#but at least we still have some bootlegs left!

[dirt-str1der]

1998 trigun literally wins because i was terrified that it would only be stampede and i was preemptively crying and hugging myself then the haul

[lale-txt]

𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇 (𝐎𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐮 𝐱 𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫) ❦ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎𝟏: 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬

♫ Middle Kids - Bootleg Firecracker

I'll be your midnight bootleg firecracker I could blow up in your hand It could be great or a disaster That's the point that I am after

✰ 𝐜𝐰: the panic attack from the prologue is continuing here for a bit! written part between the handwritten notes and SMAU parts.

⭅ back to m.list

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Everything is on autopilot; it always is when the panic takes over. The blood rushing in your ears, the air squeezed out of your lungs, the blurry tunnel vision. Your shaky hands slam a few banknotes too many on the counter but you don’t wait for the change back; you’re out the door already when a voice is calling out to you, but you ignore it. Everything in you is telling you to run.

Foolish. So damn foolish. You’ve always been like that, haven’t you? Falling in love with the idea of someone; blindly following a siren call only to turn into a wreck. It’s a familiar pain, there’s a strange sense of safety in it. Don’t fly too close to the sun, don’t get loved too much, or else you’ll burn yourself.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

Makki is talking relentlessly to you on the phone. He knows how quiet you get once the anxiety kicks in, how you can’t focus on anything but the overwhelming urge to run, how hard something as simple as breathing is when you get into your head like this. You wish he were here to hold your hand through this. You wish you never came here at all. You wish you weren’t so desperate to be loved.

Are you outside? Okay, good. Can you sit down somewhere till Bokuto picks you up? A bank maybe? Oh, wait, your location says there’s a playground right around the corner. You see it? Do they have swings? Remember in high school when Oikawa kissed the ground face first when we challenged each other who could swing the highest? You and I laughed so hard we almost had an accident. And of course Hajime won, stupid beefy monster that he is. Bet he’d still do, we should really try it out next time we’re all visiting home. Ah, there’s a vending machine? I knew that beeping was familiar. Whatcha gettin’? The same juice box like you always do? You know what we should do tomorrow when you get home? Grab some boba from the store you had pinned forever, my treat.

The tight knot in your chest is slowly unraveling as you listen to your best friend’s voice. In the background you occasionally hear Yukie munching on something, probably the vegetable chips you made yesterday. She’s less calm than Makki is, you can tell from the lack of blissful humming she usually does when eating and her hushed voice, asking Akaashi when Bokuto will get there. Despite everything, you manage to let out a small, hoarse laugh. At least it will make a great story with some water down the bridge.

“There you are.”

A warm voice, kind. Almost familiar, as if you’ve heard it in a dream before. You look over your shoulder and freeze, almost dropping your juice box. It’s not Bokuto, but the same guy from Onigiri Miya who you snapped at earlier when he asked if you were alright, while blotches of snot were dripping on your half-eaten onigiri. You feel hot shame creep up your neck, your heart rate picking up again. He tips his cap back a bit to get a better look at you under the dim light of the street lantern and you feel the urge to flee again.

“You were gone so fast, I couldn’t give you this,” he puffs, as if he actually ran after you. He holds up a brown paper bag, the logo of the shop stamped on it. “Since you didn’t seem to enjoy the onigiri you had at the shop, I packed you some more to eat when you’re feeling more like it.”

“That’s not necessary” you mutter while your eyes dart left and right, searching for a way to escape this situation. Somehow he is making your skin crawl; not because you feel like he’s gonna harm you, but because he makes you feel seen and you really, really hate that.

“Please.”

He takes a step towards you and shoves the bag into your hands, almost making you drop your phone. Makki on the other end calls out your name, sounding slightly concerned, but who wouldn’t be when their friend was approached by a stranger at night in an unfamiliar place far, far away from home?

“I don’t want it,” you say, your voice a bit more steady now. Your brows furrow and for the first time you look back at him. Somehow your panic is slowly getting replaced by irritation. Just what was his problem? “You’ll get in trouble when your boss finds out that you’re giving out stuff for free.”

This makes him laugh; a sound so clear and warm, washing away your worries for a fleeting second. How strange.

“It’s sweet that you worry, but I am the boss,” he replies with a smug smile and uses the second of surprise to firmly plant the paper bag into your hands. His fingers graze your skin and you can’t help but notice how warm they are; and you think about flying close to the sun again and it makes you want to cry.

Everything in you wants to run from this kindness. Run, before someone can notice that you don’t actually deserve it. You’re good at that, aren’t you? 

For a few heartbeats you’re too stunned to speak and the bag with onigiri weighs heavy in your hands. Hot shame crawls up your spine and your neck again, remembering how you cried at the counter and snapped at him like a hurt dog. Why would he even come after you, when you’ve already made your best effort to push him away? To get rejected again? You couldn’t even fathom to imagine.

“Hold up,” you say eventually when he’s about to turn around and leave, probably sensing your discomfort. You wish he wouldn’t look at you like that, with this faint smile playing upon his lips and his dark eyes searching yours, searching for something you could never offer and yet you can’t look away either. Your stomach is doing a funny little flip. 

From the depths of your bag you pull out the marred box of cupcakes you still have with you and hold them out for him. You don’t dare to look inside, but you can imagine they must look like a hot mess by now (probably even worse than you feel at this moment). 

“They’re lemon lavender cupcakes,” you explain and look away, rubbing the back of your neck. “After my own recipe. I baked like ten trays of them last night and those are from the best batch but I doubt they’re still any good now. The rest I left with my roommates, though honestly they’re not the best food critics and just happy when they’re being fed.”

Without noticing, your voice gets a bit more steady and excited now that you get to ramble about food, your brain pleased over the distraction. It’s the one thing that always helped with the panic. Your fingers are still fiddling, your weight shifting from one foot on the other, but your breathing is calmer now and the instinct to run is subsiding. 

“The lavender syrup I used for them is homemade, too. Tastes great with some sparkling water and mint. We grew the lavender I used on our rooftop garden. I’ll admit I’m not the best at keeping plants alive, but Akaashi does that for us thankfully, he’s amazing. I also have some tomatoes growing there, and tomato salad in this summer heat just hits differently in my opinion. Anyway, sorry for the cupcakes, I don’t know why I gave them to you, they’ve probably gone bad by now so you can just throw them out and–”

“What’cha talkin’ about? These are amazing,” the guy mutters with his mouth full, one smushed cupcake in his hand that he took a big bite out of like an apple, buttercream at the corner of his mouth. You snap out of your haze and blink at him as he takes another big bite, eyes widening and head nodding approvingly as he chews. 

He doesn’t seem like he’s lying or doing it only out of politeness–because you obviously had a very bad night–no; it’s as if he’s genuinely enjoying the food you made. Something inside of you twists again and it’s all too much. 

Thank fuck you don’t have to think about this any further, because the familiar face of Bokuto appears from around the corner, eyes lightening up when he recognizes you as well. He waves from a distance and you grab your things, hurrying past the boy who makes your tummy feel funny and towards Akaashi’s boyfriend who holds out his arms for you. You fling yourself into them for a quick hug and then quickly drag him away, unable to think about anything but putting some distance between… well, everything. 

“Was that Myaa-sam? You know him?”, Bokuto asks when he shoulders your bag, one arm around you as you walk back to his place. He’s not loosening his grip around you and you have a good idea what Akaashi must have ordered him to do: Don’t leave Y/N alone until she’s on her train back tomorrow.

“His onigiri are the best! I always tell Kashi he should bring you some when he’s here but he has no self-control and eats them all in one go. They taste best fresh anyway, you should try them while you’re here,” Bokuto rambles. You’re grateful for it, though. It’s easier than having to explain everything that happened and why your heart seems unable to stop pounding, and it helps you not to scream when really it’s all you want to do right now.

✽ 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐫𝐮𝐧…

only a handful fun facts because this chapter is long as it is heh

yes the Tokyo group can afford an apartment with a rooftop garden. no i don't know how. one of them is secretly rich i guess (probably Makki)

Kiyoomi and Y/N sang Good Luck, Babe! 31 times that night

Atsumu makes a horrible bartender but somehow no one is stopping him either

Y/N likes to scribble every fleeting thought down because otherwise she will forget them in a heartbeat

grocery store runs together are one of her favorite activities with friends

✰ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓:

@brithedemonspawn @notverymarley @yuminako @gigiiiiislife @wyrcan

@krissiekris @kentocalls @simp-simp-no-mi

send me an ask or dm to be added (or removed, no hard feelings ♡)! minors DNI!

[honeyjars-sims]

3.6 Hurting from the Heat

The morning light was shining through the window. Johnny hesitantly opened his eyes, not yet willing to greet the day. The previous night of partying left him with a pounding headache. Next to him Carina was also beginning to stir awake.

Johnny knew how this would go: She would start getting dressed and he would try to tempt her back in bed with him. She'd decline in her dismissive way that always left him feeling like a hungry dog begging for scraps at the table. She’d offer him something from the bootleg pharmacy in her purse as some sort of consolation prize and she’d be on her way.

He could avoid the whole song and dance if he’d just keep his mouth shut and let her go, but he kept trying on the off chance that his pleas would actually move her this time. Next to him Carina was already making her way off the bed. “Are you leaving?” He asked, as if the answer wasn’t obvious.

“Yeah, I have my class, remember?” She stood up and started gathering her clothes that had been thrown haphazardly on the floor the night before.

“Oh yeah. That’s not for another hour, though. Can’t you stay a little longer?” Johnny patted the now empty spot where she’d been lying, still warm from the heat of her body. Before long it would be cold once again.

“Johnny, you know what this is.” Carina sighed as she pulled her shirt over her head. “I told you from the jump I’m not into relationships.”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “When did I ask you for one? I just want to cuddle for a bit.”

“You say that, but I know your type. First it will be cuddling, then spending weekends together and before I know it, you'll be introducing me as your girlfriend and talking about our future. No fucking thanks.”

Carina must have realized how harsh she sounded because she sat herself on the edge of the bed and laid her hand on top of Johnny’s. “Look, you’re a nice guy and I’m having fun with you, but I can’t give you more than this."

“I know that.” Johnny replied quietly. He didn't want anything more, at least not with her. Truth be told, he wasn't even sure if he liked her. He was just tired of being alone.

"You should get up and go do something. Y'know, seize the fucking day or whatever." Carina rummaged through her tote bag and pulled out a small baggie of white powder which she held towards him. “Here, this'll wake you up.”

He knew he should decline but the sadness was creeping in and he figured he could use a distraction. “Okay, but just a little. I have an appointment later.” Getting high before therapy probably wasn't his smartest move, but that would have to be a problem for future Johnny.

Carina began gathering her things. "Well, I'll see you around. Oh and Johnny? You should really think about getting a girlfriend." Johnny sighed and began getting ready for his appointment.

By the time he was ready to leave, he was pretty amped up. He tried to leave the house without catching the attention of his parents and almost made it to the front door when he heard David call his name.

“Hey Johnny, please remind your girlfriend that we don’t smoke in the house.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Johnny replied. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and reminded himself to relax before David caught wind of what he’d been up to.

“Well, whoever she is, she needs to stop smoking indoors if she wants to come back.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her. But I did tell her already. Really! I didn’t know she was still doing it or I would’ve said something to her.” Johnny was talking too much and too fast. He could tell by the way David's eyes narrowed that his dad was on to him. “She doesn’t really listen to me, though, and I don’t think she really wants to come back anyway, but if she does I’ll let her know.”

“You’re on something.”

“No, I just had too much coffee.” He knew his lie wasn’t convincing but he had to say something.

“You’re sweating and you look like you’re about to jump out of your skin. I’m not stupid, Johnny.”

“Fine, think what you want. I’m going to be late.” Johnny began heading to the door, reaching for his keys on the entry table on the way. David grabbed them first.

“Are you out of your mind? You’re not driving high. I’ll take you.” Johnny didn't protest.

“This ends today,” David continued, and Johnny knew he meant it. “Your little friend can’t come over anymore. If I see her in my house again, you’re out. If you bring drugs into the house again, you’re out. If you don’t get a job by the end of the month, you’re out.”

“Okay, I get it.” He agreed to the terms as though he had a choice and started to walk to the door.

“Johnny, wait.”

Johnny didn’t hide his agitation. “What now?” He threw his hands up in the air, preparing for another tirade about what a selfish and irresponsible son he was. Instead David’s face softened as he placed a hand on Johnny’s shoulder.

“I was just going to say that I love you, no matter what. And I’m going to do everything I can to help you, even if it makes you hate me for a little while.”

His dad's eyes, filled with anger a few moments ago were now brimming with tears. Johnny was ashamed that things had come to this. He hated that he was hurting his dads after everything they’d done for him. “I don’t hate you, Dad,” he said softly. “I love you, and I’m sorry."

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

[dis-astre]

since it's almost barricades days and i've seen new people joining our fandom, i would like to list u all some very nice adaptations i really like that u can watch (and that are better alternatives than the bbc adaptation) (and i included links!!!!!):

what to watch ?

- i feel like this is a classic, but the 2012 movie adaptation by tom hopper, obviously. while it's not the best adaptation, it is still really good (also i feel like it made a lot of us join the fandom in the first place)

- also pretty obvious but the west end musical by claude-michel schönberg and alain boublil (i'm pretty sure u can find decent bootleg on yt) + honorable mention for the 25th anniversary concert but i feel like u need to know a bit about the musical before seeing the concert

- a personal favourite, the 1982 french movie by robert hossein, it is three hours long tho, but it's worth it; the adaptation is really good, especially the portrayal of Les Amis (here's the yt link to the whole movie)

- shojo Cosette is also pretty decent, tho i've only watched the episodes with Les Amis (the barricades are heartbreaking just like we love)

- it's really obscure but the silent short film l'enfant sur la barricade (the child on the barricade) by Alice Guy. the sources diverge from whether it's an adaptation of les mis or an adaptation of a poem hugo wrote called "sur une barricade" and taking place during the commune of paris but the character could be inspired by gavroche

- Les Amis webserie, that u can find on yt, or here :

it's a web serie made by fans for fans and it's amazing

- All That's Left Of Us, another web serie made by and for fans. it's beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking. u can find it on youtube or here:

and on the overall anything that eli southern does about les mis is pretty amazing so i encourage u all to go check @thecandlesticksfromlesmis

(although i feel like u need to know a bit about the fandom before jumping right into the webseries)

- and obviously, The Brick, the original masterpiece that is Les Miserables by victor hugo; if u have the courage i promise that it's worth it

annnnd that's all ! at least for my favourite one, but there are a looooot of different adaptations for every taste i guess ! anyway have fun and take care of y'all during barricades days !

