#but i think tan would have said something regardless of the vibes

[movementsofmylife]

i just, don't think that the Phum and his dad scene actually was forgiveness of any kind. It looked more like Phum trying to learn how to cope with these shitty family dinners better.

Like, I do acknowledge that the show itself maybe is implying some kind of reconciliation, what with that food on Phum's plate by his dad thing. But like actually fuck that. Phum has clearly not forgiven his father. He can't make eye contact with him, he introduced Peem, his boyfriend of many years, as a friend. Like, clearly they aren't sorted, and likely won't be anytime soon, if ever.

But I'm choosing to interpret the scene as Phum moving forward in a way that can help him personally. He's clearly at an emotional place where he can try to say some pleasantries and gtfo. To be emotionally stable enough to not need your parents to acknowledge the harms they caused you, even in casual interactions, takes work. And I think the connections that Phum has built with Peem and the entire extended friend group over the last few years has provided him with the foundation to try a new coping method with his parents. One which is less volatile and less impactful on Phum.

I feel like this is him trying to protect himself from these dinners in a different way than before. Not that it's a better way, but perhaps one he wants to try now that he has other places, like Peem and his friends, that can provide him with the emotional validation where his parents, and even in this instance Fang, won't.

Or idk, maybe I'm reading too much into it. Either way, I'm happy that Peem was there to hug him and tell him he did well after it all.

[nataliealynlind]

queen america sentence starters

episode 5: psychological warfare

"do you know how many times texas has threatened to secede?"

"so important everywhere"

"he has all the vibes of a sash chaser"

"i really hate meet and greets"

"she may seem nice, but that's only because she's good at this"

"she has this ability to make every person feel like she's speaking only to them"

"you will not hang out with that girl"

"she can't keep wobbling around like some baby giraffe"

"when did rich people get together and decide kitchen islands needed to be 30 feet long"

"everything okay? you just seem ... happy"

"she's not the type to change her schedule for family"

"don't let her start messing with your eyebrows or nothing"

"we've been literally telling everyone how you used to work here- you're our claim to fame!"

"they're being really strict with you, huh?"

"i had to get totally naked for a spray tan"

"but on the upside- my ass looks awesome"

"my parents definitely miss having you over for dinner"

"no matter what happens, when all this is over, we'll be here waiting for ya"

"hopefully- hopefully- who knows what'll happen at nationals"

"you should just be so proud of yourself for making it to state level"

"you're late- is there a boy or something?"

"i'm sorry are you under the impression that we're friends who joke about their personal lives with each other?"

"for the record- i'm allowed to be late. you're not"

"are you using the literal meaning of the word science right now?"

"walk across the goddamn room"

"makes it look like you're in a gap commercial"

"you want it to look like you're so goddamn beautiful and graceful that the person looking at you might think they're hearing the music in their head- that maybe you inspired the music into existence"

"maybe you inspired the music into existence"

"however bad you think you are multiply that by three"

"i hate the thought of being stuck on a boat with a bunch of strangers"

"she probably just wants to spend time with you"

"i'd like to put you on a boat where you can't run away from me"

"i really like you... a little bit"

"do i need to explain further or do you still not understand the logic?"

"don't pretend you don't know what i'm talking about"

"this may shock you, but i don't remember every conversation we've ever had"

"those were important conversations"

"you enjoy it too much- until you don't"

"you are such a little idiot sometimes"

"you'd be miserable- all three of you"

"he'd really be a terrible father, wouldn't he?"

"and you my sweet girl, would be a terrible mother"

"like i said back then- people like you and me- not meant for parenthood"

"the yellow's gonna make (name) look like a skinny little banana"

"i know what it is i'm asking why you're wearing it?"

"i don't really drink-"

"well you will tonight"

"the prep schools in dallas played the prep schools in tulsa"

"plus a bunch of us went to camp together"

"you have my full attention"

"okay i'm not that needy"

"we were barely even together to be honest"

"and you didn't try to push her down a staircase- good man"

"it wasn't with the right person, but it's still my kid you know?"

"regardless of what i think of her mother, which is very little"

"you're a very nice man"

"you look terrified- it's okay- this room is terrifying"

"those guys- they look so judgmental"

"who's that pillow for- it's so tiny- why would anyone want a pillow that small"

"let's start over- i'm name- this is my parents house- i have nothing to do with how they decorated it"

"if you need anything- like- at all- call me, okay?"

"it's not like i'd have sex with your dad to get in your head"

"girls do that?"

"she was taking pictures of you and name in the hallway"

"this whole process is crazy- and lonely... we need friends"

"i'm glad i'm not the only one who thinks that"

"to me all of this sorta feels like a vacation in a very different life than mine.

"i'm almost scared to want any of it too bad."

"oh my god i bet you were so cute in your little outfit"

"listen to me- this is a launching pad. you just have to play the game."

"look at 90% of news anchors in every major city. what do they have in common? pageants"

"i'm not good at this stuff like you are. i don't know how to say the right thing all the time."

"i wasn't born good at this- i trained for an embarrassingly long time."

"you'll get better- and then life can be whatever you want"

"oh no i've had 11 shots- this is what i'm like when i'm hammered"

[risu5waffles]

Always on TEN Time, Except When We're Not

i never really got too into the meme/IP/copypasta horror stuff in LBP. Not a knock against it, but i was already pretty thoroughly aged out of most of the stuff, or too out of the loop to really get the hook; like Jeff the Killer and whatnot, i knew of, but i didn't really know. It's also, i just think you've got to push the kit a bit harder to get a horror feel from it. Like, you can definitely get horror out of cute things, but you're working at a bit of a disadvantage. Even levels that go heavy in on atmosphere and vibe still have to deal wiv the fact that the player character, regardless of how you costume them, just radiate pleasantness. Impossible? Definitely not. Difficult? Absolutely. But there was that kerfluffle wiv CrimsonFang9's stuff getting taken down recently, some of it having been sitting up on their Earth for actually 10years, and i figured i'd have a look. However i feel about horror levels, they were (are still?) a big part of the LBP community pot. i hadn't realized this was going to be a Nightmare on Elm Street level, honestly. i figured it would just be a general horror; but it still wound up working out. The presentation is all solid, both the "real world" and Freddy's boiler room of doom. The house just sitting in an empty create mode was... eh... but, you know, fine? The Freddy costume too, was pretty nice. i would be lying if i said i hadn't had fun wiv this one, but it didn't give me the spoops either, unfortunately.

This one's actually a pretty decent little survival challenge. Nicely presented environment, clearly defined hazard behaviour, parse-able field, and limited, focused mechanics. Of course i played like crud, but i still had fun. i'm pretty sure the idea for my score bubble spawning ghostbulbs came from here, tho' i'd need to check dates to see if it was just a parallel evolution thing.

It was a real disappointment when this one broke, because it's a real good one up to that point. Some very neat bits of grappling hook gameplay, and lots of character to the level; although i would say the reliance on browns and tans, while thematically appropriate, could leave things looking a touch washed out. Also, positive, but the way they had that one bounce pad climbing section timed out so the next train would be right beneath you when you hit the apogee of your jump? Chef's kiss. But then we get to the break, and it just breaks. It feels like a pure physics issue, but... it's weird? Usually, unless the bit has been just set up horribly wrong, leaving the level and trying it again can kind of joggle things a bit? Like, what ever random bits of timing and impact that added up to something not deploying the way it should won't in another circumstance. We saw that back in... i think it was called Golden Chain Reaction? i can't find the episode number right now. Anyway. Like, looking at the video now, and i'm pretty sure those are just regular bolts, so i can't figure why they don't just drop wiv the momentum. The could be spring bolts set too tight, but that feels like something Porkyfern should have noticed? There was one try where the bit was juuuuuust about to swing out enough that gravity should have taken its course, and at the last moment popped right back up again, and i was a little crushed.

i really wound up liking this one. Very straightforward as far as gameplay, but lots of little mechanical interactions, and a good sense of momentum throughout. But what really sells it for me is that great music track, and the implication that the decorative elements are synced to it. i say implication, because i have exactly no rhythm, so i honestly can't judge it on a granular level, but i kinda get it well enough that if you can make a good show of it, i'll usually buy in. i feel like saying Just Shapes and Beats is one of my favourite examples of the genre is a slight on the devs, but i really did love that game, and how they worked the music into things.

This level... Like, presentation-wise, it's a solid example of a common style i've always liked. It doesn't really push it much, but it does it well. The gameplay is pretty fun. i've always liked using the paintinator as a tool for level interactions, as opposed to just going shooty on enemies (also, a lot of creators do a terrible job judging how many hit points enemies should have before it stops being fun, and starts being spongy-boring). Some of it was actually pretty tricky, tho' that felt heavier on the front end, when it should have been on the back. By all rights, very solid high end of mid-tier (i don't mean mid-tier disparagingly here, either; i've found a lot of levels i've really enjoyed that may not be quite polished enough to be top of the pops). But then you get to that level break, and i still don't know what the heck is going on there. chronos says that's a thing that can happen wiv Attract-o-gel, and i trust him on the point, but i've literally never run into it before. And the way it just totally bricks the run if you die there even once. It was just serious weirdsville.

We talked about this Friday, and it's just as awesome now as it was then. Go play Sacklantis.

[ed.'s note: see below the part II video]

i wound up bundling the gameplay levels wiv their respective cutscene counterparts, just to keep the Archive a bit tidier, and because the parts flowed into each other so well (honestly, if i had been xSLEVENx i would have published the second part of each set as a sub-level, so you wouldn't get the scoreboard break in there). That being said, i love these levels. The story is engaging and the character interactions are pretty cute. The robo-buddy as an actual object is quite well put together. The both play very well, wiv a clear, if gentle, difficulty curve; and the presentation... just *mwah*, so good. This is probably just selective perception, and it's definitely anecdotal, but i feel like sci-fi levels tend to go heavier in on visually busy environments, generally to the detriment of presentation. Lots of decorations, lots of heavily textured materials, and it's just so easy to get lost in it all. i feel like it's a hard balance to hit between "this is a recognizable sci-fi place" and "ok, but now i can't tell what's going on," but Obscurity pulls off the whole thing quite deftly, and it was a delight just looking at. Did have a bit of a funny sequence break in the first one, where you can skip a whole chunk of gameplay if you're willing to do it in perfect darkness. i wonder if i still have that b-roll lying around. i have to ditch stuff pretty quick, because the ps4 only has so much space on it.

This one took a lot longer than it should have, because i was trying to read everything, and my Japanese reading ability is, at best, passable; but i really wanted to know if i could get the joke. i guess the joke is... grampas are inherently funny/creepy? Something something maybe it's funny if you have the cultural background? The level itself is fine. Pretty kludgy, but it is an LBP1 meme-level, so that's to be expected. The boss was kind of neat wiv needing to slingshot to hit it, using momentum and physics and all. i mean, it was also a total pain in the ass, but i did appreciate it. Eh... not every Jside level was a winner, even if there was a solid density of great creators.

i really should have bundled all the Neon Dimension levels together, but when i first started the Archive, i felt a little leery about giving too much space all at once to one creator, especially one who is also a good friend. Which, typing that out feels also shitty and unfair to chronos, so... yeah, i just should have bundled them all together. i think of the main ND levels, this one is my favourite. It really nails the whole "level building itself" vibe, and keeps things very visually clean and parse-able. The gameplay is super fun, and the secrets were a nice, neat addition (i did ask chronos some pointers so i could definitely get all of them in the recording, but i'm pretty sure i've found them on my own before. They're well hidden, but not impossibly hidden, which i feel like some creators struggle wiv). i'm honestly a bit shocked this one never picked up a Team Pick, because it is really a super high quality level.

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

So that's our ten for this go about. Some real winners in there, if any of the folx reading are still actually playing. Tomorrow's my day off and there's nothing i absolutely have to do, aside from a little editing that i'm going to make a strong go of getting done tonight. There are a few things i probably ought to do, but these last few weeks have been pretty intense emotionally, both in the good ways and the not so good ways (i feel like it's important to let y'all know i do have very good days sometimes, and even the very bad days aren't an all the time thing, they just kinda feel like they are, you know?), and i really want a day were i can just chill. i finally managed to get This Is How You Lose the Time War (it was a whole thing where, i couldn't buy it on my iPhone, but it turns out i could read it on it, but i had to do the actual purchase off my paperwhite for... reasons, i guess? Which meant i had to find where i put the darn thing, and then charge it, 'cause i haven't used it forever because i have the fucking Kindle app on my iPhone <pant, pant, pant>). i'll probably sit down a restart reading it from the start. i like what i've read so far, but reading it in momentary chunks while working the register is maybe not the best way to appreciate what's going on. Or, given the subject matter, maybe it is? It's no good for my absorption or memory, tho', that's for sure.

[mamamittens]

roast marco and ace do it do it do it do it

I'm about to commit murder and you put the boys in front row? Damn that's cold bro.

Anyway

Marco looks so weirdly smug in like, a casual way. The kind of way where you're used to literally being the tallest in the room and it absolutely got to your head. To the point that you wanna ring his neck but it genuinely looks so thick you'd never get a good grip that didn't look like you wanted to romantically pull him in for a smooch-- which he'd laugh at you for.

Go for the shins. He looks like it would literally take him out in a single blow like most people go down to a lego. Bro has never heard of leg day and it shows. Also looks like he adopted a treble? The fur thing from Star Trek? And it lives on his head permanently.

I'd bet you anything he uses his devil fruit more often than not cause he just... Blanks out and slams into doorways. Head or shoulder? You decide. But he definitely has to heal a lot of damage regardless.

He also looks like he gets lost in Target. Or anywhere, really. Like, obnoxiously lost and just kind of laughs when he's been gone for 6 hours. Would absolutely use some dumb excuse like "I got lost on the road of life 😃". Unironically has a mug somewhere with 'live, laugh, love' right next to 'someones sexy grandpa's for no discernable reason. He got both when he was 20.

Also never heard of leg day. Or an occasion where his fist ISN'T the answer. Kingdom hearts fan too, based on the shoes he wears. He absolutely worked out his torso to show off nice muscles but completely neglected his legs so... If you need someone to lift something heavy? He could probably do it, but don't ask him to hold it or carry it. His knees would snap under the pressure.

I also think he might need glasses with the amount of time his 'goblin' expression involves narrowed eyes even under his hat.

In terms of style, cause boy do we have to talk about THAT, I'm not sure he know what that is. Not really. I'm convinced he kept the first things he grabbed and just decided to wear them forever. It's only luck he got a belt with an 'A' on it instead of something else. Like the state of Texas or a cow skull, which would actually match a little more with his whole ensemble, but never let it be said that good sense of any kind has guided his hand.

I think he'd be genuinely perplexed if you called him cowboy. Like, as if he doesn't even know what that means. At all. And btw, he's awfully pale for someone who never wears a shirt. Tells me he wears sunblock, but somehow I don't think he plans that far ahead. Maybe he burns instead of tans and his devil fruit protects his white boy ass, idk.

Speaking of white boy vibes, he's absolutely had a 'rapping/gangster' phase, but much like cowboys, I don't think he knows anything about the genre. So really, it was just him talking massive shit... Actually, now that I say that, I don't think he grew out of that phase. He just evolved.

[old-hyper-super-clover]

For the requests‚ what about a family trip to the beach with Purgatory Hall + the royals and MC? Like Simeon and Barbatos setting up a picnic table meanwhile MC and Luke play around in the sand searching for shiny or strange things to building a sand castle (everything also keeping Solomon and Diavolo far from the preparations for the picnic)‚ playing with water guns or swimming. And after eating maybe playing a match of volleyball sand, admiring the sunset till it's nigth time and before going back‚ playing with fireworks, do a little stargazing or something--

Feel free to ignore this and thanks in advance anyway~

FINALLY I've come to write something for this lovely request. It's packed with so many fun ideas that I kinda went overboard with it xD this means the story is so big I'll have to split it into two posts!

To Bisshitu: I wanted to thank you for your continuous support! I see you in my notifs a lot and I really appreciate it!! (ALSO I AM SO SORRY YOU'VE WAITED SO LONG I HOPE YOU WILL STILL ENJOY THIS CHAOS)

Literally just 13 idiots on a beach trip~

Part 1

MC was leaning against one of the walls in the giant entrance halls of the House of Lamentation. Standing next to them, Solomon handed MC an opened bag of spicy newt chips. "Want some?" He asked and MC gladly took a few while constantly watching the commotion that was going on in the rest of the hallway.

Who would've guessed that going on a vacation with the seven rulers of hell would involve the most panicked, loud and chaotic packing of bags to have ever existed?

Well, let's be real, MC did expect it, but maybe not to the degree that they were in amusement about now.

The oldest brother had called the others for a "luggage check" as he had been sceptical of his brothers' talents in packing reasonable items in an, likewise reasonable, amount of suitcases and bags.

And of course, the first one to show up had to present his luggage in the form of... nothing.

Yes, Beelzebub came up to Lucifer, only the remains of a sandwich in his hand (which didn't last longer than three more seconds), confused when Lucifer mustered him with an angered glance.

"Where's your luggage?" Lucifer asked, to which Beel only gave a shrug.

"We're going to the beach, right? Which means I'll only need my swimming trunks, and I wear those underneath my pants."

Now the confusion has wandered over to rest on Lucifer's face. "But... Won't you need clothes to change into, or at least pyjamas for the night?"

"Hm..." Beel scratched the back of his head while thinking about Lucifer's words. "Nah, I don't need those. I'm planning to stay at the beach all the time, so..." Then suddenly, he gasped as he remembered something. "Wait, I do have something else prepared to bring along!"

Beel reached into his pocket, and when he pulled out a hand-written list that unrolled itself, plonking onto the carpet and rolling all the way to Lucifer's feet, the avatar of Pride knew exactly what said list was going to be.

"There are a few food stands that I'd like to try out..." Beel announced, eyeing the paper. "First of all, there's one selling shaved ice, which I want to compare to the ice-cream from this other stand, but who's also selling parfaits of which I kind of want to try all twenty-five flavours... Also then there's of course-"

"Beel" Lucifer interrupted the avatar of Gluttony in a strict tone. "Go pack a proper bag."

"But-"

"Now."

Letting out a sigh, Lucifer watched as Beel left.

But little did he know, this had only been the beginning of the chaos...

Moments later, Lucifer has found himself explaining to Satan why taking 70 different books with him would be ridiculously much. Also Mammon had taken this opportunity to "lend" some of his brothers possessions, arguing that he "needed those for the beach". This had worked until his swift fingers touched Levi's limited edition Ruri-chan sunscreen.

So, as Lucifer was spam-calling Belphie to wake him up and finally have him start packing, a sudden argument could be heard from upstairs:

"... How dare you steal my precious Hana Ruri 'magical sun ray protective lotion for all blooming heroes of justice'?! This very sunscreen is an homage to the legendary beach episode where Azuki-tan got a sunburn and couldn't help Ruri-chan in the intense battle against the evil kelp-army that was threatening to overgrow the local reef-"

"OKAY OKAY, HERE'S YOUR STUPID CREAM NOW LEAVE ME ALONE"

"S-STUPID CREAM?!?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW PRECIOUS THIS ITEM IS TO A FAN LIKE-"

That was all Lucifer could understand as an awfully annoyed scream Mammon let out was drowning Levi's gibberish. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Lucifer knew this vacation was going to be one intense experience...

An hour later, the group found itself where this little story had started off. The Purgatory Hall crew had already arrived long ago, enjoying the chaos together with MC -- who, btw, had been the only one to pass Lucifer's vibe luggage check right away.

Slowly it felt like most of the brothers were ready to go, only Asmodeus was left in the judgemental glare of the avatar of Pride.

But Lucifer noticed they already were way behind the time they were supposed to meet Diavolo at his castle. So, to Asmo's luck, he let off of trying to see what's inside the pretty boy's suitcase and announced the group's departure.

In enthusiasm shared by almost everyone, they let out a big cheer:

"Off to the beach we go!"

Some of the demons had whined about wanting to visit the human world beach. But as those idiot boys literally couldn't be trusted to act responsibly (which is okay, we love them regardless), Diavolo offered to stay at the beach resort he created in the Devildom.

Looking over the endless ocean, surrounded by the equally large beach and glistening in an artificial sun's light, MC was wondering just how powerful the demon prince must be to have created all this. But they were left only little time to be in awe over the location, as their friends demanded their attention shortly after having arrived.

Without going into much detail -- the day was packed with lots and lots of fun. MC was running around the beach, playing and goofing around with their friends, only to take a collective rest and then go do something silly again. Only a few other demons were to be found at the resort, but those were some acquaintances of Diavolo's family, and the group seemed to have scared them off of the beach after, like, an hour or so. Hence, the whole beach served as their playground for whatever activity they wanted to do, until in the afternoon, most of them were about to collapse from exhaustion and hunger.

