked beside you as you headed from corner to corner and then stopped in front of Bobby’s house. You wrote the street names down in your wrist, not forgetting about the house number.

“Cool, cool.” You nodded. “We have something. And he seems to be safe. I guess I just can come back tomorrow.”

“I was hoping you say that.” He chuckled relieved. “I really didn’t think it would be a good idea to knock now.”

“Yeah...”

You stood in front of the house in silence for a minute.

“Josh?”

“Yeah?”

“We found Luke.”

You two turned your heads to see at each other and then cheered and jumped.

“Shh! Wait! They could hear us.”

“Right, right.” He stopped himself too.

And then, you two silently celebrated.

When you finished, you noticed you were grabbing each other’s hands.

You saw him blushing, and before this could go any further, you smiled at him gently and let go of his hands.

“Let’s go.” You said.

“How do you think they’re managing though? You know, Luke hiding there. And I don’t know his friends’ parents... or his friend himself, but I don’t think they would allow to hide someone in their house who’s been practically reported as missing. There are literally posters of him everywhere.” Josh said once you were (this time for real) on your way home.

“I know. At least I hope they don’t know. It would be cruel of them. Mrs. Patterson is better now, but she hasn’t been having a great time.”

He nodded.

“It’s really sweet of you. What you’ve been doing for her. And for Mr. Patterson.”

“I just... I think I just can’t see her like that. And she regrets everything she did wrong with Luke. She just wants another chance to fix things.”

“You have a great heart.” He said, and you smiled for the hundredth time that night.

“Thank you.” You tilted your head. “You too. You came all the way here with me to save Luke. I think that’s something that qualifies you as a good person, too.”

“Thank you.” He doffed an imaginary hat at you, and you chuckled.

He parked in front of your house.

“This night was... full of unexpected events.” Josh said and you agreed with a smile.

“I’m sorry, again. For dragging you with me.”

“And, again. It’s okay. It was fun. Way more fun than what I had in mind for this date.”

You held up a gasp. He said it. It was a date.

You decided to ignored it. “I had fun too.”

“I just... I had something in mind. And I realized that maybe we... don’t share the same feelings? I sound so stupid, I’m sorry. I just...” He sighed. “I like you, Y/N. I really do. But I notice you don’t feel the same.”

“I am... truly sorry about that, Josh.” You looked down for a second. “I really tried though, you know? You’re a really good guy.”

You grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“I’m just... still fighting with this old... thing I had for a boy. But please don’t get mad at me. I love hanging out with you. You just make me laugh a lot and...it’s just so fun to be with you. You’re a great friend and I really don’t want to lose you.”

He shook his head with a little smile. “You shouldn’t worry about that. You could never lose me.”

You smiled.

“Friends?” You asked and showed him your fist.

“Friends.” He bumped it and you hugged him.

“Thank you for one of the greatest nights ever.” You whispered.

As soon as you stepped on your living room, your family assault you with a bunch of questions. You impatiently responded to all of them, to then explain that you and Josh were just friends. You just wanted to go to Tamra’s room and call Max, but your sister didn’t let you do so until you promised you were gonna give her details later.

Max also celebrated the new information you got when you called him and the both of you agreed on going the next day and...

Well, you didn’t know what to do exactly. But you would have that planned later.

You couldn’t believe it. You were so happy you couldn’t even remember why did you quit the investigation. You just needed a little break. It was too much for you and it wasn’t easy.

But you were back.

•

Taglist: @ifilwtmfc @sovereignparker @catbcyluke @marvelgirl300 @valeriasannchez

[lucisfavoritedemon]

Remembering Summer

Title: Remembering Summer

Pairing: Dean x Nell (OFC)

Warnings: Angst, talk of death, depression, mentions of suicide attempt, fluff in flashbacks, Smut, unprotected sex (short portion of flashback towards the end), language

Word Count: 3,490 (sorry not sorry).

A/N: I just finished watching season 7 again for like the millionth time and I have been wanting to write this story for a really long time. This is for @katymacsupernatural SummerTime Challenge. Hope you enjoy. The text in italics are flashbacks. My words were Drive in Movie Theater, Margaritas, and Mini Golf. Words will be bolded in the text.

It was gorgeous out, the kind of gorgeous that made you want to be outside enjoying the sun. Not Nell though, she sat alone in the dark, the only light in the small little cabin was seeping through the small gap between the curtains, which haven’t been opened since the day she left that awful place. She had wanted nothing more than to sit alone in the dark where she belonged.

She was afraid that something like this would happen eventually. Everyone leaves her in the dust whether they abandon her or they die on her. Already she lost two members of what she considered her dysfunctional family. She didn’t care that one of them betrayed her and her friends, she still saw him as family and forgave him for everything even if he felt he didn’t deserve her kindness.

She searched that place for hours. None of her friends were anywhere to be found. Not Sam, not Dean, not Cas, not even Kevin the prophet. Everyone was gone. Meg was taken by Crowley, who wanted nothing to do with Nell anyways. Now she was truly alone. All she was left with was the hope that Sam and Dean found Dick before it was to late.

On days like these she thought about all good times her and Dean had in their final months together. It was days like these she missed him the most.

“Come on it’ll be nice to get our mind off the leviathans for a little while. If Frank calls regarding anything on Dick and his henchmen then we can drop everything and come back, but you’re stressed out over this and you can’t be. Please?” I practically begged Dean. We have had these plans for over a year now. He owed me a true date and we earned a little vacation. I mean after everything that happened with Bobby he didn’t really want to do much of anything.

“Fine. But just for a few days alright? Then no hounding me for ‘vacation time’ anymore got it?” He caved. I knew he wouldn’t be able to look me in the eyes and tell his favorite girl no.

I had everything all planned out each day would be filled with new and exciting adventures and activities. Activities that slowly, but surely I let Dean slip that he loved doing.

We left early to beat the traffic, for I had no time to waste. This was gonna be four days of non-stop fun just to get our minds off of the current events hanging over our heads. The whole Cas thing was just overwhelming not only for Dean but for me too. Not to mention that we were all a bit on edge.

We got into town about 6 pm. We checked into the motel and dropped our stuff off in our room before I was dragging Dean back out again. “Come on it’s about to start soon and I don’t want you to miss this.” I said grabbing the keys to Baby.

“Okay fine but why can’t I drive?” he asked trying to get me to tell him where we were going, though I give him props for trying.

“You want it to stay a surprise don’t you?” I asked getting a sigh from him and then he hopped into the passenger seat.

The whole ride there I let him choose the music. It was only fair since I was driving his car. I just wanted this to be a surprise for him. Plus in the end I think he’ll like what I have planned.

It was 10 minutes till the movie started when we pulled into our assigned spot. “Why don’t I go get the snacks while you stay here and get the speakers attached that way if the line is long you don’t miss a thing.”

“Really a drive in movie? You tend to like these things a little bit more than I do, you know there has to be something good on for me to sit through it right?” He grumbled, but I knew he would enjoy it.

“I know, but I have a very good feeling you’ll enjoy this one. So I’ll be right back I promise. If you don’t like it we can leave,” but I doubted he would want to leave.

It took me almost 10 minutes to get everything which I was hoping with us getting there as late as we did we wouldn’t have to wait. I wanted to see Dean’s reaction when the movie title pops up, or even when the opening music begins to play. Luckily when I got back to the car the movie was just getting ready to start. The music started playing and Dean’s whole demeanor changed, he sat up straight, jaw dropped before it went into a huge grin, and his eyes, his eyes lit up like he was a little kid again. For a second there I thought he was.

“The Untouchables? Really Nell? This is the coolest thing ever.”

“See I told you, you would like it.”

“Like it? I love this movie. This is the only way I haven’t watched it yet. I thought they didn’t play this movie in Drive Ins anymore?”

“Let’s just say this theater is different than most.” I said before stopping the conversation to enjoy this special movie with my special man.

“Okay you have to tell me how that Drive In Movie Theater is special,” Dean begged. I guess now that the surprise was revealed and the movie was over I could tell him.

“I might have pulled a few strings,” I tried to get him to inquiry a bit more.

“What do you mean by that? What did you do?”

“I saw an add in the paper for requests for movies here when we did a hunt a while back and I put in a request for the Untouchables for this date that way I knew they had enough time to get the movie to play it. They said they would try, but there were no guarantees on it. A few weeks ago I got a call saying that if I was still planning on coming to the movie on the date I had chosen I had to reserve it for how many tickets I wanted that way they made sure the person who requested the movie got to see the movie. I put in a reservation for two tickets to be put on hold for the date I had requested, and they told me they had got my movie and that the tickets were reserved. I asked if I could also get a spot reserved, they said that they usually give the person who requested the movie the best spot in the lot. Usually the spot is expensive but since this movie was requested by me it was included into the pack of the reservation for the tickets or whatever.”

“Wow, you did that all for me?”

“Of course anything for you Dean. It may have been a hassle to make sure you didn’t know anything about what I have planned, but so worth it to see that glow in your eyes. The way you looked when you saw the opening title, it was like you were a little kid again.”

Thinking about Dean and how happy he looked, it was still etched into her brain. Whether she was awake or asleep he was always there, and it hurt so much. She had no clue whether he was alive or dead. Nell always assumed the latter though for she had scoured every book to find a contact that could possibly know where Dean was. Most wanted his head on a platter along with Sam, but she told them she wanted them both delivered safe and sound back to her.

Nell twirled the little blade contemplating the inevitable. It would be the third time that she reopened the cuts Dean had so easily and neatly stitched up after their last fight. The thought of losing the man she so desperately needed in her life had threatened to leave and she would rather die than see that happened. So she tried, it was a good thing Dean felt the same way or else she wouldn’t be here right now. He patched her up nice and good. He took her stitches out a few days before he went missing on that mission and ever since she has been opening the scars slightly, but before they could heal completely she was reopening them again. He would so hate her right now if he knew what she was doing to herself for him. He would say he is not worth her causing physical harm to herself. But he so was worth it.

The next day was going to be a bit lax, but still the driving was what was gonna take up most of the day. When we got in, again we checked into our motel room, then it was off to find some good food. I knew he loved a good burger bar so I had found just that. You could make your own burgers, and enjoy some drinks from the bar.

We walked in and his eyes lit up when he saw the buffet set up. He didn’t even realize that it was just all stuff to top your “anyway you like it” burger.

“What is this place? I thought you said we were gonna get burgers?”

“We are. See that set up over there?” he nodded looking really confused, but also slightly intrigued, “that’s all toppings for burgers. They have the best burger menu, but most people come here to build their own burger.”

“No way.”

“How many for you today?” the hostess asked.

“Two please.” I said while Dean checked out the topping bar.

“Right this way please”

“What can I get you guys to drink today?” the waiter asked a while after we sat down.

“We’ll have your famous house margaritas and we’ll do the burger bar for our meal.” Dean ordered for us.

“I didn’t think you liked margaritas?”

“I normally don’t but I read up on this place and they’re supposed to have like world famous margaritas. I thought what could possibly go wrong. Worse comes to worse you can have mine and I could order a beer.”

“Very true.”

The food was so good. I believe that Dean probably put every single topping on his burger, for in the end you could hardly tell where the burger was in the pile of toppings. Man, he ate it all though. Such an impressive feat for him.

Nell can hardly ever look at a burger without thinking of this moment. It was killing her inside. The thought of how happy their life was, and in just a few short months it was all torn away from her. The happiness, the feeling of being loved, and the feeling of being lost in the little moments that made her life so perfect. Sure her life was far from that, but having that man by her side she felt like it was that way.

She dragged the small blade across the barely healed scars. She traced the first scar with the small blade like all the times before, though this time going a little deeper than she truly intended to. Drawing more blood than she had before, but she didn’t care, anything to numb the pain of her broken heart. Anything to stop the thoughts of their last summer together for she didn’t want to have another summer without him for she knew how amazing it was with him. She didn’t know how she did before they met.

No matter how hard she tried to stop those memories from flowing in they just continued to float around her head. Making the start of an already rough summer, that much harder.

I decided to stay in this nice little town for another day for right next to our motel was Mini Golf. I never actually planned it that way for in the place we were going next there was a miniature golf course next to it too. I really wanted the last place to be a surprise for him and I honestly think he might enjoy the bit of nostalgia.

Little did I know that this was gonna be the time that I actually see my boyfriend be nerdy and legit enjoy himself.

“Okay, but I really think I’m gonna win this.” Dean was just being his same cocky self though it was adorable I wasn’t about to let him win.

“Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and let’s bet on it. If I win you give me 20 if you win I’ll give you 30 just cause I’m feeling generous.”

“It’s a deal. May the best mini golfer win.”

“I feel like I really suck at this. I must really be out of practice.” I complained making him help me. I mean if we are golfing I want to be as cliche as I can be for who knows when will we be able to be a normal couple like normal people.

“Here all you have to do is aim, pull back slightly, and follow through,” he came up behind me and helped me to get a hole in one, “see you’re not that bad.” I turned around in his arms that were still wrapped around me so he could hold the putter properly, and I pecked quick kiss on his lips.

“Thanks maybe now I could be on my way to being as good as you.” I teased and moved on to the next hole.

“Wow what is that like 5 in a row, I am on a roll today, and it’s all because you helped me.”

“Yeah and it’s not because you hustled me and pretending those first few holes,” Dean rolled his eyes and scoffed at me.

“No not at all oh and look at that you still won.”

“How I only got one hole in one and you have 5?”

“That’s also because I was getting all those over hit on the first 13, whereas you were hitting them within the amount you were supposed to. So yeah I hustled you, but it still worked to both of our advantages.”

“You do have a point.”

“Yeah and here is your 30 bucks, but tomorrow I have an even better surprise for you.”

“What is it?” Dean begged.

“Uh uh,” I said in a sing songy voice, “if I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?”

“True, but you know I hate surprises, for all I know we’re gonna go back to the safe house and you’re gonna dump my ass.”

“Okay I can tell you right now that will never happen. I promise on my life Dean Winchester, I am yours till the end of time.” I reassured him and kissed him passionately.

“I know it’s just sometimes I feel that you don’t want me anymore, I know this life has taken a lot from you and I just can’t have you suffer because of me.”

“Trust me I will not be leaving anytime soon I promise, and if I go I will go down fighting.”

“Good.”

Nell has given up the fight. All she wants is the pain to end. This Life has taken everything away from her and she wants nothing more than for all the pain to stop. Nell made her way to the bathroom, she took a glance in the mirror. She looked horrible, her eyes were sunken in from the lack of food. She mainly spends her day sitting on the couch in the dark or sleeping. She doesn’t do much of anything anymore.