[glassprism]

hey there! i just read your post about musical bootlegs, and you mentioned that some filmers just disappeared. do you have any examples? i'd love to learn more about the history of bootlegging

Oh, that would probably be a really long list. I'll just note some of the most well-known ones that occurred during my time trading (so post-2011), whether within the trading community or in Phantom. Keep in mind too that some filmers disappear for a long while only to make a return; I won't be listing them since they're still around in some form. I'm also not going to name many of them because, well, safety, but you might be able to tell who they are based on the bootlegs I list as theirs.

One of the first is a filmer who filmed, among other things, the last show of Phantom's 3rd national tour, the video of Chris Mann and Katie Travis in Phantom, and the complete video of Dallas's modernized version of Les Miserables. They're well known to me because they actually posted their releases on Tumblr for a time, only to get harassed out because people kept yelling at them for bootlegging or selling bootlegs. They disappeared shortly thereafter; not sure if it's related to what happened to them on Tumblr, but it was a loss because I believe they were situated on the West Coast, whereas most other US filmers are in the East Coast, around Broadway, so we lost someone who could film productions in LA, San Francisco, and the tours.

Another who disappeared shortly thereafter was someone who was, well, a prolific filmer of many shows on Broadway and occasionally tours all over the US and was active since at least the mid-2000s. If you've watched, I don't know, the Cooper Grodin restaged tour videos, the original Broadway cast of Hamilton, the original Broadway cast of the 2nd revival of Les Miserables, any of those, you've seen their videos. From what I've gathered, they experienced some personal issues that caused them to take a break from filming and they have not returned since.

Also happening around the same period of time was another, mainly Broadway-based filmer who also did a few videos on the West End. (They filmed a video of Ben Crawford with Ali Ewoldt as well as the video of David Thaxton and Kelly Mathieson.) My recollection is that this person experienced a lot of leaks of their videos, causing them to take stricter and stricter measures in an effort to stop that, which culminated in them leaving altogether. Them leaving along with the two above contributed in some part to the dearth of bootlegs you see in the... late 2010s or so, at least with Phantom, because they were some of the most prolific filmers around. It wouldn't be until after COVID-19 that I saw a resurgence of filmers on Broadway.

Going back in time a bit! If you ever look at trading lists, you might see that there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of videos from the Broadway production of Phantom from 2012-2015 or so. That's almost entirely due to two filmers who were also very active on Tumblr and were based in NYC and went quite often to catch various understudies, swings, and unusual cast combinations. Both have since left filming, though in their case, it's at least partially because they're working in the theater industry in some capacity now.

And onto more depressing cases... there were a couple of filmers based in Europe, I think Germany or Austria, though they definitely made trips to other countries. They filmed several of the Phantom Hamburg revival videos, a lot of Elisabeth videos, and a number of the West End Les Miserables videos (if you see one that's heavily focused on Anton Zetterholm - yeah, that's one of theirs, that filmer was a fan). Unfortunately both were... I think either arrested or had their homes raided (or both) and collections confiscated, and while I think they were released, you can bet that put them off filming.

Finally and most recently, that I know of, the filmer who got the one complete video of Jonathan Roxmouth in the World Tour was caught and has not done any filming since, obviously. That was a shame as well because they had been planning to get more videos of the World Tour with the various alternates and understudies, but of course that never happened.

So that's a few, there's way more around, but I was just trying to think of some of the most prolific recorders around.

[ornii]

Bitterly Beautiful, Part 3

Part 3: “Do You See what I see?”

"Let's assess this situation, shall we? There's Bag over my head for, whatever reason. My wrists tied tight enough to cut off circulation, and no idea if I'm going to live or die. Wednesday is probably upset I somehow didn't see this coming, as Corny as that was."

(Y/n) and Wednesday sit side by side in chairs, bound by rope and Bagged. Their bags are removed. They're still within the library, surrounded by masked and cloaked individuals.

"Hmmm, what's the best response, a cry for help? A plead for a deal? Perhaps I'll yell at them to let us go, oh! I have it!" He thinks and spoke up.

"Just a word of advice before you guys do another kidnapping, it's pretty offensive to put a bag over the head of a guy who can't see to begin with. Be better." He says, and one of the members steps up.

"Who dares breach our inner sanctum?" They say.

"You can take the mask off, Bianca." Wednesday said, and Bianca removes her mask.

"Ah, I knew that voice had a distinct bitchy tone."

"And just like that, my hopes were dashed against the rocks of bitter disappointment. My foe was no psychotic killer. More like a bunch of high school clowns." Wednesday thought. "Wait, I preferred you with it on."

"How did you get down here?"

"I tracked the watermark to the Poe statue." Wednesday said.

"Then I solved the riddle to get in here." (Y/n) chimes in.

"Wait, there's a riddle? I thought we just snapped twice." One member asks.

"Wow, this is probably the least threatening group of Kidnappers i have ever seen, it's not many I've seen but still."

"Well, aren't you the brightest in the bunch?"

"The Nightshades are an elite social club." Bianca said, and Xavier steps up, revealing he himself is also one with Ajax and others. "Emphasis on elite."

"We have roof parties, campouts, the occasional midnight skinny-dip."

"And Yoko's an amateur mixologist. She makes a killer virgin mojito. It can get pretty wild."

"Wow. Do you guys even have a bedtime?" Wednesday said. "Last I heard, the Nightshades had been disbanded."

"Yeah, the group kind of lost its charter 30 years ago after some normie kid died." Xavier adds in.

"But we have a lot of wealthy alumni, so Weems looks the other way as long as nobody makes any waves." Yoko said.

"Someone like Rowan?" Wednesday asked.

"We booted that loser last semester. Question is, what are we gonna do with them? Only members are allowed in this library." One asks, and Xavier steps up next to them.

"I say we invite them to pledge. They're both legacies, Especially (Y/n), son of King Buarainech, the last leader of the Fomorians."

"After the crap they pulled in the Poe Cup, there's no way in hell. We talk about not making waves? She's a tsunami and he's just a thunderstorm brewing."

"Just because I beat you at your own game? Let me save you the trouble. I'm not interested in joining." Wednesday said.

"You're seriously turning us down?" One asks.

"Can you believe it?" Wednesday responds coldly.

"Untie her."

"I freed myself five minutes ago." Wednesday stands up, showing her untied rope.

"It's amateurs like you who give kidnapping a bad name. Anyway when you're done with toying with the Bootleg Secret Society (Y/n), I'll be waiting." Wednesday left, they stood there, looking a bit dumb, only the silence to be halted off by laughing. (Y/n)'s subsequently.

"That girl.. she's a force of nature.." he says smiling, he sighs eventually and cracks his neck.

"As much as I'd enjoy the parties and Skinny dipping, I'd rather do that by myself than a bunch of rich elitism bearing assholes, so...Go dtuga gaotha Sídhe saor m'anam."

A gust hits his bindings and unties him, he stands up and dusts himself off. He heads upstairs, leaving the elite looking even more dumbfounded.

"There were so many threads to my investigation, I could weave a burial shroud. I still have no idea how Rowan mysteriously rose from the dead. Or why that monster is prowling the woods. But right now, nothing intrigues me more than this book. If I'm going to be responsible for Nevermore's demise, the question is, why am I sharing this apocalypse with a pilgrim?"

The Next Morning Rose Like an undead zombie , early and still. Students stand in the courtyard to gather for what Principal Weems has to say, (Y/n) arrives as Enid drags him along out of bed.

"All students will report for their volunteer jobs at 10:00 a.m. sharp, followed by a community lunch at 1:00. As you know, this year Outreach Day culminates in a very special event, the dedication of a new memorial statue in the town square, which will also include performances by Nevermore students." She begins, while (Y/n) and Enid catch up.

"So, what's the deets between you and Wednesday?" She asks, her interest in his relationships was, off putting a bit.

"I.. haven't a faintest clue what you mean." He says acting dumb

"You can't play dumb, your best asset is that you're insanely Smart and like, Super Hot. Like a tragic poet. But seriously everyone sees you prowling around with her." Enid says, and has a hint of jealousy in her voice. "We haven't been spending as much time together." She says and he lets out a soft sigh.

"I know, sorry about that, I'm just showing her the ropes and, admittedly she isn't as bad as i thought she would have been. She can be absolutely terrifying but I mean who can't? You can be pretty scary when the Kittys claws come out." He says, which is reassuring to Enid.

"Well, at least I know I'm not losing my Bestie." She says warmly and takes his hand. Wednesday tilts her attention towards it, watching.

"Of course not, we can hang out after Outreach day. I'll smooth everything over with Ajax for you too, he's not as, cloud minded as i thought." He says, they're approached by another school member and handed Pamphlets, Enid opens hers and squeaks a bit.

"Yes! Yes! I got Pilgrim World. I have natural people skills and a love of performing, so it's kind of the obvi choice." She says, he hands her his and she checks it. "You got it too! This is perfect! All we need is Wednesday—"

As if speaking the Devils name and she appears, Wednesday approaches them as she’s watching their very... friendly, interaction.

"Wednesday, What'd you get?" Enid asks.

"Uriah's Heap, whatever that is." She replies.

"Ew. It's this weird, creepy antique store." Enid explains, (Y/n) taps his cane on the ground.

"It actually had some pretty neat stuff, it's where I got my cane, You'll love it though." He said, they're shuttled to Jericho, they depart off the bus and to their respective locations, but Wednesday approaches Enid with an offer.

"Enid. Switch volunteer assignments."

"What? No. Uriah's Heap is definitely not my bag."

"It's an emergency. I need to check out Pilgrim World." Wednesday says, and Enid frowns at her.

"You know you can go a day without (Y/n), it's toxic to get so dependent on someone." Enid says, trying to help Wednesday, who was actually a bit stunned by that. Her jaw locks and she stiffens up a bit, keeping her emotions in check but internally boiling at the thought of her and (Y/n), Together? Perhaps it's anger, Perhaps it's embarrassment, perhaps it's wanting. Wednesday, as usual, shoves her emotions down deep and calms herself.

"(Y/n) and I work a professional relationship to investigate something, nothing more. Nothing less." Wednesday said through her gritting teeth. Enid just sighs.

"Denial is the first Symptom, of Love Struck-itis." Enid says, much to the annoyance of Wednesday

"Why would I agree to spend the entire day at some dumpy emporium of crapola?" She said, and Wednesday offers her a very enticing offer.

"Because Ajax is volunteering there. Thing sneaked a peek at his assignment. But if you're not interested..."

"No! Oh my God, thank you. You're the best!" Enid takes it and runs off, Wednesday heads to pilgrim World with an awaiting (Y/n) he turns to Wednesday, sending the dread approaching.

"Hey, want to take a Pilgrim group photo?" He Says Smiling, which Wednesday just stares daggers at him.

"Guess not." He says shrugging. They're interrupted by a woman dressed as such a pilgrim.

"Good morrow, my young Nevermore kin. I am Mistress Arlene. A real OC..." she begins, which confuses most. "Original colonist. Now prithee, put your cell phones on vibrate and make haste, for you are about to travel back in time to the year of our Lord 1625, to Jericho's first pilgrim settlement. Yonder. Behold, the meeting house. Inside is a collection of artifacts related to Jericho's most beloved and pious founder, Joseph Crackstone. And beyond is our privy, America's first gender-neutral restroom."

"I haveth a query." Wednesday chirps up from the ground, standing by the wayside with (Y/n), who feigned interest.

"Pray, be quick, child." She replies.

"In the meeting house, which of Joseph Crackstone's artifacts are on display?"

"It is truly a treasure trove, including original farm tools, tableware, even the Crackstone family chamber pot."

"Riveting" (Y/n) said sarcastically.

"I volunteer to work in there." Wednesday says.

"Pray, no. That exhibit is being renovated. Today, thou will all be working at the beating heart of Pilgrim World." She says and Leads them to a building, with a sign (Y/n) looks up towards.

"...So, what does it say?" He asks Wednesday.

"I'm not your personal eyes." She says with her cold classic demeanor.

"Please?" He asks, turning up his cuteness, which just makes Wednesday want to vomit. She scoffs.

"Only to make you stop making those faces, it says "Ye Olde Fudgery"..More like ye olde diabetes in a box."

"Volunteers, prick up thine ears. Fudge is the lifeblood of our humble community. And samples equal sales, so grab a uniform and a box and make our forefathers proud." The woman hands the two uniforms of that of ancient pilgrims. The two look at them and take them, reluctantly the two dress as pilgrims and prepare to serve the people, Wednesday, being as creepy as she usually is, prepares blocks of fudge and speaks in fluent German.

"Enjoy your "authentic" pilgrim fudge made with cacao beans procured by the oppressed indigenous people of the Amazon. All proceeds go to uphold this pathetic whitewashing of American history. Also, fudge wasn't invented for another 258 years. Any takers?" She says offering to the German tourists, who do not take it, she takes this opportunity to walk off, and find her partner in crime, which (Y/n) was using a knife to, with scary precision, cut blocks of Fudge into tiny squares, he halts as he sensed Wednesday. Her lack of Heartbeat and Cold aura was easily detectable.

"So, enjoying Tormenting Tourists?" He said and jams the knife into the table, she stands there.

"Come with me, there is something we need to investigate."

"Hm, I thought you were flying solo." He said, "You know, no friends and that." He said and Wednesday looks at him, no hesitation in her eyes.

"As Annoying, egotistical, overbearing and as much of a nuisance as you are, you're valuable to the investigation." She says, he smiles and walks over to her, and with no fear in his heart, pats her head, which causes her to scowl at him.

"Thanks Shortie... okay, lead away." He says, they sneak away as (Y/n) follows.

"So, besides you hating everything about me, why do you tag me along?"

"You remind me of my brother, sans the desire to strangle him every waking moment. Now follow me. I need to know more about this Crackstone. We have a meeting house to break into." she says and they get to a door, Wednesday, using a hairpin picks the lock and the door opens, they slowly open it and peer inside, they step in and close themselves in to investigate the old museum, which has glass displays of items back from that time, even a statue of Crackstone.

"My grandmother once told me secrets are like zombies... they never truly die. I'm not sure what secret Crackstone is hiding, but I have a strange feeling the answers to my future lie in the past." Wednesday says, the two look around, his hands slide across something, it's indented, he can make out words.