"That's right, we didn't really have a proper meal since coming here" Asmo noticed as several tummy grumbles undermined his statement.

"We DID bring a picnic basket..." Satan mumbled. "But some genius had to let Beel carry it."

The culprit gave an immediate pout. "I had to hurry, 'kay?!" Mammon huffed. "MC was already at the beach and I--" he stopped. "... U-uh... I mean..."

Gaining a round of sighs and shaking heads, his brothers however decided to let Mammon's... mammon-ness slide for once. Mostly because, approaching from the distance, Barbatos and Solomon were getting closer, their hands full with bags that seemed to be stuffed with food.

"Y-yoU BroUGhT S-nAcKs?!" Beelzebub was already on his feet running towards them but Barbatos' stare was actually enough to make him stop.

"Not before the dishes are prepared, Beelzebub" Barbatos explained calmly, but with this very weird hidden tone in his voice that gave everyone chills despite the scorching summer heat.

"We figured everyone must be starving by now, so Barbatos suggested we'd make a little picnic party with everyone" Solomon cheered, presenting the bags in his hands.

"That sounds lovely" Simeon could be heard among the general noise of approval. "Let me help you prepare everything, Barbatos."

The demon butler beamed him a smile, thanking the angel for his help.

Then, Solomon spoke up again, and every bit of joy vanished from all their faces: "Thank you, Simeon! With the three of us working together the food will be ready in no time!"

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

Barbatos was putting all kinds of spices into a bowl to create a delicious sauce. Right next to him, Simeon prepared mouth-watering sandwiches.

And behind their back, there was this chopping sound. Chop reaching their chop ears in an chop never- chop ending thread, over and chop over again...

Swallowing his tension, Simeon was fighting a frown. "He's only cutting the fruits..." He whispered. "You shouldn't be able to mess up a fruit salad..."

"I know" Barbatos mumbled back. "However I cannot fight this unease that urges me to check if he's really-" He was interrupted by a very unsettling "oops" coming from that certain sorcerer at the cutting board.

In honestly quicker than the blink of an eye Simeon and Barbatos were at Solomon's side, frantically scanning the table for whatever Solomon must've messed up. When all they found were slices of fruit that, well, might have been chopped a bit wonky, they gave Solomon a confused stare.

"I cut off too much of this poor Hellberry's pull" Solomon explained. "Oh well, I'll just cut around the stem and add it to the fruit salad like this."

Both Barbatos and Simeon couldn't help but stare for a moment longer, their brains not really comprehending NOT finding an abomination in Solomon's cooking.

"Can I help you two with anything?" The sorcerer then asked.

"U-uhm, no..." Simeon mumbled. "It's all fine, we just..."

"We wanted to see if there's anything we can help you with" Barbatos jumped in to continue.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. Actually I'm almost finished, so maybe I can help one of you afterw-"

"Nononononono...!" Simeon almost whined. "I-its fine! We're actually almost finished ourselves, so..."

Solomon looked back, raising an eyebrow. "Doesn't look like it to me..."

Suddenly, another voice joined the group.

"I agree! You two are likely just being humble again" Diavolo had walked up to their working station a moment ago, but neither of them seemed to have noticed in their stress. The prince continued: "That's why I decided to lend you a hand as well. This is a vacation for all of us, so I should not burden my loyal butler with all the work."

"That's a commendable attitude for royalty like yourself" Solomon cheered. "Well then, I think Simeon and Barbatos could use a hand."

Diavolo was already squeezing his quite broad body into the tiny cooking space, this certain over-excited sparkle in his eyes as he mustered the food.

Barbatos and Simeon on the other hand were exchanging glances, so immensely stressed that their thoughts were almost audible:

'Barbatos I don't think I can handle any more of this stress' Simeon stared.

'We shouldn't have let Solomon help in the first place, our kindness was foolish' Barbatos stared back.

'What do we do now Barbatos this is the only food we have left, they cannot ruin it'

Thankfully, the perfect butler was not planning to let their "help" threaten the food for any longer. "Young master, I highly appreciate that you thought of my well-being. Which is why I indeed have a request for you and Solomon."

Simeon almost barged in on a frightened impulse, but Barbatos continued before anyone could raise their voice. "There is dessert stored in our hotel's main storage. Would you be so kind and bring enough for our whole group?"

A little surprised, Diavolo agreed. He waited for Solomon to finish cutting the fruits, then they went off to the hotel.

Finally able to catch a breath, Simeon shot Barbatos a last glance. "That was easier than expected. Why didn't we let Solomon bring the desserts earlier?"

Back to mixing spices, Barbatos didn't look up at the question. "What desserts?" He simply asked.

"... Uhm..." Simeon was quite startled. "Are there... Are there no desserts in the storage room...?"

"Oh, I sure hope there are" Barbatos said. "Otherwise I will have some explaining to do..."

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

(To be continued...)

Find my summer event Masterlist and Rules for the requests here <3

[foilfreak]

Beauty and Her Beast: Chapter 4

Warning: This fic is rated NSFW and contains graphic depictions of things some people may find disturbing or alarming, including, but not limited to: violence, gore, unhealthy family relationships, Oedipus complexes, gratuitous amount of pornographic literature, ableist language, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, etc. If you are someone who does not enjoy fiction with these elements in them, then I suggest you refrain from reading this, because this fic will have all that, and probably a lot more. So, this is your first and final warning to turn around and go somewhere else if stuff like this just isn't your vibe, because from this point forward, your emotional wellbeing is in your own hands, and I will not be accepting blame if you disregarded my warnings and ended up reading something you didn't like. Idk why I feel compelled to write one of these despite this being Resident Evil fanfic, but I figured I'd cover my ass just in case.

(Link to ao3 version in comments below)

Upon returning to the surface again, Mother Miranda seems confused, but mostly relieved, that Salvatore did not show interest in lingering in the village any longer than necessary. Though Salvatore did end up needing to stay for one last brief conversation, in which he and Mother Miranda discussed various parts of Nadine’s file, as well as finalized the date and approximate time in which Salvatore could expect the villagers to arrive at the reservoir gate with his gift in tow.

2 days from now, was the final agreement, as it would ensure that Salvatore would be the first of the Lords to receive his gift, making up for the fact that he was the last of them to pick. It also permitted him the luxury of some spare time to prepare a new permanent living environment of some kind for his gift. Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

Regardless, Once their conversation finally concluded, Salvatore bid his beloved Mother a quick, but appropriately appreciative thank you and goodbye, before closing the large wooden door to the meeting room and trudging back out into the cold, harsh winter snow. Despite a lack of improvement in the weather since Salvatore’s initial journey into the village, the mutant man maintained a solid pace through the snowy paths, seemingly uninhibited by the forceful winds attempting to throw him from his course.

With little time remaining, Salvatore wanted to return to his reservoir as quickly as possible to begin making preparations; though, what exactly it was he was supposed to do in order to prepare for a tiny, beautiful, and apparently violent cadou-mutant woman to begin living in his reservoir with him, once again, Salvatore still had no idea.

Grimacing in frustration, the hooded man wracked his brain for something to do, some way for him to make a good “first” impression with his new gift when she finally arrives. Something that would catch her fancy and hopefully convince her that, despite his terrifying appearance, he wouldn’t harm her and merely wanted to be friends.

Well… technically speaking Salvatore wanted a great deal more than just friendship from the young woman, however given how low his chances are of ever achieving the former, the mutant man decided that he’d happily squash his vile and disgusting desires down deep within himself if it meant he’d gain at least something similar to a friendship with Nadine.

He’d been doing the same with Mother for all these years, so it wasn’t like it was going to be difficult… hopefully.

Upon returning to his reservoir finally, Salvatore retreated from the harsh weather, deciding that he’d likely have a much easier time cleaning if he waited the snowstorm out and got started in the morning, instead. Once the skies had cleared and the sun had just begun to peak over the mountaintop horizon however, Salvatore immediately set to work cleaning up the areas surrounding the reservoir.

It wasn’t until after several hours of diligent gathering and disposing of the numerous unsightly piles of rotting wood and garbage lying around, that the unusually bright and hopeful atmosphere surrounding the reservoir was rudely disrupted by a surprise visitor Salvatore would have never seen coming in a million years.

“HEY, FISHFACE, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? I gotta talk to you about something, so hurry up and crawl out of your sewer system so we can get this over with, already” Karl’s rough and booming voice echoed out from somewhere within the reservoir.

Salvatore flinches in fearful surprise at the demanding voice, wondering what on earth could possibly have brought Karl, the notorious recluse of the family who never left his factory unless bribed or threatened, all the way out here to the reservoir. And to speak to HIM, on top of all that too.

Despite not feeling like subjecting himself to Karl’s recent tendency toward physical abuse disguised as “brotherly affection”, Salvatore sighs and swims his way toward his younger brother’s voice anyways, knowing that ignoring Karl would only prompt the younger man to actually enter the reservoir in search of him, which was the absolute last thing Salvatore needed right now.

“Mornin’, brother! It’s about fuckin’ time you answered the door. You were taking so long I was beginning to wonder if you’d finally decided to run away and live out the rest of your life as an actual fish, like I suggested to you at the last “family” meeting” Karl says bluntly, clad his characteristic attire of green sunglasses, a brown hat atop his head, a long tan trench coat covering his day clothes, various items strung around his neck, and large titanium hammer.

“H-hello, Karl... W-why is it th-that you’re h-here for?” Salvatore asks slowly, peering at the younger, but taller man from behind the only partially opened gate.

“Hey, hey, come on now, Sal, what’s with the cold welcome? Am I not allowed to visit my favorite older brother without a specific rhyme or reason. I think you’ll be surprised to know that I was actually already in the area, and wanted to stop by and see if you were in the mood for a chat. You know, like old times?” Karl says defensively, placing both his hands up as Salvatore narrows his eyes at the younger man.

Salvatore was a lot of things, but stupid most certainly wasn’t one of them, regardless of what other people thought. While it might be true that, when Karl was first introduced to the family as a child following his successful cadou mutation, they had something of a positive older-younger brother relationship that lasted a good many years into Karl’s adulthood, that relationship has been growing progressively shakier and unstable over the past few years, at least it has during the times Karl has acted like Salvatore wasn’t the only one to reach out and attempt to connect with the emotionally volatile, but secretly terrified young boy, when he first arrived.

Deep down, Salvatore still had something of a soft spot for Karl, a soft spot that he occasionally allowed himself to indulge in whenever Karl wasn’t acting like a royal asshole, but those moments of peace and solidarity between oldest and youngest brother had been few and far in between recently. Not to mention that Salvatore would be lying if he said he wasn’t growing increasingly more suspicious and distrustful of Karl and whatever secrets the younger man was hiding in that factory of his. He hadn’t the slightest idea what he could be up to, but something told Salvatore that Karl had more reason to be here than just pure coincidence.

“P-perhaps… what i-is it that you w-want to t-talk about?” Salvatore replies curtly, not wanting to just go along with whatever Karl wanted, but for some reason still willing to give the younger man a chance to prove himself.

Taking a brief moment to look over both his shoulders, Karl places the heavy end of his hammer on the ground and leans inward toward Salvatore, lowering his voice as he whispers, “You see your gift from Mother yet?”

This question took Salvatore by surprise, not expecting the gifts Mother Miranda had given them to be the reason why Karl was here.

“I… I h-have… why?” The disfigured man asks curiously, pushing the gate open a little further so that Karl, despite Salvatore’s earlier reservations toward the younger man, could squeeze his way inside.

Upon entering through the gate, Karl immediately takes 2 cigars out of his back pocket and lights the first one. “Curiosity mostly… but also cuz I think there’s more to this whole “gift” thing than Miranda wants us to believe,” the bespeckled man says, blowing a lungful of smoke out his nose as he offers Salvatore the second cigar. “You still smoke, old man?”

“I-I… I r-really shouldn’t” Salvatore says, turning his back toward Karl’s outstretched hand, even as the wonderfully woody scent fills his nose and his mouth begins to water.

“Oooooh, but something tells me you want to” Karl teases, sauntering over to the older man so that he could wave the fresh cigar in Salvatore’s face, chuckling in amusement when the fish mutant’s gaze locked onto and followed the unlit stick like a dog would a slab of meat.

“B-but it… M-Mother has s-said… m-many times… th-that she d-doesn’t like… doesn’t like when we s-smoke… because… uh, b-because...” Salvatore trails off, trying to remain strong for Mother Miranda, even as his self-control slowly continues to crack.

“Come on, lighten up a little bit, old man. It’s just one cigar. You smoked a pack of these things a day, like they were the only things keeping you going, both throughout my whole adolescence and, if what Duke says is to be trusted which we both know it is, well after I left for my factory, too. When the hell did you start being such a stick in the mud? No wonder I stopped hanging out with you, you’re like a fuckin’ parrot that repeats everything than goddamn woman says, it’s like I can’t escape her no matter where I fuckin’ go” Karl groans in a slightly childish tone of voice as he trudges forward to sit on one of the docks overlooking the calm water below.

Salvatore slowly moves to join him as he says, “S-she’s right th-though… it r-really isn’t good… f-for you… I smoked e-everyday for m-many years... an-and now I’m p-paying for my i-ignorance… Mother o-only nags at you… b-because she c-cares… and s-she’s always r-right… in the e-end...”

“Oh, fuck what Miranda says, I’m tired of that woman. Always telling us what to do and then thinking that pushing a couple of failed experiments onto us as “gifts” will make up for the fact that she’s disappearing off the face of the planet without a single trace and not telling us when she’ll be back. As far as I’m concerned, when Miranda’s not here, she’s not the boss of me. And the same goes for you, too” Karl says, roughly punching Salvatore in the shoulder.

“I-I don’t… I don’t think th-that’s how this w-works, Karl” Salvatore counters. “Even w-with Mother l-leaving us… f-for a t-time... we still h-have to make s-sure that th-things c-continue on… continue on as p-planned… or e-else we’ll really b-be in trouble… w-when she g-gets back.”

“Maybe,” Karl says thoughtfully, before taking another drag of his cigar. “I don’t know… I just have a sinking feeling that there’s something weird going on behind the scenes and these “gifts”, that she’s giving us, are nothing more than distractions to keep us entertained while she goes and does… whatever the fuck it is she plans on doing while she’s gone.”

Salvatore pauses for a moment, briefly remembering back to when Mother first told him that she’d be leaving the village to go “visit someone”, who she believed could be very important to their mission of reviving Mother’s long lost baby, Eva. Although he hadn’t thought very much of it at the time, the mutant man also remembers Mother saying something about how well Nadine would do at “keeping him occupied” until she finally returned, and maybe even after that, too. But why would Mother Miranda want or need him to be “occupied” when she got back? Wouldn’t she want to share her findings with him so they could work toward creating a vessel to revive Eva in? Wouldn’t she want to see and speak to him again after being away for so long?

Or maybe… could… could Karl actually be onto something here? Salvatore felt terrible doubting Mother Miranda, but he’d be lying if he said that Karl didn’t have a point about Mother’s behavior seeming odd, now that he was in the proper headspace to go back and analyze the memory properly, at least.

“B-but… if Mother h-has gone o-out of her w-way… to make sure that w-we won’t be l-lonely... w-while she’s away… isn’t th-that a… a good th-thing… doesn’t that m-mean she c-cares a-bout us... enough to… e-enough to do something l-like this?” Salvatore asks nervously, watching the younger man intently as he contemplates his response.

“I guess so, at least when you word it like that, it does. But something tells me there’s more to this than she’s led us to believe. She’s got something planned, and she’s definitely after something, and once she gets her hands on it, who the hell knows what’ll happen… whatever it is though, I doubt it’ll be very good, for any of us.”

“D-don’t say th-things l-like that… I-I’m sure M-Mother has a-a reason… a reason w-why she’s leaving… an-and if she d-doesn’t tell us w-what it is… b-before she leaves… th-then Im sure… I’m sure sh-she’ll tell u-us when she g-gets back… she’ll l-let us in o-on her p-plan… wh-when she’s ready… an-and then… once e-everything is… said a-and done… we c-can revive… r-revive Eva… and b-be a real f-family… a-at long l-last… isn’t th-that what w-we a-all want, after a-all… a f-family?” Salvatore asks, hoping this was doing something to ease the younger man’s clearly agitated mind.

What on earth it was that was causing so much turmoil as it flew around inside Karl’s head, Salvatore had no idea. But something about the bespectacled man’s unusually contemplative and concerned mood, coupled with the fact that he’d only punched Salvatore once since his arrival, was beginning to leave an acidic taste in the deformed man’s mouth.

Karl really and truly thought something was wrong, and the younger man’s continued insistence upon this fact was beginning to make Salvatore very very anxious.

Perhaps it was the unusually good and excited mood that Salvatore was in due to the near arrival of his gift, or maybe it was that soft spot for Karl I mentioned earlier, but regardless of the reason, Salvatore felt the odd need to help alleviate the younger man’s bad mood, just like he used to do for him back when Karl was still barely taller than his shoulder.

Mother Miranda certainly wouldn’t be pleased if she found out that Salvatore had broken his mandatory sobriety despite her explicit orders to avoid smoking so his experiment results wouldn't be hindered. That being said however, Miranda always seemed to want her 4 children to get along and be close, like real siblings, so Salvatore supposed that he could allow himself a break from his smoking break so long as, if Miranda did manage to find out somehow, he could get himself out of trouble by spinning it as a rare moment of sibling bonding between the oldest and youngest siblings, rather than the reality of the situation.

“I… I’ll t-take that cigar… if you’re n-not gonna smoke it… th-that is” Salvatore says, a small chuckle escaping him when Karl cheers in delight, practically throwing both the lighter and the cigar into the deformed man’s hands.

Salvatore’s first breath of the cigar is nothing short of heavenly once he finally lights it and takes a drag, and its moments like these when the mutant man finds himself secretly grateful that Karl hasn’t listened to a goddamn word Mother Miranda has said in nearly 4 decades.

A long period of silence passes as both brothers merely sit beside one another and secretly enjoy each other’s company.

“Miranda let me pick my gift first, so I didn’t get to see where the others went. Who did you end up with?” Karl asks, finally breaking the silence.

“T-the… the sh-short one,” Salvatore replies, “with b-blue skin, black h-hair, a-and, uh… oh, an-and white d-dots… all o-over her… l-like freckles… fins t-too”

“Oh ya, I remember that one. Gorgeous little thing, she was” Karl says, nodding his head in appreciation as a devilish smile spreads across his unshaven lips. “With quite the… voluptuous figure too, if I remember correctly.”

“I… well… I-I don’t know i-if… I d-didn’t... shut up...” Salvatore mumbles under his breath, taking a long drag from his cigar as Karl throws his head back laughing like a hyena at his older brother’s sudden bashfulness.

“Ah, come on, Sal, don’t be such a downer all the fuckin’ time, I’m just teasing. I know you still think about shit like that, too, even if you’ve managed to convince Alcina and everybody else that you’re just an innocent little follower who hasn’t had an independent, or dirty thought of his own since the cadou took hold. You used to be a fuckin’ doctor for crying out loud, and you’re still annoyingly the person Miranda goes to first whenever she has a new experiment in mind, cuz you’re smart AND she can trust you. You might look like you fell off the truck that was taking you and your fishy friends to market, but I’ve known you too long for that bullshit act of yours to work on me.”

“Act?” Salvatore asks, genuinely confused by what Karl means.

“You know, that stupid fuckin’ “moronic freak” act you do whenever Miranda’s around. The one where you act like you don’t know what the fuck is going on or what something is so that she’ll take pity on how stupid and childish you’re acting and give you more attention. It’s pathetic to watch and I’m gettin’ sick of seeing you do it all the time. Knock it off, you’re better than that.”

“I’ll… um… b-be sure not to… to m-make it s-seem as… uh… I’ll k-keep that in m-mind” Salvatore finally says, casting his gaze down to his pants for a moment, unsure how to feel about how… friendly and kind Karl was being all of a sudden. Salvatore knew Karl secretly cared about him, the brat does far too many conveniently nice things for him throughout the year for him not to, but hearing the younger man voice his surprisingly high opinion of him was definitely shocking, though still quite touching, all the while.

“W-which gift… d-did you end u-up… getting, Karl? I d-didn’t get t-the chance to… to s-see the others… M-Mother only showed me Nadi-er… my g-gift” Salvatore asks, deciding, at the last second, against using his gift’s real name lest Karl be given even more artillery to tease and riddle him with.

“Eh, just some tall dark haired broad. I think Miranda said something about her being Indian, or something along those lines.”