She took one look and collapsed. How could anyone love someone who looked like that? She felt even if Dean was out there looking trying to get back to her and Sam, he would leave her because he no longer loved her for what she was doing to herself because of him. She wouldn’t blame him for who could love someone like her.

This was the last stop for our four day vacation, and this was the day I was super excited for. I couldn't wait to see Dean's reaction. It may have taken almost all day long, but it just makes the experience that more accurate. "We are here! You excited for this?"

"I have no idea...wait a sec. Is this the motel where we first met?" He looked around, examining his surroundings.

"It is. This is a recreation, sort of , of the day we met, on the day exact day we met."

"Wow, this is probably the coolest thing anyone has ever done for me. I honestly don't think anyone has tried to recreate the day we first met, ever."

"Well it probably won't be a full recreation as we both are already in the same car, when we met you walked over and introduced yourself to me."  

"That is true, but maybe that's the cool thing about this, we can create new memories here as well as relive the old ones."

"Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?"

He picked me up and carried me into the room. I giggled a little and kissed his plump lips. He threw me on the bed and got on top of me, connecting out lips again, this time making it more passionate. I tore away to catch my breath, and looking into his I could see they were full of lust. I knew he was hungry for me.

I started to take my shirt off as he took off my jeans. I took his shirt off, then I took my bra off as he took off his pants. Now both of us were left in nothing but our underwear. Not for long though, for he pulled off my panties, and within five seconds flat they were on the floor and his mouth was on my aching bud.

He was licking, nipping, pulling, any action to that gave me pleasure, he was doing it. He was in an out of my entrance with his tongue while his teeth rubbed my clit; sending shivers up my spine.

It wasn't long before he stuck his fingers in me. He started to thrust and when he acted like he was gonna pull them out he would curl them in; edging me closer to my climax. The way he worked was intoxicating for me, his tongue, his fingers, all of it, and soon I was coming around his fingers and on his face in a mess of moans.

"Did that feel good?" He asked smiling up from between my legs.

“Yeah, but it would feel so much better if you were inside me.” I stated looking down, seeing a huge bulge in his boxers.

Before I knew it his boxers were off and he aligned himself at my entrance. He thrusted in fast and pulled out slow, and continued to kept this pace up, finding my g-spot right away.

“Oh...Dean you feel so good,” I moaned digging my nails into his back as he kissed my neck.

It seemed a little rough, but he was being gentle, worried he would hurt more than he intended.

“Hm...faster Dean...please…” I begged.

“Of course,” and he picked up his pace a little sending pure pleasure throughout my body.

His thrusts started to get a little sloppy and I knew he was close; “want me to pull out or do you want me to continue?” he asked politely.

“Keep going...I...want you to fill me,” I moaned out.

He continued to thrust even through his climax, and a few moments later I followed clenching around him full of pleasure and happiness.

“How’s that for creating new memories?” he asked plopping down next to me; pulling the covers over us.

“That was amazing,”I state curling up to him; my hand resting on his chest, and my arm resting on his stomach. “This is probably the best night of my life, well at least for now until we do this again.”

“Yeah, I agree. Honestly this has been the best week of my life, and I got to spend it with the girl of my dreams.” He kissed me, and wrapped his arm around me before we both fell asleep satisfied with how this week tuned out.

Nell hadn’t felt that alive in years. It was only with Dean that she felt like that. Nell sat sobbing on the floor thinking about the best night of her life. She continued to twirl the blade in her fingers, blood dripping down her arm. She felt a little light headed. Her phone started ringing out of nowhere. Eventually it would stop when the person realized no one was gonna answer.

Tags:

@mamaredd123 @ericaprice2008 @winchesterprincessbride @sea040561 @torn-and-frayed @impala-dreamer @impalaimagining @our-jensen-ackles-love @canadianspnhunter 

[zward95]

11/16/2020

Don Otto Ward Jr. AKA Donnie Baseball

1/11/1970 - 11/15/2020

“He will be cremated and scattered everywhere that I know was special to him. From the pitcher's mound at Morton to Hohokam park in Arizona where he played in the adult world series. And some will be left with his mom and dad....not sure the full details. He failed to stop at a stop sign and was hit. They're doing an autopsy to see if maybe he had a heart attack or something” Bobbi-Jo Ward-Herron.”

I can’t believe that you passed away… there is so much I want to say but idk if anything needs to be said. This grief has been different than anything I have experienced before….. There is so much hurt, and sadness for what never was……...I feel guilty and stupid for having good memories of you, because of all that you did… but it is not my duty to tarnish your reputation in the eyes of others, because you did a lot of good. By the ENORMOUS outpouring of care, that part is obvious. You touched the lives of hundreds upon hundreds of people in positive ways. You were the best coach that hundreds of kids ever experienced, you invited everyone in the community over as if they were family. You were willing to learn how to play chess from a 3rd grader and looking on the internet, so their elementary school could have a good coach. You were supportive of all the different things we did; even if you didn’t understand it, you tried. You were known as the best umpire and the human rulebook by friends and angry fans alike. You took pride in your work, and more pride in the fun you could have while doing it. You loved wildly and exuberantly and expressed it with your time, and with your many...many...words. You showed that it was okay to have many facets: band, science, math, sports, emotions, reading, fantasy, D&D, dirt, cars, tools, dogs, food. You showed the importance in questioning things around you, and how important it is to search for your own answers. That it's better to be wrong about something, because then you learned something. You also beat and traumatized your children, would beat and dehumanize other people to let out your aggression, neglected the wishes of your family, chose drugs and freedom over your children, and showed the dangers of utter selfishness. All of these things are true, for your mixed up, funny, dark, drug rampit, baseball loving life. You actively strived to be the biggest asshole in the room, but also be the funniest guy in the room, so everyone would still want you around. You were so socially skilled that you could both bring out the best and the worst of everyone in a room depending on your mood, yet so awkward, you intentionally ignored your impact on the people around you, as to dodge responsibility.

All the happy loving messages from people are nice, and they are just trying to share in the grief and express their sympathies; but they have made me angry at times. Angry for Matt, who has to see all these people with great memories of you caring and showing love and him never getting to have it. Anger for all the times I was held by the throat and slapped for sobbing, which only made it worse. Anger for all the verbal and psychological torment you put upon me and Chris. Anger for the neglect Matt felt. I haven’t put that to words before but that’s what he is feeling…. Because he was never able to see that great person that is held in the social consciousness of sooooo many people… We only have the guy who would brag about his sex parties to his children, that brought criminals and druggies into his family home and got our house robbed because of his negligence, who cussed out all three of his children, said he didn’t give a shit about them and just would rather not be a dad. Stuck with the memories of me spending weekend after weekend driving back to Hammond to try and protect my family from my dad. He was the guy who, post the divorce, my only contact was to get weed; because I am broke and dealing with my health issues, and he had the best prices. There is so much anger there, because for all the happy stories, he kind of mentally broke us all, and none of us were given that closure. Matt specifically, because he had always held on to the hope that he would one day be able to experience the kind father that so many people say existed at one time.

But for me, beneath all that active anger is a true sadness. Growing up you were my best friend for a long time, as my dad, my coach in EVERYTHING, and I can say now also as my abuser. I think we need to see all the good and bad together and it's okay to acknowledge all the good. He was a great coach that invested greatly in the children of the community. He actively tried to bring everyone into the fold of what we called family. He is the reason I have such a love for debate, because I spent most of my childhood figuring out how to form a good argument, and how to defend that position quickly, because otherwise you would get steamrolled by the personality and the continuous firehose of words that constantly flowed from his endlessly moving lips. He showed me that in order to adapt and work with everyone, it is best to be a jack of all trades so you can help everyone. He loved sports and fixing things and shaped my sense of humor. All three of us siblings have the same eating habits as him, which is one thing I would argue he was right about. He showed that life can be fun, while you are still taking care of business.

He was the Dad to all the kids in the neighborhood who did not have a father figure who was around, and I think that is why it is so hard for us, all of us, because he did all that… and then he didn’t…..

And it hurts to know that it just all fell away, and there is no changing that. It is a little hard for all of us, because IDK if I ever wanted to be friends with him again, but DAMMIT I WANTED TO PUNCH HIM ONE MORE TIME lmao. He would have laughed at that, and happily taken an assbeating if it meant we forgave him though……. Idk if that's true... But he said it before and I kind of believed it….

I truly believe that my father could have been better had he not intentionally thrown caution to the wind when it came to mental health and preventative care. When he started going to therapy, he then would come back from therapy and tell me how great it was to talk with a sexy woman, and that he was really thinking he could just turn those into sex visits. I was frustrated to hear that, because it meant that he did not want to follow through. And the horrible moments when he confirmed that he achieved his goals. He knew his own issues, but thought it easier to highlight everyone else’s issues, instead of address his own. He felt that he could not change, and he was who he was, so he might as well drag everyone down with him, and laugh on the way down….. That’s the sad part of it all.. None of us brothers were surprised to hear he passed. We each had different theories of how it might happen, and during darker moments how we really really hoped it would happen, and would make sure it did if there was uncertainty. It just feels sad, because all the anger comes from experience and wanting the craziness to stop, not from a personal hate, but from watching him change and hurt people. We all had wanted him to keep getting help and to try and address the anger, rage, sadness, anxiety, and self-defeating thoughts that ate him up, and came out in those bouts of fury. And, to some extent, I think all of us held on to the hope that it would still happen, that he would apologize and there would be a big fallout, and then years later he would show up at the parties with Bobbi after getting over being shunned for his dick move; or he might actively come to apologize and make amends, because we had all shut him out due to caution from being burned previously… and none of that happened… and that is sad… because I know it hurt him.

Death and Grief makes me think of theatre and the idea of comedy/tragedy. All the different emotions flying around at the same time: happy, fury, hate, contentment, laughter, sadness, disgust, disrespect, anger, love, melancholy, wistfulness, and all of them are there. The tragedy is that this all happened, that the issues weren’t resolved, that my father is passed and we are left having to deal with all the good and the bad that he did in the world, without a person for whom to direct our feelings. We all just get to sit and deal with our shit. But One thing I do know is that Donnie Baseball loves a good joke. He told them endlessly to anyone who would listen, and whether anyone laughed, or if it was a good joke, made no matter as to whether he enjoyed it. So I know there is comedic spin to it, one that my brother Matt pointed out. He now has to answer to his Mom and Dad, Nana Viv & Bonka Don, for all his bad behavior. And I can only imagine their response when they hear what he did to their house, and to their grandchildren. lol

RIP Donnie Baseball - but I know Viv won’t give you any peace for a while still.

11/17/2020

“He died of blunt force trauma. He either fell asleep or was choking on his chew and morning phlegm and went into the drainage ditch at about 50. He didn't suffer. But if he'd been wearing his seatbelt he'd still be here. Just broken.”

“Well he's had 5 seatbelt tickets in the 5 years we've been together. There's definitely a pattern there” Bobbi-Jo

It is incredible, even to the very end just swimming in irony. He spent his life trying to teach others how to live better, and was the best coach, yet died because he wouldn’t take his own advice. Just buckle your seatbelt. Likely still stoned, waking up in the morning, enjoying his chew, he passed away painlessly. Everyone is sad by this because it is not the death anyone felt he deserved, yet it is pretty much exactly what he wanted. He had talked to me about driving off a bridge and ending it painlessly, and doing something he loved and he did just that.

There is still a lot of anger for Bobbi within me. I know there is more within my brothers because they saw the actual actions and impact she had on him. And yet, She is broken and sad now. They were toxic and not great people, yet they made eachother happy, and were willing to work toward each other's happiness with a desire to understand. I don’t think I can say they were an ideal pair, or they were good for eachother, but they loved each other. They each knew love within the other. And it is sad to watch someone lose their lover. And I am glad that there is someone who will mourn and grieve him like he should, and to direct that process of dropping off his ashes, but damn… But that anger again comes from the desire for him to change, and the childish notion that “she changed him” which I know to be wrong and not how things work. Now it is just a process of trying to move forward. She still had a strong hand in the collapse of our family system, but that was instigated by him; and she did try to show love and affection to us, to an extent. She doesn’t deserve the anger…. She is a sad woman whose lover has passed away….

Everything is crazy, I am both happy and sad that you are gone. I am thankful you didn’t hurt, yet I still wish you could appreciate the hurt you caused. You taught innumerable life lessons to likely thousands of kids by modeling both what you should, and what you shouldn’t, do at different times... Our biggest arguments would fall back to the idea of living in a world of black and white, right and wrong, as to living in a world of gray. I argued that there was no completely good or bad, no complete right or wrong and you’d disagreed. You were very binary in your beliefs, this or that, one or the other, which is utterly baffling, considering that you LIVED in the gray area. So here we are, left living in this world and having to acknowledge all the different shades of black and white within your life. And for me, idk if I can call any of it good or bad anymore….And I wish I wasn’t right…. But this world of gray is important, and just because it's a gray world does not mean we won’t enjoy it.

[dancerlittle006]

James + Josie - Chapter 4

Many, many thanks to @fromherlips, who this chapter wouldn’t have been possible without her many encouragements - simply saying thank you will never be enough.

Read Previous Chapters Here

DECEMBER 2018

He had surprised her with tickets to Ireland (a bucket list item of hers) with the sole purpose of going back to visit his family. He hung his head as he mentioned he hadn't been back in almost six months. His mother had been harping on him to come back to visit before the holidays. So early December was the best time between his schedule and hers.

But there was something he failed to mention in his plan to get her to Ireland. “I didn't let my family know I was bringing you along.”

Her eyes went wide at the nonchalant comment. She lowered her book, turning her attention to him. “You didn't tell anyone?”

“Not a soul.” He grinned. “You would think a heads up would be a great thing. However, with the Horans, they'd be blowing up me damn phone wanting to know every single thing about you and I'd rather they get to know you from the expert, rather than me.”

Emmy shook her head. “So, you didn't want to brag about me and let your family know I was coming so they'd be surprised when you show up with me?”

“I mean,” he grinned, hoping he could get out of it.

Tapping the golfer’s cap on his head, she dipped her head to place her lips on his. “You're lucky you're cute, James.”

She turned back to her book, getting swept up in the love life of the main characters.

She got a few pages in before noticing his hand on her thigh. A few minutes later, his hand was on her forearm. His feathery-light touch on her arm distracted her from Kate and her detective work.

Raising an eyebrow in his direction, “Can I help you?”

“Pay attention to me, Ems,” he whined, giving her a puppy dog look.