"The Old Meeting House, 1625. Wednesday.." he says, she walks over to see it.

"(Y/n), this is the girl I've seen . She's even holding the same book. That black one she had outside Crackstone's crypt." Wednesday says, they turn around and (Y/n) turns around to a display case. Wednesday peers into it.

"This is the book! Codex Umbrarum. That's Latin for "Book of Shadows." She says, she opens the case and picks it up, flipping through it, which the pages are blank.

"They're Blank, the pages."

"Hm.. sounds like my kind of book." (Y/n) said.

"It's a fake. I don't know who Etsy is, but I doubt she was an outcast settler." Wednesday said, (Y/n) folds his arms.

"Cheap Props then, where the real one?" He asks, before the door bursts open.

"Just what the fudge are you two doing in here?" She said, glaring at the two.

"Mistress Arlene. How now?" Wednesday said.

"How now, indeed. I proclaimed the meeting house is under repair. I know thoust heard me."

"mistress, We're simply dying to learn more about Crackstone." (Y/n) says trying to Wesel his way out of it,

"Yes, and this display case was already open."

"That book's a replica."

"You don't say." Wednesday said sarcastically.

"The original was stolen last month during the two o'clock witch trial."

"It was probably the only authentic thing you have in here, yet you still charge $29.95 a ticket?"

"Hold thy tongue. I'm reassigning you both. To fudge-churning duty." She said to them, (Y/n) shrugs.

"Fine."

"The original meeting house, the one in that painting, where is it?" Wednesday asks, and the Mistress finally drops her Gimmick.

"How the hell should I know? I only moved here from Scottsdale in April." She says, and sends them off to churning, which they easily escape from as well, changing attire, the two head off to the cafe.

"So, were leaving again?"

"I deserted it while my sanity was still intact." Wednesday said, "Okay, then what are we here for?" He asks.

"I'm actually here for Tyler."

"Tyler? You mean the Normie working there, why talk to him?" He asks, and Wednesday cuts him down.

"Who I speak to is my business." she says; they stop at the door and (Y/n) just scoffs, "Fine, do what you need to do then, I'll be waiting." He says, "Outside." He sits at a bench, not wanting to go in. Wednesday enters to find Tyler and Xavier.

"Want the usual?" Tyler asks approaching.

"And some help. You know the original pilgrim meeting house, the one from the 1600s? You know if it's still around?" Wednesday pulls out a map of Jericho and places it upon a table.

"What's left is out in Cobham Woods, but it's pretty much a ruin."

"Show me." She said, and he put his finger on the map.

"Uh... There, but, look, it's kind of sketchy. Squatters and meth heads use that place as a crash pad. My dad has it cleared out every couple weeks. What's this about?"

"Nothing."

"You're becoming obsessed with this monster in the woods thing."

"Would you rather I develop an obsession with horses and boy bands? Thank you for the help."

"Hey, listen, the ruins are kind of tricky to find. I could take you this afternoon. My shift ends at 2:00." Tyler ask, Wednesday does consider it, "Principal Weems would hang, draw and quarter me if I miss the big statue dedication. And as enticing as that sounds, I'd prefer to keep a low profile. Besides, I know my way around the great outdoors."

"Don't tell me you were a Girl Scout."

"I could eat Girl Scouts for breakfast. I have an uncle who went to prison for that." She says before leaving, she exits the Cafe where (Y/n) continues to sit, listening to the wind rolls along the sky. He feels someone stand in front of him, but he ignores her.

"Ready?"

"..." he began to ignore Thrace raven haired girl.

"You haven't gone deaf as well? You'd be useless at that point."

"No, I have not." He replies, Wednesday frowns slightly.

"You’d do your best to Cheer up, your smile is your only appeasing feature." She says, he scoffs at it but laughs.

"God aren't you just the charmer." He says before standing up.

"Okay, where to Short stuff." He asks, and (Y/n) and Wednesday leave, trudging through the forest, their journey comes to An end, finally entering a rundown burned down, building. Thing exits Wednesday backpack to assist searching.

"So, how do you know that you're going to destroy Nevermore exactly?" (Y/n) asks.

"A vision I had, from what I understand my, mother had them as well." Wednesday explains, but the two find nothing.

"Hm, empty..." he says.

"I was expecting more too."

Who "you talking to, little girl?" A man says. The two turn around to an obviously homeless man, long beard and disheveled look.

"Use "little" and "girl" to address me again and I can't guarantee your safety."

"This is my place. Get out!" The man yells, Wednesday turns left to (Y/n), "(Y/n), a hand here?" She says he sighs and walks over and picks up a leaf, he crushes the leaves into a dust.

"Go dtuga Do Bhrionglóidí Oíche Uafásach Ifrinn ar ceal." He says calmly and blows them in the man's face, he tries to swat it away, before all he sees is Fire, his arms; legs, hair all ablaze, he screams and runs out of the place. But to Wednesday, (Y/n) simply blew clumps of crushed leaves into his face and he ran away.

"What did you just do?" She asks.

"I put a hex on him, making him believe he's on fire. Good thing about being a Fomorian is you learn how to curse people at a young age."

"Curses? Hexes? You must Teach me that."

"I'm not teaching you how to curse people, if I did you'd just curse anyone that's a minor inconvenience to you to death." He says, "Anyway. Can't you just touch something and a vision occurs?"

"No, I can't just touch something. My visions seem to happen spontaneously." Wednesday says.

"Okay... why not ask your Mom? If she had visions before." (Y/n) says, and Thing agrees:

"I would rather dye my hair pink than ask my mother for advice."

"Sounds like you just don't want to try." He says, which raises the ire of Miss Addams.

"Oh, you want me to prove it to you?" She says and begins to touch things.

"No. Nothing. Ah, I bet this will give us some real insight." She holds up a Taco Bell bag and shakes it at (Y/n) who folds his arms.

"Well jokes on you, i can't read that anyway." He says smugly, Wednesdays scoffs at him and walks back to the gate.

"My visions are about as predictable as shark attacks." She says and touches the door; her body looks like it was struck by lightning, she stiffens like a corpse in Rigor Mortis. (Y/n) quickly rushes to her before she falls on the ground; and he holds her, like the Corpse of a Bride.

"Wednesday? Wednesday can you hear me? Thing! What's happening?!" He yells; Thing makes motions but (Y/n) shakes his head.

"I know I know!" He yells; and a storm begins to brew.

"We gotta get out of here, I hope you're okay Wednesday." He says as he walks with her in his arms, her vision was much more vivid; this time she was in a completely different place, watching a mob of pilgrims surround a woman.

"Burn her! Burn her!"

"Devil spawn! Devil spawn!"

"Beast! Witch! Repent! Begone! Witch!"

"Stand aside!" A voice bellows through the crowd, adorned with fire and pitchforks, they split like the Red Sea to the founding father, Joseph Crackstone.

"Goody Addams! You have been judged before God and found guilty. You are a witch, a sorceress, Lucifer's mistress herself. For your sins, you will burn this night, and suffer the flames of eternal hellfire." He says, and they cheer, Goody looks at him. As her resemblance to Wednesday was uncanny; besides the blonde hair, she was picture perfect.

"I am innocent. It is you, Joseph Crackstone, that should be tried. We were here before you, living in harmony with nature and the native folk. But you have stolen our land. You have slaughtered the innocent. You have robbed us of our peaceful spirit. You are the true monster. All of you!" she yells, and he laughs at her falsehoods.

"You are abominations in the Devil's grip! I will not stop till I have expunged this New World of every outcast. Godless creatures! Set it ablaze!" He yells, they drag Goody to a building and toss her inside and locks her within. Wednesday follows and sees Goody look around, and she sees someone, a man who looks eerily similar to (Y/n) she rushes to his side.

"Cianán! Cianán!" She says, his weary head looks up, but it was obvious from the dark rings around his eyes, something happened. She grasps his wrists.

"There's no time, my Love. Leave me. Save yourself. He's chained us all to the floor." He says, Goody sees the bindings upon his wrist. "Crackstone, he laid black tar upon my eyes, I cannot see any more." His heartbroken Irish accent whispered sadness into her ears.

"I shan't leave without you." Goody grasps him, holding him so desperately. Her hands raise and gently grasp the sides of his chin. Tears flow solemnly down her cheeks.

"I shall only be a burden, Please. My Sweet Goody, Run. Run as fast as you can. You are our only hope." He said, his hands rose and gently took her wrists, She leaned into his face and laid her lips upon his, a long kiss of farewells, he whispers gently into her ears.

"I mBás, beidh grá agam duit i gcónaí" 

And Goody leaves, escaping as flames dance along the building. Even now she's longing for the embrace of her love, Wednesday watches their kiss and departure, but smoke begins to fill her lungs, and she finds herself surrounded in the dark, mist swoons the ground and Goody runs up to her:

"He won't stop until he's killed us all! He's here." She runs, and Wednesday turns around to Crackstone staring her down.

"There will be no escape for you!" He yells and trips her up, she falls back and awakens from her vision, she lies on the ground, wet. She sits up to see herself not within the broken down building, but a small bear cave and a lit fire next to her body to attempt to warm her up, it was (Y/n) who was also wet.

"Back?" He asks, Wednesday stood up and looked around.

"Rainfall, had to drag my Corpse Bride to safely... that's you." He said, "Thing helped." He adds in, thing is sitting next to (Y/n) on the back of his palm. He can feel the slight shiver on her body and he tosses another piece of wood into the flames.

"You're shivering, Cmon sit." He says and Wednesday opens her mouth to speak.

"Look, before you say anything, just shut up and let me help you. It's not wrong to ask people for help, and if you think I'm somehow a threat then you're probably as blind as I am." He says, Wednesday stares at him, but then slowly obliges and sits next to him, warming herself in the flames.

"So, saw anything in your Vision?" He asks.

"The girl from my visions. Her name is Goody Addams, and I believe she's my ancestor from 400 years ago." she explains, the rain pours, but Wednesdays focus was on the shadow that rushes past the entrance. Wednesday gives chase and (Y/n) stands up.

"W-Wednesday? Wednesday!" He yells, he runs after her, barely able to keep up. He finally reaches her as she's kneeling down.

"What are you looking at?" He says. And She stands up and turns to him.

"The monster is human. Its tracks turned from monster prints to human ones." She explains, (Y/n) kneels down and feels only water.

"Hm.. that's just water to me. I can't smell anything the waters washed the scent away... your visions, When did they start?"

"About a year ago. When they happen, it feels like I'm touching live wire. I usually enjoy that sensation."

"Yeah, but you can't control it and that freaks you out, doesn't it?" He says, "What could you possibly know about me?" Wednesday said.

"You like to be in control of everything, your life, your feelings, so when something comes in that changes it, you push it away, out of the fear of something you can't control. You're a force of nature... it's terrifying and, at the same time, I can't keep my.. heh, eyes off of it." He says, tuning his attention to Wednesday, there was silence between them, a slight bloom of emotion came from Wednesday, but she quickly buried those feelings.

"Anyway, your visions seem, erratic, I don't think we can trust them."

"I saw Joseph Crackstone in front of me as clearly as I'm seeing you now. He gathered all the outcasts in the meeting house and burned them alive."

"It was 400 years ago, what does that have to do with you?"

"Rowan's drawing. Crackstone was standing in the quad."

" it sounds like You're creating a story in your head and using visions to back it up. They're telling you what you want to see.

"Are you mansplaining my power?"

"Is me saving you from a creepy old man "Man-Saving" or is that just me doing my job? All I'm saying is that you can't rely on things you can't always be sure of." He said.

"I believe Rowan was right. Something bad is going to happen, and I need to stop it. Starting with that monster. Whoever it is."

Wednesday and (Y/n) finally reach Nevermore and Wednesday poses a question.

"You Speak Gaelic." She says.

"Gaelic Irish, Yes."

"When I was having my vision, someone said something I want you to Translate: "I mBás, beidh grá agam duit i gcónaí" Wednesday Said, relaying the words Goodys lover one said to her, (Y/n) takes these words and seemingly processes them in his head, his hard ass demeanor slowly fades.

"If my translation is correct, and it usually is... the person said. "In Death, I will love you always." He says, meaning the final words Cianán said to his lover Goody, is that even in his death he will love her in the after life. Wednesday begins to consider things much, drastically. Could history be repeating itself? And could the Man talking to her end up dying for her? For his Love? Will She end up falling for him and watching him suffer a miserable death all the same?

"Hello? Earth to Wednesday?" He asks, she finally looks at him and he asks again.

"Who said it? The message." He asks, and Wednesday kept her deadpan expression.

"I don't know, I couldn't make out their face." She replies, (Y/n) shrugs and decides to trust he, as scary as that was, the end of the is slowly rolling in and students arrive at the heart of Jericho for the celebration, stufende gather and specifically for the music presentation. (Y/n) and Wednesday walk together towards the gather.

"I thought nothing scared me, but that was before I stared into the eyes of Joseph Crackstone. I don't believe in heaven or hell. But I do believe in revenge. I usually serve it warm with a side of pain, but I've never faced an adversary cast in bronze"

(Y/n) sits down, and Enid scoots over to be next to him, he smiles and they watch and or listen to the Mayor as he stands before a podium, a statue and outdoor fountain combination, made of striking bronze.

"Thank you. It is my honor to celebrate our town's history and Jericho's noble forefather, Joseph Crackstone. Now, he believed that with a happy heart and an open ear, there was nothing our town couldn't achieve. So together as one, our community and our friends at Nevermore Academy, we've built a monument to celebrate his memory. Now, may the spirit of Joseph Crackstone be memorialized for eternity." The Mayor Says, and the class begins to do a rendition of "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, A Water Like liquid begins move within it, splitting out like said fountain. (Y/n)'s nose crinkles up.

"Enid..do you smell that?"

"No, is it my breath?" She asks panicked, "I was really close to Ajax and I hope it didn't—"

"No, you're fine, it's odd it smells like—"

Before his nose could discover the origin of the scent, a flash of burning heat washed over him like a fuming blanket. He couldn't make it out perfectly but he could easily tell that the statue was burning. Students ran, teachers and adults struggled to understand what was going on. What cut though most of the screaming was music, (Y/n) tried to understand where it was coming from, and he eventually did as the harrowing strings of Vivaldi's "Winter" bellows from the side, he can only imagine that's it's coming from one person. Wednesday Addams, and it all slowly began to piece together who was behind this, while it couldn't be proven. (Y/n) wasn't the only person to figure this all out. Weems, who dragged Wednesday into her office was more than upset, she was enthralled with rage.