“O-oh… d-did Mother say a-anything about… whether she’s actually f-from here… o-or did she immigrate… f-from India?” Salvatore asks, tilting his head curiously as this new information about Karl’s gift piques his interest.

Karl stares at Salvatore with a look of confusion for a moment, his mouth opening and closing silently like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words for it. Until, “Aren’t Indians from America?”

The sound of Salvatore’s right palm making firm and painful contact with the back of Karl’s head echoes across the reservoir almost as loudly as the following cry of pain from the man himself.

“OW! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?” Karl roars angrily, pushing himself to his feet while he rubs at the back of his head, hat lopsided and barely hanging on to his head and green glasses no longer perched upon his nose, likely sinking to the murky lake floor just below the docks they were sitting on.

“I d-didn’t spend… th-the better part o-of 15 years… p-pounding an education... i-into y-your th-thick head... for you t-to say… f-for you to b-be spouting dumb shit… l-like that” Salvatore growls in annoyance, eying the taller man with a look that even he wouldn’t dare argue against, at least not with Sal he wouldn’t.

It’s moments like these when Salvatore is very happy that Karl, for as strong and fearless as he is now as a fully grown adult, is still just a little bit afraid of him after all these years. Not because of anything bad or horrifically traumatic of course, especially considering how often Salvatore had gone out of his way to ensure Karl had the least traumatic upbringing he could possibly provide the young boy, given both their situations. As much as he hated to admit it, even Karl would agree that Salvatore had done a pretty decent job of not fucking him up anymore than he already was, which the younger man would secretly always be thankful for. However, even a person as naively patient and serving toward others as Salvatore had his breaking point, and all it took was one especially bad day, resulting in the one and only time Salvatore has ever left a mark upon the younger man’s skin, for Karl to realize that Salvatore was the last person in this godforsaken village he wanted to purposefully make an enemy out of.

Thankfully, their relationship never suffered negatively from that one-off event, but it did force the two to come to a mostly unspoken agreement that has remained present and active, if slightly ignored at certain times, from that point forward. Agreement or not however, Salvatore could never bring himself to harm Karl like that again, even if he wanted to, which was probably the main reason why Karl was still the most comfortable around him, even after all these years. It was a secret they shared between them, and them alone, and it would be one that he would cherish for the rest of his life, as Karl would secretly cherish the kindness and brotherly love Salvatore had treated him with for all these years. They were brothers, regardless of whether they got along or not, and nothing in the would world would be able to change that.

That being said however, Karl was about to be in for a very rude awakening if he thought he could just do and say whatever the hell he wanted around Salvatore without there being any consequences.

“‘A-aren’t Indians f-from A-America?’ G-good grief... I o-oughta throttle y-you for th-that one” Salvatore grumbles through another drag of his cigar, shaking his head in utter disbelief and disappointment. Karl was so intelligent, and yet he could be so stupid sometimes that it physically hurt Salvatore to think about.

“But there ARE Indians in America, aren’t there? I know I’m not wrong here” Karl defends aggressively, his anger quickly giving way to embarrassment when Salvatore raises his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration and annoyance.

“Th-they’re called N-Native Americans... f-first of all... they w-were only c-called I-Indians... b-because the g-guy... the moron who f-first sailed t-to the A-Americas... w-was actually... looking for I-India... the r-real India... b-but back th-then... you h-had to go all th-the way... a-around Africa... to g-get there... but he th-thought h-he could do... d-do it a d-different w-way... he thought h-he could f-find India... by s-sailing straight f-from S-Spain... and g-going around the whole w-world... until h-he came b-back around... an-and hit Asia” Salvatore explained slowly, hoping to maintain his delusion that Karl had, in fact, paid attention to at least some of the lessons he gave the boy throughout their time together, even if it wasn’t actually true.

“But he didn’t. He hit the Americas and started calling the locals Indians cuz the guy, what’s-his-face... Columbine... Columbus... whatever, was dumb enough to think he was in India and not a totally different landmass” Karl finishes, looking like he at least remembered hearing about his information before, which was good enough for Salvatore.

Despite the grimace still etched onto his face, Karl groans in annoyed defeat and slinks back down to sit next to Salvatore, still cradling the back of his head.

“Anyways, as i was saying before I was so rudely interrupted with a goddamn history lesson-”

“You w-want another s-smack?” Salvatore threatens, mildly amused when Karl pauses his dramatic retelling, before sliding just a few inches to the right, away from Salvatore’s preferred disciplining hand.

Coughing slightly, Karl continues. “Anyways… going back to my “finding the silver lining” idea, or whatever the fuck its called. This whole “gift” thing might actually work out kinda nice for me in the long run, especially since the one I got looked like she was strong and could handle herself in a rough and tumble environment. If she proves herself, I’m planning on turning her into my assistant” Karl explains casually. “As much as I hate working with other people, normally, I’ve got some projects that would really benefit from a second pair of hands, so I’m attempting to make a “silver lining” moment out of this bullshit “gift” thing Miranda’s tryin to do and just hope and pray that things work out in my favor. Though, to be fair, if things with this girl don’t go well, I could always use her body for a cool idea I’ve had cooked up for a while now. What about you? What are you planning on doing with your new little toy once it finally arrives?”

Salvatore merely shrugs his shoulders. “It w-would be nice… i-if we c-could be f-friends… somehow… but…”

“Ya… you’re not exactly working with the latest and greatest set up, huh? Even a mutant girl might need a little bit to get adjusted to a face like that” Karl says.

“That’s c-certainly one way o-of p-putting it” Salvatore replies dejectedly.

Karl flinches slightly, which surprises Salvatore, since the younger man has a habit of caring very little for how his words affect those around him. Why on earth was he being so considerate, all of a sudden?

“Look, uh… what I meant to say was that… ok, so maybe you’re not like, the best looking guy ever, but like…” Karl stammers and stutters, trying desperately to figure out what he wants to say but seemingly coming up short every time.

Salvatore narrows his eyes again, suspicion returning. “You’re h-hiding something f-from me… w-what are you a-after, Karl?” Salvatore asks seriously, fixing the younger man with a stern look that he knows Karl recognizes.

“Hey, don’t you give me that fuckin’ look. I am too fuckin’ old for you to be looking at me like that, what am I, 12?” Karl asks.

“You c-certainly act l-like it… most of th-the time” Salvatore grumbles under his breath.

Karl clearly heard him, but knew better than to argue with the water not even a foot below where the two were currently sitting, his sunglasses having already taken a nice little dive as punishment for his big mouth. Salvatore might have only agreed to speak with Karl because the latter had demanded it, but they were still very much in Salvatore’s territory, and it wasn’t even a question of who had the topographical advantage should an “argument” actually break out between them.

Karl is strong, nobody can deny that. But Salvatore has the home advantage, and they both know it.

After a moment of tense staring, Karl finally breaks first, sighing heavily before tossing his finished cigar cap into the water below them, a crime Salvatore briefly contemplates knocking the younger man in for, before deciding against it, knowing, with his luck, that it would only come back to bite him in the ass later.

“Alright look,” Karl finally says, a look of frustrated determination on his face, “I don’t know what Miranda really has planned past her whole “get a suitable vessel for Eva” obsession, or what she’s really after on this mission of hers… but something about this whole situation going on recently just doesn’t feel right to me, and I think we need to do something about it before something bad happens and we all somehow end up dead. Now, I'm not 100% sure why I’m talking about this with the head of Miranda’s fuckin’ fanclub, but considering what my other 2 options were it wasn’t like I had much of a damn choice. My only saving grace right now is the fact that you’ll at least occasionally listen to fuckin’ reason, given your gaping maw can be yanked from Miranda’s tit long enough to hear me out, that is. It’s certainly better than my chances with Lady Super-sized Bitch and Crazy Psycho Doll, over there.”

“Are you s-sure you’re n-not just being p-paranoid?” Salvatore asks slowly, not wanting to offend Karl by outright stating he didn’t believe the younger man’s hunch, but also trying to figure out if Karl actually has something to be concerned about, or if he’s just looking for an excuse to badmouth Miranda.

“No, no no no, don’t you do this to me too, Sal” Karl begs in frustration. “You can go about the rest of your life loving the absolute shit out of that crazy woman if you want to and I won’t say a goddamn thing about it, but I need you to promise me, and I mean promise me, that if you see or hear something weird regarding Miranda and this little “trip” she’s about to go on, you come tell me so that we can at least make sure our own asses are covered when shit hits the fan.”

“Well… I-I uh…”

“Come on, Sal. None of these psychotic assholes have ever had my back like you, and that’s exactly the reason why I’m telling you all this” Karl says honestly, catching Salvatore off guard with the oddly familiar wording.

“I know I can be a royal fucking pain in the ass most of the time and that I’m not always the… nicest to you… even though you did kinda do... a bit for me here and there when I was a little tyke... But none of that matters now, because even if Miranda isn’t trying to hide something from us, with the two of us banded together, we could do whatever the hell we wanted while she’s gone, and neither of the other shitheads would be able to tell us otherwise. What do you say, Sal? Come on, you and me, together, just like when I was a kid, remember?” Karl asked excitedly, his eyes shimmering in boyish glee as he spouts off all the things they’d be able to get away with when Miranda finally left, the torment they’d be able to unleash upon Alcina being a particular favorite of Karl’s, it would seem.

Salvatore remained silent for a moment, contemplating the deal he’d just been given.

It’s… not a terrible deal, at least compared to some of the previous deals Salvatore has been offered in the past. It wasn’t like him agreeing to “ally” himself with Karl was a direct declaration of war against Mother Miranda or anything like that, merely a mutual effort that would guarantee safety for both him and Karl should Mother’s plan not go exactly as she wanted, which scientific experiments were known to do. Not to mention that giving Alcina a good messing with did sound like quite a bit of fun.

Maybe… maybe Karl was right. Maybe Salvatore was being a bit too much of a stick in the mud. It was just Karl after all, who Salvatore had practically raised, starting from the boy’s arrival into the family at 6 years old and more or less up until his factory was completed just after his 22nd birthday. Karl could certainly be a handful for even the most powerful individuals, but even on his worst days, he always found some backwards, convoluted way to apologize for his behavior.

“W-well… I-I’m not s-sure… I d-don’t know how I f-feel about… about d-doing things th-that Mother… wouldn’t a-approve of… just b-because sh-she’s gone...”

“But...” Karl continued for him.

“B-but I suppose… k-keeping each other u-updated… when we f-find… or h-hear s-something weird is… wouldn’t be… wouldn’t be th-the worst idea… in th-the world… e-even if it just t-turns out that… we w-were just being p-paranoid.”

“Excellent! That’s just what I was hoping to hear” Karl says triumphantly, standing up.

“A-are you l-leaving, already?”

“Ya” Karl affirms, “I’ve got work to do at the factory, and based on the look of things here, you were busy with a project of your own it looks like.”

Salvatore nods, pocketing his freshly finished cigar cap for later, proper, disposal. “I c-can’t even remember… the l-last time I… p-properly cleaned this p-place… it l-looks so m-much nicer… even w-without being f-fully finished…”

“Good for you. My own property could probably do with a good cleaning of its own now that you mention it. If nothing else though, I’m sure your new little lady friend will appreciate that you picked up the place for her arrival.”

“Y-you think s-so?” Salvatore asks.

Karl shrugs his shoulders. “Who knows with chicks, they’re unpredictable, but I suppose it’s possible. Then again, maybe not considering who you ended up with. I don’t know the full story or anything like that, but based on what I heard from Miranda, that blue bitch you went with was the craziest one of them all. Practically tore her pod apart the first time Miranda tried to put her in it, and caused all sorts of other damage throughout her mutation phase too, not that I blame the poor girl. I’d tear that whole lab right out from under the surface and set it ablaze if I could. Going back down there after so many years… I was puking like you for the rest of the fuckin’ day when I finally got out of that hellhole. Stomach still feels a little nauseous if I’m being honest...”

“I-I’m sorry… to h-hear that” Salvatore says, though Karl is quick to brush him off.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. I’m a big boy and I can handle myself. But do we have a deal? Keep each other in the loop whenever we hear anything… strange or abnormal about Mother Miranda or her special little mission?”

Salvatore pauses for a moment, thinking one last time about whether this was a good idea, before finally shrugging his shoulders and nodding. “Y-yes, we h-have a deal… b-but just remember something, Karl… 40 years d-didnt do… nearly as m-much for your p-poker face as i-it did for your s-smart mouth. If I c-catch you lying to m-me-”

“Ya, ya, ya, you’ll chop up my body and toss my remains in the lake to feed the fishes, I’ve heard that one a million times before” Karl interrupts. “Don’t worry, Sal, if I was planning on lying to you at any point throughout this process, you’d have already caught me by now. Even I know better than to try pulling a fast one over the walking fuckin’ lie detector.”

“I’m h-holding you to th-that, Karl” Salvatore calls over his shoulder as the younger man stands and begins heading toward the gate to return to his factory, chuckling lightly when Karl returns his warning with a middle finger.

“Take it easy, old man. And let me know how that crazy fish bitch you ended up with turns out. If all else fails I’ll turn her into a nice stuffed pillow for you” the bespeckled man says, throwing his head back in laughter as though he’d told a funny joke, before adding, “And I’d better get my sunglasses back within the week, or else I’m draining the whole fucking reservoir so I can find them myself. Don’t think I won’t do it, old man.”

Salvatore merely returns the middle finger, a response that Karl seems to appreciate, if the wolfish howl of laughter the younger man let's out says anything, at least.

‘Cheeky brat. Always plotting something’ Salvatore thinks fondly to himself as he slips back into the water to continue cleaning the reservoir, quickly grabbing the green sunglasses that had sunk to the bottom and pocketing them to return to Karl later. He pauses for a moment when a thought crosses his mind.

Within the past 24 hours, both Mother Miranda and Karl had been… unusually kind and affectionate toward Salvatore, which pleased but also confused the twisted man.

Karl was easy enough to explain away, the younger man has been flip flopping between periods where he likes and spends time with Salvatore, and periods where he’d sooner set himself on fire than be in the same room as his older brother, since the day they met, so as far as Salvatore was concerned, Karl’s behavior was hardly breaking news, though perhaps a bit surprising given everything going on with Mother’s gifts. Mother Miranda, however, was a different story.

Usually more distant and hands-off in her parenting ways, Miranda had been uncharacteristically affectionate toward the disfigured man the night before, going as far as to openly praise Salvatore for all his hard work and even hold him without being asked to. It had been such a wonderful experience at the time and yet, the more Salvatore thought about it, the stranger and stranger the behavior seemed, especially now that Karl had confronted him.

Speaking of Karl… Mother seemed quite upset with him when she spoke of him the night before. Going as far as to badmouth him specifically, calling him a ‘conniving little snake’, despite the younger man usually being her favorite by a country mile. Had Karl done something to incur Mother’s wrath? Is that why Karl came all the way over here to make that deal with him? Is he trying to rally the 4 lords to rebel against Mother Miranda?

No... No, no no no, that couldn’t be true, there’s no way.

Even Karl, for all his incredible intellect and hunger for power, was too afraid of Mother Miranda to ever try anything as drastic as that. That being said however, even though Salvatore doubted that Karl would ever try to rebel against Mother Miranda, it did seem like the younger man was trying very hard to get Salvatore onto his side for some reason. In fact, both Karl AND Mother Miranda appeared to be trying to sway the eldest Lord in their favor, though for what reason, he still had no idea.

It was definitely something that made Salvatore slightly wary of the both of them, though.

There’s nothing in this world that Salvatore hates more than doubting his beloved Mother, but even he couldn’t write this oddity of a situation off as a mere one-off incident or sudden change of Miranda’s tune. Mother has been acting very strangely recently, doing things she wouldn’t normally do and acting overly affectionate as if to try and throw everyone off her tracks, and the longer Salvatore thought about it, the more he couldn’t help but wonder, as painful as it was to admit, if maybe Karl was actually onto something.

Logically, he knows that Karl is just being Karl, looking to stir up some trouble for his own, and supposedly Salvatore’s, amusement, and that Mother Miranda is likely just trying to enjoy the time she has left with her children before she leaves on her mission. However, something in the back of Salvatore’s mind can’t help but wonder if maybe there’s more going on than he’s been led to believe by either of them. And as if this situation couldn’t get any more confusing for the deformed man, now his overly anxious and analytical mind was beginning to understand what Karl meant when he said there was something strange going on, no matter how much the rest of him practically screamed to just listen to Miranda like he always has.

Shaking his head of his scrambled thoughts and turning his focus back to his work, Salvatore decides that the best thing he can do right now is keep an ear to the ground on both Mother Miranda AND Karl, just to be fair. He still isn't sure if he plans on being 100% honest with Karl regarding their deal, but he supposes that maintaining a good relationship with the younger man wouldn’t hurt in the event he turned out to be right and Mother’s plan backfired on all of them.

Besides, if Karl did turn out to be right, and Salvatore was ready for if things took a bad turn, he could still be there to rescue Mother Miranda and ensure she’s brought to safety along with them. He’ll have successfully fulfilled his family duties to both Karl and Mother Miranda, without ever having to actually choose which side he was definitively on. A perfect plan if the mutant man says so himself. Now the only thing left to do between now and whenever things started getting interesting was work on the reservoir and wait for his gift to finally arrive, his mood regarding this whole situation greatly improved thanks to Karl’s visit.

Hopefully, if things went well, he’d have some exciting news to tell the younger man the next time they met up.

Maybe he’d even have a new friend to introduce.

[seravph]

Hi, I didn't really know who to reach out for this question, but do you have any tips on how to find your own unique fashion style? I'm not really looking to hop on popular clothing trends on social media e.g. eboy/girl or cottagecore, so I'm not exactly sure where to start! I come to consult you because I've seen some of your posts and you look very well versed in fashion and you seem to know your own personal style. My wardrobe is very outdated and I would like to update it to reflect the truest expression of myself. Thank you 😊 You don't have to answer this if you don't feel like doing so btw 😅

EEEE more fashion asks i love these thank you!!!! warning this got a lil (very) long so its under the cut :^)

so first and foremost the most important part about curating your own style is to learn more about your body and what flatters/doesnt flatter it. it's learning some basic fashion 'rules' pertaining to proportions, cuts, etc. there are plenty of resources on this if you dont know where to start (kibbe body test, video, video) but keep in mind this step has nothing to do with your weight!!!! i could talk wayyy more about this but at the end of the day, some clothing is just more flattering for specific body shapes - that doesnt mean you cant wear something that isnt perfectly flattering, but knowing your body and knowing what flatters it will make you understand your own style and help guide the pieces you buy. fashion 'rules' arent necessarily meant to be followed, but just understood so that 'breaking' them is a conscious choice. (it also really helped with my insecurities???? like this step is basically recognizing that its not your body thats unflattering, its the clothing, if that makes sense???)

also remember that every 'style' works for every body type. i.e if you want to be a 60s vibe but youre too curvy for shift dresses, there are plenty of clothes in a similar style that would look great on you <3 basically, if you dont like the way a piece looks on you, you can still achieve the same vibe with a different article of clothing thats more flattering. but also umm.... you can just wear the unflattering thing if you want LOL if it makes you happy... then it becomes your own controlled decision <3 live love laugh follow your heart

okay. now that you have that out of the way. there are a million ways to develop a sense of style, and no particular order in which i recommend them. what i love doing is creating pinterest boards for the spring/summer or fall/winter seasons and just filling them with pieces i would wear in a perfect world. i dont mean like cottagecore aesthetic boards, just boards full of runway looks and clothing pngs that i like. i also love making little outfits for characters which can influence my own style. everyone thinks of their style differently; i think of my own outfits as little vignettes with narratives behind them, but other people are more concerned with just wearing things they think are pretty, other people view it as an expression of art or their identity, and other people just want to feel comfortable!!! its all up to you and what youre drawn to!!

one thing that tan france mentioned once was to go online window shopping by going onto the website for a brand you like (regardless of whether its affordable or realistic!) and just adding things to your cart that youre interested in. dont worry about how expensive they are or anything, and when youre done, remove all the items you like the least. and then keep reviewing and removing until you have just a handful of really nice items you really like, and keep doing this with other brands until you can identify common threads between the pieces you like. you dont have to buy them!! in fact maybe its better if you dont!!! and the websites dont have to be like zara or h&m ... go on balmain or chanel if you want, play pretend and have fun!!

re: the last bullet point, i think a big turn off for people in terms of fashion is the idea that you need to wear something palatable and 'appropriate.' its like looking at a runway and thinking "its nice, but i would never wear that in real life." but honestly????? in a perfect world i would be wearing full gowns to the supermarket!!!! if your ideal style is imaginative but unattainable, your style in practice will be a microcosm of it. basically... dream big... dont be afraid to 'overdress' if its what you like!! one of the best pieces of advice i ever got was from my aunt, who offered to by me a plastic tiara. i asked her when i was ever going to wear it irl, and she just looked at me and said "??? you can wear it whenever you want to!!" so true!!! wear a tutu to mcdonalds. wear a bedazzled tux to prom. who cares

accessories, nail polish, hair, jewelry, perfume and makeup goes a long way in developing style. i dont wear a ton of makeup, but just putting some color on my cheeks achieves a kind of sunkissed lovestruck vibe that i strive for. i paint my nails red because i think its chic or bright colors so they contrast with a toned down outfit. even wearing no accessories is an accessory in itself. accessorizing (or specifically not accessorizing) is like adding texture to an outfit imo

anything that advises you about 'absolutely necessary essentials everyone needs' is entirely wrong. there is no one size fits all; i.e everyone says you need one good pair of denim jeans, but i havent worn jeans in two years!!! an essential for ME is a pair of neutral wool shorts, but an essential for another person could be a thick knit sweater or for another person, a flannel. the idea that everyone needs a 'little black dress' or a 'basic white t shirt' is preposterous. YOUR essentials depend entirely on YOUR style. a pair of denim jeans is useless if you hate wearing jeans!!!!

as for my personal style, im mostly influenced by movies, books, songs, characters, feelings, colors, high fashion, and costumes. ultimately, you should worry less about what you want to be and worry more about what you already like. every piece i have kind of plays into some narrative ive constructed, or otherwise theyre all special to me :) if you want to update your wardrobe, dont feel the need to over consume fast fashion (or any fashion for that matter) to do so. if you take it slow and buy pieces you really love, every item will have a story and you'll begin to develop a more stable internal style and they'll last longer :)

let me know if you have questions or want me to talk more about any of this because i really love answering these kinds of questions!!!!!! especially the body type thing because thats such an important but long winded thing i couldnt really fit it all LOL

some more videos + resources about style and fashion i think are interesting:

deep dive into kibbe body types

pinterest aesthetics, fatphobia, and white washing

lies about clothes to unlearn in your twenties

studio ghibli: how clothing shapes identity

breakfast at tiffanys style analysis: the reinvention of onself with fashion

will the millennial aesthetic ever end?

go viral, post #spon, get canceled: how social media transformed fashion in the 2010s

analyzing the "is it a cute outfit or is she just skinny?" meme

[starbuck]

All of Armitage’s Looks: Rated

Well, this was inevitable, wasn’t it? Being someone who very readily admits to having Armitage’s entire wardrobe memorized (and who will not apologize for how weird that is), I feel that I’m the perfect person to make this post, although perhaps not the most objective...