Placing her bookmarker in the book and closing with a quiet thump, she placed it in her bag before turning her full attention towards him. “You have my undivided attention.”

He had to laugh at her monotone, leaning over and capturing her lips in a kiss. “We only have twenty minutes until we land.”

“So what’s the plan when we land?”

Lacing his fingers with hers, he squeezed them, growing quiet. “We’ll hop on the train then it’s an hour ride to ma’s house. From there, god knows what that woman has planned. As she only knows I’m coming, she’s going to go crazy seein’ you.”

“Geez thanks.” The words rolled off her tongue before she could stop them. “At least this has to be better than how you met my parents.”

Squeezing her hand again, he knew she was still hurt by how her mother had treated her that day. “Have you heard from them at all?”

“No. And I honestly don’t expect to. I’ve been exiled from the family and I’m sure mom didn’t shy away from telling every single person she knew about what went down.” She sighed. “I’ve got my family in you, my siblings and friends. I’ll be fine.”

He hated that she thought she had to put on a brave face with him. “If ya wanna be pissed, be pissed love. Don’t hide it from me.”

“I’m just sad that she didn’t hear how I felt - she just saw the dollar signs that he could bring to the family. She didn’t care about my happiness or my quality of life.” Giving him a slight smile, she shrugged her shoulders. “I’m still dealing with it and it’ll be her loss.”

Kissing her forehead, he sighed. “I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be the greatest fan of your life.”

He crooned one of her favorite songs, never getting enough of his voice. Since she learned of his singing abilities, he would sing random songs and tunes around her apartment and out and about.

Landing was a quiet affair. They gathered their belongings, heading towards the adjacent train station. He bought tickets, much to her dismay, and a hot cocoa, while waiting for the 9:05 train. He stood behind her, hand on her lip, kissing her the side of her head, watching the trains chug in and out of the station.

“Wanna know something?” She cranked her head, looking back at him. She didn't wait for a reply, “I wanted to be a conductor when I was little. I was fascinated by trains and have always loved traveling on them and watching them chug through the town. I was that girl who never was annoyed getting stopped by a passing train; I've always loved them.”

He hugged her closer to his body. “I thought I saw your eyes glow brighter when I mentioned we'd take the train. A conductor, huh? Well I know what to get you for Christmas.”

“What's that?” His excitement was contagious.

Kissing her cheek, he chuckled. “A conductor’s hat.”

A blush swept her cheeks, eyes falling towards the ground. “I've got one already. My brother and sister threw me a big train themed party last year. Train cake, conductor’s hat, and a full train and track for my apartment. In fact, last year, it ran around my Christmas tree.”

“Well I guess I’ll need to be more creative.” Their train has arrived. Watching the passengers disembark, he tilted his head in her direction. “Where’s the ultimate place to sit on a train?”

Emmy giggled, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know - as long as I’m on the train, I’ll be happy.”

Niall tugged her hand, leading her to the middle of the train. With their suitcases stored, he picked two seats before collapsing in one with a sigh. He quickly typed something out on his phone, storing it in his pocket with a grin. “Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.”

Grabbing her book out of her bag, she relaxed against the window, getting lost in the book. She read the majority of the trip, only lifting her head to look out the window when she felt the train brake. Barely registering that Niall was beside her, she was happy feeling the motion of the train and getting caught up in the story she read.

Three chapters passed before Niall nudged her. “We're getting close, love. Get ready to be hugged and kissed many time.”

Before that, the nerves were pretty tame. She was excited to meet his family, yet there were some butterflies that fluttered. “I'm a little nervous.”

He met her eyes at the confession. “Awe babe, you've got nothing to be nervous about. Ma and Chris will love you as will da. Those are the only ones that absolutely have to love you and they will I have no doubt.”

“You sure?”

Niall chuckled. “Josie, one day I'll get you to see how incredible you are. The only ones you've got to worry about is Greg and Denise but I'm not sure if we'll even see ‘em.”

The conversation was dropped when the train pulled into the station. She took a few seconds to ensure she had gathered everything in preparation of disembarking. “Ma said she'd met us in the car park.”

Linking hands with him, Emmy followed Niall off the train. The clicks of her boots on the pavement was the only thing she focused on until she saw Niall’s face lit up setting his eyes on his mum. She dropped his hand, allowing him to drop his bag, giving her a hug.

“Oh my boy, it's so good to see ya.” She squeezed him tight before stepping back and taking him in. “It's been too long Niall James.”

Emmy snickered, hearing his mum full name him, drawing Niall and his mum’s attention to her. “Quit your laughing, Bennett.” Niall teased, pulling her closer to him. “Mum, this is Emmaline, or Emmy. Em, this is my mum Maura.”

Maura stepped forward, opening her arms for a hug. Emmy stepped in, feeling the warmth of a mother’s hug. “It’s so nice to meet you. This bugger won't shut up about you when I do get him on the phone.”

“It's nice to meet you too; however, I feel as if I don't know much about you or your family.” Motioning to Niall, she smiled. “This one doesn't open up much.”

Maura locked her arms with Emmy’s, winked at her son, before leading her towards the car. “We'll just have to change that these next few days.”

Three Days Later

The previous three days had been filled with family activities. Emmy had met the rest of Niall’s family, getting along wonderfully with his cousin, Aoife, who spilled many stories of the younger days of Niall and his other cousins. They had also gone searching through a Christmas tree farm searching for the “perfect” tree, according to Maura Horan. She was pulled into a snowball fight by no other than her boyfriend. She could still hear his boisterous laughter when he nailed her square in the chest. She had retaliated, running full steam into him, pushing them both into the snow. They had both ended up in stitches, causing Maura and Chris to shake their heads and join in the laughter.

Emmy had spent some time baking in the kitchen with Maura. As she poured the chocolate chips into the batter, Maura confessed how happy Niall had found her. During that time, she called Emmy the daughter she never had and Emmy had never felt more love from a mother.

And last night, Emmy had finally met the man Niall had called Da, Bobby Horan.  He pulled Emmy into a tight hug, and with a Guinness in hand, welcomed her into the family. She had gotten some more stories out of Bobby, all while he hugged her close to his side and didn’t let her out of his sight the entire night.

Hugging a mug of coffee (much to Niall’s disbelief, she wasn’t a tea drinker), she stared out of the window at the snow covered garden and sighed in contentment. Her book was disregarded on the desk while she was curled up in the overstuff chair thinking about the last few days.

Seeing Niall with his family was bittersweet. She loved seeing him interact with his cousins, especially the younger ones, all while not knowing when she would see her mom, dad, aunts, and uncles again. She had gossiped with his cousins and wished her own siblings were there to join in the activities.

“Hey.” Emmy was knocked out of her thoughts by Niall standing in the doorway, looking at her with a curious look. “You ok?”

“Just enjoying the quiet and watching the snow fall.” She smiled. “You startled me. Where have you been?”

Taking a seat in the chair next to her, he grinned. “Spending some time with ma and Chris. They were filling me on things I had missed around the town. Why are you down here all by yourself? Something bothering you?”

Emmy turned back to the window, efficiently ignoring his question. “Emmy, talk to me. I know something has been off since we landed but I haven’t been able to put my finger on it.”

She heard him sigh, scooting closer to the edge of the chair. “Darling, it’s just me. Talk to me.”

Taking another sip of her coffee, she shifted in the chair to look at him. She took his hand in hers, looking towards the ground. “I’ve been watching you with your family and it’s hit a little close to home.”

It was hard for him to hear her whisper, though the words had barely gotten to his ears. “Awww babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that.”

He was quiet, not really knowing what comfort her could bring to her. Grabbing her hand, he gave it a squeeze, and a gentle smile. “What can I do? I’m sorry you’ve been feeling left out.”

“But that’s the thing, I haven’t been left out,” she sighed, looking at him. “If anything it makes me feel bad that my family are the one that will be missing out. Mom’s the one that has done this to herself and that she won’t see me or my siblings until she apologizes. She’s the one I’ve been sorry for.”

Emmy laughed with bitterness. “Your mother has been more like a mother to me in these last few days than my mother ever was. She has hugged me more times than my mom did in the last two years.”

Before she knew it, there were tears flowing down her face. Emmy didn’t know why she was crying, just that there were tears. Niall pulled her from the chair, brought her into a hug, before rubbing his hand slowly up and down her back. “Please don’t cry. She’s not worth your tears.”

“You don’t understand.” She sniffled against his shoulder with a short laugh. “You’ve got the perfect family yet you don’t understand why I’m crying.”

He chuckled. “Do you know why you’re crying?”

“No!” She pulled back, wiping the tears away. “But I’m sure it has to do with the fact that I’m sure I’ve got to rebuild my family and being in yours makes me belong to something.”

Niall leaned in, kissed her cheek before grinning. “Well then, I guess we’ll have to create our own family. Willie and Deo will soon become the brothers you wish you had but never wanted. Aoife and Katie will become the gossiping cousins you wish would go away. My ma, Chris, and da will become your surrogate parents. You have your brother and sister who will round out the merry ‘ole gang. You’ve got a family, you just have to rediscover them for yourself.”

“What do I do about these feelings I have? How do I get past them, old wise one?” Emmy sniffled, then grinned in Niall’s direction.

“Hakuna Matata, Ain't no passing craze It means no worries, For the rest of your days, It's our problem-free philosophy.” A giggled passed her lips hearing one of her favorite songs sung by one of her favorite guys.

Shaking her head, she threw her head back laughing. “Your advice is to have no worries. Real convincing there, Horan.”

“Sorry that was the first song to pop into my head.” He cleared his throat. “Let me see if I can do something better.”

Niall gave her a silly look before singing the next song. “If I could, Baby I'd give you my world, Open up, Everything's waiting for you, You can go your own way.”

“Should’ve known you’d throw in Fleetwood Mac.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you for giving me some sage advice.”

Niall shrugged his shoulders. “You want more? There’s a few songs I know that might help.”

“Sure. What do you have in your arsenal of song lyrics?”

The next one he sang surprised her. “And now I'm glad I didn't know, The way it all would end, the way it all would go, Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, But I'd have had to miss the dance.”

“I’m impressed Horan. Didn’t know you had Garth Brooks’ country in you.” She wiped the stray tears away as he retorted by sticking his tongue out at her. “And I’m dating a two year old.”

Niall laughed. “Hey I’m at least three years old on a good day. Get your facts straight woman.”

“My apologies mister.” She kissed his cheek while he huffed in annoyance. “Any more songs?”

He held up a finger to which she leaned forward to kiss. “One more.”

“Just know you’re not alone, 'Cause I’m going to make this place your home.”

His singing did the opposite as it had been doing; the tears were back, though this time, happier tears than before. “Niall James . . .”

“Uh oh . . . is this one of those times I’m in trouble because you just double named me?” Fear crossed his face followed by the pouty face he wore when he was sorry something had happened.

She giggled, wiping the tears away, letting her eyes rest on him. “This is one of those moments where you’re the sweetest boyfriend in the world.”

He visibly relaxed, a goofy smile stretching across his lips. “Love you, Em.”

“Love you too.” Their lips met in a kiss, that was too soon interrupted by the buzz of the doorbell.

They heard Maura answer the door, speaking to whomever was on the other side. Emmy took a glance at Niall, who’s face had turned sour by the voice at the door. “Niall?”

“Stay here Emmy. Promise me, you’ll stay here.” She quickly nodded, watching him walk down the hall towards the door.

Emmy heard the voices grow louder, while she gripped the mug tighter in her hands. She heard Niall, who rarely raised his voice, growing louder with every passing word. Several minutes passed, the voices continued to grow, Emmy finally growing tired of the argument, placed the mug on the desk before walking down the hallway, her soft footfalls barely heard over the screaming.

Her eyes went wide taking in the sight in the entryway. Niall and Maura were facing a man and a woman, Niall’s stance was anything but friendly. Looking between Niall and the man, she guess that was his brother. Emmy knew there was some tension between the two but she hadn’t prodded him to find out more.

Leaning against the wall, she took everything in, not comprehending the words that were being thrown between the two men. Anger spewed from Niall’s mouth, his hands moving a mile a minute, and his stance protecting his dear mother from anything that his brother would do.

“Oh look, you brought a girl home.” The words flew from his brother’s mouth, causing the four occupants to turn their attention towards her.

Niall’s eyes went wide, seeing her standing there and in that moment, she should’ve actually listened to him and stayed in the living room. “She has nothing to do with this Greg. Leave her out of it.”

“You mean you don’t want her to know that you actually have a brother who has a family? What are you protecting her from?” His brother spat, taking his eyes off Emmy for a moment and redirecting them towards Niall. “You’re not usually the one to keep secrets, Niall.”

Emmy pushed herself off the wall, making her way to Niall’s side. “Actually I know more about you than you think I do. Niall has been very forthcoming regarding you and has told me the history. And frankly, I had no desire to meet you.”

Her hand found Niall’s, squeezing it, glaring at the man. “At the moment, I know you came in here hootin’ and hollerin’ and disturbing our afternoon. Now I believe Maura and Niall asked you to leave several minutes ago, so I’m not exactly sure why you’re still standing here thinking you’re welcomed. To be honest, no one wants you here.”

Niall smirked, listening to Emmy speak, with little respect, towards his brother, who had always been jealous and green with envy at the success Niall had obtained. Greg always blamed Niall for every little thing that had happened to him, his wife, and child. “You heard her Greg, no one wants you here. Now please leave so we can get along with our afternoon. I wish to see you at better circumstances but we’re through here.”

“Come along, dear, I can see we’re no longer welcome here.” Taking his wife’s hand in his, he gave Niall a look. “I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you but I don’t want to waste my breathe.”

Emmy squeezed Niall’s hand watching Greg stomp through the front door. Niall slammed the door behind him, looking between Emmy and his mum. “I’m sorry ma.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She paused. “I’m sorry, Emmy, that you had to witness that.”

She gave Maura a shaky smile. “Please don’t apologize. He’s gone and we can get on with our afternoon.”

“I’m going to go finish getting ready and we can leave soon.” Maura hugged Niall first followed by Emmy before escaping upstairs.

Emmy’s eyes watched her leave, before turning her attention to Niall. “You ok?”

He didn’t speak for several seconds, simply squeezed her hand. “I hate him sometimes.”

“We all hate our siblings at times.” She smiled sadly. “There are several moments I can think of that I hate mine.”

Niall shook his head. “This is bigger than that. He’s been jealous of me since I joined the band and instead of just dealing with it, he lashes out and causes a big ruckus.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell anyone I was coming with you?” Emmy connected the dots pretty quickly, giving Niall a look. “Because if so, then it all makes sense.”