"That was a disaster. The mayor is furious! I've lost count of the angry phone calls, emails, and people in the town, alumni and parents. They want answers and so do I."

"I would lead the inquisition, but I left my thumbscrews and rack at home."

"Miss Addams... you're already on thin ice. Wafer-thin ice. I swear on my late scorpion's soul, my hands are clean." she said, which is only partly true. As the only "Hand" involved was Thing.

"I may not have hard evidence, but I see you. You're a trouble magnet." Weems glares at the child, who stands up, literally for herself.

LIf trouble means standing up to lies, decades of discrimination, centuries of treating outcasts like second-class citizens or worse..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Jericho. Why does this town even have an Outreach Day? Don't you know its real history with outcasts? The actual story of Joseph Crackstone?" Wednesdays asks, and Weems frowns, admittedly nodding.

"I do. To an extent."

"Then why be complicit in its cover up? Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

"That's where you and I differ. Where you see doom, I see opportunity. Maybe this is a chance to rewrite the wrongs, to start a new chapter in the normie-outcast relations."

"Nothing has changed since Crackstone. They still hate us. Only now they sugarcoat it with platitudes and smiles. If you're unwilling to fight for truth—"

"You don't think I want the truth? Of course I do. But the world isn't always black and white. There are shades of gray. Maybe for you.

"But it's either they write our story or we do. You can't have it both ways."

"...You're exhausting." Weems sighs, but Wednesday hasn't moved an inch.

"I know."

"..Goodnight, Miss Addams. But you should know... I don't tire easily." Weems says, before Wednesday is excused back to her room. Wednesday types on her vintage Typewriter, as on the other side of the room Enid was trying on clothes, as (Y/n) was sitting on her bed, helping her choose. Enid shows different styles one of a pot heirs of colors.

"Too much?" She asks.

"So glad I have my date with Ajax tonight. Get my mind off that trainwreck of an afternoon. I literally think I have PTSD. I didn't even get to do my dance routine."

"Wow, What a tragedy." (Y/n) says.

"What kind of twisted psycho would want to sabotage such a life-affirming event?" Enid asks, (Y/n) slyly smirks and shrugs.

"You're going to be late." (y/n) says as she gets dressed, Enid gives him a reassuring hug.

"Wish me luck."

"If he breaks your heart I'll curse him and his family for all eternity." He says and Enid leaves, (Y/n) and Wednesday are alone together. He lets out a sigh and turns to face her.

"So, gonna Just act like you didn't Blow the statue up?" He says as he approaches her, she continues to type. "Weems was pretty ticked off, angriest I've seen her in a while. So I have to ask, why?" He says. Wednesday continues to type, not paying attention to him.

"To Send a message, I don't believe in mandatory volunteer work, sugar-coated history, or happy endings, but most of all... I don't believe in coincidences. To paraphrase Agatha Christie, one coincidence is just a coincidence, two are a clue....and three are proof. Rowan's drawing of me and Crackstone happens sometime in the future. Goody Addams' warnings about Crackstone were in the past. And the monster is here in the present. Three coincidences that I know are connected. That monster could be anyone. The sheriff thinks they only exist behind the walls of this school. The truth is, there are monsters everywhere. And sometimes the monsters we least suspect are the most dangerous. They don't need teeth and claws to terrify. They hide in the shadows until no one is looking. And then they strike. But I'm looking now. And I won't stop until I find the truth." She says euch such intensity, she truly believes in herself and her words, and (Y/n) feels, confidence in that.

“I mean I get that you want to figure this all out, but you have to be more careful. And try and play nice with others.” He said.

"And if I don't?" Wednesday said, still working and tapping.

"Then I'll be forced to... Hmm. punish you." He said, and he could hear Wednesday scoff dryly.

"What could a blind warlock possible do to—" she says, before Wednesdays face freezes up like ice, her entire body stuff, and she just stares forward. She felt the warm arms and body of (Y/n) as he snuck up behind her for a soft hug. Wednesday had never been hugged, her intimidation was more than enough to keep most people away, but then again, (Y/n) really isn't "Most People".

“See? I know your weakness, Human interaction.” he laughed for a moment, before he can even say her name; Wednesday had him pinned down on the ground, full Mount with a pair of sharp pointed scissors aimed at him, she gripped them hard, and with her other hand she tightly grasped his shirt. Despite her petite form and body she was surprisingly well built and versatile.

"Tell me why, I shouldn't kill you.. Right now." Wednesday voice had no emotion, cold and for most to hear would be absolutely terrifying. But (Y/n) just laughed a bit, his focus was on her, even if he couldn't see.

"I told you I could get you, you know when we got captured by that Society, I told them that you.. Wednesday are a force of nature, and.. it's amazing. You're amazing.." He says, which somehow cools her boiling rage and for the first time in her life Wednesday Addams, is embarrassed; and the tiniest hint of red was on her pale skin, she stands up, getting off of him and tosses her scissors down near his neck.

"Leave, Now." She says, she turns around and he just stands up, Chuckling.

"Okay, okay, sorry for upsetting you... I'll see you tomorrow?" He asks. Hopeful.

"....I'll consider it." She replies and he smiles a bit wider.

"Well..be seeing you, Miss Addams." He said as he leaves the room, letting Wednesday have a shaky sigh. She looks at her hands, and clenches them, wondering one thing.

"What is this.. odd feeling in her heart?"

[teeful-corner]

" Good Ol' Country Man "

[#]pairings . characters: Cal Weathers x Reader [#]warnings . tags: Cal Weathers, Strip/Lynda Weathers, Tex Dinoco being Tex, Established relationship, Engagement [#]word count: 8.5k [#]synopsis: You tag along with, your boyfriend, Cal to have a Weathers' family style break after a long season [#]note: Everyone in this fanfiction is human! Tex is like a father to Strip, and a Grandfather to Cal. Every summer, the Dinoco and Weathers family all meet up in the Weather's ranch for a month. This month, you were able to tag along. [#]@'s: @bootleg-cal-weathers @kachowthunder [#]requested by no one

There was nothing better than moments like these; moments in which you saw nothing but the open country land, fields rolling behind you with a few sprinkles of animals,  and a single road. Country music was playing next to you, filling the car with a melody that was paired with the howling of wind that came in and out of the car thanks to the rolled down windows. The country air was fresh, crisp, and light. It wasn’t like the air in most cities, which tended to be heavier, and you now see what Cal had meant a day or so before you two had left Dinoco’s training center to head down south. Usually, Cal would have left the day his Uncle, Strip, and Tex had, yet he decided to hang back for a day to get one more practice in on the track; He also had decided to stay because you had been running a little late due to your own scheduling problems. Something had happened in which your sponsor hadn’t scheduled you off for the month of this trip, despite you having put in your letter and had been approved months ago. So, you had to prolong your stay at your company for a little longer to get everything sorted out, and couldn’t help but apologize so heavily to Cal for being late. He hadn’t been angry at you for missing the leaving day, in fact he told you he was a little grateful you had done so. Tex and Lynda loved to tease Cal, especially when you were around. So, he was glad he could dodge that bullet for at least a day. Plus, now Cal and you could take your time coming down to the Weathers farm; make any stops along the way as the two of you see fit. Usually, from what Cal told you, Lynda enjoyed shooting through the whole drive just to get to the farm; Strip tended to be impartial to any stops along the way, or how long they took to get there; and Tex enjoyed trying to stop at every Ihop along the way. You couldn’t help but laugh the first time you heard Cal explain how enthusiastic Tex was about Ihop; “ He ain’t ever been more enthusiastic on’the road unlike when his eyes catch an Ihop on the road.” You still couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the statement.

“ Give it half’an hour and we’ll be there. ” Cal’s voice cut sweetly through the road, which he had promptly turned down a little so you could hear him better. In doing so, he could hear your light chuckling, and was inclined to ask, “ What ar’you chucklin’ at? ” His voice was not demanding, but inquisitive; curious like a little kid who wanted to know whether the chicken or the egg came first.

“ He ain’t ever been more enthusiastic.. ” You started, looking over at Cal with a snicker and he almost instantly got your reference. He began laughing a little himself, turning his eyes back to the road but his attention was still on you. A little snicker played on his face, “ Well, it’s’true. We’ve had to go with’im when we come back down. You’ll see what I’meant. You’ll see an Ihop roll by, and there’s always the question if we could stop to get some pancakes’an’bacon. He’s as excited as a pig when they see’their feed. ”

“ What, is he like a little kid when they see McDonalds? ” Cocking an eyebrow up, you turned your head to the side upon seeing a field of cows grazing from the corner of your eye. There was a light spark of joy that Cal caught, one in which was like the joy of a child. He  couldn’t help but smile a little wider.

“ Yea, just as excited as a little kid when they see a M’acDonalds. ” Cal hummed with the familiarity of the road that laid in front of him and the joy of having you sit next to him. He usually missed you heavily when the season ended and he couldn’t see you every week, for racing or for practice. You’d usually go home, just as he would come down South to be with his own family. But, this year was different… and he couldn’t help but feel a little ping of nervousness as he remembered what was in his suitcase.

Right, he forgot he had packed that.

The ride died down into a comfortable silence once more, as you turned the radio back up as a song you recognized came on. Melody and rushing wind mixed in the air once more, but this time mixed with the taps coming from Cal’s steering wheel. Taps in which caused you to look over at him a few times, though you’d brush the tapping off when you noticed it usually went along with the beat of the music.

The sun was making its preparations in settling down for the night when you had arrived at the Weather’s family home. It had been around a 10 minute drive through the drive through and ranch before you had hit the big, southern-style home in the middle. The property was large and beautiful in of itself, yet the home that laid on the center of it all was simply breathtaking. As you exit the car, you couldn’t help but slowly shut the door and try to take in the home; It had two-stories and was made up of dark-brown wood that was accented with a white trim. There was a porch that winded along the perimeter of the home, littered with outdoor furniture that looked lived in, but in a good way. Large windows paired up with white wooden frames allowed a majority of the house to be lit by the sun rather than the interior lights. Though there were still a few lights flickered on in the main rooms that, you guessed, were being used due to lack of sunlight that could filter through the windows. The house just looked, and even felt, like a home.

“ Hey, hun, ” Cal called you from the back of his car, causing you to turn around. Having been confused at first, you soon took notice of how your boyfriend was trying to carry your shared bags, though realized he couldn't do so. A small bit of laughter escaped your lips as you walked over to help him. Grabbing a few of the bags he was holding, you allowed him to grab the remaining two that remained in the trunk. Between the two of you, there were around 5 bags, in which 3 were yours and 2 were his. Cal, having been coming to the Weathers family home since he was in diapers, knew exactly what to pack and how much to pack. You, sadly, did not. He tried his best to help you while you packed your bags, but sometimes didn’t have the heart to say no to you. But, hey, it was a bag more than Cal had… so you don’t think you over packed.

“ You got the trunk door, Cal? ” You were answered by the shutting of the trunk door, followed by a small proud smile from Cal. Having found your answer, you were just about to go check the car’s interior for any remaining items, when you were interrupted by a call from the porch of the house.

“ Boy, ” Tex’s voice rang out through the empty yard, the door behind him opening as Strip and Lynda stepped out. You could only guess they had heard the slamming of the car doors or the trunk, or possibly the engine when the two of you pulled up. “ Ain’t no way it took you longer’than three hours to get your butt down’here. If y’all stopped at a restaurant along the way, I expect to be getting some food righ’now. ” Tex teased as he leaned against the railing that flowed along with the porch. Behind him, you took notice how Strip shook his head lightly, while Lynda snickered a little over to her nephew; who was now standing beside you with the three heaviest bags in his arms.

Flushed, Cal glanced off to the side before he answered Tex, “ We got mud’stuck in some traffic while tryin’ to get down here. The drive took a little longer than expected. ” Though his answer was truthful, in which you could advocate for, Tex seemed to just sarcastically hum to tease Cal; implying in which the two were late for reasons other than traffic.

“ Tex! Let the two be. ” Lynda gently smacked Tex’s shoulder, “ At least they made it for supper, just as Cal had promised they would! Come on you two, you can put your bags up in’the spare room. You know the way Cal. ” Lynda smiled at the two of you sweetly, before she nodded her head towards the house as though she was giving the both of you some needed reassurance that you were allowed inside. She then turned to the two men standing next to her, a hand being placed on her hip as she ushered the two, “ Now of the both of you, scoot your butts inside and get ready for dinner, it’ll be ready before either of you can shoot out another teasing remark towards poor Cal and his company. ”

“ Do ya need help with the bags, Cal? ” Strip called from the porch as he made his way over to the porch steps. Behind him, Tex was laughing while Lynda ushered him inside, knowing he wouldn’t help either of you with your bags.

“ Nope, I think we got it, Uncle. ” After sneaking a peek into the car, something you were about to do before being interrupted, Cal began making his way over to the steps of the porch with you in tow. Now you understood why Cal had told you to pack as many close-toed shoes that were comfortable yet sturdy to walk around in. You were looking around at the property near the house as the two of you walked in and noticed the mass amount of land that was just grass; the only paths having been made by the mass amount of feet that had compacted the dirt to the point of forming the trails. Luckily, you had listened to your boyfriend.. Despite your slight inclination to not listen to him when he told you just for the funnies.

With a nod of his head, Strip walked back towards the door of the house. It was a two-way door, with the door on the outside being like every other normal door and a screen door on the inside. “ Well, you heard your Aunt. Supper’s gonna be ready as soon as y’all come down from setting your bags down. So hurry yourselves. ” Strip gained a little nod from Cal as he passed through the door, though he stopped you before you could enter. “ And it’s finally nice to be able to host’ya in our home. ” Strip extended his hand and you met it with a small yet rather firm handshake.

“ Thank you Mr. The King. ” A small smile slipped your lips, while Strip chuckled a little from in front of you. He raised his left hand and waved it a little, reassuring you there was no need for any sort of formalities.

“ Please, no need to be so formal, just call me Strip. We’re family now, after all. ” With a pat on the back, Strip allowed you to enter their home. In which, you saw Cal waiting at you from the stairs with a slightly worried expression on his face. You cocked an eyebrow at him, snickering a little as you walked over to him. “ What, didn't think your Uncle would like me? ” You teased him lightly as Strip walked into the kitchen, allowing Cal to release the breath he was holding. You couldn’t help but playfully gasp a little and hit his shoulder.