So, without further ado, allow me to present to you: every single one of Armitage’s Looks in chronological order: Rated.

#1 - Enjoying The Birthday -- 11/10

Unlike most named characters, Armitage does not appear until episode 4 but oh what an entrance it is... Look at that smile!!!! Actually, take an extra good look because you’ll never see it again. 

Outfit-wise, this is just his normal steward uniform but I like those boots. Probably not unique to him but they’re very nice and remind me of a pair I own. 

Bonus points for being the second person on the tackle-pile, following Tozer. 

(You could accuse me of rating too high right off the bat, but look at his smiling face again and tell me I’m wrong.)

#2 - “Mr. Armitage, what do you report?” -- 8/10

And thus we are introduced to Armitage by name. Appropriately, he is partaking in his most consistent character-defining activity: protecting Tozer from harm (which, in this case, is the Not-Bear which has just come out of nowhere and ripped part of Heather’s skull off).

I’m gonna be honest: I don’t like how this style of coat looks when it’s fully buttoned-up. I think it’s awkward and boxy (see Gibson’s coat in the mutiny-planning scene at the beginning of ep 7 for a better idea of what I mean) and this is before Armitage figured out the belt trick that corrects the problem so I’m deducting points for the coat.

Luckily for him though, his hat is of my favorite variety in the show so I’m delighted to see it despite it just being his uniform. Also loving our first look at his blue sweater (peeking out beyond his coat-sleeves) and his gray gloves.

Further points added for this being the first of many scenes where he carries a gun, endlessly confusing the fandom at large about what the hell his job is. 

#3 - tfw You’re Responsible For This -- 5/10

So I’m just gonna come right out and say that this is one of my favorite images of him in the entire show but, just as Look #1 was rated higher due to the context of the scene despite the outfit itself being average, this one’s rating, in turn, must suffer. 

Things I love about this: the hat (obviously), the fact that the coat looks worlds better just because it’s slightly unbuttoned, the delicate dusting of snow, the way his face looks at this angle.

Things I don’t love about this: literally Everything Else.

Aiding in the racist kidnapping of an innocent woman and then not owning up to it twenty minutes after your introduction is not a good look, no matter how emotionally conflicted about it you are.

#4 - Who the Fuck is This Guy? -- 6/10

October 20th, 2019 was not the day that my obsession with Armitage began, but it was the day that I took a screenshot of this exact moment because I had no idea who this man was or why we were getting a close-up of him. It would take me two more months to figure his identity out.

But, to the point, not much to say here since it’s just his normal uniform again except that this is our first proper look at his hair which I absolutely adore. Also loving the little anchor buttons on his jacket - very cute!

Once again, points deducted for the unfortunate context.

#5 - Slops! -- 7/10

This look is noteworthy for a few reasons. First of all, we see his tan slops for the first time! Slops just sort of look horrible by default unfortunately but I’m enjoying the hat + slops combo here... it works for him. Secondly, Armitage disappears for the entirety of episode 5 so this is the first time we’ve seen the man since the lashing scene. I guess it was so traumatic to witness that he had to take a break. 

He has a gun again though, so things can’t be all bad.

#6 - Big Carnivale Hours -- 8/10

I have given up on trying to figure out what the hell is going on with the marines and their costume theme. Are they knights.... with crowns? That’s all I’ve been able to figure. Who’s idea was this? (Despite having no evidence, I blame Pilkington.) So what does that make Armitage? Is he a squire? Or a knight that just doesn’t have a crown like the others because they ran out of them? Whatever the case, he’s clearly a part of their theme despite not being a marine himself which I think is adorable regardless.

Speaking of adorable, let’s just forget everything that happens for the rest of this episode and appreciate how he’s hanging out with Tozer and Heather. Isn’t that nice? God I’m distressed.

Taking a look at the costume itself, you’ll see that it’s essentially a cut-up burlap sack and a sheet over his regular uniform but realism is not the goal here and the DIY vibe is actually quite nice imo.

#7 - Enter: The Belt -- 10/10

The belt has arrived on the scene! Note its success in not only making the coat itself more appealing but making the coat + slops combo work against all odds.

We really get it all here: belt, (unbuttoned) coat, hat, welsh wig, gloves, and slops! What more could I possibly ask for in an outfit? It’s both stylish and practical.

And plus, I like his attitude in this scene - optimistic-leaning realism about the dangers ahead. I can get behind that.

Overall, no complaints from me - this is a perfect look.

#8 - tfw You Allowed This -- 7/10

This is a Significant Look mostly because we see his hair again, for the first time since episode 4! It’s a bit longer and more unkempt but still maintains a pleasing shape overall. Honestly, I think it looks good this way and its a pity we didn’t get to see it more in the transition stages (assuming it was steadily growing out since ep 4 like most people’s). Additionally, there’s a bit of stubble going on here which I respect.

Rated lower than it might be simply because, as has been established, slops on their own are just kinda ugly. I don’t have a lot to work with here outfit-wise. His face is lovely but this screenshot is a sepia-toned nightmare.

A bonus point for his desperate “please explain this clearly illegal thing we’re doing in a way that makes sense to Little” glance at Tozer, who is already on it.

#9 - Agony -- 8/10

It took me awhile, even after becoming aware of who Armitage was, to appreciate how truly miserable he looks in this scene. And I mean, why wouldn’t he be miserable? Tozer, a man who Armitage risked his own life to drag to safety at Carnivale, is about to be executed for something that’s arguably just as much Armitage’s fault and there’s not a thing he can do about it.

So... that’s depressing.

But, looking at the outfit itself, we see that it’s pretty similar to some past Looks. In fact, it’s identical to what he was wearing when the Tuunbaq attacked Heather with the exception of the belt which is, of course, a new addition since then! And look at the difference a belt can make... You almost don’t notice that the coat is buttoned up all the way.

#10 - The Same Outfit But Now He’s Saving Tozer So Its Cooler -- 9/10

Y’all ever think about the fact that, when things went to shit, Armitage’s first instinct was to grab a gun, find Tozer, and rescue him? I mean you probably don’t but I do. Constantly. 

Obviously I love this part and the outfit is still solid (note how well the belt shows off his figure!) but it loses out on being a perfect 10/10 because he must have dropped his hat while picking up the gun so we never see it again. A necessary sacrifice but one that I mourn nonetheless. 

RIP Armitage’s cool hat, ??-1848.

#11 - The Blue Sweater -- 8/10

It’s warming up so that means we finally get a look at the lovely layers that have been hiding under Armitage’s coat. It’s important to me to bring special attention to the sweater because, although (as I’ve mentioned) he has it on all the way back in ep 4, this is one of only two scenes in the entire show where we get a proper look at it. 

Further, not only is he wearing the blue sweater, but he also has a blue vest on over it! Now, I’ll admit, these aren’t exactly complimentary shades of blue but it still works for me. 

Note also that the belt he had around his coat has been repurposed to aid in holding up his slops-pants over his normal pants (which are held up by the suspenders). Does this man’s resourcefulness ever cease?

As much as I’d love to give a higher rating for the blue sweater, I can’t ignore the new beard which is... it isn’t... it’s Not Great. I don’t have as much animosity towards it as I used to but I can’t pretend that I love it.

#12 - Let Us Fly These Deadly Waters! -- 9/10

I’m not sure why but I’ve always found this outfit very appealing. The tan slops-pants go nicely with the white shirt and blue vest. It’s a solid look - I’d wear this irl honestly. 

And bonus points for his trying to convince Tozer to leave Hickey, even though he was ultimately unsuccessful. 

(P.S. - yes, the title for this one is a Moby-Dick reference... Did you really think I would make it through this entire post without one?) 

...and now, last but not least, I present to you my absolute favorite Armitage Look™... all the other times I said some other outfit was my favorite, I was lying because what I am about to show you is truly the cream of the crop. Without further ado:

#13 - Kidnapping is Bad So At Least Look Good Doing It -- 12/10

Are y’all seeing this? Are you SEEING this????? It is episode fucking 10!! Everyone is dying!!! And yet here’s Armitage waltzing up in his best outfit of the entire show. What the fuck!!!!!!! 

Do I even need to explain why this is exceptional? Just look at it! Look at how the vest is buttoned up and tucked into his slops-pants! Look at the suspenders over top which match the slops-pants in color! Look at the gun and keyring that look like they were made to accessorize this outfit specifically! Heck, even his hair and beard look much better from this angle.

Now, I’m not trying to discount the fact that Armitage was absolutely miserable throughout this entire episode, and understandably so, but, even with that in mind, I can’t bring myself to rate this look any lower. It’s just That Perfect.

If one must inevitably die horribly in the arctic, this is an excellent outfit to die in.

__ 

Well, that’s that! Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this! I’m glad that my ridiculous opinions about Armitage’s wardrobe finally came in handy for something other than my own amusement. 

[sporadic-writer]

Welcome to the Neighborhood pt. 2

Note: ok so I know that not all of the boys, meaning both twins, live with the others. And I know my update schedule sucks but I go in a block and funk. Sorry guys. I just want you to read something I would read and truly enjoy. Also, I think I may make this a Haz fic bc ones about hin deserves more love and notes.

No one really reads these but I also think I'll write this for Harrison bc when Tom posted the pic of Nadia, it shattered the illusion in my head lol and it feels weird to a certain extent to write when he is most likely dating her. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy for him and he doesn't know I exist, but it feels odd idk. So im pausing on Tom stuff atm lol. Harrison is single as far as publicly that ik so thats that 😅

Pairing: Harrison x Reader (most likely)

Warnings: mentions of weed, alcohol, and swearing. I enjoy all these things responsibly and ik im not the only one. As always stop reading if you dont like something.

Part 1 here initial teaser here (got around 100 notes soo 😎 check that out)

°•○•°○°•○•°○°•○•°

“Alrighty boys. That’s enough about me, tell me about yourselves. I only know this one from the big screen and that 2 of you are brothers.” You gestured to Tom as you spoke about him. “And from basic eavesdropping I gather you are all very close.” 

Tom smiled, “Actually I’m a brother to the twins, older obviously.” It was fun having a celeb lounging in your hot tub, drinking a beer with you. “But yeah I am an actor, Spider-Man as you probably know. Harrison’s an actor too!”

“Oh my god you are! I watched Catch-22 on Hulu! Comedy my ass..! I balled my eyes out several times.” He had the nerve to laugh in response. “Don’t laugh! That shit got intense quick. Then the shot where you all are swimming? Killed me. I don't know how I didn't notice you. Sorry!”

“Did you at least like it?” He smiled and asked hopefully. When you nodded yes he beamed! “Well then that’s all that matters. I will say an American accent is hard.”

You brought your beer up to your lips. “Yeah because your guys’ accent is so easy. You make fun of how different areas in America have different accents but it’s the same here!” They nodded in agreement at your words. You leaned your head back a tad and enjoyed the warm water. “Southern accents have different twangs bepending on the area, I have family that lives closer to New England, that's something all in its own. Just like here. You got London, Wales, some place called Essex and other places more north of here. It's not just the US." You reached over for your joint to finish it amongst the bubbles. "Now for real. Tell me about yourselves. Harrison you start I guess."

"Why me?"

"Shorter wikipedia page." You smirk as you re-lit your herb. The guys laughed and made 'ooh' noises to tease. "I'm kidding! Relax a touch. I just picked your name because you are right in front of me."

"Well I've known this lot since we were all kids. Tom and I went to school together and we have been stuck with each other since. I was his personal assistant for a while too." You listened as he spoke. Sweat was building up on his face from the hot tub. It added a nice shine to his, and everyone's faces. In order to avoid makeup running everywhere you sat up as you listened to him. You watched his eyes watch your movements as you took a hit and slowly exhaled. Almost like he was relaxing from watching someone relax from getting high without actually doing so. He kept going and you realized you zoned out a tad. "And then I wanted to do more than just model so I did more auditions and Catch-22 became my biggest so far."

You nodded, noting you heard and were listening. "That's cool and all but tell me like favorite song, movie, animal! Hahaha it isn't everyday famous people are in my hot tub. I'm going to savor this first encounter!" He smiled and answered your sort of questions. You offered the joint around before it finished. Tom passed, Tuwaine and Harrison took quick hits though. "But yeah that is me. Now someone else go so I don't have the spot light on me anymore." He looked at you as he said that and handed you the last bit. You winked in thanks, and to flirt lightly. (Shoot your shot right?) "Same questions to you love."

You responded your favorite song, movie, and color to him. "Yeah I like a bit of everything. But funny movies are my favorite. Obviously I like Marvel too Tom don't worry. Same goes for music but my preference ranges from new pop to older rock. I grew up on 80s alternative pop stuff." You smiled at him and he beamed in pride at the brand he represented. "Ok Sam you now."

Sam starts talking about his life and Harrison goes to grab more drinks. At this point the sun as almost finished setting and you tell the blonde how to turn the deck lights on. Soon the rows of edison bulbs flick on and a lovely mood is set. The glow isn't too bright and adds a nice light to your summer tanned skin. What you don't know is that the gentlemen appreciated the glow as well. However, they are too polite to say anything too bold after just meeting you.

If you could read minds or be sober enough to detect a certain lack of subtlety you would pick up on how the single men checked you out as you got out of the tub to get rid of the roach. Polite of course, 20 something men are going to appreciate a beautiful American girl right in front of them.

And if they could read your mind they would hear how you were taking in Tom and Harrison's jaw lines and toned muscles. How you appreciated Tuwaine's smile and height. Then add the twin's curls and freckles to the list and they'd think you were picking them like boys from a catalogue. Despite the slight oggling on your part, your eyes always wandered back to the blonde hair blue eyed boy the most. He seemed a little more laid back then Tom. Probably just because one was working more than the other, but that was just initial vibes you got. Regardless of vain appearance choices and vibe preference, all these boys were wonderful and you were just lucky enough your uncle's hot tub fit them all nicely.

Tuwaine smiled cheekily and spoke up. "Alright, we all have fresh drinks and proper buzzes. Let's make it fun and play a game. So Y/N, you went to college in the states, give us a classic drinking game and show us what you got."

"Ha! I don't know what you're looking for but I assume never have I ever is universal? You can't play kings or flip cup in a hit tub. Hold up 5 fingers, put them down if you've done said thing, drink as well."

"No fingers, just play till we are right pissed." Harry grinned and everyone else went along with it. "I will start. Never have I ever- wait this a normal game or sexy version?"

You said you didn't care and Tom said what the hell, so he continued. "Never have I ever gotten walked in on during a scandelous activity." Tom and Harrison both drank and groaned saying they have both walked in on each other at some point in life. Tuwaine continued.

"Never have I ever fooled around while someone else is in the room." There was a pause and no one drank. But then you rose your beer to your lips and they all looked at you in a manner of surprise and demand for explination.

Shrugging you said, "Old drunken hookup in school. We didn't know his roommate was in his top bunk asleep until it was too late. The mistake we made was keeping on going when we thought we heard him, because we did..."

"Wow Y/N. Learning a lot about the neighbor girl right away!"

"Shut up this game was your idea!" You laughed as you spoke in response to his teasing. "But whatever it's my turn now anyway. Never have I ever sent a dirty text to the wrong person." That got all but Harrison and you felt proud for getting them. "Alright so you are either morons or were in a rush to send that sext."

Tom defended himself saying her name was Sam and it was instant regret the second he realized.

Sam glared at him and said, "Yeah no one enjoyed that bro. I'm still shaken up about it."

"Get over yourself it was like 5 years ago! And you accidentally sent your friend Jake one, so pot, kettle, hi both black."

"It was detailed!"

You just sat there amused taking this all in. "I am so glad this happened tonight." You said more to yourself than them.

"Darling if this ends up in the tabloids we will never speak again." They were teasing with the threat. "But come on this is good let's keep going. Never have I ever done it in a car." You, Sam, and Tuwaine all drank and giggled.

The game continued on and another round of drinks were had. You learned Tuwaine had said the wrong name in bed. Also, that both Harry and Harrison have fooled around during family functions. In return they learned that you've hooked up in a college classroom and in a restaurant bathroom. That ended up getting you and your former boyfriend kicked out of the establishment. Towards the final round all were getting sleepier but still in a good mood.

"Never have I ever had sex high." Harrison challenged the group. No one drank. "Wait really? Thought I'd get you with that. Finish your beer and all." He looked at you as he spoke.

"Nope. Just never happened now that I've thought about it. Huh. You'd think right? But nope. Not that I'm opposed." You ended your statement by glancing his way while finishing your beer anyway. Harrison just watched the way your neck moved as you tilted your head back. "Ok boys this was fun but I am gettin tired."

Tom nodded. "Same here. Thank you for having us darling, it was fun!" The others spoke in agreement and you smiled at them saying they were welcomed back anytime. They offered to help clean but you grabbed the remaining bottles and told them you were good. After final goodbyes, you told them to not he strangers, you were all in your respective homes.

You went to bed pretty quick. Next door, at their place Tom, Harrison, and Sam lingered to get some water before bed. "She was really cool." Sam said while sipping water.

Harrison hummed in agreement. "Yeah I think so too. Very chill and all that."

Sam smirked and playfully said, "You just think she's fit mate." There was a pause.

"Well she is." It was Tom who said that and the others looked at him in playful shock. "What I'm not blind! She is! She's isn't some shy girl freaking out over us. She's cheeky and just seems normal about us living next to her. More Harrison's type though I'd say."

Sam laughed. "Yeah he always liked the classic American 'girl next door' type. Just a bonus she is actually American this time." They paused for Harrison to negate their statements but he just sipped his water and looked at them with a glint in his eyes. "Told you." Sam said as he took a sip. "She is better than half the models either of you bring back. Nuerons fire and she can keep a conversation. Not that all models are like that! But come on you went out with some stereotypes." Neither could disagree. Sometimes you just want to have a date with the beautiful face. Long term needs substance though, and both Tom and Harrison thought you had it all.

"We need to invite her over tomorrow, and any time she's free." Groundwork was to be established and Harrison was determined to get to know you more.