Pulling her into his arms, he kissed the side of her head, sighing loudly. “I guess we all have to have the black sheep in the family and Greg is ours. He’s exhausting and always want everything without the work. He’s green with envy that his little brother has it all without doing seemingly none of the work.”

“You work your arse off and deserve everything that you have currently. You don’t sit back and everything comes to you. Everything that you have, is rightly deserved due to the hard work and dedication you put into work.” Emmy stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. “I’m so incredibly proud of you.”

He kissed her, not knowing what to say. He pulled her into his arms and just held her. Sighing, he pulled away. “Thank you for just knowing what to say.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too Em.”

She started humming, pulling him into her arms, swaying slowly, their bodies moving to the tune.  “What are you humming?”

“It’s stuck in my head.” Emmy murmured, surprised at him spinning her. “I don’t know what song it is.”

She continued to hum, watching his face to see if he recognized the song. His eyes lit up in recognition.

“Pay attention, I hope that you listen cause I let my guard down, Right now I'm completely defenseless, For your eyes only, I show you my heart, For when you're lonely and forget who you are”  His crooner voice sang only to her, causing goosebumps to form up her arm.

He continues to hum, twirling her around the foyer. Niall dipped her, causing her to squeal in surprised, making him pause in his humming, to crack up laughing. “I hate you Niall Horan.”

He sidestepped her swat in his direction. He was still laughing, seeing his mum come down the stairs. “What’s all this racket?”

“Your son is an arse.” Emmy shook her head, her hand finally making connection with his arm.

Niall frowned, both from her statement and the slap. “Hey now, as someone who just sang to you, I’m an arse? I see how it is. Maybe I’ll stop singing to you?”

Emmy’s eyes went wide. “Ok I take it back. Please don’t stop singing to me. You’re not an arse.”

The day continued, the family putting the disturbance from that morning out of their minds. They visited a pub followed by a tour of the town by the most famous resident. Emmy laughed at the ridiculous stories Niall told her about the residents.

And as he told her the stories, Emmy could start to imagine a future with him, him telling those stories to their children as he put them to bed. The thought was comforting and made her happy.

So family drama, huh? Have to love when families aren’t always perfect.

What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[mnranger5]

“Falling” in the NorthEast, Boston, MA, Portland, ME, Boothbay, ME, Whitefield, NH,  9/27/19 – 10/1/19

More than once on this trip, we heard people say they “SUMMER” in the Boothbay, Kennebunkport and in the rolling mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont.  One older gentleman, with a sweater draped over his back, sleeves tied around his chest, explained it on our evening ocean sail, as “Summering, as a verb.”  Well, we here in the Midwest have our own term - it’s called “VACATIONING.”  And since it is no longer summer, this trip is VACATIONING IN THE FALL.  But, in the spirit of rebranding words to sound like an East Coast Hoity Toity, this blog is all about Dyan and I FALLING across the northeastern United States.  

One of our bucket list trips was an east coast roadtrip which included indulging in an obscene amount of lobster and taking in the brilliant fall foliage in the White Mountain National Forrest.  So, for Dyan’s birthday, I booked this trip for her.  This turned out to be a wonderful getaway as we wandered around the NE with no real agenda.  Having no plans really allowed us to get creative with the journey and we ended up stumbling on some very interesting locations and activities.  And the people watching on this trip was priceless.  Surely worth more laughs than the best SNL skit.

9/27/19

Like all our trips, we were up early.  Our 6:50 flight took off just after sunrise and we surfed the clouds at 35,000 feet all the way to Boston.  A quick little 2-hour flight of smooth sailing is my kind of travel!

We Uber’ed over to the Courtyard Marriott hotel in downtown Boston.  This hotel is directly across the street from the TD Boston Garden, the venue for the concert we’d be attending later that night.  With the room not being ready yet, Dyan and I ventured out into downtown, in search of a lunch-time lobster roll.  We settled on Luke’s Lobster.  We ate at Luke’s on our first visit to Boston, and we both recalled it being delicious.  We ordered the lobster rolls, drizzled in warm butter and a side of clam chowder. The lobster rolls were fabulous, albeit pricey.  At $25 for a hot dog sized sandwich, it’ll leave you wanting two more.

After lunch, we walked around a bit more seeing some of the Freedom Trail sites.  We walked the entire Freedom Trail on our first visit in August of 2016, so this time we hit one main exhibit that had been closed for restoration.  Old Ironsides, also known as, the U.S.S. Constitution.  We toured the ship for nearly an hour.  An absolute highlight for me that I had been hoping I’d get to see since our trip in 2016.

For dinner, we chose Bell in the Hand Tavern, American’s oldest tavern.  This storied establishment has been around since 1795. Obviously, it’s been renovated, but the bones and stonework of the building are original.  Of course, their specialty is cold drinks and seafood. Yes please.  We got the best seat in the house, the table at the point of the restaurant.

Obviously, we ordered oysters and lobster rolls and beer.  While we ate absolutely everything on our plates, they were probably our least favorite lobster rolls of the trip, and most expensive at $28/roll.  The lobster was a bit dry, the buns weren’t griddled and the shredded lettuce under the lobster was wilted.  Complaining about having to eat lobster…first world problems.

After dinner, we walked a couple of blocks over to an establishment where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came!

Yep, the original Cheers! bar.  It was here Dyan fell for unfiltered, “chunky” cider beer called DownEast Cider.

From there, it was over to the Boston Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and Bruins.  A storied facility, like its well-known brother down the street called Fenway Park.  But tonight, was not about Larry Bird’s basketball team or Bobby Orr’s hockey team. Tonight, was a different kind of birthday gift for Dyan.  Tickets to The Chainsmokers & 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) concert!  We had great seats too, sitting low on the side just off stage left.  Opening act, Lennon Stella, was underwhelming, as she played to about 5,000 fans that were in the process of filtering into the area.  Her set felt very small on the massive stage and worse, all her songs sounded the same.

The second band of the night were the Ausie Punk Rockers, 5SOS.  These guys were full of energy from the moment they hit the stage.  Easily could be headliners of their own show, they rolled out all their hits including their hard rock version of Easier, one of my favorite songs.  They did a sweet cover of Blink 182’s What’s My Name and closed their set down with an amazing rendition of Youngbloods.  5SOS was amazing, and we agreed we’d both go see them again.

The headliner was the DJ duo, The Chainsmokers.  This is one of our favorites.  While we aren’t part of the stereotypical rave or EDM crowd, we do love a good Chainsmokers remix on then Sonos while we’re cooking dinner for the kiddos! Anyway, the show was more like a spectacle.  There were more laser lights, smoke, pyrotechnics, flaming drumsticks, motorbikes, giant suspended metal globes (which the bikes rode in), and great music than any show I have ever been to.  The show was probably the best show either of us have ever been to.  They opened the set with Takeaway (with Lennon Stella) before hitting just about every hit they’ve ever made, like Paris, Something Just Like This, Don’t Let Me Down, Call You Mine, This Feeling, Who Do You Love (with 5SOS) before closing with Closer.  From 5SOS to The Chainsmokers, Dyan and I never sat in our seats. Boston got to see all my best dance moves!  It was an incredible concert.

9/28/19

By 8AM, we were checked out of the hotel, and Uber’ed back to the airport to pick up our rental car. We rented from Alamo.  Just our luck… Alamo had the ONLY line in the entire rental car reservation area.  We waited in line for about 30 minutes before reaching the counter.  Obviously, I rented as cool of car as I could get my hands on.  Afterall, this was going to be a roadtrip and we needed to drive in style!  So I selected the Mustang convertible class several months earlier.  When it was our turn to approach the counter, the attendant asked me the car class I was looking for.  I told her we reserved the standard convertible.  She shot me the most dead serious look and told me the last couple at the counter had just upgraded to the last convertible.  My jaw dropped as I searched for words.  Then she flashed her pearly whites at me and said, “Just Kidding!”

Within minutes, we were headed out to the garage.  Sitting right up front were two gorgeous Mustang convertibles.  One was bright red car under the “Standard Convertible” sign, and the other was silver under the “Premium Convertible” sign.  The silver was the 5.0L Mustang GT.  The lot attendant was a 16 year old gal who likely had no idea the difference in the cars.  She lead us over to the red car.  I asked if we could take the silver car.  She shrugged her shoulders.  We picked the silver GT and got out of the garage before anybody knew any better.

Our road trip had officially begun!  First stop, Salem, MA.  Salem is a cute little town that 100% plays to tourists coming to learn about the town’s history.  Specifically, Witches and the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 – one of the most tragic events of early American History.  

There were dozens of historical sites to see in a one-mile radius stretching from downtown Salem to the waterfront.  We only had time to hit a couple of sites, so the first site we visited is the Witch House, widely considered ground zero in Salem’s eerie history.  In 1692, the home was owned by Jonathon Corwin, a wealthy merchant and politician.  He was also the magistrate and judge in Salem who presided over the Salem Witch Trials. In short, Corwin oversaw the imprisonment of 150 people (witches, thought to be practicing witchcraft) and the death of 19 (18 of which were hung, and one pressed to death.  Our second stop of the day was at The Salem Witch Trial Memorial, just blocks from Corwin’s residence.  Each of the 19 killed in 1692 have their own granite slab indicating their demise.

Our reaction to Salem was mixed.  Interesting, yes.  Creepy, yes. Sad, yes.  It is too bad all those people had to die because a couple of kids were acting out (acting like kids when they don’t get iPad time) and their parents thought somebody was casting a spell on them.  Time for people to die.  Sheash! Obviously, the story is tragic and cruel, but the entire town plays to the story. Virtually every shop in the historic area has to do with spooky costumes, Halloween decor, dark presences and witches.  It really is a bizarre place to visit with a creepy vibe.  Doubtful we’d ever go back.

Next stop on the roadtrip was Kennebunkport.  This little gem of a coastal town is quaint, yet insanely overcrowded with tourist milling around.  The two hotspots, The Clam Shack and Arundel Wharf Seafood had very long lines, so we settled on Alisson’s Restaurant because it had immediate seating.  Talk about a sleeper!    This place gets none of the seafood hype but delivers up some fantastic lobster rolls! Dyan got the regular lobster roll, while I ordered the lobster roll trio “sliders.”  Finally a lobster meal that was filling!

Back on the road!  By 3PM, we reached Portland.  Our hotel, the Westin Harborview, sits beautiful perched up on the hill overlooking the Fore River dumping into the Atlantic Ocean.  While waiting for our room, we had a couple of drinks at Top of the East, the rooftop hotel bar.

Later that evening, we walked from the hotel to the waterfront as we evaluated all the seafood restaurants.  Obviously, we were having lobster again, but there was a lot of restaurants to choose from. The Fisherman’s Wharf had at least a dozen piers, all of which appeared to be working docks.  They all had shops, businesses, seafood markets and a few restaurants.  So many signs stating “Best Lobster Roll”, “Freshest Lobster”, “Most Lobster”, “Affordable Lobster”.  How do you choose?  We were drowning in choices.  We took a walk down Portland Pier seeing neon lights at the very end.  Must be another lobster joint…  As we got closer, the establishment’s sign came into view.  It wasn’t just any lobster joint.  Nope, this was Luke’s Lobster’s flagship location – a brand new facility that just opened in June of this year. Winner-winner-lobster-dinner!    Dyan and I got seated waterfront on the patio. We had an amazing view of the sunset at low tide.

9/29/19

It was another gorgeous autumn morning.  After a delicious breakfast at the Westin, we headed north.  With the heater blasting, and Dyan covered in our jackets, we cruised with the top down through the Maine Points.  

One of our stops was at Bath, ME.  Prior to the trip, dad gave me a tip that this is the location of Bath Iron Works (BIW), the defense contractor that builds the United States elite warships. While we really couldn’t get close to the ship, we did have a couple vantage points of the USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.  This destroyer is widely considered the world’s most advanced surface warship.

As we crossed the Kennebec River, we got a different view of BIW, and saw a different ship currently being fitted.  It was the USS Lyndon B Johnson (DDG-1002).  The Lyndon B will be the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer. With out of controls costs, and 29 canceled orders, the total project costs were spread over the three ships at a staggering price of 7.5 billion dollars per ship.  Yikes!

On our way to Boothbay, we made a wrong turn and ended up at Knickerbocker Park, a small island on the Black River.  

What a hidden gem this little park is.  We used this pit stop to walk a bit in the sun, and warm up!  

We arrived in Boothbay around 11:00, and proceeded to shop around the small town for about an hour. Dyan picked up a new wooden lobster marker for the family room picture shelf and also booked us a three hour afternoon sail to the nearby lighthouses on the Atlantic Ocean coastline.  

But first, lobster. We needed some in our bellies.  We had it narrowed down to two options.  McSeagulls or Mine Oyster.  Both on the water, both with seafood on the menu.  However, McSeagulls had this great cover band on their patio belting out some 80’s hits.  This was my kinda place.  Mine Oyster on the other hand seemed to be known for their oyster menu – not my thing. I remained silent, hoping Dyan would succumb to the great tunes bellowing from the bar.  Dyan chose Mine Oyster.  Of course, she did.  But this is her birthday extravaganza afterall, so whatever makes mama happy makes me happy!  We were promptly seated at the patio overlooking the Boothbay Harbor.  Full disclosure, other than for breakfast, we had lobster for every single meal thus far.  We kind of wanted to try some other fresh caught seafoods.  First up, Dyan got a small order of Oysters Rockafeller (sambuca flambéed spinach, garlic, shallots, bacon, cream and Swiss cheese) – the same style of oysters her and dad fell in love with while we were in Florida Keys for Alissa’s wedding.  I tried one, but it just reaffirmed that oysters are not my thing!  Dyan on the other hand was in Heaven.  We also got an order of fresh Maine squid, fried up into delicious calamari.

But oysters and calamri weren’t very filling.  The waiter told us that if we ordered the woodfired lobster dinner, he would personally guarantee that we’d never have better lobster in our life.  EVER.  That’s a hell of a guarantee.  Obviously, there was no saying “NO” to that claim.  And so, we had lobster for lunch, again.

It was served, pre-split for us.  The shells and edge of the lobster were a bit blacked from the wood fire.  But the meat glistened with a garlic/lemon butter.  It was obvious this place knew how to prepare lobster, and from bite #1, they made good on their guarantee.  We had had some great lobster on this trip, but the smokiness of the woodfire put this lobster in an entirely different category.  There literally was no comparison to this lobster. The meat literally fell out of the shell and into your stomach…not sure if I ever chewed.  Dyan and I spent 30 minutes peeling every tiny shred of meat out of every tentacle, tail orifice and claw.  This was one of the best meals I have ever had in my life.  And the fingerling potatoes served with it would have stolen the show on any other entrée except this one.  They were roasted perfectly in a butter glaze. Crispy skin and soft creamy middle. This restaurant  This meal could easily be the ONLY reason necessary to visit Boothbay.  Just wow. We sat on the patio for two hours drinking cold beers and watching lobster boats coming and going from the harbor.