“ What?! Can’t I be just a little nervous? ” Cal retorted, raising his hands a little in defense. In which you shook your head at, not believing he’d actually be nervous about his Uncle letting you inside of the house! And it’s not even like this was the first time you had met the racing legend, you usually got to talk to him a little bit when you went to go support Cal in his pits! Strip and you had been able to talk a good handful of times, enough to where you were more comfortable around him than Tex or Lynda.

You pushed past Cal, still shaking your head with a small smile, “ I can’t believe you, Mr. Weathers! Thinking your poor Uncle wouldn’t let me into the house. ” Cal followed you, rolling his eyes lightly but his worried look still lingering from before. He couldn’t help but be nervous when his Uncle had stopped you at the door like that out of nowhere!

“ He stopped ya’ out of nowhere, I had a right to be at least a little worried. '' As he defended himself, the two of you walked down the long hallway. The staircase cut somewhat in half of the hallway, leaving a left and a right of the hallway; in which the two of you walked over to the left, went around a corner and Cal opened the door at the end to you ‘tsking’ at him.

“ You’re such a worrier. Your Uncle is too nice to turn me away at the door when we had traveled here together. What was he going to do? Say I couldn’t come in because of X, Y, and Z and then tell me to go find a ride back to the city? Now we both know he would have never done something like that… Unless I was Chick Hicks. ” You continued as Cal rested the bags he had on the foot of the bed, and offered to take your bags so he could set them down. Though you passed him, giving him a kiss on the cheek as a ‘thank you’, as you placed the bags you had brought from the car next to the others.

Cal sighed a little, running his hands through his hair, “ I don’know, he might of. ” Cal sheepishly smiled at you, his brows frowned upwards. Again, you couldn’t help but shake your head at your boyfriend; someone who you loved dearly yet someone who you could also smack right upside the head sometimes. He was brilliant, but he too often lets his brilliant mind trick himself into thinking thoughts that were just not true.

You strolled over to Cal, giving him a gentle yet firm hug in an attempt to calm him down, “ Well, your Uncle loves me..” You paused for a moment and looked off to the side, a cheeky thought racing through your mind. You snickered a little, “ I hope- ”

“ You HOPE?! ” You laughed a little at Cal as he was instantly set off, panicking again as he parted from your hug. His hands landed on your shoulder as he looked down at you with worry. “ What do you mean you hope!? What happened? ” Your soft, airy giggles cut through his panic as your hands glided over to his arms, just by your soft touch and your unworried face, Cal could tell you were just joking with him. He let out a heavy sigh and sunk into his shoes a little, causing you to snort and laugh harder knowing you gave your poor boyfriend such a startle.

“ Well you never know, ” You continued, trying to speak through your laughter. Yet Cal was having none of this, he already had his own doubts about his Uncle, Aunt, and Tex accepting you into the family, he didn’t need to have you giving him gray hairs before he was 30. He turned you around, shaking his head as he pushed you out the door and followed right after you. “ Not today, please. ” His voice sounded tired, and you would have been tired of yourself too if you were in his shoes.

“ Aw, I’m sorry, Honey. ” Snickering, you leaned back and laid your head on his chest. Promptly, having done this many times before with you, Cal wrapped his arms around you but still was trying to get the two of you downstairs. There was a noticeable nervousness lingering on Cal’s face, you could tell by the two his eyebrows were slightly frowned upwards, his eyes were just ever so much softer, and there was a frown to his lips.

Leaning up, you planted a soft kiss on your boyfriend’s jaw, “ Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll love me as much as you do.. And if they don’t, I’ll love you all the same. We can run away to… Italy or something and live happily ever after there. ” Cal shook his head at you again as the two of you managed to walk down the flight of stairs, though he still smiled a little. In which, you knew you managed to cheer him up a little and allowed yourself to cup his cheeks and squish his face a little.

“ Alright, alrigh’! I understan’, no need to be worried. ” He chuckled lightly, sounding genuinely happy to have you there to keep him from worrying his butt off. He leaned down to plant a kiss on your forehead, yet was interrupted by none other than Mr. Dinoco himself;

“ What’s this what’s-it-talk about runnin’ away to Italy? ” Tex cut into the conversation with ease, causing Cal to jerk his head up and you to grow upset that you didn’t get your little kiss. Tex sat in a little breakfast table that was pushed towards the window parallel to the kitchen. His little comment had alerted the attention of Lynda and Strip, who were setting up the dining table for dinner.

Lynda poked her head in with a confused look, while Strip just walked by to get the remaining food on the stove, acting as though the comment was a casual Tuesday conversation. “ Runnin’ away to Italy? Pause, sweeties!- “ Lynda folded the cloth she had in her hand and put it into the pocket of her cooking apron, her hands were promptly placed on her hips right after. Her tone was assertive, but still friendly, “ No need to elope, I thought you both knew that by now! Because if we didn’t, you Uncle and Tex would have been runnin’ me up a wall as they threw a fit about your lover comin’! ”

“ Oh, I’m sorry, can you repeat the part you said that you support Cal and me? ” You jokingly leaned forward, cupping your hand behind your ear as you glanced up at Cal with a snicker. You cocked one of your eyebrows as he darted his eye to side and then at the ground, growing embarrassed of all his worry earlier. “ I get it, I get it.. I was being a worry wart. ” With a snort, you frowned your eyebrows playfully and smiled at your boyfriend, retailing with a “ You think? ”

With a shake of his head, Strip vanished into the dining room once again and Tex let out a howl of laughter as you outed your boyfriend. Lynda was not as amused as the two men, but she did smile sweetly at Cal as she walked over to the fridge to get a pitcher that was inside. “ Cal, honey… ” She started, her voice simmering down into a much more sweet tone. She turned back over to Cal, “ It’s sweet that you’re worryin’ about us accepting them, it shows you care. Now your Uncle and Tex, they won’t be as forgivin’.. But y’all need to wash up and get ready for supper. The table is set and I expect us to have a nice family dinner, no more of this elopin’ nonsense! ”

Cal responded with a soft, “ Yes Ma’am, ” then parted from you and walked over to the sink, in which you followed to simply be polite and respect the household rules. You found your place next to Cal and began to wash your hands as you noticed his face; he was a little flushed and you could tell he was embarrassed beyond belief at the whole ordeal that had just transpired in the kitchen.

“ So.. ” As soon as you started, Cal glanced over towards you. “ Are we still going to Italy? ”

Tex’s laughter grew louder from the dining room, as he had moved from his seat at the breakfast table. You were pretty sure you could hear Strip trying to muffle his own softer laughter and Lynda scolding the two lightly about eavesdropping. “ It ain’t eavesdroppin’ if we can hear their conversation from here, Lynda. ” Tex tried to save himself, though Lynda seemed to be having none of them today. At least it was reassuring to know that Lynda was more so on your side than Strip and Tex were, but from what you heard by Cal’s first hand accounts… she can tend to be a little ruthless too with teasing.

A cheeky grin spread across your face as Cal shook his head, though a small smile had twitched on the corner of his lips. “ If you really want to, Hun, we’ll go to Italy for a vacation. ” Cal sweetly responded, drying his hands with a rag before handing it off to you so you can do the same. As you dried your hands, Cal turned off the sink and waited for you to finish so the two of you could head into the dining room together.

“ Well, that took ya’ longer than it should have. Plannin’ your escape-? ” Lynda gently hit Tex with her hand, looking at him with a cheeky yet daring look; simply just asking him to say something again so she could have him go eat out with the dogs. Tex raised his hands in defense, “ Aye! I’m just curious, I migh’need to write their trip off as a business expense. ” As Lynda and Tex bickered lightly, not being harsh in words or actions, Cal pulled out your seat. He got a kiss on the cheek for his chivalry before you sat down, allowing him to push you in before taking his seat next to him. There was a spread of various different home-cooked plates such as: a bowl of thick and creamy mashed potatoes that made your mouth water, a watermelon salad, and a bowl of various assorted roasted vegetables. All food that complemented the main course, which was a well-done grilled steak that seasoned, glazed, and just made your stomach growl with anticipation.

From this meal and the joyous, light air that everyone shared around the house and still into the dinner table, you knew that this was going to be one wonderful vacation.

It had been a week since You and Cal had arrived at the Weathers family, and one less week he had to fulfill the plan he had in mind. He knew he had given himself a grace period of 2 days, 3 days max, because it would have been too soon into your stay for him to ask.. But now he’s about 7 days in and he doesn’t even know how he’s going to start. The thoughts flew through his head as he stood in front of a beautiful Applaloosa mare that stood in front of him, slighting digger her striped hooves into the dirt as her molten coat got brushed out by Cal; who couldn’t be paying any less attention to Cotton. So much so that Strip, who was brushing a handsome American Quarter stallion two stalls down from Cal, had to kick a bucket towards him to get Cal to snap out of his own thoughts.

Cal jerked back as the bucket clattered in the background. He turned to look at the bucket, confused on how it had suddenly moved, before hearing Strip snicker, “ Well, good’mornin’ sunshine. How was your open-eyed, bodily-functioning beauty sleep? ” Cal turned to look at his Uncle, thoroughly confused and a little dazed about what was happening. Strip could tell and he chuckled a little to himself, “ I called ya’ about 10 times, ya’ didn’t answer. I had to kick that bucket over to you so you’d snap out of your daze. So.. tell me, was it [y/n] or? ”

“ What?! No- I wasn’t!- ” Cal was quick to defend himself from his Uncle, but shortly became quiet as he knew he would be lying straight to his Uncle’s face if he continued that sentence. He shortly leaned over against Cotton with a defeated look on his face that caused Strip to chuckle a little at.

With one final, softer and weaker stroke, Strip paused on brushing out Apricot’s mane as he turned his full attention to his nephew, “ What’s wrong boy? You’ve seemed troubled ever since your second or third day of bein’here.. And your Aunt had picked up on it way before, maybe even the minute she had seen your face in the driveway. ” Strip slipped his hand out of the band attached to the brush as he set it down in its proper bin to be used for later, when he managed to get Cal to spill what has been on his mind lately.

Something that wasn’t a hard task, since Cal knew he could trust his Uncle, Aunt, and sometimes Tex, with anything he might want to tell them. So he lifted his head off of Cotton, though he still brushed her as he began to tell his Uncle what has been on his mind. All of the worries he was facing as well as the fact that he wasn’t sure when the perfect time to do all of this would be. He relayed how he knew he wanted to do this before the trip was over and before the second night, but also how his stomach just grew knotted and he felt a little snick even thinking about his plan. He wanted it all to go well and he wanted you to be happy with what he had in store, yet he wasn’t sure if this is what you’d want and if he should go through with all of this. What if you didn’t like it and said no? What if you criticized him about what he did and everything he told you? What if…

“ Son.. “ Strip had found himself leaning against a wooden post of a stall around the middle of Cal’s ranting. His voice catches Cal’s attention, causing him to jerk up from his slowly spiraling thoughts and caused him to give his Uncle a sheepish smile. “ Sorry.. “ He mustered out as his eyes darted to the ground beneath him, “ I just… want to make this perfect for them. ”

Strip knew he had to choose his words carefully at this moment, as he was on a fine line of making Cal realize that everything he was worrying about wasn’t as important as his brain was making it seem… and Lynda not being happy with him and having him sleep out with the dogs: Chase and Peach. With a soft click of his tongue, Strip found his words and gave his Nephew a small smile, “ Cal… I’ve seen the way the two of you look at each other. It’s filled with nothing but pure love, respect, admiration, and care about one’another. I’m sure anyone who even takes a glance at the two of you knows that you both want to be at each other’s side for as long as you can be, and that’s all that really matters. If they love you as much as you love them, and as much as Lynda and I think they do, than it won’t truly matter how you go about doin’ this. What matters is that you took the step to make it special, or to even do what you’re doin’ in the first place… because even that takes guts.

Do what you think is right and don’t listen to the voices in the back of ya’re head tellin’ you any different. ” Strip’s eyes softened a little at Cal, showing him that Strip genuinely meant what he was telling him. Cal kept his eyes on his Uncle for a moment before glancing over to Cotton, his hand slowly working through her mane again as he thought about his Uncle’s words for a moment. As he thought, he could hear his Uncle stand up from his leaning position and walk over to the bin of brushes; he took one out, strapped it back onto his hand, and went to go work through Apricot’s mane again.

A silence fell over the two before Cal took in a deep breath and let it out in a heavy puff, “ Maybe you’re right, Uncle… ” Cal began as he caught his tongue before he continued, thinking about his next words. Strip hummed towards him, verbally showing his Nephew that he was listening to his words even while working. Cal coniplated for a moment, nerves taking over him before he shook his head of all the nervous thoughts that kept piling up, “ I’ll do it tonight! Before supper, after we finished with the chores around the ranch, and after I take my shower. ” Cal nodded to mainly convince himself that he could do this and that he was going to do this! Tonight would be the night, tonight had to be the night; if he didn’t do it tonight, he wouldn’t do it on this trip and would continue to put this off.

“ I support your decision, boy. ” Strip hummed as he finished Apricot’s mane with one final, confident stroke. “ I’ll tell your Aunt to give you both some time before supper. But other than that, I better see them come back with that ring on their finger, or else you’ll be cleanin’ up the horse poop tomorrow. You hear me? ” “ Yes sir. ”

Leaning against the railing of the porch, your eyes stuck on the setting sun and all the colors it had painted the sky; the oranges mixed with the pinks, yellows, and baby blues. It was a picture you weren’t able to see often due to the busy life of a nascar racer paired with living in the city. If you weren’t at your sponsor’s training center, you were on the road, if you weren’t there you were at the next racing track practicing, if not then you were at home or with Cal relaxing. Nothing really left time in your schedule, or even a thought in your brain, to go outside and look at the setting sun in all of its beauty.

A small smile was plastered on your face, a smile that Cal loved so much and a smile on a face he couldn’t like but watch as your amazement slowly framed your face. He took in a deep breath and let it out, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the pole behind him as he thought to himself; he reminded himself that he’d had to leave with you soon, that he had to make good on his word with his Uncle and return with you happier than both of you were at this moment. At the minimum, he has to at least try.

So after a moment of rest, Cal kicked himself back onto his feet, “ I’ll be right back, hun. ” He told you softly, causing you to roll your head over in his direction to glance at him. The same smile lingered on your face as you nodded towards your boyfriend before turning back to the sky above the two of you. Cal walked off towards the stables, shaking off his nerves as he released his arms from the tense cross they had been subjected to ever since the sun first started setting. You hadn’t questioned him, in fact you seemed too peaceful to question him about it.