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As always, like and reblog! I hope you like it! Also if i forget to tag someone lmk, same if you wanna be tagged or not tagged. Feedback and notes are appreciated but be nice haha I edit as best I can. Thanks for reading and enjoying.

Tags: @jillanaholland @averyfosterthoughts @sarah-m-limelight-2007 @astridcommings

[youngdreamer3214]

Too Late

Disclaimer- I don't own anything.

Jason is former thief, Red X (because I like the thought of Jason being the anti-hero).

The story is set in the future.

It was drizzling ever so lightly, raindrops rested like dew on blades of grass and new washed leaves. Light winds were blowing and the day gave a comforting vibe. The huge glass dome built by Cyborg kept the rain out but gave the view of the beautiful scenery around them.

A hero formerly known as Robin, now Nightwing was adjusting his bow tie and fidgeting in his seat. "Dude, stop fidgeting, it is becoming annoying." Beastboy groaned from sitting right next to him. Nightwing sighed and stilled.

His unmasked eyes held sadness; he looked ahead and saw a handsome man, with broad shoulders and lean body standing in a black tuxedo and an amethyst bow tie and a white boutonniere. His sea green eyes complemented his tanned features. His jet black hair with a lock of white was combed back and the white of his hair made him look a little dangerous, he was Nightwing's adoptive brother, Jason.

A former thief and newly minted hero or for a better term- an ally of the heroes, all thanks to the bride.

Jason looked happy, a smile never leaving his face but his eyes also held a little bit of nervousness. Nightwing looked around and saw his mentor, but right now their father, Bruce Wayne also sitting in the front row with a content smile on his face, clearly happy for his son.

A few other members of the Justice league were also in attendance with all the Titan community present. Beastboy noticed his sad gaze and sighed "I know how you feel…but you know what happened…"

Nightwing sighed and nodded. After a couple of minutes the wedding band started to play and the bridesmaids walked with their respective escorts. Jinx and Bee were the bridesmaids sporting a mid thigh violet dress and a beautiful flower piece in their hair.

Soon after the maid of honor, Starfire walked in wearing the same dress but with different colored flowers in her hair, she was beaming, clearly happy for her best friend. They all took their respective positions near the end of the alter.

Jason and Nightwing's eyes were glued to the entrance; Jason looked happy and ecstatic with a tinge on nervousness in his eyes while Nightwing's eyes held regret. After a couple of moments the bride entered and everyone got up.

Raven looked absolutely stunning; she was wearing a beautiful white mermaid gown, which trailed after her as she walked, the dress was sleeveless and was covering her neck. Above her chest and till the beginning of her neck there was white lace. There was an intricate design decorating the gown. She was wearing emerald ear rings and her hair was curled and pulled up in a voluminous bun. A lock of hair was stylishly pulled out, which was framing her fore head. And a veil was drawn over her mid night blue hair. Lastly her face had a light blush on her cheeks and some make up to enhance her beautiful amethyst eyes. She was smiling brightly and that just made her look more beautiful.

Everything about her anatomy was breath taking; she was holding a blue and green bouquet of flowers while her big brother, Cyborg escorted her down the aisle.

Nightwing saw her wide smile and remembered the time when that smile was directed towards him and him only. And now it was for another man and the worst part was that, that man was his brother.

He saw her giving Cyborg a kiss on his cheek and then accepting Jason's out stretched hand and stood parallel to him, in front of the priest.

Nightwing zoned out and remembered his times with the empath. Them forming the team together in Jump City, him becoming her best friend, watching the sunrise together before everyone else woke up, sharing their fears with each other, their bond, saving her from Slade, learning the truth about her past, giving her hope, working with his nemesis at the end of the world, braving hell to find her and her hugging him in happiness.

And over the years they had only grown closer and had shared many moments together. When one day-

Robin had woken up early as usual and had headed to the roof. Every day without fail he and Raven had spent time together on the roof, talking about themselves or something that was disturbing them or sometimes they sat in comfortable silence just relishing each other's comforting presence.

Today as he opened the door, he was met with absence of the empath. This was weird; she always was the first one up and on the roof. He waited for a while but she didn't turn up, he panicked and headed towards her room, he knocked but was met with silence, and no other sound could be heard from the room.

His worry was increasing by the second, everyone else was still asleep. He tracked her communicator and found her on the edge of the Titan Island, sitting on a rock. He walked towards her and said calmly "Morning Rae."

Without turning around she said in her old monotone "Morning." He sat on a boulder near her and asked with concern "What's wrong Rae?"

She sighed sadly and said "What am I to you Richard?" this question caught him off guard and he looked at her with confusion and asked her "What does that mean? You are my best friend Raven."

She finally turned to look at him and said "Is that all I am to you after all this time and after all we have been through."

"What are you saying?" Raven took a deep breath and said "I like you Richard…a lot and more than a friend."

They were silent for a while, her confession hanging in the air between them. He looked at her and said "I can't believe it…and no matter what we cannot be in a relationship. It won't work out…this thing which we have between us is the only good thing in my life right now and I couldn't bear to lose this."

"You know what the sad part is." She said after a long pause, "That you won't even give it a chance."

He snapped out of his thoughts when the priest turned to Jason and said "Your vows."

Jason took Raven's hands in his and said with love radiating his entire being "Raven, I look at you and think that how can someone as beautiful, smart and compassionate as you could ever love me. You make me want to be a better person. I lived my life thinking that nobody wanted me…and then a few years ago I met you, you found my heart and I let you in…and that's where you'll stay. I vow to honor and defend you and yours above all others. I promise to love you faithfully, forsaking all others, through the good times and the bad, regardless of where life takes us. I will share in your joys and sorrows and comfort you in times of need. All that I have is yours and from this moment on I give you my heart, my love as I give you myself for as long as we both shall live."

A tear fell down from her eyes, and her smile just grew wider. Nightwing grimaced and prepared himself to listen to the girl of his dreams vow to love his brother forever.

The priest turned towards the empath and said "Raven, your vows."

Raven smiled warmly at the man in front of her and said "Jason, you make me feel loved and wanted. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. Every day with you is an adventure and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you…I pledge to bring you solace in time of need, to be your comfort, your sanctuary and to be your family. I promise to cherish you and uphold your hopes and dreams, to honor and respect you, to laugh and cry with you. I vow to love you, unconditionally. I give you my heart, my love as I give you myself for as long as we both shall live."

Her vows brought a tear of happiness in Jason's eyes and sadness in Nightwing's.

The priest said to Jason "Do you Jason Todd take this woman, Raven Roth to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health till death do you apart?"

Jason smiled widely and said without hesitation "I do,"

The priest then turned to the empath and said "Do you Raven Roth take this man, Jason Todd to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health till death do you apart?"

This was it, the moment where Raven would be taken away from his forever. In a couple of second Nightwing flashbacked again, he thought back to the time after Raven's confession.

Robin had started to date random fan girls and had changed his alias to Nightwing, to erase the thought of Raven from his mind. Not knowing the pain that he was causing her, he did everything he could to get his mind off the empath.

After a half a year Raven brought Jason with her to the tower, so that the team could meet him. They had been dating for three months then and she looked happy and really in love.

The team except their fearless leader really liked him and he genuinely seemed in love with the dark beauty, Nightwing confronted Raven about it. She just shrugged and said simply "I moved on Richard…and maybe you were right we wouldn't have worked out anyway."

In that moment he realized what he had lost and said to her "I am sorry Rae, please give me a chance. We-"

Raven interrupted him and said "I tried to give it a chance, but you were too stubborn…and do you know how much you hurt me in these past few months when you started dating other girls…we are perhaps best at just remaining friends."

As he saw her walking away, he realized that in these past few months the time he spent getting her out of his mind; she had been doing the same. The only difference was that she had succeeded even with the pain he had caused her.

But he was now haunted by her confession and his feelings for her. In these past few months she had drawn away from him and towards another man.

"I do" Raven said lovingly and that snapped Nightwing out of his thoughts. Jason beamed at her. The priest smiled and said "Then by the power vested in me…I now pronounce you man and wife *he looked at Jason* you may kiss the bride."

Jason lifted her veil, showing her beautiful smiling face. He caressed her face lightly before giving her a loving kiss. Every one cheered and clapped, a few wiped the wedding tears away and hooted for the newlywed couple.

A tiny voice inside Nightwing's head said as he watched the couple embrace "Too late."

They pulled away with huge smiles on their faces and walked out of the hall hand in hand towards their reception party.

At the party, Raven was having her first dance with her new husband. They both were glowing and there was closeness about them, which wasn't there even when they were dating.

They stole kisses from each other in between, after their first dance. Raven was approached by her new father-in-law to dance with her while Jason danced with Selina, Bruce Wayne's long time partner.

Nightwing couldn't take this anymore, he chugged down the drink in his hand and went to the balcony silently, hoping to get some time away from the party.

He leaned by the railing, thinking that if he maybe would have realized his feelings sooner then he would have been the one getting married to her today. This would have been their party then and she would be his.

After a while the balcony doors opened, Richard's highly alert senses caught this and he turned around, hoping that it would be the dark beauty who sought him out.

He turned and saw the stoic expression of his adoptive father, Bruce. Richard sighed and turned around, looking at the city again. Bruce stepped beside him and said to the young hero "You made your choice Richard; you have to let her go."

Of course he would know about his feelings for the dark beauty, he was not called the world's greatest detective for nothing, realizing that there was no point in hiding he said "I can't help but think that if I had realized my feelings sooner then maybe-"

Bruce interrupted him and said "Don't plague your mind with ifs, what is done is done…you cannot change it. So be happy for the couple."

Nightwing turned around and looked at the party through the glass doors, Raven had just giggled over something Jason had said to her in her ear. She turned to look at her husband and gave him a kiss.

He surprised his mentor when she said "She is good for him…after everything that happened to him, he deserves someone as amazing as Raven." Bruce followed his gaze and smiled softly at the couple and said nodding "Yeah, she is. And she gets along with the family also. She did make him a better man."

With that they made their way back to the party, the couple was just about to cut their extravagant wedding cake. The cut the cake and fed each other a piece happily, later they all were seated for dinner.

Nightwing knew that he had to talk to Raven once at least in private. He found her near the bar talking happily to Jinx while Jason was talking to the boys. After a couple of minutes Jinx left and Nightwing took this chance to speak to the empath.

Raven looked at him and smiled politely, she offered him a glass of strawberry champagne and said "Hey Richard."

He took the glass from her and said "Rae, I need to ask you something."

Raven nodded and urged him to continue, he took a deep breath and said "Are you happy with him?" Raven was taken aback with this question; her empathetic abilities sensed his feelings. She sighed and said "I thought we were over this, it's been two years."

"Just answer it one last time." He pleaded.

"…I love him more than anything, he makes me happy. The happiest I have ever been." Richard tried to smile and said "Then that's all I want, you to be happy…even if it's not with me."

At that moment Jason came up to them and kissed Raven on the cheek lovingly, he slid his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. Richard was filled with sadness but he masked it well and smiled at the couple.

"Mon amour, it's time for us to leave." Jason said with a warm smile to Raven. She returned his smile and nodded.

Jason then noticed his adoptive brother standing in front him and said "Hey Grayson, having fun?"

Nightwing just forced a smile at his brother. Raven excused herself and went away, the two brothers watched her leave, both filled with love for the young lady. The difference being that one was happy while the other was regretful.

"She is an amazing lady Jason…keep her happy." Nightwing said seriously to the man in front of him.

Jason looked at Nightwing and studied him carefully; he knew everything that happened between him and Raven. He turned to the hero and said seriously "I promise that I will keep her happy."

Nightwing nodded, after a few more minutes Raven emerged she was wearing a white cocktail dress. Jason smiled and walked up to her, he kissed her temple and whispered to his wife "Let's get out of here…I am sick of sharing you with others." And he kissed her temple.

With that the couple headed outside, towards their black limousine. Raven's arm was interlaced with Jason's as they walked, his eyes watching her with love and happiness. Jason opened the car door for her, before getting in Raven tossed her bouquet backwards.

Much to everyone's amusement Wally caught the bouquet, he looked nervous while his girlfriend, Jinx looked happy. They all laughed a little, Raven just waved at her friends and got in the car with her husband.

They all cheered and wished them.

"Have the nice moon of the honey friends." Starfire shouted. "Safe travels." Bruce waved. "Have fun." Cyborg and Beastboy cheered.

Only Nightwing was silent, his mind chanting only one thing as he watched the girl of his dreams drive off with another man, the man she loves towards their future. You are too late.

[silveraccent]

Running From The Pasta || Grace & Connor

TIMING: After this solo, a week or so ago. PARTIES: @connorspiracy SUMMARY: Grace and Connor run into one another while Grace is covered in pasta sauce. They run into some rancid ghost vibes and make a break for it, but not until they reveal a bit of their traumas to each other. TRIGGER: Death, blood, minor car accident. 

Grace wasn’t sure what she saw. It couldn’t have been Renee. She wouldn’t let herself believe that it was. That was something else, bent and broken-- years of distance put between them, albeit forced, unnecessary, heart breaking. The farther she ran, the more angry she felt. What kind of cruel trick? Grace finally found it in herself to stop running, to sit at a bench, faded greens and silvers, the paint having been chipped away by years of wear and tear. The sky was still a deep violet, and the fog made it hard for her to see beyond five feet. It hung in the air, and Grace swore it would swallow her whole. She hung her head in her hands, the heels of her hands digging into her eyes. The smell of pasta sauce burned her nose, and made her feel sick. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against the bench and stared up at the sky before she rounded her gaze to land on somebody-- a familiar face that she had seen online. “Connor, right?” She called to him as she glanced at the camera in his hand. “Are you filming this?” Though, could she blame him? It was unbelievable, the way the town looked right now. 

Strange things happening in White Crest was the norm. So much so that Connor wondered if they could even be called strange at all. Regardless, it was always a little alarming when a terrified girl covered in a sticky red substance runs past you, seemingly holding back sobs of fear. He followed a few steps as she half-collapsed on a bench, only realising when she pointed it out that he was still holding his camera. “I was filming the fog.” He closed his lens cap, crouching near her to get a better look. Now that he was closer, he could smell the overwhelming and almost putrid scent of tomato. At least it wasn’t blood. “I thought you were bleeding. Are you okay?” 

“The fog. Right.” Grace dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, a move to make what she had seen flit from her vision. She still couldn’t believe her eyes. She bit back another whimper mixed with tears as she looked up at him. “I’m not bleeding, no…” She looked down at her hands and wiped them against her pants, tomato sauce seen despite the dark clothes. “It’s pasta sauce.” She laughed, and she realized how stupid she now sounded. “I’m fine, I just… dropped something and it scared the shit out of me.” She looked up to meet Connor’s gaze. “I look weird, right? I mean, I’d prefer people think I’m running around covered in blood, not pasta sauce, because…” she trailed off. 

“Whoa, whoa, it’s alright, love. Slow down.” Connor stepped closer to her, taking a seat next to her on the bench. “Sort of puts all the weird shit in perspective when someone tells you they’d rather be covered in blood than pasta sauce,” he said with a slight chuckle, just trying to make light of a weird, difficult situation. “I think I have an overnight bag with some spare clothes in the car, if you wanna change…” He did his best to not make that sound creepy. “People have been talking about all sorts of weird things popping up and scaring them recently. If it helps, you’re not alone.” 

“Does it?” Grace let out a shaky laugh. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to say. The joke would go over the heads of most. She leaned into the bench and looked over at him, her eyebrows pulled up at his words. “Am I not? Did something happen to you?” Grace looked down at her bag, its usual tan fabric now smeared red. She frowned slightly. She could still feel the burn in her eyes from her crying fit, but Connor’s general concerned nature overlapped her fear, and she let it. “I think I’ll take you up on the clothes change,” Grace nodded slowly. They’d be big on her, but she wasn’t ready to go home yet. She could go to the office, maybe. Sleep on her floor. She had an extra pair of clothes there. “If it’s okay.” She looked back over at him and offered a smile, though she wasn’t sure if it was genuine. 

“I mean, most people would just pick the other option, I think,” Connor answered with a little chuckle. He could tell this poor girl was really shaken up. “Come on.” He gestured for her to follow, leading her to his car, a spacious Land Rover Discovery. Luckily, he always had everything on-hand that he might need if he decided to have an overnight shoot, towels, dry shampoo, baby wipes, and spare clothes. He was a smaller guy, so the clothing wouldn’t be too out of place on her. “I usually lay the back seats down flat if I’m not driving with anyone so I can have all my equipment there, so there should be plenty of room.” He unlocked the car, handing her anything he thought might be useful, then closed the door most of the way and turned his back so she could change comfortably. “So… what happened, anyway?” 

Grace followed him reluctantly. At this point, she’s not sure if she’s stupid for trusting strangers, or if she has the ability to tell if somebody genuinely means her harm. It didn’t seem like he did. As they approached his car, she raised an eyebrow. It was nicer than anything she had ever owned. Youtube must have paid nicely, or maybe he was a rich kid with a dream. She glanced over at him for a moment, then looked down as he began handing over the things that she needed to successfully get rid of her tomato sodden clothes. “Oh, thanks.” She gave him a meek smile, her eyes still burning. She slid into the car and did her best to clean herself up. “Uh…” Grace mumbled as she pulled his shirt over her head. “You know all this fog? I think it’s doing something weird to my head.” Grace wanted to tell him more, but she was hesitant. He seemed to know a lot already. Once she was finished cleaning up, she slid out of the car, her dirty clothes crumpled into her tote bag. She tucked it to her chest and offered him a smile. “I saw an old friend who I shouldn’t have seen,” Grace said after a moment as she lowered her bag to her waistline, not wanting to smell anymore of the tomato sauce. 

Connor was respectful. He kept his back turned and made sure to give her plenty of room so she could change in private and not feel as if he was hovering over her shoulder. It was probably a little weird, inviting someone he didn’t know back to her car. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d turned him down. “Like, making you see things?” She wasn’t the first person to have said something like that. Some of his regular ghosts had reported being able to be seen by all kinds of people, then there had been the Fog Fish he’d seen with Ariana. “This might be a bit personal,” he started. “But the old friend. Is she… dead?” 

“Yeah, making me see things,” Grace said after a moment. She wasn’t sure what she saw, but she knew how it made her feel. Terrified, distraught, angry. She held the bag closer to her stomach, using it as a comfort item. She looked at him warily as he asked his question. Of course he knew, it was what his entire youtube channel was about. She cleared her throat and nodded. “Yeah, she is. Has been for awhile, so why--” Grace stopped for a moment. She didn’t want to ask why Renee would still be hanging around, or if whatever was happening in White Crest just.. No, there was no explanation. “Do you know what’s going on?” Grace asked him after a pregnant pause. “The truth, if you have it.” 

“I think we’re all seeing things.” In the distance, Connor heard the galloping of horses hooves. He lifted his head to see what looked strangely like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse run through a nearby intersection, chasing down some poor bastard on a bicycle. “Ghosts, non-ghosts, other weird shit…” He shook his head. “Isn’t that just another day in White Crest? I don’t know what’s causing it, but I know it’s not just you.” 

Grace looked up just in time to see the headless horseman. Grace’s eyebrows pulled together. That couldn’t be real, right? “That…” Grace bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted to believe it, that way it’d be easier. Things would be easier if she didn’t second guess it-- there was so much evidence already that this was all real. She swallowed thickly. “I guess you’re right, it’s everyone.” It was obvious that everyone had been dealing with their own issues, that they were being chased by what seemed to be their own fears. “Have you seen anything that’s for you?” She asked as she cut her gaze away from the horse. 

Connor couldn’t help but stare. Fortunately, the horses kept going, right on past the intersection, continuing to chase the person on the bike. He cleared his throat, swallowing the large lump that resided there. “Me?” He looked at her a little dumbly, as if he didn’t understand the question. “No, no. What would I possibly have to see?” And of course, fate saw fit to answer that question for him. 

“Connor! Con-man, you little bastard,” an older man with an almost indiscernible accent called from across the street, and Connor’s eyes widened. Uncle Joe. Wielding a massive fucking baseball bat. “You exorcised me? You really fucking exorcised me, you little shit? I oughta beat you black and blue.” 

“Get in the car!” He half-shoved Grace inside, pulling the doors shut and hitting the lock button as quickly as he could. Uncle Joe was fighting his way through traffic to cross the road and get to them, and glass shattered, filling the vehicle as Connor pulled away from the curb. “Shit! Are you okay?!” 