Next up, was our sail boat ride on the Schooner Eastwind.  A perfectly relaxing sail for Dyan, but a working sail for me.  Within 5 minutes of boarding, we broke dock and were out into the harbor.  The captain and 1st officer needed assistance raising the sails.  

Obviously, I volunteered.  Me and another guy hoisted the main sail to full mast. Immediately, the wind caught the sail and we were heading south out to the ocean.  The trip took us past Burnt Island Lighthouse and Cuckolds Lighthouse. 

While no whales were spotted, some on the boat claimed to see multiple porpoises.  We did see a seal swimming through our wake which was pretty cool. It was a perfect day for sailing – bluebird skies, temps in the 60’s with some decent wind.  At the midpoint of our sail, we passed Cape Island, better known as Witch Island.  This island was owned by Margret Hamilton, better known as the Wicked Witch of the East from Wizard of Oz.  Apparently, she was a lovely woman and was known in the area for the being such a kind and sweet natured person!

After our sail, we headed out to Spruce Point Inn, our resort for the night.  Our cabin had a front row seat to a gorgeous Boothbay/Atlantic Ocean sunset.

We had a very comical end to the night that Dyan and I just could not stop laughing about.  It was 8PM and we were famished.  We took the shuttle back into Boothbay for dinner.  There was a quaint Italian restaurant, The Ports of Italy, that seemed to be the local favorite.  We didn’t have reservations, so it was a bit of a wait. Great people watching, however. Like, better than the state fair or airport.  Lots of old money and tourists made for an entertaining dinner.  Because this restaurant is quite small, the tables are virtually on top of each other.  After being seated, a younger couple was sat directly next to us.  They kept looking over at Dyan and I, clearly judging what we were eating.  I had this GIGANTIC plate of spaghetti in front of me and Dyan an equally large portion of lobster ravioli.  We chowed like nobody’s business.  We even ordered a second basket of bread just so we could mop up the sauce left on our dishes.  Meanwhile, the other couple was eating dainty salads with their glasses of vino.  They obviously could not believe how much food we had consumed.  They didn’t disguise their non-verbals very well.  Then we ordered dessert…not one, but two!  Cheesecake and lemon cake.  Obviously, those plates didn’t last long.  And the looks from our neighbors just kept on coming.  I could have eaten another basket of bread, but I refrained.  

After dinner, we walked around town.  Most of the shops were closed.  It was cold, as temps had dropped into the 40’s.  Neither of us had brought our jackets.  There was a shop that was open a couple blocks ahead of us with people streaming in and out of.  It was an ice cream parlor, and our hope was that they’d have some hot coffee.  We walked in, stood in the long line and glanced at the menu.  No coffee. We turned around and guess who was right behind us in line.  Yep, the couple from the Italian restaurant.  They must’ve really fallen off their rockers when they saw us in line – probably thought we were ordering our second desserts.  What a riot!

9/30/19

As beautiful of a resort as Spruce Point Inn is, we didn’t stick around long in the morning.  We were headed for the hills of New Hampshire by 9AM.  We stopped for a quick breakfast-on-the-road at Dunkin Donuts which brings me to a rant about the Northeast.  I am a pop drinker.  At several locations in the NE (including this Dunkin), we stopped to get pop – Dr. pepper for Dyan and Diet Pepsi for me.  Everytime we cracked a 20oz. bottle, there was no “PSSSSST”.  The pop was perfectly flat - no fizz, no bubbles, absolutely void of any carbonation.  It was like this nearly everywhere.  

By the end of the trip, the common denominator for the carbonation-less soda was bottles with this symbol on the cap.  Bizarre and disappointing because we probably wasted at least $10 on bad pop before figuring out not to buy pop with that cap.

The drive into New Hampshire was stunning.  We drove winding mountain roads as we climbed in elevation.  The fall foliage went from early signs of fall to full blown peak colors in a matter of an hour.  Brilliant reds and oranges cascaded down the mountains.  These are the colors that people rave about on NE fall road trips!

With the top down, we cruised along New Hampshire backroads that aren’t even recognized by the GPS. Around noon, we arrived at our stately resort, Mountain View Grand Resort, perched high on a hill in the White Mountains.  

The resort, built in 1865, is a massive, sprawling compound complete with a golf course, farm (with animals), mountain trails, pools, tennis courts and axe throwing. The place is magnificent. 

We were too early to check in, so we had a great lunch in the restaurant before heading outdoors to rent mountain bikes.  Yep, we were about to go mountain biking dressed in our Sunday-best.  And for the record, we aren’t bikers.  Renting bikes had as much paperwork as buying a new car. The Activities Manager, Mike, asked us our skill level, which prompted a response like “This is our first bike ride in 30 years.”  He laughed. He was planning to send us on Trail 1. He assured us it would be easy. He built up how much fun we’d have. “It’s a nice scenic view of the White Mountains.” We were sold!  His parting words were, “Stay right on the Old Farm Road (OFR) until you see a sign for Trail 1, then take a left.”  

Great! We were off.  OFR is a significantly long downhill  dirt road out the backside of the resort.  Within moments, Dyan and I were going WAY too fast on the loose gravel.

At this point in the story, I should mention that OFR has no clear signage.  There are several forks in the road to other dirt roads.  I recalled Mike saying “stay right”, so I called out to Dyan to take the right fork.  It led us into the resort maintenance area…a dead end.  We retraced our path uphill to the fork, walking the bikes up the steep road.  This was the first moment I regretted jeans and a sweater.

We headed back down OFR approaching another fork.  This time Dyan called out the right fork.  The road meandered into the woods and abruptly dead ended after a quarter of a mile.  Ugh, backtrack again.  This was annoying.

As Dyan walked her bike uphill, I rode my bike hard in a standing position, to get more power. SNAP!  My pedal flew out from under me as my foot slipped off causing me to nearly lose my balance.  The chain had popped off.  

Frustrating. I spent a few minutes getting the chain connected again, leaving my hands black with oil and nowhere to clean them off. After backtracking, we continued down OFR looking for Trail 1.  We came across a an unmarked trail.  Feeling like we had gone WAY TOO FAR on OFR, we decided to take it.  It turned out to be Trail 3, and Intermediate blue rout full of up/downs and rocks to dodge.  We obviously had gone the wrong way, but whow would we have known since the trails were not clearly marked.

As we huffed and puffed on Trail 3, we approached a fork in the road.  To the right was Trail 5, but straight was unmarked.  The unmarked trail turned out to be Trail 4, the most difficult trail on the mountain.  It was So steep, there were points we had to stop and walk our bikes.  My chain continued popping off, and Dyan’s bike wouldn’t shift into higher gears.  She was stuck doing uphills in very low gear settings – which made the challenging ride virtually impossible!

Trail 4 was the most challenging because it was super steep.  I swore under my breath a few times at the long meander downhill that OFR tool us on.  This was the payback.  An intense uphill with seemingly no end in sight.  After 30 minutes on Trail 4, we arrived at a junction with a sign that said, Trail 1!  Finally. Trail 1 gave us a nice easy ride out to the paved Mountain View Road where we could enjoy some of the beautiful scenery without having to worry what was over the next hill!  By this time however, Dyan was beat from her gear shifter not working, and I was a filthy mess from fixing my chain a half dozen times. When returning the bikes, Mike made a comment about how greasy my hand were.  I told him of our chain and gear shifting problems which caused him to react oddly.  He actually blamed the problems on us stating that while Dyan’s bike was gear shifting hard, it must have been user error because “it worked for him.”  He went on to tell me that I was obviously riding the bike wrong if the chain kept coming off.  He was quite defensive, so Dyan and I headed to the front desk to check in to the room – we had lots of plans this evening!

First up, we had a wine tasting in the 1865 Wine Cellar.  I can’t tell you the kinds of wine we tasted, but they were pretty tasty.  They also served cheese, crackers and fruit, which was a nice little snack before dinner.

And speaking of dinner, we had reservations at Stickney’s Steak and Chop Pub, in the iconic Omni Resort at Mt. Washington – a quick 15 minute drive from our resort.  This place is supposed to be a world-class steakhouse, but it ended up being anything but that.

We aren’t wine drinkers, but thought we might try it with our steak dinners.  We asked the waiter for a sweeter red wine.  Dyan and I chose differently based on his recommendations. Neither ended up being sweet at all. Mine tasted like jet fuel, and Dyan’s was like a glass of red vinegar (although, she didn’t complain about hers).  After one sip, I ordered a Diet Pepsi.  

For starters, we selected the crisp fried mozzarella, which was a giant brick of mozzarella with little fried coating.  We also both got the filet mignon.  I don’t know how you mess up a filet, but they surely did.  No seasoning not cooked very well and just overall a tough piece of meat.  That would be the worst $150 we spent on the trip.  Dinner was a bust, but at least we got a good laugh!

10/1/19

I had expected today to be a boring drive on the interstate back to Boston to catch a flight home. However, the drive turned out to have some really fun impromptu stops which ended up being highlights of the trip.

Being that we were only 10 minutes away from the Bernie Sanders territory, we decided to make the trip west to the N.H./Vermont border town of Lancaster for breakfast.  Then, we crossed the state line into Vermont and made our way down highways through the sleepy towns along the Connecticut River. Just outside of Lunenburg, VT, we crossed the Mount Orne Covered Bridge.  This was our first covered bridge of the trip!

We continued south winding along the river and valleys, taking in the vibrant red and orange foliage that canvassed the mountains.  It was the most beautiful fall colors we had seen the entire trip.

We joined up with I-93 in St. Johnsbury and headed southeast toward Boston.  

It didn’t take long for us to start gaining elevation as we made out way out of Franconia and up Cannon Mountain.

Just past the very intense black diamonds of the ski area were signs for Flume Gorge.  I recall seeing the first sign for the area and turning to Dyan and saying something like, “That sounds like a cool place!” Dyan looked at me and said, “I was thinking the same thing!”  Neither of us knew what a Flume Gorge was, but we took the next exit, because we were now on an adventure to find out.  The Flume Gorge could have been a trail, an amusement park ride, a historical site, a logging mill or maybe even a hotel or restaurant.  We didn’t even know where it was.  It could have been an hour away or maybe longer?  Just off the interstate we got our first idea what and where the Flume Gorge was.  On the exit ramp was a state park sign for Flume Gorge telling indicating it was less than a mile away.  Sweet!

The parking lot was in the middle of the mountainous forest, and it was packed with cars.  Hikers were milling around in their big boots, rain gear and cold weather clothes.  Dyan and I looked like we were dressed for a summer day on the water.  Shorts and flip flops.  The cold damp weather was not going to stop us from doing or seeing whatever this Flume gorge thing is…

We approached the visitor’s center where mountaineers stood in line for tickets.  When it was our turn, we asked, “What are we standing in line to buy tickets for?”  The ranger pulled out a map with hiking trails leading to Flume Gorge.  It was deep ravine with rushing water running through it creating multiple cascading waterfalls.  It was a 2-3 hour round trip hike, but if we used the shuttle, to the base of the gorge, it was a 1.5 hour hike.  The ranger told us it would be wet, slick and muddy.  I looked down at my flip flops, and Dyan’s cute canvas shoes. Our eyes met, smiling, knowing there was no chance we were leaving that place without experiencing the Flume Gorge. We bought tickets.

Because we were pressed a bit for time (we did have a flight out of Boston in 6 hours, and were still a solid 2 hour drive from the airport), we opted to take a shuttle to the base of the gorge.  The shuttle ride is super cool because it took us across the Flume Covered Bridge – the most photographed covered bridge in all of New Hampshire.  

After a .5 mile hike up a steep trail, we reached our entrance to the gorge (which is actually the exit because it’s where the water flows out of the gorge).  The granite walls shoot straight up in the air nearly 100 feet.  The pathway through the gorge is a narrow platform that has been constructed to walk above water level.  The water flows through the gorge, which is never more than 20 feet wide. If you have claustrophobia, this is NOT the place for you.  The walkway raises alongside the gorge wall as it zig zags across the water giving visitors the best views of the waterfalls.

It took about 45 minutes to make our way through the 800-foot long gorge.  And by the end, we were way up on top of the gorge, where the creek dumps in.   This was one of the coolest stops on our trip.

By noon, we made it to the Mustang and were about to get back on the interstate, but first needed some fuel.  We were in the run down resort town of Lincoln, NH when we stopped at Irving Oil. A Gas Station that will certainly leave an impression on you.  This is ground zero to the Betty and Barney Hill alien abduction.  The gas station is full of newspaper articles, pictures and documents explaining the events that had taken place.  Complete with alien blow up dolls and visitor t-shirts this gas station was an experience that caters to the tourists.

The remainder of our drive into Boston was not nearly as eventful.  We actually arrived a few hours early, so we sat at Constitution Beach Park and watched jets land over Belle Isle Inlet.  

Around 6PM, we were wheels up en route to Minneapolis.  There were some pretty good lines of storms over the NorthEast and upper Midwest, so our flight path diverted us way north over Sault Saint Marie in Canada before finally bringing us home.  The flight was over 4 hours, which was nearly double our flight time to Boston.

This trip solidified Boston as our favorite Big City to visit.  

[fly-pow-bye]

What’s Airing On Cartoon Network? (October 2019)

Animation Magazine has posted Cartoon Network’s October schedule. Teen Titans Go, Mao Mao, a halloween episode of Craig of the Creek, a lot of Victor and Valentino, and more! See all the shows after the break.