You had taken notice of some of his nerves, but you didn’t bring it up because he noticed how peaceful he usually was here. It made you soften as you watched Strip and Cal trying to cook breakfast for everyone while Lynda was asleep, yet they had ended up starting a small food fight with flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, etc. Soon enough they had begun to rough house on the floor, laughing and trash talking each other to the point where they had accidentally woke Lynda up and caused her to nearly drop dead at the state of her kitchen. She forced the two boys to go out to the yard and hose themselves down as the dogs had raided the kitchen and began to make the mess worse. Tex and you had been sitting at the breakfast table, both losing your minds laughing at the whole ordeal. You couldn’t help at giggle at another situation where Tex had purposefully opened the pen of the cattle so Lynda, him, and you could watch as Cal and Strip panicked and struggled to rangle in all the cattle; of course, he was ready with his own horse to jump on and help them if a cattle escaped, but they had managed to bring everyone back home.

This place and these people, you knew, were Cal’s family; not only by blood but by choice. He loves his Uncle, Aunt, and Tex with everything he had and you knew he would do anything to have summers like this last forever.

The painted sky made you smile, but the memories made on this ranch made you grin and come to peace. You inhaled the sweet country air and leaned your head back to take everything in; if you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t want this summer to end either. No worries about the press, no worries about meeting quota for your sponsor, no worries how your words would be taken out of context… There was nothing to worry about; there was just love, playfulness, and a wide open yard that held a big southern family who had big hearts and bigger attitudes towards each other.

And that’s what made you love being here.

And these are the people and home who made the man you love today.

And this is the man you love; truly, wholly, with everything you have, forever and always.

The barking of Chase and Peach, the Weather’s Border Collie and Australian Shepherd, followed by the footsteps of trotting hooves brought you out of your train of thought. Your attention was captured to the general area in which the stables laid from the house, causing you to take notice of your boyfriend making his way over to you. He was mounting on top of Cotton and made a gentle yet gentle stop right in front of where you were relaxing, “ Care for a sunset right? ” Cal asked with a small smile and a hopeful gleam in his eye that pulled you in, causing you to become curious of what he was planning; you knew Cal all to well, in such you knew that when he got that hopeful gleam in his eye he was hoping for whatever he was planning to go just right.

So you entertained him, taking his hand as he held it out to you and mounted Cotton. “ Remember, ” Cal started as he shuffled up, allowing you to have a more comfortable spot on the saddle. He let go of the reins for a moment and reached back, cupping his hands over yours and brought them around his waist. “ Hold on tight and don’t let go. ” You hummed softly as you shuffled closer to Cal, who kept his hands on yours for a moment. A dorky smile had snaked its way on his face as he relished in your hold for a moment before gently kicking Cotton in the side, clicking his tongue a few times to get her to start going. After a steady start, Cal released his hands from cupping yours and took control of the reins again.

You had a sneaky suspicion he didn’t want to, in which you leaned a little closer to him and planted a kiss on the back of his neck. You can feel him warm up a little, in which you laughed at because he was simply just too adorable.

A trot through the ranch, which had had all the lanterns lighten… your favorite time of each day, being able to see the fireflies dance around and mingle with the stronger light of the lanterns. Than a trot through the nearby forest trail as the sun peeked through the opening in the leaves, leaving enough light where the forest was dim but not dark. It was beautiful seeing the patches of orange-sun playing hide and seek as they two of you trotted by, making your way towards a clearing that Cal knew all too well. He had walked this path many times, and he had always imagined taking you down this path one day.

Of course he imagined coming down this path with you first to ask you to be his lover; yet you had beaten him to it before he could do it! You had asked during a date right after one of his biggest wings in a piston cup season. It was a little cliche, but it still made Cal’s stomach fill with butterflies as he remembers the day;

You had invited him over to your home for dinner, in which the two of you would cook instead of going out to eat. It always ended up in some cute food fight the two of you would have to clean up before you ate, this time it had been flour as it had been decided that you guys had to eat cupcakes after dinner! And Cal was feeling devious that day, having flicked flour in your direction and caused a little war between you two with flowers being thrown back and forth. He can still remember your light but charming laughter as the two of you ran around your kitchen just chucking flour at each other, trying to see who can make the other more white. And when you both had declared a winner, sadly it had been you, the two of you sat on the floor and couldn’t help but get all your laughter out.

And your question had come out of nowhere, he was sure it had come out of nowhere, “ Hey Cal, ” You began, turning your head in his direction and he matched your movement. You had been speaking through your fit of laughter, “ How would you feel if I asked you to be my boyfriend right now? ” You had cocked your eyebrow up, a light snicker to the corner of your lip. He remembered he felt so warm, having flushed bright red and looked away from you.

But even despite his reaction, he managed to mumble out a, “ I think I… would say yes.. ” And he remembered how gentle you were in cupping his cheeks; and how loving and soft your eyes look staring into his eyes as you turned his head to face you; and… how perfect it just felt to finally have you be his as you kissed him and he kissed you back.

That day was one of the best days in Cal’s life, and he wouldn’t change any of it for the world. You were one of the only people who he strived to be better for. You made him a better man than he could be on his own and he couldn’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for him.

You were his world, and he hoped he could show you just how much you meant to him.

Cal clicked his tongue at Cotton, causing you to raise your head from off his back in confusion and take a look around. The two of you had broken through to a less wooden area of the forest trail which now allowed you to see the beautiful sight of a sunset at a small beachy area. Cotton trotted off path, leaning you both down to the beach before she stopped right next to a big oak tree, allowing Cal to swing his legs over her and dismount. He turned to you with a small smile, extending his hand out to help you dismount… and you thought he was simply going to do that as you went to take his offer. Yet then he cheekily slid his hands around your waist, pulling you off Cotton himself before he spun you around.

“ Cal! ” Laughter escaped your lips, your hands defaulting to be placed on his shoulders as he chuckled after you; seeming rather amused by your sudden shocked face. He connected your foreheads as he continued to spin you around for a hot moment; simply basking in your presence and your laughter before he slowed down and placed you back down on the ground.

You gave him a cheeky look and playfully slapped his shoulder, “ Now what was that for, mister? ” Your tone was as light as fluffed butter, yet still playful; Cal’s eyes softened for a moment before he snickered just a little at the corners of his lips, “ What? I can’t show you how much I love you? ” He queered back, placing his hands on his hips and pretending as though you had offended him a little.

To which he heard a shake of the head from you, “ Whatever you say, hun. ” Yet, Cal knew he had succeeded in giving you little butterflies in your stomach by his simple gesture. He could tell by the light flush on your cheeks and your slight dorky, love sick smile. It was always small moments like that where you’d become flustered, love sick for him as he was for you; as no matter how long the two of you might have been together, Cal always carried a puppy love essence in the relationship he was glad you could reciprocate. It always made him heart skip a beat whenever he knew he was able to make you flush, laugh, or simply just enjoy life at that moment… because he just wants to make you as happy as he can; You deserve it after all.

“ Why did you bring me out here, Cal? ” Yet Cal had to snap out of his loving gaze towards you as you turned to look at him, lips pierced together and a quizzical look on your face.

“ Oh!- ” Dammit.. Cal didn’t think of an excuse he could spew to you, his mind had been too focused on making sure he knew exactly what to say to you and where to bring you. Cal glanced off to the side, nerves hitting him all of a sudden as the only thing he could think of at this moment was, “ I just… wanted to show you how beautiful the sunset was from here; you keep telling me how pretty it was from the front porch. ” He explained, rubbing the back of his neck. Thankfully, you didn’t seem to outright question him on his motives; something you would usually do whenever he began to rub his neck when speaking to you. He was thankful for that… but also a little terrified because something in the back of his mind poked him ever so gently, telling him that you knew about his plan.

But all those worries melted away like ice cream in the summer heat as you took his hand, “ Then come on you dummy, ” You started with that smile he loved so much. “ What’s the use of standing here when we can get a better look from out there. ” You had gestured out into the small open beach, earning a nod from Cal.

The two of you traversed down the beach, hand-in-hand, like two couples in a cliche rom-com and halted at the shore, where the view of the sunset was the clearest. And then everything was silent, minus for the splashing and washing of the ocean’s waves and the gentle wind that shook the trees. And the silence was comfortable, even more so when you had leaned over to Cal and rested your head on his shoulder.

And everything was perfect.

A perfect sunset. A perfect gentle breeze. A perfect view…

A perfect moment.

A perfect… Oh…

Cal turned his eyes to glance at you, a gentle glaze that took in everything about you. Who you were inside and out; how bright you could light up a room, how your off-handed dad jokes with Tex and Strip always seemed to shift the mood in the pits during a tough game, how you refused to give up on following your passions, how you loved him no matter if he won or lost… how intelligent you are and how beautiful you are… and how much he loves you.

Oh. How perfect you are .

You are more perfect than the sunset.

You are more perfect than the gentle breeze.

You are more perfect than the view.

You are more perfect than a perfectly drawn circle.

You are more perfect than a meadow of blooming sunflowers.

You were more perfect than the most symmetrical, glistering diamond.

You are more perfect than Cal himself.

You are more perfect than anything and everything, all at once.

And Cal wasn’t sure how he ended up with someone like you, someone so perfect in his eyes; but no matter how he managed to end up with someone like you, he was glad to have you with him. No, no. He was more than glad. He was more overjoyed and grateful than words could ever explain…

And oh… He didn’t know how he was going to explain that all to you; he possibly couldn’t explain the unexplainable to you.

“ Cal? ” Your voice was gentle and soft, it had caught his attention though he already had all his attention on you; because he would rather take in that you were here with him rather than the sunset that laid in front of him. A sunset, no matter how much it tried, could never be more perfect or beautiful than you were.

“ Yes, dear? ” He answered you with a softer voice than you've heard before. It was full of love and endearment, and you melted a little in hearing his voice.

“ You’re staring at me. ” You rubbed his hand a little with your thumb.

“ I know… ” He admitted, a small hum to his voice as he didn’t avert his eyes from yours. It was the first time he didn’t look away, flushing when you pointed out that he was staring at you.

The two of you stared at each other for a moment, silently agreeing that in that moment nothing else nor no one else existed; it was simply you and Cal, Cal and you, and a sunset that was not as perfect as you were in Cal’s eyes.

“ [your name]... ” Cal started, his breath a little airy as he started, causing you to cock an eyebrow up at him in confusion. But you still kept your small smile, causing him to feel much more calm than he would have. He took in a deep breath, squeezing your hands a little before he began to speak to you again, “ I have to come clean with you… I… didn’t bring you here to look at a pretty sunset with you. ”

Slipping one of his hands out of yours, Cal placed it into his pocket while glancing down at it. You hadn’t noticed to square shape that defined his pocket until now, “ And I don’t know what exactly to tell you right now… because I’ve rehearsed this so many times to myself in my heads, in my dreams, and whenever I look at you… but… no words ever feel just right to tell you in a moment like this; and I don’t think there will ever be the just perfect words I’m searching for.

So… ” And he paused again, slowly returning his eyes back to yours; he noticed the gleam in your eyes and how they seemed a little extra watery, looking like you were about to cry. He reached out, cupping your cheek while looking at you so gently. He tried talking again yet his words caught on his throat a little, causing him to stifle before he let out soft chuckles. He was about to cry himself. You couldn’t help but laugh at him, and how much of a dork he was being, as you reached your own hands up and cupped his face.

“ Go on, ” You reassured him, “ I’m listening to you. ”

“ So I… ” He gently pulled away from you before slowly lowering himself down onto one knee. “ …was wondering… ” He pulled out a velvet wedding ring box, “ …if you would make me the happiest man in the world and marry me. ” He popped the box open, showing you one of the most gorgeous engagement rings you’ve ever seen, yet one that also looked all too familiar.

“ Oh.. Cal.. “ You gasped a little, your hands covering your mouth as you realized why the ring looked all too familiar.

“ It was the first ring that had caught your eye in that jewelry store when we had first talked about marriage. It had made you so excited… and I knew from that day, I wouldn’t have you wearing any other engagement ring. ” Tears slowly began to roll down your cheeks, “ I… love you so much, [your name]. You’re the first thing I think about when I wake up and my last thoughts before bed. You make me a better man and any moment with you in my life is a moment I always want to cherish and keep; I don’t think I could ever handle a day where you were not here by my side, helping me and pushing me… so please… ”

Cal didn’t get a chance to ask you the same question twice before you pulled him onto his feet and into a sweetly sick loving kiss. He was surprised at first, not having expected you to do something like that … but then he warmed into it, knowing you had actually accepted to marry someone like him. In which he wrapped his arms around your waist, making sure to close the ring box just encase, and pull you close to him.

This moment wasn’t exactly how he’d imagine it going, how he had planned it in his head; but, just like you had asked him to be your lover, he wouldn’t change this for the world.

This moment was just as perfect as you were… and he didn’t want it to end. He wanted to be in your arms forever and always, in good health and in bad, until death do part the two of you in old age.

Because Oh..

Oh…

He loves you so much.

And you love him.

And that’s all the two of you needed for ever and always…

And neither of you would have it any other way.

© ᵇᵉˡᵒⁿᵍˢ ᵗᵒ ˣᵒˣᵒʷʳⁱᵗⁱⁿᵍᶜˡᵘᵇ ᵈᵒ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵖˡᵃᵍᵃʳⁱᶻᵉ , ʳᵉᵖᵒˢᵗ , ᵒʳ ᵘˢᵉ ᵃˢ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵒʷⁿ . ˡⁱᵏᵉˢ, ʳᵉᵇˡᵒᵍˢ, ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵃᵛᵉˢ ᵃʳᵉ ᵃᵖᵖʳᵉᶜⁱᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵒᵘᵍʰ~

[bloodonmysqueegee]

ASM ISSUE 30. I HAVE OPINIONS. SIT DOWN.

I told you I was gonna review any issues that are vaguely superior spidey related and that includes this one. And this one was certainly intriguing! Intresting ideas, the issues it has just stem from the entire run itself sooooo

So here we goo- superior spidey (but like the bootleg)

So here's the things I do like:

Superiors memories, or whatever echo of them are in the arms do affect Peter and while it was brief it was pretty fun. I like how Peter's posture shifts to look like Superiors (in like one panel but shhhh)

Otto and Peter (bootleg superior edtion) bickering was kinda fun to see hshdhsh Thats a concept I kinda love hehsh,.z.