Things seemed to be changing quickly. Grace wasn’t sure if she was allowing for Connor’s inquisitive nature to rub off on her or not, but Renee was half-forgotten. Maybe it was the fact that she changed her clothes. Grace quirked an eyebrow and simply nodded. She wasn’t sure if she’d like somebody poking into what she had seen, though she had already opened up to it. Grace turned at the sound of yelling, however, and her eyes widened at the sight of a ghostly man, baseball bat in his hands. “Uh--” Grace said under her breath, but before she could react, Connor was pushing her into his car. She obediently followed his directions and threw herself into the seat, her bag falling to the floor of the car. “I’m fine--” Grace held onto the edge of her seat. “You said you didn’t have anything to see, I’m taking that wasn’t true?” She asked as she turned in her seat to look behind her as the ghost ran after them, yelling words she couldn’t quite hear.

“Well, I didn’t think I did have anything to see!” Bloody America and their cars on the wrong side of the road. Connor was still getting used to it at the best of times, never mind when he was trying to drive through thick fog with a spirit chasing him. “Fuck sake.” He narrowly dodged another vehicle whose fog lights seemed to be failing, and he prayed for his own to hold on. A gaggle of zoo animals seemed to have escaped and were having their own little fucking circus at the interchange, and Uncle Joe was still waving his baseball bat, chasing Connor at an impossible speed for someone on foot. “I hope your fucking seatbelt is on.” He took another turn, way too harshly. “It’s my Uncle. I exorcised him. Obviously he isn’t happy about it.”

Grace stared ahead, her heart in her throat. She had wanted quiet when she moved to White Crest. Not whatever this was. She could feel fear from Connor, maybe something else, too. Grace let out a yelp as a vehicle swerved towards them, but Connor was able to avoid it. “What in the hell--” Grace twisted to look out the side window, eyes widened at the sight of the animals. Her seatbelt wasn’t on. Grace quickly clicked it over her chest and held onto it tightly. “Obviously not.” Grace let out a breath as she braced herself, half-expecting the ghostly pack of wolves to interfere with them as they drove forward, but it went through the car and they continued on their way. “How are we going to get away from that?” Grace asked as she looked in the side mirror. Her voice sounded entirely too calm for what was currently happening. 

“Fuck! Bloody fucking hell--” Connor didn’t know where the hell he was going. He just knew that they had to get the hell out of there. He took another turn, as if randomly changing directions would confuse the spirit. He didn’t exactly want to lead Uncle Joe home, but that was the only place he could think to go. Grace was right. They couldn’t outrun him. “Sorry. I’m sorry.” Connor mumbled to himself. He closed his eyes, bringing the car to a stop. Uncle Joe swung at the wing mirror, sending it flying in smashed plastic over the side of the road. “You’re not real. And you tried to kill my dad,” he said, staring at the man. “I said I was sorry.” Before the apparition could say anything else, Connor reversed back, just far enough to adjust his angle and open the driver’s side door, smashing it into Uncle Joe’s face and sending him falling in a heap of his own blood. 

“What the fuck, you little bastard!” Uncle Joe gargled through his own blood. “I taught you everything you know. Everything you have is because of me! Your dad abandoned us.” 

“You tried to kill him! You almost broke his neck!” Connor yelled, now clutching the baseball bat Uncle Joe had dropped. This wasn’t fucking real. Uncle Joe was gone, and even if he was still around, no ghost would have that much blood for him to spill. “Now I… am trying… to get this poor girl home,” Connor grunted, collapsing in frustration against a nearby bench. “So would you kindly bugger off?” 

“You’re a little bastard,” Uncle Joe murmured from his position on the concrete, trying to get to his feet. “I never shoulda appeared to you, you know that? Your damn dad and my unfinished business. I shoulda let you think you were a fucking freak.” But he got up and started walking away, and Connor let out a heavy sigh, utterly exhausted.

Grace held onto her seatbelt as Connor came to an abrupt stop. She forced herself back in her seat and turned to watch as the ghost swung his bat, plastic shattering through the air. Grace leaned into her seat, away from the two. She watched in shock and terror as Connor began to speak. Something about his dad, had she heard that right? Grace swallowed thickly and let out a small yelp as she leaned into her own door, the car reversing, and then the car door coming into contact with the man’s face. Grace’s eyes widened at the sight. This couldn’t be real, could it? There was no way-- Connor had just, he had just killed somebody. 

No, she reminded herself. This isn’t real-- it’s real, but he’s not real, he’s already dead. A fear manifested by Connor, that’s how it had been explained. Grace watched as Connor took to a nearby bench. She was unsure of what to do, but the ghost was gone. She tentatively opened the door and rounded the front of the vehicle. “Are you okay?” She asked, voice shaky. 

Connor was barely aware of Grace approaching him, but he looked up as she did. He wasn’t much of a crier, but there were a few tears threatening to make an appearance. He pushed them back, wiping his face with his hands. “Yeah, that was just really bloody weird, you know?” He looked over the wrecked car. “No wonder insurance premiums are so high in this flipping town.” He stood up, climbing back in. “Come on. Doubt anyone’s going to pull me over for a broken mirror with all this shit going on. I’ll take you home.” 

Grace wasn’t sure what to say, she wanted to say something, but she wasn’t sure how to address it. She bit the inside of her cheek and simply nodded at his words, not wanting to push it any further. Of course she wanted answers, but things were strange enough without her prompting him for answers that it was quite possible he didn’t have. “Honestly, yeah.” Grace carded her fingers through her hair, her hand shaking slightly. “Probably not,” Grace said after a moment, following him back to the car. Once they were inside, she twisted to put her seatbelt on. A tiger, or maybe it wasn’t a tiger at all-- maybe it was something else, something unseen, began to devour Uncle Joe. Grace straightened forward, her gaze on the road. Maybe she would leave that out. 

[thejourneyofthehero-mh-blog]

October 8th

First day of 30 day challenge successful, at least in terms of opening at minimum one set. I did drink a bit of jack beforehand, went to the mall, met up with my friend and wing. Approached the first group I saw without thinking, and they were like an environmental group, 1 guy 2 hot girls. They were sitting on the floor, so I asked them if they were alright, and we chatted, I throw in a few flirty lines towards one of the girls (I forget her name but let’s call her Tammy anyway). I tell Tammy we should go on a date (very Aaron style statement - aaron from evolution daily). She has a boyfriend, so we chat for a few minutes and then I dip. Head to the starbucks to meet my friend, approach girls on the way. One girl I see sitting down, I forget how I opened exactly but I think I asked for directions, then told her she was cute, she says she’s on the phone with her boyfriend. Probably a lie, but I don’t care too much at this point.

See a cute persian girl sitting down on her laptop. Jokingly ask her if she’s in my history class, she says she’s not even in school. I say me neither but I wanted to meet her and didn’t have a line. 

Tangent, I know some of these statements may seem needy, but they’re very Aaron style direct and flirty confident statements the way that I say them. Some girls are really into it and think its confident, other girls think its thirsty. Maybe I’ll do some infield audio sometime. 

So me and the persian girl chat for a bit, she’s laughing and enjoying the convo. I will admit I didn’t ask her much about herself, but did say a good amount about me (I know some guys struggle with getting their personality out there). I think you need to ask more about the girl to make the interaction seem genuine because I feel that I definitely gave a ‘I do this often’ kind of vibe. I think she might’ve even asked that at some point  in different words, and I responded with ‘only if I’m feeling brave in the moment’. Anyway, so we’re vibing and I throw out the date frame: ‘we should go on a date’. I forget what she responded, but it was essentially a ‘maybe’ type of answer. I think where I went wrong after this was I asked her why it wasn’t a yes and told her I couldn’t understand why she would reject me if she didn’t have a boyfriend. Which is cocky enough, but I think a better thing to do was to not push it and keep the interaction going. Who knows, its all a learning experience. Tried to get the instant date to starbucks, she won’t get up. Try to get the instagram, she says she doesn’t have an instagram. Not sure why I didn’t go for the number. Also, I want to note that while I was going direct I was still putting in statements of empathy (which Moe Abbassi talks about often) which I think improved the vibe a lot. I think while statements of intent show that you’re a man who goes after what he wants, statements of empathy show that you’re a calibrated and intelligent guy and that you acknowledge that the directness can be a bit much sometimes. I think the persian girl even tried to give me advice at some point, but I can’t remember what it was, I just kind of brushed it off. I thought it was going to be typical girl advice, so I jokingly said something like ‘I should just be a nice guy and not approach women’ and she said ‘no you should approach and I think you are a nice guy’ (true, but I hate that - I don’t think I want to be nice anymore)

Overall this was my favorite set of the day. I know in terms of results and even just writing this out it seems like a bad set. But I think I put out a really good flirty fun vibe and she enjoyed the conversation, even if for whatever reason she didn’t want to date me. It’s all a learning experience.

Meet my friend, let’s call him Joey. Go to starbucks, tell the cashier she has pretty eyes, she seems into me. But I don’t want to pursue people at work. Open a customer girl in starbucks, I think I might’ve complimented her on her outfit and we chat for a minute, vibe is good but she’s not that cute - I don’t attempt to close. Open another older girl, she’s not that cute - I don’t continue the conversation. 

Open a girl sitting down at this little restaurant, I say something I saw my friend joey say at one point: Hey sorry I’m late (jokingly). She looks confused (of course), so I say I actually was just walking by and thought you had really pretty eyes. We talk for about 30 seconds, but she seems like she’s just being polite. I ask her if I can sit, she says ‘I actually have a boyfriend’. I say that it’s okay, and I hope she takes it as a compliment. Leave the little restaurant. Open a girl right across the street outside a store. She turns out to be working. This interaction was pretty short so I can’t remember what I opened with exactly, but she ended up saying she had a boyfriend or something so I say bye and go. The two from this paragraph were probably my results-wise worst ones, because I didn’t get any interest from these girls, even for a couple minutes.

I keep approaching. At one point I see a girl on her phone, tell her to get off tinder (jokingly ofcourse - this is one of Aaron’s openers). She says not on tinder. I forget how the rest of that interaction went, but it was an alright one - didn’t get the number close, she probably said she had a boyfriend or something. One of my new wings, let’s call him Tony, (who I haven’t met yet, but was from the rsd group) gives me a call - or maybe I call him. So me and Tony chat for a minute, and I see a cute indian girl (let’s call her Prithi) walking towards me, I keep Tony on the phone so he can hear me open. I forget what I opened with, I think it was something observational. Me and Prithi chat for a minute or two, we’re vibing pretty well, but she tells me she has a boyfriend. I tell her laughingly ‘life is a mess, Prithi’, she tells me patronizingly, but also genuinely and kindly,  ‘I’m sure you’ll find someone’.  

That hurt. 

I think I’d almost rather have a girl outright reject me and tell me I suck or that I’m too short or that I’m weird or something than be patronizing to me.

Tyler talked about this before. He said that when you really suck, girls will be nice to you, just because they want the little guy to feel good. He said that you know you’re getting good when girls will be mean to you. I remember on bootcamp I approached a tall brazilian girl and she said I was too short, and we walked around for a bit and had a fun conversation eventually. Aaron talks about this approach in one of his videos. I really appreciated that set. 

I don’t want to be patronized. That really makes me think I need to get better.

Overall: the day was pretty successful, I obviously didn’t get one number. But had some good conversations, and most importantly took action. What I think I did good was being direct, even when I opened indirect, and man to women. What I think I did bad was come off as needy, and like I do this often. I think Aaron even gives that vibe sometime, but he get’s results from it and even I’ve gotten results from it. I like the flirty direct approach, because if the girl is into it she’s really into it and also I don’t feel as weird escalating with those approaches because the premise is already set. 

Tangent and action item: I need to learn to be direct and man to women without being needy.

Continuing on ... it obviously hurts to not get any success today. But I know it’s part of the journey, and having this 5 year plan makes me be able to compartmentalize the failures. I am happy with the action I took today, and the lessons I learned. One thing I am confused about is, is that some girls think I’m hot. I’ve gotten that multiple times from girls at parties or events, gay dudes, or even cashiers at stores. People tell me I’m ‘hot’ or ‘attractive’. I can look in the mirror and acknowledge that I look like what a lot of women would describe as an ideal guy - Dark hair, beard, symmetrical face. I’m obviously tan, which doesn’t fit the standard western profile and I am a bit short, a little under 5′8. But either way, I have enough people tell me I’m good looking, that I find it really shocking how often I get rejected and told that the girl has a boyfriend. I wonder if I’m actually not good looking and all the girls who’ve told me I’m good looking have told me that because they found me attractive because I was being social and women find socialness attractive (I do tend to do really well in social circle parties or events). Anyway, I hope I can continue to do this tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I’m going to focus on 1. making interactions seem more genuine. I think I can accomplish that by getting to know the girl more, and asking her questions about herself because I mostly just talked about myself today and didn’t attempt to screen the girls much. I also want to focus on 2. building common ground between the girls. I think I can accomplish this by relating to what she’s saying, so if she says she’s a finance major, I can talk about my friend who is really into finance. Also, maybe I’ll try to get the instantdates, but obviously I need to have a good interaction for even a minute before pulling the trigger for the instant date, and even to have a good interaction for a couple minutes is kind of hard for me right now.

I’m going to keep the direct and flirty frame that Aaron does, but try to tone it down and don’t be needy. 

One big realization of mine is that you’ll lose state regardless of what you do. After the alcohol wore off, and I was living off the state of enjoying the interactions, that lasted for a few hours and in those hours I loved approaching and wanted to keep going. But then I had this work type of event, and I was in this assembly audience, and my state started to go away and I didn’t want to approach after that. I realize that I’ll always have things like work events that debilitate my state, and that I can’t rely on state. 

Another thing I realize is what tyler said ‘alcohol is state in a bottle’.  I have the same feeling when drinking alcohol as I do when I’ve done a lot of meditation for days in a row, or when I’ve approached a few sets without alcohol. But alcohol is the quickest way to achieve state, and it makes even your first set good. I don’t know if this is a good habit. I don’t think drinking to achieve state is a healthy long-term strategy. But plenty of guys get laid off drinking and doing drugs, and for now I think I just need as much proof as soon as possible that this works before I burn out (because like Aaron says ‘the brain needs proof not promises’). I also just want results right now, as soon as possible. Maybe in the future I’ll stop relying on alcohol for state, maybe even tomorrow. We’ll see.

[idornaseminary]

Chapter One-Hundred Sixty: Enzo, Mel, Beatrice, and Natasha

Enzo crouched at the end of Old Aroon’s walkway at ten to midnight, where the edge of the village met the path down to the Mystery Shack. There was no other entrance to the shack, so the others had to pass him to get to the haunted building.

He kept in the shadows of the treeline, away from the sight of the full moon that hung above, charming his gloves to stay heated as the unyielding January air bit at his pale skin. He tossed his hood over his head, waiting for any sign of Theodore Crix, but there was none. He was either taking a break for the night, or he was already inside. Either way, they would find out soon enough.

Beatrice crept through the snow drifts, straying from the wide open path not more than a yard away where she would not be seen as she silently slipped up behind Enzo, her thick black fur cloak keeping her warm and well masked in the darkness. “Any movement yet?” she whispered, glad for the starlit, clear night sky over head.

Beatrice’s voice startled Enzo, and he whipped his head around, his fingers curling around the hilt of his wand. When he saw the familiar tanned skin and shoulder-length curls that were just an inch or so longer than his own, he sighed. “Nothing. As soon as the others get here, we need to make our move. I don’t know how much time we have.”

Mel’s chest constricted with dread with each step she took towards the Mystery Shack and away from the safety of the castle. As she approached, she spotted two figures hidden in the treeline.

“Friend or foe?” she whispered jokingly, though her grip on her wand never loosened.

“I mean, I think we’re friends, but we haven’t had ‘the talk’ yet,” Beatrice lightly joked, glad for a little reprieve from the collective cloud of darkness hanging over all their heads lately. She turned slightly, dark eyes glinting brightly in the shade as Mel drew closer, gesturing for her to hide behind a rather large snow drift covering a fallen tree along the path.

Mel huddled close to the other two, tugging her hat further down over her ears. She breathed in a lungful of crisp, winter air and glanced around.

“Any sign of our resident seductress?” asked Mel, glancing around their surroundings for Natasha. “Unless I missed the memo and I’m the one we’re giving that title to. I’m fine either way.”

“I don’t know anything about titles, but I’m right here,” Natasha informed the others, hearing their hushed voices as she approached. For a group that was supposed to be sneaking around, they weren’t all that stealthy. She had her hands in the pockets of her black coat, fingers slightly cold despite the leather gloves covering them. “Are we ready?”

Enzo stood as the four of them gathered around, the overwhelming amount of estrogen noticeable without Calix at their side - although Calix never provided much in the way of ‘guy talk’. He almost seemed to whine more than the women. Regardless, he was important.  

“Let’s go,” Enzo said, walking towards the shack.

Beatrice nodded and slid her wand out from her sleeve, gripping the familiar carved holly tightly in lieu of her beau’s missing presence. She pursed her lips and glanced around, unsure if the lack of other human presence was comforting or disconcerting heading into what could very well be a trap. Swallowing tightly, she stepped forward, chasing after the brooding Frenchman as they headed for the front door.

Natasha held her own wand tightly, taking up the rear behind the others and keeping an eye out for anyone that may be following them; namely, Crix. Not finding him still unnerved her slightly, as Idorna was large, but not large enough for someone to just disappear. Although she supposed it had already happened twice now, with both the men in their little group. Either way, she didn’t trust that he wasn’t behind them, waiting to corner and attack them, or that someone else might see them sneaking in.

“Be careful,” Mel murmured to her companions, taking Enzo’s side at the front of the group. “The shack was empty last time, save for the trapdoor, but things might have changed since then.”

Enzo watched Melanie’s breath materialize in front of her face as she spoke, nodding in his understanding.

The group of four students reached the front door of the Mystery Shack, looking even more eerie than it did last time, somehow. Enzo drew his wand, casting a quick ‘lumos’ before turning back to the others. “Be on your guard. There was just a boggart last time, but it was old - powerful.”

He took a deep breath, the icy air burning his lungs, and pushed the door open. He aimed his wand into the darkness, illuminating it in a blue-ish glow. It looked the same as it did yesterday, but… colder… as if someone had died here recently. Enzo feared the worst for Calix, but pushed inside anyway.  

Beatrice stepped forward, the old warped wooden floor boards creaking under the weight of the group invading the dreary house, poking their noses in where they didn’t belong. She clenched her jaw tightly and looked around quickly, her heart racing in her chest. “Where’s the trapdoor?” she asked, her pointed whisper echoing around the large empty room.

Mel heaved a shuddering breath and nodded towards the back bedroom, just off the kitchen. She slowly and carefully led the group to the entryway and shined her wand over the room. It looked similar to last time, with a few key differences - the bed frame was flung against the wall from the boggart’s emergence, and the trapdoor was still open, the darkness from below almost seeming to ooze out of it.

“There it is,” she said, a slight tremor in her voice.

Natasha looked around the shack. It was her first time inside of it, and the vibe was certainly not a pleasant one, even once they were past the door. It clearly hadn’t been used in decades, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t an aura of life to it, as if there was something waiting inside for them. She hoped it was just the boggart, which alone would be enough of a struggle to deal with, but it felt as though there was much, much more.

“Do we have a plan, or are we just opening it and hoping for the best?” the Cucurrion asked the others, trying her hardest to hide the fear in her own voice; as a result, the tone was harsher than she intended, but that didn’t bother her as much as showing weakness did.

“If he’s here, get Calix. If somebody spots Teddy, take another person with you and go after him. If the boggart comes back, protect yourself if you can,” Beatrice said, pushing through to the front of the group where the trapdoor lay wide open like a sleeping giant’s gaping maw, ready to devour whatever wandered in. In all truth, she was scared, and if she had the choice, she’d turn back and run away, never to return to this damned building. But the way she saw it, there was no choice. Calix could be down there and he was dying, if not dead already. She owed it to him to at least try. She wrinkled her nose and stepped forward towards the door, wand extended. “Homenum Revelio,” she whispered, soft voice wavering in the otherwise silent room.

The light from Beatrice’s wand shone, and Enzo could feel a presence below, pulsating like a beacon. There was a human - alive - beyond these stairs. Possibly more than one. He closed his eyes for moment, trying to think of anything but that damned spider, and when he opened them, he placed his foot on the first stair… then the other…

Natasha could feel the presence as well. There was someone alive, and she found herself hoping it was Calix. She had tried to crystal gaze earlier, but it only gave her a glimpse of Calix’s face, once again with his eyes closed and his head down. She couldn’t tell if he was breathing. They could only hope that he was still alive. She followed after Enzo down the stairs, wand at the ready in case of the boggart or Crix, or anything else that might appear. So far, everything seemed quiet, but every instinct in her body screamed to get out, to just leave the others behind.

Mel hesitated at the top of the stairs as one by one, her companions braved the depths below. Fear was clawing at her throat, freezing her in place, but she gave herself a mental slap in the face.