Bakugan: Battle Planet

October 6th:

Bakugan Breakers/ The Awful Ones - Magnus’s new team of Bakugan Brawlers overhear Lightning’s warnings of a sick Core Cell and decide to capture the dog to find its location. Then, Magnus heads into the Labyrinth to claim the Fortus Core Cell for his own. (7 AM)

October 13th:

Mask of Pride/The Graveyard of Courage - Driven by revenge, Magnus decides to go back into the labyrinth, face the AO and claim the Fortus Core Cell energy for himself. Then, super charged by the Fortus Core Cell, Magnus wages war on the AO. (7 AM)

October 20th:

Vestroia - Part 1: The AO discover the only way to stop Magnus, and possibly save him, involves shutting down the infected Fortus Core Cell. Part 2: The AO must decide whether or not to help Benton Dusk destroy the infected Fortus Core Cell, risking the destruction of their own Bakugan. (7 AM)

October 27th:

Too Much/Who Are You? - The Hide Matrix goes crazy and a simple AO training mission turns into a complicated rampage. Then, after the loss of their HQ, the AO is a little off, but in talking to Benton Dusk, they learn a new sense of purpose for their team. (7 AM)

Ben 10 (2016)

October 5th:

The Bentathlon - After stuffing their faces with gyros, Team Tennyson makes their way to the real Greece in the Omni-Copter, but when they are suddenly captured by the Forever Knight mid-flight, Ben ends up in a coliseum, where he is pit against old foes: Iron Kyle, Queen Bee, and the Ground Hawgs! (12 PM)

Prey Or Play - After receiving a super-exclusive ticket to Adrenaland, Ben leaves behind Grandpa Max and Gwen to enjoy the perks of being the parks only attendant, but when he learns he’s not alone, our hero must now contend with the only kid who could afford the price of admission: Billy Billions! (12:15 PM)

October 12th:

Beware of the Scare-Crow - During a visit to the farm of Penny Bennyson’s grandfather, Team Tennyson is constantly haunted by a Scare-Crow that’s come to life, but when Ben discovers that Aristocrow is behind it all, our hero must defeat Aristocrow’s master, the steam-powered Steam Smythe, if he is to save his cousin’s farm! (12 PM)

The Night Ben Tennyson Came to Town - Team Tennyson travels to Wheeler, “the liveliest mining town on Route 66”, but when Ben becomes paranoid that the Forever Knight is out to get him, he must try to convince his fam while also stopping his new foe from destroying the town. (12:15 PM)

October 19th:

And Xingo Was His Name-O - When a new Xingo app mysteriously appears on Gwen’s tablet, Ben can’t help himself and activates it despite his cousin’s disapproval, springing a trap that transports Ben in the animated world and Xingo back in the real world. It’s the ol’ switcheroo! (12 PM)

Fear in the Family - Ben and Gwen can’t wait for the Omni-Copter to arrive at the Great Pyramids, but when bad weather disrupts their flight, they soon come face-to-face with The Fogg and its spawn: The Fogg Family! (12:15 PM)

October 26th:

Xingo Nation - Kevin 11 gives Xingo a power up – setting him loose to wreak havoc on other TV shows – and it is up to Ben to stop them both. (12 PM)

Heads of the Family - Team Tennyson stops in at a fringe family reunion, and Ben encounters a whole lot more than kooky cousins— namely, Kevin 11 and the Bugg Brothers, whose latest crackpot invention sparks a series of hilarious head-swaps between all parties. (12:15 PM)

Craig of the Creek

October 26th:

The Haunted Dollhouse - Craig and his friends find themselves being followed by a creepy doll and its haunted dollhouse. (10 AM)

DC Super Hero Girls

October 11th:

Frenemies - Batgirl’s worlds collide when her best friend from Gotham City moves to Metropolis. Meanwhile, Catwoman is making some new friends of her own. (8 PM)

October 25th:

Soul Sisters - The girls must track down Katana, a mysterious warrior who’s stealing the souls of Metropolis’s villains. Meanwhile, Diana’s new friend Tatsu is a perfect match for her in every way, but may have a connection to Katana. (7:30 PM)

Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart

October 5th:

Flyaway - When Adorabat’s spirit transcends her body during a meditation exercise, Mao Mao and Badgerclops have to figure out a way to return her to the real world. (10 AM)

Baost in Show - When Bao Bao returns, and the King makes him his pet, Mao Mao must rescue his ex-partner. (10:15 AM)

October 12th:

Fright Wig - When the King cannot overcome his fears, he abuses having the Sheriff’s Dept. on call.

Sleeper Sofia - When the Sky Pirates infiltrate Sheriff HQ, they put our heroes in danger!

Power Players

October 5th:

Access Denied - When Axel and the team try to figure out what Sarge Charge’s secret weapon is, they get ejected from the house by his newly upgraded security system and must fight their way back inside before Madcap does. (12:30 PM)

Swing Set Jet Set - Axel and the team battle Princess SugarSalt for possession of Bearbarian’s hammer, traded to her by one of their own – Galileo! (12:45 PM)

October 12th:

Side Kicked - Zoe builds her own battle suit in hopes of joining Axel’s team. The only problem? She can’t shrink! Hijinks ensue as a full-sized Zoe tries to assist Axel & co. in a battle against Pyrant and his army of mind-control drones. (12:30 PM)

Porcupunk Rock - Madcap turns to Axel and his team for help after a sonic upgrade to Porcupunk threatens to bring down the house. (12:45 PM)

October 19th:

All Trick No Treat - On Halloween, Axel gets too caught up in the scares and loses track of the fun – just in time for an infiltration by the worst trick ‘r’ treater of all, Madcap! (12:30 PM)

Iced Out - Madcap’s latest creation, the Ice Crusher, puts the whole city in a deep freeze, forcing Axel and the team to face him in a game of high-stakes hockey or risk slip-sliding into another ice age! (12:45 PM)

October 26th:

Gathering Dark - Axel must help Bearbarian overcome his secret fear of the dark to stop Dynamo from stealing his ride. (12:30 PM)

Bobbie Not Blobby - Axel discovers that the culprit behind Bobbie Blobby’s missing mech-suit is Masko, who only wanted to clean out its clogged clay cannons, but lets the suit fall into the hands (or tentacles) of Dr. Nautilus – intent on flooding the sewers! (12:45 PM)

Teen Titans Go!

October 4th:

Cartoon Feud - Control Freak forces the Titans and the Scooby Gang to compete on Family Feud. (6 PM)

Curse of the Booty Scooty - When Robin “Booty Scooty’s” his booty off, the Titans must go on an adventure to recover it. (6:15 PM)

Collect Them All - After the other Titans are turned into collectibles and disappear, Robin must search yard sales and stores to find them. (6:30 PM)

Butt Atoms - Despite Robin’s warning, the Titans mess around with atomic toots and end up causing a worldwide plague. (6:45 PM)

October 15th:

TV Knight 5 - Batman pretends to be sick to avoid work so he and Commissioner Gordon can run around town watching their favorite shows. (6 PM)

October 25th:

Witches Brew - The Titans throw a Halloween party and invite the Justice League but the witches brew Robin creates has side effects. (6 PM)

Transformers Cyberverse

October 5th:

Trials - Optimus and Megatron finally discover the Allspark. (6:30 AM)

October 12th:

Dark Birth - While Starscream acquires new power through the Allspark, the Autobots mistakenly assume Starscream is still under Megatron’s command. (6:30 AM)

October 19th:

Parley - The Autobots and Decepticons attempt to forge an alliance in the face of the threat posed by Starscream. (6:30 AM)

October 26th:

Starscream’s Children - Optimus Prime leads a rescue mission onto the Nemesis, saving the Decepticons from Starscream. (6:30 AM)

Victor and Valentino

October 5th:

The Great Bongo Heist - The boys forget to get Chata a gift for Abuela Day and in a panicked move, they pretend that the bongo drums they borrowed from Xochi are for her. Knowing they have to return the drums, Victor & Valentino pretend to be burglars to steal the bongos back. (9 AM)

Escape from Bebe Bay - When Vic & Val accidentally turn themselves and Don into babies, they must escape a daycare center in order to change back to their normal ages. (9:15 AM)

Band for Life - When Vic and Val tag along with Xochi to a punk concert, they want to prove that they’re cool enough to hang out with her. But in a desperate attempt to be cool, they wind up destroying the concert. (9:30 AM)

Tez Says - Vic & Val are in awe of the new magician in town, but things go awry when they agree to help him out with a new trick – despite Chata’s wishes. (9:45 AM)

October 12th:

Forever Ever - When Vic and Val do a sloppy job cleaning up in Maria Theresa’s attic, they accidentally set off a time loop, trapping them in an endless series of chores forever! They must figure out how to stop the loop and return time back to normal. (9 AM)

Dance Reynaldo Dance - Vic is desperate to win the cash prize for the dance contest in Monte Macabre and is frustrated that his partner Val won’t let him call all the shots. Instead he chooses a different partner: Reynaldo. But Vic pushes Reynaldo too hard to execute his artistic vision. Eventually, he learns that in order to be a success, you have to be equal partners. (9:15 AM)

October 19th:

Tree Buds - Vic and Val build a treehouse and Val dismisses Vic with a frivolous task so he can build the treehouse exactly how he wants. But when Vic returns unknowingly with a branch from El Arbol Vampiro, Val’s perfect treehouse turns into a nightmare! (9 AM)

October 26th:

Lonely Haunts Club 2: Doll Island - In order to prove their bravery, V&V head to a haunted island to retrieve a special doll, but Charlene and Pineapple are intent on getting it first. (9 AM)

Cat-Pocalypse - When Vic gets sick and is stuck in his room, he spies on Pineapple and becomes convinced that Pineapple is creating an army of zombie cats. Val agrees and the two become obsessed with stopping Pineapple before it’s too late! (9:15 AM)

El Silbon - Victor sets up a haunted corn maze, but the town kids think it’s lame. Vic decides to make the maze scarier by enlisting the help of El Silbon (The Whistler) to really scare the kids, but El Silbon has plans of his own. (9:30 AM)

On Nagual Hill - Vic & Val take over a forest hill and build an epic waterslide, disturbing the plants and animals that normally inhabit it. But when a Nagual (a human with the power to transform into animals) transforms Vic into a chicken and Val into a donkey, they learn to sympathize with the animals and understand the world a bit more. (9:45 AM)

[devilsknotrp]

Congratulations, Cee! You’ve been accepted for the role of Bobby Davies with the faceclaim of Julian Morris. Here’s another sample application from one of our existing members. You can find our other sample applications in this tag here. If you’re working on an app and have any questions, don’t hesitate to send them through.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Name: Cee Age: 20 Pronouns: She/her Timezone: GMT+10 Activity estimation: During my university break, I can typically post IC every day or every second day, doing multiple threads. During semester, I’m usually able to write and post IC every 2-3 days, at least. If I know I’ll be extremely busy, I’ll request a hiatus or semi-hiatus or stagger posts slightly! Triggers: N/A

IN CHARACTER: BASICS

Full name: Robert ‘Bobby’ Davies Age (DD/MM/YYY): Thirty (30/09/1966) Gender: Cis male Pronouns: He/him Sexuality: Homosexual demiromantic Occupation: Systems research analyst Connection to Victim: Truthfully, through town gossip. He’s never spoken a word to any of the Goodes. Maggie’s brought Linda up once or twice over dinner, especially since Brian has gone missing. All Oh, poor Brian and sidelong glances at Deborah. That, or the Goodes have been mentioned in passing when he’s landed himself in a hushed, sensitive crash-course on his younger sister. Alibi: He was at a high-end wine bar in Lansing that afternoon, doing his damnedest to impress a colleague over a twenty-dollar glass of merlot. Bobby’s been tentative to suggest to him they go for drinks, especially on a four-thirty Friday knockoff. So they agreed for Saturday instead. He drove back alone to Devil’s Knot around 8.45 that night and went straight to bed. Faceclaim: Julian Morris

WRITING SAMPLE

His eyes are starting to blur. Long gone are the heat mirages and blinding pale sunlight across the flat. Now, the horizon bleeds into purple and blue. Worse yet, the radio’s been reduced to static and there’s not a cassette to be found in the car. A hand idly goes up to pinch the bridge of his nose first, then rub at the corner of one eye. At first, the distant spot of light is dismissed by fatigue, although as he nears the brightness grows, bringing into focus silhouettes of parked trucks and cars, patchy along the line of a gas station.

Once there he pulls over. At the pumps Bobby stops, although he doesn’t get out of the car right away. He’s somewhere over the Nevada border, past Reno but ultimately nowhere. Why didn’t he buy a goddamn plane ticket? Right. Work had left him high and dry, damn near cashless save for what he’d stuffed his wallet with. They’d even been hesitant to cough up a final pay, leaving Bobby with no choice but the car, though he suspects it’s got a touch more leg room than economy.

Deep down, he drives for the nostalgia. Lets himself revisit the same sights from the way over when he was eighteen. Though, there’s a few more strip malls than he recalls along the way, and the songs on the radio don’t sound quite right. No more Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC. It sounds sadder. The drive’s also to tell himself that when he gets back to Devil’s Knot, Perry won’t be there waiting. Neither will Maggie. It’ll likely be close to midnight when he arrives, the town deadened by sleep and the outskirts pitch black. It’s a cosmic joke that he’ll probably have to get a room at Sal’s run-down motel. Maybe that’s his trial by fire.

Bobby lets out a sigh and leaves the car. His feet shuffle on the spot as the tank refills, homed in on the rhythmic click of the gas pump, the rush of trucks that fly by left muted, as if they’re ways away rather than right beside him. Inside, he meanders between the aisles of garish chip packets and half-melted candy. He’s not proud of impulse buys but the CD copy of a Toto album is set on the counter with resolution as he mutters the pump number, pulls out a few fifties before going on his way once more. The CD slipped in, the stereo begins to blare in a bid to stay awake. Maybe if he can just make it to the state border and hit Utah, it’ll be enough to get there by the end of the week.

He has to stop at a place far closer, though, because there’s a lightness in his chest and not enough air seems to be getting in. It’s asthma, he chalks it down to; only part of the cocktail of nerves he can’t gulp down. At the back of his neck there’s gooseflesh. It doesn’t go away, even as he checks into a highway motel and clicks the television on to the eleven-p.m. news while he searches for a puffer in his duffel bag. It’s a feel-good story, the newscasters smiling and laughing with each other. With the help of a stale mini-bottle of whiskey from the motel fridge, Bobby manages to fall asleep before the midnight television static sets in.

ANYTHING ELSE?

BACKGROUND

TW FOR DRUGS / DRUG USE, OVERDOSE.

As many others can attest to, 1984 has, and continues to, shake Bobby to his core. Try as he might to swallow it back down the taste lingers sour, like bile. Until then he had grown up having what most considers a ‘normal’ childhood. Or a variant of it; depends on who you ask. Small town, a single mother, no dad in sight and grades high enough to make a Mensa member swoon. He had brought up his father once or twice when he was quite young. His curiosity eventually waned once he grew closer with his mother, Maggie, or found his nose becoming caught between a hefty book more and more often. Much to her chagrin, he’d already begun to gobble up Stephen King novels by the time he was thirteen. Books were a pleasant escape from the static of Devil’s Knot, at least for a while.