The arms try to sacrifice themselves for Peter in one panel. Me when sad character growth,.,. Nice to see them technically working together tho

It's pretty much confirmed now that superior is in those arms, probably just an echo of his memories, but it could also literally be him because of how aware the arms are and that's a bit freaky and now I feel bad

The implications behind whatever was left of superior in the arms trying to literally strangle doc ock, that's harrowing in context but a intresting concept they could use because man is gonna need some SERIOUS therapy when he gets out

Also also I love that the arms punch Norman every chance they get 100% the most superior spiderman thing they would do

Things I'm a bit iffy on:

Kinda weird that everyone still kinda treats the arms as pets. I mean Jameson does at least. I know we don't know for sure how the arms work with like, Doc's memories but if he is like, aware and sentient in there OOO MAN that makes this so much weirder. Free my boy and don't treat him like that

How the fuck does Peter not suspect somethings up with the arms seemingly containing a separate consciousness. Bro hasn't even really investigated them yet

All my other complaints aren't for this issue but rather complaints for the entire Zeb Wells run itself like Doc Ock back to being an evil goofy villain that needs to get beat up again (like can we not, he doesn't need that anymore) and also on a 10x worse note, reminding me that Zeb Wells killed Ms. Marvel for no reason. I know she'll be back alive soon ut she didn't have do die the way she did 4 issues ago and Aughhhh I cannot get into that rn do not start with me

But yeah those things aren't exactly complaints with this issue so YIPPEE MOVING ON

Buddies.,., pals even

Yeah the only other thing I'll mention is what I talked about in my last couple of posts is that I'm a bit worried on how they are bringing superior back into the present without using time travel or clones (because giving the title back to og doc ock seems a bit out of the question cuz hes still evil for some reason ((I'll rant again if I go into that more)) but unfortunately that seems like it's the case rn)

It might not be that big an issue, I'll still read the new series when it comes out, but I'm just really hoping that they do him right. STILL EXCITED FOR OCTOBER THO YIPPEE NEW FOOD AND CONTENT LETS JUST HOPE ITS GOOD <3<3

Also apparently the next issue is gonna have a teaser for the next superior book, so I'll be sure to post about that :]

[the-old-mayhem]

Part 2

About selling demos etc, we know men that want to sell Metallica bootlegs here (the ones Fredde still has left, I guess), + maybe other records (Aggressor, Cloudblast- France, Deathrage - Italy, BulldozerlX, Agatockles single.) Do you know if these are available to buy somewhere else, for example CK. Brain ?? In that case we can't sell these.... (7+ Mayhem shirts).

The other groups- where Karlén is, we were (maybe you already know) with them at the recording. It may happen now this winter. Then it suits everyone to just put the crap together and maybe everyone will afford the studio cost. Is the mixer at Sunshine ok? The only thing that needs to be special in a studio is how the gears are set up, for f*ck's sake, and some speakers that just stand there. Screw channels and those things. We are probably not gonna need that damn much. Uffe can not have his solo career on this single and John is barely coming with solos. This could be quite soon. So John has started moving, which is always good. I'm also writing with some in Täby by the way. Metal might hit Åkersberga soon (I hope not ). Well this was entertaining. Time to shut up. I'll probably send some postcards.

Þrjár íslandsleiðir

PER

(Sidenote: Icelandic phrase at the end translates to "Three icelandic routes" and it is written wrongly, it should have been íslenskar leiðir, or at least that's what google translator says! 🦇)

Letter translation by @the_ghastly_escape_pod on ig

Picture taken by @vetelin_mies on ig

Follow @the.old.mayhem on instagram

[all-the-pacs]

#5 - PacMan2 (1981)

(ODE TO JOY STARTS BLARING)

What? The New Adventures? Nope. Ms. Pac-Man? Absolutely not. Super Pac-Man? Nowhere to be found! This, dearest readers, is the first instance of a game proclaiming itself to be the sequel to Pac-Man being used.

Here's the thing--this game almost didn't make the cut. Why? Plain and simple, it started out as a bootleg. Yep, it turns out she was not the first one to have that origin story (and if you're wondering why we're ominously saying "she", well... You'll see in due time, if you haven't caught on by the emphasis on her pronouns.) See, Entex--the manufacturers of this machine--originally made a Space Invaders handheld like this, but without asking Bally Midway, the then-publishers of the game in the west. Bally Midway tried to sue, and the court favored... In Entex's favor. Thusly, for a brief, brief period of time, before they decided to focus more on the Coleco Tabletop that released very near to this, Bally Midway must've figured "Ehh, what the heck." and decided to just hand them the license for their Pac-Man version. Named PacMan2. Because...

...We don't really know. We've heard rumors it's because this was the "first" Pac-Man game to feature a form of concurrent multiplayer, but the Coleco Tabletop either narrowly beat it out or narrowly didn't beat it out, depending on when that released; those both roughly released in 1981, but nobody's for certain when in 1981, considering early-era Video Game release dates are infamously a nightmare to confirm for certain. Hence, we figured we'd discuss this one right now, after Coleco Tabletop, just because it makes sense. (Also, when this thing had a brief release in Japan, they just eschewed this altogether by calling it "Hungry Pac".)

At any rate, we did say Bally Midway was allowed, and this was technically published by them, even if only for a few weeks or months, so... Welcome to the blog, PacMan2 Entex!

Also, this game, similarly to the Coleco Tabletop Pac-Man game, is on the Internet Archive, free for you to just kinda play it in-browser. Handy!

So, uh. Aside from the weird upbringing this game had, This game definitely feels at least a little more like a weird downgraded version of Pac-Man, we'll say that much! You still have extremely choppy movement in the Coleco Tabletop, but y'know. Ghosts actually look like ghosts! The maze is closer to the Arcade maze--there is some weird asymmetry as the ghost pen is closer to the left and there are pellets surrounding it, not to mention Pac-Man starts directly below it, but at least it kinda looks like the original maze. While there's only 2 ghosts, they can't do a 180 like the Coleco Tabletop ones. There are even functional tunnels to the left and right, though they are directly embedded in the wall rather than jutting out.

Power pellets are... Weird in this version. For one, they can't exactly change colors or remove features from the solid-sheeted ghosts in this version, so they just kinda... Flicker the ghost sprite to depict a ghost is vulnerable. Which definitely is a problem when we use static screenshots, huh? And when you eat a ghost, it displays a ghost and Pac-Man on the same tile, but displays the additional points on the score itself... But removes the trailing zeroes in front of it, so you know you gained 20 points, rather than just had your score set to 20. Also, yeah, you gain 20 points, not 200--kind of unsurprising that they'd divide every score by 10 (including making normal pellets only give 1 point!), seeing as they only had 4 digits to work with. (To be fair, Coleco Tabletop also truncated scores, it's just way more noticeable here since this is much lower-scoring overall with only 2 ghosts.)

Aside from that, uh... our adventures here were mostly short-lived. We were able to verify a 2-player mode exists! But without an actual second player, and without us able to figure out how to set the game to 2-player mode (there was no scan of the manual, and the setting we saw on MAME that seemed to set this up would crash the in-browser emulator. Weird.), we were kind of just left with what we could access this time. Weirdly, when we mashed the "start game" a bit, one time we got the game to start with three ghosts instead of two? And we once saw it mentioned it's possible to have four ghosts? No idea how that happened, and no idea how to replicate it.

Also, dying in this game--as well as game overs--are weird. You know how the "ate a ghost with a power pellet" animation displays Pac-Man with a ghost, but changes your score to a flat 20/40/etc.? Yeah, dying to a ghost has the same visual, but you just... See your ordinary score. Yep, it has the same animation.

Regardless of how scuffed this was--both in terms of gameplay and trying to run it--we think this was a more-or-less fine enough time, even if there wasn't much to talk about gameplay wise. But, we think that's fine enough. Sometimes, a game's best story really is just in how it exists in the first place!

And... That's 1981! Yep, we're all done with this year, and with it, we're done with LCD games for a long, long time. Next week we officially enter 1982, and with it, we're playing... Probably the most anticipated game since the actual ordinary version of Pac-Man. See you next time around!

A special thank you goes out to handheldgaming.com, with which this particular post would be a LOT less in-depth than it was.

[greensparty]

MTV News Breaking News on Kurt Cobain's Death

On April 5, 1994 Kurt Donald Cobain died at age 27. His body was not found until April 8 when an electrician went to the home and discovered the body. Hard to believe its been 30 years. 

Cobain at Nirvana's MTV Unplugged taping

I’ve talked before about April 5 in Seattle music history here. I’ve talked even more times about Cobain and Nirvana. Of all celebrity deaths, that is one that had a big impact on me. I had just started high school in the Fall of 1991 when Nirvana’s Nevermind was released and their music was the soundtrack to high school for me. Skip ahead to April 8. I was at an after-school job and the radio was on. It was WBCN I believe. The DJ reported that a dead body had been found at the home of Kurt Cobain in Seattle. No more information was given. It wasn’t clear if Kurt was gone or if someone had died on the property. That night, my step-sister was at our house and she asked me “are you in mourning?”, I didn’t know what she meant at first, so she followed up, “Kurt Cobain. He’s dead.”. I didn’t want to believe it. So I immediately went to my room and turned on WFNX. They were playing Nirvana all night and taking calls from listeners (’FNX were early supporters of Nirvana and some say they are the ones who broke them by playing Nevermind before it was even released). In the days and weeks that followed, I listened to Nirvana nonstop. I also picked up every newspaper and magazine I could get my hand on with an obit (Newsweek, Village Voice, Entertainment Weekly, People, Rolling Stone, etc) and I watched MTV News’ coverage of the vigil with Courtney Love reading the note to the audience. It was a lot to process, especially as a teenager.

Cobain with 1-year-old Frances Bean and Courtney Love at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards

Last year when MTV shut down MTV News, one of the big things I remembered was their coverage of Cobain's passing. Much of the media looked at it as a drugged-out rock star who couldn't handle success. MTV News treated it as an important musician for teens and 20-somethings at that time. Someone who spoke to this generation's feelings and anxieties. At exactly the moment I was in high school, here was a band that was singing about confusion, alienation and rebellion. The music spoke to me. MTV News was also sensitive in their reporting as they included suicide-prevention info in their coverage as well. After the initial report, they did further coverage in their Week In Rock show and did a full Nirvana tribute special a few weeks later (still have my copy!).

Cobain in 1989 when Nirvana played Boston

Over the years, I’ve continued to enjoy Nirvana live and compilation albums and I’ve also continued to follow both Kris Novoselic and Dave Grohl’s respective musical journey as well. The fact that there were only 3 studio albums from Nirvana has only fed my interest in seeking out rarities and live bootlegs. We can only imagine what would have happened for Cobain as a musician and creative force if he had lived. But at least he left us so many gifts to remember him by: Bleach, Nevermind, In Utero and MTV Unplugged to name just a few! 

Here is that MTV News report from April 8, 1994 where Kurt Loder broke the news.

[theredtours]

my parents accidentally found themselves on the red tour side of youtube recently. sadly they didn't get it but this means that you left a real big fucking legacy with your bootleg, which imo is something to be proud of 😊 (ok to post publicly)

Aww, this is so heartwarming. 💕

I am genuinely still so happy that one of my lasting impacts in the fandom was being able to provide us with some good quality content from the Japan show during the Red Tour, as we never actually got a movie. I'll always be sad about that. If I had known that would be the case, I definitely would have recorded my entire show and not just the secret song.

The real thanks go to whomever originally pressed and sold the audio via eBay though (still in shock that I won that bid, eleven years later), and to Drew (@itssodamnfunny) who helped me with the whole audio editing process. Without them, we may have never actually had the audio from the show, or at the very least, it'd be quite hard to come by.

[bro3256]

Reproductions are just Counterfeits with a different name

Since the dawn of time, video games have been copied illegally and sold on the second hand market without the endorsement of license holders. However it was pretty easy to tell the difference between a legit copy of a game and a bootleg. You couldn't fool anyone that this was a legit copy of Super Mario Bros. 3, right?

They were often sold for cheap, or in some cases were able to be rented. However as console gaming moved from cartridges to discs these bootleg cartridges slowly started to fade away in western markets. They didn't completely disappear but the prominence of them dwindled up until the 2000s. Then slowly but surely, we started to see cartridges pop up that look like the real deal but are actually counterfeit.

These are often called "Reproductions" or "Repros" for short. Despite the new name, the purpose of these cartridges still serve the exact same purpose as those bootleg cartridges from decades ago. Except this time these repros were made to look real to the point where it can fool people who don't know any better. Sure the hardcore collector can easily tell which is real or counterfeit, but everyone else?

But wait! There are also cases of "reproductions" being made of games that technically don't exist. Here we have a copy of Kid Dracula on NES which... hang on a minute! This was a Famicom game that never left Japan which never saw an NES release. This also seems to contain an English fan translation which I doubt the manufacturer of this cartridge got permission to use that for this cartridge. So wait why even call this a reproduction to begin with? This isn't mimicking anything that exists, it's no different to any other counterfeit cartridge.

There's also folks who consider modern cartridges such as this to be "reproductions". This is not trying to replicate anything that exists. It's a bootleg multicart, it's also not a "fake" game. The games on this cartridge are very real but the cartridge itself is worth next to nothing due to it being counterfeit.

There's also a huge issue with "reproductions" being sold for an absurd markup. Even if its not trying to replicate an existing game, why would you spend around $40 for what is essentially an unlicensed cartridge that realistically is worth dirt. If your argument is because this allows you to play these games on original hardware then invest in a flash cartridge or anything that lets you run rom files on original hardware which negates ever considering purchasing any of this.

I'm not a huge fan of calling all these newly manufactured cartridges reproductions when there are many which clearly do not fall under the actual definition of a reproduction. For something to be labeled as a reproduction it must replicate the original such as this EarthBound cartridge.

It's clearly based on the real thing and without further inspection looks close enough to the authentic cartridge. Compare that to other cartridges such as this seemingly innocent North American cartridge of Animal Crossing. The thing is that this never left Japan at least on the N64. So would you call this a reproduction?

Going by the actual definition it does not qualify due to it not replicating the original cartridge but instead mocking up what an American copy would look like. Since its distinct from the original cartridge I find it hard to call it a reproduction when it isn't even reproducing anything outside of the core game within (with a stolen fan translation might I add). If you were to give it a label it's simply a counterfeit or unlicensed cartridge despite the fake ESRB and Nintendo seal on the cartridge.