Woman up, Winter. This is your friend’s life we’re talking about. No time to be scared.

And so she pushed herself forward, one step at a time, until the four of them all finally stood at the bottom of the rickety steps, their wands the only source of illumination in the dim hallway.

Enzo looked down the long corridor, his three companions behind him. He shuddered, the cold even more intense below. He stayed in place for a few moments, aiming his wand down the corridor, waiting to see if a giant spider would fling itself from the darkness ahead. However, after little while, he come to the conclusion that the boggart was in submission… or just waiting somewhere far ahead.

Using his free hand, he waved at the three women to follow him, not wanting to make any sound. His boots clicked against the concrete floor, but other than that, there was not a sound.

Beatrice cast a quick silencing charm on her thick snowboots to stop their squeaking on the damp stone floors underfoot. “How long do y’all think this goes on for?” she whispered, forging ahead into the darkness that seemed to extend on and on forever.

“Far,” Enzo said, casting a ‘lumos maxima’ a few hundred feet ahead of them. “Very far.”

The four of them walked for what felt like hours to Enzo, but what was more likely to be twenty minutes or so, before the concrete hallway came to an interesting point. It opened up slightly - into a room that looked like it housed nothing more than storage. There was furniture tossed around, old desks laid about, and cobwebs… lots of cobwebs.

Enzo raised his wand, shining a light over the dark room. “Watch your step,” he warned the others before wading through the piles of junk.

Natasha glanced around in disgust at all of the debris in the passage. She looked around the room, wondering how long it had been since this space was actually used for anything. By the looks of it, it had been storage for all of this garbage for a long time. But then something caught her eye.

“Those are the same desks they use in Idorna,” the German pointed out as they squeezed past a stack of them. “Does this connect to the castle?”

Mel ran her fingers through a layer of dust atop one of the desks. She frowned, looking at the others.

“I don’t like the thought of someone being able to just waltz in off the streets. Do the professors know about this?”

Enzo narrowed his eyes, trying to peer through the darkness as he listened to their conversation. If a professor did know about this, it proved their theory. If this was in fact under the castle, why would there be an entrance from Old Aroon of all places? It’s not like Idorna was a reality during the time when Isle Velum was used as a safe haven for refugees. The more they delved into this, the more Enzo wanted to exit the narrative.

He was just about to inform the others that there was a door at the far side of the room when he heard a sharp rumble from above.

Natasha looked up at the unmistakable sound of thunder. How was it storming inside?

“Some sort of spell?” she asked, turning to look at the others.

But Mel took one look at Bea, suddenly frozen in fear, and she knew exactly what was causing the thunder. Thick clouds began forming on the ceiling, looking pitch black in the room’s dim light. A large crackle shook the room before a single bolt of lightning struck the ground just in front of them.

“Boggart,” Mel hissed, the word like a curse in her mouth.

Beatrice trembled in fear, her pupils wide like saucers, chest rising and falling rapidly as she started to hyperventilate. Fingers trembling worse than a leaf caught in a gust of wind, she clutched her wand tighter in her ghastly pale hand like a lifeline, though all spells escaped her. Another bolt of searing lightning came charging down, striking a desk right in front of Beatrice, causing her to scream and just back. Her face drained of all color as she saw Keise and Pania’s bodies crackling with electricity in a puddle of water dead on the stone floor in front of her, their tan skin covered in burned black veins.

“It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real,” she mumbled, sinking to the ground and hiding beneath a large desk, pulling her legs to her chest.

“Grab her,” Enzo shouted to Natasha, who was closest to Beatrice, moving out of the way as another bolt of lightning struck near him. He knew it wasn’t real, but the rumble of the floor, the flashes - it felt like he was in the middle of a storm.

He turned on his heels, sprinting towards the wrought iron door on the other side of the room, aiming his wand at the structure, hoping it was not charmed shut.

Natasha, for once, didn’t hesitate to do what Enzo shouted at her, the closeness of the thunder and lightening enough to put them all in something of a panic. She stooped down next to Beatrice, none-too-gently grabbing the girl’s arm and slinging it over her shoulder.

“Get up,” she told the other woman, her voice a bit harsh and rushed. She dragged Beatrice to her feet, basically supporting the Samoan’s entire weight as she moved them towards the door after Enzo. They were just about to reach the door behind the Frenchman when the storm died down slightly, and the sounds of thunder were suddenly replaced by a voice.

“Natasha,” rang a familiar voice, causing the German to freeze. It was followed by the click of the safety being removed from a gun, a sound that, up until break, she’d never heard before. The brunette struggled to move, to breathe, but finally, she shifted her feet, turning to face the new threat.

Reinhard stood before her, at his normal height but somehow even more towering than usual. His weapon was level with her head, one twitch away from placing a bullet directly through her forehead. She could sense the others’ confusion, not knowing who he was, but she couldn’t focus on anything but her brother.

Enzo noticed the storm come to a halt when he reached the far side of the room, yanking on the handle. It wouldn’t budge… not a bit, and the metal bars seared his skin. “It’s charmed,” he called over his shoulder, just as he heard an accent similar to Natasha’s.

He looked over his shoulder to see a blond man standing just feet from Natasha, a gun aimed between her eyes. He knew it was a boggart, but he didn’t have time to wait and see how violently Natasha would react.

“Melanie!” he called, hoping the Charms major would be able to work the kinks out.

“I’m on it!” she called, rushing over to inspect the magically sealed door. Upon further inspection, it was clear that a simple alohomora wasn’t going to do the trick. “You guys need to do something about that boggart! We’re Idorna majors, dammit. This isn’t amateur hour!”

She tried to say it authoritatively enough, but her voice shook all the same. Seeing the boggart take the form of an ordinary wizard...there was something extra unsettling about it. She did her best to focus her attention on unsealing the door.

“Natasha,” Reinhard repeated, his face a hard mask of anger and disappointment. “Du hast sie getötet. Du hast keine Familie.” He glared at her, finger shifting slightly and tightening, pulling back the slack in the gun.

Natasha didn’t know what to do. A rational part of her brain was telling her that this was a boggart, that it couldn’t shoot her and that it wasn’t going to move, but that reminder was too faint, drowned out by the pounding of her heart in her ears, the feeling of her stomach twisting itself into knots, the raw panic that coursed through her veins, simultaneously screaming for her to run and freezing her in place. Lead had filled her limbs, making it impossible to unroot her feet or lift her wand. She was stuck.

“You killed them,” the boggart spoke again, this time in English to allow the others to hear Natasha’s torment. “And now you’re alone. You’re a monster with no family. You’re going to die for this. You’re going to burn.”

“Bitte.” The single word was all Natasha could squeeze out of her sealed throat, the only thing she could think. She was going to die at Reinhard’s hand, surrounded by this misfit group of would-be friends, and it was because she couldn’t bring herself to see the good in people.

Staring down the barrel of the gun pointed at her friend, Beatrice pursed her lips into a straight thin line, struggling to figure out how to defeat something this powerful when they were all too scared to pull any humor from its darkness. She swallowed tightly and stood up straight, trying to focus on her paralyzed companion beside her as she moved in front and watched with rising terror as the menacing man’s handsome face was marred by cakey smudged makeup, his crisp grey silk suit ballooning out into a red and white baggy sopping wet romper, little brass bells jingling as heavy drops of water landed on them.

Thick bitter bile coated the Samoan’s tongue as she glanced over her shoulder at her friend. “C’mon, ‘Tasha. He’s not real,” she whispered, grabbing the Cuccurrion’s free hand with hers, squeezing it reassuringly. “We need to do this.”

Warmth spread over Natasha’s pale skin when Beatrice grabbed her hand, but the feeling was so sudden and foreign that she, in an automatic response, yanked her hand away. Reinhard had changed form, suddenly looking more like a demented clown than himself, but it was still her brother, and he still had a gun trained on her.

“Nein,” she breathed, the feeling still gone from her legs. “Du musst gehen.” Her voice was almost pleading, a tremor of fear shaking it. She had completely lost herself, not even phased by the new costume the figure was wearing; she couldn’t even remember what language she was speaking.

“Natasha?” she asked, turning back to look at the German, her thick, black eyebrows knit together in worry. Beatrice turned towards the clown whose mocking smile threatened to unravel her, as images of a bloodthirsty joking monster with sharp fangs and a comically large hammer bombarded her imagination.

“Tasha, he isn’t real,” she pleaded, grabbing her friend’s arm, fruitlessly attempting to tug her towards Enzo and Mel by the iron wrought gates. “C’mon, Nat, you know he’s not real!” Beatrice shouted over the roaring thunder hanging above their heads in the high vaulted ceiling, the smell of burning ozone filling the room making her sick to her stomach. “HE’S NOT REAL!”

“I think she’s going to break,” Enzo said by Melanie’s side, watching the ordeal play out. He didn’t fear the man with the gun or clowns, but he didn’t know what they meant to the others. “Work faster.”

“Almost there,” Mel said from between gritted teeth. She continued mumbling incantations under her breath, cycling through charms until finally she felt the metal hand of the door melt beneath her hand, landing in a puddle at her feet. She flicked her wand and the door swung open.

“I’ve got it!” she yelled.

What can I do? Nothing is going to stop him. Natasha could barely hear the shouts of the others over the sound of Reinhard’s torments and her own thoughts. But slowly, the syllables broke through, and she was reminded of where they were, of what creature they were facing. Beatrice was right--this wasn’t real, and if the Cucurrion didn’t move, they might all get hurt.

“Go,” she choked out, a sudden well of tears pooling out of her dark eyes. Reinhard was stepping closer, and she didn’t want to stay to find out what he could do to them. The German finally managed to make her feet shift, just a few shuffled inches at first before she managed to take a full step, then another, her hand now moving to grab Beatrice’s and drag the Samoan away from the beast. The two girls ran after Enzo and Melanie, towards the freshly disenchanted door.

Beatrice dropped Natasha’s hand as they neared the door, quickly bounding after Mel who was the first to step through, desperately not wanting to get left behind.

Enzo was about to step through after Beatrice, but before he could, the door groaned, slamming shut, locking Melanie and Beatrice on the other side.

[chandlermwatson]

Sunday...

My ego decided to take the wheel for a bit, i had to put myself in check. At the moment i am here to tell you about Sunday October 1st. But before i do that, I met a fellow artist who gave me a wooden panel to paint on, It’s heavy, it’s beautiful piece of wood. It shall take my time, perhaps every state i go to i will work on it.. Or maybe i’ll finish it today. But today… She advised me to “Go Big.” So that’s exactly what i will do.

October First

A night of drinking, laughter and conversations with friendly strangers, i found myself on the couch in NoFires livingroom. I looked around the room and a painting on the wall caught my attention. Now i should say it’s my own painting(ego) but i got up and looked at it, then flipped over to see what was on the other side, it was a message to myself. A traveler's message if you will. After getting my rocks off to my own shit(the painting, i could tell i was focused when it was created.) I Decided to treat myself to a shower, i know Nofire didn’t mind but a private shower after using gym showers for months on it… oh it was so fucking NICE! I couldn’t tell you how long i spent in there but i can say, it was long enough for me to think of some jokes, an idea for a short film and to start mapping out a new plan, which is always changing but remaining. I packed my shit up, hit a walmart to get a few provisions for the upcoming week (meth, cheese and more meth… that’s a joke) But i met a couple from the Netherlands traveling on holiday, we shared in conversation about their country and the lady could not get over the fact that they bring you your ticket at restaurants here. I ran out to my car and gave them a piece of art to take with them who knows what they did with it, maybe the kept it maybe they didn’t but it was a gift.

The plan(ha! plans…) for the day  was to meet with some new friends to enjoy ribs, fruits i have never heard of and share in talks of life. The original meet up was to be 13:00(world time) so with that in my head i made a plan to meet up with a Chef/Photographer to ask him a few questions, that meeting set for 19:00. The ribs with friends then got pushed back to 15:00 then 18:00. I’ll be damned if i’m that nigga that shows up to feast then dips the fuck out, not me, not how i get down. So i had to bail, i felt like shit for i had given my word.

I parked about a half mile from Restaurant i was to met the Chef at. Au Lac, a vegan joint with a venue in the back. Upon arrival a conversation with a fuck(that’s not very nice)that drained me of some cognitive life force or it could’ve been the night of drinking before that was catching up with me. Regardless, he kept saying “interesting right” after every sentence although he was making some fairly good points i was like “nigga fuck off!”  The conversation ended with me just interrupting him “i have to go take a piss.” which i actually had to do.

The conversation with the chef went by fairly quickly, even though he doesn’t speak he wrote down everything and he had a Sony A7R and told me how he just got the A7R II which i have gotten to play with a little bit, i must say it’s a damn fine piece of equipment and i will get one. Even though it is a mirrorless camera and i have a thing with film who says i can not enjoy both. But after the meeting i then ventured to the back to catch the show and talk to the producer which, She gave me some critiques on my last performance on show. And for a second i was like well shit, and she said come back when you’re great… i walked out of the venue for a second, then i thought, I am here for a reason, walked back in unbothered at sat my ass down to enjoy the show. (If you can’t take criticism well my friend, this life is not for you. There is advice one should take then there is advice to just disregard as nonsense. She had a point, i know what i am capable of i just need to get the fuck out of my own way. So that’s what i will do by just living.) I sat in the back drawing as each artist took their turn with the audience. A few were able to pull me out of the sketchbook. But one for sure that pulled me out of the flow and shut the book during her set was SpaceCream… the Voice she had,the acoustics of the room everything in that moment was right! You have to hear her live. I don’t say that often, While on topic if you find yourself in San Antonio there is a open mic, i can not remember the of the Venue or the street i just remember it being a thursday night and every single musicians there! Oh my.. the vibes there. There was the Host by the name of Jessica Moore, she was drinking and just having a good time but when it came time for her to pick up her guitar and get down..., i can not wait to go back to  San Antonio to see her perform with a band. There was also a house drum set and different drummers would get on and just jam the fuck out with the different musicians. This one drummer he wasn’t trying to steal the show, but you know talent when you see it… Sorry i got off track, my mind is in San Antonio, i must come back to LA. What a lovely town.

 The show ended meaning time to kick rocks. AE-1 and the Nikon were dialed in and i set off. I walked to the street  that runs underneath The Broad Museum. You’ve probably seen it in a film or commercial and not even have known it. I stood on the double yellow lines just looking off into the distance, a couple coming down the stairs to my left snapped me out of the gaze. I assumed it was date night from their attire or it could have been a match.com meet up, but i doubt it with what happened next.  The lady in a black dress which stopped right above the knee got off the stairs and proceeded to vomit. I laughed cause i’ve been in both positions. I started to walk down the street, still on the double yellow lines. Cause why the fuck would i walk on the sidewalk when i don’t have to. It was something i said to my friend Phil the first time he tried LSD, as we stood in a park and he walked on the sidewalk and i in the grass barefoot allowing each blade of grass to tickle my feet… “step off the sidewalk.” A tan BMW i want to say 5 series early 2000s model drove by and was at the light. I gave zero fucks that i was about to walk by the driver side window and just kept going, and the fellow in the car with an accent said “ Show me a good photo.” i should’ve said, i’ll show you a great one. He spotted the Canon, “Is That an AE-1?” i moved it around for him to see. “I used to have a Asahi Pentax k1000.” i responded i got one in the car. “Do you want to hear a story?” I was in…” and a car pulled up behind him. It seemed as though our encounter were coming to an end. “Get in the car my friend.” without thinking i hopped in and we set off.

The BMW had a had a knock in the engine, a knock i am oh so familiar with “this car will be scrapped soon, a good car but it is about done.” We made a few rights and ended up figueroa and third, and he looked at me “want to drive down the tunnel”.. I looked and shrugged, “it’s one way” as i pulled out my phone ready to get some footage of us driving into oncoming traffic.  He started to go down then he stopped and i thought “lame nigga”as i put my phone back down  then he whipped it back around and gunned it. About a third of the way down lights from the other side of the tunnel appeared, he put it in reverse and proceeded to drive like a stuntman. Like he has done this this shit before. All i did was  stick my head out the window and started snapping photos. I was upset i put my phone down. We vacated the tunnel and he asked to see the footage. “ i just took photos” his face said it, but i was more pissed that i didn’t get the video. We continued to drive.

“So i was in Morocco, you have to go there by the way.” This was the second person in three days to tell me that i have to go to Morocco, the first said it this way, “If you’re a Human on Earth. You have to go to Morocco.” he then told me about the Gnawa Music Festival which happens June 21. It is on the Bucket List, the short term list. Back to Sunday. We were driving up sunset when as he was telling his story of being in Morocco with his K1000 and he pulled over and barked at this Chinese fellow “My friend where can i find a market, i want some some sunflower seeds?” as he was talking  he said “take the photo” i pulled the Canon up to the chinese fellow and took the photograph, he then said something to me that i will not forget. But that is for me at the moment, i may share it in person if you ask me. We continued on driving and with the story, as we cruised through echo park, “I was in Marrakesh walking with the Pentax, it didn’t have a strap and i stumbled upon this small camera story, do you want a taco? Let’s get some tacos.” We pulled in front of a small taco truck off of sunset, one that most people would just drive by for it does not have all the bells and whistles of the others, not flashing lights. Just simple, with one woman standing there waiting to throw down on whatever it is you order, her friend was sitting with her as she worked. “So, what kind of tacos will you be having?” without thinking i said asada, i usually get asada, it a go to. For one can not fuck up an asada taco, if one does...well fuck that person! “Have you ever had carnitas?” (i usually do not fuck with pork… bad experience, don’t let a juggalo make you bacon long story short. And no i not fuck with pork after what happened the following night… stay tuned) i’ll have dos pollo instead, he looked at me and said “two chicken”  with a smirk on his face, “yeah, two chicken…. Hold up...not too chicken!” we shared in a laugh, we each four tacos which were fucking delicious and that carnitas taco, oh my! And it was all washed down with a mexican cola, the one with the real cane. We sat there eating as he talked to me and the lady, he jumped from english back to spanish seamlessly, in and out of his story without skipping a beat.

We continued down sunset heading back towards downtown, oh i should mention he is Armenian(don’t know what that has to do with anything, and he told me of tales of growing up in a war torn and how he was shot at by a sniper at the age of ten, and in the same sentence he also said he was afraid of heights. “Ni… i almost called you a nigga, you’ve been shot at, but you’re afraid of heights? His face lit up, “it would be an honor if you called me a nigga, that just made my night!.” We shared in a laugh and the journey continued. We ventured from the I-5 south to the I-10 head west just south of downtown. I scanned the skyline of the city thought, that would make a damn fine photograph. “What brought you to Los Angeles? And before i could answer he said “you’re parents miss you, i know this.” the ride fell silent for the next few minutes as i looked out the window. I know my parents miss me and i them. I will remedy that as soon as possible. Back to the story. “I came out here for comedy it’s alright here but in other towns i Love it.” he chimed in “that’s because they have no heartbeat." He was pretty much telling me i need to leave Los Angeles and i know this. I am trying to figure out why i am dragging my feet though, is it Love? I feel i may still need to create something here, there is also a few buildings i need to get in to get some photographs.

(my intention the first time i came out in November i came out here to learn and get better at my craft, and within five weeks of being here i learned if you want to get better, well you take your ass on the fucking road! So that’s what i did. But the second time i came out, i gave someone my word i would go see The Solar Eclipse with them so i had to, and i set up shows in, Albuquerque, Wellington colorado and Denver on the way back! THAT SHIT WAS LIFE!!! Is LIFE! But this second time i just kind of floated around like what the fuck man)

This is where i leave you once again… my mind is starting to wander, i have shit to do. Well to cap it off. We spoke of art, he gave me a gift in the form of a book which is Titled “Monkey A Journey To The West”  He left me a note in it and i gave him a painting. Morocco… that will be the first place i go when i leave this country. Well that was Sunday… i will tell of Monday’s experience in a few days time.  Take a few risk, there was a chance when i got in the car he could’ve said want to make a deal… and i would’ve jumped right the fuck back out of the moving car. But I took a risk, it payed off So many more risk to take. Places to go. I suppose i should start writing the day after it happens… remember Dos Pollo. Don’t be that.

[dancewithmeplano]

A Zouk orchestra galore, along with some piano science: 3 music that is Unique shows to Grab

SINGAPORE: Looking to grab a concert which takes things? Whether you’re in rock, dance or classical, daring music lovers can look forward to 3 shows which do.

One of the shows at the continuing National University of Singapore (NUS) Arts Festival is Vibrational, by experimental rock band The Observatory. It sports 30 additional guitar players at a juggernaut of a show. On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Quantum Music Project is what happens once pianists hang outside using nimble-minded quantum physicists.