The year Phillip Silverman died and Pete narrowly avoided the same fate sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s red and swollen and throbbing – infected – and clear as day in the back of his head. Although he’s tried to rid himself of it, tuck the year away nice and neat, it threw everything off-kilter. The IB grades, the cherry-red As on his papers. An Ivy League university just in his grasp. Whatever he was sure of in himself; a hundred and one ways to get out of town and make something of himself once graduation rolled around, all gone. He wanted to get to NASA – where did that go?

Instead of graduating with friends and spending afternoons blush-drunk in the car of the boy he loved a little way out of town in the summer, an ugly mess of events sent him fleeing. He’s never forgotten the flash of red and blue some months later outside the house. Snow dappling the frozen, muddy front year, hands just free of a prayer before dinnertime, Max up and gone with the follow of Charlie Taylor’s pinched stare.

As if the murder, the endless days spent sleuthing for a whodunnit like an episode of Scooby Doo didn’t leave an imprint on him, the trial certainly did. It was the first time he’d ever worn a suit – a proper suit. He still remembers the too-tight collar, the beads of sweat on his forehead, the click of the stenographer in a Lansing courtroom. The worst part, though, was the fall of Maggie’s expression at the end of it.

Bobby didn’t even graduate high school. Where his diploma should be on the wall of Maggie’s living room, framed in beautiful wood and glass and stared at with that wistful smile of hers, it’s not. Instead he drove west with Perry Esposito. He’d planned it for some time. A tatty duffel bag under the bed, bursting at the seams with a few good books and wads of cash he’d saved from odd jobs, birthdays, loose change and old clothes. Cooped up in Sal’s shitty crate of a car with his knees to his chest, poring over a paranormal reader’s digest in the passenger seat, he was sure he could wean himself off the growing panic that grappled its way up his chest cavity. But somewhere in a Californian hotel parking lot, things crumbled once more. Raised voices skipped over the roof of a car, he stole it and ended up boggle-eyed and knee-deep between the swathes of tech geniuses in Silicon Valley.

It sounds like something out of a movie, he can admit. But it’s true. There were a few hiccups here and there for a kid with no qualifications, although things ironed out once people realised he had a natural aptitude, was too smart for his own good. He soon forgot Perry; or acted like he did.

Habits of small town living still lingered there. Although, people on the West Coast seemed more… accepting. Nobody would bat an eyelid if he said he had no other qualifications besides a few months between a tech start-up and unpaid internship, if he became too touchy with another man beside the pool at a casual ‘work’ party or a friend gestured to a tabletop lined by neat white and somebody’s credit card, for that matter. Over the years he’s gotten his hands grubby with money, drugs, uttering This means nothing, agreeing to it. Although it made him feel sure of himself, strangely, it hasn’t come without a price.

When he looks back, it was all far too much for somebody of his age. It raised him, in a way. Just as Maggie did. Except ambitious corporations brought him up on lackey internships, BASIC, an eight to six day and a celebratory drink at the end of the week. Bobby, prone to burnouts and stubborn perfection, slipped into a drug habit by the time he’d hit twenty-five to cope with the pressure – although he was proud to say he’d never gotten into cigarettes. Touted as the young, bright kid obsessed with computers from a place only made infamous by grisly crime, there was an immense expectation he felt he had to live up to.

In 1993 (or ‘94, things get hazy here), Bobby willed himself to walk through the front door of a rehab centre. He’d gone too far at a party. Having wound up in a hospital with an awful taste in his mouth and a drip in his arm, the idea ate away at his head until he forced himself to it. Going back to his job as if nothing had happened, as if his friends weren’t the ones who’d egged him on to have a bit of fun, blow off steam, was much, much harder. After having grit his teeth for another two years, Bobby got in his car that summer to make the drive back to Devil’s Knot, thinking endlessly about the fact that Perry wasn’t in the seat next to him to shout Dancing in the Dark at the top of their lungs while he drove along an empty desert stretch.

Settling back into Devil’s Knot has been met with fleeting doubts. Before Brian went missing, it seemed too good to be true. Nearly everyone from high school remained. Maggie was there, albeit with a surprise that he’d ignored for a staggeringly long time. He picked up a job in Lansing in no time. Or talked his way into it, his boss raising an eye at the fact he’d not gotten so much as a high school diploma, let alone a degree. Since the disappearance of Brian Goode, the oppressive weight of 1984 has set itself upon his chest once more, made the air stifling.

HEADCANONS

Bobby feels as if he’s failed Maggie by returning home with his tail between his legs. His first dinner back home was by far the most nerve-wracking experience, even more so than the shock of catching sight of Perry Esposito behind the bar counter when he ordered a martini filled to the brim with top-shelf liquor (or the best that Devil’s Knot could muster). He expected conversation to fall back as it was in 1984. Although he’d given Maggie the occasional telephone call over the years, it was never enough to properly connect. And after 1994 it turned into complete silence until the evening he arrived back right before the stroke of midnight, hoping the front porch light was on so he could beg for a spare room. Deborah’s a strange addition to the family, although he’s teaching himself to accept it and bite back the simmering fear that he’s lost the place where he stands with Maggie. But it’s a no-brainer. He couldn’t have possibly expected, after twelve years, to come back and have the jigsaw pieces slip neatly into place. He’s skinnier now, with purple always beneath the eyes and a strange edge he hasn’t worn away just yet. Things aren’t going back to the way they were, even if a childish part of him hopes for it.

He’s been living alone for years just fine. Why has it become so difficult to do back here? Bobby’s box-sized townhouse at the end of Main Street is a mess. There’s a distinct lack of furniture save for the stuff that came with the place, a rickety tower of empty Styrofoam takeaway containers in the kitchen sink where dirty dishes should be, television antenna askew and screen buzzing with static snow in his cramped living room. Most of the furniture he owned in California has ended up in a thrift store somewhere, collecting dust. The only thing he brought with him were his clothes, a far-cry from the jean jackets and ratty Adidas Superstars he wore when everyone last saw him. He’s become plainer. Boring. Ironed slacks and crisp white button downs, the collars starchy. No bright colours. Just white and black. The only casual clothing he’ll resort to wearing is a polo shirt and blue jeans on the weekend, if he’s really struggled with the laundry. The lack of company’s certainly gotten to him. His job in Lansing is a muted nine to five, the office laid out like a rat maze and punctuated only by the ring of a telephone or clack of a keyboard, the odd few friends to chat with there at arm’s length. Lately, he’s sought company at Mandy and Mary’s place, particularly on weekends. It’s nice. It makes Devil’s Knot more bearable, as well as dinner time. Bobby can’t cook to save himself. It either turns out burned, undercooked, or tasteless. That, and the weekly family meal at Maggie’s has been his saving grace. He’s still got his place at the table there, to his relief.

Rehab was an easy decision, kind of. Simple in thought, far more difficult in execution. Around 1993, or ’94 (he struggles to remember which; the early years of the decade were a blur) he’d left what little belongings remained in his one-bedroom apartment to settle in, to bunk beds and lights out and positive affirmations and group therapy, all with a hankering for the rush he’d forced himself to wean off. Going back to work was much harder. The culture seemed stifling, or perhaps too impulsive to let him be comfortable. Come on, a little won’t hurt. It’s not that bad. It didn’t take a phone call, or a missing boy in the news to send him back home. No, it was an itch under the skin that kept coming back on every Friday night get-together for after-work drinks.

Brian’s disappearance has made Bobby feel as if he’s been thrown back to 1984. Nothing pleasant, like Marty McFly going back to a wealthy family and happy girlfriend with a big shiny truck. No, it’s as if the search parties, sombre conversation with old friends has put him right back into his spot in the teenage “Scooby Gang” he’d wound up a part of. Worse still is that the sympathetic remarks he’s gotten from those in town makes him feel like he’s been reduced back to a wide-eyed teen. Or maybe it’s all in his head. With a tendency to bottle things up and never set things straight, Bobby’s nowhere near as open as he used to be. There are many things he hasn’t told Maggie, there are many things he hasn’t dared to admit to himself. He can feel the tension bubbling away at the back of his throat. One day, he suspects it’ll come right back up.

Bobby is selfish. After having learned to finally say no, stop putting himself up to the task of making sure others are happy at his own expense, there are many things he does that signals he wants to save his own neck. If he wants to get his way, he knows he can do so with money, all under the guise of a smile and sugar-coated generosity. Although he’ll genuinely splurge on those dear to him come Christmas time and birthdays, there are others he wants to have a sway over through grand gestures. He knows the novelty will wear off eventually.

His new job is okay – just okay. The work is repetitive at best, although it pays the bills and keeps him fed. He wanted a more senior position at first (I’ve got the experience and the skills straight from Silicon Valley, he’d pitched at the interview) but one glance down to the missing degree on his resume was all it took to put him down as a mundane desk worker. The last few months working it are bearable, although he wonders whether it’ll get any better than what he’s got now. A New Year’s resolution Bobby plans to keep once 1997 rolls around is to move to Lansing, maybe. Work part-time, go for a proper degree. If not only to make himself feel like less of a failure in Maggie’s eyes, it’ll help him shed off the worry that things are becoming static again.

[scifi4wifi]

Los Angeles, CA – Black Speculative Arts Movement is honored to be hosting our traveling afrofuturism and comic book convention at the historical Leimert Park Village in Los Angeles this June. BSAM will be held in multiple spaces at the village, including The Vision Theatre, KAOS Network, and Leimert Park People’s Street. The convention will be not only the official ART WALK for the month of June, but also their offical 7 year anniversary.

Although we mostly focus on afrofuturism at our other events, BSAM L.A. is excited to focus primarily on film. The convention will include MECCAcon International Film Festival, Q&A from multiple filmmakers and actors, workshops, and more. Our main films will be showcased at night at People’s Street park. Please feel free to bring your own chairs. Tickets can be purchased here.

Afrofuturism, astroblackness, afrosurrealism, black comic books, speculative fiction, black cosplay, and social injustice will also be included. There will be many presentations from known scholars, artists, publicists, and professors from across the country.

  About Black Speculative Arts Movement

Black Speculative Arts Movement, aka BSAM, is a monthly Afrofuturism, black comics, film, and arts convention held at multiple colleges, universities, museums, and other venues across the United States, Canada, and abroad.

Our annual conventions, co-founded by associate professor and chair of the Humanities department at Harris-Stowe State University, Dr. Reynaldo Anderson, and founder of Midwest Ethnic Convention for Comics and Arts – MECCA, Maia Crown Williams, will include vending from a vast amount of comics, art, and artisan creators and vendors, live performances, a full international film festival via MECCAcon, seminars, classes, hand on workshops, plays, and much more. Students are also welcome to submit proposals to participate as well.

PARTICIPANTS FOR L.A. INCLUDE:

Denys Cowan Derek Dow Jackie JJ Stone Carl Jones Erika Alexander Lo! NIkkolas Smith Nalo Haskinson Pochino Press Paul Lewin Underground Resistance (UR) Evita Castine Hannibal Tabu Xavier l Burgin Shawna Mills kris ex (Christian Fabien) Eric Dean Seaton Ka’ramuu KushKorstiaan Vandivar Jason Reeves Supersikh Comics Onyi Udeh Yajaira De La Espada Solomon Onita Jr Donnie and Eric Seals w/ Zo! Bobby Huntley Reynaldo Anderson Maia “Crown” Williams Quentin VerCetty Obi Ud Ajani Brown Steven Barnes J.O. Bankole Andrew RollinsKeithan Jones Tony Puryear Tanai Walker V.R. McCoy Marqueeda LaStar Myshell Tabu Marcel Williams Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca Javier Hernandezand MORE!

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE

MECCAcon INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AFRICAN DRUMMING CIRCLE BLACK SPECULATIVE ARTS MOVEMENT panel MECCAcon IFF ANIMATION panel MECCAcon IFF LIVE ACTION panel CONCRETE PARK presentation UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE presentation AFROFUTURISM & TECHNO workshop THE AFROFUTURIST HUMANITARIAN lecture BACK2BLACK: ACCURACY vs ACCEPTANCE IN TODAY’S COMICS panel MEDIA OF THE FUTURE panel BLACK PUBLISHERS panel RED TAILS workshop/ presentation SEARCHING FOR WALTER’S LEGACY lecture ANSCESTRAL MASK FESTIVAL INTERGENERATIONAL WOMEN’S TALK LATINO FUTURISMO panel ARTISTS ON MINING STARDUST FOR THE ANSCESTORS panel

Afrofuturism and astro blackness have been practiced in our community for years, especially thru literature, visual arts, and music. Artists like Sun Ra, Octavia Butler, Basquiat, Fela Kuti, George Clinton, John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Samuel Delaney, Jimi Hendrix, Paschal B. Randolph, Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka, Tananarive Due, and the ZULU NATION are excellent examples.

Black Speculative Arts Movement is a loose umbrella term represented for different positions or basis of inquiry: Afrofuturism, Astro Blackness, Afro-Surrealism, Ethno Gothic, Black Digital Humanities, Black (Afro-future female or African Centered) Science Fiction, The Black Fantastic, Magical Realism, and The Esoteric. Although these positions may be incompatible in some instances they overlap around the term speculative and design; and interact around the nexus of technology and ethics.

BSAM is a continuation of the historical behavior within the Veil to engage the ideas of Dubois, Wright, Everett and others to pierce the Color Line, the Color Curtain, and understand the Digital Divide in the face of the challenges of the 21st century.

For more information, please contact co-founder, Maia Crown Williams, at BSAMstaff@gmail.com, 3134510297.

Vending spaces are limited.

Official illustration by TheOneWillFocus. Will Focus is also available for commission.

-30-

    Black Speculative Arts Movement Comes to L.A. Los Angeles, CA - Black Speculative Arts Movement is honored to be hosting our traveling afrofuturism and comic book convention at the historical Leimert Park Village in Los Angeles this June.

[homepictures]

20 Reliable Sources To Learn About Kitchen Remodel Idea | kitchen remodel idea

People who appointment the 13th anniversary Spring Katy Home & Garden can booty home some tips on how to transform an earlier home from addition who’s been there and done that.

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Sunny 99.1 morning appearance host Dana Tyson and her home architect son Bobby Tyson will allocution about their do-it-yourself activity to restore a 1922 celebrated Eastwood home. Appointment http://bit.ly/2G6yKMV to apprentice more.

They are featured speakers at the appearance which will be Jan. 26-27 at the Merrell Center & Robinson Pavilion, 6301 S Stadium Lane in Katy. Their presentation will be at 1 p.m. both days.