If I had to guess as to the reason why everything of this nature is labeled as reproductions is probably just to cover up the fact that these are by nature unauthorized copies of games which in return technically falls under copyright infringement. So its likely that this term is widespread to cover up that fact. That's not to say I'm completely against cartridges like this in general. I like collecting the odd bootleg cartridge every so often, but these newer cartridges don't appeal to me. I'll just stick to either buying original copies or play these games on flash cartridges.

[rotteneldritchhorror]

wait we’re allowed to ask about south park? fuck it tell me your south park headcanons fuckboy

well shit this is gonna be a long post because i dont just love the main boys (love is a strong word for some of em) but i also love random obscure characters and even background characters that never speak soooooo....

also! before i start! i mostly headcanon these characters under the idea that theyre like- 19 since i dont have many thoughts other than canon for while theyre the age theyre at in the show itself

Kenny (starting with my favorite who i project the most onto i think): 5'9, pansexual (and romantic), genderfluid girlboything princessgender princessboy genderfuck genderpunk ADHDgender hypererotigender wingedgender transfemme who steals money from their parents to buy estrogen off of like- amazon in bulk and probably sells some to other transfemmes with shitty parents who wont let them transition. for pronouns, is definitely fine with any and all, literally impossible to misgender this creature, but prefers he/she/they/it/xe/ze/angel pronouns. probably started growing his hair out at like 15 and gave up on trying to keep it short and managable, steals makeup from the dollar store for both herself and it's sister, definitely goes punk at some point (all of his pants are crust pants cause they dont get washed /j), and has a shit tonne of patched clothing both for necessity (he still owns his parka even though hes too big for it, probably cut up the sides and sized it up with a bunch of old clothes that dont get used anymore in the family, definitely has stick and poke tattoos (he probably gave a cute lil bow or heart stick and poke tattoo to Karen and angelself a matching one so theyd always have a reminder of each other no matter what) and definitely is the resident bootleg piercer for those who wanted them when they were younger but their parents didnt let them (Craig, stan, probably kyle, definitely tweek) or those who just straight up dont have the money to get professionally pierced. full of many disorders, specifically: autism, ADHD, bipolar, c-ptsd, BPD, combined generalised and focal photosensitive epilepsy, and probably some level of psychosis from all the trauma and drugs

(thats so much and its just one character lol- welcome)

i dont have many hcs about the other 3 main boys?

Kyle: asexual (sex-favourable or indifferent), biromantic, 5'11, transneu agender enby who uses he/they pronouns. has ADHD and his canonical diabetes

Stan: 5'10, bi demiboy and nonbinary man who uses he/they/it pronouns. Puerto Rican/asian/white mixed (i flip flop between east asian or south-east asian, or both- but we vibe). has depression ADHD, BPD and autism, probably got more into grungy/fairy grunge/whimsigoth fashion as he got older, or at least tries to marry goth, grunge and hippie fashion cause he definitely still holds the values associated with those subcultures, probably got suppppeeerrr into politics and protesting at some point, probably steals signs, probably collaborates with Kenny to steal from big stores (just kenny does it to survive and stan does it out of principle)

Cartman: 5'4 and VERY insecure about it, bi and transfemme but like super hyper closeted (i think he probably eventually gets more chill with his own sexuality, but is super super mega bigoted about literally everyone else. him being into men is fine but anyone else is a fag (derogatory). i have hcs for his disorders but i feel like listing them automatically sounds like im demonising them when im not

Butters: 5'5 (and eric fucking HATES her for it), demisexual and pan, nonbinary genderqueer genderfae bungender/traumabungender sanriogender hellokittygender autigender transfemme demigirl who uses she/they/he/bun/soft/lu/🌸/🌈/☀️/🌧/🫧/🪻/🩰/🧼/🎀/🌀 pronouns. has... so many disorders. Autism, c-ptsd, ptsd, night terrors, dissociative amnesia, DPD, delusional disorder, Alice in Wonderland syndrome and a complete blindness in his left eye (for kinda obvious reasons? maybe?). bun changes their name (legally) to Marjorine Leopold Stotch as soon as she turned 18 (without her parents permission), but still uses the nickname Butters because it doesnt feel that gendered to lu. soft sometimes has delusions of being in VR or dead. His parents refuse his diagnoses because it means they did something wrong (which they obviously did lol) so they dont give him medication, Marj mainly gets 🌸s meds from Kenny, Tweek, Tammy Warner (from that one episode where kenny gets a girlfriend whos a 'slut'), and the goth kids (most of them because they have been perscribed the medication, or, in Kenny's case, because they buy/trade perscription drugs). started transitioning without 🌈 parents' knowledge.

Craig: 5'11, gay and demiromantic, outerspacetix voidgender/agender man who uses he/it pronouns. is just- very mixed- its indigenous/south-east asian/peruvian/black/white and is adopted. has ASPD and autism. his 'exception people' (i dont know if thats the official phrase for it, but people with ASPD apparently can have certain people that bring out strong emotions in them- dont take my word for it though, this is second hand info from someone with ASPD i used to watch on tiktok lol) are Tweek, Thomas (from the tourrettes episode) and Stripe (yes, his guinea pig- sh). he's pretty okay at masking emotions when he needs to (mostly to make his boyfriends feel better and in an attempt to sooth their anxieties). he probably starts getting into grunge/punk at some point during his teens- he probably has a patch jacket/battle jacket thats covered in a mix of political and astrology/space related patches. his spin is space, absolutely.

Clyde: 5'8, spanish/east asian bi man (i go back and forth on whether or not to make him cis or trans or like demiboy??? or just a nonbinary man??? idk- just masc), uses he/they/it pronouns and has ADHD and PTSD.

Jimmy: 5'11, Cupiosexual, demiromantic (both bi oriented), is a cis or genderqueer guy and mainly uses he/him but doesnt really care much if you call him anything else, probably has a couple birth marks and cooovveerrsss his crutches in stickers (he probably has a bunch of random stickers related to all kinda shit, 2/3s of which arent even his, he has like- a shit tonne of stickers related to space, and robots, and dark academia, and hearts, and super heros, or whatever the fuck because his friends just give him stickers sometimes)

Tolkien: 6'0, genderfaun enby, omni with a preference for feminine people, has autism and ADHD, uses he/they pronouns, and has a couple scars from canon events (eg; a scar on his forehead from when cartman pelted him with a rock, and a gunshot scar on his shoulder from cartman shooting him)

Tweek: 5'8, nonbinary tweekgender (namegender) demiboy, gaygaygaygaygay, uses he/they/it/tweek/tic pronouns. has ADHD, autism, anxiety disorders and a panic disorder, paranoid personality disorder, C-PTSD, claustrophobia, tourettes and psychosis. he gets triggered by coffee if he hasnt been around coffee for a while (after a while it becomes less triggering and more part of the constant anxiety and paranoia), has psychotic delusions and hallucinations of bugs, the smell of coffee, gangstalking, etc. hes weirdly friends with the goth kids????? tic hangs out with them (as well as Kenny, Craig and butters) a lot, getting to traumadump, rant about anxieties, and just kinda gossip? and it helps it mellow out a bit. (also tweek has a bunch of scars to do with scratching tics, ripping out piercings, etc)

Wendy/Wendyl: 5'9, south east asian, bi, genderfluid/genderfaer, uses she/they/he/fae pronouns and is autistic. her spin is politics and feminism, he has a couple (brightly colored) patch clothes (definitely a pair of patch shorts and a patch skirt). has a couple scars on their knuckles and one on their cheek from fights she's gotten into (both in canon, and during protests or general people fucking with her). fae definitely does kickboxing and probably hosts an underground self defense class for non-men.

i can probably get into more obscure characters now but this is already long enough and im slowly running out of spoons so im kinda done for now

thank you for listening to my autistic ramblings :)

[tygerbug]

Out of pure curiosity, what's the origin of the title "tygerbug"? For some reason it makes me think of "snug-as-a-bug" but I'm sure there's a more interesting story involved.

"Tygerbug" is one of the names I've used online since the late 90s on AOL, when I was a teenager (born 1981). Sometime between 1996 and 1999. You'll pardon the outdated references for that reason.

I first got online properly and was making webpages around 1997. For no special reason, I chose the name "Ambush Bug," a D-list DC comics character who I had a "Secret Origins" issue of in my comic collection.

"Tyger" is from the William Blake poem (1794).

"When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?"

"Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?"

I vaguely recall that some years later I visited a museum and viewed William Blake's illuminated manuscripts from the Songs of Innocence and Experience. I don't know where or when. Possibly The Met in New York around 2010.

I set up two webpages then, in 1997 on AOL. One was a small fanpage for Monty Python, which became PythoNET, and was the #1 Monty Python fansite for awhile. It reflected my interest in obscure media, as it was largely a catalogue of rare Python-related projects I'd managed to track down via bootleg VHS.

I now run a Facebook Group called "Knights of the Lost Media (Obscure TV and Film)," and restore film and video.

The other website I set up was dedicated to "Dr. Fred's Amazing Exploding Cow Show," a no-budget sketch comedy series I was making at the time, inspired by Monty Python. I was 15 or 16, and this was very nearly my first attempt to make a movie.

I'd bought a cheap rubber tiger mask, the sort that only cover the face. I'd paired it with a helmet to cover my hair, and waddled on my knees doing a vague impression of Tony the Tiger, to introduce the next sketch. I would keep doing cameos as this character, who was barely a character and more of a visual gag.

We made seven comedy features on home video at the time, with my friends in Connecticut. They were shot on 8mm or Hi8 video, without digital editing. Three were Dr. Fred movies and the others might as well have been. I was between 15 and 19 years old.

I was trying to learn how to make movies, and being very silly about it. I kept the Tiger around as my logo for awhile when making movies in the early 2000s.

I left Connecticut for film school in Los Angeles in 1999, a decision I immediately regretted.

I've kept the name all these years.

Another name I've used online is "OCPmovie," which stands for "Orange Cow Productions" movies.

When I was about twelve I was given an orange Nickelodeon cow pin, and as a joke I would use it to control my friend David. "The orange cow commands you," that sort of thing.

I continued to control my friend David for awhile, when we made the "Dr. Fred" comedy movies together.

In my early teens, I wrote a little book of philosophical poems from the point of view of a cow. Living in harmony with nature, and being happy with what you have. That sort of thing. It was called "The Tao of Cow" and I revised and republished it when I was in my early twenties.

I used the name "Orange Cow Productions" for my early attempts at movies and other creative endeavors, because it felt more spiritual or philosophical than just saying "Garrett Gilchrist Productions," because it was a reference to a particular philosophy I'd had when I was younger. I kept the "cow in a robe" around as my logo for ages.

My website is still at orangecow. org.

These are not the names I would choose now, if I were starting again, but I've never felt any particular need to change them either. At least it reminds me of how it all started.

[thesomebodywho]

The somebody who?

In my previous post I briefly mentioned possibly wanting to reserve my username being a reaseon for this blog even existing. It feels a bit silly to be attached to a username but I have been thesomebodywho or somebodywho for over a decade now.

What then is the idea behind thesomebodywho? To best answer this I need to start from the beginning.

Sometime in the mid 2000s I started playing Runescape. Of course I needed to come up with a username. That username was "finlandme." The logic behind this was that "finland" signals that I am Finnish and then the "me" part implies that I know English. In hindsight that logic probably did not work although I never interacted with anyone in Runescape, which might have been a blessing in disguise. Unfortunately we cannot then know whether or not my ironclad logic worked.

My Runescape username feels pretty irrelevant but it works as somewhat of a prototype for my next username 'somebodywho.' Back in 2008 I heard of a cool new game called Roblox. Although current Roblox is sadly infamous for unironically exploiting the creativity of children for profits. I suppose this was the writing on the wall even from the beginning but at least Back then we did not have video tutorials about monetizing your game with microtransactions but I digress.

Similiarly to "finlandme" "somebodywho" had a logic to it. This time the "somebody" part was just that an unknown person. The latter 'who' part though was supposed to invoke the feeling of mystery. "Somebody but who" was the question I wanted everyone to think of when they saw me.

Initially it was just another username within the hundreds of usernames others saw daily. Then one fateful day I remember someone actually inform me in chat that they would find out who I was. Now, normally this would be a terrifying threat but considering the logic behind my username I was ecstatic that someone else actually realized the genious behind the mystery I propositioned. Nothing ever came from that but having my username essentially validated did become a core memory of sorts.

On Christmas eve 2010 I got a physical copy of Portal from my late grandfather. Excitedly started creating a Steam account but to my shock and horror I realized that the name 'somebodywho' was already taken. Steam did, of course, suggest variants such as adding numbers to the end or a 'the' in front. Of course I thought that everyone knew who somebodywho from Roblox was and I decided on 'thesomebodywho' because I was the somebodywho from Roblox.

I remember still clinging on to just 'somebodywho' for a few years because I did create accounts after my Steam account where I used somebodywho. Currently I just use thesomebodywho by default unless it is unavailable due to length or being taken.

Despite the cringey and and almost narcissistic origins of my protagonist-ass username I have grown attached to the simplicity and cleanness. Just three words, no caps, no numbers, no special characters, country tags or weird X's around it. To toot my own horn, it is simply minimalistic and beautiful in a way. Coincidentally it is also super un Googleable.

This would not be a complete retrospective on my online usernames if I left out the dark horse of my usernames "GigaManDX." At some point I was really into the MegaMan Starforce series, especially the second game because I only got the first one a bit later and the third game was never released in Europe. (Where is my remastered collection Capcom!?!?)

As a kid I created an OC called GigaMan who was essentially just MegaMan but stronger because giga > mega. This unfortunately managed to bleed into my online accounts.

The bosses in the second game can be rematched for a bigger challenge and better rewards a so called EX-version if I remember correctly. Now, the US version of the game also has hidden DX versions of the bosses only accessible by inputting secret codes. I most likely played the US version because I only owned the game on a bootleg 500 games in one style cartridge. Regardless, these DX versions were super strong and of course to boost my OCs power level I tacked a DX at the end.

In hindsight, of course, all this logic and weird unfounded belief in being famous looks pretty cringey but this all is just what kids do. Realistically I should be proud of my imagination and confidence even if I try to purge GigaManDX off of the face of the internet. The strongest evidence for my wild imagination being quite clever is the fact that I am thesomebodywho even to this day.