And if you would like your clubbing with some of those sudden, there’s The Henderson Project’s One More Time tribute to Zouk — a mash-up of your dance hits done with a orchestra. Prepared to listen to find out more?

Longtime Zouk resident DJ Aldrin (seen here at ZoukOut 2008) has come up with a 90-minute set that has been transposed to an orchestral score for Just One More Time. (Photo: Aldrin Quek)

1. ZOUK OUT WITH AN ORCHESTRA

Perhaps you have considered partying into an orchestra’s audio? Well, there’s always a first time for every thing.

A throwback concert next week is celebrating its Jiak Kim Street times at a way, although iconic dance club Zouk might have already moved into a new home in Clarke Quay.

Instead of DJs carrying court, a occasion titled One More Time will feature a 48-piece orchestra performing a pair of Zouk staples.

Held at the iconic Capitol Theatre, which will be cleared to become one dance floor on March 24 and 25, the concert is the most recent production under theater company Dream Academy&rsquoexperimental stage The Henderson Project. Aside from the orchestra, there are guest vocalists and musicians which include X Rani Singam & rsquo;ho violinist Lynnette Seah Zouk resident percussionist M S Maniam, among others.

Basically a portrait of Zouk over the last quarter of a century has been that the brain child of Dream Academy’s her husband and Selena Tan John Pok. The couple had had seen a functionality in London by the Heritage Orchestra, which performed music by drum and bass music legend Goldie. When information of Zouk being sold and proceeded came they decided to push through with the project, roping in preceding Zouk resident DJ Aldrin Quek, a friend and collaborator.

Quek, ” the show’s artistic director, suggested they take the dance-meets-orchestra idea one step farther.

“” I believed it would be fun to make it like a DJ set where the audio is non-stop,&rdquo.

Tasked with constructing the tracks which music director and conductor Indra Ismail would later transcribes to an musical score — it was a undertaking for the DJ.

“We had to select the best of the best of the entire 25 years, but we also realised that not many might all have lived through it, and only a couple of us would know all of the music. So I had to take that under consideration,” stated Quek.

The show will not only require Zouksters down memory lane but even through the signature sounds of this club’s rooms, like the chill out songs at Wine Bar into the breakbeats and hip of Phuture.

The setlist contains rsquo & the show;s titular trail from Daft Punk, Faithless’ Insomnia and Ame’s Rej, but Quek desires the rest. As for almost any nods to Zouk’s most Mambo Jambo nighttime, he conceded that there’ll be a Fatboy Slim remix in there somewhere.

“I had to make certain that that the music flowed together concerning style musical keys and groove. We would like people to be more dance from the start,” he explained.

And also make sure there’s lots of them, too. While employing an orchestra is costly, organisers recently decided to slash costs for tickets on the dance floor department (aka “posh pit”) into S$88 to lure more audiences to get a appropriate party vibe. The cost change begins at 9pm on Thursday (March 16) on Sistic.

Meanwhile, the tasked with keeping the audio is that the music director in charge of the 48 musicians enjoying non-stop. Transposing dance music for the orchestra was the initial part — come show time, Indra Ismail are also right there at the thick of things, running the whole thing from begin to finish.

“To be truthful, I’m not sure I’m likely to sustain but I must! I’ve must visit the gym and be in good shape mentally and emotionally,” he quipped. “But I have to ensure that I have the support of everybody, particularly and enjoying” stated Indra.

Added Quek: “Plenty of dance music is all digital loops, drum or tune loops for a musician to play a hundred over pubs of exactly the exact same issue isn’t straightforward! I hope they get used to it. ”

Regardless of the physical challenges for the musicians, they assert to make it a memorable night with.

“rsquo & We;re still playing with house music using instrumentation,” said Indra. &ldquo what, for 90 minutes, it’s oomph oomph oomph all the way! ”

In 2015, The Observatory conducted Vibrational in France using 20 extra guitarists. This time around, they’ve roped in 30 of them for the NUS Arts Festival. (Photo: The Idealiste)

2. FEEL THAT 30-GUITAR ‘WALL OF SOUND’

For their second gig, Singapore experimental rock band The Observatory has roped to help create a gigantic “walls of noise&rdquo.

But throughout the band’s meeting with their youthful collaborators, they had to begin with some rock guitar principles — the necessity to actually possess a guitar strap.

“Some of them were sitting down because they didn’t even have any! ” recalled drummer-percussionist Cheryl Ong.

The show Vibrational, which will wrap up the continuing NUS Arts Festival 2017 on March 25, includes the band performing with members of the NUS Guitar Ensemble (GENUS) along with other student guitarists. It’s this show’s next iteration — together with all the guitar outfit Guitarkestra, the band performed in Toulouse, France along at 2015.

The Observatory will perform tracks from their albums August Is The Cruellest along with Oscilla. Their guitarist collaborators can come in for the composed titular tune as well as the next half to perform in a few of the songs. Helping out at the performance are band alumni, Dharma and guitarists Victor Low.

Rehearsals started in January, and it’s been a steep learning curve for those students, said keyboardist Vivian Wang.

“They all had guitar wallpapers, but a number of them had never played with with the guitar; re not enjoying standard tuning & rsquo; we and there’therefore these time signatures they must manage. But they’ve worked hard at it — we keep telling them to just loosen up, use your own ears and don’t rely about an score,” he explained.

It helped too that a number of the band members understood where the students were coming from. While direct vocalist-guitarist Leslie Low and musician Yuen Chee Wai learned that the “DIY” way, Wang and Ong are classically trained musicians.

“I arrived out of a conventional backdrop,” said Ong, who plays with classic music trio SA that was experimental. “When I look at them, ” I’m reminded of myself. I keep telling them that it & rsquo; s difficult to go beyond that barrier, but I let them let go and I understand their worries about following a score. ”

So can a “walls of noise” sound like?

“The first idea was really to earn a performance which you just don’t only hear concerning volume but you really feel it in your chest and tummy,” explained Wang, who cited other bands which have done something similar, like American guitarist Rhys Chatham along with his own 100-guitar orchestra.

She continued: “Envision six vibrating strings on one guitar; 34 guitars, which are different; that’s 204 strings vibrating and amplified, also drums and voice along with other items. It’s not about busting your ear buds; we wish to have an kind of sense in regards to noise. ”

The thought of using many guitars to create a layered sound experience was partly inspired by the band’s earlier experiments gamelan music, in which occasionally the very same notes have been tuned just a fraction apart, making a vibrating feeling called the “defeat frequency”.

Wang included: “It’s like a pantone chart where there’s not only one form of yellow or blue but a wide assortment of them — so when you playwith, you’re likely to get this richness of tone and noise, and you truly feel the vibrations. ”

The gamelan experiments also opened their own eyes (and ears) to the idea of “enjoying slightly off”, which they expect can also be observed in Vibrational.

“When you see a gig, you don’t even need a fantastic CD quality functionality right? You need to observe the musicians kind of teetering on the edge of falling apart, fighting to vibe with the crowd. (Vibrational) is a little bit like that,” said Wang, who disclosed it’ll also be their final show in a little while, as they take a hiatus to plan for their next album.

“rsquo & there; s things, such a wealthy wall of it and I believe when sound is imperfect. It’s likely to excite your own ears far more than the crafted concert you’ll be able to sip tea at. ”

Experimental piano collection LP Duo will be doing “hybrid pianos” which are plugged to a computer creating quantum mathematical equations – all for the listening enjoyment. (Photo: LP Duo)

3. LEARN QUANTUM MECHANICS WITH PIANOS

It’s not every day get a lecture on quantum physics like a bonus and you choose to see a piano concert.

But that’s exactly what you’ll get when you catch The Quantum Music Project (QMP), which will be held on March 21 and 22 as part of this continuing NUS Arts Festival 2017.

Belgrade pianist team LP Duo will be doing experimental bits while at exactly the exact same time, physicists will go up to explain the relationship between audio and quantum physics.

The Singapore concert is the under this distinctive project between scientists and musicians. It started in 2012, using sound engineer Dragan Novkovic and quantum physicist Vlatko Vedral thinking up of ways to flake and hang out outside “playing dolls and drinking beer,” quipped the prior.

Hitting upon the notion of a job that combined their two disciplines, LP Duo was roped in by them.

Bespite being rather daring and musicians themselves, the pianists admitted it took a while for them to get it.

“Dealing with laws of quantum physics? This was very hard to imagine in the start. But things like a particle in the instant in similar quantum phenomena or two areas are extremely inspirational to be shown through audio and sound,” stated LP Duo’s Sonja Loncar.

So what exactly is the link between classical music and also quantum physics?

“Math, physics and acoustics are areas where these meet very readily,” said LP Duo pianist Andrija Pavlovic.

“There were lots of experiments by several composers from the 1960s, but we’re carrying it a step forward. Play and we chose to make the audio of this 21st century, combining acoustic pianos using also and analog synths digital noises; whereas the physicists do simulations of the quantum sounds, which we then manipulate. ”

For the concert, each key in both grand pianos is attached to a detector, which feeds to a computer which alters the sound generated.

Even though QMP did something similar at the Keyboard Times Belgrade Festival this past year, the hybrid-pianos will be making their debut. (NUS Centre for Quantum Technologies’ Andrew Garner is also highly involved in QMP.)

Their show here is a dry-run for bigger things for the project. Back in September, a premiere of their multimedia show will be held at Copenhagen, which will then be followed with a Europe tour.

“And we really hope to have the ability to bring the entire show here in Singapore at 2018. That’s most one of our goals and such concerts are an essential step to generate something like this possible,” stated Novkovic.

So what if you’re a music lover who knows next to nothing? Don’t said Loncar.

“There is not any need to be prepared, because one of the aims for us is to exhibit the laws of quantum physics in a way that everyone can easily understand. ”

And if you believe they’re folk that is extreme and serious, well, there’s of them playing blindfolded a video floating around.

“because we wished to show our virtuosity This began at the same concert – but Dragan and Vlatko were inspired and discovered a link between that and the quantum world. Come and see the show! ”

The post <p>A Zouk orchestra galore, along with some piano science: 3 music that is Unique shows to Grab</p> appeared first on dance withme plano.

from dance withme plano http://www.dancewithmeplano.com/a-zouk-orchestra-galore-along-with-some-piano-science-3-music-that-is-unique-shows-to-grab/

[dancewithmeplano]

A Zouk orchestra galore, along with some piano science: 3 music that is Unique shows to Grab

SINGAPORE: Looking to grab a concert which takes things? Whether you’re in rock, dance or classical, daring music lovers can look forward to 3 shows which do.

One of the shows at the continuing National University of Singapore (NUS) Arts Festival is Vibrational, by experimental rock band The Observatory. It sports 30 additional guitar players at a juggernaut of a show. On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Quantum Music Project is what happens once pianists hang outside using nimble-minded quantum physicists.

And if you would like your clubbing with some of those sudden, there’s The Henderson Project’s One More Time tribute to Zouk — a mash-up of your dance hits done with a orchestra. Prepared to listen to find out more?

Longtime Zouk resident DJ Aldrin (seen here at ZoukOut 2008) has come up with a 90-minute set that has been transposed to an orchestral score for Just One More Time. (Photo: Aldrin Quek)

1. ZOUK OUT WITH AN ORCHESTRA

Perhaps you have considered partying into an orchestra’s audio? Well, there’s always a first time for every thing.

A throwback concert next week is celebrating its Jiak Kim Street times at a way, although iconic dance club Zouk might have already moved into a new home in Clarke Quay.

Instead of DJs carrying court, a occasion titled One More Time will feature a 48-piece orchestra performing a pair of Zouk staples.

Held at the iconic Capitol Theatre, which will be cleared to become one dance floor on March 24 and 25, the concert is the most recent production under theater company Dream Academy&rsquoexperimental stage The Henderson Project. Aside from the orchestra, there are guest vocalists and musicians which include X Rani Singam & rsquo;ho violinist Lynnette Seah Zouk resident percussionist M S Maniam, among others.

Basically a portrait of Zouk over the last quarter of a century has been that the brain child of Dream Academy’s her husband and Selena Tan John Pok. The couple had had seen a functionality in London by the Heritage Orchestra, which performed music by drum and bass music legend Goldie. When information of Zouk being sold and proceeded came they decided to push through with the project, roping in preceding Zouk resident DJ Aldrin Quek, a friend and collaborator.

Quek, ” the show’s artistic director, suggested they take the dance-meets-orchestra idea one step farther.

“” I believed it would be fun to make it like a DJ set where the audio is non-stop,&rdquo.

Tasked with constructing the tracks which music director and conductor Indra Ismail would later transcribes to an musical score — it was a undertaking for the DJ.

“We had to select the best of the best of the entire 25 years, but we also realised that not many might all have lived through it, and only a couple of us would know all of the music. So I had to take that under consideration,” stated Quek.

The show will not only require Zouksters down memory lane but even through the signature sounds of this club’s rooms, like the chill out songs at Wine Bar into the breakbeats and hip of Phuture.

The setlist contains rsquo & the show;s titular trail from Daft Punk, Faithless’ Insomnia and Ame’s Rej, but Quek desires the rest. As for almost any nods to Zouk’s most Mambo Jambo nighttime, he conceded that there’ll be a Fatboy Slim remix in there somewhere.

“I had to make certain that that the music flowed together concerning style musical keys and groove. We would like people to be more dance from the start,” he explained.

And also make sure there’s lots of them, too. While employing an orchestra is costly, organisers recently decided to slash costs for tickets on the dance floor department (aka “posh pit”) into S$88 to lure more audiences to get a appropriate party vibe. The cost change begins at 9pm on Thursday (March 16) on Sistic.

Meanwhile, the tasked with keeping the audio is that the music director in charge of the 48 musicians enjoying non-stop. Transposing dance music for the orchestra was the initial part — come show time, Indra Ismail are also right there at the thick of things, running the whole thing from begin to finish.

“To be truthful, I’m not sure I’m likely to sustain but I must! I’ve must visit the gym and be in good shape mentally and emotionally,” he quipped. “But I have to ensure that I have the support of everybody, particularly and enjoying” stated Indra.

Added Quek: “Plenty of dance music is all digital loops, drum or tune loops for a musician to play a hundred over pubs of exactly the exact same issue isn’t straightforward! I hope they get used to it. ”

Regardless of the physical challenges for the musicians, they assert to make it a memorable night with.

“rsquo & We;re still playing with house music using instrumentation,” said Indra. &ldquo what, for 90 minutes, it’s oomph oomph oomph all the way! ”

In 2015, The Observatory conducted Vibrational in France using 20 extra guitarists. This time around, they’ve roped in 30 of them for the NUS Arts Festival. (Photo: The Idealiste)

2. FEEL THAT 30-GUITAR ‘WALL OF SOUND’

For their second gig, Singapore experimental rock band The Observatory has roped to help create a gigantic “walls of noise&rdquo.

But throughout the band’s meeting with their youthful collaborators, they had to begin with some rock guitar principles — the necessity to actually possess a guitar strap.

“Some of them were sitting down because they didn’t even have any! ” recalled drummer-percussionist Cheryl Ong.

The show Vibrational, which will wrap up the continuing NUS Arts Festival 2017 on March 25, includes the band performing with members of the NUS Guitar Ensemble (GENUS) along with other student guitarists. It’s this show’s next iteration — together with all the guitar outfit Guitarkestra, the band performed in Toulouse, France along at 2015.

The Observatory will perform tracks from their albums August Is The Cruellest along with Oscilla. Their guitarist collaborators can come in for the composed titular tune as well as the next half to perform in a few of the songs. Helping out at the performance are band alumni, Dharma and guitarists Victor Low.

Rehearsals started in January, and it’s been a steep learning curve for those students, said keyboardist Vivian Wang.

“They all had guitar wallpapers, but a number of them had never played with with the guitar; re not enjoying standard tuning & rsquo; we and there’therefore these time signatures they must manage. But they’ve worked hard at it — we keep telling them to just loosen up, use your own ears and don’t rely about an score,” he explained.

It helped too that a number of the band members understood where the students were coming from. While direct vocalist-guitarist Leslie Low and musician Yuen Chee Wai learned that the “DIY” way, Wang and Ong are classically trained musicians.

“I arrived out of a conventional backdrop,” said Ong, who plays with classic music trio SA that was experimental. “When I look at them, ” I’m reminded of myself. I keep telling them that it & rsquo; s difficult to go beyond that barrier, but I let them let go and I understand their worries about following a score. ”

So can a “walls of noise” sound like?

“The first idea was really to earn a performance which you just don’t only hear concerning volume but you really feel it in your chest and tummy,” explained Wang, who cited other bands which have done something similar, like American guitarist Rhys Chatham along with his own 100-guitar orchestra.

She continued: “Envision six vibrating strings on one guitar; 34 guitars, which are different; that’s 204 strings vibrating and amplified, also drums and voice along with other items. It’s not about busting your ear buds; we wish to have an kind of sense in regards to noise. ”

The thought of using many guitars to create a layered sound experience was partly inspired by the band’s earlier experiments gamelan music, in which occasionally the very same notes have been tuned just a fraction apart, making a vibrating feeling called the “defeat frequency”.

Wang included: “It’s like a pantone chart where there’s not only one form of yellow or blue but a wide assortment of them — so when you playwith, you’re likely to get this richness of tone and noise, and you truly feel the vibrations. ”

The gamelan experiments also opened their own eyes (and ears) to the idea of “enjoying slightly off”, which they expect can also be observed in Vibrational.

“When you see a gig, you don’t even need a fantastic CD quality functionality right? You need to observe the musicians kind of teetering on the edge of falling apart, fighting to vibe with the crowd. (Vibrational) is a little bit like that,” said Wang, who disclosed it’ll also be their final show in a little while, as they take a hiatus to plan for their next album.

“rsquo & there; s things, such a wealthy wall of it and I believe when sound is imperfect. It’s likely to excite your own ears far more than the crafted concert you’ll be able to sip tea at. ”

Experimental piano collection LP Duo will be doing “hybrid pianos” which are plugged to a computer creating quantum mathematical equations – all for the listening enjoyment. (Photo: LP Duo)

3. LEARN QUANTUM MECHANICS WITH PIANOS

It’s not every day get a lecture on quantum physics like a bonus and you choose to see a piano concert.

But that’s exactly what you’ll get when you catch The Quantum Music Project (QMP), which will be held on March 21 and 22 as part of this continuing NUS Arts Festival 2017.

Belgrade pianist team LP Duo will be doing experimental bits while at exactly the exact same time, physicists will go up to explain the relationship between audio and quantum physics.

The Singapore concert is the under this distinctive project between scientists and musicians. It started in 2012, using sound engineer Dragan Novkovic and quantum physicist Vlatko Vedral thinking up of ways to flake and hang out outside “playing dolls and drinking beer,” quipped the prior.

Hitting upon the notion of a job that combined their two disciplines, LP Duo was roped in by them.

Bespite being rather daring and musicians themselves, the pianists admitted it took a while for them to get it.

“Dealing with laws of quantum physics? This was very hard to imagine in the start. But things like a particle in the instant in similar quantum phenomena or two areas are extremely inspirational to be shown through audio and sound,” stated LP Duo’s Sonja Loncar.

So what exactly is the link between classical music and also quantum physics?

“Math, physics and acoustics are areas where these meet very readily,” said LP Duo pianist Andrija Pavlovic.

“There were lots of experiments by several composers from the 1960s, but we’re carrying it a step forward. Play and we chose to make the audio of this 21st century, combining acoustic pianos using also and analog synths digital noises; whereas the physicists do simulations of the quantum sounds, which we then manipulate. ”

For the concert, each key in both grand pianos is attached to a detector, which feeds to a computer which alters the sound generated.

Even though QMP did something similar at the Keyboard Times Belgrade Festival this past year, the hybrid-pianos will be making their debut. (NUS Centre for Quantum Technologies’ Andrew Garner is also highly involved in QMP.)

Their show here is a dry-run for bigger things for the project. Back in September, a premiere of their multimedia show will be held at Copenhagen, which will then be followed with a Europe tour.

“And we really hope to have the ability to bring the entire show here in Singapore at 2018. That’s most one of our goals and such concerts are an essential step to generate something like this possible,” stated Novkovic.

So what if you’re a music lover who knows next to nothing? Don’t said Loncar.

“There is not any need to be prepared, because one of the aims for us is to exhibit the laws of quantum physics in a way that everyone can easily understand. ”

And if you believe they’re folk that is extreme and serious, well, there’s of them playing blindfolded a video floating around.

“because we wished to show our virtuosity This began at the same concert – but Dragan and Vlatko were inspired and discovered a link between that and the quantum world. Come and see the show! ”

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