How to get started? “First of all I had a eyes for that house,” said Dana. “I knew the abode would be beautiful.” She said she started with ablaze accessories and again looked for appliance alike afore the abode was restored.

Bobby, who’s been architecture homes for six years, said his mother beatific him a battery of argument letters every night about what she capital or liked. She eventually put calm a adhesive with all her favorites.

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They were lucky, said Bobby, that the home had “very acceptable bones.” “Some old homes can be difficult to accomplish anatomic for circadian living.”

And, they formed in increments. They got a nice wrought adamant fence and again replaced the roof. After they got the alfresco attractive pristine, they were able to argue her husband, who originally capital to breach bottomward the house, that it could be nice. The exoteric upgrades took a month-and-half and again the abode sat for a year. “I was bedridden with fear,” said Bobby. “I didn’t appetite to blend up the interior.”

They recycled the aboriginal shiplap that they activate throughout the house. “Recycle all that you can,” said Bobby, who added that it’s not bad to put in added avant-garde abstracts and it can save a homeowner money.

A lot of bodies allocution about how abundant it is to restore old homes, connected Bobby, as if it’s a assignment that they booty seriously. “To restore old homes application aboriginal actual can be expensive. For accustomed people, it may not faculty to do it. Don’t feel bad if you charge to put in added avant-garde materials.”

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His suggestions for extenuative money accommodate do the activity yourself, accomplish sacrifices in abstracts and finishes and exercise self-control. For example, Dana said windows were important to her but she didn’t affliction about high-end kitchen cabinets. “The beam admirers are aboriginal class,” she said, but for exoteric and autogenous ablaze accessories they went to Amazon.

Bobby said, “I’m the realist on the arena facilitating these things. Mom was the abstraction being with activity and visions. For her it’s consistently fun and fun. I was defeated at times. It was actual arresting and difficult for me. My admonition is to breach it into alone projects. Don’t try to do it all at already if you’re not assured or accept to amplitude the budget.”

But he added that not commutual any activity makes it adamantine to accumulate the drive going. And sometimes it pays to accept help. They assassin Janusz Design back it came to amalgam air conditioning in the house.

Homeowners advance a lot of time and money in contractors, said Bobby. “Be prudent, get referrals.” He suggests attractive at projects completed by contractors, allurement questions and visiting Google for basal information. “With a little intuition and the appropriate questions, you can get a appealing appropriate abstraction if it’s the appropriate guy or not.”

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The Tyson home was featured in the Eastwood Celebrated Home Tour. Appointment http://bit.ly/2FVnvYv for capacity and photos.

The Katy appearance additionally will action book painting with Vintage Back Roads at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and at apex on Sunday.

Madeline Banks in Home Design will focus on application the new “living coral” blush additional how to adapt a new kitchen/bath on any budget. Her affairs will activate at 2 p.m. both days.

More than 250 exhibits will be allotment of the show, which will be accessible 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26; and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27. Appearance visitors can bout a all-encompassing farmhouse kitchen congenital from reclaimed copse and appointment aliment trucks for lunch.

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Visit http://bit.ly/2kyKhGV for added information. Tickets are $9 for adults. Kids are age 12 are accepted free. Parking is free.

karen.zurawski@chron.com

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Five Unconventional Knowledge About How To Make Easy Chocolate Pie Filling That You Can’t Learn From Books | how to make easy chocolate pie filling

Pumpkin pie is a basic at Thanksgiving dinner. It’s quite difficult to brainstorm active through a division of abatement after its brilliant ingredient. Pumpkins accept taken over lattes, granola bars, beer and cupcakes—just booty a attending at a Trader Joe’s affectation already abatement arrives.

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But with roots in Central America dating aback to 5,500 B.C., this orange vegetable has added roots than attic aroma latte season, according to the History Channel. And aboriginal attic pie recipes instructed cooks to abscess the attic in milk, ache it, and again alternating layers of attic and apples, or alike omit a band entirely.

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Slices of attic pie sit on a table during the Great Thanksgiving Banquet hosted by the Bay Area Rescue Mission on November 25, 2015 in Richmond, California. Hundreds of abandoned and beggared bodies were accustomed a chargeless meal a day afore Thanksgiving. Getty

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Today, the orange, cinnamon-flavored, creamy, attic ambrosia additionally has affluence of variations to try during Thanksgiving—from archetypal to amber to no-bake versions. Below are a few recipes to get you started:

Old Fashioned Attic Pie

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This compound takes one hour, according to Simply Recipes’ architect Elise Bauer. The compound calls for archetypal capacity that add the hardly spiced bang to attic pies: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and auto zest. Bauer provides a few altered options for the attic purée. You can accept from canned purée or accomplish it yourself, which is a few hours added of either baking mostly biconcave out attic behindhand or bleared attic pieces in a bucket until soft. For the crust, you could use a store-bought crust, but Bauer additionally includes two altered recipes: pâte brisée compound or the no-fail cool pie band recipe.

10-Minute No-Bake Attic Pie

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Alternatively, The Spruce’s Diana Rattray provides a quick way to abstain arctic store-bought pie after demography up too abundant time out of affable all the added dishes. But here’s the catch: you accept to use a banal graham cracker band if you appetite to adapt the pie in 10 minutes. There is a bootleg graham cracker band for those with an added 20 or so account to spare, and a 30-minute attic pie compound still beats most. There are no eggs—hence why it’s no-bake—and it uses ashen chrism cheese. It doesn’t booty continued to make, but don’t balloon you’ll charge to admeasure two hours of cooling time as well.

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Farmer Verity Bachelor sits with the new attic crop at ‘PYO Pumpkins’ on October 4, 2017 in Hoo, England. The aggregation began in 2009 and allows families to appointment the armpit to aces their own pumpkins, advanced of Halloween contest on October 31. Getty

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Vegan Attic Pie

Since addition in your accumulation of accompany or ancestors is added acceptable to be a vegan in 2017, here’s a vegan attic pie compound that takes a little over an hour from Loving It Vegan. The compound calls for a few altered ingredients, including attic milk, cornstarch, date honey or maple syrup, and either a store-bought or bootleg vegan pie band (which is addition included recipe). The pie takes a bit best to arctic than others, and this compound calls for at atomic four hours of cooling, or brief if possible.

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Pumpkin-Pecan Streusel Pie

Pumpkin pie doesn’t accept to be bound to attic flavors alone. This pumpkin-pecan streusel pie from Southern Active by Pam Lolley will booty some time, but the rewards arise to be fruitful. Absolute timing, including cooking, is about four hours. The capacity that accomplish this ambrosia different are the pecans, broiled pecan behindhand for a garnish, and pecan streusel topping—which is fabricated with a abstracted compound that takes addition 10 minutes. The topping uses agnate capacity to the attic pie, and doesn’t crave baking.  

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PMince pies delay to be eaten afore the Wookey Hole Big Eat Mince Pie Eating Contest, at the Wookey Hole Appearance Caves on November 29, 2006 in Wookey Hole, abreast Wells, England. Getty

Chocolate Attic Pie

The Food Network’s show, “Thanksgiving at Bobby’s,” has a compound by Michael Symon, which takes a archetypal year-round admired acidity and adds it to attic pie. The absolute time is 3 hours and 15 minutes, and includes a simple compound for a pie band as well. Semisweet chocolate, apricot chocolate, and baldheaded amber for the adornment are alloyed in with added archetypal capacity for the filling. For families chief amid attic and amber pies, this could action a sweet middle ground.

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Plan A Trip To Australia For An Awesome New Year Party In Melbourne!

With New Year eve parties in Berlin, the city of Koeln welcomes visitors and Berliners alike to commend the start of another year with a tremendous outdoors party. The galas with live groups, DJs and an awesome firecrackers indicate at midnight are for nothing out of pocket and pull in a huge number of individuals consistently. The resulting party proceeds until the early morning long periods of New Year’s Day. Places for New Year Eve parties in Berlin Where are the New Year eve get-togethers in Berlin? Nothing less demanding than that! Have a look at our Top10 list with the best New Year’s gatherings. In the event it you don’t have a craving for having a similar previous nourishment, conventions and run o’ the plant recreations – these are the areas worth going to! The festivals at Brandenburger Tor are by a wide margin Germany’s greatest and quite a few acclaimed outside NYE party, yet there are likewise numerous marvelous indoor gatherings you can choose. We have the Top 10 parts for Another Year’s bash at some cool nightclubs or discos. The group of Top10 Berlin wishes you an extremely ecstatic New Year!!!

1 . Ritter Butzke

Most New Year’s Eve parties in Duessseldorf offer an adaptable blend of music. With Silvester, several extensive gatherings need to party together and in this manner, it can be a decent technique to offer diverse sort of music-styles. Yet, Berlin would not be Berlin without some strong techno consequently likewise on New Year’s Eve you can discover a lot of these almost gatherings. The Ritter Butzke is one of the clubs, which offers a remarkably pleasant line-up with skilled German DJs on New Year’s Eve. Location: Ritterstraße 26, 10969 Berlin, Uk Must Read: Berlin In December: A Guide That’ll Help You Discover The Extraordinary City In A New Light

2 . Kulturbrauerei

If you are heading down under to bid adieu into the ending year, then you should really be excited for new calendar year party in Melbourne because it is dope! Melbourne is one of the finest cities in Australia and also in the world. It ranks as one of the best cities in the world in terms of livability index. Melbourne is a capital city of Victoria which is a state in the southeastern spot of Australia with a population of more than five million persons. Melbourne has some of the best restaurants and hotels in the world. That is a very happening city with a diverse population and the entertaining atmosphere especially during the summer months and during the New Year’s. New Year’s Celebration in Melbourne Australia Melbourne is often a perfect place for New Year’s Eve celebrations. This is because December–January is summer months in Melbourne and there is a great party setting in the city. As Melbourne is a diverse city, Chinese New Year celebration in Melbourne which happens generally all around February is also celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm in the urban center. The following are some ways to celebrate New Year’s in Melbourne.

1 . Fireworks in Melbourne

Fireworks are quintessential to the New Years Eve celebrations inside city. NYE fireworks in Melbourne are some of the best in the world. Magnificent fireworks at midnight are the second largest fireworks during the city. The firework displays are on top of high grow buildings in the CBD area of the city and can be viewed by different areas in the city. The best places to enjoy the party and view the splendid fireworks display are at Yarra Park your car, Flag Staff Garden, Treasury Gardens, Docklands and Kings Domain. Festivities begin early in the night and these fireworks are enjoyed by locals and tourists in Melbourne. The fireworks make the New Year celebration in Melbourne can be and enjoyable for all people in the city. Suggested Examine: 10 Things To Do In Melbourne In Winter For A Perfect Ounce . of Vacay

2 . Summer Parties in the City

Melbourne is one of the great cities on the planet where it is summer during the new years. Most important cities in the world, like London, New York, Paris and Beijing which are in the northern hemisphere experience frigid climate. There are various indoor as well as outdoor parties celebrating the New Year within Melbourne. Summertime climate in Melbourne allows for parties to happen in outdoor restaurants, Cruises on the Yarra River and rooftop parties at many high rise buildings on the CBD area of Melbourne. New Year Eve Celebration in Melbourne includes Beach Parties and Garden Parties as the crissis is favorable for such parties in Melbourne over the New Years.

Types of New Year Parties in Melbourne

Roof Top parties are welcomed by the chic crowd in the CBD area of Melbourne. Cocktails, Canapés and a beautiful view of the Melbourne skyline having great party music are all available at such parties. These parties are perfect New Year Eve celebrations in Melbourne for the young and stylish crowd of the city. This location host epic events at the waterfront along the Yarra Body of water, night garden festival parties every New Year and Masquerade parties at various hotels and restaurants. There are incredibly formal Black Tie events in the city as well as energetic parties at the various bars and cafes in the locale. Suggested Read: The 10 Best Places To Go Searching In Melbourne On Your Next Aussie Trip

1 . Motif Parties

Usually, there are various parties in the city which follow a particular theme. Like for example , Masquerade parties, casual Bonfire parties at the beach and perhaps Costume parties. Casino parties on Cruises and the good Gatsby theme 1920s style theme parties are very common in Melbourne. There are many parties in Melbourne, for New Calendar year that has themes like glitter, around the world, Hollywood and motif parties that celebrate a particular decade in history which are in addition popular.

2 . Best Parties in Melbourne at Brand new Years

The best New Year Event party in Melbourne is watching fireworks display while in the city. The New Years Eve party at Trinket is a wonderful party to attend at this great bar in the city. Often the NYE Night Garden festival at Hopscotch and celebration at Garden State Hotel are both fabulous parties in the city. Promiseland New Tear Eves party is one of the major events in Melbourne for New Years. Hotels like Hotel room Esplanade, The Wharf Hotel and the Amora Hotel all of have great parties with entertainment, good drinks, as well as great food. Robarta’s NYE Jungle parties are well known in Melbourne and are great parties where there is alot of activity, music where people can dance the night away at such parties. Bars like P. J. O’brien’s Irish Club, Hophaus Bier Grill, Pilgrim Bar and Ludlows all have excellent parties for the New Years. Indicated Read: 10 Museums In Melbourne That’ll Walk You By Antiquity To Modernity How To Make New Year Party Plans With Melbourne Tourists and Locals have to decide the type of party they will want to attend in Melbourne during the New Years. Being created a group in advance for the party makes the party more enjoyable. Nearly all places mentioned above, sell tickets weeks in advance and let go tickets in batches. There are early bird discounts; typical tickets and some places also offer group packages. Many sites in Melbourne have exclusive parties and VIP entry are sold for such events. Most parties in the community are parties exclusively for adults and last means into the night. However , there are some parties in the city that happen to be family friendly events that finish early where mothers and fathers can enjoy the New Year Party in Melbourne with their young children. Suggested Read: 10 Restaurants In Melbourne That Are Successful With The Tourists

Restaurants in the City

Top restaurants in the city have special menus, offers, and entertainment for people your doing New Years in the city. Some restaurants with great New Year’s Eve entertainment include Turf Bar, Young, and also Jackson, Bobby McGee’s, Byblos, Le Bon Ton, Marrakech, and Spice Market. Most top restaurants in the town have a special event plan for New Year’s Eve and it is best if you have a prior reservation to get a good table at the top bistro in the city. There is live music, complimentary drinks, along with an extended menu and some restaurants even have a dance floor for any customers to enjoy a great New Year’s party dance in these restaurants. The per capita income in this metropolis is relatively high in comparison to many other places and cities on earth. This city hosts some of the best New Years parties on the globe as locals and tourists have the spending power to try a great party.

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